The Tabla Times

skys wedding

2011-08-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

check this out

2011-06-08T15:11:00.000-07:00

Jackpot for mother

2011-05-08T21:52:00.000-07:00

I still can't figure out how to move photos where I want them. This picture belongs towards the bottom of the page. Oh well, here are my two good looking boys on Easter.

My mom has been waiting for a post for a while now so I decided to give her "the jackpot" with lots and lots of pictures of her grandkids...

A few weeks ago, we went to California because I was coaching a gymnastics meet. The meet was right across the street from Disneyland so we decided to go. That will be the last time, I believe that I will ever go to Disneyland in my lifetime. Bottom line: too many people, lines are too long, kids need naps.

This is the big steam boat in the middle of Disneyland that I always wanted to go on but never did until now. I always wondered what went on on that ship, I thought it was for the priveledged people of Disneyland.

Take a look at Marks hat! We got it at the dollar store because he left his other one on Space Mountain. It says Chopper and I figured it was better than the only other choices of a marijuana leaf or an image of "Che".

By the way, I realized way too late that there was a smear on the lens of the camara so many of our pictures are blurry.:(

While we were in California we made a trek to the beach. Huntington I think. Here are a few things I really enjoyed about this treck. 1. Crying kids in the car all the way there 2. Tai peeing on my leg as I tried to hold her so she wouldn't touch the disgusting urine and crap all over the toilet seat and ground. I'm talking ALL OVER MY LEG. 3. Then I got to push the stroller for a 1/2 mile in the sand 4. We only spent 1/2 hour at the beach because the only parking that we could find was a mile down the road with a meter (besides the $20 parking close to the beach that we refused to pay) 5. We were dying of thirst so we stopped at 7-11 and Mark got a slurpee but couldn't find a matching lid...inevitably it spilled all down my same peed-on leg and all over the car. But, why am I being so pessimistic. We had a great time! really.

My kids really do love hanging around each other and are best friends.

Did you know Tag has an obsession with trains? He likes to watch them crash. He also begs for a bed time story about "Thomas and James and Gordon and Percy" every night.

Happy baby. Tatum is now 10 months. WOW time goes fast. This was probably at 8 or 9 months.

This is hilarious to me because I saw this on my camera and concluded Tag took a picture of himself and what a beautiful photo it is. Tag is our sickly child that is sick literally every other week. He suffers from asthma so any little bug that comes along is magnified 10 fold with him. He eats very little, except for last week he ate more than his whole life put together. Part of his diet last week included a whole Little Caesars pizza by himself over the course of two days. I am not joking about this!

Sweet little Tatum is getting around really well and is hard to keep up with all of the sudden. She is happy most the time, crawls, stands up next to furniture and gets into everything she can reach.

Easter 2011. No candy for my kids this year. Just bubbles, silly puddy and an easter egg hunt.

Matching Easter Dresses

It felt great to organize and clean the toy closet. I even found a place for the rascal. Actually he found it and wanted to hang out there for a while.

This is what was going on during General Conference in our house...

Finally...some pictures

2011-02-27T16:50:00.001-08:00

Here is our handsome dude from 2 days ago Tai before....

...and after

peekaboo

a little fort Tai made for Tatum

Tai planned a day to be twins with Tag. They enjoyed this very much. Our family went to Las Vegas because I coached a meet there. And what do you know, my parents just happened to be in LasVegas the same weekend. It was jolly good fun. They were kind enough to watch our kids while Mark and I went to see TOWER OF POWER--my second favorite band in the world. (See 2 posts ago). That makes February 2011 the best month ever with being able to see #1 and #2 favorite bands in the same month.

Here we are at the Mandalay Bay escalator. We were planning on going to their famous aquarium but weren't counting on it costing us $40 bucks to get in, so instead we rode the escalator up and down like 10 times. We all ended up happy.

Here is our precious little Tatum. She brings such sweetness to our family.

Ohp, here is our family portrait during Christmas time. All matching, how cute.

Strap Bar

2011-02-14T21:54:00.000-08:00

I did strap bar about 2 hours ago. Just 4 giants is all and boy am I feeling it now. My neck, my upper back. I'm really scared about waking up tomorrow to the pain that awaits me.

p.s.- I'm sorry about not posting pictures yet this year. I am trying to find the cord thing that goes to my camera to hook up to the computer. But just so you know, my kids are still really cute if I do say so myself :)

Top 5 favorite artists of all time

2011-01-23T22:12:00.000-08:00

5. not sure...Jackson 5, Gladys Knight, or my recent favorite The Backbeats (their rendition of Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" is the best performance of any song I have ever heard. see clip above)
4. Stevie Wonder
3. Earth, Wind and Fire
2. Tower of Power
1. Take 6

Mark and I had the great fortune of going to see Take 6 live in concert last Thursday. It was their first time in SLC and boy was it the 2nd best 2 hours of my life! They are unbelievable musicians and I loved looking around the audience to see the faces of pure delight because I know most of the white audience had never seen Take 6 before and I know they were blown away. It was so good I wish I could have brought every one of you there--even you, who dislike a capella music. A month after Mark and I were married we borrowed my sister-in-laws Nissan Pathfinder to tackle the mountains of Colorado in a snowstorm to see Take 6. We almost died because it was the worst snowstorm I have ever seen and I do not drive well in snow, but we lived to sit in the 2nd row of the concert and that was the best 2 hours of my life. Ever since then Mark has been a true fan of Take 6 and even found and read group founder Cedric Dent's doctorate dissertation on some musical theory or something.

I dare you to YouTube em. Enjoy the 10 grammy award winning group that caught my attention that winter night driving home from gym in my dad's nissan maxima back in 1992. Yes, I remember the day I first heard them!

Rollin' along

2010-12-02T10:38:00.000-08:00

Tatum is getting too big too quick. She started eating rice cereal this week and loves it. She can roll, and sit already. It is going by too fast.

We love our little Tag. He is addicted to candy and Thomas the Train. The first words coming out of his mouth when he first opens his eyes in the morning "candy". He's got the beginnings of a mad unibrow too--love it.

Tai got an 80's cabbage patch bike for her birthday. It is great. It's the kind where the tires don't go flat. She finally learned how to ride WITH training wheels. You can see her rolling along at an angle--its funny.

This was Halloween night. We had the HUGEST hail storm. I was afraid for my life for about 2.5 seconds. That tricycle is Tag's Birthday present. He loves it.

Both Tai and Tag request to hold Tatum several times a day. It is very cute. When Tag holds her he gets real serious and sweet and flutters his eyelashes.

Tag took this picture. Tatum's hair now goes flat most of the time because it is growing. I like the hair sticking up better.

This was halloween. Two tigers and a bear. We got one tiger costume at DI then the very next day we received a package from my mom who sent a Tiger costume for Tag for his B-day. So we squeezed Tai into the DI one. After the Hail storm I did take Tag and Tai trick or treating around the block and they got a modest amount of candy in which I ate a good amount :) I never understood how some kids can keep their candy for months (Mikelle).

Catch-up

2010-10-31T14:26:00.000-07:00

We live right next to huge pumpkin patches. They are quite the sight! Before we moved here I had never seen them except for in "It's the great pumpkin Charlie Brown". which by the way we love here at our house. We have decided that Mark is so Charlie Brown and I am so Lucy. Anyway, we got to pick our pumpkin from the patch this year instead of from Walmart. They also had a hay maze, a corn "sandbox", and animals to pet.

This looks like a painting but it is a photo I snapped when I took the kids on a drive on the Nebo Loop. It was astoundingly beautiful. It was deserted too, so kinda spooky to be up there by ourselves. I loved every second of this drive.

Before we took off for our trip we went to the Big Red Barn and had their famous ice cream, and bought some homeade blackberry jam.

I just noticed I didn't have any pictures of the 3 kids together so here you go.

The kids loved the fountain at Temple Square. We spent some time walking around and even got through 20 min. of the Joseph Smith movie before having to come out due to restlessness. We were waiting for Mark to come out of his interview for an internship with the Church History Library.

This pretty much sums up Tatum's blessing. It's rare when this girl cries, so I was sad when she screamed the whole way through. Too bad I didn't hear anything that was said. I'm glad my friend did though and took notes.

We were so excited when Mikelle's family came up to Utah (for the first time I might add). For Tai and Tag's Birthday we went to the Amazing Pizza Kitchen. We went for lunch then did a bunch of activities there like race cars, glow in the dark golf, laser tag, bumper cars, arcade games and kiddie rides. My highlight was watching Mark drive the race cars...we were all nervous to say the least... we had a good laugh when we were screaming for Mark to hit the brake and he honking the horn was hitting the brakes, but he got the hang of it by the end and did great.

The Birthday Buddies. Oct. 7th 2005 and 2008.

What a gorgeous baby! :)

I can't forget my short trip to AZ for a gymnastics clinic. I was able to see Finley (Luke and Shawnie's newborn). He looks just like Luke and cries just like Tatum. It was fun to see everyone.

Cute great-grandpa Tom. (with Tatum in the swing, and Finley's being held)

Tomorrow our lives are changing. I will be a single mom of three during the day now because Mark got an internship at the Family History Library working 8 hours a day for a year. We couldn't be more grateful even if it means an hour trip on the bus up and and hour trip back. Let the challenge begin and wish me luck because I really don't think I can do this.

Oh, yah. I forgot to report our incident at the hospital. Tag has asthma and has been getting sick every two weeks for like 3 months now. It is annoying because every time it gets so he can't breathe very well so I have to take him into the doctor and they give him some steroids and breathing treatments to get better and he does by the end of the week, then a week later he is sick again. We finally had to go buy our own nebulizer and do treatments at home. Well, this last time even the breathing treatments were not working so they sent us to the ER. We spent two days and almost 2 nights there. It was a nightmare. He had to be hooked up and monitered everywhere: on his foot, an IV in hand, things on his chest. This is on a boy who throws a tantrum and refuses to wear flip-flops because there is something between his toes and refuses to wear "feet pajamas" because it feels weird. Poor little boy was going absolutely bonkers having to be cooped up to a 3 foot radius for 2 days. Well, I could rant for a very long time about doctors and the ER but then I would get in trouble by my parents so I won't. Plus, I should be grateful for all of the people there making sure my little Tag was OK. and I am.

The End.

Here's to August part 2

2010-09-05T21:16:00.000-07:00

Tatum in her dainty dress from yesteryear complete with bonnet

At a nearby farm

A morning stretch

The Kangaroo at the farm

Fun with the hose in the backyard

Here's to August

2010-09-05T20:50:00.000-07:00

A nice sunday afternoon walk in a makeshift triple seater

There is a farm near our house. The kids love to see the chickens, pigs, horses, llamas, bulls, ostriches and a Kangaroo. Its awesome.

My sweet girls

Tag prefers to make his own sandwiches which he doesn't eat. Our picky eater will pretty much only eat oatmeal and french fries. I don't know how he is alive.

This has happened more than once. Tatum is our easiest baby so far. Here is one example--when this happened to Tai when she was a baby she would scream her head off, with Tatum she barely makes a peep.

Achoo!

2010-07-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

Meg-o ain't prego no mo'

2010-07-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome Tatum!

We had a beautiful, memorable experience and feel blessed with how everything turned out. The timing was perfect and this time around I can walk!

Thanks to everyone for your support. Special thanks to my mom and dad who came for the weekend to be with us and by a miracle were able to see the baby for 10 minutes before heading to the airport with Tai and Tag. I miss my kids so much, but am thankful for the time to bond with the new baby and to give me time to adjust to a 3rd one.

Tai and Tag: Mama loves you! Be good for grandma and grandpa. Tatum is excited to see you again.

Meg-o is Preg-o

2010-06-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

Since I haven't posted on my blog in 6 months. I thought I better announce this before I actually have the baby in a couple of weeks. Boy or Girl? Its a surprise! Stay tuned...

Happy Fathers Day!

2010-06-20T19:13:00.001-07:00

This is Mark and his Dad (Max) and Tai. They all eat chicken the same way--grizel, cartilage, marrow and all... like cavemen. It is absolutely unbearable to watch. We are glad that Mark's parents have been able to move out to Utah. Mark sure loves his Dad and is so grateful to spend time with him again.

Meagan or Gary?? We pretty much looked the same at age 19. My Dad is the greatest! I love his love for music. His ear is envied. He is an accomplished guitarist, great on the piano and could probably pick up any instrument and be able to play it. He gave me my sense of rhythm and appreciation of all types of music especially 70's funk. I also love that he is unique-just look at those overalls.

What a DAD! I cannot express how great a dad Mark has been this past year. He keeps surprising me. I even heard him raise his voice slightly at the kids once recently (quite the accomplishment for Mark) He has changed way more diapers than me this year and always voluntarily and happily gets up with the kids in the morning. What more could a wife ask for?

Tai loves her daddy. They spend hours talking together about everything...and have a very special bond.

Been a while...

2010-01-27T20:19:00.001-08:00

This year we spent Christmas in Arizona. We had a great time at my Grandpa's 90th birthday celebration and Wright reunion.

Yummy popsicle

Look at these two cousins' blue eyes.

Family picture number 1.

Conversation between grandfather and grandson...

Riding on daddy's shoulders is one of the best ways to calm Tag down.

Cute sister-in-law and sister!

Family picture number 2

Tai says: Merry Christmas!

Hello

2009-12-05T11:03:00.000-08:00

Hello,

We haven't taken many pictures in the last month. Here is an update on everyone.

Tag- takes 5-6 steps at a time. 70% of the time he crawls, the other 30 he walks. He just got over being sick and got 7 shots this week. It was heartbreaking. Tag is a happy, laid back kid who is constantly on the move. It is a hard stage for getting anything out of church when we have to chase him all over the halls for 3 hours.

Tai- She got her hair cut. I still need to take a picture. She now has short bangs all the way across. She has been really sweet lately and loves to play with her brother. She gets really bored at home since its too cold to play outside. She enjoys pbskids.org and watching old movies with her dad. She also loves going to pre-school. Her favorite food is spinach. No joke. The other night she was in bed and let me know she was still hungry, I asked what she wanted and she said, "4 leaves of spinach, spinach is my favorite food!"

Mark- is a really good stay at home dad. He takes good care of the kids, feeds them, changes more diapers than me now, and even cleans. He is finishing up his classes from U. of Illinois for this semester. He is excited about a class he gets to take next semester in music librarianship.

Me- I made my first Thanksgiving Turkey. It was too moist for my taste. Everyone else liked it though. I am keeping busy coaching gymnastics and getting ready for our season to start. I enjoy my family and watching them grow.

Funny hair and gas problems

2009-11-01T21:19:00.001-08:00

Tai has the biggest rat in her hair, I have never seen anything like it. I cannot get it out. I am just going to leave it but I think my only option to get rid of it is to cut it. Although it looks like all of her hair is ratty, look closely at the top left that is where the big rat is.

Gotta love that funny face!

I just saw this and had a good laugh at Tag's hair.

Then I saw this and had an even bigger laugh. This is Tai about the same age as Tag is now.

And now for a funny story that happened to us this weekend....So there we are at the gas station and Mark is pumping. I let Mark know there is a sign that says "Pump does not automatically shut off". I am patiently waiting in the car and when I thought he must be done I take a look back at Mark and he is holding onto the hose and gas is blasting everywhere, it looks like a hose off of a fire truck just out of control. He could not get it to stop and keeps saying..."what do I do, what do I do?" Well, I get out of the car and run over to him, of course being sprayed by gas and take the handle and undo the latch and it stops. At this point we are covered in gas and there were gallons on the ground everywhere. I'll be honest, I was mad and I was sure that when I started the car we would blow up. I will forever remember the image of Mark holding onto the pump for dear life and that look of panic upon his face. Every time we think of it we crack up. Funny now, not then. Too bad I don't have a picture of that!

A beautiful evening

2009-10-17T22:34:00.000-07:00

Tai loves to go up to the mountains. Last evening she convinced me to go and I am glad we did--it was gorgeous.

Keeping busy...

2009-10-17T21:59:00.000-07:00

We are lucky Uncle Sky could come visit us Conference Weekend.

When your baby turns one you can get a free cake from Albertsons. Tai and Tag share the same birthday Oct. 7th so naturally they should share the same cake.

Tai wanted this Tinkerbell outfit for her birthday instead of the bike we were going to get her. It was so funny listening to how she really thought she would be able to fly. I was then sad seeing her disappointment and not understanding why she couldn't fly. "...but I have wings".

Sometimes Tag will wrestle this bear. Super cute.

Updating the blog is down on the list of priorities lately. Since I work now, it seems that my only free time is after the kids go to bed around 9:00. That's really when my day begins (at least my time alone begins). So, to my 3 readers of this blog, I apologize. Hey, I'm not complaining. I get to do what I love--be a mom and coach gymnastics. If only I could incorporate overseas travel every so often I would have the perfect life.

"There just aren't enough hours in a day" I have heard others say. This has never been me until now, and I like it.

This weekend Mark went to Shampoo-Banana. That's what the locals call Champaign-Urbana where the University of Illinois is located. He has to go to campus once a semester to meet in person with his professors and classmates. So far so good. He has only been lost one time so far compared to about 15 last time he was there in July. I am truly proud of him. He is becoming quite the traveler. He changed planes 2 times to get to Chicago and then had to find the right shuttle station and shuttle, he then met up with a total stranger who was hosting him for the night via http://www.couchsurfing.com/. Then he had to find where his classes were being held in random buildings on a huge campus. Then he had to find and walk to his hotel. Tomorrow he must find the right bus to the train station, take the train back to Chicago, (where at this point last July he almost go ran over by a bus), find a taxi to take him to another hotel then a shuttle to the airport the next morning. Whew! I find that kind of travel exhilarating, but for someone who is legally blind with Aspergers it is a lot to handle. That is why I am proud of him. He made it back in one piece last time and so far so good this time.

Do you remember? The 21st night of September?

2009-09-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

I didn't want to forget to post my favorite song on my favorite day of the year!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iknEJf9cPeY

Possessed?

2009-09-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

We just experienced the most horrible, horrible night. We were rudely awakened at 3:00am by a whining, yelling and I should mention almost 4 year old girl. I won't go into the details but I will just say what followed was 1 and a half hours of non-stop devilish screaming and thrashing. I am not exaggerating--non-stop, 1.5 hours. She was relentless. Just as I was concluding she truly must be possessed by an evil spirit. As she was taking a breath, I was able to sneak in, "How about we go see if the pigs are sleeping?" (yesterday we had stopped off on the side of the road to look at some pigs) She finally stopped. Just like that. If she was able to control her screaming I guess she wasn't posssessed after all. Or maybe the evil spirit she possessed calmed down in looking forward to joining the swine. In retrospect even she doesn't know why she acted like that. As I am writing this Tai is a sweet, polite angel. I don't get it? This happens at night about once every 6 months.

One Sunday Afternoon

2009-09-21T09:13:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago here in Utah the dedication of the Oquir Mountain Temple was broadcast to the stake centers. I went to the morning session and Mark to the afternoon session. It was here that I once again realized I am getting old. For the first time in my life I wished I had arrived early to sit on a soft bench. Although I enjoyed the dedication mentally/emotionally. I did not however in the slightest degree enjoy it physically. I couldn't sit still. I had to shift positions every 5 seconds. The chairs were so hard I couldn't believe it. Were these different chairs? No, the same chairs they have always been, yet they had never been so hard. I looked around to see if anyone else had a problem. Nope, not one wiggle from anyone else. I even considered leaving early it was so bad, but I stuck it out and now I understand when someone says "Let's go early to get the soft chairs" I get it. I am old. Plus, I now like olives and I never have before.
Here we are picking up Mark from the Temple dedication. It was a windy and lovely afternoon.

On the way home we stopped to see some horses...

...and a train

Then Tai built a tower...in all honesty I don't know if this is the same Sunday or not.

Then Mark built me a special message. I thought it was really sweet :)

Did you notice this does not look like our house? That is because we moved. We moved south about 20 min to Springville. I now can get to work in one minute flat by jogging then hopping the fence in front of our townhome. It is glorious! It saves at least 40 min. of driving a day, plus a whole bunch on gas. We don't need to drive anywhere. We have Walmart, Wendy's, Del Taco, a bank, our church, and a church family storage/cannery center just to mention a few all within walking distance. This makes it awesome for Mark. Plus, we don't have to do yard work, we have a huge grassy area connected to our back porch, a playgound, trails, a workout room and an indoor pool. I love our new place! The day after we got back from Mexico we decided to go look at this place, we signed the lease the same day and the next day we moved.
It was so fast! That made it sound so easy. It wasn't.

What a summer! Part 1

2009-08-23T17:08:00.000-07:00

Mexico was a dream...I'm pretty sure I will move there someday...

What a difference!

2009-07-15T22:26:00.000-07:00

Before:

After:

...much better :)

Remember Independence Day

2009-07-03T17:37:00.000-07:00

If you don't have plans for tomorrow why not celebrate our independence by putting our efforts towards trying to preserve our independence. Attend a tea party. There are over 1300 of them around the country. We will be attending the one in Orem. Click here to find the one near you: http://www.teapartyday.com/

All of us need to be involved to make a big enough difference to actually change things.

What's new

2009-07-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

Meagan and Mark update:

Here is what is new in our family. I went back to work coaching gymnastics at All-American. Then, only a few weeks into it another opportunity presented itself at another gym as the director of the girls team program. After much debate and in spite of not wanting to be a traitor, I decided to take the new job. I hope there are no hard feelings. It has been awesome so far. I love developing my own team. It is a growing gym w/out high levels (the highest being 7), so it is a wonderful opportunity for me to grow and develop the program and myself. It is a blessing that I am able to get 30 hours a week coaching, especially since Mark is starting grad school soon. He is going back to school to become a..........Librarian:). He actually wants to be on the computer systems side of librarianship, digitizing and organizing information. His program is at the University of Illinois- Urbana/Champaign. It is mostly an online program but will go to campus once a semester for a few days. He starts in a couple of weeks with a 10 day class at the University. The rest of us are not going so please pray for Mark to not get lost and especially pray for me to make it through with out him. (He helps a lot around here) It will be tough for both of us but we will be rewarded immedietly after with a trip to Mexico with my side of the family to forget all our cares. I can't wait.

Tai update:

I think she might be over her outragous moodiness. She has calmed down a lot in the last month or so. She is now a "good girl" more than not. She is still very independent. She loves to play outside in the sprinklers, garden (oh yah, we attempted our first garden), and with her friend Valeria from downstairs. She finally learned how to ride a bike with training wheels. She is an angel (behavior) at church and with the babysitter no doubt because she is shy. She can read and more impressively write. (small words, phonics style)

Tag update:

I am not liking his hair lately so tomorrow I will cut it like a normal boy cut. He just got over Roseola (something like that) and his rash is almost gone. He sure looked miserable a few days ago poor guy. He is an expert roller, a less experienced eater and a no experience bottle drinker. It has been a struggle with me working and having to rush home to nurse him. He has crawled a few times and frequently gets up on all fours. He still gets along well with Tai and prefers her over anyone. He gets the most excited when he sees the catepiller at the begining of Baby Einstein. It is so cute to see him kick his thunderous legs so hard. Mark said he rewound that part 20 times and Tag got excited every time.

In other news: I lost 25 pounds in 2 months AND found my first gray hair!

So now you know too much information.

Hyperinflation

2009-07-03T15:17:00.000-07:00

The last few months I have been doing some research on hyperinflation, the causes and effects. It is a scary subject but one in which we need to be aware because we are headed right for it. We don't know when it will hit but when it does it is too late to prepare for it. I will summarize my findings as simply as possible. The printing of money by a government without it being backed by gold is what causes hyperinflation. That is exactly what our government has been doing in the last decade or two, but there has been a dramatic spike in recent months where they have been printing trillions and trillions of dollars (as you probably are aware) with nothing to back it up. (If you want to know more on this problem and all about the history of the FED and even what lay in store for us in the future read: The Creature from Jekyl Island. It will blow you away.) Anyway, the effects of hyperinflation are devastating- money becomes nearly worthless. It can take thousands of dollars to pay for groceries. This has happened in many countries around the world. Brazil, Ecuador, The Weimar Republic and most recently Zimbabwe. In the Weimar Republic it was cheaper to burn money rather than wood because the price of wood was so high. True. It can happen to us too, don't think that the US is somehow immune. The best way to prepare? Stock up on food and supplies (enough for a long period of time) hmm, where else have we heard this? Also buy Gold and silver. There is a convenient store in LA who already accepts silver instead of dollars. If you have a lot of money and don't know what to do with it, I would suggest investing in gold and silver mining stocks, and agricultural stocks. That is what I would do if I had money, but we don't so we are trying to build up our food storage. I don't think we have much time. It could happen as soon as the fall. Good Luck.
There is no harm in preparing for the worst, but much harm in not preparing at all.

The Letter

2009-06-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

I missed Glenn Beck today. I usually get to watch it 2-3 times a week. I get his daily newsletter too. A lady from Arizona sent him a letter and I guess he read it on air today. I wanted to share it with you. This is how I feel too. A lot of us feel this way. Do you? Something is happening to "we the people" can you feel it? There is a new movement that I believe will lead us to a third party-- the Independent American party.

Here is the letter:

http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/26742/

The cutest laugh ever!

2009-06-02T20:18:00.000-07:00

Trip to Arizona

2009-06-02T19:40:00.000-07:00

Tag is holding the keys to our rental car that we took on our trip to Arizona. It was a nice new Nissan Altima that was a pleasure to drive. When we got back to Utah we still had an extra day to use it so we cruised around feeling pretty rich.

Grandpa Tom and Tai. Precious moment.

These guys loved the swings in grandpa and grandma's backyard!

I'm glad my mom was able to spend some quality time with her youngest grandchild.

After Sunday dinner, Luke started it off by laying on the living room floor, then one by one everyone joined perhaps so their food could digest better? Pictured: Isaac, Skyler, Tai, Shawnie and Luke.

We had a great time! I hope we can come back soon.

no readers

2009-05-31T21:33:00.000-07:00

Well since I can't seem to find the connecting cord hook up my camera and since I have very few readers I might as well post about some dumb random boring things:

1. I am tired of people using the word "swagger". Its like all of the sudden for the last 6 months or so EVERYONE is using this word. Don't get me wrong, I must admit I do like this word but I do not like everyone using it all the time. ...talk about trendy...

2. So, have you had the KIRBY vacuum people come give you a demonstration yet? We did on Saturday... I really didn't think it would take 3 hours either. But there we were at the end of 3 hours actually contemplating getting this incredible machine. I can't believe I was so close to paying thousands of dollars for a vacuum. But it was amazing! It can clean anything--carpets, beds, hardwood, tile, its a duster, a carpet shampooer and to top it all off an air compresser and treated my daughter to a yellow and pink balloon. How could we deny this thing. I must say though what actually got me to consider purchasing was when he demonstrated how it could clean the grout in my kitchen. I had started to think the grout was supposed to be black. But the Kirby turned the black to white. Incredible. Just think what I could do...I could "protect my investment" and make my home new again. Not to mention extend the life of my electronics and furniture (even though the KIRBY costs way more than all of our furniture and electronics put together). But even still, I considered it especially since after minutes of indecision led to reductions off the price little by little... and financing. In the end we could have got it for nearly $1000 cheaper than he first offered, quite a savings. But in those final moments of decision as we were discussing in the other room away from the sales rep, my husband did a very smart thing. He looked it up on ebay where we could get it brand new for 1/3 of the price. I did feel bad saying no after 3 hours of hard work by this guy, but I have to remind myself that HE took the risk and wasted 3 hours of our time too. So, now I am over it and glad we did not purchase... but that was a close one. Rest assured, one day I will buy you KIRBY, just not today.

3. One busy Sunday! Today was quite a busy day for us and I hope next Sunday can be a little more relaxed. Beware, this is really boring, I warn you now. It all started this morning when Mark had a preisthood meeting at 7:00am which meant I was alone in getting the kids ready for church by 9:00. I can do this no faster than 50 min. by myself so when the clock said 8:10 I knew I had to get up that second or I would be late. I met up with Mark on our usual bench (4th from the back on the right side) just as sacrament meeting was starting, complete with 3 big bags and carrying the car seat which weighs at least 100 lb by now. I got released from my calling in the Primary Presidency so it was sort of sad since I have been in over two years and I must say is the best calling ever. Meanwhile, Mark was being sustained as the new Elders Quorum President. It was a full day at church to say the least. When we got home we barely had time to eat some watermelon then I took Mark to choir practice from there he had to see the bishop for something and then went home teaching. He barely made it home in time for me to go visiting teaching (it is the last day of the month you know :) and I barely made it home in time to take him to a Stake Welfare Meeting and immediatly after that I met him back at the church to be there when he got set apart for his new calling. And by the way, that was an incredible experience and he was blessed with some beautiful things. By the time we got home it was around 6:30. We ate somewhat of a dinner and then I had to figure out a babysitter for tomorrow because I am going back to work! Yay for me. I am going to be coaching gymnastics-my favorite hobby in the world for about 4 hours every morning. I guess I'd better go to bed because it has been a tiring day.

Colorful Kids

2009-05-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

Everytime I carry Tag down the stairs we walk by Tai's room and when Tag sees it he starts kicking he legs in excitement and leaning towards the door like he wants to go in there. He LOVES to spend time with Tai.

Remember a few days ago when Tai picked the Tulips? Well, this time she and her friend picked the rest of them. UUGH! It made me so mad! We had a nice long discussion about this and put it this way, it won't happen again. (I guess it can't cause they are all picked!) They are beautiful though.

This is just the half of it. Let's just say it was on all parts. Tai obviously found my hiding place for the markers.

Futbol

2009-05-05T15:25:00.000-07:00

Cristiano Ronaldo

Tag's perspective

Today Tag and I were able to enjoy some of a futbol game: Manchester United against Arsenal (on TV). It just so happens Tag had on soccer socks so I had to take a picture and of course that picture led to this post. Anyway, people say that Cristiano Ronoldo is the best player in the world. I have to give a whole hearted YES to that one. Before I even knew who was playing as I flipped to ESPN 2 and saw players running around, one caught my eye with the most incredible moves and finesse like I've never seen in a soccer player. I said to myself- that has got to be Ronaldo, if not, whoever that player is- he will be my number one favorite player. Then 10 seconds later I saw him up close and sure enough-- it was him. If you don't like soccer- watch Ronaldo for a few and you will be a fan. Whether that be a fan of soccer or of Cristiano I don't know but it probably depends on your gender :)

Side note: I do feel a twinge of pride because Ronaldo is from Portugal and like most of you know I served a mission in Portugal. So he is more mine than yours :) (except for Luke- we take equal ownership, although Luke does probably deserve a little more than me say 60% since he was in Portugal during the last world cup (when Portugal was in the semi finals) and has a Ronaldo jersey...

PHEEENOMINAL!!!!

2009-04-29T08:01:00.001-07:00

American Idol last night was the best night in the history of American Idol in my opinion. Maybe that had to do with the theme Rat Pak Standards-- I love that stuff. There are 5 contestants left and all five are great singers. Usually there is a frontrunner and usually you know the one that should be voted off, but they are all spectacular right now! I think all 5 are going to make great albums.

Adam- I have talked about him before and his amazing upper range. He can scream like no one else can. He has ultimate control over his voice like I have never seen. He is definetly in it to win it and seems to have had a strategy all along. He is good. Real good.

Allison- This girl can sing like no other! She is only 16 it is hard to believe. She is a rocker but I loved her song last night. She can definetly sing a ballad. Nice sound. Love her...

Danny- Power soul. He puts his heart into the songs and SINGS them if you know what I mean. Reminds me a bit of Taylor Hicks (AI winner) but Danny is 10 times better. Great tone. Great voice. Amazing.

Matt- Personally I like him a lot. He can do runs that are interesting and difficult and not typical. I think he lacks a little polish and once in a while is slightly off pitch but I truly enjoy listening to him and will buy his album for sure. I think what Randy said at the beginning of the season is true he is like a Michael Buble' and Justin Timberlake combined. I like that vibe...

Kris- Nothing stands out about him. He just has a good, sweet voice suitable for an "unplugged" kind of thing. Its pleasing. No criticism. Enjoyable to listen too.

I think the finals should come down to Adam and Allison but Danny could sneak in there. But like I said. I like them all!

Catch up

2009-04-23T18:51:00.000-07:00

One day last week it snowed. Alot. The next day it was gone and hot. For the last two weeks I literally switched from the heater to the cooler in my car every day. One day hot the next day cold. That is spring in Utah for ya.

A nice neighbor of ours came over and trimmed our trees for us. It was so nice I felt like crying. Mark and I just can't and don't know how to keep up with everyone else's nice yard here. I look at our grass and say hey, thats pretty green compared to Arizona yards.

Tai insisted on carrying the big branches while Mark chose the small ones :). Actually Mark did work hard at moving all the branches to the front where it will be picked up next week during our neighborhood cleanup.

Good Job Mark! I have to catch a picture when he does outside work, cause Mark is an inside kind of guy and it makes me happy when he gets out of his comfort zone.

After I pulled out all of the stickers in the tires from last year and repaired the holes we were able to take our first family bike ride of the season and Tag's first one ever!

...on the tandem. Yes, I know folks, it is pretty funny to watch. Everyone stares, teenagers mock and adults laugh...but it is sure fun.

This was precious. Both zonked out for hours while watching Return of the Jedi. I passed on that movie.

Oops, Tai and her friend Valeria picked my lovely tulips so we decided to put them in this vase. The stems were short but it looked kinda cool like this.

Today, I sadly cut Tags hair. Of course he needed it, but I wanted to let it grow long like a native american. My dream is dashed.

Before.

After. Yes, I know it is lopsided. I will have to finish it later, the one pair of scissors we have were too dull, probably cause we use it on everything--paper, food, hair you name it :) I liked it long better:(

Annual Easter Egg hunt on the Tabla side. Tai is the one with the plastic bag for a basket. (she didn't notice or care about that luckily)

Easter dinner and egg hunt at cousin Ryan's who lives in Bountiful. Lindsey cooked a wonderful dinner and Tai loved playing with their 5 cute kids. We had a great time at the Smiths place!

I love this picture. This is at the Smiths. Love the couch, love the wall. Classic.

Here we are at the car repair shop getting a transmission flush. I finally found "my mechanic". He was a Peruvian race car driver and doesn't rip people off. Once I went to firestone when I had to get my brakes fixed, they quoted me about 600 and something dollars. I found my Peruvian and he did it for around $200. What a difference. They even give me rides home if I don't want to wait at the shop and they greet me by name when I walk in even though they don't speak English.

Kids just love farms, don't they? We spent a morning at Thanksgiving point farm where Tai enjoyed a horse ride and all the other farm animals, she especially loved feeding the goats.

Tea Party

2009-04-15T08:59:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about the Tea Parties that are happening all over the country? Are you disappointed with the way things are going in Washington and all the hypocricy? Today, on tax day thousands of people are gathering to STAND UP. Even though it is raining I will probably go to the one in Provo.

Here is a site for locations of Tea Parties today. This explains more about it too.
http://taxdayteaparty.com/teaparty

Here is another site I really encourage you to take a look at if you have an hour sometime to spare. It explains what is really going on with the government, lobbyists and pork. We all need to get informed on what is really going on instead of just existing in the "united states of entertainment" and being duped by those in power.

www.ourcaucus.com

There is another movement going on.....join in and let's make a difference!

Also, watch Glenn Beck weekdays at 5:00 Eastern, or DVR it.
www.glennbeck.com

Pics of the week- end of March

2009-04-02T22:21:00.000-07:00

Look who got some teeth last week.

My boys!

Tai was so proud of herself after she decorated the top of her bookshelf. She wanted me to come see all the "beautiful" items arranged. I like the salt and pepper shaker she stole from the kitchen the best and for some reason that monkey always makes me smile.

We attempted to play sorry with Tai. Normally, we can get one fair game in and play by the rules before she starts acting silly and moving the peices how ever she wants. It took intense concentration and all my might to keep us on track this time as Tai was acting silly from the begining. But then it all went to pot as I got a phone call and Mark was falling asleep so before we knew what happened it ended up like this.

Last Saturday I took the kiddos to a park up the canyon while Mark tried to get some taxes done....how silly to think he would be done when I got back. It seems our taxes get more and more complicated as each year passes. After hours and hours of more work they are still not done. Oh, to live the simple life again would be splendid.

American Idol Rant

2009-03-26T08:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have been really disturbed the last few weeks how no one is telling Scott McEntire the truth and now he thinks he is good! It is just not fair to him. Just because he is blind does not mean you have to be nice to him! He cannot sing! Let him stick to the piano but come on America, if he wasn't blind you know he wouldn't be in the top 10 right now, he wouldn't have even made it to the top 20. Finally, last night he received some critisism for "choosing the wrong song" code for you can't sing. As for the rest of them: Michael Sarver has got to go too. I already predicted a month ago that Adam Lambert would win it all- he is absolutely unbelievable. But Matt and Allison (she did Papa was a Rolling Stone and was phenominal) are unbelievable as well. I'll put them in the top 3. From there I'll go Danny Gokey, Lil Rounds, Kris, Anoop then Megan (I think she could be another Norah Jones, I love her interesting voice, but last night was horrible). I just had to get that Scott thing off my chest. If you don't watch American Idol, too bad for you.

Tribute to a sister

2009-03-22T13:10:00.000-07:00

Happy, Happy Birthday Mikelle dear, happy days will come to you all year, if I had one wish that it would be a happy, happy birthday to you from me.

My sister Mikelle is turning 25 (I believe) today. I will give 3 memories of her.

1. The infamous "door" incident. When she was a young kid she forgot to close the back door one time but claims that she did close it. It was such a stupid argument but we still argue about it to this day for I know that she left it open!

2. Mikelle used to get car sick easily. One time she was sitting behind me in the suburban on a trip. She started to barf and tried to catch it in her blanket but instead it bounced off the blanket onto me.

3. Mikelle was quite sensitive about things when she was little and being the loving siblings that we were we nicknamed her SF, (sensitive feelings). She was quite "sensitive" about that nickname. Now, however she is the furthest thing from "SF". I love how she is so "tough" and lets things roll off her back.

Mikelle I hope I didn't embarrass you! I think you are so awesome and admire you so much. You are a wonderful mother and sister and just a really good person. One of my favorite things about Mikelle is that "look" she gets when she is all serious about winning an argument-- I love that. :)

Pics of the week-March

2009-03-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

2 cuties

I have never heard Tai laugh so hard when she was putting these stickers on me, she thought it was hilarious.

It is awesome that our downstairs tenants have a 3 year old too! Valeria and Tai are about a month apart and are great friends. (notice our fence that fell down and the condition of our deck, they are just a few of the long list of items to repair at our house)

Mark likes to practice one handed peices when he holds Tag. Usually he will fall asleep. Good daddy!

The weather has been great the last few days. Tag has been a little cranky the last few days but I figured out if I stick him outside he calms right down.

Here is our mini-van. Not bad for $800.

We just got this jumper thing that Talmage seems to like.

Enjoying our first sunny day.

Awesome photography

2009-03-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

I came across this contest for a free photo shoot. She does beautiful photography, I hope I win!

http://lizzyphotos.blogspot.com/

You can enter too.

Hidden Treasures

2009-03-09T11:35:00.000-07:00

Look what I found! How many times did I look at this refridgerator magnet growing up? It is one of those things I didn't even know it was there but once I saw it again years later WOW it is sooooooo familiar.

About 6 months ago my parents moved to a new house. They were getting rid of their living room couches that were 30 years old but in incredible condition for being that old. I asked my mom if I could have them and thanks to their great neighbors they were delivered up on their next trip to utah. How could I let those couches go to someone who would never treasure them like I would? I was able to take a peice of that house with me. All of us kids were devestated about them moving and our childhood being ripped out from us. (except for Isaac who was more than excited to get the whole basement of the new house-practically a house in and of itself). Anyway, I was glad to see the familiar Japanese pattern of birds and flowers that is probably quite weird to everyone but our family. They look ridiculous or as my brothers would say "redunkulous" in our house but oh, the memories, and oh the comfort. I have never sat on a more deceivingly comfortable couch. Well, the other day Mark and Tai had a wonderful time digging deep into the cracks of that old couch and were able to find some great treasures from back in the day including pens, pencils, papers, money and... "Nurses are patient people".

Mom- Today Tai said, "I want to be a nurse when I grow up, I am going to be a nurse and a woman". She's going to make you proud!

Big Fat Mamma

2009-03-09T11:07:00.000-07:00

Before I forget, I want to write down something Tai said a few minutes ago when we were playing hide and seek. After she hid and I found her then it was my turn to hide. Tai innocently said, "Where do you think a big fat mamma can hide?" I laughed pretty hard.....but then it wasn't quite so funny anymore...

Less than a second long video

2009-03-03T15:10:00.000-08:00

Enjoy this for a split second:)

Top 5 TV shows right now:

1. 24 (started being a fan the 3rd season)

2. American Idol (not really too interested until the top 10 or so although I am a huge fan of Adam Lambert--one of the best voices I have ever heard, or at least the best screamer I have ever heard)

3. Glenn Beck (I have been watching since fall of '07 and now consider myself informed of the issues-- if you haven't yet seen it--you will, truly eye opening)

4. The Office (brand new fan as of this season, I didn't think I would like it but turns out I do)

5. Friday Night Lights (I don't know what it is but I got to keep watching)

I have now discovered HULU. Since we don't have Tivo this is great to watch shows at my convenience. www.hulu.com

Home life and bloody noses

2009-02-24T12:27:00.000-08:00

We have discovered that Tag's favorite person is Tai. Tai will say a silly word or dance around and can always make Tag laugh and sometimes belly laugh. It is so cute!

Here we were just playing around with the camera and I decided this is pretty typical...me trying to get Tai to do something and Tai just laughing in my face. Its either that or she throws a tantrum. Tai and I have similar temperments so sometimes it is quite a struggle. There are times though that she is an absolute angel and cleans her whole room without being asked or replying "Ok, momma I will obey you Ok?" when I ask her to do something. I love those times.

Good buds.

Tai picks out all her own outfits (several a day). Most the time they are quite adorable and she puts together things I never would have thought of. For the last several months I have not been able to get her to wear pants--she must wear a dress because she is a girl.

The other day she came out of the office with blood everywhere, all over her face, shirt and arms. She has never had a bloody nose before so I asked her what happened after I cleaned her up and she said she stuck a drum stick up her nose. I wish I could've seen that :)

In other news..........I found the camera! I was looking for something to wear on Sunday that actually fits me which brought me to the back of the closet where I never go and there is was. So now I can't decide which camera to keep.

On this day, 7 years ago...

2009-02-13T09:51:00.000-08:00

...I met Mark Elias Tabla. Do you know the story? 7 years ago today Feb. 13th we went on a blind date. Mark's sister Dawn who I worked with at All-American Gymnastics said that she could get me tickets to the "Light of the World" production up in Salt Lake at the time of the 2002 Olympics. I knew exactly who in my single's ward I wanted to invite, later however, Dawn told me she had forgotten that she had told her brother that he could have the tickets, so she asked me if perhaps we could go together. I was only a little disappointed and when she told me that her brother "was blind but a good converstaion" I suddenly forgot all about that other boy and became really excited. What could be more cool then a date with a blind person? So a few days later I picked him up and we drove to Murray, got on the trax to go the rest of the way to the conference center for the show. Here are some things I remember about that night: 1. I didn't know if I needed to guide him or let him do it on his own or whatever... I ended up holding onto his arm most the time and kind of guiding him...and liking it. 2. I was disappointed when I discovered he wasn't 100% blind and didn't need me to do that 3. It was the coldest night of my life 4. We heard the "Bare Naked Ladies" playing a concert in the background and when I told Mark who it was he got really embarrassed (because of their name) 5. We did have a good conversation the whole time. 6. We had hot chocolate at Krispy Creme after and then I took him to work (he worked night stock at Macy's grocery). 7. I remember feeling so refreshed going out with someone not like anyone else, so distant from the world, so innocent. He was intelligent, spiritual and not part of "the game" that I was so tired of. I had felt an instant connection with Mark that is hard to describe, like I knew this was not the end. It wasn't "I hope we end up together" but just a feeling inside me somewhere that said that we would.

This picture was after the production as we were walking around temple square. A sister missionary offered to take our picture.

We got engaged in July and this is sometime after that.

This is when we were dating.

One of the joys of my life since I met Mark is getting him to do "firsts". I have a list of over a hundred things that he has done for the first time with me. Our first blind date together was actually his first date ever. This picture shows when I got him to wear shorts for the first time, first time wearing a T-shirt outside (he only owned 1), first time with no socks and first time wearing a hat. I know this is hard to believe--but true.

First time riding a horse. We went to Nauvoo with my family and Mark was able to come with us. May 2002

I am so grateful for that day 7 years ago that brought us together. I am so proud of his efforts and growth. He is truly an amazing man with a noble spirit. I couldn't ask for a better husband and father to our children. He is an example to me in every way. I love you Mug!

Mom, this one's for you.

2009-02-10T12:59:00.000-08:00

My mom likes the videos, so this one is for her.

(sorry Mark...don't mean to embarrass you)

replacement camera

2009-02-10T12:09:00.000-08:00

Looks like the old camera is lost forever so we got a pawn shop replacement. Here are some pics:

Mark and Tag after church.

Don't you think he looks like a little boy here, not a baby?

Tai spent some time splashing in the rain puddles.

My hard working husband usually leaves for work before 7:00am and doesn't get home until about 6:30pm. On this rare occasion, after work, he was able to listen to a symphany all the way through (his passion is classical music). As a bonus, he was able to spend some quiet time with Tag.

Lost

2009-01-25T17:45:00.000-08:00

Well, I lost my camera:( Hopefully it turns up, but I searched everywhere. I am so sad. My gut tells me Tai threw it in the garbage can, and now it is long gone to the dump.

I will post a picture from the past.

This is a cute one from Christmas Day.

Here is some exciting news.....we got a MINIVAN! Wahoo. We got a steal of a deal $800 for a '98 Dodge Grande Caravan. After crowding in our small acura, I feel like we are living in the lap of luxury now. I would post a picture but...alas, no camera:(

Sleeping Heaven

2009-01-13T15:27:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to say what great sleep we have been getting around here lately. (I realize Tag is not sleeping in this picture, but he is at night!) Last night Tag slept from 9:45 to 5:45 ! 8 hours! I fed him then he went back to sleep until 9:00am. Hurray for me. The night before he went from 6:00 pm to 4:45am! I am liking this pattern. Tai is a different story...

Devil in the Dark

2009-01-12T13:57:00.000-08:00

When my husband Mark was growing up, he idolized Spock. He wanted to be just like him. He is a star trek fan but gratefully is not obsessed with it. I, on the other hand, have never been able to make it through on episode. Mark tries to tell me what great principles are manifest in Star Trek, I still can't make it through an episode (kinda like MASH-- I actually have tried and forced myself to watch it just to see if I could do it and I absolutely cannot do it.) Anyway, someone else in our family has come to love Star Trek now-- Tai. Mark and Tai will sit together and watch an episode and he will explain every little thing and all of the Treki terminology and it almost makes me cringe like Mr. Burns on the Simpsons. So now, Tai will come up and talk to me about Mr. Spock, or Khan? I don't know something like that... Then I have to call Mark at work to see what the heck she is talking about and what episode she wants to watch. I now know her favorite is "Devil in the Dark".

You can watch it here:

http://www.cbs.com/classics/star_trek/video/video.php?cid=619493214&pid=sXGta_VLpPHMNoetdJFpSkwxMVAWnXIn&play=true

Cooing Tag

2009-01-05T09:41:00.000-08:00

Learning how to copy sounds...

Christmas video

2009-01-05T08:55:00.000-08:00

These videos are for the benefit of those who sent Tai a present so you can watch her open your gift.

Gift from Grandma and Grandpa

Hat and gloves from g&g

Books from aunts and uncles

Books from grandma Alene

Santa now and then...

2008-12-23T10:26:00.000-08:00

This was then...one year ago.

This makes me laugh every time...Tai has come a long way...

This was today, boy oh boy was Tai excited to see Santa-talking about it for days and days but you would never know seeing her reaction when on Santa's lap.

This is when we first spotted him before he sat down.

A tid bit timid :)

She asked Santa for Barney, but he thought she said bunny. I wonder what Santa will bring her a bunny or Barney...

It was a fun experience except that I forgot the stroller and Tag was sleeping and I parked in the furthest spot possible and ended up having to carry Tag in his carseat across the whole mall. Are these things heavy for anyone else or am I just a wimp?

The weirdest thing...

2008-12-17T22:37:00.000-08:00

I had the weirdest experience the other day. You see, we are trying to find renters for our basement apartment. Upon advertising I got several responses via email. One of the names looked familiar and I thought I might have known him. So I googled his name to see if it was the person I was thinking of. Well, I came across his blog and it ended up not being who I thought. This prospective tenant was set to come see our place in the next few hours. I decided to look through the blog to get to know them better (the ultimate background check) I did feel weird snooping, but hey, it was an open blog and an interesting one too. So, I spent the next little while reading about all their fascinating adventures and personalities and what they ate last week, and their thoughts on this and that. Well anyway, this couple shows up and I open the door, and there they were-- those familiar faces that I had come to know so well over the last 1/2 hour. We had become friends now......and they had no idea! And then I didn't know how to act because I had this secret and I had to pretend everything was normal. So, I overcompensated and was kind of unfriendly. Anyway, I laugh thinking about it. But it is probably not that funny or weird unless it actually happens to you. So, all of us with open blogs--watch out, you never know who is reading it!

Oh no, here comes the snow!

2008-12-17T22:11:00.000-08:00

Poor Tai begged us to make a snowman and this is the result. It is the best one we have ever made. HA, HA true.

It was delayed a little this year, but we had our first big snow yesterday. I spent any free moment shoveling the snow off the driveway and sidewalks because I learned a big lesson last year. I didn't see what the big deal was in shoveling the snow, but I learned that if you don't, it gets packed down from driving and walking on it and then it gets slippery and it stays there forever because it takes so long to melt. Being from Arizona I had no idea. Go ahead and laugh at my idiocy (if that is a word). The lesson I learned this year is that shoveling snow is hard work, especially if your driveway is falling apart and not a smooth surface and if your shovel is too short. I don't even know if it is a snow shovel. We just found it.

The many Hair-do's of Tag

2008-12-14T17:27:00.000-08:00

check out this sweet tail spiffy

punk/he was also born with some good lookn' sideburns

just out of the shower

2001 look

slick

curly

grandma's special

spanky

blown to the wind

The one thing that everyone says when they see my baby for the first time is: "Look at all that hair!" Then some ask, "Don't you just love playing with it". And until yesterday, I just never really had.

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

2008-12-07T16:54:00.000-08:00

Precious!

One of Tag's favorite things to do is watch himself in this mirror, most of the time he is content there for 30 min or so. It is so fun to sneak and watch him smile and laugh at himself without him knowing I'm there.

All Smiles

2008-12-07T16:51:00.001-08:00

I'm glad we caught this cute smile :)

random pics

2008-11-20T07:54:00.000-08:00

Tai had fun decorating christmas cookies in halloween colors. (The word color is really looking weird to me right now) Does this ever happen to you?

How do you turn pictures to face the right way?

Tag was content in this little nook for a good 30 minutes while I got Tai ready for bed.

*You have probably noticed he has the same blanket in every photo. That is because it is so warm and soft and the perfect size and he is happier in this blanket than any other. Thanks Shawnie!

2008-11-11T13:19:00.000-08:00

pics of the week

2008-11-11T13:08:00.000-08:00

Our shaky attempt at a family photo :) Tai is our little cook. She insists on helping make everything. She also attempts to make things on her own when I'm not looking like "a pumpkin"--that consisted of dumping all of our spices into a bowl, stirring and adding water.

I'm zoned out watching the BYU football game with Tag.

Blessing Day

2008-11-03T10:31:00.001-08:00

It was great that my dad suprised us and was asble to be here for the blessing. Here he is holding Tag and they both fell asleep.

Of course he sleeps before and after the blessing, but during the blessing he was crying the whole time.

Halloween

2008-11-03T10:16:00.000-08:00

For Halloween Tai and Tag showed SUN DEVIL spirit. Tai an ASU cheerleader and Tag ASU's #1 fan. We went trick or treating at Meadow's work and later Mark's work. Tai got loaded with candy and loved being a cheerleader. Meadow even taught her some moves. (hands on hips, sharp clap, spirit sprinkles)

Tag is not enjoying this photo session...

Tag's growing too fast!

2008-11-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

Tag is getting fatter :) 2 weeks ago he was 9 lbs. something oz, so he's got to be at least 10 lb now. I looked at Tai's baby journal and at the exact same age she was 6 lbs. 11 oz, I didn't realize she was that small.

Another interesting fact from her journal is that she was waking up every 1/2 hour to eat at night. I said it was a great night if she only woke up three times.

This 2nd baby experience seems much easier than the first, that is a big part why. Also Tag doesn't cry nearly as much as Tai did. The other day he layed wide awake for an hour and didn't cry once, it was so weird. That never happened once with Tai...still hasn't.

Pics from the week

2008-10-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

Meadow came down from SLC one evening to hang out

Tai and dad are eating their dinner outside per Tai's request

If Talmage is being held then Tai must be held too.

Our cute little Tag

Halloween's com'n...

2008-10-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

Talmage!

2008-10-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

Talmage Elias Tabla
(5 days old)

I got a bunch of big purple splotches on my face after the delivery, I guess I am a champion pusher.

Meadow and Talmage
Grandma was able to come on Thursday and help us. Thank goodness for that. Thanks Mom!I was right, I did have the baby that day, well actually the next morning at 8:10 am. October 7th. So now Tai and Talmage have the same birthday! Our cute little guy that looks exactly like Tai looked when she was born weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz. and is 21 inches. We are blessed that Talmage is healthy and everything went great with the labor and delivery. His full name is Talmage Elias Tabla. The only negative is that I separated my symphysis or something like that so it is very difficult and painful to walk. I have to use a walker! and I don't know how long it will take to heal. But at least we have a healthy baby boy.

fun filled weekend

2008-10-06T10:01:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Tai had a birthday party at the gym. She invited all of her cousins and a couple of friends. Here is a picture of Tai with two of her nursery friends. She had the time of her life.

My mom and dad came up for my dad's mission reunion. They were able to visit us for a day. We went up the canyon to aspen grove and saw all the beautiful colors of the changing leaves. They were hoping I would have my baby while they were in town, but alas we were all disappointed.

Now this is a better picture of the reality of my belly. Here we are at the Wildflower Inn

October conference is my favorite weekend in the world. Listening to conference is better to me than Christmas. Also, Mark and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary on Saturday. A few weeks ago we took a 24 hour retreat to Salt Lake and went to the symphony and stayed at a little bed and breakfast that smelled like a grandma's house. They made the best breakfast I have ever had. The most delicious belgian waffle with fresh peaches on top. We also went out to eat at the Red Iguana and it was fabulous. We visited the Capitol this time instead of Temple Square since we have been there a hundred times. All in all it was such a refresher for both of us especially Mark since he has been working like a maniac.

The pledge of allegiance

2008-10-06T09:37:00.000-07:00

I was just sitting here at the computer and in the background I heard Tai saying some familiar words. I had no idea she knew the pledge of allegiance, well, almost. Yeah for pre-school! I guess that is where she learned it.

C'mon already

2008-10-06T09:33:00.000-07:00

Everyday I think today is the day I will have my baby. It never happens. But Today really is the day... so I'm just waiting for more pain to accompany the hundreds of contractions I am having... I guess I will post some pictures...

All about Tai, our almost 3 year old.

2008-10-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

First I will name the qualities Tai has that take after me:

1. Independent- I am grateful for this, she insists on doing everything on her own

2. Controlling- She has to have everything just the way she likes it, even down to what we say

3. Demanding- She wants it...

4. Impatient- ...now!

5. Coordinated- She can do handstands against the wall, headstands on her own, can catch ball

6. Timid in public, the opposite at home- loud and unreserved at home, covers her eyes in public until she gets comfortable with the situation (3 months)

7. Always knows exactly what she wants

8. Good sense of direction (she always knows where she is)- "hey look mom, there is so-and-so's house". How did she know that?

Here are the qualities she has that take after Mark:

1. Great memory- watch out, Tai will remember random things from a year ago in vivid detail

2. Verbally advanced- she has a better vocabulary than me, but I guess thats not saying too much

3. Has Mark's taste buds/loves vegetables and adult foods

4. A little cautious at first (differs somewhat from Mark because he is greatly cautious always)

5. Smart- Tai can spell and write her name forward, backwards and upsidedown. She knows all her letters and the sounds they make.

Here are some of Tai's favorite things to do

1. Change her clothes a hundred times a day

2. Get into her leotard and do gymnastics- her favorite is bars and she loves to be upsidedown

3. Play catch

4. Cook

5. Clean

6. Go to Baseball games- we went to several Orem Owls games this summer. Fun!

7. Sing by herself when she thinks no one is listening

8. Climb trees

9. Draw on her chalk board and paint with water colors

10. Play chess with dad- she knows how to identify all the pieces and where they go but not the moves yet

11. Go to other peoples houses- she doesn't like being cooped up in our house.

12. Cut up magazines

Fun with markers

2008-09-18T15:50:00.001-07:00

On Sunday I found Tai painting her toe nails with permanant marker. Later I found that she had written her name on her arm. Beautiful. She knows not to do it but just can't help herself. I said "Is writing on yourself good or bad? She said, "bad". I said,"Why", she said, "because our bodies are temples". I made her attempt to wash it all off and then put her in time out. 2 hours later...it happened again. I guess I made it too easy by forgetting to put up the markers. Plus, I couldn't hold back my laughter when I saw it for the first time, which probably made her do it again. I've got a lot to learn!

POP ROCKS

2008-09-18T15:50:00.000-07:00

I was so happy when I found this plastic egg with pop rocks inside up in the cupboard. Who knows how long it was in there! After trying some myself, I knew I wanted to see Mark have some. If you know Mark, you know he would never in a million years put something like this in is mouth on his own. Even as a kid he just does not do this type of thing. He doesn't even chew gum. I'm glad I thought of catching a video of it...

I get so much happiness from watching Mark experience things for the first time.:)

2008-09-05T15:30:00.000-07:00

Well this is interesting. I wanted to take a picture of my belly to show just how huge it is and for once the camara took off 40 pounds. I don't get it cause in real life I am seriously 3X bigger. I'm due in October and have never weighed so much in my life! Today I actually got the urge to get in shape (these urges don't come that often in my recent life). After the baby, I think I might make a come back to the great sport of gymnastics :) and follow in my hero Oksana Chusovita's footsteps. (I picked her as my favorite gymnast after the 1990 goodwill games, which I watched on video literally everyday for years to come, and lo and behold she is still going strong just competing in her 5th olympics. This is unheard of in gymnastics!, no, I don't think you understand, this is unbelievable!)

Preschool

2008-09-05T15:14:00.000-07:00

Tai started preschool this week. She is wearing Mark's backpack that is bigger than her. I'm too cheap to buy a little one for her. Sorry Tai. She is the youngest one in her class of mostly 4 year olds. She absolutely LOVES it! She comes home wired telling me all about it and is in the best mood ever for hours. I don't think she has ever been so happy for so long. If you know Tai, you know she is moody (like her mom). Only one pitfall is that she doesn't want to take a nap now.

day trip

2008-09-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

Today Tai and I took a little trip up the Sundance ski lift. I was a little nervous taking Tai, but she wasn't the least bit concerned. It was great. Nice weather... a little chilly at the top. We ate cantaloupe and went for a small hike at the top. Tai didn't want to leave.

Images from Mexico

2008-08-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

Tai and Hallie

Daddy and Tai
Sky and the girls
My mom and me

news

2008-06-20T11:16:00.000-07:00

Well, if you didn't know already...

Tribute to COLD SORES !!

2008-04-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

To all of us who get cold sores... this one's for you. It all started last Saturday night while reading the Ensign...tingle, tingle... what was that? Did I just feel my lip tingle? Nah, it couldn't be, it was too insignificant to really be the beginnings of a cold sore, I said to myself. But what if it is? Nah, I don't think so. A lesson I have learned over and over: IT IS A COLD SORE, stupid!! Believe that insignificant tingle, danget. I went to sleep and that was it. Too late for preventitive measures...nothing can stop it now. Sure enough, the next morning, BOOM, it was there, and it was about to make its statement to the world. Prideful cold sores just got to show off don't they.

This particular cold sore was rather mild however. It lasted about a week, with the growing phase only a day and a 1/2. The picture shows it exactly one week after I first felt the tingle.

I was lucky. Could have been worse, much worse. Like the time I was 11 and on our way back from a vacation in Utah. I got 5 monsterous ones on my top lip and 4 huge ones on my bottom lip... all at the same time. You know, the kind that swell up and get hard. That was the worst time of my life I think, walking out into public as this hideous thing and everyone just kind looks away real quick... too grotesque to stare. I wish I had a picture of that. And of course my mom downplays it like it is no big deal...just put on some carmex. My theory has been Carmex is what gives me cold sores in the first place!! Only later did I realize I was contaminating every Carmex I bought, so if ever used it with out having a cold sore, my contaminated Carmex would give me cold sores every time.

So, to all of you who do not get cold sores. You just don't understand what our little cold sore family goes through! We still love you... but you will just never understand :)

Could it finally be spring?!!

2008-04-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

Today is the best day of my life! After 6 long months of being uncomfortably cold... It is warm outside!! And to think, I used to think the 60's was cold, now it is heaven. Actually, it might have reached the 70's today. This nice weather came just in time because I said to myself, if I have to go through one more cold day I am moving back to Arizona immediately, no matter the ramifications.

We found these amazing flowers in the backyard. They are perfect! Now we are just waiting for the tulips I planted last fall to bloom out front. We will see if it happens... I have never planted anything in my life until those tulips.

Our Orem House

2008-04-12T18:45:00.000-07:00

Here's the pictures of our Orem house before we moved in. (It's substantially more cluttered now). We've lived here since Feb '07. The screen shots are of our living room w/ fireplace, our little kitchen, our drafty attic-turned-bedroom/bath, and the house from the street view of course.

A few pics from Easter

2008-04-09T13:24:00.000-07:00

Here's pictures taken at Mark & Rebecca Wagner's house at Easter. Sorry, I don't know how to flip this. Mark and Tai

A bunch of cousins after their Easter Egg Hunt.

2008-04-09T13:12:00.000-07:00

Hard to say good-bye

2008-04-09T12:59:00.000-07:00

Tai will miss her cousin and best friend Elizabeth. Her family moved to San Antonio this weekend. We will truly miss them! But I'm glad Elizabeth gets to be with her daddy now who has been in the military since September.

This will be tough on Tai. Although I have explained that Lizzie moved far away, I don't think she quite gets it. This is a girl who cried everytime Lizzie even left our house for the day. It has been awesome for Tai to have such a good friend and example.

2008-03-07T15:14:00.000-08:00

Well, we only have old pictures on this computer to upload... here is a random one... this is Tai and I have no idea when it was, sometime when we were living in St. George. That wasn't too hard to do. More to come later.

"wha?"

2008-03-05T10:14:00.000-08:00

Mikelle just informed me that she saw my blog even though I didn't send the link to anyone. I was like "wha?". I didn't know people have been looking at my post. Well, I guess I really will do this thing then.

My sister made me do it!

2008-02-10T20:40:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone! I suppose I too will join the blogging world (reluctantly). But perhaps there are one or two of you out there that would like to know I am alive and not a hermit (as I prefer to be). My next step is to figure out how to post pictures so that it won't be too boring around here...