BEST SURPRISE EVER!!!!

So, I may have been "MIA" for the past week or so, but that is because Taylor has been in BRAZIL on a week long business trip!!!! I don't like posting to the WWW that my husband is gone and I am home alone, so I didn't post at all, plus--he had the camera.

So, let me tell you what was the best surprise ever....Isaac and I took Taylor to the airport on Sat. Aug. 22. Those of you who know me, know that I am not one that likes to be alone, especially at night. But I really tried to be brave, especially because a lot of my friends and people in our ward had or have husbands who are in the military and get deployed for months to a year. So, with that in mind, I told myself I could do eight days. But it is nerve racking to have your husband in another country!!!! So, yes, I video taped Taylor before he left--I told him to give me a message that I could watch in case I got scared. :) Truth be told, I never watched it once when he was gone....but at least I have it! And we took a family picture before he left for the airport.
I felt pretty good about combating the task of being alone for eight days and being home. Many prayers were said and answered! However, the first day he was there, his phone wasn't working. The office put an international chip in it prior to him leaving, so it was surprising it wasn't working. It cost a lot for him to connect to the Internet from his lap top so he didn't do that very much. Luckily his phone started working by the end of his first day in Brazil (Sunday) but even then our conversations were short due to the cost per minute.

Here are a few of the pictures Taylor took in Brazil...

Out to dinner...the man on the far left is a guy that Taylor thought was incredible, believe he is the COO for Outback Restaurant. Next to him is Taylor's co-worker, then another guy from Outback, Taylor, and then David who is the President at Taylor's office.

Love this picture of Brazil! Think it was of Sao Paulo...he was there and in Rio.

Ok...so the BEST SURPRISE EVER... Taylor was done with meetings on Friday in the afternoon which was earlier than originally thought and planned. But he didn't have a flight home until Saturday night. I was expecting him to arrive home on Sunday around noon. Turned out the President of the company wanted to send them home earlier rather than keeping them in Brazil with nothing to do---he is my new favorite person. Anyway, long story short, Taylor flew out Friday night and had his cousin pick him up on Saturday from the airport. I was at my parents house, which Taylor knew, so he grabbed his truck and drove over to their house. I was at my parents house alone--well Isaac was napping--because my parents did a quick errand. I was putting some things away and as I was coming up the stairs, Taylor walked in and honestly, I thought I was hallucinating!!! I had no idea he came home early, it was honestly the best surprise ever--that is, after I got over the fact that I thought I was hallucinating! I couldn't believe he was really there, it made my day, week, month, year!!! I told him it was such a surprise and was so awesome that I may even put it on our Christmas card! ...ok, probably not, but hopefully that tells you how awesome it was!!

It was weird knowing he was on a plane when I had no idea he was on it....but I would gladly take that weirdness knowing he came home a day early!!!!

His jet lag hasn't been bad, and he is back to work today.

For those of you who don't know, Taylor served his two year mission in Brazil, so it was really neat for him to go back--weird in some ways, but neat. I say weird because the last time he was in Brazil he was single and serving for our church. Now he went married and doing business things, so he saw a new side to Brazil. Overall it was a great trip--I was so happy he had the opportunity to go and that his meetings went really well. He will most likely go back to Brazil....well, he is either going this November or in January. ...but hopefully not for a whole week.... :)

Week in Idaho at the Cabin

This post is about a week overdue...but blogger has not been my friend lately (uploading pictures has been quite the task).

Anyway, the end of July and first week of August we drove out (ok, some of us drove) to Island Park, Idaho which is really close to West Yellowstone. My grandparents have a cabin in Island Park, and it is one of our favorite places to go. So my dad, mom, Isaac and I drove. Thank goodness for the TV in my parents car--it made the 10 hour drive bearable! Here's our set up in the car...Isaac really did do a great job throughout the car rides.

Quick stop in Pocatello at Costco...

We did a lot of boat rides...

LOVE this picture of Isaac and Taylor

And this picture of Isaac...

Papa Great even let Isaac help his drive...Isaac's face looks like "oh this is cool mom!"

And they showed Isaac where the horn was...which he continued to find the rest of the week. :)

Papa took Isaac on a lot of 4-wheeling rides, a.k.a "rumba" rides

And a lot if Sea-doo rides...Isaac was in heaven!!

Taylor worked on jumping the wake

We even got Tyson up on the wakeboard and my dad did it too...even have pictures to prove it!

Love this picture of Taylor wakeboarding

Can't get enough cute pictures

My parents bought this water-toy called "Saturn" ... essentially it is a giant ball that you anchor in the water and you climb up it and play on it and knock people off....SO FUN!!! Here's Taylor doing a back flip off of it

Here are the boys playing on it

Even put Isaac in the "little swimmer" skies...haha ... everyone was doing it so he wanted to too!

I even took Isaac on a tube ride ... notice Isaac's starting position (in my lap)....

And his ending position ....almost whole body in the water if I'd let him...

He LOVED jumping in and being dunked

Then one night he grabbed the step stool and climbed up to the sink to grab the dish cleaning brush and proceeded to clean the oven door with it....hahah!! I love it... (notice tongue...hard at work!)

Even stops to smile for a picture...

And then on the way home all he wanted to do was cover himself with his blanket say "nana" over and over and have her pull the blanket off...

It was a fun and relaxing trip! Taylor was able to be there the first half of the 10 days and then had to leave for a work trip and Heather and Tyson were there for 8 of the 10 days. Not mention all three of them got to fly....while the four of us drove.... :)