Birthday Princess

Last weekend the entire Taylor family got together to celebrate Allison's third birthday. My favorite part of the day was playing "Birthday Princess" with Allison and Kirsten. Nothing melts my heart like a little girl pretending to be Cinderella.


Allison got a Slip 'n Slide as a gift. Everyone enjoyed playing, although some did more walking then sliding :)


Allison is at that adorable age where she idolizes older girls. Kirsten is at that adorable age where she loves to lead the little ones in games. What a perfect pair!


We managed to get one decent picture of all the cousins together (along with Brian and Uncle Jeff).


Happy Birthday Allison! We hope your Birthday wish comes true!

Tastes Like Chicken

... and other stuff that makes me smile 'cuz kids say the darndest things.

Matt: "More chicken please!"
Me: "This is (insert any food here... really anything... spaghetti, ham,
scrambled eggs, you get the idea). Do you want more _______?"
Matt: "Yes mama. More chicken please."

***********************************

Brian was carrying the boys around on his back when Kirsten asked for a turn.

Brian: "Just once okay? Remember you're really big now. Didn't you tell me you weigh 43 lbs?"
Kirsten: "It's okay Daddy. I'll hold my breath."

************************************

After watching Matt "go potty" Danny excitedly announces it's his turn. His excitement turns to confusion after a moment as he looks down and announces, "It no work. Mine no work."


A few days later (and a few more "it no work"s later) I asked Danny if he needed to use the potty. He looked me straight in the eye, shrugged his shoulders and earnestly said, "Ummm.... I don't know Mama!". (The "your guess is as good as mine" look on his face made me laugh out loud.)

*************************************

Brian: "Danny, are you a boy or a girl?"
Danny: "Bird."
Brian: "Danny are you a girl like Mommy or a boy like Daddy?
Danny: "Bird"
Brian: "You're a bird?"
Danny: (while flapping his arms like wings to demonstrate) "Yea. Bird.
Wheeeeee!!"

*************************************

As Brian and Matt pass a mirror Matt smiled and called "Danny! Hi Danny!" while waving at his own reflection.

*************************************

Danny: "You okay Mamma?" 100x per day.

Danny: "Mamma!! Come HERE Mama!" 100x per day.

**************************************
While I was applying sunscreen to the boys I made the mistake of walking away to answer the phone. I left the sunscreen on the table. Next to the mustard. I bet you can see where this is going...

Matt: "Mamma! I do mama. I do creme." (While showing off the mustard he rubbed on his cheeks and nose.)

*************************************
While walking out of the room, after success (or dumb luck) on the potty, I patted Danny's bottom and said, "Great job!". For the rest of the day Danny kept reaching around to pat his own bottom and repeat, "Great job! Me, great job!"

**********************************************************************************

The boys now call all Barbie dolls "Sissy." I find this very precious.

Fine Dining... Summer Style

My Summer View

My favorite thing about this summer is watching my children play together in the water and the sun. They have been having so much fun!

"Never, Ever, Ever Say You're Tired..."

The summer Kirsten was turning four we spent a day at Busch Gardens with her friend Kalee and Kalee's mom. On the way home the girls were wiped. I've heard legends of childen that fall asleep in cars when they are tired. Can you imagine? ... I find it hard to believe. Anyway, as we tried to get our sleepy girls to quit bickering, we mentioned how sleepy they looked. That's when Kirsten turned to Kalee and told her (with complete seriousness) "Never, ever, ever say you're tired,".

She has taught her brothers well. Since the cribs have come down the naps are few and far between. Last week after Danny angrily yelled, "NO night night! No nap! No prayers!" I stuck them in their high chairs.



...I'll take a nap however I can get it!

Mommy's Little Helper

...Thanks for all your help with the laundry Matt!

My Dad Is My Hero

...he always has been. My dad is the kind of dad who sat through every twirling and cheerleading exhibition, no matter how many hours long they were. He's the one who knew the name of every one of my friends and could tease them in a way that made them think he was cool. He's the guy who used to sing prayers (at the top of his lungs) while walking up the stairs to my room to say goodnight and who woke me up to the blaring sounds of a "Disco Duck" record.

He's the guy who retired to help take care of his infant grandsons, and who still checks my tires whenever he passes my van in the driveway. He's the guy who decides to be happy. He does it on purpose. That makes everyone around him happier. His love of his family is fierce and to me he'll always be bigger than life. (I love you Dad.)

I LOVE when I see my kids look at their dad that way. That's how it should be. Daddy can protect you from monsters and dragons. He can fix your swing set. He's silly. He's fun. He's the hero of the family. (I love you Brian.)

Today we got to celebrate the everyday heroes in our family. Brian got a precious hour to himself while I took the children to mass with my parents. After church my parents and Brian's parents came over for brunch. Brian and I joke that the kids outnumber us... I LOVE that the grandparents outnumber them. They are so blessed to have FOUR loving, involved grandparents and I love when we can all celebrate together. Our kids are so lucky to have a great dad and TWO great grandpas!!

My friend Tiffany found the cutest dessert idea for Father's Day! Luckily she posted it on her blog yesterday so I had time to copy it! Kirsten loved the idea of "tricking" everyone by serving them hamburgers (made of cupcake and brownies) and fries (made of sugar cookies). It was fun AND yummy!



Then, my girl took her Daddy on a movie date. Kirsten and Brian went to see "UP" in 3D. They had a great time and the boys and I got to rest and clean up.

My pictures for the day are not great. While the photography is not impressive, the memories are :)



Happy Father's Day Dad, Don, and Brian!!

Daddy's Data...

An interview with Kirsten (age 7.5) about Daddy:

How old is your dad? 32

What does your dad do for work? Teach teenagers

What is your dad's favorite thing to do? Rest

What is something dad always says to you? I love you.

What makes dad happy? Monster

What makes dad mad? When I don't listen the first time.

What is your dad good at? Playing guitar

What is dad not good at? Playing violin

What does your dad like best about your mom? My mom is cute and adorable.

Where is your dad's favorite place to go? The movies

How tall is your dad? 7 feet

Why is your dad a good daddy? He tells lots of jokes and likes snuggling.

How do you know your dad loves you? He adopted me.

How does dad make you laugh? He tells jokes.

What was your dad like when he was little? Like me!

What is the best thing about your dad? He is sweet and kind and loving and adorable.

VBS Rocks!

It's official... Kirsten is a Vacation Bible School junkie. She LOVES the first few weeks of summer when she gets to hop from one church to another enjoying several Vaction Bible School programs.



I love that my sweet girl spends the rest of the summer singing songs of praise and teaching the boys new prayers. Precious.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream

for CUPCAKES!



I am no Holly Homemaker... but, if I do say so myself, these are the cutest cupcakes ever!

Matt was a little confused at first, but he gobbled it up none the less!



Look out Martha!

The Best, Best, Best Show Ever

I think I was four (maybe 5?) when I saw Annie for the first time... the first of many, many, many times. My parents still laugh about how as the curtain was going up I squealed "I think I'm gonna like this!". I was SO right. That night led to Annie Halloween costumes, the movie, the album, the dolls... you get the picture.

Needless to say, I was VERY excited when my mom suggested she take Kirsten and I to see the play as an early birthday "girl day".



My mom said she and my dad decided that no one could ever be as excited about Annie as I was (when I was little)... but if anyone was going to come close to matching my enthusiasm it would be Kirsten. I love Kirsten's face in this picture.


We all really enjoyed the show. Kirsten did a lot of wiggling (which shouldn't surprise anyone) and a lot of giggling and we all cried during the "I don't need anything but you" scene.

The Heart Gallery had a display at the theatre which helped us celebrate our theme for the day. ...Daddy Warbucks isn't the only one who got a happy ending ;)




As we were leaving (behind the theatre) we got meet the REAL Sandy. I was crazy excited. The four year old in me made an appearance as I squealed and shoved Kirsten into a picture. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out. So here is the back of Kirsten and the REAL Sandy :)

(FYI there are 2 real Sandys... one for the matinee and one for the evening performance and they both needed a walk :)

I made a mistake and told Kirsten about the trick my parents played on me before seeing Annie. My mom and I met my dad in Manhattan for an evening performance. My dad announced that if we wanted to see the show we needed to eat first and that we were going out for steak. (This probably sounds nice to most of you but I hate steak more than anything!) We sat down at a table and someone brought over the BIGGEST ice cream sundae I'd ever seen... talk about thrilling! So, when we told Kirsten we were going out for fish (her most hated food) she was onto us... but she still played along.

...Talk about a happy ending! Thanks Mom!

Baby Blue Eyes

...Yes they are both Danny (again). The post said "baby" not "babies"... Matt's look exactly the same but he wasn't in the mood to pose :)

Lots More Fishy Fun!

Thanks to all the awesome grandparents on Team Taylor we have a summer full of lots of fun ahead of us! Grandma and Grandpa Don gave the twins (and the rest of the family) an annual pass for Great Explorations children's museaum (which we LOVE). Then Grammy and Grandpa gave the boys (and up to 5 guests) annual passes to the Florida Aquarium. SCORE.

So, as part of our "Spring into Summer" week, Kirsten invited her friend Johnna (along with Johnna's mom and twin brothers) to join us for more fun at the aquarium.
Here is a picture of the gang.

...Most of the gang...

And my guys...

"Giddy Up Mr. Turtle!"

Maxin' and Relaxin'

MY kids! Asleep! Do you believe it? Me either... I needed photographic evidence that it actually happens on occassion.



(Ironically enough, this is exactly how Brian and I sleep each night... kind of funny.)

Sometimes You Need A Smile...

Today is one of those days. The boys are sick. SICK. It's awful. They are miserable, Brian is also very sick, and I am so ridiculously sleep deprived that I can't even formulate sentences anymore. I'm feeling sorry for myself and need to smile. These pictures not only make me smile... but giggle too. I need that.











These pictures remind me that sometimes "perfect" (a photo or a day) is totally unattainable... but the mess that is our life is still pretty great. Off to count my blessings, pray for better health for my 3 favorite guys, and sleep for more than 15 minutes... if I'm lucky.

Check Out Our Sweet New Rides...

The twins will be out cruisn' for chicks anytime now.

Maybe I Don't Hate It... Maybe...

I have a standing "I hate Chuck E. Cheese" policy. Emphasis on the 'hate'.

However, I brought the kids for Shane's birthday party last week. This is the third party we've been too at 'the place I hate the most' that has been not awful. Actually, that's not fair. The parties have been really nice. Hmmm... something to think about.

Here are a few pictures from our (dare I say) fun day at Chuck E. Cheese.

K. Grace having a blast



Danny hangin' with the mouse himself... Mr. Chuck E. Cheese.


Matty enjoying every moment...


(I might actually like it there when it's not super-crowded... don't tell my kids!)

Here is a group shot from the party. We love hangin' out with Shane and Antonio and really enjoyed getting to know Gabriel and Allison and hope to spend a lot more time with them soon!


Happy Birthday Shane!!

Pool Party!

Last week I took the gang our first summer outing. We joined Tiffany, Dylan, Isaac, Malia, and Noah for a pool party! It was really fun. (Although Noah slept through the entire event!)

Tiffany decided to try a life jacket on Isaac so he could have a little more freedom around the pool.


...Apparently Isaac hates being safe. (Luckily my guys don't mind the jackets... because I'd make them wear them anyway!)

Tiffany told Kirsten that no one can ever stay on their zebra float... challenge extended... challenge accepted.


Anything Kirsten does the boys have to try. Matt only needed a little help.


Danny held on for dear life! ...But he did it too :)


I LOVE this picture of our little fish!


Tiffany broke in her new grill and made hot dogs for everyone. We brought some grapes and cookies to enjoy with our lunch.


Then Danny begged for Tiffany's lunch too... so he had a side of corn on the cob.


So much summer fun in the sun!