Pictures of Wisconsin

The reason for us going to Wisconsin was that Patrick's sister, Angie, married her sweetheart, Rodney, on May 21, 2008. Now all three Taylor "kids" are married. Their wedding was lovely. Bishop Wilson of the West Allis II Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints performed the ceremony.


Bridesmaid (Sara) and groomsman (Ray) the other fourth (including the parents) of the growing Ray Taylor Jr. clan. I love this picture. I think they look just great! They were married last year, June 30th (I think). That was our excuse for taking the trip back last summer. I love such happy excuses.

Mom and Dad Taylor . . . soon to be Grandma and Grandpa Taylor. This is at the dinner just after the wedding.
Um . . . clearly this isn't part of the wedding festivities. No, it's me at my parents' farm (The Funnny Farm) riding one of the latest tools/toys-- a very speedy lawnmower. Someday my kids will groan when they complain about mowing grandma and grandpa's yard and I tell them it used to take us 8-10 hours to complete the whole thing. But it's true. Happily, the new mower does the job in a fraction of the time. Patrick and I mowed while we played, but if you look behind me in the picture, it's obviously not a good mowing job.

Patrick on the other latest tool/toy. Farmer Pat. I think the best thing about this tractor is that it is BRIGHT orange. I enjoyed the lawnmower more, but my dad and Patrick bonded over the much heftier tractor.
This isn't in order and I'm too lazy to fix it. But this is me at my baby shower. Mom Taylor threw me one in Wisconsin while we were home. Patrick got to watch at this one and he said he was grateful that showers are thrown because they're so helpful, but he's glad they get thrown for women. I'm grateful for them too, but there is this fine balance of showing appreciation for the gifts while not boring all the guests to death which I am not sure I ever reach. Plus, no one talked while I opened the gifts. Talk about pressure to entertain. *Gulp* Still, it was the first time I got to see Sara, Sandy, Grandma, and Mary during this trip and it was the first time ever I got to meet the fiancees Katie and Rachel as well as Sandy's twins Conner and Aidan. And I'm finally learning Grandma's sisters names-- after several meetings.

Patrick with baby Connor. Patrick first met the twins when he was back in Wisconsin for his Grandma Taylor's funeral. This was before we had had the ultrasound. Their cuteness convinced him that it would be okay to have a boy. (Which is good given the circumstances.)


Future Grandpa Taylor with one very limp, very contented little baby. I just loved this. The kid looked like he was melting.

We visited Nathaniel at work. He works at a gigantic theater. We refrained from the ice cream, which I think is impressive considering that it looked stinking amazing! However, we did get a picture before we headed out for lunch at the mall. Our other excursions included hiking with my mom (should have gotten a picture of that-- boy, is it beautiful in Wisconsin!) and going to the exhibit Body World at the museum. It was fascinating and I would recommend it. My favorite part was the prenatal exhibit because it was amazing to compare what I saw with what I feel happening to me.

Back at the farm. Mama and llama. Llamas are funny looking creatures no matter how you slice it but these ones had just been sheared. However, her two babies (which she raised from birth) are amazingly friendly. I think this one is named Abinadi-- that or Liahona. When she was trying to think of names for them originally, Patrick recommended Llamoni which I thought was hilarious, but it apparently didn't make the cut.

And that's a bit of Wisconsin. It was fantastic. Now we're back to life here. It's still pretty exciting though. On Memorial Day, Patrick and I celebrated our two year anniversary. Besides the fact that I was sick, it was a fantastic day. We relaxed and spent time together, and we also got things done. It was a really nice balance.

On Tuesday, I went for a blood test to make sure I don't have gestational diabetes. The nurse called me yesterday to tell me that I'm low on iron and should take an iron supplement besides the prenatal vitamin. That's interesting because that happened to my mom when she was pregnant with me. The nurse calling made us a little nervous, but low iron is something we can fix and perhaps it will help me feel healthier sooner.

Today marks 100 days until our due date. It's crazy to think that we'll be spending Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas (and every holiday after that) with a little munchkin in our lives. Only three more months before he arrives. That's weird. Sadly, we still aren't doing so well in the name department. Conan (the Barbarian) and Jebediah Obadiah Zephaniah Taylor III are the best we've come up with so far. Okay, that's not true, but we do have some work to do on that front.

Tomorrow is Patrick's birthday. He's going to be 24 years old which he notes is his mid-twenties. (I'm still early twenties for a while yet-- ha!) We will, of course, have pizza (from Papa Murphy's we've decided) and we will have a cake. I will make it if I am feeling better. Also, Patrick will open his presents. One of them is slightly dangerous (particularly in his hands), so beware!