A Scrappers Life for Me!

December 2011 Scrapbook Weekend

2011-11-10T05:25:00.002-05:00

My website is down! So here are the cropping details!

Take some time for you this holdiay season or finish up those holiday projects!

Join me at the Jameson Inn in Carmel. The details are:
Saturday December 4th, 9 AM until Whenever! $40 fee (includes lunch, dinner)
Sunday, December 5th, 9 AM - 5 PM. $30 (includes lunch)
Care to stay overnight? Rooms with two queen beds are available for $79.

Email Kristy at kristyataylor@gmail.com if you'd like to sign up!$50

On Vacation!

2011-06-05T19:21:00.002-04:00

Here we go again, adventuring the 17 hours (over 1,000) mile trek to Fort Myers Beach. Grandpa's Suburban loaded with kayak on top, enough pool toys for ten kids, beach towels, bathing suits, and the seven of us (our five plus grandma and grandpa Mathews). We leved Thursday middle of the night as soon as Seth arrived home from work. Seth took off driving the first part while the rest of us slept. Then in early a.m. grandpa took over driving! The kiddos slept until around 8 a.m.... and then woke up ready for the anual stop at McDonald's for the big breakfast! Myles just made a comment a week or so ago about how much he looked forward to waking up in the car and eating breakfast at McD's. It's truly the small things like this that make the car ride so easy-going for the kids. Dane was a fantastic car rider. I thought for sure he'd be tearful and misearble the entire trip. However, he slept and was cooperative (we'll see how this compares to the ride home!). Myles and Elliott enjoyed the movies, Nintendo DSi's, coloring books, markers, and snacks! We arrived to Fort Myers just shy of happy hour! We unpacked what little things we needed for the night and morning, then headed out for dinner to the Upper Deck. This place had a great view of the marinas and boats, live music, and yummy pizza. After this we picked up a few drinks and sat out front our hotel looking forward the week ahead. Saturday morning we played around the hotel (Pierside) in the pool and beach. We then went down to our condo for the week (Kona Beach Club). We unloaded our stuff! The kids played at the pool and then the sand and then the pool. Dane isn't so sure about the pool. He won't get in quite yet. He does enjoy the ocean. Myles and Elliott are little fish jumping in nad out and in and out.

Scrapbook Saturday Layouts from 2010

2011-01-05T14:44:00.004-05:00

(to see the layouts without the sliding, simply click on the picture, a new window should open up, and then choose gallery, you will then be able to scroll through without the sliding)

Above is a slide show of the layouts for the Scrapbook Satuardays at Logan Village Mall! All of these layouts were showcased during the Saturdays meet ups! This wonderful program is about to begin again, if you are interested, please email me at kristyataylor@gmail.com. The first Scrapbook Saturday is this Saturday, January 8th from 10:30-Noon! You do not have to be there the entire time, just simply show up sometime between 10:30 and Noon to complete the technique. The fee for the year is $25.00. This includes one 12x12 page each month. If you like to do two-page layouts, you can pay an additional $5.00 per month! Questions, please call 317-937-8940 or stop on over this Saturday at Logan Village Mall (10th and Logan Street in Noblesville).

Christmas 2010

2011-01-05T12:18:00.003-05:00

December was filled with holiday cheer as the kids anticipated the arrival of good ole St. Nick! What's funny, is they enjoy the though of Santa Clause, however, they don't dare sit on his lap or even write him a letter stating what they want! Actually, Elliott did write a letter to Santa at school, and the teacher mailed it off. So in Elliott's mind, she already wrote her letter!

Christmas Eve was spent at Grandma and Grandpa Mathews. The kids loved their presents. Myles got a huge lego Harry Potter castle set and Elliott go her very own pink Nintendo DSI! And of course I was spoiled, again, by my mother! She's so sweet and gave Seth and I each an envelope with some money. This will sure be spent well towards the new house! Dane got a neat toy he can place is cars on and they go around in circles. Elliott also loved her chocolate in her stocking. Myles got his very ow art bin filled with his very own markers, crayons and pencils.

Christmas Day was great, too. The kids awoke at a whopping 8:00 am. I remember as a kid waking up at the wee hours of 4am! Dane was entranced immediately with his Train Table, he ripped off the paper and didn't move the entire time. Santa worried for nothing about the fact Dane only had one gift to unwrap.... it didn't seem to bother Dane one bit! Myles and Elliott hurriedly opened their presents with joys, screams and excitement! Seth surprised me (with shopping on Christmas Eve Eve) a fancy wine opener and some socks. Santa brought Seth some new aftershave and jeans.

Christmas afternoon we headed to Ft WAyne for a little holiday surprise for Kathy (we showed up a day early). We spent the evening at the Taylor household in Fort Wayne and had Christmas with Seth's family on Sunday! We got a garage door opener, yeah! Myles was super thrilled with his Harry Potter Wii game and Elliott enjoyed her clothes and trinkets! Dane got a super cool Little People winding thing he can put his cars down and they go around in circles! Dane really enjoys playing with cars.

Sunday night my prayers came true... Grandma Taylor decided to come home with us for the week. With closing on December 29th and only about three boxes packed, I was a little frazzled! Grandma Taylor does so well with the kiddos, she cooks, she cleans, and shge entertained the kids so I can get some boxes packed. I am sure thankful she gave up her week to spend with us!

December 2010

2011-01-05T12:08:00.003-05:00

Taylor Sledding Event!

Where to begin on this month. Well, let's start with putting up the tree. Wow, what an acitivty. It was a true family event! EAch and every person enjoyed hanging up the lights, ornaments, garland and a few extras! Of course the tree didn't stay pretty for very long! Dane enjoyed taking them off all the way up until he could reach. No sense in putting the stuff back on, he would simply pull off again. And after the fourth time the tree fell over, the ribbons and garland came off! This month was extremely special for all of us, we had a wonderful holiday celebration with each of our familes. The kids ended a fantastic semester of school! Elliott is making wonderful progress learning her letters and numbers! Myles of course simply enjoys recess! He does pretty well in school. It is so awesome to have a child that truly 'get's it!' Myles is able to think rationally and draw his own conclusions! The end of the month was fantastic as we approached our closing on our new home... will have an entire post of it's own! Enjoy Decembers photos!

November 2010

2011-01-05T12:05:00.003-05:00

Elliott turned six on November 1st, oh my I can't believe she is six-years-old. The house made great progress this month. It is so exciting to live so close to the construction! We can see changes daily - and I mean daily! There are always pods of people working diligently to construct our home! Enjoy the candid collage of photos!

October 2010

2011-01-05T12:01:00.002-05:00

October was super busy in the Taylor household. The house (finally) broke ground, I started classses with University of Phoenix, and of course the three kids were super active. I don't think Dane ever sits still for more than a minute! Unfortunately at the end of the month, I decided to pull my scrapbooking website offline while we adjust to all the changes in our lives! Enjoy this collage of photos taken throughout the month. We had fun celebrating Elliott's birthday in Fort Wayne at the end of the month! Elliott enjoyed her birthday celebration with her girlfriends and their dolls!

2010-09-26T07:26:00.002-04:00

Time sure flies.... I cannot belive my last posting was in August! Okay, I vow to make a better attempt at updating my blog! I know many of you like to read about the crazy things we do! It has been so crazy the last several weeks, I can barely keep up with my own life!

Okay, so here is a compilation of photos from the month of September. This month, Elliott joined Girl Scouts. This is huge because it marks the first time one of our childrent actively wanted to participate in something withoug pushing or prodding! Yeah!. You will see in one of the photos Elliott at a Girl Scout function.

This month also was a trip to the orchard, so happy for this time of year. I do enjoy summer very much and hate to see it go, however, the changing of the seasons (all except winter) are enjoyable!

Dane and Seth are creating an extra special bond, I guess they are making up for the entire first year of Dane's life since Dane wanted nothing to do with anyone but his mamma!

Myles recieved an excellent mid term of all A's and B's. I do hope this momentum continues throughout the school year!

I finalized my paperwork to begin classes in October to go back to school to obtain my teaching certificate, yeah me!

Seth and I celebrated 9 years of marriage on the 22nd. Yes, it is hard to believe that we have been married for almost a decade! It's been good, bad, and everything in between. A huge milestone for us this month was finally getting a committment to lend a mortgage so we could get started on our new house! We are choosing to build a home in the current neighborhood we live in (right now we live in my brother's house). We are super excited about this adventure as it means we will again have our own place we can call home. This means finally being able to hang things on the walls, painting, and so much more. We are building a two story house on a walk out basement. We will have three bedrooms and a few other rooms to spread out in!

American Girl 2010

2010-09-19T07:49:00.001-04:00

This September we headed up north to Chicago for our annual visit to American Girl. Who would of thought six years ago when we made our first trip, it would have evolved into this wonderful yearly trip. Elliott was super excited about choosing a big doll this year. On the days leading up the trip, Elliott wouldn't even bother looking at the Bitty Baby stuff in the catalog, only the big doll stuff! And sure enough while at American Girl, it as straigt to the big dolls. Elliott chose Lanie, the girl of the year! And Lanie was adorable with her blond curls and green eyes. If we hadn't cut Elliott's hair a few weeks before they'd very much resemble each other! Elliott had a ball picking out clothes and acessories for her doll! And of course Grandma and I enjoyed watching her excitement. This is why we do what we do each year.

This year we stayed downtown Chicago, which was amazingly priced at only $35.00 a night. We were minutes from Michigan Avenue and shopping! The hotel had a very warm pool, and we all enjoyed swimming. It was nice to see Dane hadn't forgot how to swim! We enjoyed a nice dinner at a mexican restaurant just steps from our hotel. We visited Aunt Perce's new condo - which has an amazing veiw of downtown Chicago. She can even see Lake Michigan and lots of buildings!

We did some major walking (as always), I think Dad's pedometer registered 10 miles. It is super easy to do this in a day in Chicago. I

My litter tuber

2010-08-29T21:33:00.004-04:00

Finally at the last boat ride of the season Elliott decided to try out the tube! She was a little hesitant at first, but it didn't take her long to put thumbs up and go fast!

Peek a boo baby....

2010-08-23T21:31:00.000-04:00

Danes loves his peek a boo! Give him an object to place his head behind, he will enlighten you with his smile and playfulness.

First Day of School

2010-08-11T21:22:00.001-04:00

My little girl, Elliott, started Kindergarden today. I can't believe it... she's gone all day everyday. She has begun her life long adventure and she will now evovle into a wonderful person (hopefully) with a mix of home and external forces! Elliott was more than ready, and to be honest, so was I! I love my time at home with Elliott, however, she will excel in the classroom socially and academically! The days with her her will be super quiet! I think Dane will miss her as much as I do! Myles of course was as brave as ever! A bit nervous, but ready to take on a new year in 3rd grade!

My little swimmer!!!

2010-08-05T20:15:00.001-04:00

Since the beginning of summer, Dane has been eagerly kicking and paddling! One of the neighbors let us borrow this little ring, and Dane went off on his own! We've spent lots time this summer at the pool, very few visits have included a camera! So, I was able to capture this photo via a cell phone of a person at the pool (thankful for technology)!

My new Picasso

2010-07-01T18:05:00.000-04:00

Dane's first painting! He actually did so good, I kept it! NOw if only I can find a frame large enough it will make a cute wall hanging!

Enjoying lunch outside

2010-06-18T21:45:00.001-04:00

The pool in the neighborhood isn't finished yet, so the kids have played outside in the sprinkler and baby pool - which is why you see them in their swim suits! This particular sunny day, they are all enjoying a snack outside with the babies! Myles and Elliott enjoy placing the slide in the pool for some adventure.

Thanks to grandma and grandpa Mathews we have a great table. And thanks to our grand neighbors, the VanFleets, we have four chairs! It's mismatched, but who really cares. And the patio is right off the kitchen so it's easy to place the high chairs outside for the babies. Oh and the umbrella is a beach umbrella, however, it is providing shade! The babies sure enjoy sitting outside (the baby girl in the pink hat is Reagan, the neighbor girl I baby sit - Dane's first love!)

Read on back

2010-06-13T08:08:00.001-04:00

I updated some posts in the first two weeks of May, so for all you loyal blog readers, check on back for some fun insights to our everyday lives!

Dane's belated Birthday gift!

2010-06-06T20:22:00.000-04:00

So, my punctuality for Dane's birthday gift isn't the best, but this one was totally worth the wait! I actaully did get Dane a gift in April, but returned it (it was a toddler climb n swing playset, but it was too wobbly and felt unsafe)! And today I was at the right place at the right time. I got a heck of a deal on this brand new power ride on toy! It was the floor model and last one at Wal Mart! And the kids were instantly in heaven! And why, you ask, did I get this for Dane knowing that he won't be able to drive it for a few years? A few weeks ago, we were at the neighbors and Dane took a ride along in one of the power wheels, and LOVED every minute. Dane was grinning ear to ear. So I made a mental note, ask Santa! But when this deal came to me, I just couldn't pass it up! And I could totally justify it since I had just taken back Dane's original birthday gift! And once home, it was an instant hit with all the kids!

Sans training wheels!

2010-06-06T20:19:00.000-04:00

Myles finally took the plunge and attempted riding his bike without training wheels! Yeah! And now we can't get him off the bike! I'm so proud of him for building up the courage to attempt such a large task! Yeah for him! He was so happy and loved every minute of it!

Hunter's Crossing day at Victory Field

2010-06-04T21:40:00.002-04:00

Hunter's Crossing is our neighborhood we've lived in the past two years! In this time we've made some great friends! We all decided it'd be fun to take a trip to a baseball game! And we did have a great time. The kids (and Seth) enjoyed hot dogs, Dane enjoyed walking around the lawn area, and I enjoyed people watching! At the end of the game was a nice show of fireworks, and Myles stated this is the best Summer vacation ever! It is great to know he is already off to a great start!

It's all about the presentation

2010-06-01T20:14:00.000-04:00

While I was looking forward to returning from vacation, there are some things I am not thrilled about returning to, and that is cooking EVERY day. My dad did most the cooking on vacation, he did a great job! And for that I was spoiled! Now back at home, it's back to cooking. And there are few things that make it fun and easy. Like for tonights dinner I used tortillas and made mini taco bowls. The kids find things like this unique, and I find it food tastes better when the presentation is better! What's funny about this (I should of taken a photo of this, too) is how Elliott prepares here food! She has a special place for everything and often times she hads a 'ta da' to the plop of the spoon, and she always looks at her plate with happiness after she has placed everything. So, I must say again, it's all about presentation!

And we must go home!

2010-05-29T19:31:00.001-04:00

Our true checkout is on Saturday, May 29. And if it wasn't for Seth and I both having commitments on Sunday, we totally could of stayed a day or two longer. However, we must go home and get back into reality of our every day working lives! For the return trip we decided on playing all day Friday and leave at sunset Friday evening. This way we could drive all night and get home early afternoon. The kids seem to do great when they can sleep most of the time! And it truly worked in our favor! The kids slept most the 19 hour car ride. The only time Dane really cried was the first 30 minutes we were in the car, then the rest of the ride he slept. And the few hours he was awake, he smiled and played! Every year I say it's going to be our last year to drive 'peacefully.' And every year I am amazed at the ease of the car rides. We safely made it back to Indianapolis around 4pm! We are all truly fortunate we can log so many miles each year to and from Florida without any major problems! This was the first time I can rememember that it was actually kind of nice to get back home! And I can ONLY say this because we were gone for two weeks, and in this time we were all able to relax and feel like we were truly on vacation. I don't think we'll ever be able to go away for less than two weeks again, it was very, very nice.

2010-05-27T22:15:00.002-04:00

The kiddos just don't get any better than this! It's amazing just how wonderful these kids are! You'd think after nearly two weeks of being away from home they'd be bored, fighting, or just in general cranky. I can't say they are angels 24/7, however, they are playing so well toegether. They have their own little games and such that entertain them. Also this week (a first) their have been several other people at the Kona Beach Club. Their are a couple kids Myles and Elliott have enjoyed playing with. One is a little girl a year older than Myles, and it's so funny they play together and leave Elliott out of their games (not necessarily on purpose, it just happens that way). Usuallly when we stay at the Kona, we are the only family in the pool, so this week we shared with at least four or five other families! The nice thing is we have a ton of water toys to share with everyone! We bring water floats, squirt guns, other fun water toys like diving rings, goggles and more. Today we enjoyed the pool and beach and then for dinner we headed to Nervous Nellies. This restaurant overlooks the harbor which is full of boats and such. Their were peirs weaving in and out of boat docks! We enjoyed good food and each other! We then made it home for a night swim! I can't believe this is the first one of the two weeks. The kids enjoy swimming after the sun goes down since it means they do not have to apply sunscreen. By this time of the week we've gone through at least six or seven containers of sunscreen. So needless to say, they've had an application or two!

Who would of thought....

2010-05-26T23:26:00.001-04:00

It is amazing to me just how much Dane loved the ocean! He enjoyed crawling towards the waves, walking into the water, and even sitting and letting the waves splash his little face! Enjoy the quick video of Dane enjoying the ocean!

2010-05-26T21:12:00.000-04:00

2010-05-25T20:10:00.001-04:00

2010-05-24T23:04:00.001-04:00

Another great day at the beach... but can there really be a bad day! Enjoy the candid photos of us all! I wish the photos could talk! Even though Dane may share how his mother is not going to win the mother of the year award! Poor guy fell off the pull out sofa and chipped a tooth! Yes, I will be reminded of this moment until he loses his baby teeth! I was not there to cathc him! He's enjoyed sitting on the puyll out sofa all week with Myles and Elliott. This time Elliott jumped off and had to go potty, but she told Myles to watch Dane. And what was Myles doing, playing his DSi. So, when I heard the crash I came in to get Dane and Myles then recognized Dane fell off! Poor Guy, he sure enough busted his tooh, at least it was minimal and did not involve a trip to the dr.! However, his smile is forever broken.....Doesn't seem to bother Dane much! We did end the day with dinner at the Lani Kai, Myles favorite restaruant. He (like the rest of us) enjoy the top of the hotel veiw! We get to sit on gliders and over look the Gulf, it's beautiful! We did get to enjoy the beautiful sunset, too. And on our way back we barely missed the quick down pour, and we were ablt to get to another restaurant just in time. We ordered a drink and by the time we were finished the rain stopped and then we enjoyed a nice cool walk home on the beach!

2010-05-23T20:05:00.002-04:00

Highlights of the day... Seth caught dinner (a Grouper), but too bad the zipper didn't close all the way on the live net, and it swam away! Seth and Dad took the kayak out in the morning for a few hours and fished.We all enjoyed a wonderful day at the beach and pool. We ended the night with a friendly game of Apples to Apples! Oh, and I must add, Elliott is swimming regularly across the pool without any help or swim aids! Yeah for Elliott.

2010-05-22T19:46:00.002-04:00

You'd think by this time the kiddos are bored with each other or maybe even swimming in the pool and the beach routine! No such thing, here! The kids are just as eager each morning to head out as they were the day before! It's wonderful to share such fun activities with the kids. Today, however, we must say good bye to Uncle Ben and his crew as they had to fly back to Connecticut. It was wonderful how the kids blended together and had a fantastic week at the beach! Amazingly no time outs, fits, sharing problems amongst the group! They all genuinely had a GREAT time together! The kids are super excited that they get to stay another week! And so are we!

A Week Gone By....

2010-05-21T21:29:00.000-04:00

Wow, it has been a week since we got to Florida! This brings new meaning to 'time flies when you are having fun!' Normally this is the day of the week we all get a little grumpy or unhappy.... this is because this is 'usually' the day we need to pack up and plan for our return trip home. However, no grumpy moods today! This marks the beginning of our second week of vacation! Yes, that's right, two weeks. I have never taken this long of vacation, and I may not ever be able to take a trip less than two weeks. We don't lead busy lives in which our days are jam-packed at home! However, it is so nice to have Seth around all day every day to help the kids while on vacation! And he doesn't really need to help, as Myles and Elliott are self sufficient (minus applying sunscreen)! He just needs to play - which is fun for him, too. He also makes a great hand to Dane, too. Like this morning, Dane decided to get up before 6am, and Seth took him for a walk on the beach. They saw dolhpins, manatee and fish jumping in the water. Today was our last full day with my brother and his kids! They really enjoyed themselves this week, and they've played really well together! I'm so thrilled they were able to join us. I'm nervous that the rest of the week the kids will be sad not having their playmates. Oh wait, they still have us (and Grandma and Grandpa). Elliott was so happy this evening as we adventured out for dinner. And surprisingly, with six kids and six adults the dinner went smooth! Oh, I must add that Dane was napping during most of dinner! He woke up just in time to eat a few bites. After dinner the kids were able to catch the rest of the show in Times Square that had a disappearing act in the end. The kids were amazed at the illusions.AT the end of the night, Myles and Elliott went to Robbie's condo for a sleep over, that just made their night!

A Great Florida Day

2010-05-20T20:28:00.000-04:00

It was a hot one today! The clouds passed (even though it was cloudy yesterday it was still sunny) and the sun was out ALL day! We set up at the beach in the morning, and it didn't take too long before we were hot and ready to swim! It's the back and forth between the pool and beach that keep it fun and different for the kids! At the beach the kids were able to add onto their huge castles. In the pool they swim and swim and swim some more! I'm impressed at Robbie's ability to keep up with Myles and they are two years different in age - Robbie is just as strong in the water as Myles! Elliott enjoys the pool, too!And Dane is a tough one to keep out of pool, too! When he's in, he loves to be in the water! He won't go in a floatie, you have to hold him. Seth threw him up today and he loved it. Dane really loves the ocean and crawling towards the sea. My kiddos are beach goers for sure! It's nice to share the same pleasures!

Same thing different day!

2010-05-19T20:10:00.000-04:00

It's truly amazing how you can do the same thing everyday on vacation and it doesn't get boring or old! Today was an overcast day, which meant slight cloud cover and the sun could shine totally through. It was still bright, warm and pleasant to be outside! Today was a great beach day. The kids had an awesome time building a fort on the beach. With the help of Seth (who I think enjoys building sand castles as much as the kids) and Uncle Ben helped create a huge base for the kids. Dane of course enjoyed the waves crashing on his little body. He's getting braver by cralling towards the ocean rather than away! It's nice that Dane likes to play in the sand, it's a little bit of down time for the parent watching him! In the pool Dane likes to climb in and out and in and out and he shows no fear. The few times he's put his face in, he actaully seems to like it! We had another great day of sunshine, pool, beach and time together! We ended the day with a trip to get ice cream,which was a favorite for all the kiddos!

Fort Myers Beach Top 10

2010-05-18T21:37:00.000-04:00

Fort Myers Beach Top 10
10) A forecast with rain, usually means the inland or off shore is getting rain. In the 'off' chance it does rain, it's probably time to head in for a break from the sun!
9) Swimming in the pool never gets old.
8) If you are worried about what you look in a bikini, sit on the beach, watch the next couple to walk by and within a few minutes, you'll feel great about the way you look!
7) The sand is a natural playground!
6) You could possibly go an entire week without wearing shoes (or if you are Seth,not take a shower)!
5) Happy hour could last all day if you want!
4) It's so nice not having to do anything or be anywhere!
3) Daddy is home all day everyday on vacation!
2) Sunscreen becomes the new moisturizer.
1) Spending quality time playing, swimming, enjoying the beach, looking for shells, and hanging out with the family!

Beach vacations are grand because you really don't have a whole lot to do! And with busy lives at home with school, work, and so on, it is nice to have this time to relax. While I don't necessarily have to work (my work is my scrapbooking business and that's not even close to work), however, I do run a household of five people! So, even for me, it is nice to relax on vacation! Even though on this trip we are eating dinner in, which means cleaning up and doing dishes. Yet, should we go out, it would mean chasing Dane! It's all about choosing your battles! We are so fortunate to have a wonderful condo that even spending time inside is great! We are staying on a third floor unit (which the level only stinks during packing and unpacking), and our screened balcony is great to sip coffee, eat lunch or just enjoy the scenery! A few time this week Dane has napped outside in his stroller, which this has been nice because it's allowed me to stay outside longer! Myles and Elliott have been swimming fools, and today they were all swimming champions. Elliott is swimming longer distances without her swim bubble. Both kids are enjoying the time with Robbie. Oh and of course it is super fun when Uncle Ben or Daddy are swimming, throwing, and playing in the pool. Today the kids put in at least an eight hour day of swimming. It's amazing how well they play after using all their energy all day long! Tonight was a treat for the kids, Robbie got to sleep over. So they all three slept peacefully on the huge pull out sofa.

I got my toes in the water, bottom in the sand, not a worry in the world,

2010-05-17T21:14:00.000-04:00

a cold beer in my hand... Life is good,today! This seems to be our motto for the week! These are lyrics from the Zac Brown Band. And it's so perfect for vacation! This is song you can play and reminisce of vacation days! It brings up the emotion and feelings of letting yourself go and being on vacation, embracing that life is good today! While our morning didn't start out so good, it did get better as the day went on! We did find a Family dr. just down the beach that took walk ins (and our insurance!)! Dane's prognosis was a double ear infection, red throat and wheezing lungs! Poor guy! Life is not so good for Dane at the moment with fevers reaching 102! However, antiobiotics, motrin, tylenol and ear drops will surely make his day better!We did leave the big two with the grandparents ( a huge plus on going on vacation with them!) with their sunscreen and swim suites on! This way they didn't have to delay their morning! We finally go back just in time for lunch and afternoon swimming! The beach is slowly becoming a family favorite. It is much easier to contain Dane in the sand than the pool. Which we are overjoyed he LOVES the pool. We did get a blow up boat and Dane enjoyed floating in the pool in the boat! Myles and Elliott enjoyed swimming in the waves again. Myles enjoys the ocean a bit more than Elliott, he loves catching waves and riding them into the beach. He's also getting brave and walking out above his waste (makes me nervous and his Daddy happy). Oh, I must mention today is Seth's 32nd birthday! He was a little bummed in the beginning with Dane's ailment. He is such a good father, he said he can't enjoy his day knowing one of his children is sick. He even made the comment that 'what are we getting ourselves into.' He is refering the the emotional toll of parenting that you never expect! This lead to a great conversation about how we must embrace the good moments that will carry us through the bad moments! The rest of the day consisted of Coronas, sunshine, swimming, sandcastles, and an evening trip to Times Square for ice cream! It's all about the simple things!

New meaning to a bad day on vacation is better than a good day at home!

2010-05-16T21:10:00.000-04:00

Even bad days on vacation can be better than good days at home. Why would you ask this, it’s because there is something about the sounds of the beach, ambience, and the simple fact you are on vacation that can make bad days better! Today was not a great day for Dane! Poor guy spiked a fever in the afternoon, so this meant planning a visit to the dr. in the morning. Most likely he has another ear infection! Poor guy. You’d never know he was sick, as he was playful, smiling and rather content - jut hot! We did find out he likes stroller rides down the beach and within minutes of the ride, he is fast asleep for his naps. As for the rest of us today was great. We did have to battle with a few swirling rain showers tainted with thunder. No sooner than we’d pack up to head in the condo, things would clear up! Myles and Robbie found their new love in the ocean and boogie boards! They enjoyed the off shore thunderstorms since it meant rougher seas on shore! The gulf typically has little waves, however, today the kiddos could ride them in. Even Elliott enjoyed hoping on her board and floating into shore. When it came time for dinner, Elliott was ready to go out to eat. Poor thing, just doesn’t understand that it’d be more hassle than fun to take out the 12 of us (5 in my brothers crew, my five, and my parents) to try and eat a lovely dinner! We did eat another nice dinner in. Of course the downside to eating diner in the condo is you have to clean up. So, I’d like to use the anology my brother learned from a TV show…. “I’m just a housewife on business travel!” That line is so true to a certain point….. Unless you go all-inclusive there are some home like chores you cannot escape from! However, It’s not so bad to clean up dinner and afterwards explore the beach or let the kids swim!

A Super Sunny Saturday

2010-05-15T21:56:00.000-04:00

(To see images larger, simply click on the image, and it should enlarge).

The kids were up early (as expected) and ready to head to the pool. I was able to enjoy one of my favorite parts of vacation, enjoying my coffee on our oversized porch! It's the simple things that make vacations so enjoyable! It's the same kind of coffee I drink at home, but somehow with the sounds of the waves crashing and the ocean view and the smell of salt water makes it so much more enjoyable! We were 'sunscreened' and ready to head to the pool by 8am! I did find this awesome spray on sunscreen that seems to be working! My past experiences with the spray on lotion, is my kids tend to burn! So thrilled to find this one, as it is spray and go! Applying lotion is the worst part of vacation for me since I now have four bodies (one being me of course) to apply sunscreen! We added some blow up toys to our pool fun today (thank you to Grandma and Grandpa for packing all the fun toys for the kiddos to enjoy). Myles enjoys diving into the deep end to search for items on the floor. Elliott enjoys playing with an adult, and she is beginning to swim strongly without any bubble or floatie! I think by the end of the week, she won't even want the bubble unless she's tired! This afternoon my brother and his crew joined us. So now we are a clan of six adults and six children (kids ranging from 1 yr - 8 yrs-old). Needless to say we overrun the pool! It was so great to see the cousins, as it's been nearly a year since we've seen them. My brother and his family live in Connecticut. They've joined us once before on vacation, but's it's been a few years ago. So we were thrilled they decided to join us again! The kids have been looking forward to having their cousins to play with in the pool and beach! They played for a bit, then it was up for dinner time. We are taking the easy route for dinners this week since with the combined families we would be dining out with 12 (and with one of them being Dane, that's no fun). We go the take n bake pizzas from Wal Mart, which are very tasty and easy! Then we all headed down to the beach. The evening time is great to search for ocean life. The tide was going out and you can find lots of great sea life in the tide pools. Seth found a sea urchin, Robbie found a starfish and Grandpa found a crab in which he liked scaring everyone with! He got me good... he had the crab on a shovel and put in near Dane, it made me scream! It was so nice to see everyone enjoying the exploring! Dane had no worries crawling and walking around the wet sand, it appeared as if he enjoyed being head to toe in we sand! Then it was up to the condo for the night time routine. Myles and Elliott enjoy their new sleeping arrangements - the pull out sofa! As a family we usually share a King Size bed, but out group is getting to large that we now have to spilt up into sleeping in separate beds! Dane likes to sleep horizontal so that makes it tough to add multiple children! At least Myles and Elliott can share the sofa, and they won't mind the lack of comfort! The resilience of kids is wonderful!

A Great Beginning to our 9th trip to the beach

2010-05-14T21:27:00.001-04:00

Wow, it's truly amazing that for 1000 miles of driving, it could go as smooth as it does each year! I tell myself before each trip 'this may be the last year we can do this.' We pack Grandpa's suburban to the brim and then some! Yes, it is very obvious where we are heading by the outside looks of the vehicle. We have a two person kayak strapped to the top; a small trailer attached to the back (at least it's not on wheels, it's really just an 2x6ft extension)with beach chairs and toys; and several other bags tucked in places you couldn’t even imagine! Oh, and I must add there are six of us packed into the Suburban, too (Grandma and Grandpa Mathews, Seth, Me, and the three kids Myles, Elliott and Dane). Dane was a little fussy at 7pm Thursday evening when we first got to Grandparents and headed out, but that was about it till the end of the trip! The only resistance Dane had was each time he was placed in the car seat after each time he got out! But that was eased with a chocolate chip cookie or some other trip! And of course he let us know right away when he filled his pants! Elliott went to sleep in the car (finally) at about 9pm and slept until 8am the next day! And she was even out in between driver changes and potty stops! Myles, on the other hand, enjoyed driving through Atlanta at 2am and playing his DSI all night! He did take a few cat naps here and there! Dane enjoyed the same sleeping patterns as Elliott, actually, he slept about 15 of the 19 hours in the car! We left Indiana around 7 pm and got to Ft Myers Beach around 2 pm the next day! And as soon as we piled out of the car, Elliott exclaims ‘Ft Myers Beach, I love you!’ It was priceless! We quickly unpacked the car, put our swim suits on, applied generous portions of sunscreen and headed down to the pool! Myles immediately headed to the deep end with goggles on and jumped in! Elliott put on her bubble and goggles and jumped in happily, too! You’d never know these kids spent the last several hours in a car. Dane readily went into the pool, too! He loved splashing (thank goodness). I know Dane loves baths, but this was his first trip into the pool and he lOVED it! We went out to the beach for a little while, Dane immediately crawled in the sand and loved it, too. He even embraced the ocean with open arms! Then after an afternoon of beach fun, we headed in for dinner.
Elliott was anxious for ice cream, so we went out for ice cream. Even though we did see a ‘scary’ pirate, and Elliott no l onger wanted ice cream! She instead opted for Skittles on the pier! Then it was back to the condo and early to bed! We were all exhausted!

Last Day of School

2010-05-13T19:55:00.002-04:00

Wow, what a busy, busy day! Today was both children's last day of school. Myles was actually set to get out the following Wednesday, however, with the option of taking a two week vacation we decided to let Myles miss the last few days! This day was a super busy day. It began with a morning full of the normal getting four people ready (Dane, Elliott, Myles and myself). Then taking Elliott to preschool. Shopping for last minute vacation items, then lunch with Elliott at her school. And bringing her bike! It was cute to watch the ten preschoolers riding all around on their bikes. Then it was back home, last minute packing, and getting things together. I was able to pawn Elliott off at her little friend Gianna's house! So that was nice. And since I knew my 'patience level' was reaching the maximum, I asked another neighbor to watch Dane for an hour so I could go to Myles class and host an ice cream party for twenty-something 2nd graders (thank you to Katie for allowing this to happen)! Then after school we went home and anxiouslly awaited the arrival of Seth so we could begin our trip to Florida! The jammed packed day sure made it go super fast for all of us!

I RUN THIS TOWN!

2010-05-08T19:44:00.000-04:00

Okay, so not really.... it's more like 'I walked this town!' However, there was a really adorable running shirt with the saying 'I run this town.' And by the photos, it's proof that I started and ended the Mini Marathon! My neighbor, Kristen, shown above, was talking about walking the Mini Marathon (13 miles). And I made a comment saying that sounded like a good time, and she replied with 'We have an extra ticket.' So after thinking about it for a few days, setting my odemeter to track just how far it is to walk 13 miles, I decdied to give it a shot. And you know what, I've never, ever walked any amount of distance. My husband had not faith in my 'making it.' However, I decided to give it a shot (even though when I saw on my odometer that 13 miles is exactly what it takes for me to get to the grocery store and back, and that made me kind of nervous)! Well, needless to say, come Saturday, May 8th, I did it! Yes, I walked 13.something miles, and it felt great! It was fun watching the bands, other runners, taking a stroll around the Indy 500 track, and knowing I completed a daunting task! Some people say that marathons are addicting. I don't think I'll make running/walking marathons a frequent event! However, I am happy that I completed this one! Okay, so I was very, very sore the next few days. I thought my hips were going to fall out of their sockets. I found a new icy hot patch that worked great! The messy icy/hot was attached to a patch that I could simply stick on, and it was GREAT!

VIP Day at School

2010-05-07T21:36:00.003-04:00

Okay, so I was second choice as VIP as Myles guest! Seth was the first choice, but couldn't get the time off work! At least I got to enjoy eating lunch adn visiting Myles on the playground with his friends! I'm thrilled Myles admires his father enough to choose him as his VIP (very important person)! It is wonderful the joy and enthusiasm Myles shows when I visit his classroom! You'd think I was the president walking into his class! And it doesn't matter that 20 something other c hildren had thier VIP's, too. Myles was overjoyed to have his mother (even though I was second choice)! Myles did enjoy having Elliott and Dane come, too. Elliott had a great time playing on the playgorund with Myles friends!

The Hunt

2010-04-06T08:27:00.001-04:00

Last year Myles asked me 'Why don't we hunt eggs at our house?' And that stuck with me the whole year! I always make sure we have an Easter egg hunt, and I guess I take for granted that the Grandparents do baskets and the kids will be okay with just that! Myles comment made me think differently. This year (even though it wasn't until midday Easter Sunday) each kid, inlcuding Dane, got a basket! And secretly we even were able to hide some eggs in the front yard! The kids were thrilled with the baskets and the eggs, and I was thrilled to give them the joy of hunting for eggs. The simple joys holidays bring make being a parent more special! The excuse to get your child a gift they are asking for.... and for a reason! And, then there is the religous aspect, a way to celebrate the faith. And then gathering withe family. This year we were able to share Easter dinner with a few relatives we don't get to see often. My Aunt Perce (Chicago) and Cousing Broc (Texas) were in town for the Final Four games in Indy. So we were able to spend some time with them! And Saturday we spent time with Seth's family. So it was a family filled weekend!

Dane's Newsletter

2010-03-30T11:42:00.001-04:00

I had trouble uploading this file... so I went through SLIDE. If you care to read the newsletter, just keep clicking until you get the print large enough to read!

My Boys

2010-03-24T20:46:00.002-04:00

Look at these two handsome boys! This was a rather candid moment in which Dane was climbing on Myles. Myles suggested I take a picture! I'm so glad he did, look at the cute, adorable faces! Myles loves having a baby brother! Dane is coming at a time in Myles life in which he could easily be upset at the added chaos of having a baby brother, instead he embraces Dane and loves him dearly! I do think Dane is starting to admire his older siblings, too! He watches Myles and Elliott each time they enter and leave the room, checking out their faces, responding to the crazy antics! It's so neat to watch the bond between these kiddos grow each da y!

A swingin good time...

2010-03-18T20:52:00.000-04:00

Wow, does Dane love the swings! This is his first time in the swings, ever.... and he was all smiles. Normally babies seem to cry when the wind takes their breath away with each swing. Dane LOVED it! He laughed and smiled the whole time. I guess I know where we will be spending many Spring and Summer days!

My baby is ONE!

2010-03-16T22:47:00.002-04:00

Wow, what an exciting year! Dane came out a 6.5 lb baby and has grown into a nearly 20 lb one-yr-old. Changes galore this child has gone through! Dane has been a great addition to this family! Enjoy his newsletter and s ome of these photos as a glimpse into his young life!

A cool new bike

2010-03-07T16:07:00.002-05:00

Much thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Taylor, Myles now can sport around on a really cool new bike! It is a Tony Hawk trick bike... not that Myles is going to be doing lots of tricks anytime soon, he still has to learn how to ride without traning wheels! However, the trick spokes on the back make a nice platform for SEth to assist in teaching Myles how to ride his bike! Birthday's are always so much fun, especially when you can get new cool things like this, lots of Lego Sets, Lego games, cake and other fun things!

A Lego Space Police Party

2010-03-06T21:58:00.002-05:00

Myles has always had parties at home, and never asked to have a party at some fancy place with bounce houses or really expensive pizzas. So the past few years, I've tried to come up with creative options (last year was Popcorn and a MOive, and the year before was Arts and Crafts), so this year, again, he had no interest in venturing out to an elaborate facility! So, I, again, had to think of something creative. So, I came up with a Lego party. I combined his gifts and party into one. I got him several Lego sets from one particular theme, Lego Space Police! I then sent invites (looking like small paper briefcases with confidential on the outside) with missions to complete! The boys all had a great time playing with the Legos and creating their own missions! Thanks to the neighbor boy, the big sets were built ahead of time! And then it was time for singing and cake, and Myles sure enough had his ears covered, for some reason he despises the song Happy Birthday, and it doesn't even have to be sang to him. He doesn't like it at any time! His friends and him enjoyed laughing at the candle that did not blow out. After three or four times trying to blow the candle out, they started fanning the flame. Then it was time for the adults to take away the candle!!! It was so funny watching them laugh in amazement as the candle relit each time it was blown out.

After the kid party it was the family party! Just one big day of parties! I wouldn't have it any other way. My morning actually started out with a scrapbook event in Noblesville, which was so much fun. On the first Saturday of each month we meet in Noblesville at the Logan Village Mall for a short project (for complete details visit www.projectscrapbook.net). It was great to see the return customers and meet some new ones!

Myles is 8

2010-03-05T15:47:00.002-05:00

On this day 8 years ago, Myles was born around 7:00 am in the morning! Oh, what a joyous, life changing day that was - it was the moment we went from a 'couple' to a 'family.' This moment, eight years ago, gave me an entire new purpose to my life. And here we are eight short years later! We are crossing obstacles and enjoying new experiences daily! Myles is a great first child (had we had Elliott first, we may never have ventured into child bearing again!!!! okay, just kidding). What I really mean to say is Myles is reserved, proud, empathetic, compassionate, and loving! He doesn't ask for much - he is a self soothing, self entertaining, and dedicated to family moments and time!

On this special morning (see photo above) I made Myles his favorite breakfast, monkey bread! Note to self, start after I have drank my coffee.... I made a few mistakes since I was a bit blurry-eyed, however, with only limited time, I had to rush to get it done mistakes and all. The kids still enjoyed the treat! And then at the end of the school day, I picked Myles up and we headed to Grandma and Grandpa Mathews. We then went to the Lego store in Cincinnati to pick out the BRAND NEW Lego games (they had just came out this week). Myles was so thrilled.

And then the evening ended with dinner at the Mexican restauarant, a favorite of Myles. Grandma really wanted the people to sing Happy Birthday, but Myles was so against the attention. So we didn't get the ice cream! Oh well... what a great day to share with Myles! He was excited it was his birthday, he didn't want to go to bed because he knew his birthday would be over, however, he also knew he had a big party the next day!

Dane is so ready to walk.....

2010-03-03T09:44:00.003-05:00

Check out this latest video of Dane and his walker. Just last week, I'd put him up to the toy, and he'd sit down. This week he is climbing up and walking with it.... He is changing too quick. Dane has been cruising around furniture for weeks now, I so thought he'd be walking by now on his own! I think this is a major start! Myles was walking and 10 months and Elliott at one year. I guess I am thankful a bit that he is not walking as early as Myles was, it's hard enough to keep him out of trouble when he's just crawling and scooting around the floor and walking along furniture. He is getting braver in his steps, and taking larger risks from object to object!

Who would of thought a bottle could do this.....

2010-02-28T17:48:00.006-05:00

Last night around 9:00, Dane was walking along the couch holding his bottle upside down (we've been giving him a bottle each night in hopes it'd help fill his belly and make him sleep-which by the way isn't working, he still gets up) and fell on top of it. The bottom had a plastic lip that caught his gums on his top teeth and 'degloved' the skin (this is how the ER doctor described it). Poor Dane was in instant tears, with blood pooling out of his mouth. A quick call to his dr. sent us to the ER just to get it checked out, and after waiting two hours, we got the okay to go home. Thank goodness it wasn't any worse, it could have caused nerve damage, tooth issues and so much more! Needless to say, we may just skip that extra bottle at night, as I am terrified of using the bottles again. And to make it even worse, Dane was at my feet when it happened! At least he is okay now.... you can see at the photo his little gums are so swollen (as if they weren't swollen enough with him teething), and his little upper lip is swollen, too. However, it doesn't seem to bother him.

More February Specials.....

2010-02-26T11:19:00.004-05:00

Play Hard

Precious

Girly Girl

Hoops

Explore

Charming

Check out these great specials on brand new ready to assemble kits! Each kit is onsale for only $5.99. Order your kits today by going to www.projectscrapbook.net or send me an email at kristyataylor@yahoo.com!

My Three Darlings

2010-02-24T12:25:00.002-05:00

My kids are perfect subjects for ample photo opportunities.... and I love them when they are hollering to have the pictures taken. This particular shot was influenced by Myles! I just love the candid moments of all three kids, who needs professional photographers when you can create at home opportunities such as this one!

And the teeth just keep on coming...

2010-02-20T12:20:00.000-05:00

Okay, so the other two had teeth beginning at six months and they all came gradually. Poor Dane has had his bottom teeth pop through a few weeks ago and they just keep on coming. Now he has his two top teeth and several other swollen gums. I do believe he is going to have lots of chompers come time for his birthday cake in a few short weeks. Other than the teeth, poor Dane had another round of medicine, chest wheezing and cold. Poor guy... nebulizer treatments are not fun to give or take when you are this tiny. As the persong giving the treatments, I feel so sorry for Dane because he squirms and screams. However, I guess the screaming opens up the airways and allows for the treatment to hit its destination quicker!

Fabulous Friday $5.99 special continues....

2010-02-19T13:45:00.002-05:00

Here you go.... another $5.99 Friday February special. This layout features pattern papers from Basic Grey's Nook and Pantry! Enjoy the ability to place mulitiple photos of a variety of events. The multiple colors make this layout great for almost anything! Order yours today,the kit is only $5.99 through the end of the month! Visit www.projectscrapbook.net or send me an email at kristyataylor@yahoo.com. Thanks for looking, and have a great weekend!

Myles Birthday Newsletter

2010-02-16T20:14:00.003-05:00

Each year for the kids birthdays I create a newsletter showcasing some fun info from the year for each kid! Here is my big boy Myles, who will (obviously) be 8 soon! Enjoy.

Making and Giving Valentine Gifts

2010-02-12T16:33:00.002-05:00

This year Elliott and I made little goodies for her friends! With a 6x10 piece of pattern paper, I wrapped it around and made it into a cone shape, tore the top, and then attached a ribbon as a handle. Elliott - my scrapper in training - decided to ink the top of the goodie bag! And she loved working under my Ott light. She did a great job, too! We made heart cards on the Cricut and Elliott added her name and special pitures! And then the party, she handed out each gift with much satisfaction! She was so thrilled at giving the goodies as much as she was thrilled to make them! It was nice to have a child share in my passion for a minute!

Fabulous $5 February Friday Special

2010-02-12T11:53:00.005-05:00

Okay, so if you saw the one posted a few minutes ago, it is now this one with a few slight changes... sorry for confusion! I looked at the post and thought the layout lacked a little flow, so here the layout is again revised!

Don't you just love all those F's... it's a true tongue twister...So here is another $5.99 February Friday special! Order your's today, remember, if you live out of town, I will be happy to hold all your kits until the end of the month and then combine shipping! This 'love' themed layout would be great for all those Valentine pictures you have. Or consider making the right page a pocket out of the heart pattern and tuck all those cute little cards your kiddos bring home! Or you can always showcase that special loved one in your life (it can be your husband, significant other, child or even your dear pet!).

A baby book done in practically minutes....

2010-02-11T22:31:00.005-05:00

Okay, so I'm guilty... I am suffering from third child syndrome, where as each kid you add, the less you do! Myles, I created his baby booklet - a mini book in which I wrote EVERYTHING from each month, thoughts, weights, and so much more. Elliott I kept a calendar to write all the quirky first year stuff, and Dane, I am sad to say, nothing until this album.... In planning for my weekend retreat last week, I wanted to do something that was quick! So I created collages for each month through Picasa (which I highly recommend for storing your photos and minor editing). And then with coordinating pattern papers, I've created two page layouts for each month. And on each month I've added little journaling about the milestones accommplished!So at least he now has a '1st Year' book began,a nd I only have a few months to go! Wow, what a relief! And, I think this is my favorite 'themed' album ever! The Fancy Pants pattern papers made the book easy as the mulitple colors coordinated with almost everything!

Girls Just Wanna Scrapbook

2010-02-07T22:02:00.002-05:00

Wow, this was such a great weekend! I was a little worried at the beginning, especially after hearing the snow forcast... luckily my dear husband took off work on Friday and I was able to get out and set up before the snow began to accumulate too much! I only had seven to come on Friday, well only two ended up switching Friday for Sunday! It was such a joy to see all the other Friday attendees show up! And, the best part of all each lady was able to stay overnight (we had the meeting room and additional overnight rooms at the REsidence Inn in Carmel!) I truly looked forward to sleeping ALONE, without Dane! I love my baby, but the space was great! Even though poor Seth had to get up in the middle of the night a few times for feedings (but then again, a few nights is nothing compared to the past 10 and a half months I've gotten up to feed Dane). Saturday was great, too, as all fourteen ladies showed up despite the snow. I even made it over to Noblesville to share the new kits for the first Saturday program at the Logan Village Mall. And then right back to scrappin the weekend away! Who would of really thought just how much fun it could be to get away with a group of ladies who enjoy preserving memories just as much as I do! And then Sunday it was to finish up lots of great layouts... I must share (on another post) some of the proejects I worked on! Sunday evening left me tired and ready for some sleep... then it was back to home and hugs and love from the family!

Monkey See, Monkey Do!

2010-02-05T21:30:00.000-05:00

It's amazing, any book could tell you your actions speak louder than words, and Elliott is prime example of this! I see parts/actions of myself coming out in her each and every day - the good and the bad! And these photos are documented proof. Here is Elliott pretending to breastfeed her baby! I guess it'd only make sense that this is her idea on feeding babies, for the last ten and a half months, that is how I have fed Dane! So funny! She has it down to the last detail, notice the blanket on her shoulder, pausing to burp the baby. Way to cute! Of course, this is the 'good' trait Elliott has picked up from me! The not so good one's are the yelling to get the things she wants (when she does this, I often ask myself 'is this what I look like?' It's amazing just how much she sounds like me in her conversations, the tone she picks up, I also find it humorous that Elliott, in her play, attends crops with her friends, plays on her computer (which happens to be mine that broke weeks ago), asks her friends to come over and scrapbook!

Fabulous February $5.99 Special

2010-02-05T07:04:00.003-05:00

When I first began Project Scrapbook, I came up with the motto 'Where I provide the inspiration, and you create the masterpiece.' And with this I want my customers to have an economical solution for speedy scrapbooking! We all lead super busy lives with kids, friends, family, work, house upkeep, and so much more. When we actually get to take some time to endulge in our hobby, the kits are meant to make it easier to do what you love to do. So, in an effort to jumpstart your creativity, I've introduced Fabulous February $5.99 Specials. Each Friday I will release at least one new kit for $5.99. The kit will only be $5.99 for the month of February. And if you are an out of towner, and you want to wait until the end of the month, order the kits you want as they are released, and I will ship all items at the end of the month.

BFF's at Five!

2010-02-02T11:03:00.003-05:00

Okay, so who would of thought you could totally have a BFF (Best Friend Forever) at five.... well Elliott sure does! I just had to share this adorable photo of Elliott with her BFF Paige! She even calls her her Best Friend. Pagie came over today, and you wouldn't have even known she was here all day. Her and Elliott entertained themselves all day with Barbies, Dress up, Babies and so much more.

Dane has a tooth, and it looks like more to come...

2010-02-02T10:31:00.002-05:00

Dane is by far my latest to get a tooth, by now the other two had at least two -four teeth. My mother said I didn't get teeth until I was close to one, too. Yes, Dane is approaching his first year birthday in less than six weeks. Back to the tooth....it took FOREVER to break the gum line, poor guy. It also appears that he has four swollen spots on top and a few swollen spots on the bottom, so I'd imagine he's going to be cutting teeth for some time now. And if cutting teeth isn't bad enough, Dane has an ear infection, too. After three sleepless nights last week, oh and one included a midnight trip to Walmart for infant Tylenol, on Friday I took Dane to the dr. and sure enough he had an ear infection. Wow, it must be some nasty bug, Dane has not been himself for sometime, poor guy. I just hope the antibiotic will kick his crankiness soon. He is sleeping better, but he does seem to be a bit irritable. But then again, he's growing, teething, and so much more, I guess he has a right to be irritiable.

Date night IN!

2010-01-27T10:39:00.001-05:00

Okay, so with three kids, Seth working many hours each week, and very little extra income, we have started having Date Night In! Seth read an article about having date night in your house in Redbook (don't let hime know I told you he read this magazine), and so we are giving it a try. We choose a day each week, we try for Sundays. Our focus each date night is to take some uninterrupted time with each other. We put the kids to bed (of course this doesn't always include Dane), and then we spend time together. It is simple, inexpensive moments together. The photos were kindly taken by Elliott, as she had to come down stairs to see what we were doing... which I took advantage of having the extra person so she could capture a photo. And then back up to bed she went! Seth and I were enjoying Shrimp Scampi - a frozen entree from Sams Club. It was easy to fix, tasted close to restaurant style, and only cost us $5.00. We did (after Elliott went back upstairs) were able to enjoy a peaceful dinner without having to fix drinks for kids, add ketchup, or discipline children as we enjoyed our dinner. Other 'date night in' activites have been boardgames, coffee (decaf of course since date night happens after 8pm) and pie, strawberries and chocolate. I will say it has been nice to have the time to talk with each other. We are so busy during the times when the kids are awake, that we rarely have time for a single conversation! So we now know we can at least get one good conversation in each week. Even though Dane has joined us during Date NIght In, he doesn't talk as much as the other two! I told Seth we need to write down our experiences and after the end of one year, we need to publish a book and share our experiences with everyone else! So many of us are in the same situation with little extra time, money and the energy to plan a night out... so bringing it 'in' every so often is nice!

The tooth fairy is not my calling....

2010-01-11T09:49:00.004-05:00

Myles lost his tooth Saturday night when he accidentally hit his chin with his knee. Which I must add the tooth had nearly been danglin out of his mouth for a week know. Finally it came out... and he came running to me with a bloody mouth, ooohhh I hate losing teeth. We did have to search the floor for the tooth, thank goodness Dane wasn't in the room otherwise, he may have swallowed it (since he picks everything up and puts it in his mouth). Sunday morning Myles wakes up and says we forgot to put his tooth under his pillow. Seth and I look at each other and had to laugh at the fact we forgot to put his tooth under his pillow (and thank goodness he's not an assertive child and did it himself and then we would have failed at acting like the tooth fairy. Well last night we reminded him to put the tooth under his pillow, and went we went to bed without swapping out the tooth for some change. This morning, I mumbled half asleep to my husband at 5:30am to put the t-o-o-t-h under his pillow (I had to spell it out since Elliott was listening at the end of our bed, it seems she crawls in midmorning and the minute you are up, she's up, too). So we were saved by Myles ability to sleep through anything and my half asleep mumbles. So (only a day late) Myles woke up to a surprise under his pillow!

Before & After

2010-01-11T09:28:00.002-05:00

Okay, sometime before Christmas I took Myles in for complete hair do makeover. Honestly he probably would have been about three inches short of being able to donate to the locks of love! He had some sections that were 5 inches! It was time for a hair do make over! He felt 10 times lighter! And his hats all of a sudden seemed smaller. My apologies for the late writing, however, the pictures just now made it on my computer.... so much for staying on top of my blog! Ha, however, I thought you might all enjoy!

A walk in the snow

2010-01-07T21:58:00.001-05:00

Elliott was thrilled to wake up to snow... and she really wanted to go sledding. So I said after school we'll go sledding. However, we got too much snow for me to consider pushing Dane in his stroller (even though it does have extra big wheels)... so I opted for a walk in the snow. She was playing with a friends in the neighbor hood (I dropped her off after preschool), and instead of picking her up in the car, Dane and I walked over and got her! And in our snow gear, we walked back, and elliott loved it! She loves the snow. And she is the only person I know that doesn't mind having snow in her face (it does worry me a bit that she may get frostbite!) Dane even enjoyed the walk. I put him in his front carrier and zipped him up inside my jacket and he had a hat and scarf. I couldn't cover his hands so he could suck his thumb. When we got home Elliott dove into the snow and made snow angels, ate the snow, and played for a little bit. We didn't get to go sledding today, but the weather forcast looks promising so maybe later in the weekend!

Fashion Show

2010-01-05T21:32:00.005-05:00

Elliott has her own opinions of what to wear, and it has been a struggle getting her dressed for some time. And after long thought of why and what to do about it.... I decided her clothes were getting a bit snug, and it was not comfortable for her. So off to Target I went to get her an entire new wardrobe (thank gooness for some awesome sales). I decided my dream of getting her to wear dresses is over now, I've had a wonderful previous five years of putting pretty skirts and dresses, so I'm okay with this new lack of interest in dresses (her span of 18months to two years were spent mostly in cute cotten skirts with adorable tights underneath). I stocked up on cotten pants and long sleeve cotton shirts with acceptable, fun prints! And there was no having her try these items on at the store, so I brought the items home, cranked up the music, put on a little lip gloss, and told her it was a fashion show. Needless to say, she put on each outfit, and I was able to get a 'thumbs up' or a 'never gonna wear it' from Elliott! It was also nice to have Grandma and Grandpa Taylor and Aunt Sarah visiting as an audience for Elliott's innate desire to run the catwalk! It's not something she has learned or taken classes to do... it is something she was born to do (or maybe too many Yahoo music videos).She enjoyed changing her clothes and swinging her scarf, adding accessories and making the faces. She said she always wants to have fashion shows... so at least now I know how to get her to try on clothes. And can I share the shirts were only $4.00 such a bargain, and the pants either $4 or $6....such a deal.

Happy New Years

2010-01-01T09:22:00.002-05:00

New Years Eve, we had a gathering with the neighbors! It was a great evening of yummy food, games and the kiddos playing! The kids ranged from infants to middle school! Luckily the middle schooler had an interest in Legos and assisted Myles in completing part of his 3800 piece Lego set! And the other kids enjoyed playing the Wii! It was especially fun to watch them all on Lego Rock Band (picture shown above!). And surprisingly the entire family (baby Dane included) stayed up past midnight! Some neighbors left early, and some stayed for the evening, it was fun to bring in the new year with friends and neighbors!

December Moments

2009-12-30T10:10:00.002-05:00

December was 'highly productive' for the Taylor family.... so needless to say, not much made it to the blog, so I have compiled a collage of Decembers pictures. Events shown are some fun holiday activities (decorating and making our own gingerbread houses), holiday parties at the kids schools and preshcools, Dane's love for bathtime, and other random hightlights from the month! Enjoy!

Christmas Morning

2009-12-25T22:28:00.002-05:00

Myles has referred to this day as the best Christmas ever. And I honestly think it's because he got to play video games all day. And truthfully he hasn't been playing too many games on his new NIntendo DSi as much as he has been doodling on the little game system. Elliott has had a great day, too. Myles has so nicely shared his new toy with her. Elliott could share her new toys, however, Myles isn't into Barbies! I have enjoyed watching the children play and play and play some more. It's amazing how well they both shared, played, and were angleic children all day! Dane of course was on stimulation overload between the wrapping paper and all the platic ties. Santa was smart this year and untied all his gifts, so they could immediately be chewed on and played with! Now, maybe next year Santa will untwist and cut all the packaging on Barbie stuff! Elliott was so thrilled wither her 'Nuggie' known to everyone else as Snuggie, yes, you've seen the commercials. My five-year-old is a marekting departments dream child, as she descirbed to me the 'nuggie' that she had seen on a commercial! And she told me this two days after I had already got her one.... it was too funny! For Elliott, each morning she wakes up and heads down to the couch and cuddles up in a blanket. And that is why she wanted one. So when she opend her 'nuggie' she was so happy. Seth was thrilled with his Christmas, too. Santa brought him (and the kids)their own laptop computer. Who would of thought you would need two computers for one family. Seth also got a new game for Wii and a Levi jean jacket. Seth so dearly got me a pair of Ugg boots, man the warmth and comfort is amazing. Elliotts list of presents includes barbie items (tattoo Barbie, shampoo Barbie, and Bicycle Barbie), Bitty Baby stuff, American Girl doll bed, Snuggie, and that's about it. Myles got the Dsi and a few games. Which h e really didn't need the games once he found out you could doodle. And I got boots! Everyone was happy. What a wonderful time of year!

Our 'Learning' Advent Calendar

2009-12-18T22:24:00.000-05:00

My mother and I were shopping and we saw this cute Santa, she said it would make a great countdown to Christmas... and I took it one step further and made it a learning Advent Calendar. Each morning I put 25 minus the day of the month, and Myles had to solve the problem. He enjoyed this activity and if I didn't have the problem up when he woke up, he asked me where his proble was for the day! I am thrilled to have such an eager learner!

2009-12-16T22:04:00.002-05:00

Here is a quick video of Elliott and some of her preschool class singing at her Christmas program last weekend! Elliott was so cute, she wanted to get pretty for her program. We curled her hair, put on make up, and wore a pretty dress. She is so much fun to have as a child (challenging at times, but fun.... for example, today, I was giving Dane a bath, and in swoops Elliott. She lathers up her hands and starts washing Dane's hair before I can even say 'no' or anything at all, and she does a darn good job! I have to learn to let her do and not continue to say no, stop it, and so on. So like I said, she is a challenge).

And up goes the tree

2009-12-16T21:58:00.002-05:00

Okay... quick note... I am behind on updating my blog, and usually I like to go back and post date the entries, however, I am playing catch up, so please forgive me!

Here is a photo, a rare one in which the ENTIRE family (dog included) is in one photo. How did this happen, you ask. My parents were visiting and my mother snapped a few good photos! Oh man was it fun to finally put up the tree (which actually went up a few weeks ago)! Elliott loved dragging out all the decorations and ornaments! She keeps asking whena re we going to put up the lights outside! WE've never put up lights outside, maybe t hat'll happen next year! I also love getting out all the ornaments, as it seems most of them have a special meaning!

Christmas Meaning

2009-12-10T22:41:00.000-05:00

What's the meaning of Christmas can vary from person to person! This is the first Christmas in a long time that we have brought religion into our Christmas, and it was a wonderful feeling and will continue to shine a light in all of us! Elliott attends Acton United Methodist C hurch for preschool and in this she learns basic facts about the bible. We are not regular chruch attendees, to be quite honest, it's been years since we've attended a service. I do attend MOPS at Indian Creek in which I can gain fellowship and friendship. So where am I going with all of this... a few days ago, Elliott mentioned Dane looking like baby Jesus as she propped him on a pillow! And I thought, what a great photo opportunity! It's not every Christmas you get to have a baby! And the kids (with ice c ream as a reward) cooperated enought to capture a precious shot of our own version of Mary and baby Jesus and an angel!

Holiday Open House photos....

2009-12-03T14:16:00.007-05:00

Below are just a few of the projects available! There are no specific times, simply show up and 'make and take it.' Questions, please feel free to call me 317-937-8940! I look forward to seeing some of you there!

Joy 12x12 Layout
Create this single page layout entitled Joy. Cost $3.50.

Gift Jar
Embellish the jar on the outside and fill it on the inside with candy treats! This would make a perfect (inexpensive) gift for teachers, bus drivers, postal carriers and so on! Cost $3.50.

Decorated Christmas Frame
Cherish your photos with Santa (current or years past!), family photo or any other Christmas photo inside one of these hand crafter decorated frames. Cost $3.50 each.

Coaster Chipboard mini album
Create this adorable Chipboard mini album using coasters and new My Minds Eye Christmas pattern papers. This album would make a great addition to your tree, gift, or keepsake! Cost $3.50

Recipe Book Make N Take
This book contines 4x6 page protectors with Recipe cards inside! Each Booklet comes with 10 pages and 10 recipe cards. Additional pages recipe cards will be available for purchase. This book is perfect to cherish family recipes, family favorites, and would make a great gift! Cost $7.50.

Oooopps...

2009-12-01T22:22:00.003-05:00

I guess I should pay more attention! Dane was at my feet, and I was talking with a friend. Not thinking too much of him getting into anything! Thank goodness Elliott was watching him, and took the marker out of his hand otherwise, who knows where it would of ended up! My friend, Vicki, looked down and Dane and said Oh My Goodness, what is on his face! Oh it was funny, he was just smiling big time! And my dear, Elliott, was such a big helper and took the marker out of his hand and gave it to me! This is my eye opener that I need to be a bit more alert with Dane and his surroundings. No more letting him down around my scrapbook desk. None of the other kids were hand-to-mouth babies. Dane, however, puts EVERYTHING in his mouth! Oh well... Vicki said it would be a great picture, so of course I had to snap a few! Dont you just love those big eyes and inquisitive look!

Dane is on the move....

2009-11-30T14:03:00.002-05:00

Oh and he is into everything! Once he's down, he is on the go. He likes to find the tiny pieces of remnants on the floor, Elliott's play food, Legos (of course), and he likes to pull out everything from under the TV! He is getting quick, too. It didn't take long to go from slightly moving to completely mobile! And if he knows you are trying to get the item he's after, he tries to get to it quicker. It is so funny to watch. He is not crawling yet on his knees, he scoots across the floor with his elbows and knees. I will post a video soon!

Elliott's morning routine

2009-11-23T13:54:00.000-05:00

Elliott has her own routine! Every morning she looks forward to fixing her hair, getting dressed, and even applying make up! I know she is way to young for make up, however, she is not to young to learn the importance of 'making yourself pretty.' So, I put together her own make up bag (which for now is just in a ziploc bag, maybe Santa will bring her her own make up bag)! She has a translucent face powder and translucent eye shadow. She gets the joy of putting make up on, and I get the joy of knowing it isn't bright pink or blue or some other odd color! And you'd never know she is wearing make up! It is a win win for all of us! Oh, and of course she has to use hair products (mousse, hairspray, and so on) and likes to put in her own clips! She is getting better at putting the clips in and having them stay! And then it is off to her closet to attempt to find something to wear! It would sure be nice if she wasn't so darn picky - no tags, so seams that itch, and no socks! It sure is a good thing we have extra time each morning to allow for this freedom to get ready! I couln't imagin having to get Elliott and myself ready in a timely manner!

Birch Run, Michigan Scrapbook Convention

2009-11-17T22:47:00.003-05:00

Wow, what a weekend it was this past weekend... a few dear friends (thank you very much Vicki and Gina) and I headed up to Birch Run, MI to be vendors at a scrapbook convention! And, this was a first for all of us. Gina came along for moral support and happily manned the make n takes for us through the weekend. Vicki provided endless energy,awesome kits, and so much more! We ventured up north on Thursday, it was about a five hour drive, pretty easy driving thanks to my father's Suburban! You would have never known we had hundreds of pounds of paper and racks and more! We check into our hotel late, and then up early Friday morning to set up. None of us knew what the expect.... we were definitely anxious, nervous, excited and oh and maybe even a tad overwhelmed. However, once we got there, were were able to unload in a matter of minutes since we drove right up to our booth space! Set up took a few hours, putting together grids, hanging up kits, and setting up or spot! Then the shopper started coming and coming and coming! By the end of the night were were exhausted, and ready to sleep! We weren't thrilled with Friday's sales, so we regrouped and headed back Saturday! And much to our surprise, within one hour we had already reached Friday's sales, so we felt great about our day and enjoyed meeting new scrapbookers, conversing with croppers and enjoying the event! We offered several make n takes (cards, decorative jars, recipe books, layouts)! After Saturday's end, we decidced to head across the street to the big outlet mall and shop a little bit.... next time we will bring a car top carrier for all Gina's purchases! Ha, I hope you are reading this, Gina! Sunday brought us another day of shoppers and more scrapbooking fun. Overall it was a good show! A lot of work, but it was great to get away and experience the 'convention' atmosphere! Oh, and I must say, we had the suburban packed and ready to go in 1 hr, talk about hustling to 'get r done.' I can't wait to attend another show, Vicki and I chatted all the way home about all the things we could do next time, and Gina threw out some great ideas, too. I did, however, miss my baby and family! It was great to come home and see everyone again! Even though you'd think being baby-less, I would have slept through the night, no such luck! I did, however, get to eat warm meals without holding anyone!

Elliott's Birthday Party

2009-11-17T22:41:00.003-05:00

Better late than never... okay, so the actual birthday party was November 1st and here it is days later... Elliott turned 5 on the 1st and invited a preschool friend and some neighbors over for a dress up tea party! And what fun it was. I got out my old tea set (given to me by my Grandma when I was a young girl) and set out a tray with lovely finger foods (which happened to be on some of my grandma's stitched napkins) and the girls in their fancy dresses and big hats had a tea party! Oh, was too cute! And then of course the girls were all over the house, upstairs, downstairs, inside, outside, and the it was Barbies and babies and oh my goodness, this was my fourth party in four days (refer to previous posts in regards to party overload), and I was exhausted at the end! Seeing Elliott joy and excitement was well worth the exhaustion.

Calendar Kit

2009-11-11T21:38:00.003-05:00

Okay, this is a good one... I must say, I plan to actually use the sample for Dane's baby book! It will be so much fun to put pictures from each month and see how he's grown through the year! However, the kit is meant to go onto a calendar! The kit comes with all the supplies to create the 12 single page layouts (titles, too)! It is not posted online, however, if you are interested in a kit, do let me know (send me an email to kristyataylor@yahoo.com)! The cost is $45.00 (that is less than $4 a page!) for just the kit. You may also order an additional calendar (in which you can add the pages, too) for $10. I have posted a few pictures!

Also, Vicki Harper and I have teamed up again to head up north to Michigan for a scrapbook convention! This is a first time for both of us, wow, not sure what to expect, let's hope good things! Will update you on the events!

What would we do without parents?

2009-11-05T17:28:00.003-05:00

And I speak about my parents! Last week my computer wouldn't power up leaving me pretty much stuck in a rut as for getting things done that I need done for preparing for my upcoming convention (this time next week Vicki and I will be packed and on our way to Michigan to set up a booth at a scrapbook convention, oh and of course my dear friend Gina is coming along to help!) and getting things in line for my new sketch book coming out very soon! I tried contacting the warranty department for my computer, and of course they can't find me, just my luck. And this means I know have to hunt for an original receipt (which I purchased the computer from a friend, so I must have her help). Needless to say, I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. One light at the end of the tunnel, Best Buy offers hard drive back up for dirt cheap - $150 and I get an external hard drive, so I hopefully won't be in this position again). I had to do this because, of course, I didn't have everything backed up! Anway, it could be weeks before I get a computer, and running a business, typing on my blog, checking emails, online banking, and all the other life necessities (shopping for the season's best toys or trying to sell old ones to make money for new ones!) just couldn't happen without a computer! So, my father is acutally the one who suggested a proposal... He said he planned on getting my mother a laptop for Christmas, and I could simply borrow it until mine gets back. Such a dear. And my mother, being the nice, patient woman she is, has agreed to let me user her laptop while waiting for mine to get fixed! What would we do without parents! Of course, going out and buying a new one for myself is not in my budget at the moment... so my parents to the rescue... Mom/Dad if you are reading this, thank you very much and I love you both very much!

2009-11-05T10:16:00.003-05:00

Enjoy this little clip of Elliott saying ' I pledge allegiance.'

Party Central

2009-11-02T07:26:00.009-05:00

Okay, so four days straight of parties has sure worn me out.... the madness began on Thursday with Elliott's preschool Halloween Party. The kids were so cute in their dress up costumes!

Friday brought on Myles 2nd grade party. I must say I am truly impressed with the parent support for the party. I did send home 'handmade' invitations consisting of a print out with the party specifics tied to a piece of orange con strction paper (I'll upload a pic, soon). It was super simple, however, I try to make it stand out in their folder of stuff that gets sent home. And I got several bags of candy, and even a parent to donate the cupcakes! This was great! I provided a make your own pumpkin by covering a roll of toilet paper with tissue paper, and the kids seemed to love this. And we played pass the pumpkin! I had a some down time and started (on a whim) an add along story where I started a trick or treat story and each kid added a part (we went along with abc order). It was fun to hear what the kids came up with! And I was actually impressed with this 'on a whim' activity!

Now it's on to the Taylor Halloween Open house.... where I invited neighbors and some of the kids friends over for some Halloween Fun! The kids sure enjoyed themselves, and hopefully the adults enjoyed the goodies. Thanks to my friend Gina, I got some great Tastefully Simple Dips, and I cooked a Carmel Apple Crisp, Chocolate Chip Cheescake bars, ghoulish punch and more! I did manage to capture a few photos! And the best part about the party.... my husband did a deep clean. He said we can't have the neighbors over with our house looking like it did! We WERE head to toe with toes, but now we have a loft with lots of room to play and is clutter free! So excited about this! Of course, I don't have any photos of the yummy food, what was I thinking! And then trick or treating was great, a bit chilly, but fun. Thankfully Grandma and

Grandpa Mathews stuck around to watch baby Dane, so the rest of us could venture out! Myles was a skeleton and Elliott a 'wicked' witch! She loved hackling like a which! After a few streets Myles was done, and Elliott wanted MORE houses. I'm surprised Elliott wasn't tired since she ran from house to house!

(My husband was attempting to be Helio Castronevas, of course minus the correct racing shirt and knack for dancing! He did capture the look rather well).

Taking Dane for a Chest Xray....

2009-10-28T19:00:00.000-04:00

Before your worry too much, the Xray turned out okay. We did take Dane to St Francis hospital imaging for a chest xray to confirm he didn't have pneomonia! He has had a nasty cold for ten days, no fever, just coughing and losing his voice. So the Dr. ordered a chest xray which turned out fine, so this was excellent news. Being at the hospital was scary with the threat of H1N1. Elliott had to wear a mask to cover her mouth/nose, which she looked so adorable, I just had to share!

Birthday Party in Fort Wayne

2009-10-25T06:40:00.005-04:00

Makin Cake with Grandma.... and taking lots of taste tests!

This is what I wanted, Elliott exclaimed as she opened.... and you can tell by the million dollar smile!

Blowin out the candles!

Grandma Taylor took the two big kids for Fall Break... and what a nice break it was! It was so peaceful and quiet for the two days they were gone. And Dane was home, but quiet, too, since the poor baby had lost his voice. But then again, it was heart breaking to hear is hoarse cry because it had to of hurt his little throat. I was able to get a few things accomplished around the house! Seth and I went up to visit on Saturday. And then on Sunday we celebrated Elliott's birthday with Seth's family. Elliott was so excited about her balloons, eating cake, and opening presents!

And of course I had to share these adorable pictures of Dane! My baby boy is getting so big...

Lots of new kits just posted, taking preorders for 101 Easy Sketches...

2009-10-23T13:41:00.003-04:00

Wow, October has been jammed packed with new stuff for Project Scrapbook. I just uploaded over 20 new kits to the website, and I am going to post a slide show here for you to view - as they many not always make it into the What's New folder! There are kits for school, Christmas, Halloween, Travel and more!!! You are sure to find something you need for your scrapbook albums!

Also... I am now taking preorders on a new book I will be publishing (myself). The book is titled 101 Easy Sketches, and will contain 101 black and white two page sketches. Each sketch is jammed packed with photo spots and is sure to provide endless inspiration. Preorder yours today for only $10.00. You have until November 1st to take advantage of the fantastic offer. The book will ship on November 10th or you can pick up at November 20&21 crop in Carmel. After November 1st the book retail cost will be $12.50.

Visit www.projectscrapbook.net for book preorder and all the new kits!

Lovin Resale Shops....

2009-10-20T08:25:00.003-04:00

Okay, so I've never had much sucess with selling things back to second hand children's stores. And truthfully, I've never had much luck finding decent items at decent prices! However, yesterday was my lucky day! I have been looking for a jumparoo (of course I had one for Elliott but sold it in a garage sale), and didn't want to buy one brand new because of the expense. I happened to be out at the right time, I popped into the Kids Kloset at Stop 11 and Arlington. And to my luck they had the rainforest jump a roo and in good condition, so I got it! It was an instant hit with Dane! Enjoy the pic.
This also brings me to share my Christmas Gift exchange idea. Times are tough for many of us, and with Chrismtas season approaching fast, we aer all thinking about gift giving. I know this year we will have very little money to spend on gift giving, so instead of not giving at all, I have asked my brother's family if we could 'Re-Gift' toys to each kid! He has three kids and we have three kids, so it can be expensive to give gifts to everyone. However, we all do have a surplus of toys, so this year we are going to give each child a gently used toy from our kids collections! I'm super psyched about this idea, and truly my brother's kids will get much nicer gifts! And another toy gets to live on through an other child!

Family Meeting, Establishing the Taylor Traits

2009-10-18T23:00:00.003-04:00

Every Sunday we aim to have a family meeting! why, you ask, since my children are so young? I read a book some time back called 'Honey I Wrecked the Kids, When Screaming, Bribery and Timeouts don't Work Anymore.' And it was all about raising children in todays society... which is a tough one as we live in a 'I want everything my way' type of mentality! One of the chapters in the book discussed having family meetings every week, and so we started this a few months back, and have seen awesome results. Every Sunday the children are aksing for the meeting! Sometimes even reminding us to have the meeting! We have an agenda each week. First we discuss Appreciation/Encouragement, then go over Old Business, present New Business, share Calendars, and then do a family activity. Eventually a section on Chores will be added, probably pretty soon, I think the kids are ready to start taking on a bit more responsibility (I can't wait for the day Elliott gets to clean the bathrooms like I did as a child!). And at the end of the meeting we do a family activity. This is where we play a game together, watch a movie, or do a craft! Today I must share we discussed 'Taylor Traits.' Characteristics that would make us great Taylors! It was rather amuzing to hear what the kids came up with. Myles came up with 'Funny.' Which is rather funny since he is the family jokester (next to his father of course). And Elliott said 'helpful.' Which is also fitting because she is helpful in many, many ways (most of the time, she inconveniently helps, I have to tell myself to let her do it anyway as she is wanting to help even if it means splashing water everywhere as she washes the dishes... it will clean up). The rest of the traits were Friendliness, Love, Healthy, Leadership, Honesty, Listening, Manners, and Integrity. These are on little tags, and eventually I will make a poster to hang them on! It was a fun activity, and the kids really enjoyed brainstorming ideas on what makes a good person! Since this is a post about the family, I will share a picture a I took last month with everyone but me, of course!

Star Student of the Week

2009-10-18T07:13:00.001-04:00

Myles was chosen as the Star Student of the week from his class! He showed outstanding 'Tiger Traits' and got to sit in a special seat all week! He was so thrilled about his special chair! When he brough his certificate home, I said we'd take him out to dinner for his special award (this was on Monday). Thursday morning, he came down the stairs and said 'I can't wait for tomorrow', and 'I asked What's tomorrow', and he said 'It time for El Rodeo.' I had totally spaced it that I said we'd take him out to dinner, and here it was Thursday and he obviously was counting down the days in his head, so funny! Needless to say, we went out to dinner Friday night as a family, and I just had to capture a photo to document the occasion!

Goodbye, Jiggy....

2009-10-12T21:25:00.003-04:00

Oh man was today a tough one..... we have been dog sitting my parents dog for about ten days now (they contemplated even going on vacation since they had a sick dog, but I offered to care for her while they were away). And she hasn't been doing so well since she came to our house, she recently was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer and had a tumor removed. Needless to say it came back almost instantly. For my parents, she had been relatively normal, and in the first few days with us, she was normal, too. However, over the weekend when I was changing her bandages (we did have to keep her underbelly wrapped tightly to prevent bleeding from the tumor, and it is tough to wrap an 85lb black lab) her spot was deteriorating rapidly to the point it was as if her insides were going to fall out, poor dog. So I took her to the vet, and on the way there braced Elliott that we may very well not bring the dog back home with us. Thank goodness my husband didn't go in to work this morning wo he could be there with us. And once the vet saw the damage, he said it was Jiggy's time to go.... so sad to see her pass away. In conversing with Myles about it when he got off the bus today, we talked about somet of the things Jiggy liked to do; like great us at the door, bark, swim in the lake, and so much more. Myles said 'I'm gonna miss those times.' And at one point he said, 'mom stop talkin about it, I'm gonna cry.' And this evening I was looking for a photo to share of this precious dog, who is actually my parents, and I found a great one of Myles when he was just about one-year-old and Jiggy. Jiggy was such a great companion to my parents. The loyalty she showed towards them was greater than anything I've ever seen! She was obediant, dominant (in the best ways possible), active, and caring towards all the new children added to her life! Jiggy had a fondness towards the UPS and FEDEX men (they may not be so sad she has passed), as I recall one time she ran after one of the delievery men and I'm sure scared the living 'xxxx'out of him! Anyway, she was a well loved dog, and will be missed by all of us. It definately will not be the same at Grandma's house without the big black dog greeting us with her kisses and tail waggin!
Oh and I must add, Jiggy was one of Elliotts first words... so that alone lets you know just how important this dog was to all of us!

Scrappersfest Weekend Retreat!

2009-10-12T06:59:00.002-04:00

Wow... what a whirlwind of excitment it has been leading up to the weekend retreat (this past weekend). The event planning began last February... however, most the planning took place in the last month! Of course, I was thrown for a loop this past Monday, when my original hotel let me know my meeting room was double booked! I had to scramble at the last minute to find a new place, and I did, and it was even better than the original hotel... so t hrilled for this. This week consisted of putting together the last minute details, seat gifts, event program and more. Friday was the beginning, thanks to my husband who dropped my stuff off on his way to work Friday morning (he likes to tell me I need a lighter hobby), however, loved the support. And Friday morning I was able to sneak in a few hours of setting up, and then the afternoon the ladies consistantly showed up one after another! And surprisingly, most everyone was there before 5 (a weekend retreat first). The weekend was off to a great start and continued with great momentum through Saturday and Sunday. It was filled with scrapbooking, food, games and more! We even had a 'Scrapbook Newbie' and she embraced the hobby with such enthusiasm and creativity! What a brave women to designate a weekend to something new (thank goodness she liked the hobby). It did help she was surrounded by some pretty creative ladies. Of course Sunday came too quick (probably not quick enough for my husband, who did have help for the weekend thanks to my inlaws who came to stay for three days). As always packing up is no fun! I do want to shout out a special thanks to all the crop attendees, Jana for coming down from Michigan for massages, and the LaQuinta Inn and Suites for picking up our group at the last minute. Oh and of course thanks to my husband and inlaws for helping out on the homefront! I look forward to hosting another retreat in the near future!

September American Girl Trip

2009-10-07T07:05:00.002-04:00

Okay, so the past few weeks have been a whirlwind of excitement, crops, festivals, planning for future events and so on, this has lead to very little personal time to update fun things like my blog! My apologies! For you readers out there I will try and do a better job and have more frequent posts, as baby Dane is changing so very much (he's almost 7 months now) and of course Elliott and Myles are always into something new!

This post is about our recent trip to Chicago, a yearly tradition. This marks our fifth visit! This is what my mother enjoys gifting to Elliott for her birthday! I think Grandma (and me of course) enjoy the trip just as much as Elliott. It is always so exciting to see what item Elliott likes the most, last year it was the baby toilet, and this year it was the double stroller! And of course she wanted the babies to go with it! She picked out the babies she wanted, and we were off on our way. After, of course the lady put the stroller together! So Elliott was able to walk out with her double stroller, babies and lunch boxes! My husband wasn't nearly as thrilled as Elliott - you could see by the way his eyes popped out of his head as we walked to where they were waiting for us!

Did you like bringing home a baby brother?

2009-10-01T05:58:00.000-04:00

That is the questions Myles likes asking Elliott on occasion, and I think this is his way of firguring out how to 'deal' with a new baby in the house! You plan and talk and plan and talk all you want months before the baby is born, but what do you do afterwards! I am learning it is just as imporant to talk now about how a baby changes your daily routines and the feelings you may have towards having a new person in the house! I have been a very, very fortunate mother to have two very, very accepting children! They both have welcomed Dane with open arms and love him each and every day! I am sharing a picture in which you can see the genuine joy Myles has for his siblings. Myles is a caring, loving child! Enjoy.

ScrapPink Celebration

2009-09-26T23:00:00.001-04:00

Several weeks ago, I had a cropper ask me if I were hosting a Crop for the cure, and since Cord didn't host a ScrapPink, I decdied to do so. So Saturday, September 26 was the event. There were twelve croppers (not as many as I'd liked, but then again it is a busy time of year for people), and each one wearing pink in support of such a great cause, the Susan G. Komen foundation for Breast Cancer research. The day was filled with laughter, conversations, and lots of scrapbooking! I actaully got a few pages done myself! We enjoyed McAlisters Deli loaded baked potatoes for dinner, and they donated sweet tea (and unsweet, too) for the dinner! Such a great restaurant! We had a 'sketch challenge' and a 'clever use of something given to you' and at the end of the evening we took a tally for the winners, and Cherie was was the winner of 'clever use of something given to you.' She used one of the arrows given to her in her ScrapPink Goodie bag! And at the end of the day, with a portion of the crop fees and sales, I graciously have a check for $300 to send for a donation! Thank you to all the ladies who came and made this what it was, a great crop for a great cause!

A new 'Myles'stone

2009-09-21T06:01:00.004-04:00

Second tooth

First tooth
Wow, finally have weeks of being wiggly and loose, Myles reached another milestone in his tiny life, he lost his first tooth! For the last few days it's been haning in there by a thread... and finally it came out! Myles was so excited (probably because he's the only second grader that hadn't lost any teeth yet). I don't think he could of smiled any bigger! That night the tooth fairy came, and in the morning Elliott was just as amazed as Myles to find the money under the pillow. Then Elliott stated all morning 'the tooth fairy is not real.' As if to reassure her people don't come into her room at night. Which I am sure this thought is a little much for Elliott! So the next day, Myles lost his second tooth. The tooth fairy (aka Seth) left a not under the pillow with the money saying 'p.s. tell Elliott I am real' and that really freaked her out! Myles again, was just as thrilled losing the second as the first! Now he has a gap on the bottom and has a tiny lisp when he talks! He keeps pretending to talk like Sid the Sloth of the Ice Age, so funny.

September 'Ready to Assemble' Kit

2009-09-10T18:27:00.003-04:00

I'm so thrilled to share these kits with you!!! This is the September's 'Ready to Assemble' kit! You will get all the supplies and instructions to complete these three layouts! Title are even included! The pattern papers are from the BRAND NEW Little Yellow Bicycle Autumn Bliss collection! Cost is $25.00. Order yours today at www.projectscrapbook.net, or you can pick one up this weekend at the Jameson Inn in Carmel during the Friday night or Saturday day crop!

Or maybe you enjoy coming up with your own designs! Then try the September 'No Frills' kit. Inside this kit you'll get six double-sided pattern paper and six pieces of cardstock (2 sheets of 3 colors). You also get three yards of coordinating ribbons. The cost is only $10.00.

Labor Day Camping Trip

2009-09-09T09:49:00.000-04:00

My husbands college friends have a yearly Labor Day camping trip, and this year they invited the whole family! And what fun did the kids have. I was a little hesitant with the cool nights and Dane, but Dane did GREAT!!!! He slept well, napped well and hung out happily as any almost-six-month-old could! Myles was in heaven at the creek beds (thank goodness for lack of rain). They had flat rocks and tons of fossils to be found! Him and Seth even found a waterfall in the 'explorations.' The campsite was part of an Ohio State Park, Heuston Woods. There were tons of trails, beach with swimming, playgrounds and more. Our campsite was at the bottom of a small hill in which the kids (and adults, too) enjoyed riding their scooters down! I handed the camera over to Myles (my budding photographer) so some of the shots are through his eyes. I think Santa will bring Myle his own camera this year for Christmas! Elliott had a great time at the playground... I pushed my germ fears aside and let her play in the gravel!!! In my mind I'm thinking 'please don't get sick, please don't get sick.' As for tent sleeping, everyone did great, despite the fact were were a family of 5 sleeping a two tents that should have (combined) only slept at most 3! Our big tent was loaned out to someone and we had to make due with what we had! I didn't want to invest in a new tent in the event camping didn't work out! Next time (which I'm sure will be next summer) we will have a larger tent and air mattresses!!!! I wish I had a photo of the tent... if you would have saw what we slept in you'd be amazed!! And you'd be rolling over with laughter. The good thing about the tight sleeping quarters, no one got cold!

Daily Dose of Elliott

2009-09-03T12:33:00.002-04:00

I'm thinking I almost could start my own blog labelled 'Daily Dose of Elliott.' She is what everyone needs to put a simle on their face! Just this morning she was in the kitchen and yelled for me to come see the dog! And she so proudly and happily put a pink hat and pink bracelet on the dog! It was so funny and put an instant smile on her face and my face, too. She reminds you that it is truly only the simple, small things in life that are valuable!

Elliott's First Day of Preschool Photo shoot!

2009-09-01T14:44:00.002-04:00

What a hoot it was this morning trying to get a good shot of Elliott before her fist day of Preschool! She gave me quite the show!!! I just had to share her poses with all of you! She's such an animated child! I bet she talked the ears off of the ladies at prechool! When I picked her up she shared her whole day with me right down to the boy next to her had a cough and his name was Collin and he was sick! (not ready for germs already, oh well)! But then again with these cool nights, I'm sure lots of peole are catching colds! Anyway, I got a double dose of peacefulness today.... which allows me to catch up a bit on my blog. Elliott was gone for four hours this morning at preschool, and then she came home and took a nap (and is still napping for almost 2 hours!). I did miss her incessant chatter all morning, but I did enjoy getting a few scrappin things done! I cannot wait to share the newest kit... soon! I get the joy of sending Elliott three days a week from 9-1, so I will have ample time to get caught up on all the 'to-do's' I've given myself! Something I aim to do is be better at writing to all of you! Please stay tuned for updates!!!