Ali Loves Her Food

Ali was eating some cereal as a snack this morning, and as often happens, she dumped it all out. Aaron then decided to smash some of them with his hammer (I guess it's better than the wall earlier). Just in passing I said, "well we better pick up the big pieces and get the vacuum for the rest," thinking I would get around to it in the next 10 minutes or so. Not 30 seconds later, Nathan has the vacuum out, plugged in and started. Ali at this point was standing behind the vacuum and Nathan. Well, Nathan started to vacuum up all the pieces, not just the crumb ones. When Ali realized what he was doing, she screamed, ran as fast as those tiny legs could carry her, and literally dove on the floor to eat her cereal. She didn't even use her hands - she was face down eating right off the floor. I laughed so hard! Don't get between that girl and her food!! It's amazing she is as tiny as she is. I grabbed the camera as quickly as I could, but it was on the wrong setting and I only got a dark shot. I tried to get her to pose again, but it wasn't quite the same.

I love my cute kids. They are all unique and individual, but bring me such joy (and, let's face it, frustration) in many different ways. After we finished vacuuming, Ali went and sat in her book and toy basket for a little breather.

Good-bye to Elder and Sister Hillstead

Elder and Sister Hillstead (a.k.a. Mom and Dad) are officially on their way to Washington D.C. They were in the MTC for almost two weeks and had a wonderful time. On their last Friday, they came up to the Church Office Building to meet with some of the people who will be auditing the images they are sending in. Ryan works there and it's close enough for us to get down, so we went down on Friday afternoon to see them one more time before they left for D.C. on Saturday morning. It was great to see them one more time!! The kids were excited and ran up to give them a hug when they saw them.

We are looking forward to emails, some phone calls, and a visit to see them sometime in the next 18 months. They are going to be fabulous missionaries and I love that my children have such a great example of dedication and missionary work. Nathan and Aaron always remember to "bless Grandma and Grandpa on their mission" in their prayers and Nathan usually adds to be safe, have fun, or help other people.

First snow and a preview of the winter months at the Taylor House

The first real snow came to our house on November 8. Nathan has been waiting and waiting for it to snow. He keeps telling me that winter is his favorite season. He can't wait to shovel the driveway, play in the snow and get his sled out. So, even though the snow wasn't much, didn't stay around long, and didn't even stick on the driveway or sidewalk, Nathan and Aaron bundled up and went outside to play. Nathan still got the shovel out and cleared part of our grass and Aaron just made footprints (he was very excited about that) and tried to catch the snowflakes on his tongue.





After they got cold and came inside, they got a little stir crazy. They have been outside almost all day all summer and now we have to be inside cooped up. Nathan and Aaron pulled their bed apart and made there very own indoor slide. They are busy boys and always looking for something to do. I just hope they don't destroy our home and furniture being inside all winter. And, I hope Ali is safe :). She likes to do whatever the boys do, so I'll need to keep my eye on her.


Also, Ali is learning to play games like peek-a-boo and hide and seek. Here she is peeking around the corner playing peek-a-boo with mom, then running to say hi. She is a joy to have, even though as I type this she is emptying out all of my envelopes and spreading them out. (Does that sound familiar, Mom?)

Visit to the Zoo

A couple of weeks ago we headed to the zoo. It was beautiful weather - the last of the upper 60s for fall - and the kids had a great time. It was hard to get a picture of all three looking. Here's what we got.

This year, Nathan and Aaron were both our map readers. They wanted to see the elephants first, then the giraffes. We stopped by on our way to the giraffes to see the snakes and other small animals in the reptile/small animal house. They get so excited running from one exhibit to the next.


This wasn't Ali's first visit to the zoo, but it was the first where she actually "saw" the animals. She was so very cute, pointing to the elephants, looking at the monke little animals in the small animal house and just enjoying the day.



Of course, we had to take a carousel ride and a train ride which is always fun. They also got up and close and personal with a big cat. It was pacing back and forth. I'm sure glad that glass was there. He looked ready to eat my boys!

Mom and Dad are on a mission!

I have no pictures (I should have taken some), but Mom and Dad are finally on their mission! It seems like they have had their call for a long time, but now that they are really in the MTC and going, it went by too fast. We had a great time the last couple of weekends visiting them and being there for the sacrament meeting talks and their setting apart blessings. They are both going to be such wonderful missionaries!!

Our boys are so tuned in to whenever they hear "Washington D.C." They know that's where Grandma and Grandpa are on their mission. One of their favorite shows on PBS is "Martha Speaks" about a talking dog. She was going to the White House and said it was in Washington D.C. Aaron said, "Hey that's where grandma and grandpa are on a mission." Nathan and Aaron also found a book at the library that shows Christmas in Washington D.C. It's way too old for them to read and enjoy, but there are a few pictures and they look at them and know that's where Grandma and Grandpa are.

I am grateful for their example. I'm going to miss them, but we will be in contact and they are going to have marvelous experiences. We are planning on going back to see them next summer. Our kids are too small to properly enjoy and appreciate all that D.C. has to offer, but they will love riding the subway trains and especially seeing Grandma and Grandpa.

Halloween 2010

This year we had a full day of Halloween activities - actually a full week for Nathan. Nathan had a primary party, a preschool party, and a Halloween-themed birthday party he went to. But Saturday was the big day.

We went over the Grandma and Grandpa Taylor's for a Halloween brunch. We had yummy food and then Grandma had fun games for the boys. They got to eat donuts off a string, without using their hands, search in "eyeballs" for some money, and go on a pumpkin hunt. There were prizes and treats, and then they read some Halloween stories. They loved it! They always do. Grandma is so good at making things fun and memorable.




We had to take a picture of just all the boys, and then we put the little ones in - Jake and Ali. So cute to see all of these little kids together!


Saturday night we had our Neighborhood Trunk or Treat at 5:00. Nathan was our cute Buzz Lightyear (for the 4th time that week - he loved it!). Ali was a purple dinosaur. She doesn't care at this point. At 4:00, Aaron had yet to decide on a costume. I had borrowed a couple of really cute costumes - a knight or a pirate, but he wouldn't even put one on. Anytime we asked him over the course of the last couple of weeks what he was going to be for Halloween, he would look around and say whatever came to mind first, usually something he had just seen. We had responses from shark (after looking at his shark book) to window to sippy cup. He did say a few times that he wanted to be a puppy, but whenever I said, "so let's get a puppy costume" he would say he didn't want to be a puppy. Well, at about 4:30 I told him to get a hammer and his construction hat and he could go as Bob the Builder. So, that's what he did. He only wore the hat for about 10 minutes and hammer ended up in his trick or treat bag, so he went around trick or treating as "just Aaron," which, incidentally, is one of the things he told me he was going to be for Halloween. I did learn something, though. At a trunk or treat when all the cars are being mobbed by several children at once, nobody even noticed he wasn't in a costume. He was just among the hordes of kids holding out a bag and a hand to get free candy, which was all Aaron really cared about.

The trunk or treat started out okay, just a little overcast. I took the boys around and Ryan stayed at the van with Ali and passed out candy. Alison just sat in her stroller looking cute. It drizzled a bit, but was okay. Then as we were heading down the last row of cars it started to rain hard. We all go soaked and rushed back to the van. We hurried home to hot chocolate, warm stew, and yes, even some candy.




It was tough to get a picture with all three kids. This was as good as it got for this year.
I looked outside not long after we got home and saw a brilliant double rainbow. I was only able to get a picture of half of it, but you could see both full rainbows by the mountains. The boys thought it was way cool and it was a beautiful sight. I wish I were a better photographer to capture it, but here is what I got. I think the two cute boys are even more brilliant and bright than the rainbows, but then again, I'm a little biased.

We ended the night/week of Halloween reading stories and settling in. I'm glad it's over :). Now we can get ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Aaron was happy to be done with it all and get back to his books and his puppy.

Some Cute pictures

Ali isn't a great fan of having her hair done, but she usually endures it. I set her on the counter in our bathroom and she plays with combs, bottles, and bows while I try to get her hair in pigtails or bows. They usually stay in for at least half the day. We love having a little girl, hair and all. I'm learning how to do it and she is patient for the most part.


Ali likes to play the piano. Hopefully she and her brothers will take lessons and learn some day.

Nathan loves his preschool class. Miss Trudi is so good with the kids. He brought this edible creation home after learning the Three Billy Goats Gruff story. They used food to create a picture of the story, with grass, a bridge, the troll and goats. Nathan told the story and explained all of the pieces on his plate so well. I love to see him learn and be excited about it.


We made caramel apples for a family home evening treat. It was a much anticipated event, but it was mostly caramel and sprinkles eaten, not the apples.

September Update

September was a great month for us. The weather was nice, the kids played outside a lot and we celebrated two birthdays! Aaron turned 3 on September 4 and Alison turned 1 on September 22. We had some fun parties and the little ones enjoyed them.

For Aaron's birthday we did a Thomas the Train the theme. Aaron loves trains and still every night in his prayers he says, "thankful we can go to Thomas the Train," and that's about it. So, I made a train cake and he loved it. We had a fun party with Grandmas and Grandpas and cousins over. Aaron got a couple of books and had to read them before he was ready to move on to other presents. He kept going back to the books, too. He loves to look at books. He goes to bed every night in the hallway - there is a light over the kitchen sink that we leave on that provides just enough light for him to lie down in the hall and read his book before going to sleep. He loves to play with trains and cars and has been a puppy a lot lately. Sometimes when I ask him to do certain things and he is in "puppy" mode he tells me, "Mom, puppies don't ______ (take the plates over the sink, wash their faces, make their bed....)" He is a cute little guy, even when he is a puppy.




Alison is getting older, although not necessarily much bigger, and learning so many new things. She is growing, but she's our little itty-bitty. For her one year check-up she was just under 16 pounds (15 lbs. 14 oz.) and 27.5 inches long (I think they were generous with the height measurement). She is happy, eats a lot, and is hitting all of her milestones, so we aren't worried. She looks so cute walking around on those little legs - all smiles. She has a few favorite things to do - empty any drawer, box, bin, shelf that she can and sometimes put it back. She likes to throw things in the tub, especially, and then look at you, put her hands up, and say "Wha?" We translate that as "Where could it be?" She is very good at these games. Ali is a messy eater, but must feed herself, loves her blanket, and is the best sleeper we have had.






We had a couple of first birthday parties for her - one with the Taylor family the Sunday before her birthday where she was a little princess, and one with just our family and grandparents on her birthday. She loved the attention and wanted to grab the candle more than the cake. At the end, she just wanted to relax and read her books.








For my birthday in June, Kristen and Duke gave me a popsicle maker. It makes popsicles in under 10 minutes. It's pretty fun. This was one day we were making popsicles and the boys were so anxious and could hardly wait for it to be done. They were just staring at it, willing it to freeze faster.


These three little munchkins are about as cute as they get. We love them and love watching them grow and play together.


Nathan began preschool again for the year. He loves his teacher and his class. They took their first trip to the Fire Station at the end of September. Aaron and Ali got to come along with the big kids. The boys each took a turn sitting in the fire truck and Nathan got to try on all of the gear that a fireman uses. Ali just sat in her stroller and watched her brothers and the rest of the kids.