December

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

"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

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.

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 !!

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

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

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!!!!

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

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

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

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

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

Wet Zoo

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?

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

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

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

Our sixth month

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

Tay's B-Day

Tay's B-Day

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

Pizza anyone???

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

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

Fulung Beach

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

I can see my shadow!!!

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

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