Ever-changing

It's incredible how much life can change! The last time I blogged, I had a BABY (I can't believe how old Tanner is now!) and was getting ready to get married! I used to be (and I guess I still am) afraid of change, but looking back on all that's changed in my life the last few years, I'm so incredibly grateful. Obviously I didn't and am not getting married, and my baby has turned into a big kid.

Tanner is going to be 4 in just a few months, and he is seriously the best kid ever. I know, every parent says it, but I mean it! He's so much fun and has the best personality. Right now he's obsessed with superheroes, his favorite one being Batman, and also Scooby-Doo. He's in preschool 4 days a week, 3 1/2 hours a day and is excelling. Just since September he can recognize almost the entire alphabet and also write his first and last name! He had a rough time with school at first and cried every day until December. He had trouble using his words when he needed help, and cried a lot throughout each day. But, he loves it now and actually gets excited to go. It's fun to hear him talk about which friends he played with each day and have him bring pictures home to put in his special preschool book. I cannot believe how much he's grown up just in the last couple months. He's gone from a needy/anxious mama's boy to a completely independent kid. I love him so much and my world would be empty without him.

So, since it's too hard to catch up almost two whole years, here is what I've learned in the past year, with pictures to help out.

#1. Time goes by waaaaay too fast. This was Tanner's 3rd birthday, now he's almost 4. What the heck?!?



#2. Finishing a project can actually be really fun! Tanner's skateboard-themed room, finished June 2010.

#3. Despite the humidity, Florida is beautiful.



#4. True love DOES exist.

#5. Teamwork isn't ALWAYS the best option... Thanks for trying to put the sunblock on Tanner, Caden.


#6. Cheese tastes better when eaten directly off the block.

#7. Baga's (Tanner's name for "Grandma") and Great-Grandparents are fabulous.
#8. It is possible to make the most unlikely friends.


#9. I'm the luckiest mom alive (of course, I already knew that...).


#10. When your kid hurts, you hurt just as much, if not more.

#11. Three-year-olds can take some pretty nice pictures.



#12. Smiling is tough!

#13. I AM capable of looking at a cheeseburger without eating it.
#14. Everybody gets stuck in tough places sometimes.


#15. Anyone can look innocent while sleeping.

#16. Cats make great scarves.

#17. Christmas is 74839465830203784649283 times more fun when you have kids.


#18. Your kids will expect you to keep the presents that they buy you... Sorry, Mom.

#19. Life is precious.

Alright, I know 19 is a weird number to end with, but you get what you get. Even with all the rough times I've had even in just the past year, looking through all these pictures just makes me so grateful for everything that I have and that I am. I love my life, and everyone in it.