Merry Christmas 2009

Merry Christmas from the Montana Crew! We missed Cars, Cara, Ryleigh and Everest!

Introducing Issac Wahlen Markham

Sorry, Greg really only got the gross pictures of Isaac right when he was born and nobody wants to see those..LOL!!

Ty and Isaac. He wanted to crawl into the little plastic cradle the whole time.

Ty just couldn't get enough of Isaac.


A great big-brother.



He'll be such a great dad someday.



Issac Wahlen Markham was born December 14th, 2009 on a freezing cold day in MT (-9 degrees to be exact). He was 7 lbs. 13 oz. and 21-1/2 inches long. He came el' natural! No drugs for this mom. Not on purpose, obviously!
He's a healthy little boy and just loves to be held CONSTANTLY. We're excited he's here and can't wait to get to know the littlest member of our family!

The Latest...

Just a little update because who knows when the next time is that I'll take the time to update my blog.

We were "completely nuts" again and opened up this store in the Billings Mall. It's a bigger project for me than The Sno Shack was, that's for sure. Isn't it cute though? Many prep hours were put into this little shop to make it look like it does now and it's still a work in progress. Thanks to all the family & friends who have helped along the way. It's definitely taken "A Village", especially since I'm pregnant and worthless in a lot of ways.

But it's open, people are coming, the food is great, and we have great employees which makes my life a little bit easier.

Greg is still working for Rocky Mountain Hospice during the days but spends most nights at the mall hanging a shelf or painting or something of that sort. Our anniversary was last week and I think I might have seen him for 5 minutes. He's working very very hard!

Tanner is "good-a-kid" as he could ever be and I just appreciate him so much for not making my crazy life any crazier. He's so good to Ty and I. Always willing to do whatever. What a great husband/father he'll be!

Ty is getting bigger and bigger by the day and learning a ton of new words. The average person couldn't understand him, but we can, and I guess that's what matters!

The littlest Markham should be here some time in December. My actual due date is December 20th. We're excited for him to join our little family and it'll be nice for Ty to have some company, other than me, during the day.

Life is a little hectic and crazy for us but one thing remains constant, we are extremely blessed and grateful for this completely nutty life we live, and in the end that's what matters most!

The Big Guys First Day of Jr. High

So here's our big kid Tanner. Can you guys believe how big he is? Good Luck at Will James this year Tanner. Jr. High is a tough place, I just hope he comes out of this the same kid that he went in.

4th of July 2009

This year for the 4th we were lucky to have the whole Hooper Clan come to Billings to celebrate. We ate a lot, went to the park one day, went to The Laurel parade and then had a BBQ at the Warnicks house. It was a lot of fun!

Oh What Do You Do In the Summer Time?

As most of you know Greg and I opened a little Sno Shack this summer. It was a definite learning experience. You wouldn't think a silly little shack would be time-consuming, but it kept me totally busy. This is one day of making flavors at the Markham house.

Ty's First Steps - Take 2

Ty on his Horse!!!

Makes us laugh every time. Doesn't he have serious rhythm??

Happy Birthday Ty!!!

Today is Ty's birthday and what a fun year it's been so far. Since most of you don't get to see Ty a lot, I thought I'd tell you a little bit about what he's like on this special day of his.

Ty loves to play!!! He's going, going, going, like the Energizer Bunny all day and night. And when I say all day and all night, I mean it. Trust me, I wouldn't joke about something like that. LOL!!! The guy never sleeps. I think he's worried he'll miss out on something if he does..

Ty rules to roose at our house. He just crawls from room to room in the house to see what everyone is up to. He'll enter the room with a smile and if you happen to be around he'll give you a hug and a kiss, then politely go on to the next room. He'll find me in the kitchen and is most helpful unloading the dishwasher (while I'm loading it). He also empties the drawers on an hourly basis. We've just dedicated most of the drawers to Ty. When he's with his dad he likes to help unpack his books up in the 'man cave'. And he makes many trips downstairs to visit Tanner. I couldn't really tell ya what he's doing in the basement. I try not to go down there (turning into my Mom). He also loves to play with his cousins. The Warnicks house is the "fun house" so it's always exciting being there.

Ty's favorite foods are:

Pancakes

Macaroni & Cheese
Meatballs
Cake
Pizza
Peanut Butter Toast, like the rest of us (no worries, very lightly spread, I know he can choke...)
He loves anything with a lot of flavor to it...He's a good eater!

Ty's favorite toy is his little horse in his room. He never gets tired of that thing. It always makes for a good laugh for the rest of us. I'll try and post a video so you can see why. Ty also loves to listen to music. While driving in the car he'll bee bop away to the music. He doesn't really like watching TV but if he does he'll watch Little Einsteins or The Backyardagains.

Once a week we go to the mall. Not just because I love it, but because Ty loves it as well. He loves to lounge out in his stroller, snack on his cheerios, and watch all the people go by. He could really spend hours there and be fine (trust me, we've done it). He's also very content on going to any sort of store and strolling around in the cart. There's not a ton of babies around here so you can imagine all the attention he gets when he goes out. He gets and gives a lot of smiles.

As you can tell, Ty is just this little ball of joy (minus his sleep habits - we're working on it)!

When anyone in the house gets home they can't wait to see the little guy! He is the light of all of our lives. We love this little guy!

Basketball, Basketball & MORE BASKETBALL!!

Tanner's biggest fans!!

Some other members of Tanner's fan club!

The star himself! (I know, the kid won't smile in pictures???)


The Action.



Tanner with his good friend/teammate Hayden.

More Action.

At any given week from November to January, you could find the Markhams at a school basketball game at least 2 times a week, and sometimes up to 4 times a week. It was a good time. We enjoyed watching and Tanner had a lot of fun playing. He's learned a lot and has become good friends with the kids on his team.

It was fun having the Warnicks come to a few games and a real treat to have Grandpa and Grandma in town for the tournament. Tanner's a pretty lucky guy :)

Who's more tired after a ward party?

I'm on the activities committee at church and for any of you who have ever served on that committee, know how tiring the day of can be.

Poor little Ty was passed from one kid in the ward to the other. There was no nap, no sort of structure. Nothing he's used to in a day.

So the answer to the question is...Ty is more tired after a ward party than mommy!

My Lil' Shopping Buddy

Ty's favorite thing to do (well as far as I can tell) is go to the mall and walk around. He'll just sit in his stroller for hours with any complaining and watch the people go by. So on day's when we have nothing to do, I know it'll be easier to go to the mall than to sit home with him. Nothing better than a content baby :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TANNER!!!

12 REASONS WE LOVE TANNER

1-HE MAKES US LAUGH

2-HE IS ALWAYS AWARE OF OTHERS FEELINGS

3-HE'S ALWAYS WILLING TO HELP

4-HE'S A GOOD BROTHER

5-HE'S FUN TO BE AROUND

6-HE IS ALWAYS TELLING US INTERESTING FACTS

7-HE IS A GOOD LISTENER

8-HE IS A GREAT FRIEND

9-HE'S SENSITIVE TOWARDS OTHERS

10-HE IS A TEAM PLAYER

11- HE KNOWS HIS WEAKNESSES

12-HE'S A GOOD LEADER

GEOGRAPHY BEE

So I am soo proud of Tanner. He is the winner of the 6th grade Geography Bee!!!! I am so excited for him. That's a big deal. So now he'll go on to compete against the whole school. So we'll see how it goes.

What I want to know is where his brain came from?? He is such a smart kid!!

It goes to show that making your kids read a lot totally pays off!