Summer Trip to Indiana and Michigan

We recently returned from a wonderful summer trip to visit family and friends. Brenden needed to remain at home to work, so I drove the 12 hour drive with the kids....they did great! Including Brooke...she loves to travel!

We stayed for the most part at my parents home in Indianapolis, Indiana. There is always something very comforting about "being home." We had fun spending time together. Below are a few of my favorite photos from our trip. The first photo was taken on the first Sunday we were there. My brother and his wife and two kids are currently living with my parents, so we got to spend some time with them, too!


Savannah, Ammon and Quinn really enjoyed getting to know their cousin Cali.
I brought fresh blueberries and blackberries from South Carolina and made a yummy pie. Chet made cinnamon wheels with the left over pie dough....that disappeared in a matter of minutes! YUM!We spent two days at the world's largest children's museum....and still only managed to get through maybe a fifth of it! We got to do the dinosaur dig, see the planetarium show, attend a magic show (where Chet got to be a participant on stage), ride the famous carosel, see the King Tut exhibit, and meet an astronaut who had just returned from the Hubble, among other things!While in Indy, I arranged to meet up with some of the girls who were in show choir with me in high school. We hadn't seen each other in over 20 years! As you can imagine, it was fun to catch up on things....and rather interesting to learn what they had done, etc.

We also took the opportunity to visit my mom's brother and his wife in Crawfordsville, IN while we were there. It was fun to see them again.
This photo of Elise and Brooke was taken there.While in Indy, we enjoyed some heavy rains! One particular storm managed to keep us from attending an Indiana reunion with some old friends which was a bit disappointing...better luck next time, I guess. However, Grandma was prepared and had a very fun project for the kids...painting a special treasure box...the kids had a great time with that!
We also travelled to Goshen, Indiana to visit Great Grandma Dorothy. She is now 97! We enjoyed our time with her. We played our chimes, Elise her violin and Kylie her oboe and we sang some of Great Grandma's favorite songs with her: "Sweet Hour of Prayer", "Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow" and "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam".
From Goshen we drove to Grand Rapids, Michigan to visit Matt and Maggie and kids. Although our beach plans didn't work out, we had a wonderful time together enjoying the cool weather! We attended their ward pioneer party...enjoyed games and yummy food. Sunday I ran into an old friend, Jennifer Sullivan (?married name I don't recall--she served as a sister missionary in Indiana when I was a senior in high school), who happens to be in Maggie's ward now...small world! I also got to spend time with my wonderful friend, Cheryl Larson. We enjoyed an afternoon at the pool together and we always do something "crafty" when we get together. This time Cheryl taught me how to use her amazing sewing machine that has programmable embroidery capabilities. You can see some of the fun things I did while I was there in the photo below. Also of note, Cheryl had her baby the night before I left Indiana, so I got to see sweet little Lillian at the hospital the morning we left. What timing!

We had a great trip and can't wait to do it again!!!

Brooke's First Haircut 6 July 2009

Brooke had some beautiful long curls, but as tradition goes here, about your first birthday, the baby gets a "1st haircut". I did save some of the curls for posterity....but, I have to say that she looks adorable with her new do...and I think she likes it, too :)

More Awards!!!

This past Saturday, in between aerating lawns to raise money for Scout camp, we attended a special program where Chet was recognized as a "Student of Character" by our mayor. The following is the nomination letter that his teacher, Ms. Godwin, submitted:

"It is an honor to nominate fifth grader Chet Taylor for the Celebration of Character recognition. Chet exemplifies each of the Six Pillars of Character of Character Counts! Chet's classmates know that he is trustworthy and dependable. Chet has the courage to do what is right no matter what is popular. Chet treats others, as he wants to be treated. He is courteous and polite to adults and peers. Chet is a responsible student and pursues academic excellence in the classroom. He has excellent grades and participates in class. Chet is a valuable member of the Math Olympiads team. He is active in his church , and a member of Boy Scout Troop 432. Chet is also a leader of the 5th grade K-Kids Club. He demonstrates fairness by playing by the rules on and off the field. Chet is a caring and kind person in a quiet way. Chet demonstrates citizenship through his character everyday by serving on the Chukker Creek Safety Patrol. Chet Taylor is a true student of character." We are so proud of you Chet! We love you!!!

Awards!

This past week we have enjoyed recognizing Elise and Kylie.

Kylie recently received a second place award for her short story entry...there were over 300 entries....we were very proud of her! We enjoyed having Grandma and Grandpa Taylor with us at the awards ceremony.

Elise was recognized as a USCA Scholar this past weekend...and received, among other things, this cool tshirt :) Elise is pondering the option of attending USCA for a year or two before going to BYU. We think that would be super to have her with us a bit longer!!!....she is, after all, only going to be 16 when she graduates from high school. Also, of note, Elise has already received acceptance (without even applying, mind you) to Clemson University, so she has options :) Her 1st choice, of course, is BYU...GO COUGARS!!!

Spring Break at Hunting Island April 2009

We had a fabulous time camping at Hunting Island during spring break! The weather was perfect....cool breezes with lots of warm sunshine. We enjoyed a night exploration on the beach under a large, bright moon, observed raccoons in the bushes, and then woke up in the morning to discover two deer had been sleeping right next to our tents! We had fun using our dutch ovens to make breakfast...and thoroughly enjoyed the beach!

Brenden buried some of the kids in the sand :) Our happy Ammon boy! So photogenic :)
Brooke absolutely loved the beach....sand, water and all! We are hoping to make it back later in the summer to observe the turtles...mommies and babies!

Our Baby is 1!

We celebrated Brooke's 1st birthday today! (We had angel food cake with real whipped cream and super yummy strawberries!!!) I've always considered the first birthday to be a major milestone...for both the baby and the parents :) It feels good to reach the one year mark, yet my heart still aches as I watch her struggle to learn to use her hands, to sit up, to roll over, to crawl, etc. Still, she is a fighter and continues to make progress, and for that we are so grateful. While the seizures she experienced at birth and/or the medication she is currently taking to prevent further seizures seem to really have an affect on her motor skills, her smiles abound. She is truly a blessing in our life. We love her soooo much! (As you can see below...she gets lots of kisses!)

"Crafting it Forward"

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! This offer does have some limitations:
1. You will not know what it's going to be, and there are no guarantees that you will like what I make! It may be something simple and small or I may go crazy and do something amazing.
2. It’ll be done this year. Translation: you may be waiting a little while.
3. Most importantly, you must offer the same deal on your blog - the first 5 people to comment on your blog get something made by YOU!
Ok...so, I'm doing this "x2"....because I commented on my sister's and my sister-in-law's blogs...so the question is....will 10 people really comment on my blog? :)