Look Who Is 3!

I was really excited to make this Mickey Mouse cake for Gracie. When I was mixing up the frosting for Mickey's face - I added too much color. He would have looked like the 'Fake-Baked; I Got Lost in the Bahamas Mickey'...luckily the second go at it - the frosting wasn't so orange. :)

Gracie kept talking about HOW EXCITED she was to blow out the candles for her birthday.


Let the PARTY begin!


Even Sienna got in on the FUN!


Grandma and Papa Tait got Gracie a stylin' pink scooter. Now she can arrive, in fashion, to all of her play dates!


Earlier this month, we went to see Disney on Ice. The show was entertaining, and Gracie REALLY loves Mickey Mouse and his crew. It was fun to see her get excited as she watched the magic unfold.


Here was a showstopper - the GIANT Ursula. YIKES.



Gracie is at a fun age. I can tell THREE is going to be a dramatic adventure for all of us. We are only a few days in...and already the independence and drama have reached a whole new level. She says funny things all the time. Her latest thing is to ask you very LOUDLY,

"Are You Being Nice?"

This usually happens when we are at the grocery store, and I say we can only get one box of fruit snacks - opposed to ten. The best part is answering, not just to Gracie, but to everyone on Aisle 7 that,

"Yes...I am being nice."

At 3, Gracie loves books and stories. Her favorite toys to play with are dinosaurs, Little Mermaid & Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. One of the greatest attributes I see in Gracie is her ability to LOVE so purely. She adores her Uncle Michael. She doesn't see him as different or disabled - She just sees him. She is constantly trying to make him laugh or fix his wheelchair. It thrills me to see how she cares for him. Gracie is a special little girl. Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Oh Sweet Sienna!

These pictures were taken when Sienna was just 9 days old. I just love them! With Gracie, we didn't have newborn pictures professionally taken within those first 2 weeks - and, as she got older, I found myself forgetting what she looked like when she was so fresh from heaven. I'm glad I have these pictures so I can always remember that button nose, those tiny fingers & those sweet expressions.

Driving to the hospital the morning Sienna was born - was surreal. "This is it,"
I told myself. "We're going to have a baby today."

When they checked me at the hospital - I was dilated to a three, but Sienna still hadn't dropped. So it was time to take a ride on the pitocin train. That quickly made my contractions much stronger & helped push Sienna's head down into the birth canal.

When my contractions were 2 minutes apart - the nurse said, "You don't have to be a hero - Why don't you get your epidural?"

That sounded fantastic to me. So in came the anesthesiologist. He prepped me, told me to curl up in a ball, and then said, "These are some really small spaces in between your spine. This is going to be tricky."

Not really what you want to hear when a giant needle is about to stick you in the back.

But he did a wonderful job, and the epidural started to work it's magic. For some reason the epidural had a very strong effect on me this time around. Soon after I received it - my whole body started to go numb, I felt super tired and nauseated. The anesthesiologist came back - stopped the epidural. They put me on oxygen and after a while, I started to feel normal again. My doctor broke my water. At this point, I was still only dilated to a four. He told me he would come back and check me in an hour - but he didn't even make it down the hall before he was back in the room telling me to PUSH! There were some tense moments where Sienna's heart rate dropped and nurses were running around, however the delivery team was incredible. They worked quickly to make sure our little one came safely.

When Sienna decided to come - she came fast. After pushing through four contractions, I held our sweet baby. The moment they put her in my arms - I melted.

I could feel her heart-beat up against mine, and I cried. Am I crazy to say, "I love having babies"?? Because I do. After both of my deliveries, I thought to myself - that was fun. FUN? I know...that's clearly not the adjective I would have chosen to describe what I thought childbirth was like before I had a baby! But I think it's the occasional discomfort, the exhaustion & the stretching of your soul through pregnancy, labor and the weeks of recovery that makes you realize - having a baby is a miracle, and being part of that miracle is humbling. It really is the biggest adrenalin rush followed by getting to hold a Gift from God.

And that is beyond amazing.

She is beyond amazing.

We are so thankful for her.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Earlier this week, my dad celebrated his birthday. He deserves a Shout Out! So here it is.

Yee Haw! :)

My dad is Amazing. His word is golden. If he says he is going to be someplace or do something - he will be 15 minutes early - the task will be accomplished with 110 percent effort - and he will have a smile on his face! He can fix anything. Anything. Trust me: I've put him to the test. He has always supported me. He never missed a Show Choir Performance, Drill Team Half-Time, Pageant or Theater Production.

He has always been there for me.

Here we are singing "Unforgettable" when I passed on my crown as Miss UVU.


My Dad loves sports. Growing up, he was a football star. When I was little, we spent endless nights at the ballpark diamonds - watching him round the bases. Michael shares his love for sports. For more than 20 years, Dad has helped Michael live his dream of "Playing Ball". Together, they bat. And then Dad pushes Michael around the bases during these adaptive Coach/Pitch and T-Ball games. There is something beautiful about watching them roll across Home Plate. Even more than the giant smile on Michael's face, is a silent feeling of absolute selflessness. This is a sight I will never get tired of seeing. (And maybe I won't have to. Dad, you know there is NO age limit in adaptive sports - and Michael will still expect you to push him even when you're 90!) My dad continues to give.
You can Click HERE to see a picture of the duo in a local newspaper article.

We love you Dad! Thanks for all you do for us.

Don't We Look Yummy?!!

It was a deliciously healthy Halloween costume theme this year - Fruit Salad (a happy Banana & some half-eaten Grapes) with a side of one very excited Pumpkin and a baby Pea Pod!!

It was fun to have two little ones to dress up this year. Gracie is posing for a Skittles Advertisement here. She couldn't put the candy down for the picture.


Gracie went Trick-Or-Treating around our neighborhood with her best buddy - Sawyer.

Later that night, an Island Cast-Away and Judge Judy stopped by for some Tricks and Treats!!


Halloween is twice as fun when you throw some ghoulish food and festive treats into the mix!! When I looked in our oven on Halloween - this stared back at me...

I made our traditional Pumpkin Stew - cooked, of course, inside a gutted pumpkin.

Thank You Jody for the artistic face.

We made Dipped White Chocolate 'Candy Corn' Cookies...

And these Spooky Cupcakes.

They really were the Cat's Meow!!


And the BEST part of the night: sorting through all of that tasty candy.

My Sweet Little Pea