Terry Reunion in St. George

It's been a long time since we've posted...take a look at just what's happened in JUNE for us!

We had a family reunion in St. George, UT at the end of that month and had a blast while there. It was so fun to see some of Andrew's family, who we don't get to spend nearly enough time with these days. Among some of the activities we did at the reunion were: Andrew and his brother Don hiked Angels Landing (part of Zions National Park, not far from St. George), Tiffany climbed a rock wall--HUGE feat for her, because she's so afraid of heights, and Taylor got to play with cousins--another real treat and we think, the "trick" that really seemed to help him take-off with walking! We enjoyed every minute.

Birthday Baby!

That is right...Taylor is 1! He had his first birthday on June 2nd and is growing up so fast. For his birthday we went to the pool...

and then let him swim in his cake.

We are so lucky to have him in our family! He started walking ten days after his birthday; something that really opened his world, and ours too. He is everywhere now: tearing the kitchen apart for dishes and food, climbing stairs, emptying the trash (although not in the traditional way), hiding his mommy's keys and wedding ring...

...our hearts are beating faster with him around, that's for sure. I'm guessing that either means that we're at higher risk for heart attack, or that Taylor's the one of the best exercise regimens we've ever had!

Here's a video of his first steps:

Triathlon

Tiff, Tiff's aunt Donna and I completed a triathlon in mid-June! The distances of our adventure were: a 500 meter swim, a 13 mile bike ride, and a 3.1 mile run at the end (5K). It was a lot of fun...exhausting, but a lot of fun. We want to do another one together this year! Probably sometime near the end of the summer or early Fall.

Andrew

Happy Birthday, Andrew--today he is 25!

The day is almost over now, and it was a fun one.  After going to church, we had some friends over for a once-in -a-blue-moon kind of feast: pork ribs, grilled potato salad, Andrew's favorite strawberry cake, and Jim n' Nick's cheese biscuits (yes, it's true...I found a fabulous recipe online that duplicated them perfectly!).  My grandparents in Littleton came over in the evening and watched Andrew open a few gifts (thank you to my and Andrew's parents!) as we had a second helping of strawberry cake and ice cream...I shouldn't remind myself of that part...and now Andrew, having gone into Taylor's room to wear our little guy out before bedtime, has instead worn himself out!  I have been spying on my boys: my big boy is sound asleep on the floor, while my very little boy is creating chaos (while squealing with delight about it) all around him.  I wonder, how in the world can Andrew sleep through all that??

I love both of those boys so much; they enrich and bless my life beyond words and have brought me joy that I never understood until I became a wife and mother.  Today I feel especially grateful for that "bigger boy" of mine: my sweet husband and best friend, Andrew.  It was so easy to fall in-love with him: when we first met, I was so attracted to his easy-going attitude, genuine concern for others, listening ear, and silly sense of humor.  And those were just my first impressions of him--as I got to know him better, I realized that those strengths in him were actually weaknesses in me, weaknesses that seemed to diminish a little whenever I was around him.  I wish that I could be more like Andrew; more layed-back, more optimistic, and laugh more like he does.  He makes this world a great place to be, and makes me want to be a better person.  

Sometimes I just have to pinch myself when I remember that Andrew married me!  Our first three years together have flown by so quickly; filled with wonderful memories that make me eager to make more in our years to come...I'm so glad that we chose to marry in the temple so that we may enjoy the blessings of a marriage that can last for eternity.  

So before Andrew's birthday is officially over, I want to say once more: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Sweetheart!  I'm so glad that you were born today; you have blessed my life more than you know.  I love you!!

P.S.

Jim 'n Nick's Cheese Biscuits

For all my Norris family members in the south (and family & friends in the west who want to give these a try!):

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups milk (2% works best)
2 eggs, beaten well
1 stick butter (8 tablespoons), softened
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in medium sized bowl. Pour into generously greased muffin pan and bake at 400 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes. 

This recipe makes about 24 muffins.

Summa Summa Summa Time!

We've been enjoying the beautiful Summer weather--finally!  Taylor and I still walk to the park regularly, and we recently found a kiddie bike trailer to tow the little guy around so we can ride bikes, too.  Being a "one car family," it's been so freeing for me to be able to travel around more than just a couple blocks each day!

Stay tuned...Andrew and I both recently registered to participate in our first triathlon, taking place near our home next month.  Although this triathlon is considered to be very small among triathlon distances (500 yard swim, 12 mile bike ride, and 5K run), it doesn't feel small to us! We're excited for this big "small" deal. :)

There's one more even BIGGER announcement to make that's happened for us since the weather turned warm:  Andrew got offered a job!!  The commercial construction company that he interned for, Haselden Construction, made it official this Monday (May 18th).  Guess that makes us permanent Coloradans now--we're so excited for and proud of Andrew!

                                                    

                                                     

New!

So much that's new has happened for us during this past month; it feels both crazy to reflect on and great to know how truly happy and blessed our little family is.  I'll let the pictures do most of the telling:

                                    
Andrew's internship is over, and  is officially a new college grad!

                                              

We finally sold our Jetta and bought a new car.  We love our new '02 Volvo XC70!

                                   

Our student laptops gave up at about the same time.  Sad, but not entirely...we are proud to be the owners of a new iMac.  Thanks, BYU-Idaho and Uncle Sam! :)

Taylor had his first chocolate chip pancake.  His cousin Jake was so nice to share... (what a mess!)

         

                        

                             

It was a new kind of Easter for us--spent in Alabama for the first time, and our first time with Taylor.  Of course, the Easter Bunny visited, but we were there for something even better: to celebrate the arrival/blessing of Taylor's newest little cousin, Corinne Norris.

         

New babies!  As luck would have it, while we were there, Andrew's sister Cindy and her husband Cameron adopted their second little boy: Davis Hickman McEwen.  

         

Taylor's first pair of new sneakers!  Thank you, Grandmother Norris!

                             

Our new little driver discovered this car at his grandparents' in Alabama and fell in-love--I couldn't keep him away from it!  It was so cute.  Later in the month, we bought our little boy a new "big boy" car seat.  He's getting too big too quickly!

                                

Denver had a new snow storm in April, right after we came back from sunny Alabama.  We thought that we were finished with big storms!  Andrew built a snowman right outside our window while Taylor watched.  He loves his dad.

                                              

Taylor's new sign:  "all finished!"  I was so happy when he finally caught on to all that baby sign language I've been doing!

         

         

Photography--my new hobby!  I took my first photo class this week and now my thirst for another new: an SLR camera, has grown tons.  

                                

Taylor has new teeth!  Two to be exact.  Here's the one on the top of his mouth, and there's another one on the bottom center.  It's exciting to see, and also so painful to live through this experience with him.  I had no idea how difficult a baby's teething experience could make parenting!

Walking Buddies

When I was in Idaho, I regularly pushed Taylor in his stroller around the park and neighborhood with other young moms from my ward.  Taylor and I both looked forward to those fun breaks when we both could have a change of scenery and I could enjoy a little girl time.  I miss my walking girl friends now--Denver is a place where friends like that take a little more time to find--but in the meantime I've continued getting outside on my own, with my now not-so-little guy.  In so doing, it's become much more rewarding than I ever would've guessed before I moved!  I've discovered that I'm not just walking around with my baby anymore; I'm spending time with my little pal.

Taylor gets so excited for this daily routine:  When I put his ball cap and jacket on, he bounces his arms and legs around and makes lots of baby babble--he knows it's OUTSIDE time!  Then it's off to Falcon Park--just a few blocks down the street--and then up and down nearby green belts here in Highlands Ranch.  I'm sure to place favorite treats in his little stroller tray each time we go--usually chunks of string cheese and Cheerio's--which he practically inhales.  We also like to find other Taylor favorites as we go along--doggies, cars, kids, and wild rabbits (which by the way, are all over the place here).  And I have fun with my photography hobby by creatively recording memories of our little adventures as we go.  This has been a lot of fun. Here's a look at of our latest trips to the park:

We're outside!  Cars!

Eating cheese

Do you see the rabbit?

Home is the apartment complex you can vaguely see just above the silver car on the road.

Birthday Surprise!

Last weekend, Andrew's sister Cindy flew from Birmingham to Denver for buisiness (and for a short visit afterward!). That Friday, the 20th, Andrew called me when his work day was over to ask me if we could drive to the airport to claim a bag that Cindy had lost en-route here. I said that wasn't a problem, so Andrew came home to pick me up and we drove to DIA as a family. When we arrived at the airport, Andrew quickly ran into the Southwest terminal to get Cindy's bag. Minutes later when I saw him come out with a roll-on bag, I popped the hatch of the Jeep and prepared to be back on the road. When suddenly...

SUPRISE!!! My MOM AND DAD opened the car doors to greet me! Dad gave me a kiss on the cheek and Mom giggled and gave me a hugs. I was totally shocked. In fact, it took me a couple seconds to completely grasp what had just happened: they had flown from Salt Lake to spend my birthday weekend with me! (And, Andrew had totally lied to me about getting a bag for Cindy. :) ) I can't remember the last time that I was that suprised or that excited...to date, it was one of my life's greatest moments!

Here are some highlights from our fun-filled weekend:

On Friday night, we introduced Andrew and Taylor to a Denver tradition: Casa Bonita! It's Mexican restaurant with unique entertainment while you eat--almost like a Disney theme park, although not as perfectly created as Disney does. My family has had fun going to this place for years--Dad took Mom out to Casa Bonita while they were still dating! It's still one of our favorite things to do in Denver.
On my birthday, we toured the Molly Brown House Museum in downtown Denver.

We ate lunch at the Cheesecake Factory--yum!

We window shopped the 16th street mall and Larimer Square downtown.

Then, family came over to our place for cake, ice cream, and games that evening!

Mom and Taylor

Cindy and I dangling our cameras to entice Taylor to crawl

Andrew, Dad, and I playing Taboo with family

My cousins Dillon, Paige, and Cade