Just living!

August was a great month to live and enjoy our lazy summer days.

 Dallin is getting more active- rocking and rolling, grabbing things with hand AND feet, eating his fingers and fists, and bouncing his legs when we hold him in standing position. He coos and grunts and squeals up a storm to us and his toys that hang in front of him. I can't get enough of him!

 Tanner is very active, too. We like playing in the pillows on Mama's bed. Tanner crawls around and says "I'm a T-Rex, I'm a T-Rex." and "I'm a lion," or "I'm a hippopotmous." I love throwing him in the pile of puffiness.

I love having a home with a driveway and front porch! Evenings are my favorite because the sounds, smells and lighting is perfect for playing. The heat and humidity are just right!

Tanner's bedtime routine is working out really well. He goes potty, takes a bath, brushes teeth, gets in jammies, reads stories, says prayers, songs, rock, and then we lay him down to sleep. Sometimes he falls asleep while I rock him. If not, I tell him that I have to go do something and he lets me lay him in his crib and he quietly falls asleep on his own. I really enjoy rocking my children to sleep instead of walking away to hear them cry themselves to sleep. Tanner loves bedtime, too, and I think that me rocking him helps him love it instead of dread it. This month he has started to recognize when he is ready for nap or bedtime by saying "Mama, I want to read stories. I tired." We never have fights about sleep time.

 Morning time routine is much more lazy. 

Tanner wakes up, rests in bed with me and Dallin, then he watches a show while Dallin and I keep resting in bed. Then we change diapers and go potty, sometimes get dressed, then eat breakfast. Mornings are hard for me mostly because of my back pain. Ever since I threw it out last year, it's been giving me lots of trouble. Gotta get that checked out. But in the meantime, I will continue to take it easy, esp during the mornings.

 Beaver Lake

Exactly one week after Chicago, we went to a lake near our house with the Taylor family in our ward. It was so fun to be at a beach again!! Tanner was in heaven digging in the sand.

The waves of course were little, but still made a for a nice scene.

We got some good family shots this time!