weekend update

I thought I would update our weekend and the many "eventful" things we did. Eric has had some time off, looking for a new job, so we have had a lot of "weekend" days. It has been nice having Eric home and spending some good quality family time together. I know he has enjoyed being home with Taylor!

taylor's favorite things of the week, sitting up like a big girl; plastic cup; walker; and books

update: eric found a job with Scottrade and starts Mar. 24th :)

Friday we went to our friends, jenni and bentley's, with their 2 little girls Kayla & Jada. We all went to high school together and we really like hanging out with them. We had dinner, taco soup/cornbread/chips/and cupcakes for dessert, and then played the Wii. Eric seemed to be the hit of the night, keeping us all entertained while he played game after game. Bentley had lots of things to show him and Eric would play each one. Thanks guys for a fun night!!!

what a cute family

Saturday we hung around...like we've done most days for the last month...and then decided to brave Salt Lake and hit Babies R Us. We almost went to Costco, but used our better judgement. Costco is worst then Wal Mart on Saturdays. Eric always tells me we have to put on our "game faces" before we go in. We had lunch at Chili's and then went and bought Taylor a walker. She enjoys sitting up and we thought this would be fun for her. I wanted to get the $75 Rainforest Jumperoo, but eric of course wanted to get the cheapest one, $30. I came to an agreement with him after seeing Jenni & Bentley had the same one and Taylor enjoyed her time in it while we were there.

playin' and having some rice cereal...the highchair broke...a new one is on the way

Afterwards, we treated ourselves to some frozen yogurt at Yogurt Stop. A self serve yogurt shop, something hard to come by around here. We then spent the rest of the night playing with tayor, eric watched a movie, bath time and sleep.

Sunday, we lounged around in the morning, church doesn't start until 1:00. Church was good. Taylor almost made it, luckily eric got her to sleep towards the end. She hasn't fallen asleep in our arms since 2 months. She looked like a little rag doll. When we left church we were greeted by a huge storm. It was dumping hard and heavy. It was the wet, dense snow. I didn't even know this storm was coming. Thank goodness we are leaving for Vegas on Tuesday. We need some warmth. Eric was excited because it meant he could go snow blow. He really enjoys it, especially since our snow blower was broken during the last storm.

We spent the rest of our evening lounging around, playing with taylor again, and I sewed. I have been trying to get my first baby bedding set finished...and I am almost there. I have the bumper, sheet, and skirt. Now I just need the blanket. It has been a lot of fun and I am excited to see what will happen. I am thinking about trying to sell it on Etsy first to see if there is a market and if people will buy it. I hope to keep it up and I look forward to making more. So if you are ever interested, let me know. Here is a sneak peek of what I have been doing so far!

the left is a boy set that is just about done, and the right is the fabric I am using for a girl set


diaper & wipes case, bibs, and burp cloths! A little more girl stuff, but plenty boy on the way

I also made this baby leg warmers out of knee high socks...so cute...even cuter under a skirt!

Now it is Monday and Eric is still asleep. I have already fed taylor once, played around with her, and now she is back asleep. On today's agenda...clean house, pack for vegas, make much needed phone calls, get tires on the car, laundry, and the DENTIST! Eric is having some serious pain with his tooth. The poor guy has had a horrible tooth ache all weekend. I was able to sneak him into the dentist today to get it looked at. He has really been in a lot of pain. No fun!

See you in a week...we are off to 70 degree weather (I hope)! We are going to take Taylor out and get a lot of fresh air!!!

rice cereal & 5 months

a couple weeks old...look how tiny

It's official...taylor is growing up. So we thought we would try the infamous rice cereal. We put her in the highchair (which I just noticed, has a huge crack in the wood-must return!), and tested it out. I hear they either like it or they don't. It seemed as though she did. She ate it and would open her mouth to have more. We have tried it a couple of times and she has seemed to still enjoy it. But the last time she didn't go for it. We will see if she is still into it. If not, we will just wait until it is time for solids.

yum!

Taylor is such a big girl. She is 5 months now (as of yesterday). We have had so much fun with her. My favorite things about taylor are...

*still... when she stretches(it is very rare these days, now that she doesn't wear the harness)
*when she smiles when you walk towards her
*her constant screaming...so pretty

ahhh...

*kicking her legs (ALL THE TIME) that girl has a future in swimming if she keeps it up!

*when I get her to laugh...there have be a couple of times she will give us a little giggle
*her big blue eyes! we get comments every where we go.


*when she sucks her thumb...it is her self-soothing technique to get to sleep...genius!


*her funny and sweet faces...got to love 'em
*her excitement for playing with toys...she still really likes the wipes...such a great noise

*when she cries...we just put her down and she goes to sleep...it is wonderful

*when she first wakes up (after 11 hours of sleep!!!)...she is ready to play and talk, talk, talk.
*how she surprises us every day with how much she is growing up...i don't want to miss a thing. I am so glad I have the opportunity to stay home with her and watch her grow. I absolute love it!

happy 5-months!!!

Husband Tag

What is his name? Eric Anthony

How long have you been together? Total of 10 1/2 years (1 year dating in high school, 2 years waiting, 1 1/2 dating and engaged, 6 years married).

prom 1998

Who eats more? Eric for sure! Eric loves food. I think I talk too much when we are eating, that I get fuller faster, therefore, not eating as much.

Who said "I love you" first? Eric did! In high school, cheesy I know! But it was sweet to me!

Who is taller? Eric, thank goodness. I need to be able to wear heels.

Who sings better? Of course, Eric!(he is singing to Taylor as I write this:). Eric's favorite thing to do is sing "jingles." He always wants me to sing along with him and try to harmonize to his made up songs. You can always hear him in the other room singing away...and he does pretty good at carrying a tune...AND taylor really likes it when he sings to her.

Who is smarter? Hum...? We are both smarter in different areas! But if you ask Eric he will say he his.

yellowstone

Who does the laundry? Me...or it wouldn't get done...plus I don't trust Eric with my clothes. There are too many things that shouldn't be dried...I can't risk it.

Who does the dishes? Mostly me. Eric will occasionally help, but again, it wouldn't get done if I didn't do it.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? looking at the bed, eric. We seem to be the oppistite of most of you. We switch it up every couple of years, when one of us needs a change.

Kennecott-2007

Who has more friends? I would say me. Just because I like to keep in touch and I consider all the people I met teaching as my friends. He always tells me he would much rather hang out with just me...and taylor.

Christmas '07

Who pays the bills? can you guess? Eric of course. If it has to do with money...eric is in charge.

Who mows the lawn? right now, the lawn care service that eric's parents have. Eventually eric will. Although, I was pretty good at it, growing up. My parents would make fun of me because I would come back in beat red! Anything I did that required effort...i turned red.

family reunion '07

Who cooks dinner? me. i think eric is a better cook. But when he works, I like to have dinner ready for him. It is my pleasure.

Who is more stubborn? eric...sorry hun! but you know you are. I have the hardest time convincing eric that I am right...when I really am!

Who kissed who first? I did.

Disneyworld '06

Who asked who out? we both just decided to start hanging out.

Who proposed? Eric. He re-enacted a date we had it high school, and did everything the same. I knew it was coming, because of the way he was acting...but it was very sweet.

right after we got engaged-2001

Who is more sensitive? by far me...i cry over anything and everything. Eric always shakes things real easy, and never lets things bother him.

Who has more siblings? Eric (2 brothers, 2 sisters). I have 1 brother, and 1 sister.

Who wears the pants in the relationship? Depends on certain things. We work really well together, and we both try to pull our weight in this family.

Disneyland

Life with eric has been great! He is a great dad, and husband. I look forward to more stories and experiences with him. Eric is everything I wanted in a husband and he lets me know how much I mean to him everyday...something I don't do enough. I love watching him raise our daughter and can't wait for our family to grow. We are very blessed and very lucky to have each other...and taylor:)!

I "heart" you!

happy valentines day...from our little "love bug!"


...of course I couldn't pick just one...so here are some more...



overalls, courtesy of G.Pa Jim...some of the only red she owns



so sweet


just couldn't resist another picture with those eyes...what a doll!




okay...just one more :)

back to school

Got to have the clip art, right teachers? :)

For the last week or so, I have been subbing up here to make a little extra cash. I was a little excited to get back into the classroom, every now and then, to get my teaching fix that I have been missing. It was hard to get myself up and get motivated to go and teach someone else's kids, but I thought it would be fun. I must say, it was not what I was expecting.

Being a teacher, I have my expectations, and I was very spoiled by my school Pony! I came from a school that is very cohesive, social, and all around great! Everyone tries to adapt new ideas and really works with one another to make things work. Each grade level team is working together to share ideas, help with students, etc. So in my mind I thought all other schools were like this. I have never known anything else, and I have always thought I was so lucky to work at such a great school. Not that the schools I am subbing at aren't good, but they just aren't Pony! You fellow "ponyites" know what I am talking about and be very greatful for that school. I credit the way Pony is to my principal and the environment he set for teachers/students/and parents. Everyone is heard and everyone makes a super effort to make their class and the school successful.

Good ol' Pony!

I enjoyed going back to what I know so well, and giving what skills I have to more kids. The kids are always the same...they can put a smile on your face and remind why you became a teacher. But again, I compare it to my old school and see what a difference our school made. I have always told my principal and my husband that if I were ever to go back it would have to be Pony Express. I am grateful for the 4 years I had teaching and making a difference in students lives.

I think about going back in the future, but as all my teaching friends have said, who have now "retired" and become moms..."I wouldn't trade being a mom for anything!" Leaving Taylor was the hardest thing and I love to come home to her. I am grateful that eric can be the one to stay home with her so I can go out and make some extra money. Taylor is my full time job and I am so glad I am her mom! No job is greater!

I will always miss teaching and the friends I have made...but thank goodness for BLOGS! I have been able to keep in touch with so many of them. Thanks Pony for so many memories, friends, and experiences.

left to right: lindsey & me; christie, me & christine; beth, heidi c. & me
(this was the last day of school :()

left to right: camille, karen, me & chris; my team...can you guess what we are? we thought we were so funny, but people had a hard time guessing what we were, when we were by ourselves; my team again(me, brittany, misti,mandie, emily,jessica, christie, christine)

some more friends from pony: heidi b, and lacey

all bundled up...

...well not really.


It seems that whenever we take taylor out we don't bundle her up like other people do. We simply put her in a hat and cover her with her blanket. Are we horrible? Every time we have put her in her coat, with a hat and a blanket...she is in a full sweat. So we stuck to the basics. You loose all your heat through your head, right? We have the bases covered then. And we are never out long enough for her to even get cold. I have been wanting to by a car seat bundler, but just haven't got around to it. Maybe we will get it before the end of the winter.

...and oh, what a winter we are having...

Here I am, out shoveling again(by hand...the snowblower is still broken) on Sunday. It is up to my thighs.

The drifts on the street are now over eric's head. They just keep piling it up!

We were snowed in on Sunday and couldn't get to church because there was so much snow. About halfway through, our neighbor was so kind to let us borrow his snowblower. We hope ours will be fixed by the next storm. As you drive up our street, you are surround by huge drifts of snow on both sides. It gets so bad sometimes, that is only wide enough for one car to get through. Luckily, the plows came out this week and moved the snow so the streets were a little more drivable. The town is overflowing with snow! They don't know where to put it all and they have to take dump truck loads, and take it out of the city!

Eric finally got in a ski day with his buddy and tested out the great snow. Who knows if I will get up this year. So when is the next storm?:)...can't wait...:)

Vegas Visit

look at those eyes!

Once again, we headed down south to visit my sister brit, aaron, and jack. It was a chance to get away and have a change of scenery. Very needed right now! We made it safe and sound without any weather problems. I don't know what we were thinking trying to leave on Monday...that was insane. This was the first drive we took without a DVD player to watch videos. We usually take turns and it makes the drive go SO much faster. So this time is felt a lot longer and of course you can never get any radio stations! I was hoping for Dr. Laura both times, but we were just too far out of range.

Here is the road that we got stuck on Monday. Look at those snow drifts!!!

Taylor, once again, was a trooper. She now takes the bottle without any fuss, so we don't have to stop and feed. Very nice! She slept most of the way and by the last 30 minutes, she let us know she had enough time in the car seat. We arrived at my sisters around 3:30 and just hung out and picked up a Cap's sandwich for dinner. One of our usuals when we head down. Eric then went off to enjoy some time to himself. I wonder what he was doing?:)

This almost looks like a flashback of her leg when she was born. Taylor picked this new trick up while we were visiting.

Our trip consisted of hanging out, shopping (of course), crafts (valentine cards), movie (we saw Juno...not bad), season premiere of LOST (I got hooked a couple of seasons ago when my bro-in-law lived with us...and never watched it faithfully, so I picked it up in Vegas and decided I am going to be a faithful viewer), In-'n'-Out burger, pizza and more crafts, photo shoot with the kids, babysitting for my sister and vice versa, and just getting some good quality family time in! Thanks again P's for a good time. We really appreciate you letting us come down...we needed a little get away! See you soon!

Kissing Cousins!

We asked Jack to give Taylor a kiss...and he did!!!

Shortly after...taylor didn't like when jack would get too close...her was her reaction...



Just Jack!

Jack is very entertaining...we alway love to watch him play! He even is starting to say taylor's name...Tay is what he calls her!

Just Taylor!

We have been practicing rolling over and sitting up. When we were in St. George she rolled from her tummy to her back by herself...twice!!!


Hanging out and doing crafts!!! Our new favorite thing! What will be next B? This is eric's favorite thing when we come down!:)

On our drive home, we stopped in St. George to visit Eric's brother and his family. We stayed for a little bit and the boys talked sports, stocks, poker, etc. It was fun to see the girls (drew-cameron-avery)...all girls...a trend we see in their family. Eric is a little nervous this might happen to us, but has said he might really enjoy it! Taylor tried out Avery's toy and I decided I need to get her something like it, or the chairs that hang in the doorway...for some bouncing fun! Thanks Brad and Tanya for the quick visit...we will have to come stay soon.

Avery and Taylor...they are going to be the best of friends...another blue eyed girl for the fam!

***Upon our arrival home last night, we were greeted by TONS of snow! The driveway was covered with at LEAST 6 inches and in some spots, where the wind blows...I swear it was close to a foot! And....the snow plow had packed up a good wall right in front of our driveway so we couldn't get in. So we hopped out and trekked it through the snow and headed out to shovel...by hand...a path to get the car in! You might be asking why we decided to shovel by hand? We thought it would be fun...whatever!!! Our snow blower broke right before we left so we had to manually do the labor. We were hoping our neighbors would have helped us out while we were gone. So at 10:30 at night...Eric and I were out trying to get off as much as we could. We decided to tackle the rest in the morning. To our surprise...someone...a neighbor maybe...had plowed the rest of the driveway! Thank you! It saved me from having to go and help again!:) We will definitely have to return the favor! Here is the after math. I wish I would have gotten a picture before we shoveled, but it was too dark. And to think...we have more snow on the way! We must get the snow blower fixed!!!