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.  

 

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. 

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.