Happy Birthday, Daddy!!

Yesterday was Steve's birthday!!! We just celebrated at home this year - and actually spend most of the day working on the house and the yard but that is honestly what Steve wanted to do! :) I promise I didn't have a 'honey do' list for him!

A new photo of our Wheat!


What could it be???


A NEW drum!!! This is called a Cajon (pronounced Ka-hone). It is an african hand drum! Steve has wanted one for quite some time!


Giving it a try! He loves it!

Starting Young...

When we lived in Portland, we had a two bedroom apartment and very little storage so Steve was only able to have some of his drums out and available to play. Then when Tanner was born, the drums were replaced by a baby swing, a glider rocker and a crib! Now that we have a house, Steve will finally have a place for his drums and be able to play them pretty much whenever he wants! This is a huge blessing! In fact, we have a side room in the basement that is specifically going to be the music room! A year ago we couldn't have even imagined it! :)

This week Steve has been practicing for the Kalamazoo Fete de la Musique - a free music festival taking place on Saturday, June 21. He and his friend Jonathon will be playing a couple of sets - if you click on the link above, you can see a schedule and map. Their band is called Rootabaker! If you are or will be in the Kalamazoo area - feel free to stop by!

Anyway, since Steve has been practicing, Tanner is very interested in the drums! And....we say - why not start young!!

Curls!!

Oh, I just LOVE these curls!

Video Blues

Well...I tried to put a video on the blog but to no avail. So to see a video of Tanner playing in his new pool - click on the video link on the right-hand side of the page or click here. Keep checking the other site for new videos!

OUTside!!!

That is exactly how Tanner says it - emphasizing the 'OUT'! He loves to be outside and throws a big 'ole fit when we have to come inside.

When we go outside, we wander....look at and smell the flowers, find sticks, water the plants, and if it's warm enough - play in the pool!!

Here's Tanner smelling the Clematis - isn't it gorgeous?


Smelling the purple iris...


...and the peach iris.


Trying to smell the little yellow flower in the grass!


Finding sticks.


Wheat loves the yard too. After living in an apartment for over 4 years he is happy to finally have a place to lay in the grass!


A couple of weeks ago, Dad Root and Steve built a couple of privacy panels for our deck. Our house is on a corner lot so the street is right next to the house. These panels provide some privacy on the deck for both sides.


Tanner swam in his pool during the construction! It was a hot and sunny day! After I post this...I'm going to attempt to upload a video of him playing in the pool. Lately, video hasn't been working on this site so we'll see! Oh...and the Tide bottle is actually his watering can - complete with little holes in the top!

Memorial Day Parade!

On Memorial Day, we went to the parade in Paw Paw! It was a really short parade but the ceremony was really nice. We are pretty excited to have a little town to call our own now and Paw Paw seems like a really great place to live so far!

Here comes the fire truck!


Tanner wasn't too interested in smiling for the camera when the fire trucks were driving by!

He did really good during the parade and the ceremony. In fact, he didn't even cry when they fired off the guns about 20 feet from us! He did jump pretty good, though!

Tanner LOVES Flowers!

Tanner is turning out to be like his Daddy in the 'green' department! He just loves flowers! Every flower he sees, he wants to smell (and touch!). At this point, he is just as interested in a dandelion as he is in an orchid! :)

On our moving day...as I was finishing up some things at Dad and Mom Root's house - Steve, Mom and Tanner went to the greenhouse to pick up some flowers. Tanner was thrilled to bits!

Last Month's Photos...Finally!

OK...so I admit that I've been pretty behind with updating the blog. But 'better late than never' so here are some photos from the beginning of May. Enjoy!

At the beginning of the month - Tanner was just getting the hang of feeding himself. Here he is with his 'o-gurt'!


Steve must have been itchin' to have a yard of his own - so he mowed Dad and Mom Root's yard while we lived there! Tanner liked to watch from the window upstairs.


These are the coolest looking ferns that grow in Dad and Mom Root's backyard - Tanner was pretty intrigued with them too! Now, a month later, they are well over his head.


On the 16th of May, we celebrate my Mom's birthday at Frederick Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids. It was a gorgeous day!

We started the 'party' with some snacks on the lawn outside the Gardens. Here we are munching. It was a really windy day so excuse the 'windblown' look! (L-R: my Dad, Branden, Steve, Tim, Lisa and Kim).


Here's my Mom with Tanner - watching the Canadian Geese.


Tanner is pretty excited here...but I'm not sure what about!


Pretty waterfall scene at the Gardens.


Checking out some of the artwork in the sculpture park!


Nana, Poppa and Tanner!


Riding on Uncle Branden's shoulders!


This was a really cool sculpture called 'Aria'.


HUGE amazing tropical plants inside the Tropical Conservatory.


Tanner did actually take a nap while we were at the Gardens - and just like the 'old' days when he was a baby, it was in the sling! Isn't he adorable?


We had such a wonderful day! My family thoroughly enjoyed celebrating my Mom and spending time together!

We're In!!

Hi Everyone!
So we are living in the house now!! YEAH! We love it! Being homeowners brings such a mix of emotions!! We are super excited and yet completely overwhelmed! :)

Everything is coming along --albeit a bit more slowly than I would like but that is life! Tanner is adjusting very well. I wasn't sure how he would sleep in his new room but he goes down for his naps and bedtime like normal. We've been here a bit over a week and for the first week he was a bit more clingy and would panic a bit when I would leave the room (even for a second) but this week he is much more comfortable here - especially in his room (he call's it "TT's room")!

I'll get some more photos of the house up here soon but in the meantime, here are some photos of the little guy!

Tanner is running everywhere now - in fact, he has one speed, which can be really dangerous! Here is comes around the corner!


He is also doing this adorable thing where he grabs your hand and says either "go" or "help" and tugs you along to wherever he wants to go! I just had to take this photo to capture this stage!


And here is Tanner in his cool shades! :)