Clearly, My Last Post Was Premature...

Since I've moved to St. Louis, half the people I meet try to convince me that the weather this year is abnormal. This summer they said "this is unusually hot" and now they say "we haven't had this much snow in years." At this point, I think everyone from St. Louis are either liars or are in a conspiracy to defraud us new-arrivals on the harsh Midwest weather.


Needless to say, the weather has not improved. In fact, yesterday we received 5 inches of ice and 2 inches of snow. Granted, it doesn't compare to the 20 inches of snow other parts of Missouri got, but 5 inches of ice is not fun.


Now that I've gotten my frustration on our weather out of my system, on to Spence updates! Spence was horribly sick last week - double ear infections and croup. He had to take breathing treatments which he diligently did after the doctor convinced him he was really being a fireman.

Fortunately, Kiki and Nana arrived just in time to help out and make Spence well. They played, watched Buzz and Woody's Story (Toy Story), and visited the Butterfly House after Spence felt a little better. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures! Jarrod and I got a great date night on Friday thanks to the visitors. And, mom and I got an evening to ourselves as well. All in all, it was a great 5 days with them. I, especially, appreciated all the cleaning/laundry they did!

Kiki and Papa come again in two weeks to babysit while Jarrod and I go to New Orlean's for Becca's wedding. We're very excited because Jarrod has never been to New Orleans and I get to see all of my Vandy friends!

Hope everyone is staying warm. Love from Fargo (or at least, might as well be...)

Snow, Snow, and More Snow

Now that I've been assured people read my rantings, I guess I'll post something else! :) I now realize that St. Louis has 4 months of beautiful weather (2 in the fall, 2 in the spring) and everything else in between is misery. We had 10 inches of snow this week followed by a dash of ice and 4 degree temperatures. Spence's daycare closed for the 3rd time in 20 years but, fortunately, so did my office. Working from home proved difficult as, by the time my conference call ended, Sadie was covered in apple juice, Mr. Potato Head was missing both ears, and Spence had put on his 3D glasses and was giggling trying to walk up and down the stairs.


For Christmas, Jarrod wanted a new TV. A 3D one was ordered - and then, based on our better judgement, cancelled and replaced with a normal (2D) TV. It was then delivered - in the snow. To say it was a monstrosity was an understatement. I took a picture for Jarrod and after some negotiating that, too, was returned. We're now on our 3rd TV and it's about the only thing we've accomplished the past two weeks.




Spence has been sick and has only slept completely through the night once since we moved. I'm hoping it's just his adjusting and it'll soon go back to normal. He still loves to sing Christmas Carols (his favorite being Away in a Manger). Here was my attempt to film him - and it wasn't his best effort! :)

Kiki and Nana (my grandma) come to visit tomorrow. Spence is excited (as am I). However, no one try to call me tonight as I'll be frantically cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming Sadie's hair, and scrubbing my floor boards (okay, not really) in an effort not to be judged. The dang cleaning lady is avoiding my calls! Anyway, we miss everyone and would love visitors. We now have a guest room - which I think is quite charming - and plenty of room. Love to all!

I'm Not Sure Anyone But Me Reads These....

Although I mainly started this blog for my family (and close friends), I'm starting to think I'm the only one that reads them. Jarrod said he didn't know I had a blog and my mom and dad are consistently asking me "How do I get to that again?" At this point, I'm pretty confident this is like my own private journal. I actually thought about doing a FAKE post announcing a FAKE pregnancy...just to see if people listened but I realized that was troublesome and borderline psychotic.

Okay - back to actual happenings with the Taylor Trio. The past two weeks have been an adjustment. Spence is wearing us out with his constant whining and tantrums. Kiki + Papa = 1 long visit/year max or else Spence and I might have to separate ourselves. Between all the whining and fit-throwing, he does have his moments of pure sweetness. :) He loves "family hugs" and "family kisses" and tells us daily how much he loves us. He's been a daddy's boy the past few weeks - only wanting Jarrod for each and every thing. I think if I had a cooler car - he might like me better!

Jarrod and I booked a trip to Australia over Thanksgiving. We're going to visit his best friend and his wife in Sydney (plus a couple side trips). We're super excited and pleased that both tickets were booked with frequent flier miles!

Other than that...we're just unpacking (so boring). Oh - Jarrod did hook up the gas dryer himself this weekend and so far, no carbon monoxide poisoning to report. I saw that's an accomplishment!

Love to all who read....or maybe to just me.... ;)

Ready for 2011

Our lives have been so frantic lately, updating the blog has not even made the to-do list. However, for the first time in months, I feel that I have a few minutes to write...so I will! The title of this blog is appropriate given the incredibly blessed yet devastatingly difficult (I feel like those often go together) year we've had.

Obviously, the difficult involves loss: loss of grandparents we all loved and miss daily and loss of friends/family in Huntington. The blessings, however, have continued: Jarrod loves his new job, Spence is thriving (hilarious, fun, insightful, SWEET, curious), and we were fortunate to rent our house, sublease our apartment, and move into a new home.

In this week alone, I flew home to Huntington for my grandfather's funeral, we packed up our house, purchased a new house, moved into a new house, got a Christmas tree (on Christmas eve), shopped/wrapped presents, unpacked our new house, celebrated Christmas with family, drove Spence to Indiana for the drop-off with Kiki and Papa, and I'm sure much more. We are exhausted - needless to say. We will top off the week, with a drive to Huntington for the New Year's weekend.

After all the ups and downs this year has brought, I am definitely ready to ring in the new year. Jarrod and I have a lot of goals for 2011...here's hoping we keep them! :) In closing, I end with two of our favorite things from the holidays: Jarrod's favorite thing is a quote from 30Rock (which he now wants to use on our Christmas card next year).. "Terrorists say Happy Holidays. Merry Christmas from the Taylors." And, my favorite thing: a picture of Spence enjoying his new Jeep, his Woody cowboy hats/boots, and his Thomas the Train sunglasses. What more could a little boy (or people responsible for marketing name-brands to children) want!

Am I Allowed to Do a Post About ME????

Well....not really about me as about The Taylor Trio. Since the majority (if not the entirety) of my blog focuses on Spence, I wondered if it was appropriate to talk about the Trio generally. Guess so, 'cause here goes.

We bought a house! After trying in vain to sell our house in H'town for almost 6 months, we broke down and rented it. With that all cleared up (I know dad, we're still not off the hook), we decided to pick up house hunting. We've looked on-and-off since we moved but two weekends ago, we really went for it. We probably saw 15 houses in 2 days. Our poor realtor, right. Well, the very last house that was listed as "#5 of the see if we have time" turned out to be the one. It's move-in ready and has great bones. Spence keeps saying "Mommy and daddy buy this for me?" Which, I guess, is true.

This past weekend, I went to San Antonio with my girlfriends from Vandy (minus Morgan - we missed you!) to celebrate Becca's upcoming nuptials. It was tons of fun and consisted mostly of sitting around in our PJs, talking, and drinking wine. Jarrod and Spence had a daddy/son weekend which I think consisted mostly of PJs, playing, and drinking coffee & milk.

We're excited for Thanksgiving and seeing familiy & friends. After that, it's crunch time as we plan to try to move right before Christmas. I know, I'm crazy.

Halloween Blues

This past weekend we were able to make a very quick trip to Huntington because we FINALLY rented our house out! We're very excited because, at this point, we're not sure how much longer we can live in this duplex and maintain our sanity.

The trip was great. Friday, I was able to catch up with a lot of old friends including my former stay-at-home Panera bunch and my Huddleston Bolen girls lunch group. Plus, I was able to spend time with Carly, Madison, Jessi, Jill, and Sarah. Lots of friend time - something I've needed since we have 0 friends here (okay, that's not true - I have 1). :) In addition to friends, we were able to see all the great-grandparents and spend lots of time with Papa and Kiki. I regret that we didn't get a chance to see Hunter, Jeanne, and Sawyer - but I'm thanksful they'll be in Huntington for Thanksgiving! I need to kiss those dimples!

We got home Sunday afternoon and did a quick trick-or-treat that night here in St. Louis. Spence was, as you can see, a pumpkin. He did the obligatory "trick or treat" to a few neighbors, but then said "can I have macaroni and cheese now." Needless to say, we went to 2 houses and called it a night. About 8 p.m., Spence started to run and fever and now he has full-blown hand, foot, and mouth disease. He has to stay out of daycare for a week and he's pretty miserable. Jarrod and I are ulternating staying home...hence, I'm updating my blog! :)

Below are some pictures from our October, including the pumpkin patch (and the train he cried on - which he continues to discuss daily), seeing Carly's baby Brynn, and his costume.

This is my favorite age....

I've been delaying posting anything until I can get more pictures uploaded. However, that clearly hasn't happened. So, I'm giving a boring text-only update with the goal of posting pictures soon.

We've had a busy month filled with pumpkin patches, the zoo, a fishing trip, and lots of other fun. First, we went to Bennett Springs, MO with Jarrod's parents for the weekend. Dick and Jarrod fly fished while the rest of us watched and played by the river. It was gorgeous but funny. In WV, you can find miles of trout streams without a single person. Here, you had to make sure you had enough shoulder room between the person beside you to cast. Slightly less relaxing but gorgeous nonetheless. Spence's favorite thing had to be helping Jarrod start the campfire and making S'mores! : Okay, maybe that was my favorite thing too!

Then, the next weekend, we went to a pumpkin patch. This is no Milton, WV pumpkin patch. This is the Pumpkin Festival without the horrific crafts. They had animals, bounce houses, tractors, face paint, a miniature train, and, of course, pumpkins. We picked out our pumpkin and then made a decision that has apparently scarred by child for life. There was a small train attached to an ATV that gave the kids rides around the farm. Spence said he wanted to go, even after I explained that mommy and daddy couldn't ride with him. We put him in the train and off it went. As it pulled away, Jarrod and I thought it looked like he was fighting back the tears. The train went around the farm and I ran up by the road where they swung back around to take a picture. I saw Spence swing around the turn, still buckled tightly in his train - not a tear in sight. So, I yelled "Spence! Look at mommy!" and the tears gushed. He sobbed, he hugged, he shook...he was terrified and clearly only held it in as long as he could. Some 3 weeks later, he continues to daily say "I cry on the choo choo train because mommy and daddy weren't there." Yes, it's the first of numerous things we will do to our child that will one day be explained to his psychiatrist.

Finally, last weekend we took a quick trip to the zoo. That is one amazing thing about being in a city with so much to do. Since we're members of the zoo, everything is free - parking, trains, entrance. So, we can go for an hour or two and leave! It's really perfect.

We're still trying to get settled. The church we had decided on doesn't have the small groups we were looking for - and we're therefore disappointed to be on the hunt again. Jarrod and I are going to the Mizzou v. Oklahoma game on Saturday which Jarrod is thrilled about. I am excited about hitting up a supposedly beautiful winery for a little wine tasting on the way to Columbia.

Missing everyone dearly and excited to see those people in Huntington next weekend! :)