Taylor Tales

2011-11-11T19:42:00.000-08:00

I have been learning to write without an apostrophe lately because this computer is missing that key!

The other day Jackson gave me a sweet little kiss right on the lips. It was not too wet either, just the right amount. Jackson pats us on the back and gives us little back rubs. He also screeches when he does not get his way. Wow watch out! He does not seem to know how to sleep anywhere but our bed, I do not want him to grow up, but I really need to get this fixed. Guess what I will be doing next week. You guessed it, probably getting even less sleep well I figure out how he is going to sleep in his crib!;) Did I mention that he is teething and has a diaper rash too.

My sister had a baby girl this week! Congratulations Kinsey! Ava is adorable.:) I am a little jealous that you get to have a newborn around.

Audrey is writing an essay and worked on it tonight with her dad. She is writing about gymnastics. I took her to the optometrist the other day and she is borderline for needing glasses. She says she can not see well and that her eyes are bugging her, so we are going to get her glasses. Wish us luck picking them out. I found one of Audrey's Christmas lists and one of the things she wants is a machine to clean up the playroom!

Jessica had a friend over yesterday. She is a sweetheart and a big helper. She really wants to take piano lessons! She likes to sing and make her own little books. She is reading really well and
doing well in school. Jessica went to the eye doctor too, but is more farsighted and will probably never have eyes like me and Audrey!:) In school we have been learning about the weather and seasons, and I asked her why she thought some times of the year were warmer than others. She said, "The sun probably got bored of it..."

Austin made the comment to Jessica that she had made him so happy the other day. I told him the same thing the other day. It is so fun to really hear and understand him. He asks a lot of questions and makes comments especially when we are in the car. He comments about the trucks, cows and horses.

This fall we froze tomatoes and peaches, Canned peaches and pears and applesauce. The kids and I went to an apple orchard and picked apples. I think we all enjoyed it. Even me!

We ran out of candy for the trick or treaters and Austins Jack O Lantern got smashed. Benson and I dressed up as nerds, Austin was a bumble bee, Jackson was superman, Audrey was a good witch and Jessica was a clown and also a dog. Thanks for sending costumes mom!

Changes and Stuff (September 25, 2011)

2011-09-25T12:27:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago Benson was sustained and set apart as Ward Executive Secretary. I think he is doing a great job, and I think he enjoys it for the most part. The bishop does a lot of interviews on Tuesday nights and I need to be at Young Womens, because I am the Beehive Advisor. We are still working on getting things figured out for the kids. He is also there Sunday and Wednesday.

Audrey is enjoying gymnastics. She goes each Friday from 11:45 -12:40 p.m. She seems to tell me about a new friend that she meets every time. I found a book club that she might start going to the 1st and 3rd Thursdays form 2-4 p.m. She is loving activity days (achievement days) on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays and was excited to have two more of her ward friends turn 8 recently. I need to get better at play dates and start inviting friends over more. Audrey is also taking piano lessons and loves it. She seems to get a long with her teacher really well.

Jessica is excited about primary, and reading and she loves to sing. She has gymnastics on Fridays also from 10:45- 11:40 In school she often gets her worksheets done, and then keeps going without being asked. I have to ask her to stop sometimes. She has been writing lots, and coming up with how things are spelled on her own, based on how they sound to her. The other day I found a little schedule she had created for herself or her doll and it was so fun to see the way she spelled things. She acts so grown up and wants to do everything that Audrey does, but she still is just my little Jessica.

Austin has been sick lately and we have been trying to figure it out. I had a feeling it might be allergies/sensitivity and since he has already been drinking Lactaid for possible lactose intolerance, I thought it must be something else. He has been having diarrhea a lot, for months. Lately I have been paying closer attention to his fluid intake and decided to modify his diet(process of elimination) and see if we could figure it out. I tried to think of something he eats daily. I came up with apples and decided to take apples out of his diet. He hasn't had apples for 4 days and he seems to be doing better. He actually had a normal poopy diaper today. We will see how it goes in the next 10 days. Maybe now we can get him potty trained!:) It seems so simple and random to me that not eating apples would make such a difference after all this time. We'll see what happens. I have done a lot of research on all the different causes of his symptoms and hoping that it is simple and something he will grow out of.

Jackson is walking well and starting to say some words like stop, his version of soother (pacifier), Momma, Dadda, cup, etc. I keep noticing more all the time. His hair has gotten a little less curly, especially since we cut it., and more blond. He doesn't like sleeping in his own bed and is still nursing a little. I am ok if he doesn't grow up any faster than he already is. In the meantime I am still sleep deprived and it has taken a lot longer to get over this last pregnancy(Do you ever really get over it?;))

We planted grass a couple of weeks ago where the lawn was all dug up from replacing the sewer line. It is growing and we are excited!

I have been working on a better system for keeping in contact with all the people that I want and need to keep in contact with from weekly to monthly. Why have I waited so long to figure something out? I have been thinking about it for awhile. My Grandma likes to keep in contact with her kids, grandkids and great grandkids and a has a system of some kind. She always calls and sings to the kids and us when it's our birthdays. At the end she says, "I love You I Do." She is a great example to me in many ways.

I have realized that I have put all my focus into my husband and kids and the "have to's" and haven't done that great at keeping in contact with friends. Not that my kids and husband aren't important, I just need to put a little more effort into nourishing some of my other relationships. I also need to be in contact with the Young Women and encourage and remind them. So I have come up with a system using index cards for now, and I am hoping it will help me keep in contact a little better.

A List Will Do - August 22, 2011

2011-09-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

Yes I guess it is true I am a perfectionist. In case you're wondering, that doesn't mean I do everything perfect!

So I keep trying to find/make the time to blog. I always have all kinds of ideas of what I will write. I wish I could express my thoughts better. I go over titles and pictures, details and events and...well it just doesn't always come out right.

So for now a list will have to do. I like making lists! Perhaps getting something down will help capture the memories I don't want to forget, and then I can add more later. Here are some of the things we've been up to in no particular order:

-Austin turned 3 on August 15th. He got pants and a shirt, Play wooden tool box and tools, Thomas the Train book set, wind up trucks from Gma and Gpa Torrie, and a movie and cars from Grandma and Grandpa Taylor.

-The kids and I went to the zoo for a Idaho Virtual Academy field trip. It was really hot, we stayed a long time and the kids seemed to like it a lot.

-We went to the lake as a family a couple of weekends a go. The kids aren't great swimmers yet and the water was pretty cold. We are planning on swimming lessons this winter. It was still fun and the boys especially had a great time in the sand.

-Audrey was baptized June 4th. It was a happy day and we were happy to have Bart and Brandy, Genevieve, Annabelle and Alexander come and be with us. It was fun to catch up and let the kids play. Grandma Sue, Aunt Megan and Gavin also came and we were happy to see them. Unfortunately Gavin got sick and so he and Austin didn't get to play much. Audrey seems to have a really good primary teacher, and she enjoyed a gift from her as well as from our Home teachers. She loves her new scriptures from Grandma and Grandpa Torrie and her hymnbook from Grandma and Grandpa Taylor. We are not sure what to do with home teachers that come regularly. It does seem strange that we have a daughter old enough to be baptized already. We are so happy and proud of her. She is enjoying going to activity days.

-Audrey had her piano "Audition" and is excited to get going on piano. She was able to play a couple of songs for her teacher so she will know where she is at. Her teacher is Mrs. Hardyman, and she is also a second grade teacher. I think they are going to get a long really well. Audrey and Jessica have been learning to play songs with some help from Benson and I and they are good little players. It has been fun to have a piano!

-We have been painting the school room, refinishing a desk and painting the concrete, organizing all our school supplies and preparing for a new school year.

-We have been slowly getting our yard looking better after our lawn was all dug up to replace the sewer line this winter. This past week we got a bunch of top soil delivered and got it spread out. tons of dirt and mud has been tracked into the house!

-Our garden has done ok this year. We canned some beans and had some strawberries in the spring. We planted cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, peas and beans, carrots and beats. We cut up and ate a cucumber yesterday and it was really good, and not bitter like they usually are. The beets and carrots didn't make it. A lady Benson works with gave us some extra plants she didn't use and some weren't labeled. We arestill trying to identify some of the squash.

-We canned some pears a couple of weeks ago and hope to can some tomatoes and peaches too before it's too late.

-We used some of our freshly canned beans in the shepherds pie we had the other day.

-We are trying to figure out if Austin has allergies to something. He is having some digestive problems. We thought it was lactose intolerance, but it doesn't seem to be that. He has been drinking lactose free milk. When we get it figured out I think potty training will be a lot easier.

-The kids have had lots of opportunities in primary to give talks and scriptures with every going out of town... and somehow one Sunday we missed that Jessica had the scripture. After church she said "We forgot that I had the scripture, but it's ok I just bared my testimony!

-After a few months of having no dishwasher, we were able to get a decent one on sale. It is nice to be able to keep up on the dishes better. I always had good intentions and had the kids help, but we were always behind. It has been a relief.:) I actually don't mind washing dishes by hand. I didn't really learn to load a dishwasher until I was married. I have happy memories of washing dishes with my dad and memorizing poems like In Flanders Fields.

-Working on getting all our pictures in one place and backed up on and external hard drive and feeling sad that the kids are growing up so fast!

-Spent some time planning out a schedule for my day to make sure I am making time for all the important things. I call it a time map. I came across a business coach for women entrepreneurs and she talks about keeping our lives in proper alignment. It really helped to take a closer look at what should come first and on up the line. I have been inspired to make sure that I am getting my scripture reading/studying and meditation in as well as time to get ready and take care of me. It's amazing what can quickly go out the window when you have little kids. I needed a reminder to refocus.

-Benson is on the Library board and was the chairman of a committee that was working to create a library district. The County commissioners didn't let it go the ballot. At the public hearing a rude guy was personally attacking Benson and it was pretty stressful for him. Perhaps he will write about it and explain it better.

-I was released from my calling as Relief Society Pianist and was called as Beehive adviser on June 12th the same day Audrey was welcomed in as the newest member of the ward after her Baptism. The same day that the bishopric member called me at 8:00 in the morning to come to the church and the same day that Audrey ripped her dress because we were in a hurry to get everyone to the church.

-We have decided to have school at home this year through Idaho Virtual Academy and we are working on our schedule and getting into a routine. I am excited about the different opportunities that we have and some of the freedoms it gives us. We are still waiting on our computer because of a glitch in the system, but we got boxes of materials, books, art supplies etc. The kids had a great time going through everything!

-I have had my diaper store open almost every Saturday this summer for a few hours and it has been bitter sweet. I recently started using some cool credit card processing software that hooks up to my paypal account and allows me to swipe credit/debit cards, and print normal receipts. Until now I had been manually entering everything in to my online ordering system and printing a full page receipt. Now I just have to do a bunch of data entry to get all the inventory entered.

-The kids are going to be in gymnastics on Fridays. Tracy is awesome and she was our Doula when Jackson was born.

-Audrey wants to have a science fair so we will most likely help plan one and invite others to join in. There are a quite a few families in the area that home school in one way or another. The school we chose to enroll Audrey and Jessica in is a online public school. The kids still do all the state testing etc.

-Trying to figure out what activities to get our kids involved in and still stay sane and not overscheduled. There is a homeschool group that meets twice a month for field trips and library time. We found out that Idaho Virtual Academy will pay for the fees we would have to pay to rent the room at the library. I'm not sure if we will be involved in the whole thing or just the field trips.

-Today we got an emergency call saying that the city water pump had stopped working and that we needed to conserve water and not use our sprinklers. I hope we don't run our of water before 5 p.m. tomorrow. We do have some water storage thank goodness!

-On Saturday we spread out all the dirt and took some junk out of the garage to the dump, all after I came back from the store. The boys were just covered with dirt and we were all exhausted that night.

-Jessica had her first tooth pulled out by her dad with pliers. We are hoping the tooth that was growing in behind it will grow in ok. She got $2 from the tooth fairy.

-The girls and I got the sewing machine out today and they both sewed a bean bag/doll pillow. I ran the pedal and gave directions and they sewed. Audrey has been begging for me to sew with her for weeks.

March 3, 2011

2011-03-13T15:49:00.000-07:00

This week it finally got warm enough that we could rake some of the rocks and mud off of our lawn. Yesterday we got a lot of it raked over to the actual hole where the sewer line was replaced. Thank goodness we had some money from our tax return to get it replaced. Now comes the work.

Soon we will have the gas line put in so that we can install a new furnace. We have been using space heaters because we it was so expensive to fill the oil tank for our old original oil furnace. We are crossing our fingers that this makes a big difference to our electric bill.

It has been a hard winter and I guess we have been in hibernation mode. I haven't been out of the house much this winter, but I think things are getting better now that we have two cars again and we can walk outside without getting frostbite or slipping on the ice! Yesterday the girls and I went shopping for Sunday dresses and I can't remember the last time we did that. Taking care of needs is such a relief!

Benson is the chairman of the committee that is working to make our library a district library and just had his first informational meeting on Thursday.

Audrey is really excited about turning eight and getting baptized. Jessica had a lesson on fasting in primary and came home and told Audrey that when she turned eight she would have to skip breakfast. She brought it up again and it really seemed to bother Audrey. Any suggestions on helping kids learn to fast? I have a pretty hard time fasting since I tend to become hypoglycemic quite easily.

August 1st-8th and Lately

2010-08-08T20:10:00.000-07:00

We have been busy this week with soccer games and practice and a trip to the lake yesterday. Austin had a great time on the beach with rocks and buckets and mud. The girls had a great time too. This last year they have made a lot of improvements around the lake, so it was nice to have an actual beach with real sand and some grass.

Yesterday I was able to get to town and get Austin some clothes from the second hand store. I really haven't bought him clothes other than sunday clothes in a long time and he really needed some. I found some great deals and I was so excited! He doesn't stay clean enough to be in one outfit in a day, so he needed some clothes. He especially needed some swimming shorts and some summer clothes, now that it is almost over.

There are a few things we are wanting to do before school starts, so I hope we can fit them in, and that the weather cooperates!

Audrey pulled out a tooth today, and called all her Grandma's and Grandpa's to tell them. She was so excited:) She has had two teeth come out lately. One today and then a couple of weeks ago she had to have a molar extracted. After that she had to go back and get a couple of fillings. So she has had her share of dental stuff for a while I think. She has been wiggling the one that came out today for a while now and she will probably lose the one beside it soon too.

Last night right around bedtime I really wanted someone to play with my hair. I LOVE it when someone plays with my hair! So the girls and I went into their room and brushed and played with each others hair. It was nice to just put my attention on them. It was one of the rare times when the boys are asleep when it's time for the girls to go to sleep. Jessica was touching my legs and she said they were tickly;) I guess I need to shave them. Then she said, "These are the second chins of your body huh mommy." So I guess she hasn't quite got the difference yet, because they sound pretty close to the same to her. She mentioned something about it when she was getting here shin guards on for soccer, but I thought she got it. She comes up with the funniest stuff! I had been in their room for a while, so Benson came into check on us. Then he came back and took a picture. I am already feeling like my kids are growing up too fast! I am trying to enjoy my time with them.:)

Audrey and Jessica had some friends over a while ago and had a great time! We don't have friends over that often, and so I thought I would take a picture. Audrey knew her friend in Kindergarten, and cried when she thought he had moved. They seem to get a long great together. Jessica went to the same preschool as her friend, but said she never got to play with him, so it worked out well to have them both come.

Austin is doing well in nursery, but has come home with a new bug several times lately. One morning he was so tired/sick that he fell asleep on the floor. This is not normal for him at all!

Audrey and Jessica have been playing soccer this summer and have been getting better and better. Benson has taken the opportunity to be ref and also to coach at the last minute. He really seemed to enjoy it, and think he might coach one the girls teams next year. Audrey and Jessica both had a breakaway and Audrey scored a goal. It became a lot more exciting for her and she gained more confidence after she scored. She ended up being one of two girls on her team. Jessica loves to play goalie. Lately she has been chewing her nails. It drives us crazy to see her doing this on the field! Hopefully she can break that habit SOON!

Jessica gets her uniform, shin guards,socks and shoes on all by herself. She is more independent that Audrey in some things. For example, there has been a couple of times that I have caught her changing Jackson's diaper. She even figured out the snappi diaper fastener and put a prefold and cover on him without help, or permission. She seems to be very fascinated with the process of me feeding Jackson. Jessica is 5 and will be starting Kindergarten this year.

Both the girls are great helpers with Austin and Jackson. Austin often calls for Audrey to come get him when he wakes up from his nap.

I just love Austin's laugh! He is lots of fun. He likes to run and play tag, play in the "sandbox" in the garden and be read to. He also loves to help load and unload the dishwasher with or without permission...Yikes! I have been keeping my eye out for my sunglasses for the last couple of weeks, and this morning I found them...Next thing I know Austin is on my bed with one of the arms broken off. Nothing is safe in this house I guess. He calls Audrey "oddee" and Jessica "odda". He is starting to talk more, but no sentences. If I pay attention, I notice a lot of things he is saying. The other day, I was on the computer and he came downstairs with a handful of crackers. I asked him if i could have one and he said, "Mine!" He will be 2 on August 15th. I can't believe it!

Audrey is 7. She has learned how to press flowers and has pressed a few lately. The problem is that if the door is left open, Austin will get on Audrey's bed and get stuff of their dresser, Sooo..she has to start again and do some more. Audrey has been reading the Tree House Series books and does very well. She sometimes reads a book in a day. Recently she has been reading an activity idea book of mine, and she got paper and tore it in to strips to make book marks. The book is just overflowing with book marks!

Audrey is so excited to take piano lessons. Benson taught her how to play hot cross buns and she was just beaming! She had been having a hard day and needed a little extra attention, and so after that I asked her how she was doing better and she said, "Yes!" She was holding back her smile and looked like she was going to burst. My kids have a great Father!

Jackson will be 3 months on August 15th and is a great baby. He loves to be held just like his siblings, but is getting better at being happy when I set him down. He is smiling more and more and cooing! A couple of weeks ago he weighed 11lbs 11 oz. He has a small cyst on the back of his head and so if it doesn't go away on its own we will have to have it removed. We will see what the doctor says at his 4 month checkup. His dark hair seems to have fallen out and he has a lighter shade growing in now. He still has blue eyes, and they will probably stay that way. I borrowed a couple of baby carriers from our local babywearing lending library, because they are great for walks and for when I have to get something done and he isn't happy not being held. It is so nice to try them out for free.

Tomorrow we are going to the Zoo for Family Home Evening. Chesbro Music is celebrating 100 years this year and so they are paying for us to go. We get t-shirts, and they are feeding us dinner. It should be fun. Going to the Zoo was one the the things we wanted to do with the kids this summer and now that its free it is actually going to happen!:)

I also plan to weed the garden, bake bread, help girls clean their room, do laundry, water the grass, shower, pray a lot, arrange visiting teaching...

Garden

2010-07-04T19:47:00.001-07:00

It has rained a lot this spring! We were finally able to plant our garden on Saturday June 10th. Our neighbors were nice to rototill it for us. We marked a little area for a "sandbox" and then Audrey made the fence for it. Benson and the kids were a great help and did a great job while I took care of Jackson and was still getting over mastitis and a bladder infection. I had Jackson in a wrap and had a little pocket for seed packets.

In one of the pictures you can see some plants growing behind the lilac bush close to the fence. Those are the strawberry starts that we got from a neighbor right before another snowstorm. It took a few days before we could get them in the ground. They are growing amazingly well now. Hurray! We planted corn, peas, beans, carrots, one pumpkin plant, 2 cucumber plants and 3 tomato plants. The beans and carrots didn't come up very well and the corn didn't come up at all. So on Saturday Jessica, Jackson and I planted peas where the corn was supposed to be and weeded like crazy. It looks sooo much better!:)

We are still Alive:)

2009-11-08T19:59:00.000-08:00

I guess I have been waiting for some amazing event and pictures to post.
But life goes on and things have happened even though they may seem boring and routine to me.

The other night I was talking to Audrey and helping her with her homework and she asked if she could stay home the next day and "have a break." I didn't know what to say! The more I thought about it the more I realized that it would be ok for her to stay home. One of the reasons is that she has a first year teacher who is pregnant with her first baby. I am pretty sure that isn't a great combination for a first grade teacher. So...I let her stay home. I let her do what she wanted all day. I kept fighting the urge to make her work. She seemed to be in way better spirits when she came home from school the next day. So yay..I guess I am not a bad mom for letting my daughter skip school:) Oh and Benson asked her what she wanted more of at school and she said,"longer math time"

Austin is into everything and likes to climb up onto things! This has added a whole new dimension to my job of keeping things clean and safe and people clean and safe. Does that make sense?:)

In June, I was released from primary and I must say that it was a relief. I also missed it a lot, and missed the association with the girls in the presidency.

I am now playing the piano in relief society a couple of weeks a month. When I was called I told the bishop that I did not have a piano, and that I needed a key so that I could go to the church and practice. I still have not received a key;) I try to go when the family history center is open, but it is only open a couple of times a week in the afternoon for a few hours. It has been a struggle to get over there with naps and all. I kindly reminded the responsible party a couple of weeks ago and I am hoping the key will the approved soon!:)

Jessica is going to preschool and loves it! There is a preschool just around the corner from us and so we have been able to walk to pick her up. She goes MWF for two and a half hours. It has been good for her to have her own "thing." She wants to learn to read really bad. She wants to do everything that Audrey can do. Jessica loves to play on the computer and can get around on the games really well. I am very relieved that we now have a password set up again so that she has to ask before she gets on. She is very helpful with Austin and loves to carry him around and be around him constantly. Two or three weeks ago she decided to cut her own hair. We ended up having to arrange and emergency haircut that night. She cut a part right at the front. One of my friends cuts hair and so went over to her house and she cut it for me. She was so nice to have us over at such short notice. I think Jessica's hair turned out cute and she/we got used to it pretty quick. Audrey commented that maybe she should get hers cut short so that the boy that chases her at recess wouldn't recognize her.:) She didn't follow through with it though. She wanted to keep her long hair. I finally cut her hair a little shorter last week, and it is so much easier to brush out. Her hair tangles really easily and we had way too many tears in the morning before school( I was being careful).

On friday our new dishwasher was delivered and Benson installed it. It has been fun to have one that works again. I have been washing almost completely by hand for over a month. I grew up with out a dishwasher for the most part, and had to have Benson show me how to load it. I have to admit, I still prefer unloading. I was also tired of rewashing stuff. Yay for a new dishwasher!

We haven't been talking much about it, but I guess it is ok to say that we are working on buying a house and hope to close before the end of the month. It is a small older house that has had a lot of work done to it. The basement is almost completely unfinished so we will be able to finish it the way we want. The kitchen has been redone with new cabinets, flooring and tile back splash etc. When I say small I mean small. The living room is smaller than the one we have now, but we will be able to have a family room downstairs. We have been looking to buy a house for years! Benson and I were talking (or maybe I was doing the talking;)) and I mentioned all the houses that we had looked at or made offers on and it surprised me how many. I am glad that none of the others worked out. This house will give us what we need in a small affordable package. Audrey can walk to school, and we are still close to a lot. We are also still in the same ward. With no immediate family around it will be nice to still have association with the people we have known in our ward.

The government incentives will help out a lot too. We hope to pay off our car when we get our tax return.

Benson is doing well at work and seems to really be doing a lot of good things for Chesbro Music. I am keeping busy with the diapers and keeping up with the kids. It is nice that I can take Audrey and Jessica to school just minutes a part and their schools are pretty close to each other.

Oh and for Halloween the girls were lady bugs and Benson was a construction worker. Benson took the girls to the ward trunk or treat and some trick or treating. I stayed home with Austin because he was really tired and missed his nap because of the two costume parades we went to. I have included a picture of the girls and a picture of the kids a week before at the elementary school Halloween movie party. They got treat bags and watched Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin.

April Pictures

2009-06-07T18:59:00.000-07:00

March Overview

2009-06-02T14:34:00.001-07:00

I took my serger and sewing machine in for a tune-up/repair, and had to wait 2 weeks! I lost a $250 order over it. They were really needing it though. My serger needed a new blade really bad, but they were on back order. The repairman finally took a blade off a new machine and put it on mine. I am glad the repairman was nice about it. After about a week I called about every day to check on them. I was needing a break form sewing more than I thought, and when I got them back I was very excited to get sewing again:)

I was discussing with Jessica how may fingers she had. That is why she is holding up her fingers. Benson had just got home from Oregon for his Grandpa Taylor's funeral and the girls really missed him. On Benson's first day back to work, Jessica planned to wait all day outside for him. It was really sweet. She only lasted about 5 minutes, and then came inside and announced that she would have to wait a really long time!

Audrey watched Uncle Clark and Benson with the dominos at Christmas. She learns by example really well. I have to watch myself;)

Jessica helping herself to cheerios for breakfast. Notice the size of the bowl:)

Audrey and Jessica trying on dresses from Grandma and Grandpa

Benson and the girls getting rid of some of the last of our snow pile. The girls didn't want their coats because it was "warm" outside;)

The girls made sugar crystals

Austin is pretty good at the army crawl, and I have to be way more careful about picking up!

The girls outside on a "warm" day:) Spring is coming soon!?

Austin in his wrap

Hey Mom pay attention to me!

Austin in his flame diaper

February 2009

2009-06-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

Austin's 6 month pictures that I took in our living room.

Audrey wanted to try out the baby carrier I use for Austin. They grow up so fast. I love their hugs. This "Mei Tai" is very comfy.

The girls and Austin watching a movie in their fort on "movie night" one friday.

Audrey loves to clean! She came up with the idea to clean under the bathroom sink all by herself. It took some getting used to, but I didn't have the heart to put it all back the way it was.

Benson made me a strawberry jelly roll for my birthday!:) It was so yummy! I have an awesome husband!
I made heart pancakes and pink syrup for valentines.

Audrey Jessica and I with the table and chairs my Grandpa made! What a great birthday surprise:) Thanks Grandpa!

Happy New Year! Jan 2009

2009-06-01T12:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from January.

Austin and I after his bath. I just love it when they are all clean from their baths:)

Jessica loves to hold Austin and help him get toys! She is really sweet with him. It is hard to get her to leave him alone;)

Jessica was having great fun helping me clean the bathroom. We were using a really strong cleaner to get the hard water staining off the tub. I only had one glove for Jessica.

The girls and I slid down the hill in our front yard together. One of the rare moments that I could get austin down for a nap long enough to play with the girls. Yay! The snow gets piled up in our front yard every year from the snow plow. They don't haul the snow away LOL! I could just about walk over the neighbors fence.

December 2008

2009-05-31T20:51:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our family from last December and Chistmas! Better late than never:) We had a good Christmas in Canada. We have stayed home for Christmas a lot so it was good to be with some of our family:)

8 Years

2009-05-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

We don't have anything planned for our anniversary. Benson did get up and make breakfast for me...that's what I'm talking about!

HALLOWEEN AND PICTURE DAY

2008-11-03T13:08:00.000-08:00

Audrey had school pictures the other day, here she is with all her curls:)

Audrey and Jessica in their Halloween costumes. Audrey is a fairy princess, and jessica is a horse. Jessica was a princess later that night, but these are their costumes earlier that day after picking up Audrey from kindergarten.

Pumpkin Carving.

2008-10-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

Jessica and her Beautiful Happy Pumpkin!

Audrey Getting the guts out of hers.

Cool kid!

2008-10-14T18:34:00.000-07:00

Austin Benson Taylor blessed by his father Benson "E" Taylor October 12th, 2008.
Also in the Circle: Uncle Bart, Uncle Darin and Bishop Schell.
Thanks for the great pic Kinsey.

Kid's Pics

2008-10-09T06:48:00.000-07:00

Check out some pics of our kids at Tonya's Sister's website. Click Here!

Austin is 4 weeks Old Tomorrow!

2008-09-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

Austin is wearing the outfit that Benson was blessed in:)

I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR...MORE PICTURES:)

2008-08-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

Audrey and one of her amazing snow flakes (8-22)

At first I thought it would be nice to have all these pictures in order, but after the first set finally uploaded I didn't feel like redoing it and decided not to worry about it. I think you can pretty much figure out the order:)

Jessica and a creative use for an old bumper pad (8-22)

Audey Kaye's first day of kindergarten. Benson remembered to snap a couple of pictures of Audrey before she headed off to kindergarten. I wish we had gotten more, but it has been a little crazy as you might have guessed. I think next time she wears this outfit, I will snap some more and "pretend" they are of that day. She seems to be enjoying it. Her favorite part so far is recess. There is a girl from our ward that is also in her class so that helped a lot I think. She is also in our carpool. I am sad and glad all at the same time to see her off to school. I cried enough while I was pregnant about my babies growing up too fast so I managed to come away without any tears so far:)

Austin today(8-24)

Audrey on her first day of kindergarten(8-21)

Tonya & Austin after their baths (8-21)

Audrey and Jessica painting their clay creations. A lady from the ward brought over some clay for the girls to play with and Mom (Grandma Sue Torrie) ended up doing it with them. Thanks mom!:)(8-22)

Painting turned into finger and hand painting (8-22)

Benson and Austin (8-19)

8-18

A few days before Austin was born. Just after my Sunday nap LOL (8-11)

Audrey and Austin at the hospital (8-15)

Jessica and Austin at the hospital

I am so happy to have Austin:) (8-16)

Some very cute pictures

2008-08-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

Austin Video

2008-08-16T19:10:00.000-07:00

HESHERE

2008-08-15T02:24:00.000-07:00

Baby Boy Taylor--Born Aug 15, 2008--12:24 am--7 lbs 8 oz--19 1/2 inches long

Mom's doing well and surgery went well. Baby is eating very well (which made mom really excited). There's free pop and snacks in the maternity ward (which made dad very happy).

Times

2008-08-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

6:37
6:42
6:47
6:52

After ignoring it all day this is what Tonya came up with.

Maybe we'll take the kids to sleepover somewhere...and go for a drive;-)

Whose Mother?

2008-08-12T19:56:00.000-07:00

Well. Me and the Girlz went to the library to return some overdue movies. On the way home Audrey asked "The first person on earth, who was their mom?" Thank goodness for questions I don't have to make up answers to and for teaching moments. I thought to myself "I know this and I can teach her about the creation. I tried to explain to her that Heavenly Father and Jesus created Adam the first man. Next question: "How was he borned?": Another question that I didn't have to make up an answer to. From the dust of the Earth he was formed by Heavenly Father and Jesus and they put his spirit into the body. "is Heavenly Father Magic?" Nope, just very powerful. Tender Mercies given to me, by Him. Thanks for the opportunity to teach my girlz.

Sewing Projects and VERY pregnant

2008-08-10T21:16:00.000-07:00

I sew a lot for other people, but the other day I finally got around to making the girls the nightgowns they have been asking for. I didn't really have a pattern, so I think they turned out pretty good. I still have to finish the sleeves and hem them.

Our baby could come any time now. I have a c-section scheduled for the 22nd but I would be very surprised if he waits that long. They will only schedule the c-section a week before my due date, so I have to basically go into labor for them to do it earlier. Jessica and Audrey both came about 2 weeks early...we will see.

Summer pics

2008-08-02T19:53:00.001-07:00

Fingers, planning, kite and gardens...all in one day.

2008-08-02T19:03:00.000-07:00

My finger is healing nicely it still hurts when I ram it into things. We have the baby blessing for our soon-to-be-born baby tentatively scheduled for October 12th not for sure yet. Audrey tried to make a kite it was pretty cool. Too bad I did not have sticks for the cross braces. It hung in the wind for a little bit though. We've about exhausted our sugar snap pea plants this year. I pulled the broccoli out. Corn is about 6 feet tall but no corn yet. We picked a cucumber that made it through the frost we had in June. We'll have a gazillion tomatoes for BLT's. We just have to kill the pig we've been raising for the bacon, is that all that pigs are good for?

When is he coming...

2008-07-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

Tonya went to the doc today and set a tentative date for delivery as Aug 22nd. Audrey starts kindergarten on the 21st. How fun!

Tablesaw meet finger...Ouch

2008-07-27T17:43:00.000-07:00

Yes, yesterday I had to go see the doctor after my finger hit the blade on the table saw. I still have all my finger.

2008-07-13T07:43:00.000-07:00

Here we are...

2008-07-12T13:56:00.000-07:00

We decided to get a blog... So here it is... any questions?