Us Smarties

Aug 29th

2011-08-30T01:58:00.000-07:00

its late so this will be short ...

t-went to do homework and then headed to class. had a rough 2 hours plus because everything he and his group had present was not what the teacher was expecting so it has to be redone and the website is not the way he wants it. did home work until he went to work where they started the new online survey incentive program. just got home (11pm).

a-did school - letter d- made doughnuts,ballon dogs and a dinosaur puppet. organized brookes clothes with ones that fit and ones that do and made bracelts for 2 new little babies born to friends as well as finished a lei from lauren's baby. skyped with taylor's ever so supportive grandparents and then visited montse (her husband is in taylor's class and not home much either) got the kids ready for bed and then talked with lauren who come to visit.

b- had an awesome day at school. played on his own allowing me to get a few things done. found a box and filled it with cans of soup, bags of beans and rice, and random serving spoons. this looked like fun to brooke so she climbed and started to play. nrenna then flipped the box upside down and sat on it ... all the stuff had flipped on top of her and she couldnt get free. she will one day be big enough to hold her own. brennan fell asleep eating dinner because he had no nap!

b-slept all the way through the loud balloons and excited kids with the dinosaur. loved playing with brennan until she was stuck! after we visited montse brennan decided he wanted to ride a bike. i had my arms full so i took brooke up to the house to drop her and the food montse shared with us. i emptied my hands which included my phone and key to the door. she was so upset i set her down and walked up way she some how flipped the stopper and shut the door. by the time i realised this i had brennan in hand walking up the stairs ... more riding for him because now i have to locate someone to open my door. luckly my neighbor is our ra but he was at work. he boarded over and got to give his wife a kiss! we were in and both were screaming!!!!! good times just before bed :-)

weekend

2011-08-28T17:07:00.000-07:00

friday - our usual friday - taylor went to class we went to costco anf then met up again for pizza and a movie around 6 so the kids can go to bed around 7:30 and i fall soon there after to get up 2 for cinnamon rolls. this time brennan fell asleep for about 30 min in the car which kept him up until 11 and atylor so kindly stayed up with him as well as made the kitchen spotless for me to make a mess of until 9 am the next morninng.

saturday- cinnamon rolls until 11 and then we tried to geta hold of a few friends that live by a pool but all of them were busy or not home so we couldnt join them so we all ended up asleep! it was then time to make a dessert and head to a seminar one of taylors classmates was putting together as part od his peace builing certificate. it was suppose to be a 2 session event but we sqeezed into 1 6 hour setting! the kids were great until 9 when brooke broke down and couldnt be consoled. i took her outside and she calmed down and went to sleep but as soon as i headed back to the classroom she screamed. i dont know if it was the ac that was freezing or the fact that she was done with the same 4 walls. anyway we satyed outside for a bit more until it was over. it was a great presentation! we did eat in the middle a delicious taco salad with enchiladas that i now have the recipe for. the bean/corn salsa is to die for. come to find out it is from a restaurant in arizona :-) we then played settlers with the millers and taylor won both times!

sunday- taylor went to meetings and i got ready hoping to squeeze it in before the kids woke up ... that was easy because they were so tired from the night before they didnt wake up until after 9 and church starts at 10. put the kids in the tube and brennan decided to add some fregrance and floaties to the water. thank goodness taylor was able to come back after the meeting so i wasnt dealing with 2 poopy bathtub kids on my own! he took brooke and i took brennan because he required more ;-) i did gag once while cleaning! it seems there is always something he likes to add to keep me on my toes and use up a little time and patience before church!!!!! i have started calling them 'my adventurers'. after church taylor went home teaching and i put the kids down for a much need nap because brooke didnt get her usual morning nap and brennan hadnt taken a nap much at all during the week. then it was my turn to go visiting teaching and taylor to hang out with the kids. we then had our home teachers come over. they are new ones so it was a bit longer because we got to know them a bit. they gave a good lesson on love at home. one is from korea and the other is from somoa and niether of them come from a culture where love is expressed openly much less verbally. they said though as the church grows in their countries the expession of love has increased. the younger generations are adpting it so its not as akward when it happens. brooke then went to bed at her usual time but brennan decided it would be fun to stay up until 11 so it was my turn to stay up with him so taylor could get up when he needed to to finish a few things before class.

Aug 24th

2011-08-25T23:45:00.000-07:00

t- went to figure out his classes for the rest of the time we are here and forgot he had a research group meeting ... no biggy because he had done and talked to the leader prior. worked more on the website before class. he didnt have to go into work because his boss wasnt there so he worked on stuff and then had meetings until 5 when he came home and made dinner. the reason for that was he had the option to change a poopy diaper or make dinner :-) he then had a cool down for game and then hit up his homework unil late.

a- taught the letter c and shapes. we made camera cards, cookies and created a car with cicles for wheels, squares for windows, and triangles for bumpers. the kids are getting more and more comfortable with eachother. there is a boy and a girl who are a like a couple ... he started to cry as his mom left so i grabbed him to distract him and had him help me decide where everyone should sit (i make the letter of the day out of tape on the floor and then write their name on it so they have a spot to call theirs .. you know 2 year olds) he pointed where he wanted to sit and the i asked where this little girl should sit and to no surprise he said ... by me! she chimed in and said i want to sit here (the oppoiste end of the letter) he was crushed. as time went on they were cuddled up like a couple as they sat on their buckets in the kitcken waiting for the mixer to mix the dough. there is another boy who likes this same girl but she just pushes him away and doesnt give him the time of day but he is persistant and wants to be at her side or in her face all the time. its entertaining and like i've mentioned before ... i wonder if anything information gets passed their little ears. the rest of the day was our usual ... play outside. there is a baby shower i am trying to get a crochet lei finished for so i did that as i watched brennan play and brooke napped. then it was dinner and bed time for the kids.

b- had an awesome day ... because most of it was spend outside. he loves riding a bike. he cant go down stairs without sitting on one. i got some fun videos and pics of the kids ... brennan riding and brooke playing in the grass. taylor took 20 or so to spend with us before he went back to the computer. he alsp loves to play with our nieghbor hola who is 10. he is from tonga and only here until december. hola and his friend play rough and thats what brennan loves so everytime he sees them he stops what he is doing and runs to them. brennan calls him wa ... mom where is wa... what is wa doing...

b- started a runny nose today. i cant tell if its from being sick or teething because she does have 2 top teeth coming in. im hoping its teething! poor thing had to cry herself to sleep during my little class because she wouldnt take her bottle because couldnt breathe. brennan was very cute with her while he was riding his bike and taylor was out with us ...dad its brooke's turn ... she sat on the seat which was also standing on the bar. they sure love each other but she does have her moments of ... i need my space so back off brennan!

Aug 23rd

2011-08-24T02:00:00.000-07:00

t- he had more work he needed to do for the egypt project (homework) and then class to present what he had prepared. he is a group leader for the media group which means he has other helping him so they all have collaborate and then he presents. he now has been given the assignment to make his mock website fully fuctional. he is stress because it has to be complete by friday and there is so much he doesnt know how to do. he has to learn and the apply his knowledge and he is worried its not possible. they have created a 800 slide powerpoint to present to the charity they are helping of things to improve ... plans have now chaged and they are doing it for them so taylor now has to take all the information and make it functional for them. yikes! he then went to sife where he had 2 couples approch him about a business plan for our cinnamon rolls/bakery idea because they have people wanting to donate their money to something so it might happen after all the 10+ other attempts we have made.

a-made taylor breakfast in bed because he works hard so we can have food, clothes and a roof over our head as well as school and a calling at church that keeps him on his toes. then i took the kids to a wic appointment. played with the kids and then helped plan a baby shower for lauren. bathed the kids and then off to bed.

b-saw a bible on the table at the wic appointment (its held at a baptist church) so he started pointing at the letters and saying random letters. i then asked him to find a b ... is ther another b? ... h ... he pointed to all of them as i said them. it over joyed me to know the preschool is paying off for him as well. i have had several comments from other parents but hadnt seen a difference in him. i huge relief for me to know he is listening occationally :-) he decided to climb on the outside of the railing tonight while i was talking to a neighbor i never see. as she looked up and saw him i turn to run for him and scold him, once again decided to move faster and lost his grip. his feet slipped and he was holding on to the bars and our other neighbor ran out of his house to grab him before i could with brooke in my arms. that was honestly the first time i have been scared for my monkey. i hope it scared him enough to not do it again. he later got a bike and begin peddling, which i didnt know he could do. i can handle a bike fall not a 15 foot fall to concrete stairs!

b- had an emotional day ... my guess is from her lack of sleep yesterday. she wanted to be held or touched and if brennan got close she cried. taylor had a bit of time before class so he played with the kids on the bed and brooke loved jumping (with assistance) so hopefully now he jumper will be more enjoyable for her. she laughed the entire time with him. she has become an extremely light sleeper so its extra challenging to discipline brennan without him sceaming and waking her up. its all a part of raising kids and im not the first mom to deal with it nor the last. its only a period and then there will be new challenges :-) i am constantly thinking of heavenly father and how he must feel as i disobey or achieve something new. how would he treat/teach the child because after all these are his spirits we have been entrusted with.

ps 2 people within 2 days had dreams about us with more children so if anyone else has been blessed with this information please share :-) we can take hints

Aug 22nd

2011-08-24T01:38:00.000-07:00

t- had a meeting with a project leader from sife and then went to class and work. he came home earlier than planned ready to eat so he made the family quesidillas! he then went back to do more with his homework.

a-did the letter b for school and the number 10. we bowled, blew bubbles with our super duper bubble blower (10 straws), made pom pom bears, made thumb print bumble bees ...it was a greta day for all the kids. i had one extra because i have an appointment tomorrow so cruz came to join our monday group. brennan didnt nap and brooke had a short one so we spend most of the day outside to keep smile on everyones face.

b- had a good day at school but a rough time while brooke was napping. some of our tongan neighbors made his evening because they played rough with him, chased him, got his run away balls from the street ... he loved every minute of it he asked to go bed because he was so tired. he didnt even want to read scripture (we did it anyway) and he fell asleep during the prayer :-)

b- woke up half way through scholl so she joined in the fun. her naps were short but she seemed happy for the most part. while we were visiting our frineds the oborns and their new baby she decided to let go of the coach and show them how she stands on her own. i now have witnesses because she only does it when she wants to. she knows already what she wants and doesnt want ... thanks gigi ... baskin robins i want it! i am amazed at the traits children aquire without being around a relative.

weekend

2011-08-24T01:09:00.000-07:00

friday -taylor and i had an learning/growing occation ... we have yet to be perfect yet we arei perfect for eachother! i tooke the kids to costco while he was being busy and then we had our growing tradition of pizza and a new movie. this week was dispicable me ... brennan watched 5 times in the 24 hours we had it and laughed every time. this kid gets humor and it makes us as parents extremely happy to know he can find joy in anything at such a young age.

saturday- we had an amazing selling day! we were done with 24 pans in an hour 45. that gave us time to play at the pool before the kids turned blue and brennan asked to go home because he was so cold. the rest of the after noon we relaxed until the millers came over for bbq and games. after dinner the kids went to bed and we played 3 rounds of settlers ... tayloe0r one the first and then tyler smoked us the other 2 games. lauren and i decided we are going to try a new game that us females will dominate.

sunday-church ... brennan had a rough day in nursery ... he threw toys constantly and pushed people for no reason over and over again. we have to come up with a plan so the leaders can control the wild man. i am thinking it was just the day but we will see what happens next week after a big crack down at home. it is exhausting me but i am doing my best to stay consistant with him and his throwing or mistreating others. after church we put the kids to bed and taylor slept too ... i organized what we needed to take to the potluck. the elders quorum was in charge and decided to do breakfast for dinner. it was the best turn out we have had! the bishop and taylor made it very clear that it was a men's activity they needed to participate so they were the ones that cooked. we went through 15 dozen eggs or more an entire bag of pancake mix from costco.

Aug 18th

2011-08-19T00:37:00.000-07:00

t- went to a meeting before class. then went to work for a few hours before he came home changed clothes and went to the ward farm. he then stayed with the kids while i went to a relief society activity.

a-walked taylor to his meeting before school kids came. we had fun again with the letter e and number 9. played with the kids doing summersalts, head stands, wheel barrow with brennan and making brooke giggle uncontrolable by tickling her under her chin. brooke then went to sleep and i made brennan play on his own whiile i started a crochet lei for my firends baby blessing. walked over to walk taylor home because we needed to get out and then we headed up to the farm with him for a bit. gave baths and then headed to the activity ... minute to win it!

b-got to ride his friend tricycle to drop off taylor at his meeting. he then did awesome at school until the last 20 min when we went outside to do excersises. so he didnt get to watch his most recent favorite movie ... rio. when i made him play by himself he was entertained for about 10 min and then he turned into a monster so i took him outside. he rode the tricycle around for a while and then he found a stick and ditched the wheels. he climbed on the top of a table and i asked him to get down 3 times and he just started at me so i started to get up. thats when he moved a little too fast and fell off, hitting below his eye on the bench and finishing the fall on his head as the concrete stopped his momentum. he now has a cut on his eye and its turning black in addition to a knot on his hairline. some of us just have to learn to listen to mom the hard way.

b- she woke up earl from her morning nap and did exercises with us again but to she didnt become a horse! he has been standing a lot more on her own. i have noticed its as long as ther is an object in her hand she will stay up otherwise she just sits down. so many things i want to catch on camera but cant for one reason or another. i can feel a top tooth coming in but hasnt broken skin yet. when we went to the farm i put her in the hiking backpack we were given and she was silent the entire time. she is an observer! taylor asked me today if i thought she would be shy or social. he said he has paid extra attention to that the past few days and things she will be. she might be like me ... likes to be aroound people but doesnt say much unless spoken too. brennan sure loves to tease her so sometimes i have to seperate them becuase she gets so frustrated. when brennan is being brennan it is fun to watch them play but he has been a monster lately and she cant take any more.

Aug 17th

2011-08-18T01:21:00.000-07:00

t- went to a research meeting and found out that his teacher has been plotted against. there were several other scholls that came in april to interview several of the members from different research groups to see what they do. they are now saying that he is a tyrant and trying to disperse of all groups and projects here. it will be interesting to see how this all plays out because he has helped countless number of students get into top schools such as oxford, brown, berkley ... taylor is currently part of 5 of those groups! what a shame ... someone helping others achieve more than they ever dreamed of and others trying to put a stop to it. after his meeting he copied stuff for my little class and then it was off to another group meeting before class and then work. he was able to come home at 5 today so we took a walk and then had dinner and relaxed as we watched the results to agt.

a- i am so proud of myself because today for school all of the things we did i came up with on my own with no help from websites. we did the letter e ... colored and decorated eggs, pinned the ear on the elephant (that i drew on my own), went outside to use energy by exercising and matched all the number 9 dominos. after school we had lunch and then it was time for a much needed nap. i didnt realize i was so tired until i laid down with brennan and fell asleep before he did i think. tonight for dinner i decided to use up some of our wheat macoroni noodles but lasgna sounded yummy so instead of the layered dish we had elbow noodles with everything else from lasagna. it turned out awesome and much faster!

b- had a very energetic morning and was sick of his little buddy pushing him around so he tackled him to the ground. his planned failed because the kid continued to push and push everyone. i finally had to put on buckets in the corner until his mom came. had a long nap and loved the walk with dad and the girls. just before i started typing i looked at my sister ann's blog to see who had updated theirs and as soon as he saw the picture of ann he said ... grandma? ... he knows that i always show him her picture from the blog. it brought so much joy to know he knows her picture and will on day put that with all the other feelings and moments they have shared without him knowing her on this earth. it melted my heart and the frustrations i have with him subside because he is just as christ taught ... be as a little child. he is my constant reminder and helps put things in perspective of how my heavenly father might feel about me as his daughter. i disobey and he tells me over and over how to improve yet i am hard headed and its frustrating to him im sure ... yet he still loves me and picks me up with open arms to hug me .

b- had a rough morning. she woke up 45 min before my class was over but we had things out that i didnt want her into so i left her in her bed which made her super mad. when we went outside i took her with us and she cried most of the time because she wanted to be held from having to stay in her bed. when we went back inside she fell victim to the pusher and they he tried to ride her like a horse. i then put her in her jump to keep her off the floor and brennan decided it would be fun to swing her. nothing was going to calm her down accpet being held by me. she was so traumitized and distraught that her face was red 10 min after i held her. the rest of the day was awesome. she woke up from her nap long before brennan so she was thr happiest little girl playing with a book while i cleaned up the kitchen and living room. she loved the walk just as much as brennan. she was so content at 7:30 her usual bed time i didnt even realize it was so late but after she ate she went right to bed and happy to do so.

Aug 16th

2011-08-17T01:05:00.000-07:00

t- slept in and for some wild reason thought i was still in bed with him. he went to class and then work as usual. he was given something at work that he could do from home so he surprised me at the house! he allowed me to take a nap while entertaining the kids and working. once i woke up headed to a research group meeting and then sife. he then came home to enjoy our show together ... agt.

a- had a fun little group at school and one boy cried uncontrolable for his mom for while but we continued on and he didnt want to leave by the end. it was wierd because is not a crier at all but other boy was crying so that might have been the cause. put the kids to bed and then planned for school tomorrow. i was then blessed with the wonderful presence of my busy husband. after my nap i took the kids to play outside and we ended up going over to a friends house who i was suppose to go swimming with this morning but she was sick. she is a young womens leader so was busily working to put decorations and things togerther for the new beginings program they have tomorrow so while all the kids were entertained i helped her so she would feel so neglectful to her 2 boys. we then came back had dinner and bath time. finishing in time to enjoy time with taylor.

b-woke up at 6 so was ready for a nap when school was done. he loved doing potatoe painting which then became a puzzle of the number 4. tuesday thursday is a smaller group so we gat more accomplished and this is one of those things. he has his friends and constantly asked where they are so we went searching today. that is when we went over to miggy house to play and i ended up helping his mom. he didnt want to leave even when i said we would be eating because montse his mom is the most amazing cook and snack giver.

b- she woke up before sxhool was over but taylor was gone for class already so she played with boys and they all asked for her as soon as they heard her cry. she played for about an hour all on her own while i was napping because taylor left her on one side of the baby gate and brennan on the other so he wouldnt pester her and i could stay asleep. she loved it so much there were times taylor had to get up to make sure everything was ok because he didnt hear any sounds from her playing or talking. she was helping brennan and i pick up toys and stood on her own again for a good 30 seconds and then sat down because we were watching and cheering.

aug 15th

2011-08-16T09:31:00.000-07:00

t- printed some little booklets for my preschool kids and then headed back campus for class follwed by work. at 4 we met him to go to pcc for some tickets to give to my brother in laws coworker who was here on his honeymoon. for some reason taylors new debit card wouldnt work so we walked him back to work and continued back the house for my purse. once he finished work he went to get help with making a mirror image of his website because they are making a portion of it in ariabic and they read right to left.

a- had a wild and out of control preschool class. usually there are a few that cry because they want their moms but not today they were bouncibg off the walls and i wonder if they even heard a work i said. i know they surprise you with what they actually hear while being 2 and 3 year olds so hopefully they told their parents something good! played with the kids until it was time to take taylor food and get the tickets. it was quite sweaty speed walking with 2 kids back and forth to pcc twice but we made it just in time. when we got back the other kids from the building were out playing so we stayed out there until it was dinner and bed time. neither one of them afternoon naps so it was quick to bed after they ate.

b- i forgot to mention ... on sunday as i was doing my hair he decided our white walls were boring and climbed up on the tv stand (which is a 5 drawer dresser) and grabbed a marker one of the preschool kids left and wrote all over the walls, table, frig and kitchen floor. before that he and brooke had gotten out the boggy borad. brooke ended up on the board and brennan pulled her around. the funniest part to me was the fact that she was naked because i was letting her aweful stbborned diaper rash dry out a bit. back to today ... he was his usual wild boy during school but the other kids were just as crazy and picking fights with each other. he did have to sit on buckets in the corner for a bit becuse he wouldnt follow directions. his energy continued the rest of the day until he finally stopped moving at 7:30. he ended up walking all but the second trip to pcc. we took out time coming back the second time because he stopped for rocks or a stick or to pick me a flower to put by my ear ...

b- broke down at 9 so she was put in bed for her nap. she stayed asleep until the kids left at 12 which was perfect timing. she is becoming a climber. once again i forgot to mention on saturday while we were waiting in the car she figured out how to turn around and clim over her seat into the front passenger seat. too bad i dont have eyes that go in two different directions at the same time because it would make it easier to watch my t2 monkeys. her favorite is to climb on me when i sit on the floor to play with them. she is also becoming more and more a fan of being flipped and twirled by her dada. she leans into the twist or flip now which is entertaining to watch. she played with our friends the tapias baby on a blanket outside and then played with her new best friend rythm before she lost it from no afternoon nap.

weekend

2011-08-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

friday - the kids had fun playing with dad while i cleaned in the morning and then he went to class at 12. when brooke woke up from her nap we the kids and i headed to costco because taylor had a research group meeting from 3-6. once we returnedwe had pizza and a movie as a family. we barrowed the movie rio from our friends and brennan ended up watching it 5 times before we returned it the next morning before we went out for cinnamon rolls.

saturday - we passed our cleaning inspection! brooke fell asleep before we went out to do cinnamon rolls so i stayed with her while the boys went to sell. brennan had a exteremely exploritory attitude so he pull things off, wrote on himself, ran faster when taylor called his name ... needless to say ... he was buckeled down when brooke and i got there. poor guy had to stay there for a bit more because we have up graded our cardboard signs for a snadwhich board. a friend of ours is the head of a huge construction project at pcc extremely good at what he does plus he has the tools so we asked him to make us one. i was paining it so taylor held brooke and brennan had to stay where he was until it was dry. after cinnamon rolls we helped a friend with his car ... it ended up being a new battery that cured the issue. while we were at the mall taylor decided a new wallet would be a great idea because all of his magnetic strips on his cards were being ruined within a day of getting a new one. he is a fun person to watch as he gets something new!

sunday - taylor went to his meeting while the kids and i showered and got ready. brooke is starting to change her nap time to 9 and church starts at 10 so it was a tearful morning because i didnt want to have wake her up instead my hope was she would go to sleep during church. she didnt give in until the last hour. oh well atleast she was good because there were lots of people and she was out of the house. my kids are outdoor social crazies! after church we had lunch and had some family time just relaxing. our close firends the millers came over and asked if we wanted to do dinner and games later. of course we did! they made twiced baked potatoes and we put a ground turkey tomatoe corn and bell pepper mixture together and it was awesome together. then it was time to put the kids to bed so while we did that they went on a walk. the sunset was absolutly amazing so we turned the lights off as we set up the game and the room turned a purply pink color! once they came back we played settlers of catan ... 3 games later we decided we were all tired and it was best if we called it quits.

Aug 11th

2011-08-12T01:09:00.000-07:00

t- had no meetings before class or homeworks so he got to hang out with us. he took brennan out to play and went on a walk. went to class and then work. he finished what he needed to for his class yesterday so he got to come home after work at 8. he hung out with brooke and made sure she stayed asleep.

a- wanted to sleep longer than 6 but brennan did want to. pu the kitchen bacl together before school. had lunch with the kids and then laid down with them. once they were both asleep i paid bills and relaxed a min or two because then it was curtain screen and window time. i made a deal with our neighbor whose wife has been in the hospital for 6 days with their new baby, the oborn family, that if we used their detergent (i was out) that we would pay for their curtains to be washed. he agreed and it only made sence to do all of their window stuff too. baby was released from the hospital today so it was perfect that i was able to do it while no one was home. i was finishing the last window when they returned. oh well it was fun to see their reaction.

b-had a rough late morning from waking up so early so school was not fun until dad pulled him out and had a chat. took a short nap and then played outside while mom did window cleaning stuff. he is always asking to help. he would bring me the screens as i need to put them back on or hand me what i needed or pour cups of water on the screen as i scubbed (i forgot to mention my brillant idea ... use the car brush on the screen instead of a sponge ... it was so much faster because it attached on to the hose). once it got dark he played with bannock's toys while i was doing their windows.

b- slept a total of 2 hours today so she was very tearful. she is one that knows what she wants and will do nothing else. taylor was trying to play with her as he does brennan on the bed but she wanted the floor and to crawl around. she doesnt like to be alone either. its hard to take a shower while she is up because she just cries. she loves people ... especially here daddy. everytime she sees him there is the biggest brightest smile on her face so full of love and joy. went to bed quickly and easy because she was so tired.

Aug 10th

2011-08-11T01:33:00.000-07:00

t- had a neuroscience meeting then printed off stuff for my little preschool kids and then it was off to another research group meeting, this one was for pcc. after that he headed for class then directly to work. he was able to sneek home for an hour before he met up with the website tutors. we were able to fit in a walk to the store and back before he grabbed food and left.

a- had a relaxing morning because the kids slept in until 8. there were alot of criers today at school. bannock our little neighbor who never whines or cries cried because i didnt get him water the second he asked for it. poor little guys has had to be without his mom and new baby brother for 6 days now and its getting to him that things are not as they normally are. his grandma came yesterday so that is another out of the norm thing for him. oh well we made it through and the whale puppet show turned into all the little whales swiming in the ocean - i covered the table with a blue blanket and after all the kids had a turn to show their puppet they went under the table like a fort with their whales we just made for the letter 'w'. put brennan to sleep and then started cleaning ang brooke woke up but so kindly played with all the tuberware and lids. she played long enough to be tired again and brennan still wasnt up so i was able to clear out all the cupboards and pull out the stove as well spay the inside of the oven to let it soak over night. finally both kids were up so we played outside and thats when taylor surprised us with his presence. we had to grab food from the store because the kitchen is torn apart or sprayed with chemical. we had a picnic in the living room and then went back outside until the kids were ready for bed.

b- had a very fisty day until he slept for 3+ hours. he spent most of school time on the buckets, our spot he cant get down or bother anything else. he did help me figure out how to put up 7 fingure when you arent able to do the normal 2 plus 5. we did a shaka on one hand and all 5 fingers on the other. he says that to taylor as he walks out the door in the mornings and most of the time when people leave the house or saturday morning with cinnamon rolls. he started it on his own and we have since encouraged it because it is so stink'n cute. rode our neighbor kai's bike all evening long and then kindly returned when he was done without me asking him to. i didnt even telling him it was time to go inside. he wanted water and a movie.

b- played in her bed until brennan woke up. there has only been one morning that she cried during preschool because she fought sleep knowing big kids were here. it has been a huge blessing to have her sleep the entire time. i planned it around her nap and it has worked so far. loved the new toys - tuberware as i cleaned. while playing outside the last 2 evenings she has aquired a new admirer. rhythm the little girl down stairs who will have a baby sister in november has wanted to carry her and have her at her side the entire time we are out. tonight she but brooke in a little car that floats around the complex and pushed her down a little hill. they both loved it. brooke would hold her hands in the air like she was on a disneyland ride. i wish i would have had a camera close. it sure wore her out because she went right to sleep.

ps taylor's sister returned from her mission today and we were blessed with picture messages from both his mom and dad. congrats darcie and job well done.

Aug 9th

2011-08-10T01:10:00.000-07:00

t- helped a friend whose 2 day old baby had a seizure and had to return to the hospital for 6 days. today was the day he was suppose to come home but he was put on oxygen lastnight so they are keeping the little guy one more night. the baby's grandma flew in today as well so she will be able to fill in as well. they have a another little boy who is 3 months older than brennan and they live in our same building so we have become like family to each other. sean ... the dad is the brother taylor never had and i am the sister ashley ... the mom never had. was asked to go to class even though he was going to be over an hour late because the work he had done on the website was amazing and their excitment drove them to add more. he then went to work where he found out he is only alotted 19 hours a week because they hired another person and dont have the budget to have them all work 25 hours a week. its all good though because that means we might get to spend a little more time with him. he then had a meeting for sife ... the business club ... and finally made it home at 8 to watch our show ... americas got talent. we have only ever watched one other show week to week and that was with his parents ... deadliest catch when we lived with them. we have started watching it this season as something to do together as the kids are in bed. it has allowed us to sit on the couch together and enjoy eachother company for an hour instead of worrying about homework or housework. he is now touch up some of the requests on the website.

a- got to sleep until 6:30 when brooke wanted a bottle. i felt like it was too much sleep because it has been a rough week plus for one reason or another. had 2 preschool boys come and we enjoyed the number 2 and letter k more so than yesterday because of the smaller group we got to go outside and actually try to fly our kites. i was blessed with a surprise lunch from taylor ... southwest chicken salad. started on my cleaning list ... light fixtures, walls, behind the frig ... played with kids until it was dinner time and then bathed them when we were done. we finished just in time to put the little ones down before thhe show started.

b- is such a sweet boy to give mom a kiss to get her up instead of his pillow like other mornings. had fun with his little school buddies. one in particular he really loves is jack. anything jack says or does brennan copies. the first day kack said he needed to go patty so i helped him and when he was done brennan was right there telling me he had to go potty too. if he gets anything out of our little class it might be going potty is cool not a diaper. oh i forgot ... before atylor left a friend from his class stopped by to see if the taylor could email him some info and before he could say hi brennan was asking where miggy was ... our friends son miguel. he is one social kid and always wants someone besides mom dad or brooke. although if he had to pick from the 3 of us it would be brooke. they love each other and it warms a heart to watch them ... most of the time. he didnt take a nap today so after the bath he was everywhere doing everything trying to keep himself going because the moment he stops he is asleep.

2011-05-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

taylor

went to class and then had a meeting for a new reasch group he has been invited to be a part of. he had an hour break or so before he left for turtle bay to hopefully retrive the data they need for their project. then it was off to class straight from there. he got home changed clothes and went to the store for snacks. the women in the ward had a spa night while the men played with the kids ... they watched the movie up had snacks and got a balloon. they are trying to get more people to the activities and it worked. then it was bed time so we read scriptures and said prayers before taylor laid with brennan.

amy

got the kids ready for the day and a there was a knock at the door ... it was kai. he lives down stairs and is brennans twin ... they have the same birthday blonde hair and blue eyes. i opened the door and he came in while brennan went out. we ended up staying outside the rest of the morning and early afternoon with bannock. i finally got a shower and went to the spa night.

brennan

played with friend outside and had the best day ever. they played on bikes, spray bottles, water balloons, balls, ran around chasing eahcother ... bannock joined at 12 when his parents went to class. we finally went in and ate something but even then he wanted to stay outside and forget about food. all this play meant no nap so before the movie with dada i had to keep him awake. we played with playdough and took a bath but once i sat down to feed brooke he leaned on my leg and fell asleep. i shook my leg, moved it around and he still stayed asleep. i had to carry him most of the way to the church because he was trying to wake up and wouldnt walk. i finally got him to help me carry the snacks. he was happy and loved the reast of the night. there was no fight to go to sleep because dada laid with him.

brooke

loved sitting in the grass while the rest of the kids ran around her. she can be pretty unstable when she gets excited but not today. she was stable the entire time we were out there. the kids loved spraying her feet and toes even though they really wanted her face.

she loved hanging out with the kids for the movie but once she fell asleep they wont leave her alone thinking she was a little doll. she then joined me and ended up waking up just before we left. once taylor laid with brennan her and i went to eat a banana to have her sleep through the night.

May 18th

2011-05-19T00:47:00.000-07:00

Today is the day my mom passed away 8 years ago! I miss her dearly but have been blessed with wonderful friends and family to lift me up when I have hard days. My youngest brother, Brad, told me this year was a hard one for him and I wish I was there to hold him as I did once I got home from my mission just months after her passing. He was 12 at the time and would lay in my arms and cry so hard his body would shake (if you have ever do this you know how exhausting it is and hard to regroup). He has come a long way and had several experiences to help him grow but there are always times that are harder than others. For me, attending the temple has been a blessing on those harder days as well as to watch my children and imagine the joy she has as she mothered us on here. Trust me, she is still mothering : ) One thing I have learned from this experience is ... Heavenly Father has a reason for having us forget what it was like to be in His presence before this life! I long to be with my mother because I remember what it was like to have her at my side. It has only been 8 years and it still hurts at times to have her gone. It has been 30 years since I left our Heavenly Father's presence ... do i have the same longing to be with Him? If I could remember what it was like I wouldn't let silly temptations get in my way or my natural person get the best of me. I definitely have had experiences in my life that have given me glimpses of what it might have been like, being in the temple is one of those, and they pick me back up and encourage me to push on and live as He would have me live in order to return to Him after this life. I can't say THANK YOU enough to those that have been there through thick and thin : ) I miss you Mom and love you a lot!!!!!!!

Taylor: played racquetball and then went to the store to get his neb : ) that was forgotten yesterday. He then went to talk to people about a job interview!!!! There was a job presented to him about a week or so ago and he has been filling out papers and getting more information on the job until today. Last semester he had the opportunity to work and the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) as part of a research group and this is a continuation of that. he was just the one to had out the surveys, but now he is going to be using the skills he learned at Microsoft in the program of Excel to help them with the information they receive. There were several hours before his interview and we needed to drop off some paper work in Kaneohe (about 30 min south) so we headed down there. Little did we know that Sears was having a huge sale on their men's dress shirts and pants. Since Taylor has lost 30 lbs (6 lbs away from his high school weight) he needs new clothes. He is having to dress up a lot doing this project for Turtle Bay and he only has one pair of pants that he wears to church, he found a really nice pair for $10!!!!!! and a shirt and tie combo for $20!!!!!!! He is looking good, but back off he is MINE! We got back from there with an hour to spare so we played as a family before he left. He GOT THE JOB! there is a few more paperwork type stuff he has to do on Friday and then its official. He came home and played with Brennan for about 2 hours while Brooke and I took a nap. Then it was dinner and off to stunt. He has been stunting for a while because one of the girls went to her brother's wedding.

Amy: went to meet Lauren but she didn't feel good so I worked out at home and man did it feel GOOD!!!! There was a few days I missed blogging because I was sick or I typed something and wanted to add a picture so I am trying to catch up. I am only missing 2 days now so that's the goal for tomorrow : ) I have had some pretty intense headaches lately and today was one of them. It wasn't as bad as they have been but it was enough to be a nuisance. My guess is they are from not sleeping consistent and not as much water as I have been with our new eating habits. Once we got back from the mall I laid on the bed and didn't want to move. That's why Taylor allowed me to sleep once he got back!!!!!! It felt so good to sleep : ) I woke up we had dinner and then it was bed time for the kids.

Brennan:had a better day today because dada was around more!!! He loves his bananas and would eat one every 5 minutes if I let him, but one is enough for his poor little system. The question of the day has become ... did Brennan have a banana yet today? Good thing we live in Hawaii where they are grown : ) Tonight while I was making dinner the boys went a walk to talk to some of the Elders who signed up to help play with kids during a Relief Society activity tomorrow and one of those was Sean, Bannock's dad, and the 2 of them had melt downs because they didn't get to play. Funny boys will see each other tomorrow! He put up a 15 minute fight tonight before falling asleep.

Brooke: woke up while I was working out but played and squealed in her bed for an hour or so. Thank goodness because Taylor was playing so I was able to finish my workout. I need to get video of her rolling all over the floor and getting pinned in all kids of funny places. I left her clothes off for a little bit this afternoon and Brennan found her belly. He had the juiciest raspberries I have ever heard and Taylor and I laughing so heard we teared up only egged him on more. He gets so much pleasure from simply clapping so after every one he would clap and laugh with us. I wish I had video if not just the audio from that but we were laughing too hard to do anything : ) Tonight she played on the floor while Brennan fought and then she still played more while I started this. She finally is out after I put her in the swing. She doesn't like to be held when falling asleep : (

May 17th

2011-05-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

Taylor: finished a paper for class and then went at 7:30. After class he ran to the store for me and was going to get more solution for his neb but forgot : ( by the time he remembered the pharmacy had already closed so he is kicking himself. he will just have to be careful with what he does and have his inhaler close! Once he came back from the store he read and worked on homework for his next class. Then he went over to Cole's to work on their project. Their class is from 3:30 to 6:40 and with our new eating habits he eats every 2-3 hours. He always has food with him and the class has picked up on it and teases him about what he will bring for next class. He decided to take pizza, so that was his distraction at the store earlier, frozen pizza! After class he come home for a bit and played with Brooke while I was outside with Brennan before going to a SIFE meeting. This is a group of business people who are wanting to practice their skills before going to the real world. They do go to competitions and things with their projects so Taylor had been asked to head up all Project Managers of those projects. This is what he loves to do so he is adding to his resume!!!!!

Amy: had a rough night with the kids. I don't know what is going on but they are not being my good sleepers lately : ( As many times as I had gotten up I thought for sure it was around 5 so I looked at the clock and it was only 1:45!!!!!! After being sick Brooke has her appetite back and so doesn't make it through the night without wanting to eat ... its real food time again : ) I didn't go work out again. I feel like I have had a lack of sleep headache for a week now and didn't have the energy to move. Things will get better and they will sleep again so I'm not worried! I played with the kids and organized a bit before Bannock came over. The boys played for about an hour and then Brennan needed a serious nap so we all went and laid down. This time it was Brennan that fell asleep first and Bannock never went to sleep. Him and Brooke just played until Brennan woke up. After he left we ate and then it was outside time. I haven't taken Brennan out much lately because he has fevers that come and go which make him extremely cryish (all he does is cry for dada). After dinner we played on the floor ... summer salts, airplane/superman, flips, horse hides ... The kids were laughing so hard we had to take breathers so they could recover : ) I miss the good ole days when I would do that with my dad, yet it brings joy to see my own kids light up doing the same thing. Then it was bath time and bed!

Brennan: played around the house, mostly with his big orange ball (one of the big ones from Wal-Mart). Had a fever moment which meant we just laid on the bed and read books trying to calm him down because Dada was not home. I tried to get him to take a nap then but it was too early (10am). I gave him some medicine because he got to 100 and that was the end of the fever and crying. Thank goodness for medicine!! He colored and started the trowing the crayons just as bannock was walking up the steps. He got woken up by Bannock throwing the ball at him : ( so it was not a happy time for about 15 minutes until he fully woke up. He and Brooke both love their baths. he infact was the one that reminded me it was bath night! He started to take off his shirt and say bath bath bath standing in the doorway of the bathroom. I grabbed Brooke and she did her excited kicking until I could get her in the tub. He loves playing with her now that she is not as fragile! He will copy her for the longest time and get the biggest kick out of it. To be little and be entertained by such simple acts : )

Brooke: took an extra long nap this morning allowing me to give Brennan some much needed attention and play time. She is back to her happy laughing self after being sick! She loves to roll all over the floor and see where she can end up : ) I put her in the jumper today and she is starting to get the idea a bit more. Brennan wanted to help her so I convinced him it was best to just jump next to her instead of swinging her or pulling on the rope to make the spring extend and then let go. He is a good helper, he just needs some guidance ; ) During her bath tonight she got up on to her knees while on her stomach, so she will be crawling here soon. That will make her even more happy!!!!! She moves on her back but not her stomach which frustrates her.

they aren't the best quality because they are from my phone!

May 16th

2011-05-17T01:50:00.000-07:00

taylor

played racquetball with cole then worked on a consumer behavior test. read and started a paper for that class as well. he did take a small break to talk to his new boss about when to start paper work. he will be helping organize and keep data for the polyesian cultural center as well as crunch the number and make sence of them. we went to walmart and costco with cole and richelle to get us out of the house today. once we got back he read to be able tofinish up his paper after family home evening. he laid with brennan and fell asleep himself.

amy

cleaned up the house after a come and go weekend. i also cleared of our dresser that seems to be the collection area. then i laid down with brooke and ended up sleeping until taylor woke me to go to walmart. once we got back i got the kids ready for bed and taylor took brennan while i took brooke. we were doing family home evening with another family but they came later than they said so the kids didnt get to join unfortunately but the needed their sleep instead. we played games and had yummy treats with a spiritual message.

brennan

had the best morning ... dad got him breakfast and spent a bit of the morning so mom could get a tad more sleep and he woke up 3 times 2 of which he only wanted dad. dad doesnt wake up so he laid in bed with us. i will take him back to bed usually but after the second time i was too tired. after brooke got her diaper changed they two of them played on the floor and this is what i came back to after leave the room to grab pjs ...

brooke

is a good sport and mostly patient with a wild older brother. slept the majority of the day because she fought her naps yesterday. she went to sleep about 6pm and she was out for the night.

May 15th

2011-05-16T19:45:00.000-07:00

Taylor: went to his morning meeting at church and then came home to get the last minutes things together that we needed for church. He then headed back to make sure the sacrament was being set up and people were there to pass and bless it. Come to find out Brennan didn't allow him to finish all of Priesthood meeting. He had an emotional meltdown and the only thing that would calm him down was to lay on Taylor's chest on the couch. So once I got home he ran to talk to some people and see if he could grab tables for the ward potluck. We did Hawaiian Haystacks so he had to hand out the rice to be cooked by other members and found a giant pot to make the chicken gravy. When he got back we started the gravy and 2 pans of rice. Just before we needed to leave we Skyped with Papa and Gigi. While at the potluck he found out there was a training meeting at 6:30 that he and his presidency were suppose to be at. Some how the message never got to him so the 3 of them went as is (shorts and t-shirts). That meant no clean up for them!!!! After the meeting, the Millers came over and we played Settlers.

Amy: gave the kids baths and got myself ready for church. After church I started the food for the ward potluck (every other week the Elders Quorum is in charge so that means a lot of prep on our part). After talking with Papa and Gigi we headed off in the wagon for the potluck. The wagon is the best way to get both of the kids and it allows Brennan a place to be strapped in until he is done eating. It then becomes the ride every little person wants to try : ) there are some of the slightly older kids that will pull it around or other adults who have no kids and need to use energy ; ) Taylor asked Tyler and Cole to help clean up so it was the 3 of us and it went fast surprisingly! The kids were so happy to be outside (Brennan more or less because Brooke was asleep) and i forgot to grab a key, not knowing Taylor wouldn't be going to the house when we did, I was locked out. We walked up to the door the same time Taylor did so it was perfect timing : ) Then it was game time!

Brennan: did better in sacrament meeting than last week but nursery was another story. I guess he was taken out during Sunday School and so in order for Taylor to be able to start Elders Quorum other people had to take him. He was just screaming "dada dada dada' do they took him to him. After he calmed down and the lesson started, Taylor took him back to nursery. It was about 20 minutes and then he was back with Taylor (this time I heard him screaming as they walked down the hall). It was so bad they ended up going home. After being home with me for an hour or so he finally calmed down enough to fall asleep. Taylor's voice woke him up and it was crying all over again : ( He was good once we went outside for the potluck because he got to play. He fell asleep finally wile we were playing games.

Brooke: had a great morning until church. She went with Taylor a bit earlier than Brennan and I so someone had taken her and wouldn't give her back. She was fussy, fighting sleep, so they took her to the back. This work for a while so they sat back down. just like the week before when everyone was trying to feel the Spirit during the sacrament, she lost it and had to go outside. All this time I am trying to ignore what is happening and let the person do what they think is best, but it was extremely hard to sit there!! Oh well, she was having a grandma moment which she doesn't get often. This didn't stop the rest of the time at church. During Sunday school I took her to the mother lounge and let her cry to see if that would help her fall asleep. She just got more worked up, so I ended up rocking her and she fell asleep. I went back into Sunday School for 10 minutes and then it was time to move to Relief Society ... you can guess where this is going ... she woke up and I had to do the same thing again. Once at home she took a 15 min and then was up again until she passed out during the potluck for the night.

May 14th

2011-05-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

Taylor: played racquetball with Cole until 8:30 and then came home to set up for cinnamon rolls. Cole graciously came back at 9 to grab the kids so that Taylor could sell and I could make 10 pans of Pani Popo. He sold until 12:30 and then we got ready to go to the beach. We had been invited to go with Cole, Richelle, James and Ashley to Bellows Beach in Kailua. It is on the list as one of the world's prettiest beaches. It was amazing!!!!!!!!!!!! Not only was the sand soft and white, the water was warm, less salty, and a beautiful teal color. Richelle was the photographer for the day so when we get the pictures from her I will post them. We had BBQ ribs with baked beans and grilled asparagus!!!!!!! It was a wonderful time had by all. We stayed the rest of the day there. On our way back home we stopped at Borders to see if they have a book Taylor has been looking for. We also stopped for Baskin Robins (Gigi this is for you ... Richelle said 'is there a 31 favors? I want it!!!!')

Amy: started making cinnamon rolls at 3 am and finished at 1:30 pm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That was a long time and 34 pans later they were all sold : )

Brennan: was ornery for Cole and Richelle, but they don't put up with it which I love! He melted Richelle's heart after she told him to sit down because he wasn't listening, after sitting down he reached up for a hug : ) this is his way of saying I'm sorry! She still made him sit there for longer time!!!!!! He loved being around people and doing this for a change on Saturday morning.

Brooke: gave Richelle and Cole a run for their money too!!! She refused to eat or sleep. Before Richelle's niece was born a little over a year ago she would have no idea what to do, but she spent a lot of time with her so now she can handle 2 stinker pants : ) Richelle and Cole are wonderful!!!!!!!! and we can't say enough about them!! Face planted in the sand and those are some of the pictures Richelle got : )

May 13th

2011-05-16T16:02:00.000-07:00

Taylor: played racquetball with Cole for an hour and a half and man will they feel it bad later : ) He then worked on homework until we had to go to a meeting in another city about financial assistance. We have to pass through this city to get to Costco so we decided to do our weekly run after the meeting. It only ended up being that he had to sign paper work :( oh well we can't complain for the little bit they ask on our part compared to the HUGE help we get. We have been on an eating plan for 10 weeks now and it is very specific for 12 weeks what you eat so we have made it a family trip to get us out of the house. Some times we do it on Saturday after cinnamon rolls sales but this week we were booked already. Once we got home we played Settlers with Cole and Richelle and then ran to the store for me after looking up how to make Pani Popo.

Amy: got things ready to go and the house somewhat organized before leaving for the rest of the afternoon and early evening. While playing Settlers I got a call from Lauren, who gave me a number to call for an order of cinnamon rolls. Come to find out the way she got the persons info, was he was walking around TVA (the name or our apartment complex) yelling 'cinnamon rolls, cinnamon rolls, cinnamon rolls'. He and his wife buy from us all the time but they didn't know how to get a hold of us. It was a friend of Lauren Tyler's that heard him so they ran up to have them call me. Needless to say ... the order was 10 pans of Pani Popo (a hawaii dessert, a dinner roll baked in a coconut sauce) I have never tasted it nor tried to make it so the deal we made was ... i would make a pan for her to try in the morning and if she liked it then she would order 10 pans, but if not then she would order her usual, wheat flour cinnamon rolls with nut. Either way I was making 10 additional pan from my usual 24 for the street (our little lemonade stand type set up : ) )As you can tell after the game I was in bed!!!!

Brennan: loves to go to Costco and see all the people and take the car ride. He can't wait until he is tall enough to see out the window (or he gets a new seat that is higher). There is a lot to see on our drive along the North Shore and then through the middle of the island. Depending on the time we go he usually falls asleep, and this was the time today : ) since his nap was short he went to bed early and we could play our game without little hands and I didn't have wait for him to fall asleep before I took my few hour nap for the night.

Brooke: she too loves the car and falls asleep most of the time. Only if she is hungry does she throw a fit, as long as the car is moving ; ) that is. She has started a new schedule and I am not sure I like it : ( She takes a nap and then doesn't go to sleep until 10ish. I am hoping it will fade soon, because if not then I will have to force her to change! No more late naps!!!! i remember having to do the same thing with Brennan so i can do it again! WITH A LOT A PATIENCE!!!

May 12th

2011-05-16T01:51:00.000-07:00

taylor

went to class after taking a neb again. he is starting to play racketball 4 days a week so he can get back in shape so that will help him not have to take them as often. after his class he stayed at the house with brooke and did home work until his class at 330. this class usually gets out super early so we were hoping to go to the temple at 6 with cole and richelle but they were done until after 7 because they stayed after to talk to the teaxher about their project at turtle bay. we did get to go to the temple just later so it all worked out. it always does but satan has to put a road block in the way of doing what is best for our family. our friends ashley and sean watched the kids in exchange for watching bannock 2 days during the week while they are in class. we went to pick them up and the kids were out. they bought a new game so they said it was a good excuse to open it so they did and we played until midnight.

amy

had an aweful night up and down with either kid and then both at 4. i had to let lauren know i wasnt going to workout because i didnt even have the energy to walk over the baby gate in the bathroom. i tried to occupy the kids so i could take a nap but that never really happened. bannock came and i thought i would with the kids but his parents had given him an earlier nap so the boys could play during that time. once again my plan was shot. i some home managed to make it throught the rest of the day. since the boys werent going to nap i took them to the laie park to run around the open feild and benches. they had the best time and didnt play with any of the balls or toys i took for them. they just followed eachother climbing and running goofy. it was a warmer day so once they were all sweaty i took them back. taylor and cole needed to do some stuff for class in the library before so they left and that gave us another reason to head home. while taylor was in class i to ok a shower bathed the kids and made dinner so that when he got home we could drop the kids off and walk to the temple. i hardly ever win any game we play and this night just proved it even more because we played several rouds of fluxx but i was the only one who didnt win. i was ready to fall out of my chair i was so tired.

brennan

had a wh iney morning so i was trying to come up with different thing to keep him entertained. i remember darcie had given brennan a spiderman coloring book so i got that out with some crayons that someone gaven us when they moved. so we colored and thats when dada walked in the door. he then began coloring with brennan and i could help but take a picture. brennen has picked up cheese when he wants his picture taken.

he was excited to have bannock over again so he bear hugged him as he came in the door. they funny typical boys. hug a nd then fight. the boys loved running and being goofy at the feild. once we came back he tried to stay awake after his bath but with no nap he lost the battle. he walked up to the couch and folded in half, with his torso on the cushions. i didnt want him to sleep so he would sleep in the morning again. being the mean mom that i am i made him cook dinner with me to wake up. it was a great help . i thought he would fall asleep soon after dropping him with ashley and sean but he didnt because bannock was awake. they played hard and the it was bed time for both so sean read a book to him called wales tales and turtle trails.

brooke

she slept most of the day and if wasnt asleep she was ahnging out in her chair next to taylor testing his frustration channel

May 10th

2011-05-11T10:47:00.000-07:00

taylor

went to class and immediately after he and cole went turtle bay to begin work on thier project. it was a huge success for them and they are wanting to do their other project with tem too. there are 2 have to do for the six sigma certificate, one during class and the other outside of class because it is so intensive. thier class was then cancelled so they stayed a bit longer than they normally would have. once he was home he did the dishes and then we ate with cole and richelle. we then finished the night with a game of settlers and cole won his second game ever. his first was a speed game we did on saturday because we were short on time. while i was laying with brennan taylor read his book untill brooke fell asleep.

amy

had a very unproductive day. the clouds had their faucet on high all morning and brooke was sick so we read several books and watch a couple movies. bannock came over and while the kids napped i did too. once taylor got back i checked the mail and there was a package from gigi so went to the office to pick it up. on my way over there i did have brennan in hand until we got to the stairs where bannock lives. he headed right to his house and sean, bannocks dad, let him in. i continued on and got the package. it was a book called the mothers mite. im excited to see what its about. im not a pleasure reader but this is small so i can handle it. i made dinner and then it was game time. we then read scriptures and said prayer before each taking a child.

brennan

jumped all over the place as bannock walked up the steps because he loves to have someone more his size. later when he left with me to pick up the package but got side tracked he ended up staying at bannocks until 8ish when bannock was going to bed. they went on a walk together, both in one stroller. bannock sat in it and brennan sat on him. ashley, bannocks mom said she thought he would push brennan off but he didnt and they rode like that the entire time as happy as could be. she then made mac and cheese and brennan ate a ton but bannock didnt eat much. ashley was so happy to have brennan there to show bannock eating is a good thing. i guess all he eats are pbjs, aka honey in bannock speak. once agin he didnt put up a fight to go to bed. he did lay there for a long time before going to sleep but he eventually did with no screaming. at nap time he didnt either because bannock was crying so he didnt.

brooke

slept and slept and slept. we cant say that without mentioning how much she sweats. she has a sweat ring on her sheet and on her pillow. her pj are soaked every morning and i have to whci out her blankets ever time too. its a good thing right now that she is sick but normally its not so fun. it makes for a lot of laundry. he is doing better so thats a good thing for all of us. she still has a little cough but her nose is clearing up. in the evening she was not so lathargic and more of her happy go lucky self who wants to have her fingers in/on everything. she didnt want to go to bed so taylor just read his shannara book until she was out.

May 9th

2011-05-10T00:16:00.000-07:00

taylor

got up earlier than he had planned because brooke wokr up 5 minutes after i left to workout. read several books and wrote papers on those books. for his consumer behavior class he is reading 2 books and has to write a 3 page single spaced summary paper for every chapter he reads. last semester he had 4 books he was doing this for so half as much is a relief. he is half way through the term already. he took brennan to the park to play while brooke and i took a little snooze. he tooka nap after reading some more and then we went to the store for vick vapor rub for the kids. after putting brennan to bed he finished his last paper due tomorrow and then worked on a process map for his six sigma class with cole.

amy

went to workout and sweat so bad while riding the bike i had wet shorts and lauren laughed at me the whole way home. took a little snooze with brooke while the boys were playing at the park. then i did the dishes and made lunch. then it was my turn to take brennan outside so we played with a tennis ball. behind our house are 2 pavilions with lots of tables so we ran all around and threw the ball on the roof and let it roll off. after the store i made dinner and then tried to calm a sick little girl.

brennan

slept in until almost 10. he must be growing because he never sleeps that long. we had to change his clothes every time he ate today because he made such a big mess with every meal. good thing he has lots of clothes. that is thanks to many friends and gigi, because i havent bought him but 5 outfits since he was born. he has been wearing his 2t shirts for a while now because his belly was showing but his 18 month shorts still fit. he is built like me unfortuately in that area because he is all torso. hopefully he gets some of taylors height later on. i was looking at some of my familys pictures and he looks a lot like my youbgest brother brad when he was the same age. they both have darker skin and blonde blonde hair with gorgeous blue eyes. he didnt take a nap today so after he refused to eat dinner taylor took him to bed and he was out within 10 minutes jsut after 7pm.

brooke

poor thing is sick. her stuffy nose got worse and worse as the day went on and her eyes started to weep. we found baby vapor rub so we were excited to try it. it is not as strong as the real stuff but it worked wonders on her. within 5 minutes she was cough more and her nose was running like crazy but she could breath better. she is just uncomfortable so she was fussy and wanted to be held. that was pretty much her day.

May 8th

2011-05-09T00:12:00.000-07:00

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all you mothers that have influenced us in anyway!!!!! It was 8 years ago I had my last conversation here in this life with my mom and I miss her a lot! My life has since been filled with many other examples, I know she is grateful for your love and support in helping me be the mom that I am today. I was keeping my emotions under control this morning until I got a text from my brother Tod and then I lost it for about 10 minutes and was good the rest of the day. All he said was I miss Mom a lot ... lame I know!!!!!!!

Taylor: went to PEC (Priesthood Executive Counsel) because he is the Elder's Quorum President now (he is over all the men in our ward since we are in a married student ward). Ran home afterward so I could go back to have a chat with the bishop and he bathed and dressed Brennan. then it was off to church. For some reason even though our ward starts at 10 people still don't come on time so as they were getting ready to start there were any men to bless the sacrament so he made eye contact with a few and they filled the spots. Since we have no youth in the ward for deacons to pass, teachers to set up, and priests to bless, the elders get the opportunity and Taylor loves it because it has been awhile and once we go back to a usual family ward he most likely won't because the Aaronic Priesthood will take over those duties. After church he and Brennan went home to take a nap and start the beans for dinner. After talking to Darcie for a bit, we Skyped with Papa and Gigi. Then it was time to eat!!!!!!! We went with our friends, the Millers, Tyler and Lauren, to the Taylor's house to eat. Zach Taylor was the Elder's Quorum President before Taylor was and they lived in our same building. We miss them now that they have moved to a house. He is a BBQ master so we had teri chicken : ) Once we got home he read his book by Terri Brooks, the Shannara series.

Amy: fed Brooke and then jumped in the shower in order to allow time for preparing myself and the kids. I have been late the last few weeks because I was expecting Taylor to come back after his meeting and help a bit but he has to take care of different things up until church starts. I was not going to repeat it again this week so I jumped in as soon as I could : ) While getting ready I got the news that bishop wanted to see me. I got a new calling at church! I am now a Visiting Teaching Supervisor, meaning I over see a group of sisters and their report if the have made their visits, as well as encourage them to do so : ) This is new for me because I am usually a teacher of some sort or since I have been married a ward missionary accompanying Taylor. I am happy to report we made it to church with 10 minutes to spear and Taylor was there to help! It will take some getting used to doing it all on my own. After church I had a meeting with all the Visiting Teaching Supervisors and the Coordinator to get the month going. After I finished up the beans Taylor started as dip and then fell asleep for a bit with Brooke. It was so nice not to have to worry about dinner or the clean up!!!!!

Brennan: woke up and laid with dada for a while as they both tired to wake up fully : ) He has broken the straps on his eating chair (it lasted almost a year after only paying $2 for so I'm not complaining in the least!!!!!) from throwing himself back during a time out (its the only place we have that he will stay ... we tried putting him on 2 stacked buckets but he started climbing off). This now means the chair sits on the floor instead of a chair! After he finished breakfast he got up, yes with the chair still attached, and waddled into our room looking for Taylor but he had left for his meeting already so he sat down in the hall and watched my do my hair. During church he had a melt down during the sacrament hymn, but I was stuck in a position trying to figure out what to do with Brooke while I took him out so people could feel the Spirit (Taylor was blessing the sacrament). I started to stand up with both kids in my arms and our friend Rouie offered to take her (I didn't ask her in the first place because she too had 2 kids sitting by herself as her husband was helping was the sacrament too). All Brennan wanted was his dada! After the sacrament Taylor went to sit down and he didn't see Brooke so he went to find us. Brennan ran with open arms to him and was AMAZING the rest of the time. He loved nursery and was nice this week!!!!! I think his favorite part of the day was getting to play with the Taylor's kids, whom he misses A LOT (Jackson, Alex (a girl) and Donavon). He wouldn't eat his dinner so I tried to have him sit with me and not at the kid table but still nothing, he just wanted to play. I let him go and said he would have to go hungry because he has his chance to eat. As the other kids were eating their brownies, he sat down and ate his dinner. Jackson who is 8 but loves little kids played airplane with his fork and afterward he came to me extremely proud because Brennan had eaten everything on his plate. I saw Brennan eating but I thought he had been given a brownie, nope it was his dinner! It was fun to watch Jackson try to get him to eat after i did the first time. He said Amy, I don't think he understands what I want him to do. He is such a sweetheart and has loved Brennan from day one. He put up no fight tonight when going to bed!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brooke: did her squeal during the announcements at the start of church and the fell asleep after the Brennan fit so I was relieved : ) She did do it again as we sang the opening song in Relief Society which was fun because it was "Called to Serve". She can be a fighter of sleep just like Brennan when there are people so as soon as the closing prayer was over for sacrament meeting she was wake until we got home but needed a longer nap so got fussy the last 10 minutes of Relief Society. At the Taylor's she loved playing with Alex, who is just now starting to play with babies and girls. She has 2 brothers and loves to do what they do, so this was exciting for her mom to see. She was so sweet with Brooke and shared her new blanket she made with her and then played peek a boo with it. For the last 3 nights she fallen asleep at her usual bed time (7:30) but we have been out and about she she gets woken up and it becomes a nap, so she was up until 11 again. I hope this isn't becoming her new habit!!!!!!

May 7th

2011-05-08T00:45:00.000-07:00

today was a lot of family stuff so i wont do individuals.

because of the rain we have had for the last 4 days we didnt do cinnamon rolls because for one people arent out unless they have to be and we dont have cover more than an umbrella. it comes from all angles and speeds so we decided it best not to risk it.

it was different to have an entire saturday to do things and not have my house a mess because im too tired to up keep it. we had planned to go with 2 families, the rogers and rieben to one of the top beautiful beaches in the world and then to a place that was on man vs food for their pancakes, but again the rain kept us at home. brennan and i were going crazy and needed to go outside so while brooke was asleep and taylor was doing his thing we took a walk during a break. we ended up running climbing walking chasing ... he loves to climb poles or trees so i give his feet a base and he does the rest. bird dont stand a chance if brennan is around because he chases them until they use their wings, even then he still gives it his best attempt. at the front of the school they have flag poles where they fly flags from all the country from where students orginate. on the inside circle around the flags is a 2 foot wall and brennan discovered he can keep his balance and run on it so he did for about 10 until he spotted a bug. he then followed the bug until he lost it in a crack. when we got back cole and richelle came over to play settlers before they went to dinner and a movie. after they left we headed for the mall play place because it would allow for more energy to be released and a non napped almost 2 year old to be happy not whiney. there is a pet store next to the play area so we explored it as well as the toy store on the other side. the kids were put in their pjs and away went for home, about 30 min. away. brooke once again woke up after getting home and is up with taylor as i write this. brennan stayed asleep which was the plan. im excited to see what is in store for tomorrow as a part of mothers day. taylor knows i love surprises so he hasnt said or shown anything but its not like him to do something small just read about my birthday this passed monday.

May 6th

2011-05-06T22:59:00.000-07:00

taylor

woke up to me handing brooke off so i could go work out. ate breakfast with brennan and then took a neb as he checked his email. in doing so he found out that his finacialization research group meeting was canceled and the guy from turtle bay was on campus and wanted to talk to him and cole about their project. hung out with us for the rest of the afternoon before making the treck to walmart and costco. he then went to stunt.

amy

woke up at the usual time but lauren, the girl i work out with said she didnt have to babysit and wanted to go later. i fell back to sleep and had a bad dream to which i woke up emotioally drained. oh well. i went to work out and felt good the rest of the day until about 830pm. after about 9 months of not sleeping on friday night due to making cinnamon rolls my body is used to taking a nap around 9. before our costco trip we cleaned the house up a bit and gave brennan a bath. i made a batch of mini cinnamon rolls for our friend hannah and hung out with richelle because she was bored at work.

brennan

was very patient as we cleaned the house and was having the time of life while the vaccum was going. i need to take video so i can show him leter when he is a teenager and doesnt want to do any house work. it has been pouring rain from all directions for the last 2 days so he has been cooped up in the house. it is nice that our screen door has been replaced and i can have our door open so he feels more outside. on our way to costco all he would saw was apple. i dont know where he picked it up from but we made sure to get some while we were there. he didnt fall asleep in the car like i was hoping so when we got home and put the food away he brooke and i read scriptures said prayer and attempted to go to sleep. he wanted none of it so he screamed and screamed. this in turn made it so brooke couldnt sleep so i called taylor so he could hear what i was hearing ... 2 screaming and i mean screaming kids. he said is this you saying you want me home. i told him i just wanted him to enjoy what he was doing even more. i really couldnt take it any more and neither could the neighnors im sure so i told him he needed to come home now. he did and brennan went right to sleep with him. dadas boy more and more everyday.

brooke

continues to explore her voice ... im just waiting for church to see what she does. she is trying to figure out how to move on her stomach. she is a pro at scooting on her back but will get to her stomach and be frustated because she just goes in a circle. she is very much like her dad in that she needs to be doing something all the time and only for a little bit or she gets bored of the same thing. i have start to give her different things around the house depending on what im doing. i was doing cinnamon rolls so i gave her a measuring cup and then hung the string that i cut them with over her and we played for a bit while they rose. she loves her dada too. i have never seen a bigger smile ... accept when she sees her dad. we are thinking she is going to be an adrenaline junky just like brennan because she loves to be tossed and loves the feeling of falling. she will throw her head back when you hold her just so have the feeling. taylor grabbed both kids the other day, one in one hand and the other one in the other arm ... then spun around ... they looked at each other and just laughed histarically. they are learning to play together ... brennan more so ... and they enjoy every minute. she fell asleep in the car on the way home from costco but was woken up before she made it to her bed so she didnt got to sleep again until 11ish.

May 5th

2011-05-06T02:18:00.000-07:00

taylor

went to class late because he needed to take a neb. since we have been here he has had to take them almost everyday and there are some days that he takes 2. all the more reson for him to love seattle area. after class he and cole went to turtle bay to work on thier project for their six sigma class. they got done early which was an answer to my prayer. put brennan to sleep and then played with brooke so i could finish cinnamon rolls for his class at 330. got out of class an hour and a half early and came home to an empty house. talked with greg several times as they usually do because one has to go do something so they call back and so it goes. nade the kids laugh while i made dinner. we then played 2 games of settlers and he won the second.

amy

got the most amazing night sleep. made breakfast for the kids and i. while brooke finished her bottle brennan and i sang songs and he did the actions. read book after book that brennan brought me to read to them. made birthday cards with brennan while brooke took a nap. now i am starting to watch bannoch on thursdays too so he came just as i need to start making the cinnamon rolls. i need to get a package in the mail before 230,give the boys a nap and finish the cinnamon rolls ... i was thinking and thinking how all this was going to happen and thats when taylor called to say he was on his way home. i am more and more gratful my heavenly father knows me and watches out for me. he does give me challeneges but there is always a way to overcome yet he make me work for it to make me stronger. i know he answers prayers but apon our faithfulness. after both kids were awake we went on a walk with richelle, coles wife, to foodland and we decided to do dinner together.

brennan

he is getting better and better at talking. he still is stubborn and will only say something once just to let us know he can but what he says is clearer and clearer everyday. he says words that we have no idea he knew such as grey. he loves animals and his favorite book right now is about a sea turtle and his adventures with his sea friends. it is an extremely colorful book and fun to look at so i can stand to read it 5 times if not more with him taking his turn. when bannock came all brennan wanted to do was wrestle but that is the last thing bannock wanted. brennan then decided to see if brooke was game. that was a negative too. he has been mr. aggressive this past week. after his nap he was so happy to go on a walk. he asks about 10 times a day for a walk even if that means to take the trash out. he has become very particular about what he wants to eat and when he wants to eat it. he didnt agree with pork chops for dinner so he pushed his plate a way and then pushed his chair away from the table. he will be super hungry in the morning because i dont make seperate dishes for kids and adults. he can eat what we eat. he put up a fight for about an hour before he fell asleep because there were people over.

brooke

slept through the night with out a beep ... not even for her pacifier. her and brennan are alot alike but there is one differnec that i have noticed so far and that is ... she doesnt like to be held or cuddled when falling asleep. i can put her in bed and out she goes on her own. it make it nice when im trying to do 5 things at once. today she dicovered that she can scream ... not a cry type scream ... just a loud happy squeal. as we were eating dinner richelle asked if we could turn on american idol because she is a big fan, the only one i know that actually votes. as one of the performaces was going on brooke tried her best to mimic the sound ... taylors reaction was ... you need some work girl. one day she will make her dada proud. tonight she didnt want to eat solid food so im hoping she will sleep good.

May 4th

2011-05-05T08:48:00.000-07:00

taylor

went to a neroscience research meeting. he is part of 2 different groups this term and this particular group has published an article ever other week so he is excited to be a part of it. there are 5 new people that have joined a good friend of his, hannah, is the leader of the group. he wrote 3 papers for consumer behavior and one for six sigma a long as read the assignments that go with those papers. from 830 to 10 was his stress relief activity for the day ... stunting with 3 friends, sone,tori and laura.

amy

had an extremely long night between brooke 3 times brennan once and the rain once i didnt get much sleep. i am going to experiment tonight and give brooke a little bit of solid food and see if that keeps her asleep all night. brenna doesnt like pajamas or covers so he got cold and wanted to cuddle to get warm. as for the rain ... i was getting misted on but there wasnt any rain that i could see in the feild behind us... it was coming from aleast 200 yards away carried by the wind. we have had some crazy thing happen weather wise lately. needless to say i wanted to sleep in and go work out. i was able to work on gigis mothers day gift which i will have to explain after she gets it. played and laughed with the kids until bed time. read scriptures and said prayer with an upset brennan because dada was gone.

brennan

played with my phone while i was working on the project. i looked over and he had it on google typing in random letters and the next thing i know he was talking and there was a a voice talking back. he had called papa. i have no idea how he does it but this is the second time he has done that. i dont have papa in my phone as adam either ... he is papa in my phone so he has to search for him. he is the only one has has ever done that too and they both love it. after his nap he played ouside with some of the bigger kids. one of the has down syndrome and is from tonga so the bigger ones never play with him or talk to him ... not brennan. he loves to speak his jibberish to him and play ball with him. after doing so the other kids came over and were talking to him too. they thought he was mean and scary. brennan then got to go to his friend bannocks house for a few hours where they played and hugged pushed and hugged just like typical boys.

brooke

she has gotten to the point of not wanting to be swaddled, i know most babies dont like it very long at all mine are wierd. she doesnt like to be held while falling asleep either, most of the time. this is one difference from brennan ... he still wants to cuddled with. in fact he put his head on the pillow and then patted the spot where he wanted me to lay to night. brooke had a laughing day again. she loves laughing at brennan fall. he makes he giggle all the time but his goofiness maked her laugh hard. this of course eggs him on and before long they are both hardly breathing from so much laughter. she even laughs when he sits on her so it has made it ever so hard to make him stop because she doesnt mind it. i ask several time but her giggle has him hooked and he wont stop until she cried. i am ever so blessed with happy fun good kids. just before she went to bed i smashed a small portion of bannan and mixed it with cereal in hopes that she will not wake up. wish me luck.

May 3rd

2011-05-04T01:15:00.000-07:00

Last night was a crazy night! As we learned today it is not normal for bolts of lighting to actually hit ground here, but light night was it sure did and right by us! As we were finishing up our birthday dinner it began to sprinkle, which led to lightening and thunder for a good portion of the night. Brennan had come in to our room about 30 minutes before it got extremely loud and bright. I tried to put him back in his bed but wanted something else. I was half asleep at the time but soon woke up when he jumped off his bed and said 'dada dada dada'! He didn't want me!!!! I put him in bed with Taylor and he snuggled right up to him and fell asleep. I had shut the windows because the rain was coming in, but I wanted to see how close the lightening actually was. Just as I opened the window a bolt struck about 100 yards from us and I was BLIND! The thunder made me jump it was so loud. this went on for hours and Brennan became closer and closer to Taylor as if he was a leech : ) Brooke hadn't made a beep during all of this so I went to check on her. She was out!!!!! I put my hand on her chest and she didn't even flinch so she must have had too much fun the day before : ) From what we have been told there one of the faculty houses' was hit just a couple buildings from us and the next street over one of the power transformers was also hit. All safe and prepared for the same tonight! I love rolling thunder and lightening storms but that one was a bit close and I wanted to be asleep : (

Taylor: slept in and could barely make an understandable sentence when I asked if he was going to class. He has a group of 3 that have asked him to help them get to where they need to be in order to make the BYU Provo cheer quad so they stunt 4 days a week. Today was one of the days! He took the time to titey up the house for me!!!!!! (A kitchen full of dishes, an out of place living room from games the night before and put away beach stuff) Then it was off to class for almost 4 hours (they always get out early and today was super early). We went on a walk to the store and then had dinner (tuna melts : ) ) The rest of the evening was spent together as a family watching the kids play with some NCIS and then trying out the new show 'The Voice'.

Amy:had a lazy day after an action packed long day and very little sleep!!!! On Tuesdays I watch a neighbor boy who is 2 months older than Brennan named Bannock. His parents have class so we get to hang out! After his long night he fell asleep before coming over but when he heard Brennan's voice he woke up!!!!! After playing for a bit, I put them down for a nap. They are entertaining to say the least because they are copiers!!!! I took full advantage of them finally falling asleep and did so my self! I wake up just in time for Taylor to leave for class and a clean house, which makes me most happy! A friend, Richelle came over and spend some times with us because her husband and Taylor are in the same class. She left about 10 minutes before they got out : ) The rest of the night was the same as Taylor's.

Brennan:woke up to see he was at his dad's side and couldn't have been happier!!!!! He played in the living room and had a blast because it was all out of place, not the normal! Ate and ate and ate ... He must be growing because I can't seem to give him enough food. He woke up from his nap and couldn't stop crying ... he wanted a banana and I would let him have one (we have to limit him to one a day or his system gets blocked and we want to tear up with him as he tries to push it out). It is heart breaking to not understand so he just cried until I put Tarzan on for him! He was so into it I don't think he even blinked for the first 45 min. Richelle didn't even get a look when she came :( Oh well at least he wasn't crying any more!!!!!!!! Our neighbors are from Tonga and get bananas straight from the tree all the time from different friends, so when they are almost to go bad they will bring a bunch over because they know Brennan's love for them. About 2 weeks ago they had a 6 foot (at least) limb of bananas and they brought some to us on Sunday. All he wants to do is open the frig and eat one!!!!!!!!!!!!! or get a drink of water!!!!!!!

Brooke: slept for the majority of the day!!!! Tonight just before she went to bed, I was holding her and turned my head ... this apparently was the most hilarious thing to her. She LAUGHED loud and long!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was almost louder than Brennan's laughs! We continued to play for 10 minutes or so but I couldn't get the same reaction again. She did her usual little giggle though so it was fun. The comments that we get about her are ... she is so happy or she has a doll face and is beautiful!

May 2nd

2011-05-03T01:45:00.000-07:00

Wow what a day!!!!! It started at 4 and ended at 11. Its hard to get older!!!YES I AM 30 NOW!!!!

Taylor: he has the hardest time waking up early but before bed last night he asked what time I was going to work out. The reason behind his question was he wanted to do breakfast in bed for me. His alarm went off at 5:30 and he jumped out of bed. He prepared a protein bar and strawberries!!! He then stayed with the kids while I worked out. Once I got back we packed the car and headed to Waiamea Falls, snorkled at Sharks Cove and then ate the most amazing kabobs ever!!! He had been planning and contimplating for weeks and weeks. It turned out superb and there were so many helpers.

Amy: turned 30 today!!!!! It doesn't feel any different than I did yesterday. I have the perfect man for me who put an extreme amount of thought and effort into making the day special. I fed brooke at 4 and then never really fell back to sleep. I got to swim with Brennan and Taylor at the falls, snorkle with my sweetheart (swim with a turtle for about 20 minutes), eat with amazing friends and play a game of settlers. It was the best birthday ever and so many people made it special including text or calls or emails. I was given a hand carved paddle, hand picked and made lei and crown, beach bag with mat, book and lotions as well as gift cards and cards in the mail.

Brennan: woke up and took Taylor a bottle and formula because Brooke was crying. Enjoyed every moment outside. He had several friends join us for the hike so they took pictures together! I didn't get any with our camera because I was the attention getter for 5 kids. He wore a life jacket for the first time today at the falls because the rule is under 12 wear them. After he figured out the you float he never put his feet down. Taylor and I would push him toward the fall and the current would push him back to us. He wasn't too fond of the idea of being out of our reach but then when he realized he was getting closer the biggest smile and giggle came from him! While the adults snorkeled he found the perfect rocks to throw in the water and then discovered a rock slide just his size! Once again there were many of his little friends at the dinner so he got to enjoy their company while the adults did their adult stuff.

Brooke: wants to solid food so desperately!!!! Every time we eat she stares at Taylor, spits out her pacifier and mimics his mouth as he chews! This is why she woke up at 4 to eat : ( she was hungry. most of the time she can make until after 6 but those mornings are becoming less and less. She is amazing at going back to sleep after she eats to that makes it nice because I can at least try to go back to sleep. She is an outdoor, water baby just like her brother and mom so yesterday was WONDERFUL!! She is too little to swim at the falls so she decided to take a nap instead! We forgot to grab the umbrella for the beach but she was a good sport about hanging out in her car seat or the stroller underneath the shade. At the BBQ she laughed and laughed with one our friends, Hannah for about 45 min and then it was time for her last bottle and bed.

Pictures will come soon!!!

May 1st

2011-05-02T01:19:00.000-07:00

i have 2 friend that have inspired me to do better about blogging so im going to follow thier example. the goal is to write everyday because there are things the kids do that i dont remeber from one to the other but would be fun to look back at.

taylor

now that he is elders quorum president sundays have become very busy. he started at 8 and ended at 4 but we were able to have a combined familt dinner with awesome friend who feel like family, cole and richelle rieben, tyler and lauren miller, and james and ashley rogers.

amy

bathed the kids because we had a late night the night before and didnt get them bathed. went to church and met taylor half way as he was coming to help with the kids. helped brennan call papa for his birthday and then put the kids down to nap. while they napped i got food ready for the bbq.

brennan

had a rough morning that bled into the rest of the day. he is getting close to 2 so has adopted the typical attitude yet he is his happy self when he wants to be. as soon as amen was said in sacrament meeting he ran to nursery which he always does. while i was in relief society i heard him scream so i went to check on him and they had taken him to the other door so missed them. he had fallen and hit his head but had calmed down quick. i let him go back in and he didnt want to go. i talked to him a bit and a little girl came up to him and wanted to play, but he didnt so he punched her. i took him with me. after a while he wanted to go back to i took him back. after church i went to get him and they said he was with taylor. what happened is he pushed another girl so they took him to his dad this time. after his nap he did better and had the best time with his dad at the bbq. they found a big wheel and atylor pushed him around and around. they game the became ...make sharp enough turns to throw him out. he held on as he was ran over, drug ... everyone got a good laugh from it and he got nice grass burns that has hasnt complained about but look painful. we decided he is going to be one of those that will be on a tube behind a boat and never get pulled off even while flipping just like his uncle brian.

brooke

loves her baths but it was cut short this morning because i had to get ready too. enjoyed being taken by firends during sunday school and relief society. she thinks her name is cute or beautiful because so many people say that to her. cole told her she had a doll face as have several other little girls and moms. loved playing on a blanket while the rest of us ate. she wants to eat so bad she will stare at taylor and mimic his mouth as he chews. just before we left for the bbq brennan decided she would make a good step stool so he stood on her and balanced himslef on the couch. he also wanted to share his water with her so put the water bottle up to her mouth and poured. he has good intentions most of the time.

ps im still working on putting picture together for my earlier post.

Long Awaited

2011-03-31T17:21:00.000-07:00

WOW!!! I haven't been on here in a very long time. I have found that with having 2 kids the free time I get is during their nap. Until now I have either napped with them or had other things on the priority list. None the less I am here now! (I will be adding pictures but for now here are the events)

Here is a list of things I will be blogging about so if you don't want to read the entire post you can find those stories that interest you and move on : ) ...

Date nights, Brooke, Thanksgiving, Blessing, Visitors, Family Pictures, Anniversary, Christmas, Mold, Surgery, 2 month and 18 month check up, Sara and Josh, Presidents Day, Cheer, Lip, Tsunami, Sharks Cove, Brooke's 4 months and Brennan's dictionary

Date Nights:
The week of Halloween we were able to sneak out on 2 dates : ) The first one had been planned for a bit and the other one was a random blessing! As an activity in Relief Society (women's organization in the church) we have a service auction. This is where each person writes down 2 services they could give and then they were auctioned off with points that we had earned through giving service for a month. One of the ones I won was "Babysitting by the Crofts" (they are a senior couple in our ward)! So we went to "Glow Putt" which is glow in the dark miniature golf. There were black lights everywhere!! At every other hole you had to run your ball through a tube to light it up : ) It was a place for little kids which meant we got to be little for a night and it was ok ; )! There were a few gifts they give away to everyone that plays, glowing wrist bands and a little light that could be worn as a ring, but to those that hit a "hole in one" on the 18th hole received a special prize ... a magnetic blinky light! As we went through Taylor had 4 "hole in one", but I was the one that hit the one that counted!!!!!!! We went home and Brennan had crashed another ward's Halloween party, taken a walk, played ball ... (had grandparent time basically)!

The other date was a night at the Haunted Lagoon! We live 5 minutes walking distance from the Polynesian Cultural Center where there is a lagoon through the villages. During the month of October they make it haunted with all kinds of different characters and creatures in a variety of places! You ride on a canoe through the water as you would walk through a haunted house. Every night they do it there is a 3-5 hour wait and we ended up waiting 2 hours which was not bad because we could to talk and spook people around us. I think the best reactions were when I told people I was due in 3 weeks!!! (I have friends that swear I am a mu-tin because I don't have a typical pregnancy)

Brooke: (this will be the longest) November 25th, 7 lbs 11oz and 19 1/2 in
I was due on the 19th of November with a surprise gender! My older sister Sara was do on the 19th as well, until she changed her c-section date(to the 20th) because her husband was gone a business trip. My youngest brother Brad, his birthday is the 20th so everyone was hoping I could hold out one more day! With Brennan I gave birth on the very day the ultrasound projected, but nobody knows until it all happens : )
The 19th came and went ... no action
The 20th came and went ... no action
... worried text after text and call after call ... still nothing
The 24th came and I was nauseous most of the day. Taylor's parents were here and wanted to take us out for the evening. We ended up eating at Sharks Cove grill and then taking a little walk down the the water for some pictures. I did eat a few bites of a sandwich and fries because I was feeling better at this point. Once we got back to the house we hing out with our friends, Tyler and Lauren : ) I put Brennan to bed and the contractions started. This was not too much to get excited about because this had happened almost every night for a week and as soon as I fell asleep they stopped. I was tired so I went to bed (as the usual party pooper) and Taylor stayed up to play. About 30 minutes later I text him (yes from the other room) "I think tonight is the night!"
The contractions were getting stronger and closer together which hadn't happened the other nights. It was getting to the point were I started timing from one to the other and it was 5 minutes!!!! We live an hour plus from the hospital and Taylor's worst fear was not making it there in time. He had no idea what to do and we were borrowing a car ;) and that was one mess he did not want to deal with!!!! This was it...
We packed our last minute things and left! Tyler and Lauren stayed with Brennan because by this time it was around 1am. There was plenty of time to send out text messages to everyone because the drive is so long, but Taylor made it in 45 minutes! There were 2 cars that pulled in front of him that he pased the entire way : )
Before we left I called the hospital to let them know we were on our way and from how far we were coming so they were prepared when we got there. We checked in at 1:45am and I was at a 6!!! We both laughed as the nurse asked "on a scale of 1-10 was is your pain?" I said a 7ish and then she asked if I had an epidural with my first. She then said "ok, then you scale is a true scale" : ) 100 questions and 6 needle pokes later, I was set for the IV and could be left to contract in peace!
The nurse told me that she would only come in if I called or a few hours went by. I never called so she came back in about 4 and checked me. I was at an 8 almost 9, which was lucky because she was going to make my walk around if I hadn't progressed.
Now it was about 6:30 and the intensity had increased so I called for the nurse. She checked me and said I was ready so she call for the doctor to come break my water. It was clear so this time Taylor got to cut the cord!!!!!!
A little before 7 the urge to push was there and everything was ready to I started pushing. Both times I have ended up with an oxygen mask on because I don't get enough air between pushes for both of us. Through one of the pushes Taylor commented "keep it up Honey you are doing awesome!" The nurses and doctor looked at each other and giggled : ) he never asked why, but the assumption is, I had been pushing for 10 minutes before he said something. Every push they had some comment about what is normally happening, women screaming at them, hitting the spouses saying you did this to me ...
Needless to say, at 7:17am we had a 7lbs 11 oz 19 1/2 in baby girl!!!!! The joke is every year on her birthday she gets a Slurpee form 7/11!! Taylor tried to take a picture of him cutting the cord but it was too complicated and it didn't cross his mind to as one of the nurses because they were busy doing their thing.
The room was all put back together and they started the IV with patosin (drug that makes you contract), we were able to enjoy our new little bundle of joy. The nurse came back in to check on me and asked if I would able to pee because my bladder was too full and in the way of what she needed to feel. I stood up as if nothing had happened and she told me to slow down and wait for her ;) I left a trail of blood so she went to grab more towels to clean up, meanwhile I got off the toilet and began cleaning what was in the bathroom. She was stunned!!!! She was used to helping people get off the toilet and back in bed. It is official, I AM A FREAK!!!
We had Papa and Gigi visit with Brennan and our friends Lauren and Tyler! They didn't stay long but we did get a chance to introduce the new big brother to his little sister. He wasn't so sure about it all (lots of new toys is what he was thinking as he looked around the room) but he did hold her long enough to capture a few pictures. Once she was at home he was very ok with her staying and LOVES her now. Every time he holds her that length becomes longer and longer : )
We also had a visit from our friend Leisa Tapia for 3+ hours! She even ran to the only open store to grab Taylor a chocolate milk and DP afterward!!!

Thanksgiving:
We were torn because this year was going to be like no other Thanksgiving yet we had a new addition on this day and were stunk in the hospital for another 24 hours! Instead of turkey we were going to have kalua pig (cooked underground). Taylor's parents were able to enjoy it for us and our thoughtful friends brought some to us. The hospital that we were at didn't provided the dads with anything meat : ( I tried to share my meal with Taylor but he said he was going to save all the room he had for the food that was coming and not use it up on cafeteria food! Brennan got to hang out with Papa and Gigi during the dinner and Papa taught him some new tricks ;) to spit his food ...!

Blessing:
Brooke was blessed on December 5th 2010! We had the wonderful privilge to have my dad, Taylor's dad, Tyler Miller, Chris Tapia, Joey Freebarin and our bishopric (bishop Compton, Andrew and Hiro) join in the circle. Thank you wonderful men for being worthy to do so!!!! Taylor blessed her and did a beautiful job of speaking the words our Heavenly Father wished for Brooke hear. One thing that stuck out to me was, she was blessed with a healthy body to play sports! So stay tuned to see what she ends up choosing : )
I wanted to make her dress as I did the outfit for Brennan but I didn't have as much time and the stores are limited here. Brooke did wear one that was even more special!!! My older sister Sara had sent my dad with the dress my mom made for Maddy (Sara's daughter). A big THANK YOU to Sara and Maddy for sharing something so simple yet extremely special! After all my mom did keep her from coming to join us 6 days longer than she was suppose to ; ) We miss you Mom but know you are here with us in spirit for all our celebrations!!!!!!

Visitors:
As the saying goes it is either feast or famine : ) We had a feast for almost a month!!! Gigi came with Linda (Taylor's aunt) on November 16th, Papa and Brian (Taylor's uncle) came on November 23rd and left together on the December 6th. Grandpa and Grandma Skinner (my dad and Bobbie) came on December 3rd and left on December 9th.
Gigi and Linda were here to help but I think they ended up playing more ; ) Brennan was with them everyday almost all day! It was a good break for Taylor and I but we missed him. He was LIGHTLY spoiled! The philosophy in the Southwick family (Gigi's side) is "they will just need a little fix'n" after they visit the grandparents but he bounced back quick and almost painless ; ) He is a good kid and knows what mom and dad expect of him!! There is no reason he can't enjoy his Gigi and Auntie time and be spoiled once in awhile. (She is already planning a trip in June ; ) )
Papa and Brian arrived here the day after a huge snow storm in Seattle! Brian lives about 3 hours from the airport but is took him 13 hours to get there. Luckily the plan was for him to meet Papa the day before so they could go together the next morning. There was no delays or cancellations until later so they were saved again!! They were extremely happy to walk on the beach in shorts!
We didn't go and do much before Brooke was born because we didn't want to be too far from the hospital in case we needed to go. After she was born though the adventures started! We got home from the hospital Friday afternoon and Saturday Gigi and I were off to the mall to find a dress for Brooke's first Sunday. Tuesday we all headed to the zoo (Taylor didn't have class on this day and he wanted to join in on the fun). Friday we ventured around the Polynesian Cultural Center (Grandpa was here now so he joined us). Saturday everyone enjoyed some garlic shrimp from Giovanni's famous shrimp truck and pie from Ted's Bakery. Sunday after the blessing we had dinner with several that participated in it (ham and to die for scolloped potatoes by Linda). Monday we said bye to Papa, Gigi, Brian and Linda. Wednesday we accompanied Grandpa and Grandma to the Swap Meet. Last but not least, Thursday we kissed Grandpa and Grandma Skinner bye.
Then on December 17th, a friend of mine, Jessica and Nate Dana, came to stay for a week. It was fun to catchup with her because it had been before I got married that we had seen each other.

Family Pictures:
A sweet friend so kindly took out family pictures. Her and her husband were moving back to Utah that same week but she took the time to meet up with us! This was her first time taking pictures of a family outside of a studio so she was nervous because it all depended on her, lighting, smiles from the kids ... but she did AMAZING! She had Brennan's attention with a fruit snack on her camera : ) he doesn't get those often.Please take a look at her blog maikaimemories.blogspot.com

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Anniversary:
A friend of mine was coming in to stay with us that night so we didn't have plans to leave (Taylor forgot they were coming until I reminded him a few days before and he was bummed). She had called me and said their flight was delayed so they missed their connecting flight which was even better because I had already made plans for us to go out, surprise to Taylor : ) We have hadn't been to a luau so I thought it would be fun to go to one. I arrange for someone to stay with the kids and we were ready to go, but he found out : ( early. Oh well, it was still a fun surprise for him and we enjoyed the night away (Brooke wasn't even a month old yet so things were still busy trying to figure out having two kids). We decided to try the smoothie they have there served in a pineapple ... as you can see we ended up with two... they were YUMMY! Towards the end of the show they asked those with birthdays to stand and we sang and then they asked those that were on their honeymoon or anniversary to step up on stage!!! We had told the people we were sharing a table with that is was our 4 year anniversary so they started pointing, making sure everyone knew, so we had to go up. They then had everyone on stage say how long it had been since they were married and then sang us a song while we danced!!! I think that was about the third time ever that we have danced, and our first where it was in front of an audience : )

Christmas:
Taylor really wanted a palm tree for a Christmas tree this year so one creative person shared her talent with us!!!! Lauren had gotten the idea from another friend, Richelle and Cole, to save space and money to make the tree out of wrapping paper! GENIUS, especially because she put it high enough that Brennan couldn't reach it! Papa and Gigi had so lovingly given us some lights which worked perfectly around the paper. My personal favorite was the fact that Lauren added presents around it ... did that mean I didn't have to get any ; ) We had plenty that were sent!!!!!!!!!!!!
We then Skyped with my family who were all together accept for Tod and his family. They all got a kick out of Brennan not wearing a shirt (he had his swim suit on because we were headed to the beach after). While were there we say about 3 different families make sand men and put a Santa hat on him : )
Later we Skyped with Papa and Gigi and saved the biggest present for them to watch Brennan unwrap. It was a WAGON! This is how we take the kids places now. I had several people ask if I wanted a double stroller but I told them our backpacks would work with the single stroller we already have. This is way better and Brooke's car seat fits perfect. Our neighbor calls her wagon their "beachmobile" so that is what we call it now.

Mold:
When people told us that the wet months were coming we kind of laughed at them because living in Seattle area we had a lot of rain. Well, it's different here because the moisture stays!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Taylor was having some serious asthma problems and we finally got to the root of it ... MOLD : ( We had mold growing on our walls! After some research Taylor found a solution of bleach and water so we gave it a try. This meant we were going to have to live in the living room for 4 days while we did our room and Brennan would continue to be there for another 4 while we did his room. Since then we have found it on our clothes in the closets, in the kitchen ... by now we have it under control and know that when the winter months come all windows have to remain shut : ( unless the sun is out!!!!!

Surgery:
We had been here in Hawaii for a little over a month when Taylor started having really bad pains that would keep him up at night. They lasted for about a week and then they stopped. We thought it might be an ulcer in his stomach or a kidney stone. Nothing happened for a long time. He had a few more flare ups that were worse than the first time so he decided to see the doctor. They told him it was because he worked out too hard and the cartilage was separating from his ribs. This meant he needed to take it easy for about a month and then he would be good.
Well, they started happening once again just after he started his new semester in January. This time the pain was like nothing he had felt before. He ended up in the ER 3 different times and all 3 times they thought it was something else. The third time the nurse, who was a respiratory nurse, thought it might be a blood clot in his lung so she sent him to another hospital that has better equipment. After a clear CTScan they looked at his gal bladder in an ultrasound and discovered an extremely inflamed/full (of stones) gal bladder. The surgeon made it to see him later that night and decided it needed to come out NOW! He was scheduled for surgery at 8:00 Wednesday morning to solve the problem once and for all : )
Everything went well and the doctor called me at 10:30 to let me know he was able to do what he needed with scopes so he wouldn't have very big scares. He did tell me that his blood test were showing he was jaundice so this meant there might be a stone that escaped and could cause problems. They watched him carefully and kept him an extra day (longer the 2 that were required) because your Billy Ruben count should be less than 1 and his was at a 4 after surgery. He came down to a 2.5 and yet they still hesitated to let him go. Taylor was so bored he talked them in to letting him go : )
He was home!!!! It was great to have his presence at the house but it was more work for me because he couldn't lift Brooke (who was 2 months old at the time) or dishes : ( He wasn't supposed to lift anything for a week but it was killing him to watch me do it all he broke the doctor's orders!
After 4 weeks he was back to normal!! He can do anything he wants now ... accept eat a lot!!!!!!!!!! He has to be careful with fat and needs to eat every 3 hours or he has a lot of acid, but other than those 2 things he is as good as new ; )

2 month and 18 month check ups:
I know Brennan was late for his 18 month check up because by this time he was 20 months ; ( but the kids are 18 months and a day apart and I was focused on Brooke not Brennan at the time. He weighed 26lbs and I don't think they got an accurate height for him because he got scared! That is a new Brennan, scared, says ouch to everything and acts shy!!!!!!! I hope this stage passes quick and I get the old Brennan back because Taylor has no patience for him : ( From what I have been told Taylor was the same way so no wonder he doesn't have patience for it, he is his own worst enemy!

Brooke weighed in at 12 lbs ; ) and was a champ with her shots!!!!!!!!!!! She didn't get a fever or anything : ) she was a tad bit clingy for half of the day but I can't complain with that!!!

Sara and Josh:
My sister Sara and her husband Josh were kind enough to use their miles to come spend time with us!!!! they brought their 2 youngest boys (who happen to be the same age as our kids) Jackson and Austin. They were here for 4 day in February and we enjoyed ever minute of it! We went to the beach several times, PCC (Polynesian Cultural Center), BYUH basketball game and ate and Kahuku Grill. I wish we could have gone more places but we didn't have a car to fit all of us : (
President's Day:
There aren't very many day Taylor has off of school so we took advantage of this one! It was a beautiful day the Saturday before so we enjoyed the beach. One of Taylor's past times is digging holes in the sand. He took one of Brennan's little shovels and began ... about 2 feet later he had one perfect for the little man ... he started again ... 4 feet later he had one for himself! By this time Brennan needed a nap so we planned to come back on Monday. This time we had friends come with us and Taylor brought buckets to dig with!!! They started with 2 huge holes and then decided to join them together. It was a big hit for all who walked by : ) and for Brennan and his new found friends because he has a "cool" dad!

Cheer:
Those of you that know Taylor well, know he has a passion for gymnastics and stunting. He has a friend here that has gained a similar passion and asked Taylor to be his instructor (Taylor has a hard time being called coach in this situation because they are friends enjoying their time together). The goal is to have Sone (the friend) ready for BYU Provo's team in January! There has been a lot of progress but now that he is in the off season for the squad here he has more time and an increased desire to learn. In so ding, we have made friends with several of the cheerleaders so at the basketball games they take Brennan and throw him up and do stunts with him. Everyone loves it even the camera guys!!!! there was one game he was spot lighted about 5 times : ) Too bad we weren't famous enough to join our basketball team in going to the national Championship ; ( Oh well! It was the first time they had made it past the sweet 16!!!!!!!!!

Lip:
I had my first trip to the ER and a chance at getting stitches for the first time!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is how it all happened...
I was finishing up my workout with some crunches when Brennan woke up from his nap. He stuck up behind me and grabbed the 5 lb weigh I had behind me. He lost his balance and fell on me. Of all things to hit me, the weight did : ( thank goodness it was a rubber covered one! They gave me a tenacious shot anyway.
I thought it was just my teeth at first, but it was my teeth that cut my lip : ) I grabbed ice and text Taylor, who was in class. He came home after instead of going to a meeting he had. We hunted down a car and headed to the ER. The nurse asked "on a scale of 1-10, what is your pain". Taylor laughs very loud at that question now because he says I don't have pain. I said one and the nurse looked and him and smiled. The doctor came and looked at it and decided that no stitches were needed because the inside (which was the worst) would heal faster than the outside. The nurse cleaned it out and then put "durabond" on it and the inside was already closing!!! I couldn't stick my tongue through any more!!!!
It is all healed now, I just look like I have a whisker ; )

Tsunami:
Just before we were to head home a friend of ours, Tori who is an RA, told me that there was a tsunami warning out and they would be sounding the siren at 12am and every hour after that until 3am when it was suppose to hit us here on Oahu. On our way home they sounded the siren!!!!! but it was only 9pm : ( And yes, it went off every hour until 3am!!!!! We turned on the news when we got home to see what more info they had. There were evacuation zones so we looked those up, and we were not in one!!!!!!! Plus we live on the second floor of our building so we felt OK. The plan was for all of us to sleep in the same room so if we did need to leave we were all together and it would be somewhat quicker to get out. It was suppose to hit Kauai first so Taylor and I got up to watch the news and see if things changed. Nothing had so we watched it hit but there wasn't much difference in the water so we decided we were fine where we were and didn't need to leave. As we watched and watched and watched : ) Oahu was hit but the water went 150 + yards out and the came up to the side walk in Honolulu (Diamond Head area). Other than that a few older docks were damaged a bit and that was the worst for us! Thank goodness!!!!!!!! A friend of our has a cousin that just moved here a month or so ago and they are living on a boat so they had to leave the harbor and ride it out at sea where they wouldn't be effected much. Crazy to think about but they were safer out there : ) There had been another tsunami hit a year before from the Chile earthquake. These are signs of the times and we can only be prepared spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally knowing we are doing what we have been warned and counseled to do.

Sharks Cove:
We had the opportunity to go with two other families to Sharks Cove. This is where our friends, the Browns, had taken us in September and bought us snorkel gear. We have been dying to go back and we did it finally!!!!! There was no school on Thursday or Friday (due to business plan presentations and a Hawaii State holiday) so after Taylor worked on homework for the first day, we played the second ; )
We were hoping to go to the same deep spot we went before but the waves were too big and we would have been thrown into the rock : ( so we went to the little puddle left from the waves crashing over all the coral! We have yet to get a underwater camera so no pics of what we saw, but hopefully one day we will remember so grab one of the disposable ones before we go.

Brooke's 4 months:
Brooke went in last week for her 4 month check up! She is doing awesome! Weight: 13lbs 12oz and Height: 24 1/2 in This puts her in the same curve for weight but she has jumped 2 curves for height (hopefully she gets her dad's height not mom's!!!!!!!!!!) Once again she mastered the shots. This time she got 3 (5 different vaccines) and she didn't make a peep until the 3rd which was the one that turned red the next day and the nurse said she would be the most sore with.

Brennan's dictionary:
I saw this on one of my friend's blog so I thought I would use the idea!

mom/mama (this one is for Gigi!!!!! Taylor would say mom, mooooom, mom, mooooom ... so she said she was going to teach the same thing to my kids but she doesn't have to it is innate, THANKS : ( )
dada
nuk (when Brooke cries he looks for her pacifier (Taylor's family calls it a nuk and it has stuck with us))
ball
bubble
hi
ba bye
nigh nigh=good night
dank oo=thank you
da=dog
helacaca=helicopter
guk or gukie=food
aguawat or wat (almost butt thanks to Lauren)
gee=please

Halloween

2010-11-03T16:44:00.000-07:00

Brennan doesn't like things on his head or anything out of the normal clothes, so this is what we came up with for a costume this year ...

SURFER BOY

He wouldn't give a good shot of both him and his board!

He was not being very cooperative with pictures because there were too many other things and costumes to watch. We went to a little party here in TVA where there was a costume contest and cookie decorating. Later that night (Saturday) we joined some friends for more treats and hanging out.

They had sparklers left over from 4th of July and Brennan wanted to join in the fun. Taylor gave him his own and he did great until the second one when he got a little to curious as to what was on the end of the stick. He gabbed the fire with his left hand!!!!!!!!!!! He took his hand off and dropped it, to discover this middle finger was black. Still no sound of pain!!!!!! He then looked and Taylor and showed him and then ran over to me to show me. It was dark and he wasn't complaining so I thought maybe it was just ash. We went to wash it off and underneath the black was a nice burn. That night it because a nice blister that took up his entire finger (top to bottom)! At church during Nursery it popped so we cut the skin off when we got home and that is when he cried! Taylor thinks its because we took his toy away (a flap of skin). He hates band-aids so we have to tape them on which makes him mad because he can't bend his finger. Funny Little Boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Open House

2010-11-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

Over the past (almost) 24 months they have been renovating the Laie Hawaii Temple (which is a block from our apartment). In doing so they have an Open House allowing anyone interested to visit to enter and walk through to understand more of what happens there. Since we live so close they have asked for volunteers to help clean and host guests who come. I have had the opportunity to serve cookies, welcome guests with a 12 min video on the history and importance of temples, assist those in wheelchairs or those who aren't able to walk 102 steps as their tour guide, as well as clean. Taylor cleaned with me and did security last Saturday (he has been the Brennan watcher to allow me the chance to get out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). The people that we have been able to talk to about their experience have been delightful! One lady told me how she heard about the event and it warmed my heart : ) Her sister who lives on Maui flew in for a few days and told her she wanted her to attend and Open House with her. This lady was a bit taken back because all these years she didn't know here sister had a house over here on Oahu ; ) What she didn't understand was the fact that is wasn't the type of house she was thinking. As she walked up to the temple it made more sense to her. She proceeded to tell me that as she walked through and talked with people it was obvious to here that THIS (the temple) was her sister's extended family and home and she never knew what she had been missing out on!

I wish I could have more time to serve there but since I am due on the 19th they told me they didn't want me to be on my feet that long : ( I am extremely grateful I at least had the few hours I did because it was an experience not many get to have.

After the Open House is done on the 13th they will close it for a time to do a super clean after all the thousands have walked through and then it will be dedicated by the Prophet and President of the Church Thomas S. Monson on the 21st. After that point only worthy members of the church will be allowed to enter and perform the ordinances for themselves or for those who have past on.

Bounce

2010-11-03T14:38:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, the married housing (TVA) here on campus where we live, had a Family Day. There was anything from clowns, to games, to food, to water activities, to bouncy houses ...
Needless to say Brennan had his first bouncy house experience and this is how it went for him : )

Always something new

2010-10-10T21:53:00.000-07:00

You can never leave Brennan unsupervised for a second and if you do ... you find him doing things like this ...

He climbed on the toilet first then reached the inside of the sink in order to get a grip to pull himself up to the counter. Then it is into the sink and on with the water. His toothbrush was on the counter so he decided he would use it. It used to be grabbing the toilet paper and running around the house with it still attached but he has moved on to something more adventurous. He keeps us on our toes!!!! The only rest is when he is napping and even then he is here there and everywhere on his bed! I told Taylor the other day that the baby moves more than I remember Brennan moving so things could get really interesting : )

Little helper

2010-10-10T15:22:00.000-07:00

Brennan is at that stage where he wants to be in the middle of everything you do!!!! Here a few pictures from my phone I have captured of his longing to be of help and feel needed : )

It does help that he loves water!!!

We have had to hide the broom in the top shelf of the closed or he drags it around all over the house!

Helping fill the flour bucket is so fun ... until Mom closes the lid :'(

Not only is he helping with things around the house he is catching on to babies and their needs/wants! We were at a friend's house, who have a 5 month old, and Brennan saw the bottle on the floor. He quickly picked it up and ran to the bedroom where the baby was, not understanding that he was already sleeping, Brennan just knew this is what makes him happy and wanted to help! Also it has been a long process but he is learning what soft means. He has 6 weeks more practice before it's no longer other babies, but his own sibling (who will one day fight back :) I'm sure).

Cheap entertainment

2010-09-27T17:15:00.000-07:00

With the web cam on our lab top came software to spice things up a bit. As we have Skyped with Taylor's parents, all of his grandparents, my brother Brian and my sister Sara we have enjoyed this feature! A few Sundays ago we decided to play with it more now that Brennan is realizing that it is him being recorded. Here is what he came up with...

Brown Fun

2010-09-27T14:49:00.000-07:00

It just so happened that our friends the Browns came the very same week Gina did. They were even on the same flight over : ) While they were here, we had the chance to watch their little girl, who is 2 months younger than Brennan. Randomly enough they will have another one in February so the new babies will be 3 months apart : ) They went snorkeling and played around at the golf course and this is what we did with the kids ...

Took them to the Dole Plantation where we ate, played and went on the train. Our favorite part was while we were waiting for our food, we had the kids in the backpacks next to each other and this is what Brennan did : )

We have our hands full already!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A few days later they had us over to play in the pool and have dinner.

Finally, they took Taylor and I snorkeling because neither one of us has ever been. Much to our surprise they bought us gear so we can go anytime we want now!!!!! THANK YOU BROWNS!!!!!!!!!!!! Here are the two pregos : ) and the kids playing while us adults took turns adventuring.

A Shout Out!!!

2010-09-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

I just have to say Taylor is more and more amazing to me everyday!

He has finally started his first semester (has completed 3 terms) here at BYU Hawaii. He is taking 5 classes to equal 14 credits so that he can be eligible for an academic scholarship. As he was signing up for classes (with a counselor) he was not told that 3 of his Psychology classes are all prerequisites for each other!

His teachers are aware of the classes he is in and told him it is because of the work load these 3 classes have not necessarily the content they will be covering. He is working hard to beat the odds as well as be a father and husband!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! His constant worry for a pregnant wife and a very energetic son hasn't stopped nor has his desire to spend time with us! He is making lots and lots of sacrifices as well as asking help from our Heavenly Father knowing all will be taken care of during this time.

We made this move knowing there would be difficult times to bring us together and make us grow in ways we were unaware, and as time passes we are receiving just that!!!!!!!!!! We have your support and can not say THANK YOU enough!!!!! Along with these experiences are coming HUNDREDS of blessings of which we will keep you posted. We know that we are given trials/difficulties but there are always ways to overcome and the blessings are endless!!!!!!!!!!!! We know we are loved, known and watched over by our Heavenly Father as well as our Elder Brother Jesus Christ, the one who made it possible to overcome, and we desire to return to them after our test here!

Sleep Talking

2010-09-27T13:45:00.000-07:00

You can't help but love my brothers if you know them at all! Here is why...

I had the fun opportunity to live with Brian and Tod in a one bedroom apartment for several months before I spent a semester in Mexico 6 years ago. Brian had build his bed up on stilts and Tod slept under him. There were many nights they would have conversations in their sleep that were the funniest to listen to because most of the time they didn't make sense. It brings a huge smile to know that they are still finding ways to have their conversations even though they live miles apart!!!!

This is their new way...

THE PHONE

Neither one recall anything happened but Tod's wife relayed the story to me. Tod's phone rang and he hit ignore to then curl up to the phone. In so doing he then called Brian back (the one who called him first). A little later his phone went off again, this time his wife tried to take it from him, but he had a death grip on it and curled up to it again. She didn't say how many times this happened but the fact that it even happened in funny enough for me.

Our 1st visitor!

2010-09-27T00:24:00.000-07:00

Gina was given a choice to make and she decided to visit us for a week! We love Gigi and thank you for choosing us!!!! Hope you enjoy the pictures!

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Friends

2010-08-17T16:47:00.000-07:00

Brennan loves people but especially the ones that are bigger than him. The kids his size he beats on so they don't want to play, but he doesn't feel the need to beat on ones bigger than him! I wonder why? This is Ule, who will be 2 in a month! We had him and his parents over for dinner and Family Home Evening last night. The boys played and played while we were able to have a wonderful discussion about how Christianity and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has influenced the island of Tonga (that is where they are from).

This was the dinner we were blessed with!!!! The leaf is a Taro leaf with lamb rib wrapped inside and the white stuff is Tapioca. They put the Tapioca on the bottom of the pot then layered on the lamb and slow cooked it in coconut milk. It was yummmmmmmmmmmmy!!!!! The lamb was the only thing not FRESH from their garden!

We have been blessed with the most AMAZING friends!!!!

Saturday Fun

2010-08-17T16:31:00.000-07:00

This is Brennan attempting to make the face Maori (people from New Zealand) guys make as they do a Hakka (chants with motions)!

At the Polynesian Cultural Center they have 6 villages and throughout the year they have competitions for each island the villages highlight. We have gone to the Samoan fire knife, Tahitian dance and Maori Poi/Hakka. Brennan loves to dance along with them!!!!!

I barely had enough batter in the camera for these pictures after I videoed our friends dancing. They danced for 30 minutes so I will spare you the time and not post it! If you ever get the chance you have to see these cultures - they are moving (powerful)!

Locked up

2010-08-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

So this may see harmless because it is the outside of our bathroom door. But Brennan learned quickly that is NOT. He shut the door behind him and then opened the drawers and this is what you get!
A DOOR THAT DOESN'T OPEN!

Taylor and I were on the other side where there are no hinges or way to open it for him. He is tall enough to reach the handle but the drawer was in the way. The light was off and there are no windows for light. Imagine being 14 months old and not understanding what "shut the drawer" means because you are scared out of your mind. You can hear mom and dad on the other side but no way to get to them!

Taylor ran to the housing office to see what they suggested while I stayed with the little man, listening to his cry get louder and louder as well as harder and harder to where he was gaging. We were told that if we did anything to the door we would have to pay for it but if maintenance did they pay. In order to get them here we had to call security! Taylor called and as soon as he hung up with them Brennan had knocked the drawer shut so I could open the door.

We now play games and make it fun to shut drawers!!!!!!!!

Talking to other families that live in the same complex, their kids have done the same thing but their door opened enough to get a knife through to shut the drawer, but ours WOULDN'T.

He is out now and goes in and shots the door but doesn't open drawers until the door is opened again : )

A Special Visitor

2010-08-17T14:53:00.000-07:00

CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW

They have been filming Pirates of the Caribbean IV for the past little bit here and in Fiji. The Black Pearl was here for a while but we didn't get the chance to see it. The ship that we got to see was the Queen Anne because they began filming when the Captain arrived between 8-10 every night. For an AMAZING pictures of the ship and Captain Jack taken by my friend Leisa, who is a photographer with a nice camera go here (she has posted a few since then so you will have to scroll down a bit but its well WORTH IT). Leisa went the night before with her family and the kids couldn't wait any longer so they left without seeing him :( She then got a text 10 minutes later saying he came : ( : ( : ( That just meant she was going back the next night without kids but adults, THAT WAS US (and Brennan of course because he stays up late)! It was fun to see how he made it a point to touch as many as he could reach and sign something for the kids. We got there around 8 and there was already a line 2 people deep. As time went on more and more showed up and it ended up being 5-6 people deep.

Taylor made a comment that really got people thinking about their actions. He said how would it be if the Savior was to come? Would we be pushing our way to the front or wait patiently knowing He will reach us? Would we have cameras and find every way possible to get a picture even if that meant it was covering someone else's? Will we be reaching for a phone camera because our other one's batteries are dead? Will we have the spirit of contention and only about ME? How are we going to act/be prepared when He comes? Just some food for thought ...

Random

2010-08-07T16:06:00.000-07:00

I forgot about the pictures and videos we had on our camera until we used it the other night so here are some random adventures we have had.

PAWNING

Our friend Joey is from this area so he knows all the places to go! Close to where he grew up there are several fresh water ponds up in the mountain. After 2 plus hours of wandering in the wilderness : ) we decided on a place to stop!!!!! This is the place:

There were 3 spears so the rest of us watched and cheered as they caught a few for us to eat. Being that there is so much water, the mosquitoes were everywhere! To help chase them off we built a fire (also to cook the prawns) so that is where Taylor took the pictures from. Brennan being the water boy that he is couldn't stand the fact that he was so far way so we ventured down and he climbed right in. I wasn't prepared for him to get in but he had other plans : ) so in he went with clothes and a diaper on!

Here are the 3 hunters!

Tyler's needs his eyes checked - it's a fish!

Brennan practicing his kisses!!!!

MORE BEACH

Brennan has made little friend whose dad is in the military and has to go on trainings for long periods of time. We tried to keep his mom and him busy by going to the beach so here are a few pic. Yes he only has one swim suite, but it is getting small so we just bought a new one. It is orange as well!!! Easier to spot!!!

FATHER'S DAY

I wanted to get a picture of the boys but when I remembered Taylor was headed out the door for work and Brennan was asleep already (rare occasion). It was a good day! We gave talks in church on talents and how we can bless each other! Both of our dads were mentioned OF COURSE!!! Then Taylor requested breakfast for dinner because he works nights he doesn't eat breakfast (he wakes up around lunch). We had friends from New Zealand over even though it wasn't Father's Day for them! I debated whether to make Taylor a candy lei or enjoy the smell of flowers : ) I decided I could make a candy one at home so I better get the fresh flowers while we are here!!!!!! He is the most handsome father : ) even with his nap hair!!! We LOVE you Taylor as well as the other fathers in our lives!!!!!

VIDEO

Brennan has found his favorite drawer in the kitchen - the plastic bags! As most kids, he plays with household items more than his own "toys".

The video won't up load but I will keep trying so check back and hopefully there will be success!

SPLASH

2010-07-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

The weather here has been odd (from what we have been told). There have been some really cloudy/rainy days. It keeps the temp. down but makes it more humid. Just after dinner the other night there was a down pore (like a an Arizona Monsoon) so to use up energy we took Brennan out to play in the puddle (the homemade pool as all the other kids were calling it)!

He is a water boy for sure!!!! All we have to do is turn on the water in the bathroom and he comes running whether it is for him or not. His feelings are crushed if you don't let him in with you. Also, now that he is walking/running as soon as his feet hit the sand at the beach, they are headed for the water. Before he would crawl until the wave hit his chin, but now there is no stopping him!!!! His is definitely one of those kids Taylor's dad always told me about: born in Seattle = webbed feet!!!!!! I know that's referring to the rain but Brennan has taken the myth beyond its origins!

If ever you get the chance to watch him and he won't stop crying, turn on the water and he is all SMILES.

An Addition

2010-07-02T13:46:00.000-07:00

We have told family but friends have not been informed. On November 19th there will be baby Smart #2!!!!!!! Enjoy the 3D pictures - there are captions at the bottom!

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One Year - Check!!

2010-06-19T16:07:00.000-07:00

Time has gone by quick! Our little man has turned ONE already! Not having an oven at our little apartment meant we needed to make friends who did have one so he could enjoy his first cake. : ) Here in Hawaii the first birthday is the a huge celebration because before modern medicine they lost most of thier babies within the first year. If a baby made it to the first year that most likely meant they would have a long life. We joked with people everywhere we went who asked how old Brennan was that we needed friends to have a big party when he turned one and they all said they would be there!!! One lady at Costco said I have 6 kids and they would be happy to attend!

Regardless, it was an intimate group but a fun one. Here are pictures of his cake and him eating his own little portion.

If you can't tell what it is (no hurt feelings :( ), it is a shovel on the beach. He has two of them, a yellow and a blue one, and that's all he plays with even though there are few other toys we always take.

"Are you sure this is okay?"

"You didn't stop me so I am going in for more!"

He loved every minute of it, but that night trying to get him to bed made for some not so lovable moments. It was worth it though now that I look back at the pictures and see his enjoyment!

Memorial Day

2010-06-19T15:17:00.000-07:00

We had the amazing opportunity to spend the weekend with our friends Tyler and Lauren. On Saturday we wanted to go to a new beach so we headed over to the North Shore area to find a spot. We didn't leave early enough to get the one we wanted before all the parking was taken so we ventured on farther. We ended up finding a fun spot in Haleiwa!!!

Before Taylor built Brennan a sand pool!

After a wave added sand to his pool.

This was the first time Brennan was able to use his birthday gift from Papa and Gigi (the yellow floaty)!!!!!!! Tyler is Brennan's new favorite (if you can't tell). When we go places together, people always think he is Brennan's dad because he has him most of the time and he has cool blue eyes.

An unexpected wave!!! Tyler to the rescue!

Lauren was taking the pictures, but we will get her in one so you can know who Tyler's other half is. She is just as amazing and fun!

That night we went on a double date to see what we thought was going to be Iron Man II. Here in there is a 2 screen theatre so the movies move in and out quick! It had already left and Prince of Persia took it's spot. Needless to say that is what we watched instead. Taylor was way bummed but once the movie started he got over it because that one was great!

Then on Monday it was another beach day, but this time we went to our usual, Hukilau. We didn't take a camera as we usually don't, sorry. We weren't there 5 minutes before we spotted about other couples from our ward, enjoying the day off of school and before finals started. That night it was attempted #2 at Iron Man II. Thank goodness we have a lot of newlywed couple that just adore the little man (aka Brennan) so we could go out again. This time we had to travel to a bigger city : ) I am happy to report we had . . . SUCCESS!

Our Entertainer

2010-05-03T22:52:00.000-07:00

This was Brennan on our Circle Island Tour before school started. All of the other students on our bus thought he was the coolest kid and wanted to take a million pic to send to their family. They said they were going to put the one of him in the hat in the school newspaper. He loved the attention and never let out a single cry, he just went to sleep because he was so tired. It's takes a lot of energy to be the star I guess!

Everyone at church loves the fact that he is in a tie already. Their favorite is the one I made for Easter that matches his dad and papa (Hawaiian print). He also loves to help the grounds grew at school with the quality of dirt they use!

We take Taylor lunch on the days he has class, but as you can see the hot concrete doesn't seem to stop him any. I try to keep him on the grass but he loves to chase the birds and follow all the girls out of class. He wants to see all of you so bad he put himself in a box (I was working out I promise I didn't put him there!), but discovered he needed the Large Flat Rate instead.

He likes the all tile floor (except when he falls or throws a fit) that we have in our house because he can go where ever he wants. He is getting so good he can turn and go back the other way. We are hoping this will encourage him to take steps on his own, but no luck yet. He explains it all to you at the end so make sure you have the sound on!

There haven't been too many hot hot days but this is one, as you can tell by where he ends up.

Long yet Short

2010-04-25T15:26:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I have posted anything and now our life is running 3 hours behind! The time has finally arrived and Taylor is in school at BYU-Hawaii!!!! After many date switching for one reason or another we have been blessed to be able to move on to new adventures!!!!

Before school started on the 19th we had a few weeks free to enjoy ourselves in Arizona and a rental car in Hawaii.

The first slide show is Easter with my family in Flagstaff. We were able to leave my car with my sister which meant we drove from Seattle to Flagstaff!!!! (23 hours) Never having traveled with Brennan before we decided to leave when he went to bad for the night. It was wonderful until we hit Utah that morning and it began to snow. We spend some time with Taylor's cousin's family before making our way to our resting point, Mama Ririe's house (family friends from Flagstaff). Taylor slept as Brennan and I played and chatted. Meanwhile it had stopped snowing! After Taylor woke up we decided to leave before it got dark instead of waiting until Brennan's bedtime again. It all started great but as we got farther and farther down the road the thicker and thicker the snow. I began to notice that we could had no headlights and that is why it was so much easier to see when another car would approach. It came to the point that we were the only non SUV or Semi on the road. There was a sign that said 3 miles to Beaver and Taylor began to chant 3 miles, 3 miles, 3 miles, 2 1/2 miles . . . We tired all the hotels in the area and there was only smoking rooms available. Then we noticed in the gas station there was a Hotel check in, so we hurried over. There was one last room!!!!!! The worker told us that half of the rooms had never been occupied because it was so new, YEAH for us!!!!!!!! The next morning we continued on to Flag with clear skies and road!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

While there, we enjoyed meeting the other 2 cousins born last year (5 total), 2 eggs hunts, family dinner with everyone but Ann and Tyrell (miss you guys!!!!! come visit Hawaii!!!!), coupon shopping with Sara, FHE with Scott's family, Grandpa and Grandma Skinner's early 1st birthday present to Brennan, dinner and games with Brian's family, the Aquaplex, staying with Sara's family and Brad's bedroom!!!!!!!!!!

We then returned to Washington via air (no snow!!!), packed all our belongings in storage or suitcases and headed for Hawaii all within 4 days!

The second slide show is of Hawaii. We decided to rent a car for 6 days before school started so that we could go place we might not get to otherwise, with no car. The first day we had to upgrade to a bigger car to make sure we fit all of out stuff in it from the airport to our new place. We ended up getting a 2010 Chevy Tahoe with only 1400 miles on it!!! It was so nice we were tempted to keep it for the full time but decided it wasn't worth the extra money per day!!! We returned it for a Nissan Pathfinder. This took a good portion of the day because where we live is at least an hour to the airport (the only rental car place on the island) so we stopped by the Dole Plantation on our way there. We wanted to take the scenic route home so we drove along the water!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was beautiful which made it okay that there was traffic so we could enjoy longer! The next day we moved into our new place (the land lord got the days mixed up of when the other couple was moving out so she put us up in a vacation suite she has at her house for two days) walked around school and went to the beach. We were going to go to Pearl Harbor but while at school we found Taylor needed to get a few things done before school started so we stayed at school to get them done. In doing so we found out the do what they call a Circle Island Tour (Valley of the temples, Pali look out, Swap Meet and Aloha Stadium, Pearl Harbor, Walmart and Shaved Ice) for all new students for $10a person. Those were most of the places we wanted to go to went for much cheaper and with people that know history of the island to acquaint us better. Then on Sunday we were introduced to our new ward and began making friends!!!!! School started Monday and after class we took the car back which meant we had to ride the city bus back (a new experience for both of us). Lots of questions were asked and we made our way back, thanks to very friendly people we have run into everywhere!

Taylor has his work cut out for him this term but has a schedule he has stuck to for the first week! We celebrated this accomplishment with some Oreo's and he had a Dr. Pepper with dinner (I have been helping him to eat better and he did all week!!!). Brennan and I have been taking walks, watching softball games, going to the beach and trying to put our boxes of stuff away.

I am going to try to update more often so they aren't this painfully long! We have been extremely blessed in the last little bit and need to share!!!!!!!!!

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Saturday Outing!

2010-02-10T11:24:00.000-08:00

Week after week we have wanted to go with some friends of ours on an adventure to Bainbridge Island (30 min ferry ride from Seattle), but either their girls were sick or the weather was not cooperative. FINALLY, it happened Saturday!!!!!! Taylor didn't have to work (his first day off since he got hired, we love those samples) and we couldn't have asked for more perfect weather (in February) so off we went.

We were blessed for waiting because our friends had just purchased a van so we all could fit in one car so we didn't have to pay for two cars! Also, we found out our friend's family sill lives there so she knows the area (no need to look up things to do).

We had lunch on the ferry so when we got to land we could play!!! The park was our first stop! Brennan loves the swings and sad to report the swings had been taken out of this park so he settled for the slide and monkey bars (with Taylor's help of course). He was okay with out the swings because that meant he could try something new!
Then we walked down to the water to throw rocks and listen to the waves! Then it was back to the park to play tag.

Then it was off to look at all the fun little shops and grab a bit to eat. After looking for a bit, we found a place on the water, and man was it yummmmmmmy! Brennan loved the bread as well as dad's veggies and to top him off he had some clam chowder. Taylor tried the crab cakes and I ordered a salmon linguine!!!!

We finished off the trip with the ferry ride back to Seattle just as it started to sprinkle and got dark!

Hawaii here we come!!!!!

2010-01-30T18:06:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, Taylor has decided to go to school full time and finish his bachelors degree. After weighing out the pros and cons, we decided it would be best for our little family if he attended BYU - Hawaii!!!!

We were going to go in January, but then in an interview he was asked to stay here (Washington) and work until June. Well, they didn't keep their end of the deal and let him go in January. So luckily they have a term that begins in April! That means we have 2 months to organize everything for school, housing, cars, ... but WE ARE GOING TO HAWAII!!!!!!! See you there!

The Essentials

2010-01-30T17:40:00.000-08:00

The other night Taylor's sister went through the temple for the first time (she leaves on her mission in a month) so we had a friend watch Brennan for the evening. After playing at the park he had a good nap and then woke up to a wonderful dinner. In all the hustle to get him dropped off and to the temple on time his diaper bag got left (not to mention there were 3 other bags I was worrying about). It wasn't until we were getting him out of the car at our friends house did we notice the essentials were at home. We let them know what happened and they said they probably had a spare diaper around as well as some food he could eat. I tried to let it go so I could enjoy the session in the temple, and I did as long as I was in the temple. When we got to the car I called to let them know we were on out way, I asked how it went with out the diaper bag and this is what I got ...

"he has a pull up on". (a girlly one at that)

After we apologized several times, she said "I am crafty! No worries." Now the joke is, "Amy, do you have the orange bag?"

Another funny part was, when she reminded her girls that a baby was coming, they ran to their rooms and said "we have to clean". So Brennan is welcome anytime with our without his essentials!

WE ARE BLESSED WITH GOOD FRIENDS!!!!

8 months

2010-01-30T17:22:00.001-08:00

WOW!!! Time goes by so fast and he grows even faster. He crawls all over the place and pulls himself up on everything. There have been a few times when he has let go and stood for several seconds before falling. Not to mention, his falling is becoming more graceful. His favorite things to play with are; cords, the big screen, or underneath the table (middle picture). We have experimented with several foods and there hasn't been anything he doesn't like. He just complains because I can't keep up with him (one spoon for him and one for me). He got the sign for "milk" down quick and lets us know when he is hungry by doing it! If only I can get him to pick up on the sign for "more" instead of yelling/grunting. The picture on the right and left are ones Taylor took and send me while I was tutoring. The two of them love to play and eat!

We love you Brennan!!!!

December and January

2010-01-30T16:23:00.000-08:00

Anniversary

This was my surprise from the best husband ever!!!! He was proud of himself for the arrangement he put together. It was fire and ice roses with red Astoria!!! The guy behind him in line had a bouquet that was pre-made, until he saw the gorgeousness Taylor had created. He put his back and asked for the same arrangement Taylor had. Taylor, you are amazing in more ways than this, and that's why I love you more and more everyday!!!!! Happy Anniversary to the LOVE of my life!!!

If you can believe it Taylor and I have been married for 3 years now! For year 3, we thought IHOP would be a fun place to go because we didn't get the chance to eat breakfast together often (Taylor left for work around 6:15am). After that we roamed around a mall creating our wish list, as we so often do. We did get the chance to enjoy Snowflake Lane (toy solders playing their drums as snow falls, fake snow that is) just the two of us before taking Brennan. We also grabbed dessert before picking up the little man. Our friends that watched him told us we needed to stay out longer, so watch out next time :)

Christmas

Here are a few photos and videos from our festivities. If you click on a picture it should zoom in, otherwise some of them are extremely small. Sorry, we are trying to save every penny we can :) ENJOY!

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Birthday

I wanted to do something different for Taylor's birthday this year so after dinner with the family we headed to Seattle. I had plans, but they quickly got changed because we left later than i thought we would. It turned out that we just walked around down town Seattle. It was good to just be out and with the family. This was Brennan's first time there so he was entertaining to watch (his reaction to all the people and lights). We were the only ones with a baby, which felt weird, but that's what the down town life is like even at 7pm on a Wednesday. Happy Birthday!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-08T18:17:00.001-08:00

We had the wonderful privilege to visit Central Oregon where parts of Gina's family live. The movie sums up what we did over the two days (Wednesday and Saturday were travel days). We can't thank Grandpa and Grandma enough for their hospitality, especially Grandma for her had work on the delicious food!

Fun times with the Smarts

2009-12-07T10:56:00.000-08:00

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Growing up

2009-11-04T14:40:00.000-08:00

Rolling Over

Baths

Eating

Sitting up

Saturday morning (I remember all of us kids would climb into bed with mom and dad, but before long they were out and it was just us until someone said "last one out makes the bed")

Outdoors

2009-11-04T14:36:00.000-08:00

Brennan is defiantly taking after his cousins, in that he loves to be outside. We go on walks, hikes or even just sitting out on the porch at night during his cranky hours. I made sure we had both a stroller and a backpack so we could go anywhere with him and luckily he loves both!!!

We found his new favorite spot, at the park in a swing!!!!

Halloween

2009-11-04T10:08:00.000-08:00

There was a family in our old ward who has a boy a year older than Brennan and last year he dressed up as a bee. Luckily they returned from being out of town the night before Halloween so we could barrow the costume. The best part is, it is for a dog! We decided to visit friends from this ward so we went to their "Trunk - R - Treat". Taylor and I were on the activities committee in that ward so we helped plan it last year. The activities chair and I were pregnant together so here are the bugs together. Her mom calls Brennan, her boyfriend.
We then went to visit friends we met at our birthing class (their daughters is 3 weeks older than Brennan) whom we haven't seen for months. We weren't expecting to stay long but they wanted to take their daughter to some neighbors house to tick - or - treat and left us to answer the door. When they got back dinner was ready so we eat some amazing chili. Funny part is he is a cop so decided to wear his gun that night but didn't realize that every time he reached for the bowl of candy by the door, it showed. We were laughing but he did have a good point "I am opening the door to strangers in masks". On Monday when Taylor got to work he found out that a co-worker's house was broken into on Halloween and she was up stairs. It's harder and harder to trust people when things like that happen.
We forgot our camera so we made another visit, but as you can see Brennan wasn't at all disappointed to see his other girlfriend again!!!!

Family Pictures

2009-11-04T09:52:00.001-08:00

SMART FAMILY

Labor Day

2009-11-03T11:12:00.000-08:00

There has been a lot I have missed. Over Labor day weekend Brennan and I made a trip to AZ for a week. While we were there a lot took place in for the Skinner family.

Starting on Wednesday (9/2/09):
Being escorted to Flagstaff from the airport.

Thursday (9/3/09):
Staying with the Clouses

The 3 Stuges (Brennan (5/24/09), Rhett (5/21/09) and Jackson 2/24/09)): This is the first time all 3 of them have been together. In the year 2009 there will be 5 new grandkids added to the Skinner Family (Kelsy had Bristol 9/24/09 and Faith is due in December). That is a grand total of 14 by the end of the year!!!!!

Friday (9/4/09):
Dinner with Jo's in-laws

Brad's football game
(he ran out the "F" flag that my mom made in 1998, but I can't figure out how to get our videos on the blog)

Helping Sara finish the skirts (Sara was trying to see how many nights she could go to bed at midnight) It is tradition on my family for the girls to wear matching dresses or skirts. Sara found a simple skirt pattern online which was 4 rectangles. Of course the little girls need to match as well so she added straps and made dresses. Yes, Sara is SUPER MOM, SISTER, WIFE ...!!!!!!

Saturday (9/5909):
The Schmitt wedding (Jo and Jason)

The reception

Sunday (9/6/09):
Brad's Eagle Scout Court of Honor

Monday (9/7/09):Labor Day
Swimming with the Clouses

Wednesday (9/9/09):
The ride to the airport

One little monkey

2009-08-31T15:37:00.000-07:00

He has done this since he was 6 weeks old but I am just now getting it documented! The first time I thought was just by accident because I set him on his stomach and walked into the kitchen to put some dishes away and when I came back he was on his back. I asked Taylor if he had flipped him over but that was a negative, so I put him on his stomach again, watching closely this time! He did it again!!!! Mornings are his happy time so every morning he and I would play, getting 3 rolls out of him before he was tired. Since we have moved and there are more people around he learned that if he cried they would flip him over so he stopped liking his stomach, but as you can see he is back to being happy and playing on his stomach. It won't be long before I am chasing him around!

Who does he look like?

2009-08-28T15:29:00.000-07:00

MOM

DAD

Like Father Like Son

2009-08-28T15:06:00.000-07:00

Adam with Taylor

Taylor with Brennan

Taylor

Brennan

Visitors

2009-08-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

We have had a lot of love come our way!!!!! Here are just a few high lights of the family and friends that have taken time to show us their support! We couldn't have done it without you!!!!!! Those of you that have not been able to come see us your love has been felt through so many other ways!!!!! (WE STILL LOVE YOU)

Sleeping Handsome

2009-08-08T12:11:00.000-07:00

At such a young age he has a prefrence of how he sleeps!
Hands close to his face

We have to wrap him like a burrito inorder for him to stay asleep other wise he gets his hands out. With his hands out, he nap jerks and wakes himself up. This is what you get when he wakes up!

The love of a Father

2009-08-08T12:06:00.000-07:00

A picture is worth a thousand words!

2 months

2009-08-08T11:44:00.000-07:00

He has hit the 2 month mark, which means he visits the DR. He wieghed in at 9.7 lbs. and 24 in. TALL AND SKINNY just like his dad

This also means he gets shots! There was 3 injections with 6 vaccines and he was a stud. The nurse asked if we wanted to put a numbing cream on first, but we opted out because most of the sting is the liquid entering not the needle. Here are the battle wounds. He was a bit clingy the next 24 hours but other than that he was fine.

The sun was bright that day so I had a blanket over him as we walked to the car. I didn't take it off before I put him in his seat because the seat had gotten hot. He was drained, can you tell!

Changing diapers

2009-08-08T10:25:00.000-07:00

Rookies = Taylor and his sister

Taylor's first diaper change was an adventure he was not planning on. I was coaching him through as well as being amused with his concentration so I didn't notice what Brennan had done. It was a poopie one so as Taylor cleaned the bum he had the legs held in the air which means the gun was pointed at Brennan's face. The gun fired but was not discovered until Taylor started to button up the Onesie. It was WET as well as Brennan's face and the blanket he was laying on!!!!! A diaper change quickly turned into a complete outfit change and a bath! Needless to say Taylor has learned his lesson and is a CHAMP now!!!!! Thank you for not giving up DAD!!!

Blessing

2009-08-08T09:56:00.000-07:00

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints infants are given a priesthood blessing to begin their life as well as the name by which they will be known. For Brennan this happened July 5th. We were privileged to have several family and friends there to show their love and support.

Travelers were:
Arizona gang **my dad and Bobbie, my brother Tod and his family and my sister Jo Idaho **Taylor's sister Darcie had a long weekend from school

Locals were:
Taylor's parents
Taylor's uncle Josh and family
Tom and Debbie Davis

THANK YOU to all those for making the trip as well as those who send there love through thoughts and prayers. We are extremely BLESSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Using the talent my mom shared with me I did make his outfit! What do you think?

Tools

2009-08-08T09:50:00.001-07:00

Taylor stumbled apon this baby tool.

While on his mission he always had a bag of candy in his scripture case to help keep him awake. He has since continued this tradition! One morning as I was getting ready for church Taylor was taking care of Brennan. He happened to be fussy because he was tired but he suddenly stopped as Skittles were poured into a ziploc. For about the next month or so that is how dad put baby to sleep.

Missed Holidays

2009-08-06T14:38:00.000-07:00

EASTER
We had dinner at Taylor's parents house with: Adam and Gina (parents) Darcie (sister)Davis (family friends) Uncle David (Taylor's uncle) and Carol (Adam's co-worker). There was lots of food as always! In my family the tradition is to have new dresses for the girls and the boys new white shirts and ties. I happened to be on Spring Break the week previous so I made the skirts. Living my mom's legacy I finished mine that morning before church!! When you start at 1pm there is alot of day to use so I did!

MOTHER'S DAY
Gina and I were told to pick the menu but it had to be from the BBQ because the men were making dinner. As you can see below this is what they came up with from our request! Not bad!!!!!!!! infact it was better than anything I have made! Thank you males!

Gina wanted to take some pictures of Taylor and I before the baby was born so this is what she got!!

4th OF JULY
Jo is eating an "elephant ear" which is basically fry bread. They put cinnamon and sugar or strawberry jam on them. We blessed Brennan the next day so Tod and family, Dad and Bobbie as well as Jo joined us for the festivities. It was a packed day with a flag raising ceremony that Taylor and I were on the planning commitee for, two trips to the airport and a fireworks display.

BIRTHDAY

Adam's birthday is May 1st and mine is May 2nd so we always have a good time for two days! We went to Olive Garden for dinner, while there I opened my cards and presents in addition to being sang to in Italian. On the card if you look close you can see Maddy's (my neice) writting (she is growing up on so fast). Adam's present from us was a bib that says VROOM off to grandpa's. We thought that was appropriate because his house is known for pushing food. It will be used there often when the time comes!!! We LOVE you Papa!

It's a ...

2009-05-30T20:36:00.000-07:00

BOY

Brennan Adam Smart was born Sunday May 24th at 8:15pm!!! He weighed in at 6.14 and measured 19.5 inches.

Friday was my last day of work and I was determined to make it that far because that is all the sick days I had left. On Tuesday, at the doctor appointment, I was told he was still high and I was still at a one so it would be a bit. During meetings on Friday the contractions started and progressed through to Saturday.

Saturday I went with Gina to get some veggies for our garden and then she took me to lunch. All the while having mild contractions! We were planning to have dinner with Taylor's parents on Sunday so we had to run to the store for a few items and when we got back I had notice I had started to bleed. The contractions were not consistent like I had been told to look for so I was too concerned until I saw that. I called the hospital (first timer!) and they said to come in and be checked but that it most likely wasn't going to result to much.

They were right! I had dilated to a 3 almost 4 but there was no change in the hour that I was there so they pulled a sleeping pill out of their secret cabinet and send us home.

Sunday morning I tried to let Taylor sleep as long as possible before I woke him to tell him we should head back. I finally got the courage about 7:30 and we were admitted at 8:15. Having talked to several people I had decided to go as far as I could without drugs because I didn't know my pain tolerance (never broken a bone, had stitches, surgery, etc). Faith was my biggest inspiration and motivator!!!! THANK YOU because I did it WITHOUT drugs!!!!!!!!!!!! It took about 6 hours to get to a 9 but then the progress stopped and after 5 hours they finally decided to give me Patocin to speed things up. THEY DID! I was ready before the doctor could get back to the hospital but the nurse wouldn't let me deliver without her (the dr.) so I had to breath through without pushing even though that is what my body was WANTING. The doctor barely got her gear on and Brennan was here! (the evidence is in all the popped blood vessels in my face, neck and eyes)

We did our 24 hour stay and were home Monday night, much nicer then the hospital! THANKS to all for your phone calls and text during that time and those that continue! We are where we are because of the LOVE and SUPPORT from all of you!! Brennan is truly Heaven sent!!!!!!!!! and now it our turn to help him return!

Chef Smart

2009-04-27T20:52:00.000-07:00

Last year we were given a BBQ from neighbors after we moved into the new house. Taylor has slowly started to add to his menu items. The latest and greatest has been pork chops! Here he is the next Chef America!

Taylor's Fatty

2009-04-27T20:27:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to get pictures of the growing belly, but haven't done it. Last Sunday (35 weeks) Taylor couldn't resist because for one I was wearing PINK and for another my hair was curled. Here is Taylor's FATTY!!!! (That's for my brother Brian!)

Lopez Island

2009-04-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

During Spring Break, Taylor was sick so we weren't able to do much. I was able to sew a temple dress for his mom and an outfit for the baby to come home from the hospital, while pampering the sick one as he does for me. Towards the end of the week, he was feeling better and it was my week for date night so I called a family friend for assistance. They have a cabin on Lopez Island (one of the San Juan Islands) which is about a 2 hour drive + a ferry ride northwest of where we live. Being that I was 32 weeks at the time the doctor recommend I not go farther then an hour away, but I snuck out. While we were there we relaxed, hiked, watched the seals, had a picnic and paid the fee.

The fee was to wash the windows in preparation for the BUSY summer ahead. Taylor's dad washed windows for a time while going to school so he has the best solution. We stopped by to get the tools before heading up there, but when it came time to wash Taylor realized he forgot one of the most important items, THE SQUEEGEE!! Thank goodness he is a problem solver, because I would have never thought to use a WINDSHIELD WIPER! We have video but I have yet to figure out how to get it on my blog so the picture will have to do.

He Loves Me!!!!

2009-04-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

Taylor has come up with some awesome surprises for me, but this one has been the most surprising! I walked in the door to a trail of pedals leading to our room.

The door was closed, which doesn't happen often. I opened the door to find this ...

Does that not make you smile! If you notice on the left side of the bed there is a dozen roses! He finds joy in making me feel important and loved!!!

Clowning Around

2009-04-27T19:37:00.000-07:00

Last summer our Stake had a BBQ where 2500 people came. Taylor and I were selected as part of the planning committee. When the desire for a balloon artist was brought up Taylor looked and me and asked can I tell you secret. After hearing how much they were going to have to pay for I agreed. I had to train and organize the youth volunteers for both face painting and balloon animals. Since then Taylor and I were asked to be the clowns at a ward party (1 year ward birthday). Taylor was the hat and sword man and took the rest of the orders. Taylor even let me paint his face!!!!

Earthquake

2009-01-31T10:32:00.000-08:00

The things that wake me up! It was one of many sleepless nights that I have had sense being pregnant, but this one was interrupted by my bed shaking. Our house is old and without foundation (on post and beam)so it took me a minute to realize what was causing the movement. (The entire house shakes when the washer is on spin cycle, etc.) I thought at first it was just Taylor rubbing his feet together like he often does before he falls asleep or while he is sleeping or his shaken leg syndrome. It wasn't until I listened and heard the shower doors rattling that it occurred to me it was an earthquake!! The joke has become truth, Taylor will sleep through an earthquake! I have some work to do or I will be the one up with the baby EVERY night! He is perfect in every other way though!!!!!!!

A Little Smartie!!!!

2009-01-19T09:21:00.000-08:00

Yes, we have known for a while but we didn't tell Arizona friends because we just announced to my family at Christmas. (The video won't load so I will try again later!)

The big day is May 26th and no we are not going to find out what the sex is! There is a poll on the sidebar so please vote for what you think we will have!

Here are few of the ultrasound pictures (some from 12 weeks and some from 20 weeks). The face gave us a good laugh because the day before Taylor's parents had shown us some home videos. The one we watched first was Taylor going to get his picture taken at the age 2. After every flash there he made a face very similar! Also, there is no deny that this Taylor's baby because the foot picture. His toes are freakishly long (my middle finger is as long as his second toe) and the second toe is considerably longer than the bog toe. When he pinches with them he draws blood! FREAK!!!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Skinner Christmas

2009-01-18T11:53:00.000-08:00

For the first time since 2002 that my entire family has been together. There has been someone on a mission, at school or out of state so this was a historic moment for the Skinner family. There are 8 siblings, 6 spouses, 9 nieces and nephews (with three more on the way) and my Dad and Bobbie. Ann and Ty were the ones in charge this year (THANK YOU). They chose to go rustic (cabin with no running water or electricity) which was FUN and as close to camping without camping! There was about 2 feet of snow so Scott was on fire duty all day/night.

The kids were directed by Ann and Ty in the Christmas story narrarated by my dad. The lump in front was the donkey (Great job Brian!).

Here are the stckings that were hung. There are few missing and there are a few that weren't filled (ours!!!!!). Santa ran out before he got to them :( We will be extra good this year to make up for it.

We always do a White Elephant gift exchange! The boys always come up with extremely clever ideas of wrapping. This was Brian's! He drills for a living so there is extra pipe so he used it :)

The trip begins!

2009-01-18T11:03:00.000-08:00

We wanted to take a last vacation before it's not just the two of us, so we decided to go back to the place where we spend our honeymoon. Before going I thought there wasn't much to Vegas other than the casinos and all that comes with that, but I was wrong. We have seen several shows there including: Phantom (twice), KA, Mystere, Variety show, Shark aquarium, Lion exhibit, huge water fountain show, Blue Mans Group and Mama Mia. We stayed at a Marriott resort on the strip that is across from the BIGGEST construction site in the Northern Hemisphere (City Center). Enjoy the pictures!!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Smart Christmas

2009-01-18T10:24:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2008 happened twice for us. We had the wonderful opportunity to host at our little home. There is not a traditional dinner (but I think I started one) so Taylor and I decided to do a Mexican theme. As mom taught me to cook, everything was from scratch! Tamales was the new item, but there was also tostadas, beans, rice, salsa and guacamole. Giving our stomachs time to work on all of that before dessert we opened presents.

Taylor's parents LOVE pictures but has an older camera so we helped them with this. As you can tell from the picture they were extremely surprised and loving the moment. It came just in time for the all the snow so they quickly learned to switch the mode for movies.

Darcie is attending BYUI, so we wanted to help her cut down on the amount she hauled back and forth so we search about 7 stores for an orange bed set. Orange is not a popular color so we got a close and we could.

Both Darcie and Taylor's parents tried homemade gifts this year! We have not complaints with that because their creativity turned out AMAZING. Darcie took socks and filled them with rice and potpourri for a heating pad. On the other hand, the "parentals", took limbs and hallowed out enough of the middle to place a candle. Two very fun ideas which will copied!

I couldn't resist this:

Taylor's parents found this on their cruise to Alaska and it fits PERFECT!

2 years!!!

2009-01-18T09:37:00.000-08:00

"A home is where your story begins." December 16th 2006 was that day for us. We have spent that last 2 years in the Seattle area where I have been teaching Spanish and Taylor has continued his education while working at Microsoft.

Last year one for Christmas one of my students gave me gift certificates for McCormick and

Schmicks restaurant. Making the reservation online I was added to their mailing list and on our anniversary come another invitation. Taylor called and talked to the Manager to see what exactly was being offered. As you can see, we decided to take them up on the offer. One of the bonuses we received was a menu printed just for us "Happy 2nd Anniversary!" We went on the 15th because on the next we were leaving after school for Las Vegas (where we spent our Honeymoon) for 5 days and then on to Arizona for the holidays.

SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

Every Friday night Taylor and Amy have a date night. This week it was Taylor's turn to plan the date. During the hike for Family Home Evening on Monday the topic of camping came up. Amy has grown up camping all summer long in Flagstaff Arizona so there were ideas exchanged and a trip to Joe's tent sale! Camp chairs, a ice chest, a water cooler, and a dutch oven had all been gifts, but a tent and sleeping bags needed to be purchased. After doing his homework (researching to see what is out there brands, prizes, etc.) without Amy knowing any of his plans Taylor found this!
and these!

On Friday after Taylor got off work it was off to Ensign Ranch (near Cle Elum, WA just passed Snoqualmie Pass) where the fun began! After camp was set (The Smart Family being the only ones in a section of 9 campsites) the exploring started. The Ranch has horseback ridding, canoeing, a rope swing into a lake, shooting range, rock climbing wall, water slide, and much much more.

Saturday morning started off with oatmeal for breakfast. The county had a burn ban so there was no fire or charcoal allowed (just more thinking for Taylor in the planning process!) All meals were planned, prepared and cleaned up by Taylor!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Amy loves camping even MORE!)

To kill some time before the horses the canoes were paid a visit for an hour. Being the only ones on the lake at the time made it easy to maneuver and coast where desired. Then came the horses! Taylor got Ammon and Amy rode Levi on a guided hour ride.

After which came lunch and a much needed nap (the pillows were forgotten). Then it was game time (dominoes and zilch) before time to start preparing dinner. Thanks to family friends (The Noel family) "camping pizzas" were consumed!
Taylor is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (a little goofy but that's one reason he is loved!) A job WELL done!!!