Stinker

Not sure why he wouldn't smile when I tried to take a picture of us together - he sure was okay to smile when it was just him! I still thought these were pretty cute! :)

Diabetes or Not Diabetes...

Okay, so it sounds more drastic than it really is - I had my check up today for Cole and it included a glucose test for gestational diabetes. I'm so thankful that they have orange flavored drink because if they only had lemon lime, I don't think that I could do that (previous health experience has completely ruined that flavor for me). While we were waiting for the test to be completed - quite the long hour - we checked out Cole and he is head down and the doctor expects him to stay that way til it's time.....wow.....only 10 1/2 weeks to go.....wow! His heart rate is great and he is very active. All the time! Much more so than Taylor ever seemed to be so I'm wondering..... :) The rest of the time that we had to wait went by very quickly playing on our phones - I'm so thankful for technology at times like that - it flew by! No news is good news so I'm just waiting at this point! Oh the things we do to have little ones! Totally worth it!

Happy Birthday Honey!

Every year we celebrate Mike's birthday by spending the day downtown on Nicollet Ave shopping, eating and doing whatever we feel like doing. Its one of the most relaxing days in the whole year! :)

This year we went to lunch with Mike's parents at Chilis and then they watched Taylor for the rest of the day so that we could celebrate his birthday and go on a date at the same time! They are awesome grandparents and Taylor LOVES to be with them!

Of course we immediately got a Starbucks hot chocolate and we sat for the longest time and talked and relaxed. It was a wonderful day - one that I look forward to every year!

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Christmas Tree Time!

Today is one of my favorite days of the year....

....today we go and get our Christmas tree!

Mike worked a half day from home so we were able to leisurely get up and leisurely get ready and leisurely enjoy the day. I brought out all my other Christmas decorations and put those up around the house while I was waiting for him to finish working. Then we headed off to Menards! I know, Menards, but hey, its been the tradition since we got married so that's where we go and probably where we will continue to go although Mike has already mentioned that when the boys
are bigger he wants to experience cutting down our Christmas tree with them. It was colder than we thought out in the yard, but that just makes the experience more fun! :) I think we picked a pretty good tree even though it hadn't had a chance to fall.

I can't wait to decorate it tomorrow!

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Count your blessings instead of your crosses;
Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your joys instead of your woes;
Count your friends instead of your foes.
Count your smiles instead of your tears;
Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your full years instead of your lean;
Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.
Count your health instead of your wealth;
Count on God instead of yourself."

Dr. Appointment

Today was another doctor appointment for Cole. I knew that I would have to get the H1N1 shot this time since they didn't have it last time so I wasn't looking forward to that....but.....everything went great! Dr. Flore was right on time (sometimes she's on call and we have to wait awhile) and she was very thorough and spent quite a bit of time with us. Of course, I had to have that awful flu shot afterwards but how lucky for me, I didn't even feel it! I think I make a mountain out of a mole hill when it comes to shots. Next appointment I have to have a glucose test for gestational diabetes - love that orange drink! So thankful that Cole is healthy and doing well!

Christmas Shopping!

Today we met Erica at the Rosedale Mall to do some Christmas shopping.....well, to do Erica's Christmas shopping! :) I tend to start very early and have almost everyone done by the time the Christmas season rolls around. But it was so much fun to get out and relax and go out to eat and get coffee and check out all the deals. I didn't purchase much - just an approved buy at Bath & Body Works to get more oil for our burners (Mike said that we needed to make sure we had replacements on hand - he's a huge smell guy! :) !!) I wasn't planning on staying out that late but we ended up just talking so much at Caribou that the time just got away from us. Oh, and by the way, for anyone that's wondering, even though Caribou has gotten Guittard chocolate to make their hot chocolate (and other drinks) with, it still does not compare in any way to Starbucks hot chocolate! And for those of you out there who have not tried Starbucks hot chocolate, before this Christmas season is over, you HAVE to go to your nearest Starbucks and order a venti hot chocolate - it will change your drinking experience forever! :)

Goofy Boy!

Mike thought it would be funny to have Taylor wear the pop carton on his head and Taylor went for it whole heartedly!!! He walked around the house with it moving his head from side to side and had the best time with it......why do we buy fancy toys again?

Matt & Jess!

Moved! They finally closed on their house! And we are so happy for them! The house is just perfect and the neighborhood is perfect and they are not even that far away!

I thought with them purchasing a house in St. Francis it would be like forever away but it is just a short drive up 65....so nice!

I'm so happy that everything went smoothly and now they are in and ready to LIVE in their house! Congratulations Matt & Jess!

Chocolate Covered Cherries!

It's that time of year again! I can't believe how quickly it comes and how quickly it goes! But what a day it is! Nana watched all the grandbabies again while we went to my Grandma's to make all the cherries. What a treasured memory it is to have that time with my Grandma....I know that one day there will be a time when she's not the one melting the chocolate but right now, I am going to cherish each and every year that we can do this together. Getting 700 cherries done in 7 hours is a pretty good accomplishment and I am happy to say that they are probably the best cherries we have ever made! My sister-in-law is going to be very happy on Sunday when I give her her first sampling - she loves these! Now the holiday season can begin!

Happy Halloween!

Today was Taylor's first Halloween! I know that we had him dress up last year, but this year was his first year that he could go trick or treating! I totally picked out his costume since I figured that by next year he would have an opinion as to what he wanted to be and I couldn't resist dressing him up in something absolutely adorable! We went over to Heather and Donald's because they live in a nice quiet neighborhood on a dead end and we didn't have to worry about traffic. Most of my family and extended family were there too because Deron is leaving to move to Washington state and it was the last time that we would be able to get together as a family so we kind of did everything at one time. Mike made the cutest video for YouTube so I've posted the link for everyone to be able to view it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl7VSRLX8Bo
Happy Halloween everyone!

Fall Day!

We visited the apple farm today since it was such a beautiful day! I had the feeling that if we didn't do it today it wouldn't ever happen or that there wouldn't be another nice day to do it...

We went to this little apple orchard out in Wyoming and it was perfect! They had donkeys that Taylor could feed, a horse to ride, wagons to drive, a little gift store and of course the hotdog stand which Mike definitely took advantage of. It was great to get all those pictures. On the way back from the apple orchard, we found a pumpkin patch just a few miles down the road and we were able to get pumpkins for our yard. It turned out to be the perfect day!

I'm totally going to sound like my mom and say that I love making memories like these!

So Happy!

I cannot say how much I love my husband because I can't ever quite put it into words.

There is no one else in this world who knows me like he already knows me and still tries to know me better. There's no one else who loves me like he so unconditionally loves me beyond what I feel I deserve. There's no one else who looks beyond my little (and huge) idiosyncrasies and ocd's and still wants to be with me as much as he does.

All of that is wrapped up in one big lovely life and I'm so completely thankful for it!

When the normal happy moments are captured, I want to memorialize them forever!

Baby Brother!

We had our ultra sound today! Mike and I were so excited to find out what we were having and we couldn't wait for this day to come!!! Mike was so sweet and planned a date for us after the ultra sound which was just the most special treat! Our technician was knowledgable and friendly! She showed us so much more than the ultra sound we had with Taylor and it was amazing.....we are so blessed and God is incredible in His design. To be able to see that makes me realize every day how much He cares for us and desires to know us. I always think of that verse in Psalms where it states "For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb." When I knew that I was going to be going in with Taylor for induction, the beginning of that chapter has a verse that stayed with me all night and through that day, "Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways." It was such a comfort to me that God understood every point and my fear and my anxiety and my excitment - He knows all of me! I'm so humbled to understand that in my small human frame and from my very narrow view point but He is so wonderful to me.
God showed us very clearly that this little one is a boy! He is so much more active than Taylor was and that makes me very excited to see what he's going to be like and how different they will be but how good of buddies they will be. We have decided to name him Cole Allen - the dr immediately said that he will probably be a banker with that name. :) But he's healthy and whole and doing very good. I still haven't gained any weight but I believe the Lord is just making it easier for me to lose the weight that I've needed to lose for a long time after Cole is born. So needless to say, I'm thankful! We are so blessed and so excited to share this wonderful news!

Family Party 2009!

I can't believe that I didn't take any pictures of our annual family party but Jess did and I'm going to have to get them from her!
Anyways, we always have a party around this time of year to just have the family over. Most of the time I go way out of the necessary with the food and try to do the whole "Bobby Flay" grilling thing, but being pregnant this year, I decided to do the "norm". The family doesn't have to bring anything because Mike and I love treating everyone to a day of no preparation.
I decided to have a burger bar, potato salad and baked beans. The burgers turned out really great! Why am I just talking about the food? Okay, then.....
Most of the time, the weather is great so we can hang out outside which tends to work really good since our house is so teeny but this year, it was soooooo cold! And I'm not over-exaggerating!!! Heather refused to stay outside and my dad showed up in full hunting gear! We did end up keeping all the kids inside because there really wasn't a way to have them outside and keep them warm. It was amazingly breathtakingly cold!!!
We finally ate and then I brought out the dessert bar which was a lot of fun....talking about food again. You would think that my addiction to food would cause me to gaine some weight with this baby but God has been gracious to me and has kept me from gaining any so far. We'll see what the doctor says this next appointment.....
The night was really uneventful and relaxing. We played the new Scrabble game, the card game and the commercial for it had made it look very exciting but it definitely was not. It was still fun but probably not something that we will play on a regular basis.....
All in all, it was a great time! Relaxing, the kids got along, the guys enjoyed all the football, and everyone left happy and full. I love my family!

Men's Retreat

So Mike left for the men's retreat yesterday after working a half day. Dad and he went up there in the truck - you should have seen that thing packed to the gills. Who knew that two men would need so much for such a short time period!!! They finally got rolling about 2 hours after they had planned to leave and by the time they got up it was raining which isn't the best weather to go camping in when it's your first time.
Speaking of that, I had such a good time getting Mike ready to do this because my whole life, we've always gone camping and my dad trained us so well (to the point of being able to camp in the Boundary Waters for a week! Never will forget that!!!) that to be married to someone who has NEVER been camping is kind of foreign to me. But it was so much to go and get the stuff that he needed and start to build our own family stockpile of camping gear. So now we have a camping tote that holds all our stuff - like we have alot at this point! :)
So getting back to the Men's Retreat, they got packed, got up there, set up their tents, endured the rainy night, woke up the next morning and promptly packed up and came home. They didn't even have breakfast there! Taylor and I had barely gotten up when he walked through the door!!! Wow! I felt so bad that his first camping trip had begun and ended like this. I'm already praying that next year is night and day different!
I would have to say that this Men's Retreat failed to meet the high expectations that Mike had. Oh well. At least I got an extra day off with my Baby!

Cutey Pies!

Have you seen anything cuter?! I love how they are partners! Taylor is definitely not a momma's boy! And I'm very happy about that! :)

First Haircut!

Taylor got his first hair cut today! It had just gotten way too long but it was so hard for me to cut it when it had taken so long to come in in the first place! But he sat so good in the chair and he sat so still while Mike buzzed and cut....we were so proud of him! He is such a good little boy!

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Favre Fans Forever!

We have jumped on the Favre bandwagon! Fully! We bought tickets for the last pre-season game even though there was a slim possibility that we would get to see him play but we brought our binoculars just in case! Then we went to Walmart and bought Favre clothing because.....the exclusive tshirts that we ordered online did not come in on time!!! I told you we were on the Favre bandwagon! And it's wonderful! The game was really good even though we lost and we got some close up pictures of Favre which made it all worth it! Lovin' the Favre Fever!

Weekend in Duluth

This past weekend, we decided on the spur of the moment to go up to Duluth. We were on our way to go to the Vikings Locker Room at the MOA to get Favre shirts and see what else they had but the day was so beautiful and wonderful that we went straight into the Mall, got our stuff and went straight home to pack. We were on our way by 3!!! It was so wonderful and so nice! So incredibly delightful! Taylor was so good too even though he woke up on Sunday morning bright and early saying my name, basically asking me to get up too.....wasn't that nice of him? We went down to the pier and saw the ships come and go and walked across the lift bridge, went shopping, ate popcorn and icecream and took a ton of pictures! It was a wonderful weekend!

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Kaylee's Celebration!

Amy invited us to join her, Kaylee & Nick, Angie and the kids, and Ginger and her kids to go to Build A Bear at Ridgedale Mall. It was so very nice because Taylor was able to pick out his own bear and I picked out a little vest. He watched it being made and when we registered the bear, I decided to name it Baylor Bear because we always call Taylor "Taylor Baylor" and I thought that it would be really cute to name it that. We took all the kids to the play area to run off some steam. Taylor had a great time going in and out of the little houses and going down the slide. I love how big he is getting and how independent he is getting....makes me sad that the time is going by so quickly.....he is so precious. We ended up at the food court - couldn't really find a lot of tables together so we had to put the kids at one table and the boys at another and then shove some more together so the adults could sit together. I ended up leaving before everyone else because of nap time. It was so much fun and I'm so glad that we were able to celebrate Kaylee's birthday with her!

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Happy Birthday Kaylee!

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No Syrup!

Normally Taylor does not get syrup with his pancakes, ever, and there is a great reason why......

So now, no syrup! :)

Sunday in TN...

This morning, when we got done getting ready for church, we found out that Alex wasn't feeling too well so Kim and Alex stayed home! We went with Tim, Ashley and Austin to Middle Tennessee Baptist Church where Pastor Tony Hudson is the pastor. It was a great moving service and the music was especially awesome!
We went home for lunch and Kim had made this wonderful grilled chicken, grilled veggies and so much other food. It was great! Taylor isn't really eating anything during this trip. He has tended to eat alot of sugar and not much else. And I'm just being a softy and not forcing anything on him but that's not good either....I'll have to work on that when I get home.
So for the evening service, Kim was scheduled to sing at Franklin Road Baptist Church and she asked me to play for her which was a real honor but I was just terrified. The last time I played for that many people was in college! She and Alex drove in a separate car so she could take him back home after she sang. Taylor went screaming into the nursery but after we picked him up, the nursery worker told us that he had been very good the whole time. Which makes me so very happy! :)
After church, Ashley had a youth group function so Tim, Austin and we went to Steak and Shake and had a great time! Taylor loves his cousins and Austin is so gentle with him and so kind. I love the relationship that they are developing. I included some pictures from our dinner out - they were so cute!

Day of Celebrating!

Oh what a day! What a wonderful fabulous relaxing day!
We woke up early this morning (what's new?), got packed for the pool and headed out the door. This pool is amazing! I'm not sure if I've ever seen one that equals it.....hmmm.....nope, I haven't. There are kiddy pools and wading pools and swimming pools and pools with fountains and pools with slides and more slides and kayaking and inflatibles and, and, so much more I can't even begin to describe!
Taylor had a blast is the short way of putting it. But he seems to tire very quickly and he is more than a little afraid of the water. Since he just barely started walking, he is not sure at all in the water so he won't do anything without holding on to something. That really doesn't allow me to do anything else but I really can't do anything else anyways and why would I want to do anything else but be with my little fella?
We split the day in half by having a picnic outside the pool grounds. Kim is an amazing picnic packer......chicken salad croissant sandwiches, fresh fruit, yogurt, cheese with angel food cake for dessert.....amazing. She impresses me all the time....one day I want to be just like her when I grow up! :)
After swimming for a little while longer, we decided to dry off and get ready since the fireworks in Nashville start at 9pm. We went down to the Opryland Mall which is very impressive and so close to the Opryland Hotel but since it was close to dark we really couldn't see anything and on top of that it was downpouring so I'm hoping that we will be able to come back and see it. We ate at Chilis Too and while we were there found out that since the thunder storm had come through earlier, they had decided to start the fireworks earlier so we didn't even get to go down there and see them. We were really disappointed that we missed them but were able to leisurely stroll back to the car, leisurely head home, leisurely start another movie and leisurely eat some more icecream! Yeah! My kind of night! :)
I'm not sure if I've said it yet but it was a fabulous wonderful relaxing day!

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Firworks!

Last night was a great night! We ended up relaxing most of the day, just hanging around the house and talking. So fun! Towards late afternoon, we all decided that it would be nice to get out and get something to eat. Getting everyone ready is a little chore but its worth it because we all look so nice! (so proud!) We went to this great steak place and of course, being pregnant, I had to have a steak and baked potato (the waitress was carrying one out right as we were being seated and I knew immediately that was what I was going to have) which was fabulous. We then headed to the waterpark some distance away and got our seats right down by the water. There aren't hardly any mosquitoes there (thank you, Jesus!) and it was a beautiful calm night. After the fireworks, we headed home to another movie and more icecream. A wonderful day!

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Happy Fourth of July!

There is the National Flag. He must be cold, indeed, who can look upon its folds rippling in the breeze without pride of country. If he be in a foreign land, the flag is companionship and country itself, with all its endearment...The very colors have a language which was recognized by our fathers; white is for purity; red, for valor; blue, for justice. And altogether, bunting, stripes, stars, and colors, blazing in the sky, make the flag of our country, to be cherished by all our hearts, to be upheld by all our hands.-Charles Sumner

First full day in TN!

We got settled in last night....we met Tim at their church because they were selling fireworks and thought that we could all meet there and then follow them home. The boys were so good with Taylor and it was so good to see them! Then we walked across to Little Ceasars and picked up pizza to take home.
Once we got to the house, we got the full tour which was incredible because Kim is an amazing decorator. I think you could spend a full day in her house and just take your time looking at everything in full and just barely get the whole thing in. It's truly a beautiful home and you can tell the kids love it so much!
Kim, Ashley and I then headed to Walmart because there was some things that Taylor needed for the week. Ashley and I picked out 6 different kinds of icecream! Should be a wonderful six days! ;)
We got back to the house, dished up some icecream and put a movie on which immediately puts all of them to sleep (truly hilarious!). Finally we got to bed which was too late because Taylor woke up bright and early with it being a new place and him sleeping on the bed with us. He sat up wide awake and didn't understand that we would still want to sleep so I took him into the family room where he wouldn't wake anyone else up. Such a funny little guy. We should be able to rest today. We are planning on going out to eat later tonight followed by fireworks at the waterpark. Can't wait!

TN - Here We Come!

We are heading out to TN today to visit Tim and Kim and the kids! We are so excited and so thankful that God has allowed this trip! We will be staying with them until next Wednesday - almost a full week is going to be amazing!
I am not sure how Taylor is going to do on the plane but I've been praying for the last 24 hours that everything will be wonderful.....maybe I have too much faith or not enough but I'm just not sure still.... :)
I will try to stay up to date while we are there but you know how vacation is....never know exactly what's going to happen from day to day!

Absolutely Adorable!

This has to be my most favorite picture ever....no words!

Connie & Gary

Aunt Connie & Uncle Gary have come up to MN to visit their family and to see us! We are so excited to see them! We had thought that we would be able to get together with them sooner but their schedule has been understandably busy. Today however, we were able to plan a cookout at my parents house and spend some time with them which was very nice. It's not often that we get to see them (actually years go by) so this time is very special. I hope we get to see them again soon.

Back to the 50's 2009

This time of year we always welcome the "Back to the 50's" car show. They come to the State Fair grounds and a lot of the food booths open and it just gets us even more in the mood for the State Fair (yes, the count down has begun!)

We always go with Mom and Dad Henderson and this year was no exception! The night was pretty good but we had to dodge a bout of rain and luckily I found shelter under an awning but unfortunately had forgotten that though I was dry the other three adults that had to walk couldn't get at the umbrellas that were in the stroller that I was so eagerly pushing! Doesn't make for a very happy husband! :)

Mike and I left Taylor with Mom and Dad while we went and got footlongs and drinks for everyone. Taylor can't quite help with that just yet.

It was a great night and this year, amazingly enough, not so many pictures were taken of the cars.....hmmmm......not sure what happened with that but then again, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the hundreds of pictures I have from previous years! :)

Baby #2 Is On The Way!!!

We are so happy and excited to announce that our second little one is on the way! I had hoped that Taylor and this little one would be closer together (I know I'm crazy!!!) but God truly knows best and I am so thankful!
It was very exciting to be able to tell Mike as a pre-Father's Day present and he is so very happy and excited! From my calculations, since I have not been to the doctor yet, this precious baby should arrive around February 21st. A winter baby!
I think that I am going to be pregnant during the perfect time because I am always cold so being a little warmer during those cold months will be a blessing! Also I will be able to eat whatever I want during the Fair (only 11 more weeks to go!!!) and during the holidays and feel okay about it! :) Then once the baby arrives, I will have March, April and May to get healthy and back to pre-pregnancy weight before the summer!
I'm so thankful that God has gone before us and picked this time for us and I cannot wait for Taylor's little brother or sister to be here!

A Trip to the Zoo!

The Como Zoo....always so much fun and always the same, really never different. But today, we took all the kids to the zoo to celebrate Ryan's 4th birthday. I can't believe how fast he's grown up and how big he is getting. After we looked at all the zoo animals, we had a picnic in the park. Heather made cupcakes for the first time and they were really good! I hope that Ryan had a great birthday!

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Garrett's Family Night

Last night, we all got together to spend one last night with Garrett before he left for college. One our most favorite places to eat is Carbones Pizzeria but normally we don't eat at the restaurant itself, we just take the pizza home. This time though, since they have a pool hall, my parents rented it out for the night and we all played pool and ate pizza there. It was a wonderful time and will be a great memory!

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Garrett's Graduation Open House

Today we celebrated Garrett's Graduation with an open house up at my parents' house. I did all the invitations, thank yous and scrapbooking along with the decorating design and the only thing my mom asked me to make was potato salad so this day hasn't been too hectic because most of my work was done before! Heather and I went up there pretty early and Mike and Taylor came later so that I could focus on helping my mom as much as possible. The guests started arriving right on time. My mom and dad know how to make good food so I think everyone really enjoys coming over. My aunts were there in full force just like they have been for each one of our graduations. They are so awesome at making sure all the food stays stocked and ready. The only bummer about the whole day is that it rained consistently from morning til night and that can really put a damper on things especially when there's not enough room in the garage and you're trying to keep the traffic from the house....but what can you do? Nothing! :) So we all just did the best that we could. Oh and the other sad thing is that I barely got any pictures of Garrett....wow.....another lesson learned to take pictures constantly even if you think you are taking too many. It still was a great day even though I cannot believe that we are already to this point in our life! I never thought the day would come when Garrett would be graduating and on his way to college. He's such a good guy and I pray that God will lead and direct him in every step that he now takes as it determines his entire future. Love you Garrett!

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Garage Saling!

My sister Jess loves to garage sale and since I haven't been since we were little, we decided that it was time that I should go.....I'll have to wait to see if I agree with that until after we are done. Anyways, we packed the kids in the car and emptied the back of the truck to store all our goodies, and away we went. I found some really good deals for Taylor, from church clothes to pajamas and only ended up with about $8 lost! So I'm happy! The steal of a deal was this Pottery Barn coat storage rack thing - not quite sure how to describe it so that's the best I can. It's what I've always wanted to get for the entry way but of course, anything Pottery Barn is just a little out of my price range so this was the blessing of the day. Here's a picture of the kids after all the events of the day......so very sweet!

Garrett Graduates!

Garrett is finally graduating! Since he was home-schooled, he graduated with other home-schooled students in one big ceremony through YEAH. Each student was able to put together a profile with personal pictures that they narrated and added a meaningful song to. Garrett's was very good except for the lovely picture that he put of me in there - my mouth is wide open....wow, what a great brother! :)
I had to sit in the quiet room with Taylor the whole time but that's okay because he was able to walk around. Sitting right now is a very hard thing to do. I'm sure that phase will pass. Actually, not very hopeful but I can dream, right?
After the ceremony was over, we all went to Red Lobster to celebrate Garrett's birthday and since seafood is his favorite, we obliged.
What a memory and what a time - it feels really strange now that we are all "grown up".

Birthday Sunday

So I indulged myself and put Taylor in a seersucker suit yesterday for church. It was the most adorable outfit ever and I'm sure that it will only be this once that he will wear it because already he is almost too big for it.....so sad how quickly they grow.

We sang to him in the morning and he put his penny in the world and we also got to sing to him at night. I took him out of the nursery just for that song and then had to put him back in and that's not the funnest thing when he's going through that separation anxiety and just screams and clings as I drop him off. But I've found that once I've walked away, he is just fine and plays with everyone very well. Out of sight, out of mind, huh?

I took a picture of him and Keira in the morning and just had to post it so everyone could see just how adorable he was. Thank you for indulging me! :)

Taylor's First Birthday!

We celebrated Taylor's first birthday on Saturday!!! We were able to do it on his birthday because it fell on a Saturday. So we invited the entire Henderson clan and the entire Anderson clan along with Auntie Erica and celebrated in style! I'm not sure that Taylor actually knew what was going on but he did LOVE the cake and presents....what child wouldn't? :)
The whole family came out except for Heather & Donald and the boys since they had planned something months previously. We had a hotdog cookout and my mom brought her famous potato salad. It was a beautiful wonderful sunny evening and we had a great time!
The funniest story of the entire night was when we lit Taylor's candle for him to blow out and put it on the high chair. He looked at it for a few seconds and then proceeded to touch it with his pointer finger and burn the tip of his finger! Which accounts for the tears right in the beginning but as soon as there was some frosting on that finger, there were smiles all around!
It was a wonderful wonderful day and I'm so thankful for all the family that showed us how much they love Taylor - it means so much to us!

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Play Date!

Today we met Heather with Ryan, Trevor and Blake, Esther with Ethan and Owen, Jessica with Blake and Keira and Sara with Luke and Colton at the Foley McDonalds to play together and eat a very nutritious lunch :)! I know, I know we are totally sane to be doing that right?
I am very tired after getting back from 2 1/2 hour play date and I didn't even play!!! But I sure did eat! HA!
The kids really did like all the time they got to spend together - even though there were a few crying episodes and at one point one of them had his pants off....won't mention who that was! But it was hilarious, hilarious for everyone except the mom of that crazy little boy!!!
Esther and Sara are a blast to be with and make being a mom so fun! And I never miss a time with my sisters so it was a great play date!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Preparing for Graduation!

Garrett is graduating this May and since I am the self-proclaimed scrapbooking queen, I have been nominated to help him with his graduation mementos and pictures. He came over yesterday to go through the pictures and figure out how we were going to display everything. Even though we live so close we hardly ever spend one on one time together and this day was special. I made marinated grilled chicken breasts with oven roasted potatoes and it was delicious! It's very hard to compete with my dad in grilling but Garrett kept complimenting me so maybe, just maybe I can grill as good as my dad! :) We spent alot of time talking so there is still quite a bit to be figured out but we had a great time doing it. We ended the night with raspberry chocolate crumb bars which where heavenly! I think there is gonna be a few more times to come before the whole graduation party is planned.......

We Are In The Clear!!!

The last pox has scabbed over! We are now welcome into the world! I don't know what to do first but looking at my calendar for next week, I can tell that I haven't seen anyone for quite a while! I really need to go grocery shopping so I'm sure that will be the one of the first stops that I make. I cannot relay how happy I am that the normal life is almost back! Can't wait to see everyone!

Matt and Jess moved!

Today I went to my sister Jessica's house to help her move - from the top floor of her apartment to the first floor of her apartment - really, straight down the stairs. Mom Henderson watched Taylor for me since I was going to be helping paint the rooms (hers and the kids'). The nice thing was that we were able to just go down the stairs and put things away in the new apartment - no packing required! The set up seems to be so much nicer and I am so happy for them because now they will be able to let the kids play out on the patio and grill. It was a busy happy day but it was very fulfilling!