Goodrich Family

This ones for you!

2012-01-26T15:01:00.000-08:00

Yes, you know who you are. I have had a few friends one my case for not blogging, for like forever. So I decided it was time to catch you all up and appease those who have been wanting to see pictures of the kiddos. I will spare you all the details of the past nine months. Cuz' lets face it that would be BORING! So I will just do it via a picture and a few simple words. Here goes...

Summer

I couldn't resist putting these pic's up. This summer over the 4th of July we went to see my sister Aubrey. While we were there we went and had a BBQ at slide rock. Where you sit on a piece of card board and slid down the rocks. Well,Tagg loved sliding down the rocks without the cardboard. He loved it so much that he just kept going up and down all that evening having a blast.

At first we tried to stop him but soon gave up the fight, because he was having so much fun. He did finally stop once he had worn threw his shorts and diaper, and said"my bum is ouchie!" It was hilarious! (i don't know why it is underlining here or bolding, but I can't figure out how to fix it, sorry.)

Little Cece is now 9 months old! She belts out all kinds of songs while she bangs on her little piano. And has now become my new vacuum finding anything that might be on the floor, and then shoving it in her mouth. We sure love her. She has got to be one of the most content, happiest and patient babies I have ever known. And she's all mine! So here are some fun and funny pictures of our little Cece.

Camping this summer

Halloween
(Batman & Batgirl)

Our little cowboy!
What a cutie!

Cece helping Dan shovel the snow

Christmas Morning
This was one of my all time favorite pictures. This is Christmas morning at my parents house and Dan is trying to corral the kids upstairs while we wait for the grandparents.

I made Tagg a Captain America custom and bought the shield and mask. It was one of his favorite gifts. Doesn't he make a cute hero?

Well that is it for now. All the random ramblings are over. Hope you enjoyed it.
Bye!

Pictures of Cecelia

2011-07-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I should have had these pictures up months ago. But I am hoping you all will forgive me for taking so long. Having two kids has taken been a hard adjustment for me, so I haven't been as on top of things as I would like. But I am hoping to be better at that. And I promise there will be a lot of catching up blogs in the next few weeks. But I figured I would start by doing pictures of our little Cece from the beginning. Sadly I don't have any pictures of he on the day she was born. She was whisked away so fast to the NICU in the other hospital that I didn't get to take pictures of her until she was 3 days old.

Three days old

One week old. This was the first time I got to hold her, and boy did I cry. It was such a wonderful feeling after not being able to touch or even snuggle her for an week.

2 weeks old

3 weeks old and only days from coming home!

One month old. Doesn't she look so sweet?

Tagg wouldn't hold her for the longest time. I finally got him to hold her about a week after we got her home. And as you can tell he loved it! He tells me all the time Mom " Cece is my best friend!" But then later the same day he will ask me "Mom, can we take her back. I don't want her anymore." Needless to say the adjustment has been hard on him.

Sibling snuggles!

2 months oldNap time!

Cecelia Carol Goodrich

2011-04-29T12:27:00.000-07:00

Well she is finally here! I know you all just want to see pictures of her. But sadly our computer died about 2 weeks ago so I have no way of posting any pictures. I am actually posting from the computer in the Nicu where Cecelia has been for little over a week. I will post pictures as soon as possible.
Cecelia was born on April 21 at 6:25p.m., via c section. She weighted 6lbs and was 17 inches long. Yep, long and lean who knows where she got those genes. She was having a hard time breathing so they had to put her on ventilator right away. After about an hour of that they took en x-ray and saw that her lungs were still flat as pancakes. So they decided to move her to Utah Valley hospital (we were at Orem Community). So after she was all prepped the EMT's brought her in to see me. The only part of here that wasn't covered with cords or tubes was her little knee. So I just sat there and held it while they explained everything to me. Then they wheeled her away and I must admit I cried a lot.
She has been the NICU for little over a week now and continues to improve daily. She was able to be removed from the oxygen support yesterday and has been able to breast feed for the last two days. Which is an awesome sign, because as soon as she can take all of her feeding from me she can come home! So we are hoping and praying that she can come home some time the middle of next week. I will keep you posted on her progress as best I can.

Today is the Day!

2011-04-05T21:01:00.001-07:00

This is the day we have been waiting for since our first trip to the ER at 18 weeks, with preterm labor.I have been in to labor and delivery 4 times and have been given whatever shot it is they give you to stop labor. Since that first trip to the hospital I have been on very strict orders of restricted activity, almost to the point of bed rest. Which has been killing me! No exercise or even walking much, lifting heavy, or anything strenuous at all. Which has not helped with me not gaining extra pregnancy weight. But today is the day we have been waiting for. As of today I am 34 weeks along. Which means that if I start labor at any time they will no longer stop it! Hip, Hip, Hooray! So any day now you may be seeing pictures of our little girl.

A Peter Pan Party

2011-03-06T10:09:00.000-08:00

Turning 3 can be hard to do. But when you have faith and trust and a little pixie dust, it sure does make it a lot easier. That is why we decided to have a Peter Pan Birthday party for Tagg's 3rd Birthday. And we had an arrr..some time! Dressing up as pirates, lost boys, Indians and Peter Pan. Hitting the Captain Hook pinata and eating Birthday cake. It was such a fun day we loved being able to have our family celebrate with us.
It's hard to believe that my little boy is all grown up. He has such a fun sense of humor he does something silly and says "I'm so funny!" and starts laughing at himself. He has such a great imagination and loves to pretend. Plus, he loves to sing and even if he doesn't know all the words to a song he will just belt out the words he knows. I love this little guy and am so glad that he has decided to be like Peter Pan and never grow up.

I love these pictures of Tagg practicing his pirate face in the mirror. That kids cracks me up!

Its a ..........

2010-12-29T19:31:00.000-08:00

GIRL!!!!!!!!!
When we went to our twenty week appointment, we decided to have the ex-ray tecnition put the sex of the baby in an envelope on Monday. So that we could open it up with our family Christmas morning. It was the first present we opened. I couldn't stop jumping up and down screaming "It's a girl, its a girl!" It was so fun to be able to share all the excitement with our family. I secretly hoping it would be well...maybe not so secretly hoping for a girl. I love my little guy. But I can't wait to hold that little girl.

Finding out that we having a little girl isn't the only exciting thing that has happened this month. We have had all kinds of fun celebrating the Christmas season.I don't want this to be one of those forever long blog posts and since a picture is worth a million words I thought I would let the pictures do most of the talking

We had great time at Town Square riding in horse drawn carriages, shopping and meeting Santa. The best part it was all free!
For family night we meet our Wonderful friends the Julander's at temple square for a fun but very crowded night looking at the Christmas lights. It was a bit of a change from last years cactus Christmas lights.
We also got a surprise visit from Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause (a.k a. Richard and Sharron our wonderfully sweet land lords) a week before Christmas. Tagg wasn't to sure about them while they were here. But the next morning I work up to him talking all about Santa coming and his sleigh.
A week before Christmas we got almost 2 feet of snow in Heber. Tagg my sister Becca and I loved sledding and making a snowman. Tagg loved the snow so much!
I found this Santa suit in my Mom's dress ups. Tagg put it on as soon as I showed it to him and went outside telling the dog, and cat " I'm Santa!" He then found my Dad and helped in shovel the snow singing bits and pieces of Christmas songs. It was the cutest thing.
We took a ride down the Provo River with our good friends the Laws, on a Christmas cruise. Boy was it cold!

One of the best things that happened was that we were able to go through the temple with my brother James. He is the other hansom man I am standing next too. I am so proud of him. And am so excited for him to leave on his mission.

On Christmas Eve our little Santa surprised the Goodrich family after dinner. He got to sit on everyone else's laps and tell them what he wanted for Christmas. But he loved sitting with Dan's mom the most.
Waiting at the top of the stairs Christmas morning. Need I say more? You can see the bags under the adults eyes and their arms trying to keep the kids from going down the stairs.

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas. And that the New Year brings each of you joy and happiness.

BUN IN THE OVEN!

2010-11-19T13:50:00.000-08:00

Yep! We have another little bun in the oven. And we are so happy ! We have waited a long time for this little baby. I am almost 15 weeks along, and am due on May 17. Three days after Dan's graduation. Sooo... the baby will be coming out a week or two early so I can go to graduation. Because that is not a day I am going to miss!
The morning sickness has not been bad at all due to my new favorite drug Phenergen. I take it each night and Viola, no morning sickness at all the next day. It has saved me from being a very sick and cranky Mom and Wife. Which I am sure Dan and Tagg are grateful for.
I think we are having a girl. But that is only based on the fact that the pregnancy has been so different then last time.Either way though boy or girl I am just so excited. Dan doesn't seem to feel anything about the sex of the baby. He just wishes it was already here. He has been baby hungry for a long time.

A Family Murder Mystery

2010-10-13T13:20:00.001-07:00

We had so interesting charters show up to our home a few weeks ago. To help us solve the mysterious death of Al Capone. Let me introduce you to the gang.

Ernie G. Ambler: Who is quite the gambler
Molly M. Awbsterr: A dame N.Y with all kinds of dough
(Dan's Mom and Dad)

Sly: A smooth talken' reporter who hits the hooch to often

S. Terighton Harrow: A sweet talken' dirty D.A
Millie Vanillie: A librarian who smuggles hooch and guns
(Also known as my brother and sister-in-law, Scott and Cori.)

Torchy: A night club singer who's not only musically talented but know how to handle a Tommy gun.
(My little Sister Becca)

Eddie "(socks") R. Gyle: A fashionable golfer, who is quite the gambler
"Silky" M. Adam: A shady sultry night club owner.
( Mom and Dad)

Billy("The Kid") Thrower: A Chicago major league baseball player, who like the ladies and his liquor.
Coco : A flapper who works evenings in the high society night clubs dancing.
( My little brother James & sister Mickey)

Now that you have meet everyone. Who do you think did Capone in? Well I'm not going to revile who the murderer was. All I am going to say is that it sure was fun to start the Halloween season off with such a bang!

A Camping we will go!

2010-08-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is a picture of my naked child. Doesn't he have the cutest little bum? Well I couldn't talk about our camping trip this weekend. Without showing you a picture of how Tagg spent most of the time. Naked! He loved playing in the stream, and since I only brought so many diapers and cloths he got to run around naked most of the time. Which he loved.

I love camping, especially with my family. But this camping trip was something special. Which I should have picked up on right off the bat. When five minutes after we set up camp a moose walked right through our camp! Which was exciting and a bit scary. But what really made it fun was that it was the last hora before my 3 younger siblings head off to school. I guess I just soaking up this times with them. Because you never know where everyone may be in a year and what will happen.

Mickey, Tagg, Me and James

Well now that I have rambled on. I will just give you the skinny on the trip. Dan caught 3 fish! Not bad for his second time fly fishing, hun? And Dan and Becca ate the monster of all smores! Which consisted of two gram crackers, 4 slabs of chocolate and one of the huge camping marshmallows. Way to go guys! Tagg became a log walker. Well that's what he called himself as he walked across all the logs on our hikes. And I had a killer nap and wonderful time reading and hiking.

The log walker

The smore Monster!

WHY SO LONG

2010-08-02T10:38:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt so behind on something; that you decide it's better to start from the present rather than back tracking? Well that's exactly how I am feeling about blogging. There have been many fun adventures and happenings over the past few months. But the biggest change with our little family is that we have moved to Utah. Yep, we are back in Happy Valley again. And I have to say it feels a little weird. We moved back so that Dan could finish school. The last year of Physical Therapy school is all clinical affiliations. So after this year he is DONE! Hooray!
Now for and update on our little rascal. In our new little apartment we have a yard and a few flower beds with no flowers. Tagg will just play outside all day digging with his trucks. When he comes in to play its all about his trains. And all I can hear coming from his room "tickets pees " "all aboard-dd". It is super cute. But the funniest thing he is doing now is this little chordal. He does it when he is really excited about something. Here is a little video so you can hear it for yourselves.

April Adventures

2010-04-29T13:42:00.000-07:00

Well now that April is pretty much over. I just wanted to give a quick re-cap of our many activities. What a better way to start off the month than with Easter and General Conference. Dan's parents were able to come down and share it with us. Tagg loved having them there, especially Grandpa. After we had collected all the Easter treats from around the room. We sat down and were talking when Tagg kept stealing candy from everyone else's baskets to put in Grandpa's.
He loves his Grandpa!

After filling up on Easter candy we headed to the Grand Canyon for Spring Brake. It was sooooo cold and the 50 mph winds didn't help. The cold didn"t stop us from having a great time. We just put a few extra layers on and off we went.

The first day we got there just in time to watch the sunset over the canyon. It was an awe inspiring experience. Even Tagg who had been crying the entire walk to the canyon, immediately stopped crying when he saw it and said "WOW"! The following morning we set out to hike down the canyon. It was quite the adventure hiking on ice and through swishy red mud. But it was so worth it it was beautiful down in the canyon. You can't even describe it or capture it on camera.
The third day we woke up to snow on the ground. Did I mention how cold it had been? we hiked the rim and went and say some old Indian ruins, and had an awesome nap! After nap time we decided to pack up a day early to avoid the even colder night that we was scheduled for that night.

Next we got to celebrate my Birthday. We'll all I can say is that it was a horrible day and I demanded a re do. So Dan suprized me last week with my Birthday re- do. he came home and told me were going to the Lion King show, and that he had arranged everything the babysitter. So I guess it ended up being a great birthday after all.

>

This is just a cute Picture from when the Boys were sick last week. What cute little snuggle bugs!

Family Pic's

2010-03-05T14:07:00.000-08:00

We had family pictures taken out at Red Rock Canyon recently. Our wonderful and very talented friend Megan was our photographer. The thing I love about her a photographer is that she captures the real you in action. Making the pictures feel and look so natural. She doesn't do a ton of posed pictures. Which is perfect for a family with a rambunctious two year old! I just wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures with you. ENJOY!

Birthday Bash!

2010-02-24T13:33:00.000-08:00

We had a great week celebrating Tagg turning two. It all started off with cake and presents. Tagg loves horses so we made a yummy horse cake, he loved it! His favorite gift was a stuffed Elmo. Who must have looked hungry when Tagg opened him. Because the first thing he did was put a bunch of chips in his mouth.

After the Birthday Party we headed to California for the week. For a much needed brake and for Dan had to go to a PT conference.We had so much fun! We we got to go to: the ocean, zoo, Disneyland, Sea World and the new Mormon Battalion visitor center. The best part was that we only had to pay for Sea World. Gotta love those great family hook ups.

My favorite part of the trip was watching the Shamu show. WOW! That is all I can say about it. Except for that in the middle of the show Shamu just came out of the water and chopped this pelican that was sitting in the water. Then came back up and spit it out and played with it. Before he got sent to killer whale time out! I am serious they put him in time out. And made another whale finish the show. Can you believe it!
Tagg loved going to the Elmo 4D show and touching the Manta Rays. I think Dan's favorite thing was not being in school and sleeping in!

We loved our little birthday bash and mini vacation.

NO CHEESE!!!

2010-02-02T13:42:00.000-08:00

You heard me right! For the past month our family has lived without eating cheese. Yep, not even cheese products.Dan and I wanted to see if we could do it, and to seeif it had any effect on weight loss.
We did have two cheat days. Dan's b-day and one night after a long hard day we had pizza. But other then that no cheese. At first it was really hard to think of meals that didn't have cheese. And not to crave it. As time went on it became earlier and I was surprised at how I really didn't miss it on things. It really made me realize how much and how often we eat cheese. It is ALOT!
Well last night we celebrated the end of the month with a trip to the scale and PIZZA! It tasted amazing!Plus, Dan and I both lost 3 pounds over the month. All I can say is that I'm glad to be eating cheese again. But I will definitely look at cheese differently from now on.

2010-01-14T13:06:00.000-08:00

Hi all. Well in my family no news is good news. So hopefully you all took my absent of blogging as such. So yep, we are all doing great. I am just a major slacker and just felt like there was no catching up. So in order for me to not feel to overwhelmed; I have decided to just start and Christmas and call it good.

For Christmas break we left the heat of Vegas for the snow and cold of Utah. We had a great time. We ended up splitting our time between the two families. One week at Dan's parents and one at mine.

We had a great time with the Goodrich fam. We got to go sledding, shooting and enjoy a lot of yummy meals. Plus, we got to meet our new sister in-law Jenn. She was amazing and we are so happy to have her as an addition to our family.

Our little puff ball

Dave and his new wife Jenn (they were freezing)

This is a video of Tagg on Christmas morning. Sorry its not facing vertical, the computer won't let me change it. His reaction is pretty stinking' cute. He loved Christmas the presents ect. But mostly the chocolates in his stocking, foil and all!

After Christmas we went and stayed at my parents house. So many fun things that happened:skiing, sledding down the driveway, horse back rides and chill-axing. Plus, we got to go to a special award presentation where my Dad, brother James and Grandpa were honer and given awards for scouting by the General Young Men's' Presidency. Pretty cool stuff. What can I say I love my family.

Tagg loved Peaches and Pepper my parents horses. Every morning he would go and help my Dad feed the horses. But thing he couldn't get enough of was ridding the horses. He would cry and cry when we would take him off.

We weren't able to make it to temple square until after Christmas. But the lights and the message were still amazing.

Dad, James and Grandpa Fillerup receiving their awards. I am so proud of them!

We had a great time skiing New Years Eve. We had so much fun that it was a fight to stay alive until midnight, but we made it.

All in all we had a great vacation. Hopefully I didn't boar you to death with all the pictures and stuff. Just think of all the posts of mine you missed the past few months. And hopefully it won't have felt like that long of a post. Lol

Pumkin patch

2009-10-21T13:05:00.000-07:00

On Monday for family night we went to a local pumpkin patch/petting zoo. We all loved it! Tagg loved chasing and petting the animals. He also enjoyed playing the pumpkins like drums. And Dan enjoyed worked on his roping skills. It was so much fun, we are thinking of going again when Dan's parents come into town next week.

Our little dare devil

2009-10-19T12:15:00.000-07:00

The other day Austin and I were getting ready to go to the park. I went to set up the stroller at the bottom of the stairs. Now usually I just leave or door open and he walks down the stairs to me. Well, last Monday instead of walking out the door he rode out on his little tricycle. I started up the stairs just in time to see him turn to head down. Just then I started sprinting up the stairs to catch him. I made it just in time to get the back end of his tricycle in my eye and he made it down one stair. But as you can see that one stair made banged him up pretty good.

Most days I feel like a pretty okay Mom. That day I felt like the worst Mom in the world. It was so sad to see my little boy hurt so badly and not feel responsible. We just sat on the couch after and just snuggled and cried. Luckily Tagg is a pretty tough kid and bounced back pretty quickly.

The next few days you could see the real damage from the crash.

Right after the crash

Day 2

Day 3

Four years and going strong

2009-10-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

Dan I celebrated out four year anniversary this weekend and had a great time. We started it off with a nice dinner and then went and say KA a cirque du Soleil show. I was in total aw... of what the performers were able to do, it was AMAZING! The best part of the night was being able to stay the night in the hotel without or little man. It was the first time that we have left him over night. And I am not gonna lie, it felt a little weird to not have him around.

On Saturday we got to spend the day with my sister Mickey and her roommate Kate. Who were our wonderful babysitters all weekend. We took them to see the Shark Reef and out to lunch. Then we ran home to get ready for the cougar football game. We meet up with a few of our friends from school and had a bast. The best part was that our tickets were in the UNLV student section. We were getting a load of crap from the UNLV fans during the first quarter, but they shut up after that. It must have been the fact that we ended up killing them, 59 to 12. It was so fun to be able to cheer for our amateur.

Isn't he the cutest!

The past four years have been quite the ride. Things haven't turned out exactly the way we had planned in the beginning. It's a But can't imagine going through the twists and turns of life with anyone else. Even if he doesn't put his laundry away! LOL

2009-09-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

Just when I think I have parenting and Tagg's schedule all figured out it changes. Our latest change has come with replacing the crib with a toddler bed. Tagg was so excited when we set it up. He was jumping up and down; then he would run and and grab a stuffed animal and bringing it back to lay down with him in his new bed.The first night was a nightmare! Tagg cried and cried and pounded on the door for hours. Dan and I tried everything we knew how to do to calm him down and get him to sleep. Nothing worked! Tagg finally feel asleep about 10 pm. That night Dan and I went in to check on him. We found him alseep right next to the door, his bunny in one hand and blanket in the other. Needless to say we moved him back to bed.
The next two nights were a bit harry, but over all he has adjusted suprizingly fast. Tagg now just grabs his blanket and goes an layes on his bed when he is ready for naps. What can I say we have one cute and good little boy. Now Dan and I just have to adjust to him comming in to our room and waking us up in the morning.
The other morning I walked in and saw this. I guess we still have a bit more work to do, in getting Tagg to sleep the entire night in his bed.

Our naked little cowboy

2009-08-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

Sorry that I have been so bad about keeping everyone up to speed the past few weeks. I thought about blogging about the six fun weeks we spent in Utah. But then I didn't want to bore anyone with stuff from two months ago. All I can is that it was so nice to be around so much family and enjoying old friends. But it sure is nice to have our little family together again.

Dan started school again on Monday, and is already swamped with homework and quizzes. He loved his time in Winnammucca, and is totally not excited to be back in school. Due to the extremely hot temperatures I have been spending a lot of time in side playing with Tagg and doing some deep fall cleaning.

I also just finish making a Halloween advent calender. It was a lot of fun and frustrating. The frustrating part was keeping Tagg from eating the glue, cutting with scissors and playing with the sewing machine. Because he has figured out how to get up on the table, nothing is safe now. So I was only able to work on my little project during his naps and at night. I really enjoyed making it but am so happy that it is DONE!

I just have to tell one cute story about Tagg. The other day I get him our of the tub. I turn around to get his towel, and he is gone. Then I hear him jabbering away in his room, so I go to find him. I look in and see him ridding his horse totally naked and just loven' it. It was the cutest thing, hopefully the horse isn't scared for life! lol To get the full effect I had to do a front and back view of him on the horse. He's one cute little cowboy!

Six Weeks

2009-06-26T08:21:00.000-07:00

Today marks the first of six weeks that Dan and I will have to spend apart. As part of Dan's schooling he has to go and work with Physical Therapists. For different amounts of time over the coarse of his three years in physical therapy school. This is his first one of three affiliations he will be doing. Dan is currently working in Northern Nevada in a tiny town called Winamucka. For the past week I have heard nothing but how much he loves going to work and how fast the day goes. Sounds like he choose the right profession, hun?

Because his new apartment is the size of a shoe box, Tagg and I have moved to Utah for the next six weeks. We are living with my parents and my three younger siblings. And Tagg and I are sure getting spoiled! My sister Mickey said she wanted to ride her bike to work everyday, so that I could have her new car to go places. Which means she has to get up at 5:45 a.m every day!They are all so good to help and play with Tagg, and he sure is loving all the attention. And it has been so nice to hang out with my Sisters and Mom. But, we sure have been missing Dan. And we are so excited to see him next weekend.

First Word!!!!

2009-05-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have spent time with Tagg, know that he goes LOVES dogs. So last night after while we were hauling all our groceries into our apartment Tagg saw two little Pomeranian's being walked. Of coarse he ran over and started playing with them. After playing with them for a while, we said good bye and started walking into the apartment. And thats when it happened...... he turned around, pointed to the dog's and said "doggie". It was so cute, and was no suprize that this was his first word (other than Mommy and Daddy). Because he has this little stuffed animal dog called Gizzy that goes everywhere with him; it was the first thing he really got attached to. Plus, as previously stated he loves dogs.

To Wyoming and a wedding

2009-05-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

I love new babies! The new baby smell and the tiny little hands and feet just make me all warm and happy inside. Well, this past week Tagg and I got to stay with my sister Aubrey and her family. We went to help her so she could just worry about taking care of their third and newest little girl Candice. My sister and her hubby Ben make the CUTEST girls!
It was so fun to go and spend a week with them, even if we were all sick the entire time. Between wiping noses, coughs, trips to the doctor and being delirious from lack of sleep, my two older nieces kept us all laughing with their impressions of Pip from Disney's Enchanted. My two nieces Brooklyn and Alex were such great helpers not only in making us laugh but in taking care of Candice,Tagg and their Mom. One night I even got treated to a foot rub from Alex and got my hair and nails done by Brooklyn. Are they the best or what?
But,I have to say that my favorite parts of that week were; holding baby Candice, doing crafts with Alex and Brooklyn, and heart to hearts with Aubrey on the couch. I always love going to her house. I always leave inspired with new recipes, ways to organize and insights into how to be a better parent.

Aubrey and Candice

Tagg loved hanging out with his cozens, and just being one of the gang. Sometimes I feel like he gets so board just hanging out with me all day. And I feel a bit guilty that he doesn't have any siblings to play with. As you can see in this picture he just isn't sure what to with other kids during tub times. Thank's Walker fam for everything!

Brookyln, Tagg and Alex

That weekend we drove to Utah for my Grandpa Ottesen's wedding. My Grandma Dewey passed away 3 years ago last and March. He had been so lonely and sad until he met Margret (his new wife). It's almost like he has come back to life after meeting her. Now he has a spring in his step and is constantly smiling.

Margret and Grandpa

What an amazing experience it was to be there while they were married. It's hard to explain the feelings of love and joy that filled the room. I am so grateful that I was able to be there to witness this happy event. I am so happy for them both and can hardly wait to get to know Margret better.

Out side the temple after the wedding.

Age is only important if your chesse!

2009-04-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

That is what I had to keep telling myself on Monday when I celebrated my 27th birthday. Turning 27 was really hard for me mostly because I don't feel that old. I guess playing peek a boo with a one year old just keeps you feelen' young .
Anyway it sure was a fun day. It was a beautiful day so Tagg and I went and had a picnic at the park. Then we came home and made ice cream cake. Tagg sure enjoyed helping me clean up the beaters. By the end of the cake process he was covered from head to toe and on a total sugar high.

When Dan got home from school he surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers, they were amazing! We jumped in the car and headed over to Geisha Steak House for dinner with Jenna and Steven. Geisha is just like Bennie Hanna but cheaper. It was blast to watch all the food and knives flying in the air. But the best part was the food,it was yummy! Then we came home for cake and games. And spared off our great friends Megan and Luke who were kind enough to watch Tagg for us so we could go to dinner.
It sure was hard turning 27, but when you get to eat yummy food and celebrate with family and great friends. It sure makes getting older a little easier to handle.

Dan and I with Jenna and Steven at Geisha Steak House

What a month!

2009-03-23T15:58:00.000-07:00

This past month has been one fun filled adventure after another. Each week started with a new visitor and new week full of fun things to do. At the beginning of the month some of our Best friends Tyler and Rose Ellen came to see us. Along with there darling little daughter Natalie. We had so much swimming, going to the shark reef and just hanging out while the kids took naps. Every where we went people would ask us if Natalie and Tagg were twins. Which i guess isn't to crazy considering they are only a week apart in age.Poor Dan wasn't able to play much due to his busy school schedule. But he was able to squeeze in time for a few fun things.

My sister Becca flew into town that same week, so she could enjoy her spring brake in sin city with us. I love it when sisters come to visit. She was such a good sport about just going with the flow and at making things even more fun.

Tyler,Rose Ellen, Natalie, Dan, Tagg and I hiking around at Red Rock Canyon.

All of us trying to touch the horse shoe crabs and sting rays at the Shark Reef

Next came my sister Becca who came to play with us for her spring brake. She has been dying to go to the wax museum ever since we moved here. So we found some two for one coupons and she and Dan went and got to hang out with all there favorite people. They loved all the fun things you can do to the figures.

Becca chillen' with Abe her favorite President

Lets face it Dan just wants to be like Mike!

Tagg and I then jumped on a plane with Becca that Saturday to go Utah. My Grandpa is getting re-married so I went up to help my Mom get everything ready for my Step Grandma to move in. I am so excited to my Grandpa and Miss Margret. I know how much I miss Dan when I am gone for a week. I can't even image how lonely and sad I would be if he had been gone for three years. Yeah Grandpa!

Our friends Jenna and Steven came up with Dan to pick us up. On Friday we had a fun but very frustrating day trying to help them find housing by BYU. They will be moving up there in April to go to school and we are sure going to miss them.

On Saterday were were able to take Tagg to the Zoo. He is such an animal lover. He tries to hug and kiss animal if they come on t.v. And he loves snuggling any kind of stuffed animal. Anywho, he loved the zoo and really seemed to love the monkeys. He would just sit there and point, and rock back and forth as he talked really fast gibberish to them. It was supper cute!

I ran home from the zoo to attend my little brother Jame's junior prom. He looked so handsome all decked out in his tux with is his black high top converse. He looked liked such stud doing the promenade. It was so fun to see him show off his dance moves. He even tried to show me a few as we danced. But gave up quickly due to my lack of dance skills. I had a hard time holding back the tears as we danced, and I don't know why. I guess it's just cuz I love him.

Our little fam at Hogle Zoo

James and Mom at Prom

It was hard to leave the fam to come home. But having my sister Sarah and her family come to visit the day after we got back. Made the adjustment much more bareable! It was so much fun having sleep overs, hiking red rock,going swimming.Sarah and I even got away for a while to go shopping just us no kids. But I have to say my favorite thing we did while they were here was to go and see the Dolphin and Wild Cats exhibit. I loved watching the dolphins swim around and jump out of the water. They also had the cutest little baby leopard, that all the kids just loved.

Tagg, me, Emma,Sarah, Jackson,Ella and Ben at the dolphin and wild cats exhibit.

Now life as started to get back into the daily routine again with naps and story times. Which I must admit is kind of nice after having a month of non stop action. But we sure did love having everyone come and visit.

These feet were made for walken'!

2009-03-02T08:48:00.000-08:00

With in the past two weeks Tagg has just started cruisen' all over the place! He has the cutest little waddle. And he has definitely been enjoying his new found mobility, he just wants to go,go,go all the time!It sure has been fun to see him step out on his own. But it sure has created a new set of challenges for Dan and I. Sitting through church now is impossible, we usually end up roaming the halls for most of the meetings. Sorry that this video isn't vertical, it won't let me move it. Hopefully watching it sideways still gives you a view of our little walker.

Austin's Arrr..some first birthday!

2009-02-16T10:39:00.001-08:00

Last Thursday we celebrated Austin's first birthday! For all of you who may not know turning one is a big deal. Mostly for the Mom of the one year old. It's a celebration that you both survived the past year! In spite of the two hour feedings, teething and never ending diaper changing. Now it's hard to imagine life without him and all of these day to day things. This last year has been more fun and full of laughs then we could have thought.

On Thursday we had a big party with some of our really good friends. We had a yummy dinner and of course, presents, cake and ice cream. We decided to do pirates cakes because we love them! And because I agree with Mark Twain who said:

"Some day if we live right and are good, maybe God will let us be pirates."

I make a treasure chest cake for Austin, and filled it with his favorite things. From cheese, anything shinny, tub toys to his favorite toy Elmo. Then made a pirate cake for the rest of us to enjoy. The pirate unfortunately had his left ear fall off right before the party.

Before and After

Austin loved diving right into his cake. To our surprise he ate about half of his cake. After cake a little tub time was a must! Austin seemed to enjoy his big day and all the attention and presents he received. But I think one of his favorite things he got on his birthday was his new friend Boyce. Our friends from BYU Sara and Mark just moved to Vegas. And this was our first time seeing them, since Sara and I were eating saltines and making visits to the toilet together. It was so fun to see them and to watch Boyce and Tagg be so happy playing and eating together.

Tagg and Boyce

A Disneyland Birthday!

2009-01-20T15:33:00.000-08:00

Tagg, Dan, Dan's Mom and Dad and nephew Issac

For those of you who don't know. If you go to Disneyland on your birthday you get in FREE! Yep, its true. In celebration of Dan's 26th Birthday we headed to Disneyland for the weekend, and had tons of fun! There is nothing quite like spending your Birthday in the "Happiest Place on Earth."

It was especially fun to have Austin with us and see how he reacted to the rides and all the commotion. He LOVED it ! Peter Pan, the carousel and Buzz Lightyear were his fav's. We had worried about how Tagg was going hold up without his naps but he did amazing! There wasn't one meltdown the entire weekend.

We also got to spend some time and the beach. Which was something I had been craving for months. That is to walk the beach, soak up some rays and search for shells as the waves wash over your feet. What can I say the beach is one of my happy places. Austin loved the beach.... eating it that is. Every shell and piece of sand when right in his mouth. This is a picture of me trying to keep the sand out of his mouth.

Christmas Time

2009-01-12T09:41:00.000-08:00

Great Grandpa Fillerup with Austin

Christmas this year was full of tender moments, laughter and thoughtful home-made gifts. We were able to spend Christmas Eve with my Grandparents in Wyoming. Their tiny living room was filled to the brim with family. We looked at slides of Christmas's gone by, read Luke 2 and were able to enjoy my super cute nieces and sister Bo sing the cutest Christmas songs.

Brooklyn, Alex and Aubrey Singing on Christmas Eve

Christmas Morning

My Sister Bo and her husband were so generous and brave letting our entire family come and stay with them. With all that family it sure made Christmas morning SO much fun! The twins were eating candies with the wrappers still on them, the other kids were tearing through presents left and right. My Dad was also taking kids on horse rides on his back. Jackson and Dad

We have now settled back into normal life in Las Vegas. And have swapped our sweater for flip flops. We loved all the vacationing but, I have to admit that home has never felt so good. After being gone for two and half weeks.

Snow... in Las Vegas???

2008-12-17T22:36:00.000-08:00

We have SNOW! I never thought I would say those words while I lived in Las Vegas, but it has been snowing all day. Braking records from 1979! We all got bundled up and went out and played in the snow. We even made a tiny little snowman.

Tagg loved eating the snow and crawling all around it. He didn't even cry when he got cold. Not bad for a first timer in the snow.

Christmas Cactus

2008-12-10T14:04:00.000-08:00

Mr. Red M&M with Tagg and I

Have you ever heard of Ethel M's Chocolates? It was the first chocolate factory created by Forrest Mars, who named after his Mother Ethel. It is still on opporation today, and you can watch as they make yummy chocolates for free. Then take a strool in their cactus garden, which is really neat.

Tagg, Dan, me, Jenna, Steven, Megan and Luke.

Megan, Jenna and I.

During Christmas time they decorate the cactie with beautiful Christmas lights. I feel so bad for who ever has to put them on and take them off. Ouch!!! Anyway we went with some of our really good friends last weekend and had a blast! The lights looked amazing, Tagg just stared at the lights and kept reaching out to touch them. It sure was fun to do some Christmas celebrating Vegas style!

Thanks for the Photography tips Megan!

A Mountain Man Thanksgiving

2008-12-02T10:56:00.000-08:00

Due to the fact that Thanksgiving is a "mans holiday", meaning the women slave all day in the kitchen. Cooking for hours all for a thirty minute meal then do the mounds of dishes afterwards. While the men watch football and take naps. My Mom felt this was a bit unfair. So she deiced to put my Dad in charge of most of the meal.

The Thanksgiving meal was YUMMY!! And very un-traditional complete with elk meat roasted and pineapple roasted on a spit. Rolls wrapped around willow branches and sweet potatoes cooked in the coals. Even our dinner ware was rustic. Eating dinner off pie tins and drinking apple cider from tin cups just completed the entire experience.

Doesn't that meat look divine! The best part of the entire day was sitting around the fire making the meal and talking to family. I have so many things to be grateful for this year. But on Thursday I was most grateful for the lack of dishes that we wash after the meal.

9 months and cruisin'

2008-11-12T21:16:00.000-08:00

It's crazy to think our little guy is already nine months old. It feels like yesterday I was holding Austin, freaking out. And wondering how I was going to be that all powerful being called....."The MOM!" lol. Well I am far from all powerful, but I sure have learned a ton along the way.
We sure do love our Taggster. He knows how to make you feel like a million bucks by: making funny faces, playing the blinking or smiling and trashing with joy when you go to get him from his crib. Boy do we love him! It's hard to imagine our life before Austin, I know we use to get more sleep, stay our later and do all kinds of crazy stuff. But we sure wouldn't change the stinky diapers and spit up for anything.Tagg and I went outside and I snapped some 9 month pics. I am a total amateur with my photography skills, but I think Tagg makes them look pretty stinken' cute!

We went out to Red Rock Canyon on Veteran's Day. Its always nice to get away from the city and be out hiking around in nature. The scenery is amazing and there are always new exciting things to explore. Austin was having a blast crawling in the red dirt then stopping to eat a rock along the way then continue on his way. He loves to have me help him walk, and boy did he cruise all over those ruff rocks.

All about October

2008-11-05T08:52:00.000-08:00

Yes we are alive! I just lost our camera in a pumpkin patch in Colorado. So, I haven't had any fun new pictures to post. Until I got these pictures from my sister and a new camera. So basically I have a ton of catching up to do for the month of October and all in one post. So here's whats new with us....

Glenwood Springs Colorado

At the beginning of October we got to go and see my sister Sarah, her husband Ben and there three cute kids. We rode bikes all over this cute little historical town. Crunching the beautiful fall leaves under our wheels and feeling the Autumn breeze blow all around us. Was a liberating and nice change from the sizzling heat Dan only got to say for a day then it was back to school. Tagg and I on the other had got to stay and play for an entire week! We went swimming in the largest all mineral water pool I in the world, and boy did it have a different smell. We also played tons of games watched conference and just enjoyed spending time together. One of our favorite outings was going to pick pumpkins from a local pumpkin patch. Tagg had blast climbing all over the pumpkins and eating the dirt. I had fun looking for my lost camera.

Austin and I at the pumkin Patch

Happy Halloween

Austin was the cutest little monkey! When he crawled around in his costume the tail on the back would stay side to side.

Trunk or treat was tons of fun in our new ward. We decorated our car up to look like a dragon and then opened the trunk just enough for them to reach through the teeth to get the candy that was sitting in a bowl in the trunk. We were pretty surprised when some of the kids were to scared to reach their hands in.

I love Halloween! The candies, pumpkin carving, cookie decorating and best of all the dressing up. This year I went as a butterfly, Dan went as a Doctor and Tagg was a monkey.

Our weekend with Chicky Babe

I'm sure your wondering who Chicky Babe is, so here's the story. When my Mom found out she was going to be a grandma she didn't want to be called Grandma Fillerup. She wanted something a bit more fun, and jokingly suggested Chicky Babe. And boy did it stick! Now she is known to all at Chicky Babe and my Dad now is referred to as "Papa Chicky" which I am sure he just loves! Just thought a little background on the name might eliminate confusion.

Chicky and Tagg

Dan and AustinOur little rock climberMom and I at Red rock

Tagg found this strip of material on the ground and kept crawling aound sucking on it. When it would fall out he would pick it up and just continue on his way.

We sure had fun with Chicky Babe this past weekend. We went out to Red Rock Canyon and had a little picnic and had tons of fun hiking all over the rocks. It was so fun to have here come and play. And boy did we play: from Ethel M's chocolates, shopping, eating at In-N-Out and lots of shopping of course! She even watched Austin so Dan and I could go out on a date. It sure was a fun filled few days.

Six months old

2008-08-29T13:36:00.001-07:00

This is the face that Austin makes when he is happy

Family Pictures

Ride em' Cowboy!

Charge!!!!

Its hard to belive that he is already 6 months old. Tagg is growing up so fast! He got his first two teeth and is creeping all over the house. Its are to imagine what life was like before our little guy got here.

Family fun times

2008-08-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

What a month this has been! We have spent most of August in Utah, liven' it up every minute. It hard to squeeze all the good times into a few paragraphs. So I figured I would let the pictures do most of the talking.

We love Dave!!!

Dan and Dave

Austin loved playing with Dave in the pool

Dan's brother Dave made a special trip out to Utah while we were there. It was so fun to have him meet Austin, and to play and hang out. His trip was cut short due to his service in the Navy, but we sure ate up every minute that we had with him.

Kayaking the Provo River

My sister Becca and I before the adventure began

Dan and I in our stylish orange life vests

If you ever get the chance to kayak down the Provo river, TAKE IT! The water was freezing, but the scenery is beautiful and the river is tons of fun. There is one point where you have to get out of the river and carry your kayak further up the river, and get back in. When I put my foot in to get back in, I saw what looked like a shoe string in our kayak. Then I realized it was moving! I jumped out and let out a yelp. Becca, my sister saved the day grabbing the snake and releasing it into the wild again.

Becca and the snake

Boating With the Fillerup Fam

Tagg, Becca and I whipping in the wind

Look at those cheeks!

Nothing says summer like a family cookout

Aunt Bo and Tagg

Alex and I

It was so fun to gather around the fire roast hot dogs and talk to the family. While we enjoyed the sun setting on mount Timpanougus.

Judy's Beauty

Brooklyn my niece want to be a beautician when she gets bigger. She is the one with the glasses. Brooklyn has already started her own business called Judy's Beauty. This is a picture of my sister Sarah her daughter Emma and I after our hair,nail and make up jobs. Pretty good hun?

Happy 50th Birthday Chicky Babe (AKA Mom)!

August started off with a BIG surprise birthday party for my Mom. We had all her friends and a lot of family waiting in the living room, and my sisters and our families hid behind a curtain. Her eyes welled up with tears as my sisters and I came out from behind the curtain one by one. Seeing the look of aw and surprise on her face, made all the planning and work totally worth it! Well that and going to Jack Johnson concert with her for her Birthday!The worst thing about it was that Tagg and I had to leave Dan at home to take his finals.

Taggalious

2008-07-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

Austin loves sitting on the counter while I cook. Sometimes he tries to be a chef to!

Rub a dub dub, Austin in the tub.
"Hi five Dad!"
WOW! Did I just make that sound?"
I love this picture because it looks like he is praying.

The tickle monster!! Just kidding,we wanted to share this video of Tagg getting tickled by Dan. The quality of the video isn't the best, but the cuteness level is way up there! Don't forget to turn your volume up to hear the giggles.

Tagg is growing up so fast. It seems like he's grown an inch every time I get him out of his crib each morning. He is so much fun to watch as he discovers new things and develops new abilities. Like sucking his toes, sitting up by himself and making new noises with his mouth.

I love pictures, I think it must be genetic or something. So sorry if this post seems more like pictures than writing. Just wanted to share some fun pictures of Austin from the past month. Hope you enjoyed them!

A swimmen' Forth of July

2008-07-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

Diven' Dan

Family swim time!
Oma and Austin relaxing by the pool
Heidi and Isaac (in our very clean pool! lol)

I love the Forth of July! The parades, candy, sunshine and fun fireworks always make it a fun filled day. This year we celebrated it in a bit of different style, it was more like a fish forth of July. Due to the 114 degree weather we spent most of the day in the pool cooling off. Dan's Mom and our nephew Isaac came to visit us for the holiday. Which made the forth all the more fun! As you can see from our pictures the pool isn't the cleanest. The wind is always blowing here, so there is usually half a palm tree in the pool or something!

Fun in the sun

2008-07-02T08:56:00.000-07:00

Me and my Dad

With it being so hot outside we haven't been played much outdoors. On Saturday we went to St.George and hiked around on the beautiful red rock. Austin enjoyed being carried the entire time, he rode in true style much like an Egyptian king being carried by his slaves. Dan and I enjoyed chasing lizards and being out enjoying nature.

Disneyland Fun!

2008-06-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

We had a blast in Disneyland in May with Dan's family! Austin loved the jungle cruise, tikki room and really loved the Peter Pan ride. He loved looking at the lights and the flying of corse (he he he)! We also got to hang out at the beach on Memorial Day. We loved walking the beach and searching shells and playing in the water. I even tried crab for the first time, it was interesting....

Dan's Graduation

2008-06-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

Dan just graduated from BYU, here are some fun pictures of that special day. We have moved down to Las Vegas were Dan go accepted in UNLV's Physical Therapy program. Which he is really enjoying and is doing really well in. While Dan is at school Austin and I enjoy cooking, reading stories, going on walks and hanging out at the pool. We are loven it here! Our ward is amazing, and we have already made some great new friends.

Awsome Austin !

2008-06-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't meet our little man here are some pictures of him from birth till now. Austin Taggart was born February 12th 2008, he weighed 8lbs 9oz and was 21in long. He is now a little over four months old. Austin is tons of fun and is growing and changing all the time. He is quite the little fish, he loves kicking and splashing around in the pool. He is super ticklish and squeals with joy when you tickle him. He loves standing up and is already acting like he wants to be able to get around on his own.