Taylor's Top Ten

Here is Tay's top ten in no particular order (except numbers one and two), courtesy of my sister-in-law Emily tagging me...

1. Her green silky blankie and pink bunny. She CANNOT and WILL NOT live without them. They accompany us in the car everywhere we go, although I do have to limit where she actually takes them. We honestly don't know what we would do if she lost her blankie. I have bought several other Little Giraffe blankies that are identical yet different colors and she wants nothing to do with them. I think it's the worn-out effect on the silky edges that makes her love it so much.


2. Her left thumb. As an infant, I forced a pacifier on her, but to no avail. She loved her thumb from day one. We even have ultrasound pics of her with thumb in mouth! I am guessing that Murphy's Law comes into play here, being that I am a dental hygienist and know how much easier it is to take a pacifier away versus cutting the thumb off. Oh well, I figure she'll stop at some point. I'll let her enjoy it a little longer.

3. Books. She would rather read books than play with dolls anyday. And she loves the library class we go to weekly and the dozen or so new books we bring home each time.


4. Waffles and chicken nuggets. As of the last few months, ask Taylor at any meal what she wants and you will get one of these two answers. I'm not so big on the chicken nuggets, because she would rather have them from McDonalds (ick) than the dino nuggets from Costco.



5. "Shiny Diamond Things". She is definitely all girl. She loves lotion, makeup, lipgloss and specifically jewelry. In December we took her to the mall to see Santa. She jumped up on his lap and told him that she wanted "shiny diamond things". It was the first time we had heard that, and we laughed and laughed. I guess she is just like her mama! Notice the "diamond" crown from "Santa Gib".


6. Being outdoors to swing, take walks, look at/smell flowers, etc. Especially with grandma's and grandpa's. She made me laugh yesterday when she insisted on getting her gloves out so she could garden. They were winter mittens. It was so funny-I wish I would have taken a picture.


7. "Shows". She has a few favorite's which include Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, and the (dreaded) Comcast on demand shows that last around 10 minutes or so. It's great because I can use them to get her to do something or I can take away the priviledge of watching one if she is acting up. I can hear her now- "I wanna watch a show, pleaaaasssee..."




8. Cousins/family/friends. She is all about being around family and gets so excited when we tell her that she gets to see a grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle or cousin.



9. Coloring and drawing. The best Christmas present we got her this last year was an easel with a chalk board on one side and a dry-erase board on the other. It also has a roll of paper at the top so she can paint. (We have yet to do the painting part-Maybe someday in our own house...)


10. A "kiss, love and squeeze". Anyone who has been around Taylor knows that you won't get out the front door without one of these. And if you just try for a kiss only, she will request all three again. What a doll. I love her kisses and squeezes.

I tag: Isabel, Cami, Logan, Addyson, Jane and Dax

Slow and steady wins the race

I am happy to report the Salt Lake Half Marathon was a success, especially with as little training as I did. I think my official finish time was right around 2:23. Despite the strong wind gusts along the course, it was, for the most part, a good run. I got really tired between miles 8 and 10, but after gagging down some "delicious" strawberry GU (I wouldn't recommend that flavor to ANYONE, EVER), I gained a little bit of steam back and finished. Christy was about 5 minutes ahead of me, Rommel about 35 min ahead! I woke up this morning feeling a little sore around my hip flexors and I am afraid I may lose my big toenail, but other than that, I feel pretty good. For those of you who have never done a long race, it really is a great feeling and sense of accomplishment when you cross the finish line. Everyone needs to experience it. And if you are thinking that there is no way you could do it, my recommendation is to go to a race and watch people (especially family) cross the finish line. It is so inspiring. I experienced that when I watched Christy do her first 1/2 marathon several years ago and my mom felt the same way yesterday. Maybe I can convince her to do the Disneyland Half in August...

Why did the chicken cross the road?

DR. PHIL : The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on 'THIS' side of the road before it goes after the problem on the 'OTHER SIDE' of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his 'CURRENT' problems before adding 'NEW' problems.

OPRAH : Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.


GEORGE W. BUSH : We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.


COLIN POWELL : Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road...


ANDERSON COOPER - CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.


JOHN KERRY : Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.


NANCY GRACE : That chicken crossed the road because he's GUILTY! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.


PAT BUCHANAN : To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.


MARTHA STEWART : No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.




DR SEUSS : Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.



ERNEST HEMINGWAY : To die in the rain. Alone.



JERRY FALWELL : Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth?' That's why they call it the 'other side.' Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media white washes with seemingly harmless phrases like 'the other side.' That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.



GRANDPA : In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.



BARBARA WALTERS : Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its life long dream of crossing the road.



JOHN LENNON : Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.



ARISTOTLE : It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.



BILL GATES : I have just released eChicken2007, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check book. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken This new platform is much more stable and will never cra...#@&&^(C% ..... reboot.



ALBERT EINSTEIN : Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?



BILL CLINTON : I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE : I invented the chicken!

COLONEL SANDERS : Did I miss one?

DICK CHENEY : Where's my gun?

AL SHARPTON : Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

FINALLY!

Well, it has finally happened. Praise to the heavens above! Without the embarrassing kicking and screaming that has accompanied each of Taylor's dental visits, we have finally had a productive dental check-up. Courtesy of me. From the get-go, I have wanted to keep mom and dental hygienist two different people for Taylor. I thought that would be the best thing for her, so every six months we ventured to Dr. Barney's office with no luck, leaving each time with a screaming Taylor and a very frustrated mom. Well, today I decided to give her the option, mom or Dr. Barney. After she quickly decided mom would be the easier one to manipulate, we headed to my office. En route, I warned her that any tears and/or crying would result in a visit to Dr. Barney's. Aren't I so mean? And just let me say that Dr. B is a fabulous pediatric dentist and great guy. All in all, aside from being a little nervous at the beginning, she was amazing! I was so impressed. What a great three year old patient- we checked for sugar bugs, counted her teeth, polished, flossed and did a fluoride treatment. It couldn't have made me happier... Plus, as her reward, we went to Target and she picked out some new chapsticks and coloring supplies. What a lucky girl.

Notice the green blankie(that she can't live without), pink bunny and Hello Kitty notepad that HAD to accompany her into the office.

Yeah! It's over! Now I can finally relax!

Coloring a picture while I cleaned up. She's such a good girl.

Through the eyes of a child...

To help "involve" Taylor in the conference weekend spirit, my awesome step-mom Susie emailed me a General Conference packet for kids. I printed off a few pages I knew Taylor would enjoy. Here is her interpretation of our new prophet, President Monson. You gotta love the black, curly hair.

Take a good look at President Hinkley's colorful suit.

And I especially love President Benson's fushia mohawk and lime green face along with what looks like black headphones (probably goes with his ipod) on President Hunter's colorful head.

You gotta love little kids.

I need your help!

Hi everyone. I need your assistance! And recipes! If any of you have a *good* low-fat or low-cal DESSERT recipe, please leave a comment. I am teaching a healthy cooking course for the Young Women in our ward, and although I have plenty of healthy meal recipes, I am struggling to find a *delicious* (is that possible?) and healthy dessert recipe. Any suggestions from ANYONE would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a bunch! And happy eating...

Another reason to love Snoop

April 1, 2008

By Aaron Nichols, CNN

DIAMOND BAR, California (AP) -- In what some may consider an unexpected move, rap artist "Snoop Dogg" has reportedly converted to Mormonism after nearly a year of study with the fast-growing, Utah-based faith. Snoop Dogg says he "can't get enough of the Book of Mormon."

In a statement, a spokeswoman for Snoop Dogg -- whose real name is Calvin Broadus -- said he considers himself extremely fortunate to have discovered such a deep sense of spiritual fulfillment at this stage in his life.“Mr. Broadus is also very pleased to find that his family is as enthusiastic about attending church services as he is,” the spokeswoman said.However, Snoop Dogg has not been enthusiastic about publicly sharing his experience and declined to be interviewed by CNN for this article. In fact, he reportedly informed producers of his E! reality show "Snoop Dogg's Father Hood" that this particular aspect of his family's life was off-limits to the cameras. Still, he left open the possibility of addressing the subject in future episodes.

According to the Associated Press, Snoop Dogg was first introduced to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as the Mormon Church is officially known, after attending a Gladys Knight concert in an LDS meeting house in Los Angeles.Knight, who very publicly discusses her conversion to Mormonism several years ago, invited Snoop Dogg to what is known to the Mormon faithful as “Family Home Evening,” a church program that encourages families to set aside Monday evenings for gospel-centered lessons and family togetherness.Though Snoop Dogg has been hesitant to publicly discuss his recent spiritual journey, he commented on the experience of attending his first “Family Home Evening” in a recent interview with People Magazine.“I was hooked from the start,” Snoop Dogg said. “We talked about the purpose of life, played Mousetrap, and ate brownies. The kids thought it was off the hook, for real.”

In what Snoop Dogg now thinks was anything but a coincidence, Mormon missionaries had knocked on his door just one week before the Knight concert. He said he had initially turned them away because of what he knew about the strict Mormon health code, which prohibits members from smoking, drinking alcohol, and using drugs.“Y’all know me,” he said grinning broadly. “There were just certain things the old me -- the "natural man" -- needed to do. And these young guys are telling me that God’s not down with disrespecting ourselves. But it’s cool now.”

Snoop Dogg said his conversion marks the end of his old life, one that included frequent run-ins with the law. Snoop Dogg was convicted in 1990 of cocaine possession and charged with gun possession after a 1993 traffic stop. In 1997, he pleaded guilty in exchange for a lighter sentence.In 1996, Snoop Dogg was acquitted of murder after a purported gangbanger was killed by gunfire from the vehicle in which Snoop Dogg was traveling.Snoop Dogg dismisses critics who claim his conversion is intended to placate a Salt Lake County judge, before whom he is appealing an alleged probation violation.“Listen, the haters will say what they will,” Snoop Dogg said. “I can only do what I feel is right.”

And if you didn't already know, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy and Oprah are also recent converts...

Watch out, here she comes!

Can you guess what we have been up to the last few days? With the weather getting slightly warmer, we finally got Taylor's Barbie Jeep out for the first time. Think she had fun or what? It was so hilarious watching her. She had no control over the steering wheel. In fact, she cranked the wheel so far to the right, she ended up going in one big circle over and over again. She even raised her hands up high like she was on a rollercoaster ride. "Look mom, no hands"! I love that girl.