Kayla and her Keys - Piano that is!

Not sure if you know this, but I MADE Kyle agree to store my mom and dad's piano in our bonus room downstairs. I am already patting myself on the back for this! My mom played the piano (years of lessons and really hard song books with lots of notes!), my dad played by ear (which I always thought my dad was "playing by the year" when I was little) and Libby followed in my mom's footsteps with the more complicated stuff. I took lessons and didn't get very far. I can only read some basic notes in some very easy song books. Margy memorized O Come All Ye Faithful from my Christmas song book and will gladly play it for you this holiday season if you run into her. Jackie must have been too busy doing flip flops around the house to notice that we had a piano because I don't remember her ever playing. At any rate, see Kayla's very FIRST time with our piano in video below. I took her downstairs today to play while Tanner napped. We ended our session with her asking me to sit next to her and play with her. It was the cutest thing ever!!

Cute Face

Something about Tanner's eyes reminds me of Margy when she was baby (from her baby pictures). Just putting it out there...she doesn't see it!

Dancing at Lunch

Here is a fun video of everyone dancing during lunch on one of our outings with Steph!

Kayla Pushes Tanner

Another day at the Y!

Tanner Learns to Drive

Big Man in his Big Car at the YMCA Jungle Gym where we go every Tuesday and Thursday if we don't have other plans. Tanner LOVES this car!

Strike a Pose

In training with Aunt B to be a fashionista!

Tanner is Clapping!

I have been so busy changing diapers and thinking about when Tanner is going to crawl that I forgot about CLAPPING! Tanner started clapping yesterday. Kyle and I were cracking up - we were not expecting it! We've been singing "If You're Happy and You Know It" ever since!

Darby, Dora and Choo Choo

There are three words that I love to hear Kayla say...Darby, Dora and Choo Choo.  Darby is Kayla's new friend.  Aunt Libby introduced Kayla to Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, Piglet and Darby.  Darby replaced Christopher Robbin.   Can you believe they replaced poor Chris Ro? Anyway, Kayla LOVES Darby so we can't complain.  She even thinks Darby is in her cow book that her Grammy gave her.  There is a picture of a girl sleeping and Kayla points to her every time and says "Darby".  

Kayla's other friend is Dora.  She has a little portable drawing board with Dora all over it.  She has it with her everywhere she goes for the most part.   

If you ask Kayla if she has any other friends, she may say "train".  She is in love with trains right now.  I don't remember loving trains this much as a kid but I also don't remember being 21 months old.  Now I get the whole Thomas the Train fascination.  I mean I really DID NOT get it before now.  It's like kids have an innate love of trains and some genius just capitalized on this by marketing a train with big eyes.   

See video below of me interviewing Kayla and trying to get her to say MY favorite words!!

Halloween!

Halloween was a huge success!..except that we forgot to put Kayla's ladybug wings on her and she wouldn't wear her antennas...oh well.  It was the usual chaos trying to get out of the house so I was just happy that we got the kids out at all!  Kayla is definitely ON GUARD when out trick or treating.  Masks completely FREAK HER OUT!  I was waiting on the sidewalk at one place when I heard a blood curdling scream coming from the house up the driveway.  I thought it was a teenage kid screaming...no, it was Kayla.  Even in the safety of Kyle's arms, our little danger dodger was shaking in her ladybug boots!  She went from scared to happy to scared again in seconds.  You can see this in the photos above.  Tanner had no idea what was going on and was just thrilled to get some fresh air and see people moving all around him.  I didn't post a picture of him in his stroller but I filled his belly before we left and he chilled out with the ghosts and goblins on Commonwealth Street.

Halloween and Power Tools

Alright, so you will probably think we are bad parents once you see this video.  Yes, we let Kayla use her own electric pumpkin carving knife.  Yes, this looks kind of dangerous.  But, heck, she is so cautious of everything that we were just excited that she was getting aggressive with something...it just happened to be a very sharp knife.  You can see from her intensity and head shaking that she is very focused on her task. Carving takes some serious concentration as you'll see in the video.

Tanner Takes Control of Kayla's Laptop

I found this clip as I was uploading my FLIP videos to my laptop.  One of the benefits of having Steph help me out is that she is family and she loves the kids as much as we do!  She picked up my FLIP when I was out with Kayla and filmed my little bugger as he was sitting in his booster chair after lunch.  It was such a nice surprise to find this fun little video.  Also, Kyle thinks his dad will love this clip because Tanner is all BOY in it!!

Spooky Pajamas and Halloween Kisses&Hugs

Kayla and Tanner appear in this video together.  Tanner is sprouting in so many ways...he is much more interactive and able to sort of "play" with Kayla.

Kayla Watching E-O

Kayla loves Eeyore and loves to sit at the computer like a big girl! She is getting better at using headphones - this will come in handy when traveling on the airplane to Dallas for Christmas....lots of Barney videos!

Sippy Cup and Dolphin Squeaks

Dad entertained Tanner while Mom got a two hour nap!  Thank God for good husbands!  Tanner truly enjoyed his sippy cup practice and fun with Dad!

More Halloween Fun

Kayla LIVE in her ladybug tutu dress! And the second video features wings and antennas!

Halloween Inspired by the Koons

Halloween is near and I just realized that I am prone to being a BORING Halloweeen Mom!
"Uh Oh" as Kayla would say...time to fix that! Luckily, the Koons came to my rescue this week. Eilene sent us some fun Halloween socks, headbands, hats and bibs. Kayla is pictured above in her Halloween socks and headband. It was Steph's idea to put Kayla in her "bones" pj top to really spice things up. Steph also encouraged some Halloween outfit shopping - since I was going to dig through my closet to find costumes I already had, Steph had to come to my rescue and remind me that this only happens once a year and the kiddies will grow up so FAST we will wish we had cute cute pictures. So off we went to the store and came home with a Ladybug and a Monkey costume. Some preview shots are featured above but the kids won't be in full costume until Halloween! So be patient....more photos to come.

Once again, a big thanks to Steph and Eilene. If it wasn't for Eilene's SERIOUS love and appreciation of ALL HOLIDAYS, I wouldn't have Steph to inspire us over here. A big "BOO" and Thank You to the Koons!!

Kayla and Tanner Meet Cousin Gypsy!

Scott and Steph were babysitting cousin Gypsy (Margy's new Pug Puppy!) while Margy went away and we were lucky enough to get an hour with our new little relative!  SOOOO ADORABLE! I love my new niece!!

Tanner's 6 Month Stats

Tanner had his 6 month check-up today and NOT to our surprise, he is a BIG boy! The doctor said he is healthy and PERFECT! I couldn't agree more. He has both of his two bottom teeth and the top two are on their way. In the photo above, Tanner is anxiously awaiting his immunizations. Oh, joy! But, he took them like a tough baby boy and the tears only lasted for 15 seconds max! Now he is sleeping soundly. Here are his stats:

Length 28 1/2 inches (95%)
Weight 19 lbs 9 ounces (85%)
Head 45 1/4 cm (85%)

Tanner Flies and Laughs

Tanner has some good belly laughs in this video.  Definitely worth a view!

Tanner Sits Up -Sort of

In an effort to document Tanner's milestones, I recorded this video thinking that Tanner was ready to sit up by himself.  Well, with the help of Kayla's trusty ladybug ball (c/o Aunt Cindy), Tanner made some definite progress!

Ballet: Hawaiian Style

Scott and Steph picked out this little dress for Kayla while they were on their island getaway.  For a couple days, she insisted on wearing this dress OVER her tutu...a truly graceful hula girl!

Kayla The Multi-Faceted Ballerina

Kayla decides it's much more fun to go about her daily business in her tutu!

Papaw Breaks the Bottle Barrier

Papaw was in town for a visit and we recruited him to feed Tanner a bottle.  Tanner had been on a bottle strike for a few weeks and I was determined not to have to starve him to get him to take the bottle.  So, I took Libby's advice and decided to feed Tanner some watered down juice.  Papaw was elected official bottle feeder.  This was the beginning of Tanner's journey back to the "ba ba"!  Thanks for your patience Papaw!  

Tanner Rolls Over!!!

I left the room for 2 minutes and BOOM! Tanner rolled over.  I walked in and couldn't believe my eyes...I didn't think he was that close to rolling all the way over.  

Kayla Dresses Herself

Kayla found her watermelon dress from Grammy and decided she wanted to wear it...ummm...over her pajamas.  Tanner is also into some self dressing.

Lil Big Sis and Baby Bro

Bro and Sis are finally posing together. I guess it helps that Bro's head is a little more steady these days! Kayla has been giving out "Barney hugs" and kisses since she woke up this morning. This photo is capturing Kayla in the middle of a Barney hug. She just does one arm around you and considers it a hug - the way Barney and his friends hug at the end of their show.

Tanner's 4 Month Stats

Tanner is a growing boy. His current stats are:

Height 27 inches (95th percentile)

Weight 16 pounds 13 ounces (90th percentile) - I just met an EIGHT month old boy today who is 17 lbs.

Head 43 cm (75th percentile)

Tanner's sleep schedule is improving because I have just decided that I am DONE with the rocking, swaying and soothing to sleep...we are now just putting Tanner in his crib and letting him have a tiny cry to put himself to sleep...so far, so good.

As you can see, we have introduced the Johnny Jumper. A big boy deserves a big toy!

Soccer Tots

Kayla is officially part of a soccer team...Soccer Tots! Well, there aren't any actual games but she is part of a team of 18-25 months olds. They do little soccer drills like running and kicking and jumping over things! It is super cute and a great way to let out some energy on Thursday mornings! Look closely at Kayla's legs...yes, those are the tiniest shin guards in the world!

Reece and Kayla Take A Bath

Reece and Sara came over for dinner. Both Kyle and Jack are out of town so we had a girls' night + Tanner. These two will be hitting the spa together in no time!

Old Man Strand

Our little Tanner Strand is looking like an old man. Ha Ha! Also, in his little farmer overalls, I imagine that Papa Kyle may have recruited this little guy to do some chores on the farm.

Reece Turns 2!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Reece! We had a fun time at Jack and Sara's house celebrating Reece's big day. Kristina was on hand with her awesome camera and great photography skills to capture the little guests during playtime!

Tanner Coos for the Camera

Tanner is changing so much right now.  He is starting to "talk" in his own little way.  He smiles all the time and loves it when we interact with him.  He stays awake a lot more during the day and is just a joy to be around - not to mention, he is a very handsome little boy!

Special "J" Birthday Tribute

Here is my special tribute to my sister J on her birthday!  

When I was little

you were cool

you did gymnastics

and you were good at school.

You taught me your cheers

you taught me math

all in all

i wanted to follow your path

We watched Love Boat

When you babysat me

You would do flip flops

in front of the TV

Then on a commercial break

we's shoot up to 7 Eleven

candybars and slurpees at 10pm

Any kid would be in heaven!

I love you lots

Fond memories, ahh sigh

You are one sexy mama

Happy Birthday, Gemini!

Aunt Jackie's Birthday

The Strand Fam had a blast at Aunt Jackie's Birthday!  Uncle Brian hosted a fun dinner at Buca di Beppo.   Kayla commemorated the occassion by posing for a photo with Uncle B.  Tanner also posed for a photo with Grandpa Don his Grandpa-in-law - (Natalie-all grown up!- on the right in that photo)!  Kyle and I were all smiles because Libby, Mia and Natalie entertained Kayla the entire dinner and we actually relaxed and had a glass of wine.  The birthday girl is not yet pictured...I am working on getting a photo of her...although I am secretly jealous that she looks so darn good that I am having a hard time posting her next to a picture of me on this blog entry!!

Calistoga or Bust!

We spent our one week long summer vacation in Calistoga where we rented a house with a pool, hot tub, bocce court and pool table.  We had many wine tastings, cook outs, soaks in the tub and walks into town.  Our site seeing included the Old Faithful Geyser (where we are Old Faithfuls every year!) and a walk around the Solage resort.   We also attended Music in the Park which was very cool...a walk back in time actually...manicured grass, couples, kids, wine, burgers all together in front of a little gazebo which housed a local band playing numbers from the 60's.  So cool.  Very small town vibe.   The pictures above capture what we did with the rest of our time...Kayla in the pool and Tanner in his gym on the grass.   I am sure we will return next year as this is the most kid friendly getaway that we can handle right now!!  (p.s. Calistoga is named after California and Saratoga - as in Saratoga, NY)

The Kayla Express featuring Tanner

Swimming at Libby's

Kayla is still getting comfortable with the water.  We go swimming a lot but she is still cautious.  I have a feeling she will grow out of this phase and soon enough we will be BEGGING her to get OUT of the pool!

Someone's in the Kitchen with Kayla

Kayla and Kyle made breakfast one early Thursday morning while Mom slept!

Baby Gorilla at the Zoo

I signed up for a Zoo membership!  This is very exciting because Kayla loves the Gorillas.  Well, at least she likes the ones in the book that Aunt Cindy gave her.  We have been to see the gorillas at the zoo twice now.  She just sort of stares at them but this is just her way of taking them all in.   I bought her a baby gorilla today and she was very loving with it...and then not so loving.  Watch the videos below:

Teethies

Kayla has inherited her mom's goofy smile. I remember my own dad saying, "Crickie, smile normally!".  I would smile as big as I could...I thought that was the whole point...I guess I just thought that was what smiling was.   I think Kayla is just super happy ALL the time so big smiles come naturally!

Officer Kayla

Kayla, Tanner, Steph and I have been going to the YMCA "Jungle Gym" on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.   Kayla is having a blast checking out all of the different push toys, hula hoops, balls, pull toys, etc...  There is also a huge jumpy there.  Let's just say she is super tired and ready for her nap when we get out of there every time.  In this snippet, Kayla is training to be a police woman!

Kayla and the Baby Bjorn

Kayla saw her dad putting Tanner in the baby bjorn. A little while later we watched as she struggled to get the contraption on and then we were able to catch this little video.  She had this innocent little face and she was so determined to get the bjorn working that Kyle and I both had tears in our eyes.  So precious!!

More Smiles from Tanner

Tanner is still coming into his own.  Here is a little video of his smiles...okay, it's probably gas but it looks like little smiles!

I Can't Get No Satisfaction

Kayla is bringing out her inner Mick Jagger!

Kayla Blue

Kayla having a moment.

Libby's stellar photography skills!

Kayla in her New Bathing Suit

Thanks to Aunt Libby for picking up this very cute bathing suit. As you can see in Kayla's red carpet photo, she is showing off the ruffle butt and looking very cute in her new swimsuit!

Thanks to Steph for taking Kayla swimming at the YMCA. Kayla splashed and kicked and did great in the water. Well, the first time we went, she did great. This past Thursday, she was very uncertain about the pool thing and even with a ton of coaxing, we had no luck getting her in the pool. Steph said we can try again. It is probably better if I am not standing near the pool because then Kayla wants to get out and run for safety...safety being the "leg grab"...I'm sure you mothers remember the good ole leg grab when you can't walk anywhere because you'll end up dragging your kid across the floor and every time you even attempt to move, the kid holds tighter and tighter..yep, the good ole leg grab.

The Many Faces of Tanner Strand

Our little Tan Man is growing. The carseat photo was his hospital departure shot. He's getting longer but still pretty scrawny in the legs! It remains to be seen if he can rival his sister's "mashed potatoes" legs!

Dinner at Chrissy Field

It was sweltering in San Francisco - one of the three hot days we get every year. It was probably not even 85 degrees out that day, but we are wimps! Our apartment gets soooo hot with our big west facing windows that we decided to evacuate and head out the Chrissy Field to catch the bay breeze and eat a light dinner. Tanner is barely visible but he was reclining in his carseat! Aunt Margy also joined us but was behind the camera for this photo.

Tanner's Sleep Smiles

I completely forgot about the sleep smiles during the first few months after birth.  After a good meal, Tanner relaxes in his mom's arms and dreams of oceans of milk.  

Kayla on the Catwalk

Kayla arrives at Aunt Jackie's on Easter Sunday and is greeted by her loving cousins; Mia, Kyle and Natalie.  

Easter Sunday and the Easter Egg Hunt

Kayla searching for eggs!

Tanner after his First Bath

Sweet little Tanner after his first bath.

Kayla and her Tanner Baby

Kayla gets cuddly with her little bro!  She is still not sure if he is real or if he is a doll.  She loves to say "hi" to him when she walks by him and she likes to hold his hands - well, squeeze his hands tight!  She is still getting a lot of attention so she doesn't seem to be too jealous of Tanner's arrival.  Although, he has been sleeping a lot so we will see what happens as he continues to get more alert.

Tanner Kyle Strand

We welcomed Tanner Kyle Strand to our family on March 26, 2009 at 11:53 pm.  He weighed 7 lbs 15 ounces and was 20.5 inches long.  The labor was quick and, I'd like to say, painless but that wasn't the case!   He is a sweet pea and mostly just sleeps and eats at this point.

Happy (early) St Patrick's Day

Kayla got all gussied up for Scott and Steph's St. Patrick's Day Party.  It's a good thing she got in the spirit of things because Scott and Steph put on a GREAT party and we had a ton of fun!

Thanks to Grammy for a very cute St Paddy's Dress.  Now that Kayla's walking, we can actually see her little outfits better.