A Few Thoughts

Do you ever have those days where you have a lot of different things on your mind and need somewhere to sort them out? Well that is how I feel today so here are my ramblings...

I went skiing with my sisters (we missed you Liz) over the weekend, and it was a lot of fun. Thanks for going with me! And thanks to my parents and Daniel for taking care of Jacob on Saturday. He loves going to your house. Maybe someday we'll live at least in the same county again :)

Last night we went swimming at the rec center for FHE. I'd forgotten just how much Jacob loves the water. He giggled and splashed and jumped off the side and took breaks to get in the hot shower (the pool was freezing) and laughed even more. I'm really going to miss having a pool right outside my front door this summer. We will have to figure something out.

A lot of people are making their blogs private so the other day I googled myself and Jarom and was very relieved that our blog didn't come up. I guess my settings are good enough. On the other hand, I have officially decided not to join Facebook. I would have to put my maiden name on there so people who don't know me by Taylor could find me, and there are people I don't want finding me. Facebook accounts always come up on a google search, and I have heard they are very easy to hack into even if you have a private profile.

I'm trying to find some cute ideas for decorations that don't cost a lot of money. I want a new way to display some family pics. I need something for my fireplace mantle. I need some ideas for the master bedroom. Jacob's room I have under control I think. I would like to be able to make some things too. So if you have any ideas please share. Or if you know a good website.

We are starting on the bathroom soon, and I have to decide what colors to do. I had decided to do chocolate brown and blue, but I'm having second thoughts because it's hard to find matching accessories. So again any ideas?

Lastly, I have an itunes gift card that I need to use. I don't like to download the popular music because it gets old fast. So I need some suggestions for good music that you don't get tired of.

That's all. Thanks for reading and please share your ideas with me.

Too tired to sleep??

I wish Jacob would do this right now, and I bet Jarom is wishing he could take a nap about now too. We've been up pretty much since 4 a.m. Being up that early is bad enough but it is majorly compounded by TWO AND A HALF HOURS OF STRAIGHT CRYING. He finally passed out from exhaustion about 6:45 but was up again at 8:30 ready to go. His eyes are so puffy, and he just looks tired. Oh well, how do you get a two year old to sleep when he doesn't want to? Here's to hoping for a good long nap and some magic from the doctor this afternoon.

Body World 3

Jarom and I had a date on Saturday. For our date we went downtown and waited in line for 2 hours to walk through the Body World Exhibit. Oh we had a time slot for our tickets. It was 4 pm, but they were so incredibly busy we didn't get in until 6 pm. I do have to say it was worth it. It was amazing to see how intricate our bodies are. Makes you wonder how people can really believe that we "evolved" into these magnificent creatures. Oh and the fetal exhibit--out of this world! I had tears in my eyes. They had embryos from the really early weeks all the way to week 40. Did you know that the heart is the first organ to form in a baby? And that it forms and starts beating only a few days after conception? I really thought anyone who is pro-choice should see that part of the exhibit if nothing else. I have a much greater appreciation for the gift that I have!!!

On a side note--Jarom passed out on Friday night, and we don't really know why. He had gone to use the bathroom, and I heard a loud crash which I shrugged off to be something that fell. Then a few seconds later, Jarom is calling for me. I ran to check on him, and he's sitting on the floor with his head in his hands. He'd hit his head on the toliet on the way to the floor but luckily he didn't break the skin. I spent the rest of the evening checking on him every few minutes. I think I annoyed him. But hello, I was worried. Anyways, he's been fine since but still.....

Just when you're starting to feel like a pro.......

I've been the type of mom who researches everything. From sleeping to eating to discipline, I've read so much on all of it. There's one thing that I have ready next to nothing about when it comes to parenting-potty training. I have checked out potty books to read to Jacob at the library, and I've done other things to try to get him interested. But I haven't spent much time or thought about it because he just hasn't seemed interested, and I didn't want to push him. Well last night that all changed. As I was getting him ready to bathe, he said, "Mom, I want to go potty." So I put him on the toliet (I hadn't even bought him his own potty yet) and encouraged him the best I could. He sat there for several minutes and tried his hardest to pee in the toliet. He was not successful, but I realized that this might be my golden opportunity. So this morning we went shopping for a potty and some pull-ups. He was super excited to pick out a truck potty and bring it home. He wanted to sit on it right away. Again he didn't pee in the toliet, but at least he wants to try. But I have a zillion questions and don't have any answers. HELP!!!

How many of you can relate to this?

Read this on my brother-in-law's (thanks Dustin) website today. It makes me grateful for where I am in my life right now. Being a stay at home mom with only one child has taught me to slow down sometimes and enjoy life's greatest moments. I hope that I am always one to stop to enjoy the show.

Violinist in the Metro

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousand of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work. The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on. In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars. Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100. This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context? One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?”

A Look Ahead....

Here are some of our hopes and dreams for 2009.........
*Grow our family by 2-one baby and one puppy
*Keep working on making our home beautiful inside and out
*Take some fun family trips
*Spend quality time with family and friends
*Create memories all year long

Here's to a year of HOPE and CHANGE!!!!!!!

A Look Back ....

2008 has really gone by fast. Here are a few highlights from the year for our family:
January: Jarom and I went cross country skiing in Bryce Canyon, and Jarom went to Solitude for fresh powder when he had the chance.
February: We put our condo up for sale.
March: Jacob made his first visit to the ER.
April: We took a trip to Fruita, CO to go mountain biking.
May: We went camping on a snowy, cold Memorial Day weekend.
June: We took a family vacation to San Diego.
July: We went hiking and biking. We also took trips south to see my family and spent time with Jarom's family at Bear Lake.
August: Finally sold our condo and moved to our new home. Jacob turned two.
September: Jarom and I celebrated our 4th anniversary.
October: Worked on the house. Watched some Utah football??? I don't know what we did this month.
November: Celebrated Thanksgiving with family. Jarom and I took one last biking trip to St. George.
December: Enjoyed a busy month of celebrating Christmas and weddings.

When I Grow Up....

I want to be just like Dad!