Monkeying Around...

We took a trip to the Hogle Zoo with some good friends! I was roommates with both Melissa & Christina back in my UVU days. It's wonderful that we are still such great friends, and now we can continue making memories with our kids.

Gracie and Savannah showing their "wild" side. We had a hard time dragging them off of these statues...


This picture is such a crack-up. Christina's little boy Nathan is making the Choo-Choo noise on the train. Very Enthusiastic...


If only Nathan's energy could rub off on Gracie! :)
Did someone say "Naptime"?





We could have spent hours at this water-feature.


Little Miss Polka-Dot!


And it was a fun-filled & jam-packed Summer Day. Jody and I ended the night with a Salt Lake Bees Baseball Game.

Viva Las Vegas!

To kick off summer and to celebrate Jeff's graduation from the U of U, we headed down to "Sin City" (MINUS the Sin) with Jeff and Lacey for a few days of glorious relaxation and warm sun!


We had a wonderful time with Jeff and Lacey, walking the Las Vegas Strip and lounging by the pool! Gracie had a blast walking laps around the pool waving and smiling at everyone. She has her pageant wave down...and I promise she came up with that one on her own.

(Inside the Planet Hollywood Resort!)


These two don't look anything alike....right?! Gracie looks so much like Jody! And they both LOVE the water!


We stayed at the MGM Grand Hotel. Their pools were incredible. They also had a lazy river and dozens of water features. Gracie wasn't too sure about this fountain!


The Girls!


This picture was taken after walking through the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace & eating at the Cheesecake Factory. We ate so much good food while in Vegas! Jeff hooked us up with a deal at the MGM where we could eat for FREE at the Buffet every single meal. Needless to say - we didn't ever get hungry on the trip. :)

Reporting Live...I'm Brittany Tait...

I Got The Freelancing Position at KUTV Channel 2! I feel so blessed and excited! My interview went well, and the news director asked me if I would be interested in a full-time position once their hiring freeze fades. Full-time isn't what I'm looking for right now...but what a blessing to know the offer is there if we needed it. This job will be perfect. As a freelance reporter, I will be reporting when needed to help with time off requests and holidays.  I will be writing and voicing stories and going live for the noon, 4:00, 5:00, 6:00 or 10:00 shows. This is the real deal with 16 photographers, multiple live trucks and the Channel 2 Chopper. (Now hopefully I can step up to the plate and be a good addition to their team!) This job seems unreal - giving our family a little more money to pay the bills and a chance for me to grow in my career field.

What Did I Do To Deserve This Look....?

I think the "look" came because I told her NOT to stuff the entire box of Goldfish Crackers in her mouth and then asked her to please smile for the picture. She's at the age where she makes the funniest faces!

She was feeling Quite Patriotic this day.


Our family has been very busy lately. Jody is working hard to turn our backyard of dirt into a landscaped masterpiece! We are enjoying the warmer weather- which means more time at the park and more walks around the neighborhood!


And in other good news, I have a job interview for a freelance reporter position at KUTV Channel 2 on Monday. It's amazing to have a chance to speak face to face with a news director, because no stations are hiring right now. Hopefully it will work out because it would be quite part-time, which is what I want so I can continue to spend my days with Gracie! I guess we'll see!

"Eggstra" Special Easter

We were blessed with a wonderful Easter Weekend. It started off Saturday at Uncle Jay and Aunt Linda's house for an Easter Egg Hunt. From there we headed over to see Mom and Pops Tait. They had a special meal cooked up for us and some Easter clues leading to great prizes! Gwama and Papa Tait gave Gracie a toy shopping cart, which you will see pictured in numerous photos. She absolutely loves it!


I'm learning that Holidays are even more exciting when you have a little one! I think I was more excited for Gracie to see if the Easter Bunny came and go on Egg Hunts than she was!


Here are some Easter "Highs" and "Lows"...Definite sugar high from all the candy...some sad lows when mom wouldn't let Gracie touch the freshly colored hard-boiled eggs!


Easter Celebration at my parent's house.


Jodes and our Baby Girl!


And with all the talk of bunnies and candy, I want to make sure and express my gratitude for the true meaning of Easter. I am so thankful for our Savior Jesus Christ who took upon himself every shortcoming, fault, mistake, and imperfection...so that if we live the way we should - we too can live again. I know our Savior Jesus Christ was resurrected and has provided a way so that we can taste of eternal joy with our forever families!

Enjoying Easter Sunday. Thank you Grandma & Grandpa Wiscombe for Gracie's gorgeous Easter Dress. It is so cute. (Even with Goldfish Crackers smashed all down the front...still cute!)


And...ummm...okay. This was the Easter Bunny at the Lehi City Easter Celebration. Can you just read Gracie's expression...? She's looking at the Jodes thinking, "Maybe if I don't make eye-contact...this will all just go away!"




My parents decided to throw a fancy one out there and make an edible flowered fruit tray to go along with Sunday Dinner. My mom was just going to order one from a company who specializes in making these...but they were quite expensive, so she thought, "I'll make it myself!" I was quite impressed.


Easter Bunny on the loose...


Here's our Easter Egg Hunt!



Another Video.
Jody showcases his Easter Air Jordans in this one. :)

Gracie Love...

It's the World's Greatest Blessing - The privilege of being a Mother. Lately I have been so overwhelmed with gratitude for this little girl in my life.


Prior to moving to Utah, I worked part-time at a CBS affiliate station. It was roughly 20 hours a week, and we worked it out so that Gracie didn't have to be in daycare during that time. She came with me to work more than a number of times when she was quite little...and then wonderful friends provided the care we needed to fill in the gaps.

However, since we have moved - it's been Gracie and Mom - 24/7. I'm the one who gets to see her make all of her new discoveries. We do everything together, and with the exception of her 2 hour nap each day - life revolves completely around this little girl.

I had someone ask me recently, "What are your hobbies?" I paused. "Hmmm..", I thought. "Let's see. I'm really good at getting Gracie to eat her vegetables, and you should hear me read 'Mr. Brown can Moo'...and I enjoy coloring with Gracie."

It occurred to me that I really couldn't remember what it was that I used to spend my time doing before she was born. (I'm sure all you other moms can relate. There comes a time when you have a bit of an identity crisis because how could changing diapers, running errands, preparing bottles, dealing with tantrums, making a dinner your child WILL eat and cleaning up messes really be so time consuming...so hard some days...and YET so worth it?!)

Being a mom is amazing. I feel completely blessed!! I look at Gracie, and I'm overcome with a type of love I didn't think existed. I'm so thankful Heavenly Father has trusted me and Jody to be her parents. She teaches me everyday to find joy in the simple things.


And on a side note....Gracie's hair is getting longer and therefore giving me wings to be a little more creative.

XOXOX Love you Baby Girl!

Day at the Farm...

Before the most recent snowstorm here in Utah, the weather looked as if SPRING may have arrived. So we made use of the sunshine and visited our four-legged friends at the Thanksgiving Point Farm. Gracie loves animals. She enjoyed every minute of our visit.


Our tickets included a pony ride. So this Cowgirl went ridin' with her hands in the air. Yee Haa!


Saddle up Cowgirl!


Look at these poor animals. They are practically choking themselves all for some stale corn kernels.


We also took a very exciting ride on the horse-drawn wagon. Could this farm experience get any better? Really.


It just got better...the goat is licking my child's hand. We used a large amount of Purell after this visit. (Gracie looks very serious...I'm guessing the idea of feeding the goat had her mind going...since she is usually the one getting fed!)

Swimming with Sting-rays...Laundry...a Trip Down South...and SNUGGIES!

Gracie encountered all the fish at the "Living Planet Aquarium" in Sandy. We went with our wonderful friends Tracy & her little boy Kaleb, and Melissa & her little girl Savannah. Gracie and Savannah mostly ran through the exhibit without noticing the fish on display. Gracie did attempt to jump into the petting pool with the Southern Stingray. Ahhh...Brand New Baby Nikes full of Stinky Seawater. I can understand her reasoning...she probably thought it was a gigantic bathtub.

Also recently, we took Gracie on her first trip down to Escalante where Gwama Tait grew up. We visited (Great) Grandma Alvey, and she left us smiling with her energy and songs! Grandma Alvey is 82, and she is still the life of the party! We had a great time visiting and watching the Jazz play on TV.


We really enjoyed our visit. Grandma Alvey has so much to share.


Visiting the Horse by Grandma's House.


And here's some RANDOM PICTURES. We do lots of laundry at our house. Gracie really likes to be involved!


She likes to play on the stairs...It's a good gathering place.


And Happy Birthday Mom! Today's your big day. And can I just say tonight was an absolute "Snuggie Miracle"?! Earlier tonight, at the Red Lobster, my mom opened a gift from my Aunt and Uncle. It was a Snuggie. You know...the blanket with over sized sleeves. (You've seen the commercial with the people wearing these humongous fleece backwards robes. Without their Snuggies, they are truly not happy and might I add...Freezing!) I was shocked because the Snuggie I ordered for my mom's Birthday had not come in the mail yet. So she really received TWO SNUGGIES for her birthday. Most Definitely a Snuggie Miracle.

It's a gift she was way too embarrassed to ask for...but obviously we all knew she secretly wanted one (or two) because we all got her one! So here she is with her Snuggie. (And she really did almost bust it open and put it on in the Red Lobster because she was cold.) This just cracks me up. They are so ridiculous looking - and yet I love them.


We love you Mom, and we're so glad this year we could spend the day with you...now that we're back in the state! Thanks for being an outstanding example. You've been handed enough lemons to make anyone sour, yet you continue to push along with an amazing perspective and love for life. Thanks for making us laugh and for reminding us what life really is all about.

FIRST HAIRCUT!!!

On March 5th, we took Gracie to Cookie Cutters to give those locks a trim!

*BEFORE*


*DURING*


*AFTER*


Cookie Cutters was so cute! Gracie sat in an airplane, and she got to choose a movie that she would be viewing during the cut. The cut consisted mostly of cutting off the tail she was sporting in the back. So we said goodbye to the mullet, and there were no tears.

I think she held as still as a 15-month-old can! My favorite part of the cut was when the stylist went to blow dry her hair. She thought the hot air in her face was funny. That, combined with the Dancing Elmo movie, had her moving all over the place. You can see her go wild in the video below! (And they finished her "new-do" off with some glitter hairspray.)



And...TOUCHDOWN! Jody taught Gracie when you yell "Touchdown" - your arms go up!