Down for the count...

Tatum went up against the coffee table today and definitely lost the battle. She loves to pull herself up on the coffee table (or anything for that matter) and walk around it. She lost her balance and whacked her face into the table top on her way down and it left her with a scratch on the chin and a bloody upper lip. Poor baby but poor Mommy who freaked out when she saw blood! The first injury and I definitely didn't do well under pressure. But five minutes later Tatum is laughing and Mommy is ready for a nap from the stress. :) I better get ready because this is just the beginning...

Christmas is coming...

Tatum went to see Santa Claus yesterday and she was a bit apprehensive at first. But after a lot of encouragement and a few candy canes, Santa's elf was able to hold her and get a great shot with Santa! One of Tatum's BFFs Ellie was there as well and they both wore their pretty red dresses and black shoes, so cute!

Ride em' Cowgirl!!

Tatum got a bouncy horse from her Grandma for her baptism (because we all know how spiritual a ride on a horse can be) :) Her name is Holly and Tatum loves to ride her. Here's a short video of her spending some quality time with Holly... (just a note, the outfit she has on is one that Grandma brought her from Hungry, she's a Hungarian baby on horseback)

Happy Halloween!!!

Tatum decided to be a little devil for Halloween this year and loves her costume. She enjoys biting her tail and loves screaming, her scare tactic of course. We thought we'd skip the trick-or-treating this year since her two teeth probably couldn't handle the candy but we plan on carving our pumpkin when Daddy gets home and getting our candy bowl ready for visitors tonight. We wanted to get some use out of the devil costume so Tatum wore it to her 9 month check up and everyone enjoyed it. Hope you're all having a Happy Halloween!!!

Passing the time...

We've been advised to stay indoors due to the smoke from the fires around us, so Tatum and I have been passing the time playing dress up. Due to the upcoming holiday, Tatum opted to dress up as a pumpkin. OK, she might not have had a choice, as you can see she attempted to do away with the pumpkin hat. But we're trying to keep a happy mood around here and costumes always help in that department. :)

Hallelujah!!

Tatum had her Baptism on Sunday and it was a wonderful experience for all of us. Tatum wore a beautiful white dress with a bonnet and booties to complete her baptismal outfit, all given to her by her Aunt Diane. She was one of four babies being baptised that day and was very well behaved during the blessing. The highlights for Tatum were when her Godmother, Shauna Beaston, held her while the priest poured water over her head and when her Daddy almost let her grab the flame of the candle. For her parents, we're just excited to have Tatum join the Catholic faith. Shortly after the baptism, a few friends and family joined us for a small BBQ to celebrate, thanks to all of you for coming!

Hello Pumpkins!

On Saturday, Tatum enjoyed her first pumpkin patch experience. We walked through a corn maze and cheered when we made it to the middle (Tatum was excited about the flag that congratulated us at the end of the maze but I was hoping for something a little more exciting, like candy) Then we walked up and down the fields of pumpkins till Tatum could find the perfect pumpkin for her. She enjoyed meeting a few scare crows and loved when the pumpkin cannon would fire off a flying pumpkin! She thouroughly enjoyed her first pumpkin patch pickin'.

Tatum's first photo shoot

Karey Michelle, an amazing photographer and a sweet girl, came to my mom's backyard to take pictures of Tatum. My smiley, funny girl saw Karey's big camera and decided that we were all going to have to really work to get a smile out of her. It took two hours but amazingly Karey was able to pull it all together and get some wonderful shots of all of us. To see more of Karey's work, visti her web site at http://www.kareymichelle.com/. She takes wonderful pictures and really has an eye for photography. She's an amazing artist.

A new friend...

Tatum and I heard a strange noise coming from the pond below our house so we quickly threw on our sweatshirts and headed down to check it out. When we got there we were greeted by a large white goose with a very big voice. He came running at us and I was a bit nervous at first since Geese don't have the greatest reputation and with Tatum in her stroller at a good pecking level, I wasn't sure what we were in for. But the goose ran right up to us and almost smoothed against my leg, and gave a honk Hello. He walked with us around the pond and then when it was time for us to go, he decided he'd like to go home with us. A woman who lives near the pond said the goose is obviously domesticated and his owner must have dropped him off here, assuming that a goose would enjoy our pond and live happily ever after. Well, Gilligan, as Tatum and I named him, followed us up to the house and was very happy to come in and check out his new home. I tried to feed him some cat food, then some cut up carrots, and even some bird seed, but he wasn't interested. He did try to take a bath in Harley's water bowl which was a bit too small for him. I called Garrett and he said no way could we keep him so we got back into the stroller and took him back down to the pond. I hear him again this morning, honking away, so I think we'll call the animal shelter to see if he can be taken to a nice farm somewhere. We had a wonderful new friend for a moment and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Trip to the heat (Phoenix)

Tatum endured another long driving trip and did a wonderful job. She couldn't wait to get out to Phoenix and the 107 degree heat to see her Grandma and Grandpa from Illinois and the rest of the family. She loved visiting with her step cousins and enjoyed playing with them in the pool, but was always sure to take the proper precautions to protect from the sun. :) She spent the night with her Grandma, away from her Mommy for the first time, and did a wonderful job. I think she handled it better than Mommy did.
The vacation didn't keep Tatum from upholding her traditional holiday dress up picture, where she decided to don overalls, a hard hat and a construction ruler to commemorate Labor Day. What a funny girl. All in all, the trip was a wonderful way to celebrate the end of summer.

Trip to Tahoe, Yosemite and Sequoia

Tatum went on a week long trip with her Mommy, Daddy and Grandma to see the beautiful landscapes that California has to offer. We stayed with some friends in Tahoe and Tatum loved hanging out with her first boyfriend Landon. Sadly enough, she wasn't as in love with the life jacket she had to wear for her boat ride on Lake Tahoe, as you can see. She saw her first deer in Yosemite and even had a Stellar Jay and a squirrel come visit her on our balcony of the hotel room. She enjoyed many hikes in the mountains and was impressed by the giant trees in Sequoia. She was a wonderful traveler, even falling asleep in her stroller once, which is rare for Tatum. She's decided that traveling is definitely for her and she can't wait to do it again soon.

My little fish...

Tatum had her final swim lesson last night. She was the youngest in her class but did a good job of keeping up with the big kids. She learned to kick, get her ears under water, push off the side, balance sitting up in the shallow section, and she even went all the way under water! She loves the water and received a blue ribbon for completing the class. She can't wait to join Infant 2 swim lessons next summer! She's decided that if she can't be a professional hand model, she'll definitely aim to be an Olympic swimmer. :)

What a beautiful flower...

Tatum let me put her in a beautiful dress her Aunt Diane sent her and we had a photo shoot in the backyard. I think she was more interested in the flowers and the butterflies than having her picture taken.

The light of our life

Tatum Bree came into this world on January 26, 2007 weighing 7 lbs, 3 oz and 19 inches long. After many hours of labor, I had decided that childbirth just wasn't worth it. But when the Dr. threw her up onto my tummy and I looked into my child's eyes for the first time, I couldn't believe what a miracle she was and I couldn't wait to do it again. Of course, after the euphoria wore off, I decided that I could wait a few years for the next one, no rush necessary. Now Tatum is 6 months old and her dad and I couldn't imagine life without her. She has an amazing drive and bubbly personality, always greeting you with her toothless smile. She's constantly moving, always wanting to grab for a new toy or reach that friendly butterfly on her mobile that she knows so well. She loves her pets, a big Golden Retriever named Harley and a sweet Calico cat named Cali. The pets love her too but have learned to keep their distance as Tatum hasn't learned the meaning of gentle petting.