The Month in Review...

I've been a blogging bust. Sorry. I have a good excuse, though. Here it is: It's summer, and I'm lazy. I've been looking at my camera for days, thinking that I should really put those pictures on the computer, but I wouldn't, because it just seemed like so much work. Pathetic, I know. Today, however, I found a burst of energy, and cleaned the house, held Halle's craft club, and uploaded pictures. Wow, I deserve a medal.

Here's what we've been up to in the last little while:

Halle had her dance recital, and it was so good! She's really coming along in dance, and I love that she loves it.

We've been having weekly craft club gatherings with some of the girls in the neighborhood. It has been so much fun, and the girls love it!

We've been cleaning. Wow, talk about exciting.

Halle and her friends had a lemonade/lollipop stand, and made $21 in 2 hours!

We've been playing with the water. A lot.

We went to the Stadium of Fire with my family and watched Carrie Underwood. She is my favorite. It was a blast!

And, sometimes, after all this fun, even princesses need their beauty rest.

So, even though we haven't traveled anywhere yet this summer, we are taking full advantage of the sunshine. Yea for summer!

My name is Ashley Taylor, and I use the television to baby-sit my kids.

I would love to say that my entire day is spent creating meaningful learning experiences for my kids, but I can't. Don't get me wrong, we do things together, but sometimes -- okay, more than sometimes -- the television is my best friend. When Halle was little, she loved Dora, and I'm proud to say that Dora taught her shapes and colors (and even a few Spanish words), by the time she turned two.

Chase, however, has become hooked to another show. He loves Curious George. Like, he really loves it. We currently have 53 episodes saved on our DVR. And, frankly, I love that he loves it, because it gives me a half hour of peace every once in a while. Since Chase is incredibly exhausting, the small moments of peace is the only thing keeping me sane! The only problem is, George is a monkey, and he doesn't talk (only monkey talk). So, Chase has adopted monkey talk as his #1 language. He "oo oos" and "ah ahs" all the time, but we can't get him to talk. He knows a few words, but mostly he just speaks and acts like a monkey. We've tried to show him other cartoons, like Dora, but he hates them. He throws a fit until we turn on Curious George. So, we do.

My son is 19 months old, and he thinks he's a monkey. And, for now, that's all right with me.

Country Fair

Every year, the PTO puts on a country fair at the elementary school. Halle was super excited to go for the first time, because as an incoming kindergartner, she was a special guest. Her dance company also performed at the event, making it double the fun!

Of course, what would any event be without chasing Chase? I am convinced in the next edition of the dictionary, there will be a picture of Chase next to the word naughty. He makes anything we do an adventure. Anyway, he loved running around with his balloon and causing ruckus.

Halle was thrilled to get her hair colored and her face painted.

It was a super fun night!

The Graduate

Halle's preschool experience has been amazing. She had an awesome teacher, and she learned so much over the course of the year. She is ready for kindergarten! It's hard to believe our little girl will be starting school in the fall, but we are so excited for her. She loves to learn, and she loves school. We are blessed to have such a beautiful, smart and fun girl!

Halle joined her classmates for preschool graduation. The program was fantastic! Miss Karie does such an amazing job. The students sang songs, recited poems, and showed off their work from the year.

Chase couldn't hold still the entire time. This kid is going to do me in! Sam says that if nothing else, he's consistent. He breaks every rule!

At the end of the program, the students dressed up in official graduation attire. I had no idea they were going to do this. Could they be any cuter?

We are so proud of Halle! We can't wait to watch her continue to grow. She is an amazing kid!

When All Else Fails, Make Your Husband Read the Instructions

This sandbox nearly ended my marriage. I'm kidding...No, I'm not. Anyway, here's the deal. We needed a sandbox because we can't keep Chase out of the flower beds, so we thought that a sandbox would be a good solution. I've been wanting this sandbox from Costco, and after a little luck (it had been sold out), we found and bought it on Saturday.

We started setting it up that afternoon. Now, Sam and I don't usually build stuff together, but when we first bought our house we did a lot of remodeling, and I was always the instruction reader. So, of course, Sam told me to figure out the instructions. The problem, however, was that the instructions only included pictures, and the wood could fit together a number of different ways. We put it together, and took it apart 4 times because something was upside down, or screwed together wrong. Each time, Sam told me that I should have read the instructions better, and I told him that if he wanted to figure out the instructions, he was more than welcome to help out. Throw in a few melt downs from Halle and Chase, and we about lost it. We went all white trash, and bickered in the backyard about who was doing what wrong, and what needed to be fixed. The neighbors could probably hear. Now, I'm embarrassed, but at the time I could have cared less.

After a whole lot of exhaustion, we finished. And we're still married. Now, Chase better stay out of my flower beds!

What's My Excuse?

I've been on a blogging hiatus. I wish I had some cool excuse, like, I've been out of the country, or we are starting a new business, but I don't. We have just been going about life lately, watching the Jazz and complaining about Utah spring weather. So, here's a brief summary of our activities since I last blogged:

A few weeks ago, we joined Halle and her preschool class for a field trip at the zoo. It was fun to see Halle interact with her school friends.

Halle absolutely loves preschool. She has learned so much, and made many good friends. She is in her final month of preschool, and looking forward to entering kindergarten.

Chase absolutely loved the zoo. I could not get him to take his eyes of the animals to look at my camera, though.

We also celebrated my 29th birthday. Umm... How did I get that old? We had a great day, and Chase really loved my cake!

Mostly though, I've been busy being a mom. I love being a mom to these two darlings. 90% of the time, they drive me crazy, but every once in a while, they look so darn cute, I can't stand it!

High Five

Last Friday, Halle turned 5! She has been crossing off the days on a calendar for about 2 months, anxiously awaiting her birthday. The day was all about Halle's favorites: presents, Zupa's for lunch, movies, Panda Express for dinner, and cupcakes. It was a great day, and we love our 5-year-old girl!

Halle is such a special girl. She loves school and is looking forward to entering kindergarten. She takes dance and already has more moves than I ever dreamed of having. She loves to play with her friends. She is a fantastic big sister. She will try any food, and likes most of it. She loves to make crafts. And, of course, she's adorable. We love you, Halle!