Great weekend visitors!!

We were so excited to find out that Uncle Nick and Aunt Denise or "nise" (as Rhaegan calls her) were going to be in town on Saturday. They had been in St. George with Denise's family and then were here on Saturday and left for home today. We got to spend pretty much all day Saturday with them. Rhaegan was a little shy at first but eventually warmed right up to them and was actually sad when we had to say goodbye. She kept asking "where's Nise? Where's uncle Nick?" She really loved them but who wouldn't. Thanks for the short but fun visit you guys!!

I of course forgot to take pictures of them with Rhaegan while they were here so I had to use some from the past. This is last Christmas with them.

North Carolina 2006 are both the top and bottom photos.

We love you guys. Hopefully will see you soon!!

Taylor Family Trip

Last week was the Taylor family's annual summer trip. This year we all spent the week in beautiful Sun Valley, ID. For those of you who haven't been there it is absolutely breathtaking. There are great biking and walking trails, a huge outdoor heated swimming pool, ice skating (outside), and much much more. We had two condos we rented. So half of us stayed in one and the other half in the other. All of Shae's brothers brought bikes for their kids to ride around so if you didn't know us and you stumbled upon our condo one day you would have thought you we are a bike shop. Rhaegan had a great time with her cousins and it took no time to warm up to everyone. Two of her cousins (Cullen and Chase) were so nice to her and always wanted to help her do things. It was so cute to watch.

Grandma was in heaven having her grand kids all together. This of course was one of Rhaegan's favorite things; reading with Grandma, Madison and Atalya.
Papa was enjoying playing Sequence Jr. with the little ones. It a really great game. Rhaegan picked it up in no time and her 7 year old cousins enjoyed it too. It's a game for every age.
Every morning Aunt Julie (Atalya's mom) did Rhaegan's hair. Atalya always has beautifully styled hair so Rhaegan of course wanted it too. When I want to do her hair it's a major fight but she loved having her aunt make her look a pretty.
One of the days some of us decided to wake to the nearby town of Ketchum for some milk chocolate and caramel covered apples and ice cream cones.
Rhaegan then got to ice skate for the first time. This ice skating rink is outside even though it was 85 degrees out. They must spend a fortune keeping it frozen. Rhaegan loved it!! She wanted to keep going around and around. Shae's back was killing him since he had to bend over and hold her but he said it was worth it. What a great dad.

There are more pictures to come. Stayed tuned!!

Worst Fear Realized!

So last Saturday was a pretty normal day. Rhaegan was unfortunately sick but she wasn't too bad. We went about the day running errands, taking Rhaegan to the carousel at the South Towne Mall, and preparing for our ward movie night, which we were in charge of. It was a busy day and Rhaegan was exhausted by the end of it. She went to bed at around 8 and we didn't hear a peep out of her all night. So....at about 745 the next morning I go into her room to make sure she was okay (she had had a high fever all day so I was a little concerned). I open her door and I notice that she's not in her bed. Not a problem, she's probably out in the living room or in the pantry finding something to eat. Nope!!! I look for about 4 minutes and can not find her. By now I am panicking. I run into the bathroom and tell Shae that I can't find Rhaegan. Of course he starts to freak out and jumps out of the shower to come help me find her. I was sure that someone had come into our house and taken her. I started crying and calling her name, but no answer came. I went back into her room and decided to look in her closet (which by the way is small and full of stuff. No way she could fit in there). Well....I was wrong. There in a little ball on top of her shoes was Rhaegan, sound asleep. I grab her and of course wake her up leaving her confused and wondering what the heck is wrong with my mom. The weird thing about it, though, was that the closet door was completely closed. It wasn't ajar at all. She had some how squeezed into that tiny space and had enough room to close the door behind her. We asked her why she was in her closet and her reply was, "cause I was crying at the door and no one came." I'm not sure what that meant but at least she's safe. I think I might have a sleep-walker on my hands!

Phoenix 2008 (Part II)

The picture enjoying continues...

On Thursday we decided to head over to Pamma's house (Kate's mom) for a little dip in the pool. However, Rhaegan decided that the pool was too cold so the swing was the next best thing there. Luckily Tyson and Sam had a great time in the water.

Grandma knew just how to become the favorite when she bought these fun little sprinklers. Rhaegan again thought the water was too cold and I think the little "worms" shooting water at her probably didn't help. It is a great toy though.

"Operation" was another daily activity. I think I ended up playing it 10 or 12 times. I should really think about becoming a surgeon.

This adorable picture was a must!! My mom wanted a picture of all 4 grand kids and her so on Monday (the day Rhaegan and I left) we quickly put together a little photo shoot. My mom sure is lucky. Look how cute they all are!!

And finally, this was what we came home to on Monday. It was raining and when the rain stopped this beautiful rainbow appeared. The colors were so vibrant. I had never seen one quite like that.

Phoenix 2008 (Part I)

Last weekend Rhaegan and I flew down to Phoenix to spend the weekend with my brother's family. Q and Kate were going out of town for a wedding and so we stayed with their two boys. I don't get to see them much so I was super excited to be there. Rhaegan also thoroughly enjoyed herself. She was a little high maintenance the first day, maybe because of the new place and being over-tired, but after she got more comfortable with her new surroundings she was back to her old self. She bonded immediately with her two cousins as you can see from the picture below. They thought a wrestling match was in order the minute we got home from the airport.

After Q and Kate left we filled out days with walks to the corner gas station for Icees and 44 oz Diet Cokes.

(My mom with Rhaegan and Sam)

Their dog Trigger was a huge hit with Rhaegan (and of course me). He reminded me a lot of my old dog Cody. Rhaegan loved sharing her meals with him.
Then on Saturday we had Sam and Tyson's soccer games to go to. They are both so good at soccer even when it's 100 degrees outside. As you can see my mom was a little uncomfortable with the extreme heat.

From day one ice cream was the only thing on the menu for the kids. Rhaegan didn't even like ice cream until this trip. She always thought it was too cold. But when you're offered it for breakfast who in their right mind would say no. Thanks to Grandma Rhaegan is still asking for it instead of her normal cereal and eggs.

There are so many more pictures to share with you all so that is why there are going to be 2 more parts to this entry. Stay tuned for more fun and exciting Phoenix news.

Belated Laramie Trip Entry

As you all know from a previous blog entry Shae, Rhaegan and I went to Laramie, WY to surprise my Grandma Cupps for her 80th birthday. She was definitely surprised alright. Grandpa knew, of course, that we were coming so he would have to talk in code to my mom and dad whenever they would call to make arrangements and finalize plans. It was a really fun trip and it was of course wonderful to get to see my mom and dad (we don't get to see them much since we live on the other side of the US from them).

Rhaegan loved her Papa and Grandma and would listen to them and obey them but not Shae or myself. It was annoying at first but then I just thought, "they can just take care of her for the weekend." We got caught up on all the Rummy Down we have missed. We swam in the hotel pool ( and for those of you who know my dad and hotels....he did really well picking one out for us. Surprise, surprise). We ate a lot of good food and got to see my uncle Alan and Mark and aunt Linda. We also took Rhaegan to the playground that we use to go to as kids. All the equipment looked so much smaller than I remembered. It was sure fun watching Rhaegan enjoy it though. It was a great time. Here are some pictures of our trip. ENJOY!!

Shae and Papa Cupps swimming with Rhaegan at the hotel. Rhaegan loved playing along with all of Papa's little games.

My grandpa (Rhaegan's great grandpa) and Rhaegan watching Papa Cupps mow the lawn. What a picture!!

Hot tubbing....Rhaegan and her dad both love it and as you can tell, so does Papa cupps

Krista...this is the famous slide we use to think was huge! Look how small it is now.

I need help!!!

I'm so sorry for the break I've been taking the last week and a half. Rhaegan and I have been traveling and it makes it a little hard to blog. However, I do have a major dilemma on my hands; Rhaegan won't sleep!!!!!!! Okay, she does go to bed but she is waking up at 

5 am wide wake and ready to play. I have tried everything I can think of to get her to stay asleep until at least 6 but nothing is working. I even kept her up until 10 (which is 2 hours later than her normal bedtime) but once 5 am rolls around she is up. I physically can't do this any longer. I would have to go to bed right when she does to get any good sleep and that wouldn't leave any time for just Shae and me. She is clearly over tired during the day too. She is whining more and throwing huge tantrums (which she never did before). I have been putting her down for a nap at around 10 am lately but she will only sleep for about an hour. WHAT DO I DO?!?!? Any suggestions?

Doesn't she look tired?