Here we are and there we go.

Fall already???!!

2010-10-05T16:38:00.000-07:00

Oh wow already into the fall... Well, lets see, summer was crazy and yet uneventful all at the same time. I can't seem to remember that far back.... Jack officially learned to swim on his own. Just a bit of swim lessons and everyday at the pool and its bound to happen. I love watching him play at the pool. He can swim in the deep end and jump in with the big boys... super cute. Eva on the other hand thinks she can swim and can NOT. She hops in just like her brother and then I have to dive across the pool with clothes on to save her (really happens). She is going to be 2 in a month and acts like she's 10. She had grown her own mullet and has the cutest one year old mullet ever. No really she is so beautiful. Taylor has been busy with work and it has been so great to finally see a building erected to show off all that hard work. He has been helping extra with kids too this last little bit. I have caught the running bug and training has consumed me. He is always so willing to work out his schedule with me. Thanks babe! So, I just finished the St. George Marathon this last weekend. Running is really hard for me and that was a HUGE accomplishment. I can't believe I did it without a stretcher (ha). My time could have been better but I'm not at all disappointed, 5:30 isn't bad. I did the LA Ragnar in the spring, Red Rock a couple weeks ago and will finish the year with the Las Vegas Ragnar in three weeks. We are looking forward to the fall and all it has to offer, bring on the holidays... see ya

March update

2010-03-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

So my cute husband gave me a new camera for christmas!! one problem... I have to learn how to use all the functions. Downloading the pics onto my computer? well, not the same. So the pictures that match up with this blog will be here shortly.
So jack and I were able to go to disneyland with my dad. He loved it and even loved the crowd. He met Mickey, Goofey, Donald, Chip & Dale (different chip and dale-ya sickos), Minnie, Corella Devil, Mator and McQueen and more but I cant keep track. I believe the Buzz Lightyear ride was his favorite. If all goes well, we hope to return next month with our fam. Jack is growing up so much. We celebrated his 4th Birthday this month. He is so big and tall and I really feel like he should be 10. I feel like I have known him forever! He also learned how to ride his bike with NO training wheels the very next week. He has quadrupled his bruises and scabs but he loves it.
Eva has grown a mile. She is 16months and is wearing 2T clothes. She is the sweetest thing. She gives volunteer hugs and kisses all the time. She is my little buddy. My favorite thing is when she strokes my face and says "ma ma" then she finishes it with a kiss. She loves to tackle her brother and ride his plasma cars. She finally has barely enough hair for a pony and a clip. She is such a joy.
Taylor and I are doing great. Work for him is picking up. Construction is so fun!!!??!?!??? Actually, he really is doing well with it and staying busy so we count our blessings everyday. My little job keeps me hopping and balancing work, kids, running, home, and family is very challenging but somehow it all comes together. I am running in the LA Ragnar race in April. I am so excited. I only know a few people on my team but they seem super cool so I can't wait. Covering 200 miles between 12 people in 24 hrs??? yes were nuts. love bean

2009-12-07T12:02:00.000-08:00

Taylor and I had such a fun 6th anniversary. I surprised him with a powered para-gliding ride, round of golf, a tan (mostly for me but we are both a bit albino), and dinner. It was a blast and I love him more than life its self. Happy Anniversary babe I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!!!

maybe its the rain

2009-12-07T09:27:00.000-08:00

I feel impressed today to thank my Heavenly Father for my many blessings. I just read the blog of a friend of mine. http://www.travisandlaineeread.blogspot.com/ I am so blessed to have healthy kids that I do. Even now my baby is crying in the other room because she doesn't want to take a nap and Jack is watching Dora and yelling at me to make him breakfast. I feel so lucky to be a mom of the most beautiful little turkeys ever. I love them with all my heart. I guess I just feel all emotional today... maybe its the rain. love bean

2009-11-23T08:55:00.000-08:00

I have been getting so much crap about my blogging these days. I know I really suck at it lately. Not that we are not the coolest people on the planet, just busy. So here are a few new pics w more to come later... love bean

Family Pix

2009-05-06T18:50:00.000-07:00

We finally took some family pictures, thanks to Natasha (she's great)

April

2009-05-06T16:33:00.000-07:00

So the month of April was quite eventful!! I have been motivated to run a half marathon.... every time I get my training going I have a kid who decides to get sick and stay up all night FOR A WEEK!!!! Well this month was no exception. Jack contracted the Rota virus fro the second time in his short life. Frustrated? "you betcha". He has had the immunization for this particular sickness, so how can he get it? let a lone twice. For those of you who don't know about this virus, let me enlighten you. THROW UP, THROW UP, THROW UP, DIARRHEA DIARRHEA, DIARRHEA, THROW UP, THROW UP, THROW UP, THROW UP, THROW UP, THROW UP, DIARRHEA!!!!! Oh wait did I leave out the part about the THROW UP? Both times he has had Rota he has ended up in the hospital. This time for three days. So if you know of anyone who has it.... stay away!!! Needless to say, training went down the tubes and I am back to square one.
After all the mess of sick kids, we decided to take a trip and landed in our favorite SLC. Just a quick trip but badly needed. Jack and Taylor went to MotoX and I caught up with friends. I also went to my favorite place the "train wreck store" (long story). I love and miss living in a city. It was fun.

Mei Mei

2009-03-03T14:54:00.000-08:00

I just want to share the cutest little girl in the world with you. the other day we started messing around and Natasha took these pics... she is so talented!!! email me if you want her info.
So, I have been super busy with two Chiclets now, but I will check this and up date it the best I can. We have been busy as can be these last few months. Both my kids got sick with Croup and RSV. IT SUCKS!!!! if you know anyone who has it..... stay away! I hate seeing my babies so sick. They are on the mend now and all is well.
I started up Volleyball through the league here. It is a blast I love playing. I played in Taiwan with all the foreigners in Taipei but I have not been able to play since I got pregnant. I love it.
Tay is busy at work. He is starting a business in the middle of a fantastic economy! It is going OK though. We feel really blessed. The weather is getting so nice too. Jack rides his bike almost all day. Our community pool opens next month, so that will be a great babysitter for the kids (just kidding Grandma). Well, here we are and there we go.... peace out

New Year Update

2009-01-30T15:46:00.000-08:00

As I sit here trying to accomplish something on the Internet (more specifically my blog) and Jack woke up from his nap early and is now teasing his little sister. This will be a short update but I still want to do it. He will kill her if I turn my back for too long...
I will update pics later. we just bought a new computer and i have all my pics on the other computer and in our safe and both are in the other room and that is just too far away for me right now. Lazy Lazy Lazy!!
Eva is such a joy. we are enjoying her personality more everyday. She is so sweet, and sleeping better now. Jack is crazy as ever. He is so much fun and is so smart. He can now wright a "J" which is really exciting. We are working on the rest of his name. He is loving his little pre-school and Library days. I of course think he is the smartest kid ever. He can also ride his bike really well (with training wheels). He is all over the neighborhood.
Taylor is working his butt off in the commercial construction biz. We feel so blessed right now especially with the stresses that come with this industry right now. I am having so much fun being a mom. I do try to fit in time at the gym a few days a week because I have three marathons I would like to run. Well, two halves and one full... thats my "new year resolution"... we'll see what happens.
Well, thats us in a nut shell. Pics will come shortly... love bean

Eva

2008-11-24T22:27:00.000-08:00

Introducing our little Eva Jocelyn. She was born November 1st at 7:42pm. At 7lbs 14oz, she is the most beautiful little person we have ever seen. She is healthy and happy, and we are blessed to be parents again. Jack is getting used to being a big brother of a person he can't play with. We keep telling him that when she is big she will play with him, but for now all she does is sit and sleep. He thinks that sucks. He loves her though and is excited for her to get big. We are savoring the short time we have while she is small and sleeps on our shoulder. Welcome to this world EVA!!!!!!

Baby Baby Baby

2008-10-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

This is not an announcement... sorry to disappoint!! I am still with child for the next two weeks (or less). I just thought I would post the few baby belly pics we took. If you are not ready to expose your eyes to a bare baby bump... look away.
We have been trying to prep Jack for the up coming event. He does not fully understand what is going to happen to him (how could he) but we are trying anyhow. He knows that his baby sister will come out of mommy's tummy soon and that she with take baths with him and she will not play with his toys. He told me that we need to get baby sister her own boat for the tub (he has made his own plans with his sister). He has his own baby doll which he only takes care of when I remind him that it is there. I think that he feels the anticipation though and is excited for something to happen. Taylor and I are also excited. I am at the annoyed stage though where all my Doctor visits are a disappointment. I expect him to tell me that I am going to give birth at any moment and we should head to the hospital... NOT WHAT HE IS SAYING. Oh well, she is happy to stay put for now. I will let you all know when she arrives.

Back for more

2008-10-17T07:32:00.000-07:00

So I am re-entering the blogging world after a small disconnect. Life has been going by so fast these last few months. We are finally all moved in and our Internet is connected. Taylor takes the lap top to work with him so if I don't remember to use the Internet when he gets home (which I don't) then blogging does not happen. But now I am committed and Back for more!!!
I am so excited about the up coming season. I love fall and the holidays in it. This cute little number is hanging on our front door. Everyone in our neighborhood decorates their front doors and I was feeling a bit left out. However, I am HUGE and not really feeling like doing the actual work to make it happen. So I found this cute little number at TJ Maxx and we are now part of the Halloween club in the neighborhood. Trick or Treat!!!!!

Aug update

2008-08-29T17:43:00.000-07:00

We have been so busy these last few weeks. We just moved to a little house in Washington city UT (just outside St. George). Life is going by so fast. I will do a real update soon with pics. For now we still have to get our Internet connected... be patient with us.

July

2008-07-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

I forgot all about this part of pregnancy!!! Last night I woke up with the worst pain in my hips followed by a charlie horse in my calf. I looked over at my husband who was sleeping soundly... I was pissed. Oh well, what can ya do? I am not sick often and I feel really good and healthy so I'll take the small bumps to compensate for the blessings.
So our month has been great. We spent the 4th of July with my Mom's family.They are so much fun! Jack loved swimming, BBQ and of course, fireworks. He met new cousins and loved playing with their toys. We were so happy to celebrate the birth of our country on American soil. We are very patriotic if you can't tell. The small town of Logandale, NV put on a great firework show. Thanks for the great memories Sherry.
This month Jack has been learning his ABC's and making up his own songs. We have a neighbor girl who is in the third grade whom Jack is in love with. He made up two songs all on his own about her name. One is just her name over and over and over again. The other is Her name plugged into 'Mary had a little lamb'. The words now say 'Mikelle had a little lamb'. So cute!!!!

Summer Time and The Livin's Easy

2008-06-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

I am proud to say that Jack is no longer pasty white. His little body is covered in spf 50 but it only makes him tan. We have had a fun and hot summer so far. I forgot how HOT summers are in Southern Utah. I must say though that when people say "at least it is a dry heat"... THAT IS REAL. After a very humid summer in Taiwan last year, this is hot but better. We go to the splash pads all the time. Jack even has a plastic pool in the yard to keep him cool. We do hit up any pool we can find.
Our In-Laws took us to the Lake a couple weeks ago. Wake boarding is just as much fun as we remembered. We drug Jack and Taylor behind the boat on a knee board. Jack had a blast and I think a new water sport athlete was born that day.

Tay is in the process of starting a business here so it looks like we will be living here for a while. It will be nice to live near family. We really never have since we've been married. I know Jack loves being near his uncles, aunts and cousins. I could go to the lake more often so that will be great. >

It's a Girl!!!!

2008-06-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

We are happy to say that we are expecting a girl come this Fall. We are excited in different ways. Taylor is over the moon to have a "daddy's little girl". I am excited to shop in the other part of the store. Girls clothes are just so much more fun. Jack is excited too but he doesn't know why. We have tried to tell him that mommy has a baby in her tummy. He tells us that he has a baby monkey in his tummy. I know girls bring lots of drama. I know I am really in for it because I was such a pain to my parents.. Oh well, bring on the Pink.

Mexico

2008-05-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

OK, I have a question for you. What do you do when you are homeless, jobless and pregnant? You go to Mexico of course, or so we thought. We have been on "vacation" since we moved back from Taiwan and thought that a "real vacation" sounded like a good idea. Turns out we were right. We had a blast in Rocky Point Mexico. Sunshine, deep sea fishing, sunshine, tacos, sunshine, skim boarding, sunshine, mangoes and of course more sunshine. We all came back with a tan and after living in the land of porcelain skin (Asia), we decided we like this look better.
Jack now is sporting a new do. A little Mohawk now sits on his cute little white head. His tan has helped him not look so sickly. He now has a healthy glow and its about time.
I feel pregnant as ever. Apparently I am not showing to anyone but myself, but almost 18 weeks in and 10 pounds later, I can sure see it. We find out what we are having in a couple of weeks. Any predictions?
Taylor is on the hunt for jobs (if you hear of anything, let us know). St. George is not as "international business friendly" as we would like. Not too many Chinese speaking jobs in southern Utah (big surprise). But there are a few things here we are looking at. Life is fun and we are optimistic.

Welcome to the United States

2008-05-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

As soon as we landed on American soil in L.A. we knew we were back in the USA!!! Immediately we were treated like crap and not one person stopped us to touch our baby and tell us how amazing he is. Home sweet home!!

The first week we dedicated a lot of time to recovering from Jet Lag and catching up with family. We had two nieces and a nephew we got to meet for the first time. So much changes in just a year.

We attended the Southern Utah Kite festival. Much different than festivals in Taiwan. Jack got to ride in a 55 gallon berral cut in half and pulled buy a tractor. He hated it. He did like seeing all the kites in the sky though. We decided it was time to leave when a huge dust devil kicked up and was heading right for the festivities

Jack loves playing outside and riding his bike down the sidewalk. He also loves running through the sprinklers and playing with cousins. He likes playing so much that he was running at his cousins birthday party last week fell and split open his eyebrow. Three stitches later with NO insurance yet... life is good.

So here we are dwelling among the beautiful red rocks of Southern Utah looking for our next adventure!!!

Forever Made in Taiwan

2008-05-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

The title if this entry is fitting for two reasons. I hope to explain...
Ending our journey in Taiwan was not easy. I cried all the way to the airport. We were so busy getting ready to move and Taylor's parents and brother came to visit our last week as well. We were too busy to think much about leaving. Now reflecting on our time there I feel like we were "made in Taiwan". We were only there a year but our lives will be forever touched and changed because of it.
Our testimonies were strengthened greatly. We really learned what we are made of and how much the Lord loves us. We are forever inspired by the wonderful ward members who dedicate so much to the church. We will always remember the examples they are and hope to keep those friendships alive. We truly felt the love of a Heavenly family in Taipei and we want to pass that on to our friends and family here. We thank the Taipei English ward from the bottom of our hearts.
When we did come to the difficult decision of leaving we also felt inspired to extend our family. Perfect timing? We thought so. Our Doctor told us that it would take us months to get pregnant after an IUD (ask your mom, if you don't know what that is). Well, it actually only took a couple of weeks. Today we are 14 weeks along and doing great. So our little souvenir will be born around November 5th. We feel so blessed.
Our adventure in Taiwan has ended for now but we hope to return "home" someday.
Zaijian 再見

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACK

2008-03-12T17:06:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby is two years old. It is TRUE what they say. "terrible twos" do exist!!! I can't believe how much he has changed in just the past few months. We are battling tantrums, "NO" (his new favorite word), "carry me","I do it" and standing up in every taxi. What is that all about? I do love him though and I do carry him all over, even though I shouldn't.
We have had a crazy start to our week and I didn't know if we would be able to celebrate. I returned home from Hong Kong on Sunday to a kid with a 102.5 degree fever. I spent the following two days laying in bed with him watching Nemo over and over and over and over (I am Nemo sick). His fever broke on Tuesday and I still took him into the doctor just to be sure. We have no insurance so our cost was more than it had to be. We paid a total of $450 Taiwanese dollars. That is roughly $13 US dollars. So I am basically out a lunch. Because He was finally feeling better by Wednesday (his B-day), we went to playgroup to see his friends. We played for a few hours in the sun and then grabbed a mango smoothie and went home. We had a little birthday party here at our house for him. He received a race car track set thing... I picked up in Hong Kong. He blew out his candles on his Birthday cake ate it with his hands and then we all went to bed. All in all it was a nice day.

Hong Kong

2008-03-11T01:18:00.001-07:00

I was blessed to travel to Hong Kong this last weekend to the Asia Womens Conference. I have to admit that I was mostly excited for the shopping that I have heard so much about. However, when I arrived at the first session Thursday night, I became just excited to be there at all. Over the three days of the conference, we heard from the Asia Area Presidency and all their wives. We also heard from the Hong Kong Mission President, the Hong Kong Temple President and their wives. I also attended a couple of classes from amazing women with stories that I know were just for me. It was neat to meet people who are living abroad from the States and Canada. They live in Tailand, China, Phillipines, Taiwan, Malaysia. It was three days full of the spirit nad I totally needed a refill.
We did get in a half a day of shopping and some fun dinners. Then we just walked around the city. Hong Kong is a beautiful city. I could really see the European influence there. It reaminded me of San Francisco a bit. If we could afford to live there, I would in a heartbeat. Heres my show..... by the way, we call these "Chinese fingers"

More Fun

2008-02-21T01:13:00.001-08:00

I know I know another chinese new year post... Sorry to bore you yet again. I found all the pictures of the rest of the stuff we did over our break. We went to the National Palace Museum. It was full of lots of old stuff. My personal favorite was the Neolithic display. We saw pottery from 4000 BC. I was told I should be impressed by the jade that looked like a piece of pork or the jade carved to look like a cabbage. I have to say that this was not my personal high light of the museum. However they were old and it is impressive that someone has not tried to cook them yet. Since we were not allowed to take pics inside the museum, our pictures are of the grounds, which were beautiful. So, have you ever been shrimp fishing? Some of you may have but it was new to us. Ever since we moved here we have heard that we needed to go. We finally made it. It really is fun. Taylor is a die-hard fisherman, however, this was not professional by anymeans. Just a warehouse complete with three cement ponds. Two for shrimp fishing and one for fish fishing (that sounds weird). Jack loved holding the pole. It is not complicated or stratiegic at all. Just throw on a piece of chicken liver and you are set. We also took a ride up the Maokong Gondola. This was really beautiful. It was so rainey though we did not stay at the top for long. Just long enough to buy my sister Janelle some tea leaves. Maokong Mountian is known for its tea. At the top are loads of tea houses and a HUGE temple. The ride and view were both amazing.

Over Chinese New Year we did recieve some gifts from Taylor's students and work. It is customary here to buy these large boxes of giant fruit as gifts. Ours had "World Apples" and Korean Pears. As you can see they are gianormous!! We loved them. We also received a few boxes of chocolates but they were gone before I could take a picture. We are now in the middle of the Lantern Festival here. I am sure my next post will cover that really well for your viewing pleasure.... TTFN.

Jack Jack

2008-02-18T00:03:00.000-08:00

OK, I know that Jack may be a bit young for this but he tells us when he is going pooh so we decided to start potty training. He is so cute with his new potty seat I just had to snap a shot. He has gone 3 times now. I am so proud. He is getting big so fast. He will kill me for this one day but I just couldn't resist.

Across the street is the biggest mall I have ever been in. On rainy days like we have had lately it proves to be a lifesaver. The whole 5th and 7th floor are dedicated to kids. The 10th and 11th floors are restaurants... also a lifesaver. anyway, they have a great ball pit obviously. I thought these pics were so cute... what a great kid. I love him so much.

The sun came out!!! (for one day)

2008-02-17T23:40:00.001-08:00

We have had a lot of fun thise Chinese New Year. We just did a lot of sight seeing around Taipei and we cought up on movies. I found a great bootleg guy who gets all the good movies... shhhhhh dont tell.
The weather here has been terrible. It rained 34 days strait.... yup we are rained out. The sun finally came out on Saturday and we went out all day. It was so nice to walk down the street without an unbrella. We went to the Childrens Rec. Center. This is a place that has old school Chinese activities. It shows the old artwork and way of life. It also has the old style toys and food. It is hands on so it really is fun. It also has an amusement park so we spent all day. This slide show is of that day.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR

2008-02-17T23:07:00.001-08:00

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!!!

Welcome to the year of the Rat and it is an Earth year as well. Jack was born in the year of the dog and Taylor is the monkey. I just learned that because I was born in January I am actually born in a different year than I thought. My whole life I thought I was born in the year of the monkey. (thats what I get for trusting the placemat at J.J. Hunan Chinese Restaurant). I am actually born in the year of the Ram.
Looking back at our two week vacation, we are having a hard time remembering what we did. We just relaxed a lot and saw some sights. I was waiting for a parade or something but nothing happened. Just a lot of crazy fire crackers going off every 20 minutes. Finally today a parade came down our road. I have been dieing to see dancing dragons. Today my Chinese dream came true. This slide show is the parade.

"I'm too sexy"

2008-02-04T02:15:00.001-08:00

No your eyes are not playing tricks on you... well maybe they are but not here. Yes Taylor is modeling!!! After much begging and pleading I finally let Taylor accept a modeling job. Yeah right!!!! All the begging and pleading was done on my part. Our agent called and said that they needed a "dad" for this Disney Baby Clothing shoot. Taylor refused to be involved. I had to use my "wife" tactics to persuade him to do it. Just so you know, it went great!! In the shoot, they gave him a new wife and two new kids. He liked having a wife who doesn't beg him to do photo shoots, he he he. So here are the pics I took of him showing off is studly self. ENJOY!!!!

Totally Random

2008-02-04T01:49:00.001-08:00

So today I decided to work on our blog... only I have nothing exciting to say and we have not done anything very cool this month. So I am adding some really random pictures of us. Some are of Jack being a total mess (not all that unusual). Some are of a new night market we checked out finally. It is called "Snake Alley" and for good reason. We did watch a snake be disemboweled right in front of us. Then the "surgeon" drank the blood and offered it to the crowd for a large some of money. I literally had to turn my head. But I couldn't help but take a peek at the whole process. It was gross but still morbidly interesting. There are a few pics of the subway and of our skyline, which I will miss terribly.
This is Taylor's last week until the Chinese New Year. We are so excited he gets off two weeks for the holiday (with pay). We have a HUGE list of all the tourist places we want to see. I am sure that blog entry will be really cool. Apparently the whole city shuts down and it is really quiet. I can't imagine what that would sound like... Quiet in this city? I can not even talk on my cell phone and stand on the side walk. It is too loud to hear anything. We are really looking forward to the holiday. I have mailed out Chinese New Year cards. I just found out yesterday that I may have the wrong postage on some of them. If you do not receive one.... well, sorry. One of the disadvantages of not learning this language very well. The teller told me "Ar Shr San" ($23) I heard "Shr San" ($13)... oops. So, oh well.

Announcement!!!

2008-01-16T17:16:00.000-08:00

After much debate. We have decided to move back to the States in April. We could not be more torn. We absolutely love Taiwan. We love living Taipei. We have met some amazing people here who will be hard to leave. We have really found new strength in our testimonies. Our life and journey here will forever be missed and longed for. HOWEVER, we are so excited to see our families again. I can't wait for Jack to play with his cousins and aunts and uncles. Both Taylor and I are anxious to start our life and hopefully say goodbye to appartment living forever!!! See you soon

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2008-01-07T00:38:00.001-08:00

Ok I admit it... it did get cold here last week. Right after we returned home from our really warm Vacation the temp dropped. We now have winter in Taiwan... a freezing 59 degrees. It was a cold front that came in for about a week... now however the weather is back up to 70 and all is well. Happy New Year to you!!!! We did get involved in the New Year fun here in Taipei. We, amongst 3 million other people, went to the Taipei 101 building to ring in the new year. We not only felt like sardines, we literally could pick up our feet and not drop to the pavement. There were so many people out on the streets that the radio was giving advice on what to do in a stampeed. The city shut down all the surrounding streets of the 101 Building. We live about five blocks away and our streets where filled with people. It was a fun way to spend our last minutes of 07. The 101 building is Taiwan's pride and joy. Up until the last couple of months it was the tallest building in the world. This is the last year (supposidly) for the firework show. We just had to be there. That night the Subway system here set a record of moving 1.6 million passangers to that location just in the hour leading up to and after the celebration. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! LOVE TAY BEAN AND JACK.

Merry Christmas

2008-01-06T23:53:00.001-08:00

So, Our Christmas here was a bit different. We spent Christmas Eve with some good friends of ours. They were gracious enough to invite all the small families and single people in our ward over for the holiday. We ate Mongolian BBQ while the weebees acted out the Nativity. It was so cute. Then we exchanged white elephant gifts. We thank Hugh and Courtney for a wonderful night.
The next day, Christmas, we started our Christmas Vacation. We circled the whole island of Taiwan. I already did a post of Green Island so I will skip that part (even though it was the best part). We started in Taipei (duh). We took a train down the East coast. It is an amazing view and the train ride is literally on the beach the whole way.
We reached Taitung that afternoon and we spent the night there. Not much to do in this sleepy town. We have some pics of it for you... old run down houses, broken couches on the beach. The old guys house in the pics is literally facing the ocean. We had a hard time figuring out how someone with beach front property could live that way... actually all of Taitung was like that. Oh well.
Then the next morning we hopped a boat to Liudau. That was amazing, but you will have to read about it below. We spent three days there. After Liudau, we took another train to the other side of Taiwan to Kaohsiung. This city is huge and has one of the largest ports in the world. We watched tankers and battle ships and all kinds of ships do what ships do.... not much. It was fun though because Tay loved it and Jack loved it more.
We then took the High Speed Rail (bullet train) and sped back to Taipei at about 180 m.p.h.. our whole trip was just five days. We are planning to return to Liudau soon. Well, that is our Christmas in a nutshell. These pics are all over the place so I am sorry about that. I hope they are not too confusing, take a look.

Liudau (green island)

2008-01-06T19:39:00.001-08:00

So I have to admit. Going into Christmas this year we were quite home sick. It is just not the same without family around. The spirit of Christmas is just not the same here. We went on vacation for the holiday though and found more Christmas decor and Christmas trees down toward south of the island. That helped a bit. We took a boat over to Liudau (Green Island). The ride was so fun. Really rough waters though and I am woman enough to admit that I did get sea sick. However, I still loved it. Then we reached our destination....... The cooliest island I have ever seen. No offense but, we lost all home sickness when we arrived. No Christmas to be found there but our hearts were warmed by the hot sunshine and beautiful coral reefs. Our lungs didn't know what to do with all the fresh air. We spent our days riding around on a scooter and playing in the water looking for hermit crabs, star fish and tropical fish. We gathered large pieces of coral and shells from the beach. We spent our nights enjoying HBO (big deal for us) and listining to the waves crash outside our window. We awoke early one morning and found a cliffs edge to watch the sun rise over the Pacific ocean. Our whole lives we have only seen the sun set over the Pacific. We thought it would be neat switch. The whole island has only a 8 mile circumfrence and is only about two mile across. We circled it many times on our scooter. (Don't turn us in for child abuse. Yes, all three of us squeezed our little butt cheeks onto our cool ride and felt the wind in our hair). Liudau also has one of only three salt water hotsprings in the world. We had a blast!!!!!!!! The rest of our trip will be continued on my next entry. These pics are all of Liudau.

December

2007-12-18T17:43:00.000-08:00

First things first. I love the weather here in the winter. I think 75 degrees and Palm trees in december is the way to go!!! Well, I don't really know what to say about this month. Taylor works and works. Jack and I are always on the go. I have picked up teaching English just a bit and Jack models here and there. We also have a play group we try to attend once a week. We try to fit in the park a few days a week for him. He loves the swings. There is a shortage of swings sets here in Taipei. I just happen to live one block from a park with one. Jack goes higher than any of the Taiwanese kids and it really freaks out their nannies (grandparents)!! I think its funny.
We did have the Nativity a week ago. you can read about that down below here.
We have the missionaries over for lunch once a month. They have mostly all been from the western United States. So that has been fun to talk to them. These last few have all been from Idaho. We have a good time filling them up on American breakfast and Mexican food.
We have Christmas break coming up. Taylor has a week of paid vacation for Christmas. We are going to take a trip around the whole island. Including a stop for a few days at Liudau (Green Island). It is only a couple of miles across. I have heard a lot about this island and Taylor has been there before. I am really excited to snorkle and lay on the beach for Christmas.
We do miss Christmas in the States though. It is not the same here. The malls all have Christmas sales and we see lights up and trees in businesses. The spirit of the season and the spirit of the event, is just not there. They don't even know why they do it, oh well. One of Taylor's students gave him a Christmas globe with a bear in it. It plays "We wish you a Merry Christmas". That is about as festive as it gets for us. Don't think of it as sad... its all part of the adventure. We miss you all at this time of year and wish you a Merry Christmas!!!!

(for all the old people out there ( you know who you are) click play twice to see this video)

Jack pays rent

2007-12-18T17:38:00.001-08:00

"I'm a ma model you know what I mean". Jack has picked up modeling again. He actually really likes it now and does really well. They are good about allowing him to play while they snap shots. He now pays rent... here are a few pics of the last shooting.

NATIVITY

2007-12-18T17:28:00.001-08:00

Wow, what can I say about this? It was really a lot of work, but worth it. This truely involved every member of our ward. We had a total of four shows. Two on Saturday and two on Sunday. It was a neat thing to be involved in though. here are a few pics.

2007-12-02T16:33:00.000-08:00

So HAPPY THANKSGIVING for all you Americans out there. Our anniversary this year fell on T-day. So, we decided to celebrate that instead. So no Turkey for us, just sushi and soft-shell crab.... yum yum!!! Our month has been stuffed full of busy busy!!! Tay has been working non stop and I have taken up teaching an English class on Saturday mornings. I have twelve twelve year olds. I have a blast with them. Last week I taught them how to say... "that chick is smokin hot" and "that car is phat". They didn't really get it but I laughed!!! So, between our church callings and our busy life we barely have time to sleep (but we fit it in).

We are getting ready for the live Nativity our ward puts on for Taipei. It is a big deal and we are excited to be a part of it. I am in the choir. Not because I can sing, really I have no talent in that area, I just felt like I should help out. Now I can see where they need people in other areas. I am committed though, so I will belt out the wrong notes for all four performances. Tay is going to be a Wise Man... he is wise so this fits him. Plus, he has a beard! Jack is going to be at the nursery. Not too much involvement for baby J.

The weather here is something I will miss. It is December and I think our lows are 60-65 degrees. I love watching the people here wearing big puffy coats and scarfs. We point and laugh (only because we are sick of being pointed at ourselves). It does rain often which makes it feel colder than it is, but not too bad.

Christmas is upon us now and I must say, maybe it is the fact that I am surrounded by Buddhists or that I am so far from home, it does not feel like Christmas at all. We are still trying to figure out what we should do the big day. We are trying to get out of town... we'll see.

We love you all... T. T. F. N.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY !!

2007-11-21T00:03:00.001-08:00

So I just thought I would create a post for my favorite person in the whole world... get ready for a sappy, cheezy, love note. Tomorrow is Taylor and my fourth anniversary. Not long some may say... however, it has been ten years since we started dating. We have had a few "up's and down's" "on's and off's" and a mission in the middle of it all. But we have remained close through it all. He is such an amazing person and I want you to know why. Taylor has told me that is biggest fear in life, over death and pain and everything else, his biggest fear is failing ME. He works extra hard at making sure that I am ok. He makes sure that I know that I am on the top of his priority list. He has given me the best experience of my life... not just Taiwan and all of our adventures here. He has made me a mother. He also works extra hours so that I can stay home and be a mom. I couldn't ask for more. I love him more that life itself. I never thought I could love a person so much.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BABE!! I LOVE YOU 00 + 1 (you know what that means)

Backpacking

2007-11-20T22:38:00.001-08:00

Tay and Colin went on a backpacking trip a couple of weeks ago. They went with a group from the British and American Embassies. The Mountain is called Snow Mountain. It is the second tallest peak in Taiwan. They spent two nights and tree days hiking what Tay described as "an exact replica of the Rocky Mountains in Utah". Pine trees and all (other than the view of the ocean). There was not much wild life though. Just some wild monkeys. (No Terry and Max, we will not bring one home for you). Tay did not get pics of them anyway. I thought I would post his pics of the trip. Enjoy...

baby J

2007-11-15T18:10:00.001-08:00

I had to put these on here. It is a new modeling season here (summer). I had to take a couple of pics to send to our agent and I love them. Jack hated it last time and so we kind of quit for a while... (we were never asked back... he really hated it). Is is a bit older now so we are going to give it another try. Jack is growing up to fast. He is the cutest thing ever. I love spending time with him. He is learning to talk so well. He can tell us everything he wants, and everything he wants to eat. SOOOOO helpful for me. He still has a couple of words we are working on. for example... "dolphin" comes out sounding like "oh shit". "slide" sounds like "sex". I will put this on video soon to show you. He is mixing his Chinese with his English. It works here but may not in the states so well. He loves cab drivers and toothless construction workers. He avoids nice old ladies and nursery leaders. Who knows. He just cracks me up. I love it when he looks up at me and says "mama". My heart stops. Everything good in me is in him (probably the swear words too). I just love being a mom. So here are the many faces of Jack....
ps. I know he is still bald. It is there it is just blond!!!
pps. Mom, one of these pics looks just like Garth's

Happy Halloween!!!!

2007-11-12T22:52:00.001-08:00

I am posting this so late. It has been a very busy month for us... Happy Halloween to you all. We had a good time dressing up. Jack and I went to two parties. Our ward had a Primary Halloween party, and Taylor's work also had one. Jack was a frog this year. He liked his costume a lot. I was a witch (because it matches my personality, and it was the easiest thing to be) Taylor was a Doctor. He did have blood and a cleaver to match, but his students are only two years old sooooooo you guessed it. He left the blood and knife at home. Taiwanese don't trick or treat door to door, but it is becoming popular to have parties and dress up. We had a good time.

October

2007-11-12T22:23:00.000-08:00

Holy moly!!! this month cruised by so fast. I have not had time to post anything. We have had a ton of fun and worked extra hard this last month. We watched our bishops kids (all 6) they were great. It was fun but busy. I was able to drive their car around Taipei. The view is much different when I am in the drivers seat!! Cabs and buses are great, but there is nothing like being in control of the wheel. I had so much fun. The laws about driving here are much much different than in the states. It's kind of like bumper cars except you are not allowed to hit the other cars. Lots of fun!!! We also house sat for another family so we were able to drive their cars for that week. I forgot how much I enjoy driving.

We took a trip to the south of the island with some friends from our ward. We all participated in Marlthon.
Jack and I went down early with some friends of ours. We had a "Jack and Mom day". This is why Tay is not in the pics... He took the train down that night.

The 2007 Toroko Gorge Marathon. Two did the half marathon the rest of us did the 5K. Call me crazy but I only run that far if my building is on fire or if they are spraying for mosquitoes in my building... (inside joke). Great people though and even better company.

Taylor, Jack and I went to Ocean Park while we were down there. This place is really cool. It is like Sea World only smaller. It is literally across the street from the ocean. So the view while walking around the park is SPECTACULAR. Half of the park is ocean life and the other half is all rides and more rides. Jack fell in love with the bumper boats. We rode them about twenty times. Tay and I took turns riding rides and watching Jack. What can I say, I am totally immature and the rides are the best part to me! I was literally raised at Disneyland... it is in my blood. Hope you like the pics.... love bean

J. in fountian / Fisherman's Wharf

2007-10-15T00:45:00.000-07:00

Just a small taste of Jack's entourage. By the way this fountian is not off limits. We just happen to be the only people in it. There were other Taiwanese kids in it before we got in.

Fisherman's Wharf / Toxic Beach

2007-10-15T00:35:00.001-07:00

The first few pics are of Fisherman's Wharf. Not much to do there, but really beautiful and relaxing. As you can see, Jack enjoyed the fountian. It is ok to get into this fountian. People were looking at us like we were crazy... maybe we are. The other pics are of the beach. This beach was so much fun. We hope to go back soon. we picked up sea shells and tried to catch sand crabs (unsuccessfully). If you have read our previous blogs, I did talk a bit about the toxic beach. It looks like it is a party beach. Lots of trash!!!! Did I say lots? I meant LOTS AND LOTS of trash. The pics show some of it. We were the only people there so our friends tease us. They say no one was there because it is toxic... so we nick named it the "toxic beach". I am still waiting for my skin to fall of from playing in the water. Nothing yet. Also, at the beach there was this really cute extremely tan old man. I think he was about 85 years old. He was flying a really cool kite. I have a pic of that in here somewhere.

Rondom Pics

2007-10-02T20:19:00.001-07:00

This slide is really random. These are pics of our youth activity and Xindian. enjoy!!

Wet Zoo

2007-10-02T19:52:00.001-07:00

Just a few pics of us at the Zoo. Yes it pretty much rained all day. we still had fun. It just made the Zoo even more beautiful.

Does this island ever dry out?

2007-10-02T17:21:00.001-07:00

The title of this post is really just a joke. I actually love all the rain we get. I do seem to be wet most of the time though. . .
So we had a little time off here in Taipei. Taylor changed jobs and it gave us a two week break. It was nice. We spent time being tourists in Taipei. We went to the Zoo and all the monuments here in the city. We went down to Xindian to the river walk and paddle boats. Then up to Donsui to the night market and fisherman's wharf. We also discovered a gem of a beach up there. Well... if you look past all the trash in the sand... ok, tonz of trash and the blanket that washed up... besides that it was a gem. We had the whole place to ourselves minus only a couple of locals. We picked up sea shells and played in the sand. It was the best day really. Our friends have a theory that the water is toxic, which would explain the fact that we were the only ones there. We are waiting for our skin to fall off (just had to add that in to scare the grandparents).
We bought bikes and now we can cruise the streets. Actually, Taipei has great bike trails along the rivers. We are excited about cruising those. Taylor's work is a bit farther away then it was. So he is biking it to work now. Only about a 15 min ride.
Our little Jack Jack is growing up so fast. He is in nursery now. He doesn't really like it yet... I hear it is common for his age. One of us has to stay with him for now. Usually it is Tay because he also enjoys play dough and snacks, ha ha.
This month we have some fun plans. Taylor is doing a backpacking hick up Snow Mountain with some friends. I am sure I will be posting those pics. I am signed up for a 5K down in Toroko. My friends are doing the half marathon. I am a wussy though so only a couple of miles for me. I am excited though but my training is slow going. Oh well. We love all of you and miss you all.... Bean

2007-10-02T17:12:00.000-07:00

Taylor is serving in the YM in our ward. Jack obviously spends a lot of time with them as well. They taught Jack the "rock". He thinks it is so cool to do it now. (push "play twice)

Raining at the Zoo

2007-10-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

Our baby Jack Jack playing in the rain at the Zoo! He is learning how to jump... can ya tell?

Our sixth month

2007-09-09T23:22:00.000-07:00

We have had a lot of fun to end our summer. I have a few new pictures of Jack and some things we have been up to. We just had an earthquake that shook us up pretty good. There was not any damage in Taipei, but I have heard of a bit down south. It was pretty exciting. I guess is was a 6.8. The epicenter was a bit south of us though. So the intensity here was not as strong. We have stayed very busy with Young Women's and Young Men's. Taylor and I are both serving with the youth. We really enjoy it. Our Youth total in our ward is about 13 all together with boys and girls. That is really big for this ward. They all seem really close to each other. This week our activity is ice skating. I will post those pics later. I am sure it will be fun. Well, this month is our 6th month here. We can't believe time has gone so fast. We may only stay until April, so this could be our half way point. I hope not I don't want to leave, but life is not always about what we want. I am really looking forward to the fall weather. The Heat is really getting old. Plus fall and winter clothing is my favorite. It hides all the wrong curves... with love, bean

Our sixth month

2007-09-09T23:16:00.001-07:00

Tay's B-Day

2007-09-09T22:40:00.001-07:00

Tay's B-Day

2007-09-09T22:10:00.000-07:00

So our friends were kind enough to let me throw a surprise party for Taylor at their house. I am so grateful for their generosity. It was simple but fun. Taylor is not the easiest to surprise. He made it a little difficult to keep under wraps. He is usually so predictable. This day however, he changed his plans. I had to be really sneaky just to get him to the Palmers house. In the end it all went well. We swam and played a game called 'Settlers of Catan'. If you have never played it, give it a whirl. It is pretty cool. The kids just did as kids do. destroyed the house and cried a lot. Well, Taylor is one year older and as always, much wiser than myself. I love him and hope he had a great day. Thanks to the Bunkers and the Palmers for making it a good time. Being surrounded by good peeps makes all the difference.

how to bath a kid after cake

2007-08-27T17:47:00.000-07:00

We spent our Saturday with the Palmers. I thought I would share our pics with you. We had a small B Day party for Jack's friend Addie (hope I spelled it correct). I think Jack enjoyed her cake more than she did. The boy loves chocolate... I think he is hormonal. Anyhew, afterwards we bathed them by throwing them in the pool. It was tonz of fun. My only regret is that I dont have pics of everyone!!

Taiwan's Basic Law of Construction... Cut it large and kick it into place

2007-08-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

So we made it through our first typhoon. It was very exciting and yet very boring. We covet our weekends and this storm happened to show up on a Saturday. We were a bit bummed out. The storm was fun for a couple of hours. After a while though, we realized there would be no real damage, again bummed.(I know that is morbid but we really wanted to see something happen). After being in all day We finally got in a cab and went to the Taipei 101 to at least get out of the house. We were about blown away just getting from the cab to the doors, and I was slapped in the face by a very dangerous wet flying plastic bag. Don't ever underestimate the power of a wet grocery bag... I looked like Taylor just slapped me in the face. but once inside all was good.
The title of my blog for this experience may seem confusing, but I will explain. We have a big window in our front room. It wasn't until this very windy storm that we discovered it is not installed all that well. we had a bit of water leaking all around it... lots of fun. We also have wall paper around this same window. The water drains behind the wallpaper and onto the floor. YIKES!! We are just glad this is not our permanent problem. So, I thought the title was fitting.
We are still enjoying our summer here in hot and humid Taipei. We are finding more and more indoor activities to escape the heat. Jack is beginning to think that he lives at the mall. He is a bit too comfortable there. Worse yet is the fact that the employees know who we are, and they know Jack by name. This would be ok if it got us a discount once in a while. But seeing how all of Jack's friends are mall clerks. We need to move on to a new location. All of our friends are coming home now from summer vacations so we have more people to play with. The weather should start to cool off here in the next couple of weeks or month. So it will be back to the park and playing outside!!! I will update photos with my next post. seeeee ya

July update

2007-07-31T21:19:00.000-07:00

We went to see the Terracotta Warriors which have been on display here for the month of July. It is truely amazing. If you ever get the chance to see it, it is considered the eighth wonder of the world, totally worth it. Our photos are outside in the courtyard of the Natural History Museum in Taipei. I have added a few extra photos of jack for your viewing pleasure. This last month was SOOO hot. The heat reminds me of Las Vegas in July. 105 degrees with 100% humidity. Not so bad except that we walk everywhere we go. It gets unbearable really fast. We are fortunate however, we do have AC in our apartment. We are doing well though and we do get out, despite the heat. I have learned a load of new bus routs so I have cut down my walking by a lot. Jack is learning to love public transit. My favorite find has been the bus to Costco. Many of you will not understand how AWESOME that is for us. Costco for me is like a little piece of home. It looks just the same as the states and the food court is almost the same. I love it!!! I did however, loose my cell phone on bus #204 on the way to Costco. If anyone finds it please let me know. That experience was not the greatest. Taylor was out of town for the weekend and I had to borrow some ladies phone at the mall to call Tay and let him know. We do not have a land line, so I was without communication until Tay got home two days later.... I know the grandmas are going to flip over this.... please no phone calls. I have a new phone now with a new #. We are well and hope you enjoy our little blog.... see ya

Taipei Temple

2007-07-31T20:59:00.000-07:00

front entrance to church
this is the temple
this is our church

So we thought we would take some pics of our church and the temple. The church and the temple are on the same grounds. Temple on left and church on right. there is a large building in the back ground which is a university... not part of church.

Boys night out

2007-07-31T20:22:00.000-07:00

So last weekend Taylor and a friend of ours, Colin, went on a trip to the southern part of the island. They rented scooters and cruised the coast. I thought I would make a post for him and show you his pics. They had a blast!!!! the scenery is really beautiful!!

I am so blessed

2007-07-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here waiting for my baby to wake up. He is sleeping much later than usual (we were out late). Looking at his cute little mohawk with really no hair to support it. He is so beautiful to me. Yesterday we were learning where our belly buttons are located. I love watching him search for his. He giggles when I find it first and tickle him. I have found such a new joy in being a mother. My heart bursts wide open when I really sit and think about precious gift that my Heavenly Father has entrusted me with. I wonder who is teaching who. I have learned so much more from him than I could ever teach him. I count my blessings every day and thank God for him. He makes me laugh out loud daily. He loves to walk everywhere we go. and ride his little "Mr Peanut" scooter down the sidewalks of Taiwan. What a stud! We wont stay in Taiwan forever. We will bring him home to the rest of his family where you can enjoy him and love him as much as we do. My heart aches when I think about the fact that Tay and I are the only members of our families who get to enjoy this beautiful boy. Because we do live literally a whole world away. I just wanted to share a piece of my soul to say I am so blessed.

Family pics

2007-07-17T01:56:00.001-07:00

This last week we took a trip out to one of Tay's old areas. I can't spell it so I am not going to try. He lived there for one year of his mission. We found the chapel he was assigned to and a resturaunt he used to eat at. It was fun to see. I snapped a couple of shots of the people at the park. They didn't think that was very cool of me, but I just look like a tourist so they let it go. There are a few shots of Jack's chocolate fedish (he gets that from his dad). We also went to the park for FHE. Those are the sand box photos. The other strangers in the pictures are our friends Tim and Becky who are moving back to the states this week after two years here. Our weekends are going to be very boring without them here to help us spend all our money. Thanks guys. We will miss you and your sweet ride!

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-07-17T01:54:00.001-07:00

Pizza anyone???

2007-07-17T00:53:00.000-07:00

I really debated adding these photos. I just look so homely. This was for a Domino's Pizza ad I did a couple of months ago. We just got these pictures from the agency. They did my hair and make-up. They curled my bangs under... no one curls their bangs!!!! Anyways, like I said in the past, if you are white in Taiwan, you will get asked to model. Not that big of a deal. It was a fun experience though. These photos will be in the Domino's restaurants in Beijing. I will be in black and white and the pizza will be in color.

Jack's First Haircut

2007-07-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

So we decided that Jack's hair was starting to look a bit long. Taylor has been wanting to buzz his head into a Mohawk (I have never had to spell that before, forgive me if it is wrong). I finally consented late Friday night. So Jack's first haircut is a Mohawk. For those of you who know us well, this will come as no surprise. If we weren't enough of a spectacle before, this really did the trick. most people think its cool... but there are those who think he must be sick or have a disease to have his hair grow that way...... things that make you go hmmmmmmmmm. Jack thinks his fuzzy little head feels cool. It is just too bad that his hair is so blond that if you blink, you miss it.

Fulung Beach

2007-07-01T21:21:00.001-07:00

Fulung Beach

2007-07-01T20:41:00.000-07:00

This beach was really nice. Beautiful beach sand for sand castles, and the water was the perfect temp. We couldn't have asked for a better day. It was the best. We took a train out to Fulung. We have not done the train thing yet so that was different and fun. The scenery was beautiful. Winding through the hills and along the river. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Beautiful. Sorry no pics of that... Next time. There were people out wind surfing, skimboarding and sailing. We want to do that next time. Don't worry Grandparents, Jack was covered in sunscreen. He loved the waves (they were small). He also loved playing with the sand. He couldn't figure out how to shut his eyes when the waves splashed him though. He learned that salt water stings, but tastes good!!!! Go figure. Bean learned that however good she thinks she looks in a bikini... she should not wear one. Tay is just a hottie, what can I say.

jack's a model... when he wants to be

2007-06-27T18:47:00.000-07:00

2007-06-27T18:20:00.000-07:00

I can see my shadow!!!

2007-06-27T18:10:00.000-07:00

The sun is shinning today!!! and it looks so nice outside. We are going into our monsoon season and it rains a lot. today looks to be ok though. I am thinking of taking jack to the zoo. The zoo here is very cool. It reminds me that I am on a tropical island. When you get out of the city it is really green and thick jungle all around. I love it. Speaking of Jack though. I am adding his modeling photos today. these are just the pictures we took. He did not particularly like it as you will be able to see. This shoot was for a company called "Teddy". The clothes, I thought, where not really cute. Maybe that is why he hated it.

Our World Travels

2007-06-25T00:34:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. I have heard that this is the best way to communicate with everyone and show all of you our pictures. So here we are. We have been so very busy here in Taipei. We are seeing so many new and cool things. The night markets here are our favorite!!!! I will post pics of that when I take them. The city is very cool but it is a city. A lot of pros and cons. It is very safe though. It really feels safer here than in S.L.C.. The crime rate here is very low. The people are so very nice and very frusterating at the same time. they are so very closed minded. They are constantly telling us what we are doing wrong with Jack. Like carrying him on our shoulders. They think that is sooooooo dangerous. We think they are crazy putting a family of four on one scooter. Just different I guess.
We are headed for the beach this weekend. I am very excited. we have to take the train so it will take us about one hour to get there. I am soooo excited and soooo ready for some summer fun. I will post those pics next week.
Well I am new to this so I will just say good bye for now. We miss you all and hope all is well with all of you. Keep in touch.... Thanks for telling me about this Blog stuff Nicole very cool. love Tay Bean and Jack