My little swimmer- 3 months old !!

Look who's 3 Months old today!!!

Tanner had his first dip in the pool today and seemed to have a really good time. (Don't let the pictures fool you- As soon as I put down my camera and jumped in with him he was smiling and cooing) After we got out I undressed him and let him lay naked on his towel in the shade. He LOVED that and was smiling and laughing. Looks like he is quite a little exhibitionist already :)

Busy Busy busy....

Like I've been saying before, things are VERY busy around here lately and don't really look like they will be slowing down for a few weeks. The exterior of the house is almost completely stripped of all the paint and almost ready for it's first coat of primer. This is thanks to Paul and the TONS of help that my cousin Jake has given. (We are paying him to do some work for us) We would never be able to get it all done without his help. Hopefully the painting will begin soon and I will be able to post before and after pictures before too long.

Also, this week I am prepping for my annual girls weekend at Country Fest in Cadot, WI. It is something I look forward to every year and can't WAIT for everything we have planned. This year there are 11 of us going and then we camp next the same girls we always do so there will be 15 ladies total. We have decorations for our campsite, t-shirts, games, pedicure supplies, a pool, LOT of food, cocktails and girl talk...and OH YEAH- the concert too. The headliners this year are Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, and Reba! It is going to be SOOOO fun. Of course this means leaving my little Tanner Man for a LOOOOONG weekend but I am trying not to think of it. This might be my last year for a while depending on when I am pregnant again and where our family is at so I am focusing on that rather than how much I will miss Tanner. PLUS, he gets to spend 4 days of very good quality time with his daddy. It will be good for both Tanner and Paul to have some time alone together. It's also good for me to have some Mommy-time without having to worry about bottles and diapers.



After country fest, I am coming back up to the cities next week to visit with some friends who live out of state and will be here visiting family and friends. They each have little girls who were born in March. One born just hours after Tanner and one the following week. We shared pregnancy stories and keep in touch via e-mail with our mommy stories.

Also on tap for the first part of July are: finish painting the house, a 30th birthday party for a good friend at their cabin, 4th of July weekend at my Mom and Dad's cabin, my 27th birthday, and hosting my grandparents, parents, sister and family, brother and family, aunts and cousins at our house for Danube Fun Days.....

Looks like I better stay ultra organized to pull this all off....

Photo edits

I did some editing on Tanner’s pictures and these are the ones I ended up getting printed.  I airbrushed them, removed the scratch he had on his face, and added some extras.  I love it!!  And I am VERY happy that I know i can save $$ on his milestone pictures by doing them myself!  Have I said how much I LOVE my camera??!!??

 

 

 

 

3 month pictures

PS....I am in NO WAY a professional photagrapher but I do think these turned out pretty well :) Little Life Photography is my made up professional photography name. Who knows...I might delve into this idea of family and child photography soon. Right now, it just makes me feel fancy!

Sleepy Boy....

I feel very grateful that I have a baby that likes to sleep!! He went to sleep last night at 10:30 or so and slept until 5:30 this morning. After a quick changing and feeding he fell right back asleep and is still sleeping...it's now 9:30 am. He has been doing this more and more lately which is just fine by me! He's just getting so big and saying bye-bye to that middle of the night feeding which I actually didn't even mind too much. He is just growing way too fast.

Small Town Livin

My blogs have been fewer and further in between lately for multiple reasons, including but not limited to the following: it's summer and I am outside WAY more, we have LOTS of house projects going on around here, Tanner isn't much of a napper- he will sleep TONS at night but sneaks only catnaps during the day, and my life just doesn't seem to be very blog-tastic lately. I am just living life in my small town and forming quite the routine which is cozy and nice for Paul, Tanner and me but to my followers probably nothing too exciting.

We did end up going on an impromtu day trip to East Bethel/Oak Grove/St Francis yesterday. My cousin Ashley graduated last week and had her grad party. We were planning on staying home adn starting to work on the house but decided that it was a better idea to go help Ashley celebrate. YAY ASHLEY!! She will be attending Bemidji State in the fall. While we were in the area, we decided to go check out the St Francis Pioneer Days fireworks. They were pretty awesome and I tried to get some pictures. Of course Tanner slept through most of them, even the BIG booms. He only started stirring a little during the extreme grand finale. Overall I was VERY impressed with the display. Nice work Franny town.

Tanner's first fireworks experience.

Also as part of our trip to the northern burbs, we recruited an employee to help with the scraping, priming and painting of our house, my 16 yr old cousin Jake,. Unfortunately it is supposed to be rainy AGAIN this week but I am sure we will still find plenty to keep him busy. I can't WAIT to see what it looks like all painted. Our goal is to have it all done before Fun Days (our town summer festival) Jully 7-11.

One interesting thing that did happen this week was that Paul went to a friend's house on Fri night for a bon fire. While he was there he met a guy named Aaron that I just happened to ride the bus with in elementary school and graduate with. Aaron was down visiting some college friends who live a couple towns over and happened to end up at a party that just happened to be 2 blocks from where I live in good ol' Danube. He and Paul got to talking and realized the connection. I love random stuff like this. Just proves that we are all way more connected than we may realize. Just one more reason to treat people well, even strangers, you never know how you might be connected.

I am attempting to take Tanner's 3 month pictures this week too so stay tuned!!

Yard work, yard work, and more yard work

Ok, so here is the view out my patio door into my back yard. I wish I would have taken pictures a year ago when we moved in because it didn't look nearly as nice as it does now. We live on a small lot in town 50x150 but we make the most of it and have awesome neighbors so it works for us. I took some pictures yesterday of the work we did. First off..notice the pool. It's nothing fancy but sure will be nice to have when these hot Minnesota summers strike down here SW farm country. Plus it was FREE!! Along with enough chemicals to get it up and running. Anyone who know Paul and me knows we LOVE free!

Notice the pretty little rock circle around the pool? Even though we live in one of the FLATTEST regions in the country, our yard seem to be very uneven so some sand and field rock border do the trick just fine. And again the price is right...FREE!

Next onto or lovely lilac bush which was a weed, prickly bush collecting machine. I don't know how many handfuls of weeds and debris I cleared out from under here before digging it up, putting in edging (Well, Paul did that), planting flowers and adding mulch. It looks so much better I can't even believe it. It looks like someone actually lives here now and cares about the yard.

Last but not least is my pride and joy..(well besides Tanner). It's my garden!!! Look how lovely and almost completely weed free it is! It took Paul and I a good couple hours to get it to look so pristene. I can't wait for the veggies to start coming in so I can start canning and making baby food for Tanner.

I also took a bunch of "before" pictures of the exterior of our house so that we can do a comparison when we are all done painting and landscaping. I would post them now but the peeling paint and dug up front yard might lose the dramatice effect if not pair with a hopefully amazing "after" pic. Stay posted for house updates...We are a busy crew around here!!

Busy being a mom

I think this is the longest I have gone without a post for quite a while. I guess I have just been busy with...well...life. Had a great Memorial Day weekend at the lake. The hot, sunny weather definitely helped. Saturday was one of those days where I just put my lawn chair in the lake and RELAXED!! Paul was sunburned from picking rocks the week before so he and Tanner sat in the shade. This week it was back to the grind and routine that Tanner is getting more and more accustomed too. He is such a mellow guy and is sleeps a good 5-7 hour chunk every night for us.

I think Tanner is becoming quite the Mama's boy though. He will fuss for others (even Paul) then smile and be perfectly calm the moment I pick him up. I don't mind though, because before long I know he will be following Paul and trying to emulate all the "manly" stuff Daddy does. He can stay my little mama's boy as long as he wants. Here's a picture I took of him in the bath the other day. He LOVES it. We plop him in the tub even when he's crabby and even a frown turns to this in no time!!

2 month stats

I know I keep saying this but I seriously can't believe that Tanner is 2 months old already. I am just in awe every day by the new things he is doing and how is changing right before my eyes. We had his 2 month check up at the doctor yesterday which meant poor little guy got his shots too. Not going to lie, I teared up when then stuck him and he let out a scream along with TEARS. I have only seen him produce tears on very rare crying occasions. He was fine though and with a little Tylenol and some wincing last night, he seems to be back to his smiley self this morning. So here's his 2 month stats:

Length: 22 1/2 inches 46 percentile
Weight: 12lbs 9 oz 75 percentile
Head: 41 cm 75 percentile

Overall Tanner is a very healthy and happy little boy and I feel very grateful for that!!

Mommy's Night Out

On Saturday, Paul and I had our first night out and overnight away from Tanner. My mom watched him Saturday during the day til Sunday morning when we picked him up. We went to a Twins game @ Target Field with a big group of friends. There were 25 of us who had seats together (Only part of us made the pic..which BTW I LOVE). What a view huh? I had so much fun. We first went and had a BBQ on our friends rooftop patio which was only 4 blocks from the field. We walked to the game, had a blast, Twins won in extra innings, then we celebrated in Downtown Minneapolis. By midnight I was beat (not to mention I had more cocktails then I have had in about a year) and ready to walk back to the hotel Paul and I were staying at. Of course we had to stop for a slice of pizza on the way home. It reminded me so much of my college days. The line out the door of drunk people waiting for $5 a slice pizza. So funny. It was nice to sleep the whole night through and I slept in until 8:30!! It was definitely a great time but it made me realize we are a little to old to pump it up like we used to. Good thing these nights are now few and far between for me. I don't think I am fully recovered yet.

I thought it would be harder than it actually was to leave Tanner. Maybe I felt so comfortable because he was with my mom. Who is better to watch your own child than the woman who raised you, right? I do not feel like a bad Mom for not breaking down in tears or calling every half hour to check on him. I actually really enjoyed my time out. I was missing him by the time we were head home, of course, and had no shortage of telling people how darn cute and fabulous Tanner is. And thanks to our wonderfully funny and awesome friends Tanner has two new nicknames: T-Fred and Sir Fredrick. (Thanks James and Gary!!)

Our next Twins game is in July with my family. Tanner will get to enjoy that one with us and see Daddy's favorite team in action then!

Baby in a Basket

New Camera Lens and Flash

I received my new lens and flash for my camera and am now even MORE in love with it. My new photography supplies include a 55-200mm lens a Nikon SB-400 flash and a flash diffuser. I still have so very much to learn but can't wait to learn how to use my camera to take some awesome pictures. I have a great test subject (Tanner) and am going to experiment with my camera and new lens before I attempt to take his 3 month pictures. I already have some great ideas on where to shoot so hopefully I can learn enough to get some really great photos. I can't wait!!

I was just playing around with my flash today and took the picture above. I turn the flash bulb facing up so it still lights up the subject but doesn't wash it out or make Tanner blink his eyes. I LOVE the bright colors it picks up. Tanner loves his tummy time and is getting very accustomed to having his "mamarazzi" constantly taking pictures. (Thanks Amanda for the term..I now know how to label my obsessive picture taking)

Springtime Weekend Stuff

First things first....LOOK how beautiful my lilacs are :) They smell even better. I picked two GIANT bouquets and have one in my entry and another on my dining room table.

Now on to the "Quist Club's" fun filled weekend. After 2+ weeks of junky weather, we were so excited to finally plant our vegetable garden. Just LOOK how excited Tanner is...He can barely contain himself.

OK, so maybe he wasn't too excited but he was a good little boy and napped the whole time that Paul and I worked away.

Here's Farmer Paul using our neighbor's seeder. Talk about EASY!!! We are so lucky to have nice neighbors who let us borrow their gadgets. In our garden we have quite the variety of produce which includes: garlic, chives, cilantro, dill, basil, parsley, tomatoes, green peppers, jalapenos, green beans, lettuce, peas, carrots, radishes, onions, and beets. I can't wait for it all to be ready for me to use in my kitchen!!

Sunday, Paul, Tanner and I had a day out and about. But before you go anywhere you HAVE to get ready. Tanner takes this VERY seriously. He can't leave home without a good looking outfit and some styling shades!!

Tanner's ready for a little disc golf in Hutchinson :) He can't throw yet but Paul likes to set a baby sized disc next to him and take pictures.

I only threw a few times before picking up my little guy and carrying him along to watch daddy.

Here's Paul in action and doing one of his MOST favorite activities. He was a happy camper!!

Before heading to Paul's parent's house in Litchfield, Tanner need to stop for a little snack on the swings with Daddy. I LOVE my guys!!!

We had such a fun weekend full of fun activities. Tanner must have been wiped out from all of the activity because he slept a full 8 hours last night!! I can't believe that my little man is already 8 weeks old. He's getting sooooo big.

Tanner's First "Playdate"

On Friday, Tanner had some friends over for the first time. Well, it was maybe more for us Moms to get together and chat than it was for the babies. I mean just look how excited they are to "play"

Here's Easton and Tanner.

Easton born March 28th

Tanner born March 22nd

Evangelin born April 2nd

Can't wait unitl they are actually big enough to play rather than just sleep for most of the time they are together!!

What's for dinner?? Chicken Bacon Artichoke Pizza

Papa Murphy's makes a stellar Chicken Bacon and Artichoke Pizza that I LOVE!! I figured I would try and make something just as delicious at home tonight. No recipe, just me making something I thought would be DELICIOUS!! Let me tell you it was GOOD!

Ingredients:

2 Tbls Olive Oil

2 cloves fresh garlic (optional)

2 cooked and diced boneless skinless chicken breasts

5 slices VERY crispy bacon or some Real Bacon Bits

1/2 can Artichoke hearts chopped

1/2 c Alfredo sauce (I just bought the cheapest jar in the pasta aisle)

1 refrigerated can of pizza crust

1 1/2 C shredded cheese ( I used the Italian blend)

Sprinkle of Grated Parmesean (optional)

How to whip it up:

Spread out dough over your pan (If you have any stonewear, I reccomend using it)

Brush with olive oil and finely chopped garlic (I used my Pampered Chef garlic press)

Cook crust @ 400 until it is barely turning light brown

Remove Crust

Top with Alfredo sauce, Chicken, bacon, and chopped artichokes and topp with shredded cheese and a sprinkle of grated parmesean over teh entire pizza.

Bake at 400-425 until outer crust is crispy and cheese is melted. (I like my pizza a little crispy so I bake it until the cheese start to get a little crusty)

ENJOY!!!

Paul really like this one and I will definately be making it again soon! mmmm....mmm...mmm