Tanner-Man

Tanner is our six-year-old and is such a funny kid. He's constantly making me laugh with his jokes and little pranks. Nate is TERRIFIED of snakes, and Tanner likes to take advantage of that. Most nights, Nate will find a rubber snake under his pillow when it's time for bed. Tanner thinks he's pretty clever! Tanner is in kindergarten and LOVES it. He has a great teacher that recognizes his strengths and builds upon them. He's a good little reader and has really taken off. I'm always amazed when they start to read. It's so fun to sit and have him read to me. I love taking advantage of this new talent-I have him read to Quincy to buy me a little more time to do other things. Tanner loves sports and is quite the runner. Treyson has to watch out, because Tanner is right on his heels! Tanner's favorite sport depends on the season. He just got done playing basketball and will be moving onto soccer and baseball in the next couple of months. I love to watch him play because he has so much fun out there. Tanner loves to give me kisses and tell me he loves me. I love that about him and hope he never outgrows it! He's a friendly kid that makes friends easily. Tanner's going through a picky-eater stage and we're going crazy! Any advice on overcoming this little challenge would be very appreciated!
We love having Tanner in our family. He's always good for a big hug or a laugh. He makes me happy just being around him. Love you, T-Bone!

Look at those eyes! Why is it that boys always get the long, curled eyelashes?

Tanner and Treyson at Fenway Park in Boston. They both LOVE the Red Sox!

Max

My baby is three-months-old today! It blows my mind that three months have passed already. I know the last three months of my pregnancy didn't go that fast! I'm a little out of order on the "kid description," but in honor of Max's "birthday," I thought I'd write about him next.

Max Thomas Esplin was born October 25th, 2007 at 12:47 a.m. My labor and delivery were quick and easy. He weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces and was 20 inches long. He has two of my favorite kind of dimples. They're the kind that you can see with any facial change, not just when he smiles. Love that about him. We struggled deciding what to name him. I tend to like names that are a little different and not super common. My mom suggested Max a couple of days before he was born. My grandpa Cowan's name was Max. We had already decided to use Thomas as his middle name, which is my mom's maiden name. Nate instantly liked the name and the idea of using both grandpa's names. I was hesitant because it was so different from any of my other kids' names. While I was in the hospital, my dad came to visit and we got to talking about what to name the baby. I mentioned that we were considering using his dad's name. My dad got tears in his eyes and I knew right then that our baby was going to be Max. The name is perfect for him and I can't imagine him as anything else now.

We truly have been blessed with such a sweet, happy baby. From day one he's been a good baby. I guess he has to be easy going, the way his older siblings get in his face giving him kisses and trying to make him laugh. He's an excellent sleeper! I lay him down around 10:00 and he usually makes it until around 7:30. He's also a good little eater. Nate weighed him a couple of days ago and our little heavy-weight was up to 16 1/2 pounds! He doesn't look super chubby, he's just solid!

I've been a little more sentimental with Max. We plan on him being our last baby, so it's made me want to hold him a little longer and just sit and enjoy him. With each new child, you can't help but wonder what the future will bring. I just pray that I'll be able to teach him and help him. In his blessing, Nate felt very impressed that Max would be very service oriented. I hope that I can be an example of that to him. I hope that he'll have good friends and a good, clear mind. I love this little baby and am so grateful that he came to our family!

Just few hours old

Blessing day (5 weeks)

My cute, happy baby (gotta love those dimples!)

Road Trip

Yea!!! I got to visit my cute sister this weekend! It's been absolutely forever since I was able to travel to Ogden to visit her darling family. We had such a good time playing and laughing together.

Nate had a meeting in SLC on Friday so we packed up the family and headed north. This was the first time travelling any where since we had Max and I forgot how much stuff you have to pack for babies! Thankfully Max travelled great. While Nate was at his lunch I very bravely took the four kids (by myself!) to Olive Garden. It still gives me a headache just thinking about doing it solo! They were actually very good--thank goodness for helpful nine-year-olds! That night we went to the Jazz game. I didn't see much of it. I spent a good portion out in the hall either taking Q to the bathroom or for treats, or rocking Max because it was so loud. The time I did spend inside of the arena I was people watching, so I couldn't even tell you what happened during the game.

On Saturday we headed up to Ogden to play, play, play! Quincy and Dawson, Alayna's little boy, are three months apart and are the best of friends (usually). They talk everyday on the phone and love to play together. Dawson totally digs Thomas the train and Quincy could not wait to go play with his collection. We also went to a fun children's museum in Ogden and let the kids run wild! Thanks Tim, Alayna, and Dawson for a fun weekend! We love you!Alayna isn't really that much taller than me. She had her tall boots on and I didn't have any shoes on. She's such a cheater!

Treyson

I thought since I'm new to this whole blogging thing, I'd do a little "introduction" of each of us. I'm sure it's going to sound "braggy" (isn't that our job as parents?), but I wanted to write a little bit about the kids for my own history, if nothing else.


Since Treyson is the oldest, I thought I'd start with him. Trey is now 9 1/2 and in the fourth grade. It's amazing to think that my "baby" is going to be turning double digits this year. He is an incredible older brother and is always so willing to help (especially with the youngest two). He's an adult pleaser and is a good rule follower (does he sound like a first child or what?). Treyson is an excellent student. His favorite subjects, not counting recess, are math and reading. He's constantly reading. He finished all 700 pages of the 7th Harry Potter in less than a week. I love catching him in bed after lights are suppose to be out, reading a book. Treyson's passion is definitely baseball (with other sports close behind). He gets to play Little League for the first time this year and can't wait for try-outs. He tried out for and made a travel baseball team about 1 1/2 years ago. They play in about six tournaments a year, mostly here in Southern Utah. He usually starts as catcher, but also gets in time as pitcher and shortstop. He's currently playing basketball and has been able to go to St. George to play some golf where there's no snow (thanks Colby!). We are so grateful to have Treyson in our family. He's such a good boy and so willing to please. He's a good friend to everyone which is more important to me than anything. We love you, Treyson!

Q's new 'do

Quincy absolutely loves getting her hair cut. Whenever we drive past the place where the boys get their hair done, she asks if it's her turn. I always have to pretend to call the girl and then tell Quincy that there isn't room for her that day. I've been debating for awhile now if I should grow her bangs out and have her hair cut into a cute bob. I haven't been quite ready to give up pony tails, but yesterday I finally took the plunge and had my cute friend cut off almost five inches! I am so thrilled with the results. Q's really good at sitting on the bathroom sink and letting me do her hair, so it was fun this morning to round brush it. She looks like such a big girl! Thanks, Cass, I love it!

Bye, bye baby

Ok. It's official. Tanner is no longer a baby. I know, he's six and left "babyhood" long ago, but he reached a new milestone that always makes me a little sentimental. He lost his first tooth two days ago. I don't know what it is about the tooth fairy coming for the first time, but it always makes me a little sad to see that last piece of being a "baby" leave. Before I know it, he'll be dating and driving. Where does the time go?

Christmas

We had such a great Christmas and New Years! We're lucky to have both of our families here in Cedar City, so we never have to travel for the holidays. Each of our kids thought that Christmas was a success-they each got what they were hoping for. They were definitely most excited about the Wii. We had told them not to get their hopes up because they're so hard to find. Santa pulled through for us though. Most of this past week has been spent competing against each other on the various games. I'm embarrassed to admit to being slightly sore after playing! My sister was too, so that made me feel a little better! Enjoy some of these pictures from that morning and through out the week!

Christmas Eve was spent with the Cowans eating and reading a new X-mas story (0ne of our favorite traditions). All Quincy could talk about for months was that she wanted a pink car that she could drive. Santa gave in. He also brought her a Bitty Baby and some dress-ups. She put on her tiara, boa, high heels, and tutu, grabbed her purse, got in her car and said she had to go and be a ballerina. Such a girl!

Quincy and her cute cousin Dawson. We LOVE Daws! They're three months apart and get so excited to see each other!

Uncle Scott, McKenna, and Q. It was so fun being able to spend the week with all of our cousins!