Pic

Here is a picture of one of the shirts I got...

New Threads

Among my gifts I got a gift card to Anthropologie. We took a little trip out to the mall yesterday and I found to shirts! Both were on sale so I was able to "afford" them. Under normal circumstances I would not have gotten them, but since most of it was on a gift card I joyously purchased them!.

Christmas

Grayden and Daddy opening a gift from Santa.

It was fantastic. We had fun making our way from San Marcos north to Dallas. We stopped in Austin to see Grandma Taylor and in Georgetown to see mom.

Troy got me a beautiful dress. I also got new pots, HURRAY! AND one of my favorite movies, Meet Me in St. Louis. Plus a little shotglass-like measuring cup that measures tablespoons and ounces...its fun.

Grayden got a bunch of fabulous stuff including an exercauser(?) a toybox with wooden toys and a white button up shirt I have been wanting for him.

Troy loved his gifts. A new camera, some leather gloves, a wireless mouse and sonicare toothbrush.

The Mavs

Well the won it! To be honest I am a bit surprised. The Suns are no picnic all I need to say is Steve Nash and you get the picture. It was a close game, so pretty exciting. Troy and DJ went with friends and saw it live. Fun. At least they say a winner. Oh and truly they whitnessed a miracle in the last second of the game when Nash threw up 3 pointer and missed to tie the game and send it into overtime. Whew...OT is rarely a good thing.

I love my baby boy!

I just want to express my feelings for my little Grayden. He is an incredible baby and I feel so blessed to be his mommy. I cannot believe he is mine! I am so excited to see what his future holds. Troy and I hope we can be good examples and help him grow into a wonderful man.

I love love love my baby!

Just a Grayden Picture

I have a Theory

Well I have two about love and marraige.

First I think the deep love we all want cannot be felt until you have actually gotten married and made the covenant in the Temple. As in, you wont feel that before hand thus there is a bit of faith involved when you do decide to get married.

The other is if you wait toooo long there is too much room for dissapointment. Meaning, if you date someone for several years its likely you will find many reason not to get married and rather than make a commitment you can get out. When you get married its a way of saying you take the other person and all their baggage and you promise not to leave them hangin.

Troy Says

Its been forever since my last post, not that there is nothing going on, but I just have not gotten to it.

Well Troy wanted me to post something in his name. He says that he hates how people look out the side of there eyes in pictures, particularly when its a profile picture. He thinks they are trying to be cute and artistic, but its really not (he sees them all the time).

I'm Losing my Mind

Just when I thought I had my life under control. Seriously the house has been upside down today, in the emotional sense. I have been in a distracted, ticked off, stressed out mood, Troy is stressed about exams, Grayden has been crabby for no apparent reason and the dog will not leave anyone alone, particularly Troy!

Recently I have been trying to jumpstart a little business for my editing co. and it has totally distracted me from my other writing project, which I want to do more, but this need to earn money is eating away at my insides. I am about ready to pull my hair out. I think everything started going off track yesterday morning when I missed going to the gym and then missing again this morning. UHG!

My bad mood has been affecting all my personal relationships today, Troy, Grayden and the dog.

Nothing too Exciting

Grayden and I went to the Galleria yesterday and put flyers out on cars in the garage. I think it was around 200 or so. Grayden was great. If he is in the sling and gets to look around he is as content as can be. Surprisingly someone actually wrote me an email asking about my services. The guy has a HUGE project he wants to do and he wanted to know how much it would cost. I have not heard back from him...

My next plan is to pass out much more impressive flyers to peoples' front doors. I am not sure how I will actually get them out. There is no way I could take Grayden out for that.

Grayden is as cute as ever. Troy snapped this picture on Sunday afternoon.



Thankfully Grayden is still relatively immobile so I was able to take a catnap with him in my lap!

Hurray for Grayden

I put him down for a nap and instead of whining and falling asleep he got really quite. I was in the other room waiting to hear him, but not a peep came out, so I went to check on him. This is what I found him doing. He discovered that he can use his arms and elbows to prop himself up and see even more! Before this he would just lift his head as high as he could. I guess he was in awe because he did not make sound and sat there like that for about five or so minutes.

I've Been Tagged

OK, so apparently when one gets tagged they must write six things about themselves that most people don't know. I will do my best to reveal something new.

1. When I was a teenager (17 to be exact, sadly) my friend and I attended our first Hanson concert at Sea World. This particular concert involved several hours of waiting to get in. Anyway we went and had fun, oh and we were definitely not the oldest, nor we the minority in age... Well years later as a college freshman this same friend and I heard they would be having a concert in Austin. It was September, which is the month of both our birthdays and we thought it would be a fun celebration for us to reminess. One morning before the concert, after we had purchased tickets, we both were happening to listen to the same radio talk show where they were giving away backstage passes. Oh I forgot to mention a few days before this my friend and I went to a blood drive to try and get them, but Bobby Bones didn't fork them over. SO, I called my friend and we commiserated about how we happened to here this and then she said "call the radio station". Now this was not my territory. She was a pro at this so I was like NO! Then for some reason I said yes. I called. Bobby Bones said he would give us backstage passes IF we came in the following morning to sing a song about him on the radio, otherwise he would broadcast my cell number. Well we went to the concert and met Hanson, believe me we were not the crazy ones, and sang the next morning. We rewrote words to "Baby Got Back" and basically made fun of Bobby Bones.

OK so this was long, but one more thing. We actually met them again the following May at another concert. And for all you Haters, don't judge until you listen to their latest stuff! ALSO, I would like to mention that we were not obsessed, honestly it just looks that way.lol

2. I once was a construction work, thats right, I dug holes, lifted concrete bags, used many saws, screw drivers, and nail guns. It was rough, but an interesting experience.

3. I once was the subject of a Documentary about people who worked in College. It helped that I worked for Amy's Ice Cream as a Pit Boss, which was a cool job, accept that I did not get home until 2:30 or 3:30 am the nights I worked...

4. I got a poem published in High School for something I wrote on my math book cover my junior year. I DO NOT consider myself a poet, but it got me extra credit in my English class senior year. You can look it up at poetry.com under Mariah Campbell. (its not that cool)

5. My favorite music is usually singer song writers or Americana; Patty Griffin, Jewel, Ben Folds, Eastmountainsouth etc...love,love,love them

6. Maybe this should not be one of them, but it was something cool that happened and totally something one would only find in a movie. In High School this guy I dated, my "first love," bleh, made a music video expressing how he felt about me, it was cute, using a David Byrne song. The video entailed socks, cereal and other miscellaneous items spelling out my name. It sounds sort of dorky, but it was totally cool.

7. Since I mentioned the above story, I think I should also mention something else about Troy, which is even cooler. When he was on his six month Bachelor party in Brazil he randomly sent me a vase of flowers at work. It was a much needed gesture, as you can imagine.

Whew!

Ahhhh A Haircut

I got a cut today. Its refreshing to say the least. The last one I had was March I think. I felt like I looked like a ragamuffin most days because long hair and I dont get along well. Of course the cut is shorter than I wanted. This has happened now the last 3 times I got it cut. The time before these was the greatest cut of my life. I have been trying to get it back ever since. At least this time the cut that is too short looks good. Troy likes it, so thats a plus. By Christmas it should be about the right length.

Dresses Dresses Dresses

Ok so I want to go shopping super bad, but the clothes I want are pretty expensive, so I have to wait until I am rich... I have a sort of obsession with 1950s dresses. This is probably the first one I will get.

Milestones

Grayden has been trying to roll over for the last few days. Today he managed to move his legs 90 degrees from trying to turn over so many times. I give him til Thanksgiving, but I will be surprised if its not by Sunday!

Oh and his communication skills are diversifying. No longer are they oohs and goohs, but squeals, grunts, and loud throaty calls. Its getting exciting here in the Taylor home.

Finally something new

We rented a steam vac this morning. Our two neighbors went in with us, so we only spent about 17 bucks. It was totally worth it. The dog decided to poo on the carpet yesterday while we were at church. It was imparitive to clean the carpet to say the least.

The results are good. It was well worth it and I recommend it. By the end of it though, Grayden was done being patient. He did sit calmly for a good hour and a half watching me, so I must give him a lot of credit. I am grateful.

oh funny note...

Yesterday Grayden pooped during Sunday School, again. This time however it was longer and louder. Lets just say I was not the only one laughing. At least six other people were looking and snickering with me as I left the room to change him.

Some Pictures We Took

I talk about the pictures in Thump thump thump...

Thump thump thump

Apparently our dog is to loud. Just after an exasperated return from Target, Grayden needed a nap, and he was drifting off when a hurried banging rapt at the door. I was only slightly alarmed. A big, obviously perturbed man stood before me. He said that he keeps hearing thumping and it has been "desturbing his rest" for the past two months. I was taken aback to say the least. It was sort of an out of body experience. I did not know what to say. It ran through my head to blame Troy, but what good would that do. All I could muster was "thanks for letting me know" before he went to the office. I had planned on making him bread as a peace offering and thank you, but dinner turned out poorly (after several hours prep) so I decided to eat it instead. Maybe tomorrow.

I suppose a little drama keeps life interesting.

One fun note: Grayden and I had a short. but productive photo shoot today. I actually got several descent pictures, and two pretty good ones.

CUTE CUTE CUTE!

I had to post this picture I took today...

My Sleeping Giant Angel Baby is Cutting Teeth

I know its crazy, but true. Grayden has three maybe four white buds trying to jump out of his gums. All are on top. He has had all these mysterious symptoms and after my discovery of the pearly whites Saturday I decided to do some research. The coughing, runny nose, irregular diarrhea, incessant sucking and biting, AND occassional (not normal for him) crankiness have all been clues. Nobody is going to believe me when I tell them my 17+ pound baby with front teeth is only three months old! (Today marks his calendar 3rd month.)

Bad Day for Pictures

After several months of waiting, the verdict is in. The once coveted and adored SLR, (camera), circa 1974, we found, stowed in the dark recesses of Mary Ann's hall closet has proven almost useless. The majority of the pictures taken were so dark they were not printed. The others, which are some I took, were fairly dark, but still not even worth framing. Its obviously something to do with exposure, but there's also a grainy look to them. Its been a while since I took any classes on the subject, so I am not sure who the culprit is, camera opperator, film, camera or a combo. Upon refection, I have decided to give it one more tryout before benching it. I think I will try two things, another film speed and take more pictures outside. The darkness could be a combo of film speed and lens angle (not just fstops) so I will also take that into account...

Along the same subject line, of pictures, but this time digital, I experienced another great tragedy. Please excuse the melodrama, but I cannot resist. I spent much time preparing. For the scrapbook/keepsake book I assembling for Grayden, I made three comic strip photo collages. I was very excited to have them printed today, but as it turns out the resolution was not good enough to make an 8x10. Luckily this is not the end of the road. I can hopefully reexport them at the highest resolution. I will promptly go to the store on Monday!

*Update* The more I think about it the more I think it was a camera operator malfunction! The cobwebs are clearing. I vaugely remember something about crystals and film speed which if not properly aligned/calibrated can cause graininess... So much for being disappointed. At least there is SWEET HOPE...

Flattering or Creepy?

Escapades to the grocery store are always eventful. A three month old, plus a husband obsessed with the meat department is generally a sure fire way to make things interesting. Either I am roping in an extremely carnivorous husband or speaking babyese in the isles. Today Grayden wins most captivating performance for cuteness.

Upon entering the cereal isle and its golden walls of cornpops, captin crunch and cheerios a lady laid eyes on him. She swooned and complimented my little guy and then thanked me for letting her "enjoy him". Later, in another isle, this one lined with silver cans of green beans and tomato sauce, the lady caugt me speaking the famous foreign tongue. She beamed with gushy adoration and I smiled back. Slightly awkward. I am chalking it up to Grayden's enchanting ora, who can resist it? We movied on to look at some produce, including overpriced organic bananas (no we did not buy them).

Testing...

Again

Monkey See Monkey Do

Grayden's first halloween was slightly uneventful, probably for lack of teeth, no way to chew candy. However, he did manage to look super cute in his monkey costume that will hopefully fit next year. Although his size is turning him into a living legend, weighing in at 17 pounds 10 ounces today, he is not quite so huge as to fit in a 12 months sized monkey suit, pun intended. Nevertheless he is charming in it!

p.s. I suppose its best there is no candy around... it would be the death of me.

Test

Did it work?

Thank Goodness for Maintenance

Hooray! We have a shower again!!!!!!! AND, we might be getting a dishwasher that works! I have never had such strong emotions for a repair man before, I was just beaming.

Trip to Grandma's

We traveled far north, well 20 some odd miles, to mommom and poppop's house. All would have been great had there not been an accident, completely pointless lane blockages and a forced alternate route on the highway, which added a good ten minutes. Troy was antsy to say the least. By the time we were unknowingly whisked on to I10, after the accident and lane closures, and the baby crying hysterically, not to mention the traffic, Troy was ready to throw in the towel. We had not even made it to the other side of down town.

In the end we made it though and he got to see some of the UT game. Grayden was a hit, of course. Who can resist a cute baby who smiles and coos at you? We were awarded, or is it burdened, with gifts, aka 80% useless stuff, and dinner. Dinner was good. We had Cracker Barrel. Bacon, eggs, a pancake and a half and I was ready to go. We arrived home not a moment too soon as it was nearly Grayden's bed time. Luckily there was not TOO much fuss and he was out, after his bath and dinner.

The moral of the story: Troy says next time they can come to us!lol

My Sleeping Giant Angel Baby

We are still trying to figure out the whole sleeping thing here in the Taylor home. It seems Grayden cannot make up his mind about whether he wants to go to sleep with or without crying. I personally have been torn about the sleeping baby debate. Originally I was against crying then I second guessed the idea. Here we are several weeks later and Grayden is still having trouble. I think I have decided to throw all "recommendations" in a pot, stir them up, along with mommy intuition, and do what I think is best. I just have to remember not to discuss them with too many people.

Along these same lines...

For the past two days Grayden and I have slept for two hour naps together on our red chair in the livingroom. For some reason he cannot sleep more than 30 to 45 minutes, if that, in his bed or with me in my bed. Whats the deal? When he wakes from those he usually cries and is unhappy. When he wakes up in the morning and from these long naps with me he is happy and ready to play. What am I suppose to do? He needs to sleep so his brain can develop normally, but according to certain sources he will be too dependant on me if I don't make him cry it out and this does not seem to work.

Ugh.

Oh, one more thing of note. He has had SEVERAL baths thus far in his short life, but the past four or five have been terrible. Actually, the bath itself is fine, but as soon as he gets the towel on he starts SCREAMING to the point of spitting up. What the heck? This is a new development that we cannot figure out. The only way to calm him is to nurse.

Ahhh the Cooohs and Gooohs

Grayden has begun talking to me! I may not understand everything he says word for word, but I can understand his need and desire to express himself. Its actually quite remarkable. When I talk to him he wants to talk back. But, the best is when I sing. He sings with me. Honest. I think his favorite are the ABCs. He has a certain gusto when we sing that one. I suppose thats a good one to learn...

Cold Morning at the Dog Park

Troy had the morning off so we headed to the Dog Park for an early run with Pooch. The sun was shining, but there was a chill in the air. I think it was in the low fifties. Pooch got some needed energy release and we got a nice breath of fresh air, well as fresh as can be expected from a dog park.

Grayden wore his first big boy outfit. Because it was cold we decided a onsie would not cut it, so I dug for a pair of pants and long sleeved t-shirt. I found his pants in the bottom draw, also known as the big kid draw. So named because all the clothes in it are for six to nine months. The pants are a perfect fit. I did not think my two and a half month old would be wearing these quite yet.

Random Weather

Today was not only unusual in that the high for the day was at its peak at 7 am this morning, but that I was outside to feel it. I am excited for my new indeavour to work out in the wee hours of the morning, 6:30 am. A few hours after returning from my work out the temperature dropped twenty some odd degrees and put a chill in the air. It was wonderful to say the least considering last Thursday I was complaing about humidity and sweat.

Funny Moment Today: I can't think of anything note worthy...

The Boys

Me and Grayden

Sunday Talks

Although Troy and I have been married for over a year and a half, today was the first time we gave talks together at church. I would say they went rather well. Troy of course was charming and funny, even though he forgot our wedding date and asked me the correct date from the pulpit. The joke, or his real mistake, at least got laughs.

Oh yeah, Troy and I got sustained in our new callings today. Troy gets to teach in primary. I lucked out and got activities committee.

Funny Moment Today: Grayden took a loud poop during Sunday school and I know my neighbors were just pretending they did not hear it.

My First Post

Well I always thought this was sort of dumb (having a blog), but I have since decided otherwise. The older I get the more scattered my friends and family have become, so in an attempt to feel closer to them I conceed.