Playing at the Park

We brought Tanner to a park last week, and I was a little bit camera happy. I couldn't resist taking pictures because Tanner was being so cute. He refused to let go of his Curious George monkey for most of the time we were there. So he carried it around the playground. He was acting like he was having the time of his life. I love that there are so many parks and playgrounds here. As we've explored the area, we've discovered (and played at) 3 different playgrounds in the last week. We live in a very family-oriented and kid-friendly area.

More Apartment Pictures

I finally cleaned up our bedroom, so here are some pictures of it. We haven't hung the mirror yet, so that's why it's leaning against the wall. I went to Home Depot to get hanging supplies for it, so we'll be able to mount it on the wall soon. I also got a picture of the outside of the building. There are a bunch of buildings just like this, all grouped together, that make up the complex. We really like living here. Everything I need is conveniently located nearby- the laundry room is in the basement of our building (not all buildings have one), and the trash bins, recycle bins, and mailboxes are a few yards away. It's a very nice and well-kept apartment complex.

Our New Jersey Apartment

 I finally got some pictures taken of our apartment! It's mostly put together now. The only room I didn't take pictures of is the master bedroom, which is a disaster zone right now. That's the one room I've been neglecting since we got here. But the rest of the rooms look pretty decent. These first 2 pictures are the bathroom, which I took while Tanner was taking a tubby.

 This is Tanner's room. He has a cool race track rug, as well as a reading nook. Every night before bed, we sit on the mattress with him and read his books. He loves it!

 This is our T.V. room. We put it in the room that was originally designed to be a dining room. It's a nice little nook to watch movies in.

 Here is our living room. It's very large and we don't have enough seating for it, but it still looks pretty nice anyway. And this is where we keep our desk and computer as well.

And finally, the kitchen! It was plenty big to fit the table in, which is why we didn't put the table in the dining room. And that first picture is my pantry- I know, it's lovely! I can't figure out why they didn't build a pantry into the room. It would have been so easy, since there is a lot of space in the kitchen. But oh well- we can handle it!

Moving Away

Here are just some fun pictures of Josh and Blair loading up our moving truck and car. Josh and I were on our way to New Jersey for medical school! Thank heavens Blair helped drive the truck so that Tanner and I could fly there (I think the drive would have been a little too much for a two-year-old and a pregnant woman). They left a week-and-a-half ago, and it took them only a couple of days to get there.

Splash Pad

A week or two before we moved away from Utah, Tanner and I went to a splash pad with our friends Coral and Brynn Andreason. We had so much fun splashing in the fountains! Even though Tanner got really cold, he still kept playing hard.

I also got one picture at Seven Peaks. This is Josh and Tanner going down a huge slide together. Josh said that Tanner was giggling the whole way down. He loved swimming at Seven Peaks!

Nauvoo Trip

 Two weeks ago, we took a week-long trip to Nauvoo with Josh's extended family. These first two pictures show how Tanner kicked off this trip: on our first day there, he got a hold of my mascara and tried to make himself look pretty. I have no clue how he knew that mascara was for the eyes, because he rarely ever watches me put makeup on. But I guess he figured it out, and he decided he wanted to look like me! It was hilarious.

 A little too late, I realized that this picture shows mostly us and not the sun stone. Oops! But anyway, it was fascinating to see an original sun stone from the Nauvoo temple.

 This was at Nauvoo's Monument to Women at the visitor's center. Tanner was just being so cute with the statues, I couldn't resist taking a couple pictures.

 We got to take a carriage ride and learn about some of the saints who lived in Nauvoo. We heard some incredible stories about those people and how their testimonies led their lives. The most exciting part for Tanner, of course, was petting the horses.

 At the Nauvoo pageant, they have games and activities set up that everyone can enjoy for an hour-and-a-half before the pageant begins. This is Josh learning to play a pioneer game.

 We ran into our friends from college, Daniel and Brittany Johansen. It was so fun to see them there!

 These are just a few of the activities that we got to do with Tanner. The handcart was especially exciting.

 Tanner got a pioneer hat from his Grandma Oaks. He looked adorable in it!

 We took a side trip to the Carthage Jail to see where Joseph and Hyrum were martyred. Grandpa Oaks held a family meeting to discuss what happened there.

During the week, we were able to have a tour of the Nauvoo temple and attend an endowment session. What a beautiful temple it is! We had some really neat experiences that week in Nauvoo, and we were very happy that we could go.