Skiing in Blizzards

Mat and I spent a wonderful Thanksgiving with the Taylor side of the family up at Snowbird this year. The Tuesday before thanksgiving, a blizzard warning was sent out, in which all schools closed down early and all businesses were heeded to close and go home and get inside. Indeed, the blizzard did come, which confined us to the condo we were in for a week. Despite the snow, however, we did get a chance to get out skiing. We took the four oldest boys out to teach them how. Take a look:

The men also went out skiing one day just for fun. The outdoor temperature: 6 degrees. Windchill on top of the mountain: -40 degrees. Needless to say, Mat came home with minor frost bite, and couldn’t feel his toes or nose for a bit, but all that is left is a mark on his face. (I think it makes him look handsome though. J )

During the week, we also made shirts, one of which Kaysie made for our new baby which looked something like this:

For thanksgiving, we answered the age-old question “What do vegetarians do on thanksgiving?” and went to Chuck-a-rama! Sadly, the meal was less than delightful, so we spent the rest of the vacation eating delectable food to make up for it. J

Then, upon our return, some friends invited us to go snowshoeing! I highly suggest this as a hobby to anyone who is looking for a good time!

My New Hobby

Since we have been married, Mat and I try our hardest to be frugal. We are nowhere near perfect, but I have become addicted to coupon clipping. This was one of my greatest feats the other day. (Granted, in sharing this I realize that there are others who will scoff at my savings, but I was impressed with myself, so away with you and your 4-wisdom-tooth-tale.)

Included in my purchase: 1 jumbo laundry detergent, I jumbo ketchup bottle, 1 dishwasher detergent, 5 tubes of Crest, 2 Old Spice Deodorant s, 2 Secret Deodorants, 1 package of Women’s razors, 2 bottles of Dawn dishwashing soap, 1 Neutrogena Face Wash, 1 Herbal Essence Mousse, 1 Herbal Essence Hair Spray, 1 Herbal Essence Shampoo and Conditioner, 1 mascara, 1 jumbo pack of Q-tips, 1 carton of ice cream, 4 bottles of Old Spice body wash, 1 roll of paper towels, 2 boxes of Kleenex, 2 cans of pineapple, 2 cans of mandarin oranges, and 1 package of pasta.

Total price: $104.08

Price after store discounts and coupons: $42.39

Savings: $61.69

Percent Saved: 59.27%

It was a good moment. Then, just a month later, Mat came up with this one:

Included in Mat’s purchase: 10 boxes of life cereal, 1 bag of Malt-O-Meal, and 1 loaf of bread.

Total Price: $41.22

Price after discounts and coupons: $16.53

Savings: $24.69

Percent Saved: 59.89%

We’ll let you be the judge of who did better. J

"P.S. This IS NOT an announcement"

For the last year and a half, Mat and I have felt compelled to remind people that we are not expecting whenever comments were made about what our children might be like. Most comments started or ended with the phrase, “This is not an announcement.”

Finally, we’d like to apologize formally to all those to whom we lied within the last 4 months about me not being pregnant and tell you, wholeheartedly…

“THIS IS AN ANNOUNCEMENT!”

And… IT’S A BOY!

Fall, Fun and Families

The last few months have been nothing but vacations and family excursions (although if you ask Mat he may mention the 15 grad credits he took… minor detail…) But it’s been an adventure.

In October, my mother, sister, and niece Emma came down to see General Conference and we had so much fun having an 8-year-old around. We introduced Emma to Travis and Kelly’s chickens, ate more candy and ice cream than I care to admit to, and had late night sleepovers.

Watching Emma at conference was by far the best part. I was humbled to realize that not everyone gets the experience to ever see a prophet of God, let alone be in the same room as him and hear him speak. Mat held Emma up as the Prophet walked in and it was amazing to see this newly baptized little member of the church light up and feel and see that the Prophet is a real person.

September, October and November brought 7 Medical School interviews for Mat, sufficiently putting a dent in our bank account and our weekends. But it seems that it paid off, as he has been accepted to four of the seven schools and we are still waiting to hear from the other 3. As of now, our top choice is most likely TCOM in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, but we’ll see what the next few months bring.

At Halloween, we spent lots of time with friends, carving pumpkins and doing cornmazes. We even won an award for the scariest pumpkin at our ward party. (I wish I had a picture of it… but alas, it died before I got around to it.)

In November we went down to Vegas for an interview, and to meet our new niece, Teagan Elizabeth Richards. Isn’t she cute?

I also flew to Spokane to spend a weekend with my sisters and mother to shop for Christmas. It was the first time my mom had been with her 3 daughters alone for years—we had a blast. Needless to say, there was much rejoicing in the form of Mexican food, Krispee Kreams and Blizzards.

Things Discovered

A lot has happened over the last year and a half of our lives, and since it would be impossible to try and blog about everything, I have decided to share all of the many things that Mat and I have learned since we tied the knot.

Discovery #1: Amanda can often fit in the weirdest places...
Discovery #2: Stairs can double as a crib. (I'm not sure what the wet spot is on the carpet...I prefer not to think about it...)
Discovery #3: Amanda can fall asleep anywhere......and so can Mat.Discovery #4: Did anyone know that you can make farting noises by blowing a straw into your armpit?Discovery #5: "Never get involved in a land war in Asia" - but only slightly less well-known is this: "Never go against 3 padawans when death is on the line"! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha.
Discovery #6: If the car ever breaks down, we have a backup plan...it might be a little cold in the winter, but would probably be as fast as the bus!
Discovery #7: Waste not, want not. Just because all the mints are gone, doesn't mean you cant freshen your breathe using the container...Discovery #8: MnM's truly are a staple in our household. (And what's with all the creepy faces Mat has been wearing?)
Discovery #9: We still haven't convinced anyone to like tofu.
Discovery #10: I still can't convince Mat to buy new socks...
Discovery #11: Mat thoroughly enjoyed his first thanksgiving with a real turkey...
Discovery #12: Amanda still fits in a shopping cart...
Whereas Mat...cannot. (I think he may have pulled a hammy getting out...)Discovery #13: Never leave chunks of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups on a plate for later.
Discovery #14: Mat is the real "Tool-Man" Taylor.
Discovery #15: Menus are not edible.Discovery #16: Elephants are not for riding...unless it happens to be a technicolored one...in which case, ride away!Discovery #17: When we all get to the other side, Brother-in-Law David may very well give Joseph Smith a run for his money in Indian Leg Wrestling.Discovery #18: Do not drink from watering cans...Discovery #19: How true that is...

Discovery #20: Cereal is our favorite food. You'd smile that big too if you had that much cereal. (I wish I could tell you that this is the most we've ever had...but its not even close.)
Discovery #21: If no candles are available, a red and brown tootsie pop will do the trick.
Discovery #22: Even real men enjoy the luxuries of life.Discovery #23: Mat has finally learned what to look forward to in aging.
Discovery #24: Mom may have some sort of pirate fantasy...Discovery #25: Contrary to what Brigham Young may have said, "This is the right place."Discovery #26: We will never be royalty in England.Discovery #27: Mat is asking for these for Christmas.Discovery #28: Even Donald Duck thinks Mat has big feet.Discovery #29: In a battle of burritos, Meg can outdo Uncle Shawn any day on fitting more in a burrito.Discovery #30: Animal Crackers dipped in cookie dough = goodness.
Discovery #31: No one ever wants to stand after running 13.1 miles.Discovery #32: If you ask your husband to do the laundry, you may be surprised at his methods.Overall, its been a great year and a half! We've learned a lot, but what we've learned the most is how perfect we are for each other! Here's to the next 50 years! (I promise I'll blog again before we hit 50 years though...)