FAMILY

Happiest of Birthdays

2011-06-29T22:36:00.002-06:00

My birthday was yesterday...thank you again for all the birthday wishes people!

I've had some very wonderful birthdays over the years, but I can say this was truely my favorite so far.

The day before my birthday me and my beautiful baby girls headed off to Costco to get my choice of birthday treat: Cheesecake! mmmmm!
As we walked past the fresh flower display Taylee, in all her sweetness, asked if she could buy me some flowers for my birthday. I excitedly agreed and told her to choose any flowers she wanted to.
She chose some beautiful pink gerber daisies. {I happen to love gerber daisies, too}
Now for the best part...
She wanted to get them out of the bucket which was just out of her reach so I lifted her up to get them. As her feet toched the floor, she turned to me singing "Happy Birthday" at the top of her longs right there in Costco while handing me these flowers!

Needless to say my heart grew 3 sizes that day.
It is moments like these that really make being a mom the best! (and make up for all the awful moments of fighting and whining and nastiness)

Oh, and my birthday got better. I spent time with those I love. Thank you for making my day full of celebration.
~Jenn

9 months

2011-02-13T18:54:00.013-07:00

Mastered:
* SMILE! Finally I got a picture of her smiling. Aly has always been so serious. I love it, but am glad I was finally able to capture this sweet toothy smile on camera.
* Furniture cruiser - She pulls her self up on the furniture and 'walks' along them
* Patty-Cake - she pats it, she rolls it and she throws it in the oven.
* Feeding herself - (speaking of cake) Ya for mom, I can finally get something done!
* Backup Singer - Big sister loves to sing, and Als loves to sing along
* Just Dance - wii love to dance at our house. We have a dance game for the wii. She gets the remote, points it at the TV, and shakes it. But really whenever/wherever there is music she grooves and it goes something like this: hears music, starts the belly bounce (or knee bounce-depending on the position) then the arms and hands start waving.
* Signs - she's come up with some great ways to communicate. When she wants you to come here she'll pat her belly or knees (as if we're her puppies). She will sign Night-night when tired, sometimes milk -but mostly food when hungry, more, and all done
* Kissy-kissy - she's been giving kisses for awhile, now she'll blow you kisses
* Copy-cat - this may be my favorite age because of this. Als is really learning how a lot of things work. Some of my recent favorite examples are: when I answered the phone she had a toy in her hand so she held it up to her ear and started 'talking'...and she likes to wash her hair (yes she fills up the cup and dumps it on her head), brushes her hair and teeth,, imitates her sisters play, or our laughs...
* and I must be her favorite, because I am...and really she says "Mama" a lot!

Working on
* Balance - it seems that she has more confidence than balance. I try not to encourage this too much. I'm not sure I'm ready for her to walk.
* Walking - OK I'll admit it...it's starting. My baby is working up some bravery. Letting go of the couch or other support system. Even trying to stand up while not being supported by anything. So ya, here's to hoping this lasts a little while.
* Talking - I know there is gonna be some time before this is mastered, but she really concentrates on the sounds we make

Yes, we're still here

2011-02-13T18:10:00.010-07:00

I really wish I was good at blogging. Not just making posts, but making awesome posts. In reality, that is why I don't love posting on this thing. But I do love looking back and being able to read about stuff like this:

Alyssa
7 months

Mastered
* Crawling - look out big sis, I'm coming to get you! It didn't take long to get this down, and once she did, she got fast.
* Sit up, Stand up - She can sit up or pull herself up anywhere, anytime. Even if that is in her crib at 2 a.m. But she gets stuck, can't wait until she learns to sit back down.
* Scream - Aly has been a pretty quiet baby, unless something is wrong. But now she thinks it's really funny to scream. Then Tay screams, and as you can guess, Aly screams...back and forth it goes.
* Kisses - she's pretty choosy about who gets em, and when. But my favorite part of this open mouth, slobbery kiss is when she says "Ooohhh" after!

Working on
* Her dance moves
* Trying to be as big as big Sis
* Sleeping through the night (fingers crossed!!!)

Happy...

2011-01-09T15:22:00.004-07:00

My New Years resolution...maybe, just maybe I can not neglect this poor little blog.

Now for the catch up.
I'll start with Christmas:

This year really was one of the happiest, if not the most, Christmas' to date. T-Bug was so afraid of Santa at Thanksgiving (as you can see in this photo).

We thought it would be so great to have most of the cousins in a pic with him since we were all together.
Then one day she woke up and told me she wanted Santa to bring her the Rapunzel doll (from Tangled) that sings. She wanted this doll SO bad that she was very insitant on going to visit him again. I wasn't about to stand in line for ever to have her freak out about him again (not that I blame her-the whole thing is a little wierd,right).
But we did go to a Christmas show where Santa and Mrs. Claus were there to greet the children.

I'm so proud of her. She faced her fear! When I said she was afraid, I mean terrified! Like hyperventilating, holding on with a death grip terrified. So it was a big feat for her to just wake up and decide...Sure enough Santa was proud of her for this, and because she was mostly such a good girl

She got her doll that sings.

Aly was fun at Christmas time, too. She just wanted to eat the bows and paper, of course.

NEW YEARS
If I had to sum up the night it would be wow! Tay lasted until about 1 am when she finally fell asleep in the car on the way home. Who can sleep when they have thier 'Prince' to ring in the new year with?

We hope you had as great of holidays as we did, and that the 011 brings blessings of joy to you!

30 and 5 months...

2010-10-17T22:59:00.039-06:00

Hi. Sorry I've been horrible. I haven't had the computer much, and when I have - I haven't had the time...I know, I'm even horrible at excuses!

So here's my attempt to get you caught up in my life, but more importantly, in the life of my girls-the cutest, most precious things on the planet!

Alyssa

I'm a little behind, so I'll start now and work
my way back in another post...

5 Months

Mastered:
* Laugh - All it takes is T walking past her now a days. But she still loves big sounds, like a loud BOOM, or high pitched BOING...
* Roll - She's been able to do this for awhile, but now she's fast! She can really get around the room and into the things she shouldn't (like the library books, ya)
* Balancing Act - she can balance standing on Daddy's hand...following the tradition.
* Eat - she's getting the chewing thing down pretty good. She gets a little bit of whatever we're eating, momma bird style!
* Cause 'n Effect - She's learning this by playing games, such as: when you nibble her toes then stop, she'll lift her foot up to your mouth again.
* Clear a room - Sorry sweets, but ya got dog farts. Good thing those blue eyes melt your heart!

Working on:
* Scooting - She's just the cutest lil inch worm. She puts her rolly polly tootsy in the air then pushes off with those ity-bity toes...but still prefers rolling since it takes less effort for the desired outcome.
* Sitting Up - She's been getting better at this pretty quickly. She can sit without any help for almost a min or so, depending on how excited she gets.
* Pull ups - She's starting to use those abs. Trying to sit from a laying position, or pull her self up on the couch, etc.

She's developed a great relationship with Big Sis. It really is so much fun to watch them together. They really do love each other so much.

Taylee

2 1/2 years (or 30 months!)

Now here is the whole package! She is beautiful, smart, charming, hilarious - just an all out perfect daughter.

* She is so smart. She's beginning to recognize some letters, including:
T A Y L E E,
O (which was the first),
and occasionally M and D.

* She's loving to learn the words she already knows in different languages (Spanish and French) thanks to her Daddy and Fancy Nancy. She will tell me:
Venga Aqui (Come Here)
Vamanos (Let's go)
Apurate (Hurry Up or something)
Basura (garbage)
Te Amo Mucho (Love you Much)
Pesa Me (Kiss me)
Bonjour (Hello)
Oui (Yes)

* She loves putting people together, as in: who's James' mom, or who's name is Eliza? (which is the name of a friend who's called 'Blueberry')

* She is always asking questions - which sometimes I don't even know the answer to.

* She loves to talk on the phone, when she's pretending. She has great conversations too. Mostly she calls her prince James!

* She has good memorization skills. She has her favorite books memorized, to the point that she'll recite the page and tell you "Ok, turn the page."

* She's always been fond of music, but today told me, "My favorite is church music, because it has meaning." Really, I have no idea where that came from. Her favorite non-church song is Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat's 'Lucky'. She's always singing that!

* Drawing - She's been getting better at coloring. The other day we were at Lars' sister's house where they have a white board on the wall. Taylee drew this picture of her daddy by Lars just telling her what shapes to draw (circle, line...)

We really are so lucky to be the parents of these 2 girls!

Lars
Just celebrated his 29th birthday! He's so busy with school and work we don't have a lot of time together. But the time we get is special. He's so good at taking the time to be involved, and make us feel loved. We really appreciate all his hard work...even if it's hard on us.

As for me...I'm just trying to keep one step ahead, most days unsuccessfully. I still work once in awhile to keep my sanity. I'm enjoying finding new ways to have fun while not spending money (so if you have any ideas do share!)

Hope you enjoyed this long post...sorry! I've gotta have this stuff somewhere ;)

Preview

2010-09-14T23:11:00.008-06:00

I know it's been awhile. I'll be playing catch-up hopefully SOON.
But for now you'll just have to stand by while enjoying these FABULOUS pictures. I tried something new, knowing I could trust my photographer. We love you Michelle! Thank you SO MUCH!!!

And this has to be my favorite! I didn't have the best of days, but every time I looked at this picture it made my heart swell!

I love these beautiful girls! How did I get so lucky to have such a gorgeous family?!?!!

Oh Really?

2010-08-01T02:33:00.002-06:00

Do you ever have those nights when 3 am rolls around and you're still not asleep?
If you answered no, good for you.
If you answered yes, you may know how frustrated I'm feeling. I have no idea why my body, well mostly my mind, won't shut off. By now I've finished some sewing projects I had going for some baby gifts, I cleaned up a few things around the house, I looked around on fb, then I did a little blog stocking...everything I can think of to distract myself enough to wear down my body and still, I'm awake.
I don't know what it is about being a girl that makes you just start to doubt yourself, and flat out beat yourself up.
Why, at three freaking o'clock am I throwing a party for myself?
All I know is tomorrow is going to be dreadful...

We're so glad when daddy is home!

2010-06-22T09:34:00.020-06:00

As much of a mommy's girl as Taylee is, she still really likes her daddy. If you ask her who her favorite is she usually says "Daddy is my favorite!"

We spent Sat visiting my Dad and Grandpa at the cabin. Taylee is really starting to love going up there, despite the drive.
She loves to ride the "fo-wedder" (four wheeler). She was telling us she needed a helmet so she could go SO fast, so we put one of her older cousins helmets on. She climbed on the fo-wedder, turned the key, started it, and luckily Daddy was right there, cause she gunned it!

The scariest part of that is, she can't wait until she's big enough to ride the motorcycle all by herself, YIKES!!

Sunday was kinda uneventful, I wasn't feeling good, but I had good intentions so I redeemed myself last night.
I made a yummy dinner: Phyllo wrapped Halibut with a lemon scallion sauce...Mmmmmm

(If you know me, this isn't my plate...hehehe. But Lars and Tay enjoyed their veggies!)

On Sunday we did go visit Farfar (Swedish for Fathers Father).
When we were in Sweden we saw this soccer jersey that said: Larsson #11.

We bought it, not having any kids yet, hoping that someday Lars' son could wear it!

Well...we know the story from there.

So Lars got it out and asked Taylee if she would be Daddy's lil boy for the day. She was playing it up, too. She kept saying she was a boy and then would giggle. Way to try to confuse her babe :) They had a lot of fun playing soccer. I wish I had a video camera with me though, it was the cutest thing hearing how hard Tay was laughing when Gator was playing soccer with her.

It was really important to me to choose a hubby that would be a great daddy! He really has exceeded my expectations! Tay absolutely adores him, and can't wait for him to come home!

He is the protector. He is calming, he is silly and he always makes sure that he has fun with them.

Like last night, even though his back was killing him and he was feeling really sick, he still climbed under our kitchen table cause it was Taylee's house and she wanted him to visit her.

It's so much fun watching them play house and babies, and soccer, or whatever Tay wants to play.

Thanks for being such a great example to me, you make me want to be a better mom. You are such a blessing and I couldn't imagine doing this without you. I love you babe! Happy Father's Day!

Campouts and Water fountains

2010-06-09T11:40:00.014-06:00

We've been having so much fun enjoying our summer, now that it's finally here! Taylee has her cousins back from Arizona for a little visit and so far we've had a camp out and played in the fountains at the Gateway...Utah really does have a lot of fun activities that don't cost money!
anyone have some good idea's on what's out there for little or no money?
But it's true what they say: "Pictures are worth a thousand words", so I'll let them do the talking!

~She has such a sweet tooth. Definitely enjoyed her s'more, even if she couldn't figure out why we kept asking her if she liked her more.

As for the fountains, they were a little nervous at first. Tay thought she'd be totally content with watching all the other kids play. Then I had trouble convincing them we were done, of course!

...and baby Gator enjoyed her nap in the warmth of the summer day!

Our Brave lil' Monkey...

2010-05-28T17:30:00.009-06:00

Tay has NO fear. (Something I'm hoping changes soon)
My little brothers orthodontist rents out Classic Skating once a year as an appreciation party for his paitents and thier family/friends. Being one who's not afraid to partake in free activities we went, and glad we did.
Taylee's first time riding a scooter and she got it down so fast. She was dancing as she drove around the skating rink, too cute to watch. No fear of the bigger kids driving all crazy.

She also had no fear of the bouncy toys either, she was not letting us anywhere near her. These slides were pretty fast too.

It's fun to watch her challenge herself in new adventures.

Hope you all have a fun and safe Memorial Day!

We also love Sundays...and toes!

2010-05-24T09:50:00.008-06:00

Tay is such a girly girl, which I'm quickly leaarning how to accomodate. You see, growing up with all brothers seems to have it's way of forming one into a tom boy. It was much easier to play in the dirt with the boys then convince them to clean up to play dolls with me!
So it's been kinda fun to have a little girl who is so into being a little girl. She loves dresses, so you can see why we love Sunday. I just had to take pictures yesterday because I thought I have such a beautiful family.

And I just love these tiny toes all painted pink! Isn't it cute that they had thier feet folded the same way - (no posing involved)

Tay loves the Library

2010-05-21T11:37:00.010-06:00

Books have always been a favorite of Tay's but I never really thought to take her to library...until now.
A friend, Ashlee, gave me the idea to look at the library websites around the county to see the story time happenings for possible play date idea's. We were lucky enough to find the last couple before the summer programs start - a Royal Party and a Music time next week...
Taylee calls it a Princess Party, which is more like it. Not only did the princess tell them a story, she taught them how to dance like a princess and there were a few crafts as well.

Now what you all want to see: Pictures...

This is my favorite-she makes a perfect Cinderella! Don't you think.
She had to be Cinderella because she had Cinderella panties on, silly girl

Dancing with Blueberry

Listening to the story. She loved the huge book, too.

Crafting a princess hat with Grammy

(Don't you just love her face? Stinker...I asked for a Princess Smile!)

Tay's favorite part was the doggy, Baby sis even got to meet them!
Thanks Blue & Ash, we had a blast!

Sweet Somethings

2010-05-19T15:36:00.003-06:00

Last night...way after bedtime, I was on the couch cuddling with my girls. Aly was starving and Tay was NOT going to go lay down in her bed until I could snuggle her for a min, so I decided that we'd just snuggle on the couch while I fed the gator.
I thought for sure Tay would just fall asleep being that it was 10:45 pm, but then the sweetest thing happened.
Tay snuggled right up behind her baby sis and started singing "I am a child of God" to her. I just sat there and listened as she sang the first verse and corus over and over (3 times)...with tears in my eyes of course!
I just love this time of my life and can't believe how fast it has already gone by, sigh. Thanks for teaching me so much sweet girls, these are the moments I live for!

Thanks for letting me share this, I never want to forget this moment. In fact I think this is one of those moments I'll think of when I can't stand them as teenagers!

Welcoming AlyGator

2010-05-17T16:28:00.009-06:00

Baby Sis has been so much fun. I can't believe she's almost 3 weeks old, and I haven't even made a post about her yet.
She came a week early (due to the convenience of modern medicine) but still weighed 8 lbs 7 oz. She was 20 inches tall.

In 3 weeks Aly has begun to:
Interact - it's amazing to watch her study my face, to listen to her cue, to snuggle up to her.
Hold her head up and look around.
She's even tried to hold her body up, either be struggling to sit up while on her back or by pushing up with her hands while on her belly.

Having 2 girls has been pretty easy. Taylee has taken the adjustment well, she's such a good little mommy.
I had to take both girls to Aly's 2 wk appointment by myself. Knowing how sensitive Tay is to the happenings at the doctor, I prepared her before time of the pku test that would be taking place, to hopefully ease the trauma. But as soon as the nurse poked Baby Sis causing her to scream Tay asked "What's that Lady doing to Baby Sis?", then she goes on to chasen the poor nurse: "Stop it lady, you're hurting Baby Sis! Stop it Lady!"
It took a min to calm Tay down, when she realized the Lady was helping keep Baby Sis healthy she climbed on the table, curled up to her baby and began to soothe her by shushing and singing to her. It was definately one of the highlights of having children.

I'm so lucky to have these beautiful girls. I feel so blessed to be a mother, Thank you Lars, Taylee and Alyssa for making this possible. I hope all of you mothers had a fabulous Mother's Day!

34 Wks...and a picture to boot!

2010-03-26T16:46:00.004-06:00

This pregnancy has gone by so fast...I wanted to post this creatively, but just haven't had the time. IT'S A GIRL!!! We're not sure on names yet so we just refer to her as 'baby sis'. It's really cute to hear T talk to her and call her 'baby sis' - she already is so fond of her, which hopefully will last when the jealousy kicks in.

We have 6 weeks left. I am starting to get REALLY excited! (and nervous for the actuall birth) I can't help but wonder what baby sis will look like?!? My family's genes are very prominant~Does this mean baby sis will look a lot like big sis OR will Lars' genes finally kick in?

I JUST CAN'T WAIT...yes,yes I can!

(look at Taylee's sweet face-
I just can't love her enough!)

I'm sorry to say that it may be awhile until the next post, but we will catch you up when we can.
We're moving on Tues...having a very busy and curious toddler, and being 34 wks pregnant will make the moving-in process a slow go...so please forgive me. I'll try to be better with 2 cute munchkins to brag about!!!

Until then: Happy Spring!

2010-01-24T00:24:00.005-07:00

Really...It's been 5 weeks since my last post?

Sorry.

In the last 5 weeks I have:
~ Gotten hugely pregnant & haven't taken ONE picture

~ Had my couch painted with bright pink nail polish...Not that that was the intent. Taylee's entire hands were painted, her pants ruined, and again: NO picture. But she was so proud of herself! I was a little proud too.

~ Have watched my 21 month old try to potty train herself.

~ Sent my hubby back to school, making my life a little more lonely.

~ Spent A LOT of time away from my house for all types of reasons. Being a 'stay at home' mom has a little different meaning in my life :)

So again, sorry. I'll do my best at getting cute enough to take a pregnant picture for the requests I've gotten. And I'll try REALLY hard not to neglect my source of journaling (since that's all we've got).

What to expect…

2009-12-13T16:19:00.013-07:00

I really am sorry that our blog has been neglected lately, we've been busy. I know some of you may think, "Nice excuse!" And maybe that's all it is…hahaha!

Taylee really loves the snow. These are the only pictures we took over Thanksgiving weekend…

She has Grandma wrapped around her finger and was able to talk her into lots of sled rides! Which was nice because I don't have snow boots and didn't last long.

Today daddy went out to shovel the snow (or the 'ss…sss…NO' as T calls it) and she threw a fit until he agreed to wrap her up and take her out with him.

I went out a few minutes later to find that they were making our Snowman Family. And because I have such a creative hubs we have some news to share…what do you think it is?

We are expecting baby #2. Lars tried to make mommy snowman pregnant, but she just looked extra fat! (If you've been preg before you know this is NOT how you want to look but is definately how you feel)
Taylee loves her baby. Although she has no idea how a baby will change her world for now. I love these last two pictures...I just can't get enough of my sweet little T bug!

She's hugging her snowman and kissing her baby snowman. It was really funny when I told her we needed to go give her snowman a nose, she grabbed her nose and said: "My nose!" in a really sad voice. But was so excited when I showed her that carrots were noses for snowmen and choclate chips were eyes! She consumed a lot more of each than were used for the facial features!

We hope you're all feeling the wonderful Christmas Spirit so far...

Remember the Reason for the Season

Family Photo's

2009-11-11T00:30:00.001-07:00

So I haven't had much time to post them on the blog, but my favorites are on facebook. So check them out if we're friends, if not just send me a request!

Tis the season for...Sickness

2009-11-06T18:45:00.003-07:00

Tues night: up most of night with fever
Wed: feel fine most of morning
Wed night: fever, again! Go to urgent care-H1N1 test comes back negative
Thurs: feel fine most of day. Sure I was over the cold/flu whatever it was
Thurs night: who guessed it: Fever keeps me up all night
Fri night: finally getting treatment for the piggie flu.
Hopefully I'll feel better soon!
...And hopefully Lars and Tay have stronger immune systems then me!

2009-10-31T21:51:00.014-06:00

So about a month ago I started working on Lars, for I had a special treat in mind for him this Halloween! Imagine green tights. That's right I hoped he would be Peter Pan!
I almost had him convinced....Unfortunately I failed at the last minute. But Taylee still very much enjoyed being Tinkerbell. I think she made a very cute one at that!

It was a lot of fun watching her as she quickly figured out what it took to get candy from strangers...what a bizarre holiday. Her cute little voice, "Trit or Treat".

We carved pumpkins last weekend. The first picture is her first encounter with the nasty insides of the 'pumpkie'. She said: "Eeewwww!"

But then it was down to business. She loved it!

(It's a headless horseman. Taylee LOVES horsies!)

I hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween!

Wow...It's been awhile

2009-10-12T22:41:00.002-06:00

Sorry I've been neglecting the blogging world. I'll ry to find some time to post all the fun things we did with the rest of the summer soon :)

Some first’s continued…

2009-07-31T22:34:00.003-06:00

T's next 'FIRST' experience was

Riding a Horse…Well pony anyway

I wasn't really sure that how she'd feel about this so Lars was on camera duty and I was on 'cuddle' duty. While we were waiting in line she was super excited about the ponies. She was going from one person to the next to get that much closer, and kept trying to push the people in front of us out of her way. Then it was our turn…When we started walking up to Andy (her pony) she grabbed on really tight, but once I asked her what the horse said she started singing the 'William Tell Overture' and bouncing up and down (the whole time). She started feeling so comfortable that she even pushed me away for a second. By the end of her ride she didn't want to get off. She is so much fun, and I still think she's the cutest baby in the world!

A month of firsts from our growing girl

2009-07-27T09:45:00.008-06:00

I know I said that this would be an upcoming post, as in awhile from today…{If you're lost on what I'm talking about scroll down, wouldn't want you to miss out on the adorable pictures below}

BUT, my sleeping beauty is still sleeping
SO I've got time, for now…

As much as I knew it would be a good idea to take T in for her FIRST HAIR CUT, I struggled a little.

I just love her curls and I was afraid if I cut them off I would never see them again. Boy was I wrong! It actually made it so the curls are much curlier! She was so adorable in her leopard print cover and pink car. She's such a girly girl UNTIL she's got a car ~ by car I mean anything with wheels, that can be pushed and makes the "GRUUM, GRUUM" sound. Despite her jerking and tugging on the wheel, she got a pretty good hair cut. AND it doesn't end up in as much of a tangley mess due to the car seat. But that could be contributed to the Detangling conditioner and extra sweaty summer head too!

Being 15 months old means "I CAN DO IT MYSELF" In our house. T is all about this rule she's made up. She does LIKE to:

FEED HERSELF – this is great for mom's hands during meal time, but after meal time it's a little more clean-up. She's getting better at using utensils, only dumping the contents once in awhile instead of every trip from plate to mouth.
CLEAN-UP – Believe it or not, she WILL clean-up most of her messes as long as we sing the 'clean-up clean-up everybody everywhere' song
CLIMB – how many of you have this scenario: Mom goes to bathroom, leaves 14 mo old baby in living room playing. Hears said 14 mo old getting quieter so hurries to wash hands and get back downstairs: ONLY to find her ON TOP of the Kitchen counter! She loves to climb, that's why we spend a lot of time at the park!
TALK – Taylee actually says a lot of words for her age. The average (and rare to hear, now): Mom and Dada, are being replaced with: There it is, Water (wata) – which she also says for Watermelon, and Names of some family members, and one of my favorite things to hear: sQUEEs when she gives you a Squeeze! And 'peas' – When she wants something, we've mostly got her trained to use her words, her word of choice is Please
PLAY with her IMAGINATION – She is so much fun to watch as she plays, whether it be with her baby, her kitchen – cooking up some wonderful feasts and feeding them to baby or mom, or anything she has in her hand: if she can make sound with it: it's dance time, if she can push it: it's a car' gruuming' by.
SHARE– HIGH FIVES and KNUCKLE BUMPS that is…If one person asks for a five or a bump EVERYONE in the room gets one! Probably the ONLY thing she likes to share these days!

One of my favorite things she does: NO MATTER what she's doing {throwing a fit, included} IF the Lagoon commercial – with song 'Sail away and spend a day' – comes on, she's up and DANCING with a HUGE smile on her face!

She really is a very GOOD, very SMART baby who is always keeping us busy and on our toes! We love you baby girl!

Wish List

2009-07-27T08:51:00.004-06:00

While I was looking around in the blogging world I discovered this:

You can find them at blablakids.com:
{for some reason, I'm too uneducated, I can't get the link to show up...Anyone want to help me out?}

I REALLY want the LADYBUG backpack, and the MERMAID doll!?! If only...

What's been keeping us away from blogging?

2009-07-27T08:13:00.015-06:00

I know most of you just want picture's so here you go...

4th of July...Tay loved everything about it (Except nap time)
She loved the parade:

And this is us watching the fireworks...She absolutely loved them

The ones that 'popped' scared her a little at first. Just for a moment, then she just danced to them!

AND THEN THERE'S BEEN ALOT OF TIME HERE
at the Park (and swimming pool ~ pictures pending)

THEN...there was the week for a Family Reunion
Where she LOVED the bike ride

and eventually the tube ride...

She probably would've liked it more when we first put her out there, but she did fall asleep on the boat, and she did just get woken up and placed on a cold tube!

We also have had a month of more first's for Taylee...Coming Soon!

Celebrating Pioneers

2009-07-24T14:03:00.003-06:00

I'm so thankful that the Pioneer's were faithful in following the Prophet to the west. I am thankful to live in a State were my values are respected and protected. Where we stand up for families, no matter the wrath from media or groups against the value and sacredness of a marriage/family.

I hope you fellow Utahn's had a great day off!
See Rob...there's lots of benifits of living in Utah! (even if you have every other Fri off)

2009-06-10T12:27:00.003-06:00

Taylee and James (one of her possible future husbands) shooting the next Oreo cookie commercial.

Oh how I wish I had a point & shoot camera that took video's. They were being so cute. Taylee kept trying to kiss James -on demand, mostly- but he wasn't into it. Which was really funny since last time we saw them, James got confused and licked her face. They're both just so cute!

The Richardson's have finally gotten their wish to leave Utah. We wish them the best of luck with the new job, new state and all the other new wonders coming their way. Thanks for being such great friends!

Where have I been…

2009-06-09T22:49:00.005-06:00

Home, Doing a lot of this….

Asking myself – Tornado or Toddler?

check out the look on her face...
(you may have to enlarge the pic to see it)
To me it says: "You gotta problem with this?"

Shout out to Mom’s everywhere…

2009-05-10T11:09:00.001-06:00

I just wanted to take a minute and say "THANKS"
to my Mom, and to all of the mom's out there! I count myself blessed. I have many woman to thank for their examples and advice… Not only for Mom stuff, but for life's stuff. Everyone knows life isn't easy and I'm thankful for all of you who have brought a little sunshine into my life (most of you may not even know it!)

I wish you all the very happiest Mothers Day!

~This was taken on my first Mother's Day. (Taylee was only about a month old). I am so thankful for her. She is such a great baby. She brings so much happiness into my life and our home.

I also want to Thank my hubby for making me feel special everyday! And for helping me be a good mom, because he's such a great daddy!

I forgot to mention…

2009-05-02T07:45:00.006-06:00

When we took Taylee to the doctor for her 1yr checkup we found out she had an ear infection. No biggie…Right?

The doc wrote out a prescription for amoxicillin and sent us on our way. Tay is such a sweet baby, even when she's sick and uncomfortable. So the next 10 days were a breeze. Then 48 hours after her last dose of the medicine I noticed her skin was a little reddish on the back of her neck. Not quite a rash…yet. Then within about an hour this is what she looked like:

So I called the doctor and we took her in. I had no idea that this could be from the amoxicillin, but apparently she had a reaction to it. It looked really sad, but it didn't bother her at all.

Ps. (these pics were taken about 3 days into the rash-it lasted for 4)

I'm hoping she doesn't continue to have this reaction. I think it will stink if she's allergic to it, which at this time the doc doesn't think that it's an allergic reaction.

Home Depot Days

2009-04-28T22:10:00.002-06:00

Home Depot has a day a month where they put together a project packet for kiddies to come and build…for free
(as you may or may not know). So we went…and Tay absolutely LOVED it! She does this really cute thing when she hears a loud noise (even if she's the one making it) ~ She blinks every time the bang hits. It's just too funny to watch and so she thinks she's pretty funny, too.

So far the only thing that has made the bird house home was bees. No worries, Lars took care of them before they took care of us (I get more allergic to them every time I get stung)…but it's still cute that Daddy and Daughter built their first of many projects I'm sure!

Easter 2009

2009-04-23T17:13:00.003-06:00

Sorry this post is a little late…we spread our Easter over two weekends instead of cramming all our family into one day. And we've been out enjoying the sunshine-nowhere near the computer! (Isn't it lovely?!) Taylee had a blast coloring, hunting and carrying her eggs. She loves to be busy and wears her parents out!
We hope you all had a great time with your loved ones!

ONE YEAR!?!

2009-04-06T22:37:00.003-06:00

I know, I can't believe it either. Taylee's 1^st birthday was yesterday. She sure has a lot of people who love her. Thank you to all who came to show your love for our pretty little girl.

Some of my favorite things this month:

ANIMAL SOUNDS – This is getting to be so much fun! She rarely growls anymore…her new favorite is a dog; but not a barking dog, a panting dog –tongue sticking out included. She also will mimic a: gorilla, sheep, elephant, and lizard (tongue sticking out wiggling).
WAVE – Taylee is already practicing her 'Miss America' wave…She really knows everyone thinks that she is SO cute!
"MOMMY" – She is a natural nurturer. She holds her baby (or stuffed animals) and 'hums' to them while she rocks them.
A NEW WORD – She FINALLY says Mmmmmoommm! After many months of babbling dadada.
SIGNING – Her new signs this month include, but are not limited to: please, mom (another version of her blowing a kiss), ball…she also puts signs together like: more please. As if she's trying to be more specific in communicating.

It has been a month of maturing for our little bug. She has gotten so smart. She is really transitioning into being a toddler, which seems kinda soon-wasn't she just in my belly? As much as I'm going to miss her being my baby (yes I cried a little about this), I'm so excited for what this year will bring and all we have to look forward to learning from her!

Here are some pictures from her photo shoot (birthday/easter), and from her birthday party!

Random happenings from March

2009-03-23T15:42:00.014-06:00

We have been enjoying everything from family and friends, to the warm spring like weather (not so much the current snowy day, though –Yuck!) So I thought I would just post a few fun pic's we captured…Hope you enjoy!

" Say What? "

Taylee's first trip to the pool...

...and she Loved it!

Cookie decorating at the Jackson's

(Taylee also loves cookies, sweet tooth!)

Taylee stole Daddy's wendy's cup...good thing the soda was gone! I just love this picture, so I had to post it!!

We've been loving the warm weather and have made severel trips to the zoo...

Taylee loves water. From bathtubs, and swimming pools...
to Drinking fountains.

I'm a big girl now.
NO more baby food - I won't eat it!

And finally...Here's Tay Surfin in the USA.

11 months (…plus…)

2009-03-23T15:16:00.002-06:00

Sorry I'm a little late on posting this month. Taylee has been keeping us very busy (as usual)!

She continues to show us more of her personality, and is still such a tease.

Here are a few of our favorite things (this month) …

CLIMBING – So this isn't really one of my favorite things, but it is fun to see Taylee's new trick! She climbs in the bathtub, on the toilet, couch and anything else she can get her tiny little legs onto!
BABBLING – She is making so many more sounds. She really studies the way you move your mouth while you talk. She has mastered the growl so well, that that's what every animal says in Taylee's world.
DANCING – Although this concept isn't new, she has added a new feature: Her arms. They now sway back and forth in front of her grooving body, or she does the 'cabbage patch' as it was known in the good ol' 80's!
RECOGNITION – She is showing us that the words that are coming out of our mouth are for a purpose…She knows several things by name now, such as: mouth, hands (wash your hands/mouth), nose, hair, ears, toys, good-night…and others. We're noticing that she's really discovering the world.
KISSES – By far my favorite thing! She is so loving. She will come over to us and give us kisses, as if to let us know she loves us. She blows kisses like crazy, too. And the best part…they're not the usual open mouth, super slobbery baby kisses!
SUPER READER – Taylee loves to read. She pulls all the books off the shelf (mom & dad's too) and will open most of them and giggle and blab on and on. She even growls at/with the ones that have animals in them!

We're so proud of you Tay-bug. We are so blessed to have you in our lives. Thank you for sharing your talents with us.

To all our readers…look forward to our next post ~ Fun to Be ONE! (I don't know about you, but I'm baffled a year has gone by already!)

She REALLY wants to take a bath!

2009-03-11T21:27:00.003-06:00

As I've mentioned before, Taylee LOVES taking baths. I guess I wasn't getting her in fast enough and she figured out how to get in herself… (Did it matter that she was fully clothed? Not to her)

Having fun with Cousins…

2009-03-04T21:01:00.007-07:00

We've been having some fun adventures with our cousins. Taylee really looks up to her cousins and enjoys their company, too! She is a little bossy, but none of them seem to mind-they let her get away with a lot. Nix tries to hold her own but eventually she gives in too!

2009-02-16T11:12:00.002-07:00

I have the best husband in the whole world. He is so handsome and fun to be with. We had a chance to go on a date without our bundle of joy in tow. It was fun and weird all at the same time. As if we didn't miss Taylee just cause we were away from her, we got sat next to a table with twins-who were being so cute. So our plan to concentrate on us with no conversation of our cutest baby was shot within a few minutes of listening to those babies…but we still had a great time. Lars was even willing to get a pedicure after dinner with me, but lucky for him the 'pedi technician' had to leave just before we got there.

I love the feel of his hand in mine and I'm thankful that we were sealed together forever! I'm thankful for a husband who works full time and when he gets home he is just as involved in taking care of Taylee and dinner or whatever else we have going on that night. I'm thankful for a husband who is so caring, loving, and accepting. For a husband who supports my wants and needs even though he doesn't always understand them. I'm thankful that you are my Valentine now and forever!

Filled with love

2009-02-16T10:41:00.004-07:00

My sweet lil' Valentine is definitely loved by all who meet her. How can you resist such a beauty anyway?

Papa Bob surprised Taylee with a cute card that sings "You are my sunshine" and a HUGE sucker that she was definitely in love with.

And this was when we had to take it away to clean it off...

Spoiled princess!

Traditions…

2009-02-16T10:25:00.004-07:00

My late Aunt Karen was a very special treasure in my childhood. She was an amazing example of love and friendship. She always saw the good in any person. She was always so much fun to be with. She would often take me to Wendy's for a tasty treat of fries and a frosty. I have many fond memories of her, but by far the most special one was our birthday cakes. Each year she asked each member of our family what we wanted for a cake. My favorite one is the Rainbow Bright cake she made me for my 6^th birthday. Or was it the yellow Carebear cake I got for my 4^th birthday along with the assortment of stuffed Carebear's?

This year for my nephew Aidan's 4^th birthday he wanted a pirate birthday party. As I thought about what to get him for a present I reflected on the many wonderful cakes my Aunt Karen had made us…And this is what I came up with.

I hope I get better at making cakes because my other nephew's and niece's wonder why I didn't make them a cool cake for their birthdays! I guess I will try to live up to the legacy Karen left behind.

We miss Aunt Karen so much. I only wish that Lars and Taylee would have had a chance to meet her, someday.

Family Pictures

2009-02-11T10:28:00.010-07:00

Thanks to Michelle Sallay we have some new fabulous wall hangings! Here's a few of the pictures I found on her website http://michellesallayphotography.blogspot.com/
I can't wait to see the rest!

We had a great time at Gardner Village while taking these. We really appreciate the time you spent with us Michelle and we love how these turned out! I'm glad you can't tell how ornery Nixi was in her pics :)

TEN months

2009-02-09T09:53:00.001-07:00

Yet another month has passed so quickly and our little bug is hard at work. She has such a mild and loving personality, unless she wants something she can't have! But really she is such a joy to be around. I love her smile, it does wonders for the soul. A doctor we visited, while searching for solutions for Lars' back, told us that there was a study done that showed the same chemical reaction happens in a mother's brain when seeing the face of her smiling baby as in a druggy after shooting heroin. Crazy, huh!?! So Taylee is my drug of choice…hehehe.

Here are some highlights for this month…

WALKING –It is official, we have a walker. She walks all around the house, back and forth, and she is so proud of herself. She likes to hold our hand (just one) and walk around everywhere we go – especially if there are other little ones cruising about. She hardly ever crawls anymore, only when she is tired or on a slippery surface, and in a new place-until she warms up a little.
STANDING –We were ready for her to walk since she tried to for a few months, but we weren't ready to see her stand up in the middle of the floor. She'll crouch with her toosh right above her feet and then just stand right up. It's very cute but seems way too big.
COMMUNICATING –She understands a lot more of our phrases and words now. Her favorite I think is 'bath' –if we say that word we better be ready get her in. She's a good listener too. If we ask her 'don't touch', she won't…most of the time, she is still a very curious baby. Our favorite is still 'loves or kisses'. I just can't seem to get or give enough.
SIGNING –What a blessing this has been. She'll sign 'food', 'more', 'all done', 'night night' and I've seen her do 'Thank you' twice.
CLAPPING –This is so fun. She loves praise and attention, and we play 'Patty cake' A LOT now!
COPY CAT –Brushing hair, and teeth, talking on the phone, and drinking from a cup. I make some pretty silly noises that I never realized, until I hear them from Taters.

She is still very much a tease. We are trying to get her to say 'mama'. (I'm associated with the kiss sound…muahmuah.) She says 'dada' all the time-what a blow.

She is very photogenic. She sees a camera and smiles (a sign we have many pictures of her!)

She also is very sensitive to others feelings. If she hears a little person crying she cries until she can give them a love.

We love you Tay bug and look forward to every moment we have with you in the future. Please slow down though-we're having a hard time catching up with you.

2009-01-28T18:12:00.001-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. My life has been busy and boring at the same time.

We are just
loving our very busy baby…who is walking?!? Should I call it? She's standing and stepping more often than crawling. No…I'm not ready-another day!? She really is the highlight of every day. My new favorite thing she does is her teasing smile and laugh. She scrunches up her nose, shows off her teeth (all 8 of them), and blows in & out of her nose loudly. It's quite cute, and I love it. What I'm not loving , is how babies know how to wine??? I don't get it-we didn't teach her that, and yet it's been a journey trying to teach her not to.

Nine Months

2009-01-08T10:44:00.001-07:00

I can't believe Taylee's already been here for 9 months. This is my favorite age for babies. It has been so much fun watching my little sponge at work. Every day is a new adventure as she grasps new concepts…

Here are some of my favorite things she's doing

DANCING –This is by far the cutest thing I've ever seen. She starts by shaking her head back and forth, in a 'no' fashion. Then when she really starts feeling the music she adds a little bounce.
PLAYING the PIANO –You all saw the Thanksgiving post where she was playing with Grandma…well for Christmas she got her very own baby grand from Grandma and she is possessive. The instant someone starts tapping away on the keys she is there and you either move it or lose it.
WALKING –She is trying so hard! It is so cute to watch even though I am NOT ready for it! She has taken as much as 10 steps on her own.
FEEDING HERSELF –She's not as excited for that mushy, gushy spooned food. She would much rather eat what is on our plate. Her little pinchers are very talented! (Which is another thing she's good at: Pinching! Ouch!)
LOVES and KISSES –She is the sweetest thing. She is so loving, and not just when she's tired or hurt.
BLOWING KISSES –She's still doing this with a little help from Mom & Dad, but she gets so excited about it. She'll do it over and over and over. She even makes the kissy sound with her lips!
SINGING –Again…she gets this from Grandma. She sings in the car, the bathtub, the highchair (which makes it hard to eat), and in the crib ~ She puts herself to sleep and wakes up singing. So sweet.
WAVING –She has been doing this for awhile, but she is really good at doing it on command. No matter how hard she is trying to be shy.
SHADOW –She loves to copy little people. Last night my nephew was putting his head on the ground & kicking his feet up in the air (like a donkey). Taylee couldn't kick her feet but she would put her head down and giggle.
'SO BIG' –Mom & Dad will say: 'How big is Taylee?' Then she'll raise her arms while we say: 'So big!'

There are so many more milestones she's reached but I don't want to lose you…She loves to play games and tease her daddy. She loves encouragement-if we laugh at or praise her for something she's done she'll keep doing it until we distract her.

We're working on sign language, but she likes to hear her own voice and would rather 'tell' us what she wants then show us J

Happy 2009!

2009-01-01T22:31:00.003-07:00

We wish you all the very best in the New Year!

My new favorite game

2008-12-12T14:14:00.002-07:00

We have a climber! Taylee absolutely loves to climb the stairs ~ even if she can't get into any doors once she's reached the top. Now we hope she catches on to how to safely get down, for now she just waits on the landing until we go get her.

(Don't you love how she poses for the camera-it's getting very hard capturing those candid shots!)

I have a feeling this isn't the only thing she's going to try to climb…Can't Wait!!

2008-12-07T20:18:00.007-07:00

It's beginning to look feel like Christmas. Yesterday we took Taylee to see Santa for the first time. The almost hour wait to see the 'real' Santa at South Towne Mall was definitely worth the memories in the years to come.

Here are a couple of the shots that were captured…

She wasn't sure what to think of this hairy stranger. (Not to mention it was way past nap time.) Nonetheless it was a pleasant experience. She is just so curious these days – it was hard to capture her attention long enough to get a smile, she was more interested in the many children and decorations around her. My favorite pic is of them looking at each other!
_____________________________________________

Lars and I were able to go to the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional tonight. The message was sweet and humble as each of the brethren recalled simpler Christmases. In today's world of hustle & bustle it was nice to be reminded of the TRUE meaning of Christmas. I am so thankful for the knowledge I have of the birth, life and mission of our Savior. I love this time of year. I love my Savior.

Merry Christmas!!!

Thanksgiving continued

2008-12-02T21:35:00.010-07:00

Here are some photo’s that we took over the Thanksgiving weekend…
Taylee was able to play (meaning: fight for toys and attention) with my cousins baby who is 2 months older,

play the piano with Grandma,

visit with her Great, Great Grandma,

and go Christmas tree hunting

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-25T23:20:00.005-07:00

I just wanted to say 'Thanks' to each of you. I obviously can't list the reasons why I'm thankful for the individuals that read this blog, but I can say that I have learned so much from each of you. My life is better having known you. Thank you for your support, kindness and friendship.

To my husband:
Thank you for always loving me. For accepting me for who I am and for helping me become who I want to be. I am more than thankful to have you in my life, for now and for all Eternity! I'm thankful for that October day we knelt together in the temple to seal our family.
Thank you for always being an example to me. Thank you for teaching me. Thank you for supporting me. Most of all thank you for working so hard so that I can be home with our beautiful baby.
Thank you for being the worlds greatest Father. I am thankful for the realationship you have with Taylee, she is so lucky to have you. I am lucky to have you.
Thank you for loving me. Thank you for choosing me to be your wife.

To my daughter:
Thank you for the joy you have brought, and continue to bring into our home and family. Thank you for being so dang cute-all of the time! Thank you for being a Mommy's girl (for now, I'm sure). I am so thankful for the many things you've taught me...to recognize the important things in life, to wake up early, to enjoy every second of life - you've always been a busy body, to play even when the dishes aren't done and the floor needs vaccumed. Thank you for making sure your dad isn't the only tease in the house. Thank you for the smiles, the kisses and the cuddles. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for choosing me to be your mom.

I love you all! Happy Thanksgiving!

Twilighters....

2008-11-24T11:32:00.004-07:00

I went to the midnight-well 12:30 showing of Twilight with the girls. Thanks for sacrificing your sleep for Edward ladies!!!
The fun started when we got together at Marli's for a little Twilight recap~trivia style. And like always we had fun chatting the time away. I was thankful I didn't have to spend the last few hours counting down by myself, I had enough anxiety/excitement about it all day!
As for the review...If you haven't seen the movie, and don't want it ruined-don't read anymore...
I absolutely loved it. For those of you who have read Ileah's blog, I agree with her when she said: "It was new". I went to the movie knowing that after reading a book it is always hard to see the movie. Hollywood has a tough act to follow-trying to fit everything into a few hours. I felt they could have made it a little longer...especially the baseball game. Oh baby! I loved the cast they chose. I think each character was played very well. I wasn't that thrilled with Edward when I saw pic's and trailors - I guess my image was different than Hollywood's, which is fine because everyone has their own taste in men, right?! But I have to admit - by the end of the film I was liking the choice. It was refreshing - I got excited about Twilight all over again (not that I ever lost it).
The ONLY thing that dissapointed me was the meadow scene, well the lack there of anyway. The reason she wrote the book-RUINED.
If you go to the flick with the mind set of forgetting the book, to a degree, I'm sure you will love it! I want to see it again, any takers?

Moving

2008-11-09T23:11:00.002-07:00

Just wanted to make a quick post (before the computer gets packed up) to say that we will be out of commission for a short time. We are moving out of this hole to a cute little duplex in Bountiful. Can I just say rent is absolutely ridiculous! It has sky rocketed in the last year-this darn housing situation! We chose to go north because we can get a lot more for our money-and we're one of the few who remain in the Salt Lake area. I'm really excited to get back to my roots-I grew up in Davis County, although it will be frustrating having to navigate Lars around the city until he gets a sense of direction. We'll be really close to my daddy-which also may be frustrating most of the time as well. What do you do? The commute will be shorter for Lars, in theory-he hasn't tested it yet. We think it will be a great place-there are young couples and a few kids around Taylee's age (unlike our current ward of the nearly dead).

So we hope all is well with you and yours ~ We'll be back when we can!

Drum roll please

2008-11-03T20:49:00.006-07:00

Uncle Jason is a drummer and Taylee is following quickly in his footsteps. She's always tapping out a beat on anything she touches, so the 'new' toy at Papa Bob's was sure a treat for her.

Baby's first Halloween

2008-10-28T22:02:00.010-06:00

Halloween celebrations started this year on Saturday the 25th... we braved the crowd to do some trick-or-treating at Hogle Zoo, where half of Utah was. It was great to see the animals, with the cooler weather they are much more active. Here are a couple of my favorite pics we took that day:

After heading home to make some soup we headed out west for a party at the Pidcock's. We had a costume contest, some good eats, and decorated graham cracker haunted houses.

Congrats again to Mark and Ashlee!!! We can't wait to find out whether your bundle of joy is a girl or a boy…

Thursday we went to a Halloween carnival in Bountiful with our cousins. Taylee went 'fishing' for the first time and the boys were giving her all the secrets to success

There was a bounce house and I can't keep this photo for myself (check out the faces: Jayden is wondering what in the world got into his sister)

And finally...Trick-or-treating. It was late and raining when we finally walked around the culdesac for some treats, but it was definately cute. Taylee was tierd and therfore very cuddley-just how I love it! (Sorry I don't have any pictures yet)
We hope ya'll had a fun and safe holiday

The Best 4 Years…

2008-10-22T12:00:00.002-06:00

Happy Anniversary! Lars and I were married 4 years ago. It was such a beautiful day. I always thought that I would cry if it rained or snowed on my wedding day, but boy was I wrong. I lived in Park City before we tied the knot, and I woke up early that morning to make sure I had all the time I needed to make myself as perfect as possible. I hardly noticed the weather outside while I was busy working on the details of hair/makeup…so when I walked outside to see that the world was dusted with white it honestly took my breath away. It was so beautiful. The sun was shining then and the rays glittered off the freshly fallen snow. That wasn't the last thing that took my breath away that day. Everything was so perfect. I was expecting something to go wrong but everything kept going just the way we wanted. Just before 'the toast' I went up to the brides room to get the goblets and they fell out of the box when I picked it up, and shattered. I started to cry…my sweet brother and mom got right on the phone and called around to get us another set. They found a BB&B that had one in stock and drove all the way out west to pick them up for us. The rest of the evening went just as smooth as the day and we found ourselves floating through the clouds. Lars was just as handsome and sweet as ever. My dad had a hard time giving me away - but couldn't be happier with the man that took me, and neither could I.

Lars, I want to thank you for the many wonderful memories you've helped create these past 4 years. You are the most loving, patient, and caring husband (and daddy) a girl could have. I am so thankful for the day you came into my life, and more thankful for each day since. You are so amazing, on so many levels. As cheesy as it sounds, you really do complete me. You are my 'Happily Ever After', my prince charming. Thank you for all of the love and support you've given and continue to give. Thank you for always being such a great example to me and those around you. Thank you for always accepting me for who I am. Thank you for helping me want to be a better version of myself, to continue striving for higher levels. Most of all, Thank you for being my partner, for now and all eternity. I love you. Always have, always will.

Monkey

2008-10-21T22:51:00.003-06:00

Wow! Once this baby of ours got the hang of things, it seems it just hasn't stopped. We thought the crawling thing would pacify her for a period of time, but this girl is too smart to be fooled by that. She now is enjoying pulling herself up on anything and everything that doesn't tip over in the process.

Yesterday Taylee and Mommy were playing the new game of 'Climb the Mommy' when Taylee started laying her head on my knees. I thought she was being cute and cuddly, but then she flung her head up quickly with a huge grin…and repeated. That's when I realized that my itsy bitsy baby figured out how to play Peek-A-Boo… which brings a tear to my eye for several reasons.

First - The feeling of joy I feel as Taylee shows her ever expanding personallity and talents; I can't help but maybe feel a glimps of how our Father in Heaven must feel as he watches us,HIS children learn and grow. Second - I can't help but fall more deeply in love with such a tiny little person, when six months ago I didn't even know exactly what she looked like. Finally - it's just that she is growing up so fast. I am afraid that the time we have to teach this very special spirit all the things that have been (and will continue to be) forgotten from her existence before now is so short, and then this cruel world is going to have its chance. I just want her to know how truly thankful I am for her. She has been the greatest blessing in my life…I love you sweet lil' bug of mine.

So sorry to get all mushy on you…back to the cute game we played, here are a few pics I was fortunate enough to catch. Taylee gets all hammed up when she sees the camera and it really distracts from the real reason I'm trying to take yet another picture of this beautiful gal. Not that I don't love her 2 teeth smile, I would just like to catch a candid moment here and there too.

These pics aren't great, but it is all I could get in a hurry. My camera beeps when you're focusing, so there again: distraction.

More pictures of the cutest baby on the planet :)

2008-10-10T23:54:00.000-06:00

Accidental Family Photo

2008-10-10T23:07:00.004-06:00

We went to Wheeler Farm on Wednesday to take some photos of our cute baby (which we'll post later) ~ But we ended up meeting a very nice lady who offered to take a photo of the three of us…she even edited it, and this is one of the finished products:

I think it turned out so cute - even with our 'So Serious' baby…no matter what we did that day there was no smile, well we did manage to catch a few I guess.

6 months…and counting

2008-10-06T21:58:00.002-06:00

…Happy half birthday to you…

Taylee ~ Thank you for all the joy you have brought into our lives. We love you so much!

Here are a few of our favorite things:

Your busy curiousity, the look on your face while you're concentrating on getting something, splashing during tubby time, your smile & your giggle, the way you "fly away" when you're excited that we've come into the room, your stories-oh how we wish we knew what you were saying-but we still enjoy all the new sounds…especially the lil' girgle, playing paddy cake and other games – and watching you as you try to do all the actions,

We could go on and on and on…but it is just a FEW of our favorite things. We look forward to the many more adventures we have in store with you. ~ love, your parents!

Little Mover

2008-09-26T11:42:00.002-06:00

Ok, now I'm in trouble. Taylee has been working on 'going' for a couple days. It went from kicking her knees while her face was planted in the nasty carpet of our humble abode…to head up and eyes locked on the newest victim of her curiousity in the 'army crawl'…then yesterday my lil' bug got on her hands and toes-not knees ,with toosh in the air and lunged for every toy in sight! I just can't keep up with her-never have been and I have a feeling she's not stopping now!

‘Baby-spot’

2008-09-23T21:53:00.001-06:00

So I have realized that our blogspot has turned into "babyspot"....It's just that she is changing so fast, and has a lot more interesting stuff going on than any other member of our family. And lets be honest-most of you would rather be updated on her cuteness than anything I could imagine up for Lars or I.

OUCH!!!
I can't believe that I forgot to mention that Taylee got her two front teeth (on the bottom). I don't think she's figured it out...she keeps biting her fingers while chewing on her toys. I hope she finds out soon that I'm not the one doing it :( The look on her face makes me so sad.

Utah State Fair

2008-09-15T15:12:00.008-06:00

This was Taylee's first year going to the fair. First we went through the animals to see the 1 mo old calf (we were a little late-the poor thing was all worn out,but we still had to take a pic)

She mostly enjoyed watching the variety of people visiting...

(your eyes do not decieve you-that baby does have a mullet)

She also enjoyed the carnival rides-going up,down,and around.

We had a blast going through the "Little Hands on the Farm" with our friends and cousins

Thanks everyone-we had a lot of fun hangin out!

Baby got Bling!

2008-09-12T16:20:00.011-06:00

We pierced Taylee's ears!
As we walked up to the counter of the ear piercing place, the lady said "You have a beautiful baby!"
We said, "Thanks" and kept looking at the earings.
Then the lady said, "No really, she is SUCH a beautiful baby. I pierce a lot of babies ears, and she is by far the most beautiful baby I've seen!"
Again we thanked her, and started filling out the paperwork. As I was filling in our info she says, "You should enter her into the cutest baby contest at Kiddie Kandids."
So like I said: I have the cutest baby on the planet! (I hope each parent thinks that of thier own child(s) by the way)

BEFORE...

DURING (She started screaming before the piercer was anywhere near her ear- as soon as Lars confined her to keep her head still)...

AFTER... She cried a little and only for a few seconds. About a minute later-after forgetting the grudge she had on her parents-she was back to her smiling self,and as beautiful as ever!

2008-09-09T23:45:00.001-06:00

FYI - I completed a few posts from previous dates...so if you're interested continue to scroll down....

Giving "Just Hanging Out" a new meaning...

2008-09-09T23:17:00.004-06:00

So Tay didn't think much of her swing-until she figured out that she could sit sideways in it, that is.
As soon as she's buckled, she gets into position: head hanging off the side.

Elvis, Baby!

2008-09-09T23:14:00.002-06:00

I just thought this picture was just too cute not to post it.

Have I told you how I have the most beautiful baby on the planet?!?

didn't she know i wanted a BABY!

2008-09-09T22:38:00.007-06:00

I waited so long to finally have a baby...I know I was blessed with the most beautiful baby on the planet...what I mean is she is so stinking busy. She thinks she has to be so advanced. Her new thing is food. She wants whatever we have-not blended up, just straight off our plate. Do you blame her? It does look a lot more appetizing that way.
So tonight at dinner Daddy thought he would allow her to get what she wants...sort of. He held her hands back and she dove right in....

...seems to enjoy the strognoff.

Rogain for Babies????

2008-09-03T22:45:00.008-06:00

So I am so sad to be posting this...Taylee was born with a ton of beautiful long dark, curly hair

At 2 months old, still has a lot of BeaUtiFUL hair...

And then...who knows what happened.

In about 2 weeks it migrated from her head to anywhere else :(
Good thing she's still beautiful, and has a good shaped head!

Family...Isn't it about time?

2008-08-03T13:56:00.006-06:00

Five generations (of mothers)...

Can you believe Taylee was able to meet her Great,Great-Grandmother!

I am so blessed to have my Great-Grandmother. She is a brilliant, loving woman. My favorite is being able to hear her recollection of the last centry (well almost anyway). She can still recall her children, grandchildren, great & great,great-grandchildren's names with ease, and most of our birthdays! I'm hoping my mind will stay as sharp as hers.
Thank you for allowing us this opportunity Grandma! We love you!

I did it!

2008-08-01T12:59:00.001-06:00

I gave into the craving ~ I am now a stay at home mommy! I am glad that things worked out for me to be able to stay home with my lil' bug. I still go into the Park City store on Tuesdays (Life saver...now I'm not Always talking "baby". Thanks to Janean for keeping this mom sane!)-again, I'm glad things worked out that way.

These are a few of our favorite things!

2008-07-20T11:23:00.005-06:00

Say what you want about Utah...I think it is one of the most beautiful states!

The last couple sundays we've packed up the grill and headed to the mountains. We set up camp in a little place called "Ledgemere" .

I guess that rushing near by creek is pretty soothing to some!

It's nice that we can "get a way from it all" without having
to drive too far away from home!

Time...Where does it go?

2008-07-18T21:09:00.008-06:00

I am the worst blogger on the planet. My life has been so crazy these days. I don't know how any woman can survive this working mom thing, I have shed so many tears. Taylee is now almost 4 months old...I know. Those 3 months I was home with her went by so fast. I've been back to work for 2 weeks (really only 9 days) and it has felt like eternity. AAAHHHH!

We really lived up the last few weeks of maternity leave. I have 3 biological brothers, (and 5 step & half bro's-that's why I specify), Jason (32), Brian (29),and then Kyle (23)...and our birthdays go in that order too. Starting June 18th-Jason, June 21-Brian, June 28-Me, and July 8-Kyle. This year we spent our birthdays swimming in the back yard of my brothers house (well watching the kids swim,anyway-nobody is seeing me in a suit for a VERY long time!).

That's right every week for 4 weeks, good quality family time.

HIZAH! HIZAH! HIZAH!
Have you heard of Lavender Days? It was pretty cool. On June 27th we went to Mona, Utah (about 20 min south of Provo) to celebrate Lavender! Exciting?! You may think not...but they had a fun little fair there.
Complete with Robbers and Ropin' Lessons...

Faries for the girlies,

a Knighting for the boys,

and we ended with Jousting,
not quite as exciting as "A Knights Tale" - but
a neat experience non the less...HIZAH!

Taylee is truely a princess...she won the heart of a Knight!

Well...we had a blast and I think that's a long enough post for now!

Taylee's Blessing Day

2008-06-02T09:57:00.009-06:00

We had a very special day yesterday~ Taylee received a Blessing & Given name by her daddy. She was a little fussy at first, but daddy knew what to do to calm her down.

Thank you to all who came to share this day with us, we love and appreciate you! We have such great families and friends who truely bless our lives.

2008-05-12T13:06:00.009-06:00

Happy Mothers Day to all of you wonderful mothers!
I am so greatful for the beautiful gift of motherhood,
on my first mothers day.
It is the most amazing transformation a woman can have, a selfless gift I am greatful to know.
I want to thank all of the mom's I have known ~ you are an example to me.
Thank you for the love and support, and especially for all of you're advise!

But most of all...a huge Thank you to my best friend, My mom. I love you so much. I can only hope to be half the mother you've been to me.

Goodbye for now

2008-05-01T18:23:00.003-06:00

Uncle Scott has been called to serve in the Tennesse Knoxville Mission and we were able to go to the MTC to say good-bye. It was really neat to see all those little boys off to serve the Lord. Best of Luck Scott-we love you! See you when I'm bigger, much bigger.

Cousins...

2008-05-01T18:10:00.003-06:00

Lars would've liked to have a boy first to "protect" any future daughters he might have...but since we had a girl first this concept has changed. Luckily Taylee has cousins to watch out for her, and believe me Aidan is definately all over that. We had a BBQ at uncle Jason's house on Sunday-any little peep from Taylee and Aidan was right by her side to comfort her and offer her the binky! He really loves her! Thanks for the story time Aidan... Jayden knows how little girls are already so his interest wasn't quite the same as AJ's ;)

What spice are you?

2008-05-01T18:00:00.001-06:00

I saw this on another blog and thought it was kind of fun...check it out if you'ld like to-it's short and sweet.

You Are Ginger

Like ginger, you are a total shape shifter.

You can be sweet, spicy, mellow, or overpowering.

You are both soothing and unique. You are popular... yet you are often overlooked.

What Spice Are You?

3 Weeks Old...Oh My!

2008-04-30T18:44:00.004-06:00

Our princess is already 3 weeks old...I know, I know.
We want to thank our dear friend Kylee Fackrell for sharing her talent and taking these very beautiful pictures for us...an irreplacable treasure. (You can check out more of her amazing photo's at: myyellowballon.blogspot.com you can contact her there if you'ld like to have her take pictures for you!)

Ahem...She's Here!!!

2008-04-11T19:40:00.000-06:00

It's about time! She's finally here! Taylee Kay Johnson was born on April 5th, 2008 weighing in at a robust 8lbs. 14 oz. and measuring 23 inches! I know, I know...holy crap! She's got some long and dark curly hair (not quite sure where that came from). So we're home from the hospital now, and trying to figure out how to survive on 3 hours of sleep.

It's a..... GIRL!!!

2007-11-03T17:44:00.003-06:00

2 November 2007...We had an ultrasound today. It's a girl! How exciting. Daddy will be out numbered now! (Instead of Mom). He's in trouble!
She was curled up in a ball the the entire time, the ultrasound tech
had a hard time getting a good look at her spine. That is until the
doctor came in...He tried to get a 3D picture of her face and she
turned to my back and hid her face with her hand. What a stinker!
We did get a good shot of her profile though. She's definately a "Minchey".
It was so much fun to see her looking like a little baby (instead of a bean)
and playing with her toes. I fell in love with her.

2007-09-14T14:24:00.002-06:00

Welcome to our blog...

We created this blog so we could fit in with our friends...

And to keep everyone connected and updated

(since so much changes in a life, so quickly)