Taylor Made

Privacy please!

2011-01-14T21:13:00.000-05:00

No explanation available ... still looking for the words to describe it ...

Toren's Birthday!

2011-01-14T21:03:00.003-05:00

Toren turned 2 on January 5th. Adele made him "truck" cake, which he was pretty excited about. The candles scared him a bit at first, but after he blew them out ... and then asked to blow them out again ... and again ... and again, he finally figured this birthday stuff was pretty cool. Now every time he sees candles, like our pretty scented candles around the house, he says "Birday" and tries to blow on the. I'd have to say that I think the truck turned out pretty cool myself. I was proud of Adele's creativity, but I was especially proud that Adele decided to embrace the "racial diversity" that is in our nieghborhood with the truck driver that was made out of tootsie rolls!

Boy has game!

2011-01-07T16:58:00.003-05:00

Just thought I'd share a quick photo of Toren's budding basketball skills. Check out the form on this shot! Look at the follow through ... and yes, the ball went in! Toren will literally spend about 15-20 minutes on this hoop at a time, usually 4 or 5 times a day. Dude's got game! Give him another couple of months and we'll be having some serious one-on-one games in the Taylor household. Game on!

It's about time....

2009-01-24T11:00:00.006-05:00

I know, I know...I haven't been the best at keeping up on my posts...to say the least. However, I'm back, whether that be good or bad I'll leave it up to you to decide. I stopped posting last summer because I was so ill with my pregnancy and didn't have much of a break with my little one at my side. Goodness, she was lucky if she got to go outside during that time and it showed, especially when she would get excited to see a tree when we walked outside...pathetic I know. Fortunately, that passed and we played as much as we could outdoors. Needless to say, Ava is a very active little girl full of energy and life. However, now it is winter and we are stuck inside once again and to top it off we have a little one that keeps us indoors vs venturing out in the frigid cold. Poor Ava. Yep, for those of you who didn't know, Toren was born Jan. 5th and was a whoppin' 10 lbs 3 oz and 22 1/2 in long. Doug's got his lit'l linebacker....and myself...well, I'm busy and enjoying it. Ava absolutely loves the little tyke, granted, she's adjusting like any toddler needs to and in the middle of the "twos" (I won't say terrible - though they are at times - they sure are exciting times too...the "twos").

Anyhow, I'll spare the detailed update of the year and leave you with some pictures and highlights.

Trail Marathon

2008-10-06T21:39:00.009-04:00

Three years ago one of my brother-in-laws (Stephen) convinced me that running a marathon would be fun, and since all the Garrett brothers were going to do one together, I should join them. I figured, "Hey, if Stephen can do it, then I surely can." So I did it. Of course, only one of the four ended up doing it, but I enjoyed the experience, and thus I meekly became a "runner" ... (seriously, if you saw me "run," you'd know what I meant by "runner"!)

Fast-forward three years later and here I am at the starting line of my second marathon, although this one was a little unconventional. This wasn't your regular street marathon ... this was a marathon on single-track hiking trails in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Beautiful? Yes! Lot's of hills? Oh, yeah! :( Anyway, I love being in the woods and on trails, so this seemed like a natural fit, right? Well, sorta ... minus the whole running for 26.2 miles thing. Anyway, If you have the time, I'll take you through all 26.2 miles, and what it was like.

Starting Line -- Adele dropped me off at the starting line at 6:00 in the morning for the 7:00 am start. I got all my trail running gear on, which consisted of trail shoes (different than running shoes ... stiffer, more traction, less cushoning), my running shirt, shorts, bandanna on my head for sweat, and a North Face running backpack (like a Camelbak). About 10 "GU" packs, and my ipod. I was set. I scanned the competition ... and realized I'd not even be close to winning, and settled into the fact that my goal was to cross the finish line ... somehow.

Miles 0-4 -- Okay, so I was so nervous and so hydrated before the race I could hardly keep from wetting my pants, but once we were off, that feeling left me ... until about mile 8, but that is beside the point. The first five miles everybody was pretty crowded on the trails. We had a bit of road running at first to sort of spread out before the trails, but still, when we hit the trail I was somewhat constrained by who was in front of me. Passing wasn't easy. The first few miles were easy, with mostly flat terrain. I just picked an easy pace, knowing that I had a long way to go. Weather was ideal, high 50's and low 60's. We ran around a lake at the first, and it was foggy, giving way to a very serene, mystic morning. It was very quiet, other than runners breathing and their footsteps. It may sound weird, but it was a crazy cool couple of miles. I felt like William Wallace from Braveheart, minus a huge sword ... and a kilt.

Miles 4-8 -- We hit a small aid station being manned by Boy Scouts at mile 3.7, with some water, bannanas, pretzels, Gu's, and sports drinks ... oh yeah, and salt and raw potatoes. Apparently raw potatoes and salt are good for those few hearty souls doing 40 miles that day. Anyway, immediately after the aid station we began our almost 5 mile ascent up the mountain ... about 3,600 feet of elevation gain. Running quickly turned into a power hike up the mountain. You could tell those who weren't ready for the climb because they quickly faded. I was going strong the entire way up the mountain, even running in spots that weren't too steep. Again, I tried to take it easy knowing I had a long way to go.

Miles 9-13 -- At the top of the mountain we had to check in at a small aid station before our descent. Now, one would think that coming down the mountain would be easy and fun, as I did. However, that is not the case. While it's easy to go fast, I soon realized that I had to control how fast I came down the mountain so as to not injure myself by stepping on a rock or root, or going off the trail on a sharp switchback. After about 3 miles, my legs felt like they were going to explode ... no, seriously, I thought they were going to blow up! They were full of blood and they were huge ... kinda liked that part, actually! Ok, just kidding. Anyway, even though I was trying to control myself going downhill, I was still going too fast. How do I know this? Easy, when you trip and hit the ground, roll down the hill a couple of times, and end up laying on your back looking up through the trees, you instantly know you were going too fast. Yes, that happened! Fortunately, it didn't hurt, and more importantly, nobody was around to see me fall. By this point in the race, things had spread out a bit and I was mostly alone, which I loved. I definetly started feeling my energy levels being depleted through this point of the race. I had not really been able to train on steep terrain, so it was taking a lot of energy for me to run up and down that mountain. Plus, given the fact that I wasn't the most dedicated in my training, this shouldn't be a surprise to anyone! Anyway, the race was comprised of a 13 mile loop, so at mile 13 I came through the starting line to check in, restock my supplies, and head out again. It took me 2:25, which put my on pace for a 5:00 finish, about what I expected. Here's me half-way through the race.
Miles 13-17 -- After a quick pit stop, I was back out. This time, I pretty much had the trail to myself. We started with about 80 runners, but only about 30 runners went further than a half-marathon, or 2 loops. It was a little too lonely ... and a little depressing knowing what I had left to do to be done. The last few miles before coming into the half-way mark were surprisingly difficult, and I felt about as tired at this point as I had at the end of my longest training run, which was 20 miles. This was not a good sign. Again, these miles were the easiest of the loop, so I was able to just kind of move along at about the same pace as I had the first time through. The fog was gone, but it was still beautiful and peaceful.

Miles 18-22 -- I hit the aid station right before the climb. The Boy Scouts wished me luck and told me I was looking "strong." That's a lie ... but hey, it made me feel good. This time around, I power-hiked the entire stretch. I knew there was no way I'd make it if I actually tried to run any uphill portion of this. Again, I moved along at a pretty good pace. While I was "walking," some old guy came up behind me. We chatted for a bit, then he asked to pass me. I told him good luck, and that I'd see him at the finish line. He responded with "only if you're doing all 40!" Meaning, he was running a 40 mile ultramarathon, and he was passing me ... and he was in his late 40's! Sort had myself a little humble pie at this point. Nonetheless, I was running my own race. Fortunately, he was the only one to pass me going up the hill. I was getting pretty anxious to reach the top, but it seemed to drag on forever. I was getting pretty tired, and was starting to feel a good burn in my legs and lungs. During this stretch I started getting some random aches and pains in my back and shoulders, mostly from my backpack ... and the grind of going so far. I pulled some Advil out of my backpack and carried on to the check-in station on the top of the moutain.

Miles 22-Finish -- After checking in, I pulled out my cell phone to call Adele and give her an idea as to how far away I was so she could time to meet me at the finish. I sorta felt like a dork pulling out a cell phone in the middle of a race in the middle of the woods, but hey, nobody could see me, so I didn't care. I started down the hill and quickly caught up to another runner who was going a bit slower than I wanted to go, but I didn't dare pass and then not be able to run fast enough to "justify" the pass, so I settled in behind him for a bit during the steepest part of the descent. All I can say about the next 3 miles is "holy canoly!" My legs were killing me! I had nothing left in my legs, and I could feel the lactic acid starting to buil up in them. At this point, my knees and hips started to ache quite a bit, and I just tried to put the pain out of my mind and run ... to sorta zone out ... and it seemed to work. Pretty soon the guy pulled over to walk and I passed him and kept going. My pace was slowing, but I kept pushing knowing I didn't have to run for a long time after the race, so I could afford to hurt for several days.

I passed this guy at about mile 24, so I had a little more than 2.5 miles left, which at this point, seemed like a whole other marathon! From this point on I was running pretty close to another runner about my same age. We kept passing each other all the way into the finish. His legs were locking up and cramping on him, so he couldn't run at times. I could feel myself almost getting there, so I chose to walk to try to prevent it. It worked ... well, at least my legs didn't lock up during the race. I hit a final aid station at about mile 25, and I promised the Boy Scouts a rank advancement if they'd carry me in to the finish line, but they wouldn't! Booo! Anyway, I had lots of thoughts during this last little bit ... most suicidal, and thoughts about not seeing my family again, about why was I so dumb for doing this in the first place ... you know,thoughts like that. I had hit a literal "wall" on my descent up the mountain, so I was hating life pretty good at this point. I kept chugging and finally finished in 5:25. It took me 25 minutes longer the second loop, which I didn't mind, considering I was just happy to finish.

Coming in to the finish line.

Being greeted by the race director as I crossed the finish line.

A little celebratory kiss!

Yes, I am in pain ... as Ava literally runs circles around me. Sad thing is, I was running about as fast as she was the last few miles..

This is what people look like when they can't feel their legs!

My dust "tan" line in all it's glory.

All in all, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. In fact, I'm going to do a couple of these next year. Even though the physical punishment of running 26.2 miles in the mountains is pretty intense, the sense of accomplishment and the mental stamina required left me with an incredible feeling of pure satisfaction. Marathons have an ability to take your body to the edge ... to a place you've never visited unless you've "been there and done that," and helps you know what the phrase "mind over matter" really means. Even though I "felt" that race for many days in my body, the mental aspects of it never will leave.

Some Summer Highlights!

2008-10-06T20:48:00.005-04:00

Okay ... fine ... we get it! We are really bad bloggers! Our sincerest apologies! Great, now that that is over, we can finally move on. Since there is no way for us to catch up on the action past summer, we wanted to post a few highlights of what's been happening since ... well, April, when we last posted a blog. Gee, that's what ... six months ... yeah, we're really bad. We do have an excuse; however, and that is that Adele felt really crappy for several months when she was in the first few months of her pregnancy. Once out of practice, it's hard to jump back into the swing of things. That said, here's some highlights of the summer .. with more to follow.

Street Basketball Tournament:
In an effort to be an EOB -- and Equal Opportunity Blogger -- aka, try not to make every blog about Ava, I've included a little pic of a little 3 on 3 streetball tournament that I was in with a couple of friends, Dave Nielson and Brad Hinton. We did ok, considering we mostly played some "brothas from the Hood!" As you can see, the setting was something you don't find in Idaho Falls. I'm the dude in a blue shirt and black shorts that's about to take this sap to the rack! Boo-ya!

Swimming ... You Bet!
We had a pretty nice pool at the complex where we live, so we would take Ava there often. As you can see, she was always "stylin" at the pool! She loved the floatie thingy ... most of the time, and of course, she couldn't go out without her shades. But then again, what chic chick would? And yes, those are "new" teeth that Ava is showing off!

Cooking Time:Since Ava's favorite toy is her mome, Adele started incorporating Ava's "helpfullness" in the kitchen. Rather than her crying at Adele's feet all day, she just put her to work. Is this violating child labor laws? Eh, who cares ... as long as it's within the walls of my h0me, it's legal! Just this morning Ava kept saying "chair ... chair ... chair." We couldn't figure out what she wanted. Eventually, Adele realized that Ava wanted to stand on the chair next to mom to help prepare her breakfast. Shoot, if this keeps up, Adele might be able to take some breaks while Ava whips us up something tasty to eat! Or maybe not ...

We love visitors

2008-04-24T21:33:00.004-04:00

Stephen and Brooke came to visit us this month and we absolutely loved their company. The only downer was that a huge storm came through knocking off all the blossom petals the night they arrived, so they missed the cherry blossoms by hours...so sad...oh, and Ava was sick the majority of their visit. That didn't stop them from enjoying their trip, of course.

Though, after their return from Italy the week before, the US architecture just doesn't stand to Italian Renaissance, however, taking part of US History can top any Italian structure. Stephen couldn't get over the fact that he helped Doug write the last paragraph of a speech he wrote for the Senator, and we all thoroughly enjoyed watching him revel in his opportunity to leave his "mark" in US History.

Despite Ava's sickness we still tried to get out with them here and there.

Great Falls...great family.

I love my bro...and doesn't Brooke just look lovely. Actually, Ava absolutely loves Stephen and always has. She will stare at him for lengthy periods of time...just fascinated with his presence. I just wish we could get into that tiny brain of hers and figure out what she's really thinking.

I was pretty excited at how this picture turned out...I think we'll actually be framing this one.

Cherry Blossoms

2008-04-24T17:30:00.004-04:00

On April 1st, some ladies in my ward got together and went to the tidal basin to enjoy the cherry blossoms. One word...FREEZING!

Though the sun was out and there were clear skies, it was deceiving 'cuz it was bone chilling cold that morning. Fortunately, once we walked partially around the basin we found a nice spot, by the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Monument, to throw out a blanket and let the kids run loose.

It was pleasant since the trees surrounding us blocked the wind. After our little break, it had warmed up nicely, so it was a little more bearable.

It was a fun day, and nice getting to know these ladies a bit more.

This is my personal favorite.

Kites a flyin'

2008-04-24T16:31:00.004-04:00

Once again,...at the end of March (I'm catching up) we decided to go check out the Cherry Blossoms but detoured over to the Mall instead where we saw hundreds and hundreds of kites flying in the air and thousands of people everywhere. I had forgotten that kites were part of the Cherry Blossom festival activities. I'll be honest, the picture does NOT give it justice. It was quite a site when the wind would pick up and the sky was speckled with all sorts of shapes, sizes and color along with the monuments and Capitol in the background. Again, this picture is just a glimpse of what we saw. Maybe next year we'll actually participate and fly a kite.

Picnic'n Time

2008-04-24T16:17:00.004-04:00

Sometimes I take for granted what surrounds us here in DC. At the end of March, Ava and I went to visit Doug at work and have a picnic during his lunch hour. So, we just headed to the Library of Congress and plopped in the shade to enjoy a fancy lunch consisting of ham and cheese sandwiches. Notice our view in the background of the U.S. Capitol. I feel fortunate that we are surrounded by so much History in our own humdrum life, that we can easily take part in it....even if it is simply enjoying a view at lunch time.

Annual White House Easter Egg Roll

2008-04-08T10:29:00.008-04:00

My timeliness of this posting is not so hot considering this event was the day after Easter. Regardless, it is still worthy of a 'post'. As mentioned earlier, I camped out for tickets to the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, and it was well worth it. Despite Ava's young age, it was a lot of fun. Although there were a variety of activities on the lawn; face painting, story telling, magic shows, entertainment (including the Jonas Brothers for all you preteens out there), Easter egg hunt, Easter maze, Easter egg roll and much more - I will say that Ava's favorite activity was simply walking around the White House lawn with a yellow crayon she swiped from the bunny-ear hat coloring booth. She was everywhere with that crayon as seen in the picture (please revert your eyes from the large derriere in the middle of the pic).

However, the highlight of my day was Ava's participation in the Easter egg roll - notice the man snatching the egg out of Ava's hand before she was able to actually cross the finish line. In his defense, you can see others lined up and waiting for us to finish before they blew the whistle - they sure did file people through. It sure was fun!

As you can see, Ava wasn't so fond of some of the visitors, like Strawberry Shortcake.

...Hmm, maybe one day... I've got a handsome husband if I do say so myselfIt's nice to see that some secret service have spirit Not that way Ava, or you just may get pounced by security but there's so much to see, and so much to do....isn't that life?!

Easter Sunday

2008-04-02T20:07:00.003-04:00

"Happy Easter!" Ava absolutely loves wearing hats. Here she is sporting her Easter best. Though she didn't wear the hat to church I still think she looked adorable.

Flashback to Girls Camp

2008-04-02T19:58:00.005-04:00

With Easter coming up Julie and I had been talking about getting tickets to the Annual White House Easter Egg Roll. In order to get tickets, however, we had to camp out since it was first come, first serve. We had been tossing the idea around with our husbands, who...needless to say...were fine with going, if we did the dirty work. Fine with us. Thanks to Julie, who kept the idea going, more and more 'moms' in neighboring wards decided it would be fun. It was. We camped by the Ellipse in DC, right along 15th Street. The weather was better than expected, though it did get pretty windy around 3 am. Though I had a blast with the ladies and loved the view of monuments and the White House surrounding us, I will say I felt like I had been hit by a bus the next day. I don't want to admit it, but I think I'm too old for pulling all-nighters...though it won't stop me from doing it again next year!

This was my view the majority of the evening, let me rephrase that....the morning. (Rebecca, Shane and Julie - you look fantastic)

finger lickin' good

2008-04-02T19:21:00.006-04:00

Upon our return from AZ I cleaned out the fridge and Ava found herself a treat. Who knew she would devour this plum! It was just her size, as was the make-shift towel/bib. (just a side note...I really do do her hair, but it's no use...it has just as much personality as Ava has)

Arizona Trip

2008-04-01T10:02:00.010-04:00

A month ago Ava and I went to Arizona for a week. It was the perfect time to go...one we left to get out of Doug's hair so he could finish his thesis, and two it was absolutely beautiful weather. We were able to spendplenty of time with my sisters, Ava's cousins and Grandpa Garrett. As usual, it was sad to leave but I left with plenty of memories: Ava's first zoo excursion, clearance shopping, ATV riding, ATV rolling (where was my camera for that one, still have evidence on my leg of the incident...how about you Marie?), catching up with ol' friends, Daddy-daughter(s) date, food garlore, AZ Temple visit, and my favorite was watching Ava interact with all her cousins and dancing with Grandpa. It was fun! Thanks for the memories fam!

2008-03-21T13:55:00.002-04:00

Playgroup Passi

2008-02-26T23:07:00.002-05:00

Last week Julie, Megan, the kids (Elliot, Ethan & Ava) and I went to the Natural History Smithsonian, but quickly decided to go back outside and enjoy the most beautiful day ever. Spring fever!

joy ride

2008-02-26T22:56:00.006-05:00

In the midst of doing some Saturday cleaning, Doug took Ava for a little joy ride.

innocent until proven guilty

2008-02-26T22:33:00.006-05:00

While I was getting Ava's breakfast ready, she had managed to pull the placemat and milk off of the table. Her face says it all.

Follow the Leader

2008-02-26T22:14:00.005-05:00

Ava started playing 'follow the leader' out of the blue one evening and we thought it was adorable, though the clip doesn't quite give it the justice it deserves.

...Sew...a needle pulling thread...

2008-02-26T21:43:00.006-05:00

As many of you know, I'm not the craftiest person in the world. However, my friend Julie is prodding me along in our mini projects. She's quite inspiring...and patient. This last project took us a month to do with my lack of expertise and with our little gals at our heels. Look at the picture and make a guess first (hers on left and mine's on right, with the opposite material for the backing). If you have any imagination at all you will see the obvious shape of a cat. We printed the pattern off of the Amy Butler website and went for it. Despite the imperfections, what I like to believe gives them personality and character, they didn't turn out to bad. Ava and Elliot got a kick out of the sewing machine and were mesmerized, until they started head butting.

Sneaky Sneaky

2008-01-30T16:50:00.000-05:00

Like most kids, Ava has always been fascinated with garbage cans and their contents. On this particular day I was busy doing who knows what and noticed the silence in our little apartment. As I came around the corner I couldn't help but catch her in the act, and this was the result. Notice she turns away from me and does a sort of grunting sound? Yes, this is Ava's talking back to mom and dad voice. When we actually say "no-no-no", that's when the grunts get deeper and louder, it's hilarious.

and she's off...

2008-01-30T16:29:00.000-05:00

Yep, two days after her first birthday Ava just took off. After her first steps over Christmas she really clung onto Mom and Dad, didn't quite want to give us up yet. However, she continued to walk with her push-n'-ride toy, holding onto furniture and along walls. A week or two before her first birthday (Jan 19th) she would push off whatever she was holding onto and take a few steps and then a few more. On Monday, Jan 21st she really let go and hasn't stopped since. In fact, she does laps around our house, it's quite the game for her. Fortunately, Doug was home for the holiday so he could join in on the excitement. But, the really nice by-product of it all is that mom is able to get more done and have a bit more freedom...I LOVE IT!!!

Ava's Birthday Bash

2008-01-30T16:09:00.000-05:00

Ava turned 1 year old on January 19th, so we had a few friends over for waffles and cake...fun times. She had a ball with her little buddies and really enjoyed her cake too, so much so that she got cake all over her face and in her eyes. This pic is only the prelude of what was to come. We tried to have her sing for the group as a thank you, but she got stage fright (imagine that - it doesn't happen too often with Ava). However, we were able to capture her cheering to the BYU fight song that night in her birthday outfit from G-ma Vicki & G-pa Brent. So, here's a thank you song for ya'll!

"Choo Choo Peanut Butter"

2008-01-30T15:59:00.001-05:00

The peanut song is one of Ava's favorites and we are quite pleased with her little performance. (The Taylor family should appreciate this clip)

Hand in Hand

2008-01-30T15:47:00.000-05:00

Doug, Ava & I visited Mt. Vernon on one of the most beautiful days this winter. The estate was absolutely gorgeous, but this view was my favorite!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

2008-01-30T15:10:00.000-05:00

We were able to spend Christmas in Utah with the Taylor family. It was such a relaxing and mellow break, patially due to all of the sickness going around the family. However, that didn't stop us from enjoying it. For one, it was a white Christmas since it snowed everyday while we were there. More importantly, Ava took her first steps without any assistance, thanks to Grandma & Grandpa Taylor's persistance. It was great to share in that experience with all of the family!

Got a hankerin' for some flavor...

2008-01-30T14:57:00.000-05:00

Our little girl loves spice. Mom got up for a split second, came back and she was covered in salsa.

Ho Ho Ho

2008-01-30T13:38:00.000-05:00

December hit and it was crazy. First off, Santa came to visit our Ward Christmas Party and as you can see Ava was not so fond of the Jolly Ol' Fella. We didn't think it would have much of an effect on her, just an unhappy (though humorous to bystanders)moment. However, from that evening on Ava would not have anything to do with men who had facial hair or a head of white hair. That is no joke,...really! Our guy friends, and Grandpa Taylor can attest. Fortunately, she warmed up to Grandpa fairly quickly over the Christmas holidays, but it hasn't been until the last week or so that she would interact with our facial haired friends. Nevertheless, we still enjoyed the festive season. In fact, Ava helped mom with the Christmas lights and had a ball being her busy little self.

Also mom and Ava were able to get out and enjoy some of the holiday sights. We visited National Christmas Tree and The US Botanical Gardens featuring trains and models of the monuments made out of plants (sticks, leaves, etc - absolutely amazing). We're sad Dad couldn't enjoy it with us. He sure is a hard workin' man!

Thanksgiving

2008-01-30T09:56:00.000-05:00

We were able to spend Thanksgiving in Cincinnati, OH with part of Doug's family. Some of the festivities included the Cincinnati Zoo where Ava saw her first Reindeer and Christmas lights, a tour of downtown Cincinnati by carriage and probably the most popular of all was playing the Wii that April and Nate brought with them. I'm a fan! It was a fun trip, but we are sad it will be the last in OH since the Clayton's have recently moved to Georgia. I guess that just means a different adventure the next time we visit.

As well, we really enjoyed watching Ava interact with her cousins. She loves kids her age and squeals with delight when any are around. Even though she wasn't quite herself since she was sick, I think was was still very entertained by their company.

Lurray Caverns

2008-01-29T21:50:00.000-05:00

It was time for us to get a break from the DC Metro area, so we packed a picnic and drove toward the Shenandoah Mountains. We drove over the ridge and unexpectedly came upon Luray Caverns, which is evidently the largest caverns in Eastern America, so we had to stop. I wish you could see this with your own eyes because this picture doesn't give it justice. What you see is actually a reflection on a shallow pool of water. When you come upon it, you really think that you are looking into a deep cavern of pillars...amazing.

Even more amazing is the Great Stalacpipe Organ that was built in the mid 1900's...that's right the notes are actually played off of the stalactites and were tuned by sawing them to certain lengths. It was a very beautiful sound.

Ava in her chariot, aka Dad.

Fall Leaves

2008-01-29T21:43:00.000-05:00

With the cool weather came absolutely gorgeous leaves. So, I did what any new mom would do, had a photo shoot. It was a beautiful sunny day, a bit on the chilly side, so we had to make it quick since Ava was in short sleeves for the pictures. However, she should be used to her mini paparazzi moments by now.

Halloween 2007

2008-01-29T21:11:00.000-05:00

For those of you who don't know, Doug's birthday is on the 31st of October. To celebrate, we invited friends over for a Halloween Party. I enjoyed decorating and preparing for the party but at the same time realized I really am too much of a perfectionist. I stressed over decorating, sad. But it ended up being better than I had expected and others' remarks made me even more pleased with the outcome. I will say I am very proud of one item that added to the decor and that is the tree we built from branches pieced together. We used it for the Halloween party (see pic) and then left only the leaves on for Thanksgiving. Finally, we had the bare branches with white lights and poinsettia for Christmas. Now that it is gone(Doug really enjoyed destroying it and throwing it over our balcony) the corner seems so empty and blah.

Since we were being so festive we all dressed up as a barnyard family, inspired by Doug's sheep costume that he insists wearing year after year. Unfortunately, none of the pictures really turned out, however this one probably most accurately depicts Ava's emotions for that evening.

Woo-hoo...I'm blogging!

2008-01-29T20:48:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's the first time for me to "blog"! Doug is the one that set this all up (goodness, over 6 months ago) and as you can see we haven't posted much. Doug's theory for my delay in posting is that the perfectionist in me is expecting too much that I end up being overwhelmed and put what is to be the 'grand and absolutely amazing entry' aside...again and again and again. As well, I was talking to my friend Laura the other day and to my surprise she was surprised that I wasn't getting into the whole blogging experience. It hadn't dawned on me that since I had worked in a computer lab in college I might be on top of and into this type of technology...which obviously hasn't been the case. However, her reaction has given me a more positive outlook of my abilities to get bloggin'. So, here I am admitting that Doug is probably right about my perfectionism and forewarning all our devout readers (HA!) that my 'grand and absolutely amazing entries' will most likely be 'not so grand entries'....but heck,...here it goes anyhow.

Just to get me used to blogging I'm actually going to post a number of photos/videos/entries to catch you up on these past 6+ months...and for your viewing pleasure. WOO-HOO...I'm bloggin!

A make-do baby pen!

2007-11-11T13:32:00.000-05:00

Now that Ava is scooting around the house, it makes it hard for us to sometimes keep track of her. Well, we were trying to clean the house, and Ava was getting into all sorts of trouble, so we improvised. What we discovered was a box (preferably plastic, as Ava would eat cardboard!) is a great way to keep Ava under wraps. Throw in a few toys, and bam, baby control! This, of course, was Dad's idea. Well, about five minutes into the box, and Ava decides to try and stand up. When she did, she fell and hit her mouth on the top edge, and cut her mouth. We heard her scream, ran over there, and saw blood all over in her mouth. This freaked us out a little bit, but after calming her down (a daunting task) and rinsing out her mouth and discovering the damage wasn't too bad, we were able to move on with the day. Next time, we'll opt for the cardboard box, even if she eats her way out of it!

Ava talking ... sort of!

2007-10-28T22:13:00.000-04:00

Ava is constantly making noise ... or talking, I guess. Here's a sampling of what she sounds like a good part of the day. That is to say, she's talking when she isn't squealing at the top of her lungs!

Humidity is HORRIBLE!

2007-06-29T10:41:00.000-04:00

Funny story ... one of my coworkers went to the zoo where they had a rainforest exhibit. Outside the "rainforest" was a warning sign that said, "WARNING. Hot Temperatures and High Humidity. Be Advised." However, upon leaving the exhibit, my coworker realized it was actually more comfortable inside the exhibit than outside in Washington, D.C.!

Now, why that story matters. It's been very hot, humid, and muggy! My buddy at church went to Florida for a week. When he came back he said the temperatures and humidity were worse in DC than in Florida. Yes, it's true, it's not a good idea to visit us in the summer if you don't like to sweat all day long.

Now, whey this story really matters to me! My A/C in my car doesn't work. Now, I know this isn't Arizona heat, but when it's 95 degrees and the humidity is over 90% ... well, you can imagine. When I drive to work I carry a hankerchief with me to wipe of the condensation (aka sweat) from my face. And every day when I get home from work, I have to shower from the drive home from work because I'm so hot! (Of course, Adele would claim it's because I'm all worked up with road rage from the heavy traffic and bad cab drivers, which may very likely be the case!) Regardless, days like what we've had lately makes the cold, windy Idaho weather seem a little more enviable.

We're bloggers!

2007-06-17T17:24:00.001-04:00

Ok, so we thought sending out emails was a great way to stay in touch ... only problem was we never sent out emails with pictures of us in Washington, D.C., so in an effort to be better connected, we're setting up this blog. Our objective is to find a better way to share pictures and stories with family, and fortunately for us, blogger.com is hooking us up. So here's our first little attempt to share some info.

We'll be working on putting more pictures and stories on this blog in the next few weeks. We hope that this website becomes a frequent stop for many of you ... and we hope you find something new and exciting each time you visit. Our deepest desires (if you can call it that) is that each family will set up their own blogs so that we can all keep in touch. Anyhow, this post is just a test run. Hopefully we'll be able to get lots and lots of info on this site so that we can share what's going on with the Taylors in DC!