Manti

 Over the weekend, Taylor and I were able to go with my family to the Manti Temple.

The drive through the canyons was absolutely beautiful.

But still nothing compared to the beauty of the temple...both inside and out.

It was the 3rd temple built!  Built back in 1888.

We were even lucky enough to be able to go look at the spiral staircase inside.
There are only three staircases like it in the world. And two are inside this temple!
Engineers today can't figure out how the stairs were made (they are very intricate with hardly any support). They were absolutely breath-taking!

Man alive...look at this beautiful building!

We were trying to figure out how tall the doors were, so my dad made Tay go stand next to them ;)

The clouds were amazing! And the whole day was lovely.

We had such a fun time with my family this past week.

I wish I had taken more photos of the gang together...oh well.

Memories will have to suffice. :)

(to learn more about why we have temples, take a look at this video.)

Can't get enough!

I visited M, T, and baby Jack again at the hospital yesterday.

My goodness, that babe is cuuute!

I just can't get enough of him!

Here are some more pictures that I love:

I already love you to pieces, Jack!

So happy for this little family.

xoxo

Welcome to the world, Baby Jack!

Yesterday at 3:00pm (on the dot!) baby Jack was born to my lovely sister and her husband.

9lb 1 oz, 20.5 inches.

They make such a cute little family of three.

I am so happy for them.

I was able to visit them in the hospital twice yesterday.

And hopefully again today.  

I love just holding him, and smelling his sweet baby scent.

And look at all of his hair!

I can't believe how fast our family is growing. This is #4 on my niece/nephew list!

Also, so grateful for prayers that this baby made it here safely even after a tough labor.

Congratulations, Marci and Tom!  You did good! Baby Jack is such a handsome babe.

Davis Family

My parents came into town this weekend.

This week will be spent with this wonderful group:

So excited. I love them all.
Aren't they all just beautiful? Love my family.

And...hopefully, we will have a little one join us this week!

Come on out, Baby Wallace! We are all so excited to meet you!

Kevin is not a D-O-L-L.

When Regan, Mom Gilbert, and I were in California a few months ago, we decided to relax in the hotel one night and watch some TV.  We stumbled upon the tv show, "My Crazy Obsession."  And we so happened to watch an episode that changed our lives!

Have you heard about these people?

Watch the video on that page and read the article. I promise you won't regret it.

(Plus, the rest of this post won't make sense without a quick look at that page.)

Regan and I could NOT stop laughing through the entire episode.

So, naturally, "Kevin" (the crazies' main cabbage patch doll child...pictured above) became the running joke of the rest of the trip.  And much to Mama G's chagrin, the joke hasn't stopped since. 

We frequently turn to "Kevin" (aka the air) and ask him to make decisions when the Gilb family can't decide where to eat, what to do, or even who should do the dishes.
We just say, "Let's ask Kevin." Then we turn to nothing and say, "Kevin? What do you think?"

And somehow...it's funny every single time. 

If you haven't seen the full episode, find time to watch it.

Well, you can imagine mine and Regan's excitement when we found out that one of our neighbors owned a cabbage patch doll...and not just ANY cabbage patch doll.  They owned KEVIN.

The neighbor kids brought Kevin over on Sunday night.

Regan and I just about died.

Here are some pictures (and a video) of our weekend with Kevin:

Kevin watching Seth sleep.

Oh, and here's Kevin getting a massage.


I think we will be giving Kevin back to the neighbors tonight...before we become just as crazy.

Tomorrow is the day :)

Tomorrow is the day my sweet husband finally comes home!
I have officially started to count down the hours.
I simply cannot wait to see him, jump in his arms, and give him one giant kiss!

I've been treating myself to lots of different things this week to keep my mind occupied.
Lots of ice cream (as seen here and here)
and a wonderful pedicure yesterday:

Loving this fun summer color!

Hey, take a look at this cute Gilbert family picture! Mama Gilbert just got the pictures back, and this one is easily the favorite.

Love me some of that Gilb fam. :)

Tomorrow!!

2.5 days to go!

I am sooo ready for Taylor to come home.

I have been keeping myself busy, but I sure do miss that handsome boy.

Yesterday, Regs and I went to Yogurtland (our very favorite).

(She always gets something fruity...but I can never tear myself away from the chocolatey goodness)

And we took our cute little neighbor friend, Brooke.

That little girl has one sense of humor.  She kept us laughing the whole time.

I am going to miss the day when I don't live across the street from:

Ma and Pa Gilb

my best friend and sister, Regan

and all of the cute little neighbor kids.

When Taylor and I were doing our wedding registry at Target, I registered for a two-step stool.

Taylor looked at me and said, "Seriously?  Why are you registering for a stool?"

Me: "Well, you haven't lived the life of a 5'1" person. This is something I need on a daily basis!"

Since we've been married, I've rarely used it.  And not because everything is low...we sure have some high cabinets.  But because, when I can't reach something, I just ask Taylor, "Hey, can I use your height real quick?"  And he'll get whatever I need down from the unreachable high places (and he never even has to use tippy-toes! I'm always amazed!).

Taylor took this picture awhile ago to document the one time he's actually seen me use the stool, that I "supposedly needed on a daily basis." ;)  

Don't tell Taylor this, but when he's not looking, sometimes I climb up on the counter and purposefully put things on the very top shelf in the very back of everything else (it's usually always the chocolate chips).  Then I'll say, "Hey Taylor? Can I use your height real quick? I need those chocolate chips way back there." Why do I do this?  I'm determined to see him use his tippy-toes one day to reach something!  Hasn't happened yet...

Still trying.

Anyways, the point of this little saga: in the last three days, I've used that stool more than I've used it in the last nine months! Why?  Taylor left and took his height with him.

Dear Taylor: I'm ready for you to come home so I can put this stool away.  I like using your height better :)

Summer nights.

Gotta love those summer nights that consist of America's pastime with the fam. 

Look at those mountains! Why is Utah so beautiful?

My toes and Regan's legs.  So wonderfully relaxing.

Here's Regs and me at the game.  This summer we may be at baseball games, but next summer we'll be backpacking through Europe! We can't wait!

Last night, this cute girl, stayed the night with me.  

We are showing off our matching earrings in this picture.

We talked for hours and had such a fun time.  And I loved it because I didn't have to sleep in an empty house.  Her name is Ashley, and she is possibly one of my favorite people in the world.

Dear Tay: I really wish you had cell phone service.

Another day down!

the fourth.

And here's the video.

(call me lame, because I didn't get pictures or videos of the fireworks. the most important part!)

Happy birthday, America.

You are one beautiful country.

And we sure do love you.

Until next year...

Happy 4th!

Taylor and I had such a wonderful time celebrating the 4th of July yesterday!

So much fun. So much good food. So much family and friends.

Can't get much better than that!

Here are a few pictures from our day:

Hey look! Picture on the left=last year's 4th.
Status: dating.
Picture on the right=this year's 4th.
Status: married!
Awesome.

(p.s. we wore the same shirts on purpose ;))

More pictures AND an awesome video of the whole day (in the process of making it right now!) to come tomorrow!

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.

Brothers.

This sight made my heart happy yesterday:

Taylor and his brother, Seth, playing video games at our house.  It makes me so happy to see the two of them finally reunited.  So glad Tay finally has his brother back.  We just love Seth!

It's going to be a hot week (finally!)...I'm ready to sit out by a pool and enjoy summer. :)

Baby Wallace + Weekend

This last weekend was so jam-packed, I hardly got a second to sit down and breathe!  

On Friday night, Tay and I went to a work party for doTERRA.  We got to do fun things like this:

Yep, that's my husband....

And take fun pictures like this:

After the work party, I stayed up all night preparing for sister's baby shower--baking cakes, other goodies, and making decorations.  Marci is the best party-planner--she always has creative and cutesy ideas.  So, I really wanted to make this shower perfect for her.  She's thrown me so many different parties (surprise 16th birthday party, numerous other birthday parties, bridal shower, + more!), so it was my turn to make a great memory for her.  I finally went to sleep at around 3am on Friday night...but I could hardly sleep because my mind was racing with everything I still had to do.  So I was up again three hours later at 6am.  I was pretty pleased with how it all turned out (thank you pinterest, blogs, and other internet sites!).  A big thanks to my dearest sister-in-law, Rachel, who helped plan everything! Here are some pictures of Marci's & Baby Wallace's shower:

Treats table.  Notice...blue candy, blue PRETZELS (so proud of that find), handmade banner, marshmallow rattles, and my favorite: the cake! (Oh, and the cute little baby blocks!)

Close up of edible rattles!

Close up of shirley temples (with floating ducks that decided not to float half-way through the shower)

Food table. Yummy chicken-salad croissants, baby=fruit (look closely), and yummy shirley temples!

Close up of baby fruit! (notice binky!) Thank you, Pinterest, and Rachel for doing it ;) 

Front door.

Some of the guests!

Close up of the cake! (Three layers with blue frosting on the inside!)

Gift table...as seen from the baby blocks.

One of the games we played was a "memory" game.  If you matched the words (all pregnancy related words) then you would get a candy bar that related to the word.  Here are some of the examples:

Preemie= Runts candy

OBGYN= Butterfinger ;)

Daddy= Pop Rocks

Conception = Skor  (score!) candy bar ;)

Contractions = Whoppers

Ultrasound= Look candy bar

etc, etc, etc.

If you would like to see the whole list, let me know!

Here's what the game looked like.

The rest of the weekend consisted of: Parade of Homes with Marci (so fun!), deep-dish Chicago pizza with the Utah sibs+spouses, and of couse, Father's Day!  I was so sad that I couldn't actually talk to my Dad on Father's Day (him and Mama are on an Alaskan cruise as we speak! Lucky ducks...). Regardless, Happy Father's Day to both my wonderful daddy and my amazing Father-in-Law!