Friday Photo

Who wants some sweet potatoes?

Johnny Jump Up

Finally, Hampton has gotten the hang of the johnny jump up, and he LOVES it! We knew he would, because he loves making jumping motions in his exersaucer and bumbo seat. He'll jump until he's absolutely exhausted, then as soon as you take him out of it, he's back to kicking! He especially loves talking to the cat & dog while he's bouncing around. Honestly, we don't know who's having more fun.....Hampton jumping or us watching him!

Weekend Update

This past weekend got started early with a surprise visit from Paul & Jan, or as they're known now, Grandma & Grandpa. They came down for business and made a quick trip down on Thursday. Even though they left early on Friday morning, there was still plenty of time to play and eat at the Shrimp Basket!

It was rainy this weekend, so we spent our time running errands, catching up on some home projects, sewing our new patio cushions, and just hanging out. It was very low-key and helped us gear up for the next several weekends of busy, busy, busy-ness!

Grandpa & Hampton having a very in-depth conversation

Hampton entertaining himself with his favorite toy....his toes!

Happy Birthday, John!

Today is Tanner's brother John's birthday, and Ike has a special message for him....rrreaow.

That was either "Happy Birthday!" or "Get this kid away from me so I can take a nap". We haven't completely cracked the crazy cat code yet.

Either way, the rest of us...Bo, Tanner, Hampton, and Josie...wish you a happy birthday! We hope you have a great day!

A much younger John with a much MUCH smaller Ike.

Friday Photo

surprise!

Happy Earth Day!

Today's a great day to make changes to help the environment! Start with the three Rs....reduce, reuse, recycle....and you'll be well on your way. Remember, we've got to keep the earth looking good for this little one!

If You Build It, We Will Come

Today is a day that we've been looking forward to for a long time. Our Publix opened today! We've been patiently waiting for months while they got it ready for us. We have been driving to Orange Beach, which is about 15 minutes away, for the awesomeness that is Publix. But no longer! Now we can coupon close to home.....especially since it's located at the END OF OUR ROAD!!! Whoooppeee!

We know that most people don't get this excited about grocery stores, but where else can you get toaster strudels and 4 packs of yogurt for 25 cents??? Plus, it's just so cute and bright in there, and the people are so friendly! As you can probably imagine, we're headed there today!

a work-in-progress photo of our favorite store!

Gulf Islands National Seashore

In all of our "staycation" fun this past weekend, we also headed to the beach. This time, though, we decided to head to an area we had never been before.

Right now (4/17-4/25) is National Parks Week, which means free entrance to any of our national parks. So we took the opportunity to head to our section of the Gulf Islands National Seashore in Perdido Key. We're so glad we did, because it's absolutely beautiful down there!

The narrow road is surrounded by sand dunes and water on each side. There were lots of people out, but there is so much area, we still felt like we had the beach to ourselves. We decided to grab a spot on the lagoon side, since that's where all the sailboats were. We also had to take the opportunity to take the must-have tourist beach photo. Why not, right? We were on "staycation"!

If you have any national parks near you, we highly recommend taking advantage of them this week. We're lucky to have such beautiful areas for everyone to enjoy....especially when you can do it for free!

Weekend Update

This weekend was especially fun, because it was the first weekend in 12 weeks that we didn't have plans! We decided to live it up and declare a "staycation weekend" where we just acted like tourists. We ate some of our favorite meals, shopped at the outlets, and headed to the beach (more on that tomorrow). We browsed the fabric store, strolled the Pinnacle, and mostly just had a good time. We're actually a bit exhausted from all the fun, but isn't that what a good "staycation" is supposed to do?

1st Solid Food

Last night was the big night.....solid food for the first time! We weren't exactly sure how it would go, but Hampton took to it immediately. We started with rice cereal, and though it looks like it tastes terrible, Hamp gobbled it right up. He was very interested in it and he ate almost the whole bowl before he decided that playing with us was more fun. Round two starts tonight, and we're hoping it goes just as well!

1st Sippy Cup

It is recommended to start sippy cup training fairly early, since the earlier you start it, the easier it is to transition from the bottle. We had some extra formula left over, so we decided we'd see what Hampton thought. It was clear very fast that he had NO idea what to think! He tried sucking on it, he let it run down his face, he even tried licking it. It was really funny to watch, but we're going to need lots more practice before we even think of abandoning the bottle!

what if I just stick my tongue on it?

yea! all this fuss is fun!

ok, maybe formula running down my face isn't that fun!

let's give it another try!

Beach Baby

While Grandma & Grandpa were here this weekend, we took advantage of the awesome weather & headed to the beach! Hampton had an absolute blast wiggling his toes and grabbing handfuls of sand. We can definitely tell we're going to need a beach tent! We didn't stay long, since he can't wear sunscreen yet, but we were there long enough for Hamp to become Mr. Popularity with the tourists. Some of our favorite pictures are below, but be warned....there are tons to look through!

Tuesday Travels

Parrot Jungle, Miami----September 2003

On one of our trips to visit Bo's mom, we visited Parrot Jungle in Miami. We saw lots of awesome birds, including tons of flamingos. We also watched an interactive show that was not what we expected. It just so happened that the same day there was a big car race in downtown Miami, and they scared the birds, who were acting crazy! It was hilarious and a very fun experience.....at least for us!

Weekend Update

We had a fun-packed weekend this weekend! Friday night, we headed over to Pensacola with Tanner's parents for a quick craft-store trip & dinner at Red Robin. Saturday morning involved a few to-dos before Grandma & Grandpa (Bo's parents) arrived. The weather was amazing, and we took full advantage of it! After a yummy brunch on Sunday, we headed to the 23rd annual Strawberry Festival. The festival was packed with people, craft booths, and the most delicious strawberry shortcake we've ever tasted! It was a whirlwind weekend, but one we'll remember....at least by the 200 photos we took!

What's a Strawberry Festival without a coordinating strawberry bib courtesy of Grandi?

Taken right after Hampton plunged his hands into the shortcake!

Having fun with Grandpa

the cutest chauffeur ever

Strawberry Festival fun

having too much fun in Grandma's lap!

talking to everyone at Red Robin

New Best Friend

Last week, our very sweet neighbor Ms. Jean, came over with an early Easter present for Hampton. Her timing couldn't have been better, as he was just getting up from a nap and was fairly cranky. The minute he saw his new bear, though, he started grinning and loving on his new toy. Grassie, as our green friend is called, is our new constant companion and our first "lovey". Hopefully all new toys will make him just as happy!

Remotely Interesting

One of Hampton's favorite "toys" is the remote control. He loves all the buttons and the fact that we "play" with it. We know he can't hurt anything, but we sure have found some strange things recorded on our TiVo!

Happy Birthdays!

Happy First Birthday to cousin Ben, and Happy Belated Birthday to his mom, Aunt

Megan, whose b-day was on Easter! We wish you both a great birthday week, and we want you to eat extra cake for us!

New View Of An Old Favorite

Now that Hampton can sit up by himself, he has a whole new way to play with his toys. We love watching him "master" the toys on the activity mat...he especially loves the purple elephant. Eventually, we know that he'll have to move on to other toys. Once he's in junior high, maybe? :)

New Look, Same Stuff

Okay, we had to change our blog layout because our old layout died! We thought it was just not wanting to display (you know how the internet can be), but apparently, there was something really wrong with it. We tried to re-create it, but it wouldn't let us. Which is why you're looking at a new & improved Bo and Tanner blog. Don't worry, though......the content will still let you get your Hampton fix, since we know that's the only reason you read this stuff anyway! :)

Weekend Update--Easter Edition

We had a great time this past weekend! Not only was it Hampton's first Easter, but the weather was awesome and we were able to get out and play.

On Friday, Tanner, Hampton & Randi headed up to the eastern shore to deliver some monogrammed Easter gifts. Since they were already there, they decided to hit up some of the shops. Tanner scored some cute sandals for herself, as well as several things for Bo. Once lunch time rolled around, it just so happened that both Bob and Bo were in the area, too. So everyone met for lunch on the patio at a great mexican restaurant in Spanish Fort. Then, back to shopping!

On Saturday, we got a late start, but we made time to run a few errands. Then headed down to The Wharf and strolled the shops while just enjoying the wonderful weather.

Easter morning we headed to church, where Hampton had his first experience in the nursery. Tanner was a little worried, but he did great! We came back to find him on Ms. Amy's hip just looking at all the active toddlers in the class. After church we had a yummy brunch, then went down to the beach for a minute. Once we got home, Hampton was finally able to see what the Easter bunny brought him, and of course, we had to snap tons of pictures! It was a great weekend, and one we won't forget!

Hampton taking in all of his Easter goodies

headed to church on our first family Easter

Happy Easter!

We hope everyone has a wonderful Easter and takes time to reflect on the significance of today. Without Jesus's sacrifice, we would have nothing much to be happy about!

The Two Cutest Boys Ever!

Weekend Update

This past weekend, we headed to Birmingham to visit John, Amy & Jack (Tanner's brother's family). We made it to Birmingham in time to eat a great dinner made by Amy and just relaxed. Saturday morning, we headed to their church's Easter egg hunt, which was really fun. Hampton seemed to enjoy it, although not as much as Jack! After a great pizza lunch & the yummiest dessert ever, baby bites from Pastry Art Cakes, the girls browsed some cute shops while the guys hung out & napped. We had create-your-own burgers for dinner at Baja Burgers and then we went shopping at The Summit. After Sunday brunch, we headed home, exhausted but ready to do it again soon!

Bo getting Hampton ready for bedtime

the whole gang....Bob, Jack, John, Randi, Bo, Amy, Tanner & Hampton

Hampton enjoying himself watching the "big kids" and playing with eggs

cousins Hampton & Jack checking each other out

Jack finding Easter eggs with help from his Daddy & Grandaddy