A little love code

The other night I made a love-note for my one and only.
But this wasn't just any love-note.
This love-note was in code.

...Just for fun :)

I took a book (one of our antique looking ones that we have on display for decoration) and circled words throughout the book.

I wrote down the page number that corresponded to each word.

Then, I left the book and code-breaker on the bed for Taylor to find and solve.

Each page number has a circled word for him to find. Get it?

It was so fun watching him solve it.

And he absolutely loved it!

I love finding small and creative ways to tell my husband how much I love him.

And this one did just the trick.

Proposal Round 2

Late last night, Taylor asked me if I wanted to go on a drive with him.

We used to go on drives through the canyon all of the time when we were dating, so I jumped at his offer as soon as he asked.

After driving for a little while, Taylor pulled over.

We sat on the side of the road and talked for a little while.

Then Taylor reached his hand into his shirt pocket, pulled out a wooden ring, and said,

"Kelli Davis, will you go camping with me?"

Taylor and I have always thought it would be awesome to get wooden rings to wear when we go camping. 

And this sweet boy went out and made it happen. 

(he even remembered my ring size! ;)) 

It was such a cute moment.  I had so many butterflies.
I even got a sweet kiss when I said, "Yes!" :)

My husband is secretly the biggest romantic.  And I love it.

Aren't these awesome?

And here we are, excitedly showing them off.

I love my wooden ring. And I love my sweet husband. :)

You're invited...

Last night, Taylor and I had a party.

A very special party. 

With just the two of us.

And...two irons, two ironing boards, and lots of wrinkly clothes.

Yep, that's right. 

We had an ironing party!

Oh, and Michael Weston was invited too:

We watched Burn Notice (our very favorite) while we ironed away.

That whole pile of wrinkly clothes vanished surprisingly quickly.

The "mom trick" of trying to convince kids that chores are actually "fun" worked on us.

Because we had a lot of fun.

Iron high-five.

Thanks for coming to our party, Michael Weston!

FINISHED!

We really felt like champions by night's end for throwing such an awesome (and productive) party.

And really, who can complain when Michael Weston comes to their party?

And I think we learned a great lesson: "Mom tricks" work.

Watch out future children...I sense a lot of "parties" in your future.

Thank you.

Yesterday late afternoon, I suddenly felt overwhelmingly nauseous.

(no, I'm not pregnant)

I was trying to hold it together at work and pound out the last two hours,

but finally had to bail and go home.

On the way home, I was trying really hard to focus on the songs on the radio, and not on the fact that I was about to lose my lunch (ravioli to be exact).

But, that was to no avail.

Because I had to pull over on the side of the road, and throw up for all passerby's to see.

The ravioli wasn't pretty.

I thought about taking a picture, but I wanted to get back in the car and drive home more. 

Then I thought, "Who really wants to see a picture of this?" 

So, lucky you. No picture. 

Anyways, I laid in bed for the rest of the afternoon and evening, and slept my nausea away (mostly).

My husband was so worried about me, and it was really sweet. He wanted to do everything he could to help me feel better.

It reminded me of a time about two months after we got married:

I had a really bad UTI (#typicalmormongirlproblems).

Taylor kept telling me to go to the doctor, but I insisted that I was just fine.

Then, my kidneys started to hurt, and I was throwing up like crazy.  So I decided going to the doctor would be a good idea. 

It was actually the same week as finals...so, as you can imagine, this was an awesome week for me.

Not.

After throwing up all day, I fell asleep on the couch in the living room at around 7pm.

When I woke up at two in the morning, my sweet husband was laying on the floor next to the couch, fast asleep.

Even though there was another couch about four feet away, he chose to sleep on the ground, so he could be right next to me to help me if I needed it.

I was overwhelmed with gratitude for this wonderful man.

I woke up again at six in the morning. 

He was still there, on the ground.

And he was holding my hand.

Yesterday morning, I made a list of chores I wanted to get done that evening (you know, before I knew that I'd end up getting sick).

I obviously didn't make it to that chore list.

But when I woke up this morning, the list was gone.

And everything that I had on the list had been done.

Leprechauns? Angels? Little mice?

No.

 Just my wonderful husband.

My wonderful husband who cared for me until I fell asleep.

And then started on that chore list. 

And didn't finish until the whole list was complete...even though he was up until 12:30am doing it, and had to work early the next morning.

But he wanted to make sure everything on that list was finished.

Just for me.

Growing up, my dad used to always "baby" me and my siblings when we weren't feeling well.

When we were sick, he would make sure our beds were just how we liked them.

He would call to check up on us (if he was at work), or come into our rooms (if he was home) to make sure we were doing okay.

He would even give us a bell to put on our nightstands.

If we needed anything, we just had to ring the bell, and he'd come.

Awesome, right?

We only got this treatment if we were sick though. ;)

He'd buy us a Jamba Juice if our throats hurt, some 7-up and crackers if our stomachs hurt, and even milkshakes if our hearts hurt.

I love getting taken care of when I'm sick.

I got spoiled when I was a kid. 

By my wonderful daddy.

And I'm getting spoiled as an adult.

By my wonderful husband.

How did I get so lucky?

Still trying to figure this out.

Thank you, Dad.

Thank you, husband.

I love you both.

Giant Jenga + Some

Taylor and I had such an awesome weekend.  

On Friday, we got to tour the Jerusalem set in Utah, where movies like this are being filmed.  It was built just over a year ago, so very few have seen it (plus, you have to know someone involved to get a tour), so we felt very lucky to have the opportunity! Thank goodness that Papa Gilbert seems to have all of the connections.  I took some awesome pictures, but no pictures are allowed to be posted until the filming is complete.  I figured I should obey the rule. ;)

On Saturday, I came home to find this:

When my diploma came in the mail, Taylor hid it until he could buy some frames to surprise me.  Good thing I didn't even think to wonder why my diploma hadn't come yet.  This put a huge smile on my face for three reasons:

1. I have a DIPLOMA from BYU! It feels awesome.

2. My husband was so proud of me (once again) for accomplishing this, and he told me over and over again. That felt great. :)

3. My sweet husband is always thinking of cute ways to make me happy.

SO much good food was had this weekend.  My favorites consisting of Outback and Red Robin.  We're still trying to plow through the massive amounts of giftcards we received from our wedding.  And we're still so grateful...because we had great excuses to eat at yummy places all weekend long (and for the past eight months)!

The Gilbert sibs at Red Robin.  The picture was for Ms. Kelsey Briggs, because we all miss her.  ...She's pretty much a Gilbert in our minds.

This weekend also consisted of a lot of giant jenga.  How awesome is this?

And, see videos to appreciate the greatness of it all:

hiya=favorite part ;)

And last, but not least...well, actually it probably deserves to be least, here are my faces while waiting for Taylor to finish getting ready for church on Sunday. 

All in all, our weekend was great.

Glued.

After the announcement about the individual mandate yesterday, I was absolutely glued to the tv/radio/computer all day.  I have an absolute passion for politics and history (hence becoming a history/government teacher), so yesterday was like Christmas to me because of all of the political hype. It is going to be so fascinating to see what will happen with Obamacare and how it will affect the 2012 elections.

Taylor kept giving me weird looks last night.  I had my earplugs in as I watched the news on my mac, and every few minutes I would randomly clap, cheer at the screen, yell at the screen, make an excited noise, make an angry noise.  I guess that was probably where the weird looks were stemming from.  Regardless, yesterday was awesome.  And today is just as exciting.

Sorry, I know this is probably boring for most (which is why I did not include opinions/facts/etc), but I am completely obsessed and glued to the news right now.

Okay, moving on.  When Marci and I went to Parade of Homes last weekend, we saw this in one of the  houses:

A reading nook for children!  Isn't it adorable?  It was at the end of the hall, next to all of the children's rooms.  I am definitely going to have one of these in my future house.  Taylor and I both love to read (in fact, Taylor is never not reading a new book), so we hope our kids will love to read as well...and if they don't...well, we will force the little brats to read anyways. ;) Kidding...kind of.

I am excited its FRIDAY.  This weekend is going to consist of some awesome/relaxing things.  Looking forward to it.

He's crafty!

Mr. Taylor Ray is always surprising me with his clever and crafty ideas.  A couple of days ago, Taylor had an idea to try transferring a printed image to canvas (this wasn't his own idea, by any means.  I believe he found the idea online).  His first attempt was a complete success! I was so shocked with how well it turned out! Taylor went for a more vintage look, and I think it looks stellar.  I am excited to hang it (and more to come!) in our house! Here are a few pictures of the first attempt:

Pretty impressive, eh?

Here's another example of Taylor's craftiness.  About a month after we were married, I came home to find this (pictures and all!) hanging on the wall next to our front door.   

Cute, right?

Taylor is always coming up with new and exciting ideas.  Whether it's building a complex shoe cubby or as simple as leaving a flower on my pillow, he's constantly finding ways to put a smile on my face.  Thank goodness his creative ideas make up for my lack of artsy genes! ;)  My husband is a keeper.

This weekend will be filled with lots of family time + memorial day! Couldn't be more excited!  Enjoy your weekend!

Words I've loved

Have you talked to TaylorRayGilbert before?  If so, you've probably noticed his amazing vocabulary.  It's one of the first things I noticed about this boy. I've never had to stop and ask someone to define so many words in one conversation (or, more like, in one sentence).  A typical daily conversation between the two of us has me often asking, "Huh?" or "What?" or "What does that mean?"  Here are some good examples from the past couple of nights:

Kelli: "How do you feel about me making lemon glazed chicken tonight?"

Taylor: "Sounds copasetic."

Kelli: "Huh?"

Or this one from the other night:

Taylor: "...and she was standing with her arms akimbo--"

Kelli: "With her arms what?"

While his vocabulary is often times over my head, he also has the strangest vocabulary ever.  Here are some of his latest from the strange category:

While getting in the car today, the car keys stabbed his hand, and he yelled, "Fetch tard!" As much as I wanted to sympathize over his wounded hand, I couldn't help but burst into laughter. Fetch tard? Really? 

Or how about when he broke a light bulb yesterday, "Oh, shoot dang!" Sorry to break it to you, babe, but you didn't grow up on a farm... Shoot dang is a little hick, if you ask me.

Other words I've loved?  

I frequently wake up to the words, "Good morning, beautiful." There's not a better way to start my day.

Or, my very favorite...

The other night, Taylor caught my eye and mouthed the word, "Forever."  

"Forever?" I asked confused.

He looked at me, smiled, and then said, "Us."

I think it's safe to say that this boy still makes my heart beat a million times a minute.

And also the four words engraved on the inside of my wedding ring:

"Love you dearly, Kells."

And here are three more words I love:

:)

Here's a little something to sum this whole post up:

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless." 

-Mother Teresa

May the odds be ever in your favor...

Last night, as I was walking across the street, I ran into the Preston and Anderson children (they live across the street from us).  They excitedly told me that they were going to play Hunger Games later that night.  I instantly became interested and eagerly asked if I could join them.  After running home to tell Taylor, he couldn't help but sign up to play as well.

The kids had the whole game planned.  The cornucopia was the trampoline.  When the whistle sounded, you ran for your life to grab weapons (plastic swords, bats, hatchets, etc), food, shelter, or backpacks (the backpacks were kindly pre-packed by the fathers of the crew.  There were cards randomly set up throughout the boundaries.  If you saw one, you could choose whether or not to pick it up and read it.  Some cards would just apply to the reader, while other cards were "Gamemaker" cards and applied to the whole group.  For example, a card that just applied to the reader might read, "You have been sent a parachute of medicine.  Use it now, or save it for later."  Whereas, a Gamemaker card might read, "Anyone without shelter is dead."  If you picked up a Gamemaker card you had to yell it so everyone could hear.

Along with awesome scenario cards, there were fights all throughout the "arena."  A hit to the arm or leg was an injury; while a hit to the stomach, back, or shoulders meant death. Uh-oh... ;)

Alliances were created and alliances were broken (ahem...my dear, sweet husband formed an alliance with me during the first game and then stabbed me in the back about 3 minutes later...).

The best part of the game?  We had a horn tied to the top of a swingset.  If you died, you had to go blow the horn.  So if you were still in the game, you could keep track of how many times you heard the horn to try to figure out how many of you were left.

By the end of the night, a good amount of neighborhood adults had gathered to watch the festivities.  Their comments were strangely similar to the announcers or those belonging to the Capitol.

"Look at her...she's surviving because she stays hidden!  We only see her when there is something up for grabs!"

"Go kill him!"

"Did those two make an alliance?  What will they do if they both make it to the end?  Who do you think will betray the other first?"

"Wow, that's a strong alliance forming! They'll make it to the end."

We played over and over again, and just couldn't get enough of it!  We didn't quit until about 10:30.  Hey, neighborhood kids? Taylor and I are so grateful for your invention of this game.

We're even hoping to play again tonight!

The Tributes :)

If you love me...

It all started with this:

The past few days, Taylor has decided to "take over" my health.  Let me put it this way...I get sick a lot...a lot, a lot, a lot.  Due to the fact that I'm constantly with Tay, when I get sick, Taylor usually gets sick.  Perfect example: I was sick this last weekend, and of course, Taylor got sick from being around me.  Put bluntly, Taylor is sick of getting sick.  So, he bought supplement vitamins for me to take on a daily basis.  There's only one tiny problem: I HATE TAKING PILLS!  I know its all in my mind, but I want to gag every time I even think about it!

That being said, Taylor has been having a heck of a time trying to get me to take these pills.  Last night, it took a good 45 minutes of coaxing...or more correctly put, "threatening" and "forcing," me to take the pills.  It was a typical parent-sickchild situation.  I refused to take the pills, Taylor refused to let me leave the kitchen until I took the pills, I told him he was a big fat meany-head, he told me he didn't care.  I'm sure all parents can relate to this little situation.  It was actually quite a humorous situation.  Even though we were both stubborn, we couldn't help but laugh the whole time. Taylor says he'll be a pro at getting our kids to take medicine after dealing with me. ;)

Anyways, this morning, before Taylor left for work, he kissed me on the check and told me (as I was half-asleep),"If you love me, you will take your vitamins this morning."  About a half hour later, I woke up, got ready, and walked out the door...completely, 100% spacing the fact that I was supposed to take my pills (I have faked "forgetting" a few times the past couple of days...but this morning, I honestly forgot!).

When I picked Taylor up for lunch, he asked me, "Do you love me?"
My response: "Of course."
Taylor: "Well, good.  That means you took your pills."
My face must have given away the fact that I had not taken the pills, because he immediately put on his puppy-dog face and said, "You don't love me..."
I quickly said, "That's not fair!  You can't say "if you love me, do this....!"  Of course I love you!  That's like me saying, "If you love me, buy me a Macbook Pro today!"

About five hours later, I came home to find this:

I guess he's proven his point. And I guess he really does love me. :)

Happiness!!!