Cannon Family

funny face

2012-01-27T23:33:00.000-05:00

post nap time is my favorite time of the day.

eloise is either super happy or super cuddly

her hair is usually messed up and she is usually hoarding blankets and pacifiers

and after having a couple hours of alone time, I am usually pretty excited for her to wake up.

It is hard to portray how badly I want to squeeze and kiss her all the time.

or how crazy fun she is. or how silly she is. or how naughty or stubborn or stinking cute she is.

but here is a tiny glimpse of that face that keeps me grinning.

i am so happy i get to be the one to get her out of her crib every day.

that time of year...

2012-01-05T11:29:00.000-05:00

New York post holidays.
When it is just cold without any holiday cheer to make it feel festive.
Flu season.
Just cold.
And everyone is planning a warm escape.
My escape won't be until next month to AZ. And I can't wait.
And I just bought tickets to How To Succeed in Business without Really Trying to give myself something to look forward to this month.
I kept trying to go see it before Daniel Radcliffe was leaving- but when I realized that my favorite Glee character would be playing the lead in January I decided I could wait until after the holiday madness. But Harry Potter vs. Blaine... tough choice. I can't wait. I've heard raving reviews.

18 months

2012-01-02T12:15:00.001-05:00

Weird. Is it 2012? My mind is still in October. It felt weird that all the holidays were taking place in October this year...
Anyway, before I try to catch up with the calendar I need to document my wee one's 18 month birthday (which was on Christmas day) (she is special like that)

I cannot believe she is 18 months old. It is crazy how ridiculously fast she is growing up. When I stop to think about it I get sad. But mostly I feel so grateful that I get to enjoy every moment of raising such an awesome little girl. She is my little sidekick and my every day would be so lame without her. Watching her grow up would be so painful if I didn't get to see every second of it. Not to mention the older she gets the more awesome she is. We really can't get enough of her smarts and sass, her hugs and kisses, her not so large vocabulary, sesame street, bath time, picking up toys, saying prayers, going on walks, her naughtiness, chasing her down, her back flip attempts while we change poopy diapers, reading books, her disobedience, her curiosity, and her endless giggles.

Merry Christmas 2011!

2011-12-26T19:25:00.000-05:00

Since our only other family picture was taken in the hospital when Eloise was born, I thought I should document that Eloise has parents. Just remember though, because you probably won't see another family picture until next Christmas.
Hope you all had a wonderful holiday! xoxo

2011-12-14T19:40:00.000-05:00

happy belated halloween

2011-11-13T16:43:00.000-05:00

All I can say is- I was such a sucker on Halloween. Eloise was way too cute and therefore she got to eat way too much candy and stay up wayyyy too late showing off her cuteness.

We went trick or treating around Tribeca to all the boutiques and restaurants. Eloise did a good job taking candy from people and waving bye-bye. In the beginning it was going very slowly because she wanted to stop and eat her candy each time she got a piece... And it took awhile for me to stop being such a push over. The parenting kicked in eventually and now there is still a little mini purse of candy hidden behind the blender that I am just now remembering as I type this... but I think that there is nothing good left... hence me forgetting about it.

After Tribeca we went to Elle's building to trick or treat some more. Two one year old girls running (I like to call it "trot-waddling") down hallways and knocking on doors and taking candy and waving bye-bye... I loved every second of it. And I am pretty sure they did too.

All of a sudden...

2011-10-28T12:20:00.001-04:00

It got cold.

Sad. Gross. No fun.

It is going to be a very cold winter if Eloise doesn't learn to love the rain cover...

Sticking your head out of it kind of defeats the purpose. :/

I am hoping as it gets colder she will realize how not fun experiencing the elements is...

Anywho

We are off to play in Chicago this weekend with Oscar and Oliver.

We have never been and cannot wait!

I am excited to go on a trip with Craig in tow.

It always makes it feel extra special when we get to bring him along with us.

Or maybe it just feels a lot easier...

Maybe I should switch my seat and take a nap. Or read a book. Or a magazine! Tell someone else's baby to be quiet. So many options!

Before I go, here are some instagrammers from the past couple of weeks.

In remembrance of this fantastic October...

We will miss bags of snacks. She has lost privileges.

My favorite was when she threw popcorn all over Banana Republic, and then J Crew, And then Gap.

We will miss brunching. Eloise is no longer invited to restaurants.

We will miss sunny Sunday strolls.

PS I have a love/hate relationship with our baby growing up. I took her on the subway yesterday sans baby carrier or stroller. It was fun just holding her hand. But she is growing up way too fast.

Most of all we will miss our perfect days at the park.

I do not look forward to fighting my daughter to put even more clothes on.

And fighting her to keep them on.

And I do not like runny noses.

I have a feeling the following months will have a lot more of this-

The Amtrak story...

2011-10-22T22:22:00.000-04:00

I was reading through old comments and remembered that I forgot to share my Amtrak story...
Are you ready for this ridiculousness?

To refresh- Cooper and Crew were visiting and I was going home to Boston with them to supervise while my parents were out of town...

We arrive at Penn Station early and get our tickets. I hand them to the boys and tell them "Do NOT Lose These." They are 16 and 18 years old so you would think they could follow simple orders...
The boys go grab some smoothies and donuts etc. for the train ride while I buy a Elle Decor and House Beautiful and then we wait to see what track we will be on.
Right when the track number is announced Cooper runs off to save seats on the train because we knew with the stroller I would lag behind. Crew and I are about to go down the elevator when he screams "I lost my ticket" and he runs away.
I am standing there by the elevator having zero idea of what to do next. Cooper is on the train. Crew is missing and so is his ticket. And if I don't get on the elevator now I will surely miss the train. Quite the predicament.
I get on the elevator and go to the train just in case Crew makes it down. I keep trying to call Crew to tell him to GET ON THE *(@(#(()($@# TRAIN! But I cannot get ahold of him. Have zero idea where he is.
I get me and Eloise on the train and start begging the conductor to hold the train for ONE MINUTE for my little brother. He says no. "PLEASE! Just one minute!? He is here and running down! He is only 15!" He says no again. "SERIOUSLY! JUST ONE MINUTE!!! I Can't get off because my other brother is on the train somewhere saving seats and I can't leave the other one behind! PLEASE!!" He says no again. "HEY EVERYONE RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU CARE IF WE WAIT ONE MINUTE FOR MY LITTLE BROTHER!!" people staring at me... "Sir, trains are late all the time. If he is not here in one minute I will get off the train." He shuts the doors. "OK LET ME OFF! I CAN'T LEAVE MY LITTLE BROTHER!"
Just as I go to get off the train I freeze... I am paralyzed. what if Crew runs down right this second? Then we both miss the train! Or what if he is already on the train and I get off for no reason?... SO I just stand there in the door and the conductor cannot shut the door on me and my child.
I am just standing there calmly. Just talking to Eloise ... Thinking I really hope Crew comes soon and they don't kick me off the train... (All of this happened in ONE MINUTE)
Then all of a sudden Crew jumps on the train. He saw me because I was standing halfway off the train...
When we get back on I realize the conductor is on the phone with the police complaining about a crazy lady blocking the doorway with her baby carriage (that is what stupid conductors call strollers. and FYI the stroller was OFF the train and I was in the doorway... just to be clear)
I say "Thanks for waiting 1 minute! We can go now! :)" The conductor says, "You say that now after I called the police" "Well that was unnecessary" Meanwhile a woman train lady starts yapping about what a horrible mother I am... I got a little Real Housewives at that moment and started saying things like "oh no you didn't!" (not really. well, kind of)
Then Crew and I leave the stupid conductors to go find Cooper and sit down. Then I tell Cooper what happened really loudly so the people of the train hear my side of the story before the police come find me and make the train even more delayed...
Then at least 10 police officers- WITH DOGS- start running around the train. One comes down our aisle and I stop her and say, "I think you guys are looking for me"... 5 seconds later the conductor comes in and screams, "THERE SHE IS! There is the crazy lady that needs a talking to"... Oh brother.
The police escort me off the train. I wanted to pull another reality TV moment and start screaming "GET YO HANDS OFF ME. DO NOT TOUCH ME!"... but I refrained and said "Are you kicking me off the train because I have a baby on board and cannot leave without her." But we just had a little chat. And the police just told me to apologize to the man so the train could get on its way. And I said "I am sorry. I definitely did not want any of this to happen. I just needed to get my brother on the train. I am really sorry I delayed everyone 1 minute. And I am sorry you called the cops and delayed everyone 20 minutes." He started going off about me putting my child in danger... and miraculously I stayed very calm and said- "You know my child was not in danger. you are just saying that now you are mad at me. And getting personal about my parenting is not okay with me."
Anyway, I went back to my seat. Next to my little brothers and my baby. And the train was on its way. Somehow we all made it on.... and somehow we didn't get kicked off. And luckily we didn't get kicked off again when the conductor came down the aisle and we had to explain that Crew didn't actually have his ticket....

Luckily Eloise was smiley and cute to everyone so they didn't hate us even more for having a whiny baby on the train. (That was the train ride before when a woman made me cry and a nice man gave Eloise his iPad to play with because she was being so bad... and his kindness made me cry again)

Occupy Wall Street

2011-10-15T20:09:00.002-04:00

I know this is Taylor's blog, but I just have one comment. I completely believe in the right to assemble and protest.

BUT, I just wish the "99%" would go ruin someone else's neighborhood. They smell so bad. Literally. They have not showered in weeks and the whole area has a terrible stench - it is where we live, and I wish they would take their protests to their own neighborhoods.

Instagramma jamma

2011-10-07T11:57:00.000-04:00

hey people
I apologize for the lack of blogging.
I have been busy cheating on blogger with Instagram.

The good news is- this means I have pictures to share :)

We have been up to no good as usual. Climbing stairs and slides and kitchen tables and toilets and drawers... Luckily Eloise has managed to avoid major injury.
We go to the park most days and most days we go with Lulu's BFF Elle that lives down the street.
We went to Boston for a week to watch Cooper and Crew while my parents were on vacation. Teenagers... (PS remind me to tell you about our exciting Amtrak drama... police were involved)
Craig got to come party for conference weekend. ( and to cheer on Coop and Crew in their basketball tournament- PPS Congrats to Cooper who just got offered a spot on BYU basketball team!! We are SO happy for him!)
And now we are happy to be home. Back to decorating, park hopping, and pumpkin cookie making.
(and messes and laundry and cooking for 1)
We just cannot get enough of October.

Last week/September 11th.

2011-09-12T09:35:00.001-04:00

I feel like the last week was a whirlwind.
I am not usually so booked... I like my free time. :)
But last week consisted of a baby sick with Hand Foot Moth Disease, planning and throwing Amanda's baby shower, doing pedicures at a fancy little girls birthday party, Fashion Night Out (remember how I said I was never doing that again? somehow I got talked into it ), Date night- BBQ and a walk down the Highline. (followed by wanting a cupcake from Billy's and Craig and Nate buying a whole cake), Errands, BYU Football, a yummy Sunday dinner with friends, and September 11th.

For those that do not realize- I live 2 blocks away from the World Trade Center. 2 short blocks. I look out my bedroom window and can see the Freedom Tower lit up in Red White and Blue. I can hear the construction out my window.
Most days it doesn't phase me. But this weekend felt weird. With the threats and everything- I left for church yesterday morning with morbid thoughts running through my mind. I was walking with Eloise and the street seemed empty. I knew there were thousands gathered just a couple blocks away- but my street seemed quiet. There were security guards riding around on golf carts. I walked down the subway stairs slowly and wondered if anything would happen while I was at church. While holding my baby, I realized this year I have far too much to lose. And it worried me a little bit. (not to be dramatic or anything)
This week in church I knew that nobody else was having a sacrament meeting like mine- we had 3 men speak that have lived here since before 9/11. One has lived here so long he watched the twin towers be built. And then watched them be destroyed. It was fascinating. And heartbreaking. Hearing their stories and descriptions made me very aware of how close we are to it all. My street would have been covered in debris. There would have been aid stations around my block. They told stories of hiking up 34 flights of stairs to check on neighbors and I started making a checklist in my mind of all my friends I would need to check on, knowing how close they are too.
I don't think any of us really thought anything would happen yesterday. We feel safe here. But in the back of your mind you remember that nobody expected that 10 years ago either. And then you can't help but wonder if something like that could happen again.
It is weird how days like that make you a little scared to live here and also proud to be a New Yorker.

Maine

2011-08-28T23:56:00.000-04:00

My family decided to branch out and do something a little different this year...

We all went to a family camp in Maine! Oh ya.

We were all very excited and very skeptical at the same time considering we had never done anything like this before. We usually do villas near the beach- not so much cabins in the woods. I was laughing just at the idea of my family camping. Very comical. I have been camping with my dad twice in my life (daddy daughter) and both times we drove home in the middle of the night. I was sure someone was going to go check into the nearest hotel...

The cabins were very rustic- but in the cute kind of way- not in a scary kind of way. They were clean and had working toilets and showers so none of us had any complaints. We were on a little island on a gorgeous lake. You walk out the porch of your little cabin and onto your dock where you have your canoes and kayaks and can park your ski boat. The kids swim out to the little swimming docks, we canoed to other little islands to pick blueberries, we went tubing and wake boarding, we attempted fishing, we played tennis every day, boys went golfing, all the little cousins ran around all day and Eloise is convinced she is as big as they are. Our only responsibility was to show up and eat when we heard the clacker. Rough life.

Madness

2011-08-27T14:53:00.002-04:00

I have been in Maine all week with my family- parents, grandparents, siblings, neices, nephews. So much fun. (hope to blog about that some other time)
Craig had to leave early (as in Sunday... the day after we got there) to go back to work.
The rest of us just arrived at my parents house in Boston after our week of fun and we are already watching the rain pour outside and awaiting the mighty hurricane- trying to run some last minute errands and checking flight statuses, realizing we might be stuck here for awhile.
The timing is a little fishy to me because a few weeks ago Craig was asked by our area authority to give a lesson in church on emergency preparedness- more specifically hurricane preparedness. We thought it was SO random and I joked that this it was the first lesson Craig actually had to do preparation for. He couldn't wing emergency exit strategy.
Since Craig left us last Sunday night, there has been an earthquake and an approaching hurricane in NYC.
There are chains on the doors to the subway stations and restaurants are closed with tape on their windows. Nobody can get to work without public transportation. Half of our friends live in the mandatory evacuation zone and people are trying to find places to stay. A lot of people drove inland, a lot of people just jumped on a plane days ago to get away. And my whole family is together at my parents house- except for Craig.
Sometimes my imagination runs wild and I imagine horrible things (and that is why I made Craig get up to go to the bathroom with me our first night in Maine. The woods creep me out. whole other story) but I think I am just paranoid that things are abnormal- a shut down Manhattan, two natural disasters in a week, evacuation orders, etc,
I just keep thinking- what are the odds? That we had that lesson just a couple weeks ago. That there was an earthquake earlier this week. That I am with my whole family for once and we are awaiting a Hurricane.
I believe this is probably just going to be a hyped up rain storm (I hope) but the timing of everything just seems a little fishy to me.
And I am mad that Craig left Maine and that he wouldn't come back to Boston to meet us so I don't have to worry about losing communication with him. He is stubborn and a little too excited that church is cancelled and he has boxes of cookies and gatorade to live off of...

daddy time

2011-08-11T10:24:00.000-04:00

Whenever Craig is home before Eloise goes to bed (Saturday and Sunday)

He likes taking Eloise on neighborhood walks.

She LOVES walking around like a big girl

And she loves her daddy time.

It seems like she clings to him now on the rare occasions he is home with us.

And I enjoy that very much. :)

The Plaza

2011-08-11T10:17:00.000-04:00

We obviously do not have a yard...

So some nights before bed time we go to a business plaza around the corner so Eloise can run around and ride her car.

She chases birds. Attacks people's dogs. Tries to steal cell phones from strangers. Sneaks some leaves and cigarettes into her mouth...

She loves flirting and waving at everyone

And she loves running around like a crazy person.

She fits right in here.

California Girls

2011-08-01T15:08:00.000-04:00

Eloise and I had 2 weeks of perfection.

We went to the beach almost every day.

It was heaven.

maybe this is old news...

2011-07-12T10:21:00.001-04:00

Did you know that Anthropologie has a wedding line?

Well they do.

My very informed friend Casey just told me and I have enjoyed it thoroughly.

(Although I enjoyed the above dress the most.)

There you go... just in case any of you will be getting married in the near future...

One year olds

2011-07-09T19:55:00.001-04:00

Do NOT like sitting still.

Although Eloise has always been a great traveler and has been on 10 cross country flights,

I have been having nightmares and anxiety about her 11th.

We are flying to California next week (we as in Taylor and Eloise)

and I think it will be a horrible 6 hours

Fortunately I get to recover pool side.

4th of July

2011-07-06T09:51:00.000-04:00

A bunch of us went to a cabin in Vermont for the long weekend.

It was so much fun.

My friend Laurel won the cabin for the week at her daughter's school auction and was nice enough to share.

We played catch phrase, hiked to waterfalls, watched fireworks, enjoyed delicious homemade ice cream on the side of the road, went outlet shopping, enjoyed a scenic gondola ride up the mountain, boys played golf, there were a couple inappropriate pranks and one too many naked men bathing in the waterfall...

but we had such a fun weekend with a group of some of our very favorite people.

The last night we had a goodbye dinner for the Granum family. They are moving to California and we could not be more bummed about it. Huge loss. Tears were shed.

Worst thing about living in NYC is that you meet amazing people and then they move away. Lame.

Thank goodness we got to have a fun weekend together before they leave.

Thanks Walkers!

Beach Day

2011-07-06T09:28:00.000-04:00

It is very important to me that my kids love the beach.

I have been dying to take Eloise but have been worried about her nap schedule...

Last week I finally sucked it up and went to Long Beach with a couple friends

Eloise did not nap all day as I suspected, but she loved the beach and was so happy to play in the sand and waves and watch the big kids run around... but mostly she enjoyed eating all of our yummy beach snacks. Typical.

It made me very excited for our trip to California.

2011-06-28T09:37:00.001-04:00

For Father's Day Craig wanted his mom to come visit... :)

Plus we feel bad that Eloise is the only grandchild she never gets to see.

Whenever we are in AZ Eloise is always a little off... time change, new people, lack of sleep...

So we were happy that Grandma got to see what a happy little girl she really is.

I was kind of a boring host...

I am not good at taking people to do touristy things.

But the weather was PERFECT.

Oh and I made sure to take Betsy to the fabric district...

They don't make cute crib bedding for mini cribs that fit in closets...

So we bought some cute fabric and she is going to make some sheets for me! I mean for Lulu!

I also took her to book club.

We read Bossy Pants by Tina Fey.

And my neighbor Jenny hosted this month, So Betsy was excited to see her apartment. (which is amazing)

Other than that we enjoyed some Red Mango and some bargain shopping.

And I enjoyed Betsy helping with dishes and folding laundry and baking yummy birthday cakes.

And I also convinced Betsy to read the Hunger Games... she couldn't put it down. Mission accomplished. Her flight home should now be enjoyable.

Now that Grandma is gone I need to get us all ready for a trip to Vermont for the long weekend!

I need to find a pack n play and a car seat and some insect repellent..... etc.

And I hope the perfect weather continues forever.

Birthday Dinner

2011-06-28T09:19:00.000-04:00

At the last minute I decided to invite a couple friends over for Lulu's birthday.
The forecast said it was supposed to rain all day so I was sluggish to plan anything... but then it turned out to be the most beautiful day and decided to have a yummy dinner on the roof.
Eloise enjoyed the extra attention, the singing, the presents, and most definitely the cake. And we were all very happy that Grandma Betsy was there for the fun (and all the preparation and clean up)

PS- I would normally put a headband on her for such a special occasion- but she won't keep them on anymore. I don't care- I am just glad she doesn't understand that people ALWAYS think she is a boy. So hopefully she will hurry and grow some hair and maybe she should only wear pink until then. (the lady at the grocery store asked if she was a boy or girl- I told her and then she said "oh, she looks like a boy"... ummm, thanks? what do I say to that!?)

Miss thang

2011-06-21T20:37:00.000-04:00

I haven't shared much about Eloise lately. This will be a doozy. I want to be able to read this one day and remember how silly she was.

She is awesome.

and a stinker.

Sometimes she won't let me put her down

And sometimes she wants nothing to do with me.

When she is sad and I am ignoring her- she goes to her crib and gets her blanky.

If she can't reach it, she yells at it until I come get it for her.

And then I cuddle with her until she is happy... which I wish took longer sometimes because I love her cuddles

Then she just wants to get down and make more messes- like unrolling the toilet paper, or eating garbage, or breaking the dishwasher, or hiding the remote in the bathtub.

Last night I was dying laughing because I was standing by the tub with her towel trying to get her out. She would stand up and take a step toward me... when I would reach for her she would smile and dive in the other direction. Kind of a dangerous game but it was hilarious. She did it over and over again.

She started walking around 11 months. It is so cute. She's got a little waddle strut goin on.

No matter how much signing time she watches or how many times I try to reinforce it- she just likes yelling to communicate.

I tried getting her a new blanky to have a second option around... she doesn't care for it.

I started getting more firm with my "No, No"... first she always laughed me. I got a little more forceful... Now she bows her head and pouts. It makes me laugh and or breaks my heart every time.

There have been a couple times when she has been naked in her crib after nap time... not quite sure how that happened.

She likes walking into my room and shutting the door on me so I can't follow her... but then she can't get out and bangs on the door... but then I can't open it for her because she is standing against it on the other side...

She is starting to let me get through a couple of pages of a book before she wants a different one... baby steps.

She still spits and/or throws her food if she is full, bored, or being a diva.

She likes putting things on her head... I think it is funny.

When we say "where is lulu?" she covers her face. Sometimes her ears. Sometimes the top of her head. sometimes with one hand. Sometimes with both. It is cute and makes us laugh every time.

She shakes her head when she hears music.

Whenever I say "yay" she immediately claps her hands.

She waves and flirts with anyone who will give her the time of day... unless she feels like I will be leaving or the person wants to hold her... then she holds on tight and hides her face. I secretly love that she is a mamas girl. I also hate it a lot.

She talks a lot. Zero coherent words so far. Her communication skills are a little lacking I think.

About a month ago she started throwing her bottles after drinking one ounce... so no more formula. No more bottles. Strictly sippy cups of water. And some apple juice of course. I am happy about this. But I kind of miss feeding her at night. I liked cuddling with her and her blanky and watching her doze off while she drank her bottle. No longer. Sad. She is so big now.

She is addicted to her pacifiers. Only when she is sleeping or sick or tired or sad. :) She doesn't care about it so much when she is awake and happy. Sometimes she likes carrying 2 or 3 around and rotating them. And then she throws them somewhere and I can never find them again...

She loves bath time. I am not sure why she insists on standing in the bath and walking around...

Her name is on her closet wall (aka her bedroom) and whenever I get her out of her crib she points at it and I have to spell her name for her.

We are missing a couple computer keys... I hope she didn't eat them. She would.

When we go to the park she spends most of her time digging through the stroller basket because she knows that is where I throw her snacks. Then she brings them to me and spends the rest of our park time snacking... which always makes me wonder why I am sitting on concrete when I could just feed her at home.

Every time I check on her when she is sleeping she is in a completely different position. Upside down and backwards and on the other side of the crib.

She loves Chipotle kids meals. :) I love that she loves Chipotle. It would just be wrong if my child didn't like Mexican food. Chipotle is across the street. Right next to Red Mango. She also likes Red Mango. We go across the street a lot.

Eloise now gives Craig a little show when he leaves in the morning. She cries and reaches for him from her high chair. I don't tell him that she stops pretty much immediately after the door shuts. He acts like it is torture for him... but I know he loves it.

She is so fun and happy... except when she is not. But I love that when I lay in bed at night- I lay there and laugh and tell Craig all the funny things she did that day.

I think he is jealous of my job. I don't blame him. (but I also make sure he knows how HARD and TIRING and DRAINING and EXPENSIVE it is) :)

Birthday Girls

2011-06-21T17:16:00.000-04:00

I forgot my memory card and left the picture taking up to everyone else.

I will need to update later with non iPhone shots.

Eloise, Isabelle and Elle all turn one within 2 weeks of each other so we decided to invite all our friends to a combined birthday celebration at the park.

We just had some treats and juice boxes while we played in the water and the sand and had so much fun with all our friends.

Thanks for coming everyone!!

random iPhone photos

2011-06-21T16:58:00.001-04:00

Wanted her own seat on the ferry to Ikea

We met Craig after work at Dos Caminos for dinner and Eloise fell asleep before we even got our chips and salsa. Craig was loving the cuddle time.

Being weird in the back of RS

Being loud in the back of RS

Walking along the Hudson

Waving to the boats

Flirting in line at The Gap.

Wanted her own seat on the way to church...

And wanted to run around on the subway...