Fall already???!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

April

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!!!!

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

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

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

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

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.