Tuesday, January 24, 2012

On my mind...


--Last Sunday, we made it through an entire sacrament meeting. Like, I'm talking the ENTIRE 70 minutes. Yes, we had a small yard sale of books, crayons, toys and snacks (and maybe some electronic devices--shh!) to entertain our three darlings, but no one had to leave. I don't know if I've ever been so proud. Unfortunately, I was still exhausted by the end of the hour, and I don't know what was said. Small steps, I guess...

--Eating out / heating up frozen food is WAY easier than actual cooking. Making a meal at our house takes forever, and by the time the entire process is over, Sam and I wonder why we even try. The kids just like french fries and chicken nuggets anyway. Plus, the clean-up is not fun. Let's face it, I'm not the world's best homemaker.

--I'm sick of speech therapy. It's expensive, and incredibly time consuming. I feel like all I do is correct Chase on his speech. I have this fear that Chase will look back on his childhood, and only remember his nagging mother in front of his face dragging out every syllable of every word. Apraxia isn't so fun. I have to keep reminding myself of all the progress we are seeing. One day we look back on this time of life, and realize it really wasn't that bad.

--I don't know how I lived life without my Kindle Fire. It's awesome!

--Cleaning the toy room is one of the world's most useless activities.

--I want a dog. A cute one.

--We cut our cable a month or so ago, and surprisingly, I haven't missed it as much as I thought I would. We are going to try to go without it for a few months, and so far, so good. We thought the kids would completely lose it without their 50 channels, but they don't care. It turns out, they actually have imaginations. Imagine that!

--I've been trying to lose the same 5 pounds for a year. Maybe I should try dieting and exercise. It turns out just wanting to lose 5 pounds doesn't actually make you lose weight. Too bad.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

It's so Fun to be ONE!


Our sweet Elizabeth turned 1 on January 12. We are completely in love with our little angel. She has a way to brighten any room with her big, bright smile. Because she is so stinkin' adorable, we decided to celebrate Lizzie all week. We started with a dinner with Sam's brother and sister, Michael & Hilary, on Sunday night (Sam's mom & dad are out of town--on a cruise, no less. No, not that cruise. Thank goodness.) Like all my kids, Lizzie loves hanging out with Aunt Hilly & Uncle Michael.


On Thursday, my parents, Bethany, Audrey & Kennedy came over to help us celebrate Lizzie's entrance into toddlerhood. She is so lucky to have so many people in her life that love her!

Lizzie loved every second of her party. She's quickly discovered that presents, new clothes, and cake are the keys to winning a girl's heart.






When cake time arrived, Lizzie was ready. Since our Lizzie is as "cute as a button," we felt a button cake was appropriate. She dove right into the frosting, and never looked back. That's my girl!



Little Elizabeth has brought so much joy to our home. She has made the last year so much fun. We love you, Lizzie!

At 12 Months, Lizzie:
Weighs 20.5 pounds
Finally (as of last night) finished nursing
Has only slept through the night one time (not exaggerating)
Loves hanging out in Halle's room
Loves books
Is a MAJOR mama's girl
(Plus, we think she's pretty darn cute!)



Monday, January 16, 2012

Christmas 2011


Christmas arrived at the Taylor house. Well, more like Christmas overtook the Taylor house:





Thank goodness January is organization month...