Elvis Lives

So I'm basically in love with Memphis. What a great day! I wish we could have spent more time here (without cowboy would be awesome) to see and do all there is. We managed to squeeze in a few staples, though. Graceland was pretty cool. It seemed like a funny thing to do at first, but I didn't realize what a big deal he was. HE WAS A BIG DEAL. I think people 60 years old and up would probably appreciate Graceland in a totally different way. We really enjoyed it, though. Luxury in the 60's and 70's was totally different. Carpeted ceilings? Mirrored hallways? Whatever floats your boat, Elvis. A million trophys, jumpsuits jumpsuits everywhere, a car museum, his private jets, and getting to breathe the same air Elvis did. All very cool.

"Mmmmm...Memphis Barbeque!"

Memphis has a kick-a children's museum!

The Mississippi

Beale Street and the Memphis Blues!

Here are the rest of our pictures:

taylorandstephanie.shutterfly.com

St. Louis

The best part about St. Louis is that so many cool things are totally free. The zoo and science museum are two of these freebie spots we checked out. It was kinda chilly, but we're from Iowa, so we toughed it out. We went up the arch in these little pod egg things, which was rather scary. But you had to do it, I suppose.

He's still cute, I suppose...

Giving kisses to the bear.

Wearing a monkey backpack and typing. Classic combination.

Nap-head.

5 grain wheat thins are delicious!

Gag Reflex

Did you know that dolphins don't have a gag reflex?? Since they breathe out of their blow-holes, when they're choking they can still breathe - so no need. Too bad W isn't a dolphin, cause this kid will throw up if he even looks at something that might tickle his throat. The culprit today was a cotton ball that he "tasted". The little cotton fuzz got stuck to his tongue, and there really was no other option than to throw up. Kinda gross, but we got him all cleaned up and his clothes in the laundry.

W also opened the dishwasher and took out a butcher knife (!!!!) and stabbed it into the linoleum. I was right there and saw him do all of this in .3 seconds. Why does God make children so quick on their feet?! After putting the dishes away, I discovered our lint roller had ended up in the toilet. hmm... We proceeded to take a significantly short nap. And then later on this afternoon we went out on the balcony and W started playing in the dirt. At first I was freaking out, but decided he was a little boy and deserved to play in dirt. Until he took a fistful and tried to eat it. What's the solution to things in our mouth that we don't like?? That's right! Barf #2 for the day. Oh, and we had just eaten fruit loops, FYI. Sick. It's only 5 PM, so perhaps he'll do some more fun things before the day is over.

Cute man playing in the dirt...

Until the fruit loops came back to haunt us. (It was sicker than what was on the shoe, but I don't think any of you actually want to see it for real)

Back in the tub

Anyone want to rent a kid for the day?

All Too Often...

I see this face!

Reading Time

Our little guy loves to read books. And he's good to read by himself once in a while. Which is helpful when all he ever wants to read is "Hop On Pop" and it drives you crazy so you hide it under the couch and cringe when he accidentally discovers it. Many a book has received an under-the-couch "time out". But they always come back...

Apple, Anyone?

W wailing on an apple. He would have eaten the twig part if I hadn't rescued him from himself. We keep it in a safe place between the elbow and the armpit. Easy access. Makes sense.

What does $10 look like?

It looks like 9 collared shirts, 6 sleepers, 4 vests, 1 hat, 4 sweaters, 1 pair of overalls, and 4 pairs of pants. And these are nice things, people! Got to love the name brands that cost me like 20 cents each. And I know some of these are girl things that I have no idea what I'll do with, but it's fill-a-bag for $5! So once you've already started one, you might as well fill that sucker to the top! I'm so going to miss my favorite children's consignment shop when we leave. Here's hoping Denver doesn't disappoint me.

Tagged...a bunch of times...all several months ago

FYI - I'm a bad person to "tag" cause I never do them. I hate that kind of pressure to be interesting and witty! I was feeling a little guilty for not doing any of them, though...so I completed this one. Because you all really wanted to know, right?? :) Mama Steph

10 YEARS AGO
I was cruisin' the breezeways of Lakes High School with my mom's massive cell phone in case of an emergency. (I'm still in the process of becoming cool.)

THINGS TO DO ON MY LIST TODAY
Bank
Post Office
Children's Museum
Do some stuff for Enrichment
Sell DVD's on eBay

FOOD I ENJOY
pizza, corn nuts, that new "trail mix" cereal, tortellini, decadent desserts (all varieties), calamata olives and brie, "expensive" sandwiches, chocolate milk, bread with oil and balsamic, anything I've made from food network, banana splits, crab, yummy dinner salads, Martineli's

WHAT WOULD I DO IF I WERE SUDDENLY A BILLIONAIRE
buy houses for every one in the fam, travel the world, build temples for the church, send a bunch of inner-city kids to college, call up Bill Gates and say "hey hey!", get a new cell phone number so crazy people wouldn't be calling me all the time, and hire a chef to cater to my sophisticated palet :)

3 OF MY BAD HABITS
Getting bugged at people
Leaving a pile of clothes on the floor (they're clean!)
"Fiddle-farting" around (starting another thing before finishing the first and then rushing to get it all done before I have to be somewhere)

PLACES I HAVE LIVED
LA
Lakewood, WA
Provo, UT
Coralville, IA
Denver, CO (we were there all summer, so it counts)

JOBS THAT I HAVE HAD
Sound Credit Union - teller
Great Steak - waitress
Brent Brown Auto Dealership - receptionist
Babysitting an Autistic kid that kept attacking me
All Through the House - clerk
CLVerify - Administrative Assistant
Hills Bank - Trust Admin Assistant

THINGS PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT ME
I love lame high school girl music (my guilty pleasure playlist won't stay for long...don't worry!)
I cry when I see pigs on the trucks on the freeways heading to their death place
The most scary experience in my life is learning how to drive stick shift
I'm funnier than Taylor. He'll deny it up and down, but at the end of the day - he knows I am
I could be on an iPod commercial with all the crazy dancing I do when Taylor's at school (and the blinds are closed!) I also make music videos in the bathroom mirror.
I once held a sign on a street corner for a temp agency so my kids will know their mom isn't too proud

TOFW!

That stands for Time Out For Women. What is that, you might ask? Well its a conference for LDS women to go and hear speakers and music and have a day out with just the girls. My hunny, Taylor, says its "like EFY for ladies". That works.

Well we left Iowa City before 5AM, bound for Chicago in a sweet, rented (because none of us are old enough, or lame enough, or have enough kids to justify driving a) mini-van. There were 6 of us and we had the best time. The messages given at the event were very inspiring and uplifting. I think we all left feeling great and energized to try to be better people and live with more faith and more happiness. The theme was "Living a Joyful Life". And we learned great things - how to provide service in and for your family, how to deal with troubles and trials that will inevitably come up in life, how to be better mothers, ways to love each other and be kinder, and (most importantly) how and where to do the "dance of joy"!


I was so happy to have such great company on this little road trip. Can you guess which one of us:

1. eats the gross little "thingy" at the bottom of bananas?
2. brothers tied her to furniture and lovingly nicknamed her "skeeters" (aka mosquito bites) when she was growing up?
3. is better than consumer reports in giving advice on what products are the best to buy and where you can get them?
4. can fold her tongue like a clover (and swears most people can, but thats a lie)?
5. whose Grandma took her to buy a first bra and made her try them on in the isle when the dressing rooms were full?
6. was the "sinner" of the group, relying on a diet dr. pepper to keep her eyes open at 4:50AM?

Bonus**Which of us had a blast leaving the kiddo (we each have one!) with dad and didn't look back? Thanks, hubbies! (Not that it was "babysitting" cause these papas know how to parent their kids!) But we're still grateful.