6 Weeks Left?!

 I cannot believe I have a little less than 6 weeks left until our due date! When the baby will decide to come, we have no way of knowing, but we are just excited that it is getting closer! It is a little bit unreal, and lets be honest here...I am terrified!! But whenever I feel overwhelmed and scared to death of what is to come, I get a little nudge in my belly that reminds me how excited I am!

A few updates on our life and pregnancy:

I have felt really good. No complications. I am so grateful for that! I am starting to crave chocolate, which is a little strange for me. I crave fruity candy (skittles, star-bursts...) but I don't usually crave chocolate, and so now I can't find any in my house! (probably a good thing...(;  ) I am starting to get back aches in the middle of my back. Which makes is a little uncomfortable to sleep, but what can I do about it other than just suffer through?! ha, I guess I will groan and move around a lot in my sleep, because MacKay will wake me up asking if everything is ok. I just reply, oh it's just my back! I have had a mild case of Scoliosis since as long as I can remember, so I am used to back pain, but  it hasn't fired up like this since sports back in High School!  Oh well!! It is all worth it right?!(: Baby Taylor is still moving a LOT! It sure does have it's favorite spot in my belly....at a diagonal across my stomach, so pushing me in all sorts of directions!! I am getting really anxious to find out what the little one is, a Boy? a Girl?  I just can't wait to find out! We will be having the baby showers after the baby is born, in February, or beginning of March!
The other day, MacKay and I were cuddled up on the couch, watching a movie. He had his hands on my belly, and the baby was really moving around. I didn't say anything, but waited to see what MacKay would think. All of the sudden he says, "Is it always moving like this?!" I laughed and said that is was off and on, but it happened a lot! He couldn't believe how much it was moving. Not kicking, just shifting and moving around. It really is a miracle!!

I just finished my last week of work, Aiding at the middle school in Ephraim, for the 6th graders. They were so cute the whole week! I got gifts and cards all week long, lots of "We will miss you" 's and "When are you giving birth" 's. hahah That was my favorite question. We got some cute books for the baby from teachers and students, and some gift cards! I am blessed! I will miss those kids, and the teachers a lot! I loved my job!!

Now that my job is over, we can make the big move up to Spanish Fork! Details still to come, but we are getting all packed up. MacKay grew up close to Spanish Fork, so he is excited to be back, and we are both excited to be close to his family! As well as an hour and half closer to my family!! We are looking pretty seriously at a house in Payson, a few blocks west of the hospital I am delivering at! So that is a blessing! MacKay has his own storage unit in Salem, (a mile or so from the house we are looking at) and so we have been moving a lot of our stuff in there until we can get into the house! We will sleep at his parents house for a few weeks until everything is finalized! MacKay has been commuting since he got home from Alaska, so we are just ready to quit spending so  much money on gas!! We are excited to start this new chapter in our life, and welcome our baby into the world with a new home!

Here are some pictures of pregnancy thus far, and some family pictures we had for our Christmas Card!

This is our carseat! All ready for the baby! Now we need to get everything ELSE ready! (;

This is me at 17 weeks compared to 28 weeks! I am huge! (; I can't believe the difference!

32 weeks:

33 weeks:

34 weeks:

Family Pictures! 

(MacKay was a bit onrey when we took these. He kept saying; "I can't fake a smile!" hahah. what a poo.

 

We hope these next 6 weeks go fast, & we hope you all have a Merry Christmas!!

XOXO- Shanna

Disneyland

The week after Thanksgiving, we had a wonderful opportunity to trek it down to Disneyland! MacKay recently got a new job in Spanish Fork. His boss, for Christmas, took all of his employee's to Disneyland! We took the buses that were offered. We left on Tuesday night at about 10pm. Drove all night and got to Anaheim at about 9 in the morning. We then checked into our hotel, and headed to the park! We got to have park hoppers, so we spent our time exploring and jumping from Disneyland to California Adventures. MacKay and I have never been to an amusement park together, and it was so much fun! I, of course, was pregnant. So I couldn't ride any of the big rides. Big bummer! I was kinda of scared to go, thinking I would be really jealous of everyone that got to go on the big rides, and that I would have to sit outside of the ride waiting for them. (wollowing in my sorrows here...) I am a huge fan of scary/spinny/adrenaline going kind of rides. MacKay's brother and girl friend were there as well, so I didn't want to hold all of them back! But it actually was a lot of fun! MacKay was a really good sport with me! I love him for how sensitive he is to me! We spent most of the 2 days in the parks alone together, which I can't tell you how much fun we had! MacKay gets motion sickness on some of the bigger rides, mostly the spinny ones, and ones that jerk you around. So he was kind of relieved he didn't have to endure through them with me! (; So we walked around, looking at shops, laughing and browsing through both parks. We saw lots of shows, (which MacKay was skeptical of at first) but turns out, he LOVED them! We loved Aladdin!!

It was really slow at the park for the two days we were there. Not very many people, so not long lines. If we were walking past a ride and it looked fun, we would hop on and be out in 30 mins! If there was a ride that I thought MacKay would like to go on, but I couldn't, I would send him on his way and wait to watch him! He only went on a few that way, because it wasn't too much fun going by himself! But he was a good sport. (: Man I am lucky!!

The first day, we hadn't slept too well because of being on a bus, then we went straight to the parks, so we were dead tired by the time the park closed at 8pm! We had a dinner with some of his other workers and their families. We ate at the Rainforest Cafe (expensive, but SO GOOD!) We walked back to the hotel and were OUT before we hit the pillow! haha.
The second day we woke up early and had to walk to the Disneyland Hotel (on the other side of the park from our hotel) We had the WHOLE Company (1200+ people) meet for breakfast at 7am. It was really good. After the meeting MacKay and I were still dead tired! So we went back to the hotel and took a nap. The park didn't open till 10am. But MacKay and I actually slept till 12pm!! HA! We go to Disneyland and sleep! (; We ate a quick lunch, and headed out to the park. We walked all day, and then at 8:15 we watched the wonderful World of Color. It was in California Adventures, and it was a projected show on the fountain water that was spraying up. I can't tell you how amazing it was!!! At this point my poor feet were so tired I could barely enjoy myself! (I had never had my feet hurt so much in my life! I am blaming it on the pregnancy! (;  )   MacKay was a sweet heart and kept trying to take weight off of my feet by lifting me slightly, letting me lean on his legs, (there were no seats) After the show, we found a bench and sat for a few minutes and then booked it to our hotel to get something to eat! We ordered pizza from our hotel and then we sat back and talked! I had my first experience with Cankles!! (Where your Calves, and your Ankles meet, and there is no change in width!!) I had retained a lot of water in my ankles from walking so much. I had never felt so fat in my life! My feet were HUGE! hahaha. It was quite funny. They didn't go down for like a week!
The next morning we got up and were on the bus at 6am. Didn't get home till 8pm that night. We.were.beat! But it was so much fun!!

Here are some pics I took to capture our wonderful last Vacation before the little one comes into the family! (EEK!)

This is us on the bus, heading out. I was excited....and so was MacKay, he was just being silly. I had to put up the other "not posed" picture, because his smile is just adorable. (:

This was the parade in California Adventures. It was the Pixar parade! So cute.(:

Mater:

 A bugs life:

 Finding Nemo:

 Toy Story:

 Monsters Inc.

 This was the Christmas Tree in Disneyland!

 Us at the gates on the last night!

 The beautiful Castle! (:

 This picture is us on the bus on the way back. Here is the story:

It was in the morning, and we were all trying to sleep a little bit! I didn't have ear phones. (mistake #1) MacKay did (hence the mocking smile...) All the sudden, in my slumber I get woken up by a little kid's cartoons on a smart phone or something, SO LOUD, and in spanish!! I was ready to kill someone! I don't know what it was about the spanish people on our bus, but they thought it was ok to play things on their phone without earphones!!! Made for a VERY long drive!!!!!! haha. So that is why he is smiling, and I am putting a pillow over my ears....it still didn't help...by the way...(;

All in all, it really was a great week! We had so much fun together. Some people have said that during pregnancy, it sometimes causes problems between your spouse. That has been the complete opposite. I have to tell you that MacKay and I have grown together more in these past few months than our whole marriage! I am so incredibly happy, and I am even more convinced that he is the perfect husband for me. I love him with all my heart! (ok enough of the mushy stuff...(; )
Disneyland was a blast. The end! (:

XOXO- Shanna

Thanksgiving in Vegas!

Thanksgiving was at my sisters home in Henderson, NV. MacKay and I, and my Mom and Dad trekked it down to Vegas for the week, and had a blast. Isn't that always how it is when family gets together? We missed Andrew terribly, and cant wait to talk with him in a month for Christmas! It just isn't the same without him! But we did manage to have a little fun without him. (;
Wednesday was spent preparing for the meal the next day. I was still traveling, so I got out of most of the cooking! My mom and sister slaved away, and made all the deliciousness!! (: MacKay and I got there around 6pm and we just played some games and talked till bed time. Thursday, (thanksgiving day) was eventful! First off it was also my sweetie's birthday. So we had a wonderful breakfast made by Linds and Dev. Homemade Scones, and my Mom made this amazing honey butter. Mmmm. MacKay received some clothes and a Willow Tree called "New Dad" it is adorable. See for yourself! (:

I know right? I LOVED it the moment I saw it. Anyway, after opening presents, we started getting dinner ready and veggin around the house. Dinner was DELISH, however after dinner when we were all talking and laughing, MacKay got really sick and was throwing up for a while. ): What a terrible day for him! He started feeling better by night. We watched Lion King (from the cute demands of Avery!) and then after a game of Ticket to Ride (BEST GAME EVER) where we got MacKay, Dad and Mom all hooked, after all being very cautious before. (; We then watched Breaking Dawn part 1, so my Dad could understand a little before he watched Breaking Dawn pt 2! Friday we got to go see Breaking Dawn pt 2. Seriously spectacular!!! I can't even tell you how much I loved it. MacKay and my Dad were thoroughly surprised! They thought it would be terrible, and they both loved it!! We did a little bit of shopping, and came home to get the Birthday Bash started! MacKay's birthday on the 22, and Lindsay's birthday on the 26. We had lots of yummy treats and played some games!! MacKay and I headed home late that night and didn't get home till about 2:30am. We then went straight to work the next morning where I helped him all day, (I told him it was bring your hot pregnant wife to work day...) hahaha. He is just doing some construction work around a cabin so I was able to help a lot! It was a fun day. That night we went to his Family's Thanksgiving Dinner. They postponed their dinner a few days so all the family could make it. The only thing it had that the Henderson's didn't have was yams...smothered in marshmallows! (yuck) haha MacKay was a happy camper though! (; And that was our thanksgiving! It was very eventful, full of traveling and lots of laughs and fun times!! My favorite part was being with my little niece Avery! She is such a joy!! I laughed so hard all week with her! I just adore that cute face! Here are some pics of our week!

Golly he is cute....

 BAHAH. Happy Aves. (;

 Giving Grandma kisses!

 Mom and her girls(:

 Aves did NOT want to take pics, she wanted to be thrown in the air...much funner!!

 Waving at grandpa in the window, while sitting on my huge belly...(;

 I didn't throw her very high compared to her daddy!! (;

 I love her sweet kisses!!

 Btw...the outfit came from her Aunt Shanna, and I even dressed her that day!! Having a girl would be so much fun!!

 See? I can't even compare to Daddy! (; Don't mind my dorkiness....I was making her smile! haha

 Fam picture for Andrew!!

Kisses for Gramps. (;

 Daddy and his girls! (:

XOXO- Shanna

November Craziness

I can't even believe we are in December already! It went by too fast. And I can honestly say I wasn't home for more than half of the month! I was doing the Thanksgiving Thankful challenge, and then I got called on Jury Duty, then right after was Thanksgiving, and right after was Disneyland. So I am going to forgo the rest of the Thanksgiving Challenge!!
Jury Duty was...interesting! It was a civil case, and it was federal, therefore I had to go to Salt Lake. I didn't think they would pick a pregnant lady, however they did! They then told me I, along with 11 others were to report for the next 6 working days! I was stuck in SLC with no extra clothes and no where to stay! Luckily, MacKay's sister lives in Sandy, so I was able to stay with her! What a blessing! I bought a couple shirts and that was that. Court was actually fascinating. However, it was really uncomfortable to sit there all day. Anyone who has been pregnant will understand!! I suffered through and finally got through with court the day before I was so leave for our Thanksgiving trip to Las Vegas! So, I had one day spent at home packing. The day before Thanksgiving was spend traveling to my sisters house in Henderson NV. The next few weeks were pretty crazy, and I am paying for them now! Lets just say I am so glad that I am home and will stay home for a while!! Look for my upcoming posts on Thanksgiving, and Disneyland! (:

XOXO-Shanna

FRESH ALASKAN SALMON

FRESH ALASKAN SALMON FOR SALE!! Best deal you can find on such fresh salmon! We have a business in Alaska, and when we were shipping the Salmon home, a LOT of the bags had the seal broken due to FedEx being VERY hard on the boxes! The Salmon will freezer burn if we cannot sell it. It will still be good for months. We usually sell our Salmon for $14/lbs, we are now selling for $8/lbs. We are located in Ephraim. You can't find the farm raised salmon for this cheap! Grab it while you can!! Message me on here or call at 435-512-7558 Thanks!

Shanna

Missing Molly...

Meet Molly:

 She is one of my best friends. ever. Guess where she is?

NASHVILLE. 

yup....Nashville TN. On a mission. And even though I am so glad she is there, I miss her terribly bad! I can't tell you how many times I have picked up the phone to call her, and realized that she wont pick up for 1 year and 1 month! I have wanted to drive past her house in Orem to stop in and see her so many times it just isn't funny anymore!

Anyway, here is me wallowing in my sorrows for the day. I.MISS.MOLS. I miss her laugh, her dumb questions, her innocence, her freakout moments, her almost too spiritual view of everything. (; the way she can't say No to ANYONE, and our lessons on me teaching her to be a little meaner...hahaha. I miss her. just her. 

Here are some pics for this mournful day! 

I wanted to end on the whole gang! 1 year needs to go by fast....by the time she gets home, my baby will be almost 1! I can't wait for Aunt Mols to meet my little one. 

HURRY HOME MOLS! But have the time of your life out there! I know you are a great Missionary, and I love hearing from you! Love you!

XOXO- Shanna

Giving Thanks!

Since it is the month of Thanksgiving, I have been trying (like everyone else seems to be doing) to be pickout something each day that I am thankful for! It has been way easier than I thought, and I have trouble finding the "right one" for each day! I find now that after almost anything, I feel grateful for something. I am doing this "Giving Thanks" tradition weekly, I find I don't have too much time each day! So, here is my week 1 of being grateful.

Day 1:  I am thankful to be able to feel so good in this pregnancy. I was able to play some Volleyball on a league on Thursday, the first of November, and it felt great! I am so grateful I have been able to be, and do what I normally do. It has been a great 6 months so far!

Day 2: I am so grateful for my husband, and what an extremely hard worker he is! He works from sun up till sun down, and still finds time to get the little and big things done around the house that I cannot do. Including working on our vehicles. He is a great provider for our family, and I never would have guessed how great that is in a marriage. I fall more for him each day, and hope to be as great as he is someday! What a wonderful example in many ways, he is, and will be for our children! I can't wait to start our little family with him.

Day 3: I am thankful for my wonderful In-laws that I was blessed with! They are way more than I ever hoped or expected. They treat me with love and respect, as well as one of their own. I feel like I fit right in, and we have the best time together as a Taylor family!

Day 4: I am grateful for my Church, and everything it entails! I love my Savior, and am grateful and humbled for him to trust me with this little life inside me. I have tried hard to made sure I am ready spiritually to be a Mother. (as ready as you can be!) I love our Ward, and the wonderful sisters in Relief Society that have been so wonderful to me, offering any assistance! My old ward has been great as well, what good friendships I have built because of this wonderful Gospel. I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon, and the history it shares with us. It is fascinating to me, to read about these people and how much faith they had. As well as gain great instruction from the words.

Day 5: I am grateful for books, so I can get away from reality for a bit, and just read! I can get so wrapped up in a book, drives MacKay crazy! But I love to read!

Day 6: I am thankful for my AMAZING family. My Mom is one of the most giving people, and she cares about you with her whole heart and more! She would give anything for her kids. I can't wait to have her be a grandma to my little ones, they will love her and learn so much from her! She is an amazing person, and spiritually, I hope to be where she is with her knowledge of the gospel principles and the scriptures. She is so in-tune, that it amazes me! My Dad is the most amazing Dad. I can call and talk to him about anything, especially the gospel. We always have great conversations, and I love to make him laugh! He is a very hard worker, and shares my soft spot for animals! (unless it is cats...) He cracks me up every time I am with him, and he surprises me just as much! I cherish the relationship we have, and have a deep respect for him. My sister is my best friend! I call to rant, laugh, and cry. She almost always picks up, and if she doesn't she calls within a few minutes! She is always there for me when I need her, and she is a great example of a mother! I hope someday I can be as great of a cook as she is, and homemaker. She is also one of the funniest people I know. I love it when she rants on and on about something she is passionate about, or to watch her when she drives....or when someone else drives for that matter! Major road rage! (; She has a wonderful husband who I am so grateful that he treats her right! She has the most amazing daughter, who anyone adores. Avery is my favorite! My brother is on his mission right now, and I couldn't be more proud of him. We still have the best conversations (even if they are delayed for weeks at a time) he still cares about what goes on in my life, insignificant or not! He is THE funniest person I know. Everyone loves him, and you can't stop laughing when you are around him. He is beyond cool, and very sensitive to peoples feelings. He has the funniest temper, and I can't help but laugh when he gets mad. Or when he gets claustrophobic when he finds out he is locked in the seat belt. I can't wait for him to come home and meet my new little baby! He is a great uncle, and the best brother a girl could ask for!... Basically I have the best family ever! Be jealous!! (:

Day 7: I am grateful for my Job and how much fun I have doing it. Also grateful for the kids and teachers I get to work with. AND I get to be educated everyday, which I LOVE! I am grateful that both MacKay and I have jobs.

What are you thankful for?!

XOXO- Shanna

Shooting

One of our favorite things to do is go Shooting! MacKay's view is shooting at something living, i.e. Rabbits, Snakes, any kind of animal. If that is the case I just sit in the truck and wait! But I LOVE shooting at targets. So, he humored me one day, and we went shooting with his brother, Bryce and our good friend Aurora! We had so much fun! Turns out they found some animal to shoot! You can tell by MacKay's smile, that he is thrilled. (;

Our life isn't that exciting, so this outing was something worth documenting! (;

PS. Note the Baby Belly. (;

I missed the memo of wearing Baby Blue! (;

We had so much fun! Wish we could go out again soon! (: Thanks for the great memory!

XOXO- Shanna

Bachelorette Party!

Clear back in June, one of my bestest friends of all time got married! It is a tradition, that my group of friends started when I got married, to have a Bachelorette party for the new Bride! (; 2 Years ago, we had the first one, for my wedding. We went to Trafalga, had the time of our lives! 1 year later we had one for Shawnee. We went to Jump On It, and about peed ourselves we were laughing so hard. Then this year we had one for our friend Tiff! We went to a roller blading rink. I can't tell you how much fun we had! Here are some pictures. This was a few days before the wedding, about a week before I left for AK, and about 1 week and a half before our other half, Molly, left for her mission! Enjoy. (:

Shawnee, Tiff (the Bride) and Molly!

The Bride!

Molly didn't enjoy the roller skating as much as everyone else....

Let's just say she is a little less coordinated! (;

Me and Tiff!

Shawnee and Molly

Shawnee took a fall!! (;

Shawn, Mols, Tiff, posing for the camera.....wait for it.....

WOAH! How did that happen?! (; hahaha I miss Mols.

I said screw the skates and got roller blades! (;

And of course, had to talk on the phone with Russell....the groom! (;

Molly traded in her skates for a scooter! Much Safer...(;

Molly= Photobomber....singing a song??

The 4 of us! Can't wait to be reunited with my Mols!!

We had so much fun! It was a great week to spend with these girls, and get ready for the Wedding! Tiff and Russell's wedding was beautiful! Three of four have gotten married in the Manti temple! Molly?? (;

XOXO- Shanna