Dancing Queen

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

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

Way to go, Halle! You're awesome!

I Need to Get With It!

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

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

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

Finding Something to Talk About

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

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

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

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

Have any of you had any similar experiences?

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

Happy Birthday, Little Mister!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Giddy Up!

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

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

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

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

Happy Halloween to all!

Playing Catch-Up

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

We kept busy hanging out at the zoo...

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

Checking out the fish at the Aquarium...

Taking it easy...

And being silly...

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

Perfectly Pleasurable Pumpkins

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

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

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

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

Just Call Me Martha Stewart

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

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

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

Letters

Dear Chase,

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

Dear Halle,

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

Dear Sam,

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

Dear BYU,

Anytime you want to start winning is fine with me.

Dear Diet Coke,

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

Dear Economy,

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

Dear Costco,

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

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

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

It's a Girl!

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

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

Now, I have to figure out the bedroom situation.

It's About Time!

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

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

Her teacher, Mrs. Holt, is amazing!

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

Hooray for kindergarten!

This & That

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Since I've Always Wanted a Minivan...

... introducing baby #3!

Debuting in early February.

The Month in Review...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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