The Olmsteads

Talan's Playing Soccer!

2010-09-18T21:05:00.003-05:00

Well Talan started soccer about a month ago and he loves it. He started games last Saturday and did a wonderful job! He definetly knows what is going on and the object of the game. He actually ended up scoring 9 goals last weekend. This weekend he scored 4. He is doing a great job!

This first picture is of him right after he scored his first goal. He was so excited and proud of himself!

This was at half time. He was getting some advice from Dad.
Another goal...hehe!

After the game the kids line up and tell the other team good job and then we have a tunnel for the kids to go through.

Mr. Soccer posing for a picture after the game. He just looks so darn cute...and handsome!

It's a...

2010-08-20T08:11:00.001-05:00

We found out earlier this week that Talan will be having a baby brother. He is so excited and so are we. Talan is determined that we are going to name him "George of the Jungle." That is what he refers to him as when others talk to him about his baby brother. I am 100% certain that this will not be the name we choose for our baby boy. We are all very excited and anxious to meet him!

Baby Olmstead

2010-08-11T22:17:00.003-05:00

We find out Monday whether Talan will have a baby brother or sister. Justin and I are taking Talan with us when we find out. He is determined it is a "bruder." He will argue with anybody who tells him different. We are anxious to see his reaction with whatever the doctor says!

Back To School

2010-08-11T22:12:00.002-05:00

Well, it is officially back to school today. Justin and I went back to work today. It was hard getting back into the morning routine this morning. We have enjoyed sitting around in the morning with Talan and not really getting ready for the day until about 10:00. Justin is still the Focus Room Facilitator at Scott this year but just graduated so there is a possibility for a job change. If that happens, it will be hard since we have worked together in the same building the past four years. I am still teaching Kindergarten at Scott as well.
Talan will start official Pre-School next Tuesday. It is so weird to think that our little boy is already starting Pre-School. He is ready though. We went school clothes shopping and he is so proud of his new shoes. We also got him his first pair of soccer cleats since he also starts soccer August 23rd. It is going to be an exciting and busy couple of weeks but we are so excited!

Bar - B - Que

2010-07-31T22:01:00.002-05:00

A couple weeks ago we went to the Newkirks for a bar-b-que. We had a great time. There were three other couples there and each of them had kids that were around Talan's age so he had a great time too. The were given rides in the tractor, drove the toy gator, swam, and he and Harlee even had a little rock band at the end of the night. Talan and Harlee playing us a song by their rock band.
Talan drove the gator right into their corn. He took out about four stalks.

The kids driving the gator. Harlee always rode shotgun when the boys were driving.

Getting a ride in the tractor!

T - Ball

2010-07-31T21:52:00.003-05:00

This Spring Talan played T-Ball. He did a great job! It was a six week program that ran like learning stations and the final week they played a little game. Talan had so much fun and is looking forward to next season. He will be starting soccer August 28th so he is anxious to get started with his next sport!

A lot of Catch Up

2010-05-25T12:07:00.007-05:00

So, I realize that it has been like 2 months since I have posted anything. It has been really crazy around here so I will try to catch you up. We have a lot more pictures but I will just post a few of each thing.

A couple weeks ago, my Aunt kept two kids for a family friend for the weekend and we went to Chuck E. Cheese with them. Ellie is about a 1 1/2 years older than Talan and they had a lot of fun playing together.

Riding the horse together.

Going down the hill when they were riding the roller coaster ride.
Going up the hill. I love the look on their faces. They aren't sure what was going to happen next. They ended up riding this ride about 3 times in a row.

Driving the car. They each took a turn driving.

This was Easter Sunday. We went to Lexington, Nebraska and spent the weekend at the lake cabin with Justin's side of the family.

Talan and Aunt Heather. We went to see her new place.

For Talan's birthday we took him to Jumpin Jax's over Spring Break. We let him take one friend and he chose his girlfriend, Aubrie. They played for about 2 hours, went to McDonald's for lunch, and were both asleep about 10 minutes after we left McDonald's. We wore them out.

Justin gave both of them rides on his back on the zipline. They eventually did it by themselves.

Aubrie and Talan

Playing in the moonbounce.

Going down the slide.

Justin and I also took Talan to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch on his actual birthday since it fell on Spring Break.

Justin is excited for Chuck E. Cheese too!

I just love this picture of him!

Reading a book.

This is what Talan does when we watch American Idol. Can we say "Future American Idol?"

Birthday Party

2010-03-21T20:16:00.004-05:00

Even though Talan's birthday is April 1st, we had his party yesterday. I can't believe that he is turning 3! When we took him to the party store he chose "Hot Wheels."
Unfortunately, Justin's side of the family was not able to get here due to the random snow fall yesterday on the first day of Spring. Crazy!
Here are some pictures from his party.
Kathryn and Jeremy with Talan.Present time! One of his favorite gifts was fro, Aunt Jill. He got him a real bat, glove, baseball, and even baseball cleats. He loved them! He wore his baseball cleats all day!

Talan with his baseball bat.

His matching baseball mitt and glove.

Here is Jeremy putting on the baseball cleats and my Dad putting the glove on. We had to stop opening gifts and take care of all the baseball gear.

Talan's final gift was a bike from Justin and I. He was so surprised and excited when he saw it. We were just as excited when we saw his reaction. So, we bundled him all up and sent him outside with Justin in snow to ride his new bike. H edidn't get to ride it very long but he was able to do it!

Cake Time!
When we were trying to take a picture of Talan with the cake Jeremy came over and stuck a fork in the cake and took some icing. Talan didn't quite understand what was going on so he went ahead and started to lick the cake so this is the best picture we have of him with the cake.

Enjoying a cut piece of cake!

Jeremy got Talan some basketball shorts and a tank top and he had to put it on so we let him. This is Talan showing everyone his new baseball shoes.

Justin being silly.

Uncle Chris and Talan out in the snow again playing baseball this time.

Doesn't Talan look good in this Handy Manny hat, work goggles, and tank top on a snowy cold day. Hehe! It was his birthday.

About 7:00, everyone decided that we wanted to go to IHOP for some dinner. So he are just some pictures from there.
Talan and Daddy

Myself, Talan, and Daddy

Aunt Brittany, Talan, and Uncle Chris

Talan digging into his birthday sundae.

Talan and Daddy before the funfilled day came to an end. They read some books, said their prayers, and finally got to bed about 9:30.

Thanks to everyone for making Talan's day so special. He had a wonderful time and couldn't ask for better people to look up to as he grows up. You all are so great to him and us. Thanks for everything!

Disney On Ice

2010-03-21T19:58:00.004-05:00

Friday night Talan got his first birthday present from my parents, Grandma and Grandpa. They took him (and Justin and I) to Disney on Ice. The best part is we were front row and Lightning McQueen was there. That was all Talan could talk about Friday that he was going to see Lightning McQueen that night. The show also had: "Little Mermaid," "Lion King," and the new "Tinkerbell" movie. He could hardly wait when he got home from school.
When we got there, they had messed up our seats, pretty much double booked out seats, and it was sort of a mess but we ended up getting to our seats and enjoyed every minute of the show. Here are some pictures from the evening.
Talan ready to go!Talan and Daddy before the show. We were on the front row!

The three of us before the show.

This is when the show first started and Mickey and Minnie came out in there car. He yelled, "there's Mickey!"

What he was excited about.

Mater

This is his face when he heard Lightning McQueen's engine.

There he is!!!

Of course we had to buy the $10.o0 cottan candy with the Mater hat on it. My parents got one and so did we so Talan said one of the hats was his and one was Daddy's.

We were trying to take a picture and Talan put the hats on Justin and I sideways. As you can see, when we were taking the picture Talan was more interested in the popcorn that Justin was holding rather than the picture we were trying to take.

Enjoying the show and some popcorn.

After the show. When the show was over he looked at me and said, "Time to go to the next show. Let's go see Lightning McQueen!"

All tuckered out after the show.

Working Boys

2010-03-21T19:51:00.002-05:00

Here are some recent pictures of Talan and Justin working on some things around the house. We have recently redone our master bath and Talan decided that he needed to put on his tool gear to help Daddy out. Justin looks pretty hilarious too. They were sanding the wall so they could repaint it.

Here Talan and Daddy are scooping the snow from the driveway. I love that Justin has the little shovel and Talan has the big shovel. Talan just liked being outside.

Chinese Food and Mohawks

2010-03-16T12:48:00.003-05:00

I know it has been forever since I have posted and I apologize. We have been really busy and I just haven't had time to sit down and upload pictures and everything. Anyway, here are a couple things that have been happening.
Last Friday night, we went to a Chinese buffet with the family. Well, in walks a high school student with hair like the picture above. Anyway, our very honest almost 3 year old takes notice and says "Hey, look at that guy!" He goes on and on and on. He won't stop. He then decides and announces that he looks like a rooster and starts sayign "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" Justin and I have to keep our composure even though the entire side of our resturant is cracking up and to explain to Talan that he could hurt he boys feelings. It was pretty fuuny but we did talk to Talan about how it could hurt the boys feelings or make him feel sad.

Talan is coming up with some pretty funny things right now so I will try to be a better blogger and post more.

This Friday we are going to Disney on Ice and on Saturday we are doing his birthday party. We will post pictures from those two events next week!

Tonsil, Adnoids, and Tubes

2010-02-19T14:07:00.002-06:00

Our week started out a little different this week. On Tuesday, we found out that Talan was going to have his tonsils and adnoids taken out along with tubes put in on Wednesday morning. He was telling everyone Tuesday night that he was going to the hospital to get his tonsil out. It was really cute! Wednesday morning was a different story when they were taking him back to get his general. He was not too happy about that.
After surgery, he was just stubborn. He has to eat before they could take the IV out so they could give him his pain medication but he wasn't having anything to do with the doctors, nurses, or eating. He ended up taking some pain medication at home.
He is recovering really fast as of now. We are just hoping this quick recovery continues. I will update more later.

Chuck E. Cheese

2010-01-08T22:58:00.002-06:00

Wednesday night, we needed to get out of the house since we have now had a 3 week Christmas break due to the snow so we went to Chuck E. Cheese. It was great! It wasn't too crowded and it was great to get out and spend some time together with family. Talan really enjoyed himself this time. The first time we brought him here was when he was 9 months old. Yes, we know, he was probably too young. It was more of an excuse for us to go. Their pizza is so good. Anyway, he was really into the games and rides this time! Here are a few pictures from the evening.
Talan driving in the car with a friend he made there at the restaurant.Riding the horse.

In the tunnels with Kathryn and Jeremy.

Chowing down on some pizza. Talan ate like a champ!

The basketball game. This was probably his favorite game.

Knocking ducks over.

Time with Friends

2010-01-08T22:54:00.002-06:00

On the 3oth, we went to Maupin's house to spend some time with them. Mike and Christi were back in time so when they called and said it was time to get together we were there. Talan took a great liking to Rick. He kept saying, "Hey Rick, come play with me." We had a great time playing Wii with Christi, Mike, and Caleb. It is always so great to spend time with their family. We can't wait until we are able to do it again!

Christmas!

2010-01-08T22:31:00.004-06:00

Talan was really into Christmas this year. He loved the idea of Santa Claus and liked giving gifts to people. He would take the gift from the three of us to someone and would say, "I buy this for you." It was really cute! Here are a couple pictures from our Christmas in Lincoln and our Christmas in Freeman.
Santa came! Talan didn't like that Santa left him half of a cookie.The three of us on Christmas morning.

Talan opening up his dinosaur from Auntie Heather and Uncle B.

Talan's car garage from Santa.

Here Talan is on our way home on the 26th.

We were ready to get home as you can see by the next two pictures.

Talan's Spiderman from Aunt Jill and Jeremy. Spiderman now sleeps with Talan every night in his bed. There were also 4 Spiderman books and a blanket to go along with it.

Talan got a Jeep like Daddy's from Grandma and Grandpa. He loved it but hasn't been able to really test drive it because of all the snow. We were all guarding different parts of the house so he could sort of drive it that evening. He was pretty funny. He just kept running into different things along the wall.

Jeremy taught him how to climb and jump off the jeep.

Just a cute picture with his new adorable hat on. He liked the hat so much that my mom went back to Children's Place and got a red one for him too the next day. Hehe!

Playing Uno Moo with Grandma. Notice that he is still wearing the hat. He wouldn't take it off. Talan wore it all night.

Playing Farkle.

Enjoying a movie with Spiderman, his basketball, and still wearing the hat.

Talan playing with his new train table from Nana and Papa. He loves his train table!

Thank you to everyone for making this Christmas so great for all of us. We had a wonderful Christmas! You all are so great!

The Nutracker and Christmas Eve

2010-01-08T22:22:00.002-06:00

On Christmas Eve, we were heading to Nebraska for Christmas. Well, we stayed in town for a birthday lunch for Brittany and Penny at Siki. We enjoyed lunch and then got on the road by 1:30. On down the road, the rain turned to snow and 6 hours later for a 2 1/2 hour trip we got to Justin's parents house. It was a very stressful drive but Justin did a wonderful job!

2nd Anniversary

2009-12-31T11:35:00.002-06:00

The 22nd of December was our 2nd anniversary. Unfortunately, Belton had school through that day so we had to work. It was National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day though so we went to school in our best gear and looked our finest on our anniversary. Justin's turtle neck has bows on it. It was awesome! After work, we spent some time with Talan and then Justin surprised me by taking me to the Melting Pot. I love that place! He also got me a new camera that I have been wanting for over a year for our anniversary. He is so good to me!Here is a picture of us at the Melting Pot. He had arranged to have flowers on the table when we got there, we had our own private room, got a goodie bag with fun melting pot stuff in it, and they took a picture of us and framed it. He made the night very special. The best part was that it was a surprise!

First Trip to the ER

2009-12-31T11:31:00.002-06:00

A couple weeks ago, Talan decided to be a superhero at school and jump off a table. Well, when he jumped he caught his feet and ended up hitting his head on a shelf causing a cut on his head that needed 5 stitiches. The best part of the story is that Justin was there picking him up. Anyway, we spent an hour and a half in the ER getting stitches. He did as well as you think a 2 1/2 year old would do getting stitches. This is him when we got home from the ER. We had trouble keeping him from jumping around that night. He was ready to get back to his old self within 30 minutes of getting his stitches. He was so brave!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-15T19:15:00.003-06:00

I know Thanksgiving was about 3 weeks ago but I am just getting around to getting these pictures on the computer. We have been so busy lately along with every other family around this time of year.
Anyway, here are a few pictures from Thanksgiving. We spent Thanksgiving at my parents house then woke up and did the Black Friday shopping and headed to Nebraska Friday afternoon. We spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with Justin's side of the family with Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday and a visit to Santa on Saturday night.I just think this picture is so cute! Talan is so into the racetrack that Justin got out for him to play with. It was Justin's when he was a little boy.

Heather and Brandon playing with the racetrack with Talan.

Playing piano with Aunt Heather.

I just thought this was a great picture of Justin. Hehe!

We took a family picture while we were there for our holiday card.

Talan with Rudolph and Daddy while we were waiting in line to see Santa.

"Is it my turn yet Daddy?!"

We weren't sure how Talan would do with Santa this year. Last year he didn't want to have anything to do with him. We took him up there, sat him on Santa's lap, and Talan started talking his leg off. It was awesome! We also got an amazing picture!

After Santa, we ran into a store to look at something and Talan found bicycle helmet and wouldn't take it off. Well, Nana and Papa thought it was cute so they decided to by it for him. It was a good idea though because he didn't have one anyway. He just kept saying, "I need it so I can ride my scooter."

Our House

2009-12-15T19:12:00.001-06:00

I finally talked Justin into putting lights on our house this year. He had never done it and I can honestly say that our house looks wonderful! Thank so much! You did awesome!

Jeremy's Visit

2009-12-15T19:05:00.002-06:00

A couple weeks ago Jeremy came home for a couple days to visit. Talan was so excited when he found out Jeremy was going to come and visit him. We go and watch Jeremy play football during football season and Talan loves that but he hasn't seen him in a while. When Talan saw Jeremy he said, "Let's play football!" It was so cute! So, Jeremy being a good sport ran around the house for a while letting Talan tackle him and wrestle. Talan had a great time and I am so happy that he has Jeremy to look up to. Thanks for coming to visit!

Missouri High School Cheer Competition

2009-11-17T20:15:00.002-06:00

Last Saturday I traveled to the University of Missouri to help chaperone the Belton Cheerleaders at their state competition. I had a wonderful time and enjoyed every minute of it. Unfortunately, Belton didn't place this year but they did a great job!
These are just a couple of pictures from the bus.

Circus

2009-11-17T20:03:00.002-06:00

Last Friday, we took Talan to the circus with my mom's preschool. Justin and I have always gone with them but last year we took Talan for the first time and he loved it. He enjoyed it even more this year I think.
We drove separately and got there before the doors even opened. We got to pick wherever we wanted to sit so we got great seats. The kids could see all three rings and were three rows back. They all had a wonderful time!
Justin and Talan before the circus.Talan and I before the circus.

We just had to put this picture up. It definetly describes these two wonderful boys...

Hre are all the kids together sitting right down on one of the circus rings.

If you ask Talan who his girlfriend is, he would say Aubrie. We had to get a picture of them. My mom got their with her kids and Aubrie walked up and gave Talan a hug and Talan kissed her on the cheek. They looked like an old married couple just doing something they do on a daily basis. It was so funny!

Talan with is light stick.

Just a random shot during the circus.

During intermission, they have a moonwalk, pony rides, elephant rides, and a big slide. They kids chose to do the moonwalk this year so here they are waiting to get in.

Talan inside the moonwalk.

Another random shot during the circus. Talan and Grandma enjoying the fun together.

Playdate with Sadie

2009-11-17T19:53:00.002-06:00

Two Fridays ago, we went to our friends Beth and Dustin's house to spend some time with them. They have a daughter that just turned a year so we took Talan with us and they had a little playdate. They had a lot of fun together. They would take toys from one another, chase each other, and just play. We had a great time!
Beautiful SadieThis is the only conflict we had between the two of the kids. Here is the before picture. You can see that Sadie is getting interested in her chair...

...and she got it. Hehe! This is a picture that Talan is going to hate when he gets older. I girl, a year younger than him, pushing him out of a chair while he is crying.

Talan hanging out with Dustin.

Talan giving Sadie a ride on her new bike.

The two kids wrestling with Justin.

Pumpkin Carving

2009-11-07T10:05:00.002-06:00

Friday night before Halloween we carved two more pumpkins. Talan and I made a very simple one with square eyes, a triangle nose, and a simple mouth. Daddy made one that said "Boo" and "Trick or Treat." They each turned out great and Talan was so proud of both of them.Daddy digging in.

Talan would actually put his hand in this year. It was so funny the first time he did it. He made a face that was hilarious. He just looked at us like what am I really doing right now and what am I touching.

Talan pulling out some seeds.

Talan's and my pumpkin. Talan helped poke the shapes out and everything. He did a great job!

Daddy working hard on deciding what stencil to do. Justin worked on his pumpkin for almost an hour and a half. It looked awesome though!

Just a cute shot of Talan.

Nana and Papa brought Talan this donkey. It sings "Suger Pie, Honey Bunch" and its ears move up and down. By the end of their visit, Talan could sing the song along with the donkey. It was so fun to watch him with it. He would push the button and then dance and sing around the living room.
Just so you all know, Talan would never go out in public dressed like he is in these pictures. He has on his pumpkin carving clothes; old shirt and old pants.

Siki

2009-11-07T10:01:00.002-06:00

Sorry the pictures are sideways. I always forget to turn them.
Anyway, last weekend Justin's parents came into town as we took them to Siki Friday night. This is a restaurant that the make the food right in front of you. Talan had never been there and was perfect the entire time. He kept asking our chef what he was doing.
This is a picture of the onion volcano. Every time he would make a big flame Talan would lean way back in his chair. It was cute!Talan trying his chicken fried rice straight from the burner.

Halloween Party

2009-11-07T09:56:00.002-06:00

Last Friday, we went down to my parents house for my mom's preschool party. Talan loves being around those kids and we take him every year. He always has such a wonderul time! Thanks so much for including him!Our little dinosaur.

The whole group.

Talan helping Lilly. He thought he needed to hold her.

Justin and I watching Dakota while the kids were trick or treating each other. She would just stare and him. It was the sweetest thing.

Out of costumes and waiting to play musical chairs.

Trunk or Treat

2009-10-27T22:12:00.002-05:00

Friday night was Trunk or Treat and Justin and my work. We took Talan with us and he had a great time. He took part in the trick or treating but also helped me hand out candy too. He was so good and polite. He also looked adorable in his Superman costume. He kept telling people that he could fly.Here he is in the car ready to go. He kept saying, "We go get some candy now?" He was ready!

Talan checking out what goodies he had in his bag.

A couple of my co-workers kept asking him for some candy and he wouldn't share. Finally he pulled out a sucker and said, "You have this, I not like." He was really funny. It was like, I don't like this one so you can have it. I think we can honestly say that he knows how to work the system. Hehe! He is 2!!!

Talan handing out candy. He would say, "only two." He would then count two pieces of candy out in front of the kids and then put it in their bag.

Talan handing out candy again.

Justin kept trying to get Talan to look but he was too busy passing out candy.

MU/Nebraska Game

2009-10-27T22:03:00.002-05:00

Well the first weekend of October Justin and I went to Columbia with some of his college friends to the Missouri / Nebraska football game. Yes, I a Missouri fan went to the game with 7 other people that are very strong Nebraska fans. Anyway, we had a great time...other than the rain.
We were hoping the rain would taper off but it didn't. We still had a great time together. I thought Missouri was going to come out on top but we just couldn't keep it together. Nebraska came back in the fourth quarter and won. Justin and his friends couldn't let me live it down either.
It doesn't really matter who won, all that truly matters is that we had a great time...and we did!Tailgating...don't you wish you were there in the rain with us!

Nebraska's first touchdown.

The end of the game. Justin thought he needed that finger up.

You can't really see in this photo but these are our clothes...obviously. They were soaked! I truly dumped water out of my shoes when we got back to the hotel.

Here we are at IHOP. We decided we were hungry at 1:00 in the morning. Justin and his friends kept trying to get our waitress to give them a tiger tail that was hanging in the restaurant.

Johnson Pumpkin Farms

2009-10-04T19:38:00.003-05:00

On Friday, we took Talan to Johnson Pumpkin Farms to pick out his pumpkin for the year. We did that last year and decided that we were going to make it a yearly tradition. I am so glad that we have decided to do that because we are making so many wonderful memories together.
Friday was the first chilly day of Fall and it was really windy but we made it through. Talan had a great time and so did we. We also got three huge pumpkins, a couple small ones that Talan picked, and a gourd. We had a great time together!Daddy and Talan on the hayride out to the pumpkin patch.

Talan helping Daddy push the wheelharrol with our first pumpkin.

On the hunt!

Still looking for that perfect pumpkin.

Justin picked two pumpkins and let Talan pick which one he wanted for him. He said, "I want that one." He was very serious about the decision. He studied both pumpkins for about 30 seconds before he chose.

Taking our pumpkins back.
After we picked our pumpkins Talan got to go and play on the haybales, slides, swings, tunnels, and pet the animals. It was big treat because the goats and pigs had just had babies so Talan was really excited to see the babies!

Talan looking at the baby chicks.

On of the goats came right up to Talan. He just giggled everytime he touched them.

Daddy being silly.

Talan on the slide.

Sorry its sideways. We did get Talan smiling though!

Talan and Daddy heading up the ramp to the haybales and secret tunnels.
We had a wonderful time this year. I am so excited to build more memories every year we go!

Random Fun!

2009-10-04T19:27:00.002-05:00

This past week Talan and I got the camera and just took some random pictures at the house. We were just hanging out as a family enjoying one another. Here are a few pictures from it.Talan playing with his Halloween light stick. It is one of those that when it spins it makes a bunch of different colors. He thought it felt funny when he held it up against his forehead. He was laying on the coffee table doing. It was pretty funny but probably not the smartest. Hehe!

Talan and I

Talan was sitting at the top of the stairs like this and said, "Take a picture of me." That is how this all started.

Johnson Lake

2009-09-10T20:41:00.007-05:00

This past week we went to Nebraska to spend Labor Day with the Olmstead side of the family at the lake. Talan is always so excited to go to the lake. He loves riding in Papa's big boat. We had a great weekend. Talan was able to meet two of his cousins that he had never met before, took a boat ride, played football with the guys, and Talan even got his first fishing pole.
Here is Talan on the car ride to the lake. It is a 6 hour drive and he did a great job! On the way there, he was pretty packed in because we picked Nana up on the way.
Talan playing football with Uncle B and Daddy bright and early Saturday afternoon.

Daddy getting tackled by Talan.

Papa decided to get in on the action. He was ready to play catch with Talan whenever Talan asked. I think we can say that Talan has Papa wrapped around his finger.

Saturday evening we took family pictures. All guys wore red and the ladies in white. I said that I would prefer to be in gold and black but I was able to suck it up.
This is a great shot that we were able to get of the three of us.

The whole family. I forgot to turn it before I posted it. Sorry!

Daddy and Talan

As you can see, Talan was done with pictures by the time we got to this one.

Justin and I. I think my eyes are closed but there is a better one on someone else's camera.

Talan and his baby cousin Haley. He was determined to hold her. He kept saying, "I need to hold that baby." After about two minutes he said, "I don't want her no more." It was really cute!

Time for a campfire and smores!
Talan and Auntie Heather

Talan enjoying his smore. I think he has two that evening.

Talan roasting his marshmallow.

Talan giving some love to Sammie.

Resting a bit. A long day at the lake and playing can really get to a little boy.

Daddy teaching Talan how to reel in the fishing pole.

Talan and Daddy fishing off the dock. They didn't have any luck with catching anything.

The fishing pole broke so Talan took it to Papa to fix it. Papa dropped everything he was doing and fixed Talan's fishing pole.

Talan with his other baby cousin Alexa.

Time for a boat ride.

Daddy decided to let Talan help drive the boat but Talan didn't want any help. I guess we have a lot of faith in the little guy. As you can see, Talan is driving all by himself.

We had a wonderful time at the lake. Thanks so much Nana and Papa. It was great to see everyone and we look forward to the next time we get there.

Park

2009-09-09T07:22:00.002-05:00

Last Sunday we went to the park with the family just to spend the evening. It was beautiful night and Talan has a wonderful time. He was the only kid at the park so he had the whole thing to himself. He loved the slide as always but tried every piece of equipment there. There was a play firetruck there and he really liked it when he was driving and taking everyone for a ride. He kept saying, "I won't go fast" and then he would laugh and act like he was driving really fast. It was really cute!
Anyway, here are a few pictures from the evening.

Aubrie's Birthday Party

2009-08-30T14:14:00.002-05:00

Friday evening we went down to Aubrie's birthday party. Talan was so excited! When we asked if he wanted to go to her party he said, "yes, I Aubrie's boyfriend." Justin and I about fell over laughing. Then at my mom's house on Friday Aubrie went and told my mom that she was going to go call her boyfriend and she started to talk on the phone to Talan. I guess the feeling is mutual betweeen them. They are pretty young to be starting that but Talan couldn't have picked a better girl at this age. Hehe!
Thursday evening Justin and I took him to get her a gift and he said he wanted to get her a doll. Well it was pretty funny watching Talan and Justin walk up and down the baby doll aisle trying to figure out which one to buy. They were both pretty into it. I just stood back and watched.
Here is Talan watching Aubrie open up her gift.

Talan going for a walk with Lillie.

The trampoline outside was a big hit with all the kids.

Yes, that is Justin's head popping out from under all the kids.

Talan enjoyed the horse.

Aubrie and Talan looking at the horses.

Here is a shot of all the kids together. Up close it is a really good picture. How often do you get a group of kids this age with them all looking and smiling?

Mason and Talan climbing the fence.

Family Fun!

2009-08-27T19:00:00.002-05:00

This past weekend we went down to my parents house for the evening. Talan was wanting to give people rides in the tractor so I agreed to let him and Grandpa pull me. This is just a picture of the good times.This is just a picture of us sitting around the fire. I thought it was a really good picture.

The Berry Patch

2009-08-27T18:49:00.002-05:00

Saturday was such a beautiful day that we decided to take Talan somewhere outside for the morning. We went to "The Berry Patch" in Cleveland, MO. We weren't really sure what we were getting ourselves into since we had never been there but we had a great time!
There were just a couple of families there so it wasn't really crowded and Talan was able to explore. We started by riding the train. It was about a 10 minute ride by himself where they took him where we were unable to see him. I think I was more nervous than he was at first.
Talan was really excited and ready to go until he realized we weren't going with him. He did fine the whole ride though the girl driving said. He did start crying when he got back and saw Daddy. He is still talking about his train ride!

After the train ride, we walked out to the berry patch and picked some blackberries. Talan really enjoyed it and was really good at finding the black ones and not picking the red ones. He seemed to have a really good time and we brought home a little over 2 or 3 pounds of blackberries.
I love this picture of him picking the berries!

Talan was trying a blackberry for the first time.

Wedding Weekend

2009-08-13T19:49:00.004-05:00

This past weekend was my brother and Brittany's wedding. We had a wonderful time! I was a bridesmaid, Justin was a groomsmen, and Talan was the Ring Bearer. We weren't sure if Talan would go down the aisle but he did. He looked so handsome and was really good. (The pictures are a little mixed up...sorry!)

Talan was a dancing machine at the reception. When he was able to get on the dance floor he stayed there until we told him it was time to go. We made him get off the floor about 10:00 and head home. He was not very happy but fell asleep in the car pretty quick after we left.This is how Talan fell asleep in the car.

Justin's parents, Nana and Papa, came in for the wedding too. They were a wonderful help. They came to help us out with Talan in case he wasn't able to sit through the entire ceremony. He made it about 1o minutes and then went for a ride in the car with Nana and Papa. He even got a sucker from them since he did so good walking down the aisle.

Taking pictures. Here Talan is with Emma and Grant. They are Brittany's little brother and sister. Talan really liked being around Emma.

Chris, Brittany, Myself, and Justin

Talan dancing with Grant.

Here Talan is dancing with Morgan. She is one of the girls that my mom keeps and Talan loves her. He just hugged her and danced. He wouldn't let her leave the dance floor. She said that he fingers were sore the next day from him pulling on them while she danced with him.

Enjoying some wedding cake.

While we were taking the picture with the whole wedding party, we couldn't keep Talan off of Aubrey, the flower girl. He says that she is his girlfriend. They were kissing each other most of the time that we were taking pictures. He was so funny. The photographer said that they got some shots of them smiling at the camera too. I was happy to hear that.

Justin and I

Brittany and all of us bridesmaids in the bridal suite. She looked beautiful! I am so happy to say that she is my new sister!

Talan and Daddy hanging out in the guys room watching a movie.

Chris and I

Grant and Talan

Rehearsal dinner
Talan and Aubrey

Here are a couple of pictures of Talan and Aubrey practing at rehearsal dinner.

This was the first time that Talan got to try on his tux. He referred to it as his work suit. He was not wanting to take the tux off so we had to bribe him with a Spiderman popsicle.
We had a wonderful time at the wedding this past weekend and everything went so well. Thank you so much for letting the three of us be a part of your beautiful day!

Play Time

2009-08-13T19:44:00.002-05:00

Here are just two pictures of Talan playing at home. He is really into his legos right now. He loves to build something and then come and show us his masterpiece. I am just amazed everytime. He can come up with something different to make every time.
Talan is really growing up. He will go to his room and just independently play for quite a while. Justin and I will go back there and find him just talking to his toys or whatever and playing so nice. He just getting so big!

Florida

2009-07-12T17:06:00.006-05:00

Over the 4th of July we went to Destin, Florida for a family vacation. It was so great to get away and just relax and not worry about anything but spend time with our family. It was the three of us, my parents, my brother and his fiance Brittany, grandma, Jill, Jeremy and his girlfriend Kathryn. We had a wonderful time!
We were to take Talan to see the pirates and ride on a pirate ship, see the alligators, let him hold an alligator, and play on the beach. We even got Talan his first pet there. He got two hermit crabs and names them Grandma and Buck. Where we got those names...we don't know.
I have posted quite a few pictures but we have many more. We don't have too many pictures of Talan on the beach because we didn't want to take a chance and get sand in the camera and ruin it.
This is the family picture we tried to take on the 4th. As you can see, Talan was done taking pictures. He wasn't crying, but when we said okay turn around and smile he just layed on the ground and waited until we were done. We thought it was pretty cute! It is a good memory too. He was ready to play in the sand.

Talan buried in the sand.

This is after I got finished burying Talan in the sand. We were at the beach waiting for the fireworks to start.

Just a cute shot of our handsome little man!

Family picture!

For my birthday, Justin surprised me with a trip to Shell Island, snorkeling, and a dolphin cruise. We had a great time. We found quite a few shells and sand dollars while we snorkeling. We saw a lot of dolphins but they didn't come close enough to the boat so we weren't able to get off the boat and swim with them. It was a wonderful birthday surprise!

Our boat!

I just thought this picture was adorable. Talan was laying and watching a movie one evening at our condo. He just looks so peaceful.

Talan has become absessed with pirates ever since we saw Disney on Ice. (Peter Pan and the pirates were there) Anyway, we heard about a pirate cruise from a family friend and decided it was a must for him. We were on a pirate ship for two hours and the kids had water gun fights, sword fights, dancing, a story, found a treasure chest that was in the ocean, and many other fun activities. We can say that Talan didn't find his sea legs. He wasn't quite sure about the motion of the boat at first.
This first picture is us with the captain of the ship.

Talan and I getting a water gun.

Watch out...he will get you wet!

Talan with his pirate sword.

Another cute shot.

Family shot.

The pirate ship.

We also took Talan to the Alligator Restaurant. You are able to feed alligators and even hold them at this restaurant. Of course, Talan got to do both of them. He was so excited when they brought the alligator to them. He told the lady, "please put him on my knees." He sat there so proud with an alligator.

Talan putting the alligator food on the fishing pole to feed them.

Talan is ready for a day at the beach.

We took this picture right after we pulled out of the drive way to head to Florida. Talan was so excited!

Bible School

2009-06-14T16:11:00.002-05:00

This past week, Justin and I directed Bible School at church. We used the theme "Celebrate Jesus." We connected everything to miracles of Jesus and hawaiian decorations. We finished the event off with a Luau on Friday evening. We had a pinata, fire trucks, police cars, giant volleyball, limbo, and lots of other fun activities. Here are a few pictures from the luau.

Talan and Mason playing with the giant volleyball. They had fun trying to toss it back and forth to each other. They couldn't hardly get their arms around it.

Daddy helping Talan collect some candy from the pinata.

Daddy and Talan sitting in the fire truck. We couldn't hardly get Talan out of the fire truck. He thought he was pretty hot stuff sitting in the fire truck. He tried on their helmet and gloves.

You can see the joy on Talan's face here while he was sitting in the fire truck.

Talan is putting on his seat belt in this picture. He said he was going for a ride on the truck. The truck never moved but he was so excited that he thought he was going somewhere with the firemen.

Picnic and Park

2009-06-14T16:08:00.002-05:00

After the Peace Pavilion on Friday we went to the park just south of the Temple for a picnic and play time. We had a great time. We were a little concerned about whether or not Talan would eat but he did. He did a great job. We sat together and had a little picnic and then had some playtime before we headed home for a nap and time to get ready for Bible School that evening.

Children's Peace Pavilion

2009-06-14T15:54:00.002-05:00

On Friday, we took Talan to the Children's Peace Pavilion. He had a lot of fun. I hadn't been there since I was in elementary school so it was fun to go back. They had a lot of fun new things that Talan really enjoyed. They had a musical floor, finger painting, mask making, flag making, tunnels, ball drop activity, and so much more. We got there in between two groups so it was just us in there. It was great!

Here is our little stud posing in front of the entrance.

Making a path for the ball to go through.

Talan was making me a hamburger he said. It was really cute! He was go get something out of the suitcase, stack it up and bring it to me.

Dominos with Dad.

We were making a mask here. He liked putting the glue on. What little kids doesn't like that part?

Corn On the Cob

2009-06-14T15:50:00.002-05:00

I know the first picture is really gross but I thought it was cute too! Talan loves corn on the cob. He always gets so excited when we have it. He devours the entire ear of corn he is eating.

A few more lake pictures

2009-05-30T07:21:00.002-05:00

These are mainly pictures from the boat ride. The last picture is just him eating a snack after an afternoon nap. He just looked so happy in it so I wanted to post it.

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-30T07:12:00.002-05:00

Last weekend we went to Johnson Lake in Nebraska to celebrate Memorial Day and Justin's birthday. We had a wonderful time with Uncle Bill, Aunt Sue, Nana, Papa, and Grandma Great. The family has a house right on the lake so Talan was up about 8:30 both mornings and had gotten breakfast and cleaned up a bit and was down playing in the sand by 10:00. We all had an awesome time! Talan really enjoyed making sand castles and then making tunnels to put water through. He even let us bury him one time.

We were worried he wouldn't like his lifejacket but he loved it. A couple times he got made when we had to take it off to go inside and get cleaned up for dinner or something.

I think the big boat was his favorite part of the weekend though. He still tells people that he drove Papa's big boat. Here are a few pictures from the weekend. I will post a couple more in a little bit.

Talan riding in the boat. He tried out every seat that is in there.

Driving with Papa. I think Papa enjoyed it just as much as Talan did.

Daddy and Talan driving the jet ski. We know you aren't suppose to let kids his age ride it. Justin just made a couple little circle going very slow.

Talan and I lounging in the raft. Aren't his sunglasses cute!?

This is when Talan let us bury him. He thought it was so funny. He said he was a monster when he got out of it. It was really cute!

Church/Family Bar-b-Que/ Graduations

2009-05-26T20:44:00.002-05:00

We had a very busy day last Sunday. We started the day with church, then went to Grandma and Grandpa's house to grill, and finally we had three graduation parties to go to.

At one of the parties, the was a gator that Talan thought he needed to ride in. Brice asked his dad and Brian said he could take him on a ride. The best part though was when Talan told Tesa, Brice's older sister, that he needed a helmet. Tesa went and found the smaller helmet they had and put on him. Brice said he was laughing and talking to him the whole ride. Thanks Brice for keeping him safe and taking him on a ride.

Talan playing with "his soccer."

Painting a picture during Sunday School.

Baking Cookies

2009-05-26T20:37:00.002-05:00

The other night Talan and I got bored so we decided to bake some cookies while Daddy finished watching a basketball game. We made chocolate chip cookies from scratch. Talan had a great time putting ingredients in the bowl, mixing, and really liked the blended. The best part was that he wore a flowered kids apron. It had ruffles on it too. I had on my apron and he said that he wanted one too. That was the only other one we had. At least it is for kids. Hehe! He didn't care. We had a great time together and that is what is important.

Helping my stir.

Putting in ingredients. You can really see the flowered apron in this picture.

Big Boy Pants

2009-05-26T20:26:00.002-05:00

Talan finally got some big boy pants a couple weeks ago. We went to the store and looked at all of them and he chose Thomas the Train. He was really proud of them when he showed Daddy what he had gotten. He was even more proud of the water guns that Aunt Jill got him. As you can see he had a great time running around the house in socks and underwear while squirting water all over Daddy and I.

Sleeping and Playing in the Rain

2009-05-26T20:18:00.002-05:00

Sorry it has been a while since I last posted. It has been crazy around here with the end of the school year, Justin's birthday, a trip to the lake, and getting ready for a garage sale. Here are a couple of pictures from a couple of weeks ago.

This is how Talan sleeps in his car seat. He woke up right when I took the picture. I just think it is really funny how he sleep in the car.

The next pictures of him playing in the rain. I forgot to turn them again before I put them on here. Sorry!

Talan fell asleep in his recliner the other morning.

Lost in Fun

2009-05-10T19:15:00.002-05:00

On Sunday of our weekend vacation we went to a place called "Lost in Fun." This place had wooden play sets, cosmic mini golf, a basketball court, moon-walks, and a couple of inflatable obstacle courses. Talan really enjoyed this place.

The kitchen set that Talan cooked lunch on.

Talan up on one of the wooden play sets. The slides of those play sets were really fast. The first time he went down he flew off the slide and landed right on his rear. He just thought it was funny.

Talan and I went through one of the obstacle courses together. He liked going down the slides head first.

Omaha Zoo

2009-05-10T19:03:00.003-05:00

Last weekend the three of us took a short vacation to Nebraska. We spent Friday night hanging out with Nana and Papa at their house. On Saturday we got up and headed to Omaha to visit the zoo. Talan was so excited to see the animals. He had a great time and was perfect the whole day. We had a great time! Thanks for everything Nana and Papa!

We rode the "Skyfari" while we were there. This ride was a ski lift that took us across the zoo and back. Talan loved it! We rode over the ostrich, cheetah, camels, pond, and many other animals.

Here are Talan and Justin in the aquarium. They are standing in the shark tunnel that you walk through. The sharks swim right over you. Talan was really impressed and loved the aquarium.

Talan and Papa looking at some fish in the river as we walked through the Rainforest.

Talan and I on one of the wooden bridges in the Rainforest. There was a waterfall right behind us. You feel like you are in the real place.

Here is the only family shot we got of the whole weekend.

Easter Egg Dying

2009-04-08T22:06:00.002-05:00

On Saturday night when Nana and Papa were here we dyed Easter Eggs. Talan had never really gotten to do this hands on so he was really excited to be participating. He did such a great job being patient and calm. His favorite color to use was the red. He kept wanting to put the eggs in the red dye.

Here Talan is watching Papa take his egg out of the cup. I think Talan isn't too sure if it is red enough with the looks of his body language.

Now the egg is perfect!

Talan waiting patiently for his egg to get darker. He kept putting the wire thing in and trying to get the egg out. He never really figured out how to do it on his own.

Daddy helping Talan out.

Here Talan is choosing the egg that he wants to dye!

Dinosaur Party

2009-04-08T22:00:00.002-05:00

Saturday was Talan's birthday party and he wanted dinosaurs on his cake so the theme was dinosaurs. Justin's family came in from Nebraska and my side of the family came up. Cousins from college even came home! We had beautiful weather and a great time! Talan once again was greatly loved with gifts. He got a tool bench, trike, Elmo Live, dinosaur tent, adorable clothes, and many other wonderful things! Thanks to everyone for making Talan's day so special!

Talan playing with Elmo Live.

Talan and is cousin Tyson playing with his new tool bench.

Daddy and Papa putting the tool bench together. Talan wanted it put together right away.

Talan opening one of his many gifts!

Justin on the Wall

2009-04-08T21:57:00.001-05:00

A couple weeks ago our school did a fundraiser to raise money for foster children. The kids really got into it because the grade level that raised the most money got to duck tape Justin to the wall. I am sorry to say that kindergarten did not accomplish that but we did get to watch the third graders tape him to the wall. It was great to see this! Justin was a great sport!

Disney On Ice

2009-04-08T21:52:00.002-05:00

For Talan's second birthday, Grandma and Grandpa Dennis got Talan tickets to go see Disney on Ice. He loves Mickey Mouse so it was perfect. When we got there we were taken to our seats and found out that we were 2 feet from the ice! Talan loved it! He really enjoyed the pirates from Peter Pan. He sat is total amazement the entire show. He was perfect and still talks about it a week later! Thanks so much Grandma and Grandpa!

Talan wearing his Flounder hat and eating his popcorn!

Tinkerbell came right and blew a kiss to Talan and he was having nothing to do with her. He was more interested in the pirates that were skating around.

Talan's 2!

2009-04-02T21:28:00.002-05:00

Can you believe that Talan is already two?! Justin and I can hardly believe that he has blessed for two year already. Grandpa and Grandma Dennis got him Disney on Ice tickets for his birthday and we took him to that last night. He loved it. We will upload those pictures this weekend. His birthday party is Saturday so we will have pictures from that as well!

Colorado

2009-04-02T21:17:00.002-05:00

Two weeks ago we went to Colorado for a short family vacation. We went tubing, swimming, skiing, shopping, etc. We made the most of our time and had a great experience. Talan really enjoyed himself. While Justin and I skied during the day Grandma, Aunt Jill, and Aunt Penny kept him. They would bring him to the ski resort in the morning to play in the snow and sled and then back to the condo for an afternoon of swimming and a nap. Thank you so much all three of you for the help! Talan really enjoyed it and it!

We went tubing the first night we were there and Talan decided he wanted to go. Justin and I weren't sure at first but Talan kept saying, "I go" so we took him. He loved it!

Lunch break back at the condo on the second day of skiing.

Justin and I stopped on one of the runs for a picture. It was so pretty up there. We had perfect weather!

Talan getting ready to go play in the snow. The resort had a kids area with a big snow mound with tunnels inside of it and a sledding hill. He spent most of his time on top of the snow mound. I will try to upload those pictures later.

Talan Bowling for the Time

2009-02-22T20:41:00.002-06:00

This past Saturday night we took Talan bowling for the first time. I think we can honestly say that he was way over stimulated when we first got there. He was so excited and had trouble understanding that he had to take turns. He calmed down after a while. He did a great job and thoroughly enjoyed it!

Daddy helping him bowl. Talan liked to watch his ball roll all the way down and then go and give everyone a high five saying "All right!"

Watching his ball.

Here Talan is watching Jeremy and Grandpa take there turn. He would run up to them after they bowled and say, "my turn, my bowl." It was so cute!

The three of us getting ready to head home. We had a great time!

Valentine's Day

2009-02-22T20:36:00.002-06:00

Every year that Justin and I have been together for Valentine's Day he had made me dinner and we had a nice night at home. This year we decided to do things a little bit different. We both wanted to go bowling really bad so we decided to go bowling for Valentine's Day. We went out to dinner as well. We had such a wonderful time!

If you look at the score Justin beat me in the overall score. We played three games. I think he was being nice on the third game though because I actually beat him by 20 pins. I think he was just being nice and letting me win one game. Hehe!

I'm Hiding!!!

2009-02-22T20:32:00.002-06:00

The other day we went down to my parents house for the evening. Talan kept feeding Rocky food and we asked him to stop. Well, he crawled under the kitchen table and started feeding him cereal he got out of the pantry without us knowing. He thought he was being so secretive.

A few more pictures...

2009-02-07T22:05:00.001-06:00

I just had to add these pictures to the blog. I think we can honestly say that we were excited to see the show.

Weekend in St. Louis

2009-02-07T21:35:00.002-06:00

This past weekend Justin, myself, my parents, my brother, and his fiance went to St. Louis for the weekend. Brittany, my mom, and I all got tickets to "Legally Blonde the Musical" so we made a weekend of it. It was amazing! We got there on Saturday morning and went to the Budweiser Factory, then the ladies went to the show that evening while the guys went and played mini-golf.

Brittany and I at the show. Laura Bell Bundy, the original Elle from Broadway, was Elle this show because the girl that usually plays Elle broke her toe. She did an amazing job! Brittany and I were ready to go back for another show. Thanks Chris and Brittany for the wonderful Christmas gift!!!

Brittany, my mom, and I posing before we left for the show. Notice we are all in our "Elle Pink."

Justin and I being silly before dinner. I can honestly say I was a little bit excited for the show.

Here is one of the Clydesdales that was in the arena when we were on our tour. His name was Jake. Those horses are huge!!!

Justin and I on our way to St. Louis. I think I drove him crazy for part of the ride. I got to listen to one song from "Legally Blonde" every 30 minutes. I always sung my heart out when I got to listen to my songs. Hehe! I think deep down he enjoyed the songs.

A few more pictures from a great night!

2009-02-07T21:31:00.002-06:00

Here are just a few more pictures that I couldn't fit on the last post.

Talan enjoying his new goodies that evening before bed.

Talan got a little souvenir from every person that went. He got the dinosaur from us, a hat from Grandma and Grandpa, and Grandma Great got him a new dinosaur book. That book has become a regular during our bedtime books.

We went into a store while we were waiting on Grandpa to bring the van to us and Talan decided to ride a bouncing bull.

T-Rex Cafe

2009-02-07T21:23:00.002-06:00

Sorry it has been a while since I have updated the blog. We have been really busy lately and I finally have a night that I am able to sit down and update. We have been doing a lot lately. Talan is now 22 months and a true little boy. Justin and I enjoy every moment we spend with him. He is just a such to have around and can always put a smile on anybody's face.

We couple of weekends ago we went to T-Rex Cafe with my parents and Grandma Great. Talan is really into dinosaurs right now so he loved it. They have a "Build A Dino," a fossil dig, store, different themed rooms, and many other great things. We had a great time!

(We plan on taking Nana and Papa there next time they come down to visit!!!)

Talan and I filling out the birth certificate for his "Sysaur."

Here Talan and Daddy are cleaning and brushing Sysaur so he looks perfect. Talan really enjoyed this part. He was able to step on a little lever and air would come out and blow on the dinosaur.

Talan filling Sysaur up.

The three of us at the table.

Chuck E. Cheese

2009-01-18T17:07:00.002-06:00

One of our close family friends lost their house on Christmas day due to a fire. The youngest child of the family is one of Talan's really good friends. He gets so excited when he sees her or if we even talk about her.

Well, Justin and I thought we would take Talan and the three kids to Chuck E. Cheese. We weren't really sure what we were getting ourselves into but all four kids were so well behaved and had such great manners. My parents did go with us too! Thanks Mom and Dad with your help!

After pizza, we let the kids get ice cream. Aubrie decided that Talan's popsicle looked more tasty than her ice cream snadwich. Talan was more than willing to share with her.

Talan's new favorite ride. He kept going back to the clock and when it was time to get off to let another kid on he would say, "no, it my turn!"

Eating some pizza!

Aubrie and Talan playing the "Whack O' Mole" game.

Before we left for Chuck E. Cheese we let the kids play at our house for a while. Talan really enjoyed showing off the house and especially his room and toys from Christmas.

Dinosaur Towel

2009-01-18T17:04:00.004-06:00

Talan has become obsessed with dinosaurs lately. He got a dinosaur towel and a tub of dinosaurs for Christmas. He can't get enough of either of these. He was also given a sheet of dinosaur stickers the other day and has to have a sticker everyday.

Justin and I thought this was just the cutest picture that we had to post it.

More of Talan's Christmas

2008-12-28T20:35:00.002-06:00

Here are a couple more pictures of Christmas with Justin's side of the family. Talan's Nana, Papa, Auntie Heather, and Brandon were able come down and visit for three days to celebrate the holiday with us.

Here is Papa holding the flag that Talan accidently pulled of the wall at Bucca de Beppo. Papa Joe even asked our waiter if he could keep it. Unfortunately, Papa didn't get to keep the flag.

Here's picture of Talan kicking back and relaxing in his new recliner. Be sure to notice the remote sitting on the arm of the chair. Talan was insistent on putting that remote there. Mickey was right there enjoying Sesame Street with him.

Talan's Christmas

2008-12-28T20:08:00.004-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas! We were able to make it to both sides of the family for Christmas as well as have our own Christmas at home. Talan was really into opening up gifts this year. He got a lot of fun things as well. He got new pajamas, clothes, some bristle blocks, dinosaurs, a bowling set, and a "few" more toys. He did receive a Nebraska recliner just his size.

We ate at "Bucca de Beppo" with Justin's side of the family when they were down for Christmas. Talan was so good. He looked so handsome that night too in his new sweater.

Talan enjoying the box the recliner came in.

At first, Talan couldn't figure out how to get into the recliner.

Jeremy showing Talan how to hold the bowling ball correctly.

Talan opening up one of his gifts.

Rainforest Cafe / Santa / Christmas in the Park

2008-12-14T14:35:00.002-06:00

Last night we took Talan out to dinner at Rainforest Cafe, to see Santa, and to drive through Christmas in the Park to see the lights. Talan loved Rainforest Cafe. He ate really good and just watched everything that was going on around him. He was such a little gentleman. When we were done, we headed off to see Santa. He stood in line and waited and walked right up to Santa and said hi and then turned right back around and ran to us. We got a picture of him sitting next to Santa so we were happy with that. He kept poking Santa in the cheek to see if he was real or not. He did give Santa a five and said bye.

After Santa we went to see Christmas in the Park to see the lights. We waited in line for 2 hours but we were able to see them. Talan was awake for about 5 minutes of the lights and then he was done.

We had a great evening together. I look forward to more of those wonderful nights together!

Daddy and Talan saying cheese for the camera at Rainforest Cafe.

Talan running back to us after he told Santa hi.

Santa, Talan, and Daddy

This is one way that Talan entertained himself while we were waiting in line to see the lights. He took his shoes and socks off and started biting his toes.

First Snow!

2008-12-14T14:26:00.002-06:00

This past week we had our first snow day. Talan got a chance to play in the snow for the first time. His Nana and Papa had gotten him a snow suit earlier this year so he was able to use it. As you can see if one of the pictures, I was pulling Talan in the wagon and tipped it. He thought it was funny. He went sledding as well.

After we played in the snow at our house, we went down to Grandma and Grandpa's house to play in the snow with the kids. Talan went sledding and loved it.

After playing outside with the kids it was time for some lunch and dancing. He really liked dancing with Morgan.

More First Snow Pictures

2008-12-14T14:23:00.001-06:00

Christmas Tree Picking / Decorating

2008-12-14T14:16:00.002-06:00

A couple weeks ago, we went and chose a Christmas Tree. Talan was so excited! He couldn't believe all the trees he got to choose from. I think he was a little overwhelmed at first. I really liked watching Daddy carry the tree in from the jeep. He kept saying, "Whoo"! Talan did a great job handing ornaments to Dad to hang on the tree. We had a great time doing this together!

The tree is all done!

Talan helping Daddy to make sure the star in on straight.

Daddy carrying the tree in.

"I want this tree!"

"I get to pick from all of these trees!"

Driving on the Lake

2008-12-07T17:21:00.002-06:00

When we were at the lake Justin got the chance to drive his jeep on the lake. The water was way down and we could walk out about 3 lengths of the football field and not even be to water yet. Well the sand had dried up people were four-wheeling on the lake so Justin decided to take his jeep out. It was actually a lot of fun!

Olmstead Thanksgiving

2008-12-07T17:16:00.001-06:00

This year for Thanksgiving we went back to Nebraska and spent it with Justin's side of the family. We went out to the Lake Cabin and spent the whole week there. It was great being able to spend some time with his family since we don't see them too often. We enjoyed watching them interact with Talan more than anything. The last time some of them had seen Talan was at our wedding when he was 9 months old. It was great to see everyone!

Great Grandma and Grandpa Allen's

2008-12-02T19:26:00.002-06:00

We went to Nebraska this past week to visit family and enjoy Thanksgiving together. On Wednesday, we were able to go out to Talan's Great Grandparent's house for a couple of hours. Talan made himself right at home and was so good! Great Grandma even got out a couple of toys that Justin played with when he was little. Talan really enjoyed himself.

Here Talan is playing Great Grandma's organ. He kept looking back at us to make sure we were listening and paying attention to him.

Talan playing with one of Justin's old toys!

Talan thought he was pretty hot stuff (he pretty much is) sitting in the big chair and eating his raisins. He kept going over and sharing his raisins with Great Grandpa. He only offered him one at a time though. It was the thought that counted.

Talan and Great Grandpa playing cars together.

Kilgore Thanksgiving

2008-11-23T14:58:00.002-06:00

Last Saturday we went to my Dad's side Thanksgiving. We went to a local church and had dinner and hung out with family. Talan met many cousins that he had never met. They had a playroom for the kids to play in and Talan really enjoyed that. At one point, the older kids were playing school with the younger ones and Talan really liked that. They were singing songs and playing with instruments. He just joined in and the older kids were so good to him! During lunch, Talan ate like a little man. He had turkey, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese mainly. He sat and talked to people as they walked by and was just a joy to take.

I think we can honestly say that he (and Daddy) were worn out after the eventful day.

Sitting in his chair during "school."

Music time at "school."

Talan was really interested in his little cousin Logan. When he was done eating he kept walking over to Logan's chair and saying hi. He and Logan are about 8 months apart.

Talan chowing down!

Circus!!!

2008-11-23T14:48:00.002-06:00

Last Friday we took Talan to the circus with my mom's preschool. Talan had a great time! He surprised both Justin and I when he talked to the clowns and even gave them high fives. Talan sat on Justin, mine, Grandma, or Aunt Jill's lap through the entire circus. He did sit by himself in a chair for a while but he had a whole bucket of popcorn in front of him. He was so good and enjoy every minute of it.

During intermission, Talan rode the elephant, talked to more clowns, and jumped in the moonwalk.

We had a great time! Thanks Grandma for inviting us. It was great!

The whole group: Mason, Kyla, Will, Ellie, Abbey, Talan, and Aubrey

I was the lucky one that got to ride the elephant with Mason, Aubrey, and Talan.

I just love this picture!

This is when Talan was sitting by himself. The trapeze artist were right above us and he was saying "Wow!" and "Whoo!" in between bites of popcorn.

The clown, Daddy, and Talan

MU Fans!?

2008-11-23T14:44:00.002-06:00

So we have a split house in our family. Justin is for Nebraska and I am for Missouri. Talan is not sure just yet but I am sure he will follow in his Daddy's footsteps. These are just a couple of cute photos of Talan with his Uncle Chris' MU hat.

Talan trying to get his Dad to wear the hat... it didn't stay on his head.

Talan with the MU hat on. He kept saying, "me cool." It was really cute!

Justin ended up going out to his jeep and getting his Red Sox hat and trading it with Talan. Now, he has on the Red Sox hat.

Four Wheelin'

2008-11-15T21:41:00.002-06:00

Last Sunday afternoon Justin finally got to take his jeep out that he has been working on to go four wheeling. We went with our neighbors: James, Hannah, and Brandon to their old land and drove through creeks, up and down big hills, and many other bumpy areas. I can honestly say that I was nervous a lot of the time. I relaxed a little more the longer we were out there. It is going to take some getting use to for me. At one point the water in the creek was up the top of the jeep's wheels. James said our next trip will be to Kansas Rocks which is like a ski resort for Jeeps. I am looking forward to it!

The land out there was beautiful!

I know that hill doesn't look too big but it is...I was looking straight up to the sky when we went up it. The first time we did it I covered my eyes until we got to the top. The second time, I watched as we went up the hill.

You can see our neighbor going up the hill in front of us.

This is just one of the rugged paths we drove through.

Leaf jumping

2008-11-12T18:46:00.003-06:00

Wednesday night was Talan's first time to play in the leaves. Daddy raked up a big pile of leaves and let Talan just play. Talan's favorite part was just running through them and kicking them so they would go everywhere. He even liked it when Daddy would pick up a whole bunch and toss them onto his head. He had a lot of fun!

I just love this picture of Talan.

Talan laying in the leaves.

This is after he jumped in the leaves.

"Hey Dad! I'm sitting in the middle of a pile of leaves."

Lunch with Jeremy

2008-11-02T19:44:00.002-06:00

On Saturday, we had lunch with the family but Talan was attached to Jeremy. He couldn't give Jeremy enough kisses or stop talking to him. Jeremy was so sweet to him.

Talan giving Jeremy a hug!

Talan and Jeremy watching the football game on the television right by our table.

Talan giving Jeremy one of the many kisses he gave Jeremy throughout lunch.

The boys coloring together!

2008-11-02T19:27:00.003-06:00

Louisburg Cider Mill / Cedar Cove

2008-11-02T19:09:00.003-06:00

On Saturday we had a really busy day. We went to a church work day and helped clean up, had lunch out with Grandma Great, Aunt Jill, Jeremy, Nana, and Grandma. We then went to Grandma and Grandpa's for a while and played. Later that afternoon we went to Louisburg Cider Mill and Cedar Cove.

Cedar Cove is a tiger sanctuary. Talan loved both places. He really liked it when the tigers would roar. They had siberian tigers, cheetahs, cougars, a wolf (Justin's favorite), and a few other types of tigers. It was a really neat place that we all enjoyed!

Our tour guide that Talan was actually really interested in. He kept saying, "Let's go, come on." She was so sweet to him.

Talan clapping after one of the tigers roared.

Three generations: Nana, Daddy, and Talan.

Climbing on the straw...

... jumping and landing in the straw.

He did this over and over until it was time to go.

More of Halloween Night

2008-11-02T19:03:00.003-06:00

Here are a few more pictures from Halloween night after Talan was done trick-or-treating.

Talan's favorite location of the night... the candy dish.

It was such a nice day and evening that we were able to sit outside and hand out candy. It was wonderful. We sat by the fire pit and just hung out.

Grandma and Grandpa got Talan a bat and ball for his Halloween treat. He loved it. Here is Grandpa Dennis helping Talan hit the ball.

After hitting the ball for a while, Talan just carried the bat around all night.

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-02T18:55:00.004-06:00

The weekend of Halloween, Talan's Nana was able to come down and visit. She got to go trick-or-treating with us and just enjoy her grandson. It was great to have her here for the weekend.

Talan trick-or-treating. He learned how to say trick-or-treat. It sounds like "tri-tree." He has already gotten a sucker open and is working on it in this picture.

Nana following close behind while Talan is off another location.

Our kangaroo playing on the teeter totter.

I think we can honestly say that he enjoyed trick-or-treating. I love this picture of him. It shows his true personality... happy and cheerful!

Talan's Girlfriend / Baby Lillie / Lots of Friends

2008-11-02T18:47:00.005-06:00

When Talan visited Grandma's preschool he also got a chance to just play with the kids. My mom watches an 11 week old baby that he loved. If you looked closely Talan is really proud of himself for holding the baby, but my hand in still under Lillie. He loved holding the baby. He kept walking over to the baby and kissing her and rubbing her belly. It is was so cute!

Yes our 19 month old son has a girlfriend. He is actually walking down the aisle with her this August in his Uncle Chris' wedding. Her name is Aubrey and he loves to play with her and kiss her. It is really cute!

Talan holding baby Lillie with Ellie watching and a little help from me.

All the kids on one swing: Kyla, Ellie, Abby, Talan, Aubrey, and Mason stuck down in the middle of the swing.

Talan trying to kiss Aubrey.

Talan and Aubrey sitting in a tree...!!!

Talan trying one more time for a kiss... and he got it. He would kiss her and then just giggle.

Halloween Party

2008-11-02T18:39:00.002-06:00

Talan was out of school of Halloween and so were we so we went down and spent the day at my mom's daycare/preschool and attended their party. Talan had so much fun! He got almost a whole bag of candy and played with some friends he hadn't seen in about a month. Each child got a turn to trick-or-treat from each other and then they went over and trick-or-treated from Grandma Great.

Talan was not very patient with his candy as you can see. He was ready to get some "cannee."

Talan passing out his treats to the kids. They all said "Trick or treat" and after Talan would put his treats in their bag they would say "Thank you." They were so polite. Way to go mom on teaching the kids manners.

Our kangaroo passing out his candy.

St. Louis and Jeremy's Game

2008-10-19T18:54:00.002-05:00

This past weekend Jeremy played football at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO so we made a weekend vacation out of it. Talan adjusted to hotel life very quickly. We just left the doors opened and he loved running back and forth from the four rooms we had. His favorite part of the hotel room was the telephone. We ended up just unhooking the receiver from the phone so he just carried around a phone with a cord telling everybody to say hi.

Before the game on Saturday we went to downtown St. Charles to the Life Is Good festival. They were so many things for Talan to do. He met Ronald McDonald, painted a pumpkin, played games, and played on many inflatables.

Here's Talan with Ronald McDonald. I was surprised that he wasn't scared of him. Talan walked right up to him and started talking to him.

Talan and Daddy playing a game. They were trying to get the dinosaur eggs into the safety tube before the dinosaurs got them.

Talan's favorite...the moonwalk!

Here is Talan at Jeremy's game playing catch with another little boy that was there watching Graceland. The other little boy was so sweet. He would come right up to Talan and gently toss the ball to him so he could catch it. They played catch for about 20 minutes. They were so cute playing together!

This is how Talan rode out of the hotel. Yes, I know, this is not a good thing to teach him but he had such a good time doing it!

Nebraska Fans!

2008-10-19T18:51:00.004-05:00

Talan loves playing with our neighbor boys. They are in the 5th and 6th grade and are great to him. The boys are great role models for Talan to look up to. He loves to play with their orange pumpkin ball they have. As you can see, they are both Nebraska fans like Talan and his Daddy. Thanks boys for being such a great friend and role model to Talan!

Family Time!

2008-10-14T19:24:00.004-05:00

Here are just a couple pictures of us just being a family. We always have such a wonderful time spending time together.

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-14T19:07:00.004-05:00

Tuesday night after school Justin and I thought it would be fun to let Talan carve his first pumpkin. He was not too crazy about putting his hands inside the pumpkin and digging out the insides, but he did like playing with the spoon. He also tried to eat the pumpkin but found out very quickly that it doesn't taste too good! Talan's response to the taste was, "Yucky!" He was really excited when we put a candle in the pumpkin and lit it up. He just laid on the floor and starred at it. We eventually took the pumpkin out to our front porch and Talan stood at the door and window saying, "bye bye pumpkin." It was so cute!

If you notice, in the first picture we just took his shirt off of Talan. In the next pictures, you will see that he is completely down to his diaper.

Talan and I pulling the top off of the pumpkin after Daddy cut it.

I think Talan's favorite part of pumpkin carving was playing with the top of the pumpkin. He sat on a pillow and played with the pumpkin top while Justin and I cleaned out the pumpkin.

He did eventually help us get a couple seeds out of the bottom. I wish you could have seen his face!

Talan really enjoyed watching Daddy carve the face of the pumpkin out. In this picture he is saying, "Oooh!"

This is the outcome!

Go Jeremy!

2008-10-05T17:27:00.004-05:00

Saturday we went to Baker University to watch cousin Jeremy play football. Talan was so excited! He stood in the stands and yelled and clapped almost the whole game. He was so good. After the game we went on the field to see Jeremy. Talan was ready to play some football with him. He had a look of admiration on his face when he was looking or talking to Jeremy. When we had to leave Talan yelled for "Jer Jer" all the way to the car. He wanted to play more football with him.

Talan waiting patiently for Jeremy to throw the ball.

He threw it!!!

Talan brought the ball right back to Jeremy so he would do it again. He would have done that all night if he was able to.

Obviously he was wiped out after his big day at the game. He wouldn't put the football down in the car.

Farmer Talan

2008-10-05T17:24:00.003-05:00

We could resist getting a no shirt/overall picture. We thought it was just too cute!

Pumpkin Picking Continued

2008-10-05T17:18:00.004-05:00

Here are a few more pictures from the pumpkin patch. They have play areas and animals for the kids as well. Talan loved the slide and that baby donkey.

Talan going up the ramp to the slide.

Talan really enjoyed the corn maze. He would run and hide and when we would find him he would jump out and and try to scare us. Of course we played into it. He was so much fun!

Talan loved that baby donkey.

Talan wasn't too sure about the baby chicks.

They have a pumpkin measuring board that says "This is how tall I am this Fall." This is the best we could do. Can you believe that he is almost 3 feet tall?!

Pumpkin Picking

2008-10-05T17:08:00.004-05:00

This past Saturday, we took Talan to Johnson Pumpkin Farm to pick a pumpkin. He had a blast. Talan loved going on the hay-ride out to the pumpkin patch and was very into picking the pumpkins out. He chose a little one that he could carry, a little gourd that he takes everywhere with him, and two very large pumpkins. I think one of them is bigger than him. He helped Daddy cut the pumpkin off the vine and carry it back to our wheel-barrel.

One of the men there took a family picture of us. Talan is sitting on the pumpkin that we brought home.

Here's Talan helping Daddy carry the huge pumpkin he chose.

Talan even helped push the pumpkin back to the hay-ride. He never let those pumpkins out of sight.

He sat like such a little man on the hay-ride. He didn't want to sit on either one of our laps. He wanted to sit on the hay. He just rode and looked around. He is getting so big!!!

Here is Talan riding in the wheel-barrel with all the pumpkins we got. Notice he has the gourd in his hand. I think he would have slept with it if we would have let him.

Talan's Weekend

2008-09-28T19:21:00.003-05:00

While Justin and I were in Branson, Talan spent the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa. He had a great weekend from what we hear. Saturday they went to the park, played with Aunt Jill and Grandma Great,went to the pool store, and had a long nice nap with Grandpa. On Sunday, he went to Wal-mart with Aunt Jill and Grandma. He then went to Grandma's house and played with this new train he got with Chris and Brittany. He also played some baseball with Chris. When we got there to take him home, he had a hard time leaving. Talan was happy to see us but he had such a great weekend he was ready for more fun. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for keeping Talan! You are great!

Here are some shots of Talan playing baseball with Chris.
This is right after he hill the ball. He was using a shoe as the bat and a big blow up ball.
This is Talan batting stance.

Talan can hit the ball!

Branson

2008-09-28T19:10:00.006-05:00

This past weekend Justin and I went to Branson to celebrate Justin Franklin's birthday. We didn't get a lot of pictures taken with just us so we just posted one. We went to Silver Dollar City and The Landing. We had a great time. It was great spending time with Becca and Justin and seeing Karie again. It was great to meet her soon to be husband, Austin, as well. Thanks for planning such a great weekend Becca.

At Silver Dollar City we did the walking tour through Marvel Cave. It was really cool! The only part I didn't like was when a bat flew at my head. It was a lot of fun though. This picture was taken in front of "Blondie's Tomb."

Here is a picture of Justin feeding the geese on the balcony of the condo. The condo was amazing!

More Children's Zoo and the Wedding

2008-09-23T19:44:00.002-05:00

Here are just a few more pictures from this past weekend. We had such a great time. We are looking forward to the next time we are able to go and visit. Thanks for a great weekend!

We could barely get Talan off the human size spider web. He is a natural climber.

We actually got a decent picture of the three of us. That was one thing that we really wanted to do this weekend.

Yep! That is Talan out with all the single guys trying to catch the garter. He was not the only little guy out there. Unfortunately, he did got catch it.

Talan was driving his car to Lauren all over the dance floor. He loved Lauren!

This is Talan around 10:00. Yes, we should have had him in bed by then but he was a dancing machine. We couldn't get him off the floor. You can tell in this picture though that he is getting a little tired. We left very soon after.

Weekend at Nana and Papa's

2008-09-23T19:32:00.002-05:00

This past weekend we went to Nebraska for Nana's birthday, a wedding, and to see everyone. It was actually a birthday surprise for Nana's birthday. She sure was surprised and happy to see him!

Talan loved Papa's train. He even got to drive the train. You have to be really special to get to drive the train.

Saturday morning we went to the Children's Zoo. (Sorry the picture is sideways. I am still trying to figure out how to turn it.)

Talan, Nana, and Papa in the big eagle's nest.

Talan loved the sea otters. He couldn't get enough of them.

I just thought this was adorable. You might need to turn your head to see it clearly. Sorry!

Branson

2008-09-11T19:50:00.000-05:00

We also went to Branson with my parents, brother and his fiance recently. It was a short trip but we got a lot accomplished. We went to the outlet mall, rode go-carts, went to "The Landing," mini-golf, and even attended a show. We had a blast! Thanks mom and dad!

Justin and I at mini-golf.

This was a dinosaur at mini-golf. It said "Don't not climb on dinosaur." I couldn't resist!