Number 2

Guess who has two teeth now?

Taeya was fussy today at the birthday party we went to and this evening when we got home as well. I was giving her a bath tonight when I noticed that she now has two teeth in that little mouth of hers. It's just broken through but I think she's feeling a bit better.

My Little Food Monster

Taeya is LOVING eating these days. I've been trying to feed her what we're eating for dinner and she's done really well. The other night we had chicken cassarole which she enjoyed. She loves chicken. Last night we had grilled cheese and she fed herself the entire half of a sandwhich (minus the crust), 1/4 of an avacado, 3 graham cracker triangles, 1/2 a yogurt (I fed her the yogurt) and a small piece of cornbread.

This morning for breakfast, she ate a graham cracker, 1 1/2 blueberry pancakes, 1/4 of an avacado and some of Phil's egg. She was so cute eating the pancake. She just kept cramming it in. As Phil said, she still doesn't have very good table manners. I'll have to get a video of it as we find her hilarious to watch.

She's so much fun these days. Full of giggles and trying to do more and more. I have a little booster seat that she enjoys sitting in. She gets this very proud look on her face because she's sitting in her very own chair. (I have a picture of this but it's still on my camera). She loves knocking over blocks and banging them together.

One of Taeya's favorite games is peek-a-boo. I've uploaded a video of Hayley playing peek-a-boo with Taeya. Oh, I just love my little girl. She is my joy!

My Quirks

*Edit* I forgot to tag people...
Sarah, Rachel, Stephanie, Jennifer, and anyone else who reads my blog on a regular basis, consider yourselves tagged. Make sure to leave a comment letting me know when you complete your post. :)

I was tagged by Elisha L to post about 6 of my quirks. I'm always horrible trying to think of these things (although I'm sure I have many).

Let's see...

1. I love to be super organized and all my organization boxes have to match. I started buying purple tubs from Target back in college and if I need a new storage tub, it has to be a purple one from Target. I don't like lots of mismatched tubs. In my closet, I have smaller clear boxes with blue lids (I use them in my craft area as well). All of my tubs are labeled with a labelmaker or typed labels so they look nice and clean. My linen closet tubs are smaller and also all match and are labeled. In my kitchen everything has it's place and my spices are all lined up alphabetically. I even have a sheet of paper (typed) with what extra spices I have so if I'm running low, I can fill up my matching, labeled, spice jars. Want me to come organize for you? :)

2. I love math. It's a passion of mine. I want other people to like and love it as well. I enjoy math games and things that make me thing. Math is fun to me.

3. I can't handle it when people tap repetatively. It grates on my nerves and if it's going on, I can't think or function normally. They either have to stop or I have to leave. Drives me CRAZY!

4. I don't mind a little bit of dirt. If my food falls on the floor/ground, I usually pick it up and brush it off. I'm not germaphobic and think it's okay for little kids to touch Taeya. Obviously, I try to protect her from sickness but I don't go out of my way to make people wash their hands etc before holding or touching her even when she was little.

5. I love to read but I hate picking out my own books to read. I'd much rather read a book that's recommended then have to find one on my own. I'll go to the library and leave with nothing because I don't know what to read.

6. I take TONS of digital pictures but don't like deleting the bad ones because I'm afraid that I'll delete some memory that someday I'll want to look back on and wish I had kept. I'm nostalgic.

Hanging Lake

This cute shirt was sent by Taeya's VA grandparents. It's a 4T but I thought she could try it on for them to see how cute she looks in it now. :)

Can you see my tooth in this picture? It's there!
When Phil's family was here in May, he hiked to Hanging Lake with his parents and sister. It's a pretty intense hike so I stayed at the park with Great Grandma, Timmy and Taeya. Ever since moving here, I've wanted to see hanging lake because I've heard it's so beautiful. On Saturday, we decided to go as a family.

I volunteered to carry Taeya in a backpack carrier that we borrowed from friends on the way up and Phil could carry her on the way down. I'm trying to get in better shape so I thought this would be a good exercise in endurance. Whew...was it ever! From the parking lot, you walk in 1/2 mile before you get to the trail. It's then 1 1/4 miles UP the mountainside on a pretty rocky path. It's basically a mile and a quarter of stairclimbing...without the stairs. You really have to watch your step most of the way although there are a few sections where it turns into a dirt path.

Megan and Taeya at the 1/2 mile mark. (See how tired I already look?)

We finally made it to the top. That's hanging lake behind us.
When I got to the 1/4 mile marker, I was already huffing and puffing and didn't think I could make it much further. Phil encouraged me to keep going and I made it to 1/2 mile where we got a bite to eat. I told him that he had to take Taeya as I needed a break. He took her but she started crying when she was on his back. He carried her for about 5 minutes and then passed her back to me because she was still crying. Even though more than once I thought I'd have to turn back, I carried her the rest of the way to the top where we saw the beautiful hanging lake that is crystal clear on the edge of the cliff with waterfalls running into it. It was absolutely amazing. We rested for about 15 minutes before beginning our decent.

Phil again tried to backpack Taeya and again, she cried. (She was getting really tired by this point as well). Phil carried her down the very steep top part and then passed her back to me. I carried her down the rest of the way. (I think Taeya liked it better when I carried her because I tried to stabalize my upper body so she didn't shift around as much. Taeya loves her daddy and usually has no problem being carried by him. I think it was just a different situation with the backpack). It was MUCH easier going back down with her but I was wiped out by the time we arrived back at the car after 3 1/2 miles of carrying Taeya. She fell asleep part way down and slept all the way back to the car.

Hanging Lake

Taking a break.
See how crystal clear the lake is? If you look close, you can see some fish.



We had a fun time as a family enjoying the beauty of God's creation. I felt like I accomplished something and would love to do it again someday.

I don't know these people but just wanted a picture to show that a lot of people are adventuresome and walk out onto the fallen log.

Taeya in her backpack.
On our way back down. This is at the top of the really steep part.
We have to hike all the way back down to the bottom.
All tuckered out. We decided that Taeya know how to do a hike...have someone carry you and take a nap along the way.

Growing UP

*Picture from our trip to CA. (Taeya was sucking on Bekah's fingers).
It's official, Taeya climbed OUT of her bumbo seat this morning.

I was trying to feed her breakfast (without her bumbo tray attached). She wanted something that was on the far edge of the table (out of her reach) so she leaned WAAAYYY over to get it. I held her into her seat but could tell she was close to getting out. When I finished feeding her, I scooted her to the center of our large table for safety and turned to the sink to get a washcloth to wipe her face. Less than 2 seconds later I heard a ker-thunk and turned and saw Taeya face down on the table. She didn't land too hard but she wasn't too happy either. Guess I'll not be leaving her out of arms reach in the bumbo any longer. *sigh* Even with the tray attached later she nearly escaped. She's a determined little baby. Stay posted about what our little family did today (on Saturday). I'll try to post tomorrow (Sunday).

Ever Seen a Cherrio Face?

Guess what Taeya's eating these days?...and wearing

I told Phil that Taeya had so much prune smeared on her face I could stick stuff to it. He suggested I do it. Here's the result.
Taeya kept trying to look at the Cheerios on her forehead. She'd look up Reeeeaaallllly far. But couldn't seem to see them any better.

I'm the Cheerio monster and I'm going to get you.

Happy 8 Months Taeya!

My daughter is now 2/3 of a year old. I can't believe how big she's getting. She has changed so much since that beautiful day, 8 months ago when I first held her in my arms. Taeya is a happy baby, full of giggles and precious smiles which she usually shares with anyone who gives her a big smile. I love my little girl so much and am so thankful that the Lord has blessed me with her.


Annie and Taeya. Taeya's sporting her new swim top. I love it.

What an adorable little baby face.
Is there a hole in your chin kid? Your mom used to have that problem.
Trying to get a picture of the TOOTH. It's very tough. Taeya DOESN'T like her mouth being messed with and if I DO get her gums exposed, she usually sticks her tongue out.
There it is! Very hard to see, but it's there.
Taeya's first drumming experience. She surprised herself a bit when she actually made contact but she had a fun time playing.This past month Taeya got her first (and so far only) tooth on August 9.
She went on her first planeride to CA.
She's attempted to crawl (although I wouldn't actually call it crawling yet).
She's mastered sitting up (she still falls occasionally but can be left alone sitting up for quite awhile).
Taeya is eating lots of different types of foods and enjoys most of it.
She is mesmerized by animals and always stops what she's doing if she catches sight of our kitty, Puma. Yesterday, I took her to Petsmart to show her the animals there. She enjoyed watching the hamsters, guinea pigs, birds and fish. She kept trying to grab at the fish in their tanks. I really enjoyed watching her respond to the animals.
Taeya still enjoys stuffed animals (please don't feel the need to send her any as she has TONS) and loves to look at and chew on picture books.

My precious baby and her precious faces.


That's so funny Mom!!!

Playing with one of her toys. Before CA, she always tried to open the boxes. Now she always tries to close the boxes.
This is a picture of Taeya when her first tooth was coming through her gums. It was just breaking through and she wasn't too happy about it.



I took her to get the last two of her 6 month shots yesterday (yes, I was behind since we were out of town and I don't do all her shots at once). She did fairly well with the shots and only cried briefly after the second one. I thought everything was fine until we were at Target 1 1/2 hours later. I just ran in really quick to get a b-day present for a party we were going to. I left my diaper bag in the car and just brought my wallet with me. Poor Taeya started throwing up and threw up at least 5 times just in Target within about 2 minutes. We're in the middle of switching dr's so I didn't know who I should call/take her to. It's a long story...but she ended up throwing up about 8 times before stopping and the doctor's office said to monitor her but thought she'd be fine. I took her home, cleaned her up and put her to bed. She slept the whole afternoon but didn't get sick anymore. She seems to be doing better today which I'm very thankful for.
I almost forgot, while I was at the Health Dept getting Taeya's shots done, I asked to weigh her. At 8 months, fully clothed and with her diaper on she weighed 14 lbs 14 oz. Still a little thing but she is getting chubbier.

Meal Planning Saves Time, Money and Frustration

I'm posting this on my Everyday Meal blog and on this one because I have people who read one or the other.

When my sister was visiting me in CO, she told me how she plans all her meals for the entire month and then does all the shopping at once. She only goes back to the store during the month for little things she might need...milk, fresh fruit/veggies etc. She kept talking about it but in my mind I was always finding reasons why it would be too hard for me to do.

When I went to California, I saw her meal plan in action and decided I NEEDED to try it. I am one of those shoppers who typically goes to the store with a small list of things I'm running out of and then just buys anything that suits my fancy thinking I'll use it at some point. I end up throwing a lot of fresh food away because it spoils and I buy canned food that sits in my cupboard for months and months often until things expire and also need to be thrown away.

Here's how Sarah does her planning.

1. Get a calendar and just write down meals for each day (she and I both skip Saturday as it's a more get-what-you-can-find-day). She writes a main dish item and usually a veggie and sometimes a side-dish like biscuits. This doesn't actually take that much time and if you plan ahead, when a new dish pops into your mind, you can add it to the next month so you have less to think about when the time comes. It's very helpful as well if you plan meals for items you need to use up in your cupboard. IE. I have two cans of beans I bought planning on doing something with them. They've been in my cupboard for awhile so I decided to use them to make chili. This uses up those "I'll use it someday" items that sit around forever. If you have guests, you can always shuffle meals around if needed because you have all the ingredients. Also, if you save your lists, you can use them in subsequent years.

2. Make a list of everything you'll need for the month. This also doesn't take too long because your recipes are right at your fingertips and you can easily check your cupboards/fridge/freezer to see what you have/don't have.

3. Go shopping. Sarah and I made it to 5 stores in 2 1/2 hours! (Not all of them grocery stores...we ran some errands while we were out). We went to Costco and Foodmax for all our shopping needs and spent WAY less than I normally would because we stuck to the list and only bought one or two items that weren't actually on the list. You don't see something and think "Oh, I could use this sometime" because you already know what you NEED for an entire month! It makes shopping MUCH quicker and saves a LOT of money.

4. Go home and prep and label. If you puchase steaks or meats that have a specific purpose, it's a good idea to wash them and freeze them in the portion size you'll need for that dish and label it so it's easy to find what you need when the day comes.

I immediately came home from CA and started doing the monthly meal planning and I am proud to say that I cooked dinner every night this week and didn't dread it. I always hate trying to think of something at the last minute that I have all of the ingredients for. My meals were also healthier as I actually planned veggies into the meal instead of forgetting to make them until it's too late. My husband is one who always asks "What's for dinner?" before he gets off work and often wants to change my mind if he has something else he'd prefer. With this method, it eliminates that because he can SEE what's for dinner ahead of time. I hope you'll at least try this for a month or two and see what you think. I never want to go back and I'm excited to see how much money I'll save on my grocery bill each month.

Thanks Sarah for sharing and SHOWING me that this really works.

Good Deals

Okay, so this blog will probably be boring for most...but I can share whatever I want and I want to share this. :)

Yesterday, I finally got around to ordering some things on Shutterfly that I had promised for other people. I had 2 8x10's to send to Great Grandma Judy, a 5x7 of Taeya for my parents and I asked Phil if I could purchase the three photobooks I made for my birthday. I made them awhile ago but we just didn't have the money to order them. They were having some pretty good deals...free shipping on photobooks, 30% off if you ordered over $75 and 50 free photos for every 8x8 book you ordered. I decided that it would be worth ordering my books at this time. After I had everything that I wanted in my basket, I searched online for shutterfly codes and found a bunch that mostly were expired. I went down the whole list anyway and entered them. Somewhere in the midst of that I ended up saving myself another $35. Not exactly sure where the savings came from. All-together I spend just over $95 and saved...get this...$105!!! Wahoo!! I love getting good deals like that! ...and I'm so excited to finally get my scrapbooks.

Last week at church we found out about a pretty huge town rummage sale up near Vail. Last weekend was the opening weekend and this weekend everything was 50% off. Phil was gracious enough to go with me. We walked away with: 2 beautiful baskets, a tinkerbell costume and fairy wings (for when Taeya is a bit older), a diaper pail, a sit-n-spin, a brand new still-in-the-box TV stand, a Puma hat, a toddler ballcap, 3 snow sleds, a safety wall-switch cover, a bag of books, Adidas running pants, Satin pj's, 2 baklavas (that you wear over your head when snowboarding), shower curtain rings, and probably a few other things I'm forgetting...all for $20.

Megan From the Past

Edit: If you'd like to try this and are having trouble saving the photos, here's what I did to make it easier. I'd click on the year, line up the photo and then click the button at the top of the right-hand page that said something like "download to desktop". When I saved the photo I saved it with the year and typed jpg at the end. IE. 1950.jpg If I didn't save it with jpg then I couldn't view the picture. After that, just close the right-hand side of the page and chose another year.

I saw this on Kristal's blog and thought it was pretty funny so I tried it out while watching TV tonight. If you want to try it yourself, just go to http://www.yearbookyourself.com/ Let me know if you try it out. :)



If I graduated in _____, I might have looked something like this:



1952

1956 1958

1966
1968
1976
1978
1984
1988
1990
1992
1996 (the funny thing is, my hair looked pretty similar to this in 1996!)
2000 (I graduated in 2000 and my hair looked NOTHING like this!)