August 2014

August has always been one of my favorite months. It's my birthday month, so of-course I think that's important. I also have always equated July and August with vacations.  The summertime heat draws me to the water and beach. Then at the end of the month, the excitement of a new school year, new friends, and new experiences has always appealed to me. August 2014 was all of these things and more. 

(Unfortunate side note: I've lost my pictures from Aug-Oct 2014. A hard drive I placed them on was corrupt and now all my pictures are all gone. The pics in the following few posts will be from my Instagram account and Jeff's phone. While my devastated that I've lost all those pictures, I'm so thankful for the ones I have.)

Jeff's brother Ross was coming home from his mission in August. I had not planned on going to Aizona to see him, as we were going for Christmas. However, I have been itching to get to the beach with the kids all summer. Also, the girls have never been to Disney and I wanted to take them before they were too old for the 'magic' of it all. At the last minute, and with Jeff's aunt Becky very sick in the hospital in AZ, we decided to take the family.  We weren't sure if this would be our final good-bye with Becky, so we left a week early to see her and go to California.  

A day before our trip Cecil and Jill came down sick. I packed all the children's tylenol and motrin I had and we started our drive. By the time we made it to AZ Becky had had a stroke, brain surgery and  was heavily sedated and intubated.  We tearfully said, what we thought were our good-byes and then hit the road again to California.  Becky pulled through her ordeal and later mentioned seeing my deceased Grandma Pete (whom she'd never met) by my side and playing with my children in her hospital room while still sedated.  Becky was also able to recall conversations that other family members had and things the doctors did and said while she was unresponsive.  I shared this with my dad and a few of his siblings. We were all very touched and comforted, knowing that those we love that have passed aren't really so far away.

When we finally made it to California we all couldn't wait to hit the beach.  Even through fevers, pink-eye, and a bad cold we all had a great time. Coco mostly played with the sand, Camille searched for seashells, Jillian tested limits with the water, Jeff and his buddies went spearfishing, and Cecil and I lounged on the shore. We were able to go to a private beach called Three Arches. It was spectacular. (All the pics of the arches, and scenery are lost).  

Me and the girls ventured pasted the arches to find this beautiful little cove.

Coco would only go near the water if he was being held.  He still does a 'mini-seizure' when he's excited., and you can see it in this picture. His arms extend and flex while his fingers wiggle.  I'd say it an appropriate response to such a beautiful place and prefect wave. 

The girls attempted boogie boarding and had a blast. Jillian caught on quickly and really enjoyed it.  Camille was loving it until she had a big wipe-out...then she was done. 

The next day was our Disney day.  Coco woke up with a fever and pink eye. Since all the rest of the kids were battling pink eye (all of them were on antibiotics by this time) and we had drove this far, we pushed through. I was determined to make some memories with my girls at Disney. Here we are on the tram to the park. This picture just kills me with all the kids and their swollen eyes.   

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Brandon came with us to help with all the kids.  He would run and get us fast-passes and then once we got to the front of the line, we'd get a stroller-pass.  This way we weren't waiting too long for any ride and the girls got to ride the big ones twice.  We all really loved Peter Pan. The girls favorite was Space Mountain.  Coco ended up being pretty grumpy all day but I'd say it was worth it. Look at that smile. 

We'll definitely go again when the boys are a little older and hopefully we'll all be healthy.

These faces don't lie; Disney is the happiest place on earth.

We actually missed the big parade but caught the tail-end, which was the most important part anyway. 

We stayed until the bitter end.  All the boys were checked out but me and the girls were ready for more after the fireworks show.  We left the boys falling asleep on the sidewalk as we ran to Indiana Jones.  It was a great day.

On Sunday after church we went to the San Clemente Beach trail and pier. 

There was a swing-set on the beach that was just perfect for my four as the sun set in-front of us. 

Of-course our last day in Cali was spent at the beach again. We were all a little worn-out but had to squeeze every last moment we had out of our big trip. 

The next day we drove to AZ and meet Ross at the airport.  (I am sickened that this pictures with the Taylor family are among the lost).  It was a happy a tearful reunion.  He looked amazing and was really glowing. 

Jeff was able to go with Ross and his parents to a session in the new Gilbert AZ temple.  It is such a beautiful building. 

The homecoming that Sunday was great.  All the Taylor girl cousins sang and Ross gave a wonderful talk. After the program we got to visit with Jeff's extended family. It was such a wonderful day.  After all the activities, it was time to head back to TX. 

Of-course we had to stop at Sandy's ranch for a potty break and to feed the goats. It was a long and successful trip, even with four sick kids. 

Not two weeks later Jeff was off to Cabo, Mexico for a bachelor's party for his best friend Nate.  He had a trip to remember. 

They golfed at a breathtaking resort.

They were basically staying steps from the beach. 

To finish off his trip they caught a huge 500-600+ lbs blue marlin. 

They cut him up and some of the guys took the meat home.  I think we'll have marlin meat in our freezer for years to come.

While Jeff was gone the girls started the new school year.  Camille started 1st grade with Ms. Schrott, whom I just love as a teacher, and Jillian started 2nd grade with Ms. Sweet. 

Here they are on the first day of school.  Such sweet, perfect sisters.  Goodbye, summer. 

I also had my 32nd birthday in August but those pictures were also lost. We went out to Olive Garden as a family to use a gift card I had and I think I did some on-line shopping.  Pathetic sounding, but it was all I wanted and needed.  Side-note: I'll probably never eat at OG again. 

June 2014

This cute outfit was Jeff's when he was a baby. Then Coco wore it and now lil' Ce.  I love stuff like this, plus it's just the cutest romper.

Our chicks have entered the teenage phase.  You can see how big Allison is and how little Peggy is.  Sadly Rosie is gone.  We aren't sure if an animal got her her she ran away.  The chicks have been staying outside and both scenarios are likely. 

Jeff turned 34.  We went to a Brazilian steakhouse downtown with a group of friends.  After we ate ourselves silly we went to watch the Austin symphony perform at Zilker.  It was good times. 

Here we are at a Texas Stars game.  It was good to get into the cold area because it's been so hot out. 

Well, we moved again.  Third house in three and a half years.  Same situation happened as last time.  The owner wanted to sell and we weren't ready to buy.  Ugh.  I'm so sick of moving.  On the bright side, a move makes me purge.  Shortly after the move we had a garage sale.  The girls, with Jeff's help, held their first little business venture.  They sold donuts, lemonade, and water at the garage sale.  They tripled their profits.  It was pretty exciting. 

One good thing about the move is that we are really close to trails.  We've been exploring and enjoying the area.  Jillian wanted to go on a trail run with me one day.  We walked more than we ran but it was really fun to exercise with my little one.  

This picture makes me cringe.  We went to a fun splash pad mid-month.  After an hour or so, I heard a really loud thud.  I turned to see Jillian on the ground.  I immediately ran over there.  I was most concerned about her head.  Janice drove to a nearby gas station to get some ice.  Jillian's head seemed okay but she kept holding her thumb on her right hand.  It started to swell quickly.  That night I got her a splint and decided to wait and see how it felt over the weekend.  Poor thing only got worse.  On Monday I took her to urgent care for an x-ray.  Sure enough it, was fractured.  The first break for our family.  I was happy it happened during the summer and after her piano recital.  We withdrew her from gymnastics, and piano.  She was actually really happy about quitting gymnastics as she'd been asking to quit for months and months.  

With the splint on she seemed to be healing quickly, so I chose not to see an ortho dr. Now I just have to teach my kids not to run at splash pads.   

Camille got another round of swim lessons with a different gal.  It worked like a charm.  Here she is after her fourth lesson jumping off the diving board.

My handsome boys, once again getting dragging everywhere. 

I got a killer deal on tickets for Sea World so we all went at the end of the month.  I do feel conflicted about supporting places like this and zoo's. We all had a great time though. 

While the dolphin and whale shows were amazing, the roller coasters were every one's favorite thing.  We even had Camille wear taller shoes and put her hair in a high ponytail to get her onto one of the coasters.  

Coco got his first taste of thrill rides.  He kinda loved it and kinda hated it.  

Cecil got to ride the merri-go-round and seemed happy about that. 

On the way back to town we stopped at the temple grounds in San Antonio. 

I love taking the kids to the temple.  I wish we lived closer to one. 

May 2014

 May is Camille's birthday month and this was the birthday book she choose to donate to her school library.  It remains one of our favorites. 

Cecil is quite the active little guy and has learned to sleep when he can, where he can.  He practically lives in the car seat on someday's.  Makes me feel sad, but I think it makes him more easy going. He has found his thumb a few times and I absolutely love it, although I won't let this take the place of his paci.

Here is Jillian's butterfly that will be displayed all of next school year. She was pretty excited about it. 

Here is Coco looking fly.  He has gotten use to being dragged around to the girls stuff too. Poor guy gets pretty upset when we pull up to the soccer fields or the gym, but as long as I have a stash of snacks he does alright. 

Mother's Day this year was super laid back.  We had church and Jeff made dinner. Perfect day. 

Our chicks entered their adolescenes.  They are looking a little dinasourish. 

Swim season started and Jillian has been working on her dives. 

Coco has been carrying around a doll carrier and taking it everywhere.  I guess we need more boy toys around the house. 

This May marks our 10 year wedding anniversary.  We'd like to go on a trip but with me still nursing Cecil it's been postponed.  Jeff has been my very best friend and this picture really says a lot to me.  It was taken while I was in labor with Cecil. He just looks like he'd take all the pain away if he could and so much more.  I love him. 

Camille turned 6.  She is such a sweet sweet girl. She's still as sensitive as she was the day she was born.  She has worked hard to correct her speech.  She's always had a little lisp and would say her "r"'s like "ah" (instead of "car" she'd say "caah").  It actually sounded so cute and she'd get multiple comments on it everyday but she'd also get teased at school and sometimes by adults.  She tries very hard to please everyone and is a bit of a class clown.  She mostly always has a great attitude and is very optimistic.  Her love of animals has continued to grow and now is very selective of when she'll eat meat.  She's always willing to help out and really loves to hold the baby. 

I see so many of my own attributes and my physical features in her.  It's a really surreal and special feeling when I study her.  

We are so proud and feel very blessed to have this little one in our family.      

I've been a little overwhelmed with the four so I copped out and did a party at Chuck E. Cheeses.  I never thought I would, but it was surprisingly great!  All the kids had a wonderful time.  I was able to visit with parents.  And my house didn't have to be cleaned before and then cleaned after.  It was wonderful. 

We did the traditional balloon launch right outside. 

Cecil has rolled over a few times now.  Problem is that he gets stuck like this.  He doesn't seem to mind.

I love to see new places and enjoy where I live.  I heard about Bull Creek and we decided to go check it out.  It's pretty close to us and right off the road.  We loved it.  It's a natural spring fed creek.  There are a lot of kid friendly spots as well as some deeper areas to swim.  It has a hiking trail that runs along side it. 

While there is started dumping rain on us.  We all had a fun time playing in the rain.  It didn't last long, so we continued our exploration. 

We will definitely be back. 

Jillian has been taking piano for two months now and had her first recital.  Jillian did a wonderful job and didn't mess up once. 

The end of the school year brings on awards.  Both girls got the Citizenship award and we're thrilled. 

The last day of school is such a wonderful day for me.  I love having the girls with me all day and I love not having to wake-up early and get lunches ready.  That being said I am so grateful these two have the opportunity to go to a good school and that they have each other. 

Soccer ended too.  Jillian was with Coach Lee and Coach Andy again. Camille lucked out and got a great coach too.