Little Football Fan

Tagg went to his first Ute football game on September 26th, his 14-month birthday against Louisville. It was not his first tailgating event,so as you can see even at his age the kid has his priorities straight!

We couldn't find any U of U gear in his size that wasn't sweats which would have been cruel considering it was about 100 degrees out! He did manage to get some beads from the gals (don't ask!) but quickly decided that playing in some mud was much more exciting than barbecue and socializing.

He did find some kids to play ball with, which was fun. And then he fell asleep. Till halftime! But once we were in the game, he had a blast. He kept pointing at the field saying "ball" and then clapping. So cute!

The Utes won 30-14. We had a great time, and beat all the traffic home. Gotta love it! Thanks, mom and dad, for the 50-yard-line season tickets and the parking pass. You're awesome!

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day weekend at Lake Powell...it's one of our family traditions! We left late on Thursday night and got settled in around 2am. Ouch. Tiffany, Marc and Becky came down the next day and we ended up on a fabulous sandy beach in Bullfrog Bay with about 15 of our nearest and dearest boating friends.

It kind of looked like an on the water boat show! Although the weather was a little sketchy, overcast with enough storms that we had to put our tops up, we had a blast. Tagg had a blast playing in the sand with all of the kids. Chery took a few gorgeous pictures of Scott walking on the beach with Tagg. She's so talented!

The Annual Powell Trip!

Better late than never they say, and I hope that's true cuz this one dates back to the first week of August! We had a fabulous week, great weather, good skiing, lots of cards and...splashing! Well, that was Tagg mostly but wow, he had fun. We played this great game called splashing (with his hands), kickin' (with his feet) and running (where we'd hold him up and he'd run on the water splashing the whole time laughing hysterically.

Tagg went with us on every morning ski run, decked out in his shades and lifejacket and a hat, if we could get him to keep it on. It was so nice to be back out in Last Chance which always seems to have glass water.

Tagg really likes riding on the wave runner. He'd hop on and smile, push some buttons, take off for a slow ride with daddy and, boom! he was out like a light. Not once, not twice ... every single time he got on the wave runner! It was so funny! Maybe next year he'll be one of the kids screaming for more donuts and go-fasts, but this year, the wave runner was all about naptime!

The week was perfect. Entirely too much food and fudge jumbles, hold 'em games till the wee hours, water balloon bombings, craft projects with the kids, washoes and frisbee golf, and lots of water sports including Sandy's monumental double-morning ski which lasted an eternity!, not to mention the emergency trip to the poop dock. Ah, mem-rees!

And, yes, Tagg's learning to drive the boat - with a little assistance from dad, of course! He had a great time with all of his cousins that week and we're already counting the days till next year!

First Steps!

It's official! He's walking! Tagg actually took his first steps, about 3 altogether from couch to couch, on Friday June 27th while Scott and I were both watching. We looked at each other like - did we really just see that?!?!? But then he was just back to standing and crawling until yesterday.

We were joking that we've been pushing him down when he was just getting the hang of it because we didn't want him walking at Lake Powell over the 4th weekend. What a good guy to wait till we got home!

He's still not too sure what to do with this walking business but he's pretty proud when he makes it a few steps, and so are we!

Party, Party, Party...

In the grand Harmer tradition, Tagg started celebrating his first birthday a little early. We had a party on July 19th since so many of our friends were going to be out for the Pioneer Day holiday weekend, and Tami, Jake and Porter were here for OR (Outdoor Retailers). It was a great excuse to get everyone together and celebrate all of the summer birthdays.

Tagg's birthday present from Mom and Dad was a little...hmmm, over the top?! Like he's going to be able to use this any time soon! At least the friends that visit him will enjoy it for a year or so. We got a great deal on the playset at CostCo (that will teach me to run in for formula!) and the best part? It was all put together. We were quite a sight, loading it into the bed of the truck with forklift and driving through town, ducking under every single traffic light.

Once we had it home...problem. How do we get it out of the truck, over the fence and into the yard. Solution? Mormons! Haha. Our amazingly wonderful neighbor recruited about 16 guys from church (thank goodness they were looking for any excuse to leave early!) who showed up in shirts and ties and hucked this thing out of the truck and over the fence in about 15 minutes. It was like a modern-day Amish barn raising!

The party was great. Tagg spent most of it dragging Aunt Blah-Blah (Becky) and Uncle Marc around while he kicked his ball and laughed at the dogs, and well...everything! We also had a blow-up bounce house on loan from some friends which was pretty fun. It was so hot that a waterslide version would have been good but it was still fun!

We got to spend some time with Tami, Jake and Porter who were in from Minnesota. Porter's birthday was just a month ago so the boys shared some birthday cake. Tagg really went to town. Apparently, Nothing Bundt Cakes are the way to go for 1-year-old birthdays! (Who can blame him? They really are delightful!)

The boys got to have a "tubby" after all the cake-eating, which was also pretty cute. Tagg actually probably enjoyed the splashing in the tub more than his actual birthday present!

I Am One! I Am One-derful!

Who's the cool dude?!

Tagg's first birthday. It's so amazing that it's been a full year already. It's been such an emotional time for us, remembering the emotional roller coaster we were on last year at this time - pure joy, thankfulness, fear, happiness, empathy. We feel so incredibly blessed and thankful that we are here today to celebrate not only Tagg's first birthday, but also everything in our lives and in his birth family's lives that reinforce what a wonderful, unique and cherished experience this is. We love Tagg more than either of us ever thought possible, and just when you think your heart is as full of love as it could ever be, it grows a little more. We love how much he is our family. We love his accomplishments, his moods, his smiles and giggles, his emerging personality, his love of books, mac n' cheese, watermelon, balls, saying "bad dog" and making cheez faces. We love that his birth family gave us a gift for which there will never be enough thanks, and that we can celebrate their successes along with them. Celebrate. It's a perfect word for an idyllic situation. We don't just celebrate today...we celebrate every day!

We had a fabulous party for Tagg on his birthday. Aunt Kris was in town from California and, true to form, she took the festivities to a whole new level (cute fish from the bathroom = party decorations!)

Mom and Aunt Kris did a great job coordinating the food and the decorations. Aunt Tiff got the hook-up on a bunch of amazing posters and invites. Brooke and Canyon were in town from Seattle and the rest of the Harmer clan were able to join us for bounce-housing, washoes and sliding. Even Morgan got in on the birthday act...or maybe she just wanted to be the princess for a minute.

We still had the bounce house and the swing set which wer big hits with kids young and old (hello, Uncle Marc!).

Tagg's friends and family were so generous with his gifts. I can't imagine a one-year-old who needs as many clothes and toys as he has but we're grateful that he's just spoiled enough. Tagg enjoyed his birthday cake with just as much enthusiasm as the first one (broccoli may never have a chance!) and took advantage of the family for walks and ball kicking. Hey...whatever! "I'm the birthday boy!" He's a very lucky boy to be loved as much as he is, by everyone in his life. Happy birthday, little man!!

Mem-rees...

We headed to Powell for Memorial Day. The boat was finally back in the water after a little (major) engine work and as of Monday the weather was supposed to be gorgeous. We got a fabulous sunshade and umbrellas and rafts for Tagg thinking that the weather was supposed to be awesome. Instead, it rained for 4 of the 5 days...and hard! You can't see how much it poured from this picture but the little white thing is a rain drop...one of millions! It was noisy and there were waterfalls galore. Overall, an eventful trip...we lost the stroller out of the truck on the way down (saved but for some road rash), the dogs had their first trip in kennels in the back of the truck, Marc & Becky almost got hit by lightning and their windshield broke in the wind, we blew an engine and the generator but generally had a blast! We ended up camping in the Rincon the one night we were able to make it out of the slips with Scott's cousin and his boys.

In between rain storms, we played washoes, wakeboarded, surfed and water skied. It was really awesome! It was such a joy to be in our favorite place with all the sibs. Marc & Becky and Tiff are the best aunts and uncles! This little outfit was one that Marc (Mr. 4.0) & Becky (our new college graduate - congrats, girl!) got for his baby shower. It's been on a stuffed dog until recently. He really rocked the crabs!

This little Nike outfit was a gift from Aunt Kris and Uncle Hank and it was so freaking cute on him. He's into mostly 12 month clothes at this point. At his 9 month check up he was 29.5 inches (80+ percentile) and 20.5 lbs (35%). Tall and skinny...shocker!

Lisa and Tiff have been training for their Wasatch Back relay race in June. We both unintentionally signed up for harder runs than last year - more hills, longer runs - and are trying our best to train for them. One of our training challenges...hiking in Park City to get a little altitude training.

Our friend Jen and her dog, Spaulding, took us on a great hike. Tagg thought it was hysterical. Apparently, trying to grab mommy's hair is waaaay more fascinating than the woods and the dogs and stuff. At least he had fun! Mommy thought she was going to choke, pass out or end up with a broken back. Dude...you are heavy! Seriously, though, it was a great hike and we look forward to doing more soon!