Small Farm Dreams

Winnie, Weapons and Clouds

2012-01-19T10:58:00.000-08:00

(don't let that smile fool you. he was terrified of that Winnie-the-Pooh most of the day)

We had lots of fun yesterday at Nana Lori's house. Let me rephrase that. Me and the boys had lots of fun at Nana Lori's house. Nate, not so much. It's the curse of being a computer genius, I tell you.

While Nate slaved away on the "'puter" (as Pres calls it) Wy enjoyed being toted around like he was nana's newest handbag. (Are your arms sore today, mom?)

And Pres enjoyed a shiny shield, gantlets and battle axe. Because a boy can never have too many weapons.

The sunset on the drive home was spectacular!

I'm hoping those beautiful clouds mean some rain (finally) coming our way!

Happy Birthday, My Love

2012-01-17T20:53:00.000-08:00

Today is a special day at this Taylor house. Today is Nathan's birthday and how can I even begin to express how happy and grateful I am that he is in my life.

Nathan is, aside from my two boys, my favorite person in the world. Nathan is kind and generous. Nate always stands up for what he believes in, even if it's uncomfortable or inconvenient. Nathan works hard. Period. He doesn't do "half-@ssed" he does perfect, even if it makes his wife CRAZY on occasion. Nathan is a wonderful husband, an amazing father and my very best friend.

I love you "to the moon and back," always and forever. Thank you for being mine.

Not My Best Start

2012-01-16T21:29:00.000-08:00

I decided I wanted to be better about blogging this year. I no longer have the excuse that I have a newborn (hello Mr. Almost a year-and-a-half!) but so far I've been a dud. I kept feeling overwhelmed with trying to blog everything I missed (like, maybe, Christmas) and then my card reader wasn't working (thanks for fixing it, love) so now I'm really far behind and instead of playing catch-up for the holidays I'm just going to skip 'em.

I hope you enjoy some of the random goodness we've had going on here at our house.

Wyatt's TOTALLY obsessed with the tie Melinda and Stephen gave him for Christmas.

(Obsessed I tell ya!)

Oh ya, and he seems to like the breast pump as well...

Preston has the most amazing eyes and a dang cute smile, if I do say so myself!

Wa-wy is the king troublemaker. Oh man is this kid fun!

Last week Nate and his ever present assistant (that would be Preston) took down the fence in our yard.

Long, long ago, we are told, it housed an above ground pool.

And, as if Nate wasn't productive enough last week, he also took out a few dead trees that adorned our yard.

Colin helped too.

Wyatt's looking a little concerned about the job Colin's doing.

Hello there, Mr. Manly Man! There is something undeniably sexy about a man chopping wood. Some sort of primal instinct that says, "This man can keep me alive. And he will too!"

I love that Colin is not only Nate's brother but one of his very best friends.

(We love you Colin!)

Oh, and I swear Wyatt said, "unca co'in" on this day...even if no one else heard it and everyone thinks I'm making it up.

And today we made sure to go "walkin'" (as we call it) since the forecast proclaims rain (!?!PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!?!) for Thursday.

Gotta soak up that sun and get our wiggles out, if ya know what I mean!

We found some shrooms and a dandelion.

Two friendly kitties.

A block of wood.

And some pretty roses.

And an uncharacteristically cranky Wy-wy.

Twas a good day, I say.

Sayounara

2011-12-14T19:55:00.000-08:00

Tonight we bid farewell to someone who has become very dear to our hearts.

Issei came to stay with my in-laws three short months ago but we already count him as part of the family. He is a kind, fun, intelligent, friendly kind of human being who seems to have endless patience with my three-(almost four) year-old. Preston could not get enough of this guy. He plays with him, wrestles with him, watches movies with him. Pretty much, Issei was a mom's dream come true.

We will miss you VERY much, Issei! Thanks for coming and we hope to see you again one day.

Happy Beginning

2011-12-11T20:38:00.001-08:00

I had the best weekend! My amazing in-laws (I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU!) watched the boys so Nate and I could have a mini-getaway to his work party. Because he works out of town I have never met most of his co-workers or the friends he's made in San Jose.

We ate (day off vegan month!), we talked, we laughed and we relished our time together. And, as if that were not enough, this morning we met up with a friend of Nate's who works at the gas station) then had the most amazing breakfast (at Los Gatos Cafe) with Nate's friend (and co-worker) and his incredible girlfriend. I am so happy we went.

Oh, and remember my rejection and dilemma regarding my biological family? Well, I did something rash. I was driving home and remembered I needed money for the toll bridge. Unfortunately I had left my bag in the trunk of the car AND I almost never carry cash so I pulled off the freeway to look for a credit union.

As I pulled to the side of the road I noticed what city I was in and realized it was the city where my biological grandparents live. Now, I must admit I have often thought about showing up at there house to say hello. After the door closed with my biological dad I was trying to figure out a way to at least meet my biological grandparents, even if it was only once but I've always talked myself out of it. I've opened myself up before and gotten burned (via the phone) I could only imagine the hurt that might come in person. Would they slam the door on me? Would they yell at me? Would they hate me for what I represented? Anything was possible.

But suddenly here I was. I'm in the right town. The kids are taken care of. I'm dressed up from my day with Nate (doesn't hurt to feel pretty, right?). This was it. It was now or never. I decided if I was close I was going to do it. I googled the directions and they lived four miles away. I was sitting four miles away from my biological grandparents.

"I'll just do a drive by." I thought. I figured maybe I'd catch a glance of one of them.

As I drew closer I realized a very uncomfortable, very real possibility. What if my biological father was over for Sunday dinner? That could be disastrous... Strangely, I continued to drive...almost compelled to go on.

My heart was pounding as I turned onto their street. The house was beautiful and I only saw one car in the driveway. Before I even knew what I was doing I was out of the car and walking up the driveway. Then I was knocking on the door. Then the door was opening...

"Hello?" asked the handsome older gentleman behind the door. "Can I help you?"

"Uh," I said unsurely. "Are you Douglas?" I asked my voice quivered uncontrolably.

"I'm A Douglas," the handsome man said with a coy tilt of his head.

"BREATHE! BREATHE!!!" I reminded myself. I started to think I might pass out.

"Come in," invited "a" Douglas kindly.

Then I saw his wife. She came into the room to see who was at the door. She was tall and thin and lovely.

"Are you okay?" I think is what she asked.

"Um...I'm doing some family history...uh...and I...uh...I think you are my grandparents," I could feel the tears stinging my eyes.

"Oh, well come sit down," she said. We sat down in their attractive, tidy front room.

"Now," she said "tell me, why do you think this?"

Did she not believe me? Did I have the wrong people? Did they forget I existed? Suddenly I felt very unsure.

"Uh, well, I'm adopted and I've recently contacted my birth mother, Janet."

"Yes," she said with a smile.

"And she told me my biological father was Douglas ****," I finished.

Then she took my hand and most of what we said is now blended together. Thankfully it was all of the kinds of things you wish for. Lots of love and a kind invitation to be as involved in their lives as I would like.

I am over-the-moon.

Alfie the Elf

2011-12-01T08:13:00.001-08:00

Look who showed up this morning! It's Alfie the Elf. I guess we'll all have to be extra good for the next few weeks. We don't want Santa to hear about our shenanigans...

Also it looks like it's time to get our tree. Hooray! Christmas is on it's way!

Opps!

2011-11-30T21:47:00.001-08:00

So, I already had a slip-up. I feel like a fool but I am going to power forward any way. This morning I got Preston a bowl of cereal with cows milk and when I put it in front of him he got up and said he wasn't hungry. Out of frustration I sat down and started to eat it (at which point he threw himself to the floor screeching how hungry he was and how I was eating his food) and didn't realize my foible until I reached the last bite.

(sigh)

At least I remembered the rest of the day.

Yesterday was really hard. Mostly it boils down to the fact that I'm a grazer and since I have to consciously think about everything I put in my mouth it makes it hard to graze. And since I couldn't graze I felt hungry.

Today was better (aside from the leche incident). I am actually surprised at how content I've felt. I've consumed surprisingly little but not felt starved. I attribute this not to the vegan diet but more to my thoughtful eating. I needed this. I've needed to take hold of my eating habits and I'm excited about my prospects.

If your interested we had Minestrone soup sans cheese. I'm not going to lie, I missed the cheese. A little Parmesan cheese would have gone a long way. That aside it was pretty tasty!

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 onion minced (Pres doesn't like onions)

3 stalks celery chopped

1 (old) leek chopped (found it at the bottom of the crisper...)

1/2 bunch kale chopped

3 cloves garlic minced

2 cans Italian seasoned diced tomatoes

1 can V8 juice

1 can great northern beans

1/2 cup frozen corn

1 cup water with 1 teaspoon vegetable bullion

1 cup water

1 cup cooked rotini pasta

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add onion, celery and leek. Cook for 4-5 minutes stirring regularly. Add tomatoes, V8 juice and garlic. Bring to a boil. Cook 3-4 minutes more. Add both cups water and corn. Bring to a boil then add pasta. Stir and serve.

Veg-ember

2011-11-28T21:09:00.001-08:00

"I'm going Vegan for December. Wanna join me?" texted my friend.

If I remember correctly my response was:

"HELL NO!" (sorry grandma but that was the first thing that came to mind...)

Vegan is HARD CORE! I've been a good omnivore with vegetarian tendencies for some years now and I do love me some veggies but NO CHEESE!!!! NO MILK!!! "What do vegans eat?" I thought. "Raw veggies and that's about it???"

My friend and I texted back and for a bit more going over details of her plan but I didn't decide to really decide to mull it over until she texted a picture over of what her friend has been feasting on since she decided to try vegan. And it didn't hurt that she added that her friend has lost 6 lbs in a week-and-a-half gorging herself on these foods.

"Let me think about it." I texted as I hoped online to check out some recipes.

After way too much time being wasted online I decided to join her. The concept is to balance out the excess of all things bad for you (but oh so tasty) that bombard us this time of the year. Holiday parties are "free" days. We started today and will finish up the Monday after Christmas.

So there you have it. An insane plan to *hopefully* not gain a million pounds this holiday season.

Edit and Repeat

2011-11-26T23:42:00.001-08:00

Celest came over and picked out her favorite pictures. A lot of them coincided with my favorites and she added a few more.

(and these ones I edited)

The L Family

2011-11-22T20:02:00.001-08:00

So I know the right way to do this would be to fully edit the pictures BEFORE I post them but I'm WAY too excited to show them to Celest so here you go. I'm pretty happy with them and I hope she is too.

These are my favorites and no, I couldn't narrow them down! :)

Sublime

2011-11-21T21:55:00.001-08:00

I'm taking family pictures for my best friend's family tomorrow. Her husband is moving to Texas for work and they will be apart for a while so I wanted to get some mementos of them all together. But I'm not going to lie, I'm nervous. It's your friend and you want it to be perfect, right?

To prepare for this nerve-racking experience I decided to test out the light with my kiddos and I'm pretty happy. Hopefully all turns out lovely tomorrow.

Isn't the light sublime?

(these are completely unedited pictures)

My Boys

2011-11-19T19:47:00.001-08:00

Today was a long day. You know the one's I'm talking about. But hey, at least my kids are cute.

Wyatt didn't want to let go of his glitter bottle...

2011-11-03T20:14:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago our warm weather was ushered out by some serious wind. So what else were we to do but to race out to "our" park, kite in hand, and try to get that thing off the ground.

A special thanks to nana Linda for joining us!

All Hallow's Eve

2011-11-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

Halloween was all I dreamed it could be.

I would venture to say this was my favorite Halloween to date. We had some friends and family over for lasagna before we ventured out into the neighborhood.

Is there anything cuter than kids in costume?

I gotta say, Preston is the funniest trick-or-treater I've gone with. He was FAR more interested in conversing with the home owners then he was the candy. At more than a few houses he actually left WITHOUT CANDY. Yup. He's my chatty-Chucky. (Like father-like son, they say.) Most houses we had to holler at him to come back or he probably would have stayed the evening with them.

"'Ah-member that house ober dare wit' the scary ghosts?" He'd ask them. "Ah-member dah house wit' dah bloody cutains? It was scary!"

(Pres starts a lot of conversations with "ah-member {remember} even if you were not there with him...)

He's a funny kid!

All in all a perfect Halloween eve.

Other Notes:

Dinner with friends is a perfect way to start Halloween night!
We have AMAZING, WONDERFUL and pretty much PERFECT neighbors.
Wy was a sport sitting in the stroller for most of the evening.
The neighbors straight down the street had THE BEST decorations that included flooding their driveway to make a bayou, a hut with burning incense and fortune teller, a boat with skeletons, banjo playing hillbillies sitting on a porch they built, a covered bridge, a floating, twitching "dead" guy...I could go on...
Sarah and Michael super sweet and stayed late so I wouldn't have to answer the door alone... (I think Sarah watches too much "Criminal Minds" and was convinced a serial killer was going to get me!) I'm ALWAYS grateful for the company when Nate's away.

Gone Fishin'

2011-10-28T20:06:00.000-07:00

If you came by my house today you would have noticed that no one was home. "Why?" you ask. Because we were gone fishing!

I'm not sure who was more excited about Preston's first fishing experience; Preston or Grandpa???

And when I say fishing I MEAN fishing.

Is it cheating when it's a recently stocked trout pond?

(Guess who's going to be eating trout every day for the next week?)

Wy begrudgingly sat on the sidelines WISHING he could fish too.

And after fishing? Apple doughnuts, of course!!!

And mama got her box of "lunch box" apples (plus apple cider) to support the local economy;

(and because they were $12.50 for 20lbs!)

And lastly we played on the uber fun playground next to the fudge shop.

(Unfortunately no fudge purchased this year *sigh*)

All and all a good day I'd say!

(Thanks nana and grandpa!)

Halloween Party 2011

2011-10-27T20:41:00.000-07:00

Nate has to work Monday (and I always love an excuse to dress up) so we invited some neighbors and friends for a little party. Thank you to everyone who brought food and who came.

The biggest thanks goes to Nate who cleaned like a madman to get the house and yard ready. Oh, and did I mention he did it all without my asking? I swear I could not have done it without him.

All Good Things...

2011-10-22T19:52:00.000-07:00

I'm sad to say Nate's vacation is officially over but we did take full advantage of the time off. In addition to Disneyland and the Pumpkin Patch we also made it to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.

"Uncle" Tyler was in the bay area for work (and to see his lady love) so we zipped down to spend the day with him. Oh, and we brought Colin and Issei along with us as well.

Pres loved the kiddie rides (for which there were NO lines) and the animals. Poor Wy was a sport (what else is new?) considering he spend most of the day in the stroller or strapped to Nate's chest. And because the price for a season pass was only a few dollars more we went ahead and got a season pass so I'm sure we'll be back at least a few times in the coming year.

The most wonderful time of the year!

2011-10-13T22:21:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not talking about Christmas (which ALSO happens to be "the most wonderful time of the year) I'm talking about autumn and the arrival of all things "fall." We returned to our most favorite pumpkin patch again (a new tradition) and were able to bring daddy this year. (remember last year with Nana Lori?)

Me met up for lunch with our dear friends, the Ashby's, (sorry, no pics) for lunch then sent them on their way (they took the morning shift at "the patch") and took our turn enjoying the BEST pumpkin patch and some of what it has to offer.

Preston can't resist the "tractors" where he spent a good portion of the time.

Wy can't help but be all smiles.

We were able to bring along a family friend, Issei, who is in town visiting my in-laws from Japan. He had never been to pumpkin patch so we darn well fixed that for him.

In addition to never having been to a pumpkin patch Issei had NEVER HAD APPLE PIE! I know, right!?! So here, people is a view of a young man's FIRST bite of apple pie, EVER!!!

(And yes, he liked it very much. Please note that we polished the whole thing off...)

Wy-wy was a fan of his first taste of apple pie as well.

And what's a trip to the pumpkin patch with out a hay ride?

Another year. Another tradition.

Life's good!

Disneyland!

2011-10-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

Instead of doing Christmas presents my in-laws have taken us on a family vacation for the past couple of years. (Remember last year?) This year we went to Disneyland and had a FANTASTIC time!!!

Day one started off a bit drizzly but that didn't stop us from having a blast. We had loads of fun on the buzz ligthyear ride (Preston LOVED it), star tours (so fun!) and a dose of nostalgic rides including Pinocchio, Snow White and the carousel.

On our second day in Los Angeles the weather turned against us (think POURING rain) so we headed north toward the Museum of Natural History of Los Angles. It was AWESOME. I especially loved the bug exhibit and the jewels but really it was all intriguing.

On day three the clouds cleared and we enjoyed a perfectly lovely day with partly cloudy skies and temperatures warm enough for us to brave Splash Mountain.

And we finished off our trip with a PERFECT day bouncing between Disneyland and California Adventure.

Thank you Jeff and Linda for an amazing trip filled with wonderful memories.

(Now I'm off to tend those nasty colds we picked up as souvenirs...don't worry they were TOTALLY worth it!!!)

This is What it's All About

2011-10-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

Wyatt's First Birthday

2011-09-22T07:44:00.000-07:00

Wyatt's one!

We celebrated with family and friends, cake and presents!

Wyatt is such a fun boy. And he is ALL boy. Wyatt is my redheaded wonder. He loves running/staggering around with his brother. He has been walking for about a month now and is all over the place and into everything. It's so funny and fun to find toys in the most random of places!

Wyatt also LOVES to climb. I've moved all the outside toys onto the grass for his safety. The other day he got up on Preston's tricycle. After sitting for a moment in the regular riding position, he decided to up the ante by putting both feet on the seat of the trike while holding onto the handlebars. And if that's not enough, he then released the handlebars and, with a big grin, put his arms out as if to say, "TADA!"

Wyatt also has developed a very unpleasant habit of SCREECHING when he wants something, when I'm getting something too slow, or when you take something away from him. I'm hoping when he can use words, he will.

Speaking of words, Wyatt is saying a few words! We have mama, and dada and, I believe, llama. (He has a very sweet llama he received from Grandma Janet along with the adorable books "Llama, Llama Misses Mama," and "Llama, Llama Red Pajama.") He also parrots a lot of words but only when he wants to. Silly boy!

Wyatt is a constant joy in our lives. We love him SO MUCH!

Thank you for being ours, Wy-Wy!!

10 years

2011-09-11T07:52:00.000-07:00

We'll always remember. We'll never forget.
Was it really 10 years ago?

Life is too short

2011-09-10T15:06:00.000-07:00

"Life is too short to worry yourself about people who don't deserve to be an issue in your life."
-Anon
pinned on my words of wisdom

Thank you to everyone who left me a nice note. You guys made me laugh and helped me pick myself back up. I cried a bit, took a nice long nap (thank you, my love) and all was well again. Life is too short and I have too many people who I love and that love me back to shed any more tears over Mr. Sperm Donor (as Nate lovingly calls him). Pity Party's OVER!

Now I just have to decide how to go forward from here. I know I'm going to, eventually, try and contact other members of Doug's (yup! That's his name) family but I'm not sure who and how to do it.

I could try and contact one of his sisters (he has three) to find out if it would really traumatize his parents. I don't want to cause them pain and if his sisters agree that it would be too hard I will leave them alone. Then I could see if his sisters can discreetly gather a comprehensive health history for me.

But according to my grandma (aka GG) any grandparents would be happy to find out they have more grandchildren...unless there's something wrong with them. Oh, and she's going to help me with the genealogy too so I've got that covered.

So I could just straight up contact Guy and Sheila. I was thinking a letter might be the most unobtrusive or I could call or, considering I found their home address (thank you google), I could show up at their doorstep. (Don't worry. I'm not really going to show up at their door...but wouldn't it be funny? I could swing by Doug's house on my way...haha)

What would your next move be? I would love your insight!

And, because someone asked, here's the next room on your tour of the house.

Notice the BARE walls. Do you have a favorite place for children's artwork? I'm looking for something with a retro feel.

Even with the bare walls I love his room. It feels so bright and happy.

Thank you again for your kind words! You made my day better.

Rejection

2011-09-08T11:25:00.000-07:00

I got a call back from my biological father today and as much as you try to be prepared for this, I gotta say, the rejection really hurts. And beyond that he refused my two requests. I hoped that he could supply me with a medical history and my genealogy. His answer was no.

Oh and he also requested that I not try to get into contact with his parents because they are old and it would hurt them so much.

Fantastic. So if I do try and contact them that makes me a selfish bitch who doesn't care if she breaks the heart of her elderly, ailing grandparents. Wonderful.

I wish I had been better prepared. All I could say after he informed me that he does not want any sort of relationship AND he will not be getting me MY family history or MY medical information was, "oh. well, everyone has to do what is best for them."

Lame, right?

I'm going to have me a good cry now.

Traditions- Sunday Dinner at Nana Linda's

2011-09-04T21:04:00.000-07:00

Sunday dinner at Nana Linda's. It's one of those simple traditions that make our world go round.

I can't wait for this little cutie to be big enough to join in the fun. I have visions of all the fun Wy and Vi will have together at Sunday dinners. They already stare at one another as if they have secrets meant only for each other.

And for now Pres, Wy and Nana Linda make the best of the hours after dinner but before bedtime.

What would I do without you, Nana?
(Don't go to England!!! I think I speak for Sarah as well as myself when I say WE CAN'T SURVIVE WITHOUT YOU!!!)

Sumptuous September

B/F- cold cereal for kiddos and left over corn bread for me
L- "Mama, p'ease I have pasgetti (spaghetti) for lunch???"
D- Baked Chicken at nana's

Cause for Jubilation

2011-09-03T20:46:00.000-07:00

Driving home from GG's house I couldn't help but feel blissful. I feel so lucky to have these people in my life.

My beautiful cousin, Emily (in the black shirt), is getting married next winter to a nice young man named Keith. (The guy in the Y shirt.) Keith is doing rotations for medical school and is moving from Seattle to LA for his next phase. Emily flew up to Washington to accompany him on his way and, lucky for us, they decided to make a pit stop at GG's.

GG hosted the mini-reunion at her home just a few miles from my house. Uncle Mark and Vanessa, mom, Chris and the boys (I didn't manage to get a picture of y'all...I'm a jerk!) plus my cousin Ashley and her hubby Jesse joined the festivities.

Oh, and don't forget the cutest little boys on the planet. They were there too. It is really fun to watch them play with the same toys I grew up playing with at GG's. Wyatt was really into putting the fisher price little people into the different slots and watching for where they came out. I think he's going to be a puzzle lovin' kind of kid... we'll see.

As for Sumptuous September

B/F- English muffins
L- PB&J's for the kiddos and salad for me
D- Hawaiian Haystacks at GG's and Whole Wheat Chocolate Cake (recipe follows)

One-Bowl Chocolate Cake
adapted from better homes and gardens "one bowl chocolate cake" recipe

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Grease and lightly flour a 9x1-1/2-inch round or 8x8x2-inch baking pan.

2. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add milk, applesauce , and vanilla. Mix for two minutes. Add egg and beat 2 minutes more. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan.

Chocolate Almond Butter Frosting
adapted from Pioneer Woman's Best Chocolate Sheet Cake, EVER

directions

3/4 cup salted butter
3 heaping teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoons vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar (give or take)
1/2 cup chopped almonds

Chop almonds finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla. Add powdered sugar a cup at a time until frosting reaches desired consistency. Add the almonds, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

Enjoy.

A mechanic and a dare devil

2011-09-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

Preston is a daddy's boy ALL THE WAY. It's fun to see his interpretation of what dad's doing. Nate had to do some work on big red (our 1999 Chevy Cavalier) and Pres wanted to help. After a while of watching Pres ran through the house and out into the backyard. When I went to check on him he was "fixing" his car (my stroller tipped back on the handle bar).

It is so fun to watch his blossoming imagination.

And I fear Wy is going to be a little daredevil. He wants to climb everything. If he sees a step stool, a ladder, stairs, boxes, cushions, baskets...or anything else that can give him a leg up he's on top of it. His current favorite things to climb on are the tricycle with a step in the back, the kitchen step stool and the play boat with a seat shaped like a step.

It's fun to see him discover new things but not so great when he is still feeling out the balancing thing.

Changing paces a bit...

Sumptuous September is going well so far. I hardly miss fast food at all. We have had some delicious meals thus far..
September 1
B/F- French Toast
L- Egg burritos
D- Breakfast burritos and homemade peach ice cream (recipe to come later)

September 2
B/F- Whole Wheat Pancakes with berry sauce (recipe follows)
iL- PB&J's
D- Eggplant Parmesan (with eggplant from the garden), tomato, cucumber and basil feta salad and more fresh peaches

(mostly) Whole Wheat Pancakes
(adapted from my mom-in-law's recipe)
After many tweaks and a few flop batches this seems to be my favorite adaptation.

2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup white flour
4 tablespoons sugar
1.5 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar
1 egg

1. Heat griddle or frying pan over medium heat.

2. In a medium sized bowl sift dry ingredients.

3. Add milk, lemon juice and egg and mix well.

4. With ladle or large spoon (depending on desired pancake size) pour batter onto greased griddle or frying pan. When batter begins to bubble flip pancake. Check after another minute or two. Pancake is done when it is brown on both sides.

Berry Sauce

2 cups frozen berry mix (I like Costco's berry mix with blueberries, blackberries, Marion berries and raspberries)
2-3 tablespoons water
4 tablespoons sugar

Dump all ingredients into a small sauce pan. Bring to boil.

Serve hot over pancakes.

Sumptuous September

2011-09-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

HEEEEEEEELO September! If you haven't heard autumn is my most favorite time of year and September just happens to be the month that ushers it in! YeeHaw! And while it still feels very much like summer here I am excited for cooler nights, high school football games, blue jeans (more specifically NATHAN in blue jeans, mmmmmm...), hot cider, Halloween (still deciding on costumes for the boys!), Thanksgiving, sweaters, pumpkins... boy am I excited.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Right now I am trying *trying* to savor these last bits of summer. We have had a pretty great summer with lots of time out of doors, loads of fresh fruit from our garden as well as friends and family's gardens, swimming, and oodles of lounging in the yard.

Do my kids ever wear clothes???

Also, I wanted to let you know that for the WHOLE MONTH of September I will not be eating out.

While this may not seem news worthy at your house at ours it's a big deal. Stay tuned (or run for your life so you don't DIE of boredom)for a play by play of our ~~struggle, insanity, stupidity,~~ adventure !

Pandora

2011-08-30T12:31:00.000-07:00

Rockin' it LIVE...

From the Taylor's family room...

Wy-wy

and Preston Taylor

rockin' to the tunes of mama's Jack Johnson "station" on Pandora radio.

Tune in tomorrow for an encore cause we may have to make this a daily thing!

More salad, please.

2011-08-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

After numerous helpings of cereal (well after breakfast time) Preston was still requesting more. I've decided to offer vegetables to see if he's actually still hungry of if he's just munching. So when he asked for more cereal I offered carrots. Pres declined and said he wanted something else. I offered him salad and, to my surprise, he said yes.

I put a few leaves and let him pick out a dressing. I figured it would be a one bite snack.

But, much to my surprise, he finished his first...

and requested,
"p'ease I have more salad, mama?"

Uh, I'm going with yes!

Look Who's Walkin'

2011-08-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

Look who's walkin'

Come to mama.

Coming...

YOU MADE IT!

And back again!?!

Well, almost!

A few days ago Wyatt looked at me, looked at couch across the room, looked back at me and took off. He made it six steps before he lost his balance. I was screaming and clapping and thoroughly confused Preston. ("Why are you clapping, mama???")

Wy has dabbled here and there with the walking since his six step day but today is the first day that makes me believe he is wanting to make the switch. Today he took twelve steps in a row, he is standing without needing something to pull himself up with and he is practicing walking every chance he gets.

What a sweet boy.

(yummy)

And Pres decided he finally wants to ride his "big boy bike." Linda found it on craigslist a while back but Pres wasn't quite ready to give up his trike until recently.

He is very excited to take his bike "walkin" next time we go!

(don't worry. he didn't wet his pants he was just running through the sprinklers. phew!)

And a random picture of a fully loaded Hungarian wax pepper plant. Now if I only knew what to do with a Hungarian wax pepper we would be set!

Insomina, Raising Cain and Waldorf Schools

2011-08-23T23:25:00.000-07:00

I blame this entire post on PBS. Back in 2006 I watched a documentary called "Raising Cain" that forever changed how I looked at raising boys. Who knew that two years later (almost exactly) I would have a little boy and two and a half years after that I would have another. I am so grateful that I happened upon the show an decided to stick through the whole thing. (Other than the insomnia it's causing tonight.)

I had been laying in bed an hour trying to will myself to sleep but, alas, it has still escaped me. School, or rather, preschool is on my brain. It seems like it should be so simple but now, with decisions before me, It's not. I feel as if we stand at a cross roads and the path we choose will forever impact my son(s).

What I am agonizing over, at this very moment, is what kind of education I want Preston to have. I can't decided if I want Preston to do regular public school or if we want to take the Waldorf route.

While I had a very happy, productive experience in public education, "Raising Cain" brought to light a whole slew of concerns when it comes to public education and boys. I'm not saying Waldorf is the answer but it does seem to fill some of the voids that I am concerned about.

Why Waldorf, you ask? While kindergarten in pubic schools revolves around a structured learning the Waldorf method focuses on imagination, games, story telling, exploring nature and crafts. I love that Waldorf celebrates childhood and eases children from the home into school. I love that if focuses on the seasons, the earth, working with your hands and creating beauty.

image via apartment thearapy

In a lot of ways it seems like a no brain-er to go this route but then I do have a few concerns about Waldorf as well.

First and foremost it's unknown. I never went to a Waldorf school and I don't really know what it's like.
Will they end up educationally behind there public school counterparts? You can find all kinds of statics stating the contrary but you know what they say about statistics...
It seems to be a very all-or-nothing kind of community. a) They have strong feelings and "rules" about technology and that worries me a bit. I do limit the amount of time Preston watches movies but we do watch them daily. This seems to be a big no-no for Waldorf. b) Toys. From everything I've read and seen Waldorf toys are very specific. Wooden, simple and somewhat nondescript. I appreciate the concept of leaving much to the imagination but I'm not sure I am ready to give up all other kinds of toys.

photos via bellalunatoys

So there you have it. My totally random, probably entirely uninteresting post. I am mostly writing this for myself so maybe my mind will stop whirling long enough for me to get to sleep. Maybe I'll read it in the morning and delete it but then again, maybe not..

Scott's Flat Lake

2011-08-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

We took the boys camping last week. Nate took a couple of days off work, we loaded up the car and headed for the mountains. I have never been to Scott's Flat Lake but I think it may be a new favorite place to go. It is just past Nevada City (why have I never been to Nevada City either???) and down a bit by a lake.

We had loads of fun and were SO HAPPY to be spending some quality time with my in-laws. We were especially grateful that Nate's brother and his wife (Stephen and Melinda) and their son, James, made the trek out for a last minute family gathering.
(We really missed you Megan, Karl, Camryn, Tamsin and Colin!)

I have been really excited to take my boys camping. I grew up camping and I am hoping they have the same love of the outdoors that I have.

But I'm not going to lie. Camping with an almost-one-year-old who is almost walking is TOUGH! I'm excited to try again when he is walking well and is, hopefully, not putting EVERYTHING in his mouth.

Let's just say I there was a lot of mouth-scooping on this trip.
I think Wyatt is going to have an immune system of steel!

Also on the trip were Sarah and Michael and their beautiful (and oh so smiley!) little Violet.

Violet loves here daddy and Michael is a great dad!

Steve and James around the campfire.

Wyatt was constantly trying to free himself from our laps but, try as he may, he could not escape the grasp of the dadders.
(poor Wy-man)

Another fun memory I want to recreate for my kiddos were the "fun foods" we got to have when we camped. Juice boxes, pop tarts, bear claws and those little mini individually packed cereals.

Silly, I know, but it made me so happy to see my kids enjoying the once-in-a-blue-moon camp treats I devoured as a kid.

It's the small things you remember after all the years.

Look at Wyatt trying desperately to get the juice.

Nana getting some Wy-Wy love.

I really like my brother-in-law, Michael. His goal for this trip was to catch a fish and eat it and while he may not win any awards for the size of his fish he can check his goal off!

Other things learned from the trip:

One night was PLENTY for a first trip.
Going up early in the morning and going home late made it seem like we were there a lot longer. (In a good way.)
Bring more fruit and veggies.
Apply more bug spray.
Camping not to far from where you live is AWESOME!

I look totally rad sans make-up whilst nursing a baby.

Ocho

2011-08-15T10:32:00.001-07:00

Eight years and we've had a pretty good run if you ask me.

Thanksgiving 2004
(we were so skinny!)

Second anniversary
(taken at Jeff's house in Utah)

At Dave Carey's wedding reception 2008
(Pres looks so happy)

6th anniversary
(first one after we had Pres)

The moment after Wyatt was born
(courtesy of susanneashby.com)

Our happy little family.
(another from Susanne Ashby)

I love you, Nathan Taylor, to infinity and beyond.

Take Me Away, Please

2011-08-09T16:01:00.000-07:00

Live the Language- Barcelona (my favorite)

(This one's for you Megan...swoon!)

Live the Language- Paris

Big Pictures

2011-08-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

(One of the best (and most certainly the prettiest) desserts I've EVER made. If you're interested in the recipe let me know and I'll post it. It was TO DIE FOR!)
It's pretty simple to get bigger blog pictures and, although it takes an extra step, it is faster than uploading your pictures directly to blogger.

Create a photobucket or flickr account. (I personally prefer photobucket for this purpose.)
Upload your pictures to your new account and notice that each image has a drop-down menu of options to choose from. You want the "direct link" option for this purpose.
Start a new post.
Click the usual icon used to upload pictures.
Instead of "adding image from computer" go to "add image from the web."
Now go back to photobucket (or flickr) and click on "direct link" to copy the code.
Return to the blogger photo window and insert code into "URL" slot.
Click "add more images" if you are going to add more images and repeat the process.

And there you have it. Bigger blogger pictures!

SURPRISE Visit!

2011-08-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

My sister, Cynthia, lives up in Washington we don't see much of her these days. She is a manager of a Radio Shack and has a hard time getting time off and I HATE IT! Seeing your sister only once a year is UNACCEPTABLE! She was supposed to come for a spell in September but it turns out that she will be moving and a trip down south is just not going to work out so, because she had a few days off, she decided to come see me!

Okay, she really came to see mom but lucky for me I live close to mom so I got to see her too. The fun part was it was a surprise. Mom was in Tahoe until Sunday and C got in Sunday afternoon so we swept up to mom's house for a surprise attack.

Let's just say we got mom good!

Unlucky for us the trip was really just a whirlwind trip so C was back off Washington this afternoon so we decided to snap a few pics while we had the chance.

My boys love aunt Cynthia (I'm sure it has nothing to do with the purchase of a a motorcycle shirt with attached transformer, right C???)

And, because the camera was out, I had to snap a few of daddy and Wy-Wy.

Red-Handed

2011-07-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

"NATE!!!" I hollered down the hall this morning.
"I need your help." I followed up.

When Nate made it to the family room he saw what I found when I got out of bed:

"Oh. Looks like you were caught red-handed," Nate said.
"They're not red, they're CHOCOLATE," Pres retorted.

I think he was right.

I guess that's what I get for leaving the Nutella out on the couch last night.

My little rascal.

PS I will do a blog soon about how to make your blog pictures bigger, Lindsay. It's super fast and easy and I would do it tonight but I'm too tired and sore from my run!

Love-Hate

2011-07-22T21:25:00.000-07:00

Becca and Preston have a serious love-hate relationship. Jess and the girls were at Jessica's mother in-laws for a couple of days and Pres thought he was going to die. He must have asked me a million times where his cousins were and when were the coming back.

Then, the moment we are in the same room with them he is hassling Becca again. What a stinker! He sure does like to push buttons (not that that is a surprise). But while they sometimes have a hard time getting along they also LOVE playing together. Especially outside.
r
For the hour and a half before bedtime these kiddos played "lions." They had watched "The Lion King" earlier in the day and apparently the only scene they remembered was the fight scene.

Thank goodness Becca is a rough-and-tumble kind of girl!

And Wy-wy?

This kid cannot get enough of "walking." He loves pushing anything and everything he can get his hands on.

He is go-go-go all day long!
This mama is more than a little exhausted at the end of the day.

But they are so worth it!

Thank you, summer

2011-07-18T21:02:00.000-07:00

I just realized, at this very moment, that I am the lamest daughter EVER. I didn't take a single picture from mom's birthday lunch today. Perhaps it was due to the screeching children (okay just one child in particular) that caused my lapse in judgment. Sorry about that mom! I REALLY DO LOVE YOU and want to publicly wish you a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I also want to do a shout-out to summer. Thank you so much for giving us perfect playing out of doors weather. Thank you for easing our transition from house of two children to home of four!

Thank you summer for being here for us just when we need you most!

All About

2011-07-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

I think all summer days should be like today. While I am EXHAUSTED from having a house full of kiddos (I don't know how you people do it with four kids of your own???) I feel like it was a summer day lived to the fullest.

Driving cars on the patio.

Raced through the sprinklers to the fence and back again.

Wished we could race with the other cousins. (Most of his outdoor time was spent in the nude today. Naked baby buns are WAY TOO CUTE!)

It's going to be a crazy six months but I think it's going to all be worth it!

P.S. These are for Megan.

My hair is looking awesome thanks to those hair products you recommended!

And here's the first picture of our house (and the area I'm most excited about.)

Sweet Family

2011-07-13T21:35:00.000-07:00

We finally got the internet (hooray!) and I have lots to catch up on but so little time so I'm going to just show you the adorable pictures I took of Jessica's family last night. Aaron is off to Afghanistan on Saturday so I wanted to be sure to get some cute family pictures before he left.

And after nana Lori took the kiddos out for some bubble fun.

The most handsome boys in the world!

Thank you GG for having us all over for swimming and dinner. It was a lot of fun!

Leavin'

2011-06-14T20:53:00.000-07:00

I'm heading out tomorrow morning early. Really early. Like I should already be in bed earlier. I taking a trip to meet up with some of my bio family and to take my baby to the see the sea for the first time. It's been far too long since I have walked on a beach! I hope you don't miss us too much and hopefully I have millions of fun pictures to share when I get back.

Have a good week!

Walker Ideas???

2011-06-11T20:26:00.000-07:00

Looks like we need a walker toy.

'cause this guy is using our storage tub to get around.
(Anyone have a recommendation?)

You'd think he was proud of himself or something.

And look who will smile for pictures again. I hope it lasts! (I wish his eyes were in focus.)

Listening

2011-06-10T20:18:00.001-07:00

The house is quiet. Not just the normal post-bedtime quiet but a "no electronics going except my laptop's fan" quiet. Usually I listen to music or have the television on in the background when I blog but tonight it didn't seem fitting.

I always feel this way in the first few weeks of really warm spring/summer weather. I throw open the windows, turn off the t.v. and listen to the sounds outside my home. I can hear the neighbor kids bouncing a basketball, the clock ticking on the wall and the distant sound of the traffic on the interstate. Sometimes I even pretend that the whoosing of the traffic are waves crashing on the shore just over the dunes.
I love this time of year. I love the breeze blowing in from my window. I love that I just lost the last bit of light outside and it is after 9:00 pm . I love the feeling of renewed life that comes with summer. Summer makes me feel like I can do anything. It makes me want to do everything.
Summer makes me want to savor life all that much more because I know how fleeting it is. Summer is here again and that means another year has past. Wyatt's first birthday is in three months. How is that possible? Didn't he just arrive?

And Preston. He really dosen't look like a toddler anymore.

This was him last summer:

And this morning.

He is most certainly a little boy.

At least Darla reamains unchanged. Still a stinker, as always.

So that's it. I'm going to shut off the computer, go and sit outside for a bit and take it in.

Goodbye Juneuary!

2011-06-09T20:10:00.002-07:00

Hello, June! I was getting a little worried that you were going to pass us up. We have had a very strange spring here in northern California. Usually we are well into our 90 degree weather by the time we June but this year we had *wait for it* SNOW in the Sierras in June. Madness I tell you. The funny thing is having such a cool wet spring has turned us into a bunch of sissies. Everyone is complaining about how hot it has been the past two days. 85 degrees is not hot. Maybe that's hot for some places but that is NOT hot for here.
Lucky for me I like it hot. Especially since I have two busy boys who LOVE to be OUTSIDE. Who am I kidding? I LOVE to be outside. And you know what makes it even better? Our new backyard. A shaded patio, lots of lawn, a paved walkway for Pres to tricycle about and we are set for summer.
No, we are not moved in yet but the paint is up, the floors are washed, the refrigerator is in (as of about an hour ago) and we are mostly ready to go. Nate heads back to work tomorrow so the processes will be stalled from now until Tuesday but I'm alright with that. Just don't expect to find me hanging around this house if you want to come visit. No sirree. We will be lounging on the back porch with our squirt bottles or perhaps running around the park behind the house. THAT'S where you will find this gang!

I missed it.

2011-06-06T21:32:00.000-07:00

"Guess what Wyatt just did?" asked Colin when I walked in the door. Linda was kind enough to watch the boys while I made a quick run to an undisclosed store for part of Nate's fathers day present. Linda was on the telephone so Colin was holding my wee one.
"What?" I asked a little confused. "What milestone stone was he even working on?" I thought wracking my brain.
"He just crawled up the stairs!" Colin announced.
Once Linda extricated herself from her phone call she recounted the look of accomplishment and glee that crossed Wyatt's face as he accomplished the feat for the first time. And you want to hear something strange? I had a terrible pang in my heart when I heard the news. I missed it. Even thinking about it now makes me feel a bit weepy. I will never get that moment with my baby back. It's silly, I know but it's the truth.
It is making me feel so very lucky to be able to stay home every day with my little guys.
I want to remember this moment so the next time I am wishing I were a working mama (what stay at home mom does not, at times, fantasize about escaping???) I will be thankful that I rarely miss any of my kids milestones no matter how big or small.

On a completely unrelated note:
I made some sparkly shoes last night. Correction. I made "a" (singular) sparkly shoe last night. I wanted to try it out on one shoe first. I got some cheap clearance shoes at Target a couple of weeks ago and wanted to make them purple sparkly but never made it to the craft store. Luckily I remembered to pick up the glue and sparkles during my latest trip. What do you think?

Here is a before picture:

And we did a little painting as well today:

I am having so much fun with Preston lately. He loves painting and coloring and playing pretend. He talks insistently about everything. He loves explaining his elaborate imaginary scenarios. He really is a hoot. I am trying to be more "present" for all of these mommy moments. It's hard when you are the only adult around for so much of the time but really Preston is getting to the age where I do have someone to talk to. I love that I am the one who knows what he is saying. I love that I know "his language" and that he is mine!

Absorbing Artwork

2011-06-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

I love Family Fun! They have the best boredom busters for all age kiddos. Today we tried out one of the crafts called "absorbing artwork."

Didn't it turn out adorable?

Here's another random project we have been working on for the past few days. I cut up a brown paper bag and drew some roads on. After that we have been slowly adding our town. I wish I had a roll of butcher paper so we could just keep it going on and on! Wouldn't that be so fun?

My little troublemaker in action!

This face...so beautiful! I mean handsome. (hehe)

Spring/Summer Rain Day

2011-06-04T21:12:00.000-07:00

We had another rain day today. It's the strangest thing but we made the best of it by building couch forts, making play dough and getting daddy's father's day present together.

Superman/Batman in his "race car." Preston's favorite game lately involves pushing all of the cushions around the couch into a cave so it can be a time machine, a hideout, or a house. (The race car is a new one.) If you stop by I can almost guarantee that their will be couch cushions on the floor.

We made some play dough using the recipe from Irresistible Ideas (I needed a lot more flour then it called for) and had a lot of fun. I need to get some more cookie cutters to make it even more fun.

I'm excited to try more of the ideas I have been "pinning" on my Pinterest board "I'm Bored."

And we ate the rest of the leftover spaghetti.

While we were at the craft store I picked up some puff paint. Someone told me a while back that they put puff paint on the bottom of their baby's socks to make them nonslip. I will let you know if it works.

Wy is pulling himself up on EVERYTHING and crawling/scooting every which way. It's so fun but crazy and he is always bonking his head because his socks are too slippery. If the weather would warm up I wouldn't have to put him in socks but apparently we are not going to have summer...

Date Night

2011-06-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

(hot)
It's not that often that we get to go out, especially with friends but the other night we got to go on a triple date with some friends from high school. So fun!

My boys are the cutest!

Me and P before the date.

A huge THANK YOU to Colin and Jeff for babysitting at the last minute.

It's offical!

2011-06-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

The house is OURS!
The more I am there the more I LOVE it.
Oh, and the neighbors are AWESOME!
Can't wait to move in but it'll have to wait until next week. BOO!

And we're back!

2011-06-03T20:08:00.000-07:00

And we're back! My charger came in and BOY AM I HAPPY. Who knew you could miss a camera so much?

Wyatt had spaghetti for the first time today. He LOVED it.

Gosh, I love this kid!

Summer of the Monkeys

2011-05-28T21:09:00.000-07:00

I am SUPER excited to tell you that it looks like my sister, Jessica, and her two girls will be staying with us for the next few months. Her hubby is deploying to Afghanistan and she needed a place to stay so HOORAY FOR US she is going to stay with us. We will have to share them with my mom and her mother in-law, of course, but we are going to be home base. Preston is SO EXCITED!

Our little monkeys are going to have a BLAST in our new HUGE backyard!

And I'm happy I will have more people to cook for. It's not real exhilarating to make dinner for yourself and a three year old.

Pros to having your sister and her kids living with you:

Built in playmates!
Quick grocery shopping trips while the other person watches the babies.
A walking partner!
Fun bath times.
Kiddo movie nights.
Cooking for 5 instead of 2.
Another adult to talk to on a regular basis.

Possible Cons:
We might kill each other. (But we will do it with love, right Jess???)

So Melinda

2011-05-23T14:24:00.000-07:00

A while back my sister in-law Melinda mentioned that you can always find clearanced girls dresses but rarely do they clearance boys dress clothes. Well, apparently she doesn't frequent Target the way I do. (You mean most people don't go to Target two or three times a week just to check the clearance aisles???)

On Saturday I went to one Target and they had boys Easter clothes for 50% off. Each outfit was $12. Not bad but not that good either. I thought they might go down further so I decided to bide my time. Lucky for Melinda I DO frequent Target so very often. I went to "MY" other Target today (with my equally strange clearance hunter friend) and the outfits were 75% off. Now that's what I'm talking about!
Option 1
3T long sleeve striped shirt with long pants and white vest (this one was Nate's favorite):

Sorry for the strange smudge in the corner of all the pictures. I didn't realize they were there until I uploaded them.

Option2
2T long sleeve white shirt and long dark blue pants with striped vest:

Option3
3T long sleeve blue shirt and long tan pants with argyle vest:

Option 4
3T short sleeve white polo shirt, plaid shorts and green vest with embroidered dog:

That's more like it!

Which is your favorite?

Good News on the Home Front

2011-05-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

I was on death's doorstep yesterday. Okay, I wasn't really on death's doorstep but I did spend a good portion of my day laying on the floor alternating between freezing and burning up. It was awesome. The good thing about being sick is you really do appreciate being able to stand without toppling over, wash the enormous mound of dishes in the sink (and surrounding counter) and properly tend your wee ones.

I've been shirking my blogging duties lately much to my grandma's chagrin so I'm going to try to do better. A large part of the problem has been my lack of use of my d7000. I somehow lost my battery charger (if you've seen my house it should come as no surprise) and I find my pictures with my old panasonic so uninspiring I have a hard time even taking pictures. Luckily Nate recently ordered me a new charger (HOORAY!) AND starting next week I have a new canvas to show off! Looks like the bank got their act together and we should be signing papers on our "new" house Tuesday. HIP HIP HOORAY!

I am excited to show you our progress as we check things off our to-do list. We sneaked into the house Friday and gave the floors a good scrub down so now I can bring toys over and let the boys play while we work on every thing else.

Next up? Washing the walls then painting (paint has been purchased).

Seemed like a good idea at the time.

2011-05-16T21:19:00.000-07:00

I am bored with my hair. I was starting to get the itch to do something drastic in the scissors department. I decided that some highlights might curb the craving. Unfortunately I DID NOT want to pay $100 or more on my hair soooooooo

whilst at Walmart today I bought a box. My friend offered to help me do it but she couldn't do it until tomorrow. If I waited until tomorrow I knew Nate would talk me out of it and tell me to go to a salon.

(Pure terror yet I persevered.)

(channeling the aliens from Mars)

(So THAT'S why they tell you to to wear gloves {too bad my box was missing the gloves})

And the finished product. They are a bit blonder then I wanted so I am going to sleep on the color and decide tomorrow if I should get some toner.

One size fits all.

2011-05-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

"Look mama! They fit!"

-Preston wearing Wyatt's pants.

Obver touched me

2011-05-09T11:18:00.000-07:00

"I don't wike when Obver touch me," Preston said.
At that moment my mind was buzzing. I was no longer groggy from waking in the middle of the night to my eldest child's cries. It is that line that every parent dreads above almost all else.
"Who's Obver?" I asked in my best "I'm trying not to panic" voice. "And when did they touch you?"
"Wight dare," he said pointing to his bed.
Who had been in his room? When did this happen? How did it happen? And who the heck was Obver? My mind was racing.
"Who is Obver?" I asked again.
"Wight DARE," he said again in frustration whilst pointing at his bed.
In an attempted to get the rest of the details I asked, "Just tell me what happened, okay sweetie?"
"I don't like when OBVER TOUCHES ME," Preston says touching the drool spot on his bed and it dawns on me:

Obver = Slobber

When I first arrived in his room he was crying. I thought maybe he had wet his bed but he had only drooled on it and the wet spot woke him up. That's when I chuckled and said something along the lines of, "Did you slobber in your bed?" Apparently Preston thought slobber was something to be afraid of.
After the sheets were changed, as well as the pillow case (for good measure) all went back to sleep. Or at least attempted to. My adrenaline was still pumping so it was a while before I could actually sleep again.

Good times. Good times.

Something Up My Sleeve.

2011-05-04T20:29:00.000-07:00

First off, the winner of the Hair Biscuit is Comment #5= Megan Taylor! Congratulations Megan. It will be on its way to your house asap.

Second, we have a little project up our sleeves here at the Taylor house. I'm excited about it, to say the least.

And thirdly I'm loving the look of Dutch braids finished off with a four strand braid.

Silly Me

2011-05-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

I got one of those silly netted feeding doohickeys. For our first go we tried out strawberries.

It works surprisingly well. Considering how much he enjoys sucking on towels in the bath tub it shouldn't have come as a surprise.

Woops! Wrong end.

He bonked his head right before I gave him the strawberry so he was mad off and on. He would be fine then remember he was mad and fuss.

2011-04-29T21:56:00.000-07:00

I know I promised a lenghtly review of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" but I got MAJORLY distracted by this picture:

from here
And have since spent an hour (or so) on youtube attempting various braids. These were my favorite tutorials. here here here

But seriously, isn't that the best braid ever? I am always on the hunt for good half-up styles that don't make me look bald but do get the hair out of my eyes. PLUS it even makes my seriously dirty hair look shiny...not nasty!

So my hasty report of the book is this: READ IT! Right now. Go online and purchase it. Or contact your library and reserve it. Or call that friend who offered to lend it to you. It is worth your time. The subject matter is disturbing, to say the least, but the story is perfectly plotted with titillating twists and turns that will keep you up well past your bedtime.

And really quickly I want to record that Wyatt figured out how to go from army crawl position to a sitting position today!

Almost done

2011-04-28T21:07:00.000-07:00

I have a few more chapters in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and let me just say it is INTENSE. I will have a full review (sans spoilers unless otherwise noted) tomorrow.

Before I head off to bed let me tell you a trick I just learned. I'm not exactly sure where I heard about this but I do believe it had something to do with a conversation I had with Nathan regarding the word turgid. I had only heard it used in reference to...well...you know but Nate has since enlightened me...and I digress
So if you have some herbs that are looking a little wobbly from, say, accidentally leaving them out all night just cut the ends off and put them in a cup of water. In the past I would have just thrown them out but take a look:

I'd say this cilantro looks, for the most part, turgid...

I like it sweet AND salty

2011-04-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

image

Unlike so many people I hear talking on the subject I know EXACTLY why I haven't lost those last 10 pounds. It has something to do with me getting three scoops instead of one tonight at Baskin Robins (come on, it was 31 cent night) and the second rather large helping of dinner had I had. It has to do with the Nerds, chocolates, toasted coconut marshmallows and jellybeans stashed in my cupboard. And quite possibly it has to do with my addiction to stopping off for fast food most days of the week.

That and I don't workout much.

After Preston I was diligent. I wouldn't say I was obsessive but conscientious. And before Preston, well I was an angel. I was a cardiologists dream. I worked out. I ate healthy. I was at the low end of my healthy weight range but not under. I had no problem having half a scoop of ice cream to satisfy that sweet craving. I relished the fact that I ate fat free refried beans and rice with salsa for lunch and dinner and NEVER felt deprived.

At that time I am sure I would have agreed with the saying that "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." Today I'm not so sure. I really, really like to indulge...and often. Partly I am sure it has to do with the fact that I spend my days mostly alone with a crazy three year old and an increasingly needy 7 month old. (You mean you want to do more than nurse all day, Wy-man?) Partly it's because I'm not "there." For me it's a lot easier to maintain skinny than "get" skinny.

So do you have any words of wisdom? Any good motivation to get you out the door running, to put down that cookie and to cook dinner instead of grabbing something "real quick" from, say, Taco Bell?

Sorry for the brain dump.

Good night and don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY. I have a head cold (thanks a lot, Preston!) and am feeling COMPELLED to get back to my book.

He's even cute when he gets me sick. I CANNOT resist Bugga kisses.

Now THAT'S what I call a health food!

2011-04-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

My cousin, Christy, gave me a recipe for healthy breakfast/snack bars that I finally had all of the ingredients for today. They are delicious and Preston keeps asking for more "treats." It's always nice to have a "healthy" snack your kid cannot get enough of.
(Side note: blackberries were on sale at a new market close to my house. 1 pkg for $.50!!!)

This is modified from a recipe called "Playgroup Granola Bars" on allrecipes.com
(I copied and pasted this whole thing from my email so I haven't actually tried all of her suggestions)

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 Tbl ground cinnamon

1 cup wheat flour

3/4 cup raisins (I use craisins)

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup honey

1 egg beaten

1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use coconut or olive but coconut is yummier)

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup applesauce or canned pumpkin

1/4 cup flax meal

1 cup Choc Chips (more or less depending on what u like) I haven't tried carob chips but I bet they'd be good!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Generously grease a 9x13 baking pan ( I always double the recipe so obviously I do 2 pans but I bake them at the same time)

2. In a large bowl, mix together all dry ingredients (except the sugar) then make a well in center of ingredients. In a separate bowl mix all wet ingredients and sugar. Pour wet ingredients into well of dry ingredients and mix it with a spoon and or hands (this is when my girls love helping!) Pat evenly into pan

3. Bake for 30 to 35 min (I usually do about 20 to 25 u just have to see what works and we like them soft instead of crunchy) You will see the edges start to pull away from the sides-usually. Cut bars, if u bake them longer cut them while they r warm or else they will be too hard to cut when they cool.

Other Options to try:

the cool thing about this recipe is that u can be creative as long as u stick to the basic measurements of wet verses dry and keep the egg and salt and flour, etc.

freeze dried strawberries instead of raisins

dehydrated apples, bananas, etc pretty much any dried fruit would be good

peanut butter

doing more pumpkin and spices to make a more "fallish flavor"

I have also done grated
which was good and my kids didn't know or care. I am also going to try using the pulp from when we make carrot juice.

I even gave W-Wy a little smidgen...so he wouldn't feel left out.

I started "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" for the second time. The first time was back in January while we were in Utah the first time. Aunt Tracy said it was very good but I had a hard time getting into it and subsequently I forgot to take it with me. This time my friend, Celest, lent it to me for the drive to Utah (we ended up flying) and I am captivated. It started a bit slow but now I can hardly put it down. Last night I stayed up WAY too late playing the "just one more chapter" game.
(And it has LOOOONG chapters.)
I have been warned that it has a couple of very disturbing scenes but I have not reached them yet. I will keep you posted on how I like it.

And don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY! I will ship it to anyone in the U.S.A.

Giveaway (if you can get through all of the pictures)

2011-04-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

(Pres and Nate on the plane ride home.)
We are back. Did I tell you we were gone??? I guess not. We went on a whirlwind trip to Utah to meet my half siblings. I gotta say it's a strange thing to sit across the table from a stranger and see a little bit of yourself in them!

(I look a little bit constipated in this picture due to the sun being in my eyes but it's the only one with everyone's eyes open.)
Emily is the blond (doesn't she look like Rapunzel in the Disney movie "Tangled?") and Natalie (the taller, skinnier, prettier version of me) is the dark haired one.

Nathaniel (in the dark shirt) graduated from BYU this last week so the whole family went to Utah to support him. Janet was nice enough to invite our little family to come and meet everyone. Adam is in green (he has an adorable son named Norrin who, I realized when I got home, I never got any pictures of!?!) and Gavin is in plaid.

Wyatt cut THREE (yes you heard me, 3) teeth while we were in Utah. Let's just say I didn't get a whole lot of sleep!!! Oh, and that's why in every picture of Emily holding him he is chewing on, or trying to chew on something.

Denton is Janet's husband. I just want to say that he is one of the nicest, funniest people I have met. If you were going to pick someone for your birth mother to marry I don't think you could have found a better person.

Pres made friends with Adam's girlfriend's daughter, Chloe. Isn't she a doll? They ran and ran and ran for probably an hour. This was the "break" they took before running off to "race" again. So cute!

Brittany (with dark hair) is Adam's girlfriend and Norrin and Chloe's mama, Adam, Emily and Wy.

I think this is my favorite picture from the trip.

I love his teeth (except when he's nursing {OUCH!!!})

Preston was happy the whole flight home thanks to Janet's farewell gift of two planes. He "flew" them all the way home!

W-Wy was ready be done by the end of the flight. Cutting three teeth is HARD work.

And now we are back to our regularly scheduled programing. It's funny how you can have these life changing experiences then come home and everything else in your world is going on as usual.

Of course I couldn't find my camera to take pictures of Preston's Easter egg hunt at my mom's Saturday...oh and my camcorder's battery was dead so the only pictures I have are on my cell phone. Oh well. It was a lovely day spent with mom, Chris, GG, Jim, uncle Mark, Vanessa and Ian. We really missed Nathan, first and foremost, Kevin and Josh. (Wish you could have come, guys!)

Easter Sunday was low key seeing that Pres woke up with a runny nose. Traveling is hard on the little guys.

But he did love his basket.

Wyatt loved "eating" Preston's book.
He is still trying to cut that fourth tooth!

In other interesting news:

A month or so ago I read about this product in "Fitness Magazine."

It had a positive review by whoever wrote the tidbit and I thought it looked really interesting (solid shampoo, who would have thought???) but every time I went to Target (which is pretty often) I forgot to look for it. Either that or one of my kiddies was trying to get us kicked out of the store so we never made it down that aisle. Either way I never got around to trying it out and I am super glad I didn't because...

...look what I found on super clearance today!!!

It even comes with this nifty shower tin. The best part, for me, is that it smells like Hawaii!

The best for you would be...

That I found a second one hiding behind some other odds and ends. AKA one of you is going to receive a One Hair Biscuit!!!

Yes you heard me right. I'm giving the other one away. I know, I am a big spender but you all are worth it. Just leave a comment on why you would love to try it. If you want an extra chances to win you can write a blog post about this giveaway and/or follow my blog.

The last day of the giveaway is Monday, May 2.

Phew. Blogging on the laptop is a lot more work than I thought it would be. I need a mouse desperately. (hint hint Nate)

80's Movies...

2011-04-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

"Say Anything"

Molly Ringwald was on the CBS morning show this morning. I only caught a moment but she was talking about how when she turned 40 (a few years ago) everyone freaked. "Molly Ringwald can't turn 40." And really it does seem weird. She is the quintessential 80's gal.

"Sixteen Candles"
"The Breakfast Club"
"Pretty in Pink"

And now I have a real hankering for a 80's movie marathon.

What would be on your 80's movie marathon list?

My Kind of Gal!

2011-04-04T16:11:00.000-07:00

I happened upon this site (Ana-white.com) (via the lettered cottage) today and am decidedly in love!
There are tons of gorgeous projects and look actually doable.

View at your own risk!
(Your "To Do" list may grow-and-grow)

Farmhouse Table and Bench

Farmhouse Headboard Plans

Washer and Dryer Pedestals

Welcome Home...

2011-04-01T19:14:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't heard it looks like we are buying a house!
It's all so exciting. If all goes well we will close April 21!
(Anyone want to come help me give this place SERIOUS scrub down???)

It's a 4 bedroom 2 bathroom 1736 sq/ft ranch style home on .28 acres.

Travertine floors. (But don't get jealous. They botched the job so someday it will have to be redone.)

Hallway.

View into the master.

Master bedroom.

The view near the back corner of the yard.

Oh, and did I mention it backs up to a SPECTACULAR park???? That might be one of the best parts. Just ask the kiddo:

That's all folks!

Try, try again.

2011-03-16T22:37:00.000-07:00

I'm giving my tomato seeds one more go. After what Preston did to the last batch I wasn't sure if I wanted to do seeds again but here I am giving it one more go. I am really hoping that the lid will at least delay his destruction long enough for me to swoop in and save these babies.

I addition to the tomatoes (I think I have 10 varieties!) and because it is getting late enough, I started most of my other seeds as well. These included:
Sunberries
Lone-In-A-Mist flowers
Peas (totally late, I know)
Birdhouse Gourd
Potimarron Squash
Mountain Sweet Yellow Watermelon
Blue Solaize Leek
California Wonder Peppers
Cream of Saskatchewan Watermelon
Melon Charentais
American Melon Emerald Gem
Moon and Stars Watermelon
Melon Piel de Sapo (Toad Skin)
Bloody Butcher Corn
Australian Brown Onion

The only things I didn't start today were my carrots, golden beets and my yet to be purchased zucchini. (We will see if we have room.) I love sowing seeds. It is so satisfying to work with ones hands and reap the rewards come the end of summer!

Happy growing everyone!

Oh, and I got some new lipstick. What do you think?

Yes people, I am THIS HOTTTTT!!!!!
(And my house is THIS messy.)

But really, I do love this lipstick. Red Revival by Maybelline.

PS This one is for Megan because she said it would be hot:

It was the first one I took. I am so RAD!

Wishful Thinking

2011-03-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Pres took a nap. You know, the perfect kind that's not so long that it messes up bedtime but just long enough to take the edge off.

It was a little slice of heaven.

(Post nap face.)

Is the cutest picture ever?
Doesn't Wy-Wy looks a little like great grandpa?

And today I was a little snap happy. I feel like I don't bring the camera out enough so today I made up for it by photographing my boys every move:

(Apparently Wyatt decided he'd had enough of the camera)

(Still in my jammies at 10:00 AM)

It's been a rainy winter here in nor Cal but we had an afternoon break long enough for pant-less flower picking.

" 'mells good," he said.

I found the backpack carrier we bought off craigslist a few years ago. Looks like it should work for the Wy-man.
(Does anyone feel like hiking?)

And when the rains came again we came back inside for a movie and Wyatt's nap time.

The End

Mobile Uploads

2011-03-07T10:40:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the bazzillion pictures but I was clearing out my phone and couldn't pick just one so here are my favorites:

(In the hospital on Christmas)

My boy still needs a nap...even if he won't take one.

Like I said, he still NEEDS a nap.

Good Eats & Other Stuff

2011-03-04T18:10:00.000-08:00

It's funny how quickly time passes. Every time I post on my blog I think, "okay, now I am caught up so if I do a post every day or two I won't get behind again." Then suddenly it's been another week or two. (sigh)

So here are some random goodies:

Preston decided he wanted to take a nap with Wyatt. Too bad that meant that Wyatt's nap was over.

My tomatoes were doing well until Preston used his delicate touch on them.
I'm not sure where to go from here...

Two of Wyatt's favorite things to do; chew on anything and EVERYTHING he can get into his mouth and bounce in his Johnny Jump-up.

And Preston likes to help those jumps go just a bit higher.

(Most common phrase used around the Johnny jump-up you ask? "STOP BOUNCING WYATT!!!"

And finally those pictures everyone loves to post of baby learning to eat solids. We are working on oatmeal currently. I have been giving him a taste once or twice a week but he hasn't seemed ready until today. He is now swallowing most of what we put in his mouth.

Wyatt's favorite part of dinner has to be:

sucking on the wash cloth after he's done. (That was Preston's favorite part too!)

And look who is ready for his dinner.

Back to the baby carrier Wy-Wy so mama can make some grub!
(Spaghetti with a side of mandarins and kiwi if you want to know.)

P is 3!

2011-02-25T21:12:00.000-08:00

My Bug turned three today! It's hard to believe that three years have passed but looking at him I KNOW he is no longer a baby.

I wanted to do something small, low key and that would require no planning on my part so we took our celebration to John's Incredible Pizza. Oh my goodness! It was SO fun.

(the only thing I did do was make cupcakes and invite a few people)

Preston whirled:

"hopped":

and took a trip to outer space:

We all braved the mini-roller coaster:

Weeeeeeeeeeee!

Zane,

and Max joined us:

Even Wu-Wy got in on the action!

The Nana's in action:

(do my kids have pretty nanas or what?)

Grandpa Chris stopped by on his way out of town:

Someone had so much fun that he got a bloody lip throwing himself on the floor when we tried to make him open his presents:

Once he calmed down he decided he was excited and tore through that wrapping paper in record time:

Happy third birthday bugga-love!

Crazy Big News...

2011-02-25T10:15:00.000-08:00

A few years ago my sister found her birth mother. She hired a woman to help her and within a day or two she had found her birth family. She even invited me to go with her to meet them in Petaluma.

Everything turned out so well for Jess I decided to hire the same lady. Unfortunately things did not turn out for me. The lady took our money and ran. I would not say I was devastated but I was pretty angry hat we were out a bunch of money and had nothing to show for it.

I decided that was that. Maybe if things just fell into my lap I would go ahead and look for my birth parents but I was not going to put myself out there without some provocation.

Guess what? Something fell into my lap. Here's the scoop:

I was watching that show "Who do you think you are?" the other day and I told Nate how neat I thought it would be to find out where I am from. My birthday is coming up and Nate decided it would be neat if he could find them for me. He hopped online and found a guy who helps people for free. After emailing him he had a call back before the day was over.

Long story short, we found them! With the help of my "Search Angel," Google and Facebook we came up with some good info. Whitepages.com found me a phone number for my potential uncle in Arizona. After a wonderful conversation with David I decided I had the right family and he gave me the phone number for Janet Haight, my birth mom.

I have had a whirlwind past couple of days. It has been more than anything a gal could wish for. When I imagined my birth mom as a kid (after I got over my fantasies of her being a long lost princess from a far away land:) I dreamed that she had gone on and gotten married and had babies and lived a wonderful life. All of these things are true. She got married to a wonderful man, she had FIVE babies (one who is even adopted!) and has lived a full life. AND she is happy that I found her. PHEW! That was such a relief that was.

I don't know how everyone else feels about me talking about them on my blog (Janet gave me the okay to use her name) so I won't mention any more names for now but I will say that my birth name on my mother's side is Heap. I have also contacted my birth father but have not heard back from him yet so I will wait to announce my birth father's name.

Crazy, right?

Time's a Passin'

2011-02-20T18:51:00.000-08:00

I have some early risers at my house.

The tomatoes are comin' up nicely (with plenty to share).

We had some freakishly warm days perfect for pant-less push toy riding.

Aunt Judy came to visit (I already miss you) and Wyatt still spends insane amounts of time in the front carrier. (How does anyone survive without one?)

I love the way Wyatt is looking at Preston.

Target Dollar spot helmet and sheild are a hit at our house. (From Halloween)

Wyatt found his feet.

I have a UBER SEXY HUSBAND.

And finally, look who is sitting up, Mr. I'm-five-months-old-today.

That is until he decides his jammies look too tasty to pass up.

Things to remember:
Preston- Is finally potty training. It's going pretty well, most of the time. Most of the time I just let him run around naked from the waist down when we are at home. He does not like it when I leave him with anyone but dad. He is still a daddy's boy and wants to do everything dad does. He loves taking baths and HATES getting out of the bath. Preston really wants to go to school and play sports. I use those items as bargaining chips on a regular basis (think potty training). He loves his friends, the park, movies, and his brother.

Wyatt-
Can sit unassisted for probably 15-20 seconds. He is still teething. He likes to arch his back and throw his head back so he can see what is going on behind him. He can grab his feet (so cute) and does so often. He rolls over back to tummy well now but has never (or even tried) gone tummy to back. Wyatt loves people and just waits for someone to look at him so he can do an ear to ear, whole body smile just for them.

BIG 30...

2011-02-02T19:32:00.000-08:00

Happiest of birthdays, Lover. I'm sorry we didn't get to spend your actual big 30 day together but I'm glad you let me throw you a VERY belated party.

And thank you for wearing the crazy "Mario Brothers" looking crown I made you.

(Fun-fetti cake 7 years in a row.)

Thank you Linda for toting Wy-wy around all evening so I could make things happen. (Oh, and stuff my face)

So here's the deal:

Nate turned 30 January 17

but...

he had to work

so...

I was going to throw him a party a few days later...

BUT...

he needed to go to Utah while he had the days off...

then ...

we ALL decided to go to Utah.

SO...

Nate's birthday party was something like two weeks late.

BUT...

Better late then never.
(or so they say)

Fun things about the party:

Lots of friends and family came.
I made LOTS of cakes.

funfetti cake,
fruit pizza and
best chocolate sheet cake ever
{I accidentally browned the butter but it was alright because it actually tasted REALLY good that way}

We did it at Linda's house.
I brought balloons.
and too much pizza.

But more than anything

Nate had fun.

And that made me happy!

The End.

So cute I couldn't just pick one...

2011-01-29T23:04:00.000-08:00

We're Back...

2011-01-29T15:03:00.000-08:00

Did you even know we were gone? Yeah, probably not since we decided the day we left that we ALL were going. We still own our house in Utah AND it needed some work AND Nate had nine consecutive days off AND I didn't want to be left out SO we all went to Utah.

Wyatt was a dream on the drive out. He only woke up when we stopped.

Preston...notsomuch. I think he had a hard time because every time he fell asleep his head did this:

Nate did all of the driving, as usual. As for me I did lots of this:

The scenery through the Sierra's is spectacular!

I wish I had taken more pictures but...well...we were busy; me chasing boys and Nate working like a mad-man on the house! At night we came together and enjoyed the hospitality of Stephen and Tracy.

Aunty E was a big hit!

Stephen and Melinda joined us for dinner one night.

The snow reminded us that it is still winter (here in California it was 65 degrees while we were gone.).

My boys looked super cute all bundled up.

Preston LOVED the snow.

AND the Museum of Ancient Life.

(Nursing a baby is the BEST!!!)

And that's about it.

RECAP:
We were gone.
You didn't even know it.
But now you do.

Happy day.

It's always so nice to come home!
(Now I'm off to deal with the laundry)

Ungrateful...

2011-01-09T20:11:00.000-08:00

I was reading my post from yesterday and realized I sounded terribly ungrateful. I have a wonderful life. I really, really do. I LOVE my life; the good, the bad and the ugly. It many not be romantic or exotic but is fantastically mine. SO here's an ode to my wonderful everyday life:

Preston got his first pair of scissors.

It was fun for a while but soon...

brought crazy frustration. Being two (almost THREE) is awfully difficult!
(Don't worry. He didn't cut himself he was just mad that he couldn't quite get the hang of using them.)

Wyatt OWNS MY HEART!

He is beautiful beyond belief!

My LOVER brought me flowers the other day, just because.

We ran around town going to open houses...I love looking at houses and DREAMING of our someday home.

Look who is SOOOOOO close...

to rolling over.

You want to know what's making my boy smile?
He's telling me "I love daddy."

Things I want to remember right now about my boys:
I feel like I have grown so much as a mother this second time around. Last time was about surviving, this time is about thriving. This teeny tiny baby stage is so short that I want to enjoy each moment of it.
Wyatt is my sweet, sweet baby. I have never known a more smiley child. He has bright eyes and (it sure seems like) a big heart. When I look at him I feel like his eyes are willing me to understand him. When he coos I feel like he is talking to me. He is so strong. He is always trying to sit up and stand. This means he is constantly propelling himself out of my lap. He is such a fun baby.

Preston is evolving each day. I can actually see him changing from a two year old to a three year old. A few months ago every day was all about challenging me on EVERY ISSUE. Now sometimes he's reasonable, sometimes he's not but he's growing and evolving. I love that he can sometimes be reasoned with. I feel like we are learning so much about being each other. He amazes me with his understanding of emotions. If I look the least bit distressed or if I wipe my eyes he asks"You sad mom?" If there is tension between people he asks "They mad mom?" And if Wyatt is crying he always assumes "Wyatt hungry, mom?" because he is always is. He grasps so much more than I give him credit for. I just wish I was more patient with him. He is such an amazing person and I need to remember to give him space and time to grow into himself!

It's true what they say, you know. Parenting is the most challenging but also the most amazing experience a person can ever have.

Guess Who...

2011-01-07T20:31:00.000-08:00

We have had a rough month and a half. I have honestly forgotten how many colds we have had. IS IT 5 OR 6...OR MAYBE 7???

Any who here I am now. And while I would love to take the time to blog each fun thing we have done it's just not realistic. So instead we are going to play a game of guess who.

Here we go:

Guess who is no longer stationed in Hawaii and can now come "home" for the holidays:

Jessica, Aaron and their beautiful girls!

Guess who asks me, "Are you going to BLOG that?" every time I take a picture of him?

That would be my uncle Mark.

Guess who almost peed his pants when he opened his Christmas present from Nana Lori?

The whole set of "Toy Story" characters was almost too much for my boy to handle. (Notice his eye?)

Guess who spent his Christmas eve, Christmas day and day after Christmas in the hospital?

Poor Mr. P. (It was a sinus infection that turned into an eye infection called periorbital cellulitis. We are lucky he didn't lose his eye!)

So guess who had a totally anticlimactic Christmas celebrated days after the actual holiday?

Preston didn't seem to care but I have to say it was NOT the same. Hopefully next year will be memorial for all different reasons.

Guess who has the most AMAZING eyes?

This one is a toss up between my niece Tamsin...

and my niece Naomi. I am SO jealous!

Guess who is NOT the favorite aunt?

I'm going with me judging from these two pictures.

Guess who LOVES hanging out with his cousins? (He was so bummed when they left.)

Preston! (And his eye is back to normal now. Phew!)

Guess who has my favorite big brown eyes?

Wy, Wy!

Guess who went to the zoo but really should have just gone to ride the train?

Me and the boys.

Guess who got a "new" (used off craigslist) baby gym that he LOVES?

My Wy-man.

Guess who is ALMOST done with his "break-in" period of work?

My love, and thank goodness for that.

Guess who looks SO cute in a his new hat?

(Want to know why he has his hands in his mouth? My THREE MONTH OLD has sprouted two teeth and had TWO MORE on their way through!?! It should be illegal for nursing babies to grow teeth before six months.)

This boy is CRAZY cute, right?

Guess who is out of town? (I am so ready for them to be back in town!)

We miss you Linda and Colin!

Guess who is sick and tired of being sick (yes, we all have yet another cold!) and is way done with this blog post?

Happy day everyone!

Aches be gone...

2010-12-10T20:14:00.000-08:00

I am typing this with a (finally) sleeping newborn in my arms who refuses to be put down. My neck, back, temples and, well, body ache. Preston is also finally asleep after 45 minutes of, "One more (song) mom," "I feel sick, mom," and "Please...I sleep in your bed, mom's."

The only thing worse than your child(ren) being sick is being sick along with them so you don't have the energy to comfort them in the ways you wish you could. Or so I thought.

While nursing Wyatt to sleep for the 3rd time I happened upon this story (via her). I cried my eyes out then snuggled my sweet little Wyatt a little closer. If he needs to be held all night then so be it. If Preston wakes again wanting to snuggle in my bed he will be welcomed. If I only survive the next few days instead of thriving and celebrating the holidays I will do it with a grateful tear in my eye because I have two beautiful children that I get to spend my holidays with; sick or not they are here and they are mine to serve.

No Words...

2010-12-04T22:24:00.001-08:00

I have no words to adequately express how much I love him so all I will say is I love him "to the moon and back."

So Sweet...

2010-12-03T19:42:00.000-08:00

I was totally lame over Thanksgiving and got basically no pictures of my family. Way to go me. I did, though, take some pictures of my cousins kids. Are they cute or what? I was going to try and take family pictures for them but the weather didn't agree with our plans. Enjoy.

I'm Lovin' It...

2010-11-17T19:46:00.000-08:00

I love autumn. I know I say this often but it's true. I love the long shadows that are cast in the early afternoon. I love the vibrant colors adorning all of the trees. I love the varying weather patterns that bring us storms with intermittent days of warm sunny perfection. I love the feel of the approaching holidays in the air. It's all positively blissful I tell you!
Today was one of those wonderfully warm-but-not-hot days that are perfect to spend out of doors with the ones you love.
So that's what we did.

I cannot believe how big and grown up Preston is getting.
Everyday he surprises me with something new. A new phrase, new thoughts, or new talents. The "terrible twos" really can be terrible a lot of the time but the thing they don't tell you is that they are also a positively enchanting age. Watching your baby suddenly become a child is miraculous!

(I'm thinking he might find his thumb one of these days.)
And just when I think I cannot take another moment of "terrible two" insanity Wyatt catches my eye and my tension seems to melt away. This little, round guy is such a joy. He is easy to please and quick to smile. Oh, and to top it all off, 4 of the last 5 nights he has slept for at least an 8 hour stretch. Hallelujah!

I addition to having the two cutest kids on the planet, I also have the most gorgeous man I have ever seen on my arm this week. Not only is he the epitome of tall, dark and handsome he is also smart, generous, honest, kind, tender heart-ed. Oh and did I mention resplendent?

This guy is seriously stunning!
(Can you say that about a fella?)

Perhaps it is the Thanksgiving holiday just around the corner or maybe it is all of my mixed up postpartum hormones that are causing me to wax poetic about the people I love but whatever the reason all of this love is making me euphoric. Gratitude is an amazing feeling, especially when many days I have a hard time simply surviving. I need to be better at remembering that this is all temporary. Unfortunately it's not just the hard times that are brief. The good is equally fleeting which means I need to do more savoring and less complaining.

So here's to savoring these moments.

(and I'm done for now)

Twins?

2010-11-15T20:57:00.000-08:00

Up until a few days ago I thought my boys looked nothing alike. Eyes, nose, mouth, even body shape are nothing alike. Then I took this picture that reminded me a whole lot of a picture I had seen before.

Wyatt is the top picture and Preston is the bottom one.
What do you think?

My boy loves the country...

2010-11-14T18:51:00.000-08:00

We had the best time today. Nana took us to see her horses. I swear my kid was meant to be a cowboy.

Ginger and Rio.

The vicious guard dog.

Rio sure is pretty and Preston found a turkey feather. (I wish I had snapped a picture of the flock of turkeys we saw on the road home.)

Preston at twilight and someone tricked Colt into holding Wyatt.

(Is this the sweetest looking old lab you have ever seen?)

Behind...

2010-11-13T20:20:00.000-08:00

I hate getting behind on blogging. I don't even know how to begin to catch up so I am going to just show you some of my favorite pictures from the past couple of days and call it good.

I Say Pumpkin...

2010-11-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

I have a new favorite tradition for autumn. I have had a few different friends say how fun Bishop's Pumpkin Farm is but I had no idea how really awesome it was until my mom and I made it out a couple of weeks ago. I have to say it was totally worth the 30 minute long tantrum that ensued upon our departure!
Train rides, tractor rides, a petting zoo, and so much more. I wish we could have gone again with Nathan but, alas, another trip will have to wait until next year. (sigh)

Waiting ever so impatiently for the train.

Here comes the train. *toot*toot*

He digs it!

Hard to believe anyone can sleep through a tractor ride!
(Just leave it to the newborns.)

And to ease the pain of Nana having to go home Nana got Preston a "police man" kit.
(Thank you dollar store!)

Nana loves the Wy-man too!
The end.

Happy Halloween 2010...

2010-10-31T21:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! We had so much fun we celebrated twice.
Saturday we trekked to Gridley for their "trunk-or-treat" (or whatever they called it).
Since I was flying solo I was only able to manage a few pictures.

And today my friend invited us over for chili and a scavenger hunt.

In each picture I was hollering, "Put the gun down, Pres."
You can see how obedient my son is.

Happy Halloween!
A special thank you to everyone (namely my mom and Celeste) for helping me corral Preston. You made Halloween possible for us this year.

Slow Down...

2010-10-27T23:01:00.000-07:00

Is this season going CRAZY fast for anyone else. I feel myself trying to slow down and savor the moments but they insist upon spiraling past me at break neck speeds.
Silly autumn.
And babies.
And toddlers.
Alright, maybe just silly life!

In my attempt to savor we traveled up to one of my favorite local fall destinations, Apple Hill. I even convinced (conned is more like it) Colin (and Nate, really) into joining us. Not that Apple Hill is not a fun place. I love it. It's just not what I would consider a "hot spot" for (almost) 21 year old males to hang at. (Let's be honest. I don't think too many males in general would choose to spend the day at Apple Hill.) Luckily Nate and Colin pretended to enjoy themselves and I was happy to be spending time with my loves with only a twinge of guilt.

Do they look like brothers to you?

I get to be married to him. Are you jealous? (You should be!)

Like father like son.

Preston digs being in charge of the fudge.
(It was delish, if you want to know.)

My sweet boy slept the whole time!
(Thank you baby wrap!)

Panic Attack...

2010-10-19T19:29:00.000-07:00

For some reason my card reader will not read my compact flash card and now my camera is saying the card needs to be formatted. I am having a PANIC ATTACK as we speak. I hope (i hope i hope i hope...) I didn't lose all of those images.

(breath in) (breath out) (breath in) (breath out)

Does anyone have a paper bag?

Walk This Way...

2010-10-18T19:38:00.000-07:00

We survived our first day with dad back at work...barely! It was rough, to say the least. Unfortunately the fact that it was so hard was TOTALLY my doing. I decided to stay up way to late last night making me crazy cranky today. Luckily we are all still here and in one piece. Thank goodness tomorrow is a new day!

On a happy note we did make it outside for a walk this afternoon. It was my first solo walk...just me and the boys. It was so nice to get outside and enjoy the cool(ish) weather, fallen acorns and a change of scenery.

Wyatt LOVES his fake-y Moby wrap!
(I had to take a bazillion of these to get one without cleavage. You are welcome.)

Collecting acorns.

We saw TWO helicopters. (Thrilling, I know.)

After all that hard work who could help but to yawn?

Happy Monday!
And here's to hoping Tuesday is a better day.

Not A Lot...

2010-10-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

We had a grand day full of not a lot.
I so enjoy doing a lot of nothing with my boys.

Nate has been my super star this week waking up with our early riser (aka Preston) and taking Wyatt so I can get a few hours of (mostly) uninterrupted sleep.
(Preston and Wyatt have had colds so I have been getting even less sleep then you would expect with a newborn.)

Cheeks filling in nicely!

(Waiting for bread to bake has never been so wonderful!)
Our oven is still out of commission so we made a trip to Nana Linda's to use her oven.
I just NEEDED to make pumpkin bread.
(With temperatures in the 90's this week we needed something to remind us that it is, indeed, autumn!)

Preston LOVES Nana's toys.

"You know how much fun a boy has had by how dirty he is."
~Nana Linda
And while daddy was away this afternoon we made our way out of doors for some playtime.

I'm so in love with this little guy.

Have a wonderful weekend!

If your are intererested...

2010-10-14T20:26:00.000-07:00

If your interested in seeing the pictures from Nate's graduation head on over to Time With the Taylors.
For privacy (and safety) reasons you can only view them if you have been invited (just sign in with your gmail account). If you know us, want to see the pictures and have not been invited please email me.

Otherwise I will try an update this blog soon.

technical difficulties...

2010-10-13T20:40:00.000-07:00

Having technical difficulties.
Will try to update you on our comings and goings sooner than later.

Lots of love.

The End is Nigh...

2010-10-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

(these cheeks kill me!)
Remember way back in April when we started THIS journey? Well the end is not only in sight but is practically moments away. Nate graduates THIS Friday and I can think of three people (in this house alone) who think Friday cannot come fast enough!

(My handsome firstborn)

I LOVE my boys!

Baby and P love...

2010-09-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

Today was our first day without any help. Luckily we had an outing planned (thanks a million Susanne. As always you are AMAZING) so the day went by fairly quickly. We didn't do much but we did have fun. We watched movies and destroyed the house. (I should be picking up instead of blogging...) Welcome to my new life:

Preston deemed the pink fruit basket his "helmet" for space travel, motorcycle riding and gun fighting

The Wy-man slept ALL DAY LONG. Hopefully he sleeps some tonight.

I took these the other day but never go around to posting them.

I love my little guy!