Vacation!!

Last week we were able to go on vacation to California as a family. We left Monday and drove to our hotel in Anaheim. On Tuesday we woke up and headed to Disneyland. We were able to spend 2 days enjoying the park.

Grandma Vickie, Taylor, Jeremy, Nicole

Last time we went to Disneyland Taylor loved seeing the characters and getting their autographs. So we decided to stand in line to see Tigger and Eeyore. Taylor didn't find the characters fun after that and had no desire to see anymore. All she wanted to do was ride the rides. When did my little girl grow up so much that she doesn't like Disney characters? I was a little sad about this new development. By the way, her favorite rides are the California Screamin roller coaster, Tower of Terror, and Splash Mountain. She definitely likes the adrenaline rush.

Taylor and her bug glasses waiting to see the Bug's Life show.

It took a lot of prompting to get Taylor to stand for this picture. The only reason she did it was because her grandma asked her to.

We had so much fun at Disneyland riding rides and spending time as a family. I'm grateful we had the opportunity to go.

Easter

Saturday afternoon we went to Grandma and Grandpa Killpack's for their annual Easter egg hunt. Taylor had fun finding eggs and hanging out with her cousins.

Waiting for the hunt to begin

Taylor and Sofi

Easter morning Taylor woke up to find the Easter Bunny had left her some fun surprises and lots of candy...most of which got eaten during conference. Unfortunately, she didn't receive a new dress this Easter. You see, Taylor refuses to wear a dress. Sad huh. I love the idea of a new dress each Christmas and Easter, but Taylor will have no part of it. It's a struggle to get her to wear a skirt on Sundays. Oh well. She is still our beautiful little girl.



On Sunday we went to Grandma Vickie's and had another egg hunt. I think Taylor has enough candy now to last for a few months.

Our friend Pete

Ever since Taylor was tiny she has had an imaginary friend named Pete who is of course a dragon. We have had many adventures with Pete and he goes wherever Taylor does. My little girl loves to tell stories about Princess Taylor and Pete. Today during sacrament she kept herself busy by writing one of her stories. This is her story:

Once upon a time there was a princess named Taylor. Now, one day she went out for a walk and she saw some raspberry bushes. She started picking some berries when she heard a “roar”. She was so scared that she said “AAAAaah!” and ran all the way home. Now the roar came from a dragon named Pete that was nice and so he followed Princess Taylor. Pete knocked on Princess Taylor’s door and she looked out her peeking hole and when she saw Pete she jumped back and screamed! “AAAAAAAh!,” she said. So Pete said, “Don’t be scared. I just want to protect you from another evil dragon.” Princess Taylor asked Pete if he was an evil dragon because he said “other dragon”. And do you know what he said? “NO.” That’s what he said…no. So Princess Taylor let Pete come in. Pete sat down and Princess Taylor made popcorn and got out some other goodies. And then Princess Taylor sat down and Pete got up and put in a movie about dragons that’s called ‘How to Train Your Dragon’. They watched the movie and Princess Taylor saw that dragons were nice and they lived happily ever after.


I know I'm a bit biased, but I think she is a pretty good story writer for only being 7. I love my little writer.

Weekend Getaway

What an amazing weekend! My sweet husband took me on the best romantic getaway. After getting Taylor off to school on Friday we got ready for the day and went to the temple to do a session. Then we headed to Salt Lake where Jeremy had made reservations at Inn on the Hill which is a nice bed and breakfast next to the capital building. I have never been to a B&B before, but I've always wanted to. This one was just as I had imagined a B&B to be like. It was small and inviting and the staff was friendly. I loved it and wish we could have stayed longer. Anyways, we checked into our room and changed clothes and then headed out to dinner. We ate at an Italian restaurant called Cafe Molise. The food was really good and the the atmosphere was really nice. Later, we walked over to Abravanel Hall to attend the symphony. I really enjoyed listening to the beautiful music. I'm amazed at the talent people have. When we got back to the Inn we walked into our room to find it lit by candlelight. It was awesome. We even got served breakfast in bed the next morning. It was such a fun getaway. I definitely have the best husband ever. I also have a great mom who was willing to watch Taylor for us so we could enjoy some time alone.

Snowmobiling

Jeremy loves snowmobiling, but we haven't been able to go since before Taylor was born. So for Christmas this year I gave Jeremy a day of snowmobiling. We went last Saturday at Daniel's Summit. We had such a great time. I can't wait until we can go back. Next time though we'll have to take Taylor. She was pretty upset that we didn't take her along.

Jeremy says he looks like Darth Vader in this picture.

Jeremy had a blast playing in the open fields.

Proof that I was there.

This is a view from the trail. It was so pretty up there.

Jeremy's parents, Mike and Julita.
They came snowmobiling with us.

Homemade Gifts

Jeremy was busy this past year making Christmas presents. No, he didn't use a kit. All but a few dowels and wheels are handmade. He has an amazing talent and I'm so proud of him for how well these turned out.

This is the diesel Jeremy made for my dad.

He made this train car for his dad. It goes with the train he made for him last year.

He made this tractor for my mom.

Christmas!!!

We had an amazing Christmas. This was one of the funnest years with Taylor. She was so excited for Santa to come and couldn't wait to see what he brought. She woke up around 6:30, but she was told she couldn't wake Jeremy and I up until 7 (as if we could really sleep on Christmas morning). At precisely 7:00 she came into our room to inform us it was Christmas.

The first thing Taylor saw when we came down the stairs was the new bike Santa had brought. She was so excited she ran and hugged it.

The present Taylor wanted most for Christmas was a real guitar so she was pretty happy when she got one.

Jeremy with his new sleeping pad for backpacking.

Me with the book Taylor gave me.

After opening presents, we got ready for the day and headed out to Orem to be with family. First, we went to my mom's house so we could watch my mom and dad open the gifts Jeremy made for them (pictures will be coming). Then we headed to Jeremy's parents for their traditional Christmas lunch and gift exchange. It was a great day visiting with family and eating yummy food. The only downfall to the day was that Jeremy had to work at 5pm. So in the evening Taylor and I went to my mom's to visit some more and we ate dinner with my family. I love Christmas and this year was no exception.