The Tanner Times

February 12, 2010...SNOW!!!

2010-02-12T19:15:00.006-05:00

After several misses from earlier snow storms, we finally got one!!! Tanner and I watched the snow out the window for the longest time. Everytime I would sing, "let it snow," he would grin and point outside. Once we had a little on the ground, we bundled him up and took him outside. And, yes, he has several pairs of gloves, but refuses to wear them. :)

He loved wandering around our yard and playing in the snow. Once he had a snowball in his hand, that was even better...snack time! :)

Everything was good until we brought him inside. He cried big tears for about half an hour! :( Poor little guy...

We just cut him loose!

He wasn't letting go out that snowball.

Is that not the cutest face you've ever seen?!?!

Such a happy boy!

YUM!!!

Look at those little footprints.

Welcoming Mr. Joey home from work.

And, telling Mr. Joey bye bye when he went inside.

Boogie was waiting to see his girlfriend. :)

And, there she is. Miss Molly.

Exploring the backyard.

This is where the meltdown started. :(

February 3, 2010...My First Day of Preschool!!!

2010-02-03T18:24:00.005-05:00

I CANNOT BELIEVE Tanner is old enough for preschool! The past 16 months have absolutely flown by.

He started today at a preschool most of our friends children go to. He goes Tuesday-Thursday from 9am-1pm. It is very structured, which Tanner actually really likes. They do art everyday (today he painted, used glitter and glued hearts on his artwork) and go to the gym to play twice a day. His teachers think it is hilarious how he plays basketball all the time. :)

He went right into his class this morning like it was nothing new. He smiles and giggles everytime I ask him if he wants to go to school. :) I am so glad he loves it so much already.

Enjoy the pics...

My First OREO!!!

2010-02-03T18:15:00.005-05:00

This was a fun day! Tanner had his first Oreo...I know, seems a little late, but Tanner and a lot of sugar can be an interesting situation! :) As you can see from the pictures, he LOVED it! The cookie sort of doubled as finger paint. He's a creative little guy. :)

Catching up since October...such a SLACKER!!!

2010-01-12T14:06:00.005-05:00

Wow...am I a slack blogger or what?!?!? Hopefully, you will understand why I have been so absent when (fingers crossed:)) my new photography website goes live this Friday. It's been a LONG time coming. But, back to what matters to me the most...Mr. Tanner.

Here's what he's been up to lately...

So, I'm totally in LOVE with this image. This is one I took to use for Christmas gifts. Love it...I have to get REALLY far away from him to get this kind of shot.

He does this all the time and I think it is precious. It's his "I don't know" sign. :) I had just asked, "Tanner, where is Mommy?"

Found her!

He was more interested in the traffic on the highway than my photo session...figures.

Sweet boy

This will soooo be a 16x20 over our mantle. Love it.

The Owens grandkids. It was no small feat getting decent shots of these three! :) Busy bodies!

I just think this one is so sweet.

He adores his big cousin, Alex. Can you tell?

Little man!

He is happy boy! Look at ALL those teeth!

What's over there?

Aren't they precious?

LOVE IT!!! This was Ninny and Poppy's Christmas gift and they loved it.

Getting ready to head to Chuck E Cheese for the first time and check out some Christmas lights. Of course, with sippy cup in hand. He drinks SO much.

The big reveal. Can't believe we kept all the pics a secret from Gigi and Papa for so long.

Yeah, the bib lasted all of about 2 seconds. :)

Santa's little helper :)

This is our new camera face. Not sure where it came from but I think it is adorable!

It was so cold! We were on our way to see Santa! He loved it!

Don't worry, we were just driving through Roper Mountain Lights (off road)...of course, he still thinks he shouldn't have to sit in a carseat now. :)

Christmas Eve breakfast with my dad's family

He really got into the gifts this year.

So sweet!

With Gigi and Papa

With all of his cousins...there are many!

With his cousin, Katrina. He loves her.

With my cousin, Sherry, her daugher, Reagan, and my Grandma Ruby (my dad's mom)

One of my favorite pics ever. Love that sweet smile. He is determined to get my camera.

A new puzzle! He loves puzzles.

Everyone opening their pictures! Yay!

So wild...

Look at those sleepy eyes!!! This was right after he woke up on Christmas morning.

"Boogie, look what Santa left me!!!!"

Already taking notes from Mommy...he is talking on his Elmo cell phone and driving. :)

So focused.

Such a boy. Never leave home without your football.

"Hey, ya'll!" (That was just for you, Jason! ;))

He just realized Dabo (our Elf on the Shelf...named after, who else, Clemson's head football coach) was in the fireplace.

Love him so much!

We've trained him well...he had to sit down and "read" this new book immediately. :)

This was the year of Elmo. He loves him.

So, so precious.

He got a new toothbrush in his stocking...figured he would use it right away.

Mommy finally got in a picture!

My little kissin' boy.

Christmas morning. Breakfast at Ninny and Poppy's. Ninny made a birthday cake for Jesus. :) Tanner threw a football at it. Seriously. :)

Tanner and his Ninny

Playing with Poppy

The long awaited Elmo chair! He has cried for this in Toys R Us several times! :) I think he likes it.

Playing with Papa and Poppy

Will he EVER stop eating his crayons???

Or his clothes hangers????

Fish face again :)

He really ripped into some of them.

My daddy loved his Papa's boy tee shirt.

With his cousin, Savannah

Playing cowboys with Zachary

With Savannah

Isn't that the SWEETEST little cowboy ever???

Christmas night...time for Dabo to go home to the North Pole until next year. :(

It was well into January, but we finally celebrated Christmas with Addisen and her family. She loves that Tanner!

He was doing some serious kissing!!! :) So funny!

It is unreal how much these two are alike! When they are playing and squealing...you can't tell who is who! :)

So sweet!!!

Precious

I love this one!

At his friend, George's, birthday party.

With George's Papa....Tanner LOVES him! I think he likes Tanner a little bit, too. :)

With Heather

Tanner riding a horse (or, as George calls it, a neigh)!!! He was very serious the whole time, but he seemed to like it!

My little cowboy!

Petting Chessy after his ride. He and Brad (George's daddy) were closer than ever after this ride! :)

With George's mommy, Hilery

Happy 2nd birthday, George! This is one of Tanner's very best friends. I love this expression!

Make a wish!

Mady always gets to "hold" Tanner during group pictures! :) I wonder how much longer that's gonna work? :) She loves him so much.

The crew at G's party

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T21:03:00.002-05:00

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 :)

2009-11-01T20:56:00.002-05:00

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

2009-11-01T20:46:00.003-05:00

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!!!

2009-10-04T19:51:00.009-04:00

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

2009-10-04T19:35:00.004-04:00

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

2009-09-27T21:33:00.003-04:00

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!!!

2009-09-27T19:26:00.015-04:00

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

Tanner's First Haircut - 6/18/2009

2009-06-18T19:31:00.002-04:00

Checking out his first barber, Jason Wilson.
Posing with Daddy. He was SO good...no tears, sat still, couldn't have asked for him to be any better.

I think he was a little aggravated at my photography efforts. :) And so it begins!

He looks like a big boy!!! :( I'm not gonna lie...I did shed some tears when the hair started falling.

8 months (VERY 8 months:)) with Scruffy Dog.

New Tanner Stuff

2009-06-06T20:00:00.003-04:00

June 6, 2009 - First trip to the pool. He absolutely LOVED it!
Smiley Baby!

Our 3rd wedding anniversary...they sat us at the same table we sat at on our first date back in 1995! WOW...we are getting old! :)

We ate at this restaurant after our high school graduation in 1997...like I said, OLD!!!

Tanner talking to his Gigi on the phone.

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T18:39:00.007-04:00

Tanner's favorite toy at the moment...his barn and animals

Such a cutie!

Crawling at the camera

Playing with Ninny and Poppy

All the mom's at our Mother's Day lunch

Tanner helped Gigi open her gift

Travis loving on his mama

I think another tooth is on the way!

Our sweet neighbors brought me a rose for Mother's Day. They are precious!

Getting some Ninny lovin'

Tanner with my Grandma Ruby

With my Grandma McCombs

She loves that baby!

What a great 1st Mother's Day for me!!! I had a great day with my family. I have thought about Amber SO much today and what a GIFT she choose to give me. I could never thank her enough for blessing me with such a sweet little boy. She is a forever family member and I love her so much. She is just great.

I hope all of you mothers out there have had a great day as well!

Becki

Tanner's Baby Dedication

2009-05-09T20:50:00.010-04:00

With our pastor

Our friends, Bryan, Brenda, Kassidy and Lily

Our friends, Adam, Abbey, Ames and Ana Grace

With one of my best friends, Hilery

Nothing like Daddy...

With Travis' parents and aunt

With my parents

With our friends, Mike, Cooper and Cyndy Watts

Love that baby!!!

Happy boy!!!

With some of our best friends, Mark, Chrissy and Parker.

Video from the dedication (don't you love that picture in the background?!):

Today was a great day! We enjoyed Tanner's baby dedication with family and friends. This was something that was very important to us and we were glad that Tanner was able to be dedicated to God at the same time as some of his little friends. This was special.

Easter 2009

2009-04-23T20:42:00.005-04:00

So, we definitely failed at our first year of egg dyeing. I had totally forgotten this artform from my childhood! We will do a better job next year! :) Wearing his onesie from Aunt C...hangin' with my peeps

With Bobby

With my girl

Savannah with Jordan

With Crystal and Zachary

With Mommy and Grandma

The boys

With Abbi and Alex

With Tyler and Abbi at Nena's

With Gigi, Papa and Boogie...notice how he is pushing Boogie out of the picture?

Tearing into his Easter basket

Playing outside with Papa and Daddy on Easter morning.

Boy time

Playing basketball with Daddy

Addisen's Birthday Party

2009-04-23T20:31:00.004-04:00

With his sweet sister.

With Kerry's dad. He loved him! He held him almost the whole time.

Sleepy Tanner with Gigi

Cutie pie getting into her cake

Isn't she beautiful?

It was a fish themed party (Addisen loves fish!), so I got to paint a suncatcher for Tanner.

Getting ready to paint her fish.

We were thrilled to be invited to Addisen's 2nd birthday party. My mom and I took Tanner and had a great time. It was awesome to get to meet all of Addisen's family...and they were equally excited to get to meet Tanner. :)

Life and times of a big boy

2009-04-23T20:10:00.006-04:00

Shopping with his best buddy (and cousin:)), Zachary. This was his first time in the stroller without his car seat!

First time in the front of the shopping cart, big boy style. He was SO about to fall asleep!

First time sitting in a high chair at a restaurant...one of Mommy's favorites, Sonny's.

In one of the outfits Amber gave him while we were in CA. Of course, it has a frog on it. :)

Grabbing flowers...followed by eating flowers.

He loves that walker.

Running for Daddy.

So, he loves carrying cold washcloths around in his mouth. I am hoping this is just a product of teething? :)

As Tanner quickly approaches the 7-month mark (can you BELIEVE it?!?!), I thought you guys might like to see what this big boy has been up to. He sure is getting big and FAST. He gets into everything. :) He smiles ALL the time, unless he is having a temper tantrum. :) He plays more and more every week. We are thrilled to say that he is going to sleep on his own, in his crib, and sleeping most of the night. He is only waking up once a night at this point. Tanner's new favorite foods are yogurt (LOVES it) and pear pineapple baby food. He also loves to drink water...from a sippy cup as long as you hold it for him! He is a little lazy when it comes to holding his bottle and cup. He really enjoys playing outside in his walker. He wears his sunglasses or his cute little fisherman's hat. He loves the warm weather.

So, there's a little update. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Tanner in the tub

2009-04-23T20:04:00.002-04:00

One of his favorites these days...playing in the bathtub!

Finalization Day!!!

2009-04-18T12:43:00.006-04:00

With Tanner's Godmother, Nicole Bracken

With my parents

With Tanner's Guardian Ad Litem, Lynn McCain. She was great!

The Owens crew

In the courtroom, right after the finalization.

Tanner, with his "Gotcha Day" gifts from Mommy and Daddy. He was so excited! :)

We were so excited for this day to come! We had our finalization at the Pickens Co. Courthouse on March 12. It was awesome and we were so glad to have family and friends there with us.

Tanner and Addisen...Easter Pics

2009-03-31T18:49:00.004-04:00

We hope you enjoy this pics of Tanner and his sister, Addisen. I sure had a good time taking them! We are SO lucky to have Addisen only about 5 minutes away. God is so awesome! We are so glad that they will get to grow up together! Isn't she precious??? And can you believe how much they look alike?!?!

Becki, Travis and Tanner

Some new Tanner pics...

2009-03-08T19:43:00.004-04:00

With his buddy, Parker, at his first birthday party

Wearing his Jordan's at one of daddy's basketball games

Tanner at Falls Park with Big O

5 months, in his new big boy bathtub...he LOVES it.

His 4 month picture with Scruffy Dog

His favorite toy at 4 months, his exersaucer

Tanner's first snow, March 2009

Playing with Papa

Meeting Dimitri for the first time

Wearing Dimitri's hat

Loving the safari ride at Holllywood Animal Park

So...I've not done the best job of updating the blog, but I am trying to do better. If you are on Facebook, I update that constantly (I am sort of addicted!:)).

We are still LOVING being mommy and daddy to the best little boy in the world. Tanner is just so much fun. He is 5 months old now and weighs 17 lbs...he is big boy! :) He is just growing so, so fast. He loves to play and smiles and laughs all the time. He LOVES being outside and his Papa comes over and walks him around the yard almost every evening. He has experienced his first snow now and he thought that was so much fun. We even let him get a handful of it and he thought that was pretty neat.

Tanner's finalization hearing is this Thursday, March 12 and we are so excited. It is an important day and one I know we will celebrate for years to come. I still think about Amber daily and what an AMAZING gift she has given us. I miss her a lot and hope to get to visit her in the near future. I cannot explain the kind of bond that you feel with the birth mom as the adoptive mom...it is just so awesome how God connects all these lives through adoption.

So, we are doing well and enjoying every minute of it. Thank you for continuing to follow our story and I promise to keep updating...when I remember. :)

Becki, Travis and Tanner

Tanner at 3 months

2008-12-31T14:02:00.002-05:00

Wow...it's so hard to believe that Tanner is already 3 months old!!! It seems like just yesterday that we were sitting in a waiting room in a hospital in California...anxiously awaiting the "he's here" call from down the hall. It has definitely been an adjustment, but every minute is worth it!

Tanner's last doctor's appointment was about 3 weeks ago and he weighed 14 lbs, 4 oz at that time and was 22 3/4 inches long. He has grown SO much!!! I keep asking the doctor if we are feeding him too much! :) Of course, he is just a growing baby boy.

We have survived his first shots, which were NO fun for us at all. Tears were shed, but he did great.

Tanner has had an eventful holiday season with lots of visits with family and friends. It has just been so much fun. He was great on Christmas morning. He sat in my lap and watched as we paraded gifts from Santa by him. He was just so content!

Stayed tuned for more updates soon...

Love,

Becki, Travis and Tanner

Christmas 2008

2008-12-31T13:26:00.008-05:00

With Gigi and his great-grandma

Oh, his was soooo sleepy on Christmas morning!

With daddy, Abbi, uncle Nacho and Alex
A happy baby in his new Bumbo

Our wonderful neighbors, Tonya, Molly and Joey Taylor

With my cousin, Sherry, and her daughter, Reagan

With my cousin, Tammy, and her daughter, Trina

With Uncle Carlyle

A sleepy mommy and Tanner!

With uncle Tony and aunt Donna

With Poppy and his brother, Tony

So tired after his first picture with Santa

Playing with daddy and Boogie

With Great-Grandma Ruby and Grandpa

With Maggie and Josh
With Summer

Tanner with his "big sister," Maggie

Tanner had a WONDERFUL first Christmas. We were able to spend lots of time with family and friends and that made this Christmas so special. Tanner is the best gift EVER and we are still so amazed at this new addition to our family. We will always be incredibly thankful.

Becki

Nacho's dad's going away party

2008-12-31T13:23:00.002-05:00

New Tanner pics

2008-12-13T15:57:00.004-05:00

With Poppy

Go Tigers!

Watching the big game with Poppy

Napping with my Gigi

With my uncle Paul

With the sweetest lady we know, Brenda Cisson

Hip Hop Tanner :)

With Miss South Carolina, Anna Perry

I love my grandpa

Okay...so I've not be so great with keeping the blog up to date, but I promise I am trying! :) Tanner is doing very well. He is growing like a weed, already up to 13 lbs, 1 oz since he was born! He is so chunky! :) He is really filling out and I just can't tell you how cute he is. He has a ton of personality...always wants to be held by someone who is standing up so he can look around and see everything. He is "talking" more and more everyday and he actually says "Gigi," which my mom LOVES. :) He loves to kick, listen to me read and stare at Boogie. He does NOT like to sleep. He sleeps very, very little...he continues to amaze me with that. :) He is quickly approaching his 12 week mark (this Friday)...where has the time gone?!?!?

I hope you enjoy these new pics.

Election Day!!!

2008-11-04T18:14:00.001-05:00

Enjoy these pics of Tanner...rocking the vote!!! :)

Halloween

2008-11-03T19:42:00.003-05:00

We are pouting!

I'm telling you...she should have been mine! :)

Savannah, Zachary (sweetness!) and Tanner (can you say "over it!"?)

Savannah as the prettiest witch I've ever seen

Tanner as the little monster with Grandma

Bobby's first time holding Tanner

Poppy (at least some version of him!:)), Ninny and Tanner at BCBC's Fall Festival

The little monster :)

Tanner and Abbi (as Pebbles:))

More pics...

2008-11-03T19:35:00.003-05:00

Grandpa's birthday

With Uncle Nacho

Brian Knight...our buddy from church

Daddy's got his hands full! :)

Boogie is convinced he is a baby, too!

With Diane Ellenburg

Tanner with one of my best friends, Rachel...at Tri-County Tech, of all places! :)

Tanner's first trip to see daddy at Falls Park

2008-11-03T19:31:00.002-05:00

Tanner at 4 weeks

2008-11-03T19:08:00.003-05:00

With his Scruffy Puppy

With Alex and Abbi

2008-11-03T19:03:00.002-05:00

Cousins...

More pics from first few days home...late, I know.

2008-11-03T18:24:00.006-05:00

First time meeting David and Lynn (even though they cruised without us:().

With my sweet, sweet girl Savannah

Lynn is in love :)

Getting ready to leave for Tanner's first service at Marathon

Boogie had to get in this one...with his rock star brother :)

Four generations, my Grandma McCombs, mom, me and Tanner

Grandma McCombs first time holding Tanner

Her first look at him! She was soooo excited!

My Grandma Ruby, Tanner and daddy

Tanner with his big cousin, Brandy

With Grandma Ruby

My buddy, Cyndy, practicing with Tanner (she's due in March!!! yay!!!)

My cousin, Tammy, and her daughter, Trina, meeting baby Tanner

Boogie loves using Tanner's bottom for a pillow (especially when Tanner is laying with mommy:))

With my boys...

Tanner's first trip to Foothills Peds

With Dr. Wilson...we LOVE him!

Grandpa with his first "grandchild"

Tanner and Poppy

Tanner (striking a pose) with Marcie (one of his many, many girlfriends)

With Poppy and Ninny

Tanner with my uncle, Mike

Tanner's first bath in SC

Pics from our arrival at home

2008-10-18T18:03:00.002-04:00

Enjoy...

New post coming soon

2008-10-17T18:01:00.002-04:00

So...it seems Tanner's blog must be pretty popular, because I've gotten several emails asking why I haven't updated since we got home. :) He's a pretty important little guy.

So, I will be updating the blog with pics from the flight, our arrival at home and the things we've been doing since we returned to SC. Lots has happened...Tanner had his first SC peditrician appointment (he's up to a big ole' 7lbs .5oz:)), we've had TONS of visitors, first trip to Falls Park and Tri-County Tech...and the list goes on! :) I promise to update soon and I am definitely going to keep the blog going.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers...we've felt them every step of the way!

Lots of love,
Becki, Travis and Tanner

Observations from Gate A1

2008-10-07T07:52:00.000-04:00

1. It is entirely too early to be at the airport, or awake at all for that matter.

2. Mcdonalds at this airport should already be open.

3. It is indeed a very bad idea to wear gray leggings under a cut off denium skirt if you are over the age of 50, especially if you talked your mom into wearing the same outfit. Seriously, I'm staring at proof of this now.

4. Leaving CA and landing in ATL can't happen soon enough. We are so so so ready to be home! In some ways it seems like we just got here and in some ways it seems like we've been here forever! Either way, there is no place like home and we are ready to be there. We take off @ 630 our time and land @ 150 est. My parents are picking us up and we can't wait to see them and for them to meet Tanner! We hope to see the rest of you guys very soon. Don't be strangers! Thanks soooo much for all your prayers and support during this great adventure. We love you.

I have more pics from our trip to add to the blog. Check back in a day or two for updates.

Lots of love!
Becki, Travis and Tanner

Pics from Pacifica

2008-10-04T23:24:00.003-04:00

Tanner's First Road Trip

2008-10-04T17:58:00.006-04:00

The great staff at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Redding. These guys were GREAT to us.On the road to PacificaNear Vallejo, CATanner was thrilled about this picture, can you tell?Crossing the bridge into San FranciscoPretty sites going through the city Mountain View from our room in Pacifica
Ocean view...incredible!

Hey guys! Sorry for the delay in posting. We packed up yesterday and drove about 3.5 hours to Pacifica, CA. It is on the coast and it is a beautiful little town. It is right in the San Franciso Bay. We drove through SF yesterday afternoon in 5pm traffic. It was insane. By far the largest city I've ever driven through! :) We had a really beautiful drive here, though...got to see lots of beautiful landscapes. We even saw olive trees. :)

Our room faces this huge cliff and the ocean. It's so amazing. Just beautiful.

Tanner is doing great. We tried to eat at a cute little diner here last night (Rockin' Robs:)), but he must not have been too excited about that because he screamed his head off as soon as we walked in the door. That quickly became a dinner to go, but it was well worth it. Some of the best vegetable beef soup I've ever had (expect for Grandma McCombs, of course!:)).

He had a great night and actually let us sleep until almost 4am...yay! :) He is just swinging and sleeping right now.

I had a wedding today. This makes the first one I've ever missed. BUT, my wonderful, wonderful buddies, Christi and Hilery, saved the day and shot it for me. Congrats, Tisha and Kevin!!! I hate that I missed it, but I hear it was just perfect! I can't wait to see the pictures.

I also had a pageant event today... Taylor's (Miss America's Outstanding Teen) homecoming. Christi, again, is saving the day and shooting the event for me. She is so awesome!!! What a day!

So, we are about to feed Tanner and head out for some sightseeing. It is really cool here so it's a nice comfy day for the tourists. :) We are really ready to come home, though. :(

Hope you are continuing to enjoy the pics.

Love,

Becki, Travis and Tanner

Marie Callenders and the Sundial Bridge

2008-10-03T01:37:00.005-04:00

Tanner and his big brother, Andrew...could they be any cuter?!?!?

At the Sacremento River
We have to take a picture of Travis pulling weeds everywhere we go...this one's for the Falls Park crew :)

Ummmm...Marie Callenders...I just can't even tell you how GOOD this stuff is!!!

Today was fun. Tanner has been happy and very pleasant all day long. He has just been cozy and sleeping tonight. We took him downstairs to eat breakfast for the first time today. He slept through it. :) We went to Marie Callenders for lunch (yes, like the wonderful pies you buy in the freezer section) and it was AWESOME!!! I could have eaten just about anything on that menu. We had the best potato skins I've ever tasted. Travis went out on a limb and had...chicken fingers. :) I had pot roast and it was great. And, I have an entire (don't judge me!:)) lemon cream cheese pie in the fridge. I am about to dig in!!!

After lunch, we met Amber and Andrew at the Sundial Bridge (the bridge is actually a fully functioning sundial on one day out of each year). It was really cool. It is over the Sacremento River, so there were lots of neat things to see. The best thing was that Tanner got to meet his big brother, Andrew. He is the cutest thing and he is so smart! I love his vocabulary...he is adorable and has the prettiest blue eyes you've ever seen. He really is a great kid.

It was hard telling Amber goodbye. I actually ended up telling her goodbye twice and I was very emotional and crying after each one. I don't know how to explain it, it was just hard.

We are moving on to Pacifica, CA tomorrow morning. Our WONDERFUL travel agent, Bobbie Burgess, found a great hotel on the beach for us. It will be nice to see the coast. We will be in the San Franciso Bay area, so there will be lots to see. This will also put us closer to Sacremento when we fly home on...

TUESDAY!!!

We will be leaving CA at 6:30am and arriving in Atlanta around 2pm. It is direct flight (again, we have the best agent!), so we will only have to go up and down with Tanner once. :) This also prevents having to run through a huge airport with him. ;) We will be back at home on Tuesday afternoon and we are so excited to see everyone. It will be a brand new schedule, we are sure, but it will be great for Tanner to meet everyone and see his home...he will be shocked, I'm sure, that he doesn't have a hotel staff to greet him every morning! :) And maybe now he'll understand why mommy and daddy talk so funny (sometimes it feels like we are speaking a different language out here!:))!!! :)

So, I'm off to bed to get rested for the drive tomorrow morning. I will be posting pics from the coast before you know it.

CA Love (yes, I said it),

Becki, Travis and Tanner

Tanner's first photo booth experience

2008-10-01T20:51:00.004-04:00

Looks like he sprung a leak!!! :) This was Travis' idea.

Hey guys! Today has been a good day. We walked all around the mall with Tanner for the first time. In true Tanner fashion, he slept through it all. He did wake up long enough to eat, though. I "wore" him in the Snuggli the entire time. He loves that thing, especially when he is swaddled.

We took pictures with him the photo booth and the images are hilarious. He actually looks like he is hitting me in the nose in one of them. I tried to take pics of them with the camera, but it just didn't work out.

Tanner had a great night last night...after he got through his 8pm meltdown. This is becoming a routine for us. He just gets very unhappy for about an hour and there's just not much you can do but love on him...despite the screaming. :) We did buy him a travel swing last night, so we will see if that helps tonight. He seems to like it a lot.

Tanner had his first experience by the pool yesterday. We took him out in the shade for awhile and he loved it. Travis got in the pool and we laid out by one of the fountains...the hotel has beautiful landscaping and fountains. I think he must have really liked the sound because he went right sleep.

Travis has already made up a little song for Tanner that helps to calm him down. :) Precious.

Be praying tonight...Tanner has been pretty fussy for about 2 hours. :)

Love,

Becki, Travis and Tanner

Tanner's Doctor's Appointment

2008-09-30T17:27:00.002-04:00

Things went very well at the appointment. Tanner's weight has only dropped an ounce and a half, even though I argued with both Travis and the nurse that it was a pound and a half...I was very, very tired! :) So, his weight is now 6 lbs, 8 oz and he is doing great. Dr. Bosworth (who we LOVE...he is great) said he looks great and is good for flying whenever.

Here are some pics from yesterday...

Love,

Becki, Travis and Tanner

Tanner's First Doctor's Appointment is Today

2008-09-29T15:31:00.003-04:00

Hey everybody! We had more of an eventful night last night...well, I should say Travis had more of an eventful night...I sort of passed out last night when my head hit the pillow! Travis caught a nap yesterday, I didn't, so he was on baby duty until about 3am. Tanner was a little fussy last night, but still so much easier than we had imagined. He is just such a good baby.

We had breakfast with Amber and Jason this morning. We have the best time with them. Jason and Travis keep us cracking up all the time! :) Amber is good, but sore.

Tanner's first doctor's appointment is this afternoon at 3pm. We are looking forward to seeing how much he weighs now. I will post again tonight.

Thanks again for your continued prayers. We miss you guys!

Love,

Becki, Travis and Tanner

What's happening in CA today?

2008-09-28T16:52:00.004-04:00

Well, Travis and Tanner are curled up on the bed right now, taking their first nap together. It is the sweetest thing ever!

Last night was great. I was super nervous about how Tanner would react to leaving the hospital, but it just couldn't have been any better. We got up with him twice (well, really once since I never went to sleep before the first feeding!:)) and he ate and went right back to sleep. I am happy to say that he slept in his travel bed (inside the pack and play) ALL night! :) He was very content. He is feeding much, much better and spitting up much less since he was switched to soy formula. Man, does that stuff stink! :)

We went to church at The Vineyard today (Amber and her mom's church). It is a community church that made us feel SO at home. It was great. Connie held Tanner the entire time and, of course, slept through the entire service. I am sure he was thinking, "hey, this sounds familiar." :) Connie's husband, Eric, said a special prayer for Tanner with the entire church. It was the most special thing...I just can't even tell you. The tears were flowing! :) It was just such a special thing to be able to attend church with Amber's family. Connie (aka Tanner's California Meme:)) has just been so amazing to us. She has welcomed us in a way that has just made this so wonderful.

After church, we had to deal with my first big baby brain boo boo...I was supposed to extend our hotel reservations (which I only originally booked through today) sometime over the weekend. Well, you know where my mind an dbody have been so, needless to say, I forgot to do that. So, I found our bill under our door this morning...ready for us to checkout by 11am today. Yeah...it wasn't good. I called the front desk only to find out that ALL the rooms like ours were booked. We were loosing our room! :) Luckily, the hotel manager was great to us and put us in a king suite for the nearly the same rate we were paying for the smaller room. It was definitely stressful packing up and moving down the hall, but this room is so much more practical for an extended stay. We are quite comfy in here! :)

Amber was discharged from the hospital today and is doing well. She says she is moving slowly, but feels good. We are going to visit with her at her apartment tonight. It will be good to spend more time with her out of the hospital. She really is a lot of fun to talk with. So funny.

Well, we are headed out soon to stock up on the new formula before we run out. Wal-Mart, here we come! :)

Lots and lots of love!

Becki, Travis and Tanner

Long awaited pictures :)

2008-09-28T01:44:00.008-04:00

Right after delivery, with Amber's mom, ConnieThat's our baby!Amber and TannerHe really liked the bath, I promise! :)Our favorite baby nurse, Carol...doesn't she look like Jamie's mom?
Hanging out in the nurseryTanner and his daddy.Soren, Eric and ConnieMy boys :)In his first Saturday football attire...although it wasn't that great a day for football.

Can you tell we are tired?!?!? :)
Amber and Tanner Kathleen, Amber's grandma, and Tanner
Tanner with Jason's parents(Darvin and Janice)...and the elephant they brought him...SO sweet! Great people. Headed home...to the Hampton! :)Home with mama
Home with daddyIn his wonderful travel bed :)

Thanks for being so patient, guys! We didn't have internet access at the hospital, but...I can post pics now because Tanner was discharged from the hospital this evening!!! We brought him home (to the Hampton Inn!:)) around 8pm. He is doing great. He is cozy in his travel bed (courtesy of Uncle Josh), sucking on his pacifier. :) He is precious and we are just having the best time with him. He is fabulous.

Travis just finished his first midnight feeding and did a great job! We are going to try and get some sleep!

Love you guys!
Becki and Travis

Tanner James Owens

2008-09-27T01:52:00.000-04:00

Is the cutest baby ever! He was born @ 12:57pm (pc) and weighed 6 lbs 9.5 oz and was 19 inches long. He has a beautiful little round face and a head full of black hair. He is perfect. Just perfect.

Amber is doing very well. We were able to spend most of the day with her and it was awesome. Her family has been great to us. Jason's family was also wonderful.

We are just leaving the hospital and heading to the hotel for some rest. We will be back first thing tomorrow morning.

Lots of love!
Becki, Travis and Tanner

Hanging out in the waiting room...

2008-09-26T14:47:00.000-04:00

We are here @ the hospital. Amber is in the room being prepped. We are so excited and anxious. Please pray that Amber will have an smooth delivery and surgery.

We will post more soon...

Becki and Travis

Amber is amazing...

2008-09-26T00:18:00.005-04:00

We finally got to meet Amber tonight and it was just amazing. She is the cutest thing! We went to dinner with Amber, her boyfriend, Jason (who we LOVE!!! - he is hilarious), and son, Andrew. I had the best time talking to Andrew. He is so smart and cute as can be. He and Savannah were born on the same day. :) It was great to finally get to meet Amber in person. We are just sooooooo thankful for her and just can't tell you what a pleasure it has been getting to know her. She is just terrific.

Well, we will be parents tomorrow...parents. Can you believe it? We can't either! :) We will keeping posting throughout the day, so keep checking back tomorrow!

And here are some pics...

Our last picture as a family of three...Still bubbly...in Minnesota
First morning (well, really afternoon:)), in California...we look ROUGH!!!

Andrew, Amber (Tanner in belly!:)) and JasonFinally!!!
Andrew...striking a pose :) Isn't he adorable?!?!

Sunny California

2008-09-25T19:04:00.000-04:00

Hey guys! We just woke up! Yes, it is 4pm here, but don't judge us...we were up for about 24 hours yesterday! :) The hotel is great and we definitely got a lot of great sleep once we arrived. We are so excited because we get to meet Amber today. We also get to meet Andrew and Jason which is awesome! We are thrilled. Amber and I share a love for Outback so dinner will be great! :)

We hope to have some great pictures to post tonight. Yay!

Our son will be here tomorrow...can you believe it?!?!

Much love and so many thanks!

Becki and Travis

We have landed in California

2008-09-25T03:40:00.000-04:00

...And are on the road to Redding. Still can't believe it's happening!

We are in Minnesota

2008-09-24T21:23:00.000-04:00

Good evening! We have completed the 1st leg of our trip and have landed in the twin cities. We actually had a minute to sit down and eat! ;) We are waiting for our next flight which leaves @ 925 local, 1025 home time. :) we should arrive in Sacramento around 11pm and then will drive on the 2hrs to Redding. It will be a long night but so worth it!

Keep praying!

Yay!

Becki

WE ARE HEADED TO CALIFORNIA!!!

2008-09-24T14:12:00.002-04:00

We just got the call from Amber and Tanner is coming this Friday!!! We are beyond excited and so thankful that this time has finally come!!! The c-section is scheduled for Friday at noon (that will be 3pm for you guys). We are headed to Charlotte now. Our flight leaves today at 5:45pm. We hope to get to meet Amber tomorrow. She is doing great!

I will post more when I know more!

Keep praying and lots of love!

Becki

Prayers

2008-09-23T22:13:00.002-04:00

Good evening, guys. Please say a little prayer for us tomorrow. There is so much planning that goes into the logisitics of every day that we might be heading to CA...it causes me a great deal of anxiety. :) Just pray that I won't be overly-anxious tomorrow! :) Also, please pray that Amber's health continues to improve and that she feels good as she finishes out this pregnancy. She is SUCH a trooper. And, of course, say a prayer for our little man...that he is happy and healthy.

We appreciate you all SO much! I hope to post an update around 1pm tomorrow.

Becki

No go...

2008-09-22T18:08:00.002-04:00

Amber had her appointment this afternoon. Her blood pressure had gone down a little, so they are having her come back in on Wednesday morning at 9am (noon our time) to check her again. At this point, I have NO idea when Tanner might arrive. She said she noticed that her feet and hands were a little less swollen at the doctor's office, but by the time I talked to her, they were swelling again. So, who knows! I just can't believe they haven't induced her. At this point, I am nervous that she will actually go into labor and we will not be able to get there in time for the delivery. One thing is for sure, it is in God's hands. I will post again when I know more. Keep praying!!!

Becki

Friday's doctor appointment...

2008-09-19T16:41:00.004-04:00

has come and gone. :( Amber's blood pressure was even higher today (150/108) and the blood tests revealed that there is protein in her urine. I don't even know how she is doing this! :) She is an amazing, amazing lady. The doctor told her to try and make it through the weekend, but to head to the hospital if she started feeling like she might pass out (sounds safe, right?:)). He is bringing her back in on Monday at 11:50am her time. He wants to re-evaluate then and see if he can get her through next week. Amber said he is on call Monday anyway, so she wouldn't be surprised if he is thinking he will be at the hospital on Monday anyway. So, maybe they will decide to do something on Monday. Fingers crossed! :) Amber has a great attitude and says it's "not that bad." She is awesome.

So, again, we wait. Our wonderful travel agent (love you, Bobbie!) researches flights everyday so we have some sort of revolving game plan! We can leave out of Charlotte as late as 6:55pm on Monday if we have to...nothing like pushing it, right?!?!?

Keep praying. We are so ready for this little boy to make his debute! :)

Impatiently,
Becki :)

More baby shower pics...

2008-09-17T21:47:00.004-04:00

Precious...from Holly's Cakes in Anderson. She did a GREAT job.
With Abbi
At Owens Family shower, with my mother-in-law, Sandy (aka Ninny)
With Susan, Patty, Nena (quite possibly the most precious woman on the planet) and Abbi
With Wanda
At my family shower, with Grandma Ruby, Reagan, Brandy and Aunt Sis :)
Savannah...in a typical diva pose
With Grandma McCombs, Zach and Savannah
With Savannah, Zach and Aunt Eloise
With Crystal and Savannah

I LOVE this sweatsuit!!!
Love, love, love this girl
Beautiful blankets made by my Grandma McCombs
Tanner's sock monkey!!! Priceless gift created by Grandma McCombs
With my Aunt Joyce...I love her.

Hope you enjoyed taking a peek into the happenings of the baby showers. I still have to post pics from our Couples Shower hosted by Dan and Nicole Bracken. I cannot explain how much we appreciate everyone who attended our showers. They were a great experience and a tremendous blessing. Finances are tight and it has been such a blessing to receive all the many, many things we need for baby Tanner's arrival. Everyone has been great!!! We love you and appreciate you more than you know!

Love, Becki

Amber's next appointment is Friday

2008-09-17T21:47:00.002-04:00

Well, Amber headed back to the doctor today. Her bloodpressure is still very high. They did another non-stress test and Tanner seems to be doing just fine. Amber actually called me and I got to hear his little heartbeat for the first time. It was awesome. Unfortunately, Travis wasn't home so he didn't get to hear it, but I am sure he will soon enough. :)

Amber will go back for her next appointment this Friday morning at 10:30am her time. I know she is ready for this baby to come. I can't imagine how uncomfortable she must be feeling. It was amazing being on the phone with her today, listening to Tanner's heartbeat...while he is still in her tummy. It is awesome how we've traveled through this pregnancy with her. What a blessing.

So...another update on Friday.

Please keep praying!

Becki

Amber's doctor's appointment

2008-09-15T22:49:00.002-04:00

Hey guys! Amber went back to the doctor this afternoon. They had been concerned about the about of swelling she was having, but the baby has been looking just fine. Her blood pressure was 140 over 108. Tanner still looks good. She has to go back on Wednesday for another check with the fetal monitor (she is at home with her feet elevated until then:)). I talked to her tonight and she sounded really good...still bubbly. :) I know she has to be miserable. She said her feet are unrecognizable.

So, please, please keep her in your prayers. I will post another update after her appointment on Wednesday (around 2pm her time).

Thanks~
Becki

Welcome to our blog!

2008-09-15T00:04:00.002-04:00

Since our Tanner's arrival and our trip to California seem to be right around the corner (or, at least, that's what we are hoping for!), I decided to start a blog to document this big adventure. I wanted everyone here in South Carolina (and elsewhere) to be able to see pictures and videos of Tanner as soon as we could get them posted, so I will give this a try. I hope you enjoy what you see here and also that you will leave some comments of your own. You know this will all be going in Tanner's scrapbook, so anything you would like to contribute is greatly appreciated!

Amber goes back to the doctor tomorrow afternoon, so I should have another update posted sometime tomorrow night. Please keep her in your prayers. She has double ear infections right now and is very swollen. She is uncomfortable and I hope she is feeling better today. She really is such a great person...I've really enjoyed getting to know her throughout this process.

More to come tomorrow...

Becki

So many showers

2008-09-14T23:28:00.008-04:00

And we are so thankful for each one!

We have been lucky enough to have 5 wonderful baby showers and we just want to thank everyone for the many blessings. The generousity has been amazing and we are just so thankful. I do want to take a minute to thank all of our hosts:

August 23, Couples Shower hosted by Dan and Nicole Bracken

August 30, California Shower hosted by Hilery Hennessee, Christi Turner and Chrissy Corn

August 31, Family Shower hosted by Crystal Humphrey, Barbara James and Eloise Henderson

September 7, Baby Shower hosted by David and Lynn White and Marathon Music Ministry

September 13, Family Shower hosted by Sandy Owens, Wanda White and Candi Vite

All of the showers were great and we appreciate all the gifts for baby Tanner! I don't have pics from all of the showers yet, but I will post some of the ones I have.

Thanks for everything!

Becki and Travis

Triplets? Should have been? Me with Ana and Alison Chloe (all grown up with a precious hair cut!), Cyndy Watts (we worked together at TCTC) and Me

Chrissy and my boyfriend, Parker
Grandma Cassell (actually, Christi's grandma, but I definitely claim her!) and Kyler...she made the wonderful punch for the California Shower
Carter, Robin Hawkins and Me
Me and my partner in crime, Julie, and Joshua

With my sweet ladies from TCTC. I love Carolyn and Linda!
Every CA baby needs a surfer bib, right?
Sandy Nabors, Tiffany and Savannah
Grayden and Courtney
Tracy Simmons, Deborah Bagwell and Anita Sanders (I worked with these great ladies at PCHD years ago.)

The beginning...

2008-09-03T00:05:00.000-04:00

was actually quite a long time ago. By now, I'm sure you've heard much about our story. We are so beyond thrilled about the eminent arrival of our wonderful blessing, Tanner James (we are just going to call him Tanner :)). We have been waiting for what seems like forever to start our family and we are so blessed to have it beginning in this way. Adoption is SO amazing. What a God thing!

It is nearly impossible to plan our trip to California at this point (Tanner will be born in Redding). A c-section is tentatively scheduled for October 6, but the birth mother has a history of delivering early, so we really don't know when we will be going. If she goes into labor early, we will receive the call and head on our way. We have the hotel and rental car on stand by, but will just grab a flight when the time arrives (the penalties for changing is just too ridiculous!). We really, really hope to be at the hospital for the delivery, though.

We have enjoyed getting to know the birth mother over the past several months. She is a great person and is someone that I really enjoy talking to. She is very funny and has a great personality...she has one of those contagious laughs that can't help but put you in a good mood! :) The time always flies when we get to talking.

I am starting this blog so that we can keep everyone posted during our trip and first days as a family. Of course, you should expect LOTS of pictures and even some video (we've got all the gear we need to keep you guys entertained until you can meet the little guy in person!), plus text letting you know what we are up to. We would also LOVE to see some comments from you guys, too (you know ALL of this will go in a scrapbook!).

So, welcome to the blog...come back often! :)

Love,

Becki and Travis

We told everyone about the adoption on Christmas Eve. They were SO surprised!!!

Yay for baby!!!