the crazy

Tatum is usually a pretty mild-mannered child. She is pretty good and I am grateful for that. But every once in awhile she unleashes "the crazy". And it's pretty darn hilarious. Of course I probably only think that because I am her mom, but I am still going to share it with you. :)

Tatum likes to play with some Pokemon cards at my parents' house. No one seems to care about the cards anymore so she can do whatever she wants with them which she thinks is the best. A few weeks ago we were over there and she went crazy with them-it was like she was rolling in a pile of cash. I didn't get the best of it on video, of course, but I caught a bit of it.

My other example is from the other day when I was trying to get her new word (uh-oh) on video. She starts out pretty calm and quiet, just wait for it...

See what I mean? There is a crazy side to this child.

giggles

Lately, one of Tatum's favorite things to do is sit in her doll stroller. She loves it when we push her around in it but she is content to just sit there, playing with a toy or looking out the window. 

Here she is waving at who knows what.

The best, though, is when you tip it on the back wheels and then let it fall a little. It must really tickle her tummy because she sure laughs. (Although don't get her laugh confused with her friend's laugh, who apparently thought watching was pretty hilarious as well.)

headphones

She really gets into her music. :)

 And at least pretends to know what she is supposed to do with the mp3 player. Silly girl.

dad's idea of fun

Tatum puts up with a lot from her crazy parents that may or may not look a little bit like torture. Trust me, it's always Brennan's idea AND he always executes it. I am just the observer. Plus I might laugh a little. And take pictures. But it's pretty much all him. :)

I think I will mostly let the pictures speak for themselves.

This one was probably the meanest but also the funniest.

This one wasn't even cruel. We just stopped halfway through getting her dressed for church.

She didn't mind at all, she even struck a pose. :)

She thought this one was pretty cool at first. But then she couldn't get the monkey out and got really angry.

So in years to come when Tatum is completely a daddy's girl I guess I will show her these pictures and tell her all about how mean her dad was and how I always saved the day. :)

no effort is too great...

...for a chocolate chip. A mini one I might add. 

A few days I accidentally spilled a bunch of chocolate chips and Tatum came out to see what the commotion was all about. I'm sure she was disappointed when we got them all picked up before she could eat any. But then we saw her doing this:

Apparently she had spotted one under the fridge. Sure enough after a lot of grunting and time spent on her belly, she finally got it!

We didn't let her eat that one but I did give her one as a reward for her efforts. :)

Valentine's Day

I transferred all of our pictures and videos from the last few weeks from our camera onto our computer. There are some real gems and I couldn't decide what to start with on the blog. But it's late and my brain is not fully functioning so I just decided to go with the one that would take the least thought, our Valentine's day.

I guess we aren't super into Valentine's Day. It's not that I mind the holiday, we just don't go all out. This year we decided to not exchange gifts. We really need a new computer. And a better vacuum. And we would like to finish fencing in our yard. All of which cost money so we decided one of those would be our gift to ourselves. Hasn't happened yet, but it's the thought that counts right? :)

The day before Valentine's we went to my parent's house and had the traditional heart-shaped pizza with everyone. It was fun and festive. On the big day we headed up to Cedar Rapids with some friends to enjoy some frozen yogurt. Yum! And then had some yummy dinner after. We might have gotten the order wrong but it seemed like the best way to avoid the crowds. Then we stayed up way too late watching a movie, People Like Us (it was mediocre, nothing to write home about).

Nothing too exciting, but it is nice to have a day to recognize the love you have in your life for your spouse, your family, and your friends. Loving and being loved is a great thing. I did make a cute book for Brennan like the one here. So I guess technically I broke the no gift rule but it was small and simple. If you're ever looking for a sentimental gift I would recommend it. It was pretty easy and I thought it turned out cute.

The Jensens, enjoying their frozen yogurt...well at least Tyron is. :)

 Me and my two favorite Valentines. There's no one in the world I love more than these two.

I hope you all had an enjoyable Valentine's Day as well!

Brrrrrrr!

It has been a wee bit chilly around here! It makes our outings few and far between which tends to make me go crazy. But it's so cold that even a walk from the car to a store sounds miserable. I'm a pansy, what can I say? We got some snow last week and I was so desperate to get out of the house that Tatum and I went out to play in the snow. The intent was actually that I would be able to shovel while Tatum hung out so Brennan wouldn't have to shovel again when he got home from work. But it turns out that Tatum's boots have ZERO traction so she really couldn't walk without falling. So I spent the whole time helping her stay vertical and didn't get any shoveling done. It's the thought that counts right?

Here is Tatum all bundled up and looking so thrilled.

 She didn't mind as much once we got outside.

 We tried the back deck later, hoping it would be less windy. Sadly, it was not and we didn't last long.

 We turn our fireplace on sometimes too, especially for after Tatum's baths so she can stay warm while we lotion her and get her dressed. She is pretty good about not touching it (she just likes to point at the flames) thank goodness.

That's pretty much our life these days. Just trying to keep warm and sane at the same time. That can be a little tricky during the winter but so far I think we are managing okay. :)