Party of 5

On my mind...

2012-01-24T13:56:00.000-08:00

--Last Sunday, we made it through an entire sacrament meeting. Like, I'm talking the ENTIRE 70 minutes. Yes, we had a small yard sale of books, crayons, toys and snacks (and maybe some electronic devices--shh!) to entertain our three darlings, but no one had to leave. I don't know if I've ever been so proud. Unfortunately, I was still exhausted by the end of the hour, and I don't know what was said. Small steps, I guess...

--Eating out / heating up frozen food is WAY easier than actual cooking. Making a meal at our house takes forever, and by the time the entire process is over, Sam and I wonder why we even try. The kids just like french fries and chicken nuggets anyway. Plus, the clean-up is not fun. Let's face it, I'm not the world's best homemaker.

--I'm sick of speech therapy. It's expensive, and incredibly time consuming. I feel like all I do is correct Chase on his speech. I have this fear that Chase will look back on his childhood, and only remember his nagging mother in front of his face dragging out every syllable of every word. Apraxia isn't so fun. I have to keep reminding myself of all the progress we are seeing. One day we look back on this time of life, and realize it really wasn't that bad.

--I don't know how I lived life without my Kindle Fire. It's awesome!

--Cleaning the toy room is one of the world's most useless activities.

--I want a dog. A cute one.

--We cut our cable a month or so ago, and surprisingly, I haven't missed it as much as I thought I would. We are going to try to go without it for a few months, and so far, so good. We thought the kids would completely lose it without their 50 channels, but they don't care. It turns out, they actually have imaginations. Imagine that!

--I've been trying to lose the same 5 pounds for a year. Maybe I should try dieting and exercise. It turns out just wanting to lose 5 pounds doesn't actually make you lose weight. Too bad.

It's so Fun to be ONE!

2012-01-17T13:39:00.000-08:00

Our sweet Elizabeth turned 1 on January 12. We are completely in love with our little angel. She has a way to brighten any room with her big, bright smile. Because she is so stinkin' adorable, we decided to celebrate Lizzie all week. We started with a dinner with Sam's brother and sister, Michael & Hilary, on Sunday night (Sam's mom & dad are out of town--on a cruise, no less. No, not that cruise. Thank goodness.) Like all my kids, Lizzie loves hanging out with Aunt Hilly & Uncle Michael.

On Thursday, my parents, Bethany, Audrey & Kennedy came over to help us celebrate Lizzie's entrance into toddlerhood. She is so lucky to have so many people in her life that love her!

Lizzie loved every second of her party. She's quickly discovered that presents, new clothes, and cake are the keys to winning a girl's heart.

When cake time arrived, Lizzie was ready. Since our Lizzie is as "cute as a button," we felt a button cake was appropriate. She dove right into the frosting, and never looked back. That's my girl!

Little Elizabeth has brought so much joy to our home. She has made the last year so much fun. We love you, Lizzie!

At 12 Months, Lizzie:

Weighs 20.5 pounds

Finally (as of last night) finished nursing

Has only slept through the night one time (not exaggerating)

Loves hanging out in Halle's room

Loves books

Is a MAJOR mama's girl

(Plus, we think she's pretty darn cute!)

Christmas 2011

2012-01-16T16:03:00.001-08:00

Christmas arrived at the Taylor house. Well, more like Christmas overtook the Taylor house:

Thank goodness January is organization month...

The Taylors Visit the Big Guy

2011-12-23T19:32:00.001-08:00

I admit, it took me a while to enter Christmas mode this year. Life just seemed to get in the way, and the hustle and bustle of Christmas was more annoying than anything. But then, with a little over a week to go before Christmas, we found the Christmas spirit. We've packed in lights, hot cocoa, parties, wrapping, movies, and a visit with the Big Guy in Red. For the record, I tried to get the perfect picture where all three of my kids were looking at the camera with sparkling smiles, but we got these instead:

Isn't Lizzie's confused little face priceless?

Bring on the BIG DAY! The Taylors are ready.

And to my you, my cyber pals, Merry Christmas!

Our Dancing Princess

2011-12-14T13:18:00.000-08:00

I came to a realization at Halle's Christmas Dance Recital: My baby girl is getting old. Somehow, she's gone from a little girl who got up on stage, and shuffle stepped to "I Want a Hippopotomus for Christmas," to a sassy little girl dancing to a Christmas rock song. We've moved from curly ponytails to hair pieces. How did time go so fast?

Like always, Halle shined during her dance. She is so showy. I love it!

The World is His Outhouse

2011-11-11T16:21:00.000-08:00

We have a minor problem at our house. Chase, our newly potty-trained son, is having a slight problem understanding that even when he's outside, he still needs to go inside to use the bathroom. To him, it's a total waste of time. He'd much rather just drop his drawers wherever he is, and take care of business--if you know what I'm sayin'.

Case in point:

Yesterday, I took the kids to get ice cream after Halle returned home from school. After I got Lizzie out of her carseat, I walked around to the other side of the van to find Chase with his pants around his ankles, peeing all over the garage floor. "Mom, big pee," he tells me. Halle thought it was the funniest thing she had ever seen. And, I admit, it was hilarious, but I tried not to laugh, so I wouldn't encourage the behavior. We had a nice talk about using the potty, and I moved on with life.

Which leads to:

Today, Chase was in the front yard with Halle & the neighbor kids picking up leaves. Sam and I were watching them from the front window. Lo and behold, he hadn't been out there 5 minutes, and he needed to pee. Go inside right? No. Who needs inside when you can just take care of business on the curb as a couple cars are driving by?!? Mortified, I sent Sam out after him. The neighbors got a good laugh at it. We had yet another talk about coming into the house to use the potty.

Yes, we have a little problem on our hands. Please, as winter time approaches, remind your kids not to touch the yellow snow. Or, for that matter, please remind them not to turn the snow yellow. We will definitely be having that conversation at our house.

Chase is 3!

2011-11-06T14:47:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Chase all day on Friday. He loved it! He was spoiled with TONS of presents, which left Sam and I wondering what we are going to do for Christmas. Oh, well. We will worry about that another day.

He loved blowing out his candle. So much, in fact, that he blew it out 6 times. 3 times when Grandpa & Grandma Taylor came over, and 3 times when Grandpa & Grandma Burr visited.

At 3, Chase:

**loves garbage trucks, or "Stinky", as he calls them

**still has not made it through an entire sacrament meeting (45 minutes is his longest stretch)

**LOVES "tall, tall, big" (also known as milk... he likes us to fill up his cup "tall, tall, big)

**is potty trained!

**is improving his speech every day. We are so proud of him!

**is the master of pestering Halle. They fight about 10 times a day (or 20... 30...)

**loves following his Papas around.

**loves going to school each week.

**loves helping his daddy with tools, yard work, or anything else Sam is doing.

**is the sweetest little 3 year old around!

Happy Birthday, Chase! We love you!

October Fest

2011-10-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

My blog has been nothing short of pathetic lately. True, things have been busy, but I could have found time to catch up with all of you in cyberland. My apologies. So, instead of making individual posts about the last month, I'll sum it up in one post.

1. Halle, our adorable first-grader, is in full school mode. She LOVES school. Her reading has really taken off, and her penmanship is almost better than mine. She makes life easy.

2. We took Chase to the neurologist to get some more information on his speech. He is making a lot of progress, but he is no where near where an average child his age should be. The doctor diagnosed him with dysarthria. It sounds bad, but we've been dealing with this so long, that we were finally happy to have any sort of diagnosis. Basically, Chase will struggle with speech for a while, but our goal of having him speak mostly clear by kindergarten is still intact. I argue with the insurance company often because speech is considered developmental, so getting coverage for therapy is hard. Hopefully, this new diagnosis will help.

3. Road trip! We went to St. George over UEA break. I love taking the kids down there. We have such a good time just hanging out as a family. (Plus, there is a Christensen's there. Bonus!)
The weather was gorgeous, and once again, I left wondering why we don't just move down there.
Sam & Chase spent hours on the golf course. It looks like I've got another golf fanatic on my hands.

4. Lizzie entered babbleland. Because of Chase's speech difficulties, I've been watching Lizzie's speech signs closely. This month she took off! Yea! Here's what she says:

Me: ma ma ma ma ma

Lizzie: da da da da da

5. We all went to the BYU/Idaho State game. I haven't gone to a BYU game in a long time, but we decided to risk taking all of the kids. They were awesome!

6. We made the annual visit to the pumpkin patch. Apparently, everyone in the valley found out about the pumpkin patch, because it was crazy!

The kids had a fabulous time, and I even convinced them to pose for a few pictures. (Well, most of them.... I always have to get action shots of Chase.)

7. We went to Chase's school Halloween party. It was amazing. I wasn't expecting much, but it blew away every Halloween bash I have ever attended. They had about 50 different games for the kids to play, lots of food & adorable decorations.

8. And, our best news... Chase is potty-trained! I convinced myself that he would be in diapers until he was 16, but after someone "stole" his diapers, it wasn't too bad. We make sure he goes to the bathroom a lot, so he's only had a few accidents.

So, in sum, it has been a pretty good month. We've spent lots of time together, which makes us all happy, especially me! Bring on Halloween!

Go ahead and remove my name from the Mother-of-the-Year Ballot

2011-09-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

When I was a little tike, I loved The Baby-Sitter's Club books. I read all of them. Even the Jr. Club books (and those were lame). So, needless to say, I was a pretty dedicated member of the Ann M. Martin fan club. In one book (#33 Claudia & the Great Search--google it), Claudia is convinced that she is adopted for a variety of reasons, one of which is that her parent's don't have as many pictures of her childhood as her older sister.

Now that I've taken you through a second grade book report, I'll explain what made me think of that story. Our sweet Lizzie is adorable. She is sweet. She has the most beautiful blue eyes you've ever seen. And, me, her pathetic mother, have a few handfuls of pictures of her.

When Halle was 8 months old, I had a few thousand pics of every possible baby moment available. When Chase came, my documentation slowed significantly, but there are still lots of pictures of most of Chase's babyhood.

I have to remind myself to take pictures of Lizzie. I don't pack the camera around most of the time. If I did, Chase would bury it in the sandbox, or squirt it with the hose. To me, that's a pretty good excuse.

So, one day, when Lizzie comes up to me and asks why Halle & Chase photo pile trumps hers, I'll hand her a really old, ragged copy of The Baby-Sitter's Club because I'm pretty sure that Claudia's parents gave her some good, loving advice at the end of that book.

Isn't it amazing how "literature" can help us out! Thank you, Miss Ann M. Martin.

First Day of First Grade

2011-08-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

Last night at our annual (two years running) "Back-to-School Dinner Extravaganza," Sam and I both told Halle all about our first grade years. It was amazing how much we remembered. So, it's a little surreal that we have a little girl entering the first grade.

Halle has been so excited to start school. She loves school, and we love that she loves it.

When we saw her class list this year, she was a little disappointed that she didn't have any friends in her class. After a few days of feeling bad, she finally said, "Mom, I'm just going to be super nice to everybody, and be everyone's friend." What a sweetie.

We are so excited to watch Halle learn and grow this year. First grade is going to be great!

You Don't Know the Trouble I've Seen...

2011-08-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

In the next issue of the dictionary, I'm pretty sure if you look up the word "trouble" there will be a picture of Chase next to it. I know, I know. Everyone says that their two-year-old is challenging, but according to Sam, Chase is in the top 5% of naughty two-year-olds. I don't know what research he conducted to come up with that statistic, but I'm pretty sure he's right.

But every now and again, Chase is completely adorable. His big, brown eyes have super powers. It's true. He can get pretty much anything he wants with those puppy-dogs.

Today was one of those days when Chase completely melted our hearts. He started toddler class today. His class is part of the early intervention program that he is a part of to improve his speech. He walked right into class (backpack included) and didn't bat an eye when we left.

His teacher said he had a fabulous day. Imagine that! I was nervous that he was going to get the ol' "heave ho" after day one. But, alas, Chase behaved. We couldn't be prouder.

Once he turns 3, he will enter a speech preschool. We are hopeful that these opportunities give him as much help as he needs to work on his speech delay. But, in the meantime, he is growing up, and having a great time. So, watch out, World. Here comes Trouble!

Dog Days of Summer

2011-08-04T14:03:00.001-07:00

I remember as a child, summer always reached a point where it was definitely time to go back to school. I'd splashed, rode, and eaten enough popsicles to suffice my needs. Eventually--even though I hated to admit it--I needed a schedule.

We have nearly reached that point in our house this summer. We love the sunshine and the fun of outdoors, but we need a reason to be out of our pajamas before 11:00. The last few weeks have entered Groundhog Day mode. Each day is a near mirror image of the prior day. Here's our rundown:

8 a.m.: Halle heads downstairs to watch t.v. in her underwear. Always in her underwear. Apparently she's decided putting on pajamas takes too much work. Lizzie plays with toys. Chase is still asleep. Sam heads off to work, and I start getting ready for the day.

9:00 a.m.: Chase wakes up and asks for dad. Not home. Chase cries. Halle still in the basement. Lizzie eats. Me? Still not ready.

10:00 a.m.: Halle & Chase fight. I break it up. Lizzie naps. Chase wakes her up. Me? Closer, but still not ready.

12:00 p.m.: Lunch. Everyone is finally ready.

1:00 p.m.: We head outside, where we will remain for most of the day. Chase proceeds to start moving the recycling bins around. He likes to line up our trash cans with the neighbors. Sometimes he can convince a neighbor kid to help him out on his quest. Apparently, the outdoor toys are no longer fun, so we have to look for other forms of entertainment. Lizzie chills on my lap or in her playpen. Halle plays with friends.

2:00 p.m.: Popsicles.

4:00 p.m.: Lizzie heads in to nap.

5:30 p.m.: Sam comes home! I hand Chase off to him. Lizzie wakes up. I start making dinner with Lizzie perched on my hip.

6:30 ish: Dinner. Someone spills something.
7:00 p.m.: Back outside for a walk or chit-chat with the neighbors.

8:30 p.m.: We come in and try to convince the kids to go to bed. Lizzie obeys. Halle & Chase don't. Cartoons.

9:30 p.m.: Chase falls asleep. Halle occupies herself. I don't know what she does. I'm too exhausted to check.

10:00 p.m.: News.

11:00 p.m.: Sleep.

12:30 a.m.: Lizzie cries. Sam never hears her. I always do.

And then, we do it again...

Summertime. And the Livin' is Easy.

2011-07-08T09:11:00.001-07:00

Oh, Summer. I love you. It is so much fun to bask in the sunshine, and spend hours sitting on the grass. I love you so much, that blogging has taken a backseat. A major backseat. So, what does one do when there's lots of pictures and only so much time inside to blog? I know! A big, fat, throw everything into one blog post, kind of post. So here you go, peeps. Our summer. At least the last few weeks of it.

We made our grand reentrance to Salina for the 4th of July. It has been years since I have been back for the 4th, and we had a fabulous time. The carnival was great. We left with pocketfuls of prized possessions. Lunch at El Mexicano was super tasty, and visits with my grandparents were long overdue.

We headed back to SLC in the afternoon to enjoy a BBQ with Sam's family and one of the greatest fireworks shows I have ever seen. My father-in-law is like a 12-year-old when it comes to blowing things up.

We have been using my parent's Thanksgiving Point pass a lot. My kids love that place. And, when we are there, we are happy.

Of course, until we aren't....

And the sun is shining...

And the water is splashing...

And the horses are perfectly kid-friendly....

And, the toys are tasty....

And, pretty much that sums up our summer. Or, at least a few days of it. The rest of the time we are outside. But, I mentioned that already. I, don't, however, have any pictures of that. Feel free to imagine for yourselves...

Happy Weekend, All! Enjoy some sunshine!

Grab Bag

2011-06-08T15:26:00.000-07:00

Life is gloriously simple at our house these days. We pretty much spend all day outside basking in every minute of sunshine available. Chase is completely hilarious. He wakes up every morning and grabs his Crocs so he can go outside. Sometimes we wonder if we should just pitch a tent for him in the backyard, so he doesn't even have to come in at night.

In the middle of our simplicity, we do have completely memorable moments. For one, Chase is obsessed with lambs. Like totally obsessed. He goes around saying, "baa baa" all the time. So, when Sam found out about the sheep festival at Thanksgiving Point, he knew it was a perfect activity for them. Sam said that Chase had his perfect day. I keep telling Sam that I want to get Chase a pet lamb with a little bell that Chase can walk around like a dog. And, as a bonus, it would help out on Sam's mowing responsibilities. Not a bad idea, right?

In "Lizzie Land," life has had a few exciting changes. For one, she finally gets to add to her diet! Rice cereal, baby! She eats like a champion, and most recently slept through the night. It's about time! She's adorable, and we just love her.

Halle finished kindergarten! She has loved school this year, and we have loved watching her learn. She never forgets about homework or reading time. She is looking forward to first grade, because in her words, "eating lunch at school is going to be awesome."

She also had her spring dance recital. She is such a showy performer. We love watching her dance.

The older girls in Halle's dance company did a Toy Story production number. It was amazing. Check out these costumes... spot on.

Even though life is relatively simple, we still play hard, and sometimes get completely tuckered out...

Life is good!

It's a Beautiful Life

2011-05-24T16:26:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I spend a lot of my time in "if only" land. "If only" we made more money. "If only" we had a walk-in closet. "If only" I had washboard abs. But, at the end of the day we are incredibly blessed. Why? Because we have been given the sweetest, cutest, best 3 children around. They make our life beautiful.

Photos from here.

FOUR Real?

2011-05-14T13:13:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Lizzie just turned four months. Where did the time go? Sam mentioned that she doesn't look like an infant anymore. She has entered full baby mode.

Lizzie has the cutest chubby legs and cheeks. Totally kissable. She coos all the time. And, most recently, she has started rolling over.

Her nap schedule is non-existent, because our house is so loud. We certainly need to work on that. She HATES the bottle. In two weeks, Sam and I have Les Mis tickets, so we have two weeks to acclimate her to drinking from the bottle. (Any special tricks out there?)

Lizzie is certainly an angel, and we love watching her grow.

A Little Getaway

2011-04-26T09:30:00.001-07:00

We spent the weekend in St. George. Ummm... fabulous! I've decided I want to live there. Like I really want to live there. I told Sam to update his resume and move me there. Stat.

Here's a few highlights from our weekend...

Throwing rocks down a window well... totally fun!

Hiking at Zions...

Chillin' at Sam's grandmother's condo...

Searching for Easter eggs in our jammies...

Playing at the golf course...

Checking out potato bugs...

And, proof that Sam and I were part of the weekend...

Other highlights included watching The Ten Commandments for the first time (super long, but good!), and introducing the kids to Dairy Queen (and then having to go there nearly every meal). A fabulous time was had by all!

Returning home to rain and cold... not so fabulous.

Life in the Slow Lane

2011-04-18T14:34:00.000-07:00

When Chase was born, we had no idea how appropriate his name would become. We have been "chasing" him since he learned to move. He's always on the go, so experiencing the last few days with him have been different, to say the least.

On Wednesday, we took Chase to Primary Children's Hospital to have his ear tubes replaced and his tonsils and adenoids removed. On the surgery scale, it is a pretty routine procedure, but it was still difficult watching my little 2-year-old head off to the operation room with the doctors.

Chase's surgery went like clockwork. His old tubes were completely blocked, so it's nice to know he can hear better now. His enlarged tonsils and adenoids are now gone, making sleeping (and hopefully talking) easier. Since then, we have spent many hours cuddling our little man. He doesn't open his mouth much, and he looks sad most of the time, but every once in a while we see the real Chase, and we can't wait until he feels good again.

During this process, Halle and Lizzie have been amazing girls. Halle has been so thoughtful and considerate of Chase, and Lizzie has been spending a lot of extra time in her bouncy chair and bassinet without too much protest. Thanks for your help, girlies!

SIX & So Spectacular!

2011-04-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Halle all weekend. On Friday 10 of her friends came over for a very loud, very high-pitched birthday party. (I've discovered that next year, I'm either buying her off, or going somewhere else for her party.) Even though Sam and I were exhausted through the entire party, Halle was as happy as I've ever seen her. And, for that, we were happy.

On Saturday, her actual birthday, my family came over and we went to Halle's favorite joint Panda Express. Afterwards, we had cupcakes back at our house.

On Sunday, we went to Sam's parents house, where we ate (at Halle's request) "beef and potatoes." We watched Tangled and had a great time.

At 6, Halle:

is a whiz! She excels at school and loves to read. We are beyond proud.
has a testimony. She really knows her Heavenly Father, and we get to know Him better through her.
loves sugar.
is a good friend. At her most recent parent/teacher conference Mrs. Holt told us that she is kind and considerate of everyone.
loves dance, gymnastics, and soccer. She's a busy gal!
is an amazing big sister.
loves watching The Amazing Race with us.
is beautiful!

We love you, Halle! Happy Birthday!

My Boy

2011-03-29T17:03:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned before, Chase is progressing slowly with his speech. He understands everything we say, but getting him to actually say a word is pretty tough. He has about 15-20 words that he uses regularly, but that's it. (An average 2 1/2 year old says 300-500.) About a week ago, his speech therapist told me that she's afraid he might have apraxia, which is a disorder where the brain can't tell the mouth how to speak. It is quite rare, and difficult to "cure." Most kids with apraxia are in speech therapy 3x a week for years.

After worrying nostop for two straight days, I finally started making phone calls to see what we needed to do. I contacted his pediatrician, who referred me to a speech pathologist through Primary's to get another opinion. I also contacted his ear, nose and throat doctor to get his ear tubes checked to see if his hearing was blocked.

Which leads me to today. We went to the new speech therapist, who was amazing. She worked so well with Chase, and he loved playing with her. She seems to think that Chase is just progressing at a slower rate, and isn't seeing many red flags pointing to apraxia. She couldn't completely rule apraxia out in a two-hour session (it's a difficult diagnosis), but we left feeling so much better about Chase's future.

This afternoon we went to Chase's ENT doctor, where we found out that his ears tubes are blocked, which is decreasing his hearing, and his tonsils are enlarged, which is making speaking difficult. Finally, an answer! He now has to go into surgery to replace his ear tubes and get his tonsils and adenoids removed. We've been through the surgery with Halle before, and it is hard, but we are so happy that Chase is going to be okay. We are hopeful that his speech will come shortly following the surgery.

The past week has been filled with a lot of prayers and worry, and even though we are not out of the woods yet, we think we are going in the right direction. Hopefully in a couple months, I get to post about how much Chase is saying. That would be music to my ears.

Blessed.

2011-03-07T10:43:00.001-08:00

Lizzie's Blessing Day was on Sunday. She looked absolutely gorgeous in her dress (the same dress Halle wore). It was wonderful to have both families in attendance. Lizzie is so lucky to have so many people around that love and look out for her. Sam did a beautiful job with the blessing, as he has with all of our children.

I'm so grateful to my Heavenly Father for entrusting us with His beautiful daughter. Lizzie has been such a joy to have in our home. I love being her mom. She makes our family complete.

WMDs = Weapons of Mass Depression

2011-03-03T12:51:00.000-08:00

Warning: Don't come by our house, unless you too, are down in the dumps. Misery loves company, after all. In 72 hours, we've gone from planning a "hopeful" trip to Houston and the Final Four, to well, not.

Now, I will be the first to admit that our BYU fandom is a bit over the top, but hey, it makes us happy. So, on Monday when BYU was #3 in the country and a hopeful #1 seed, we were thrilled. By Tuesday night, not so much.

Many have questioned if BYU did the right thing. I'm a fence-sitter on this one, and I hate that. On one hand, when you make a commitment, you should live up to the commitment, or suffer the consequences. On the other hand, we are all human, and we make mistakes--sometimes, big ones. I'm proud of BYU for living up to their integrity in a day and age where winning comes at all costs (i.e. Ohio State, Florida, Auburn, etc.). But still, to see a person's "dirty laundry" out for everyone to see and judge isn't fair.

I don't know what the solution is. I'm certainly glad that I'm not the person that has to make the tough decisions. In the meantime, we'll keep throwing our pity party, and wonder what might have been. But, then again, we still have Jimmer...

Sweet Baby Girl

2011-02-23T16:18:00.000-08:00

Our sweet Lizzie is 6 weeks old today. I'm certainly biased, but I'm convinced that she is the sweetest baby around. We love listening to her constant squeaking and smelling her new baby smell. She's become a master of holding her head up.

She has amazing patience. Halle and Chase love her so much, and she puts up with their constant kisses. It's pretty sweet.

Recently, her cheeks and thighs have started to show a little chub, and she has become quite the smiler. It is seriously too cute! We are completely in love with our Elizabeth. Happy 6 weeks, Baby Girl!

Grandma Taylor

2011-02-23T15:50:00.000-08:00

Sam's grandma passed away on January 30th, at age 92. She was a wonderful woman, and will be missed. She lived 10+ years as a widow, so we imagine that the reunion was a great one with Grandpa Weldon.

The entire Taylor family came out for her funeral. Even though the circumstances were sad, it was so fun to get the entire group together. Since 3 of Sam's siblings live out of state, it is rare that everyone is in one place at the same time. Halle and Chase loved seeing their cousins. It was great to catch up and spend a few days together.

When it Rains...

2011-02-10T09:50:00.000-08:00

IT POURS!

Ever since Lizzie's birth, our lives have been filled with one chaotic event after another. We've dealt with Lizzie's choking spells and hospital stay (already documented), the death of Sam's amazing grandmother, and Sam's gallbladder surgery. Throw in a case of pink eye, an ear infection, and a couple snotty noses, and it makes for a crazy house.

This morning when I lined everyone up and handed out their various medications, I couldn't help but laugh. Our life is crazy. I can't wait for a normal, boring day that doesn't include a trip (or even a call) to the doctor's office. In the meantime, we are hunkering down at home, hoping that our luck turns around soon.

All Tuckered Out

2011-01-28T18:29:00.000-08:00

We are dragging at our house. Since Lizzie's arrival, our restful nights have been replaced by many hours of late night television. (Did you know that Nate Burkus replays at 3:00 a.m.? Score!) Making the adjustment to a family of 5 has its challenges, but we are loving every second. There's nothing like having a newborn in the house. Who knows if we will have any more kids, so we are not wishing these sleepless nights away. In the meantime, we'll be burning the midnight oil. But, due to the lack of sleep and the insane number of infomercials I watch, I may just end up with a few extra knife sets and a Perfect Pillow.

The Week in Review

2011-01-21T12:07:00.000-08:00

Here's what I know: Sometimes, life is hard.

Here's how I learned that:

On Monday, Lizzie had a scheduled appointment with the pediatrician to check her jaundice levels. A couple hours before her appointment, she spit up mucus through her nose and mouth causing her to go all different shades of purple. We rushed her to the doctor's office to get her suctioned out. After suctioning, she seemed to come back to normal. Relief. While at the doctor's office, she had a few blood tests which revealed the highest level of jaundice her doctor had ever seen. So, we were sent home with a bilibed to break down the jaundice.

Later that night, while laying on the bilibed, she had another episode of choking. We rushed her to the E.R., where again, they suctioned her, and she checked out healthy. They watched her for a few hours and she didn't have any more spells, so they sent us home.

On Tuesday, she was to spend the entire day on her bilibed to help with the jaundice. At 4:00, she had another choking spell, so Sam rushed home and we got her back to the doctor--in just a diaper. Her doctor decided that he had seen enough, and we were admitted to the Children's Unit at the Riverton Hospital.

That night, they poked her more than I ever care to remember. She screamed and screamed, and I felt completely helpless. She was put on medication through an IV, and placed under a warmer to help her keep her temperature up, since she was having trouble doing it on her own.

On Wednesday morning, she had two more choking spells, so they ran a series of tests to figure out what was wrong with her. They were fearful of a lot of things, mostly meningitis, but thankfully, she passed the tests and started to show signs of improvement. Her temperature came back up, her jaundice levels went down, and she was eating without choking afterwards.

We stayed at the hospital until Thursday night at 8:00, when she reached 36 hours without any choking spells, and proved that she could keep her temperature up without the help of the warmer and medication. They believe that she has a really bad case of reflux, and since she is technically a "preemie" she couldn't keep her temperature up without assistance.

Now, we are back at home, and so far, healthy. She is responding well to her medication, and she is a completely beautiful, happy baby.

Throughout the week, I had plenty of chances to reflect on our blessings:

The priesthood. As soon as we checked into the hospital, Sam gave her a blessing that she would be able to handle all of the tests, and in the end, be healthy.
Family. It didn't matter what time we called, or what we needed both of our families showed up and helped. Halle and Chase were always well taken care of, and we are grateful that we didn't have to worry about them while we were dealing with Lizzie.
A nearby hospital. We have been there so much, they should name a wing after us.
Doctors and nurses. Lizzie quickly became the favorite patient, and she received excellent care.
Friends. You know who you are. Thank you.

We are so happy that Lizzie seems to healthy again. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers.

Lizzie's Arrival

2011-01-16T14:26:00.000-08:00

According to Sam, Jimmer Fredette put me into labor, and he may just be right. On Tuesday night we were watching the BYU/Utah basketball game, when Jimmer drilled a half court shot right before halftime. I jumped up in excitement, and then quickly sat back down because I had a contraction. That was followed by a series of contractions for a few hours, when Sam finally talked me into going to the hospital.

I drove myself 3 whole blocks to the Riverton Hospital, where our friend Vickie was luckily working that night. (Sam stayed home with the kids to see if they were going to keep me before heading over.) I was monitored for a few hours when they decided that I was definitely in labor. I called my parents at 1:30 a.m. to go and watch the kids so Sam could come over to the hospital. They were at my house by 2:00. Amazing! Thanks Mom & Dad!

My labor lasted about 12 hours (which seemed like 3x that). We spent the time trying to figure out a name for the new little one. Sam kept requesting "Jimmer," but I thought that was a little odd for a girl (or a boy, for that matter). The final 20 minutes of labor was probably the worst pain I've ever had delivering a baby, but finally, Lizzie made her arrival at 11:13.

She was pretty bruised at first because the delivery was pretty rough on her. We called her our little Rocky Balboa baby. In the last couple of days though, most of the swelling has subsided.

This little girl has completely stolen our hearts, and we can't imagine life without her.

We returned home on Thursday afternoon, and we are adjusting to life with 3 kids. As Sam's friend put it, we are no longer playing man-to-man defense, it's strictly zone defense from here on out.

Little Lizzie is absolutely perfect in every way. So far, she has been our easiest baby. We are so lucky to have her in the family.

Introducing...

2011-01-14T13:09:00.001-08:00

Elizabeth Taylor

January 12, 2011

11:13 a.m.

7 lbs., 2 oz.

19 inches

Welcome Lizzie!

Dancing Queen

2010-12-14T13:37:00.001-08:00

I have no idea where Halle's rhythm comes from. It certainly isn't from Sam or me, but she certainly has learned how to "shake those hips." She had her dance recital on Saturday, and holy smokes, the girl has learned to dance. We were super proud!

Halle hasn't ever had a problem learning the steps of a dance, but she usually doesn't smile, because in her words "it's a lot of work to dance and smile at the same time." Well, since I know that this girl will do anything for a bribe, I told her she could have a Happy Meal if she smiled the whole time. Boy, did she earn those chicken nuggets!

Way to go, Halle! You're awesome!

I Need to Get With It!

2010-12-02T12:32:00.001-08:00

I have a mere 2 months until we welcome baby #3 into the Taylor household. You'd think with such a short timetable, I'd be busy preparing, and making sure things are good to go. But, I'm not. This poor baby has a blanket. One blanket. That's been the extent of my "preparing for baby" activity. It's not that I'm not excited, because I am. I love everything about new babies: their smell, the way they curl up into a little ball, their tiny features. I can't wait to meet this new little one.

Here's the deal: I'm still not convinced that this baby is a girl. We had the ultrasound, and the tech (who happened to be in training) told us 3 times that it's a girl, but I'm not convinced. I think it's a boy, and I don't want to go shopping for all this pink stuff, only to need a lot of blue stuff. I know, I'm probably crazy. The chances that she was wrong are slim, but there is still a chance, so I don't make any purchases.

Sam says I'm losing my mind. Or, I've already lost it. One of the two... I can't remember. So, here's my goal: I'm going to live dangerously, and flood our house with all things pink. But, just in case, I'm keeping my receipts...

Finding Something to Talk About

2010-12-01T12:15:00.001-08:00

Warning... I'm going to break a blog "code of ethics." I'm not going to brag about my child, and I'm going to be honest. Gasp! Sometimes I feel like I'm writing about how fabulous everything is at my house and with my kids, when in actuality, most of the time, my house is a mess, the television is on too much, and my kids don't always behave (or rarely, for that matter). Now that I've got you all depressed, let me explain one of my greatest frustrations for the last few months.

Chase has been 2 for a month now, and we are still having a hard time getting him to talk--like a really hard time. He's had his hearing tested, and I had him tested for autism, since I know that slow talking is a sign of that. Luckily, both came back okay. He started speech therapy about a month ago, and I guess I thought I'd see instant results, but so far, we haven't accomplished anything. We talk to him all day, and he understands everything we say, but he's not talking back. So far, he knows the words balloon, ball, mama and dad, but even those, he doesn't use all the time. I've heard many people say that he will talk when he wants to, but as his mom, I worry that he's falling behind. He just doesn't seem to have any interest in talking.

I think sometimes as moms, we find ourselves comparing our children to other children. For me, it's hard to see other kids his age speaking in sentences and communicating with their parents, when all we are getting is grunts back from Chase.

I know in the grand scheme of things, a slow talker isn't the biggest deal, but for the time being, it's pretty frustrating. I love my little trouble maker, and I just want the best for him.

Have any of you had any similar experiences?

**I just reread this. I sound seriously depressing. Sorry! I promise to have only happy posts for the rest of the month.

Happy Birthday, Little Mister!

2010-11-05T07:51:00.001-07:00

I'm going to be blunt: I'm pretty sure Chase is gifted. Why, you ask? Well, he just turned 2, and he should be entering the "terrible twos," however, our little Chase has been causing chaos and terror for at least a year already. So, rather than labeling him "naughty" or "undisciplined," I'm going to stick with "gifted." I'm right. Right?

We celebrated Chase all day. He got to go on a early morning field trip with his daddy to the doughnut shop for breakfast, Chick-fil-A for lunch, and a party at night. I'm not sure if he understood what all the fuss was about, but he had a big grin on his face all day.

I loved how his cupcakes turned out. I found this blog, and made the same colorburst cupcakes. So cute!

Little Buddy loved opening his presents. He made out like a champ! Thanks to everyone for spoiling him!

Chase loved blowing out the candles. Check that, Chase REALLY loved blowing out the candles. So much so, that we had to light them about 10 times so he could keep blowing them out.

Oh, I love this boy! He makes our life totally crazy, but totally perfect, too!

Giddy Up!

2010-10-31T16:17:00.001-07:00

For months, Halle has been obsessed with horses, boots and all things "cowgirl," so her costume choice was pretty easy this year. When I found a cowboy outfit for Chase to match, we were thrilled. I'm pretty biased, but I must say they are the cutest little "pardners" around!

Halle got her hat and boots from Burns Saddlery. (Thanks, Grandma & Grandpa!) Even after growing up in Salina, I think that was our family's first purchase from Burns. After I saw her boots, though, I think I want some for myself!

Chase hated this hat! I have about twenty wasted pictures trying to get one with his hat on. We were finally successful!

They had so much fun trick-or-treating. Chase had a hard time keeping up with the other kids, but he totally lived it up.

Happy Halloween to all!

Playing Catch-Up

2010-10-31T16:10:00.000-07:00

Over UEA weekend, my parents treated Halle and I on a trip to Seattle. We had a blast! Since Chase takes up so much of my time on a regular basis, it was so nice to spend 3 days with my girl.

We kept busy hanging out at the zoo...

Checking out the city from the top of the Space Needle...

Checking out the fish at the Aquarium...

Taking it easy...

And being silly...

Thanks, Mom and Dad for a much needed trip! We loved it!

Perfectly Pleasurable Pumpkins

2010-10-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

We made our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch a little early this year and we had a great time. We usually wait until the week of Halloween, and scour the place for a few round pumpkins, but this year we had plenty to choose from.

It is so much fun to watch the kids pick out a pumpkin. Halle was determined to find the biggest pumpkin she could, and Chase was thrilled to just put every pumpkin he could into the wheelbarrow. We would have spent $100 in pumpkins if we kept each one that Chase loaded.

If there is one thing that Chase loves in this world, it's a pile of dirt, so imagine his excitement when he discovered a whole field with endless opportunities to get dirty. Talk about Heaven on Earth! He found this little wheelbarrow and pushed it around the entire time. Seriously, for all the stress this child causes me, he can be pretty much adorable.

I love simple family activities. Sometimes life becomes so crazy that I forget how blessed I really am, but spending an half hour in the middle of a dirt field with my family reminded me that I really am so lucky. I have a wonderful family, and I love nothing more than to see them happy.

Just Call Me Martha Stewart

2010-10-05T13:00:00.001-07:00

Before Sunday, my best culinary skill was ordering take-out, but now, I'm pretty sure I could host my own show on the Food Network.

Let me explain. When the Mormon Times arrived last Thursday, there was an article about how many families have the tradition of making homemade cinnamon rolls before the morning session of conference. Sam read the article and thought it was a good tradition to have, so we decided to give it a try. I was a bit apprehensive, because my only cinnamon roll experience consists of pulling Rhodes Cinnamon Rolls out of the freezer and putting them in the oven. But, I made these cinnamon rolls completely from scratch. Holy Smokes! I'm a domestic diva!

Anyway, they came out of the oven just in time for conference to start. It was so great to sit down with my family and enjoy the words of church leaders and eat cinnamon rolls. This is definitely a tradition that we will continue every conference Sunday. I can't wait until April!

Letters

2010-09-27T14:49:00.001-07:00

Dear Chase,

Listen, son. I love you dearly, but for goodness sakes, can you please stay in the nursery? I know you don't think it's the greatest place in the world, but every other kid goes in there without throwing the massive fit that you throw. It's been 4 months now, and you've spent a grand total of 40 minutes in there by yourself. If you stay in the nursery, I promise not to bring up your behavior in Sacrament Meeting. We'll just keep that between us (and the rest of the ward).

Dear Halle,

Just because you have a small scratch does not mean that you have to apply 7 band-aids to keep from bleeding to death.

Dear Sam,

Next time you go on a totally awesome trip, and you are buying souvenirs for the kids, please don't forget your wife. The shampoo from the hotel doesn't count. I'm just sayin'.

Dear BYU,

Anytime you want to start winning is fine with me.

Dear Diet Coke,

I know I'm pregnant, and I probably shouldn't drink you as much as I do, but thank you for helping me get through my day. I don't know if I'd make it to lunchtime without you. Smooches!

Dear Economy,

If you'd like to improve, I'm sure we'd all appreciate it. A little extra $$$ never hurt anybody.

Dear Costco,

Thank you for existing. I love our little family trips to visit you every week. And, I love your return policy. But one quick question. How come every time I try your taste test, I totally need the item, but when I get home and I have enough fried rice to feed 65 people, I'm wondering what tasted so good about it in the first place? Are you drugging me?

We can now refer to this baby with the correct pronoun.

2010-09-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

Apparently, I am totally lacking in the "mother's intuition" department. For the last 4 months, I was convinced this baby was a boy, but at our ultrasound yesterday, we found out we are going to bring a little more drama to the Taylor household.

It's a Girl!

Halle kept saying that she knew this baby was going to be a sister, so I guess I should have listened to her. She's certainly a little more "in-tune" than I am! When we came home and told her, she started jumping up and down. It was pretty cute. Chase, of course, couldn't have cared less, but I'm sure when she arrives, he'll have plenty of opinions on the new arrival.

Sam and I are thrilled, and feel very blessed to be welcoming our third child.

Now, I have to figure out the bedroom situation.

It's About Time!

2010-09-03T11:03:00.001-07:00

Halle's Big Day finally arrived! She's been so excited to start kindergarten. We've been counting the days down for about a month, so we were all thrilled to take her to school. We are looking forward to helping her learn and grow this year.

She was thrilled to see some of her friends from preschool. These girls are adorable!

Her teacher, Mrs. Holt, is amazing!

(Minor disclaimer here: Don't look too close at me. I'm in the middle of "is she pregnant or just fat?" stage of this pregnancy.)

Hooray for kindergarten!

This & That

2010-08-23T15:38:00.001-07:00

We've been trying to take advantage of summer, and for the most part, we are having a great time! And, since my summer vacation has included a mini-vacay from blogging, this post will include lots of goodies!

We went to the Days of '47 Children's Parade with Halle's Primary. The kids had such a good time waving to all of the onlookers. Halle felt pretty darn proud. I was interviewed by Channel 2 during the parade, which I thought was pretty cool, and Sam was totally embarrassed.

Our Little Miss lost her first tooth! And, bonus! She lost her tooth about 20 minutes after her good friend Mic lost his first tooth. They were so excited to have the tooth fairy visit. She made $5, and she was thrilled. Now, though, she wants all her teeth out, because she thinks it's a good money making scheme.

Sam and I went to The Lion King. We have both seen it in NY before, but this time was just as good! Thanks, Mom & Dad, for the tickets!

We finally took the bottle away from Chase. As the picture shows, this boy is completely addicted to milk. He refuses to drink milk out of a sippy cup, so we waited for a long time (probably too long) to take his bottle away. But, ever since, the boy cannot get enough food in him. He eats all day, every day.

Sam has been on two big hikes: Timpanogas & Lone Peak. He has hiked Timp quite a few times, but Lone Peak was a new adventure. Good thing I didn't find out about the aspects of the hike until afterwords. Let's just say it was dangerous, and he will not be going up Lone Peak again.

We went on a overnight stay with my family to Park City. My parents got a swanky hotel room and we spent the weekend on the alpine slide, visiting Main Street & shopping. It was so much fun. I didn't take a ton of pictures though.

We are headed to St. George this weekend for a final summer outing, and then Halle starts kindergarten!

Since I've Always Wanted a Minivan...

2010-07-28T12:39:00.001-07:00

... introducing baby #3!

Debuting in early February.

The Month in Review...

2010-07-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

I've been a blogging bust. Sorry. I have a good excuse, though. Here it is: It's summer, and I'm lazy. I've been looking at my camera for days, thinking that I should really put those pictures on the computer, but I wouldn't, because it just seemed like so much work. Pathetic, I know. Today, however, I found a burst of energy, and cleaned the house, held Halle's craft club, and uploaded pictures. Wow, I deserve a medal.

Here's what we've been up to in the last little while:

Halle had her dance recital, and it was so good! She's really coming along in dance, and I love that she loves it.

We've been having weekly craft club gatherings with some of the girls in the neighborhood. It has been so much fun, and the girls love it!

We've been cleaning. Wow, talk about exciting.

Halle and her friends had a lemonade/lollipop stand, and made $21 in 2 hours!

We've been playing with the water. A lot.

We went to the Stadium of Fire with my family and watched Carrie Underwood. She is my favorite. It was a blast!

And, sometimes, after all this fun, even princesses need their beauty rest.

So, even though we haven't traveled anywhere yet this summer, we are taking full advantage of the sunshine. Yea for summer!

My name is Ashley Taylor, and I use the television to baby-sit my kids.

2010-06-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

I would love to say that my entire day is spent creating meaningful learning experiences for my kids, but I can't. Don't get me wrong, we do things together, but sometimes -- okay, more than sometimes -- the television is my best friend. When Halle was little, she loved Dora, and I'm proud to say that Dora taught her shapes and colors (and even a few Spanish words), by the time she turned two.

Chase, however, has become hooked to another show. He loves Curious George. Like, he really loves it. We currently have 53 episodes saved on our DVR. And, frankly, I love that he loves it, because it gives me a half hour of peace every once in a while. Since Chase is incredibly exhausting, the small moments of peace is the only thing keeping me sane! The only problem is, George is a monkey, and he doesn't talk (only monkey talk). So, Chase has adopted monkey talk as his #1 language. He "oo oos" and "ah ahs" all the time, but we can't get him to talk. He knows a few words, but mostly he just speaks and acts like a monkey. We've tried to show him other cartoons, like Dora, but he hates them. He throws a fit until we turn on Curious George. So, we do.

My son is 19 months old, and he thinks he's a monkey. And, for now, that's all right with me.

Country Fair

2010-05-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

Every year, the PTO puts on a country fair at the elementary school. Halle was super excited to go for the first time, because as an incoming kindergartner, she was a special guest. Her dance company also performed at the event, making it double the fun!

Of course, what would any event be without chasing Chase? I am convinced in the next edition of the dictionary, there will be a picture of Chase next to the word naughty. He makes anything we do an adventure. Anyway, he loved running around with his balloon and causing ruckus.

Halle was thrilled to get her hair colored and her face painted.

It was a super fun night!

The Graduate

2010-05-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

Halle's preschool experience has been amazing. She had an awesome teacher, and she learned so much over the course of the year. She is ready for kindergarten! It's hard to believe our little girl will be starting school in the fall, but we are so excited for her. She loves to learn, and she loves school. We are blessed to have such a beautiful, smart and fun girl!

Halle joined her classmates for preschool graduation. The program was fantastic! Miss Karie does such an amazing job. The students sang songs, recited poems, and showed off their work from the year.

Chase couldn't hold still the entire time. This kid is going to do me in! Sam says that if nothing else, he's consistent. He breaks every rule!

At the end of the program, the students dressed up in official graduation attire. I had no idea they were going to do this. Could they be any cuter?

We are so proud of Halle! We can't wait to watch her continue to grow. She is an amazing kid!

When All Else Fails, Make Your Husband Read the Instructions

2010-05-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

This sandbox nearly ended my marriage. I'm kidding...No, I'm not. Anyway, here's the deal. We needed a sandbox because we can't keep Chase out of the flower beds, so we thought that a sandbox would be a good solution. I've been wanting this sandbox from Costco, and after a little luck (it had been sold out), we found and bought it on Saturday.

We started setting it up that afternoon. Now, Sam and I don't usually build stuff together, but when we first bought our house we did a lot of remodeling, and I was always the instruction reader. So, of course, Sam told me to figure out the instructions. The problem, however, was that the instructions only included pictures, and the wood could fit together a number of different ways. We put it together, and took it apart 4 times because something was upside down, or screwed together wrong. Each time, Sam told me that I should have read the instructions better, and I told him that if he wanted to figure out the instructions, he was more than welcome to help out. Throw in a few melt downs from Halle and Chase, and we about lost it. We went all white trash, and bickered in the backyard about who was doing what wrong, and what needed to be fixed. The neighbors could probably hear. Now, I'm embarrassed, but at the time I could have cared less.

After a whole lot of exhaustion, we finished. And we're still married. Now, Chase better stay out of my flower beds!

What's My Excuse?

2010-05-03T12:39:00.001-07:00

I've been on a blogging hiatus. I wish I had some cool excuse, like, I've been out of the country, or we are starting a new business, but I don't. We have just been going about life lately, watching the Jazz and complaining about Utah spring weather. So, here's a brief summary of our activities since I last blogged:

A few weeks ago, we joined Halle and her preschool class for a field trip at the zoo. It was fun to see Halle interact with her school friends.

Halle absolutely loves preschool. She has learned so much, and made many good friends. She is in her final month of preschool, and looking forward to entering kindergarten.

Chase absolutely loved the zoo. I could not get him to take his eyes of the animals to look at my camera, though.

We also celebrated my 29th birthday. Umm... How did I get that old? We had a great day, and Chase really loved my cake!

Mostly though, I've been busy being a mom. I love being a mom to these two darlings. 90% of the time, they drive me crazy, but every once in a while, they look so darn cute, I can't stand it!

High Five

2010-04-05T08:55:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, Halle turned 5! She has been crossing off the days on a calendar for about 2 months, anxiously awaiting her birthday. The day was all about Halle's favorites: presents, Zupa's for lunch, movies, Panda Express for dinner, and cupcakes. It was a great day, and we love our 5-year-old girl!

Halle is such a special girl. She loves school and is looking forward to entering kindergarten. She takes dance and already has more moves than I ever dreamed of having. She loves to play with her friends. She is a fantastic big sister. She will try any food, and likes most of it. She loves to make crafts. And, of course, she's adorable. We love you, Halle!

A Summary of my Day(s)

2010-03-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

(during a phone conversation with Sam earlier today)

Sam: Does your whole day consist of following the kids around while drinking Diet Coke?

Me: Pretty much.

I {Heart} JIMMER!

2010-03-18T14:22:00.000-07:00

We love the Cougars. Like, we totally love the Cougars. We have a BYU flag that hangs outside our house 365 days a year. 90% of my husband's t-shirts have BYU's logo plastered all over them. I can tell you just about any stat on this team.

So, where was I when BYU tipped off against Florida to start the NCAAs? At the Children's Museum. The freakin' Children's Museum. And, just in case you are wondering, there are no TVs there. Not one.

Halle had a class field trip, and despite many attempts of bribery, Halle wanted to go, so I took her and Chase. I was on the phone with Sam for about 2 straight hours getting updates on the game. Luckily, I made it home just in time to watch the Cougars pull it out in the 2nd overtime.

We can't wait to watch the Cougars again on Saturday. Hopefully, we can win another one and come back to SLC! Go COUGS!

Burnin' Love

2010-03-04T11:47:00.000-08:00

For the next week, Chase's hand is going to look like this:

This morning when I went to answer the phone, Chase pulled my hair straightener down off of the counter and burnt his hand. He has blisters on his fingers and palm. The poor little guy screamed for like 2 hours straight. Luckily, it didn't burn on any joints, which would have made healing much worse. For the next week, I will be changing bandages, washing out his hand, medicating him and hopefully keep him from ripping his little mitten off.

Please let my mommy mishap serve as a reminder to everyone to keep hot things away from little people.

We're Right in the Middle of "That Phase"

2010-02-14T19:40:00.000-08:00

Chase is 100% TROUBLE! All he wants to do is climb, wrestle, and live on the edge. It is absolutely exhausting watching him all day. I don't ever have a chance to work on anything, because if I turn my back, he is causing ruckus somewhere. He throws food, makes messes, doesn't go to bed on time, but there's one thing I know for sure: He's adorable! We love you, Bubba!

Cougar Craze

2010-01-21T08:41:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed the BYU game in some pretty amazing seats last night. Sam always goes to the games, but yesterday I thought we'd try to bring the whole family and sit up in the rafters while the kids ran around. Luckily for us though, my brother Ryan came through in the clutch. Ryan knows Dave Rose's wife through work, and she offered him 6 3rd row seats for last night's game. That's the third time Ryan has had the seats, but the first time I've been able to go. We had a pre-game meal at the Marriott Center, free concessions throughout the game, and a pretty good view of the game. To top it all off, the Cougars won, taking their record to 19-1.

Megan, Devin, Ryan, Sam & Chase before the game.

Halle was thrilled to be so close to the cheerleaders.

Chase clapping for the Cougars!

Winter Blues?

2010-01-20T14:32:00.000-08:00

I've been slacking in the blog department lately, and I have a really good excuse: I hate January. Like, I really hate it. Why? 1) Inversions are the worst! 2) I hate driving in the snow. 3) It's stinkin' cold! 4) My skin could seriously use some color.

Every year about this time I start to check out real estate in Arizona. I don't mind snow around Christmas time, but come December 26th, I am ready for spring. There's nothing better than watching a tulip come out of the ground. Here's the depressing part: That's still 3 months away! That's 90 days! So, for the next 90 days, I'm stuck in the house, trying to entertain my children. Yay!

On the bright side, at least Jack Bauer is back saving the world from terrorists.

Today I'm Grateful

2010-01-06T11:11:00.000-08:00

One of my New Years Resolutions is to be more grateful for what I have. Too often I find myself thinking, "if we only had a bigger house/car/paycheck/etc.," but I have so many things in my life that make me smile. Most of all, my beautiful babies! They are bigger now, and just as adorable, but I love to look at their tiny features of when they were just new. You are welcome to check out their adorableness and ohh! and ahh! all you want. I love these two!

Oh, and if you are looking for one more reason to smile, check this out. It's a clip on a new documentary about babies. Seriously, so cute!

Lucky 7

2009-12-28T20:31:00.000-08:00

Sam and I celebrated 7 years of marriage on December 27! How did we celebrate? Well, we took Chase to the InstaCare because he is suffering from his 3rd ear infection in 8 weeks, we waited forever at the pharmacy for prescriptions, and we played with the kids. An anniversary on Sunday doesn't allow for too much excitement! We will be having a date night soon to celebrate.

Now for the gushy stuff: I am so grateful for Sam. He is such an amazing husband and father. He definitely makes up for places where I lack, and I like to think that I do the same for him. We have a great time together, and I am so lucky to have him in my life. XOXO

Christmas 2009

2009-12-28T20:14:00.000-08:00

Christmas finally came! We had such a wonderful time visiting with family, opening presents, eating yummy food and watching the kids enjoy the magic of Christmas. We were spoiled, as always. We are so blessed to have such giving families.

As a family this year, owe tried to focus on the true meaning of Christmas, and it was so awesome to see Halle appreciate the Savior's birth. I am so grateful for Christ's presence in our lives.

Here's a little photo summary of our Christmas:

Making cookies for Santa...

Decorating Gingerbread Houses on Christmas Eve night...

Reenacting the Nativity.... (Chase makes an adorable shepherd)

Checking out stuff from Santa... (Sam showing Halle how to use her new IPod)

Chase loved this toy!

Laughing... (Sam gave Devin a Snuggie! Hilarious!)

Spending time with family...

It was a wonderful day! I hope that we can keep the spirit of Christmas in our home year-round.

We Love December!

2009-12-19T17:47:00.000-08:00

We have tried to fit as much fun as possible into our December, and my blog took a backseat. I don't think I've ever gone a month without a post, so I promise to be better about posting. Anyway, we've had a great month. We try to do something fun a couple of times a week. It has been so fun to watch the kids enjoy everything that Christmas time has to offer. We are looking forward to a fun-filled week ahead... The Las Vegas Bowl (Sam's going), Christmas Eve party, and of course, Christmas! It will be so much fun to watch Halle and Chase. There's nothing better than a kid on Christmas. We can't wait!

Here's a few photos of what we've been up to:

Making Gingerbread Houses

Visiting Santa

Thank goodness Santa shows up to the ward Christmas party, so I don't have to stand in line at the mall!

My kids look totally enthused. At least I got Santa to look at the camera.

Going to Family Gatherings

Michael (Sam's Brother), Sam, and Chase... Oh, my goodness! Chase isn't looking at the camera. That's a first. :)

Watching Halle at her Dance Recital

Halle & her friend, Mallory

We love December!

If you build it, they will come

2009-11-19T18:13:00.000-08:00

In-N-Out Burger opened today, and we love the place so much, we just had to make it to opening day. We waited about an hour. (Well, Sam did... He stood in the cold, while the kids and I went to a nearby Kohl's and then swooped in just in time to order.) We felt a little like vultures, staring people down and waiting for a table. The food was oh-so-great, and the Diet Coke was first class. (In-N-Out has the best Diet Coke around.) It was super fun!

Chase is 1!

2009-11-04T19:45:00.000-08:00

Chase is one! We celebrated his birthday with our families with pizza, presents, and cake. It was a great party! Chase loved getting new toys, and Halle loved "helping" Chase open his presents. I can't believe our "Little Monkey" is already one. It has been a quick year. Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate. Here's a few photos of our party:

Chase loved his cake! I think these photos tell the whole story:

We love Chase so much. He is such a little sweetie. Here's a few facts about Chase on his first birthday:

1. He loves his daddy. He loves to watch out the window for daddy to come home every day.

2. He loves Curious George. I don't know if this is good or not, but he'll sit and watch about 15 minutes of Curious George. It's pretty funny.

3. He can walk. Just like his older sister, he learned a week before his first birthday. He's pretty quick!

4. He hates baby food. Whenever I try to feed him with a spoon, it ends up being a mess. He'll only eat if he can feed himself. He loves goldfish, peas, fruit, and Cafe Rio kids quesadillas.

Happy Birthday, Chase! We love you!

Halloween Fun

2009-11-01T16:10:00.000-08:00

Despite everyone in the family fighting sickness, we still managed to have a fun Halloween. We loved events like visiting the pumpkin patch, watching Halle at her pre-school parade, attending trunk-or-treat at the church, and of course, dressing up and eating lots of candy.

Our very own "Punkin" at the Pumpkin Patch.

Halle in her preschool class waiting for the performance to start.

Halle dressed up as a flapper girl this year. Our awesome neighbor, Michelle, made flapper outfits for Halle, Quinsi, and Emilee. They turned out so cute. Thanks, Michelle!

Chase was a monster. He loved wearing his monster head. We even got him to say "roar" a couple of times. (Although it sounded more like "raaa.")

My kids and I at my parents house.

Happiest Place on Earth

2009-10-19T19:24:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a fantastic family vacation! It included all of the musts: thrills, fun, relaxation, laughter, late nights, and sunshine! We started in St. George at Sam's grandma's condo for a few days. We love going down there to swim, shop, and eat at In-n-Out. Chase took his first unassisted steps at the condo, which was a thrill. From there, we drove to Southern California for a day at the beach, 3 days at Disneyland, and the BYU/San Diego State game. It's was so nice to spend the week together without any distractions of regular life.

Here's a little photo summary and commentary of our trip:

THE BEACH

Our family at the beach. We went there when we arrived at California, but the weather wasn't great, so we didn't get in our suits. We still had fun playing, though. (I tried through the whole trip to get a good family shot, but Chase is always checking something else out... I think it was a bird this time.)

Chunka getting his toes (and pants) wet.

After a long car ride, Chase was so thrilled get out and get dirty. What a cutie!

DISNEYLAND

We loved meeting the characters...

And riding the rides...

and meeting Tinkerbell's fairy friends...

and playing...

and being with family...

and watching parades...

and cheering on the Cougars...

and spending time with Grams and Papa...

(My parents joined us for 2 days in Disney and the football game. So nice of them to come help out!)

and experiencing everything Disney has to offer...

(This is what Sam chose for our lunch one day. A GIANT turkey leg. It was good!)

and smiling...

When it was all done, we played so hard, we were all tuckered right out!

Party in the USA

2009-09-30T08:46:00.001-07:00

My mom spoiled the girls with a night out last night at the Miley Cyrus concert. She bought us tickets months ago, and Halle has been not-so-patiently waiting for the big night. She LOVES Miley Cyrus. So, last night my mom, Bethany (minus Audrey :( Missed you!), Halle, and I headed downtown for the concert. We had a great time. I haven't heard that much squealing in a while. My ears are still recovering.

Halle and I before the show

Halle and Grams

Halle waving to Miley in her new, favorite shirt grandma got her.

Thanks for the tickets, Mom! You're the best!

All About the Kids!

2009-09-30T08:16:00.001-07:00

I've been a serious blog slacker. Hopefully, I can play a little catch-up today. We've been taking it pretty easy the last couple of weeks. Sam has been loving football season (well, mostly loving... he's almost over the Florida State loss... almost). I've been enjoying my time at home with the kids, but I'm excited to start substituting on Fridays. I've really missed teaching, and my dad has Fridays off, and volunteered to watch my kids while I go in. I'm excited to get back in the school, even if it is for only one day a week. The kids are doing great. Halle is loving preschool and dance, and Chase is the cutest, little "chunka" around. So, for the most part, life is pretty good!

Here's a couple of pictures from Halle's class field trips:

This is Halle feeding the horses at Wheeler Farm.

Here's my Chunk-a-love at the farm.

Chase chillin' at the aquarium... Notice how he doesn't have any shoes on. He HATES shoes.

Halle and her friend Mallory touching the sting rays. I thought Halle was going to jump in and swim with them a few times.

Chase's diet mostly consists of milk and goldfish crackers because he hates when I try to feed him with a spoon. So, I've finally decided that he can just feed himself whatever we are eating. It's messy, but worth a picture.

First Day of Preschool

2009-09-09T12:34:00.000-07:00

All summer long, Halle has been asking, "How many days until preschool starts?" We've been answering this question for months, so we were all thrilled when the day finally arrived! She's had her "first day of school" outfit picked for weeks. She looked so stinkin' cute walking into Miss Karie's Preschool. It should be a fun year!

We also started dance again. She's a busy girl, but that's just how she likes it!

What a Game!

2009-09-05T20:24:00.000-07:00

HOW 'BOUT THOSE COUGS!

Am I a Bad Mom?

2009-09-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

Bottom line: I cannot wait for Halle's preschool to start. I will not cry. I will probably skip home after dropping her off. That girl makes me tired! So, is there something wrong with me?

Next question: Can a 10 month old go to preschool?

We've Lost an Olsen Twin!

2009-08-18T13:04:00.000-07:00

On March 1, Sam and I decided that we needed to change our eating habits. We were way to used to eating out, and we were looking more than a little chubby. Anyway, we decided that we wanted our diet to be easy. We didn't want to deny ourselves anything, because we've both done diets that limit the types of food that you can eat, and those are no fun! So, we made some rules:

1. We would ourselves to around 1500-1800 calories per day.

2. If we wanted to eat out, we could, but we had to share the meal.

3. We wouldn't snack between meals.

Since then, Sam has lost 75+ pounds, and I've lost 25! It has been relatively easy, because we've been doing it together. We still enjoy eating at all of our favorite places, but we just share, which not only saves calories, but $$$ too! What a deal!

This & That

2009-08-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

Life at our house has been crazy the last week. Chase got the stomach flu... and then Halle got it... and then I got it... and then Sam got it. Chase is still recovering, but for the most part, we are all back to normal again. But, among all the chaos, we still found some time for fun.

I love a good deal, so when $2 Tuesdays go on at Thanksgiving Point, we take full advantage. The crowds are huge (apparently I'm not the only deal-lovin', Mormon mom out there), but we still have a good time. So far, we've spent one Tuesday at the Gardens, and one Tuesday at the Dinosaur Museum. My kids love both places, and I love getting them out of the house, so all parties involved are happy!

A while back, Sam and I were asked to take part in Youth Conference. We had to create a bread stand that looked like something from Book of Mormon times. It was so much fun! We dressed up (as the directions stated), and even dressed up our kids as little Nephites. It was so cool to see the church get transformed into Jeruselum.

Now that we are all back to normal, hopefully we'll be able to do lots more playing before summer comes to an end.

Deja Vu

2009-08-03T14:26:00.000-07:00

Different Baby...

Same Trouble...

Chase (9 Months)

Halle (9 Months)

Taylor Family Fun

2009-08-03T07:37:00.001-07:00

Sam's whole family came into town last week for a week of fun! It was so great to see everyone, since we don't get to hang out very often. We tried to cram as many activities as we could in a short amount of time. Here's a little photo summary of our week:

We played in the sun...

We went to the Children's Museum...

We found our "WILD" side and went camping for a night...

The boys went golfing...

We snuggled this cute new one...

It was a great week. We miss everyone already!

Oh, What Do You Do in the Summertime?

2009-07-17T15:23:00.000-07:00

Here's a little glimpse into how we spend our summer days:

We play at the park.

We swim!

This is Halle at her swimming lessons. I am proud to say that after 8 days and $35, she can finally put her head under water. :)

We watch movies.

We shop.

We spent a fun-filled day at the Gateway with Grandma shopping and splashing.

We splash!

This is Chase's first time in our little pool. I love how his chub rolls over his swim trunks.

Notice that I left out the verb SLEEP! We don't do that. Halle's bedtime has somehow been pushed back to 10, and Chase never sleeps. I seriously have zero control over my kids.

Fun on the 4th!

2009-07-06T10:25:00.000-07:00

We had a fantastic 4th of July! I love the 4th because it's a great opportunity to get together with friends and family. It's also fun to dress my kids up in some cute red, white, and blue outfits. We started our fun on the evening of the 3rd. Riverton always has their parade on the evening before the 4th, and since Sam's bank always has a float in the parade, Sam has to participate most years. This year, he took Halle with him on the float, and she had a great time throwing out the candy. Since I didn't want to stand out in the heat with Chase, he and I went shopping.

On the morning of the 4th, my parents, Ryan, and Audrey joined us at Ice Age. Compared to Pixar movies, this one ranks far below, but Halle and Audrey enjoyed it just the same. We then met up with Sam's sister, Hilary, for lunch.

When we got home, Halle spent time playing with her friends, swimming, and getting dirty.

In the evening, we headed to my parent's house for a BBQ. We had a great time playing games and eating good food.

This was Halle before we left. She picked out her own accessories.

At the BBQ, Chase played with the drink bucket the entire time. He's such a cutie!

After the BBQ, we all headed down the Stadium of Fire. My parents got us all tickets because they know how much Halle likes the Jonas Bros. It was so much fun! I can't believe I haven't ever been there because it is an amazing show. Glen Beck was great as the host, and the Jonas Bros. were so good! I know I'm 28, but I am a fan. Halle loved waving to them, and Chase was pretty good, considering the noise.

This is Halle and me waiting for the show to start. I think she was a bit sick of the camera at this point of the day.

Chunka and Grams.

Here's the Jonas Bros.! What a show!

Family Celebrations!

2009-06-20T12:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my little brother, Devin, got married in the Salt Lake Temple. It was a beautiful day, and we had such a good time. We are so excited to have Megan in our family. She is so much fun. Somehow, I only got one really blurry photo of the happy couple. Anyway, here they are:

Here's Halle and me at the temple.
And, lots of pictures at the reception:

In other family news, we are excited for a new niece! Sam's sister, Roxane and her husband Mike, welcomed Baby Pernille last week. We are sad that she lives in D.C., but we are looking forward to meeting her when they come out in about a month!

Rain, Rain Go Away!

2009-06-15T19:55:00.000-07:00

Somehow, our summer of swimming and "fun in the sun" has turned into staying inside watching the rain. And, by rain, I mean buckets and buckets of rain. Crazy weather! Anyway, we've been moving our fun inside and keeping our fingers crossed that we'll be able to enjoy some sunshine soon.

We enjoyed a day at the Children's Museum with Dani, Isabel, and Paisley. It was great to hang out with them. Halle and Isabel got along great, and Dani and I got to see our childhood dream of having daughters as friends come to life.

We've been playing with friends a lot, too! Quinsi and Halle love to have beauty parties. They get their hair, nails, and make-up done just so they can go play in the dirt.
Chasers has been enjoying his baths. He would stay in the tub all day if I let him. It's the only place that I can get him to hold relatively still.
And somehow, Chase has already learned to pull himself up to his feet. All of a sudden, he can make it up all of the stairs, "speed crawl", and get on his feet. He keeps me busy!
We've had some fun, but we definitely want the sun to shine again, and soon!

Welcome to the 21st Century, Ashley

2009-06-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

I did it. I joined. After saying I wouldn't. I broke down. Just one problem. I'm totally confused.

What?!? Zack & Kelly Broke Up!

2009-06-09T11:29:00.000-07:00

For Jeff from the Max! That guy's a creep. My life is seriously over.

Need proof? Check it out...

http://www.usmagazine.com/news/mark-paul-gosselaar-seeks-saved-by-the-bell-reunion-200996

Everybody Dance Now!

2009-05-31T15:47:00.000-07:00

Halle had her final dance recital Friday night. It has been so much fun watching her this year. She loves to get all "dolled up" so she can preform on the stage. We are so proud of her! Now, we are looking forward to a summer of soccer and swimming, but we can't wait for dance to start again in the fall.

(This picture makes me laugh. I wanted to get a picture of her class after their performance, but Halle was--in her words--"totally sick of pictures." So, she decided to pout on the floor.)

Simple Miracles

2009-05-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago, I saw a bird had built a nest in our tree. Since then, a momma bird has been perched on that nest. Every morning, Halle and I run outside to see if the baby bird had come yet, but every morning the momma bird still sat there. (I thought she looked bored. It's a good thing I've never had to be on bed rest. Watching that bird made me realize how miserable it would be staying in the same place day after day.) Anyway, this morning Momma Bird was still on the nest, but this afternoon as I sat outside watching Halle and her friends jump on the trampoline, I noticed that Momma Bird had left. In her place sat these two perfect little babies. One is chubbier than the other. So cute!

I think for the next few days, I am going to be outside in my back yard watching Momma Bird bring food to her babies. I've grown attached to their little family.

Final Shows

2009-05-19T13:59:00.000-07:00

This is, by far, one of my favorite weeks of the year because every night I get to plop myself in front of the t.v. to watch season finales. And, while I'm still reeling from the conclusion of Desperate Housewives and 24, I get to focus my attention to tonight's Dancing with the Stars conclusion. I think I secretly hope that Melissa wins, because I loved her on the Bachelor and she is a super good dancer. Still though, I like Shawn Johnson, and Giles is a super cutie! So, I'm mostly just interested to see who wins.

And, I decided last week that I like American Idol again. I went through a 8-week fast-forward fest with the show, because I didn't like any of the contestants and I was a little bit sad because last season was so good. But, now that it's the last week, I must say, I'm pretty excited. I really hope that Kris pulls of the upset because he's just--let's get real--so cute.

What are your thoughts? Who are you rootin' for? Or, are you like me? Secretly hoping that David Archeleta and David Cook come back for a rematch...

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-11T09:13:00.001-07:00

I love being a mom! It's the craziest, busiest, funniest, messiest, best job out there! I never thought that I would like staying at home all day, but I feel so blessed that I get to watch my kids all day. We had a fantastic Mother's Day, and I want to give a special I {heart} you! to all of the mom's out there. I especially want to thank my mom & my mother-in-law for being fantastic examples for me.

Lastly, I want to give a big {smooch} to these two! They make my life perfect!

And, for all of you Salina girls out there, check this out...
10 years later, and I'm still making Mother's Day flowers! I made these with my Activity Day girls for their moms. They looked so cute around the neighborhood. So fun!

6 Months

2009-05-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

Our little guy is 6 months today. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. He's already sitting up, rolling everywhere, army crawling, and putting anything and everything in his mouth. He weighs 17 lbs., 6 oz and is 27 cm long. He's our little "chunk of love."

Love you, Chase!

So Much for the Diet...

2009-04-30T08:10:00.000-07:00

My parents got my brother Devin and I a cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes for everyone to enjoy at our birthday gathering. I, of course, volunteered to take some of it home. Will someone please take the fork out of my hand?!? This stuff is heaven on earth...

My advice: Whenever you have $30 to burn, and five pounds to GAIN, buy this cake. Your life will never be the same...

Forgive Me...

2009-04-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

This may be incredibly tacky, but I love birthdays, and I really, really, really love my birthday! So, today, I'm going to walking around with a cheesy grin on my face, because today is the day that we celebrate ME!

Oh, and Happy Birthday wishes to my little brother, Devin, too!

Day of Discovery

2009-04-21T20:13:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to take my kids to the Children's Museum for a while, but for one reason or another, never got around to going. I finally made time to go, and we had a fantastic time! We planned to go with Bethany and Audrey, but Audrey got a stomach bug, so they were unable to join us. (Missed you guys! We'll plan another day out...) Anyway, the museum was fascinating! I could see Halle's brain just a workin'! Chase had a great time, too. He watched all the kids play, and even got to take his turn at playing in the baby area. Here's some pictures of our activities:

Chase enjoying the fire in the play house. (Look at that boy sit up! What a stud!)

Halle going through the self-checkout at the grocery store.

Chase lounging around. He's so cute and chunky!

Hal playing dress-up at the performance stage.

Chase enjoying perfect baby sized Legos.

For Halle, no day is complete unless she's soaked by the end of it. The only difference today was...she didn't get in trouble!

Scaling the rock wall. She actually got pretty high!

Halle reporting the weather. She said it will either be rainy or sunny tomorrow. Way to cover all of your bases, darlin'!

At the end of the day, we enjoyed our free ice cream cone at Ben & Jerry's!

It was a perfect day! If you haven't been to the children's museum yet, you have to go! Maybe we'll see you there...I'm going to be a regular!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T10:52:00.001-07:00

I love Easter. It's a great holiday. Why? It's not overdone, it's in the springtime, it's fun, it's simple, and it has a great meaning. So, I always love when Easter season comes around. On Saturday, I had great plans of doing something fun, but the weather didn't cooperate, so we settled with coloring Easter eggs and watching Bedtime Stories as a family. We even added glitter to our eggs this year (see above), because who doesn't love an egg with a little bling?
On Sunday morning, we hunted for Easter eggs and played with the stuff from the kid's baskets. Chase, of course, loved putting everything in his mouth & Halle enjoyed a breakfast of Kit Kat bars and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. (I would be lying if I said that was the first time she had strictly candy for breakfast. Sometime my motherly skills amaze me!)
The kids looked great in their Easter duds. I don't have a picture of Chase in his outfit, because he was either sleeping or throwing a massive freak out attack while he was dressed in his outfit. But, trust me, he was the cutest, snuggliest (is that a word?) baby around.

Don't ask me why Halle is not looking at the camera. Doesn't she know that I'm going to put these pictures up on the WWW?

All in all, it was a great day. Even Sam's wish came true...He got to watch the Masters thanks to Chase's massive freak out at church. And me? Happy kids and a happy husband = a happy me!

Party Time!

2009-04-04T10:09:00.001-07:00

About a year ago, I won a free birthday party at Backyard Adventures, so we celebrated Halle's 4th birthday with her first "friend party." The kids ran, jumped, swung, slid, and bounced for 2 straight hours. (Notice their red cheeks in the pictures!) The kids had a great time, and it was a fantastic party! Thanks to all Halle's friends who joined us for the fun!

Fantastic 4!

2009-04-03T07:59:00.000-07:00

Halle turned 4 yesterday. We have been counting down for about 6 weeks, so we were thrilled when April 2 finally arrived. She had a fantastic day. We let her open up 2 presents when she woke up to hold her off until her family party that night. During the day she helped me decorate the house and she chose Wendy's as her birthday lunch (no surprise there).

All of our family came over at night to celebrate. We had Costco cheese pizza for dinner (another Halle fav).

Finally, we let her open her presents. It looked like Christmas morning at our house. She got tons of clothes (which made me happy) and tons of toys (which made her happy). One of the favorite gifts was a Lite-Brite. I don't know how many of you had one of those when you were a kid, but I did and I loved it. Halle and I stayed up until 11:00 last night making pictures on her new Lite-Brite.

She got barbies, Littlest Pet Shop Daycare, a new kite, new books, a puzzle, the new Hannah Montana CD, a floor puzzle, $$$, and a new bike! What a lucky girl! Thanks to everyone who came and spoiled her rotten!
She picked a Tinkerbell cake, and (curse me!) I didn't take a picture of it. It was way cute, though.
We are so lucky to have Halle in our family. She is so fun and smart. We love watching her grow up and become a beautiful girl.

We love you Halle!

A Tasty Treat

2009-03-31T16:04:00.000-07:00

When your diet consists of just milk and rice cereal, snacking options must be creative...

Help! I'm stuck in an American Idol rut

2009-03-26T12:40:00.000-07:00

I'm trying. I really am trying. But, no matter how much I try to get into American Idol this year, I just can't. Every week I tune in, but I find myself fast forwarding most of it. I listen to the first of the song and then I fast forward to hear what Simon says. In my opinion, last year's group was so much better. I guess I'm not connecting to any of the contestants.

Here's my take on the ten remaining:

Kris: He seems like a nice person. Not doing it for me though.

Scott: Yawn central

Megan: WTH (heck, of course) did she do to her arm?

Adam: Dude needs to star opposite Clay Aiken in a showing of Spamalot.

Danny: I've been sick of him ever since they showed him every minute of the auditions and Hollywood week.

Lil: Holy ghetto booty.

Allison: Weirdest last name ever. Needs to fire her hair stylist.

Matt: If I had to choose a fav, he'd be it.

Anoop: No opinion, I usually fast forward all the way through him.

Oil Dude: I can't remember his name. I guess that means I don't like him.

So, is it just me? Am I just in an Idol rut? If so, what do I do to climb out?

Madness

2009-03-19T05:48:00.000-07:00

Update: Curse the Cougars! Are you kidding me?!?

Well, it's our favorite time of year. We sit down in front of the t.v. all day and watch game after game after game. BYU plays bright and early this year, and I am hoping that they can win a game. I {heart} Jimmer, baby! (On a side note, I wonder what Mr. and Mrs. Fredette were thinking when they named their kid Jimmer.) Confession: I didn't pick BYU in my bracket, because I'm playing a little game of reverse psychology.

So, for the next 3 weeks, you can find us glued to our HD until "One Magic Moment" plays. I love March!

What about you guys? Are you all bracketologists?

Disney on Ice

2009-03-14T13:00:00.001-07:00

My mom got us tickets for Disney on Ice last night. It was so much fun! It was nice to get out with just the girls. Halle and Audrey loved it! They just stared at the skaters the whole time. They waved to all of the characters. Halle especially loved Ariel, Daisy Duck, and Tinkerbell. Thanks for the tickets, Mom!

Grams with her girlie-girlies.

All of the girls (minus my mom). Halle & Audrey got matching Disney shirts for the occasion.

Happy Birthday Sam!

2009-03-10T11:43:00.001-07:00

In honor of Sam's 32nd birthday, here's a list of the things I love about Sam:

1. He's funny. Sam can make a joke out of any situation and everyone always smiles when they are around him.

2. He's a great dad. Sam loves to play around with his kids and they love to play around with him. For some reason, dads are more fun!

3. He's honest. It doesn't matter the situation, what you see is what you get from Sam. If he likes something, he'll tell you. If he doesn't, he'll tell you that too!

4. He puts family first. Sam always wants to spend time with us. He'll even forgo lunches with friends to come and chill with me and the kids.

5. He fulfills his church callings. (And he only whines 1/2 of the time!)

6. He bleeds BYU blue. There's nothing hotter than a guy who cheers for the Cougars! I could never be married to a Ute.

7. He watches shows with me. Last night, for example, he sat down and watched Dancing with the Stars with me. (I prefer to think that he wanted to spend time with me, not watch the pretty girls in their little outfits.)

8. He cleans the kitchen. Enough said.

9. He's a Republican. Thank goodness! There's nothing quite as annoying as an opinionated liberal.

10. He keeps us on the straight and narrow. He remembers family prayer and scripture study, he gives me "the eye" when certain adjectives come out of my mouth, and he keeps me from getting my Diet Coke on Sundays.

Sam, your great! We love you! Enjoy your day! Heck, enjoy the whole week. Heaven knows when it's my birthday, I'm going to stretch it past one day!

4 Months & Daddy Daughter Date

2009-03-05T11:15:00.000-08:00

Chase went to his 4 month check-up yesterday. He's a healthy little guy! He's 32 percentile in weight and 85 percentile in height. Wonder where all that height comes from? :) I took Halle with me to his appointment, and she had a harder time with Chase's shots than Chase did. She got all teary-eyed and asked the nurse why she was hurting her brother. She is the best big sister. We did find out that we need to take Chase to a pediatric plastic surgeon to see if he can fix his right ear. When Chase was in my belly, his ear got smashed at the top, so it's flat rather than round. Anyway, it's not a huge deal, and it doesn't look that bad, I just don't want him to to get teased when he gets to middle school. So, we'll see what happens.

And in other happenings, Sam took Halle to the Jazz game last night with his friend Jimmy and his two boys. They had a great time. Sam only had to take her to the bathroom 3 times, so it was considered a success! What cuties!

Two Nights in a Row!

2009-02-24T13:40:00.001-08:00

My little Chase has slept through the night two nights in a row! He made it 7 hours both nights. I've been waiting nearly 4 months for this, so I'm hoping that it isn't a fluke. I feel like a whole new person when I get a little shut eye.

Speaking of a sleeping, I got a baby magazine in the mail today that listed the 5 Stages of Tired. Enjoy!

1. Bliss. You are basically running on adrenaline following the birth of your baby.

2. Disillusionment. You have the late night t.v. schedule memorized and you start to imagine doing evil things to your husband because he wakes up refreshed every morning.

3. Despair. You start to forget just about everything.

4. Relief. Your baby has made it a couple of nights.

5. Bliss. You've had several full nights of sleep, and life, frankly, seems sweeter.

I think I'm in stage 4, but I spent a lot of time in stage 2! I loved those mornings when Sam would get up, and ask, "Did Chase sleep through the night? I didn't hear him." Grrr....

The Things I Love

2009-02-10T10:38:00.001-08:00

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, this post is dedicated to the things that I love.

1. Fox News. I'm a political junkie. I keep up on the stimulus, the bailouts, the happenings in congress, and even the first lady's wardrobe. Where do I turn for my info? Why, Fox News of course! As a republican, I try to steer clear from the liberal stations. NBC, I'm talking to you...

2. Ads. I love Sundays because I get to spend an hour of my day going through the ads. Finding great deals is so much fun. For example, I got our couch and love seat combo from RC Willey for $500 about 6 months ago. Then, last week, I saw the same couch and love seat on sale for $1500. For those of you who don't like math, that's a $1000 savings! Go me!

3. Smut T.V. Desperate Housewives. Brothers & Sisters. Friday Night Lights. Love them! I've never gotten into Grey's or Lost though. That's probably a good thing. My DVR would be on total overload.

4. iPhoto. I've always loved Macintosh computers, and iPhoto has increased my love for Mac. I make books and calendars. All I have to do is drag, click, and order. Scrapbooking is no longer necessary. Well, let's be honest, I never really scrapbooked anyway.

5. Gymboree. I get suckered into every sale this store has. If they sold adult clothes, I'd probably buy them too! (Well, as long as they gave me Gymbucks to go along with them!)

6. Guitar Hero. I'm one of those people who try to stay away from the trend of the moment. For example, sushi. Just because people eat sushi, does not mean I have to. (I personally think that no one actually likes sushi, they just eat it because other people do.) Anyway, I thought this about Guitar Hero. I was not going to play it because I thought it was just a trendy game. Oh goodness! It is so fun. I totally missed my calling as a drummer in a rock band. But, is it pathetic that I get booed off the stage every time it's my turn to do the vocals. What?!? I don't sing as good as Beyonce?!?

So, here's a big I LOVE YOU to all of my favorite things. Anyone else want to share? What makes your heart go pitter-patter?

3 Months

2009-02-04T13:13:00.000-08:00

Chase is 3 months old today! He has been such a blessing in our lives. In his three months of life, he has learned to smile, jibber-jabber, demand everyone's full attention, melt hearts, grab at toys, laugh, eat his hand, splash water, throw his binkie, and give slobber kisses. He's a keeper!

This will make you smile :)

2009-02-03T12:59:00.000-08:00

Today in the Deseret News there was an article about creative children's furniture. One company, Straight Line Designs, makes furniture that looks like it popped out of a Dr. Suess book. I had the greatest time checking this site out. Enjoy!

Cuteness Factor? Off the Charts!

2009-01-25T19:45:00.001-08:00

Seriously, could he be any cuter?!?