Al and Joni Plus TWO! It's another girl!

Taking a break from updating the past few months and giving an update on the past week. As most everyone knows by now, Al and I are expecting bambino #2 at the end of May (dates range from May 26 - June 1). Just this past week, we were surprised to find out we were having another girl! And judging from the ultrasound and the constant acrobatics in the evenings, a very active one! For some reason we both thought it would be a boy, but Taylor started telling us the week prior that it was a girl. So funny. Now we just need to start thinking of names!
Can't wait to begin another adventure with another precious miracle. :)

September 2009

Per usual, all of my goals of catching up with blogging went out the window during my time off from school. Blame the holidays! I thought I would try to do a seasonal update and just do "Fall 2009", but we had A LOT going on. So I will do monthly updates until we are caught up. Maybe by May we will have Christmas and our trip to Florida (currently sitting in the Keys right now) posted.

Visit from the Dudergeils!

Our September continued to be a fun month after our Labor Day trip to Austin. In mid-September, we had a fun visit from the Dudergeils (Duderstadts)! I met Suzanne when I first moved down to Austin in 2001. She was the first friend that I made and didn't just know through Al. She and I worked together at a mortgage servicing company and then she left to work at Guaranty Bank and later found an opening for me there. We have become very close friends and continue to talk almost every day through email. She, Keith (her husband) and Nicholas (2 year old son) live in the Fort Worth area and we get to see them a couple times a year on average. They are also expecting (a girl) and are about 10 weeks ahead of Al and I. So fun!

Taylor loves "her Nick" and they had a great time playing together.

Here are the trouble makers helping me make breakfast the first morning. Look at those sweet and innocent faces!

That day we headed to the Como Zoo in St. Paul. It was actually pretty warm for a mid-September day!

Sweetie-pies holding hands.

Checking out the cute baby monkey.

Later that night, two peas in a pod.

Double trouble trying to get out of the backyard.

Thanks for making the trip up north guys, we loved having you!!

Taylor's Falls

For those non-Minnesotans, yes, this place is really called Taylor's Falls. We didn't just call it that because Taylor loved it. :)

On one of my many Saturdays in class, Al took Taylor a little north to do some hiking and exploring. He always thinks of such fun activities for the two of them to do while I am gone.

Cute self-portrait:

Taylor exploring every nook and cranny:

Happy girl, loving the great outdoors (must have been a game day too):

Checking out the fallen pine needles:

Up next, continuing the fall festivities in October!

Taylor's First Football Game!

Once again we find ourselves more "behind" in our family blogging than we'd like to be, but better late than never, right? In early September we made the trek back to Austin, with our sights set on Taylor's first trip to Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium to see her beloved Longhorns open the 2009 football season. From the get-go, Miss Tay was ready to roll (and this time with her own travel bag).

Quality breakfast tacos are a must before a long day of tailgating and cheering for the Horns.

She chowed-down too! I think she has a new favorite breakfast.

The Godfather had no problems taking the reigns of the stroller and making the mile long trek from the parking spot to the tailgate (although Taylor's purple backpack may have thrown off his balance, which explains why her hair had a faint smell of Miller Lite).

......nap and rally!!!

With the escalator line stretching all the way out of the stadium, we decided to take the ramp up all 10 flights to our seats. But Taylor was loving every minute of it. Not counting a 2 level carrying stretch by Daddy, Taylor made the entire walk by herself.

Come on Daddy, we don't want to miss the Boys running out of the tunnel.

Once we were there, she was very engaged, and ALWAYS on the lookout for Bevo. Actually, we think she was calling out "BBEEEEVOOO" when this picture was taken. For those of you not in the know - Bevo is the live longhorn mascot

Taylor and Daddy taking in all the action.

As if we weren't high enough, Taylor gets an even better and more fun vantage point.

Loud and proud, baby!

Taylor was definitely feeling it. We swear, we don't practice this stuff at home

Here's our final parting shot from the stadium. Taylor was having such a great time, we were pretty much the last to leave the stadium. If you can believe it, this shot was taken around 10:00pm, and we entered the stadium around 5:30. She was such a trooper, but she felt so at home with the other 100,000 Longhorn fans that crankiness never entered her mind.

The next day we went to the Salt Lick for the best BBQ on the planet. This picture is Taylor's first public "time out". Note the amount of remorse on her face for not listening. But that's ok, she can't be perfect during each and every Austin related excursion.

Our sweet princess in her warrior paint after a long, but well loved, very successful, and thoroughly enjoyed trip to Austin.

Taylor's 2nd Birthday!

Hi everyone!
It's back to delayed posts, I have so much to catch up on. For startes, Taylor's birthday which was over a month ago! Good thing my mothering skills aren't measured by how quickly I post updates, that wouldn't be good. ;)

First things first, the stats!

Weight: 27lb 13oz (60th percentile)
Length: 35" (77th percentile) Sidebar: I wonder when they start calling it "height"? Hm.
Head: 19.75" (99th percentile!) We are very conscious about the neck holes in shirts. :)

Taylor Jean turned two on August 16th and had quite the week of parties, presents, cake and lots of love. She is starting to understand what birthdays are all about now. I think she was claiming it was her birthday for at least 3 weeks. Al's was on Sept 22nd and I think that finally broke the cycle. Now she's all about, "It's MY daddy's birthday!". So precious.

To start us off on the birthday celebrating, "Yibby" and "Yincon" (Libby and Lincoln) were in town before her birthday and came by to give a fun present to her.

Hmmm, tissue paper and a box. I'm not really getting it.

Oh! I see! A fun bumble-bee ride! She was in love. Good thing for hard-wood floors.

On Sunday, August 16th, we had Taylor's birthday party. The weather was teasing us all day and we were really worried that it would rain. I didn't even want to think about it because we had close to 40 people show up for the day! Our house is not equipped for a party of that size indoors. Maybe someday when we redo the basement!

Anyway, by the time the party started at 4:00, the clouds had parted and the sun was shining. It was pretty windy, but we weren't going to complain. We got to have all the tots (all 8 of them) outside!

Taylor Jean first thing in the morning. She wanted milk, water AND juice that morning. Why not, it's her birthday!

Love those locks!

Party time!

Even as her friends start showing up, Taylor is obsessed with the baby. They were making each other giggle, it was so sweet.

We had to have three water tables with the amout of kids that came over. Thank goodness we were able to borrow a couple from Taylor's friends! Notice that they still crowd around one.

Some of Joni's family, Uncle Joe, Aunt Ann, and Uncle/Godfather Bryan

Some daycare parents and Joni:

Organized chaos:

Had to put in this picture so the Texas crew can see the Longhorns decked out for the party. ;)

Birthday Princess:

Birthday cake! Notice the sneaky little finger coming closer to the cake:

Time for some girl chat, the Three Musketeers (daycare buddies):

Who knew that they most exciting gift (for ALL the tots) was the mini-table and chairs from great aunt Joan and uncle Bryan???

These three had a riot sitting at the table and banging their hands. Too funny to hear their little giggles.

Post party bliss, another fun one, a new stroller and baby doll from Jon and Priya!

Later in the week, Taylor finally mustered up some energy to open more presents. This was the grandparent and parent round. She opened present from us, my parents, Al's parents and great-grandma, Mimi.

A Vet kit from Amma and Bumpa (Joni's parents)!

A Bevo book from Mimi!! Taylor loves to read books, but this was the FIRST book she ever insisted on reading more than one or two times A NIGHT. It was perfect timing too because we were headed to Austin in a couple weeks. She loves that Bevo now.

Cheesin' for the camera while we open Nana and Papa's gift:

Awww, a stuffed Hippo! Taylor giving some love:

I can't believe our baby girl is two! She is such a little adult and makes us laugh constantly. Such a little comedian. Everything from mimicking our expressions to running around the house in a silly way. She is also really into pretend play. She loves making meals with her play-food and dishes, has conversation with her stuffed animals and dolls (and answers for them), talks on the phone and tells us who it is (Nana/Aama/Mimi/Bumpa).

Some recent Taylorisms:

After I put her into her carseat after picking her up from daycare, she looked up at me and said, "How YOU doin'?" HAHA!

"Beep! Beep! Ya!" when she wants to listen to the Beatles, "Baby You Can Drive My Car"

"I scare me!" When one of us startles her.

"Oh my gosh!" To just about anything, but lately it's every time she sees our UT flag hanging on the garage, "Mommy, oh my gosh!"

"Settle down ba-bas! No-no Chewy!" She likes to take control of the situation when the dogs are playing or are in her space. She absolutely loves them though, lots of hugs and kisses and we can't leave the house in the morning without her saying bye-bye to them.

"Yay mommy/daddy!" When one of US goes potty.

"My do it." Very independent little lady.

And finally...when Al or I say, "You're such a big girl!" she replies, "No, I'm a big BOY!" ;)

Coming up, summer wrap-up of some micellaneous outtings, first UT game over Labor Day, and a visit from Suzanne, Keith and Nicholas!

Happy Fall everyone!

Colorado June 21-27

In June, we took a six day trip out to Estes Park, CO. The original intent of the trip was to go to our friend from Austin, Jane's wedding, but we decided to make it "the" trip of the year and extend our time. After all, I had never been to Colorado amazingly enough! It also happened to be the second of what we hope will be annual trips with our other friends from Austin, Jon and Michelle. We found out about Jane's choice of wedding location when we were in Vancouver last year! It was then that we decided that our 2009 vacation would be Colorado. Thanks Jane!
Later in the week, we were also joined by yet another great Austin friend, Delia, who now lives in Spokane, WA going to law school. You go girl!
Our trip was filled with beautiful scenery, wonderful weather, great company, a fun birthday celebration, family love from Al's brothers and a wonderful wedding to end the week.
Lots of pictures!

Sunday:
We made it!! Taylor is very excited to be in a big minivan! Look at all the space, woo!! Sorry Taylor, mommy and daddy aren't QUITE ready to be minivan owners. Need to take baby-steps with that one.

On our way to Estes Park, we made a pit-stop in Boulder to visit Al's brother Orion, his wife Kristin and their 2-year old daughter, Maisie. They lent us a pack n' play, a hiking backpack, booster seat, and our favorite item, a GPS!
Sweet picture of the cousins, Maisie and Taylor. Maisie is almost exactly 3 months older than Tay. I think the last time they were together was Christmas 2007! Dig back in the archives to see them in their tu-tus!

The little ladies eating at their table.

Taylor playing with some of Maisie's toys, sitting on the front porch.

Monday

Finally made it to Estes! One of our first elk sightings! These guys were not shy! Just hanging out around the visitor's center:

Lunch in Estes. Thankfully this is one of the few weeks that Taylor was really into smiling at the camera. Yay Tay!

First trip out with the hiking backpack. I think the hike was supposed to be about 3 miles.

This is about 1.3 miles into it, hehe. Poor Al, it was a steep climb and we hadn't gotten adjusted to the altitude yet. First full day in Estes and first hike. Taylor was doing ok though so don't worry. ;)

Beautiful views during the hike:

Jon taking a turn with Taylor. Why is SHE so tired??

A fun rock shaped like a foot that Al wanted to climb.

Unfortunately he didn't think through the exit strategy. In the end, Jon had to help him get down...and I was offering support by videotaping it. Hehe. Unfortunately it didn't turn out so great otherwise I would post it. ;)

Taylor taking a little break too while daddy is goofing around. One of my favorite pictures of her.

Gorgeous sunset view from our rental house:

Breakfast on one of the balconies.

Little Diva at lunch in Boulder:

Later that day having dinner with Maisie before daddy plays soccer with uncle Ross. Al's other brothers (Lucas and Ross) met us in Boulder on Tuesday.

How about some chicken??

Don't mind if I do!

Al and his brothers, Lucas, Ross and Orion.

Al (the goalie) playing soccer with Ross (in background) just like old times. The other guys on the team asked if Al could play again the following week. Wish we could!!

Taylor having fun and going a little bonkers watching the game.

The next day we decided to make our way up to Trail Ridge Drive in Rocky Mountain National Park. Look, another elk!

Beautiful mountain views:

One of my favorite family photos. Such pretty scenery!

Sweet Taylor Jean:

Back at the house, Taylor giving some 'tude after a bath.

Out for mommy's birthday dinner! Taylor trying some of daddy's spaghetti. Yum!

Taylor and Mommy...I think we took 10 shots like this and in every one, I look the same and Taylor is either a blur or making faces like this. Such a nut.

Taylor with her buddy Michelle!

Another hiking trip! This time just Al, Taylor and Jon.

One day we checked out the arial tram on the other side of the mountain we were staying on (Prospect Mountain).

The top of the hill was over-run by Chipmunks because you could buy peanuts to feed them! Even Taylor got in on the action. How cute is this??

Michelle got super brave after a couple of bags of peanuts!!

On the tram:

View from the top, beautiful even in drizzly weather:

The next day (Thursday) we had Delia in town and took another hike. The ladies (minus Taylor) me, Delia and Michelle:

Friday evening was the wedding. Michelle was a bridesmaid and Jane had asked me months ago to be her day-of coordinator. I don't know how many people know this about me, but I actually considered (albeit briefly) looking into becoming a wedding planner. I had so much fun planning my own and loved all of the coordination and organizing. I decided quickly though that I didn't want to work weekends or deal with crazy brides. ;) Anyway, I had SO much fun living out my dream for one evening. It was an ideal wedding to be coordinating, a laid-back bride and groom, a fun group of friends, and a low-maintenance wedding. The hardest thing I had to do was keep track of the time for toasts and the Ipod playlists! It was a blast!

They had the wedding at the historic Stanley Hotel (and no, the Shining was NOT filmed there, Stephen King just got the idea of the book while staying there).

Beautiful scenery and weather for the back-drop:

The ladies all dolled-up:

Me and my honey, before he had to take the nugget home to bed and let mommy stay out late. :)

Great friends, Michelle, Jane and Delia

Our home for the week, what a fabulous place!

Quick video of Taylor dancing the night away at the wedding, dress undone and all:

Firsts and Father's Day

I'm baaaack! My last day of the semester was Saturday so I am frantically catching up on some blog posts! Afterall, we have a certain someone's 2nd birthday coming up in a week. On top of that, I need to get to our Colorado vacation that happened in June too! Baby steps...

To start, here is Father's Day which we celebrated with my parents on June 20th since we left for Colorado on the 21st.

In the suburb we live in (St. Louis Park), they have a "Parktacular" celebration every year which spans a few days. On Saturday we decided to partake in the days events starting with a morning bike ride!

Here is Miss Taylor all geared up and ready for the ride. Ponytail and everything!


After the ride, Taylor was pooped! She looks cranky, but she really was just zoning out while we were at the park. I think it was time to go home to have lunch, and rejuvenate with a nap!

Sweet picture with Taylor and her daddy.

Ok, we did manage to get a smile out of her while playing at the playground. She loves little houses!

After we rested up at home, it was back to the Parktacular! We went to check out the petting zoo and it was awesome! They even had a zebra (which we couldn't pet, but she was excited about).

Taylor feeding some goats, so much fun!

In action:

Another first for her, face painting!! She really wasn't sure what was going on during the painting, but sat there SO patiently and still. She loved her bumble-bee! She's a big fan lately which is why her birthday party theme will be ladybugs and bumble-bees. A garden theme of sorts. :)

The finished product:

Taylor donating $1 to the Great Dane rescue group. At least I think she was giving.... ;)

These dogs were so sweet and Taylor was in heaven! Such big doggies!

Having fun with grandpa (or Bumppa):

Not sure about Taylor, but Al sure looks excited about something. We saw this group with fire hoses and some tarp. Take a look at what they were doing at the next picture:

Fun!!! Al said that if he had known about it, he would've worn his swimsuit. The guy responded that Al was too big to partake anyway. Sorry honey!

Family dinner at an old favorite, The Convention Grill. We've been going there since I was 2!

(Sorry for the quality of these pictures, I had to mess with the sizes and now they all look pixilated. Need to reload a couple I think.)

Some Firsts and Miscellaneous Moments!

In May, Al scored a practically new "In Step" bike trailer for Taylor. He also invested a little in himself and bought his first ever NEW bike. We all bought new helmets and gear and headed out on our first bike riding adventure. Despite the fact that Taylor loves hats, she wasn't too crazy about her helmet. She obviously didn't have a choice in the matter and was a good sport. When we stopped at our destination though, she was quick to say "Off." to her helmet. Silly girl.

Here is our big girl posing with her trailer, a little moody because of the helmet:

Posing with daddy!

Happy as can be with her "Eeet-za!"

Another major first in our household, potty on the toilet! This was June 20th (22 months), the day we were celebrating Father's Day and we had gotten into the habit of putting her on the pot pretty frequently. Most times she would sit there and say "all done" after a few seconds. This day however, she looked at me and started going! Such a proud little girl. Since then, we have had moments here and there but are still a little while away from no diapers. Congratulations Taylor Jean! We're so proud of you! You go girl! :)

Some other miscellaneous moments and fun tid-bits.

Taylor is such a sweet and silly little girl. She is also independent and not a pushover. We love every single bit of it. She is such a little lover too. Always big on the hugs and kisses, even if she initially says, "no!", she will come right around and give in. It's all in the name of it being HER decision. Like I said, independent (and a little stubborn). ;)

Most things are "I do it" or "My do it". When she actually is able to do something by herself..like walk down our outside cement back stairs with no rail or help from us, we watch on with a mix of pride and a little bit of heartache that our little (almost) 2-year-old is already breaking into her own person.

One of her favorite things to do, hands in pockets. And yes, to our Kansas and Texas family/friends reading this, she was wearing a jacket in May. It took us awhile to get summer!

We love seeing how tender-hearted she is with everything and everyone. Including her "ba-bas" (Chew-Chew and Bobo as she calls them). Lots of hugs for those boys. Even if they get in her way when she's eating, "Chewy bahk-up!" she squeals, there is always a hug for them later.

Taylor loves her friends at school and is always so excited to see them, especially if it is outside of daycare!

She is also at the stage of being OBSESSED with babies. My cousin Ryan and his family stayed with us from San Antonio a couple weekends ago and they have a 3 and a half-year old (Abigail) and a 1 year-old (Mily). I honestly don't know if Taylor knew that Abigail was around much, silly girl was all about Mily. From the moment she woke up to any time we were not around her, Taylor would ask "Where baby go??". After they were gone that weekend, Al asked Taylor, "Taylor, would you like a baby to stay at your house all the time?". She said, "Yeah!". So then he keeps talking to her about it and asks if she would like a boy baby or a girl baby. She responded, "A boy baby.". Very matter-of-fact as if she had been thinking of it.

Ok, Taylor, we'll do what we can....just have to wait a little bit. :)

At the same time, she loves to be wrapped up like a baby in her bath towel after bath. She'll just sit there and cuddle for a little bit which hardly happens anymore. Then we'll ask, "Are you Mama's baby??" and she'll respond, "No, Dada's baby!" or vice versa. She is very into opposites. Such a little smartie.

She still loves to sign and loves learning new ones. One of her favorite things to do is sit in daddy's lap in front of the computer and look up a new sign. She will watch and do it after a few times. Not 100% accurately, but enough so that we know what she wants. It helps too because she isn't the most articulate yet with her speech.

Miss Taylor on her great aunt and uncle Joan and Bryan's bed. Looking at herself in the mirror. Such a precious face!

Reading to her two stuffed animals of the week. So far she's not overly attached to any particular thing, just needs a blanket of some sort and a few of her stuffed friends. The one she is particular to lately is the stuffed baby that fits into a peanut shell that her Nana bought her. It's her "baby".

Last picture, a little summer fun with our nextdoor neighbor's daughter, Jersey. We brought our water table over and the girls got to play on warm Saturday. Unfortunately they will be moving soon, we will miss you guys!

More fun to come, trip to Colorado, 4th of July cabin weekend, and a 2nd birthday on August 16th!!

Family Trip to Kansas

In May, Al and Taylor made a special trip to Kansas to attend Al's cousin Jake's wedding. Poor Joni was stuck in class, so Daddy and Tay Tay had to make the trip without Mommy. Taylor did very, very well on both flights (much to Al's relief), and she even scored her very own seat on the flight down, thanks to the generous and thoughtful flight crew.

Although the trip was barely 3 days, we still were able to catch up with a lot of family.

Taylor and Nana hanging out at the farmers' market, catching some tunes:

The wedding was set on Jake and Megan's property, and the ceremony was very sweet and we were really happy to have made it :) Unfortunately, the ceremony pics didn't really work out, but we do have a couple of good posed shots:

(Daddy still hadn't mastered the art of the barrette, so Taylor just winged it...)

Aunt Dee Dee and cousin Deidric


After the ceremony, we all made a quick detour for ice cream. Cousins Deidric and Baily couldn't help but enjoy themselves.

Then Baily came back to Nana's house to stay with Taylor. These two really bonded over the weekend:

Just before we left to head home, we were able to stop at Aunt Kelly's house for a quick visit. Taylor finally got to meet her newest cousin Caleb.

One final goodbye with Nana before boarding the plane. We had a great time!!

We're still catching up the blog, so the Father's Day, 1st Bike Ride, Potty Training, and Colorado blog posts should be coming soon :)