Day 2

We were up and at 'em early in the morning on Day 2 @ the lake. Which also means day 2 of trying to get the hot tub heated up too. It's been 2 days and has gone from 85 to 91 by the mid-day mark, then back down to 88 @ night. We obviously do not know how to work hot tubs. The kids have had some fun on tubes, slides, hanging out in the before mentioned luke warm hot tub, making up games, and overall being very good! Here's some pics!

Bran, Alex & Avery

Here's proof that Bran & Avery are getting along this year! They are sitting together and smiling!

Camron chilaxin (That's for you Raenette)

We got the setup!!

We made our own water trampoline.


Didn't do the beach, and we still found sand @ the lake!



Little ladder golf

The slide into the lake. Super fun.

More chilaxin.
Blake & Brandon doing some night fishing.

Camron & Alex

The Griswolds-Day 1

The Griswolds, I'm sorry, the Taylors are on VACATION! We're pretty pumped, and Blake had to get us all packed up. Once we made the decision to take the trailer, it all went from there. We brought everything. The boys were SO exited, they "are we there yet"ed every 15 minutes. Well Brandon did. Camron always followed up with some sort of smart alec comment about telling time.

Here's some pics to start us off...

The very full trailer

back full too. Seriously, we need to learn how to pack.

The boys, ready to go, sporting their new do's

Quick visit with the Kosse's in Round Rock on our way out! Thanks Char!

The kids

The grown ups

The girls

Quick shout out to Brooke for her Birthday today! You're getting old! There's proof on HWY 35.

Gotta have the rock band action. Blake on vocals.

Camron on guitar

Brandon on drums. Rocking out.

This is the plan for day 2. After the girls go on the monster shopping trip!

Just picture me, in the recliner, spending way too long blogging.

meet our new Friend, Anna Faith!

Wow! I love new baby posts! I haven't done one in a while, but the babies are here and are still coming! Last week we went to my friend Courtney's to see her new little bundle, Anna Faith. I was really hoping to get a sneak peak of my Matty Bug, but he was down for a nap, which is a precious commodity, so we didn't wake him up. So, Brooke, Raenette, Court & I all got to spend some girl time with each other & see the new sweet thing!! She is precious. So proud of you Court!

Brooke & Anna (she looks like a pro)

Look at this sweet face! And she already has a tan! Court has great skin too.

For some reason, I didn't get a pic with Raenette & Anna (so sorry Rae!!), but here's me! I love the babies!

Welcome to the world sweet Anna. You have an amazing Mom, Dad & Big Brother that are so excited that you are here!

meet our new chicks

I don't even know how to start this one. The Taylors have chickens. Last week, we had a back yard, mostly full of rocks. It did have a very nice back porch that our friends help us build, and a growing garden that our friends helped us build, and a cool fort, that our friends helped us build. Wow. We have some really cool friends.

Then last Saturday, Blake helped our neighbor move his chicken coop from his yard, to our yard. I've been wanting chickens, and the dream was finally coming true. I am excited to get some eggs, and secretly want to be like my menagerie friends down the street. So Sunday, after Church, we went to Blanco to get some chickens. (Thanks to craiglist) So after a couple of hours, a trip to Tractor Supply and lots of hand washing (I'll maybe tell you the story of the chicken people a different time), we had 3 chickens. 1 full grown laying hen and 2-12 week old chicks. Then today, Blake came home with 2 more. Not too sure what they are. The 2 chicks we first got are females, which we want, and we'll just have to wait and see what these 2 others turn out to be. Hopefully they're females too! I don't want roosters. No way Jose.

So, meet the new additions--

The moving of the coop-Thanks Scott!

hmmmm...something we didn't quite think through. The bird dogs, LOVING the birds. Oops. They're doing much better now. (Look @ all the sweet rocks. Aren't they cute?)

My sweet, hard-working husband putting up the second perching limb cause I wasn't sure if they could jump all the way up.

Here's Abbey. (Camron named her) She'll lay blue eggs.

Was hoping for the golden egg, but blue will do.

Here's Diddy Kong & Dixie Kong. (Brandon named Diddy, and renamed Dixie chick to Dixie Kong. Come on Mom.)

Here's one of the nubie's - Jiggly Puff (she/he has a pom pom on the top of it's head)

and here's the other new one - that we're calling turkey. Mainly because we're not fo' sho that it's not a turkey. So, time will tell. But it got a name of turkey because of it.
Blake was taking Brandon out to help put in the two new chicks, and we found our first egg! Way to go Abbey!

See, regular store egg on bottom, Abbey blue(ish) egg on top.




Dixie & Diddy are pretty darn cute together. When they grow up, don't think they'll be as cute. Chickens are pretty ugly. But, they're cute now. They're always together.

Sea World with Mrs. Blevins' class

There could be some alternate titles for this post: The Mother of all Field Trips; Mom vs. 20 kindergartners; Tomato Arms-Don't look now, but Mom sun screened the kids and forgot herself; and last but not least-Brandon and Madison are just too darn cute! You'll see the proof below.


Sea World with 3 classes of kindergartners=what I call the Mother of all Field Trips. Don't get me wrong, I would never trade my time in with my kids for the WORLD, but this Sea World trip is a LOT of kids. Our school was there, plus our neighboring school Bill Brown, and about 4 hundred others. I was only responsible for 2, thank goodness. I was given 2 children once they got off the bus at 9:45am and gave 2 back to the bus @ 1:30pm. My job was done. And, we had tons of FUN in those 3 hrs 45 minutes, which seemed like 8 hours and 45 minutes on kinder time. Here's a couple of highlight pictures from the trip.

First we all lined up, got maps, and the kids couldn't wait to find the first thing on the map-the fountain. That lasted about 22 seconds.

The two I was responsible for. One lives in my house. And is very cute.

Then they try and get ya! $4 for a tray of fish to feed these guys!

First time anyone in the Taylor family has ever been able to touch one! He was just hanging out letting all the kids pet him. (Notice my arm...praying that he didn't fall in!)

"Mom, what?"

So, what do you do when your mom says no way to paying the 4 bucks for fish? You let your sweet friend Madison give you all of hers cause fish are yucky.

Proof # 1. Too cute. Buddies. They were very upset that both of their parents were going and that they couldn't be in the same group. So, Madison's mom & I stuck together. She's tons of fun anyway. :)

The group

Proof #2

and finally, proof # 3. My favorite. Friends.

Gotta stick my head in, proof I was there. (Madison's twin brother, Brandon, is beside her. Don't even get me started on how we keep the Brandon's straight.)

Brandon # 1 and Brandon # 2.

2 of the teachers with Madison, Brandon & Brandon

Me & my baby!!

Proof # 4.

Proof # 5. With their (really cool) teacher on way back to bus.

BIG shout out to teachers, especially the ones @ Arlon Seay. You rock. I don't know how teachers have the energy, all the time for these energetic kids! It is a huge blessing to have you guys help us raise our children. You have no idea how much I am grateful to your time, heart & patience!!