I love Sanpete!

Our Taylor family reunion was in Sanpete County this summer! It was so fun for me (Mark was a good sport about it) to take a walk down memory lane and revisit my good old Snow College days. I LOVED my two years in that great valley and have many fond memories! We set out on the long drive in the late afternoon on Thursday, because I had a Core Academy training, and arrived at the Manti pageant with one or two hours to spare. We walked around, took a ride on a tractor train, and visited with Mark's family. Our carefree time came to a screeching halt when Beck puked all over Mark, our blankets, and our chairs. AHHHH!!! We felt so bad and it was a tricky beginning to a short lived reunion.

Last year we did an Amazing Race for our family reunion and it was so much fun. This year I created an Amazing Race - Sanpete Style - and I think it went well. Mark, Beck, and I took a few detours so this is Beck hanging out on the rock benches with rock books on Snow College campus.

Just like True Aggie Night - there was a True Badger Night at Snow and I never became a True Badger. So we did our own little re-enactment. Don't mind out smooching :)


Please excuse my frumpiness... The "natural" side of me comes out when camping! This is where I spent my two years at Snow College - Mountain View Apartments.
First stop on our race around Sanpete Valley - the statue of Moroni on the Manti Temple grounds.
Our friendly tractor train conductor. He was such a nice man and gave Beck a free ride, but don't worry we took care of him after he told us how much his little business was struggling ;)
Our cute little family on the train... I just love my boys! Unfortunately our adventures in Sanpete valley were cut short, because Beck continued to throw up and feel really sick for the rest of the night on Thursday and Friday morning. So we headed back to beautiful Cache Valley after only 24 hours... oh well! We had a good time while it lasted!

Summer Adventures!

I am L-O-V-E LOVING this summer with Beck! We are having so much fun and trying to make the most of every day together. We have been going for lots of walks, splashing and playing in our backyard pool, eating sno cones, playing on his favorite "cat" (aka ipad), taking Daddy lunch and drinks at work, learning the ABC's and trying to count to ten, and just enjoying all of the time we get to spend together.




He LOVES his Chelsee! We are sure going to miss her!
This is just one of the many messes Beck has created over the past few months. He insists on becoming a tornado first thing in the morning and continues throughout the day.

Last Sunday Mark and I almost had a heart attack. He was being so quiet upstairs and we automatically knew something was up. We called for Beck to come downstairs and upon seeing him I thought something was seriously wrong. He had taken my prescription strength hand cream and smeared it all over his head, face, neck, and hands. He looked like a walking tube of vaseline. I was freaking out, not knowing what he had gotten into, and didn't get a picture of the craziness. I was too worried that his eyes were going to start burning, since there was a thick layer of cream on his eyelashes. I know that this is only the beginning of many more adventures to come, but my goal is to try and document them so that someday Beck will know how crazy and curious he was! :)

Celebrations!

Oh how I love this face!
and this face too :)

Our Christmas gift from Mark's parents is to get together twice a year and have dinner with all of his siblings. We love the time we get to spend with everyone and this time it was at the Union Grill in Ogden. We got there a little early and explored the trains that are stationed there... it was so fun to "climb aboard" and see what they were like. I sure do love that good lookin man :)

Out for a little birthday treat at Casper's with my sweetheart!

Congratulations to Chelsee! She graduated and will now be an official first grade teacher at Morgan Elementary! I love how Beck is giving her a shout out in this picture :)

Beck and Uncle Kyle
Mark and my brother Kyle's birthday are a day apart, so we had a celebration for both of them when Kyle came up to visit.
I had such a fun birthday! Mark and I celebrated the Saturday before with breakfast in bed. This is a tradition for birthdays at our house and Mark is so sweet to wake up early and pamper me. I just love that man! Later that day we went to dinner and a movie. It was so fun to spend time with my sweet little family. On my birthday Mark and Beckam sent me beautiful flowers and then showed up for one of the funnest birthday parties I have ever had!

My students are the cutest and sneakiest bunch around! I couldn't believe what they pulled off this year, without me knowing about very much of it at all. Together they planned, prepared, and threw the funnest surprise birthday party for me!

I just LOVED this group of kids and was so impressed with their mad party skills. They designed an invitation, assigned specific tasks to each student, and informed their parents of what was needed to pull this whole shindig together. It was seriously adorable and I felt so loved and appreciated. They asked me to leave during lunch and eat with my teacher friends in the conference room in the office, while they were busy decorating our classroom.


When I returned from lunch I was so surprised and teared up a little at the sight of all they had done. Their parents were there with a full birthday cake, cupcakes for the kids, and lots of gifts. Two of my students had even prepared entertainment for our enjoyment during the party. I have truly felt so blessed this year to teacher such amazing kids! They have been so much fun and definitely a group of kids I will miss very much. To make it all that much better, they invited Mark and Beckam. Mark shared fun facts with my students about me and my childhood. It was so neat to have them there and I was definitely speechless for all they did to make my day great!

My fun day ended with dinner made for me by my sweetheart and yummy ice cream pie. I feel so blessed to have such an amazing husband and sweet baby boy. What a wonderful feeling to know that I am surrounded and loved by so many wonderful people!

Thankful!

It is 8:00 and Beck is still sleeping... a miracle! I am so thankful for the schedule of a teacher, it has been such a joy to be home with my little boy for the past few days and I am really looking forward to the rest of this summer. I am so thankful for the joy that being a mom brings into my life each day. Beck is learning and growing so much! I love watching him try new things and learn how everything works around him. He is 27 months and is so dang fast!

Mark and I have wondered if he is going to be a football player, because he has this amazing ability to run at lightning speed and when I finally get close enough to catch him he knows just the right move to dodge my grasp and keep running! Ahhh!

He knows lots of his letters - B, C, F, I, K, M, O, P, R, S, and T and he LOVES, LOVES, LOVES, to read! Of course as a teacher it makes my day when I walk in and find him sitting on the couch reading a book. Adorable.

He is a singer! At least a few times a day he will stick his bottom lip out, that is his way of asking us to sing "If You Chance to Meet a Frown," then he follows with putting his finger to his mouth and saying "Shhh," and we sing "The Chapel Doors." He is the sweetest little guy and I just love everything about his happy and bubbly personality! In addition to his singing ability - he has some amazing dance moves and it not afraid to show it. Any time we play some upbeat music, he is quick to get his groove thing on :)

His vocabulary and speech improve daily and it is so fun to hear him say new words. I have a little parrot with me everywhere I go and I LOVE it! Lately he has figured out what a butterfly is and says, "fa fly."
I don't want to forget how he says:
Candy = "I you" (don't get it :)
happy = hppy
Beckam = Geckam
bath = bass
swimming = bass
Grandma = Bumpa
Grandpa = Bumpa

What an adventure motherhood is - I am so grateful for it! The last few weeks have been rather awful for sweet Beck. He is pushing through his two year old molars and he is in so much pain. It seriously breaks my heart! I wish there was more I could do for him.