Fourth of July Weekend

This year on the 2nd of July was the TAYLOR FAMILY REUNION!! We had so much fun. It's always so much fun to meet up with family. The last reunion we had we had a random hail storm and the fireworks got delayed because of the rain. This year, the rain returned. For the 4th of July it rained in the morning, was fine in the afternoon. I drove through a hail storm, and when we got to the party it was raining again!! At least the fireworks were amazing!!

Our 4th of July celebration....

We love to go to parades, this year was no different- well yes it was. We thought the parade started at 10, but didn't start until 11. So we got there early and waited, and waited and waited. No problem the kids kept busy playing in the fountain. By the time the parade started the winds kicked up and the rains came pouring down. But a little rain never stopped us. We at least got some candy. Poor kids were cold though. Its a good thing the parade wasn't very long.

When it was finally time to have our 4th of July BBQ the rain came back. Well, at least it made for some fun in the gutters!! Brooke really loved to play out in the rain and the water. The fireworks were amazing though. We sure had a great day- even with all the rain!!!

Seattle Vacation

This year was so exciting, we FINALLY got a chance to take a road trip to Seattle. We have wanted to go for a long time and it was definitely worth it. My father-in-laws family lives up there and since there was a wedding in the family it was a perfect opportunity to visit. We started out early, EARLY Thursday morning. The kids did amazingly well in the car. We did try to stop and take pictures on our way up, you know seeing things for the very first time- like Oregon. It was very pretty- all those trees!! We also stopped in Pendleton, which is apparently nick named "the top of the world". It sure felt like it, to be up so high and just look down into a vast valley- it was awesome.

After 14.5 hours we made it to our hotel in Seattle. I have to say, I am NOT a big fan of the traffic there. Anyways, we stayed right next to the Old Spaghetti Factory. I was truly amazed as my kids were good little angels who, even being exhausted from the road trip, ate all their food and didn't hardly complain at all. Their reward of course was swimming in the hotel pool!! We swam until about 10:30pm. We all slept pretty well that night- wouldn't you?

FRIDAY- Seattle Zoo and Space Needle

The morning weather was a downpour, but that didn't stop us. We headed out to the zoo anyways. Luckily, as soon as we got to the zoo, the rain stopped and the sun eventually graced us with it's presence and it was a fabulous day. We rented a wagon so we could pull Timothy- but I think we all took a turn riding in the wagon. This was such a big zoo, it took us lots of hours, and lots of walking to get through. I don't even think we saw everything, but we saw plenty. We loved the bird show, and Tommy even got to help with the Turkey Vulture bit. Most of the animals were pretty active, so it was fun to see them out and about. Tommy and Savana were taking turns with my camera, learning how to photograph animals- I must say, they took some pretty good shots. Check out the picture of the the gorilla sleeping, then Savana sleeping- see any kind of resemblance? It was such a fun day, and guess what happened when we left the zoo- it started raining again! Boy were we lucky.

After the zoo we grabbed some food, because we were STARVING!! Then we headed downtown to the Space Needle. Did I mention that I did NOT like the traffic there? The roads are so narrow, there is hardly room for one car let alone two lanes. Then with all the hills, and one way streets- it's mayhem. Plus, you have to pay for parking EVERYWHERE you go. So we went to the Space Needle and parked (ended up getting a ticket because the "pay here" was not very clear-oh well), then walked a little to the building. The kids were a little nervous to ride the elevator- I mean the Space Needle is over 600 feet high. But it was a short 82 second ride to the top. Oh it was fun to see all around the city, the ocean, Lake Union, the skyline and the tops of all the buildings surrounding us. Tommy was way into the view finder things- he stopped at every one!! Nanny and I got a little vertigo, but all was well. It reminded me a little of being on the top of the Eiffel Tower as a kid. I'm glad my kids got that experience- to be on top of the world.

After the Space Needle, we went to visit Aunt Peter and Aunt Theresa and Peter's boatyard. He is a shipwright and builds and rebuilds boats. It was so neat to be on the docks, and see all the boats. Peter told us next time we come he'll give us a ride on his boat- that should be fun. It was a pretty exhausting day so by the time we got back to the hotel, we crashed out!

SATURDAY- The Locks and Wedding

The morning dawned overcast and rainy again, but hey-it's Seattle, the rain is unavoidable. But we were lucky again and it stopped just for our outing. We went to visit the Locks and the fish ladder. Tommy was fascinated by how they got the boats from the fresh water to the sea water and vice versa. I was pretty intrigued myself. We got to watch a few times as they went back and forth, up and down. The girls, they really didn't care- as is normal, this was a guy thing. Then the fish ladder was cool. We got to see a few fish jump from one step to the next. It wasn't brimming with fish just yet, it's still a little early in the season, but there were still several fish there so it wasn't a bust.
After the Locks we got some YUMMY clam chowder and headed out to the wedding. My father-in-laws brother, Mark, and his wife, Julie, were hosting a wedding for their youngest son, Brian. Wow- I guess I could've just said "Josh's cousin", but you had to know the link. Anyways, it was Brian and Sarah's wedding. It was a neat experience for the kids- they have never been to a wedding ceremony before. A lot of it was over their heads. The girls were sitting with the "Aunts" so I couldn't gauge their reactions to it, but Savana did think the bride was very tall and pretty. Tommy was asking all kinds of questions- some having nothing to do with the cereomony and Timothy, well he's 4, I'll leave it at that. But it was fun to be there and support them. After the ceremony and reception we headed out to Uncle Mark's cabin to stay the night. W-O-W!!! What a beautiful place, even without flooring and furniture:) It is right on the water in such a beautiful place. The kids had so much fun riding on the boat. And I am including Josh in that statement. I think he only got out of the boat because it was getting dark and I told him he had to eat- if not for that he probably would've stayed out all night. We had a great BBQ and Tommy, Siera, and Savana wanted to play in the lake. It happened to be getting late, and the water was cold, but that didn't stop them at all. They did only play for a few minutes, but they loved it!!! Then a campfire by the water making smores- nothing is better than that.

SUNDAY- downtown adventure (aquarium, pikes place, harbor cruise)

What a day!! Well, first of all as we were driving into town we saw a HUGE rainbow flag flying on top of the Space Needle. So, then we got to see LOTS of weird, wacky, inappropriately dressed people. Yep, it was Gay Pride day. Being in a big city on a day like this made me grateful for my life in a small town and for my beliefs. It did present lots of teaching moments- but we tried to keep to ourselves. So we headed to the Aquarium. This is always so fun. Josh is such an fish and underwater life enthusiast, and so is Tommy that it is always such a blast to see this stuff. There was a touch tank that had all kinds of star fish and sea urchins and things- the girls were super brave and touched almost everything. Siera and Josh actually fed an urchin. There was lots to see, and even part of it went out onto a dock and you were right on the harbor. I never got over that. I love water, so this was way fun.


We started to get hungry so IVERS was the place. I had been told how amazing their food was, especially the clam chowder, and they did not disappoint. AMAZING!!! The only qualm I had was the seagulls flying right over head or patiently waiting on the fence to nab your food. I am NOT a fan of birds flying at my head- I had a traumatic experience once and they freak me out!! Anyways, everyone got a kick out of me have a freak out, but I showed them, I even fed one of the stinking seagulls. The kids were really brave and held out their french fries to the birds and let them take it right out of their hands- silly kids. Only Timothy had the brains to stay away!! Even though it was loud, with all the screeching, and the wings flapping- it was the best restaurant we ate at!! Then we headed to the world famous Pike Place Market. It has been Josh's dream to buy a fish from there- so I let him. That way we got to watch them throw and wrap our fish. Yep, in the pictures- that's our fish- HUGE!!!! Pretty tasty too, and I don't even like to eat fish. As we went through the market it was so colorful and there were so many things to see and touch and smell. We'll have to go back one day- it was definitely an adventure.

After the market Gary and Dayle, and Mark and Julie left for a birthday party for Joyce (Gary's step-mom) so the 6 of us went on a Harbor Tour. We got to ride on this fun cruise ship for an hour and get a narration of the skyline, certain buildings, rigs, and all kinds of interesting tidbits. Josh and Tommy loved to be outside and feel the wind. I sat inside with the others as we had some snacks. Can you believe how tall Tommy is getting? All my kids are getting so big- that's why I am so glad we took this trip. They are all going to remember it and I hope it is with fond memories because it was soooo fun!!!

After that we went back to the cabing. It was fun just to hang out with Mark and Julie. But since we had to get up early to leave it was an early night for us.

MONDAY- the ride home

Somehow it always seems to take longer to get home than to arrive in the first place. This was definitely the case. I somehow got the flu and so was miserable, Josh was exhausted, and the kids didn't really want to go home- so with stops every hour or two, it took us until 12:30am to get home. It was so nice to get home and sleep in our own beds. The kids took to their bikes first thing the next morning and it was back to normal. Such a fun vacation- I can't wait to go again!!!

Uber long post...

This is going to be a super long post. I have had such a busy, crazy, wonderful summer. To kick it off was a surprise visit to Illinois to see my sister. It was such a fabulous surprise. I got in touch with her hubby to co-ordinate everything. So they went to the airport to "watch the airplanes land" and I got to sneak up to Carolyn and confuse the crap out of her. FABULOUS!! It was such a fun week. Her hubby had to go out of town on business, so it was just the four of us (me, sis and my adorable nephews.) I have to say that it was so pretty out there, but I sure did miss my mountains. It was GREEN!!!! One of the days we took a trip to Nauvoo. For those who don't know it's a history site for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I love the history there, and the spirit that still remains. Whenever I am in the car, there is ALWAYS a U-Turn involved- this time, there were at least 3!!! We laughed sooooo hard. Maybe next time we won't argue with the Tom-Tom!!! But on the way, I got to teach little Caleb a valuable lesson- to pee on a weed- YUP!!! Once we got there it was amazing. We got to see a play, freak out that the car broke (but was really just an anti-theft plug that the dog pulled), visit the temple, take some pictures and even ride around on a wagon pulled by oxen.

We also visited the Family Living Center- this was such a cool place. There were stations that taught you how to make candles, bake bread, weave rugs, make barrels, wool, and even make your own rope. Since we had the dog with us we couldn't stay for all of it, we did make a rope-

This is the beautiful temple. It was originally built in the 1840's but was destroyed by fire in 1848. This is a replica of the original and was rededicated in 2002. There is such a wonderful spirit that surrounds the area- I just loved it. One day maybe I can come back and go inside!!

All around the grounds there are old buildings that the pioneers used to use, this was just fun to see. Here is an old wagon that Caleb had tons of fun trying to lift by himself.

Another church history site was the gravestone of the prophet Joseph Smith, his wife Emma Hale, and his brother, Hyrum Smith. I had chills just being near this.
Speaking of chills. On June 27th, 1844 Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith were martyred for the cause of their religion. After visiting Nauvoo, we traveled to Carthage Jail. This was the place that Josephy was held the last few days of his life and then eventually murdered. In the picture below is the view from the hallway, in it you can see the bullet that went through the door and killed Hyrum, and you can also see the window where Joseph fell after he was shot. Even if you didn't know anything about this event in history you could still feel the spirit in that place. I really learned a lot about Joseph's last days, and it really made me appreciate all that he did to restore the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Here is the statue of Joseph and Hyrum that stands out in front of the jail. These two brothers were never seperated, and there are a couple of cute little brothers (my nephews) that make the statue that much better.
After all the fun traveling, we just played at Carolyn's house. I got that cute hat in Nauvoo and we thought we would take some fun pictures of the boys. First up- Corban. What a cutie pie!! He is now 10 months old, but since it's taken forever to post, he was only 9 months then. He has such a big smile and I love when his eyes light up when he smiles. He was starting to pull himself up to everything, so loved standing up- can't you tell by the tongue sticking out?

Carolyn and I thought we needed a picture or two together- you know, just to actually prove I was there. Poll question- do you think we look alike?

Here is Caleb. He is 3 1/2 and cute as they come. He kept calling me "second mommy" and would only let me take him to the bathroom, cuz I taught him how to pee on a weed, and that's just cool. He loves to read and RUN RUN RUN!!! He also loves to go to school (gymnastics)- he didn't stop talking about it the whole time. He is such a little ham- good luck with that Carolyn!!!


One of the best things- the pool. Since it is sooo HOT there- which it is most of the time, Carolyn and Craig bought a pool to go on their deck- we only got to use it one day because it was rainy and cool the other days- but when we did it was so fun. It was very refreshing, and Caleb had a blast. I wish I could have a pool like that.
It was such a fun trip, and I was very sad to leave. I don't get to see my sis and her family very often so this was a real treat. I did miss my kiddos- It was a long 6 days without me. All I can say is that it's one trip we will have to make again!!

Recent Events

Soooo many things have been happening around our house, and it's been a little difficult to keep up. First up, Siera- SHE LOST HER VERY FIRST TOOTH!! Shortly thereafter she lost another one. It's a good thing the tooth fairy is on top of that, because I was in Illinois (post on that later) when she lost it. She is just getting too big too fast.

Next up- Tomas. For several months Tommy has been complaining that it was hard for him to read. So, after we finally got vision insurance then when I actually remembered we took a trip to the optometrist- verdict- Tommy needs glasses. He really only needs them when he reads, so thats good, other wise I am pretty sure they would get lost or broken with how active he is. I think he looks WAY too grown up.
Last but never least, my DH!!! He apparently was having trouble seeing too, so we went back and it turns out he needed some glasses too- just to help clear things up a little while driving at night and reading. I think he looks very handsome.

She's getting baptized

My sweet little Savana is growing up WAY too fast. I keep trying to stop her, but she is stubborn and she just won't listen. This year is an important year for her. She is turning 8 and has the opportunity to be baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This is a choice that she has made on her own, and is extremely excited about it. The actual baptism won't be for a couple more weeks, but we wanted to send out some fun invitations and invitations always should have pictures right? (Well, at least when mom is a photographer). We took so many, but I am only posting a few- there were too many to choose from. I guess that is the curse of having such a beautiful daughter! We are so proud of Savana and her choice- We love you little girl!!!!

Kindergarten Graduation

This is my baby girl, graduating from kindergarten of all things. I can't believe how fast this school year has flown by. It seems like a couple days ago I sent her to her first day of school and now she's all graduated. She seems so big. I am very proud of her, and she did a really good job singing all her songs!! I just still can't believe how grown up she is now.

Major Catch up

I have to confess I have been slacking big time and my blog has suffered. Believe me, life around here has been crazy, so I finally had a day to sit down and play catch up.

EASTER...

We were blessed with somewhat good weather. Thank goodness. We all gathered together at Grammy's for egg dying, cousin playing, and good eatin- isn't that what you do on Easter? We had tons of fun. All the grandkids gathered together to dye their eggs, and anything else they touched- it was mayhem.

For Easter I actually made the girls their skirts. It was "sew" easy!! Pardon the pun. I was so proud of myself for completing the project, and the girls LOVE the skirts so that made it all worthwhile. Every year the kids get a new church outfit for Easter so they can look their best for Church. Since we all get a new outfit, it's the perfect time to take family pictures. This time I took the pictures- I thought they turned out pretty well...

SOCCER---

Tommy has started another season with the VIPERS. This is such a good team, and a great coach. We really got lucky there. Tommy loves to play and is such a natural, it is a lot of fun to watch him. So far they have had a great season (W-3, L-2, Tie-1), and we still have a few games to go!

GYMNASTICS---

Savana is enrolled at the Community Rec Center in the gymnastics program. She has a really great teacher who is helping her develop her talents quite a bit. Savana loves to tumble and she is on her way to becoming really great. She has such a grace about her when she moves, it's actually quite beautiful.

SWIMMING LESSONS---

Since summer is fast approaching and we all love to swim, I thought it was about time that the little ones (Timothy and Siera) took lessons. I get kinda tired of worrying if they are wearing their floaties or not. Anyways, I couldn't figure out what to do with Tommy and Savana while the littles were in lessons so I just signed them all up and it was the best thing I could have done. They are loving every minute and are such naturals. There is no fear when it comes to the water and that's a good thing. Siera was quickly moved from beginner to intermediate and is advancing rapidly- I was told by her teacher that she is a natural diver- It was a beautiful thing. Timothy was a little shy at first but he just gets right in there and loves sticking his face in the water. Tommy and Savana are both in the advanced class- they are doing very well. My original plan was to work out a little while they swam, but it's too fun to sit and watch them all having fun. I guess that's the joys of being a mom- sit back and watch everybody else have fun right?