Minding his manners

Taylor never ceases to amaze me; he's always learning and growing and it's incredible how fast he picks up on things. His latest trick is saying "please" when prompted. It's the cutest thing ever, and I'm excited to be teaching him about manners at such a young age. Here's a cute video:

Here are some other words my little genius can say:
- Grandma
- No
- Bye Bye
- Mommy
- Daddy
- Kitty
- Meow
- Elmo
- Boom (just started this last night)

He also makes several sound effects, most of which are car or truck related. He's such a funny little person!

The 4th

Last year our 4th of July was.... uneventful, to say the least. Why you ask? Because we had a six-week-old baby and it was a thousand degrees outside. It was really, really, REALLY boring and the worst part was we live so close to the parade route that we could hear the marching bands from our living room.

So anyhoo, this year we decided we'd take Taylor to the parade. Even though we only got there an hour early (people had been camping out since the previous night), we were able to squeeze in and get a front row seat for the festivities. Sean and I were both surprised that Taylor wasn't scared at all of the lines and lines of firetrucks and police cars blasting their sirens just feet from us. In fact he thought all the noises were hilarious and made "vroom-vroom" noises every time a car or truck passed by. The highlights of the parade were the highway patrol motorcycles and a huge inflatable Curious George balloon.


We didn't stay for the whole parade since it ws really hot and a certain someone needed a nap, but we had lots of fun while we were there.

The day ended with a fun barbeque at my aunt and uncle's house where there was lots of great company and way too much yummy food. All in all it was a fun 4th and I look forward to many more to come with my little one.

Balloon Fest

Apparently out here in the UC there is a hot air balloon festival every year around the 4th of July. Since we aren't native Provo residents, we didn't know about this until Thursday morning when we woke up to this:

Maybe we just don't get out enough, but Sean and I were both so excited about these hot air balloons so close to our house. Taylor didn't care much, probably because he was still sleepy, but I was having a great time watching the balloons float right over our heads. Annalee (my awesome neighbor) probably thought I was crazy standing outside in my robe snapping pictures at the sky at 7:30 in the morning.

Next year I plan to get up bright and early to go see the balloons take off from Provo High's Bulldog Field. There's something about gigantic balloons that just amazes me. What can I say? I'm still a kid at heart.

Beatin' the heat

Taylor and I have both been feeling a bit cooped up in the house since he's been sick, so we decided to beat the afternoon heat by playing outside in the sprinklers. At first he wasn't sure about the cold water, but before long he was pulling the sprinkler closer to him and trying to pick up water with his shovels. It was a great way to get out of the house for a little while and it was really cool in the shade with the water running. I loved watching him play in his cute swim trunks and water shoes. We'll definitely be doing this more as the season gets hotter.

Artsy Fartsy

As some of you know, I'm somewhat of a wannabe photographer. I have learned a lot from my dad who has been a photographer for years and it's always been a fun hobby for me. Lately I've been doing a lot of still-life, which is really nice because my subject doesn't wiggle around like the little monkey I'm usually taking pictures of. Anyhoo, I thought I'd shake things up a bit and share some of my recent pics with everyone. I'm really proud of them!

Tons of stuff...

Okay, okay. I know it's been forever since I've posted, but I've been really busy (keeping up with all my favorite tv shows and vegging on the sofa is sooooo time consuming). Actually June was a pretty crazy month for Sean and I, mainly because we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary and my 24th birthday. So here's several posts combined to catch you up on all the happenings in the Nichols family.

First of all, baby Taylor has officially become a toddler! He took his first steps yesterday and is slowly entering the realm of bipededness (no, I don't care if that's not a word). Obviously this new mode of transportation has it's pros and cons. It's nice that he'll soon be getting around easier, but that means he'll also be getting into trouble easier AND getting hurt more often. All that aside, it's so fun to watch him wobble around and it amazes me every day how much he's grown.

Like I said before, we celebrated our anniversary on the 22nd of June. Sean gave me a personalized journal and I gave him a hammock for our backyard (okay, so it was more for me than him, but it's the thought that counts, right?). I can't believe it's been 6 years! I guess the cliche is true - time flies while you're having fun. Love you baby!!

Also like I mentioned before, my birthday was the 24th of June. Since it was a Tuesday there wasn't much we could do, but Sean did take me to dinner after my dance class that night and it was fun to be babyless for a little while. Last Sunday we had a small party at our house and I was surprised how many people came - I'm so loved!

These past few days have been stressful because Taylor has had croup. And bad cough + sore throat = very cranky baby. We've done all the tricks I learned as a kid - humidifier, vaporub, steam baths, and lots of liquids. I'm hoping he'll be feeling 100% better for Friday; I definitely am not up for spending another 4th of July stuck in our house. To avoid getting sick ourselves, Sean and I have been taking Airborne three times a day and it seems to be working well - knock on wood! The funniest part about Tay being sick (okay, the ONLY funny part) is that he's fascinated with the humidifier. He's constantly standing up on it and sticking his face right now in the mist. It cracks me up, and he gets an extra concentrated dose of vaporized water at the same time!

Well that's your recap for the month of June in the Nichols family. I'll try to post more often this month since I hate playing catch-up. Plus if I don't post something right away I forget about it. Dumb mommy brain....

P.S. I know there's no pictures in this post. Sean is currently trying to figure out why almost all of my pictures have mysteriously disappeared from iPhoto. Ah the joys...

EDIT: Okay, Sean figured it out and there's pictures now. Thank goodness for the geeks of the world!

The Elmo Chair

Taylor absolutely loves Elmo, and on a recent trip to Babies 'R Us my mom couldn't pass up this cute upholstered Elmo chair. Although it doesn't exactly go with the rest of my living room decor (mid-century neoclassical Sesame Street just isn't my style), I have to admit it's dang cute. Taylor absolutely adores it, and first thing every morning he has to sit in his "Mo" chair with his blanky. He looks so proud of himself sitting like a big boy in a chair that's just his size. He loves how soft it is and frequently crawls over to it to give it a hug. Apparently the chair also talks, but conveniently we forgot how to turn it on.