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Teaching Hal

2012-01-10T13:38:00.000-08:00

Today I've been thinking about Hal and how big she's getting. Honestly, this girl is growing up too fast. She's in a big girl bed now and talking and understanding and picking out her clothes, and putting them on herself, and wanting to paint her toenails, carrying around a little bag with a horse in it. Seriously, this girl needs to slow down.

While she's getting big, I start thinking more and more about all the things that I want to teach her. One thing I CAN'T WAIT to teach her is when we see a service man, member of the navy, army, air force, any of them, hopefully a female, is to stop the woman and tell Halle, this woman is the reason we live in a beautiful, wonderful country where we are free. This woman or man, is a real life hero and we need to treat them like they are heroes everyday.

The next thing I can't wait to tell Hal about is when we're reading a fairytale or a story about a princess and a prince, to talk to her about how her mom, myself, has found her prince charming. And one day, she's going to find hers too. She's going to know it, because her real prince is going to treat her just like her daddy treats her mommy. Like a princess.

I'm very corny but I believe these two principles are important and something that I want to make sure my little Halle understands!!

Now for the fun part... Pictures.

Halle's bed. I don't have a picture of it painted and with her comforter or anything so you'll just have to imagine. Sorry. It's cute I promise.

Darling Hal. Love her!

Help me with Halle's bed!

2011-12-06T09:48:00.000-08:00

http://www.target.com/p/Xhilaration-Ruffle-Textured-Bed-in-a-Bag-Pink/-/A-13488710

Halle is close to moving out of the bed. I'm thinking the above bedspread with the below bed.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Canopy-Wrought-Iron-Princess-Bed-White/10856422

I'm thinking it might be a little too girly. I have no idea why I've gone all girly but I feel like I have to spoil my little girl. What do you think? Plus, I lack a lot of class, decorating ability and general logicalness so please help out.

Best Things About Hal

2011-10-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

I used to make lists all the time, I have since fallen out of the habit. Here are some of my favorite things about Hal:

1. She loves Minnie Mouse, especially Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and she knows every single characters name. I love it when she says Goofy because it sounds like Goosy.
2. She dances to the hot dog song at the end of Mickey Mouse clubhouse and actually spreads her arms like a star at the end.
3. She sings her ABC's but only to G and then she just continues with ABCDEFG again and again.
4. She loves running to her Daddy after he has a long day at school or at work. This is the cutest thing in the world and she runs to him and give him a big hug. Honestly, I don't think she loves anyone more than her Dad.
5. She completely cheeses it in front of the camera. She thinks pictures are the greatest thing in the world.
6. She decided completely and finally that she wants to be Minnie Mouse for halloween and not a princess. No flipflopping here. Laura made her a dress and it is AMAZING. Plus Halle LOVES it.
7. Halle says please and thank you. Her little voice is darling when she says it and I just can't get enough of it.
8. She sometimes (okay a lot of the time) still wants me to carry her. Okay, sometimes this can get annoying but really, she is still my baby and I love holding her.
9. She copies Taylor and I all the time.
10. She has become obsessed with painting her toenails. The other day she brought the nail polish to Taylor for him to paint her toes.

And I did finish St. George Marathon! Wahoo! 3 hrs 45 minutes!

I have waay too much to catch up on

2011-09-05T14:33:00.000-07:00

Alright... I graduated, took a job in television (odd) at BYU Broadcasting, (I work in post production and LOVE it), Taylor has planned the MCAT for May 2012 and is killing it at BYU. I'm so proud of him. Halle is talking, counting to 10, singing twinkle twinkle, clean up clean up, and talking like CRAZY. She knows all her animal noises and is learning colors (for some reason colors have been harder than anything so far but we're working on it). Halle is obsessed with princesses, slides, swings and mickey mouse. She knows everyone on the mickey mouse clubhouse by name including goofy, daisy and donald duck (pluto doesn't have a name, he is just doggy). She is also in love with horses and animal noises. She is HUGE and we are planning another Disneyland trip in October for her second birthday. We had our three year anniversary, I turned 23, Taylor won the championship intramural flag football. Craziness happens around the Barrett place, let me tell ya.

Anyways, I have so much more time now that I'm graduated, my job is amazing, great hours, great pay, I'm just very blessed. Taylor and Halle are both doing awesome! And the marathon, I'm running my second marathon in October - remember the last one I ended up in the medical tent for four hours - yeah, we're hoping this one goes a bit better. Let's just say I'm a wee bit nervous.

Anyways, here is my life via photos. I swear these blogs wouldn't be worth it without photos.

Halle hoarding bubbles, balloons and the birthday chair at Macy's birthday (her cousin)!

My birthday at Cheesecake Factory - AMAZING!

Taylor after winning football championship.

Halle chillin at one of my captioners desks, Saturday at the office.

Halle in the car home from Lake Powell

2011-08-03T20:06:00.001-07:00

Clint's going on a mission

2011-07-18T17:27:00.001-07:00

Little Rock Arkansas on November 16th. I'm pumped for him. He's going to be awesome out there.

Horsey's = good

2011-07-17T10:13:00.000-07:00

Best $5 I ever spent were to take Halle to the petting zoo on Friday. It was the best thing that ever happened to Halle. She flipped and loved every second. Thank you Horsey's!

Halle's songs!!

2011-07-10T14:55:00.000-07:00

Halle's First Tricycle!

2011-06-26T15:11:00.000-07:00

Laura did the photos of course. LOVE!

lauralee-photography.com

Stats

2011-06-22T11:44:00.000-07:00

So I have been looking at the stats of my blog, kind of weird I know, but I came to find out that my blog has been viewed in Russia, Malaysia, Ukraine Brazil... 9 countries other than the US, and my little blog does not get very much traffic.

This post, I actually wanted to aim at those who might not be from the US, or might not know about mormons. Yes, I am a mormon and very proud to be one. If you don't know anything about us, we believe in Christ, the Bible and we also have the Book of Mormon which is another testament of Christ.

You can speak with someone directly who can answer your questions or give you a free Book of Mormon. They are very kind and will not put pressure on you for any reason. They would love to just tell you a little bit more about our faith and answer your questions. To find them, go to mormon.org.

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you will take the time to go to the site and learn a little bit more about me, my family and my faith.

For those of you that have a popular blog in the US, please take the time to right something about your faith and provide a link. You never know what might become of it.

Newport Trip

2011-06-12T15:01:00.000-07:00

As always, here is my life via photos. Kind of ironic that I don't write since I'm a writer... hm... Someday I will fix that. Here is our family vacation to Newport which was an INCREDIBLE success and SO much fun!

Halle chillin on the hotel couch

The whole fam chillin on the beach!

Mccarther (Sorry Katie, probably wrong spelling!!) sharing cool ranch chips with Hal

All the kiddos watching the parade! HALLE LOVED THE PARADE! She danced the whole time to all the music!

Halle's HUGE smile at the parade!

Marathon Starts

2011-05-29T08:27:00.000-07:00

I'm starting training for the St. George Marathon tomorrow! Remember, the marathon that I did last year that ended with me puking and hooked up to IV's. Hm, WHAT AM I THINKING? Terrified? Absolutely.

Fridays

2011-05-20T05:14:00.000-07:00

This is where I want to be:

Unfortunately Halle decided to wake up around the 5 a.m. hour. I think she knew I wanted to go somewhere. Oh well! Happy Friday! I'm going to drown my disappointment in a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch!

Have a great weekend!!

Halle's stats

2011-05-15T21:21:00.000-07:00

I think these are always fun, and it's probably not as interesting to someone whose kid she isn't (that sounds weird), but here they are anyways!

Height: 99.6 percentile
Head width: 99.9 percentile (translation ALIEN HEAD)
Weight: 74 percentile (above average)

So despite the fact that Halle lives on fruit snacks and milk, she is thriving, healthy, huge for age and I couldn't be happier!!

Stranded in Denver

2011-05-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

Well We are stranded in Denver because of microburst storms so Halle, Taylor and I are going to be trying to sleep/stay occupied for 7+ hours overnight until our flight leaves at 6:25 a.m. PLUS, we have no pack in play, only granola bars to eat, we haven't had dinner, we have ONE blanket for Halle that does not cover at all and absolutely no luggage ... hm... I think I will vent... haha. It has actually been an amazing trip. Very relaxing and just wonderful. Here are some pictures

Halle just reading books on the plane!

Halle liked everything about the beach except for the waves and the sand.

Halle went to the zoo for the first time in Florida and it was a HUGE hit!

A day at the park with Hal

2011-05-02T08:05:00.000-07:00

Video created by Laura Sudweeks... She is a brilliant photographer! Need family pictures? Give her a call. She is amazing and affordable too!

http://www.lauralee-photography.com/

The new potty

2011-04-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

As the title reads, I just bough Halle this darling new potty. We are not trying to potty train her or anything yet, but I just thought I have her get used to it. She actually LOVES it. She sits on it all the time while she watches baby einstein or just chills with mommy and daddy.

Halle's food groups

2011-04-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

An extremely tall and growing, going-on-two-year old, has to eat something. Here is a list of Halle's main food groups:

string cheese (a few a day at least)

Fruit snacks (she learned this one from Taylor)

Graham crackers (that is my vice. If Halle doesn't eat them, I will... but she usually eats them!)

and lastly, apple juice!

WHAT?!?! A STAPLE?!?!?

2011-04-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

Monday morning, Taylor, Halle and I were all in the kitchen, Taylor eating a bowl of cereal, Halle walking around and sitting on a chair, and I was doing the dishes not more than six feet from Halle. Out of no where and in the time that Taylor looked down to eat a spoonful of Crispix, Halle launched at the table, thinking she could jump for it.

Of course this didn't work. Halle hit her chin on the table, causing her teeth to go into her upper lip, then fell back and hit her head---hard--- on the kitchen tile floor. We were shocked and saw immediately that her mouth was bleeding. I got a clean wet rag and we took her into her changing table to try to lay her down and calm her. She wanted to be held after a minute of coaxing and as I picked her up, I realized how bad it actually was. There was a good amount of blood on the changing table from the back of her head. I get queezy with blood and about puked but luckily I held it in. The poor thing was such a trooper and I was so proud of her.

I couldn't believe it and we took her to the doctor who had to put a staple in her head, no anesthesia, no shot... nothing! They said that the shot hurts just as bad as the staple so it's better to just do the staple fast. We did it and I can't say how proud I was of Hal. Taylor held her tight in his arms, the doctor did the staple in 10 seconds and she was immediately handed a dum dum. We weren't completely out of the woods after the shot. She cried for about 30 seconds and then she realized how good the dum dum was an just wimpered. I'm telling you, that girl is so strong! I was so proud!

Halle is just a little tough one. I couldn't believe that happened but I am SO glad that it was Taylor and I both there and not someone watching her! The doctor was amazing, Halle was AMAZING and for as traumatic as it was, it went well for our first big scare!

Also, I don't have any pictures because my camera is MIA. Sorry guys!!

Public Blog

2011-04-24T19:31:00.000-07:00

So, I went public again... I'm hoping our blog isn't completely controversial like it was before. I just want everyone to be able to see little Hal! If, for some reason, we get a little risque, I'll go private again, but for now.. eh.. what the heck!

If this girl and chocolate doesn't make you smile, you have no soul.

Easter Egg Hunt!

2011-04-24T18:57:00.000-07:00

Brag Post

2011-02-13T15:00:00.000-08:00

I am using my post as the resident family blogger to relentlessly brag about my little family.

Taylor has been working as hard as ever. He is the hardest worker I have ever seen, working 20 hrs a week, plus a tough pre-med schedule full-time at BYU, PLUS he has a needy wife and a one year old at home. Seriously, he is so busy, but you wouldn't even know it. And he is in the bishopric at a single's ward which is also very taxing on his time. He still finds time to play with Hal and make sure his wife is taken care of. He is so wonderful and I love him so much.

Little Hal is dancing, laughing, running, twirling and climbing. She loves climbing on everything, which about scares me to death but we make it through. She has done 2 sundays in nursery, and she has taken it like a champ. I sat in with her for the first 10 minutes and snuck out the back. She just played and played with the other boy and was a little doll. She was AMAZING! She is such a little sweetheart! She loves story time at the provo library and we go at least once a week. They sing this song where the kids shake their hands, clap, and itch and all that stuff and Halle LOVES it. We sing the song all the time and she does the actions.

MEXICO

2011-01-29T08:31:00.000-08:00

We had the time of our lives on the cruise. It was awesome, but I'm way behind on school now so I'm just going to post pictures... which is pretty typical of my posting these days... oh well.

Catalina

This is the house we are going to buy when we retire! We've already talked it over

Unlimited icecream on the cruise = minimum of 10 lbs gained per guest

This was our awesome dinner table! Everyone was way cool and believe it or not, we all went dancing after! Yes... Taylor and I dancing... it got pretty wild! SO MUCH FUN!!

FINALLY CHRISTMAS!!

2011-01-11T19:31:00.000-08:00

Since I have been such a slacker about posting about Christmas, and seeing as it is Taylor's birthday tomorrow and I will need to post something about that soon... I've decided to resort to posting via pictures... which is all anybody really wants to do anyways right? SO HERE IT IS! Our wonderful, amazing christmas via pictures!!

Christmas Eve!

Hal, Taylor and darling Elsie!

Hal and I with Grandma Barrett

I think Taylor took this one, good thing Laura never checks my blog!! HAHA! Love you Laura!

Grandpa Sudweeks made Hal a beautiful rocking horse!

Christmas morning waiting to go downstairs!

All the girls early christmas morning!

Still waiting!

PRESENTS!! Hal got these necklaces that she has been wearing non-stop since Christmas!! Best dollar I ever spent!

Baby Macy Riley I think made off with the most toys! So darling and so spoiled!! I love it!

Christmas

2011-01-02T13:25:00.001-08:00

So I will definitely write about Christmas soon.. because it was absolutely wonderful. But Halle has broken our camera and I want to post pictures too! Sorry, keep checking back!

FINALLY! A REAL POST!!

2010-12-19T12:16:00.000-08:00

I thought I would finally write and update everyone on what is going on around the Barrett home. Tons of things have changed and we have some exciting plans that I can't wait to talk about!

Taylor is at BYU and has declared Pre-Med as his major! I am so thrilled that we made this decision because seriously, Taylor was born to be a surgeon. He absolutely loves the medical field and would not be happy anywhere else. He is working at the hospital in the OR (operating rooms) and assists surgeries, moves patients, and does whatever they need him to do. He LOVES it and is getting so many amazing references, advices, and great connections!

Also, he is doing awesome in school right now! If we are going to get into med school he needs an awesome GPA and a really good MCAT. He got an A in one of his physics classes this semester (which is one of the hardest classes in ALL OF BYU)! Yeah, he's pretty amazing! And he is an anatomy TA and tutors and plays with cadavers all day too!

Most of you don't know how smart Taylor actually is, and I'm happy to say that Taylor is one of the most brilliant men I have ever met! He doesn't like to flaunt it because he has always been the jock, but I'm telling you Taylor is brilliant and so excited to be a doctor.

Also, Taylor was called into a bishopric at a singles ward. So Taylor, Hal and I go to this little singles ward by campus and it is lots of fun! The people are SO nice and we love it there! Taylor is busy and working hard but it is blessing us SO much!

HALLE is just about the sweetest little girl you have ever met. She is just absolutely perfect. She can be a little terror at times but it's really hard to be mad at such an adorable, innocent little face. She is running around and is hilarious. She LOVES stairs, which definitely scares me but we keep a pretty close tab on her. She loves books and we have started going to the library which she LOVES! We also found her new favorite place which is the dinosoar playground at University mall.

We still have yet to take her to a ball pit at a fast food restaurant. That sounds ridiculous, but I just don't eat fast food ever and I have never thought to take her there. I think she is going to love it and so Taylor and I are going to take her tomorrow for family night! Haha family night at Carl's Jr... who woulda thought?!

Love her though, She is SO much fun. She is an AWESOME sleeper! She is down every night at 8:30 and is up by 7-7:30am, which I think is great! I couldn't be more happy with it.

She also has started to want to feed herself. She isn't a great eater already and so when she figured out she could do it herself, she didn't want me or Taylor to feed her anymore, and let's just stay my house is a total disaster zone when she feeds herself. She just started so it's still cute and fun, but I'm sure it will get old eventually having to bathe her after each meal! :)

As for me, I'm graduating in August with a degree in print journalism, working part time, school full time, doing P90X for the second time (it's a workout program that's so intense), and just loving life.

Life is so great right now. I have never been so busy, so up to my ears, had given up all hope of a clean house with nothing to do, but life is great! I have the man of my dreams, the best little girl ever and we are in a great place right now!

Well, I hope you are all having very happy holidays and enjoying every minute of it! Have a great sunday and I hope to see you soon! Oh, and if you want a christmas card or anything just shoot me your address 801-227-4282 via text and we will send you one. We have a billion we still need to send and it would be nice to send them!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Here are some pictures and videos for your enjoyment... but mostly for mine...

Our Christmas Present to Ourselves

2010-12-17T12:36:00.000-08:00

So Taylor has never been on a cruise. And being so deprived of the biggest luxury given to mankind, I, so wisely booked one because I know he would absolutely love it. We booked on Carnival and will be going to MEXICO!

Wow! I can hardly contain myself. AND we are leaving poor little Hal! Sounds awful, and I'm actually super nervous about it! I have never been away from her for that long, I won't be able to call while in Mexico and that just plain scares me. She will be with her grandparents who absolutely adore her and she just LOVES them so she will be absolutely fine.

Anyways, I can't tell you how excited I am. There is mini golf, a billion restaurants, gourmet food, pools, spas, shows, gyms, and it will just be me and my HOT HUSBAND! YESSSSSSSSSSS!

Provo, UT Girls - BYU Divine Comedy

2010-12-08T10:53:00.000-08:00

Hals

2010-12-02T18:05:00.000-08:00

So this is who I wake up to in the morning (other than Taylor of course!)

I think it is absolutely impossible to look at this girl and not smile!

Santa

2010-12-02T17:58:00.000-08:00

So we took little Halle to see Santa because we thought it would be fun to take a picture, and she might like it!

We were very wrong!! Hahaha Poor thing!

But we had fun! She loved it after we took her off Santa's lap!

Jazz vs. Lakers

2010-11-29T15:51:00.000-08:00

Last week I pitched my story and my editor gave me the credentials to go to Jazz vs. Lakers on Friday! It was killer! I had a fabulous prime rib and halibut dinner in the media room, met lots of awesome journalists and interviewed Jerry Sloan after the match! Killer!! Here is my story:

http://universe.byu.edu/node/12541

HAIR AND PHOTOS

2010-11-18T14:56:00.000-08:00

So I have never done this before, so I don't feel shame right now... haha but maybe I should, but I just feel that since I know the best two people in town, I should spread the love around a little bit right?

First off, hair. Ashley Telford works at the Metropolitan Salon in American Fork and is AMAZING! She teaches boliage classes (this amazing way to color hair that gives highlights and depth but is half the time, half the cost, and looks a billion times more natural) anyways, she is the best hair stylist in the valley and if you ever need anything, she works around YOUR schedule and I would just die without her. She has been doing my hair forever! Her number is 801-687-5616

Second, pictures. My sister Laura Sudweeks is amazing at photography. She does all of my pictures and halles pictures and is absolutely brilliant. She studies at BYU and does tons of weddings, babies, families on the side. Plus she is CHEAP! Seriously, you need to get her while her prices are stinkin LOW! She is so good. Her number is 801-885-5904 and her site is http://www.lauralee-photography.com/

Now that I relentlessly advertised to you, haha, sorry but they really are that good and I just thought I would share!

Thanks for reading! More posts about Hals soon!

I'm so in for it...

2010-11-04T20:24:00.000-07:00

So Halle is getting pretty stinkin good at walking. Today I was trying to write an article for the Universe and I was chasing Halle all over the house!

First, she got into the dishwasher and pulled out silverware and of course... a knife (I admit it! I left it open... Never again I promise!).

Then she went into her room and got her diaper rash cream,

then she went into my bedroom and pulled my diamond ring out of the box,

then straight to the toilet.... oh and there's more!

She then grabbed a bottle of lotion, opened it, and got it all over!! WOW!!

CAN YOU SAY CRAZY! Frankly, I'm exhausted and I've had too much work, too much homework, and not enough time with Taylor... But good news is it's Thursday, which means tomorrows Friday and I get the whole weekend with him! YES! I can't wait!

BIRTHDAY GIRL!!

2010-11-01T20:48:00.001-07:00

Here are some birthday pictures from little Halle's birthday! It went really well! She was a little sick and didn't eat too much of the cupcake, poor thing. But she was such a trooper and got TONS of toys! She loved it! HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAL!

We're such good teachers!

2010-10-31T09:17:00.000-07:00

Daily Universe

2010-10-25T11:40:00.000-07:00

So I'm doing a lot of freelancing and writing for the Daily Universe. Today my article was the front page feature with a full page spread on the front and almost 30 inches on pg 3, which for those of you who don't read the paper as much is a TON OF SPACE! They gave me so much space and I was so pumped because it was such a fun article!

Here is the link if you can't get to a paper http://universe.byu.edu/node/11693

I HAVE A ONE YEAR OLD!!

2010-10-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

SO this little one...

decided to become 20 pounds, turn one, stop nursing, and start walking...

Yes... all of it!

It hasn't all happened just yet but we are right on the brink! She turns ONE next week, she was 20 lbs at her last check up and I can't believe how big she is getting. We are almost almost done with nursing. She nurses about once or twice a day and only at night, AND she takes about 8 steps without falling!

I can't stinkin believe it!

First of all, what the HECK am I going to do with a one year old?

Yeah, me. The one who can't remember directions, forgets to cook dinner often-- let alone feed myself...

Anyways, I know I couldn't do any of it, if it wasn't for Hal. She is one of the best things that ever happened to me and I love every minute I have with her! She is the funniest girl ever and such a sweetheart! I wouldn't be the same without her and she has taught me so much about life, love and enjoying each moment we have!

Thank goodness for little girls!

Happy Birthday Hal!

So Glad That's OVER!

2010-10-03T20:53:00.000-07:00

So I finished the St. George Marathon! YEY! Key word: FINISHED! It was a rough one! After injuring my knee, being unable to run for a solid 6 weeks, and pretty much training for a marathon in one month, I feel I did pretty well. So I am happy with myself but, boy was it hard.

So I made it through the first 19 miles at a pretty good pace. I was running about 8 minute miles and set for a sub-4 hour time... but it was all down hill from there. I started to become dizzy and dehydrated and my knee, which had been pretty stable pain for the first 19 miles started throbbing.

I had to walk a lot at that point, which was incredibly disappointing for me. I am not a person that stops, walks, or gives up.. but I came to that point where I could not go any further. It was one of the hottest marathons St. George had ever had and I was watching the shuttles go by, full of heat exhausted runners.

I walked/ran up until about mile 23 and then I felt like I could barely walk. If you have ever run St George, you know that the last 3 miles are all the spectators, and fans cheering you on. I felt so dumb and stupid to be walking, but I did appreciate everyone cheering. I tried smiling but, I was crying hard and often, and I am NOT a crier... although when I am pregnant, I admit I cried a lot, but that is another story.

Anyways, I crossed the finish line at 4 hours 22 minutes, was able to try to smile for Taylor (you'll see in the picture below), walked past a few people and collapsed on the grass like many of the runners had done. I laid there for a few minutes or so and then tried getting up. I was dizzy and weak, so I laid down again. I laid there for 10 more minutes, then tried getting up. Same thing. I was there for 30-40 minutes or so and could not even stand up. It sounds dumb but I didn't want to call for help, and I felt so stupid admitting that I needed a medic.

I didn't know anyone and Taylor was not able to come into the runner's area to find me because of all the samples and food that they don't allow the spectators to have. Taylor was looking for me the whole time and getting worried.

I told one of the volunteers that I couldn't get up, was dizzy and nauseous. He and another medic helped me to the medical tent where Taylor was finally able to find me and we stayed there for over two hours as I had IV's for fluid, threw up many times, and cried to Taylor.

It sounds awful, and frankly... it was.. but it was something that I have been wanting to do for 4 years now, and I FINALLY DID IT! The marathon part was so much fun, and I did it with my Dad who is amazing and it was so fun to train with him. We made it and so many of my family came to support me which was awesome! My sister Kim and her husband Lane came and they are so busy but drove all the way down to St. George to support me and it was so much fun!

And the video at the bottom is Halle of course. She was such a little trooper and a little doll in the car. She hardly fussed and just read her book and entertained us with her little yells and giggles.

Project before the birthday!

2010-09-17T15:07:00.000-07:00

So this probably won't happen because I'm not that crafty but I will attempt to make a cute birthday banner for Halle's 1st bday. I'm hoping since I blogged this I will feel somewhat accountable.. haha! I will definitley use cuter fabric then the picture.. haha Anyways, I can't wait for the bday! So exciting!!

Halle hates orange juice!

2010-09-16T20:12:00.000-07:00

Halle's latest!

2010-09-10T05:41:00.000-07:00

Halle's Grandma Sudweeks bought her this darling tutu! It is so cute, but a little big right now! I think we are going to be wearing it a lot though!

And she is standing on her own! She only stands for about 20-30 seconds or so but it is still tons of fun! She has taken a few steps and I'm just waiting for her to be off which I know will be SO soon! She doesn't like crawling any more so she just grabs furniture and pulls herself up. She is darling and we love her SO much!

Here's the ponytail

2010-09-06T15:33:00.000-07:00

BUY TAYLOR

2010-09-06T14:01:00.001-07:00

Halle has a ponytail!

2010-09-03T06:18:00.000-07:00

So I have deemed this day official! Halle has a ponytail! It is a tiny little thing, but enough hair to tie! YEY! I will post pictures soon!

For all who were wondering

2010-08-27T06:42:00.001-07:00

The Crowe's wrote that last post... little stinkers...

We love the Crowe family

2010-08-24T19:40:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to have dinner with the Crowes this evening. Wow. That is probably the best word I could pick to describe the experience. What great food and even better company. All we had to contribute were these store bought Fat Boys, which were good but just didnt match the caliber of dining that we were then a part of. So, just as a word of advice, if you are ever lucky enough to be invited to the Crowes, make sure you put something into your dish. You might want to spend your whole day making it. Yes, its that good.

Killer Birthday!

2010-08-04T13:21:00.000-07:00

Wow! Talk about an awesome 22nd birthday! Friday, Aug 30 we went to Tim Mcgraw and Lady Antebellum which was the best concert of my life! So amazing!

Saturday we did a huge family barbecue with steaks and swimming, and then Michelle and Cisco took us to our first MLS Real soccer game, oh.. and they were third row... no biggie!! :)

On Saturday we also received word that Katie had her baby!!! (I will post pictures soon) and so on my birthday I got to go hold a day old baby! What a present!! There is nothing more precious than a newborn!! Also, on my birthday Hawley did a huge family dinner for me and we did presents and had the whole family over!! It was quite a birthday and I don't have pictures of cake and presents because Taylor sucks at taking pictures... haha. When I was blowing out candles for my family cake he started taking a video and said he couldn't see the screen! And then when we were at the Barrett's everyone was still singing and he was standing right next to me and forgot to take pictures of the cake and candles and such... haha! I love him! oh well! So we can make fun of him here is his video :)

Best birthday ever! Thank you all so much for the gifts, birthday wishes and everything! Recently, I have been absolutely overwhelmed with how lucky and blessed I am to have such wonderful family and friends. I truly appreciate how much help and support I receive every day!

GRADUATED!

2010-07-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

No.. not out of school... Halle is out of her infant car seat!!

And I took this picture of Halle and she looks EXACTLY like Taylor!!! Check out these two!!

CRAWLING!

2010-07-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

So here is Halle actually cruising around! And I mean cruising! She is so fast it would be pretty much impossible to study or get work done! Thank goodness Hawley gave us this little walker that lets her cruise around where ever she wants! Anyways, here she is crawling! I can't believe it. I'm sure next week I will be posting her walking...

Yes, I am married to a champion!

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

Provo Men's Softball Champion 2010!!! You get em BABY!

Halle's Picture of Herself

2010-07-15T16:00:00.001-07:00

So I found this picture today. She must have taken it when I was letting her play with my phone!

Halle's Army Crawl

2010-07-08T13:16:00.000-07:00

Surprises!

2010-07-08T12:55:00.000-07:00

These past couple of days we have had 2 surprises!!

First: I put Halle down for a nap, check on her about 20 minutes later and I find....

Standing in the crib!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? I'm so not ready for this.....

The second one pretty much explains itself! Tip for Moms: Make sure the diaper fits!!

Lake Powell

2010-07-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

I just have to say you can never go wrong with a Lake Powell trip! It was beautiful, hot and we had a ball! Halle slept in the same room as us... which didn't go over so well for anyone.. including my sister and her friend who were also in the same room... poor girls!! Other than that, it was stinking amazing! I love boating with the family!

Ha! The wind blew Halle's little sun hat up! She didn't mind at all!

Check out Taylor's arms at his armpits.. haha! I'll let you judge who is the better skier ;)

GRASS

2010-06-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

So Halle and I went exploring today. I had her hold my fingers and she walked on the cement and then I decided we should let her little bare feet try the grass! She looked at it and it didn't seem so bad. Then I let her feet brush the tops of it and she just started to bawl! I let her stand on it to help her see that it was okay and she SCREAMED! She is simply terrified of the grass! She couldn't stop staring and crying until we were all the way in the house! Who knew something so insignificant could be so terrifying to someone who hasn't really experienced it yet? She is such a doll! That is the first time she has really been scared of anything yet!

Taylor

2010-06-15T06:52:00.000-07:00

This morning I got up, fed Halle, got my studying materials out because I have my first final today (which I have hardly studied for), thought and stressed out about all the things I need to do this week, grabbed my oatmeal and went to the microwave... which was, I'm not kidding, cleaner than I have ever seen that thing ever be! Last night while I was in class, Taylor cleaned the whole house, including microwave, oven, laundry, vacuuming, and seriously everything. He is so amazing and he did it because I have finals and he knows how much easier it is for me to concentrate when I have a clean house!

My husband is amazing! I am the luckiest girl ever to have him!

Utah Valley Half Marathon

2010-06-13T20:18:00.000-07:00

So I ran the Utah Valley Half Marathon yesterday! It was SO much fun! I had no idea a road race would be so much fun! My adrenaline kicked in and I hauled! It was awesome! My dad ran with me and he did AWESOME too! My mom and Cheyenne and Taylor and Halle were all there to cheer me on and it was so much fun! It was at 5:30am on a saturday and I still had fans! I freaking love my friends and family! Taylor brought Halle out right to the road where we were running and I got to give Halle a big kiss while running at about the half-way point and then they were there to cheer me throught the finishing shute! It was awesome! I'm getting so stoked for my marathon!

I finished the half marathon in 1 hour 41 minutes!!

What Can I Say? I love taking pictures of this girl!!

2010-06-04T21:06:00.000-07:00

I love taking pictures of Halle when she eats! Baby food is definitely messy but SO much fun!!

Halle proving her back-bending skills!!

We went up to Big Springs campground! It was so beautiful and a fun little trip down memory lane for Taylor!

New Jersey

2010-05-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

We had an amazing time in New Jersey and New York City! And other big news: Halle is crawling!! Here are some pictures from the trip:

All About Halle

2010-05-20T10:24:00.000-07:00

Here are some things you might not know about her:

1. She loves dogs! Especially Sadie! She cannot contain herself and flaps and flails her arms all over!
2. She frequently does back bends. Not backbends on her hands and feet but a back bend on the crown of her head and her feet. That back of hers was meant to bend for some reason.
3. She will eat anything! Cheerios, graham crackers, rice cereal, peas, sweet potatoes. You name it she will eat it!
4. She has the biggest crush on her Daddy you have ever seen! When he walks into the room, she refuses to look at anyone else. If he looks directly at her, she instantly smiles and giggles!
5. She loves to move her arms up and down. It isn't the usual baby wiggling. It is more of a straight arm, up and down motion. Kind of querky but I kind of like it a lot!
6. She has no idea that her ears are pierced. Hasn't even touched them once!
7. She is obsessed with a pacifier, especially after about 9:00 p.m.
8. She loves standing. She doesn't like sitting so much and gets very bored after a while and wants to stand.
9. She likes to type. Here is some of her work:8tgy888888ujh fdxxx
10. She is learning to hold her bottle on her own and very good at it!!
11. She loves to laugh. Taylor and I will be laughing about something in the car and about 30 seconds after we have stopped laughing we will here her in the car seat laughing to herself. She also loves to join in with us!!

SHOTS!!

2010-04-05T15:43:00.000-07:00

So, I'm definitely in LOVE with little Halle. Not just LOVE, I'm what we would call WHOOPED over her. She is a little doll and I still can't get enough of her. She just got over her first sickness last week and got her second set of shots today and has been such a trooper. She is the second best thing to ever happen to me (Taylor being the first of course!). I am just so blessed to have such an amazing family!

New Photo Shoot with Halle Girl!

2010-04-04T13:51:00.001-07:00

Oh GOOD Times!!

2010-03-25T07:04:00.000-07:00

So before we all went to bed last night we played around a little bit on the Mac, and I have to say that Halle was hilarious! She loves looking at herself (definitely gets that from Taylor) and thinks its so funny to see pictures of herself, but when we did the skewed pictures she really didn't know what to think. It was hilarious! Well Enjoy!

Todd is going on the Mission!

2010-03-15T13:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Todd's farewell and it was so bitter sweet! Todd's talk was amazing and the spirit was so strong! He is going to be such an amazing missionary and touch so many lives, but still it is hard to see him go! I am so proud of him and am going to miss him so much!

Here are some recap pictures:

So this is Halle's first Anthroplogie sweater... and no I didn't buy it but it is stinkin cute!! I love hand-me-downs!!

She is looking more and more like Taylor everyday and I love it!!

John and Elsie!

Todd & Halle! We are going to miss you Todd!!

Here are all the boys at the Farewell!

The Brothers!!

And the girls (including Sadie!)

Water Polo & Rolling

2010-02-21T14:28:00.000-08:00

Taylor is on an inner tube water polo team which, I have to say, is probably one of the funniest things I have ever seen (Plus my husband looks so hot out there!!). The first game Taylor had a little trouble getting back into his inner tube and kept falling back into the water. After a couple of people tried to help and about 8 failed attempts, Taylor called a time out at one point... Just so he could get back into his inner tube! Wow, I love my husband! Despite the struggles with the inner tube, Taylor and his team are actually very good! They have killed every team they have played and its looking good for the tournament! I'll keep you posted!

So Halle has rolled 3 times already! The first time she got the momentum and rolled really quick! I swear I put her on her front in her room, turned around to grab a change of clothes for her and when I turned back around she was rolling! The second time it took a lot of screaming and encouragement from Taylor and I but after a lot of yelling, clapping, jumping and coaxing we got her to roll! We seriously were jumping up and down like crazy! We're so proud!

Update!!

2010-02-11T14:28:00.000-08:00

I have been incredibly lame about posting so here is what we have been doing!

Halle was blessed! And I will put blessing pictures up soon!

Taylor turned 23!!

Taylor got a new job as an operating room tech in the hospital working full time and he is also in school full time! He works so hard! On this particular night he didn't quite make the bed...

Halle is still as cute as ever!

And she got her ears pierced!!

And we do a lot of this..... pretty much all the time!!

CHRISTMAS WITH HALLE GIRL!!

2009-12-29T22:01:00.000-08:00

Here is Halle on christmas morning!! Halle and her proud grandma!!

Halle Girl

2009-12-16T15:26:00.000-08:00

I've Never Been So Proud!!

2009-12-13T13:00:00.000-08:00

Halle loved Santa!! It was so cute!

The bomb

2009-11-30T20:58:00.000-08:00

Lets all just take a step back and be honest with ourselves, this family is the bomb. My wife is smokin hott! And my baby girl is to die for! So I just wanted everyone to recognize how sweet our family is.

Thanksgiving!!

2009-11-29T14:08:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun this thanksgiving! Taylor got to play in a couple of turkey bowls, then we had a big turkey dinner at the Sudweeks and went and saw the Christmas Carol in 3D(Halle's first movie)!

Here is Halle at her first thanksgiving! She just sat in the swing right by the table with everyone and was so good! Check out the pumpkin tights!! She was so adorable!

FINALLY!!

2009-11-25T16:14:00.000-08:00

I'm had no idea this would be so long, but here is our story of swine flu and Halle's delivery:

I was due on October 19 which came and went. A week went by and still no baby, so I was trying everything possible to get this baby here. By then I had stopped working so I had plenty of time on my hands to go on a few walks a day, hit the stair master, drink tons of sugary juice... all of the tricks! Nothing was working and I was getting pretty restless.

A week after my due date on Oct 26, I went in for a check up and I was at almost a 2 but still no baby. We planned to induce Halle the next day. I had heard about a couple in my ward whose husband had the swine flu and, sadly, gave the illness to the baby who had to be hospitalized. Taylor had been sick for a couple days and with the induction planned for the next day, we decided we better go to the health center and get tested just in case. We got to the health center right before it closed and we were both tested for swine flu, I was negative and Taylor tested positive.

I called the hospital and the nurse told me that Taylor cannot be in the labor and delivery wing at all because he would be a danger to both me and our baby, and the other mothers on the floor. They said he will have to miss the delivery and will not be allowed to see the baby until I was able to take the baby home! We were devastated. Taylor had recently been certified in delivery babies and was looking forward to helping with the delivery, and the day before we are supposed to have the baby we are told that he will not be able to come and I will have to go through having our first child by myself. We were both a mess!

We called our doctor and begged him to post pone the induction. I figured that I had held on this long, I can hold on a little bit more. Our doctor, Dr. Gourley, put us both on this $100 medication and said that Taylor will need to move out of the house immediately and I will have to completely sanitize our whole house. The medication, Tamiflu, would allow Taylor to come to the hospital as long as he had been taking it for 48 hours and had been fever free for 24 hours. So reluctantly, Dr. Gourley said that he will postpone the induction on one condition: that I take a stress test for the baby the day of the previous induction.

Taylor's brothers came and gave Taylor a blessing and we called in all the prayers that we could! We had so many prayers and felt very loved. We spent the night apart and prayed for the best. If for some reason the baby was in stress the next day, I would be forced to have her and Taylor would not be able to come. The most important thing was a healthy baby, and we knew that, but it was very hard to accept that there is a good chance that Taylor would not be able to see his first child's birth.

I went in to the hospital the next day around 2 p.m. for the stress test with my Mom. They took a simple ultrasound first and checked only a couple of things: heart rate... good. fluid level... borderline and checked for a second opinion. They transferred me to a more advanced ultra sound and they determined that my fluid level was extremely low, so low that it could be very detrimental to the baby. They also determined that the baby was very large and pretty much filling my entire belly, along with the placenta (which because of the low fluid, could possibly be wrapped around Halle). They consulted with the head nurse and Dr. Gourley and (they all knowing the situation) sadly said that there is no way we can knowingly, put this baby under any more stress and she must be induced immediately.

So I call Taylor and give him the bad news, absolutely in tears. He drives to the hospital to try to get in. All of the nurses were notified of our conditions and were required to treat me as if I had the swine flu as well. When anyone came or left my room they needed to wear a clean mask and a gown and remove them before leaving. My mother was allowed in the room for my labor with a cap and gown. Every nurse was being very kind and sympathetic and we spoke with the head nurse and also the director for disease control came to my room and explained the situation. After discussing the situation, the director said that Taylor would be allowed for the delivery under the following requirements:

1. He can only be in the room for the babies delivery, not for any part of labor.
2. He will need to cap and gown.
3. He cannot hold the baby after she is delivered, only until he has been on Tamiflu for 48 hours.
4. He will need to leave the hospital immediately following the delivery and will not be allowed to return until 48 hours of the Tamiflu and 24 hours of being fever free.

We were thrilled that Taylor could attend the delivery and could not believe how fortunate we were. Taylor left the hospital and was forced to wait at home until I was allowed to tell him he can come back. They broke my water (of what little I had), and I was induced. I took an epidural and my mother and I watched Biggest Loser and she talked me through everything. It was such a blessing to have my mom there and I know that I could not have done it without her. They now allow flavoring in your ice chips during labor so I pretty much watched TV and had snow cones for about 8 hours until I hit a 9 and I was allowed to call Taylor to come to the hospital.

He sped the whole way and was able to come in to my room! It was amazing that I was dilated to a 9 and in MAJOR labor but when Taylor came into the room everything was wonderful! I was SO excited to see him and it felt like we had been apart for weeks.

I spent 1 hour pushing and on Oct 28 at 2:18 am Halle Snow Barrett was born at 8lbs 1oz and 20in. She was such an angel and they allowed me to hold her for only a minute while my mom took a couple of pictures. Halle was beautiful and Taylor and I couldn't have been happier. When they put her on my stomach to clean her off they were a little more rough than I had expected and I remember feeling this motherly urge to swat there hands away from my daughter!

They took her away and told us that Taylor would need to go home and come 7 pm we would both be able to hold Halle. Halle was quarantined in her own little roped off corner and whenever the nurses changed or fed her, they were required to cap and gown. None of our visitors were allowed to come into the nursery to hold the baby until 7 pm as well.

After all of the drama, 7 pm came, Taylor was admitted to the hospital and Halle was brought to the room. We couldn't have been happier and it was so amazing to have my little family together. Halle is so healthy and couldn't be a happier baby. She has brought so much more love into our home and we just love playing around with her!!

Photo Shoot w/ Laura Lee

2009-11-25T14:10:00.000-08:00

COMING SOON

2009-11-21T14:44:00.001-08:00

For all of you who haven't heard the story of our labor and delivery and the reason why we are wearing masks, I will be posting it as soon as I can sit down to write it! Sorry!

Halle's Latest!

2009-11-19T20:33:00.000-08:00

More Pictures of Halle

2009-11-06T09:22:00.000-08:00

Haha I had to put this one up! She loves going to the bathroom either while we are changing her or right after we take away her diaper! She probably does it at least 90% of the time!

We are having so much fun! She is just a doll and couldn't be more wonderful! She is such a good baby it is unbelievable!

HALLE SNOW BARRETT

2009-10-31T09:47:00.000-07:00

Halle finally arrived on October 28, 2009 at 2:18 am. She weighs 8 lb 1oz and is 20 in. Taylor was able to be there for the delivery and not too long after the delivery we were all able to be together (Long story which I will probably post later to explain the masks)! It was absolutely wonderful and we are so excited to add little Halle to our family!

Halle will be here tomorrow!!

2009-10-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

Finally the wait is over! We will be induced tomorrow and we couldn't be more excited! Today we are just finishing up our last minute preparations, cleaning the house, etc. It is so crazy that it is here. I have felt like this day will never come! We could not be more thrilled and nervous and scared at the same time! Ha, it will be quite the journey, but we know that we will not be without the help of our friends, family, and our Heavenly Father. We have been so blessed and uplifted by those around and us and I can not express enough our appreciation for you and all the love and support we have felt. Thank you all!

We are always in awe at all of our many blessings and how the Lord continues to guide and comfort us. Life is crazy but we know that with the help of the Lord and those around us, we can always make it through. I am so excited to introduce Halle to all of you, your love and your sweet spirits. I can already tell she is going to be a rowdy one just like her mom and dad because of the way she kicks and squirms. She is going to be a handful but a lot of fun.

If any of you would like to come and visit please call us and we would love to see you! There is something special about holding a newborn baby that is simply amazing. She is coming directly from heaven and bringing with her the sacred spirit there. Please do not hesitate to call and come visit! You can call my cell 801-227-4282 and Taylor 801-735-6535 (If you do have the flu or any illness, please come visit after you have recovered! We love you... just not your sickness! Sorry!)

Here's the due date!! ... And there it goes....

2009-10-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

So my due date has come and gone, but it really isn't as bad as it seems. I'm actually doing quite well and feeling pretty good! I wake up only once or twice a night, still walking a couple times a day, getting the nursery all ready and enjoying some extra time with just Taylor and I. During my appointment yesterday the doctor told me that I am almost dilated to a 2 and she should be coming very quickly. If for some reason she does not come this week, I will be induced on October 27 (about 8 days after my due date). So she will be here for sure by the end of this week! We are doing really well and just hanging in there!

Thanks again for everyone's love and support! We have been so blessed with such amazing friends and family! We love you all!

INTRODUCING....

2009-10-17T09:22:00.000-07:00

Natalie's frustration!!! YEY!!! ha, only kidding. So I still have 2 days till I am actually due and.... no baby yet. Yep! Oh well! I guess she is still cookin' or something because she doesn't seem to want to come out! We have an appointment on our due date this monday so I will be updating you then, but as for now, no baby yet! Sorry to disappoint! She has to make her entrance I guess!

Maternity Pictures and Updates!

2009-10-11T20:26:00.000-07:00

So we did do the maternity pictures... I figure if we do them now, we will never have to do them again! So I attached a few of them. Surprisingly, I do like them a lot! In the pictures I am a little over 8 1/2 months pregnant. As for the update, the doctor says that I will probably have her this week and I definitely agree with him! I feel as if my water could break any minute! So keep watching because she will be coming any day now!! YEY!! We are so excited and can't wait to meet her!

More Nursery Pictures!

2009-10-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

Alright, so the nursery is slowly coming along so I thought I would post a couple of pictures!! The fabulous quilt was made by my best friend Ashley Nixon and her mom Jeannie and it is just gorgeous! Jeannie is making my crib skirt to match the quilt and I am just thrilled!! I am so lucky to have so many great and crafty friends! We have been so blessed by all the help that has come from our friends and family in helping us get the nursery and everything ready for Halle! Thank you all so much for all of your love and support!

Oh Taylor...

2009-09-27T14:52:00.000-07:00

So last night Taylor stands in front of the mirror, looks at himself and says, "I think I'm getting fat." He tried to pinch his stomach, though very unsuccessfully since he has about 0% body fat. Wow... You can only imagine my fury. Here I am sitting on the bed, over 8 months pregnant, feeling like a whale, and I was simply stunned. It was quite a hilarious conversation after that... I think that is all I have to say on this subject.

Getting the Nursery Ready!!

2009-09-26T08:57:00.000-07:00

So today is going to be absolutely awesome! I have a baby shower with some of my favorite people, and we are finally putting up the crib!! Yey! I will post pictures soon! I have already vacuumed our little room twice, plus my Mom shampooed the carpets! We're a little crazy! This morning I woke up at 7:30 and ironed all my aprons (and it's Saturday!). Yeah, it was a little nuts. I'm getting so excited I can hardly stand it. Taylor says that I go in Halle's room about 5 times a day just to look at it.

I'll try to keep everyone posted! Only 3 weeks to go!

Rocking Chair

2009-09-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

Here is the BEFORE shot:

and here is the AFTER shot:

We're way excited to have a fun and super comfortable rocking chair for Hallie's room! This was quite a feat for me since I am definitely not a sewer!!

Training Video

2009-09-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

If I ever started a company, this would be a training video I would show to all of my staff.

http://www.despair.com/disconfirmation.html

(Sorry you have to jump to the link. I wasn't able to simply post the video, but it's worth it I swear!)

TAYLOR AFTER SURGERY!!!! DISCLAIMER: HE CUSSES A LOT!!

2009-09-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

TAYLOR SWEARS A LOT AND WE DON'T WANT TO OFFEND ANYONE SO PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS WHEN WATCHING THIS!!

A SUCCESS!!

2009-09-01T19:10:00.000-07:00

Taylor's surgery went really well! We just got home and he was super stoked that my mom brought him Mcdonald's AND Taco Bell! Lucky boy! Well he is doing well, at the hospital he was shaking and cussing like crazy but he is back to his normal self... well he still cusses... and we're just hanging out watching some TV. Anyways... If anyone can come visit, we would love it!!

SIKE! NO SURGERY!

2009-08-29T14:01:00.000-07:00

Alright, so we go in to get Taylor's surgery, wait there for 40 minutes, get all the paperwork figured out, they send him in to change into his incredibly flattering gown and... NO SURGERY! Taylor ate only 2 fishy crackers (so he claims), and because of those crackers they were unable to do the surgery because of fear that he would pretty much regurgitate them into his lungs while under anesthesia and kill himself.

So until further notice, it is postponed until Tuesday, Sep 1, but we are not sure if it will even happen then. We will keep you posted! Thanks for all the calls!

Taylor Goes Into Surgery!

2009-08-25T07:25:00.001-07:00

Taylor goes into surgery today at 4pm. We are glad that we can get it done, but it is definitely not anything to cheer about! Oh well! Taylor needs lots of visitors when he is under house arrest so please come visit us!!

WE ARE COMING HOME!!

2009-08-17T13:16:00.000-07:00

So I'm frantically packing all of our accumulated junk, and we are off! I am flying out tomorrow, Aug 18, and Taylor is flying out on Wednesday, Aug 19!! I can't wait to see everyone and show off my baby belly!

Halle's "H"

2009-08-16T13:47:00.000-07:00

I decided to dress up the "H" with the flowers that were used for my bridesmaids in my wedding! It turned out to be SO darling! I love it and I can't wait to get home to set up Halle's nursery!!
The flowers were great to use. I have had them on my table since the wedding and wasn't ready to throw them away!

Blogging Distractions

2009-08-12T15:27:00.001-07:00

So my editor/boss/whatever-you-call-her increased the blogs I need to write per week and so far today, this is what I have managed to do.
Definitely not some of my brightest moments...

Taylor

2009-08-07T17:48:00.000-07:00

If it wasn't against my religion, I think I would tattoo my husband's name on my arm. That's how much I love him.

Big 21!

2009-08-03T05:16:00.000-07:00

So I'm sitting at home, thinking why the heck did we take this job when Taylor has to work 14 hour days and can't even get off for my birthday when... he surprises me and comes home about 4 hours early!! It was SO wonderful! We had a the best time! A couple of friends and Taylor and I went out to cheesecake factory and it was to die for! I loved it! Definitely an awesome birthday!!

This was the best cheesecake I have EVER HAD!! Wow, I can't even put into words how good it was... yep... THAT GOOD!

Look how pregnant I am!! Ahh, it's so funny and crazy at the same time!! But I'm still rockin my skinny jeans! Yey!!

This Is True Love

2009-07-30T15:31:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago on a Sunday, I had a killer headache and really wanted a Diet Coke. I decided that I wanted to go grab one at the vending machine at our apartments office. We searched the house for all our change, and then Taylor walked with me all the way to the office. He was going to grab a Gatorade from the machines too, but I stupidly hit Pepsi button instead of Diet Pepsi. Taylor, knowing that I wouldn't drink the regular soda (I'm ridiculous I know!), took it instead of his Gatorade, and let me put in the rest of the money to get my Diet Pepsi.

It may sound stupid to others, but to me it is just one of the many ways that my husband shows me that he loves me. He does so many things for me that I really could write novels upon novels telling you all how wonderful my husband is! He puts up with so much that I really don't know how he does it. Every day with him just gets better and better. I truly am the luckiest woman in the world!

My Home

2009-07-28T18:50:00.000-07:00

Taylor and I are SO lucky to be so close to Palmyra so I thought I would post some pictures for you all!

Here is the Hill Cumorah Pageant!

Hill Cumoarah

Sacred Grove

Joseph Smith's House

The beautiful Palmyra temple! Just a couple cool little facts: Palmyra is the 100th temple, and also the only temple to have a window that you can see in and out of. President Hinckley came to the temple when it was dedicated and asked why there was a wall in the direction of the sacred grove. He decided to put a window in and also take out some trees so that you can look directly from the temple to the sacred grove and it is absolutely beautiful!!

Dang it Taylor!

2009-07-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we got the news that Taylor tore his ACL again! He just can't stay away... We don't really know what our plans are going to be at this point. For now, we are staying in New York until we can finalize plans for coming back to Utah to get surgery.

My Latest Discovery

2009-07-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

So the other day I was at Wal-Mart when I found this juice pop maker for a dollar and change. It was just a dinky plastic thing that made 4 popsicles at a time. I thought, what the heck, it's hot and it could be fun so I bought it along with a half gallon of juice (also for a dollar and change!) So anyways, I have had pretty much unlimited popsicles for the past month and absolutely love it. I now have quite the obsession and I'm pretty sure I eat about 3 or 4 little juice pops a day... Wow, I'm pathetic... Anyways, just thought I would share!

Taylor's First Interaction with Hallie

2009-07-01T14:26:00.000-07:00

The action flick of the night was a slightly older one, but it enthralled my husband Taylor nonetheless. We watched lying in bed with our heads together and our backs propped up by the pillows from the couch in the living room. I was between phases of paying attention to the movie, and being amused with the pictures on our wall when I felt what I thought was a little bubble burst in my stomach.

I smiled as I realized it was our little Hallie, about 24 weeks old. I have been told that the baby can be felt best at night between 9 pm and 11 pm, and was surprised to feel her moving so strongly. Taylor was enjoying the movie, so I whispered casually that the baby was moving. Without moving his eyes from the monitor he moved his hand so that it rested on my belly, as he had done so many times before. It sat there for about 20-30 seconds when another bubble burst, this one even stronger than the last.

Taylor immediately lit up and looked into my eyes for confirmation. “Yep, that was our baby!” I told him.

He laughed, completely amazed and amused at his first interaction with his daughter. They had touched through my skin, but touched just the same. The movie was now completely unimportant as he bent over to kiss my stomach. He smiled at me and I was overwhelmingly happy. I was in heaven, and my family was there with me.