The Most Wonderful Time

Hooray! Our new beautiful HUGE tree (Thanks Grandma!)
One of the best things about Thanksgiving is getting all the Christmas stuff out.

I'm the first to admit how ungrateful I am. Too often I look at all the things I have and make my list of all those things that I really wish I had. This time of year allows me to look at my blessings, rather than my things. Blessings should outnumber the things. I think that's how we recognize happiness and then can be grateful, and then gain the desire to share with others.

I asked Dillan what he is thankful for. Cars and Trucks. He did eventually say he was grateful for Mommy, Daddy and his Baby Girl. I wonder, at his age, how gratitude feels to him.

I wanted to document exactly what I was grateful for this year.
My Blessings (in no particular order) : Jesus Christ, Church, Heavenly Father,Chris, Dillan, Leah, Family, Friends, Love, My Home, Mountains, Music, Food, Water, Health, Knowledge, Laughter...

Yup, nothing that can be bought with a price. Each one of these blessings is so natural, so pleasant, and gives me the complete happiness that other things just don't compare to.

Of course, I know I have a long ways to go. I love other things. Other not-so-important things. It's interesting how Black Friday falls right after Thanksgiving. On T-day you can take a step back from the world and allow yourself to reflect upon those things that you are truly thankful for in your life. Then, ridiculously early the very next morning, you find yourself in line to buy something that you intend to bring happiness to yourself or someone else. It's more artificial. Even just being in that line, knowing you hold a coveted item that many others weren't able to get at such a reasonable price gives you a sense of instant fulfillment and accomplishment.

I finished 99% of my Christmas shopping. I got 99.6% of my Christmas cards in the mail.

Maybe I'll continue to improve and hopefully have an impact on my children. Hopefully I will be able to teach them what gratitude means and the joy that blessings bring to our lives. Complete, perfect happiness. Happiness that can be eternal when we are willing to forget the other less-important things.

If you say so...

Found Leah in this position a few days ago.
Can you say "Big Brother Copycat?"

During Operation Bedroom Renovation this week, we are going through all the toys and working out a new organizational plan/setup. I started by taking an empty box and a large garbage bag. The garbage bag, toys that are broken and/or too annoying to keep. The box, I explained to Dillan, is for boys and girls who don't have any toys. He actually started really getting into it. I actually had to talk him into keeping a few of my favorite things (a.k.a the things I had spent a pretty penny on less that a year ago!)

At any rate, during our fun-filled day, Dillan began some interesting conversation.

Dillan: Maybe for the boys and girls who don't have a mommy, I could give them one!

(Okay let's stop right there! First of all, that sounds like something I would have said to MY mother back when I was 14, when I went through "I hate my mother" phase, if she had told me to give away some of my things!) He's THA-REE-AH! Read on...

Mommy: Really!?!? And just WHOM are you going to give to those girls and boys?

Dillan: You. (So annoyingly matter-of-factly.)

Mommy: Okay, so if you give away your mommy, then you won't have any!

Dillan: Sure I will. I'll just ask Grandma for a new one!

To begin, you should know that Dillan was being TOTALLY serious during all this. I can usually tell when he's trying to be sassy (it's his new thing). But he was completely straight faced and when he spoke that last line, it was as if he knew Christmas was right around the corner and he was making a last minute addition to his list.

2 thoughts come to mind. #1, He knows Grandma would do anything for him and give him anything. Which means he knows he's got her wrapped around his little pinky. Which just makes him spoiled! In the words of Uncle Chad (pretending to be Grandma): "Oh Dillan, you just destroyed my house with your destructable ways, here, have a donut!" Or is it #2: He's genuinely sick and tired of everything that his mother does for him daily and desires to become more self-sufficient. Yessss. Which can only mean that he finds his mother fabulous in every way and just wants to share her with the rest of those kids out there who aren't so fortunate! Which could only mean that he's being Christlike and charitable!

The best part was that Chris was within earshot of this conversation and just about died laughing. Of course, I'll never hear the end of it, I'm sure.

I Got A Letter!

Since forever I have been sending Grandma Donna pictures of Dillan (and now Leah) accompanied by a note as if dictated by D. She's loved them. I hope she's saving them and scrapbooking them up all cute like! I try to keep up as best I can whenever I have cute pictures to share.
Even though it's been 2 months since she turned 1, I finally got around to sending out Leah's pictures. I decided to do the letter again, but mail it to all the great-grandparents as well.

Well much to our surprise, a few days after sending this letter, Dillan received a letter of his own in the mail! Addressed to him, he was so excited to open it. He knows how letters in the mailbox work thanks to Blue's Clues. Anyway, Great Grandma and Grandpa Taylor wrote him!
We read the letter together and placed the flag sticker they included into his sticker book.
We saw GGMa and GGPa today and he told them how happy he was to get his letter. Then we started talking about cousin Eric on his mission and how he gets letters. Then we got to talking a little bit more about it. It went something like this:

Mommy- So when you're big are you going to go on a mission?
Dillan- Uh huh.
Mommy- Will you write me letters?
Dillan- Yes mommy, I will write you ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ. That would be good.

So obviously we need to work on understanding the differences with letters (ABCs) and letters (from the mail).



Yes, he was excited to get the letter. Not so much
with posing for a picture.



The letter was actually written to both of them.
Notice Leah pulled out a pigtail just before I took the pic.

Tagsters...

You know I do this for all my adoring fans out there and no one else! What kind of person would I be if I didn't submit to your wishes? Hold your applause...

1) Link to the person who tagged you. (Mme. Loor)
2) Post the rules on your blog (copy and paste 1-6).
3) Write 6 random things about yourself.
4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.
5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Random Thingy #1: When I was on my mission in France, I bought a children's book that I thought looked hilarious at the time. My plan was to teach my children the language and then read them the book. Turns out, up until about 4 months ago that book was stashed away with all my mission stuff in my hope chest. I happened to be digging around in there and found the book. I brought it out to show Dillan. He was excited about it and now asks to read it ALL THE TIME. First of all, my french has become LOUSY. I try and translate to english-REALLY lousy! Secondly, the book is french. French people find it hilarious. I find it disturbing and don't really WANT to read it to my kids. I don't think they're that entertained by it, to be honest. I just found it on Amazon (hence the picture) with reviews. Don't even get me started! Why could I not find something worthwhile to bring home and cherish with my kids!? Finally, Summer if you're out there, maybe you can tell me WHY I bought that darn book!

In case you're wondering, the book is about a little mole. He pokes his head out of the ground and a big long slimy, stinky thing lands on his head. Yup, a turd. Furious, he spends the remainder of the story trying to find the culprit. He interrogates a bunch of animals, each denying any part in the crime, and each (graphically) proving innocence by showing him how they "do it." Finally he comes across a pair of flies who, thanks to their expertise in the matter, tell him exactly who left the thing on his head. I'll not spoil the ending, but just know that he gets his revenge and happily returns to the ground. Great story line, I know. Anyone's welcome to borrow it!

Random Thingy #2: I've always hated the expression "There's always going to be someone out there better than you at (fill in the blank)." I probably hate it so much because I don't want it to be true. Why can't I be that somebody who's better? Who's at the top? I admit I'm motivated to always be better because I know better is out there. Consequently, I bring myself down. That's something I'm working on. So for all you "betters" out there who sense my ever-glaring (sometimes nastily) gaze staring you down, go easy on me, k?

Random Thingy #3: So apparently all these people around me (who probably won't speak to me after reading this) all love Disneyland. Yes, it's a nice place. It's cute. Some of the rides are fun. But come on! It is WAY overpriced. Doesn't ANYONE see what a monster the Disney company has become? It's one thing for kids to be completely immersed, but adults? Maybe it's me! Maybe I'm the one missing out! Maybe I'm denying my inner child the Happiest Place on Earth until I explode! Yes, I was raised on the movies, I know the songs by heart! But there's just something about it. Go to Ebay and type in "Disney Cars" to find your son a Christmas present. Then maybe you'll see how I feel. Sorry Shannon, I guess you'll have to be the one to Disnucate my son. You're "better"

Random Thingy #4: No, I still don't want a pet. Even since writing my "99 things." It's something that Chris and I really need to work out. I just don't think I could do it. The worst case scenarios always pop into my mind. Even those that are "extremely rare" and that he swears "our cat/dog would NEVER do!" It's an animal! I struggle enough trying to trust humans.

Random Thingy #5: The Ultimate Surprise. I dream about Chris giving me the Ultimate Surprise. A random serenade in front of a large audience. A weekend getaway where he has planned everything down to the last packed wipee to leave with the kids and their caretaker, while he whisks me away somewhere. I've told him this. I've told him I want to be surprised. Totally overcome with surprisedness. I know I could do it for him, and I think I will someday.

Random Thingy #6: For the past 3 years I have been pining over the couch that I long to have. Said couch is currently residing at Chris' brother's home in AZ. As soon as I saw it and sat on it, I knew I had to have it. I have eyes for no other couch. No other couch will EVER take me away from my dream of owning this couch. I will not rest until I find that couch. Sadly everytime I sit on my couch to watch something, I think about how wonderful life will be when I have that couch as my own. Seriously, if that couch becomes no longer manufactured (heaven forbid), I will hire a couch maker to make me that couch. Even if it takes forever to get it right, that's the couch I must have. I'll stop saying couch now. Couch. It starts to look like cough after a while.

Yeah, I did it! I guess it ended up being more like the 6 random ranting strange things about me but thank you thank you to all of you for making it to this point with me. (Applause, Bow)

For my encore, I choose to tag...

#1 Tracy
#2 Jennifer C.
#3 Annie P.
#4 Kristin (anyone seeing a pattern so far?)
#5 Crystal
#6 Shannon

Thank you and good night.

Get Ready!

Today has by far been one of the WORST days I have had in a LONG time. When I was finally able to take a minute, I found serenity. And my smile. Finally.

You can even tell by the baby's expression that something's coming down there!

Hopefully by Saturday the sickbug will have left our house, so we can focus on more important things.

T is for Thomas!

About a month ago we bought tickets for the Orange Empire Railroad Museum "Day out with Thomas." We had heard about it last year, but missed it. I was determined not to let that happen again! Grandma and Papa wanted to come, too.

I kind of put it in the back of my mind once we received the tickets. Then this week I started telling Dillan about his "surprise that starts with the letter T." He constantly threw out guesses like Tiger, Telescope, and Tea Cup! I thought for sure he would figure it out, but he didn't.

Our instructions were to arrive an hour before our departure time, which was 9:00. We all got up before 7:00 to get ready to go. Grandma and Papa came over and had a special conductor hat and bandana for him to wear. Then we set off.

When we arrived there weren't too many people there. We caught our first glimpse of Engine #1 and Dillan's face lite up! First step, get pictures taken. Dillan couldn't take his eyes off Thomas. Right after we finished our photo shoot we got to see Thomas leave the station for his first trip. Dillan refused to look at the camera. Seriously, his eyes were transfixed.

When it was our turn to board we climbed up and couldn't wait to get moving! It was fun waving to all the people from the train and hearing the whistle blows and railway crossing bells. The conductors handed out certificates to all the kids, making them honorary train conductors. Too cool.

We wandered around, ate fresh kettle corn, watched Dillan (courageously) ask for a temporary tatoo, and then found the tent where you could color to your hearts' content, build train tracks and trains, and play play play. Dillan would not leave that place. He was in heaven. Even with all the other kids there stealing his train pieces and going the wrong way. He was hooked.

It was such a fun day! Thank you Grandma and Papa for spending such a fun day with us!

My Thanksgiving 2008

This month at school, Dillan has been learning about Thanksgiving. Pilgrims, Indians, Turkey, everything. They're planning a big feast at the end of the month. Too bad he probably won't try and eat any of it!

He's also told me about a new song he's learning, but doesn't quite have it down. The 5 little pumpkins he taught us went well. Who knows what's next?

Anyway, he came home with a little book that had a few phrases pasted inside. We were supposed to discuss them to see what he came up with. Here are the results:

Our family decided to have a Thanksgiving dinner just like the pilgrims.
Yup, we did. But I think Daddy will be there and he can tell us what to do.

Here is my recipe for cooking a Thanksgiving turkey.
Put it in a pan. Then sit on a chair and put it in the oven. Ms. Carol said, "That's a good one, Dillan!"

Hopefully every holiday is as memorable!

Dillan @13 months, loving the swing-------------------Leah 13 months

Smarty Pants

Dillan has been thriving in preschool this year. More than once his teacher, Ms. Carol, has told me how well he does writing his letters. I don't take any credit for it. Dillan has always loved books and after we found the magnet alphabet letters to play with at church, he's been hooked. He just picked up on everything very well. Apparently he loves learning and hopefully will always be that way!

Today when I picked him up, he anxiously ran to his cubby to show me what he had done that day. The first thing he pulled out was his worksheet with the letter of the week "L". I think I told him that was great, his tracing was getting better. Then he turned it over to the other side. There I saw his name written twice (by the teacher) and at the bottom of the page: his name again, slightly crooked, but legible. WHAT??!! Who wrote that??? There were a few stars and a small note from the teacher that said simply "He Did It!"

I was shocked. Unfortunately, Ms. Carol was preoccupied with another parent so I didn't get a chance to find out exactly what had happened! But I have the proof pasted to the fridge. Dillan wrote his name for the first time! All letters, in the right order. I've seen him practice his D's and I's, but that's about as far as he ever gotten before stopping.

Maybe we should start drilling him for hours a day writing and reading! Who knows what he's capable of!


Dillan, Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you! You are such a smart boy and we can't wait to see what you will become! You really are our SuperDillan and a SuperBigBrother!
We love You!

41 - 12 = 29!

Talk about amazing. The final score of the BYU/SDSU game was 41-12. We won (obviously). The amazing part is that 41 minus 12 equals 29! No, it's not my math skills that are amazing. It's my age, as of yesterday. As of the same day of the game. Coincidence? I think not.
Yes, it's true, I'm another year closer to 20-10. It kind of snuck up on me this year. But, I ended up having a great day!
It started out with Chris telling me he was getting off early, meet him at home at 4. In the morning, I was able to take the kiddies to Grandma's house while I went to the Primary Program Practice. That went smoothly. Deciding what I wanted more than anything was to get my car washed, I then met grandparents and kids at the coin-op wash where my lovely brother washed my van. After a vacuum, I grabbed a taco while everyone else went to run errands. What could I do with all this freedom? I went shopping. Not one of my favorite pasttimes. I like buying the kids' clothes, but for myself? It's never been fun. Ever.
I had made a mental list of all the articles of clothing that I needed, and others that weren't really a need, more of a "nice to have someday" thing. I walked aimlessly around a couple stores, trying to decide what I was going to do. I really like sweaters, especially this time of year, but also like jackets. Well, what I've seen on others, anyway. I finally decided on a skirt, top, and jacket. I figured it made the most sense, since I normally only care about what I'm wearing when I go to church. It may not be obvious to my fellow ward members, but be grateful!
Then I decided I wanted a pedicure. I'd only had 2 previously. I was pregnant both times. I still feel like a rookie when I walk into the salon, but was unusually relaxed as well. For a few extra dollars, I got a sea salt scrub/massage up to my knees. Pure Heaven. I also had my arches just above my heels pounded with the cosmetologists' fists. Hard. I looked around, no one else was having that treatment. Why was I so lucky? It was loud, but seemed to work. She then asked me how that felt. Uh...good?
I got home just before 4, having made a pit stop at grandma's to see how the kids were doing. Really, I know my parents love my kids, but could they really stand them for the WHOLE day? Chris was waiting for me when I got home. He gave me a sweet card and the compression shorts I'd been eyeing for sometime. Used for exercising. I can't wait to try them out so I can see what the big deal is. He had made a reservation at a little Italian restaurant I had never heard of. He had planned a hike just before sunset, but figured we wouldn't make it before sundown, so we went minature golfing instead. It's been a while. I beat him, of course.
Then we went to dinner, the food was awesome!
My brother promised me dessert when we picked up the kids. I don't like birthday cake, so I was curious as to what he was fixing up. Muddy Buddies!
It doesn't get much better than that! Thank you to all my family who sent cards, phone calls, and to my lovely parents who took my kids the WHOLE day. I never realized how much stress I take on with kids. Thank you Chris for reminding me how old I'm getting, but loving me more and more all the time. Life is good.

Tennessee-Part Deux

So, we made it back home. The whole way to the airport, Dillan, like a broken record, "I'm sad! I miss Roxy!" Then on the airplane. Then after he saw Daddy. Then this morning. Those kids had so much fun together. Too bad you don't live closer! I tell him she'll be here for Christmas, but I don't think he believes me. I think we're going to start a countdown just so he can be happier.

I realize I didn't take many pictures of the little guys while we were out there. Unfortunately all the cute moments were overdone by the big siblings, and that was when I thought to pull out my camera. Sorry guys! We'll make up for it later!

We spent the final days in Tennessee playing, shopping, and riding Uncle Aaron's tractor/mower. Dillan even got brave enough to try out Roxy's tree swing. He hates swings! I think it's the motion. But he had a blast on this one.

We were so excited to see our Daddy, and he surprised us with a spotless house! It was so nice to not have to do any extra cleanup. Daddy is the best.

Tenessee: Take I

No, blogs do not take vacations. They really can't. Especially mine since it's more like our family journal. Too bad, huh? Sacrifices. It's all about sacrifices.
So Dillan, Leah, Grandma and I all boarded a plane headed for Nashville. We haven't been here since Dillan was 1. My sister Shannon lives out there with her husband and two kids, the same age as mine. The plane ride was not too bad. The flight attendant even talked Dillan into helping her collect garbage from the passengers. It was the first time he didn't shy away from speaking out his name to a stranger! They announced it over the intercom and he received a roaring applause from all passengers. My little superstar!



We've had a lot of fun playing, laughing, dressing up, making silly faces, trick or treating, and celebrating Roxy's 4th birthday. Dillan and Roxy average nearly 3 arguments a day where they insist they are no longer friends and will not speak to the other. They've been really good about apologies and making up. Dillan gets pretty brave when she's around, but also competitive.



We carved pumpkins then headed out to Trick or Treat. Dillan was Spiderman, Leah Sleeping Beauty. Staying true to character, Leah slept most of the time we were out.




Never faltering from tradtion, even silly ones, we wore our BYU GameDay Apparal to Roxy's birthday party at the park. Daddy called that morning to check-up on us.

The landscapes out here are beautiful. Trees everywhere. The leaves are breathtaking, with so many mixes of reds, yellows, oranges and greens. Dillan has asked why the leaves change color. I told him because Heavenly Father wanted it that way. Thinking twice, I should have explained why the leaves at home don't change like these, but maybe he won't notice.



We're having so much fun being altogether, even though we miss our Daddy a lot. Dillan woke up one night wanting to sleep in Daddy's bed. But, we're staying strong and making the most out of our time with family. They're great!