The Pettits

2 months

2012-02-03T16:17:00.000-06:00

Emory Hart has grown so much in the last month. When we went for her 2 month check up a couple of weeks ago she weighed 10 pounds, 15 ounces. She cried and cried when they gave her the shots, and it broke my heart. The couple of days after that were pretty rough, too. She now takes 5 ounces of formula every 4 hours and finally sleeps all night! That started around 9 weeks. She takes her night bottle at 11:00 and sleeps until 7:00 the next morning. It's so nice to get some rest again. Tanner is still so good with her. He calls her "gorgeous" and loves giving her kisses. She is cooing and smiling a lot. It sounds like she's trying to sing sometimes, too! I love the sound of her little voice and can't wait until she can laugh out loud. We are having lots of fun in the Pettit house with these 2 sweet kiddos.

New Years

2012-01-04T16:55:00.000-06:00

This year we took the kids to the Warringtons house for New Years. It was a first for us to have our kids with us on New Years, but we have to grow up sometime, right?! Tanner, Harvey, and Hill had a blast playing together. I think they liked riding Harvey's new gator and jumping on the bed the most. Mr. Allen would throw each one down on the bed and they kept going back for more. They loved it!

Emory Hart slept most of the night, but then got fussy around 10:00. This has become her usual routine for about an hour every night. Her Daddy is much better at calming her than I am. I think I get too worked up and anxious and she can tell. Hoping she grows out of it soon! She is finally only waking up one time during the night. We had Tanner sleeping all night by this time, but I keep having to tell myself that every baby is different and she's just not ready yet. She usually takes a bottle around 11, wakes up for another one around 3, then makes it to 7 in the morning. Thank goodness she is able to make it 4 hours at night because she rarely goes past 3 hours during the day. She likes to eat!

We are looking forward to a new year and hoping that 2012 is even better than 2011!

Riding the gator

Eating rice crispy treats

Jumping on the big guest bed

Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T20:47:00.002-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas. It's always fun decorating, listening to Christmas music, exchanging gifts, eating good food, and celebrating the birth of Jesus, but today it felt so good getting all of the decorations put away and getting the house back in order. Tanner protested as we were taking the decorations down, but he eventually got over it. Each year Christmas gets more and more fun for him. This was the first year that he really got excited about Santa Claus. I used to make a long list of things I wanted, but now getting to see Tanner get excited is what I love the most.

We celebrated several different times, so I'll go back and start in order. The Friday night a week before Christmas (the 16th) we celebrated with Papaw and Mamaw in Carthage. Tanner had a great time playing with all of his cousins, and Emory Hart enjoyed being held all evening.

Tanner opening his card with Kourtney's help

Group picture with Papaw and the grandkids (minus Will)- they weren't quite ready for this pic!

Now they are ready!

The next Friday (the 23rd) we celebrated with Nene and Papa in McCool. The kiddos had a blast playing as usual. After we had dinner and opened presents all of the cousins came over for fireworks. I didn't get any pics, but the older kids had a lot of fun.

Holding Emory Hart with Tanner and Ally Katherine

Tanner really got excited about opening presents this year!

Daddy always helps him put his new toys together.

Emory Hart was being a bit needy that day. She fussed a lot and wanted to be held constantly. I think she is getting spoiled. She cries as soon as we put her down, and when we pick her up she is completely content and sound asleep again. I guess Uncle Wade thought it would be funny to show us that he knows all when it comes to babies. He had some new tricks for us to try to calm her, and she loved them. She spent a lot of the night with him like this...

Saturday night we went to our church's Christmas Eve service, which is always a treat. Honey, Otto, and Monnie met us there. Tanner decided to sit with Honey and Monnie during the service. About half way through we all heard a big thump, and when we looked down Tanner was sound asleep between them. His head had fallen back against the pew, and he was out.

Ready for church. We wanted a group picture, but didn't have any one to take it.

So sweet!

After church we headed over to Honey and Otto's for Christmas with them. Monnie was in town for the night, and we were all happy to get to spend time with her. We had a great dinner and then Tanner got to open more presents.

Tanner and Monnie reading his new book.

Tanner and Otto of course had to wrestle. I believe they were doing the "scissor cut" here...

and the "banana squish hold" here...

Emory Hart had fun watching them with Daddy.

Tanner opening his big batman toy. He said "I always wanted this!"

Emory Hart and Daddy watching Tanner play with his batman.

Tanner and Honey reading one of his new books.

Our child naturally slept until 10:00 Christmas morning, and we had to wake him up then! It was nice for us since we had been up late the night before waiting on Santa Claus.

Checking out his new scooter

He finally saw his big present in the back yard after we gave him a few hints!

Looking in his stocking

Sweet Emory Hart did this while we opened our presents to each other. Can't wait until next year when she can be in on the excitement, too!

That afternoon we went over to Mine's house to have one last Christmas celebration. Tanner had a great time playing with Oliver and Lauren and enjoyed opening more presents. Mine loved holding Emory Hart and getting to give her a bottle.

Emory Hart and Mine

Tanner playing with Oliver and Lauren's new toy

1 month

2011-12-22T23:57:00.003-06:00

I cannot believe our precious Emory Hart is 1 month old today. It seems like we were just in the hospital last week. She is growing so fast. She slept all the time her first two weeks, but week 3 brought along tummy trouble. She seemed like her stomach hurt all day and night, and the doctor said she had colic. We decided to put her on formula and ended up giving her nutramigen, which is what Tanner had to take. The difference is like night and day. We have our happy baby back again! She takes 3 1/2 ounces now and eats about every 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Hoping to stretch that time out a little more at night before I go back to work! Tanner is so sweet with her. I left them on our bed the other day while I dried my hair, and when I peeked in to check on her he was giving her the end of her bottle. When she cries he says "it's okay, big brother is here". He is constantly giving her hugs and kisses. I wish I had a video of the way he is with her anytime he thinks we aren't looking. It's definitely a huge adjustment having two and much harder than I ever thought it would be, but we love them to pieces and wouldn't trade this life for anything!

Christmas fun!

2011-12-22T15:32:00.000-06:00

Tanner and I have been making Christmas cookies today while Emory Hart sleeps. We made the dough yesterday, and today we cooked and decorated them. He had so much fun. Hope he doesn't get sick from eating so many!

Tanner's class Christmas party was last Friday. Nene kept Emory Hart so that I could go to the party. Tanner's been needing some extra attention lately since Emory Hart came into the world ;) He and his little friends had a ball eating, opening presents, and playing. We are excited about our Christmas break!

Singing Christmas songs

Opening his present

He loved his new toys!

EH's 1st night with friends

2011-12-19T20:25:00.002-06:00

Emory Hart got to go play at the Warrington's house a couple of weekends ago. It was so nice to get out of the house and spend time with friends. We had a great dinner and all of the kiddos played until they were worn out.

EH did a lot of this....

and this...

and she occasionally did this...

Not sure how she slept through this...

These boys were hyper. It made me tired just watching them, and we still had to force Tanner to go to bed when we got home. They all play so good together. Harvey and Tanner are wild, and Hill is the most laid back child I've ever known. Maybe Emory Hart will be like him! Can't wait to see what she will do when she's old enough to have fun with them.

First Pres Daycare program

2011-12-17T17:49:00.000-06:00

Tanner did so good at his first Christmas program. He was the cutest little shepherd ever and knew all of his songs and motions. He loves going to music and singing with Mrs. Chris. I didn't get many good pictures but here are a couple of him and his friend Kamryn.

He finally found us after several minutes of searching the crowd.

Singing so good!

Blessings Abound!

2011-12-17T17:35:00.000-06:00

We are so happy that our little superman is as healthy as can be. We finally got all of the tests back and found out that he had two different versions of mono (ebv and cmv), as well as viral pneumonia. They said that it is very rare to catch both at once. No wonder he was so sick! We still have no idea where he got it. We haven't heard of anyone having it at daycare unless maybe someone did and just didn't react the way Tanner did. Apparently, most people have mono by the time they are 20 and just don't realize it. Maybe it was the combination of everything that made his reaction so bad. Thank you everyone for all of the thoughts, prayers, phone calls, texts, and sweet notes. It was such a scary couple of weeks for our family. We are just so happy to be back to normal again. Normal is so nice, and I will never take it for granted again! This Christmas will be extra special as we are counting our blessings one by one.

His first day out of the house after being sick...going to pick out the perfect Christmas tree.

And he found one!

She's finally here...and she's a keeper!

2011-12-14T15:08:00.002-06:00

Sweet Emory Hart made her arrival Tuesday, November 22 at 1:21 PM. She weighed 6 pounds 15 ounces and was 19 inches long. Everything went great, and we got to come home on Wednesday afternoon. At her 2 week check up, Emory Hart weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces and was 20 3/4 inches long. She is growing, but still so tiny! Her newborn clothes are still a little big, but I guess that means we will get extra time in all of these cute little gowns. Tanner was never this small. She eats about 3 ounces every 3 hours. She has just started acting like she's getting little stomach aches, but hopefully we can resolve that soon. Today I pulled out the book we lived by with Tanner, Dr. Harvey Karp's "The Happiest Baby on the Block". I'm hoping it will help! Here are a few pictures of our first couple of weeks at home.

Finally getting to hold her...I thought they would never hand her over!

Sweet family pic minus Tanner.

Tanner meeting Emory Hart. He was a little hesitant at first.

Love kissing these sweet cheeks!

Emory Hart's coming home gown that Ms. Gail's sweet

friend made her. It is gorgeous and has so many details.

Getting ready to load the car. She sleeps so well in her car seat when she's swaddled tightly like this.

Nene is so happy to have another little girl to spoil.

Honey finally has a little girl!

Tanner's first time getting to hold Emory Hart. He was sick and couldn't go near her for 9 days :(

He's such a good big brother and loves helping feed her.

Precious!

Mine loves to hold Emory Hart. She even got to babysit her (Nancy too) when she was 2 weeks old so that we could all go to Tanner's Christmas program.

This is what Tanner does every time we leave the room. He

tells her "you're so beautiful" in the sweetest little voice.

The lighting is bad, but this one shows her sweet little face.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-20T14:54:00.000-06:00

Tanner decided he wanted to be a cowboy this year for Halloween. Of course, depending on which day and who asked him, he also wanted to be a dinosaur, batman, and a dragon, too. This was his first year to actually go to houses to trick or treat, and he loved it. He came up with a little trick at our friend Gena's house. This kid is too smart! He would go in and get candy, then wait until after we were done talking, and say "Hey, you forgot to give me some candy!" This happened 3 times! He's a mess, and he loves candy. He ate so much that night. I'm surprised he didn't get sick.

Our church had a fun Halloween carnival the Wednesday before Halloween. We invited our friends, Harvey and Hill, to come with us. The boys had a blast eating hotdogs, jumping in the jumper, throwing bean bags, bobbing for apples, and doing other fun stuff. Harvey was a cowboy and Hill was Bam-bam. They were both precious! Harvey's outfit made me laugh all night, and I don't think there's anything more fitting for Hill than to be Bam-bam. He looks just like him! This may be his nickname forever. We attempted a group picture several times, and it just wasn't happening. They were too busy wanting to play more games to stand still for a picture.

Hill and Tanner eating hotdogs.

Tanner shooting darts.

The cowboys. Isn't Harvey's outfit the cutest thing you've ever seen?!

The cowboys and Bam-bam coloring pictures.

This isn't from Halloween, but I thought I'd throw it in with the rest. Tanner is all into cowboy hats, guns, and boots these days. You can find him dressed like this with a gun or sword in our house a lot of the time. So precious! I don't want him to grow up :(

Emory Hart's showers

2011-11-20T14:15:00.000-06:00

Work Shower

My co-workers at the VA and Premier Rehab gave us a shower a couple of months ago. We had tons of good food, and Emory Hart got lots of sweet presents. One of our patients at Premier made the cake. It was adorable. You may not be able to see it well in the picture, but the top of it had a little baby under a blanket made of fondant.

Tanner loved eating the fondant balls. He had his eye on them here!

Our family of 3...soon to be 4!

Finding out that my VA co-workers got the diaper bag I had been wanting!

Friends Shower
Some really sweet friends also gave Emory Hart a shower at Gena's house. She got some of the cutest little outfits I've ever seen. We can't wait for her to be here to wear all of these things. Little girls are so much fun to shop for! It was so sweet of them to give us a shower for her!

Sweet, little Sarah Potts helped me with the presents.

Some of the friends and family who were there.

My sweet friends who were such good hostesses- Gena Pope,

JJ Warrington, Rachel Hawkins, & Lauren Thompson

Church Shower

Mary Al Alford, Juli Bishop, Alicia Carter, and Kay Dawson also gave us a church shower. Hart, Tanner, and I love our church family, and it was so special to be able to celebrate Emory Hart with all of the sweet ladies. They have made us feel so at home there since we moved back to Kosy in 2008. I know they are all ready to have a new baby in the church. She will be spoiled rotten on Sunday mornings!

Mrs. Mary Al made this adorable center piece.

Kay Dawson, Juli Bishop, and me- such sweet ladies!

Opening presents- Camille was my helper.

Some of the sweet ladies who were there.

I think it's safe to say Emory Hart is all set up and has everything she could possibly need. A big thank you to my co-workers, friends, and our church family for all of the sweet prayers, notes, and gifts. Now if she will just hurry up and get here! We cannot wait! She is so loved already.

Ole Miss

2011-11-19T14:23:00.000-06:00

We've only made it to one Ole Miss game this year, Ole Miss vs. Georgia. Not that we have missed much as far as the football itself, but we have missed groving with friends and family. Tanner had lots of fun, and we actually stayed for nearly all of the game.... a record for us! Can't wait to not be pregnant and go to more next year!

The BIG 3!

2011-10-18T17:39:00.001-05:00

I cannot believe our little man is already 3 years old. It seems like just yesterday that we were meeting him for the first time in the hospital. He is such a joy to all of us, even when he is stubborn like his Daddy and moody like his Mama. I'm not a huge fan of big, elaborate birthday parties. However, I have to say it was so much fun planning Tanner's 3rd birthday party! He loves dinosaurs. The more I looked on the internet, the more cute ideas I found. I think Hart thought I had gone crazy, especially since I'm usually the mom talking about how ridiculous parties can be! Now I understand! I wanted Tanner to have something special that was just for him before Emory Hart arrives. I feel like his world is about to totally change so I wanted to make his last birthday party as an only child extra special.

We had the party at the Country Club. Our families were there, and so many of Tanner's little friends came to celebrate. The kids had fun looking for dinosaur eggs, eating "dino" themed food, and helping Tanner open his presents. We stayed so busy that we forgot to do the pinata! Here are a few of the gazillion pictures I took.

Tanner testing out the cupcakes before we headed to the party

The decorations (a big thanks to my sweet friend Rachel for all of her help!)

The "dino" themed food:

Dino Dogs and Hot Lava Rocks

Stegosaurus Plates and Herbivore Dip

Crater Salad, Cave Mud and Dino Bones

The dinosaur egg hunt:

Raines, Lindsay, John Christian, Tanner, Hill, and Harvey

Kamryn and Caroline

Tanner showing his eggs to Honey and Nene

Hill and Harvey searching for eggs

John Christian, Tanner and Burton

Otto, Honey and Nene enjoying the good "dino" food

Singing "Happy Birthday"

And finally opening his presents...with the help of his friends!

Awana

2011-10-18T16:34:00.001-05:00

Tanner has been going to Awana at Parkway Baptist Church on Wednesday nights. He loves his little puggles class and looks forward to going every week. Each week he comes home telling us something new he has learned. Ms. Sherlene, one of his favorite people, is in charge of it. When we ask him "who created the earth?" he says "me and God". He's a little full of himself! Last Sunday, we were on our way to church, and he said "no, I want to go to my other church"! Ms. Sherlene and all of the other people there have been so sweet and have made him feel at home there. We are so grateful that he loves learning about God!

circus, fair, and friends!

2011-08-19T21:49:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we went to the circus in Jackson with the Hawkins and Warringtons. Hart and I were a little nervous watching the men on motorcycles and the girls hanging and swirling by their hair, but the kiddos had a blast. I was surprised that Tanner sat and watched the whole thing without asking to leave. We asked him on the way home what his favorite thing was, and of course he said "eating a hotdog". Guess we could have saved that $60 and eaten a hotdog out of the fridge, but we had fun with our favorite friends!

The Hawkins family waiting on the circus to begin!

Tanner, Hart and me (Tanner in mid-bite...Mr. Allen's popcorn was a hit)

Harvey watching the clowns!

Rachel and I took the boys to the wonderful Central MS fair tonight. We decided it was an hour of our life we could have lived without, but the boys had a fun time. There were only 3 rides for kids, and Rachel and I had to ride with them. Who would have thought a kiddie ride would be too much for the pregnant girl? But I don't think Emory Hart was too happy with me tonight. ~~Maybe I should have~~ I definitely should have thought it through a little more. The carousel was okay, the bee ride made my stomach jump just a little bit, but the kiddie roller coaster did me in. I was terrified, and so was Tanner. It didn't look bad at all, but as soon as it jerked us around the first curve I knew we were in trouble. We decided it was time for us to leave at that point!

Tanner and Hill waiting to get on the carousel

Rachel and Hill on the bee ride

The scary-kiddie roller coaster

Tanner was ready to get off fast!

Riding the carousel one last time

Hill liked riding the horse.

Holding on for dear life!

...and it's time to go home!

This picture sums up our "wonderful" fair experience!

After the fair, we went to the Hawkins for some yummy filets. Mr. Chip is the best cook, and we never turn down an offer for him to cook for us. The boys had fun playing and should crash hard at bedtime tonight! Hill thinks Tanner is so funny, and his little laugh is the sweetest thing.

The kiddos riding their "horses". They had just taken off their cowboy hats.

What we've been up to....

2011-06-30T18:44:00.000-05:00

We have had the best summer, and it's only half way over! I started my new job at the VA a couple of weeks ago so now I just work a few hours a day! It's so nice to be a part time "stay at home mom". Just enough to do to keep me from getting bored and I still get to spend most of the day with Tanner. I know I'll really enjoy it when new baby Pettit gets here in November! We've been out of town a lot lately, but when we've been here we've just enjoyed relaxing, eating lots of watermelon (I can't get enough fruit these days), spending time with family, and playing with our sweet friends. I'm 18 weeks pregnant now and feeling so much better. It was really rough for a few months, but this baby is definately worth it! Most days I don't even feel pregnant anymore. I'm growing really fast though! I went from not looking very pregnant at all to really poking out in just a couple of weeks! Tanner is really excited about his new baby, and Hart and I are, too!

We love eating watermelon at the country club...

...and sharing it with our friends!

And most of all...we love having parades with Hill and Harvey. They happen quite often!

2011 Summer Beach Trip!

2011-06-30T18:20:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, we went to Destin with Hart's parents, Paxton, his aunt, his cousin, and her husband. We stayed for 7 nights and had the best time. Our house was on the beach so we played in the sand and relaxed all week. I didn't take many pictures b/c I decided just to enjoy myself instead of carrying a camera around the whole time. We ate at so many good restaurants. Tanner learned to love crab claws just as much as I do. Here are a few pictures I took.

Tanner loved digging in the sand.

Family pic.

This was the last day. You can't tell in this picture, but the waves were huge that day. They went over our heads several times!

We went crab hunting at night, too. This was one of our favorite things!

We weren't too good at it at first, but it didn't take Daddy long to be the master of catching crabs!

Monnie, Camae, and Honey relaxing on the beach.

Monnie and Honey going for a walk.

Hart and I took Tanner to play at Baytown Wharf one day. Tanner insisted on riding on this carousel twice.

We went to gator island at Fudpucker's, too.

There were tons of alligators. Tanner opted out of having his picture taken holding one of them!

We had the best time and can't wait to go back. Thank you Honey and Otto for such a fun trip! We love y'all!!

Double Decker 2011

2011-05-06T12:48:00.000-05:00

Hart, Tanner, and I headed to Oxford last Wednesday for a long, relaxing weekend. Hart had a conference there Thursday and Friday, and I needed a few days with nothing to do! We ate at all of our favorite restaurants, and Tanner and I had fun shopping on the square while Hart was working. We invited a few friends to come up Friday to spend the weekend and go to the Double Decker festival. It was a lot of fun. My sweet friend Meredith and I had planned to run the 10k together that Saturday, but I unfortunately had to back out. Morning time is just not my friend these days :( Jason and Gena ran the 5k, and Rachel and I decided to cheer them on. Rach brought some posterboard up with her Friday, and we had fun decorating signs before the others arrived. Here are 2 of the signs we held to cheer on our friends Saturday morning:

We rode to the 1 mile mark, then looped back around to the finish line so we could cheer them on twice. I think everyone enjoyed having us there to cheer them on. From experience, it always helps to have some extra motivation. We saw several people we knew. I caught a picture of Sam and his superman shirt. This 5k was nothing for our local triathlete!

Here is Jason booking it up the hill to the 1 mile mark. That hill looked killer. It wasn't too steep, but it just kept going forever.

And Gena was all smiles when she saw us! Jason and Gena both got their best times at this race. I can't wait to start feeling good again so I can race with them. It was hard watching and not getting to get out there and do it!

Here's Meredith, my extremely small 20 weeks pregnant dear friend who ran the 10k by herself. Look at that tiny, little baby bump. This is just before she crossed the finish line. Who looks that good at the end of a 10k...and she's 20 weeks pregnant! Her shirt was so cute. The front said "Baby's 1st 10k" and the back said "you just got passed by a pregant lady". And she did pass a lot of people. A fireman carrying 60 lbs of extra weight ran with her part of the way and said she inspired him to keep going! Sorry I backed out Mere. There's no way I could have kept up with you anyway!

After the race, we headed to the square for some Double Decker fun! It was really crowded, but there was so much good art to see and so much good food to be eaten. Makes me want to go back to Oxford right now!

We went home for naps and cool air midday, and then went back Saturday evening to listen to the bands. I didn't get many pictures, but it was a lot of fun!

JJ, Gena, and me. Not sure where you were Rach??

My 2 favorite guys!

Tanner has already been telling us he's ready to go back to "the Oxiford house". I hate I didn't get any other pictures of the kids, but they had a lot of fun playing together all weekend. I think Tanner enjoys being the oldest one a little too much. Everytime I turned around I could hear him saying "No Hill you are too little" or "No Hill you can't do that"! It's going to be funny when little Hill gets big enough to respond to his bossiness!

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T10:51:00.000-05:00

Tanner has had a fun few days celebrating Easter. He's so funny when he looks for Easter eggs. He's so slow and doesn't care how many he gets. He just wants to stop and eat the candy out of each one as he finds it. We started off last Thursday with his school party. It rained, so the party had to move inside. The kids still had fun though!

Getting ready to hunt for eggs!

Sweet John Christian sharing his candy with Tanner. He was really good at finding lots of eggs!

Time for food. Yum!

Our church Easter egg hunt was Saturday morning at John and Lynn Wiggers' house. This time we practiced before we went! He found a few more but was still more interested in the candy. I think Tanner would live off of candy if we'd let him!

Finding eggs

Checking out his candy

Hill had fun hunting eggs, too. He was so funny. He found his eggs and then tried to put them back

We hung out with little Cobb, too. He's so stinking cute!

Tanner had fun checking out his Easter basket Sunday morning. He was really excited about the Easter bunny this year. We went to church and then ate lunch at Honey and Otto's. I didn't take my camera but he and Honey had lots of fun looking for eggs after lunch.

Then we went to JJ and Allen's house to play on the water slide. The kids had a blast together. Tanner was unsure about it at first, but once he saw the girls do it he decided to join in the fun. Poor Hill had an allergic reaction to his sunscreen so I didn't get any pictures of him. We can't wait to play again. But we are BEAT! It was so hard for all of us to get up this moring. I really needed an extra day of rest :(

Finally climbing up

Harvey loved sliding down!

Watching the daddies play horseshoes

School Pictures

2011-04-19T09:43:00.000-05:00

Tanner had his school pictures taken a few weeks ago. We love his MMO class at First Presbyterian Church. Ms. Deidra and Ms. Ashley are the best teachers. Only a few more weeks, and I'll be picking him up before lunch everyday. I can't wait for our new schedule!

Surprise Pictures!

2011-04-13T14:03:00.001-05:00

My dear friend Rachel surprised me and had Sukie Philyaw take pictures of Tanner for my birthday. They were so cute! I had told her not too long ago that I hadn't had pictures made of Tanner since he was a newborn. I'm "that" parent that just doesn't think to do things like that. I'm the parent his teachers have to call on school picture day to say "um, did you remember it was picture day? we figured you would want him to wear a different outfit". Hart dropped him off on Valentines day to see that everyone else had brought little cards and gifts for their teachers... and of course I hadn't sent anything with Tanner. I'm the one running around on the day of his classroom Christmas party looking for teacher gifts and snacks to send. I do actually think about these things beforehand, but for some reason I always let those days slip up on me. I'm just like my mama about that. Next week his class is having an Easter egg hunt, and I'm determined to be prepared this time! Anyway, with some help from my husband and mother-in-law, Rachel arranged for Tanner to have pictures taken the Sunday I was in Memphis for my half marathon. He's not the most cooperative little fellow when taking pictures, so I was surprised at how many good ones there were. Here are a few of my favorites:

This was Hart's toy shoe when he was little. Ms. Gail has a painting of Hart playing on the shoe around this age. She kept everything!

Being silly.

This boy loves to read books.

This is so Tanner. I'm sure he's asking "but why?". It's so cute when he does this!

Love this one!

My little baseball player.

Thank you Rachel! You are the sweetest, most thoughtful friend. Good thing I have almost 11 months to think of something creative to do for you!

Busy, busy...

2011-04-05T11:58:00.000-05:00

We've had a lot going on lately, and I haven't had a chance to get the camera out too much. I did catch a quick picture of our little motorcycle men this past weekend. Tanner had fun chauffeuring Hill around our backyard. He's excited about taking Hill to Oxford with him this weekend, too. We plan to have a lot of fun!

2nd Half Mary!

2011-03-21T12:18:00.002-05:00

This past weekend I ran my 2nd half marathon. Hart and I went to Memphis Saturday for some good food and shopping. We stayed with our friends Denny and Meredith. My sweet friend Meredith woke up early to drive me to the race course, then went back home to get the guys. The beginning of the race had a pretty big hill that lasted nearly a mile. I got past that hill to see Sarah and Ann Coleman waiting at the top for me! Definately needed that boost to keep going! I felt great through mile 7. I literally had a smile on my face the whole 7 miles and was pushing out sub 10 minute miles. I had to stop at a porta-potty once which set me back 3 minutes. Thank goodness I didn't have to stop again. I had made up my mind I couldn't afford another three minutes if I was gonna meet my goal! The next 3 miles were not as easy but I knew I was headed to the park and would get some good shade and water there. Miles 10-13.25 (yes, 13.25...did they really have to add that .15 in there??) were rough. The last water stop was at 10.5 miles. I just knew there would be one at 12 so I kept telling myself to keep running to get there. Got to mile 12 and no water stop. Agghhh! I wanted to scream. I really considered asking a random person if I could have some of their water, then I came to my senses and realized that may not be part of race etiquette! I got to mile 13 and finally saw the finish line. It didn't take me long to spot my cheerleaders and I had a last burst of energy to push hard to the end. I finished in 2 hours and 19 minutes. My goal was to be in the 2:(teens). I knew I could do 2:24 based on some of my training times. Needless to say, it was a success! The best part was the smile on my hubby's face and the big hug I got from him at the end. He was so proud of me! That's what made the hard work pay off. I think he may finally be ready to get back into running with me.

We did some more shopping after the race. I got some new running shoes while we were there. The guy that helped me was awesome. It will definately be worth driving to Memphis for shoes next time. If you are ever up that way I'll let you know where to go.

So is anyone motivated to start running now?? If so, our new group starts this week. It's going to be a little more structured this time as far as meeting times and days. Email me at whitney.pettit@gmail.com if you're interested, and I'll tell you the schedule.

Spring Break at the Beach!

2011-03-21T09:15:00.000-05:00

We went to the beach for the first part of spring break. Sarah and Ann Coleman Pettit met us, and we stayed with our good friends, Matt and Janelle Mims. They live in Destin right across the street from the beach. We had such a good time. The kids loved playing together. Tanner and Ann Coleman informed us they were boyfriend/girlfriend by the 2nd day of our trip. Little Judith is getting so big! She was so sweet to let Tanner and AC play with all of her toys. Matt and Hart grilled for us a couple of nights. We had such good seafood. We also ate at some great restaurants while we were there, and I hit up the outlet mall a couple of times, too!

Hart and I were so worried Tanner wouldn't like the sand. He never has liked getting his feet dirty and has always insisted on wearing shoes when playing outside. But he loved it! We had to drag him off the beach each day! We can't wait to go back this summer. Honey and Otto have rented a beach house in Destin for us to all go stay in for a week in June. Hart and I rode to check it out while we were there last week, and it is going to be amazing! We'll even have our own private pool, and the house is only a few miles from the Mims.

Here are a few of the 500 pictures I took while we were there.

AC, Judith and Tanner our 1st day.

Getting ready to head to the beach.

Tanner's 1st time to the beach- he said "oh, it's snow!"

Looking at the clear, blue water.

Sarah and AC playing in the sand.

Tanner thought is was funny to put sand in his hair.

Chasing the sea gulls.

We had fun burying daddy in the sand.

Bathtime! They were covered in sand.

Day 2 at the beach. It was warm enough to lay out and play in the water a little!

Looking at boats.

Judith liked to dig in the sand.

AC and Tanner taking an oreo break.

Day 3- Don't you love the shades AC let him borrow!

Tanner and AC getting their feet wet.

Playing in the sand at sunset.

Run THE Race

2011-02-28T13:14:00.005-06:00

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

Some of you may know I've been training some girls to run a 5k. We started with the "couch to 5k" program, but I've also blended it in with another program I used when I lived in Memphis. I've had so many people tell me they are interested in doing it. I even had someone from Kosciusko Medical Clinic call to see if they could tell their patients about it! I'm going to start another group sometime around spring break for any of you who are interested. Just send me an email to whitney.pettit@gmail.com, and I'll add you to the email list.

Running has become such a passion of mine. It is one of my favorite things to do. I've finally started to get some speed in my step. This picture was last week before I left for the Make a Difference 5k in Ridgeland benefitting the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital. I finished the race in 26:38! My average pace was 8:34. Had no idea I had it in me! My 1st mile ended, and I looked down at my Garmin to see that I had run it in 7:50. Whoa Nelly!!!

The bible verse above has become one of my favorites. Running is my alone time, my uninterrupted prayer time. I've realized that running a race is a lot like living the Christian life. These verses pretty much sum it up. The witnesses which surround us are those who have already received and practiced their faith and are supporting us to do so, too. They have "been there and done that" and are our "pep squad". If we stumble, they encourage us to get up and keep going. Throwing off everything that hinders means to remove anything that causes us to fail or discourages us. This is different for everyone. It may be friendships, television, the internet, work.... anything that weighs us down and holds us back in our Christian life. You wouldn't run a race and expect to win with a heavy backpack strapped on your back. Sin is our main enemy that we should strive to get rid of. Perseverance refers to the Christian life being more like a long distance marathon, not like a short sprint. We must push through and persevere even in tough times. It's not how fast we run, but how long we run. We have to not only start strong, but finish strong, too. The race marked out for us refers to our life as Christians. It is a race with many obstacles. We aren't competing against others. We are competing against ourselves to make it to the finish line. Fixing our eyes on Jesus means that we should allow him to inspire us. He is our main trainer in life. We should not wander from him. The single thing that makes us great competitors is our focus. If we lose focus and drop out of the race to live what we perceive to be an "easier life", we become spectators from the sidelines. Then we lose so much. The race is well worth our struggles. Faith is what is kept and built. Maturity and character are the prizes, as well as a life well lived that affects others for Him. This is far better than never entering, or quitting when it gets difficult.

Sorry for the long post, this is something I've been studying and have wanted to post about for a while now. I've just been working on getting it into writing.

By the way....I think we may have another runner in the family! I can't wait for this little guy to hit the streets with me.

Sunday Fun Day at the Country Club

2011-02-28T09:22:00.000-06:00

We met the Hawkins family at the Country Club yesterday to hang out and let the kiddos play. It was so windy, so we wanted to fly kites before we went fishing. Wal-Mart didn't have any real kites, but they did have "microkites". They were tiny!

Tanner and Daddy getting the kite ready for take-off.

Mr. Chip was good at flying kites. This was Tanner running with his kite as it drug along the parking lot behind him.

He finally got it in the air with some help from Mr. Chip.

Hill hung out and watched from his wagon.

Then Tanner decided it was fishing time. He was so proud of his brand new fishing pole.

Playing while Mr. Chip got our poles ready.

The Hawkins family. Hill said for me to tell his mama he wants a pole just like Tanners.

While the Daddies fished, Hill and Tanner played with bubbles...

....and rested

...and rode in the wagon

Then Tanner and Mrs. Rachel played some baseball...

...and Hill watched.

Then Hill called Harvey and said "You gotta come see this man....

...Tanner Pettit is fishing. We gotta hurry up and get big like him."

Hart and Chip had more patience that the rest of us.

This was right before we left. I think he was about to fall asleep eating the sucker.

We had a blast despite catching no fish. Needless to say, Hart and I decided that we could definately spend this spring and summer doing this every weekend. It was so relaxing. Tanner was exhausted when we left, but we still managed going to the park for about 30 minutes. We got home around 6:30 and he looked at me and said "Mama I gotta go to bed now." I gave him a bath, and he crashed!

Fun Weekend!

2011-02-21T09:08:00.000-06:00

We had fun outside this past weekend. This weather has just been amazing! I had a race in Jackson Saturday morning which I'll post about later. Saturday night we grilled out with Uncle Rico. Tanner had lots of fun playing with his batting tee while we cooked. He and Uncle Rico played hard.

Sunday we played with Tanner's new water gun and washed our cars. Then we went to Chap Thompson's birthday party. Tanner was really shy and wouldn't jump in the bouncers, but he had a good time eating! Chap's cake was too cute. Maybe Tanner's egg allergy is starting to go away. The cake didn't give him any trouble. Happy Birthday Chap!

After Chap's party we went to the country club to play. We can't wait for summer to get here. Tanner and I plan on spending a lot of time swimming and playing while Daddy is at work! We are looking forward to boat riding and cooking out with friends, too. It's our favorite thing to do on Summer weekends!

To my guys...

2011-02-14T09:17:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day Hart and Tanner. I love y'all, and I'm so blessed to have you in my life!

"No one has ever seen God; but if we love

one another, God lives in us and his love is

made complete in us." (1 John 4:12)

Sunday Fun Day!

2011-02-14T08:55:00.000-06:00

The weather was so beautiful Sunday. We decided to go to the park to enjoy the nice sunshine. Tanner had so much fun. He made a little friend, and they ran around giggling and chasing each other. It made me realize how fast he is growing up. Last time we went to the park he was too shy to play with any of the other kids. We had such a good time. I wish the weather would be like that everyday. We would never be inside!

Snow 2011

2011-02-10T12:21:00.001-06:00

Tanner, Hart and I have been having so much fun in the snow! We all had today off from school and work. We slept late, played in the snow, rode the 4 wheeler, visited Mine, and just finished eating yummy chicken and dumplings at the Pettits. Now we are ready to make more snow icecream and then ride around! We are having such a good day together! I love my guys so much :)

The Hunt

2011-01-31T13:38:00.003-06:00

Beaglish Poem

by Mike Pollack

Icey black, Daybreak cracks,
Dogs lead men on rabbit tracks.

Nose to ground, Beagle hound,
What a luscious scent I found.

Something furry, Here did scurry,
Spoor is stronger have to hurry.

Grass pressed warm, Rabbit's form,
Bunny here ate lilly corn.

Way up there, Flushed a hare,
Gonna get it have to tear.

Dodging - sneaking, Leaping - streaking,
Both adrenalins are peaking.

Hop and bound, He's gone to ground,
I get to make my hound-found-sound.

Aroooooh, Aroooooh, Aroooooh to you,
I found the hare, he's here it's true.

I'm first - it's me, The hare to see,
Aroooooh it's Snoop, Aroooooh look see.

Men arrive, Pack they drive,
Damn it's good to be alive.

Home ahead, Warm soft bed,
Dreams of rabbits dance in my head.

This past weekend I had the priviledge of going on a rabbit hunt with Otto, Dr. Jones, and the rest of the rabbit hunting crew. I wasn't thrilled about getting up early on Saturday morning, but Hart pulled me out of bed and assured me I'd have fun. At first I was really cold, but once I warmed up and got the right kind of boots on my feet, I had so much fun! Now I see why these guys live for rabbit hunting this time of year. I didn't shoot any rabbits, but I think they got 5. I thought my gun was loaded (Hart told me it was), but when a rabbit ran towards me and decided to sit in front of me, I attempted to shoot him twice only to figure out my gun wasn't loaded after all. Oh Well! I probably would have missed anyway. I think Richard ended up getting him a few minutes later. I think I may have to go again if Hart doesn't mind me intruding on his guy time. I'll be sure to wear the correct kind of pants since I ruined a good pair of jeans this time!

Otto and Hart showing the dogs they did good.

Hart telling the dogs he shot that one.

Hart following the beagles as they trailed a rabbit.

Rico resting. Shh..don't tell anyone. No really, he was sick that day and still went hunting!

Richard hunting.

Hart and Richard watching Otto clean the rabbit.

Otto hunting.

They smell another one.

Hart coming to check on me. He said I was cramping his style at first. But then I got the right kind of boots on and I was in the middle of the water and briars with them!

Pre-boots. I was still clean and hanging out on the lanes.

Jeff, Otto, and Hart getting started.

Otto got one.

Today!

2011-01-18T08:26:00.000-06:00

This is the day that the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

This was my VERY first thought this morning when I woke up. What a great way to start this day! I usually wake up grumpy, with negative thoughts so this was such a nice change. It reminded me of so many things I am thankful for today.

-that Hart, Tanner, and I say our prayers TOGETHER every night.
-that the first thing Tanner wants to do when he is sick is pray together.
-that we love our church and it is Home to us.
-that my sweet husband wakes me up every morning for work.
-that he always gives me a kiss and tells me he loves me before I leave.
-that he makes me coffee and gets out my creamer every morning.
-that he warms my car on really cold days.
-that my sweet Tanner's first words today were "Thank you for washing my blankie mama".
-that he then said "I'm your baby" and laid his head on my shoulder.
-that I have the most amazing job where I get to work with sweet, little preschoolers all day.
-that I have the best coworkers that I can call my friends and actually mean it.
-that I have been led by God to train other women to run.
-that this has been a positive way for me to develop new friendships with girls I otherwise wouldn't have really known or opened myself up to.
-that my parents, brothers, sister, and I are all so close.
-that my in-laws love me like I'm their daughter, and I love them as my own, too!

The Hillster!!!

2011-01-18T07:57:00.000-06:00

We had such a fun weekend celebrating with Hill. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures at his birthday party, but I have to say it was the best little 1st birthday party I've ever been to. The decorations were so cute, and the food was delicious. Tanner even got to eat some cake! Leave it to the Hawkins to be so thoughtful and make my little man some egg-less cupcakes!

Saturday night after the party we went to Hill's house to eat and hang out with Rachel's family. They are so sweet and so dang funny! Now I know where Rachel gets her wittiness. Hill was loving playing with all of his new toys!

After Hill went to bed, Tanner decided to play with Foster and Foxy Mama. Last weekend when we were there, Foster ran to the door to greet us and scared Tanner. Saturday night, we were walking to the door and Tanner said "Mama I not like Foster, I like that Mama dog". You can see he changed his tune later that night. He decided Foster was big enough to be a horse and tried getting on his back. Sweet Foster just laid there and let Tanner "ride" him!

He decided Foster was his new best dog friend....even better than Tag!

Sunday was Hill's baptism. Once again I forgot my camera :( Can't wait to see Rachel's pics. Hart and I loved their little church. Everyone was so nice, and we even had a sit down meal afterwards. I'm thinking their church cooks might be some of the best. Sorry Methodist folks...you're on up there, too!

Anyway, Hart and I were so honored to be part of Hill's baptism. Chip and Rachel asked us several weeks ago to be Hill's godparents. We are so blessed to have friends that love us so much and trust us to be positive, Godly influences on their child's life. We have loved this little guy for a long time. The ceremony was so sweet, and Hill did amazing. I don't think I'll ever forget the look on that sweet child's innocent face as he was being baptized.

Not too much of a SNOW DAY!

2011-01-11T10:34:00.000-06:00

Tanner and I got to stay home from school Monday because of the snow and ice. By the time we woke up there wasn't too much left. So much for the snowman this boy wanted to make. We did walk around the neighborhood a little bit on our way to Honey and Otto's for lunch. Tanner was more interested in his pre lunch cheese stick than the snow. We had a fun, lazy day despite the lack of snow. We slept a lot and ate a delicious lunch with the Pettits.

This is when he said "no more pictures mama, i not wanna take a picture!"

Just us 3 (and Tag, too)

2011-01-11T10:33:00.000-06:00

We had a nice, quiet night at home Friday after dinner at the Help Desk with Uncle Rico. Hart and I love weekends with no plans where we can just sit at home, watch tv, and enjoy each others company. We did this so often in Memphis, but since we moved back home it seems like there's always something to do. Sometimes it's just nice to be still and realize how much we love just being together, our little family. These times make me realize how blessed I am to have the sweetest husband in the world. He is the best daddy to little Tanner, too. I hope I'm half as good of a mom as he is a dad. If I am then I'd say we are doing alright!

"Daddy, why you have hair on your face?" (He's a little too young to understand what the passion play is!)

Goin to chill with Hill...

2011-01-11T10:21:00.000-06:00

Saturday night we went to our dear friends Rachel and Chip's house for dinner and to let the kids play. We got to meet Rachel's best friend from home, Meredith, and her husband Gavino, too. What nice people! We always have such a good time with the Hawkins....and Chips good grilling never disappoints us. Tanner had so much fun playing with all of Hill's new toys. We started to go home, and he was asking to take everything with him! We can't wait for Hill's birthday and baptism next weekend. That sweet boy is so loved by the Pettit family.

Heading to see Hill!

Playing in the ball pit...what a good investment!

Hill kept crawling onto Tanner's back!

Sweet love!

Parade time!

New Year!

2011-01-02T16:03:00.000-06:00

It always feels good to start over with a new year! I've never been big on resolutions....I don't think there's ever been one I've actually kept! But I do have some goals I have set for myself. It's hard sticking to them, but I'm going to try my best! Happy 2011!

We rang in the New Year with some really sweet friends. Here are a few of the girls that were there. I'm so blessed to have you all in my life!

Christmas Morning!

2011-01-02T15:53:00.000-06:00

Christmas night we spent the night with the Pettits so Santa could set up Tanner's big boy room. I wish I had a picture because it is so cute. He got up that morning around 9:00 and went downstairs to see what all Santa brought him. Naturally his favorite thing of all was a sucker!! This child could live off of candy. He had to take a break from opening presents to eat his sucker. He wanted his chair in the doorway of the living room so he could look at everything else while he ate. He is such a mess! I think he got everything he asked for and much more. We had such a wonderful Christmas. Hart and I decided this was the most fun one we've had in a long time. It's the first one where Tanner kind of understood what was going on. We are so blessed to have this little angel in our lives!

Sweet Mine

2011-01-02T15:44:00.000-06:00

Christmas morning we went to see Mine and have Christmas with her before heading out of town. She loves to eat candy so we got her a lot of goodies from Fresh Market. Tanner helped her open each bag of candy, and then he wanted to eat all of it! Mine didn't mind sharing at all though. Tanner loves his great grandmother, and we're so fortunate that she lives so close so he can see her a good bit.

Christmas Eve

2011-01-02T15:36:00.000-06:00

We went to the Christmas Eve service at our church with Honey, Otto, and Uncle Pac. Hart was an usher for Communion that night for the first time so it was special. Tanner wore my nephew Will's Christmas outfit which I love! Will is now 14 and several of my other nephews have worn it as well. I wish he could wear it every year. It was definately my favorite of the ones he had this year. After the service we went to Honey and Otto's for dinner and to spend the night. Hart made Yocona sauce to go on top of our filets, and it was delicious!

Christmas with Family!

2011-01-02T15:28:00.000-06:00

Here's our little cowboy. He loved his cowboy chaps, vest, and other cowboy goodies he got from Nene and Papa. He ran around all day saying "Pow, Pow, Pow, I a cowboy". I guess we know what he'll be next Halloween! Unfortunately, I didn't get many pics that afternoon. I think I was about all pictured out. I'm going to have to get better at using my new camera!

We also celebrated Christmas at Papaw and Mamaw's house in Carthage. The kids had a ton of fun playing together and Mamaw cooked some delicious food.

Tanner opening his firetruck. He can't wait for his daddy to take him on the real firetruck sometime soon!

Some Christmas Pics

2010-12-15T12:41:00.000-06:00

Tanner and I had a photo shoot the other night. He showed out for me. At first he loved it, but by the end he was saying "please mama, no more pictures". Hart had to make me stop. Christmas time has been so much fun this year now that he understands what Santa Claus is. He wakes up every morning wondering where his Elf "Snitch" has landed. We can't wait for Christmas morning at our house!

A few more...

2010-12-15T12:38:00.000-06:00

...and some more

2010-12-15T11:20:00.001-06:00

These two are good buddies. I can't wait to see if Tag starts sleeping with him once he gets his big boy bed from Santa.

Memphis Nights

2010-12-13T14:29:00.000-06:00

Hart and I spent this last weekend in Memphis with our friends, Jake and Sarah Pettit. We hadn't been back since we moved in April of 2008 so we were really excited. We went to dinner at Do with Jake, Sarah, Meredith and Denny on Friday night before going to see Robert Earl Keen. He put on a good show and we had so much fun! On Saturday, I got to spend time with Jenny and baby Fort. He was a doll, and Jenny is already skinnier that she's ever been after just 7 weeks. Hart and I ate lunch at Huey's and had our old favorite, the cheese fries!!! They were delicious, but we almost made ourselves sick eating so much. We went to all of our favorite stores and finished up most of Tanner's Santa Claus. Before we left on Sunday, we had brunch with Denny and Meredith at Bronte. Already can't wait to go back! We are so happy being home with family, but miss our good friends and all of the fun things to do there :(

Tacky in Memphis!

2010-12-13T14:11:00.000-06:00

Jake and Sarah had their annual tacky Christmas party on Saturday night. We had a blast. Uncle Eddie was the highlight of the night. And of course no night is complete without Sarah singing Copa Cabana, motions and all. Thanks for having us y'all. Can't wait 'til next time!

We love Rico!

2010-12-01T08:39:00.000-06:00

Tanner has a new favorite person--his "Unkey Rico". He seriously asks where he is everyday. At night when he says his prayers he prays for his grandparents, his uncle Pac, and "Unkey Rico". It's so sweet. Let's just hope Tanner doesn't turn out like this crazy guy!

You can see Jason trying to escape the picture in this 1st one. Noone wanted to be seen with this State guy! I think his goal for the day was to see how much he could embarrass us. By the way, he was the 1st to bed Saturday night. He couldn't hang with us Ole Miss people. He and Matt had said they weren't staying if they lost. Just so you know Rico, we have fun even when we lose....we're pretty used to it!! Hope we didn't keep you up too late with our loudness.

Egg Bowl

2010-12-01T07:53:00.000-06:00

Hart and I went to Oxford last weekend for an engagement party and the Egg Bowl. We left Tanner with Honey and Otto and had a fun weekend with friends. The Popes, Hawkins, Richard, and Matt came up Saturday to tailgate and stay with us. We had a blast. I even got my Christmas present while we were there...and it's the best present ever!!!

Ole Miss vs. Auburn

2010-11-02T15:18:00.000-05:00

Saturday we went to our first football game of the season. We usually go to all of the Ole Miss home games, but we haven't been able to make it to many lately. Not that our Rebels are too good this year..... but we always have fun in the grove whether we win or not. It's just nice spending time with our family and friends that we rarely see. Tanner had so much fun and was sweet the whole day. He got a new football from the bookstore and loved getting to play with Presleigh, his namesake's little girl. I hardly ever take pictures anymore, but did manage to get a few while we were in the Grove.

More Grove Fun!

2010-11-02T15:10:00.000-05:00

Tanner and Mama

Tanner and Otto listening to the bandGena and me in the Grove

Tanner and his namesake

Tanner and Presleigh (he kept trying to kiss her!)

Our Little Pumpkin

2010-10-11T15:34:00.000-05:00

We met my sister and her little boy at the pumpkin patch in Canton Saturday. Tanner and Walker had a lot of fun playing and picking out their pumpkins. We didn't get to do the corn maze because it was so hot, but they had fun on the hay ride and seeing the animals. We realized on the way down there that our little one gets car sick. I've wondered if he felt sick before, but this time it was bad. I did that when I was little and still do sometimes. Guess we will be looking for some children's dramamine before our next trip!

Tanman's new school!

2010-08-17T12:08:00.000-05:00

Tanner loves his new school and his teachers. I'm that bad parent that did not take his picture on his 1st day of school. He cried so much it probably wouldn't have been good anyway. But he loves it now. Most days he doesn't want to leave when I go get him. He's eating and sleeping good and loves playing with all of his new friends. We couldn't be happier with Ms. Deidra and Ms. Ashley. They are so sweet! I get to see him several days a week when I go there to do therapy, and he's always having so much fun. His Nene got him this cute nap mat, and he loves it! He likes to get on it at home, too! Thanks Nene!!!

Fair

2010-08-17T11:57:00.000-05:00

We took Tanner to see the goats and cows at the fair last weekend. He loved petting the goats and looking at all of the big cows. He also had his first ride on the carousel. I didn't think I would ever get him off of that horse. Here are a few pics.

JULY FUN!

2010-08-13T09:52:00.000-05:00

July was such a fun month. Hart and I went to the Beau Rivage with the Mayor and Board of Alderman. It rained most of the time we were there, but I shopped a lot and we ate some fabulous food. We also went on a cruise to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel with our best friends, Jason and Kayla Vance. Then the last weekend in July we invited some of our favorite people (Jason and Kayla, Chip and Rachel, Alan and JJ, and Jason and Gena) and their sweet kiddos to Oxford for the weekend. We had so much fun, and it was a great way to end our summer. I unfortunately didn't get any pictures from that weekend, but JJ and Rachel both have some on their blogs.

Captain's Dinner

Bar in Cozumel

Margaritaville in Jamaica

Hanging out at the piano bar on the ship

Tanner's little buddies

2010-06-28T11:00:00.001-05:00

Tanner has had such a good summer so far! He's enjoyed sleeping late, going to Honey and Otto's house for lunch nearly every day, going to the pool and lake, and playing with friends, old and new! He and Jack play together all the time. There's a year age difference between the two of them, but I swear that little Jack is just about as big as Tanner. They wear the same size clothes!

Tanner and Jack in the pool!

Watching Barney together...how sweet :)

Last Friday we met Cortni and Greyson (our new friends!) at the country club for some swimming. Tanner and Greyson were both a little shy at first, but eventually warmed up to each other. We took them to eat Mexican after swimming, and they were a hoot! They both got cheese quesadillas and rice, and by the time we left there was rice everywhere. They thought it was funny seeing how much rice they could get everywhere but in their mouths!

At the pool...

... and at June Jam

Half Marathon....Half Crazy

2010-06-28T10:22:00.001-05:00

So I finally ran a half marathon on June 12th. I'm so glad I did it, but will never again run a race like that during the summer. It was extremely hot. Two weeks before the race I had no trouble running my 11 mile run, so I felt pretty confident going into it. My knees were feeling better, too. I went to Jackson Friday evening since the race started so early on Saturday. Lauren and I (and Matthew) went to Amerigo's to load up on our carbs, and I stayed the night with my sister. I could hardly sleep I was so nervous. Saturday morning I woke up and met Lauren (who was running late as usual!) at the Renaissance. The announcer kept telling us all to hurry to the finish line so we skipped one last run to the bathroom, which we regretted later! We lined up with the other runners, had the prayer, then heard a teenage girl gagging in front of us. This was just the first of much vomitting we would encounter on our hot run through Ridgeland and Madison. So we began to run. Before we even made it to mile 1, Lauren and I both decided we would have to use the 1st porta-potty we could find. We had to drink so much water to keep hydrated that we ended up stopping at 3! Lauren was so sweet and encouraging while we ran. I felt so defeated because I knew my mile 6 I wasn't going to make my goal, AND I wasn't even going to do as good as I did in my practice runs. But Lauren kept up the encouragement and even kept a one sided conversation going through a lot of the run, which helped me keep my mind off of how I so much just wanted to give up and take a short cut to the finish line. She slowed her pace to stay with me, too. What a great friend I've been blessed with! She could have had such a better finish time if she wouldn't have stuck with me. I really could not have finished the race without her. When I got near the finish line I saw "my fans" waiting on me (Hart and Tanner, Stephanie and Walker, and my sweet friend Kayla, who surprised me and came)! They were troopers. It was so hot, and they had to stand and wait on me forever!

I've slowed down on my running the past couple of weeks. I've just been keeping up my 3 milers a couple of times a week. We are at the coast right now on Hart's work trip and leaving for a cruise July 10th-17th. I plan to start training for my next half the day after we get back from the cruise. It's in October, so hopefully it will be much cooler and I can have a better finish time. Here are a few race pics.

Waiting on Mama to finish

Here I come...I wanted to cry!

My sweet little family. Tanner made me a sign!

And the best running parter ever! See her big smile! I don't think she ever got tired.

Bring on the Summer fun!

2010-05-21T11:23:00.000-05:00

We can't wait for summer at our house! I've got two more teacher days, so Tanner doesn't have too much longer before he can sleep late everyday. He can't stand to wake up early in the mornings to get ready for school. I have to get him ready in his bed every morning while he tells me "uh-uh, night-night". He couldn't walk last summer so we didn't do too much, but I'm hoping to plan some fun activites for him this summer.

When they go outside at daycare, Tanner's teacher gives him ice to eat. It's one of his favorite things. He asks me for it everyday. Last weekend, when Uncle Stephen brought a cooler full of sonic sized ice to Nene's house, the Tan-man was in heaven. He and Ally ate and played in the ice all afternoon. Tanner was soaken wet, especially after he sat in the ice. His bottom was so cold. We finally got him inside and had to wrap him up in blankets so he could warm up!

I'm getting ready to run my first half marathon in 3 weeks. I'm really excited, but a little nervous. My longest run so far has been 9 miles. I have a 10 miler tomorrow, so hopefully it will go good. I started out running again so I could lose the end of my baby weight (yes, unfortunately I still had some to lose 1 1/2 years after Tanner's birth), but I've become addicted. It's my escape. Life gets so hectic with a job, a little boy, a sweet husband, wonderful friends that I like to spend lots of time with, errands, etc. But when I lace up my shoes all anxiety and stress melt away. It's just me, my Garmin, God, and sometimes my ipod. It's definately mind over matter, but it feels so good everytime I get home from a run. I've developed a blister on the end of one of my toes. One morning this week I left my house, and my toe was killing me. I kept running and it eventually became numb, so I just forgot about it. But when I got home and took off my shoes I realized that half of my sock was covered in blood. Sounds gross, right?? But no.... I was so proud of my "battle scar" I had to wake Hart up and show him! He thinks my obsession is a little weird. I wanted to take a picture, but I didn't. So for now, the half marathon in 3 weeks is my goal. I get to run it with my old best bud Lauren, too. I hadn't realized how much I missed her until I've started seeing her so often lately. She has run a half before and assures me it's so much fun. I guess we will see. I'm already setting my eyes on something bigger than this half, but for now I'll just get through this race! Happy trails everyone :)

I Feel Like Dancin'

2010-04-26T08:27:00.000-05:00

Last night we went to hear the 80s band "Jenny, Jenny" at the Natchez Trace Festival. Tanner was really quiet at first and wasn't sure what to think about the loud music. Then he warmed up to everyone and started showing off his dance moves. This child loves to dance! It is hilarious. I don't know who he gets his moves from. Hart and I are neither one big dancers. We can tell him to "do the robot" and he starts swinging one arm like a robot!

Fun with buckets

2010-04-06T11:28:00.000-05:00

We decided to grow our tomatoes upside down in buckets this year. Saturday, we bought some fun paint colors and let Tanner go to town painting the buckets. This was his first painting experience, and he had a blast. At first he didn't like getting his hands dirty, but by the end he had paint everywhere and pitched a fit when he finally had to go inside for a bath and nap. If you ride by our house and see the bright, crazy buckets hanging from the retaining wall, you'll know what they are now. Hopefully we will have lots of good tomatoes for tomato sandwiches this summer!

Busy at work

Finishing touches

Our cute buckets!

Then he wanted to paint EVERYthing!

Happy Birthday Otto!

2010-03-29T11:44:00.000-05:00

Saturday night we celebrated Otto's 60th birthday. Tanner had a blast reading books and dancing silly with his Otto. Too bad I didn't get a picture of that! Happy Birthday Otto! We love you!!

Dear Granny,

2010-02-05T17:51:00.001-06:00

We love you and will miss you. Wish we would have made a picture at Christmas, but we will see you again one day.

Love,

Whitney, Hart, and Tanner

16 Months

2010-01-21T08:10:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I took Tanner for his shots and check-up with Dr. Payne. He cried his little eyes out when he got his shots. Thank goodness he is finished with them until he starts school. He weighed 23 lbs 3 oz (18th percentile) and was 32 inches long (65th percentile). Dr. Payne said it would be good if he could gain a pound or 2. Anyone have any ideas for beefing this little guy up? Too bad he can't eat cookies or cakes....

Tanner and Tag

2010-01-15T15:29:00.000-06:00

Tanner and Tag play together so well. They love to play chase, and Tanner throws the ball for Tag to fetch. I walked into the living room the other day and found them both watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Aren't they sweet? This is how we start off our Saturday mornings.....everybody gets in Mama and Daddy's bed. Usually Tag and Tanner spread out so much that Mama and Daddy end up out of the bed!

Growing up TOO fast...

2010-01-15T15:07:00.000-06:00

Sorry for not updating the blog in a while. I finally got tired of my sister bugging me about it, so here you go. Tanner is doing good. He's getting into everything and jabbering away. The speech therapist in me keeps a running log of the words he can say, and I think we're at about 20 now. His new favorite thing is to point and say "Bad, Bad, Bad" when Tag poops on the floor. He even said it to Uncle Pac the other night when he had a spill! We all had a good laugh.

Tanner is changing rooms at daycare next week, so please pray that he will adjust well to a new teacher and friends. He doesn't like to take 2 naps, he's more of a one 3 hour nap little man, but at daycare they take 2 naps at his age. The room he is moving into still takes 2 naps a day, but hopefully his teacher will have patience with him.....or I might just have to quit my day job! ....

Here is a picture I took of him last week in his camo. You can't see it, but there's a rabbit holding a gun on the front. We all know this little man will be doing his share of rabbit hunting with his Otto in a few years. Thanks Megan! It's too cute. We are really enjoying all of Parker's sweet clothes :)

Our Lil' Rebel

2009-10-13T12:34:00.000-05:00

Tanner had his 1st grove experience this past weekend. He loved it despite the cold, rainy weather. Hopefully next time it won't be so muddy so he can play more.

Pushing the wagon

Having fun with Daddy

Just before his nap in Honey's lap

Tanner's Birthday!

2009-09-25T07:56:00.001-05:00

I can't believe Tanner is 1! Last weekend we had all of the family over to celebrate. Tanner had lots of fun with all of his cousins. I don't know what we're gonna do with all of these toys, but we shouldn't have to buy any for a long time. He loves everything!
Here are a few pictures:

Tanner eating his "birthday roll" (i.e. cinnamon roll---he's allergic to eggs so couldn't have cake)

He loves his books. Thanks Patsy and David!

He didn't know what to think about all of his new loot! I'm sure he'll have plenty of help from his cousins figuring out how to work everything.

We LOVE AC!

2009-09-15T20:00:00.000-05:00

Ann Coleman, Jake and Sarah Pettit's little girl, spent the weekend with us a couple of weeks ago. She and Tanner had so much fun playing together. He's so passive and she's so not, so they get along really well! I can just picture her bossing him around when they get older! It was so cute to see their little personalities come out. The best part for me was having a little girl to dress up! Our bank account will be in a mess if I ever have a daughter. Here are a few of the pictures we got of them.....

AC stealing Tanner's fish sticks!

"Why are you making us pose so early in the morning?"

Bath time!

Best buds!

Sorry....

2009-08-26T18:11:00.001-05:00

Sorry for being a terrible blogger lately. We don't have internet at our house right now, but hopefully I can talk my cheap husband into getting it again soon. Tanner loves his new class at daycare. His teachers are great! It took him a couple of weeks to get used to waking up at 7 and taking 2 naps a day (he'd rather sleep until 10 and take 1 nap), but he's finally doing it.
He has just started eating table food and loves it! I'll have to take some pictures of him eating. He makes a huge mess, and Tag stands right beside him to clean up everything he drops. His favorite foods are fish sticks, tater tots, green beans, chicken/turkey sticks, pears, and mac-n-cheese.

Tanner's 1st day of school

Tanner was sweet and cooperative while Mr. Joe gave him his 1st hair cut.

More swimming at Uncle Pac's house. Thanks for the float Papaw and Mamaw!

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T19:01:00.000-05:00

Tanner says "Happy Father's Day" to his Daddy, Papa, Papaw, and Otto!!!

Family

2009-06-07T17:12:00.000-05:00

Tanner is pulling up everywhere these days and is keeping us busy. He's in the next room before we know it. It's a good thing this child likes to sleep so late or I would be exhausted! Here are a few recent pics.

Today we went to McCool to Nene and Papa's church for Homecoming. Here's a pic of them with a few of the grandchildren. They are a mess when they get together.

Tanner loves his Otto. Their new thing is chilling on the couch together!

Hart's class reunion was last night. It was lots of fun and so good to catch up with everyone. I didn't get many good pics, but this is one of Jenny and me. She and Webb are expecting a baby next month. Can't wait for Tanner to have a new friend!

Life is Good

2009-05-31T16:12:00.000-05:00

Today we went to the country club and rode in Chip and Rachel's boat. Tanner had fun chillin' in the lake. He looked like he should have been on a "Life is Good" billboard. I thought he was going to nap in the lake for a minute. He was so cute kicking his little legs in the water. We can't wait for more fun times at the country club this summer with our good friends...thanks Chip and Rach!

Fun in the Sun!

2009-05-28T16:39:00.000-05:00

Tanner and I have officially begun our summer break, and we're having so much fun! Yesterday Nene helped us plant flowers, and today we went "swimming". I wasn't sure what Tanner was going to think about the cold water, but he loved it. Next time I'll try to get some pictures. He has also started getting a little tan, which I'm so proud of.....for a while we thought he might have his daddy's skin. Sorry Hart!

Red and Blue Weekend

2009-04-21T21:33:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we went to Oxford for the Ole Miss spring game. Tanner made it through the whole game without a fuss. He finally got to wear his sweet little rebel outfit.

Tanner, Honey and Paxton

Tanner took a snooze during the game. I don't know if he'll still be small enough to fit on the bench this fall.

Tanner had fun with his aunt Monnie at City Grocery Saturday night. He really liked his 1st drink of water out of a real glass.

Easter Weekend

2009-04-13T14:06:00.000-05:00

We took Tanner to Jackson to get tubes early Friday morning. He screamed for about 45 minutes in the recovery room, but as soon as we got in our car you never would have known he had surgery. This picture was just before he went back. He and I both were losing our patience with the doctor as he began getting hungry. He was a tough little man!

On Saturday, Sarah and Ann Coleman came to visit us. Tanner was very happy to awaken to Ann Coleman's sweet face. They just stared and smiled at each other.

Here they are kissing. It was too cute. By the way, they are very distant cousins!

6 month check-up

2009-04-06T20:52:00.000-05:00

Tanner's 6 month check-up was a couple of weeks late due to his ear infections. Today he went to see the ENT, Dr. Sneed, and his pediatrician for shots. He's getting tubes on Friday. I hope they help!

I've been telling people I thought Tanner was tall for his age. Even some of his long sleeve size 9 month outfits are getting a little short. He weighed in today at 17 lbs (45th percentile) and was 27 3/4 inches long (90th percentile). I hope he slows down because I will be so sad if these cute summer outfits don't fit.

New Pics

2009-03-30T21:47:00.000-05:00

My sister, Stephanie, let us borrow her baby jogger so Tanner can go with me on runs. It's so easy to push, and he loves every minute of it.

Tanner is almost big enough for my old high chair. Now we just need a cute pad for it so he doesn't slip out. Anyone have any ideas? He finally grew into his sweet little giraffe outfit that I love! Thanks Monnie.

He's beginning to sit up now. He doesn't stay long because he tries to eat whatever is in front of him and falls forward.

Tanner's 1st sleepover

2009-03-20T17:27:00.001-05:00

Tanner's cousins, Isaac and Ally Katherine spent the night with us last night. Noone can get Tanner laughing like they can. His face just lights up anytime they are around.

These two are going to be inseparable!

Gone fishin'

2009-03-20T15:02:00.001-05:00

Tanner and I went fishing at Uncle Wade's house Thursday.

He didn't know what to think about all of the catfish his cousins caught.

Isaac, Tanner, Preston and Ally Katherine

Tanner decided to stick with the fish that were more his size!

Spring Break Fun!

2009-03-20T09:52:00.000-05:00

We've had so much fun this spring break. I don't want it to end! Tanner has spent a lot of time with family and friends. I think he loves being at home with his mama, too! Friday we strolled to the square with Tanner's cousin, Ally Katherine, and our friends, Natalie, Madelyn, and Kayla. They were all very sweet during lunch. By the time we got home Tanner and Ally Katherine were sound asleep.

Madelyn, Tanner and Ally Katherine

Honey, Otto, Uncle Pac, and Richard came over to eat deer with us Wednesday night. Tanner's Uncle Pac is just a tiny bit crazy about him!

Tanner and his 1st biter cookie!

Bath Time

2009-03-16T20:51:00.000-05:00

Now that Tanner finally loves his bath seat, he's almost too big for it. He's starting to teethe and it's no fun for anyone. Tonight he cried until we finally gave in and rode around town. There's something about those bumpy roads!

More Pics

2009-03-12T16:33:00.000-05:00

Tag and Tanner love each other

Mini Daddy

Tanner and Walker

Getting ready for lunch after church at Honey and Otto's house

Finally....

2009-03-12T13:06:00.000-05:00

I've been debating starting a blog for sometime now. I'm sure when Hart finds out he will tell me I have way too much time on my hands! I just want everyone to see how much Tanner is growing. He's 5 1/2 months old and getting bigger and bigger everyday. He tried his 1st vegetable last week and loved it! His favorite thing lately is to be outside either swinging or strolling. We love our little man so much!