Chatterbox!

Taylor was talking up a storm this afternoon while I was changing her diaper, so I had to post it up here! Of course, she wasn't doing as well as she had been before I turned the camera on, but oh well. For those of you who haven't met our little Munkie, here's just a little sample of Taylor interactive! I apologize for the craptastic camera skills, and also for the fact that my giant head eclipses the light most of the time.

Random Cuteness

Burp rags are apparently GREAT toys. She loves holding on to them and chewing on them.

Hi there!

See what I mean?

Rockin' the Bumbo chair while I do dishes.

New Toys

Yesterday I was watching Taylor play in her astronaut chair (that's what I call that saucer looking thing I'm always taking pictures of her in), and I couldn't help but wonder if she is getting bored looking at the same old toys that she's had forever. Up until now, Jody and I have been very pragmatic parents and didn't see much need in buying toys because she really didn't pay much attention to them. However, in the last week or so, she has started to reach for things and even has begun grabbing them and taking them straight to her mouth. Mike and Ted (the toys that dangle from the astronaut chair) have been getting knocked around quite a bit, and she seems to be losing interest. So, today we went for our first toy shopping experience at Toys R Us. We came out with a dragonfly, a glow worm (this was a much bigger hit than I would have ever imagined), and a crinkly stuffed lion with chewy feet. So far, she has done a brief road test with everything and really likes them all. I have a feeling that this may be a slippery slope however! It was hard not to buy everything they had to offer in her age range!

This guy was a lot of fun. She grabbed him immediately and hung on for dear life.

Yeah, apparently the dragonfly is pretty tasty. As soon as she was able to get a good grip on him she wanted it in her mouth.

Best buds! I remember my mom saying that Taylor looked like a glow worm when she was born. So here's a side by side comparison!

3 Months

Well, our little "Munkie" is 1/4 of the way through her first year. Everyone tells you that the time flies, and boy, they weren't kidding. She is SO much fun these days. Her little personality is starting to shine through, and it's incredible to watch her learning new things every day. It's so wild to me that the little lump we came home with that only ate, slept, and pooed is actually growing into a PERSON. No, I'm not a moron, I realize she's a person, but she's starting to make that fact very apparent. Taylor is all smiles especially when she first wakes up. And it's awesome that she now recognizes Jody and I when we come in the room. Poor kid is trying to laugh, but she still hasn't put it all together yet. She'll be smiling from ear to ear and try to make a laugh sound, but all that comes out so far is a cough. And today, she started making raspberry (a nice way of saying fart sounds) noises with her mouth. I'm going to credit my aunt Jenny for teaching her that one a couple of weeks ago. I'm pretty sure she has been storing that tutorial and finally mastered the sound.

New Job!

I am excited to announce that today I accepted a new job working full-time at Wilford Hall! For those of you not familiar with this area, Wilford Hall is a giant medical center located at Lackland Airforce base. I'll be contracting with the military, and I'm just thrilled to have a guaranteed 40 hours each week along with a steady schedule. I've decided to stay on PRN at Northeast Methodist (extra shifts=extra money=less debt!), not just for the money, but also because I absolutely love working there. We were just blessed that this opportunity literally fell into my lap.

The Whole Enchilada

No, really, that was the name of it. "The Whole Enchilada Fiesta," home of the world's largest enchilada. Jody bought us tickets to this local tradition and I must say it was quite a sight. The streets were lined with local vendors serving up all kinds of greasy food that I would liken to the Tri-State Fair, but with a New Mexico twist. There were giant corn dogs and ribbon fries, but instead of cheese on a stick there were tacos al pastor and giant chile rellenos. I'm pretty sure we spent most of Taylor's budding college fund on greaseball food! Then there was the main event, the world's largest enchilada. We weren't able to get a good viewing spot of the construction, so we checked in from time to time to take pictures. The rest of the time we had to park it in the shade because I didn't have a hat and I had forgotten how intense the sun is once you're up around the mountains. I swear my head was about to catch on fire! Once you got away from the sun it was totally bearable, but in the meantime it was torture! Since I was a total weenie about being hot we left before the tasting of the enchilada (we asked around and no one really felt it was something you HAD to stick around for, the consensus was that it was pretty mediocre in taste.).

Ok, connected to the tow truck is the tortilla press. The shiny tank to the left of the press is the giant vat of oil that they fry the tortilla in after it's pressed. Yes, those are the local firemen present to oversee and be sure this whole thing doesn't turn into a giant nasty grease fire.

In between tortillas the crew sprays the giant press with oil. They make 3 corn tortillas and layer in between them the rest of the ingredients.

Here it is getting a layer of sauce. Mmmmmmm, I can only imagine how bad for you this is!

Taylor was not exactly entertained by this whole thing the way we were!

Taylor Goes on a Trip, Again!

This past weekend Jody had a business trip in Las Cruces, NM. The original plan was that he was going out of town, I was to work all weekend, and mom and Dan were coming down to watch/spoil the baby. Well, there was a slight change in plans, and mom and Dan weren't able to make it, therefore I wasn't able to work. So, since I had no plans for the weekend other than eating cereal, Jody suggested that Taylor and I hop on a plane and come hang out with him in Las Cruces. It was a nice little getaway, complete with a local enchilada fiesta (see next post!). Taylor had her first experience in a hotel, and as usual she did great. I did stick her in bed with us for about an hour in the mornings because she would get cold in her crib. It was right by the a/c unit which would either freeze us out or not blow cold at all making it hella stuffy. We opted for the frigid choice, but that meant that poor Munkie was a popsicle by morning!

Taylor models her new hat that we got from the vendors at "The Whole Enchilada."

Dressed up for dinner, Jody said she looks like a swami in her new hat.

Jody and Taylor snoozing in the morning

Biiiiiiiiig stretch. I guess she was calling her peeps before she fell asleep ;)

Taylor showing off her new standing skills. She likes to hula.