Am I a Bad Mom?

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

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

We've Lost an Olsen Twin!

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

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

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

3.  We wouldn't snack between meals.

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

This & That

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

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

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


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

Deja Vu

Different Baby...

Same Trouble...

Chase (9 Months)

Halle (9 Months)

Taylor Family Fun

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

We played in the sun...

We went to the Children's Museum...

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

The boys went golfing...

We snuggled this cute new one...

It was a great week.  We miss everyone already!

Oh, What Do You Do in the Summertime?

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

We play at the park.

We swim!

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

We watch movies.

We shop. 

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

We splash!

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

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

Fun on the 4th!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chunka and Grams.

Here's the Jonas Bros.!  What a show!