December 2014

Ever since Camille was an infant and had RSV she wheezes when she gets a bad cold.  By now she's an old pro at the nebulizer.  Unfortunately, Cecil is a wheezer too.  Good thing big sister can help him feel better about having to use the breathing machine. Same big ol' brown eyes and same wheezy lungs.
 

 

I really love all the festive, fun, and spiritual activities there are to do around this time of the year.  I took the kids to Burnet again this year for "A Walk Through Bethlehem".  Although super crowded, it is so amazing.  A church puts it on a couple weekends in December and basically acts as though its the time of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem.  There is candle making, weaving, soilders, a tavern, etc. etc.  At the very end, you follow a star and see the baby Jesus.  It's so cool and isn't lost on the girls.

 

 

This is how Cecil feels about three hour church.  I can't say I feel much better than him.

 

 

I was surprised to get all four of them in a picture with Santa at the ward party.  I can't imagine this happening every year.

 

 

The YMCA puts on a great Christmas party the Saturday before Christmas.  This is on the horse-drawn sleigh pulled by Clydesdale's.  It was really cool.

 

My two favorites Sunday's every year is Easter and Christmas. This year, the boys were under the weather, so me and the girls got prettied up and went alone.

 

 

It was a really special Christmas this year.  We traveled to Arizona to spend it at the Cabin with the Taylor's.  Here's all the cousins with Grandma Nettie and Papa.  I really miss being near all these people. The cabin is so special and I wish my children could have more experiences there.

 

On Christmas Eve we had a small nativity play, sang a few songs and enjoyed the company.

 

 

It was super cold outside and only flurried a little, but it didn't stop anyone from hiking around, playing on the rope swing,

 

or spending a lot of time in my favorite spot, the porch swing.

 

The day after Christmas we all hurried off the mountain to ready for Jillian's baptism that was to be held that weekend.  I really can't believe that she's at this point.  I feel so grateful to have been surrounded by the Taylor family and some Peterson's too. It was such a wonderful day.  She got baptized in a dress from our wonderful friends the Rattray's.  Their daughter Allie took her first communion in this dress.  I just really love it.

 

 

Here's the crowd that came.  The energy and spirit was so wonderful.  Jillian's dress after the water was my baptism dress from when I was 8.  I love seeing her in it and she really really loves it, especially the "poofy sleeves", which makes me smile.  I was trying to alter the dress and give it cap sleeves and no collar but she just really loved it as is, so I left it.  I'm happy I did.

 

I had everyone write a thought or testimony on index cards for Jillian to come back to and read throughout her life. They were all so wonderful and Jillian really treasures them. We are so fortunate to have such wonderful families.

 

Speaking of hand-me-downs, here's an outfit that Jeanette made for a 3 year old Jeffrey.  Now it fits my little Coco.  Isn't it so adorable?

 

One of the day's before we left, we hiked the 'Hole in the Mountain' in Phoenix.  It's a simple and short walk to the top, but has great views.  I don't really miss living in Arizona.  I just really miss the people there.

 

There's a pretty cool view of the city through the hole.

 

The day before New Years Eve we departed AZ and headed to Sonora TX to ring in the new year with some of Jeff's friends.  A huge snow/ice storm decided to follow us and the trip was treacherous and actually pretty scary.  When we made it to the ranch house all was froze over, even the animals.  We had a cold, but fun New Year's.  

 

September 2014

Jeff's best friend Nate got married in Utah in September.  We decided to take the whole family. Traveling is super crazy with all the children but they did so well. 

The day before the wedding, we got to take the kids to the mountains for a family and friends luncheon.  They had all sorts of activities including human bumper soccer and lots of minute to win it games.  It was so wonderful to be in the mountains again. They call for me 

The next morning was the sealing in the Salt Lake Temple.  My parents had the kids so Jeff and I could attend.  Late the night before, Jeff realized that he had forgotten our recommends and after texting and calling our bishop with no response we headed up there in the morning on faith. By the time we arrived our bishop had spoken with the temple and we were in!  The sealing was perfect! 

After all the hoopla was done we snuck away to have lunch with Amy and George at the JS Memorial Building then back to the temple to do our first live session.  It was really interesting to do a live session. I mostly loved to see the temple and all the intricate carvings, paintings etc.  While in the Celestial Room we asked an usher to give us a little tour.  He showed us a room where Pres Hunter lived and then showed us the back of a stained-glass window into the Holy of Holys.  It was awesome. 

The reception was held that evening at Nate's uncle's home in Provo.  It was absolutely beautiful (pics lost).  There was a sweet video, good food, and dancing. To top off the night the wedding party jumped into the pool in their clothing while fireworks went off.  It was great!

The next day we got to go on a hike with my parents.  It was perfect weather and a perfect little hike for the kids. 

While in Utah we got in some good cousin time of-course.  I love that my kids are all pretty much the same ages as Brett's.  It's makes it more fun.

I also got to hang-out with Monica which is always a hi-light.  We tried to take several selfies and none of them were very flattering.  It was hilarious. 

Once we got back to Texas the party didn't end.  We went to an Express game and enjoyed the fireworks after the game. 

BYU came and played UT so naturally I had some brothers come into town and Zack Taylor came too.  Even though it was too hot, I think we all had a great time.  Jeff threw his first large tailgate before the game.  Not sure if he'll ever do it again. It was A LOT of work.  My brothers had to leave the very next day. I was bummed I couldn't show them around ATX.

As per usual, my milk supply is decreasing rapidly.  I have started supplementing at nights to help Cecil's tummy get full.  Also, he started really crawling and loving his new found freedom. 

March 2014

Camille had a Dr. Seuss day at school. We choose to do her hair like Cindy Lou Who. Everyone seemed to love it, especially Camille. 

I was flipping through a notebook and found this random picture that Jillian drew. It is our friends the Rattray's and us. The way she drew Jeff's hair seriously cracks me up!

We blessed Cecil Pete mid-month. We were so grateful to have both sides of the family come out. 

Jeffs family loves to study and analyse the features of the children. I love to hear about where they think the nose is from or what shape the eyes are.  

We chose to bless Cecil at home. 

We invited a few good friends and of course our family. It was very special. I regret not getting a picture of the whole group. Not pictured is all of my brothers family, Jeff aunts Becky and Judy, his cousin Christina, and Tui's family. 

Uncle Zack was able to come out a day after the blessing. 

The end of the month brought on warmer temps. Coco's poor head would get so sweaty and Jillian's hair has always been stringy so we decided they needed a good chop. Here's some before and after.

The lady that cut Coco's hair did a real hack job.  I mean it was terrible and super uneven. After a few day's Jeff and I decided to take the clippers to it.  

Jillian's turned out adorable.

Later that week Jillian had a singing performance at school and one of her art paintings got selected to be framed and on display in the hall all of next year. 

Jeff has been serving in the Young Men organization at our ward.  They had a camp-out planned and Jeff decided to take the older three kids with him. Once he got out to the camp site at Berry Springs, he realized he was a week early. He decided to camp with the kids anyway. Cecil and I came out the next morning to spend time there. It is a favorite spot for us. 

At the end of the month I enrolled Camille in swimming lessons. She's always been timid around water and with summer around the corner and an extra baby, I needed her to be safe.  She thrived in the lessons but after four times I put her with a friend from the YMCA for private lessons and that's where she really learned her stuff.  I think I'll put the top three in privates next year, it was that good. 

When I was a little girl I really looking up to Marion Jones. I always felt like we were the same and if together, we'd be best friends. We both played basketball and did the same events in track. I had her pictures on my wall and loved watching her in the Olympics.  I was so let down when the truth about her steroid use came out. She's made a few more public bad decisions, but has now changed her live around. She does motivational speaking for young athletes and also coaches.  

I've been working out at the YMCA since we moved to Texas.  A few times I'd see who I thought looked like Marion at the gym.  Finally, she took a complete of the fitness class that I was in and there was no denying who she was.  I got to chat with her and she was so gracious to take a picture with me after we sweat it out for an hour.  I plan on asking her to race me one day but I think that can wait until we become best friends. 

Don't we look like we could be twins? Basically the same person. 

Another season of soccer begun and Jillian moved up to a larger field and is no longer playing co-ed. We have stuck with the same coaches and it seems to be becoming her sport of choice.

Camille is getting a little more interested in the game I think. Although, she says she only likes the practice and not the games. 

And then there's this dude. Still smiling.