i like today

Maybe it is because I am finally seeing the end of a 50 hour work week
Maybe it is because of the great CD Cade played for me on the drive to work
Maybe it is because we spent last night at the Heber Farmer’s Market listening to live music and scouring all the handmade goods with the Bocanegra kiddos
Maybe it is because I am wearing the same clothes to work today that I wore Tuesday because I packed poorly for this week’s babysitting adventure
Maybe it is because the second trimester of pregnancy already feels a little better than the first
Maybe it is because I am not wearing makeup and I didn’t do my hair and I don’t care
Maybe it is because we just finished all our paperwork so we can buy a house
Maybe it is because I like the way Timp looks on both sides
Maybe it is just because I decided I like today

But whatever the reason, today is a good day. And it is only 7:30 in the morning.

first family photo

classic

classic skating: i have always been a fan. you had better believe we jumped at the opportunity to go there for free last week- and we weren't alone. cade, his sister and her kids all go to the same orthodontist, dr. nord. in appreciation of the thousands they have spent on perfect smiles, dr. nord invited all patients- along with "family and friends"- to classic for a free night of fun. i don't know if dr. nord is aware, but in the taylor family "friends and family" results in grandparents, 9 adults, 20 kids and seiko. we are a package deal, folks.

here are the visual highlights:

the girls gearing up for a romantic 'snowball' session.

eliza was so excited about this shot, she took the small asian boy out. people were dropping like crazy out there though- it's all part of the fun.

speaking of falls, cade's dad took a rough tumble which led to some interesting therapy options. jon was happy to help roll out some of those kinks.

cade and i entered the 'couple dance' competition and with 20 nieces and nephews screaming their support- you better believe we won. and then i fell. that's classic.

the scrumpies got a little pooped with all this rollerskating business. so they took a break. gotta love that confetti carpet.

this picture is a little dark, but one great part about family night at classic is all the strollers! that never flies on friday nights when the place is swarming with 11 year old hormones and liz claiborne perfume. it was great! the babies loved it!

cade was much better at escorting the kids around the rink than i was...

and don't forget seiko!!!!

By the end of the night, cade had mastered many tricks... but this one was always a crowd pleaser...

cade was so pleased with the outing, he admitted that "getting braces is finally paying off." thanks, dr. nord!

denver... the pictures at last

i am just catching up on our doings from the past little bit now that i have some more pictures. i figured since denver was the furthest back, i'd start here.

my mom planned a little sporatic trip to denver, and before she knew it the whole family had decided to make an event out of it. in order to accomodate all of us, my dad decided to rent a yukon xl. we all fit... sometimes. the ride there was short- mostly because we all fell asleep- well everyone but dad who was jamming out to some sweet tunes on his headphones.

by the time we made it to denver, it was sooo late at night. the door was locked at mandy's so we knocked and waited... called mandy and waited... rang and waited... pounded and waited.... repeatedly rang and waited.... listened to her two dogs inside bark at us and waited.... pounded more and waited... glared back at the neighbors who came out to glare at us for making such a scene at 3 in the morning and waited... tried to break in and waited... finally, mandy picked up her phone and in a sleepy stupor came to rescue us. i guess they had a big fan going in their room and somehow were cut off from the whole world. it really made our entrance quite dramatic- i think that is what she was really going for.

we jam-packed the trip with lots to do. mostly i just loved hanging out and chatting with everyone. one aspect of denver i love is all the amazing parks. this is something utah is REALLY missing. we went to a few and let the kids play- but usually we all ended up swinging one another around on some contraption or playing on the swings ourselves.

on saturday, we spent the day at the children's museum and aquarium. i must be pretty emotional because just walking into the children's museum and seeing all those little kids learning and playing made me tear up! it really was a very creative museum and we all had fun. so much fun, in fact, that after lunch the kids went to sleep and all the adults went back to play a little more before we had to go home. we put on a big puppet show- but we got quite a few stares after people started realizing we didn't have any kids with us. i would love to build a big childen's museum one day. that would be the greatest job ever.

the only downside to the museum is wearing these footie socks everywhere...i mean, i don't much like foot fungus- but i don't much like those socks.

on the way home we all crammed into the yukon again to drive home through wyoming. we stopped in a small city and the only food place they had was a taco johns. now i like a good bean burrito just as much as you- but when 8 of us all eat burritos and pack back into a car... let's just say i don't much like them anymore.

grammy especially hated our taco johns decision because she couldn't stand it when we rolled the windows down.

for any of you who have ever driven through wyoming, you are well aware of the palace that is little america. starting 365 miles east, they start advertising with a zillion billboards. i have made this trip so many times and i find that by the time i am to little america- i am so sick of hearing about it. despite all my trips and fake complaining about it, i have never actually been there but secretly always wanted to. to our big surprise, dad pulled off at the exit just so i could see what all this hype is about. it was a highlight to say the least.... the cones really are 50 cents. and yes, i am wearing my brother's size 14 shoes in this pucture because i left mine at mandy's.

in the end, the trip was great and i already miss my sister...

where the wild things are

i have always loved this book and i am so excited for this story to come to life! plus, it already seems to have a fabulous soundtrack.

where the wild things are <-- click to see the trailer