The Taylor Family

What is Important

2011-12-18T22:14:00.001-07:00

I am grateful for trials because they remind you to take a step back and think about what's important. I'm especially grateful that this latest trial we are having has happened at this time. You've probably heard that Evelyn broke her collar bone today. It's heartbreaking to hear her cry because of the pain she has.

She is usually a great sleeper, but right now it's 11:00pm and Will and I have been taking turns trying to get her to sleep for the last hour. (We got her to sleep at 7pm by driving around in the car looking at Christmas lights. We left her in her car seat to help hold her body still but put her in her room for bed. However she moves around a lot in her sleep, and most likely woke up because she couldn't move as she was in her car seat.)

Anyway, why am I grateful that I am going through such a hard time? I have realized that this is a hard thing to go through, but I still have the opportunity to raise Evelyn. She was injured, but it is only temporary. In a few weeks, this will all be a dream. Aside from the broken bone, she is still healthy. I still get to hold her in my arms and give her kisses. While many people are dreaming of presents this time of year and getting sidetracked by the real meaning of Christmas, I am grateful for this trial as all day today I have been thinking of my Heavenly Father and what He must have gone through as His Only Begotten Son atoned for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane and as He later had to watch His perfect Son die on the cross. This trial has helped remind me of my Savior and how grateful I am for His atonement. I know he understands the things we are going through. He atoned for us to satisfy the demands of justice, and to provide a way for us to be forgiven of our sins. But, it was much more than that. He also felt our pains and sorrows. I have found strength as I have looked to him for comfort during this trial and all the other trials I have faced in my life.
So, this Christmas, I'll probably end up getting Evelyn way more presents than we had even actually planned on to try and make up for her misery, but I will also try to forget about my vain desires and wants and remember how to be more like my Savior.
Here's a good video to help you remember. :)
http://lds.org/bible-videos/videos/shepherds-learn-of-the-birth-of-christ?lang=eng

Evelyn Moments

2011-12-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

Evelyn makes me smile....a lot. She is SO goofy. I wish I could remember all the silly things she does or at least get pictures and videos of them all, but then I would probably be constantly filming. :) Here is a recent moment that made me smile.

Evelyn learned to give kisses awhile ago. She was very generous at first. I'd ask for a kiss and she'd open her mouth and lean in towards mine. It was well...wet...but adorable. We must have over asked for them, because after awhile she started to turn away when we asked for them. Then she started to only give them to me for awhile and always turn away from Will. Then she switched on us and started to give Will the kisses. Well, she still has her "moments" but overall she is willing to share her adorable kisses.

Evelyn also loves to play with the book shelf. We have a few books on a shelf that she can reach and she seems to always be taking them down. One of these books happens to be by Dave Ramsey. It looks like this:

She pulled this one down the other day and gave Dave Ramsey a nice big kiss. Will was watching her as she did it and grabbed the book and sure enough, there was a nice wet mark right over his lips. :)

I won't complain

2011-12-05T22:40:00.001-07:00

So, it turns out, it does get cold in Oklahoma. I won't complain though, because my ID friends had some negative weather already. But, brrr...I'm cold. I need to put more plastic up around our windows because we're still getting a lot of cold air coming in. IT'S just TOO WINDY! Any other tips?
Well, we are alive and well. My computer has been down, so I haven't had much computer time, but Will went to bed early tonight as he is hoping to fight off a cold. So, I decided to give my fans a modest update. Let's see. I'll just talk about Thanksgiving. Will and I split a groupon deal with some of our friends here. They found a resort in Branson that had a pretty good deal, especially when you split it between 3 families. So we all shared a 3 bedroom condo type apartment on the lake in Branson. It was a very relaxing getaway Well except for the first couple hours. We stopped in Joplin on our way to Branson, as it was en-route and drove through the town to see what an F5 tornado could do. DEPRESSING! It had been 6 months from the day that the tornado hit, and wow, the destruction that was still left to behold even after all the cleanup that has already been done was immense. We stopped and tried to have lunch across from the hospital that was destroyed. They built a new park in honor of that day. It was nice, but we didn't stay long, one it was too cold to enjoy our lunch, and two they were setting up for a anniversary event that was to be held later. So off we went to Branson. Joplin was a good way to start off my Thanksgiving Holiday. It made me realize how blessed I am. It also showed me what was truly important. If I were to loose everything, would I still be happy?

Well we were in Branson for two days and then We continued our journey an hour and a half south to my home town to have Thanksgiving Dinner with my Grandparents. We spent the night with them and returned home on Friday. I'll have pictures to show next time. Meanwhile here is a list of things I'm grateful for:

My Eternal Family
My Sweet Husband that does so much for me
My beautiful baby girl who makes me so happy
My sister who is so patient with me
All of my wonderful friends who always have something to teach me or help me
The time in which we live. I love being able to be so connected with so many people. I used to think that I was born in the wrong era, but I've realized that I love how information is so accessible and how we can go to so many places so quickly. Two of my favorite things are traveling and learning!
I love the scriptures. They fill me with peace.
I love my warm bed and my comfy pillow. :)
I love this time of year and all the thinking of others that goes on
I am grateful that I can stay at home with Evelyn. Sometimes I wonder if it's worth it, as you can find some great day cares out there, but then when she does something that makes me die of laughter or smiles at me with her toothy grin I remember how lucky I am.
I'm grateful for my Savior. Which is why Christmas is one of my favorite holidays!
I'm grateful for diversity. It reminds me to think of others. I was at Walmart the other day and saw a Muslim women shopping. It hit me, she isn't celebrating Christmas. It was such a foreign thought. The town I grew up in was 100% Christian. I knew one JW and even they were Christian, they just didn't celebrate Christmas. That has changed by now, but yeah...It was a good reminder that there are a lot of people who think and feel differently than me. We can learn a lot from each other and in deed I have learned a lot from people who think differently.
I'm grateful that you read all the way through. I'm grateful for so many things, but I'll call it a night for now. :)

Survey Savvy

2011-10-30T10:03:00.004-06:00

So, I might be a stay at home mom full time, but I have found some side jobs. My new thing is giving my mind over to science. I love living in a BIG college town. I also loved living in a SMALL college town. Rexburg had its perks, but Norman has some too! In a BIG college town, the school focuses on research and that means sometimes they need research participants. In comes me. A few weeks ago, my awesome friend told me about a memory study that she did that only took an hour and she got $20! UM..AWESOME! So, I set up an appointment and swapped babysitting with another friend so she could do the study after me. I stared at a computer and clicked the right mouse button every time I saw one picture and the left mouse button when I saw another. It got boring after awhile. (They did throw things in to change it up and make it more difficult, but yeah it was the easiest $20 I ever got.) Then Will got an email from a psychology teacher in his building looking for students to participate in another memory study. This one is INTENSE! I don't get paid as much. I get $8 an hour and I'm supposed to do 4 hours. I'm usually only in there for 45 minutes for each session though, and they round up the time, so that is nice. The intense thing about this study is I wear a brain imaging net! It looks similar to this.

This study is collecting data and audio and visual response in the brain. All I have to do is look at the computer and every time I see one image or hear one particular sound, I'm supposed to click the left button. They can be together or by themselves. The visual image is hard to see and they will have it displayed for only a second and the brightness changes too. The volume for the sound also changes. There is a separate but similar picture and sound that whenever I see or hear I'm supposed to click the other button. It's actually quite hard because the images are so similar and I only see them for a second. Anyway, I have been doing this study in the morning before Will goes to school, so he stays home with Evelyn. I have two more days left of this study.
Another awesome SURVEY I did was at the grocery store! I just had to answer a few questions about a new meat product, and I got a $20 gift card to the store!
Next, a few months ago the State Fair was going on. I went with my dear friend Amanda. While we were walking around, we entered the Car Show area and found a Ford dealer telling us about a way to get $50 for just test driving a car. So, naturally we signed up. Later, Will and I went on a date to test drive a car a few weeks ago. :) We're so romantic. Anyway, we get to the Ford dealership and we feel like dorks, because we're really not interested in buying a car right now. We told the guy that we'd probably be looking for a bigger car in a couple years, but not anytime soon. So, he's like, well let me just sign the paper for the $ then. If you test drive a car now and get all excited about one, then when you want to buy it, it will be completely outdated, so basically it will be a waste of our time. (It was also a waste of his time...but he didn't say that.) :) So, we were only there for a couple of awkward minutes. But instead of spending any money on our "date" we got paid! We're awesome. (Don't worry that wasn't all we did on our date.)

At the fair. They had a bubble mania thing. It was FUN!

There was also a petting zoo! It was pretty cool. They had a zebra and a kangaroo and a few other random animals I would have never expected too see.

Finally, last week was OU's Homecoming. We decided to take Evelyn to the parade. We started to walk around afterwards and ended up at the family fun zone they do for free every game. We got some little free things, but nothing that exciting. As we left the "fun zone" we walked by the fitness training center and saw a bunch of people walking in and out. We thought we'd check it out, but noticed they all had wristbands on. So we commented about it to each other and someone overheard us and gave us their extra wristbands. Turns out there was about 20 different food vendors giving away food to Season Ticket Holders or donators or something. (We're still not sure on who got the wristbands...) But, we got LOTS of Yummy food! It was amazing. I was pretty happy about that. So, there you have our money making ways. I love life. It's grand. Enjoy some pictures of our crazy life.

Evelyn meeting Boomer & Sooner, the OU Mascot!

Evelyn hanging out on the Sooner Schooner. (Schooner is the name for a covered wagon.)

After the parade, we saw the band relaxing. We thought she'd love the sousaphone. She seriously did! She was just hamming it up for the camera. The Band members loved her. Seriously she knows how to smile for the camera. It's amazing!

The crazy crowd. People are everywhere. This picture doesn't do it justice.


P.S. This happened to be the game that OU lost. SADDEST DAY EVER! Yes, I'm a football fan now. But, I still love my Sooners and they will still do some great things this year! They may not be the greatest team in the nation, but they are pretty good. Also, don't you think it's AWESOME that Oklahoma has 2 Teams in the top 10! What other state can say that. More Proof that OKLAHOMA IS GRAND!

Our blog is growing

2011-10-23T10:08:00.000-06:00

Will decided to create a new blog for our rants and for our thoughts on life and such. Here's the link.

http://lifeaswillandsandraseeit.blogspot.com/

A little about me...

2011-10-11T23:49:00.000-06:00

So first of all, thanks for all of the support on my last post. It was great to hear how much I have in common with many of my friends. Aside from the little personal struggles that everyone seems to have, overall, life here in OK is GRAND! We love it. We love our new friends too. Will has midterms this week, so he is pretty stressed out. I've been volunteering for Just Between Friends in the evenings this week, so instead of spending time with me he can study. He is usually really good about coming home and spending time with me in the evenings. It's not like I don't like spending time with him. :) He needs the extra time to study though, so I'm glad I can be doing something fun, while he is doing something...shall I say...fun?

Many of you know that I have had leg problems. In my past, I've usually hidden it or acted like it didn't exist, not because I was embarrassed or ashamed, but because I didn't think it hindered me at all. Well, I'm finally admitting to myself that it has become a problem and am seeing a physical therapist. My first appointment with him was well concerning. He kept saying things like interesting, and oh wow, and hmm...but I have confidence in myself and know that I can improve. This isn't at all where my post was supposed to go, but this is where my typing took me, so I'll stick with it. I'll share my leg story because I'm sure you are so interested. Actually, I love hearing about medical things, so maybe you do too.

I was born with hip and knee problems. I'm not too sure on this because I never thought about asking my mom, until it was too late to ask her. The only thing she says about it in her journal is that I was born with a knee problem and I had to have several surgeries and I have a few different pictures of me wearing a full lower body cast on my legs when I would have much rather have been crawling or walking. My grandma t. always told me that my leg was wrapped around my sisters neck when I was born, but that doesn't explain all the surgeries I've had. My grandma m. informed me after we were talking about my confusion that I was born with out a hip socket or something like that. After doing some online research I've learned that hip problems are more common than I would have ever realized, especially in girls. It can be genetic, but I'm assuming mine had more to do with me being a twin and breeched and stuff like that. I'm not sure though. At any rate, I've also learned that a procedure to correct this is to take bone from the patella (knee) to recreate the hip bone. So, that would explain the scars on my knee. Anyway, apparently, I had several surgeries when I was a baby to correct this problem. Well, as I grew older, my right leg began to grow shorter. Walking in that condition caused some problems as well. When I was in first grade, I was referred to Shriners Hospital and they put a lift on my shoe to temporarily fix the problem until I was 11 and they lengthened my leg. If you want to read more about that you can go here. That is when I had my first experience with Physical Therapy. I remember having fun, but also being in a lot of pain. I remember one older guy probably in his late teens complaining and some of the staff telling him to act more like me. :) I guess I was a tough cookie. :) Anyway, after that, I just assumed everything was going to be ok. I went to my checkups every year until I turned 18. They always seemed so positive. My leg was still a couple cm. shorter and I couldn't get my leg all the way straight in the knee area, but kids only think about the present, so needless to say I wasn't worried. I could still walk & run...although I ran a little bit weird. (Some guy who I dated in college once told me that I ran cute. I was really confused and didn't know what to think about him. I didn't know I ran weird until then.) Anyway, I was never really worried. I would have some issues, but nothing that caused me concern. It wasn't until I was pregnant that I started to wonder if I would have any problems giving birth and possibly later in life. Will loves physical therapy and at one point was planning on being one. So, for the last 3 years, he would tell me pretty regularly that I should see a physical therapist. He even emailed a teacher on campus who had experience in physical therapy some questions about me. The teacher wanted to meet up with me, but I never did go visit him. Well, my pregnancy went ok. My hip got tired pretty quickly, but it wasn't bad. Even now, it's not that big of a deal. But, two things made me realize I would need some help. In IF we had to do our dishes by hand and only after a couple minutes of standing at the sink my hip would start burning. I began to worry more when after I would put Evelyn in the baby carrier my hip would start to hurt after a couple minutes. I even bought a really nice fancy baby carrier that is supposed to be good on your back and hips, but still pain. So, I began to do some research and finally made the appointment. They have some really interesting techniques to help strengthen my leg. Some are not fun, but others are pretty cool. I often wonder how they ever thought of some things. Anyway, it's been an interesting experience these last few weeks. I didn't realize how weak I had let my hip become. I'm reliving a lot of memories I haven't thought about since I was 11. I'm getting x-rays tomorrow and I keep thinking about all the times I got x-rays when I was 11. I loved getting xrays. My grandpa and I would go to the room and they would have all kinds of fun things to do while you waited. The techs were so fun. Anyway, wish me luck on this new experience. Sorry if this was really boring. This is just something that has been on my mind and I guess I needed to share it, because that's what my fingers started doing. :)

Brave Girls

2011-09-21T22:03:00.003-06:00

Ok, I've been meaning to write this for a long time, but well this isn't easy to write so I haven't. :) A new friend of mine in OK wrote about her struggle with depression, so I thought I'd join her. Here's my story.
Because I am weak, I have to start at the very beginning. My parents divorced when I was young. I grew up with my grandparents and was a twin, and therefore always felt a little different and I'll even admit I was embarrassed by my grandparents at times. I love them to death, but let me put it this way--my Grandma is the modern day Mrs. Bennett from Pride and Prejudice. Not only is she obsessed with marriage, she's just as crazy as Mrs. Bennett. I mean that in the nicest way possible. She's crazy. I'm crazy...so yeah. You know that phase every adolescent goes through where they think everyone is watching them? Well that period was especially difficult for me because I felt so different. All the surgeries and scars on my legs didn't help either (I've had more surgeries than I can count to fix a leg problem I had at birth). Then when life was getting good and we moved back to live with my mom, she passed away. I moved right back to Arkansas and started my second semester of 6th grade. Why is this information important? I mentioned I am weak. I feel like I have to defend my depression. So here is my defense. Studies have shown that female children who experience early life stress are more prone to depression. I personally don't look back on my early life and think negatively. I had a great childhood. I was VERY happy. I was LOVED.
Now to the story: If you knew me in high school or college, you probably thought I was happy and outgoing. I was. I thought I had a great life. I did miss my mom a lot and was very self conscious about myself, but life was great. I had small bouts of depression, but I kept myself too busy in college to fall in any major dark holes. There were times where I'd lock myself in the bathroom and cry. I don't remember why. But, I wouldn't consider myself depressed at that point. I didn't really believe in mental illness either. I just thought maybe I wasn't being spiritual enough. If I did better in my scripture study or prayers, I'd be better. I'd do better and I'd feel better. My depression didn't really hit me until I got engaged. I went to a counselor and she assured me that it was just all the stress I was going through. It was my last year of college. I was planning a wedding..blah...blah...blah. I believed her and thought it would go away. Then I got married. Life was great for a few months and then I started student teaching (when Will read through this he informed me that I was depressed before student teaching began). I fell into a dark hole. I was miserable. Will was a trooper. He was studying psychology at the time and was probably trying to do all types of experiments on me. I went to see another counselor. This guy wasn't much help either. He basically said the same thing as the first.

"You've never really struggled with depression. You were happy in the past. You're just going through some big changes. You're a newly wed and student teaching. My wife is a teacher,"

and I kid you not, he told me that he thinks most teachers are on anti-depressants anyway. So, once again, I thought it was just a very dark funk. I don't know how I survived. I hated life. I felt incapable. I didn't think I had what it took to make a good teacher or to be a good wife. I often asked Will why he married me. I didn't feel like I deserved someone so good. (He really is great. I love him!) Well, student teaching ended and I started to climb up. We moved out of our dungeon, and I did seem to get better. I survived pregnancy. Then I had a baby. Now, she melts my heart, but those first few months were tough. I probably cried every day. I felt incapable. You see your friends and read their blogs and their lives look so perfect. They can take care of their kids, clean their houses, and make all kinds of cute things and good food. I didn't find any enjoyment in life. I had no energy or motivation to do anything. I think I told Will probably every day that I didn't want any more kids. I didn't understand how people had more than one. I was done. I felt fat, ugly, incapable, etc. I felt everything dark. I couldn't be a good mother. Luckily Will's work schedule was flexible, which meant he was able to take care of Evelyn when I just couldn't handle life (Don't worry, I didn't neglect Evelyn. Sometimes I just felt like it was too much to handle and Will was able to help). However, it got to the point that he was having trouble getting all of his hours in. Frequently I would just feel overwhelmed and go to bed, regardless of whether it was morning, afternoon, or evening. Then, one day Will came home in the middle of the day to put Evelyn to sleep for me and to let me shower. That week in particular I had really been struggling, and he was frequently having to reschedule with his clients. After he had put Evelyn to bed and I had showered, I was feeling better and told him he could go back to work. However, he told me that I needed help. He told me that I needed to see a counselor and to see a doctor about getting on antidepressants. He had mentioned this before, but he was firm this time. When he said this to me, especially about the antidepressants, it hurt. But, he was right. I realized I needed help. I wasn't going to get better on my own. Reading scriptures more or praying wasn't going to help (on a side note, when I was so down, I didn't even have the motivation to read scriptures). Sadly, this didn't happen until Evelyn was almost 8 months old. But, we got through it. She was a great baby, so that helped A LOT! I'm glad to say that once I started taking anti-depressants I felt better within days. I have tried to wean myself off, just to see if I could make it on my own, and it is very evident that I still need them. I'm glad they work, because I have learned that others cannot find help as easily and have to climb out of those dark lonely halls on their own, and that is tough! Despite the help I have received from medication, I still struggle. It would be nice if taking a pill would make all of my troubles go away, but it doesn't. I still struggle to find the motivation to do things. I still am very critical of myself. I still struggle to get out of bed. I'm grateful that Will helps out around the house as much as he does, since many nights after a long day with Evelyn I don't want to make dinner or really do anything. I know that this is going to be a battle that I'm going to fight all my life. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), studies show that antidepressants alone won't do the trick. I know that it takes personal effort too. As Will has now done even more research on this, he tells me that counseling is strongly recommended with antidepressants. However, I have to admit that my experience with counselors (I've gone to 3 different ones) has been very bad. So, we'll see what I can find to give me the same things (or at least similar things) to what I could get from counseling (anyone have any good books they suggest?)
So, there you have it. There is my story told in a few lines. I love life. I'm grateful for Evelyn and I'm so ready for lots more kids.

Why would I write all this? Why would I show my worst self? This is really hard to do! It's because I need help from you. I can fake it. How many of you knew that I was struggling? My sister doesn't even know how bad it got. So, now that you know, I won't be tempted to fake it, but to fight it... I can learn to be a BRAVE girl! Also, we all covenanted at baptism to bear one another's burdens. I appreciate knowing what others struggle with so I can relate with them and try to shoulder the load with them. Now, you know my burden. Can you help me bear it? :)

Over Easy

2011-07-17T18:37:00.000-06:00

We're here! We are now Okies! It's hot...I could probably cook an egg outside, but we love it. We are almost done moving in. I'm loving our new place. Evelyn is too. She has been crawling around more enthusiastically than she ever did before. I think she is having fun exploring. We took her to the pool yesterday, and she loved that. We're having a good time. I've been so grateful for all the help we received with this move and just help in general. Here is my huge thank you list.

Thank you Shelley Mills for the awesome hair cut
Thank you Cheryl Cline, Tammy Dawson, and Lisa Huber for your help with cleaning the apartment
Thank you Brother Rena, Jake Dawson, Eugene Mariner, and President McIntosh for your help with moving
Thank you Taci and Jake Zollinger for your help with the couches
Thank you Amy for helping me take care of Evelyn
Thank you Jeannine McDonnel for letting my sis and I stay at your place
Thank you Dianne, Jacob, and Michael Whatcott for waiting patiently to meet up with us and for the great breakfast
Thank you Dean and Margaret Taylor for ALL you do! We love you and couldn't have made it to OK w/o your help.

I truly am blessed. I really felt the love of the Lord these past few days. I've thought a lot about Spencer W. Kimballs qoute, "God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other." But, I have also felt his love in other ways. We've been trying to down size and sell some things. It was amazing some of the things that sold and the offers we got on them. Every little thing worked out perfectly. It wasn't just a coincidence. I know that there is a God and that he loves us and cares for us. I also know that our loved ones who have already finished their test are on the other side helping us out too. I am grateful for this move and the things it has taught me. I am so grateful for my WONDERFUL FRIENDS! LOVE YOU ALL!

Excitement

2011-07-17T18:05:00.000-06:00

Warning: I am trying to set a record for using the word "excited" in one post.

In 10 days I will have a new home. I'M SO EXCITED! In 12 days, HARRY POTTER comes out! I'm SO excited. I just get so giddy when I think about these next few weeks. This summer is going to be awesome. Those 2 things are the start to some other AMAZING things that are going to happen, but I'll tell you about them later. Anyway, one of my best friend is going to be a mom. I'm so excited for her. She's going to be the best. She's amazing. I LOVE YOU JULIE! I'm so excited to be 5 hours away from my other best friend...my SIS!

Life is great. Evelyn is beautiful. I love watching her learn new things and explore. She's always making me smile. I love when she gets really excited or when she crawls really fast to see me or Will. I love how happy she gets when Will gets home. She claps and it is adorable.

Why I breastfeed

2011-05-20T14:57:00.004-06:00

This is more of a reminder for me. I LOVE BREAST-FEEDING! I love it! It was REALLY difficult at first, but I am so glad I am doing something so rewarding for my little one. I'm not going to lie, I wanted to give up several times, but E was the smart one and refused to take a bottle. :) I'm glad she's so smart. (Seriously, though she really is smart. She's going to be a child prodigy, I'm pretty sure.) :)

Since, I'm not lying (I'm actually sitting up...you've got to love my husband's humor.) :) Sorry...like I said before, it's tough. It's a very big time commitment on the mother's part, it's painful in the very beginning, and it's not the norm. Maybe it's my insecurity, but I usually feel really weird when I breastfeed in public. Those are all the cons I can think of.

Here's my list of pros:

NOTE: I do feed E formula. I'm not a big fan of pumping, so when we go somewhere or when I make her cereal I use formula. I'm not hating on formula...I'm just reminding myself of why I still breastfeed...

Why I love breast-feeding
1. It's my cuddle time. I love holding E close. I love it when she looks up at me while she eats, and I can stare into her beautiful eye's as she stares into mine. I know she likes it and feels loved. The other day I was giving her a bottle of formula and I found myself getting impatient. I wanted her to take the bottle and hold on to it herself. (She's getting pretty good at doing that.) But, when I'm breastfeeding, my time is hers. It's a great time-out from the world.

2. The obvious...breast is best! Have you looked at the ingredients in formula? In 3 of the formula's I have, the first ingredient is Corn syrup. One of them has the second ingredient listed as SUGAR! YUCK! (Maybe that's why our kids have so many health problems...)

3. My little one hasn't been sick yet. We've gone through flu season, and Will and I both have been sick several times, and E has had hardly any problems. (She got stuffy once, and a runny nose a few times.)

4. It's FREE!!!! Have you looked at how much a can of formula costs? For 15 bottles, it costs $13!

5. No clean up...and I hate doing dishes...

6. If some big disaster happened & the grocery stores were empty, I would still have a way to feed E. Yeah, I could stock up, but food storage for Will & I is tough enough...

Well, here's another random post about something that has been tough, but so wonderful. Hope you enjoyed.

The Power of the Mind

2011-05-18T17:36:00.001-06:00

Just some random thoughts about birth and the mind...

I recently reminded myself that what we perceive is hard becomes hard. I was doing something strenuous the other day. I was tired and ready to give up, then I told myself...hey...I gave birth without any interventions, if I can do that, I can do anything. I had a new bout of energy and the task at hand was more enjoyable.

When I was studying up on giving birth, before E was born, I came a cross several books that discussed how women have come to believe birth is hard because everyone says it is. They cited examples of women in other counties who give birth easily and get back to work. I decided to test this theory and used Hypnobabies to help train me. I wasn't the greatest student, so yes, labor was hard...one of the hardest things I have ever done. But, I learned a lot about myself and that I can do hard things. It's SO empowering. I wish more people choose to go this route...but whatever. (It's great being in control, as well. )

The mind is SO powerful! I have become lazy in allowing it to grow, I'll admit. I haven't fasted in awhile, (I'm still breastfeeding and for my milk supply to keep up with E I need food) but that was one of the things I loved about fasting. It helped remind me that my mind was in control. I think we need those reminders. We have so much potential, but a lot of times we let our body or our negative thoughts get in the way. I hope I can do better and remember how strong, powerful, and capable I am. YOU ARE TOO!

The Truths about Parenting PART 1

2011-04-25T18:08:00.001-06:00

*I must start with a warning so to say. There are many different views on parenting. This post is about mine. I'm not wanting anyone to get offended, I'm just venting...

Truth #1: Parenting is tough!
Do we ever admit this? I'm quilty of being one of those moms who always post the cutest pictures and videos and always talks so positively about my responsibilites as a stay at home mom. I, mean, E is awfully cute. Right now she's on her tummy in the living room looking at the big overstuffed chair saying "hi" (more like..haui) over and over. But, she's not always happy. She cries and tries my patience. So why do I always try and convice people that I am SO happy that I stay at home w/ E? Well, part of it is because I am...usually. Also, for me, personally, I feel like I have to prove myself. This probably isn't the best thing. BUT, in our society, stay at home moms are not looked at in positive ways. I have to remind myself OFTEN that what I'm doing is more important than bringing in an extra couple thousands of dollars a month. We survive on one (small) paycheck, and we don't have any debt. Yeah, we have a hand me down table, no tv and cable, and used couches that I don't particularly like, but my happiness doesn't come from those things.

I'll admit that there ARE times when I look at the world and wonder if this is so right why do "they" look happier? Again, I have to remind myself OFTEN that what I am doing is making a difference. There is so much darkness in the world right now. The world needs BETTER parents. (You do not have to be a stay at home mom to be a better parent by the way. I have several AWESOME friends who have to work. That's not what I'm saying.) With Will's job, we've seen how important parenting is. I wish more children could have a MOM & DAD who LOVE each other and who are ready to be parents. There are TOO many 17 year old moms! It's almost normal! YIKES! I'm so glad that I can stay at home with Evelyn and let her know that she is loved and cared for. I'm glad that I can be the one to teach her values and standards and not some government program.

So, there you have it...parenting is tough! Not just because I have no clue what I'm doing and because I don't know how to always make E stop crying, but because the world has made it tough!

Now you mom's out there, what have you done to make it easier? What has helped you feel that what you are doing is the Lord's will?

True Love

2011-04-05T18:27:00.001-06:00

So here's a fun video of our little princess and her prince charming. The prince is 18 months. His parents are our besties. We've pretty much planned our children's marriage. :) I was watching the prince a few days ago, and the princess just loved him. She kept giggling at him. I finally pulled out the camera after she died down a little. Enjoy!

March Madness

2011-04-03T19:50:00.008-06:00

Well hello April & spring & moving & planning &poopy diapers. What's that? Yes, I said poopy diapers. This last week, we've had to give the princess 3 unscheduled baths because she has made some serious messes. Yet, she still is my favorite little person in the whole wide world. I love her little eyes. I love it when she looks up at me when I'm feeding her. She stares straight into mine. It's beautiful. She's starting to be quite the chatter box. We can't go to anywhere w/ her. :) (Mostly because she's so cute I'm worried some one will steal her...) Today during conference (we like to go to a church and listen to conference on Sundays) she kept googooing & gagaing. Will got up like 10 times to take her to the back and distract her. It usually worked. Then tonight we went to a Methodist church for an Easter seminar they have been doing. Same thing...this time I stood in the back with her too. We sat behind an old lady, and I saw her plug her ear once. HAHA! She'll never sit in the back again, I'm sure.

Conference, what did you think? What was your favorite talk? Leave a comment! If you're reading this, you either are Mormon, or know I'm Mormon. Every 6 months our church has a conference where our prophets, apostles and other church leaders talk. It's always amazing. I know the Lord inspires every speaker. I loved all the talk about dating. My sister loved it too. HAHA, so right after priesthood session on Saturday a guy messaged her on fb and asked her to go on a walk w/ her between sessions. RIGHTEOUS! Amy couldn't go though...
Will's favorite thing about conference... well he doesn't have a favorite talk...but he liked the overall encouragement and motivation he got to be better. Don't you love President Uchtdorf? He's so witty! I always love Elder Bednar. He is a serious scholar. He always has some new principle to share. I love how he presents his message.

In other news, if you stalk me on facebook you know that we are moving to OK! I'm so excited! You may ask, espeicially if you're JULIE ARDNT, what is so special about OK? :)Well, for starters, it's pretty close to my family in AR, and not too far from my family in MN. Secondly, the people are SO nice! Thirdly, the school is beautiful! (University of Oklahoma) Will is going to be studying Industrial/Organizational Psychology. (Most people don't know what this means...basically it's dealing w/ improving the work place through things like training, leadership development, personnel selection, etc....FUN stuff...right.) Actually, I'm really interested in it. I hope he focuses on leadership because I'm fascinated w/ stuff like that. The building Will will be spending most of his time in is beautiful!

We're so blessed, the program pays for his school and gives him a little extra to live off of. One of the biggest reasons that I'm excited for this move, is that we will be there for at least 5 years! Really, that's not a long time, but when we got married, I had no idea what our future held. I knew he would graduate in a couple years, but I had no clue where we would be. I knew we would leave Idaho shortly though. So, I haven't really gotten comfortable. Now, I can get a little comfy in OK. Oh and Norman, where we are going, is such an awesome town! It's VERY family oriented. There are lots of parks and an awesome movie theater, and all sorts of fun things to do. Plus, my great uncle is the CFO for the ampitheater at the Oklahoma City Zoo (30 minutes away) and he gets front row tickets to any show in town. AWESOME! Last year Tim Mcgraw came and my cousins and Grandma went. He sang to my cousin because it was her birthday. Anyway, I'm excited to get to spend more time w/ my great uncle and possibly see some great shows! :)

I'm not excited about moving. Blah! Any suggestions? I've checked out 3 books from the library. I'm such a nerd, now hold on (before Julie makes fun of me...) I didn't say I was enjoying reading them. I have learned some things though.

Speaking of books, has anyone else read The Hunger Games or The Great & Terrible series? I've just started Mockingjay. I didn't like them at first, but I was told to keep reading, so I did. I'm not a big fan of authors shouting out political messages, but it's not that bad. I really liked the second one.

I started reading the Great & Terrible books on my own. My friend Courtney let me borrow her book. I had it for over a year and finally decided to read it. It was so good! I got the next one from the library and then Will bought me the whole series for Valentines Day! YAY! We're listening to them together now. (The library has them on CD.) READ THEM! They are about the second coming and SO interesting. (Fiction...but insightful) Well, I'll keep you updated on our exciting new adventures. Leave some love!

Here's little E doing her thing...I tried to keep it pg rated, but she has this grabbing complex...
Before I took this video, she was just having a ball in the tub. Of course, as soon as I pulled out the camera she died down. This still kind of shows how relaxed she was, but seriously her legs were slumped over the side and she was just chilling...

Being in Love and Marriage

2011-01-21T12:14:00.002-07:00

Will and I love C.S. Lewis for so many different reasons. He has so many good things to say. Here's one:

Being in love is a good thing, but it is not the best thing. There are many things below it, but there are also things above it. You cannot make it the basis of a whole life. It is a noble feeling, but it is still a feeling... Knowledge can last, principles can last, habits can last; but feelings come and go... But, of course, ceasing to be "in love" need not mean ceasing to love. Love in this second sense — love as distinct from "being in love" — is not merely a feeling. It is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit; reinforced by (in Christian marriage) the grace which both partners ask, and receive, from God... "Being in love" first moved them to promise fidelity: this quieter love enables them to keep the promise. It is on this love that the engine of marriage is run: being in love was the explosion that started it. (Mere Christianity)

Isn't that beautiful? I remember the feelings of love Will and I had when we were first dating. It was magical. However, after two and a half years of marriage, those feelings aren't as rampant as they were. I still get giddy, but the twitterpation I felt 2 years ago is gone. Now, we are learning to love. It is even more magical. :)

I think one thing many people in this world are missing out on is learning to love. So many people want the feelings that come with love. Well, those strong emotional feelings come and go, so people move on. They think, I must not be in love any more. However, love is more than just feelings, it is like C.S. Lewis said, learning to keep promises and help each other. As I have been learning to love my husband, I am learning so many other things. I am learning to be patient and to be less selfish. I am learning how to listen to others and how to communicate my own feelings. I am learning much more, and we've just been married for 2 years! I still have so much to learn! It's great!

Marriage is so important because we learn to love. There is no greater thing to learn because like I mentioned, you learn so many other things! That is why it is so important to strive to keep your marriage strong. It can be hard, but something so magical and amazing should be hard! Is our society turning into a bunch of wimps where they can't learn to love? People don't want to get married and make the greatest promise they could ever make. Others succumb to the hardships of keeping their promises. I know that Will and I can and will commit to each other! We will learn how to love and keep the promise of fidelity that we have made. I love you Will!

Enjoy this clip from Bambi about twitterpation. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUI-ivE6iGE

My Birth Story

2010-12-18T13:10:00.001-07:00

October 13, 2010 (I've been meaning to post this.)

She’s here! E was born on October 12 at 6:40am. It was intense. Before I say anything about her birth, I need to start from the beginning. This whole experience has been amazing. I know the Lord has played a role in it from day one. Will and I had been trying to get pregnant. After a few months of trying, I said that we probably wouldn’t get pregnant until Amy came home. When I found out I was pregnant, we calculated the “due” date. (I’m not a fan of that word.) It was 3 days before Amy was scheduled to get home. (I didn’t know at this time that most first time mom’s have their babies late either…) Anyway, the Lord knew that I needed Amy.

Now, nine months later: Monday afternoon, I had a prenatal appointment. We decided to do an internal exam since I was now 40 weeks. Karen checked me, and I was almost a 2 and 90% effaced. I have the mindset that dilation really tells you nothing and apparently that’s true. I thought after that appointment that it would still be a few more days. That night we had an FHE group come over as we were sitting down for dinner. (There was a miscommunication with time.) One of the apartments kept giving us a hard time about having the baby. They wanted to be there.

Anyway, they left, and Will and I ate dinner. Afterwards, Will was going to type up some notes for work. I tried to lie down on the couch. I couldn’t get comfortable, but that wasn’t anything new. I decided to go into the bedroom. Soon afterwards, around midnight, I started having some contractions that felt different. They didn’t feel like the ones I’d been having, and they were coming pretty frequently. I told Will that I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep, and he said he wouldn’t be able to either. We knew this meant she was coming soon...we didn't realize how soon.

So, we decided to watch a movie (Runaway Jury). I began to wonder if today was the day. I told myself maybe tomorrow, but after the contractions kept coming, I began to see the light. I didn’t think she’d come the day Amy was coming into the states. That’s too much excitement in one day. Anyway, I decided I should check and see how close together these contractions were, since they seemed pretty frequent. As we watched the movie, I would tell Will when a new one started, and he’d write it down. An hour passed and they were all 3-5 minutes apart. By this time, (1:30) it was getting hard to stay comfortable, so I decided to take a bath. That didn’t work that well, so I tried taking a shower. That worked better, but it was still hard to stay relaxed. I was having some pretty bad back pain. (I’ve had it this whole pregnancy, but this was worse.) She was in the perfect position for delivery, so I’m not sure why it hurt so much.)

Will was a little nervous, I think. He wanted to help, but I didn’t need him yet. I told him to do the dishes and then had him run a few quick errands. I decided I’d better call my midwives and see if they thought I should go up to Rexburg. I was told to go to the hospital when they were 3-4 min apart, lasting for a minute, and that happening for an hour. They fit the rule, but I had only been having them for a couple hours. I was hesitant to go, because I also knew that for most first time moms birthing time can be pretty long. I had only been having contractions for 2 hours. How many more hours would I have to go? Anyway, I called and the phone system wasn’t working, so I eventually called the hospital. She had me try calling the # again because she was really only supposed to call them when I checked in. She said if I couldn’t get through she’d call them though. After a few more minutes, I called her back and had her call the midwife. We decided we would go up though. (I was GBS positive, so I didn’t want to risk not getting the penicillin in time.) Will gave me a blessing and then off we went.

As each contraction hit, I tried to relax and breathe through it. I thought the car ride would be pretty bad, but it wasn’t. It went fast too, but that was because Will was speeding. ( I told him he didn’t have to, again thinking that we were being silly for going already. My midwife called me on the way there. I could still talk through most of my contractions, so they weren’t “that bad” yet. (Compared to later…) Anyway, she kind of said the same thing I was thinking. Since we lived in IF and I was GBS positive, she thought it would be wise to come up, but I kind of got the hint that she thought I might be coming too early too. Anyway, we got there around 3am and did the whole admitting thing. They checked me, and I was at a 5. This was the only time they told me what I was dilated to. (I didn’t get too excited about being at a 5 either. I thought it could still be quite a few more hours.) They admitted me and things started getting intense really fast.

I had prepared for a natural childbirth with the hypnobabies class. It is a class that teaches you self-relaxation. I was initially going to go to the classes, but then the instructor had a family emergency and wouldn’t be doing the classes again until October. She told me to try the home study course. I had read a lot of birth experiences of people using the hypnobabies method and was really impressed with their stories, so I thought I would try it. (Many women have had pain-free births…if you don’t believe me, google hypnobabies.) I wasn’t the best student doing it on my own, so looking back now, it would have been better to go to a real class. I did learn a lot and felt like I was able to handle the pain a lot better, but a lot of what I learned I couldn’t utilize during the last few hours of labor.

So, while my contractions were intensifying, I tried to relax and think about everything I learned. It was tough, and I couldn’t get comfortable. I tried several different positions. I was excited to birth with the midwives because they are really helpful in suggesting different positions and they have a Jacuzzi room in the hospital that only their patients can use. I found that the only position that was comfortable was lying on my side with Will rubbing my back pretty hard though. Sitting on the toilet was ok too. So, for the next few hours I laid in bed while Will rubbed my back. I drank a lot, so I had to get up and go to the bathroom every now and then. After a while, I couldn’t concentrate on anything. Will was the only thing that kept me going. I love him! He was such a good coach. We debated about getting a doula before birth, and it probably would have been great. I told Will that if we didn’t get one, he would have to be pretty prepared. He was awesome and did a lot of reading with me. So, he was strong for me. I would squeeze his hand for each contraction, and he would encourage me. I could tell he was a little nervous at first with what to say, especially with the nurse there. Speaking of nurses, they were amazing! They followed our birth plan to a T! They were very supportive. I loved how they only checked me when I told them I felt like pushing and they only put the monitor on me a few times. When they did put it on, they held it there instead of wrapping it around my stomach.

After awhile, my body was getting pretty tired, and soon I felt a lot of pressure down below. She checked me, but told me to keep waiting. (She didn’t tell me what I was dilated to… I thought about my Savior and looked to Him for strength. I also thought about Eve. (Where E comes from…) I’m curious to know how her birthing time was. I think it was a beautiful experience for her. Tough…yes, but still beautiful. She didn’t have all these negative portrayals to dwell on like we do.

I began to feel really pushy, and so she checked again and still told me to wait (I think I was fully dilated, they just weren't ready yet. :) ). They were getting things ready in the room, and Will’s voice began to change (she must have told him that I was almost there or there so, I knew things were progressing.) Karen, my midwife, came in and told me I could start pushing. I was so relieved but still had a lot of work to do. This was probably more intense than the first stage. I felt a lot of water coming out at one point and thought my water finally broke, but a little later she grabbed a hook to break the water, so I’m not sure what that was. Will started to get really excited. He told me he could see her head, so that gave me a new motivation. Then I started thinking negatively of all the bad stories I’ve heard in regards to pushing. (People really should stop doing that.) At any rate, after LOTS of grunting and working with my body she finally came through. Words can’t describe how I felt. It was SO tough, but then everything became beautiful! The hormonal rush that happens right after pushing is amazing. She was quickly put on my chest. I was so in love and relieved. She was very purple and funny looking, but I was in love. Everything I had just experienced was forgotten. We rubbed her off and just stared at her. We waited for the cord to stop pulsing and then Will cut it. I birthed the placenta sometime in there too. That was weird. Then they took her to be weighed. They thought she swallowed some of the fluid because she was having some trouble breathing, so Will and she went to the NICU to check her. She was fine. It turns out I wasn't there for the 3 hours for the medicine to work for the GBS, so we had to stay an extra day to make sure E didn't get it. I got to the hospital sometime after 3, and Evelyn was born at 6:45. CRAZY FAST!

So, this was very long. If you read it all, congrats! It wasn’t what I imagined, but it was still a beautiful experience. I am so grateful for Will and our little girl. This experience really brought all of us together.

Birth Story

2010-10-12T21:24:00.005-06:00

So, I'm going to add more details soon, but basically it was a beautiful, fast birth. I started having contractions around midnight; we got to the hospital at 3:00; I started pushing around 6:00; she was born at 6:40.

I didn't have an epidural. I couldn't have done it without Will. He was the best labor coach ever, and I'm so grateful for him. We have had several friends come to visit and are loving spending time with our beautiful girl.

Will's account
It all started on Monday night (Oct 11) around 10:30 or so. Sandy just couldn't get comfortable while we were sitting in the living room.. We went into the bedroom to go to bed, and she started having contractions. Or perhaps while we were still on the couches she started having contractions. At any rate, she's been having contractions for weeks now, but these were different. She decided to time them (if you have contractions 3 minutes apart for an hour you should go to the hospital). At this point I didn't want to sleep, so we put in a movie and watched while we timed her contractions. They were indeed about 3 minutes apart and at about 1 minute or so. She went into the bathroom to see if a shower and bath would make them subside or feel better. At one point during all this, she made the comment, "I don't think you're going to work tomorrow."

Well, it started looking more and more likely that the baby was coming. She told me that I should clean (since I wanted to do something to help), so I did the dishes and such, and then we decided that we were going to go to the hospital. First, however I went to fill up the car with gas, buy some stuff from Wal-Mart (juice and snacks for during labor, gum so that my breath didn't smell bad while I she was in labor, and treats for the nurses, which it was suggested we do so that they treat us nice) and then I returned the movies to the library (Just so you don't think I'm a horrible person for not taking her to the hospital right away, this last one was at the request of Sandy, since they were due the next day). Then we drove to Rexburg. She had trouble getting a hold of her midwife, but we went anyway. By that time the contractions she was having were essentially driving her to her knees, and I would rub really hard on her lower back to alleviate the pain. I didn't check what time it was when we left, but suffice it to say that we made it to Rexburg in a bit less than what it usually takes when you drive the speed limit. When we got to the hospital, they checked her and found out that she was dilated to a 5, so they admitted her. It was somehwere after 3 when she was admitted. For the next 3 hours or so she would have a contraction every 3 minutes for about 30 seconds. During these contractions, I'd hold her hand with one hand, and with the other I would firmly massage her lower back. At one point she said that she didn't think she could do it. At first, while the nurse was in there, I didn't really give many words of encouragement because I felt weird encouraging her with the nurse there. But, by the end, everything I did was say words of encouragement as well as give the massage and hold her hand. The contractions were getting stronger, and Sandy was in more and more agony. At one point, I gave her a juice bottle to squeeze to help distract her. Let's just say it's a good thing that bottle didn't have feelings. She was really hurting, and really moaning (that's an understatement). After not too long she was checked by the nurse to see how far she was along. The nurse told me she was at a 6 (Sandy didn't want to know). Not too long later she was at a 7. She started to feel like pushing, but she wasn't completely dialted yet, and the widwife wasn't ready yet. That was not fun. She was at a 10 within minutes...it felt like hours though. When she was at a 10, the nurse didn't tell me right away, but I saw another nurse come in and turn on the heater where new babies are put, which I knew was a good sign that we were getting close. Then the nurse told Sandy she could start pushing. This surprised me, because I figured we had a long way to go before she could start pushing, and I didn't think we were going to be anywhere close to the actual birth. Well, soon thereafter Karen, the nurse midwife, came in and had Sandy start really pushing. This was at around 6, and at 6:40 the baby came out, after a lot of pushing and intense agony by Sandy. The feelings I felt in that last 30 minutes ago cannot adequately be put into words. I wanted so bad to help her in the intense pain she was feeling. I understand a little better how Heavenly Father must have felt when Christ was suffering the Atonement. But, when the baby came out, this feeling of joy and just utter amazement came over me. It was as if I wanted to shout for joy and cry at the same time. I probably would have cried but I was embarassed to. It was just so incredible when they pulled this baby out of Sandra. It was somewhat purple, but turned the right color shortly thereafter. She was placed on Sandy's chest, and I cut the umbilical cord once it stopped pulsing. Then they did some tests and took her to the NICU for a little to make sure her lungs were ok, since she wasn't crying quite as much as they would have liked. She did fine there, so I was able to take her back to Sandra. Sandra, meanwhile, had been getting stitched up since apparently she tore while giving birth. She also bled quite a bit, and had a small hemmorage and a bit later had a really low blood pressure (like 64 over 32). We got her some juice to drink, laid her down and she put on an oxygen mask. At this point she was looking pretty green/pale. Her blood pressure went back up, but later when she went to the bathroom she almost passed out and the nurse had to give her smelling salts. The rest of the day was spent taking some short naps, having people visit, holding the baby and trying to get her to breast feed.
One thing that I've noticed about being around the baby is the feeling of purity that enshrouds her. It's hard to accept that we're only here because of evolutionary forces when you hold a baby (sure, evolution may have been the way we were created, but what I mean is it's hard to believe that evolution was a random process ungoverned by a higher power). The reason I say this is that when I hold Evelyn I can just feel that there's something more there and that she didn't just came about because of the joining of some DNA. Additionally, being around her just makes me want to be better, which I know President Hinckley taught is a way to recognize the Holy Ghost. I was thinking tonight as I was swaddling her that our home is a replacement of her heavenly home. She went from heaven to us, so we've got a lot to match in regards to her previous living arrangements.

Sandra's Story will be posted soon.

Birth Plan

So, one thing that is was suggested that we do was create a birth plan. After having created one, we found one online that was a bit more humorous than ours, so we decided to alter ours a bit. Below is what we submitted to the midwife, which was submitted to the hospital.

We had the best nurses and midwife. They were very supportive of our preferences and followed them perfectly.

Birth Preferences for Sandra & Will Taylor

To my Health Care Providers: Thank you for taking the time to work with us and our birth plan. These are our preferences if there are no medical contraindications. We have prepared for a natural, non-medicated birth using Hypnobabies. We are writing this birth plan with the belief that every labor and birth is different. It is our desire to have a safe and happy birth experience.

Environment:
1.    We ask for open communication and complete information.
2.    I would appreciate a minimum of vaginal exams and do not want to be informed of my progress in dilation. (You may tell my husband. I suppose you may use words, but ideally so that I do not hear what my progress is I would prefer that you speak via smoke signals using a humidifier, since smoke signals using real smoke may be less than desirable for a hospital environment)
3.    We would prefer a nurse who enjoys working with natural births. A nurse that knows a lot of good jokes and that can sing and play the ukulele as well as tie balloon animals would be ideal to keep the mood light, but just as long as she enjoys natural births we will be thrilled.
4.    I would like to use:
a.    A birthing ball or the birthing tub or shower to help with labor. The helicopter from EIRMC may be helpful too, just in case I decide to try skydiving to induce labor.
5.    I would like to have a quiet room and no excess staff. However, if you decide to invite a group that plays traditional music from the highlands of Bolivia to the hospital for any reason, we waive the request to have a quiet room and would love to be entertained by their enriching sounds for the duration of labor.
6.    I would like for people entering the room to speak softly, unless there is a fire or an earthquake or if somehow a herd of rabid squirrels get loose in the hospital. If any of these are the case, raised voices will be just fine.
7.    Please keep my door closed during labor.
8.    I would prefer only intermittent monitoring (20 minutes on the monitor each hour).

Pain Relief:
9.    Please do not offer me pain medication or ask me what my level of pain is.
10.    I am prepared to handle pain with the Hypnobabies method.
11.    I want to be able to walk around and move as I wish while in labor. My husband and I recently watched “Invictus” and have decided to take up rugby. If labor is progressing slowly we may see if the nurses are up for a friendly pick-up game.
12.    Give me the freedom to change positions as needed in labor and while pushing. However, if I become delusional in some way and decide that a comfortable position would be a position that you deem strange, such as while standing on my head, feel free to suggest otherwise.

Second Stage of Labor & Delivery:
13.    As long as the baby and I are healthy, I prefer to have no time limits on pushing. However, we would like to spend Christmas at home, so if you see that labor is taking an extremely long amount of time, you may make some polite pushing suggestions.
14.    I would like to be encouraged to try different positions for labor, including:
a.    Squatting, hands and knees, on the toilet, standing, or whatever feels right.
15.    I prefer to have no episiotomy but am willing to discuss its medical necessity if one should arise.
16.    To help prevent tearing, please apply:
a.    Hot compresses, oil, perineal massage, or encourage proper breathing
17.    It’s important for me to push instinctively. However, if I do decide that I would like to be informed on when to push, I prefer that you have on staff a very large and demanding drill sergeant to encourage my pushing. I think he could do a good job of motivating me.

After Birth:
18.    As long as my baby is healthy, place the baby onto my abdomen.
19.    Please do not clamp or cut the umbilical cord until it has stopped pulsing.
20.    Please allow my husband to cut the umbilical cord, unless he has for some reason passed out. If this is the case, please just lay him comfortably on the floor and ignore him. However, if he could serve some useful purpose while unconscious, such as holding open a door, feel free to use him as you wish.
21.    I appreciate your patience in waiting for the placenta to detach naturally. However, my nine month relationship with the placenta has been sufficient for me, and I will not shed any tears at parting with it at this point. I do not have any desire to consume my placenta in any way, not in a house, not with a mouse…

Newborn Procedures:
1.    If the baby has any problems, I would like my husband to be present with the baby at all times, if possible.
2.    I would like all newborn procedures to be performed in my presence.
3.    I would like to delay the administration of eye drops and vitamin K until after breastfeeding or bonding has occurred.
4.    I prefer immunizations be postponed to a later time.
5.    Do not offer my baby the following without my consent:
a.    Formula, pacifiers, artificial nipples, sugar water, roast beef, mashed potatoes, chocolate cake (although feel free to offer me the last few items).

In the event of an emergency: If the situation becomes life-threatening for Sandra or our baby, we will of course yield to any request for life-saving intervention, upon the briefest of consultation.

Cesarean Delivery
1.    If a C-Section is not an emergency, please give us time alone to think about it before asking for our written consent.
2.    My partner is to be present at all times during the c-section, even if he passes out. If such should be the case, sticking some ice down his pants should do the trick.
3.    Ideally, I would like to remain conscious during the procedure.
4.    I would like the baby to be shown to me immediately after it's born.
5.    I would like to have contact with the baby as soon as it is possible in the delivery room.
6.    I prefer to have a hand free to touch the baby.
Recovery:
1.    If my baby is healthy, I would like to hold my baby and nurse it immediately in recovery.
2.    As long as my baby is healthy, I would like my partner to be the baby's constant source of attention until I am free to bond with it (i.e., holding, skin-to-skin contact, telling her lame jokes, etc.).

2010-10-12T19:53:00.001-06:00

She's here!

2010-10-12T09:25:00.001-06:00

Evelyn Jolene Taylor was born this morning at 6:40. She weighed 6 lbs 10 oz, and is 19 inches long. More details will follow.

Baby News

2010-10-11T22:53:00.000-06:00

Well, there isn't much to report. She's late. I'm not surprised. I'm quite happy about it. I'll start worrying next week. If my calculations are correct though, she has another week to go. I'm not choosing to be induced unless I have to. The midwives don't force you to induce until your 41 weeks and 6 days. I doubt I'll get that far, but that's how far I can go. Everything was fine at my appointment today. I'm still measuring small. I measured at a 35 again. The baby's heart was beating...that's a relief! :) I've gained 26 pounds. So, things are just great.

Well, tonight for FHE we had 25 people in our apartment. There were 2 FHE groups from the singles ward that came, so 4 apartments. It was fun. I made bread for the desert, and we played Psychologist. Well, I didn't play because I was finishing up the bread. I'm sure going to miss the singles ward. I probably won't go as much after our baby comes. We went on a group date last Friday with a few people from the ward. I had a lot of fun. On Sunday in ward council, they were joking about me going into labor. I had called Will while he was in the meeting to see if he had some papers for the temple prep class I was teaching. He answered...(just in case I was in labor..) As he left the room, they all got excited. Bishop said if I went into labor they'd cancel church and convoy to the hospital...funny...
During Sacrament meeting, there was a lot of extra time, so Bishop had me bear my testimony. My hormones got the better of me.

Guess Dates

2010-09-17T20:24:00.002-06:00

I'm having fun with this poll thing. Here's another one:

(p.s. the first poll question should say on time...not one time. Babies usually only come once. HAHA! I'd edit it, but it wont let me.)

WARNING: The following may contain too much information! Read if you dare!

According to my last menstrual period and my first ultrasound, the docs have predicted our baby to be fully cooked on October 9th. I, however, believe babies come when they want to come, and don't believe she'll be here then. I also know that I am very irregular; therefore, I'm predicting she'll come late. I also believe my mom told our little girl in Heaven that she should wait for her Aunt Amy (my twin) to come home from her mission so I could at least talk to her on the phone while I started this new adventure. (Who knows! (: ) I'm at least telling myself that she'll come late, so I don't get my hopes up. It seems like everyone expects their baby to come on their "due" date and when it comes and goes they get really impatient. I am enjoying being pregnant right now and am ok if she decides to come a little late. I tell her to, in fact, because I want my sister to be in the states really bad! HAHA! I'm so not normal! At the same time, I have been having some small contractions...probably Braxton-Hicks--they don't feel like they're doing anything. You never know though!

So, with all that info, when do you think she'll come?

Names

2010-09-16T18:02:00.001-06:00

So apparently we're not normal. I was at the bank yesterday. The banker just found out his wife was pregnant and they already have a guy and a girl name picked out. It seems like everyone has a name picked out months in advance. Everyone asks us about names, like we should have one too. We'll Will and I take our time on everything....just check out our "nursery" or lack of one... Yes, we are ready for a baby to come. We have a carseat and a bassinet. So, we can bring her home and she has a place to sleep! YAY! Anyway, we do have two names we like: Evelyn and Adelin. You can do lots of fun nicknames with them.

Evelyn basically means life
Adelin basically means noble

What do you think? (We're not sure how we'll spell it either...)

Maybe I'll humor someone

2010-08-17T08:49:00.002-06:00

So, it's been awhile. I've decided to humor those people who keep telling me to update. We'll see if I have to say anything interesting.

Life has been awesome! Pregnancy is going great. I love it actually. Does anyone else find that when your baby kicks inside of you it sometimes feels really weird? Most the time it's fun, but sometimes I'm like woah...what's in there?
My next appointment is in a few hours. I love the clinic. I switched to the midwives halfway through my pregnancy. That was a tough decision, at first, but I love them. I feel, much more understood. At the other clinic I was left with a bad taste in my mouth after each visit. Anyway, the midwives are so fun.

In other news, Will and I turned 24! I absolutely love celebrating a birthday with him! I was destined to share a birthday with someone, I guess. It's great though because we get all these free thing! Saturday night we went out to eat at Red Robin w/ some friends. We both got their free burger email so we only paid $3 for the tip! We still have to use our coldstone & baskin robbin coupons this week. Yum! Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes and for visiting w/ us!

I'm going crazy awaiting my sister's return. I don't know what I'm more anxious for, our baby girl or my sis. But, they both are only 8-9 weeks away! (Our baby is "due" on the 9th, but I think she'll come late...)

I finished teaching in May, and to pass the time, I started tutoring some of the students from the school and also volunteering at the R. Museum. It's a tiny little museum, but it's been fun. I'm a nerd, so it's perfect. I can read all the history books I want to when I'm there too! I've also been reading a gazillion books about pregnancy and birthing and child rearing. I'm learning a lot! People say there is nothing you can do to prepare. Sure every child is different, but I've learned some strategies and tools that, I'm sure, will help.

Will graduated in Psychology and got a job doing PSR work! We're moving to IF on Saturday. YEA! We live in a small 1 bedroom apt. now, so I'm quite ecstatic w/ all the room we'll have. We even have a garage! Will is now stressing over Grad schools. He's going to take the GRE soon. I think, he'll break the record for high score. He's so smart. He's been studying like crazy too. His dilemma is which program to apply for and where to apply. We know for sure he'll apply to a few in MN, MO, and possibly even AR. (I thought for sure we'd go west or east coast, but now we're wanting to stay closer to family.)

The only other things to mention is our vacation. The grandparents drove up for Will's graduation. We had a lot of fun w/ them up here. Then they drove us down to AR. I would have loved to stay longer there, but alas, our time went quickly. We took Will to Branson and also ate at Lambert's cafe. AMAZING!

http://www.throwedrolls.com/

Check it out! IT's so good. It's completely southern cooking and amazing. The coolest thing though: they throw rolls! A guy walks around with a cart of freshly made rolls. You stick your hand up in the air, and he'll throw you one. Obviously, you can wait until he comes closer. Will didn't, of course. Anyway, I loved it.

Then we went to MN for our family reunion. It was so nice to see everyone. We spent the last week with my other grandparents. FUN! They live on the lake, so we were out there a lot. It was so hot, so it was perfect.

Well, that's an update. Here's some pictures:

Our 24th Birthday

Camping w/ our dear friends

Fishing w/ Grandpa

Our Big News

2010-03-29T20:56:00.003-06:00

I think you'll want to watch the whole thing. :)

Well, that's our big news. I haven't updated much on other things. While we do have a lot going on, we don't have much time to update. But, I don't feel too ashamed. You're not missing much!

Will and I have just been enjoying life together. We love living downtown in Rexburg. It's so much fun! We have the cutest little apartment. We don't hear any neighbors either and I love that!

Will's still doing the school thing. He'll graduate in one more semester or 5 months! We're planning on staying up here for a few more months after he graduates. Grad school won't start until another year and he'll want to finish his calling in the Singles Ward if they'll still want him. :)

For Valentine's, Will got tickets to go see Colbie Caillat in concert. This will be our first big concert together. We'll be going this weekend, so we'll be sure to take some fun pics.

To celebrate Valentine's Day we just had our very own gourmet dinner. We had amazing steak, baked potatoes, an amazing salad, and chocolate covered strawberries. Instead of spending an arm and a leg at some fancy restaurant, we got to enjoy an amazing meal for about $12 and eat it w/ our remarkable view. We're so savvy!

Speaking of savvy, I've loved how this month and last month's visiting teaching message has been on provident living. I have such a strong testimony of that, and I'm grateful Will does too. We started our marriage w/ a goal to keep a budget, to track our expenses, to stay out of debt, and to plan some food storage. I know we have been blessed as we have followed the council of our leaders. It makes me sad when I hear people not following the prophet's council. Get out of debt and prepare for your future! It's so important, and it is possible! We live in a tiny little apartment, but we love it. We've also been able to still have a small food storage. I'm sure we'll live in a bigger place before long, but it works!

Teaching is going well. I sure am learning many things. I really have a long way to go to be a great teacher. But, I'm also learning along w/ my students. They say when you teach you learn the most. Lucky me!

This last Thursday, I took my students to the Brain lab on campus and Will got to show them around. They were able to hold a real brain and look at the inside of the brain. They loved it! I was pretty excited we could do it too. I'm glad I have a husband who is learning about brains. He's so smart!

My twin sister comes home from her mission in October, possibly November if they let her extend. I'm super excited. Will & I both miss her. I give Will a hard time because he never seemed to care that much for her. (They had a true brother/sister relationship). But he assured me the other day that he did miss her calling me all the time. :)

Random Pictures of the past few weeks

2009-11-29T19:07:00.004-07:00

We put up our Christmas tree and took pictures to send to my sister in Ukraine. But, I figure you can enjoy them too! We got all our decorations for free from a couple who was moving!

We were eating tomato soup w/ cheese one day and the cheese was super stretchy! I wanted to show Will how I felt about him. :)

Don't make fun! For Halloween we went to the BYU-I Orchestra Concert. They are usually amazing and this year's was no exception. They usually choose a theme and all the performers dress up and they encourage the audience to dress up. This year's theme was super-heroes. We thought about going as several different people but then realized it wouldn't hurt to go as ourselves. So, now you know our real identities; we are actually super-heroes and disguise ourselves as Will & Sandy. SHH!!!
But in all honesty the costumes took about 10 minutes to make, which is why I don't want anyone to make fun-just have fun. Which is what we did! We had so much fun. The concert was amazing! They totally put in some acting and some fun surprises.

We were able to go out to the Brinkerhoff's again w/ some of our friends and ride some horses. A few of our friends had never ridden before so it was a good experience for them. We enjoyed visiting w/ the Brinkerhoff's and watching our friends experience the thrill of horseback riding. Will rode bareback for a bit. I was impressed that he could get on. Garth showed him some other cool tricks. He even tried lassoing.

"The pebble-like details" in my life

2009-11-28T13:19:00.005-07:00

Our first Valentines Day together we had only been dating a few weeks. It's hard enough deciding what to get Will after a year plus of marriage, so needless to say I struggled with what to get him. I ended up writing a poem and decorating his apartment. I think there may have been more but that's all I can remember. We also did baptisms for the dead at the temple. But, that's not what this post is about. His present to me was a book by Elder Neal A. Maxwell entitled, "Whom the Lord Loveth: The Journey of Discipleship." I was grateful for it at the time. I always love reading books by our leaders but at that time I only read a little bit. I was talking the toughest class for my major and, because of that, teaching 1 college history class and teaching a general studies class for the Heber J. Grant Program. So, I hadn't looked through it until the other day, almost two years later. But, I decided to start reading it again.

I got to today's thought, which is the main reason for this post. Elder Maxwell says, "When, like a big boulder, a large blessing rolls visibly into place, it is certainly noticed, appreciated, and counted. Meanwhile, however, the less-noticed, pebble-sized blessings mount up, layer upon layer. Cumulatively, the latter may out-mass many of our large blessings. " He then goes on to say how we need to make inventories of our blessings and be aware of what God had given us. I started thinking about President Eyring's counsel a few conferences ago about remembering. I thought I would dedicate this post to remember the "pebble-like" blessings in my life, especially since we just celebrated Thanksgiving.

Pebble-like blessings (with some boulders thrown in)

My husband and all he teaches me
The place we live
The new place we'll be moving too!
My Savior
My health
The food I can enjoy
The financial stability we have
The truth I have
My wonderful sister who loves me
My brother who called me today to tell me he loves me! He's so cute!
My wonderful grandparents who raised me and teach me so much too!
Our pretty Christmas tree and our free decorations!
The callings I have because it allows me to grow
The opportunity to live so close to the temple
My friends who love me despite my pride and arrogance
My past roommates who put up w/ my wretched ways
My mother-in-law who does so much for us!
My dad who is very patient with our different views and always treats us to a good time and enlightening conversations because he's so smart!
My grandparents in Minnesota who are so welcoming and fun
My step-mom for being so cool and inspiring!
The opportunity to live right now and witness so many neat things
My computer
To be have a degree in teaching!
My teaching job
My step-dad who took us as his own
The job I have managing the coolest guys at BYU-Idaho
The opportunity I had to attend BYU-I and to have been a part of so many wonderful organizations
The beautiful snow outside!
Our cars
The fact that I can see & hear & read
The opportunity I have to play the piano at school for my kids.
My cell phone
My bed
Our heater!
The leaders of the Church and all they do for us
Sister Darracq and her visit today.

I think I'll end for now. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thoughts

2009-10-06T15:18:00.004-06:00

Another month has gone by, where does the time go? September was busy for Will & I. We had to get ready for a whole bunch of new tenants, I started teaching and Will went back to school. Managing is going great. We've got some awesome guys this semester. We love chatting with them. I especially love it when they ask for dating advice!

Teaching at Shumway is going well. I'm blessed to actually have a teaching job in this economy even if it wasn't what I expected. I'm learning to love all of my 3 students. Today while I was grading some of their work, I started thinking about how this is really what I want to do and how much fun I'm actually having. I think the students and I all agree that our favorite subject is science. I've been finding a lot of fun projects to work on and I've got some fun ideas for Halloween! One thing we'll be doing around Halloween is studying the body so I'm saving the muscle & skeleton systems for then!

Will's my hero and does a lot for us. He's tutoring about 10 hours a week and is also doing his internship at the Behavioral Health Clinic in Idaho Falls. He's learning a lot about the psychology field and about mental disorders. He always has some interesting stories. His church calling is keeping him fairly busy as well. He gets to church on Sundays at 7:00am and is there until 1:00 on non-busy days. But, we're both growing from it. I'm having fun as the family history coordinator. We planned a fireside last Sunday about the doctrines of Family History. It went pretty well. Hopefully we'll get some students excited about doing family history. In a couple weeks I'll start teaching Temple Prep! YAY!

Some random highlights: We joined a frisbee team w/ some of our friends. I love it! We've won both of our games so far! We're pretty amazing...

We went down to UT for Conference and we were able to go to Will's mission reunion and see my friend Carrie & her family & Will's Grandma McDonnel. It was a fast trip but so worth it. Wasn't General Conference amazing? It seems like when President Hinckley was prophet, conferences were always very optimistic. It's not like they aren't optimistic now, but the last two conferences I noticed a lot of talk about how the world is wicked but we have to help it come back to Christ. Anyway, life is good and we are blessed.

An update with lots of pictures...uh see ya

2009-08-30T18:55:00.005-06:00

It's been awhile but I have a feeling not too many people noticed...
But, if you have, sorry for not being diligent bloggers. I've been more focused on keeping my sister's missionary blog updated.

So here's a quick update on our life. We are loving life and are so blessed! The summer has been treating us well! Here's a list of some of the things we've been able to do:

We went out to Mesa Falls with our lovely friends and were able to enjoy the demolition derby in Rexburg.
Lots of swimming and even boating at Ririe Resevoir and Rigby Lake. (Will tried Wake Skating for the first time...it's like wake boarding but w/ no bindings. He had a lot of fun doing that)

We went tubing down a river with some friends and even invited two of the tenants here. We're totally the coolest managers ever...I know...

Lots of outdoor fun including ultimate frisbee and leisure bike rides. We love our bikes! (Thanks Bonnie for letting me use yours!!).

Speaking of Bonnie, we had fun celebrating the 4th of July with them and more of our friends. We claimed a spot right by the band stands and played games until the show started at 10:00.

Fun FHE's like water balloon volleyball w/ friends.
Reading! We finished the series Chronicles of Narnia and totally recommend it for anyone and everyone! C. S. Lewis is amazing and the movies miss a lot of the symbolism that he puts in so beautifully! We've also started reading Lund's The Kindom and the Crown series and have been listening to Ballard's Counciling with our Councils on CD.

We celebarted our 1 year anniversary!! WOO HOO! We had a BBQ potluck and invited all the tenants and all our friends. It was quite the party! (Again more proof that we are the coolest managers ever...and proudest...) The next day we went up to Island Park and had a picnic and then to West Yellowstone and watched the Secret Garden at the Playmill. It was so good! Many of the actors were BYU-I students and WOW!

Big springs at Island Park where we had our picnic

We are hoping to be translated and are going to 4 hours of church on Sunday! (This isn't that exciting but I thought I'd throw it in for some laughs or sighs...) But, we are now proud members of the Rexburg 5th ward. It's an amazing ward! We were quite impressed. It has a lot of younger couples like us but, every other age too. The ward is so organized! We are still serving in the singles ward. I'm still temple prep teacher but now also the family history coordinator! Best two callings ever! Will's finally getting a grasp on his responsibilities in the bishopric. It's still humbling but a very enlightening experience for him.

An amazing summer trip to Tahoe, California to visit my dad, then to the Redwood Forest, up the Oregon coast to Portland, and then finally to Pasco, WA to visit our dear sister Bonnie. We had so much fun! Our dad treated us to some fancy restaurants and we also went up to Squaw Valley, the Olymipc site in 1960. We went on a very rigourous yet beautiful hike with him as well and took the boat out on the lake. The Redwood forest was absolutely beautiful! We camped out at the nicest KOA ever. We loved walking through the park. The coastal drive was beautiful too and of course we had a ton of fun w/ Nathan and Bonnie's family in Oregon, and even more fun in Pasco.

The hike of death! Actually it was beautiful we hiked around about 4 different lakes and 1 river!

Our campsite in the Redwoods!

We almost forgot that it's illegal to pump your own gas in OR, but luckily remembered almost before it was too late...

Fun w/ the Hall's at Multinomah Falls on our way to Pasco (sorry it's sideways)

Portland, OR Temple

Will and I had a picnic down there on that sandy part. This is on the Oregon Coast somewhere.

We celebrated our 23rd birthdays together. We went up to Yellowstone with some friends on the 15th (my birthday) because it was free and because our President was going!!! Well mostly because it was free...We didn't actually think we'd see Mr. President but we sure joked about it! We got excited when we noticed helicopters flying above us and we knew he must be close. So, that's when we decided to use our detective skills and figure out where he was. Actually we were on our way to Old Faithful and hoped he might be there too! When we got there we noticed secret service and fenced off areas all over and people grouped together in one spot. After a brief investigation we determined that he must be coming to Old Faithful. The showing was in about an hour so we waited it out. We couldn't decide if we were more excited to see the president or Old Faithful. Sure enough 15 minutes before it went off Dear Obama and his HUGE party came but of course they stayed far away from the crowd. They left but stopped traffic for what seemed like ever but luckily we hadn't had our lunch yet so we just snacked while we waited for them to let us out. The rest of our time up there was glorious. We saw lots of animals and of course the rest of the beautiful park

Air Force One Helicopter!!!

There he is!!

The Upper Falls...

The Lower Falls

A very talented Buffalo

My dear friend Amanda and I...it smelt bad. But on the bright side she has a cute tummy!

My adorable husband!!!

When we got home we went out to Applebees w/ a gift card we got from my Aunt, Thanks Dianne!! Then on Sunday for Will's birthday we had cake and ice cream and had a small get-together with friends. Our friends spoiled us rotten and got us fun little presents that we weren't expecting at all! Thanks!!

My friend and I threw another Baby Shower for our friend Linsdsey. It was a lot of fun. Will helped with it a lot! He made most of the diaper cake and even decorated the lounge for us w/ streamers! He's got quite the artistic eye. (He actually did most of our wedding reception planning too! But, he worked for Margene's setting up Weddings in high school so he had a lot of experience...isn't he so great!!)

Finally Will and I got CPR & First Aid Certified so if you have any health problems in our presence you are in good hands!

Well now you are caught up and enlightened...well probably not enlightened but at least you know what we've been up to. Managing is still going great. We love the guys. The new semester starts up in 2 weeks and we're almost completely full for the fall so that means I'll be busy! Not to mention that I'm teaching at Shumway Academy again! I'm excited! They opened up an older school and asked me to be the teacher so we'll see how it goes. It's intense because I'm teaching every subject...AHHH! Will's been doing temp work on the new auditorium and working hard on his farmers tan! He's excited for school to start. He's doing an internship at the Behaviorial Health Clinic so it will be a pretty intense semester for him too.

Oopps, it's June and we're finally updating

2009-06-07T20:21:00.008-06:00

Well we've had all kinds of adventures lately. Will's been very busy with his church calling, classes and tuturing job. I don't see him much during the day but he's very good about making time to spend with me in the evenings. We're enjoying the singles ward. It really is a good group of students. We're both learning a lot. As part of his calling we get to have Family Nights with some of the students in the ward. They keep us well entertained! The activities committee in the ward planned an intense hike. We've included some pictures below. It was out in Driggs, ID, a wealthy vacatoin spot as it is close to the Targhee Ski Resort, in Darby Canyon.

We were all pretty pumped to get out and enjoy some beautiful country. Bishop supplied us with some good drinks & snacks.

It was a beautiful day!

The path was a little muddy with some snow but it made us feel tough! (As you can see...)

But, after awhile the trail ended and it was just snow. A few of the students wanted to get to the cave that was at the top of the trail though so we foolishly kept on going. We eventually made it to the cave as you can see below. (However, it wasn't really a cave you could go in, as there was a raging river coming out of it.) The problem was getting back down the mountain. We had a few near death experiences but luckily we went and did baptisms that morning so we were blessed! The near death experiences mainly resulted from Will deciding it'd be a good idea to slide down part of the mountain instead of walking. He made it down just fine, but others weren't so fortunate. One person hit a tree (only hard enough to get a few scratches) and another girl was going out of control fast enough that if she had hit the tree, it would have been bad, but luckily 3 girls helped her avoid it (by a fraction of an inch). It ended up being a long day and by the time we got back home, Will & I were quite exhausted.

For Memorial day we went to visit Leah & Davin. We camped out in their backyard and spent some quality time with the owls that live in their tree. Will had a fun time with them.

We were also able to go on a hike with them and Will realized he could defy gravity...

It was a pretty view!

We also went to Craters of the Moon, a national park in Arco, Idaho. We had fun exploring the caves and hiking up the old volcanoes. As you can see from the pictures, it's a whole new experience!

We've enjoyed seeing the different beautiful places around Idaho and are looking forward to more exploring now that Summer is almost here!

May Flowers

2009-05-11T10:59:00.007-06:00

It's MAY!!! And the flowers are actually starting to bloom. Grandma says the tulips came up weeks ago in AR so I was a bit bitter. But, I'm so glad they are blooming now! I love driving around and seeing all the pretty tulips. Our plants are not flowering yet, actually one is making me very sad. Some of the leaves are turning yellow. So, we'll see if I can keep it alive.

Life has been pretty crazy. I've been subbing on and off and realizing that elementary education is a lot harder than it looks. I'm giving it another try this Friday, but frankly I prefer secondary much better. I've also been taking a rape, aggression, defense (RAD) class. Basically I'm learning how to beat people up. It's awesome! Actually I'm learning a lot more than that. They have a whole manual that talks about how to defend against predators. I want to learn more about getting certified to teach the course because that would be awesome! It's a nationwide program and once you finish one course you can attend any course for free for the rest of your life!

Friday we went to watch Dan's district track meet. He's fast! He got 2nd in the 110 meter hurdles, 1st on two relay teams, and 1st in the 300 meter hurdles. He's currently in 1st in state on the latter! State is this week! We're excited to hear how he does. He was student athlete of the week a few weeks ago. KIDK interviewed him and you can watch the link:

http://www.kidk.com/sports/athlete/43321987.html

Will's been very busy with classes and with his tutoring job. But, we've learned that the Lord is going to be expecting a little bit more from him. On Sunday Will was called to be the 2nd counselor in the Bishopric. It's a bit humbling for both of us but, we're also excited to interact with the students. President Gilbert read the calling to the ward and then had both of us bare our testimonies. I thought I was off the hook but President Gilbert got to know me pretty well when I was involved in the Heber J. Grant program and I guess he thought he could pick on me. Then Bishop Davis bore his testimony of Will's call and how it came about. Bishop's son, Colby, and Will were good friends in High School and Bishop shared a little bit of their adventures which helped the students get to know Will a bit better and even laugh at him.

Then President Gilbert personally addressed Will and I and then the whole congregation. It was a good day. I felt loved by Heavenly Father. I really am getting to like this ward. There are actually 3 married girls in the ward and I'm visiting teaching partners with one and we visit the other one. I definitely believe we were put in this ward for a purpose, one of those being that I have a lot to learn from these girls!

On a lighter note Will was on the Channel 8 news w/out even realizing it. Dan was watching the news Friday night and saw Will riding on his bike! We laugh about it because Will's riding Bonnie's bike and he's actually quite embarrassed about it. So, when he's on campus he rides where foot traffic isn't congested. But, as he was doing that last Friday he got on the news! HAHAHAHAHA! The sad thing: they were doing a news report at BYU-I because some one has the Swine Flu. O BOY! Don't worry, Will and I are practicing good cleaning rituals!

Well hope you enjoyed! Have a great day!

April Showers

2009-04-16T10:15:00.007-06:00

It's April! YAY!

Wow, a lot has happened since February! I finished my student teaching! Hallelujah!

It was a long haul but I survived. I surely learned a lot and I actually liked teaching economics!

History is still my favorite though. Half way through student teaching, Will and I were making plans for our future and trying to figure jobs out. We got a call in March asking if we'd be interested in managing a boys apartment complex in Rexburg. We interviewed and got the job!

So, on April 3 I spent my last day at Rigby High rushed home and started packing. With our friend Andy's amazing help we moved most of our belongings up to our new home that night! Amazing huh! So these past few weeks we've been learning the ropes about managing a boys apartment complex. It's been challenging but we really enjoy it! We don't have to pay for rent and yesterday the owners gave us a gift card to Applebee's! WOOT!

Last week I threw my first baby shower! I think I'll be throwing two more this summer. Yea for pregnant friends. Tiffanie is a good friend of ours that we met through the activities program. Will and her were both area directors. She was over talent. The first training retreat they invited spouses to go and Tiffanie's husband and I were the only spouses that went. But we hit it off. Jordan, Tiffanie's husband is a riot! They both hale from Minnesota so that makes me happy! But, we get a long great with them. It was a fun little party and I hope she had fun!

Awkward Moment Story: So, while we were moving in I noticed a car that looked familiar (it's a unique /old car) but, I didn't think anything of it. Later that night Will asks me if a guy I dated lives in the complex. I look up the tenants and sure enough we were managers for a guy I once dated. I figure we were meant to be friends.

Some Pictures of the new Place:

Our Office & my graduation present from Will, a sweet red cover for my mac!

You can kind of also see one of our plants! We bought plants! The clay pot has succulents. They are so fun!

Our apartment has 3 bedrooms! We don't know what to do with all the space!

So we created a study/storage room...

and I give you our "Spare Um" i.e. dance room/guest room.

Our sweet living room!

This is our kitchen table and our Wandering Jew. It's so pretty! It's similar to ivy and very good at re-growing if any one wants a piece!

Will's Life:

Will's glad the semester is over. He got all A's and an A-'s. That means he gets a scholarship this next semester! YAY! He's got a tough load next semester though. He's signed up for 15 credits and they are all tough classes (i.e. neuroscience...just blows me away). He's excited that he doesn't have to work at Western Watt's though! He got a tutoring job on campus for Human Anatomy. It'll will be a good experience for him. We've also been called to serve in a singles ward. Bishop Davis, an old friend of Will's and a former bishopric member in one of my old wards called Will to be his assistant ward clerk. It's way random but we're excited. Bishop Davis was also Will's Anatomy teacher so it's crazy connections on all sides!

My sister is coming up to visit this weekend and we're going to be taking her to the MTC next Wednesday so we'll have to post pictures of our crazy adventures with her. Stay Tuned!!

More Pictures:

A closer look at our succulents, they're so fun!

I can't remember the name of this one...any one know???

President's Day Adventures

2009-02-22T15:12:00.010-07:00

-----------------Our Valentine's Day dinner of fondue-------------

Well, life is going on as usual for Sandy and I. She's on the downhill side of her student teaching (as in, we see the light at the end of the tunnel). This is the last week of the current trimester, and then she gets all new students, picks up another US History class and loses her Sociology class (for which the only tears she is shedding are tears of joy, because preparing 3 lesson plans a day is a bit taxing). School is going well for me. I'm thinking now that I'm going to go into Clinical Psychology. However, physical therapy isn't completely out of the picture, nor are a few other options. I'm still working at Western Watts, but not a whole lot-the economic downturn is seen even in Rexburg. We're not sure what we're going to do after Sandy's done with her student teaching. She's planning on going to Arkansas right after to see her sister before she heads off on a mission to Kiev Ukraine. We've applied for a few apartment management positions in Rexburg, and if we get one of those we'll go up there and live again.

For President's Day Sandy and I went snowshoeing to Mesa Falls with a couple of friends. Well, the plan was to go snowshoeing, but after we got going on the road (snowshoers aren't allowed on the cross country ski trail) we realized that it would be just as easy to just walk on the road where all the snowmobiles had gone, since it was packed down. So, we did that and made it to the lower falls. We didn't have time to make it to the upper falls, and so started back. When we got almost to the end, the couple we were with had the idea of her laying down, and he grabbing her feet and pushing her. So, we decided to do likewise. One of the videos shows how it turned out. The other shows me improvising what do do without a sled.

Tribute to Mom

2009-01-18T19:53:00.005-07:00

We've now lived here in Ribgy for a full two weeks, and we're enjoying it. Sandy is learning a lot doing her student teaching, and I am enjoying my classes and trying to enjoy working at Western Watts (the call center where Sandy used to work). In regards to my classes, I've decided to consider going into a psychology profession, rather than physical therapy as I had previously planned. Hopefully by the end of the semester I'll have a good idea of what I want to do.
Yesterday we spent the day doing some minor installations here in the apartment. When we moved in, the main closet didn't have any doors, and there were no racks in the bathroom, so I used my less than amazing manual skills to install them.
Don't you like the Door's Will installed? This Picture is full of gifts. We're borrowing the tables and the DVD player from our friends. Thanks Molly and Brandon! But, everything else in this picture are things people have generously provided us with. We are grateful for all we've been given and we are especially grateful for our friends and family! We basically love living in our new apartment and Sandy loves the bed. She feels like a princess. Those 5 star hotel's don't compare!
This is our spacious Kitchen! We thank Uncle Brent for the table and chairs! Basically everything in this picture except for Will's scriptures and the Bolivian flag are gifts from great friends...o wait his scriptures were a gift...so our point is that we are blessed and are grateful for everyone's love and support.
Our greatest support comes from Mom.
We've definitely had some adventures these past few months of marriage and we owe a lot to Mom. Whenever we call her with a predicament she finds a way to help us out. We are grateful for everything she's done and basically she's the best mom in the world. THANKS MOM!
This is a beautiful picture of her and her oldest grandson Tanner taken on our wedding day. (She now has 2 grandsons! Congrats Bonnie and Nathan!)

Christmas Break (the extended version)

2009-01-04T18:47:00.015-07:00

Christmas in IF at the Taylors'.

Our humble Christmas tree in Rexburg

It’s been a crazy past 3 weeks. My (Will's) semester ended December 12, and Sandy and I planned on leaving for Lake Tahoe, where her dad lives, a week after the following Monday. The week after my semester ended was spent in part doing a lot of packing. I also got a job at Western Watts, where Sandy was working.

I really underestimated the magnitude of the moving task. We “started” by taking the Prizm (the car I drive) and the Focus (the car Sandy drives) full of stuff to Rigby on Monday. Then on Friday I took the Prizm (full) to Idaho Falls, and Sandy drove the Focus (full of stuff also) and we picked up my parents' van and trailer (we had to push the trailer from the back yard, and the yard was full of snow, so that made it a bit difficult. Sandy went to work and I went home and started some more packing and moving stuff. I got one of our neighbors to help me move the couches, bed and dresser. I got the trailer and the van pretty full, and I then went and picked up Sandy from work, and we went to Idaho Falls. By that time I was really sick of moving. I was frustrated with myself for not asking others to help, because it was a huge job for one person. We spent the night in Idaho Falls, then came back early the next morning for Sandy to work. I cleaned and packed while she was at work. Originally I had thought that we would finish by early afternoon. Well, it didn’t work out quite like that. We cleaned and packed all day, then that night, we went to Idaho Falls, to take a load of stuff, and to attend a wedding reception. When we got back up to Rexburg it was around 10, and we went back to packing and cleaning. We had brought up and air mattress and sleeping bags. We finally went to bed at 3, and finished the last things the next day.

Monday we awoke to 8 or so inches of new snow, with it still snowing. We planned to leave around 9, so that we could get to Reno by 9 PM, since we were going to pick up Sandy's sister Amy, who was flying in. We made it to Salt Lake ok although it was really trecherous the whole way.
The drive from Salt Lake to Reno was pretty uneventful. Amy called and told us that her flight was delayed. It started to look like she wasn’t going to get there that night, then finally we found out that she was going to get there around 12:30 AM. We got to Reno around 9 and went to In and Out Burger!! Sandy had talked to her dad, and he had told us that it was snowing hard in Tahoe. I had bought chains the week before, and figured out (or so I thought) how to put the chains on. So we thought we'd be ok...
The snow started after we left Reno. We got to a stretch between Reno and Carson City that said chains or snow tires were required, but I decided not to put the chains on unless I had to. We made it over the small pass without problems, then when we got through Carson City, onto the road to go over the pass to get into Tahoe, we pulled over to put the chains on. I got the chains put on, and we got on our way. We went 20-25 mph the whole way. At one point we got to a parking lot type thing that was lit, where I decided to check the chains. they were ok, but I tightened them a little. As we went to pull out back onto the road I was pretty confident in the ability of the chains to drive through the rather deep snow that we had pulled into to check the chains, and didn’t pull out as cautiously as I should have, and the tires started spinning and one of the chains fell off. I got out to put it back on, this time a bit cold because I was wet because from when I had put them on. I thought I got it back on, but when we got going it fell off. This time, we were in the middle of the road, where there were no lights, and it was snowing hard, and 3:00 in the morning. Suffice it to say, I was a bit worried. However, where we had pulled off to check the chains had been the summit of the pass, so I decided that rather than try and put the chain back on, we’d just try it with chains on one tire. We got going pretty well, then that one fell off. So I thew that one in the car, and we went with no chains. Fortunately we made it. The only problems we had were when we tried to pull into the neighborhood where Sandy’s dad lives, we got a bit stuck. So, Amy and I pushed and Sandy drove, and we got there, at 4 AM.
In Tahoe, there were lots of people that drove around with chains on that were very similar to the ones I had used, and I didn’t understand why theirs worked so much better than mine. Finally, I looked at one up close, and then at mine, and realized that I had put mine on upside down. I am so grateful that we got to Tahoe with as little difficulty as we did. I am so grateful that the chains stayed on, even with them being on upside down.
The first few days in Tahoe were spent doing a bit of sightseeing and helping out at Sandy's Dad's stores.
On Christmas evening, after we had opened presents, gone to Sandy's dad's store for awhile and gone snowmobiling, I noticed that my keys were missing. We had gone snowmobiling. The keys could have fallen out anywhere. Numerous times the thought had gone through my mind in the previous days that I needed to make a copy of my key (I hadn’t brought a spare) but doing that hadn’t been convenient, so I didn’t. I thought of what I could do, and decided to call my mom to ask her to mail me a spare, since I had left a spare in Idaho. I had planned on waiting as long as possible to tell Sandy, but she came into the room when I was talking to my mom. Neither of them were too happy with me.
My mom overnighted the keys to me on Friday, which meant that they were supposed to get there by Saturday. Well, they didn’t arrive until Monday, which was quite inconvenient for us but taught me a valuable lesson about, well, having a brain.
The day before we left we went to eat at a health food restaurant where I had a shot of wheat grass. If you are reading this, and haven't had a shot of wheatgrass in your life, I recommend it. It smells like grass clippings, and tastes like grass clippings. But supposedly it's good for you.
Tuesday morning we drove to LA. We were planning on going to the Rose Parade on New Years and sitting with some people that my grandma knew who always stake out a spot. The day before the parade, on New Years Eve day, we decided to drive the parade route, and it was so crazy to see how many people were already there, camping out.
We went to the parade on New Years around 7. It was fun waiting for the parade and watching all the people. Where we were sitting there are a lot of members of the church that come, and the guy who kind of organizes that seating place had a seating chart and everything, and people from the group brought food. It was pretty cool. The parade itself was really cool. The floats are all made of living things, as in there can be no plastic or anything like that for decoration. A couple of the floats even had portraits on them, which were done with things like seeds and rice. The majority of the color on the floats is done with flowers, and they’re just beautiful. The only downsides were that we were at the end of the route, so the marching bands were really tired, and we were sitting just on the other side of where the route goes through an underpass, under the freeway, and some floats have to be lowered to make it under, and some of the floats didn’t get risen back up.
Friday we drove back home. We stopped and visited one of Sandy’s old roommates in Provo, then drove the rest of the way to Ogden, where we were going to stay with Bonnie. She just gave birth to her second son, who they named Preston Dean Hall.

The Perfect Day

2008-12-14T21:23:00.003-07:00

Sandy's Part:We had quite the busy week! Will finished his finals! It's almost certain he'll come out with all A's! YAY! He was pretty stressed. But, I'm quite proud of him. Work is winding down for me and I'm pretty excited. This week we are having our Christmas program at Shumway Academy! We are making cookies with the students and then giving them to three families. The children have been practicing a poem called "The First Christmas." We are going to recite it to the families and sing some Christmas songs as well. It will be fun. They are also going to have a little Christmas Program on Thursday. I'm excited!
Last Tuesday the Service Program had it's final meeting. One of the managers was in charge of "The Giving Tree." A tree that had a list of needy people in the area that BYU-I students can pick and get presents for. For the final Service meeting we wrapped all the presents that had been donated. We were quite impressed with the generosity of the BYU-I students! I think many lives will be touched this Christmas. It was neat.
Something not so neat: Saturday morning I woke up around 6:30am to a distant beeping noise. After much confusion I finally realized that it was an alarm. But I was still confused as to why it wasn't turning off. When my brain started working I remembered that it was Christmas break and one of our neighbors must have forgotten to turn off their alarm. As I lay in bed, I started praying that it would stop. I didn't want to wake up yet! Then, all of a sudden the power went out. I lay there quite happy with myself and my luck! Then, I realized I should probably get ready for work. Will went out to get the ice off the car for me. (Isn't he great!) But, when he came back he suggested I call work to see if the power was on. Just as I was looking up the # they called me and told me not to come in as the power was out and the road's were bad and the weather was wretched. (Will de-iced the car for nothing!) But, despite that I was ready for a perfect day! So, what did we do with our new found time? We watched the 1st Chronicles of Narnia Movie on my laptop cuddled in are nice warm bed. We watched the 2nd one with some friends last week and Will was quite confused because he had not seen the first one.
Will's Part: Half way through the movie we remembered that our ward was providing a breakfast for everyone that morning. Originally, we hadn't planned on going since Sandy had work, and I didn't want to go alone. So, we went to the lounge, and while we were eating, the manager asked us all to move our cars so the parking lot could be plowed (the reason the power went out was because we had a snow/wind storm). I went to move our cars across the street into another parking lot. The first one I did just fine, having fun with the Emergency Brake and sliding around the corners (this is my first winter ever having a car with a hand brake). Well, the next car didn't go so well. I kind of got stuck in a snow drift in the other parking lot while trying to power slide around the corner. Ok, I guess I really got it stuck. I decided to leave it there and get it out later. So, a little later we had to go to a friend's wedding. Before I continue, I should interject that Rexburg isn't exactly known for it's road maintenance. Or rather, isn't known for it's GOOD road maintenance. As I pulled out of our parking lot, and tried to go up the hill to the temple, I got stuck ON THE MAIN ROAD. I was able to turn around, forcing the car behind me to stop. Once I got going down the hill, I realized that the car that had to stop because of me, also failed to make it up the hill. The same thing happened later that night. We had just left our ward choir practice, and I had asked some of the others there to come help me push the car out that I had already gotten stuck. As we were all trying to make it up the hill, I once again forced the car behind me to stop, and they had to turn around also. But we made it up the hill. Eventually. I've learned that compact cars are great for gas mileage, but they don't do so great when it comes to traction in the snow. When we got to our stuck car, we realized that it was a bit more stuck than I had originally thought. It didn't help that the wind had blown about 8 tons of snow under and around the car. With 5 or 6 of us digging and pushing, we managed to get it out.
Despite it all, I still love the snow, and slowly but surely Sandy is starting to love it too. She just won't admit it.

Ups and Downs

2008-12-07T16:25:00.003-07:00

Well, Thanksgiving went well. We had a good time on Thursday. Sandy and I (Will) put up Christmas lights on my parents' home. They live on a street called Candy Cane Lane (it's only called that from Thanksgiving to New Years) because of the tradition of putting up wooden candy canes along the sidewalks. Bonnie, Nathan and Tanner were there, and for Thanksgiving dinner a friend of ours from school came, which was fun. Ping-pong didn't go quite as good as I would have liked, as I was a bit humbled by my brother in law, Nathan. Until next time.
Back in Rexburg life has continued as normal. I have had enough of this cold weather with no snow. I don't mind the cold if there is snow, but if it's just going to be cold, well, I don't like that too much. The problem is Sandy doesn't like the snow, and apparently Sandy has a better relationship with mother nature than I do, so once I can convince her of how wonderful snow is, then maybe we'll see some white stuff.
Wednesday life threw a bit of a curveball at us. As I wrote in the last post, Sandy had gotten her teaching placement with a certain teacher in Rigby. She tried to contact him, unsuccessfully, and left a message. Wednesday evening she got a call from him, and was informed that there had been some sort of mix-up and that a student from ISU had ended up getting placed with him. In other words, Sandy had nowhere to student teach. We were both really dismayed, as we had been basically planning our lives since we were married around her doing her student teaching after Christmas, including selling our apartment contract here and buying one in Rigby. We weren't sure what was going to happen. Sandy emailed the person in charge of student teaching placement, and they were able to resolve it the next day, and Sandy is now with two different teachers, at the same high school, and will be teaching Economics (which she's a bit stressed about as it isn't her forte) Sociology and History. As I write this, it seems like the whole situation wasn't a big deal, but from the time Sandy was informed that her placement had fallen through until it was resolved, it was really hard. However, I know that the Lord knows what He is doing, and that whatever happens, if we're following Him, it will work out for the best.
Yesterday Sandy had the opportunity to take wedding pictures for a friend of hers. She's not getting married until next week, but wanted to get some pictures done today, as it is a big chilly outside and a bit easier to break it up into a few different photo taking times. It was a lot of fun, and the photo of the sunset came from when we were finishing. It's amazing how a sky can look so warm in a place so cold.

We're Moving to Rigby!

2008-11-26T14:39:00.002-07:00

So, about a week ago, Sandy and I were wondering what was to become of our lives in Rexburg. She hadn't gotten ehr student teaching placement, and the end of the semester was nearing. We were hoping to move out of our apartment, since we're paying way to much for how little our apartment is, and also because there was someone else who was getting married who wanted to buy our contract.

Now, one week later, we have an apartment in Rigby, and Sandy has received her placement. What happened was that after talking with a friend Sandy found out that she could talk to the people in charge of her placement to find out at least what city she'd be in. She did so, and found out she'd be in Rigby. Upon finding that out, we started searching for a new apartment. Non-single housing in Rexburg is a very hot commodity in Rexburg, and we were constantly looking at the classifieds for the next few days. Then on Friday night we saw a listing for a basement apartment in Rigby, and went and looked at it the next day. It was quite a bit cheaper than our current apartment, and more spacious, with a washer and dryer in the apartment. We decided we liked it, but the problem was the land lord was out of town until Tuesday, and there were some other people looking at it. Well, on Monday I got a call, saying that if we were willing to sign a 15 month contract that day, it was ours. So, we drove down to Rigby to sign it. Amidst other hopeful tenants calling, we signed the contract (there were 3 others hoping to get the apartment) We plan to live there only until Sandy finishes her student teaching, then moving back to Rexburg. We don't think we'll have any trouble selling the contract. Or, at least we hope we won't. I'm especially excited to live there because the landlord is from Mexico, and I can finally have someone with whom I can speak Spanish.

The move is pretty much the biggest news in our life. Other than that, life is pretty normal. Sandy is still teaching at Shumway, and isn't looking forward to having to say good bye to her students. She's also still working at Western Watt's, and got hit on again the other day by one of the people she called. Once again, she didn't know where the fellow lived, in order for me to pay him a visit. Well, probably me and like 10 others, since like I stated in another post, I'm kind of a wimp.

In other news, last Sunday there were no other members of the relief society presidency, so I got to go with Sandy to nursery. That was fun.

For Thanksgiving we're making the journey of 30 minutes to Idaho Falls, and are going to hang out there for a few days. I'm excited to beat Dan, my brother, in Ping Pong. Unfortunately, that desire may not come to pass, seeing as how I was humbled last weekend in ping-pong, and am afraid my glory days have passed. Although there really are no glory days in ping pong, since no one really cares about the sport. And even if they did care, I really was never that good.

We hope all is well with anyone who reads this post, although there is probably no one that reads it than ourselves. So I hope everything is good with us when we read this blog. But obviously everything is not good, if all we are doing with our free time is reading our own blog.

Life in apartment 412

2008-11-16T16:02:00.006-07:00

Life in Rexburg is going on as normal. Sandy is still teaching at Shumway academy, where she teaches 3 second graders, as well as working at Western Watts, where she does research surverys over the phone. At first she hated working at Watts, but now she doesn't mind it, seeing as how she does well, and gets paid well for it. Plus, she gets to have interesting things happen, such as guys hit on her over the phone. (But that was only once. Luckily he lives in Florida, otherwise I (Will) would go have a little chat with him. But he's probably like 7 feet tall and 400 lbs, and I am kind of a wimp sometimes, so I guess that I couldn't do much) In regard to Shumway academy, Sandy didn't like teaching there too much at first, but her kids there really like her now, and although she still comes home frustrated sometimes, she likes it. She is going to be teaching there until December, and then in January she will be doing her student teaching (we're still waiting for her placement.)

I am finishing up my semester, and am pretty glad it's wrapping up. I've really enjoyed my classes, but I'm ready for a change. The class I'm ejoying most is anatomy. This last week we had a muscle test, and part of the test was identifying muscles on cadavers (dead bodies). Well, last week I also had a pre-physical therapy society meeting, which Sandy came to with me. It was in the same building that I have anatomy in, so as we were leaving, I asked her if she wanted to have the life-changing experience of seeing a real cadaver. (Ok, not so much life changing, but interesting nonetheless). Well, she wasn't too enthused, but I convinced her (or dragged her). I was pretty stoked, and pointed out some muscles to her, and showed her the brain, but she pretty much wanted to barf, so we left. While we were in there, someone from my class saw her, and that she wasn't too excited, and told her just to say she was pregnant (since pregnant people aren't allowed in there for some reason). It was a good bonding experience for us. Actually, not really. But it was memorable.

Today at church was Sandy's first day in the primary. She got called to the presidency a couple of weeks ago, and then last week was stake conference, so today was the first day actually in the primary. We have an interesting primary here, in that there are a total of 1 kids. Or, I guess the correct thing to say is there is a total of one kid, and he can't talk yet. So, it's an interseting calling. But she said she enjoyed it, so that's good.

Ethnic Foods

2008-11-16T15:54:00.018-07:00

So, being the history buff/ambitios person that Sandra is, a while ago she decided that for passover she was going to go all out and make the traditional jewish food. Well, she still had some matza flour left, which she used to make matza balls, which is what you are seeing. They were quite tasty, and we've decided that we need to cook more ethnic foods. I told her later that she needs to try tongue, but she refuses. So one of these days I'm going to learn how to cook it (it's delicious if prepared right) and trick her into eating it, then I'm going to tell her a few days later.

Sandra's Cooking Creations

2008-11-16T15:34:00.006-07:00

So, over the past couple weeks, Sandy has been quite the chef. A couple of weeks ago we decided we were going to make apple butter and bread. Well, the bread wasn't too difficult to make, but we kind of underestimated how much time and effort it takes to make apple butter. Will started peeling the apples, thinking it wasn't going to take too long, until he realized just how many apples it takes to fill a 5 quart crock pot. Unfortunately, we don't have one of those handy apple peelers, and had to use a knife to do the peeling. 2 hours later the apples were peeled and cut, and then the 18 hours in the crock pot started. Yes, 18 hours.

Dan's Game

2008-10-17T23:55:00.007-06:00

Tonight (Friday) Sandy and I (Will) went to my little brother Dan's game. I thought it'd be good to put a few of the videos I took on the blog. The first one is a pass completion when Dan't team was on about the 2o. Dan's completion gave the team the surge they needed, as well as the field position, to get them in the endzone and tie up the game. The game ended up going into overtime, and Dan's team held the other team in their Kansas City style tie breaker to win it. The other 2 videos are of Dan's battles with #44. I don't know the kid's name, but he was always on Dan, and they got into a couple of scuffles.

Will learning new talents

2008-10-13T21:46:00.005-06:00

Tonight Will learned that playing the clarinet is harder than it looks.

La Casa

2008-10-12T22:13:00.004-06:00

These pictures are a bit deceiving. They make the apartment look bigger than it is. It consists of the living room, which is connected to our bedroom by a hallway that we've named the kitchen, because it has a sink, and stove, and refrigerator, and all those things a kitchen should have, except a lot of space. I sound ungrateful. It really isn't that bad.

Idaho Fall Weather

2008-10-12T21:52:00.004-06:00

Just kidding about this one.

We went to a waterfall nearby yesterday, and enjoyed some of Idaho's glorious fall weather! Sandy hadn't expected snow, so the shoes she was wearing weren't quite adequate. Luckily, I (Will) had my football cleats in the car (that I had been using for intramurals) and so she wore those, to Will's great delight.

2008-10-12T21:43:00.002-06:00

Welcome to the blog everyone! We hope to update it periodically.
We're all settled in now to our apartment, and living the good life in Rexburg, Idaho. Sandra is working at a private school teaching 3 second graders, as well as working at a call center conducting surveys, while Will is studying his brains out as well as being involved in the service activities program on campus.
Sandra is planning on doing her student teaching this winter here in the area. We are hoping that she gets to stay here in Rexburg, but due to the magnitude of student teachers in the area, there's a good possibility she will get placed in one of the surrounding cities.
Will is currently studying psychology, and is hoping to go to physical therapy school when he finishes his degree. Originally his major was exercise science, but he realized that if he didnt' get in to Physical Therapy school, there weren't a lot of options for someone with that major, so he changed majors (luckily, it was early enough that he hadn't taken any classes that didn't apply to his new major)
We hope you all are happy!

More Pictures

2008-08-28T13:11:00.004-06:00

The Taylor Family

2008-05-13T13:41:00.004-06:00