Philadephia

I got to drive down to Philadelphia, PA for the holiday weekend and stay with my cute friend, and former mission companion, Nanette Labadie. Philly is absolutely beautiful and has tons of historical sites. The Art Museum we are standing in front of is where Rocky ran his famous stairs. They actually have a full-time picture taker in front of this statue. Who would have thunked? Nanette and I had a good time together. I love that girl!



If I look a little caught off guard, it's because I was....Nanette was suppose to be setting the timer for both of us, but little ol' me is all that got its picture taken. This is right by a gorgeous river with an amazing trail for rollerblading. I'm struggling not to covet and just be content with the rockioustatious asphalt roads of New Jersey. Wo is me. :)

Never a Dull Moment

We dressed up so we could dance at the ball. I was nominated to be the prince so Heleyna would have someone to spin and dip her. We're in dance position, but the camera didn't get it all. Good times!

Cute Entertainment Doesn't Cost Much

This little girl is too cute! She will get wet in any possible situation. This wetness was actually planned, though. This hose kept her entertained for a good chunk of an afternoon.

New York Temple

Jumping into a cab to leave the Temple. The NYC Temple is beautiful, super small, and sits serenely amidst the chaos of the city. What a drastically different feeling lies right inside those doors. I'm so grateful to be close enough to go.

Olivia Neighbor...neighbors once again :)

Olivia has been such a blessing to me since I've arrived here. First of all, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for her, and she has made me feel very comfortable and taken care of since the first day I got here. We've gone to activities together, gone to the temple together, and met up to let the kids we take care of play together. What an amazing girl!
It's fun to be closer to the missionary efforts again. The church is much smaller here in New Jersey, so we see the missionaries a lot and get a lot of opportunities to help teach. This was after Carlos' baptism this afternoon.

Mr. Brady Pants

Mr. Brady man is getting too cute for his own good. He got to swing at the park all by himself today and he is officially scooting around (not quite crawling) with the best of them.

Heleyna, The Fairy

Is that not the most precious little girl!? We had a tinkerbell dress up party today after nap-time and Heleyna absolutely loved it. We did her hair, make-up, nails and of course, the tinkerbell outfit, wings and all.
Nothing like a kiss on the nose from such a sweet little fairy.

Buds

We like each other

The Cutest Taylor Family

Here's a little sneak peak into the life and kitchen of the Taylor family. Yes, Brad is quite fond of Olive Oil. :) I feel so lucky to be here with this happy little bunch. It's only been three weeks now, but I feel like I've known them for years.

Good Times At The Toy Store

I didn't get the camera out fast enough to catch the full out outbursts of laughter from Braden, but believe me, it was cute. We went to this mall hoping to find an amazing play place for kids, but found nothing but amazingly expensive clothes stores. We still had lots of fun making much more noise than that ritzy place was probably accustomed to. And we did finally find this single toy store which entertained us for quite some time. It doesn't take much to make us happy.

Heleyna's Display of Magic

Braden, Heleyna and I went to the Library for part of our morning outing and Heleyna discovered that she was a magical little girl. She couldn't get over it and continued to run up to every door we came across for the rest of the day hoping her magical pose would have the same effect...unfortunately, some doors didn't respond the way we hoped. What a precious little girl!