Paint

I love to paint.

It makes me feel a way I almost can't explain.

I go to a different place when I paint. A place where a see and feel color. Texture and movement. And everything has a feeling.

Through the brush, my pallet knife and my hands the things I feel come pouring out onto canvas and I'm creating an image of all that is inside of me. Of all that I feel.

Painting fills me with emotion, expression and experience. The experience of so many feelings through the process.

Joy

Fulfillment

Frustration

Discouragement

Contentment

Peace

Inspiration

Satisfaction

Disappointment

Euphoria

I guess the process of painting is a lot like life its self. It makes me feel even more alive.

I love to see the temple...

We haven't taken Mercedes to see the temple for a long time and lately every time I would sing"I love to see the temple" to her before bed, she would insist we go!

Taylor came up with the idea to base family night around it and so we went for an early familynight this evening to see the temple.

I was moved when taking this photo as I couldn't help thinking that someday these two will bedoing this on the way to her wedding.

Mercedes was loving it all, to say the least.

Here Mercedes had just received her first buoyancy lesson by accident when she dropped herrock into the fountain and was distraught when it sunk to the bottom, unlike her flower. Luckilydaddy fished it back out for her.

Here were a few treasures Mercedes picked up along the way.

Taylor's mom gave us an old Temple calendar that we used for our simple temple lesson for Mercedes.

The temple seems that much more significant when you bring your own child there. I love teh temple.

(Some pretty wildlife right off the temple grounds)

We went to the Library

I just had to announce that Mercedes and I checked out her first library books today! We live about 1 mile from the library and it's the perfect walk for a little exercise and some time out. Mercedes grabbed three of the first books she saw when I told her to go pick out three from the shelf. They were all Amelia Bedelia books, I've never read them actually but I've heard of them. I'm planning on sewing a cute "library book bag" and making "Library Day" a weekly thing. It's an awesome library with toys, a playground, the works. They have play groups every Thursday and I need to take advantage!

I didn't have any new photos so I threw on this one. Mercedes and I enjoying our traditional See's candy treat at the mall.

Anyway, hope you all have a good day!

One nap time, hundreds of things I can do

Do any of you other moms feel that way? When your first and only child is down for a nap, do you feel almost overwhelmed with just the thought that you have a little bit of free time to do with whatever you please? And let's not even mention all the things that can and should get done while you have a free hour. Today I had a list of things I could do once Mercedes was asleep but since I've already had a pretty productive day I decided to sit down at the computer, browse pinterest, turn on a netflix movie and eat some helado. The movie was boring and so now here I am a little chilly and writing a new blog post.

I wish I had some new photos to post. But alas, I don't.

Taylor is at school but should be home pretty soon. He's still continuing to do better and it is wonderful to see! Seriously, I can't even describe...

I had so much fun with my mom and brother while they were here last week. We're hoping to see them again in April, along with the rest of my family. I love family.

I want to make a shout-out to my bff Lacey in Poland. I miss you Lacey! I hope you aren't too freezing over there!

High school days
Halloween, post-high school
Post-high school
Post-high school
Post-high school
Homecoming Jr. year.
Powder Puff Jr. year (We beat the seniors!)
Lacey's birthday, 15th or 16th?

Many many years ago, just little girls.

So many good memories. Someday we will live close again, maybe even across the street like our childhood days! Our children can play together, and who knows! Maybe even get married!

I'm now regretting the ice cream I just had. It wasn't that good and now I'm feeling gross about the whole thing. I should go off of sugar for a while.

Today I was making a fire and when one of the logs began to burn it started shooting molten sap bullets out at me. I seriously felt like I was being fired at! It was scary but thank goodness I didn't get hurt. My right shoulder smells like a pine tree though.

I guess that ties up my random thought-provoking post. I need to go do some laundry. Have a wonderful day!

Valentine's day and beyond

I believe I last posted on Valentine's Day, but not about Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day was a nice day. Taylor and I had originally planned to spend a night in Napa but we post-pone'd it for a week. That night Taylor and his dad walked in and surprised all of us girls with flowers. Thank you sweetie for such beautiful flowers!

These are a week old and the picture is blurry but they were beautiful!

The highlight of Valentine's Day for me had to be the next morning when I got on my Facebook page and saw that Taylor had made a bunch of comments on some photos and on my wall. I went on to read them and I began to assume that someone had hacked his account. The things that were said were all very sweet, but didn't sound like Taylor at all! This person was spilling his whole soul to me in public over facebook. When Taylor woke up that morning I asked him if he had been on facebook at 1:30 in the morning making comments on my profile. He was a little confused but then remembered that he had. He had taken some medicine to help him sleep (to help counteract some of the sleep deprivation other medications he's taking cause) and then while he was all woozy he hopped onto Facebook and began telling me how much he loved me, etc. I about died it was so funny! He is such a sweet heart!

Sunday we celebrated Mercedes 2nd birthday!

I can't believe she's two.

I went a little crazy on decorating and preparing, but it was SO FUN! I couldn't have done it without the help of my sister-in-law Hannah. Here are some photos.

Thank you everyone for coming to the party and for the gifts you gave her! We were so glad you could all be there!

Tuesday night Taylor and I took our little one night get-away and drove to Napa. We went out to dinner at a restaurant called The Siena (which was at a hotel, but not at the one we stayed at). I had the most delicious Tomato Basil soup on the planet, I'm pretty sure. We ate yummy food, and got to sit at two different tables. (Thanks to my clumsiness of knocking over a glass which shattered everywhere, cut my finger and spilled all over the place).

We stayed at the River Terrace Inn and it was super nice! The next morning we ate restaurant cold pizza and then headed back home just around noon. It was a quick little getaway and just what we needed! By the end we were so excited to get back and see our little girl.

When we got back to the house, we walked in and the first face I saw was that of my little brother Slade. My brain could NOT process what I was seeing because for all I knew, Slade was in Provo at that moment. Then when we walked in and closed the door my mom popped out from behind the door! They came to surprise me! Apparently almost everyone knew including my In-laws, except for Taylor and I. I had just been telling Taylor that morning how much I was missing my family.

We spent the day yesterday running around and visiting and it was so much fun. They will be here for the next few days and I am just loving it!

Now for some randoms thoughts. Did you know that Mercedes is one of the girliest little girls I know? Yes. And guess what? She loves the mall. I'm not kidding, LOVES it. I don't know where she gets it, seriously. I wasn't that crazy about the mall if I can remember correctly. But every time we drive past it on the freeway she screams and points and wants to go there! She'll even pass up the fountains shopping center with actual fountains, and a little train ride just to go there. It probably partly has to do with the fact that it's a tradition we've made to always get see's candy while we're there. Oh yes, and that girl LOVES chocolate.

She loves new clothes, she loves jewelry, she always wants to paint her nails. She LOVES shoes, and especially new ones. She always wants to put on my makeup. She's even very willing to let me do her hair, which I guess I wasn't when I was her age.

She loves dogs and goes crazy when she see's them. Funny thing is they also annoy her really bad when they come to her without her wanting it.

Her little bunny is still a part of her. Seriously, always. And so is her binkey.

She LOVES her aunt Hannah.

She keeps us so busy and entertained. Little toddlers are just the best!

Some recent photos

I have just a few minutes but I wanted to do a quick post before I have to take Taylor to school. Unfortunately I have no idea where my frustrating albeit semi-functional camera is and haven't seen it since the move, so I haven't taken any pictures for a while. However, we do have some photos taken with our Ipad and so I will try to post a few of those.

This is just going to be random, by the way. But here is a little bit of what goes on at the house on a normal day.

Taylor reading to Mercedes on the rocking chair in her room. (You can't see her but she's sitting on his lap).

Here we are hanging out in the family room visiting with family.

And here is Mercedes playing on our bed. She must have just woken up or something...

Wow, well that's about all I have right now! I need to get on that picture taking.

Have a good day.

My love

I am so grateful for my husband.

I am grateful every day that Heavenly Father sent him to me 4 years ago.

I am grateful that Heavenly Father let me keep him here to stay with me when he could have gone, on those darkest days at the hospital and at home. I know we were given miracles.

I think about it every day, and I almost can't believe how much I have been blessed.

I am grateful for how much he loves me too, because I am just crazy about him.

Taylor is such an amazing man.