merry christmas

white christmas from Alisha on Vimeo.


rocking horse from Alisha on Vimeo.


christmas dancing from Alisha on Vimeo.

sunday dress

we love christmas. we love the snow. today we loved jillians new sunday dress (thanks judy)!!! she got so many compliments and she loved to swish the skirt.

i have officially started to feel pregnant. today at church i couldn't wait to get home and take my tights off. this belly is ready to come out!! no more holding it in. next wed i'll be half way done (5 months or 20 wks). my body has changed faster this time around but i just want to be past the "did she just eat a big dinner or is she prego" phase. maternity clothes here i come...

PARRRRRRTTTTTAAAA!!!!!!

jeff and i partied hard yesterday. first, we stopped by the Old Country Buffet for Grandma Pete's 87th birthday. it was fun to see some of my uncles and other family. grandma did great (for those that don't know she has Alzheimer's). she kept quizzing everyone, "do you know know how i really am?" then she'd have to whisper to grandpa to get the answer. i think aunt wilma has a crush on jeff. more than once she said "can you imagine if your son looks like your husband? oh my". jeff did look pretty H-O-T yesterday. here's jeff and jill and my second cousin Abby. she couldn't get enough of jill. (i told you that jeff looked good.) as formal as Old Country Buffet is ;) we actually got all dolled up for my works Christmas Party. i put on an extra coat of mascara, curled my hair and jeff put gel in his (not a daily occurrence). we dropped jill off with sarah and put our dancing shoes on. the food was yummy!! i got prime rib and jeff got some special chicken. we one a couple prizes and danced until the music stinked and my feet hurt. jeff called the DJ "the offended DJ". If no one was one the dance floor after the first measure of a song he'd make some stupid comment ("well, that one's a bust", or "come on, this is a great beat") and the start a whole new song. it was pretty funny.
my batteries died so we didn't even get a pic of jeff and i. my nurse friend snapped one, so if i ever get it i'll post it.
i had to make sure the ice sculpture was real. yup, tastes like...cold water.

we fly out tomorrow to party it up in Utah for Christmas. can't wait!!!

jeff + alisha + jenni = true love

jeff and i had a date night last night. his mom gave us tickets to the suns vs heat game. we had a great time!!! the hi-light of the night was meeting JENNI from the show "the Bachelor". i was going for her from the moment she stepped out of the limo. 1. she's dancer 2. she lives in pheonix. looking at this picture i realize that i could use some self-tanner and more make-up!
here's shaqui. he is huge!! i'd have a pic of steve nash but he played like a soccer player...only 3 points going into the fourth quarter. after the game jeff and i stopped by a live press thingy and saw tom chambers and i think we made it on the news. i love date nights.

sweet face

girls day out

yesterday was mom and jill's day out!! we started in mesa at caitlin's bridal shower. it was good food and great company. caitlin looked radiant and jeanette and sarah were beaming. after the shower we went to ava's (hayley's baby) 2nd birthday party in scottsdale. jill had a blast playing with the kiddo's and splashing in the puddles outside. we had the borrow some pants after jill got soaking wet. we had a fun day out but were very excited to get home and get a nap! cute baby in cute borrowed pants

sweet caitlin and ben.
i stole this pic from jeanette's blog. this is caitlin, sarah, emma and sadee (sarah's babes) and jill and i dancing to the soundtrack from Hairspray. i can't wait to party and caitlin's wedding reception!

Denise Austin

push-ups from Alisha on Vimeo.



lunges from Alisha on Vimeo.


a fond memory i have of being young is waking up and working out with mom to denise austin. like mother like daughter!

Giving Thanks

As the annoying girl who always carries her camera around, you wouldn't believe that I forgot to take it with me all weekend!! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at Jeff's grandmothers home, with tons of food and pies. Jeff got to play football Thursday morning and is still recovering. Jill and I have been enjoying the cooler weather with extended walks (Jill wants to walk and not be pushed in the stroller) and playtime in the backyard. Last night we went to a party put on by Jeff's dad's family for Caitlin's fiance Ben. It was a blast. Good food, good people and good fun.
Jeff can attest to the fact that I'm not always positive about living in Arizona. I need to express my gratitude more often. Here's my top ten thankful list:

1. My husband JEFF. He's a worthy priesthood holder. He's very patient with me. He's a great cook. He has a desire to provide for us and works hard at it. Best of all he's amazing with Jill. Quick side note: I worked last night so I had to meet Jeff and Jill at church after my shift. He had Jill dressed in a shirt, tights and socks over the tights. The shirt is one of the longer shirts that you wear tight pants under and Jeff thought it was a dress. It was hilarious!! I'm blessed to have him on my team.

2. My sweet baby girl JILLIAN. Lately she's really started to hug and kiss us with purpose. I knew having a family would bring happiness but I never knew how fulfilling it would be. I will do anything to make her happy and keep her safe.

3. The new BABY IN THE BELLY. As a pregnancy that I've been slowly warming up too, I can now say that I'm getting excited. Jeff and I have been so blessed by Jill, I can't wait to see what joy a second will bring. btw, I had an ultrasound at work a couple weeks ago and the tech thinks it's a boy! I was only 12/13 weeks so I'll do it again in a few weeks for the final word. The tech took measurements and counted fingers and toes. . . all is in order, which brings me to...

4. Good HEALTH. Jeff, Jill and I have been very healthy and safe. I am grateful for my body that is able to protect and nurture my babies. I'm also grateful for Jeff's health that allows him to work hard and play hard.

5. My JOB. I was fortunate to get a great education in Nevada, that allows me the opportunity to make money where ever and when ever I may need it. As much as I complain about going into work I really enjoy being a nurse.

6. My HOME. Plenty of space, A/C, and keeper of my family.

7. My SAVIOR. Of-course this is #1. I have been studying the life and teaches of Jesus and I feel as though my love and gratitude for Him is 10 fold. Along with this I love my calling and am thankful for the primary children.

8. FAMILY and FRIENDS. Jeff and I both were raised by exceptional parents. We both have wonderful siblings that have growing families. Jeff and I also have good friends that are concerned about us and love us.

9. SLEEP. I love how I feel after a good nap. More than that, I love climbing into bed after the day and just relaxing. I look forward to this daily.

10. DANCE and EXERCISE. I've been able to take a couple dance classes and I still relish being in a studio. Allowing my body to move through space and feel the beat of music. . . I will never grow out of this. I also love to exercise and I am grateful that my body allows me to do so.

our little helper

lint collector from Alisha on Vimeo.


pushing basket from Alisha on Vimeo.


jillian can't help but help around the house. yesterday jeff was cooking dinner and found jill getting in the cupboard to help. luckily i had the camera handy.

jill loves laundry day!! jill loves to pull the wet clothes out of the washer and put them in the dryer, push buttons, and push the basket back to my room. of-course once the camera's rolling she's a little distracted from her chores.

you will never guess what happened!! and Veteran's Day fun

Yesterday the weather was awesome!! overcast and cool all day!! we've had record highs this month and it's really starting to wear on me. anyway, last night as we were watching the U of A and Oregon game the weather went nuts!! thunder and lighting and then this... little chunks of hail!! it was sweet!!! it reminded me of snow and made me long even more for cold weather.


As I mentioned, I'm hating the heat right now. Jeff and I decided to skip town last weekend for cooler weather. we headed up to jeff's cabin in strawberry az. it was so fun!! some of jeff's cousins and aunts were there. jill loved to follow Dayton (see picture below) around. we all had a bonfire on the last night with jeff organizing a survivor-like fire making game with the cousins. i loathed the thought of coming home. i relished in the big green trees of the mountains and the cool crisp air that has that smell. you know what i'm talking about. awww that morning smell of the air. i loved it!! the last night we were there our garbage even got ravished by a big javelina. it just looked like a huge nasty mean pig. it must of been a girl b/c we couldn't see tusks.
Dayton and Jill in the loft.

on saturday jeff and i went to the Natural Bridge of the Tonto Forest (i think it's tonto). it was amazing. this huge arch-way connected two mountains made two different types of rock. under the bridge was a fresh spring river. we got to hick all the way down and through the river under the bridge to the other side. it was really breath-taking. jill had a great time, laughing all the way down the mountain.

the top picture is right before we got to the bottom by the river.

this is the natural bridge.
here's me hiking on some of the rocks.


i couldn't have asked for a better weekend!

now it's really offical

last week i had myself convinced that i wasn't really pregnant. i've been feeling so good, no weight gain and no doctors appt yet. i was at walmart and i thought, "well i better buy another prego test to confirm that i'm not pregnant". (the lack of menses for three months never entered my crazy brain). seconds after i peed it was positive. what?! i was positive it would be negative.
so, tonight at work (i'm a nurse at the hospital) i decided to triple check. i got the doppler and an empty room. i found the new baby's' heart beat in less than a minute. so it's official...i'm pregnant.
points to ponder: the heart beat was approx 120 beats/minute. jillian always ran approx 140-150 beats/minute. with jill i was nauseated for a good portion of the pregnancy. with this one...well, refer to the above paragraph.
anyway, due date is may 29th and i am now convinced that this is really happening.

a day in the life of jillian

i wear my sunglasses at night from Alisha on Vimeo.




yep, still funny from Alisha on Vimeo.




stuck in the dishwasher from Alisha on Vimeo.

calling all english lit majors

i'm reading an old book called Robinson Cursoe. multiple times a chapter i run into a break in the sentence that looks like this " ..., viz., .." of-course in the book the ... are words and there are no quotations. what does this mean?

happy halloween

on monday jill got to ride on her first carousel. she loved it. she actually rode on the TIGER. i think she liked the tiger most of all. she kept tapping the tiger with little love taps.

for halloween jill and i were black widows. i made jills top from scratch. it was so hard to try and figure out how to make the shirt with long sleeves. i got pretty lucky that it fit perfect! jill's fake legs are attached to her arms so that when she moved her arms her little legs would move too.

she was so cute!!! she's just such a shaker and a mover now that it's almost impossible to get a good pic of her. i think though that both jill and i look great in this picture...not. jeff didn't dress up. hopefully next year his dream of being a white gorilla will come true.

monday we went to the cranes halloween party and had a blast. then on tues was trunk or treat. jill just loved to walk around amongst all the other party goers.

you have no idea...

what a relief!! today was the Primary Sacrament Program at church. part of my calling in the primary is to write the script for the program and pretty much run the show. with a little over 100 active primary children the task was daunting to say the least. after the first practice i was so distraught that i called each mother and reminded them of their children's part and that i was hoping not to have to prompt. the parents hard-work, our prayers and the children's wonderful spirits came through.
the program ran without a hitch! all of the junior primary children (including my sunbeams) had their parts memorized. the senior primary brought self-written talks and testimonies to share. they did a phenomenal job. i know i've mentioned this before, but our chorister and pianist are amazing. as the children sang the spirit was felt and confirmed the truthfulness of what was being shared by our youth.
after the program i heard many compliments. the best one came from my stake leader. as the tears flowed from her eyes she said it was the best program she has ever seen.
you have no idea what a relief it is to be done! i didn't sleep last night and i was a mess this morning worrying about it. obviously i need to have more faith...

ONE

jill turned one on saturday. we got to have a little party with family and friends at the park. jill was so funny, walking around and watching all the other kids play. she loves to be outside and i think she had a great time. she got a lot of great presents. funny thing is that with all her new toys she still prefers to carry around a EXPO marker and the occasional toothbrush. maybe she'll grow into her new toys...
here's her stats... head: 18in (70%), weight: 20 lbs (33%), length: 30 in (65%).
p.s. thanks for the great pix hayley!

Turley reunion

this is just the pheobe line from the reunion. imagine 12 other family lines that were represented at the reunion. lots of peeps. theresa and kenny's family and heather's husband missed the picture.

Jills tricks (or treats)

i'm still trying to teach her how to throw dipars away. here's a few words she says: bahbpey (baby), ook (book), manana (banana).
last saturday we went to the Turley reunion. Grandma Pheobe Peterson is the 12th baby of Hyrum Turley. She is also the only living sibling. jeff got to meet a handful of cousins and relatives that he hadn't yet. i guess their planning a big shin-dig in utah next year.

cat's outta the bag

(hint: read jills shirt as fast as you can.)

proof

walking from Alisha on Vimeo.

don't watch until you've read previous blog through "wed"...

dancing from Alisha on Vimeo.

wonderful week

wow, last week was wonderful.

last weekend: stake conference. on saturday jeff and i were able to attend the leadership meeting and the adult session, then on sunday we attended the general stake meeting. to my great surprise Elder Eyring attended to and spoke at all three!!
jeff had to leave the adult session early on sat b/c jill was being rowdy. after the closing prayer i quickly walked up to the podium and shook elder Eyring's hand (i was the first one!!). i then proceeded to ask him if he'd like to go golf with my husband on monday. he said that he "very much enjoys golfing. however, i have to report to President Packer monday morning". jeff was impressed that i was the first one up and that i actually asked him the question. i thought to myself "do you know me at all? of-course i would do that!"
well then on sunday, i was determined to speak with him again and have him meet jillian. after "amen" i quickly walked to podium, but he was already escorted out. i strode to the exit door. BLOCKED. an usher kindly told me i couldn't use "this" door. i found the closest door and ran into the foyer. he was inside the stake offices. i was determined. if i waited long enough, he'd have to come out. so i waited. i meandered in and out of the gym socialising, always with one eye on the stake door. all the chairs were up and the crowd was gone, still i waited. finally, no luck. with slumped shoulders i walked to my car. less than five cars left in the entire parking lot. i strapped jill in and drove to the exit. as i drove by i saw the elders in the foyer. of-course elder eyring would be meeting with them! now's my chance. i parked the car in handicap parking and ran back inside. as i was going in the elders were coming out. wrong again! i drove down the street toward home. as i pulled up to a red light i thought "i've got to try one more thing! if i don't i'll regret it. i really wanted jill to see him". i flipped a "U"ie and speed to the church. as i pulled up, no cars left in the parking lot, i noticed an outside access door from the stake offices. of-course!! i knew it had been there, but in my stalker-thought process i had forgotten. as i was finally and really driving home i was over come with the spirit. as the tears started to flow my testimony burned. did i want to speak with him b/c i wanted a good story? no i wanted to speak with him and shake his hand b/c of the knowledge and spirit that surrounds him. i am reminded of the women in the bible with the issue of blood. all she needed was to touch the saviors hem and she was healed. all i wanted was more of elder eyrings teaching and testimony. as young as jillian is i wanted her to feel what i was feeling. the conference was a success. i left with a stronger testimony and a greater resolve to become as He is.

Wed: finally! jill has started dancing. i took it a little personal when nora and carrie were movin' before jill. silly, but true.

Thrus: jill is 11 months! time to look for a new car seat. i can't wait to look back and see her cute face, instead of her cute back of head.




Friday: i now consider jill walking. she'll walk back and forth from jeff and i with encouragement. so fun to watch. of-course she still prefers to crawl.

Saturday: i know that i'm bit of a pessimist about arizona. okay, more than a bit. however, one thing arizona has going for it is the sports. Suns, Diamondbacks (in the running for the world series), Cardinals, Mercury (won the national championship this year), Coyotes. arizona also has great college athletics too. we've been to suns games and coyotes games. we really want to go to a cardinals game but they're mostly on sunday and they mostly lose. jeff and i really enjoy going to sporting events. on saturday we went to ASU vs. Oregon football. what a great game!! ASU looks pretty good, i think their record is 5-0. we had so much fun.




Sunday: my primary children were much more reverent this week than two weeks ago. they're getting ready for the sacrament program. we have a phenomenal chorister and pianist. every sunday as the children sing the spirit is invitied to the room. i love my calling. also, it is really official now. jill is walking. i set her down as i was conducting and she walked around the podium to the other counselor all by herself. i'm sure i'll have a video coming soon.

phew! what a wonderful week.

standing for something

just standing around from Alisha on Vimeo.

of wizards and vampires

i've crumbled to the peer pressure. i have began two series of novels at the same time. last week i finished the first book of harry potter and this week i finished twilight. i am #2 on the hold list for the 2nd harry potter and #192 for eclipse (i'm borrowing the second already). first of all, who would have thought that there would still be a waiting list for harry potter book 2? secondly, do you really think i'll be patient enough for 191 people to read eclipse before i want it? nope. (catilin, get to reading b/c know your mom gets it before me.) here's my critics on both, if you care:
i did enjoy harry pottery. having seen the movie first i really could visualize all the people and action. i was a fun read. i'm not particularly in love with it but i've heard the books get better and better.
i've also heard the same of the twilight books. my opinon: the first half of this book was annoying. i thought that bella was a self-loathing pitty party and edward was just creepy. as the book progressed i got more and more into it. the last half i couldn't put it down. i really enjoyed the suspense near the end. i'll admit it, i totally got into edward and his obsession with bella. i did hate the repetition of certain phrases though, such as: "promise you won't leave". ahhhhh!! if bella says this one more time i'll scream! anyway, i really enjoyed losing myself in the book. things i'd like to see in the next ones: more character development of charlie, less play on the clumsiness of bella, more with carlisle (i think i just like that name so i want to say it in my head more). after i finished twilight i was actually hoping for a movie to come out.

so you say it's my birthday

is that MJ? no wait, it's alisha.
my 25th birthday was on tuesday and it was awesome! sarah watched jill for us and we got to go hiking, swimming, cliff jumping, snorkling, picinicing and having fun like we were still young. i'd been dying to get out of the heat of the desert. fossil creek is a 2 hour drive and about 45min hike but sooooooo worth it. it's really secluded and the water was crystal clear. we finished the adventerous day off with dinner at texas roadhouse. i wish everyday could be my birthday!

painting frenzy/10 months

last week i went on a painting frenzy. i started with my doorknobs. they were that ugly gold/brass color (sorry for any of you that have those). i hated the way they looked. yup thats right, spray paint baby! it was pretty fun. i was reminded of doing homecoming floats in h.s. i wanted to just buy new knobs but they're pretty pricey. spray paint will do for now. next was the rooster. i bought a ceramic rooster and my mother-in-law helped me paint it. she has a few more creative genes than me so i was grateful for her help. she actually is commissioned to paint these for people. the rooster looks great in the nook.

finally was toenails. jill and i haven't had our toenails painted for 10 months. i don't even remember the last time i painted my toenails. i was before i was pregnant sometime. it's pretty fun to have color back on them.

today jill is 10 months old. she's been free standing for seconds at a time a few times a day now. she'll be walking before i'm ready. i love seeing her crawl around. i'm not yet ready for her to keeping growing up. i love this stage soooooo much i just want her to stay the way she is.

i'm anxious though to see her next few months. it seems like each month is more and more fun. i love this baby.

boys were right, burps are funny

burps and giggles from Alisha and Vimeo.

first ponytail

jill got her first ponytail today. i'm not so sure she likes it. before she's 10 months heres her 9 month stats from a few weeks ago: 17 lbs and 27 inches long. i've moved her into size three diapers. they're a little big but she'll grow into them.

okay, i'll do it

i have really been dragging my feet about food storage. i know i need to do it, but it overwhelms me to even think about. well, these past few months i feel as though it has been "the topic". then on the first sunday of august our stake presidency came out with a message that pushed me over the edge: we need to "expeditiously" prepare for a Level One Emergency by August 31st. level one emergency defined as: "a disruption of the family income, transportation, water, food, electricity and/or quarantine of flu or other contamination". here's the outline they gave of us to follow. week 1: have water for family for 15 days. week 2: store 6 extra cans of food for each family member and 15 days worth of food that they will actually eat. week 3: accumulate extra medications and general first aid items to care for family for 30 days. week 4: have 72 hour kit for each family member that you can take in vehicle. also we were instructed to fill up our gas tanks when it reaches the half way mark.

with all this hustle to have it done by aug 31st, i'm anxious to see what's going to happen sept. 1st. :)

really, i'm grateful for this guideline, a 15 day supply is much easier to start with than 1 yr and it gets me going at least.

6 generations

Joseph Smith Sr. sealed to Lucy Mack Smith begat Hyrum Smith sealed to Mary Fielding Smith begat Martha Ann Smith begat Mary Emily Harris begat Don Cecil Corbett (grave on right). ************************************************************

Thomas Clayton begat William Clayton begat Sarah Clayton.************************

Edward Partidge Sr. begat Edward Partidge Jr. sealed to Sarah L. Clayton begat Harriett P. Partidge.************************************************************************

William Atkins Gheen begat Amanda Trimble Gheen sealed to Heber C. Kimball begat Albert Heber Kimball sealed to Harriett P. Partidge begat Edward Partidge Kimball(grave on right ).*******************************************************************

John Young begat Brigham Young begat Phebe Louisa Young begat Hazel Young Beatie(grave on right).**********************************************************************

Edward Partidge Kimball sealed to Hazel Young Beatie begat Marion Young Kimball (grave on left).********************************************************************************

Don Cecil Corbett sealed to Marion Young Kimball begat Joanne Corbett begat Jeffrey C. Taylor begat Jeffrey D. Taylor begat Jillian Taylor. ***************************

Pretty cool heritage eh?

fun from the reunion

friday night: i didn't make it past this round of survivor. i don't know how to whistle, let alone with a mouth full of saltines.

friday night: direct descendants of don and marion who served a mission.
wed: we went to Jordanelle to play on boats and we got rained out!! i wasn't complaining though. it was so beautiful there and i really enjoyed the cooler weather and storms.

friday night: more team survivor. green team rules!

tues night: this hat game was my favorite by far!! it's similar to musical chairs but way better!! jeff, sarah and i were in the top three. sarah won!

top three of survivor. jeff won!


tues day: we went to provo cemetery for a devotional. it was perfect weather and and absolutely beautiful tribute to don and marion corbett. i really enjoyed getting to know the family i married into to.