Open Up and Say Hi

We went to Cheyenne on Monday for Taidyn's second dentist appointment. And, boy, was she excited!

As soon as we walked into the reception area, Taidyn began speaking to the receptionist and this is how the conversation went ...

Taidyn: "Hi, I am going to see Christine and she is going to say, "Ooh, Taidyn, you have beautiful, shiny, white teeth."
Receptionist: "Oh, you are?"
Taidyn: "Huh-huh."
Taidyn: "Then I am going to see Dr. Clark and he is going to say, "Ooh, Taidyn you have beautiful, clean, shiny teeth."
Receptionist: "Oh, I think he will say that, too. You are so cute. You just made my day."

Taidyn then made her way to the play area and started to build towers with wooden blocks. She made a new friend, named Phoebe, while she waited for her turn to see the dentist.

When Christine called Taidyn's name, you could see the excitement in her eyes. During the appointment, Christine treated Taidyn like a rock star. She let her try on all her gear (glasses, face mask and gloves) and let her play with all the dental instruments. Nothing was off limits to Taidyn that day. Enjoy the photos. :)

Afterward, Steve and I took Taidyn to the mall for a special treat and let her run and play in the indoor playground. We have made that our little tradition!

Best Friends: Today, Tomorrow and Always

A friend for life is hard to come by, but these two girls (and their mommys) share a bond that is once in a lifetime.

We made the 10-plus hour drive to Cedar City, Utah, this weekend to spend some quality time with good friends. When we arrived early Friday afternoon, Brittney ran up to Taidyn! The girls gave each other the biggest hug and then walked away hand-in-hand. Steve and I couldn't believe it!

Taidyn was having such a blast that she didn't even care her daddy had to leave for a few days for business. Brittney and Taidyn immediately started playing Barbies in Britt's room ... Taidyn was in heaven! She even told Britt's brothers, "I think we need some privacy, please." Too funny!

On Saturday morning, Brittney wanted to show me her dance recital video. The girls and I watched the whole video together and Taidyn was hooked. A ballerina was born! Afterward, Brittney was inspired to get her ballerina slippers on and perform live for me. Taidyn joined in on the fun, using an old pair of Britt's black "ballerina look-a-like" dress shoes. The girls danced and danced and danced. It was a tear-jerker moment.

On Saturday afternoon, Tonya and I decided to take the girls shopping in St. Goerge. We hit TCP and with help from us, the girls found some great outfits. We also made a few more stops, including one that included a pair for ballerina slippers for Taidyn (Tonya insisted on buying them!).

It was so cute to watch them shop together. Here our little girls were shopping together ... just like Tonya and I enjoy doing together. Since we were leaving the next day, we decided the girls should get their pictures taken together. Here are a few from our amateur photo shoot. The girls had a blast with a little encouragement/promise of a peanut butter cup in the their future. :)

The weekend went by so fast, but not with out some good times and A LOT of laughs. Thanks to my best friend Tonya and her wonderful kids, we all had a blast! We miss you already. See you in Wyoming!

A Reese's Kind of Love ...

First came this along with these ... yummy treats below

Then came this ...

Finally, came this and ... oh boy was it worth the wait

Happy Heart Day Everyone!!!!

Taidyn Words ...

And a few words from your favorite (soon to be) 4-year-old ....

"AS HIGH OF THE SKY, AS DEEP OF THE OCEAN ... NEVER ENDING!"

Braided Heart Head ... ADORABLE

So ... I attempted to do something really creative with Taidyn's hair last night after coming across this "super easy" style on line! I thought it would be the perfect look for her to support today at Preschool for her Valentine's party. Here is what we ended up with .....

Another side shot ....

I will let you be the judge. Taidyn, Steve and I thought they turned out great ... "perfect" double heart braids!

It Wasn't Me!

When I went to wake up Taidyn this morning, I found something I didn't expect. A wet bed.

For the first time in a long time, Taidyn had an accident while she was sleeping. I think she was as surprised as me, actually.

But, get this, Taidyn said she didn't do it. ;)

After she felt her wet pajamas, Taidyn picked up her two favorite Barbie dolls, Liana and Alexa, who, of course, sleep with her, and looked up at me.

Then, she smiled a little smile and said, "Daddy, Liana and Alexa peed in my bed."

I couldn't help but smile back at her. I love that little girl!

The Story of the Snow Globe

So, the other day, I talked myself into a corner with Taidyn. At least it was an affordable mistake. ;)

Taidyn's infatuation with Barbie has led to many desires -- among them dolls, dresses and, most recently, a snow globe. Her interest in a snow globe comes from the "Barbie in A Christmas Carol movie, in which Barbie shares hers with her little sister, Kelly.

While visiting my family in Oregon last month, Cass and I found a cute little snow globe at Walgreens a few days after Christmas. It was .75 cents, I think, because the store was trying to clear out all of its holiday merchandise. We bought it and surprised Taidyn with it.

"Oooohhhh, a snow globe!!!" she squealed. A moment later, she said, "Now I have my very own snow globe just like Kelly."

That lasted, well, about five minutes. As Taidyn was romping around my parents' house, she tripped and fell in the kitchen. The snow globe shattered on the wood floor.

Fast forward to a few days ago. I picked up Taidyn at day care and asked her if she wanted to go help me pick up a few things at the store.

"Probably they have snow globes at the store," she told me.

"Maybe," I said. Thinking that snow globes were a Christmas-only type of thing and that no store would still have any in stock, I mistakenly added, "If they have a snow globe, you can get one."

As soon as we got into the store, Taidyn went on her mission. She searched aisle after aisle, shelf after shelf. She told a few shoppers, "I'm looking for a snow globe!" On the second-to-last aisle, Taidyn hit paydirt, proudly looked up at me and announced, "A snow globe!"

Of course, I couldn't say no because I had made her a promise. I'm glad it was only a $1.

She toted the snow globe, an Easter-themed one with a bunny inside of it, to the checkout lane. There, Taidyn ran across a woman whom she had seen in one of the aisles.

"You found one!" the woman said to her.

Taidyn looked at her and said, "I told my daddy they probably had a snow globe at the store."

Did she just stick it to me, or what?