December did happen... right?

I have no idea why Christmas feels like it happened 6 months ago - can someone explain that one. Here's what we were up to... starting with the last event first.

Okay... we went to Idaho after Christmas and it was a blast. We stayed a week and most importantly met baby Molly Randall. She's 3 months old and seriously, probably cuter than my own kids were. She's a charmer and we're sooo glad she got here safely and soooo glad her poor mother has finished her stay on the couch. Andrea has been through a lot with this one and I totally admire her for just simply getting through it. Alison, Kristen and I are now completely nervous of getting cancer. Thanks Dad and Andrea for always hogging the attention with illnesses no one can explain. But we glad you're all right... physically.



Next, can you say Jingle Bells. This performance was one for close relatives only. But we're happy CC agreed to share the stage for a group number. She performed a few songs by herself with her signature vibrato and thanks to Uncle Wade for the flower presentation at the end. She really asked for roses but... what do you do?



This is Richard and Lindsay's Reagan... once again as cute as my own kids. She's adorable and she knows it. She poses and works the room. I'd be nervous Rich. Connor is no longer scared of her - he must have been intimidated by her beauty. Thanks for letting us crash at your house for a few days Byrams. When can we return the favor?



I call this picture - "A window to the future." This is Alison and Wade's 8 year-old Spencer... that's right, he's 8 and a chart topper. I won't publish his dimensions because that's rude but, he's the sweetest, most helpful, fun personality little boy ever and if Connor grows up to be as big as him - and like him, it's a victory for us.


Backing up now... before Idaho we stayed in Lethbridge with D's family for a little reunion. The hotel had this amazing water park and the kids tore it up. I love this pic. of CC... if we all could live in her world there would be much happiness. She even had a good time despite the fact that her mom didn't pack her swim-soup cover up.


Connor acted like a complete baby and sat very still and quiet on the sidelines cuddling with grandma. Next year, he's getting thrown in. You'll be happy to know this photo has inspired my New Year's resolution.... drum roll please... I promise to get a tan.... or at least a little color. The crazy thing... every day for a week before the swimming party I put on self-tanning cream. I think I might need my money back. And now that I look at it... maybe D and I should have the same resolution.




And this is Connor Christmas morning - in his old pj's because he couldn't stay awake long enough on Christmas Eve to open his new ones. But, the finger puppets and fire truck were a huge hit. He played with them for at least 30 seconds before returning to his past time of taking apart the house and annoying his sisters.


Here are the girls Christmas morning. You can't see the dark circles but... they are there. Cala woke up at 2:30 am and didn't go back to sleep! Now that's dedication. She even stayed in her room... waiting. CC told me that she slept because "kids who can't sleep on Christmas get special magical help from Santa to sleep becuase that's just important. And do you think I could have special magical powers. And other times when I can't sleep, Santa can't help me because it's not Christmas so it's okay for me to just get up." All that in one breath.



And whew... that's what we were busy doing instead of blogging.

NAUGHTY AND NICE.... can you guess?




Dear Santa,

I was a good boy for most of the year and have only really been bad the last month. So, for Christmas I would like a ladder - that way I can get into whatever I want. My mom took away the step stool I was using. I would also like some more make-up. My moms didn't last all that long and plus, I don't like sharing. I especially like lipstick, but don't worry, I only wear it on my cheeks and put it on the limestone fireplace. Bronzer is also good - it really makes the tile floor shine. Sharpe also makes a good marker - they really stay on anything and don't fade very well. I also like to use them on my cheeks. Mom and I could really use some more hot pads, these are way more interesting than my farm animal hand puppets. Also, I recently discovered scissors and wow - they have changed my life. I know there is a lot more to discover on that front. If it's not too much to ask, I would like my own fridge. Ours seems to be closed all the time - I run as fast as I can whenever it's opened but I never get to spend enough time in there. It's not just for food, those shelves are like a rock wall for me. I know I'm asking for a lot but, in return I will gladly give up all my toys (I never play with them anyway) My highchair (I hate being confined when I have food) and my carseat. (I hardly ever use it anyway, since I can get out of it)

Thanks big guy,

Connor Darren Taylor

Nov. Review

We had a busy month. There's a 5 year old in the house! CC had a lengthy b-day bash... a family party, friend party and a date with dad and mom. Best comment; "Sweet, a $20 bill!" after opening her b-day card from G & G Taylor. She wanted to go to Build-a-Bear for her date night and for sushi. Guess which was more expensive. She chose a lovely sparkling blue bear and named her Violet Colleen Taylor. For her friend party we had lunch and rode horses and CC loved the week long b-day celebrating.

Then it was my turn - 35 year old and my parents "surprised" me by coming to Canada. We went out to eat, shopping and somehow one week went by in like one hour.

Another highlight of the month - the Steve Nash Youth Basketball program. The girls have been doing this since mid October and it has been a blast for me. I LOVE watching them play. Cala is actually good and had more steals than I could count. She doesn't like to shoot but, when everyone yells "Shoot it Cala!" She will. It's great watching the look on her face when the ball actually goes in. I hope we have a long bball watching career over these next few years. It's a blast.

Then Chelsea. She brought the program to it's knees. We had to alter her jersey so it would not drag on the floor or fall off her shoulders. She's the smallest one there and the most entertaining. My favorite comment... she said to her coach/ref during the game, "Um, can we play something else? Just for a few minutes." Awesome. She would also come home at night telling us random facts about Steve Nash. "Mom, do you know Steve Nash had a dream? Do you know what that dream was? He wanted to be the best basketball player ever and do you know how he chieved that? He practiced." (Obviously taken word for word from her coach... who I hope will return after his most challenging 8 weeks on the court ever... I can't believe they didn't make me pay more money. CC would also go up to the girl coaches and asked to be carried and would yell "SUB" whenever she was on the court and didn't feel like playing anymore. She also spent lots of time spinning around in circles, rolling on the floor, balancing on one foot and running with her arms in the jersey... all during games. Whenever she wanted the ball, she would just run up to whoever had it and yell - "Pass" She would follow them around until they gave it to her. The coach also made a few special rules for her that the rest of the team knew. If Chelsea had the ball, no one was allowed to steal it from her. They all just had to let her dribble up and down the court for a few seconds before she either got tired or it bounced away. She would then run over to me and ask, "How many points did I score." The day the coach talked about defense, I knew it. I walked into the gym and there was CC running the court with her arms stretched right out in front of her. She didn't put them down - ever. But, she can actually dribble, knows a few different types of passes, knows all about Steve Nash, knows what an assist is, and never wants to play basketball again. Don't worry - she's going to... I can't miss out on the humor.

Also, we found out something about Chelsea this month. She's basically blind in one eye. When they say you should take your kid to the eye doctor at about age 3 - it really is a good thing. Because when you wait until they are five, they have to have really strong prescription and wear a patch to try and correct it. We'll keep you posted on that front... the glasses aren't in yet but hopefully they'll work. We feel really bad about all the times we said, "Chelsea, pick that up - what are you blind?" We also feel bad for laughing when she would just randomly fall off chairs, down the stairs or trip for no reason... turns out she's really not clumsy. Our "Parents of the Year Award" has now been postponed another year.

And - Connor is really growing up. This month, he started to really chat it up... "No, daddy, mamma, MINE, ni-nite, Daz (Daisy, the dog) all added to his growing vocab. Also, he's in this phase where he want to wear the girls hair elastic on his wrists. I had to get rid of all the really small ones and do "hand checks" every time I pick him up to make sure he hasn't found a stray. In this pic. Darren got him up from a nap to find he put one of his socks on his hands. He still loves to organize things and this month we lost, a set of keys, one of his friends shoes, and CC's basketball. They've all turned up except the keys. Also, he stashes random snacks everywhere. The other day I opened the jar where I store cotton balls... what do you know, a rice cake. He now refuses to eat in his high chair and it's been great fun cleaning up food from everywhere. He loves Darren and being outside. Today he got to ride the quad. He insisted Darren put his coat on... I had to take him out in the cold to see his dad before he would allow his coat to be put on... he was sure I was just going to put him in the car.

And speaking of cars. We will no longer be running a rodent hotel in the Honda Pilot. The mouse mobile has been turned in and traded for this baby. I have given up the extra seating and have come to terms with the fact that I like speed. Darren is so proud. We're hoping mice don't like German imports like the love the Japanese imports. Fingers crossed.

The Cunninghams also came for Thanksgiving. We shopped, cooked and Darren and Scott went camping. (crazy) But a great time! KC keeps me laughing.

Everything is just racing by and I'm continuing to get more and more behind. But, I think this is just how it's going to be for a while. Whenever I feel like this, I just start throwing things away. So we've gotten rid of a lot of stuff. This probably has some meaning to it but I have no time to look into it. And.... there was our November! Whew.

The very latest

This is will likely be the only photo of Connor in his Halloween costume. He is not impressed with pirates. Maybe if it had a headband instead of a hat - he loves wearing his sisters.


CC is still trying to convince me to find her a blonde wig because Alice in Wonderland has longer hair than she does. Not gonna happen but she can keep on wishing.


And this is the kind of costume you end up with when your mother waits until the last minute. It's Hannah Montana - but not a very cute one... so hence the head shot of the only cute part of the costume.



Go Cougars! We made a trip to Utah for Darren's law school reunion and the big Homecoming game. We took Cala along to show her all the beauties of BYU and to go school shopping. We had a great time! Darren got to see some of his best friends from law school and we got to feel really old walking around campus - it's changed so much. We stayed with Kristen and Scott and my mom and dad even dashed to Utah to see us.

The Buzz

Chelsea also started school. Here she is with her teacher Mrs. Thibadeau. The pre-school is in a small community center about 5 minutes away from our house and I am really, really enjoying the commute. Plus, school is the same time as Connor's nap. Talk about peace and quiet. CC was so excited for school, and thrilled about the fact that she had to have indoor shoes.



What a difference a month can make. Connor is really walking now and has totally give up on crawling - even if he falls. He's all over the place and climbs on everything. Seriously, he's a monkey. He ruined my keyboard by climbing up on my desk and dumping a can of Coke on it. He can't stay off the table and here he is on his little table in his room. Plus, note the hair - it was getting so long and I thought we would just keep the shaggy look for a while. But then....



Can you say BUZZ! My friend was here the other day and told me he can no longer pull off the shaggy look. It simply doesn't work on babies. So, right then and there - she took the clippers to him and he lost it all. I still feel like I have a different baby. I'm sure he's acting more grown up and he doesn't look the same at all. He does keep patting his head to try and find his hair. I really like not worrying about what his hair looks like. He looks so much older and I know I'm his mom, but I have to say - the new cut makes his face look thinner as well. What happened to our baby?!!



And... I like to call this photo: "When bad things happen to good people." A simple fall in the mudroom on a locker is to blame for this bash. CC and Connor were playing and I head screaming. There was blood running down his face, I picked him up and headed to the laundry room for clean up. And seriously one of my first thoughts was, "I hope he doesn't get blood on my sweater. It's new and from Nordstroms." What is wrong with me. But that's another post. I knew he would be okay but, also knew he would need stitches. (we have a modeling career to worry about) I wiped him off, gave him a sucker and if you were to have timed it, he probably only cried for 4 minutes. The sucker ended the tears. Which started again at the Urgent Care Center when the Dr. numbed his head and sewed him up. They made me leave the room because the tied him down while they did all this. They were more worried about me - but, for some reason, it didn't really bother me. I don't like to see him in pain, but seriously, what can I do and in a matter of minutes, it will all be over. Plus, he screams every time I put him in the car seat. But, it's gotta be done. End of the day - he's fine. (Except for being fussy because we're giving up the morning nap and the transition is no fun. I forgot about this.)

Back to School

Here's Cala on her first day of Grade 2. She's so grown up. We had a hard time with the early wake up but managed to get there. Her teacher is Mrs. Beaty and she seems like she will be a good one. Cala is excited about her locker and was thrilled to hit the monkey bars again! Good Luck Cala - we love you.

11 years - and still counting.

Happy Anniversary to us. It was a memorable one... 08/08/08. It was nice of the world to begin the olympics that day in our honor. We actually chose to skip this celebration... just like we did last year. Is that bad or what. We took the girls to a movie and decided we would mark the day in October - a month that's usually boring. I gave Darren a card and he said - "Oh, we were doing cards?" I love it when I'm NOT the thoughtless one. Also, happy anniversary to Jessica and Ryan and Laurie and Dan. My two friends who also got married in August but I didn't get to go to their weddings because of my own. Good timing girls.