"The Girls"

Halle & Taya are great friends. We were hoping it would happen and it did. Who knows how long it will last (hopefully a lifetime). Life has never been sweeter in our household. It's really fun to refer to our kids as "The Girls". I always thought I'd have boys....who knew?

We've also been giving a little more attention to our "First Girls" lately. Sunday night we visited St. George's first dog park. It was recently completed and looks to be a real hit with all the local dog owners. It was a little bit rainy and windy so Natalie and Taya stayed in the car while Brandon and Halle took TT and Ellie Bell into the park. The dogs LOVED it, so we'll try to make the dog park a weekly outing. Then yesterday, all six of us went on a walk. We were gone about an hour and Natalie is learning what pushing two kids uphill in a stroller is like. YIKES! All we have here are hills, so hopefully that baby belly & butt will be outta here quick. On the way home we walked through our neighborhood park where we encountered the funniest thing we've seen in a while. We didn't even know Ellie liked to swim or was even boyant. As soon as she saw a duck in the pond, she was after it. The duck looked like he was enjoying the swimming chase but never let Ellie catch him. He swam just fast enough to keep two feet infront of Ellie. The poor beagle wouldn't give up so we had to call her back to shore so she wouldn't drown. We were all laughing so hard we could hardly speak on the way home. Next time we do the dog/pond thing, I'll bring the camera so we can get some video.

Baby Taya!

Yep, she finally came! We know, a week and a half early isn't bad.... no one's complaining around here. Taya Regene was born June 23rd at 4:00pm and weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz. and was 19 in. long. Labor was a breeze this time around! There aren't too many women who can say that so we feel lucky.

Taya has been a delight from the very moment she was placed in our arms. We feel so blessed to finally have her with us. Halle even loves to hold her, kiss her forehead, and count her toes.

Potty Girl

So, the big change in our lives here is potty training. Halle finally decided to take it on and is in full potty mode. She loves that she gets a goody if she goes. We didn't plan on this happening before Baby Taya's arrival, but are welcoming it with open arms. Who wants to have 2 kids in diapers - 1 is enough for me, thank you.

We're still on target for the 4th of July. The Doc said she's measuring about a week large but didn't want to change the due date. Of course, in my mind I'm planning/hoping for an early arrival. Brandon will be in Chicago next week for some IT training, so we've told her not to come that early. Halle's kiddy pool just wasn't fun enough without a slide, so we pulled the slide off of her castle and made it work. When she saw it, there was no time to put on a swimsuit. Halle and cousin Mackie had a blast that day.

Memorial Weekend

Another great weekend has come and gone. Shara and Justin's family came to visit. The kids played 24/7....park, frogs, horses, bunnies, bumper boats, miniature golf, big wheels & bikes, bubbles, fire pit, and even on the X-Box, (kids pictured above). The weather was a little on the cool side so not a lot of outdoor water activity, like we're used to around here. The time together was a blast and hope we can get together again soon.

5 weeks left and counting. The time is drawing near and the aches and pains are in full swing. I don't know how many times in the day I have to ask Brandon to do something. It's really getting on my nerves, but he doesn't seem to be bothered. What a great guy!! Baby Taya is measuring 6 days large but the doc doesn't want to change the due date. We wouldn't mind if she came a week or two early.

Halle surprised mom today by reading a book from front to back before her nap. She has a few that she's memorized now. What a smart gal! Due to my Usborne Book party, she'll have 19 more books to memorize. Can't wait!!

7 weeks left.....

We're finally nearing the end of this pregnancy. Wha hoo!!! Tomorrow will mark the 33rd week, with 7 weeks to go. All three of us have agreed on a name for our little one. We've decided on Taya Regene. We are so very excited to meet her and get to know her.

Last weekend Shara held a dual baby shower for me and Jamie in North Salt Lake. Jamie's baby is due just two weeks after ours. It was so fun to spend time with all the ladies in the family again. However, it was hard to be away from Brandon and Halle for a couple days. While Mom was in Salt Lake, Dad and Halle drove to Lake Powell to be with Mr. B and Craig's family. The main event was a car show and Mr. B's Benz won 3rd place in the whole show!

Spring time fun

It's definitely getting hot here, so once a week we head towards water. Stephie and Mackie meet us at the Townsquare water park every Tuesday afternoon for lunch and water play. It's becoming a favorite place for kids and parents alike because of all it's amenities. There's a splash pad, a water walk with rocks, water falls, a water garden, room to run (for Halle's enjoyment) and of course, SHADE.

We just returned from another fabulous trip up north. Luckily, this trip there was no snow and the trees were even in bloom. We stayed at Nana's, Mac's, and GG's and had a blast from the get-go. We were fortunate to look out the window Monday morning to see a heard of eleven dear in the yard. They didn't stay long so we enjoyed every minute they were there. Halle and Morgan loved prancing around in Nana's dress-ups, getting into trouble in the pantry and riding the elevator-- giggling all the way. Nana and Mac were also nice enough to allow me to hold a get-together with my girlfriends from highschool. The kids were invited too so as you can imagine it was a whirlwind night of fun, food and craziness. What a wonderful opportunity it was to get together with my gals again and especially meet their kids.

New to Blogging

So, I finally caved and decided I was savy enough to have a blog. Why not? Everyone else has one. Hopefully I'll master this soon and become a pro like all those before me. I promise I'll do my best at keeping you all informed about our Boulter Bunch of five - soon to be six. And yes, we always count the dogs.