Singing and Dancing with the Uda's

On our way back from Colorado we stopped at my parent's house in Pleasant Grove to stay the night before we flew out of Salt Lake in the morning. Before we arrived Teya was very grouchy from being in the car for so long and not having taken a nap that day. Anyway, I thought when we got there she'd be a total grumpy bear and not let anyone play with her, but boy was I wrong! As soon as she walked in the door and saw her grandparents, aunties, uncles, and cousins, she was in giggly hyper hypo mode. She ran around high fiving and hugging people and was laughing like a little hyena. I couldn't believe this was the same little girl I had just spent 4 hours in the car with. Anyway, I decided that since she was in such a good mood I'd lead her and her cousins Mason and Maile in a little song and dance time. You can see from the way she bounces around in the video just how excited she was to be at the Uda house.

Rigg Ranch Thanksgiving

We spent our Thanksgiving Holiday at Taber's parents Ranch in Grand Junction Colorado. It was a very adventurous 5 days, especially since Taber's brother had to leave early due to a medical emergency in his wife's family, leaving his 3 oldest kids behind for us to look after. We had a great time though, four wheeling, playing in the dirt, going on golf ball hunts (they live next to a golf course) and all kinds of good stuff. Teya loved seeing her cousins and by the end of the week was calling them by name. It was hard saying goodbye, but we'll be back to see family again for Christmas, so we'll get by until then.

Teya and her cousins

Golf ball hunting

Cold and tired

Four wheeling with Daddy

Flight of a toddler

Being in Colorado for Thanksgiving was a lot of fun but getting there and getting back was another story. We had to take a 3 hour flight from Nashville to Salt Lake, and then another 5 hour drive out to Grand Junction. The drive was a little easier because she had her own seat and we could stop, but the flight, aye aye aye!! We thought she would just sleep on the way there because the flight was during her bedtime. That didn't happen though, she was too stimulated and hyper. She just kept bouncing around on our laps, kicking the seat of the poor people in front of us, making loud demands for ridiculous things that we couldn't get her, and of course, screaming when she didn't get what she wanted. When it's your kid doing that, you feel like everyone is watching and you just want to crawl up in a ball and hide. Everyone was really nice though, playing peek-a-boo with her through the seats, picking up her binkies when she'd throw them across the aisles, and being patient through her tantrums. It was very frustrating not being able to get her to sleep on the plane, especially because she finally laid down and started zoning out as we were landing. Still, we made it through, and it was good practice for when we do it again next month for Christmas.

Saturday Fun!

This Saturday we decided to make it a family fun day. We started by hitting Chuck E Cheese in the morning. Teya had a great time riding all the rides and Taber and I got in a few games of basketball and ski ball in so we were all quite happy. Later in the day after her nap we headed to the theater to go see the Bee movie. We got Teya really pumped up by punching our fists in the air and chanting "Movie! Movie!" all the way to the theater. When we got there she was doing the chant all by herself. Unfortunately the 3:15 movie was all sold out. We got tickets for the 5:00 show but when we turned around to leave the theater Teya was devastated. It's kind of hard to explain to a 20 month old what sold out means. Luckily there was a McDonald's playground nearby which was the perfect distraction to put her in a good mood again. We climbed in and out of the playground with Teya and chased her through the tunnels and down the slides. She was laughing and bouncing everywhere. I think she really got a kick out of seeing her mom and dad be so silly. Time flew and soon we were back at the theater. Teya LOVED the movie and sat through the whole thing! At the very end she ran up to the front and danced to the credits. She talked about Bee's all the way home and then crashed from having such a long and fun filled day. I definitely think we should make every Saturday a family fun day!

Man's Best Friend

Teya and our dog Monty are very close friends. In fact, she thinks he's her brother, and he thinks he's a human, so it really works out. Anyway, yesterday we had to take Monty to get groomed and when we went to drop him off he started whimpering because he was nervous. Teya caught on to his nervousness and started getting stressed herself. When the groomer actually picked him up to carry him away she started crying, "Monty! Monty! I want Monty!" She cried for 30 minutes after we dropped him off and kept asking where he was. When we got home she was was starting to forget about it, but then we ate lunch and when she went to throw her leftovers on the ground, she realized Monty wasn't there to eat them and got all sad again. Needless to say it was a very joyous reunion when we picked him up.

Here's a little clip of Teya and her best bud. Please excuse her nose-picking at the end, we're still working on manners.

Well-baby report

Today we went in for Teya's 18 month well baby check. She's actually 20 months so we're a little bit behind. Anyway, she had a great check up. She's a little on the small side, 25th percentile for weight and 30th percentile for height, but they said she is perfectly proportioned and right on track developmentally.

Teya has also been a little sick lately and we found out today that it's bronchitis. Poor little thing! She's been so miserable, but we have her on antibiotics now so hopefully she'll be in top condition when we go to Colorado next week for Thanksgiving.

Cheese!

Awhile back Teya put two pacifiers in her mouth at the same time and we got such a kick out of it that we told her to say cheese and we took a picture. Fast forward to today, She finds two binkies again, puts them both in her mouth and knowing she has done something cute, runs up to me and says "Cheese!" at first I just laughed but she wouldn't stop saying cheese until I took her picture. She is a total camera ham!

Birthday Girl!

Today I turned 27 and I've gotta say, I don't feel any different than when I was 26. So there you go, sometimes you turn a year older and you really feel it, like when you turn 16, or 21, or even 25. But 27 just feels like 26, and I guess that's not a bad thing when you think about it. : ) Taber and I celebrated last night by going out to eat at the Macaroni Grill, not only because they have amazing food, but also because you get serenaded by an opera singer and handed a big fat piece of gooey chocolate cake! Oh yeah baby! It was AWESOME!! We also went birthday shopping for shoes (something he'll only ever do with me on my birthday ; ) And went to see the movie, Dan in Real Life. Movie was great, shoes were great, date was great! I also realized last night that it is SO worth the money to get a babysitter when you can get great dinner conversation and actually see a movie that's not a cartoon matinée. I love birthdays!

Discovery Center

This weekend we took Teya to a really neat children's museum in Murfreesboro called the Discovery Center . There are so many fun things for kids to do including digging for fossils in a rock pit, playing with a giant water exhibit, making crafts at the art station, flying in the airplane simulator, and exploring dozens of other hands on exhibits. Teya and I have a pass so we go there every week but it was Taber's first time and he really got a kick out of seeing Teya in her element. It was especially fun to see him take Teya for a spin in the airplane simulator since she hasn't been flying with him since he got his pilot's license. They looked pretty cute together in the cockpit. It was a great Saturday activity and I'm sure we'll be going back as a family soon!

Here's a little clip of Teya in the craft part of the museum. She looks like a little Yoda in the giant smocks they give them to paint in, I just thought it was cute.

Gifts from Grandma

Grandma Rigg sent out a care package this week with a little stuffed pony that you can color on with markers and wash off. As soon as I opened up the box Teya saw the pony and shouted "It's a neigh!" (She refers to animals by the sounds they make) anyway, she had so much fun marking up the pony she decided it would be a good idea to mark up the couch, the wall, the table, her shirt, and her pants. It was a scary sight at first, but the marker washed out easily and Teya made a fun game of cleaning up. As far as she's concerned, messy toys are the best!

Celebrity Look-a-like

The other day we were at Wal-mart and Teya saw a display of Elvis Pez dispensers and said, "Daddy!" It took me a second but then I realized she thought that the Elvis heads looked like Taber. Anyway, it got me thinking about celebrity look-a-likes and this is what I came up with for our family.

Teya and Boo

Dancing Queen

When we went to Dollywood last month, Teya's favorite part wasn't the rides, it was listening to all the bluegrass bands that were playing at the park. Here's a little clip of her feeling the beat while listening to the band. The people in the audience sure got a kick out of her. At one point an old fellow who looked strikingly similar to Santa Clause came by and started dancing with her. She was a little star struck.

I've been Tagged!

I've been Tagged thanks to Meredith! So here we go, 7 facts or habits about yourself:

1) I eat brownies with Breyer's vanilla bean ice cream at least once a week. Some people would call it an addiction, I call it happiness. : )

2) I taught school up until the day I gave birth to Teya. The last week before she was born my students were really freaked out that I was going to go into labor in front of them. One morning when they walked in the door and saw my giant pregnant self they starting saying things like, "Mrs. Rigg! Why are you still here! What if your water breaks in front of us? Please go home!" Luckily I finished teaching and went home to have her that night.

3) I love getting full body massages. If I were rich I would get one every other day. I have a massaging chair and an electronic back massager at home, as well as a couple little hand held massagers. Once when I was in college I promised my little sister a million dollars and my first born child if she'd give me a massage. She has yet to collect on that...

4) I eat cereal every day for breakfast with 1% milk. I can't stand any other milk, especially skim or whole. Barf! I'll drink 2% if I'm desperate, but that's as far as I'll go.

5) I love BYU football. I get so emotional over it that it surprises me. When they lose a close game I can be in a funk for hours afterward.

6) My middle name is Ku'ualoha. It means "my love" in Hawaiian. It's my Grandmother's middle name and my daughters. Hopefully it will be a future granddaughter's name too.

7) I met my sister in-law (who is from Alaska) at a BYU summer camp when I was 17. After I met her I wrote in my journal, "I have a feeling this isn't the last I will see of Regan Rigg." When I started dating Taber I had no idea he was Regan's brother until I met her on a family vacation and we realized we'd been roommates at summer camp. It's a small world after all!

Halloween!

Halloween in Tennessee is awesome! Mainly because it was such a warm and gorgeous night! In Utah growing up, sometimes it snowed on Halloween. Not here though! It was just perfect for trick-or-treating. Teya had a great time although she ate WAY too much candy and was up till 9pm!
Cute trick-or-treat moment: At one house we knocked on the door and an older Asian man answered, when Teya saw him she thought he was my dad and shouted "PAPA!" Pretty cute!