Halloween 2009

Mickey Mouse and the Hot Diggity Dog :)

Happy Halloween, everybody!!! He was waving to our neighbors as they drove down the street! It was perfect timing for the picture, though. ;)

With greatgrandma McCombs

With cousins, Alex (the Joker) and Abbi (Strawberry Shortcake)

Tanner really got into trick or treating this year. He has been practicing carrying his bucket around for weeks, but once he started receiving candy, he just wanted to throw the bucket down and eat the candy on the spot! :) Travis and I were amazed at how he sat still and let us color his Mickey Mouse nose (although, he did want to eat the makeup stick to start with). He had a great night!

My little football boy :)

I took these pictures during a friend's birthday party at a local park. Tanner picked up a football and was in his own little world. He absolutely loves football (well, any kind of ball, but especially football :)). I think we have a future player on our hands.

Boo in the Zoo

The Smith family, Brad, Micah and Kristy

The Bracken family, Cole, Dan, Jilli, Nicole and Ellla

This is a great event hosted by the Greenville Zoo. You can bring the kids (in costume or not) to the zoo to collect candy before Halloween. It was absolutely freezing the night we went but the kids had a GREAT time!

The Pumpkin Patch!!!

Tanner looks that much shorter standing beside his daddy!

When he is biting that lower lip, you know he is really thinking about something.

Before we knew it, hay right in the mouth...

...which he thought was hilarious.

He really isn't angry here, he is squinting! We forgot sunglasses! :) It was really cloudy when we left our house.

He LOVED this. He waved at everyone and clapped for himself.

Yay me!!!

Pat the pumpkin.

He is just too cute.

Bored with the photo op already.

Ready for his 1st hay ride!!!

...and his 1st hay fight, apparently.

He liked being pulled around by the tractor, but wanted to run around in the tractor bed.

We just couldn't keep the hay out of his mouth...what's new.

So, his eyes are closed and his is making a crazy face, but you get the idea. At least he was pointing at the pumpkins! It was such a pretty day!

Tanner and Mommy in the pumpkin patch. Ready to pick our pumpkins!!!

Tanner found his first. Once we pulled it off the vine for him, he picked it up and threw it. Guess he figured it was just one of many balls. :) Boys...

Talk about messing up a pair of blue jeans!!! He did some serious rolling in red dirt!!!

Tanner riding the baby bull :)

Tanner loved hanging out with the calf and goats.

Come back!!!

Remember that red dirt???

He LOVED running around in the mini corn maze.

This is his constant gesture. He throws his left hand up all the time. It's like his "what?"

Still hasn't found what he's looking for...

He could have stayed in there for hours.

Just checking out some kids across the way...don't let him fool you...he is soooo nosy.

He has never been this dirty before!

Hey Mommy!

Time to chase Daddy!!!

Looks like he is sneaking up on Daddy here.

I think this was his full out run!

Oh yeah, he was moving!!!

We had the BEST time visiting Denver Downs Farm in Pendleton, SC today. We thought we were just visiting a pumpkin patch, but had no idea there would be so much to do. It is a great place for families to visit. Tanner loved it. He got to ride a cow "train," go on a hayride, see some farm animals, go through a maze and pick his very own pumpkin right out of the patch. He had so much fun running around the fields. And I had so much fun watching him!!! It was well worth the drive out there, for sure.

Hope you enjoy the pictures from our fun day!

Becki :)

A buddy's birthday party

He just did not know about that first trip down!

Since I was taking the pictures, Daddy had to brave it up and down the slides! Lucky me!!!

My bestie, Julie, and Tanner.

The birthday boy, Josh. Notice that, even when sliding, Thomas is always at his side. :)

Even Julie climbed up with Tanner so he could slide. Love her.

Now, this literally brought tears to my eyes. This child LOVED this cake. He was not prompted to do this. He loves Thomas so much, he just had to kiss him. Precious. I mean, we barely got him away from it to open presents. It was just too sweet.

He loves that Thomas.

Daddy lap is always the best seat in the house! :)

Ready to open that Thomas tent! Woo Hoo!!!

When Josh got this fish and was asked if he was going to put it in the aquarium that came with it, he replied, "no me not." Not sure where that fish is now!

Tanner enjoyed his first trip to an inflatables fun park during my best friends little boys second birthday party. Joshua had a Thomas themed party. It is quite an understatement to say that he loves Thomas. :) Tanner was sure about all of the slides, but overall, he had a great time!

Tanner's birthday photo shoot

Now, the plan was to have another photographer in the area do a photo shoot for Tanner's first birthday. I love her children's photography and I really wanted to make that happen...but, life happens (and, for me, nose dives over baby gates happen:)) and I just never could work my schedule out to fit it in. C'est la vie.

So, since I was NOT letting his first birthday pass without an official photo shoot (the shame of it, his mama a photog and all!), I did an informal shoot here at home the day before his birthday. It ended up being a lot of fun. Even Boogie got in on the session!

Tanner's First Birthday!!!

Gigi getting Tanner dressed and ready for his big day!

We started the day at, where else, IHOP!

Ninny joined us for some pancakes!

"I want that!"

Getting a lift from daddy.

Tanner's very first Funny Face from IHOP. He loved it!

Tanner with "Aunt" Diane. Even though she had on such an ugly, ugly shirt (we are not Gamecock people), we let her be in a picture anyway. :) She loves Tanner so much and has been very good to him.

Look at that pretty girl playing in the tunnel. Miss Abbi.

Tanner making his rounds.

Poppy and his babies. Tanner is super attached to his Poppy. He didn't let him get out of his sight all day. Isn't Abbi's hair beautiful?

One of the kids tables. Abbi, Mady, Savannah and Nathaniel

Ames and the world's best babysitter (AKA Tanner's girlfriend), Amanda

Me and Tanner's sister, Addisen. She came right to me this time! She is just the cutest thing ever and we love her to pieces! She was dressed as a Clemson cheerleader!

Sweet little (well, not so little:)) Cooper. He is just a doll.

This was precious. We were getting ready to take a group pic and Tanner leaned in to love on Addisen. It was PRECIOUS!!!

With the Crawfords, Paige, Kerry, and Addisen. We love these guys and are SO BLESSED to have them in our lives.

Our buddies, Mark, Chrissy and Parker Corn. Parker is our Godson and we love him so much. He is a cutie!

Tanner's bestest buddy, George.

George and his mommy, Hilery.

This is my best friend Julie's daughter, Miss Maddie.

There was NO hesitation when it was time for the cake. He was all IN.

Yes, he is karate-chopping the cake. :)

He was so happy about that little cake.

Yeah, I got a little too close. Apparently, trashing his own face wasn't enough. :)

Fun times

...and then we moved on to balloons.

Crystal, Savannah and Aunt Eloise

One can only guess what these three are talking about. :) Alison, Beth and Ana Grace

Ames is getting to be such a big boy!

Bobby and Zachary...he had on the cutest overalls ever.

YES!!! Tanner got his first official Clemson jersey!!! So exciting!

Travis and our nephew, Alex

You've gotta love that belly! Once he opened the jersey, we had to strip him down and put it on him!

C-L-E-M-S-O-N!!!!

One of his favorite parts of the day was playing with the tissue paper.

Reagan...looks more like her mommy every day!

Papa with his sister, Barbara, and his mom (Tanner's Great Grandma Ruby)

Beth, Nicole, baby Ella and Aunt Candi

Cole and Jilli

Tanner playing with Addisen. So sweet.

Yep, he is sort of sitting on her here.

I swooped Parker up on one of his many laps...this kid MOVES. :)

Ninny, Lauren, baby Aubrey (she is precious!) and Aunt Wanda

The Watts...Mike, Cooper and Cyndy

Well, Travis cut my head off, but that's ok! :) This is me and Addisen reading a book. She loves books.

Papa trying (unsuccessfully) to get Tanner to actually look at the camera. Can you say "overstimulation"?

Girl power...Mady and Abbi.

Nicole, Ella and Jilli Bracken

This is half a second after Tanner popped himself in the face with the elastic on his party hat...

and this is immediately after he realized what he'd done. :) Poor baby. Needless to say, he didn't put the hat back on.

Sweet Clemson babies!

Not that I encourage this bad behavior, but I had to snap a pic of him pulling her pigtail while I told him to stop.

They are just too cute.

What an exciting day!!! Tanner had a wonderful 1st birthday party with lots of friends and family. He had a Mickey Mouse themed party (there are few things he loves more than Mickey Mouse). All of his little buddies were there and he just had the BEST time. He got so many new toys, books and outfits (our house looks like a Toys R Us tornado hit it!)...and he even got his very 1st Clemson jersery (thanks Jules). He loved his cake (this was his second helping...see his birthday photo session for the first) and was quite content to sit in his high chair and eat it for quite a long time. He buzzed around the party, never looking for me or Travis, and was very independent...he just visited with everyone and did his own thing! :)

Thanks to everyone who joined us for his birthday. You were very generous with your time and with your gifts. It has been like Christmas at our house and Tanner is loving it. He has just played and played!

It has NOT escaped our memories for a moment how very blessed we are to have Tanner in our lives. We are so thankful for him and for Amber. She chose us to be his parents and we will always be grateful for that.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Travis, Becki and Tanner