San Antonio Adventures

We escaped for the weekend with family and friends. We packed a lot into a weekend, but we had a blast!!

If you visit San Antonio, you have to visit Sea World. It's our new favorite place on earth...and we spend 90% of our time in San Antonio there.

If you ask Avery her favorite part, it will be Shamu & Baby Shamu.

I agree with Avery, it's unreal what these huge animals can do!

During every show at Sea World, Avery had one goal: GET SPLASHED! It took seeing the show 2x times to get wet...but Shamu did not disappoint. He splashed like no other. Chels was quickly running away, but Avery LOVED every second.

Tanner, on the other hand, is STILL talking about the Boat Ride.

He was barely tall enough to ride...and honestly I thought he'd be scared out of his mind. It's the classic ride where you get trenched...and e's usually not the adventurous kind.

Tanner's reaction: "Oh yeah, that was fun!"

Anthony: "Do you want to do that again?"

Tanner: "No!"

The next day, however, Tanner had a change of heart. As we were entering the park, he say it high in the sky. "Let's go on the boat ride!" Later, he found it on the map and insisted on going again. So we did!! And that's all he talks about since.

Forget the Dolphin show he laughed hysterically during:

Tanner thought the clown person was hilarious...but swimming on the wales was cool too.

Or the cute little mystery play the sea lion, walrus, and otter put on for us:

Seeing Elmo live on stage:

Or the million other rides:

Nope, it's just the boat rides that matters :)

Avery, on the other hand, was in LOVE with all of it.

"Can I be a dolphin trainer and an aerial diver when I grow up?"

Chels: "Sure, you'll just have to LIVE at Sea World!"

By the end of the day, Tanner was exhausted, to say the least!

The rest of us only we we had someone pushing us in a stroller too.

Quincy was the best of all the kids. She just needed those fingers (just like her mommy!) and she was as happy as could be!

We talked Avery into going on the Big Roller Coaster. She was just barely tall enough to ride, but luckily they didn't ask. I was telling Avery, "To go on this roller coaster, you have to wear your big kid pants." She looked at me all concerned and said, "But I only have on my swim suit!"

I'm not sure who was more scared after the initial drop -- Chelsea or Avery!

Just Chillin

Nothing cuter than seeing these little bottoms :)

The Alamo

Tanner's BFF, Brynlee

Riverwalk

Tannerisms

It's hard to believe that this little boy is now 3!!!

Here's some of the cute and adorable things I'll remember about him as a two year old. But I can't wait to see what this year will bring!!

Game time

One Sunday, we were playing Candyland together. I just had received a card sending me to the Gummy Godess at the beginning of the board. I must have look disappointed [my competive side] cause Tanner came running over to me, "It's okay Mommy!!" and smoothered me in hugs and kisses.

Father's Day

Tanner woke in a horrible mood.

Me: Tanner, It's Father's Day. Let'stry to be NICE to Daddy today.
Tanner: Oh okay. I have an idea. Let's hit Daddy with our sword and give him an ouchie. Then I'll give him and hug n kiss and make him feel ALL BETTER!!

Right Tanner, just like that....

Potty Training

Anthony: Tanner, you're wearing underwear just like me now.
Tanner: Do you have Thomas?
Anthony: No.
Tanner: Percy?
Anthony: No
Tanner: Why not???

Terrible Twos

Tanner's truely first "naughty" act was give the kitchen tile a facelift my coloring the grout turqiouse. Trust me, I should never be allowed to watch Tanner at 6 am in the morning without my contacts in -- because I was half asleep "watching" him the entire time.

He's also figured out how to short my laptop computer in a matter of a few seconds. Forget trying to work from home with him in the same room. He takes my phone charger and barely touches it to the USB port. Poof! It powers off immediately. And now that he's figured out the secret, he does it all.the.time.

Dynamic Duo

Me: Tanner, I LOVE you!

Tanner: "No, Brynlee loves me! I go to Brynlee's house??

Copy Cat
Whatever we do, Tanner shortly follows.

When his uncle Kenneth came over in the winter wearing a beanie or baseball hat, first thing Tanner would do would be to run to his room and put his on too.

At dinner, Tanner insists on eating the same food as we do. If you try to eat any food without offering him any, he gets very offended. He'll eat tortilla chips with hot salsa, sprinkle parmesan on his spaghetti, and loves his broccoli. It's the simple food he doesn't care for -- getting him to eat Mac & Cheese -- no way.

Going to the Zoo

Tanner still talks about the time a silly bird landed on his head. We were at the kids section of the Dallas Zoo where you can get a popsicle stick with bird food on it. When we walked in, birds immediately attacked us! Initially Tanner was freaked out, but afterwards thought it was funny. The pesky birds are aggressive -- they landed on a little baby or latch on to your purse when you're not looking.

Later that afternoon, Tanner woke up from his nap and asked "When are we going to the zoo!" He can never get enough!!

Temper Tantrum
One on one, at home, Tanner is the perfect kid ever. Ok, well, most of the time. It's only when we venture in public at the most opportune times does he seem to strike into the worst fits.ever.

I don't particularly enjoy going to the grocery store with him, but he usually insists. One Saturday I went while he was taking a nap -- and he wasn't very happy I went without him. All week long I heard, "Can we go to the grocery store?"

So I try to take him with me. Looking back, I can't even remember what happened-- but he was being impossible! I just tried to be patient and reason with him, but I lost it. I got so mad at him...and 5, 10 minutes later, even on the way home, he wouldn't stop crying. Finally, I had an epiphany. I asked if I could hold his hand and started singing him a song. It was magical -- he instantly stopped crying and calmed down.

Now every time he gets in trouble and goes to time out -- he insists on having a big hug afterwards. He has to know I'm not still mad at him -- and then he's totally fine.

Smartness
Every kid think there child is genius...including me.

Tanner read the book, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" by Eric Carle and the next morning, knew all of his colors. It was that easy.

One day we were driving a car and pointed out a digger. "No, Mommy, that's a Backhoe." He knows every type of contruction vehichle -- and continued to point out the cherry picker, bulldozer, cement mixer, roller, etc.

He remembers practically everything we do together. We'll be reading a book and he'll see a soccer ball and ask, "Remember when we went to Soccer Game?"

When he sees a little tiny baby, he'll say it looks like Baby Quincy that we got to visit in the hospital [while visiting KC].

One morning Tanner insisted on having waffles for breakfast, but we were out. Days later, I mentioned we were going to the grocery and his response, "Yep, let's go get some waffles."

Tanner likes to help me in the kitchen. I was sprinkling some salt on some food, but he immediately got concerned. "Mommy, salt is for the cookies!" He didn't want me to use it all up.

Really, Tanner just likes to be my taste tester? Can you blame him???

He's also smart enough he's beginning to figure out our little tricks and create new ones of his own. When Anthony is offering to help him go to the bathroom, he'll insist that I do it. And vice versa. It's his way of thinking he's in charge.

He can get as big as he wants, but as long as he's still a mommies boy, he's always going to be my little boy!!!

Vacay to Kansas City

We headed to Kansas City for a week of birthday and holiday fun!

When Tanner woke up on Friday morning, we asked him "Guess what today is?"

Tanner: "What?"

Me: "It's your BIRTHDAY!"

Tanner: "But where?"

Whenever there's a birthday, there's always a party. But before 7am, there was definitely no partying going on.

A good thing too. Just a short time later, Tanner was refusing to eat breakfast, which is very unusual for him, especially considering how Chels made his favorite -- pancakes. A few seconds later, he was vomiting. After a long nap...he was as good as new.

Shawnee Mission Waterpark - We spent the rest of the day at the pool.

At first, he was being so shy and barely going in the water. One second he'd be laughing hysterically, "It's fun to get wet!" And the next second he'd be screaming in horror as we went through a mist of water.

But then Brendan took over and he was having the time of his life.

And when we came back, he went down a big water slide with me in a double tube. I had to do a little coaxing -- but left out the details like how it's a dark tunnel and you can't see where you're inside. But afterwards, he asked to do it again!

Tanner also thought it would be fun to go on the obstacle course. He didn't believe me when I told him he wasn't old enough, and so we asked the lifeguard to confirm. Then he believed me. Well, maybe next summer, Tanner!

Deanna Rose Farmstead:

I'm in LOVE with this place. They have the cutest activities for kids to do while teaching kids a thing or two.

Fishing seemed to be the biggest hit with all the kiddos -- and Dads!

Funny Story:

Dad: If you want to fish with me, I only have one rule!

Brittany: Ok, what?

Dad: You have to put the worm on the hook.

Brittany: No, I'm not touching a worm!

And she stuck to her word.

Turns out none of the kiddos were okay with touching a worm. Luckily, the guys were along to do the dirty work.

Dad was the master fisherman and caught the most fish.

Feeding the goats bottles of milk:

The little goats didn't mess around and

got straight to business. Once they found out you had a bottle, they'd be all over you. And once one goat would be drinking, you'd have a small swarm of goats wanting in on the action.

Tanner was pretty overwhelmed, especially when they start nibbling on his clothes too.

Pony Rides - Tanner was just barely old enough to ride the ponies -- all by himself.

For the picture, it's hard to tell if he's actually enjoying it. He seemed really nervous and excited all at the same time.

Exploring an Indian hut & tepee

An old-fashion schoolhouse

I thought Tanner's favorite part would be riding the tractors, but he didn't get into it. It must have been the blazing heat. Turns out KC gets just as hot as Texas. Bummer!

Tanner's Birthday Party

Quincy's Baby Blessing:

The real reason we came to visit was to be able to see little Quincy be blessed. Brandon gave a beautiful blessing for Quincy. Some of the few parts I remember -- have a strong mind & body, possess Charity -- an attribute of Christ, be a light unto others by sharing the gospel, and be a peacemaker and friend to others.

She's wearing the same gown my Grandma Knick made shortly before she passed away.

And yes, it's the same gown Tanner wore.

Tanner still considers Quincy his little sister. He still remembers her from when we visited her at the hospital when she was first born. Now when he sees another baby, "Look mommy, it's another baby like baby Quincy!" He loves to "try" to hold her on his own.

Tanner is desperately in need of a sibling. And Anthony and I are are trying to do everything in our power to make that happen!

Shawnee Mission Park:

People always think Kansas is flat/ugly -- but they haven't see Johnson County. There's so many rolling hills, beautiful trees, and it's all GREEN! This park is a hidden gem and is absolutely beautiful. It just seems like yesterday when I was there as a teenager.

We rented a paddle boat and took off. Avery and Nanny were barely paddling -- and they were cruising around everywhere. Chels, Tanner, and I were giving it everything we had and we'd barely move.

Fireworks

Ultimately, Tanner was very unimpressed by the fireworks. Some friends purchased a large stash and were lighting them off themselves -- and it was so incredibly loud.

Mason, on the other hand, was bouncing around pretending he was a firework, while Tanner insisted on covering his ears. Maybe next year...

The piros

Ping Pong Tournament

Keith helped a family move -- and came back with a ping pong table. It quickly became a new obsession during the trip. Anthony had the unfair advantage of practicing over the past 4 years of school when he was suppose to be "studying" since they had one in the break room at school. My dad being older and much more experienced, proved he hadn't lost his touch. As for the rest of us, Chels and I just tried to debate our way out of being beat. Keith, Brendan, and Brendon gave the rest of us $$ and weren't bad either.

Shop til you Drop

We went shopping at the Legends. Tanner and Avery quickly doused themselves in water playing in the fountain. Avery stepped in to grab a penny she had just thrown, and Tanner followed suite. Except Avery was wearing flip flops and Tanner tennis shoes.

We tried to go shopping with the kiddos, but I forgot how difficult it is. Later, my mom took Tanner and Avery to see "Mr Popper's Penguins" while Chels and I finished our shopping. It was so nice!!

Meet the Pup

We also go to meet the newest member of the Knickerbocker household -- a new yellow lab puppy named Maelby Lynn. She was so adorable!!

But hopefully Tanner won't get any ideas. I just barely finished potty training Tanner -- the last thing I want to do is train a puppy.

Heading Home

This was my first time driving with just Tanner and me. Just to be safe, I tried to wear Tanner out by taking him to bounce house at Leaping Lizards in the morning and then headed back to Dallas around noon.

Tanner was unbelievable good 99% of the time. Except for one 15-minute episode where I was about to lose it...completely. Tanner put his hand in his mouth and started coughing/gagging. I thought for sure he was going to throw up so I freaked out and pulled over immediately. Well, Tanner thought this was hilarious and started doing it again and again -- until he finally did throw up. I thought he's learn after the nastiness the first time, but then did it a second time too. Ugh!!

I also got a speeding ticket on the way home (even with following Anthony's advice). Next time, I think it's time for us ALL to fly to KC.

All in all, we always have a blast when we go to KC and can never get enough!!