RAIN

It's raining!

Last night Taylor and I were laying in bed and suddenly we heard a sound coming from our open window.  Taylor said, "I think it's raining..."  I said, "Maybe it's just the trees blowing..." Then I looked outside and saw it.  Rain!  I was so excited!  We went to sleep listening to the rain and that was heaven.

Today I feel like doing nothing but watching Disney movies and reading books with Mercedes and staying in our pj's all day.  We're doing good so far!  We've got Tangled playing on the I pad and we're still listening to the rain.  We even broke into a little bit of Mercedes' Trunk-or-treat candy.  Maybe I should be feeling guilty, but it's such a nice, fun and cozy morning!

Like I mentioned we did Trunk-or-treat with our ward Saturday night.  Mercedes was looking forward to it for weeks.

 A fairy princess was the end product of all of the glitter and frills.

 I put some blush, eye shadow and lipstick on her and she was in heaven.  (She loves makeup more than she probably should at this age!)

 That's yet another great thing about starting a family.  You have an excuse to go to the activities that you used to as a kid, and it is almost just as fun as adult!

We love our Mercedes!

This and that

I'm a random blogger.

That's what I've decided.

Anyway, today was a good Saturday.  Mercedes slept in past 8.  Wonderful!  She's had a few of these later mornings lately and it is helping me get to then end of this sinus infection I've had.

We woke up to Taylor making breakfast.  It was delish.

Later we spent the morning outside.  Taylor worked on the car while I oversaw Mercedes playing in a big tub of water.  I'm so grateful for water, it keeps toddlers occupied for longer than most other things.

During that time my best friend Lacey called from Poland!  I was so glad I had my phone on me at that second so that I didn't miss her call.  We talked for a while and it was great.  Can't wait to see her and her cute family in a month!  (No we're not going to Poland, but they'll be back in Utah when we make a trip out there).

We did yard work and that felt good too.  There's nothing like good hard work.

Mercedes experienced water-color painting for the first time.  And you know what?  I think she fell in love.  It kept her attention longer than water does.  I think it was record-breaking.  I'm pretty excited that I we might have a little artist blooming in our midst.

Mercedes then took a nice long nap, and so I got to cut Taylor's hair.  I can proudly say that it is probably my best cut if I do say so myself!  Because he looks pretty handsome. :)

After Mercedes woke she and I spent the rest of the afternoon baking cookies.  It just felt like a cookie day, and honestly there's just nothing like baking cookies I think.

Later after the sugar high and dancing to Enya I gave Mercedes a much-needed bath and a little while later she was in bed for the night.

Tonight Taylor, myself and his parents watched The Giant Mechanical Man.  It was a good flick.

During the movie we ate this.

It was a discovery Taylor and I made four years ago, and to this day I believe that there is not a more delicious ice cream on this earth.  This brand specifically too.  We find it at Raley's or Bel Air here in Northern CA.  Oh my goodness, yum.

And then I re-applied for school.  I'm going to take some online classes this fall.  I need to grow my brain, and I am so excited.

 It has been 4 years since I've gone to school.  I'm very eager to learn new things.  And at this point, most of the classes this fall are filled, so I will be eager to learn anything that is available!

And lastly, here are some pictures I took last week.

 Reminds me of all of the days spent helping my dad through the years with landscaping, building fences, etc.

I just love her post-nap hair.  (And watermelon smeared on her face).  I really do comb her hair... most days.

Apple Awesomeness

So last November I got an email from Apple saying that they were doing a replacement program for all first generation iPod Nanos.  Because of a rare occurrence with the battery getting too hot (or something like that) in some iPod Nanos I had the option of sending mine in and getting a replacement.

How nice!  My iPod was in it's 6th year of use and was beginning to show signs of aging.  I could definitely use a refurbished first generation iPod nano to add more years of use before needing to purchase a new one.

(Okay this is not actually my iPod.  Mine was still in pretty good condition and fully functional)

They sent me a box to ship my iPod in.  This was last November.

And then I procrastinated.

December

January

February

March

April

May

At last after going for months without checking off "send iPod in" from my 'to do' list, last week I got on the ball, backed up my music and then sent it to Fedex.

I had already decided that when I got my new first generation that I was going to sell it and then buy one of the new iPod Nanos.  One like this:

Today my new box came and when I opened it...low and behold!

Ta-da!  The new Nano!

I was so happy.  The letter said "In some cases due to limited availability of replacement stock of iPod (1st generation) Apple may have replaced your iPod with a more recent iPod model of equivalent or better specification."

Better is right!  If I had sent it in last November like I had planned, they probably would have sent me another first generation.

So the moral of the story is, procrastinating isn't always bad!

I'm just kidding, but I'm very happy to have gotten what they sent!

If any of you have a first generation nano be sure to check into the program to see if you're still eligible, and you'll get a new or refurbished nano!

It will make running, cycling and life with music just that much easier.  Thank you Apple for being awesome.

Alrighty!

Okay let's get right to the pictures.

Most of them are of Mercedes, of course!

 Here is Mercedes sitting in her "nest."  She loves those.

 Mercedes making a funny face.

 Mercedes listening to my ipod.

 Mercedes in a paper bag.

 Mercedes and her aunt Christina.

 Mercedes swinging at the park.

 Taylor and Mercedes eating snacks at the park.

 My bike frame. (Yay!!!)  It looks like a baby compared to Taylor's.

 A few of the snails that were the reason behind turning these beautiful little flowers(below)

 Into the little sticks (below).

 So very sad.

 But then here are Mothers Day flowers that are very happy.  Mine are the pink.

 Thank you hubby!

 Mercedes and I on the train ride at The Fountains.

 Kisses in front of Whole Foods Market.

 Swimming at Uncle Adam's and Aunt Christina's with the family.

 Notice her little Maxi skirt?  I'm totally in love.

 My guy.  I love him.

 Mercedes peeking in at the ice cream in the ice cream maker.

 Mercedes in a pile of unrolled toilet paper.

 Mercedes in another bag. (Go figure?)

Mercedes crossing her legs.  She has done that since she was an infant.  So dainty!

That was random but I had so many photos so I just did a brief overview.  Hope you having a great day!

This and that

Okay so here's a quick update along with some other things on my mind.

Things are well.

Mercedes started potty training last week and has picked it up SO well!  She still has a ways to go but I'm so proud of her!

Monday morning Mercedes had just gotten finished with eating her breakfast (which consisted of taking only a few bites) when she stood on the kitchen floor and threw up.  The rest of the day she was sick and feverish, but with only one other accident thank goodness!  I got to hold her most of the day and I loved it!  She even fell asleep in my arms which most people who know her know that that NEVER happens.

Here is a photo Taylor took of the two of us.  I'm eating delicious eggs Taylor made me for breakfast while Mercedes took a late morning nap.  Please ignore my grossness.  I desperately needed a shower at this point.  Thank you Slade for her white bear which acted as a perfect substitute while her bunny went through the laundry.

Thankfully the next day Mercedes was feeling better again.  Yay!

Taylor and I are still preparing to get our bicycles in order so that we can ride together.  Taylor's is almost finished and I'm just waiting for the frame for mine.  I actually had it already but we ended up needing a smaller size so we sent it back.  We are so SO SO excited!

After weeks of not running I finally started again this week.  By starting I mean I've only gone twice, and I feel pretty weak.  I hate getting behind like that.  But I felt an extra boost on Sunday when they announced in church that our Stake is doing a 5K on Memorial Day.  How awesome is that!?

Taylor and I will be celebrating our 4 year anniversary on the 29th and we've decided to go camping and take our new bikes on a long ride.  We can't wait!

My sister-in-law Christina Nelson colored my hair last weekend and I LOVE it!  I haven't had it highlighted since Taylor and I were dating.  it's always nice to have a fresh new look.  Here are some photos!

This first one shows the highlights better than the second photo.  I had her put in caramel/copper highlights with a few blonde in between.

Not much else is going on.  I wish I took more pictures.  My camera is so lame and Taylor's is out of batteries often.  We have very old school phones but are hopefully going to upgrade soon which means I will have a MUCH better camera that will be with me much more often, as phones usually go with people wherever they go.  A nice camera phone, two things in one...ah sounds so nice.

Blast!

I have hiccups for the 4th or 5th time in a row right now.

At least I got them now, and not a few minutes ago when I was singing to Mercedes and rocking her in the rocking chair.

That happened earlier at her nap time.  It was almost impossible trying to get through those songs.

I hope they go away soon.

(A very happy Mercedes on "Doughnut day" two weeks ago).

Cycling

 I'm going to start cycling.  Taylor got into it a little bit before we met.  I always thought that I would do it, eventually, though I wasn't interested right away.

Since we've been married it's become an even bigger hobby and passion for Taylor, and he does it often (when he's not in the hospital or recovering from colitis that is).  So not quite so often lately, but he is regaining much of his health and strength back and is looking forward to getting going again.

 I've recently found the desire for myself and though I haven't actually begun yet, I feel like I will absolutely love it.

 Plus I think I need something new to do when I don't feel like running.  I've been quite the slacker lately.

Taylor's putting together a bike for me and it is almost ready.  I find myself thinking about it almost everyday, like it's already a passion of mine just waiting to be discovered.  Is that weird?  Maybe I'm just excited to start something new that Taylor and I can do together.  Something that will also help him get stronger again and keep us both healthy through the years.

I seriously cannot wait to begin.