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

Kid in the...?!

During the holiday season, we discovered that Taylor has fun playing in some unusual places:

The Kitchen sink
A Large Cooler



"Kid in the Sink" and "Kid in the Cooler" instantly became some of Taylor's favorite games (and ours, when we watch him play!), but now they're tied for first place with another great activity that we discovered since moving to Denver:

Kid in the Dryer!

Suprise Visitors

Last week, my sister in-law Jill suprised me with a phone call to tell me that she and little Kate would be in Denver for a few hours! The two of them came over and we visited until she had to leave town. It was so nice to spend time one-on-one with them; that's a rare treat for me!

Big Boy

Something happened so quickly...my tiny baby grew up! He's so big now! And, he's still little too. Our little Taylor is eight months old today. It's a delight to watch him grow up and Andrew and I are loving every minute of it. Here are some pictures and a short video that we've taken of him this week:

A "Get-to-Know-You" tag that Andrew wore to a BYU-I intern gathering this past weekend. Taylor didn't really know how to react to having it on his head.

Taylor had a memorably messy diaper yesterday night. He had been playing with toys in his bedroom when I heard him suddenly get upset. When I checked on him, I found this-- a visible protrusion from his little diaper! When I changed him, his diaper was perfectly clean, except for the golf ball sized gift that he left for me, right in the center.

Taylor still holds his little hands when he sleeps. So cute.

Our eight month-old little guy.

Changes!

For those of you who have been wondering what happened to our family since our last post in November, we are finally here report! It has been a jam-packed, crazy past three months. Here's a look at what we've been up to:

In November, we took Taylor on his first plane ride to Alabama--to celebrate Thanksgiving with family in Birmingham!

We really enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner at Andrew's parents' home. Delicious!

Taylor and his cousins (minus baby Norris #13--in Aunt Mindi's tummy right now) dressed-up and celebrated Christmas while we were there, since we wouldn't be back to Alabama in time for the holidays.

Taylor played with his little cousin, Kate, who was born one month before him in May.

Andrew Graduated in December!

Andrew's parents made the painful journey up to Rexburg again for the sixth time in 2008 (is that dedication or what?!). They are so supportive. We loved having them with us to celebrate!

Tiff's parents and brothers also traveled from Utah for the occasion. We were spoiled!

We spent Christmas 2008 in Utah.

Our good friends, Mike and Stacie Tonks, had their first baby--Megan Charlotte--just days before we traveled to Orem for Christmas. It was so fun to see them and to hold a newborn again. She's a cutie!

Tiff's mom loves being a grandma...and Taylor knows it! He was one of her biggest fans while we were with family for the holidays.

We spent Christmas Eve at Tiffany's grandparents' home.

Taylor got to know Tiff's uncle's little girl, Courtney. Like cousin Kate, Courtney is just one month older than Taylor! He's really blessed to have two cousins--one on each side of his family--that are his age.

We took Taylor swimming in January, with Tiff's brothers Kyle and Devin.

And the biggest event for us since November (and really, since Taylor was born), is that we moved at the beginning of January!

Andrew got an internship offer for a construction company in Denver, Colorado called Haselden Construction! Especially during this time of economic struggle in our nation, we feel so grateful for this wonderful opportunity.

It was a whirlwind of a move, though: on Saturday, January 10th, Andrew was offered the internship, and on Thursday, January 15th, we moved--just in-time for Andrew to work the next day, on Friday. It was crazy, but our Heavenly Father blessed us and everything came together in four days. We both were able to quit our jobs, sell our housing contract...and Tiffany's mom and brother Larry both drove up from Utah to help pack and take care-of little Taylor. Their help was huge! Without them and the help of our student ward and other dear friends in Rexburg, we wouldn't have made the quick move work. We feel so touched by the immesurable amounts of service that were rendered in our behalf that week. We are so blessed.

Here are most of our belongings, piled into our family room on the afternoon of Tuesday the 13th.


This picture is for Tiffany's Dad--it's Mom playing with Taylor as we packed. We wondered: would he like this as much as he liked "baby in the sink?"


Here's Mom enjoying Taylor during our last night in Rexburg.

Our cold, but clear Thursday morning arrived. This is our last look at our Rexburg home! :(

It was beautiful traveling through Star Valley, Wyoming.

After just one day of searching, we found an apartment that would let us sign a contract and move-in on the same day, so we wouldn't have to store our belongings in a storage unit for a couple weeks. The blessings just keep coming! Here is a look at our new home in Highlands Ranch, Colorado (our door is on the ground floor--hidden by the stairs in this picture).

Tagged By Alicia

My friend Alicia Sorenson tagged me from her blog over a month ago--she's probably wondering if I'll ever do this! I am now ready and excited to do it. Here it goes:

8 TV Shows I love to Watch..

American Idol

"House"

"Dirty Jobs" with Mike Rowe

Oprah

The Ellen Show

The News (any broadcast--I just like to keep-up on what's happening)

The Olympics on NBC (when they're going-on)

"Lost"

8 Favorite Restaurants...

Most of these places are unique to the Provo/Orem, Utah area:

Chef's Table

The Bombay House

Thai Ruby

The Bistro on Broadway (The place in Idaho Falls that Andrew and I went to when we got engaged. Sadly, it's no longer there!)

Bajio

Shoots

Casa Bonita (in Denver)

Mimi's Cafe

8 Things that Happened Yesterday...

Took a nice, long shower while Andrew watched Taylor

Did two loads of laundry and some dishes

Struggled to take care of a really fussy baby (he has a cold)

Watched the movie, "Get Smart"

Made BBQ Brisket, steamed carrots, and asian salad for dinner

Finished making a present for Jeffrey and Faye

Worked at Gandolfo's

Talked to my mom on the phone

8 Things I Love About this Fall...

Colorful leaves

Crisp, cool air

Making Jack-O-Lanterns

Watching Taylor grow

Not feeling morning sick! :)

Drinking egg nog and hot cocoa

Getting to see family so much

Being warm and cosy inside when the weather is bad outside

8 Things On My Wish List...

Living close to family

Going to Tahiti and Jerusalem for vacations

Knowing how to take photos like a professional

Owning a home

Being able to pay for our kids' college and missions

Having new family room furniture someday

Having an easy second pregnancy (when that time comes--I'm not pregnant now!)

Going to Europe to learn more about my ancestry

8 Things I am Looking Forward to...

Going home for Christmas this year

Seeing Stephen and Jill's new place and Mindi's pregnant tummy

When Taylor won't fuss when I try to feed him with a spoon

Having our family come to Rexburg for Andrew's graduation

Taking Andrew to Waterton in a few more years

Summer

Andrew finding his first "real" job

Having Bonnie come visit

8 People I Tag...

Mom

Andrew's Mom

Cindy Norris

Mindi Norris

Bonnie Ellingson

Stacie Tonks

Maria Grover

Brendi Blakenfeld

Happy Halloween!

Over the past few weeks, we made a lot of great memories to celebrate Halloween 2008. It was especially fun for me to enjoy my first Halloween as "Mommy" and parade our little guy around to different kid-friendly activities. At four months old, I'm sure Taylor had no idea exactly what was going on when we went out, but even so, he sure showed us that he liked being out-and-about! He's so interested in everything around him now, and he's become really good at smiling and laughing when he sees something new. Our home is a happier place now that we have little Taylor in it.

Here are some highlights from our eventful October:


Andrew Played Dress-up

While browsing D.I. for Halloween costume ideas, Andrew stumbled upon a hillarious 80's diving suit! He got a kick out of it and quickly put the head cover on when he saw it. The cap was a couple sizes too small--a bit of a squeeze for him--but the image of the cap on Andrew was so funny that that was all it took for both of us to want him to put the entire ensemble on!

With Andrew and my forces combined, we managed to squeeze the small suit on Andrew in 20 minutes in the dressing room at D.I. After all that work, Andrew had just enough energy to pose for a few pictures--not just for me, but for some other entertained people in the store too! Everyone loved it. After all was said and done, Andrew and I were both in pain from the experience: his shoulders hurt from the suit cutting into him so much, and my sides from laughing so hard! I guess what they say applies here: no pain, no gain. :)



Andrew's Mom Visited

We've been so spoiled with her visits this year. Since March, she's been able to travel to Rexburg five times, and on two of those trips, Andrew's dad came too! Coming all the way from Alabama, that's got to be some kind of record. It was fun for us to have her here, and for Taylor too--who really loved playing with Grandmother Norris!


BYU-Idaho 84th Ward Halloween Carnival

Our ward's Halloween party was on the 30th this year. Taylor was dressed as a "Little Monster" (a gift from Tiffany's mom), so we decided to follow suit by turning orange D.I. t-shirts into his matching monster family. Andrew is pictured below as the "Big Monster."

While at the party, we spent some time with a guy in our ward named Ethan Felix. Taylor must've thought that his costume was funny, because every time he looked at Brother Felix he would burst into laughter! His laughing lasted on and off for about five minutes; it was so cute. For us, he was the life of the party!

The Pumpkin Patch

Alicia and Scott Sorenson invited Taylor and I to go to a pumpkin patch in Idaho Falls with them a few weeks ago. I'm so glad that we went; I had no idea that the place even existed, and we had a really fun time!

Taylor's Friends

Taylor's really growing up--he's been making little buddies now! His first pal: the Halloween scarecrow.

Our scarecrow decoration has been sitting on our couch for several weeks. Almost every time Andrew or I sit down on the sofa with Taylor, he can't keep his eyes off it! And what's better--when he gets within arms reach of the doll, it transforms into his little life-sized pal. The two enjoy laughing together, wrestling, and even hugging and kissing (well, it's more like eating and drooling all over, but close)!




Buddy number two: The stray cat.

Today when I came into the front room with Taylor in arm, I noticed a cat in our window well! What was shocking to me quickly became Taylor's play time, as he leaned up against the window and tried his hardest to touch the cat himself. It was super cute!

He's Out!

Yesterday morning was scheduled unusually for me and Taylor--I went to the temple early in the morning, and my late morning walk with friends (who are also new mommies) began even later than usual as a result. By the time Taylor had been through waking-up an hour early, staying with a babysitter, and going outside later than he's used to, he was exhausted! Amazingly enough, he was still a really good baby for me through it all.

When we got home around noon, Taylor was ready for food and a nap--bigtime. As his whimpering got a little more intense, I laid him down under his Baby Einstein play gym to try to entertain him for a few minutes while I quickly made a bottle. I listened to him cry while I did this, feeling bad for making him wait so long to relax. After just a minute or two, the crying stopped completely! Wondering what had changed, I went into the other room to see him totally zonked-out, with his hand gripped tightly to a dangling toy bird and his bib flopped over his face. It was both the funniest and cutest thing he had done all week!