Chapter 3: My "HOPE-A-lutions"

Ok so with this "Year of Hope" comes my "Hope-A-Lutions" (go on you can say it...Yes this was very creative of me...haha). There are probably MANY but I'm going to stick with some of my current top few. I figured if I told them to you it will be even more embarassing when I don't atleast Try to accomplish them but at the same time since they are "HOPE-a-lutions", I am really just hoping I can accomplish them all, but if I don't - I will survive!!! (did anyone else just hear the song "I Will Survive" in your head??)

Now in no Particular Order....

• HOPE-A-Lution #1 - to keep my Year of Hope going by keeping this blog updated & keeping it Real!!! and hopefully to keep it fun enough that it is worth reading :)


• HOPE-A-Lution #2 - Read my scriptures more often (I don't know why this is hard for me but in Primary the theme is "I Know the Scriptures are True" & so we have challenged the kids to read the entire Book of Mormon this year so with them I have pledged to do the same)


• HOPE-A-Lution #3 - To figure out how in the Heck to Use this thing!! (and hopefully how to make really cute things with it too) This was my Christmas Gift & much Wanted Gift from my loving Hubby....

I will have you know that I have threaded my first bobbin & I threaded the machine & accomplished my very first mini sewing project (picture to come) on my very own. And I am blessed w/ good friends that know what they are doing & so hopefully with the help of my dear friend Kim (and hopefully a few others) I will become a SEWING MASTER!!!! Again...These are just Hopes ;)

• HOPE-A-Lution #4 - To keep up with my Workout Routine!! I won't say I want to lose X amount of pounds because I always get frustrated but I do want to feel healthy & feel good so with the Hope of continually working out I am sure I will lose weight & I will feel Great :)


• HOPE-A-Lution #5 - That "this Thing" will happen for us!!!! (if you don't know what I am referring to, please refer to Chapter 1) And I hope to stay Positive even if it does not :)

Ok I think that is enough for now, but since my Birthday is this week I have One request to ask of You! AS A GIFT TO ME GO OUT & DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOURSELF & then come back & tell me about it :) It doesn't have to cost money (or it can) but have fun with this & do something that makes you HAPPY atleast for a small moment :)

Hugs & Kisses - Traci

Chapter 2: The Voice in My Head...

So I've been doing a lot of "thinking" during my nice little Holiday break from work & the other night when I was "thinking" instead of sleeping I discovered something...the Voice in my head is not the same voice I hear when I am talking or the voice I hear when I hear me on video or something (BTW that voice is very whiney & more high pitched than the voice i hear when I am speaking...I apologize that this is the voice you all get to hear when I speak). The voice I hear when I am talking to myself in my head is very calm & full of lots of wisdom. Everything she says is Awe inspiring!! She is the reason I decided to start this New Year of Hope! She told me it was a great idea & that i had lots of things to say. But then after I wrote my first post I got a little nervous. I kind of felt like she had lead me down a dumb path but then I read all your comments & you were all very sweet & gave me a stamp (there must be a better word i could put here) of Confidence so Thank You!! I really do appreciate you!! Now if only I could get the voice in my head out so you could hear her! Really she is fabulous & she uses such good Grammer & is Whitey & Fun!! So tell me, what is the Voice in your Head like?? (Please tell me you speak to yourself too - haha)

Moving On...

My Aunt Renae sent me this fun/great clip to watch & I really did enjoy it. Thank you Renae!! I think I will have to add this as a subtitle to my Year of Hope & that is "Look Not Behind Thee"...

If you want to check it out it is found here: http://lds.org/pages/look-not-behind-thee?lang=eng

Hugs & Kisses!! Traci

Chapter 1: A New Year Means A New Beginning...

This really is a New Beginning for me! If you haven't noticed I haven't blogged in like 8 MONTHS! When I started Blogging I was somewhat of an Addict! I couldn't wait to Publish my next Post & read all of the fun comments!! I also Loved reading everyone else's blogs & learning about the great things that were happening in their lives! I spent way to much time reading blogs, commenting & posting on my own. But what I did have was a Journal!! Or we could say a Time line of all the fun things we had enjoyed in our lives but then slowly a Vicious thing started to happen.... I allowed myself to start comparing my life with those around me & I started asking myself the questions of "When is that going to happen for us"..."What is in store for us" And then sadly the "Why has it not happened for us??"

I forgot the reason why I started this blog and that was so I could remember the great times Mike & I have had together & all the little memories that I wanted to remember & be able to share with all of you. Well this year is going to be different. This really is my Journal (and that's mostly to the fact that I am HORRIBLE at keeping a journal) & this really needs to be about Me & my little family (Mylo included). I LOVE the great comments you have all left me in the past & sadly because I haven't posted in such a long time I am sure less of you will be looking at my blog &/or commenting but that is Ok. I hope that you won't mind if I am a little more personal & less filled w/ just "fun" pictures. Hopefully I will say something inspiring in one of my Tangents but most importantly I hope that I Grow this year!! Obviously I won't be growing in Height (sadly I have come to terms with my short self) but I hope to grow in my Relationships, the Gospel & Myself. I am declaring this year as my "Year of Hope!!!" Thanks to my Dad!!

Recently my dad & I had one of those talks that you hope to get to enjoy with your parents & those close to you every now and again. It was those kind of talks where laughter was heared & tears were shared. It had been a really long time since I had really "spoken" to my father & although he is a great Dad, I always find it easier to talk to my Mom but I'm glad we had this opportunity. Although we talked about alot of things one of the things that stuck w/ me the Most was to "Never Lose Hope!" (that was mostly due to my father making sure I wouldn't forget that) but he is Right! The second you Lose Hope you Gain Self Doubt & the Desire to Press Forward.

I think I should back up for a moment...I feel that this may be coming across as I am depressed or that I am not enjoying my life but those things are not True. I am very happy in my life & feel blessed each & everyday. There is just one big part of my life that I feel I am lacking in or wish I had more control of. This one thing has become like a black cloud over my head & at times makes my vision a bit blurry & unable to focus on the Good things in my life or unable to Truly enjoy the blessings in the lives of Others. That one thing is my Yearning & Desire to start our family (I told you this would get personal). I do feel that trials are important & if handled correctly they can truly strengthen you & make you better & so I really am trying to stay positive but each month that passes by, the harder it becomes but with my New Year of Hope!! I am going to try really hard to not let that happen. There are too many good things happening around us & too many things Mike & I have yet to experience together that I Hope this new Focus Can be a Good One & WILL be a Good One!! I just feel that documenting & talking about this will be somewhat like "my therapy". Don't worry my post aren't going to all be about this "one thing" or if I will even talk about it much, but I do hope that by you understanding the background to where all this is coming from that I can share more of myself with you :)

So I hope you are prepared for alot of sentences that start out with the words "I feel" & "I hope" because my hopes & feelings will be shared. I appreciate all of you & hope you can go on this journey with me :)

Love You All!!! Traci

Tanner Family Pics

The weekend of Tyson's Farewell we had Family Pictures done. It is crazy to see how big our family has grown & it is still growing!! I think each time we get our pics taken it gets harder & harder because the # of Grandkids keep growing but I think everyone had a real fun time.

Take a look at some of my Fav's:

The Tanner Family

The "Original" Tanners

The Grandkids

The "Outlaws" (I know Becca can't wait to have another girl be in this photo w/ her)

The ones who Began It All... (I think this pic really shows their personalities)

Jennie's Family (Quade, Jennie, Kenna, Scott & Kayla)

Steve's Family (Riley, Steve, Becca, Oakley)

My Family (Traci & Mike)

Amber's Family (Paige, Josh, Landen, Amber)

Tyson's Family (ok he doesn't have his own yet, so we improvised :)

The Tanner Boys

The Tanner Girls

And just a few more photo's that I thought were sweet:

Big Sis & Little Brother

Daddy's Girls...

Does Mike look guilty of something?....

I sure LOVE THIS FAMILY!!!!!

Farewell to One & Welcome to Another...

I have TONS I could post about the other week (April 25th - 1st) but just to get something up (it really is overwhelming to think about how much I could post) I am going to hit on the Top Highlights...

TYSON ENTERED THE MTC!!!

I have already said this a Hundred Times but I can't believe my little brother is old enough to go on a Mission!! He has been in the MTC 2 weeks now & from what I have heard (has only emailed the padres so far) he is doing Great!! He is really learning fast & can't wait to get out to Canada! It is weird to have him Soo close but not be able to see him but I am grateful we were able to see him & be w/ him as we 'kicked him off' at the curb...ok we didn't really kick him off at the curb but with the new 'policy' we did say our goodbyes at the curb. Along w/ my parents, my little sis and her family came up as well (more things I will need to post on a later date) & Steve & his fam were there too. It was great to have everyone there (sorry Jen) & I know Tyson enjoyed it.

And just as we said our goodbyes to Tyson we got word that Mike was officially made an Uncle (not through marriage)!!

After being in labor for 20 hours Mike's sister Angie & her hubby Dave welcomed a new baby boy, Dylan into this world on April 28th weighing 6lbs 10 ozs & was 20 inches long. Luckily Logan is only a few hours away & we were able to spend the weekend playing w/ Dylan (well when he wasn't sleeping & under the lights). He was a little jaundicy (spelling?) & got the privilege of "tanning" all through the day but we still enjoyed our time with him. It is funny how him & Landon (Amber's baby) are soo different but both Soo cute in their own little ways.

Aside from his long toes that would let him hang from a tree, I think one of Dylan's cutest little traits is his cry. It is probably one of the only crys I have heard where you really wanted to hear more. Mike calls him his little Velociraptor - listen and you'll understand why...

Well Angie & Dave I know you are EXHAUSTED but you did a great job w/ this fun little guy & I can't wait to see him again :) Congratulations!!!

(Can't you tell how much Mike love's this little guy)

All in a Week's Time...

My LITTLE (not in Heigth...obviously) Brother is getting ready to Serve a Mission in the Halofax, Canada Mission

We had his Mission farewell last Sunday & he did a GREAT job on his talk! I think for one of the First times he didn't look so much like my Little Brother but more as a Grown Man. Obviously, as you can see from the pic above, he is going to have to learn to keep on a suite longer than just a few hours for church but I know that he will serve a Great Mission & I am so proud of him!!!

And since the Entire Fam can't get Together without doing something Stupid & thinking we are funny...we have Exibit A:

Let me Explain...Mike & Josh are a little TOO Comfortable w/ my Family & because they love Tyson ohh Soo Much...They thought it would fun to Sport Mustache's at his farewell. Ok so Amber & I agree'd to let them have their moment of fun @ Tyson's expense but we definately weren't ready for the somewhat "gay" photos that would be taken as well. Sadly I have many more of these pics that we actually found quite Hilarious! Well, Ty I hope you know how much your Bro N' Laws Love Ya!!!

And because I can't have a post w/out a Collage of pics here are some more pics from the Farewell but because Tyson is still a teenager & its much cooler to be w/ friends than family...there really isn't any of him :( Well...we still had fun!! (Note: some of these pics won't make Any sense to the naked eye but they have meaning to me - so just know they are indeed funny!)

We also go the Pleasure to Celebrate our FIVE year anniversary this week (notice no Stache)!!

I am happy to say that we are even Happier than the day we were married!! Spending 5 well 6 (including dating) years w/ just eachother has made us Stronger! We have experienced alot of ups & downs together but our Marriage continues to stay strong! I LOVE that he is my husband!! And although our lives are different at 5 years than what we thought we would be doing at this time I know that it has created a Stronger bond between us & I just can't wait to see what happens next :)

I was in charge of our Anniversary this year & since Mike is in school we decided to do something "low budget". We both LOVE the Melting Pot so I created our own "Melting Pot" at home. Mike had to go work in the afternoon but when he got home our house had been transformed. I had created somewhat of a tunnel in our entry way so when Mike got home he could only go to the bathroom where he found some "nicer" clothes & a note for him. Afterwards he came out to see the "restaurant" & there we enjoyed Champaigne (sparkling Cider), Cheese Fondue & Chocolate Fondue! It was Soo Much fun & Very Romantic!!! Happy 5 Year Honey!!

Last but Not Least...My brother & his family moved to Lehi a few weeks ago & now our maybe twice a year visits w/ them have turned into twice a week!! It feels really nice to have family so close! They invited us to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point & it was soo pretty!! I have always wanted to see the Gardens before but never have so Thank You for going w/ us!!! Hopefully this will just be the beginning of many more memories w/ you!!

Now as for this week...Tyson is off to the MTC!!!!

Showers, Food & More

First off was a TRIPLE BABY SHOWER. Yes not One or Two but THREE. Mike's Sister's & Three Cousins (all Sisters) are all do pretty close (I bet you can't guess which pic below is of them all :). So it started Saturday morning w/ one, then went to another & lastly was Angie's. Mike and I drove up that morning so I only made it to Angie's but luckily they are all apart of the same family so I still got to see everyone. And really there should have been a 4th shower, but since it was Kori (mike's cousin) 2nd child she opted not to have one but talk about a day of Oooing & Aweing at all the adorable things they got. (Also Kori if you are reading this - THANK YOU for the gift & note. It was definatly unexpected but it really meant ALOT). At Angie's it was fun cause for an activity we got plain white onesie's & Markers & got to design pictures/sayings on them. Well, I am not very creative & only came up with "Not the Mamma" but I was really impressed w/ what the other girls came up with. Definately put mine to shame but I think she got some really cute ones that she may even use. Here are some pics:

Then it was Easter. My Brother Steve & his Family moved up to Lehi that weekend (YEAH WE FINALLY HAVE FAMILY CLOSE) so my parents & little bro came up to help them move so I decided to have Easter at our place w/ the fam & it was rather Yummy...if I do say so myself. My mom even put together a Easter Egg hunt for the little ones (too cold outside so Easter Egg hunt took place in our living room). The only downfall is that it was also Conference weekend but with all the moving & excitement I don't think I got much out of it so luckily they publish the talks in the Conference because I know it was a good one. I am glad they came up & I got to spend the last holiday w/ my bro Tyson before he leaves on his mission in TWO WEEKS. And I am soo happy to have family close! It has been a LONG time since Mike & I have had family by us closer than a 2 hour drive :( And I bet you can't guess what is coming up next???? You guessed it...PICS!! (mom I put the pretty one of you on there since I really didn't have much else w/ you in it ;)

And Lastly...........

I GOT BANGS!!! I may not look much different to you but I definately feel different when I look in the mirror. We'll see how long it lasts but it is fun to have a change =)

Surprise!!!

We got a New NEPHEW!! Ha Ha, I bet you thought he was ours by the pic ;) But after this post you may think he was ours because we don't have many pics of the Actual Parents oops...sorry Amber & Josh (but if you want to see more pics you can check out Amber's blog)

Landen Isaac Hammond was born Monday evening w/ a head full of dark hair at about 11 pm, the short story is, my Sister went into labor about 9 pm & two hours & NO epideral later she had him :) Yes definately something I hope I don't get the pleasure of accomplishing but my sister is a Rock Star when it comes to pain & we're so glad he is here!!

I took Thursday & Friday off & flew down to St George to spend the rest of the week w/ her & Baby Landen. Mike had a Very Exciting & could not be missed Church Ball game to play (it was Regionals) so he came down on Friday & Landen was very excited to meet him....

Landen was also welcomed into this world by his Big Sister, Paige!! She is really good with him & Loves to hold him. It's cute because in this picture Paige looks so big compared to him but it just goes to show how small Landen is...

Now I think this Video really captures what Being a New Big Sister can do to you...

Congratulations Amber, Josh, Paige & Molly!! Your family really is growing into a Cute & Special Family (even you Josh...haha) Sorry this was the best pic I had on my camera

These last two pics should Win me an "Amatuer Photo contest" or something :) I love how they each capture a fun & Real Moment

Pic #1 - Paige taking a pic of herself. Now I wonder what body part she was actually taking a picture of...

Pic #2 - Looks to me like Paige is saying "What up" w/ some Gangsta Sign, while Mom & Dad Goo & Awe over Baby Landen. It made me laugh

Welcome Baby Landen!! I love that I am Already your Favorite Aunt ;)!!

(We really did bond over the last couple of days)

Playing In the Snow...Again :)

Last weekend we got the pleasure of going Snowboarding & getting our butts completely kicked when it comes to "Snowboarding Skills" by our Friends Angie & Matt. We had so much fun & can you say POWDER!! Ok for people who snowboard Much More than Us would probably say it wasn't that Powdery but for Mike & I it was such a treat to fall on our Behinds & not feel the impact of the earth & ice below our Rosey yet Numb Butt cheeks (to be honest, I was probably more grateful than Mike, considering I was the one using the softness of the snow to lessen the impact). Mike was able to improve some of his Mad Skills & I...let's just say LOTS of Powder & following My Evil Friend's advice just gets me stuck in even More Snow!! I can still hear the chuckling of the fellow snowboardee's as they rode over me on the chair lift & couldn't help but notice my unfortunate incident :( Thanks Angie for the Great Laugh & New Memory that still gives me nightmares...haha!!!

So this is our Cute little Selves prior to a Evening of Snowboarding....

WARNING WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE CAN CAUSE NIGHTMARES!!

And this would be our Not So cute little selves After Snowboarding....ok so we thought it would be funny to take off our beanies at the same time & see who had the worst "Beanie Head" well I am proud to Announce that I Won Hands Down!! Angie...you were definately a Strong Competitor...haha

I have to post this just because it is funny...well to me that is. Since we are so Skilled we thought we would test ourselves and defeat this high jump...well as you can see, I think Angie took the Gold (and really it was just Angie & Mike competing, I was recording & Matt was off doing actual "cool" things - Mike don't hate me for posting this)

Fun in Island Park

Valentine's Weekend we headed to Island Park in Idaho to hang out with our friend's, Victoria & Eric Driscoll, at their family's cabin (yes it was very romantic...ok maybe not super romantic but still fun). We had a Really Great Time & Made some Great New friends (but sadly I am not remembering their names right now - Victoria Please Help Me) Anyways, it has been a long time since I have been to Island Park durring the Winter & Boy did I forget how much snow they get, so of course we had a Lot of Fun playing in all the snow :)

Great Food & Snacks was also a Highlight on the Trip...

And because we knew the boys would be playing LOTS of Call of Duty on the Playstation Thanks to Eric for bringing it...us Girls planned a craft night & made these really cute fabric hairbows:

Besides all the laughter, relaxation & playing we enjoyed being with old friends & making some new ones. Thanks for the Invite!! And PS Victoria, your Girls are Adorable & we had Soo Much fun with them :)

Now if only the getting there was as Fun & Easy....

Let's just say Lots of Snow, A Saturn Ion & a Snowmobile Trail ='s an Expensive & Long Night Out :(