weekend whirlwind

We had a crazy busy weekend! Thursday night we packed up the kids and flew out to Sacramento! Molly and Darren have moved there recently, so Gwen and Drake had SO MUCH fun getting to see Grammy and playing with their cousins. They are such busy bodies and always on the go!


Gwen and Claire are "BEST FRIENDS" and Laurel had such a fun time keeping up with those two. And Gwen and Drake were just in awe of baby Marie! While we were there, we got to watch Jack while Tara had her baby!!!!!!!!!


Saturday, April 12 at about 4:00 pm, Aubrey Taylor was born. She was 8 lbs 2 ounces and just beautiful!! When we took Jack to the hospital to see the baby and his mommy and daddy, you could tell he just had no clue what happened. Oh poor Jack, how your world has changed! All in all we had a wonderful trip. It was so good to see family and I also got to see one of my BFF's Desiree. Thank you all for the wonderful weekend!

bunker bed

That's what Gwen calls it.  For those of you who didn't know yet, Ryan is going to be going to law school in the fall.  Where?  That hasn't been decided yet.  But one thing we do know: we have to downsize.  Wherever we are, I'm sure we'll be living in some small apartment or even student housing, so Gwen and Drake will be sharing a room.  

Enter bunk bed. 

Ryan and I assembled the bed this weekend, thank you very much Ikea!  The kids absolutely LOVE it!  They both love being up high on top, and also making forts on the bottom.  Seriously, bunk beds are perhaps the raddest beds ever!  I asked Ryan if we could have bunk beds too, and being the cool guy he is said "I call top!"  So we're getting bunk beds too!  Okay not really, he quickly vetoed that and was just saying a line from Big. (fyi-that movie is soooo awesome!)


That's my silly girl "slithering out of the fort 'cause I'm a snake!"And one of the best parts of all of this, is that we were able to turn Gwen's room into a PLAY ROOM!!

she's very thankful!

So yesterday marks a year.
One full year now Gwen has been saying in EVERY meal prayer that she is thankful for easter eggs! For a while even, she would get upset if Ryan and I failed to mention our appreciation for easter eggs in our prayers. We thought for sure it would die off after a week or two. Nope. A whole year!!

fitting for easter

Sunday, Drake's nursery teachers gave the kids gold fish. The kids were so excited!!!

They loved the fish so much, and Gwen named the fish Ruby after her favorite doll. We put it in one of my bowl shaped water pitchers, and both Gwen and Drake loved to just look at her and talk to her. Now don't get the wrong idea that the kids were total angels about this fish. Monday I came downstairs to find Drake on a chair, the bowl half empty the other half of the water was all over the table and floor. And he thought the fish was hungry, so naturally he had the bottom of the pitcher covered in conversation hearts! We cleaned up the mess and explained the importance of clean water and "fish food" for Ruby. The kids were so happy when they got to feed Ruby her food, and every morning as we would leave the house, Gwen and Drake would say "bye" to her. Well, yesterday morning, when I came downstairs, the water was murky, so I dumped it out and put in clean water. And the whole time I was doing the transfer, she didn't move at all. She just stayed at the bottom of the bowl. I thought either she's dead, or she's gonna be soon. So I thought I should prep the kids and tell them that Ruby was sick so remember to say bye to her. Gwen was so dramatic in her "oh no!!! Bye Ruby, I LOVE you!!" Then when we got home last night, I told Gwen it looked like Ruby had died and we were going to need to flush her body. Gwen insisted she wasn't dead and we couldn't do that because she loved her. So I figured I'd wait for Ryan to do it.

Well this evening, when we came in, Ruby was floating at the top of the bowl, and her eyes were clouded. We showed Gwen and told her the fish really was dead and that we needed to flush her body. We went to the toilet and dumped her. Gwen immediately started to get teary and said "but I'll never see her again!". We then talked about Grandpa Bostwick who just had died, Grandpa McPhie, and Jesus. We talked about why we celebrate Easter and that we will see them all again. I love Easter, and I love that Gwen has such a tender heart.

SPAM

No, not the kind in the can. The annoying kind that fills up your email in box CONSTANTLY! Tonight I finally got fed up and instead of deleting all of the emails, I actually took the time to open each one and UNSUBSCRIBE to them all (at least all of the ones from today). So I opened 27emails from people/places that I had no intentions of reading their junk and I was just so ready to be done with them and do you know what? Six of them actually had the nerve to SEND ANOTHER EMAIL confirming that I've asked to unsubscribe. Now I know this post is probably just as annoying to you as those emails are to me, but I needed to vent.

To make up for it, here's a funny pic. :)

That's Ryan and one of his BFF's, Brannan. They're doing home facials back in college. And yes, that still is one of Ryan's favorite shirts. :)

Grandpa

I have been so blessed to have the amazing grandpa I have.

Grandpa Chet died Saturday, March 15, 2008.

He has been such a great example to me, and a wonderful patriach to our family.

I love you grandpa!

And then to compound the pain of the loss, my iMac hard drive crashed last week, with so many pictures of grandpa with my kids. If only I had backed up my files...

MIDLIFE CRISIS

Yesterday I had my "womanly appointment". That's right, any males reading this can stop now if you want. Anyhoo, my doctor was covering her bases, letting me know about what's out there etc. So she starts telling me about Gardasil, a new vaccination to help prevent cervical cancer. Then she says, "although I don't know if your insurance would cover the vaccination since you will be turning 27 within the next six months. However, they are coming out with a new vaccination for older women soon."!!!!!!!
I'm officially in the "OLDER WOMEN" category!!!! How did my youth so quickly escape me?

Wednesday

Can I tell you something funny?

My little Gwenny has a new obsession...

FOLDING!!!

She loves to fold everything! From her colored papers,

that she then wraps rubberbands around, to towels and blankets.

In fact, it's gotten to the point where I can't have towels hanging on

the towel racks anymore.

Gwen will take them down and fold them up!

her folded up blankets
yes, this towel was hanging on the oven handle
and this towel was hung by the sink

She's an organizer. In addition to folding, she likes making sure

everything is lined up too.

And this is Drake hiding behind the chair during a scary part

of the Incredibles.

New NEPHEW

Congratulations to Kolby and Tawnya!

Kitseelie Gene Collard

was born Tuesday, March 4, 2008.

8lbs 2oz, 20 inches long.

FHE

Tonight was AWESOME!!!  Seriously perfect weather tonight.  It was like 75 degrees outside (maybe a little cooler with the breeze) so we had dinner out on the patio by the pool, and the kids ate ALL of their vegetables.  Then it felt so good out, and we had some new footballs, so we played some football for a while.  I gotta say, I should be in the NFL!  My hands were like magnets to the ball!  ;)  Gwen and Drake loved watching Ryan and I throw the ball to each other and loved chasing after the ball too.  Then, we went to the temple to see the new display of the photos of Christ, but we didn't have tickets.  (Apparently you have to have tickets on Monday nights)  So we enjoyed walking around the temple grounds instead.  And of course no FHE would not be complete without ice cream.   Can every night please be like this? 

what we've been up to...

LEHI DAYS!!!

Today we went to Lehi Days. It's a cute little Rodeo that our stake puts on each year. They also have delicious BBQ, petting farm, pony rides, etc. The kids LOVED it! Ryan volunteered to work security, hence the fluorescent vest, but he also was able to spend a lot of time with us. Gwen and Drake really got a kick out of the ponies and especially these cute little baby bunnies in the petting zoo that were only five days old! The sun started getting hot, so we let the kids get popsicles and by the time we left, we had a sticky dirty crew!

I really love Saturdays, being able to spend time with my family, get outside, and have fun!

Also, if you couldn't tell from the above slideshow, Ryan's grown a mustache!! This is one of the reasons I love him so much. Sunday I said to him, "you know it'd be really cool if you grew a mustache." And instead of saying something like "gross", or "but it's not 1987 anymore", he said "DONE!" So this week he went without shaving his upper lip to make me happy. Thanks Ryan, you're rad!

my hubs

Okay, I've been tagged, so here you go:

What is your husband's name? Ryan Harper McPhie.

How long have you been together? We've been married 4 1/2 years.

How long did you date? Well, we dated a couple months before we got engaged, and then were engaged three months before we got married. Quick I know.

Who eats more? Umm, I think I'm going to have to take that one.

Who said I love you first? That's me too. I was so scared because that the most forward I'd ever been in any relationship. But hey, it was true!

Who is taller? Ryan, by 7 inches.

Who has more speeding tickets? Ryan. :)

Who is smarter? I think we are both pretty smart, but Ryan's really smart.

Who is more sensitive? Umm, that's Ryan. But it's really cute.

Who does the laundry? I do. But we have a good system. I wash and fold, and Ryan puts them away.

Who does the dishes? I do, but lately Ryan's been cleaning up the kitchen and loading the dish washer after dinner!

Who sleeps on the right? It's the closest side to the bathroom so naturally I do.

Who pays the bills? We both do.

Who mows the lawn? We both do that too. Usually we have a yard work day and we both work together.

Who cooks dinner? That's me.

Who drives when you are together? Mostly Ryan, but we share on road trips.

Who is more stubborn? Probably me, Ryan usually lets me have my way.

Who kissed whom first? Ryan totally surprised me with a last second peck on our first date!

Who asked out who first? Ryan did the night we met.

Who proposed? Ryan. So cute too! It was one of those movie proposals because it was a total surprise!! We hadn't talked marriage or ring shopped or anything! He was so nervous, HOPING I'd say yes. Roses, beach, bonfire, guitar. Of course I was going to say yes!

Who has more siblings? I do. 6 kids in my family, 5 in his.

I now tag Jodi, Molly, and Brooke.

sinful

Strange that I can complain about putting on a few, but then go to Rubio's at 10:00 at night and eat a crispy shrimp taco.
Self control?
I have none.

Florida

So I'm finally home from my two weeks in Florida.  I am so happy and relieved to be home!  Although we did have a lot of fun, you just can't beat sleeping in your own bed, and I so missed my cuddles from my sweet babies!  

Ryan brought the kids to the airport with him to pick me up, and it was so cute,  Gwen was just a nonstop chatter box and had to hold my hand the whole time.  And Drake has learned so many new words while I was gone.  And he has three new molars!  

Florida gators.  It was strange how there really were swamps all over there.  But the only alligators we saw while we were there were the ones at Busch Gardens behind a wall.

How do you look at this animal and think "I want to make shoes out of this skin"?!


This was just some peacock that was walking around Busch Gardens mingling with the people.  I knew Gwenny would love it so I had to take a quick picture.

One of the best parts of being there was getting to know everyone in our group.  I mean we really were together all day everyday from breakfast to bed time.  I wish I got more pictures of some of the friends I made out there because I really had the chance to meet some of the sweetest people ever!  This is Jessica, Casey and I on Honeymoon beach. 

V day update

Tooot toot. That's right, I'm tooting my horn. I just have to let you all know that Ryan stepped it up this year. When I got back to my hotel room, I had a vase of gorgeous tulips waiting for me with a cd that he made. It's a recording of him singing our song. (Ben Harper's Fire and Ice) It was so sweet!! I totally cried and can't wait to get home tonight! Ryan, you're the best, thank you!!

happy <3 day!

Chances are, if you are reading this blog, you have a huge place in my heart, so... Happy Valentine's Day to everybody! I'm so sad that I'm here in Florida and didn't get to see my kiddies open their presents this morning. I do feel pretty smooth that I had v-day presents for Ryan and the kids wrapped and hidden and this morning I called and told Ryan to look in my closet to find everybody's presents. SURPRISE!!:) But being here, I didn't get to help Gwen make her valentines for her preschool. :( Oh well, tomorrow I come home and my handsome hubby is taking me out to celebrate! I can't wait.
Speaking of hearts, mine is broken today because cute little Josiah was cut from American Idol last night. I thought he was AMAZING and I hope he gets picked up by some sweet label and is huge and then he can say "in your face Simon!"

Horray for vampires!!!

Stephanie Meyer's new book is coming out! Breaking Dawn is due is August 2 and I already am excited for the summer to be over now! I think Bella's going to become a vampire, what do you think?

I preordered my book today!

It's only Wednesday...

Right now I'm in Florida for training. I've been here since Sunday and I don't get to go home until NEXT FRIDAY!!!! I miss my family so much! I've never been away from the kids like this, and it's hard. So right now I'm just trying to enjoy the warm humid weather in Florida and learn as much as I can about cars. We're going to the Magic/Lakers game Friday, Bush Gardens Saturday and also the white sand beaches.
But speaking of basketball, I'm so sad that we are going to be losing Sean Marion. I do like Shaq, but I love the Matrix!!!

talentedgirlll

Thursday Gwen's preschool had their talent show.  Gwen had been working on learning my phone number so that if she ever needs to she can call me, so she sang her phone number song for the talent show.  She might have forgotten to sing all of the words to the song (about knowing my phone number) but at least she got the phone number down.  I'm so proud of her!!  And a million thanks to Meg for recording this for me

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

End of an era...

As many of you know, all of my family lives here in Arizona (with the exception of my youngest brother Shane who is on his mission in Costa Rica).  Well not anymore.  :(  Last week Tara and Andrew (and Jack too) moved to Concord, California so Andrew can attend the San Francisco Art Academy.  I am so sad.  Especially since Andy drove the moving truck up early with all of their stuff, but Tara wanted to stay for Tawnya's baby shower, so she stayed here with me for the week.  It was awesome!!!  I really felt like I had a wife.  I'd go to work and she'd get the kids up and take care of them.  Then she'd clean up and have dinner cooking when I'd get home from work.  I can honestly say, except for the whole husband sharing thing, I'd totally be for polygamy!  ;)  

So farewell Taylor family.  We miss you so much already!

My sweet girl!

This morning, Ryan was getting Gwen out of bed, and he asked her what she dreamed about last night. She said "President Hinckley" - oh really what were you doing? -we were with Heavenly Father. Talk about sweet dreams!

I love this!

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last night, I had to make a grocery store run.  And between getting the groceries and two sleeping kids into the car, I was a little scattered brained.  No big deal right?  Until this morning when I realized that my wallet was not in my purse!  I was so scared, I just got a new wallet, and transfered EVERYTHING into it!  Credit cards, social security card, cash, etc.  And luckily some amazing, wonderful, honest person found it in the grocery cart out in Fry's parking lot, and turned it in with everything in it!  Thank you a million times over.  You saved this stressed mom from having a Britney break down.

And HUGE news,  Drake has started taking steps a couple weeks ago, and in the last week has converted to a WALKER!!!  Just a couple days shy of 18 months

Yes, I let my son who is just learning how to walk walk with a sucker in his mouth.
Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I'm a survivor, I'm gonna make it...

So I have some of the sweetest news ever!  One of my most best friends ever, Jasmyn, well her husband just got back from filming the upcoming season of SURVIVOR!  He's the "big tatted" guy.  He's a firefighter on the Phoenix force, and is such a good/sweet/funny/loud/religious guy.  He's awesome!  Just read what Entertainment Weekly had to say:  “Joel is the one guy who might be able to give James [Clement, the returning Favorite from Survivor: China] a run for his money, because he is every bit as big as James. He’s a fireman, he’s a father and a husband, and when I met with him the thing that really struck me is how he does everything for his wife and his family. And I like that about him. He’s a big, big guy, and these challenges start off physical right from the get-go. Sometimes being a physical threat works against you early; I think in Joel’s case it’s going to be advantageous.”  

Joel is sworn to secrecy, so not even Jasmyn knows who won.  I hope it was him.  But we'll find out in the upcoming season.  It premiers February 7 on CBS.

In other news, I started my job this week!  Crazy huh?  I love it, even though I'm just in training right now and will be for the next THREE months!  I will be a claims adjuster for Progressive.  So now that makes sense right?  I've got to learn about cars.  Hopefully I can do that in only three months.  :)  So for part of my training, I get to go to Florida for two weeks, of course that's in the beginning of February, so I'll be missing the Super Bowl (at least the party's going on here), Tara's birthday, and Valentine's day.  Bummer.  But even though I'm enjoying being out there working again, I'll admit the last two days I've cried a little when I've dropped my kids off and had to leave them crying for me.