New Moon with Teenagers

NEW MOON with friends Midnight showing!!!

Lake Buena Vista or Bust

So we did it! Welcome to the trailer park - Taylor's. We expect to spend a great deal of the summer and spring break and whenever we can get out of Bako in this pop up trailer. So. . . We took it on a "trial run" to BV this past weekend thinking to ourselves that we will just go and be able to tell the things we need better by just doing it. Here were the results: (I do say this in love and some points may be slightly exaggerated.)

1. Use the potty installed in the camper - 4:00 a.m. with Bradley. . thumbs down.
2. Remember to turn on the fridge, so in the morning the salami sandwich doesn't smell so ripe.
3. Bring an ax or hatchet so we don't have to pretend we are boy scouts.
4. Ask fellow campers for help. They are really quite nice.
5. Don't do anything to the heater. It does work great!!!!!
6. Purchase a reliable hose- so we don't create a nother Lake BV. . . (note to self)
7. PAck more smores. and sodas. (Anti- bacterial soap wouldn't hurt either.)
8. Pack another pair of chonnies for Bradley.
9. Don't let your kids throw rocks at neighbor's boats.
10. Double check to make sure trailer is secured to Yukon. ;)
11. Use child lock in camper, so friendly neighbor doesn't have to tell you your baby is at the lake.
12. Play board games, but let Harrison win. Pack two dice, not just one.
13. Reassure Karlee there are no bears.
14. Let Bradley make the owl sound at 4:10 a.m. to wake up entire camp.
15. Bradley likes our "smashed house"
16. Granite is valuable and is found in the lake.
17. burnt marshmellows are still up for debate.
18. Just because we had the smallest trailer, the most kids, no boat, and no idea doesn't make us any less welcome. :)
19. Bradley if you think it is just a fart, you may want to check your undies just in case.
20. 100 text in one night Alexa- Good for you!

We had a great time. Next Spring Break in Malibu, trips to Pismo and possibly to Utah this summer.

MY LAST 3 MONTHS IN A SLIDESHOW!

Wrestling. . . No Thanks!

Tonight, I am trying to hide. Harrison has ten fourth graders over for a birthday party and sleep over. I put Mike in charge, so for the past hour they have been wrestling. Of course they all have taken their shoes off so now my whole house smells like foot odor and the pre-adolesent B.O. So, to say they least I am hiding in my computer room. I served dinner and opened presents, patiently watched them jump in between the 56 degree pool and the 102 degree hot tub, cleaned up banana splits, root beer, pepperoni pizza and skittles and dried ten swim suits and towels. Can we talk about the noise level? They do not know how to use their inside voice. THEY ARE HAVING A GREAT TIME. I wouldn't change a thing.

So just to keep you all filled in I am going to give you a brief synapses of my families last 2 months. Here goes:

ALEXA turned 12 Nov. 29. no party this year.She started YW at church. She loves it. She has GREAT leaders. She will give her first talk in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday. She is beautiful!!! She has been training for track and is trying to run under a seven minute miles. She just ran it in 7:02. She has also started babysitting for real money. (We tried to pay her $1 an event.) Love that girl! SHe has recently been having dizzy spells. We and the doctors are trying to figure it our. She had a CT scan last week. I'll keep you posted.

HARRISON turned 10 Jan 12. Last week I had all of my kids home sick. We actually had to cancel his birthday party and reschedule it. Oh my, he was sad. We felt awful for him. He will start baseball in the spring. He made the honor roll in school.

KARLEE just had her birthday too. Dec. 3. The only thing she wanted was to go to gymnastics class. She got that for her birthday along with her FANTASTIC princess party. She had some of her friends over for dress up, make up and a tea party. Pictures will follow. Alexa and two of her good friends dressed up in bridesmaids dresses and helped all of the girls. They were so good to the little boys and girls. Fun times. We told Karlee that the class wouldn't start until Jan, so waited and practiced at home patiently. She could already do the splits, she perfected her cartwheel, and back bend. HEr first class was a pre-K class. Bradley went too. BRadley was bouncing off the walls while Karlee was the pricess and great listener. After just one class they moved her up to level 1 and now the team coach is looking for her to join her team. Mike and I couldn't be more proud of her dedication. And just to brag a little more my preschool girl- Karlee can read better than any of my kids at school, even my second graders.

BRADLEY 3 HE's a SUNBEAM. I can hardley believe my little snuggly, nursing baby started Sunbeams. HE has grown up so fast. His first week he was true to form and always out of his seat and yelling, "Mom- Hey Mom I talking to you" In the middle of sharing time. Music time wasn't much better either- He would just yell for dad. He is all boy. He loves to be in charge and has been caught tackling Harrison (don't tell) He has started to show some interest in his letters, so we might try that out. He does go to gymnastics. It makes him sleep better. Love that boy!!!

ME!!! The same old Mom, Teacher, Primary President life. Probably in that order. I love each job tremendously. Each one is very rewarding. We had a great Chrsitmas. We both have been watching seasons of the Office, Heroes, Prison Break and Lost. That could be my favorite thing to do once the babies are asleep- watch a movie on our projected 128" screen.I have made a few goals for this next year: 1. Lose 15-20 pounds. 2. Spend more time with family- camping hopefully. 3. Get out of debt- minus home and car. 4. Give more service. 5. Pick up a new hobby. (it may be running. I have started running with Alexa. I am really bad. Our first day we ran to the country club- 1 mile, got in the hot tub, then had lunch. Then finally ran, but mostly walked, the last mile home. Total time 2 hours. LOL. It was great mother daughter time.

MIKE I don't know how I can function without him. HE is the first one up in the morning. He gets the babies up and dressed and their lunch packed, while I am still getting ready. HE LOVES GOLF. If he isn't golfing he is watching it on TV.- That and UFC. He is the Primary chorister. (his favorite job ever!)

Ok- so I am good for another 2 months right???

I will post a cummulative pack of pics soon. XOXOXOXOX

Just to check it off my list to do

You may say I have been out of commission lately. I just finished a marathon scrapbooking week. I completed 220 pages of scrapbooking. It is 3 whole albums. I had over 1000 pictures. I hadn't scrapbooked in almost a year and a half. I was telling some of my friends that since I have been called as a the Primary President I haven't scrapbooked at all. I decided that I couldn't let that hold me back. I spent a week organizing all the photos and finding the right paper. That was about 1/3 of the trouble. My husband tried to be supportive. I have eaten chicken and corn over the Pismo Beach 4 page layout. Several sodas have come in and out of the room, my husband may have slept in another room just 1 out of the 7 nights. I may call A scrapbook magazine and they of course will want to hire me, and pay me mega bucks, and fly me around the world, and . .. ya right. My kids love them.

Here are a few more things I need to check off my list in the next couple of weeks:

Get my house ready for Thanksgiving company- only 10.
Make Karlee's Princess PArty Birthday cards- her birthday is Dec. 3
After much deliberation - Karlee's party will be on her birthday. Princess Tea party at my house!
Buy Karlee a present.
Buy Alexa a present. Her birthday is Nov. 29. She is on an off year. She will graduate from Primary.
Buy food for Thanksgiving feast for 120 first graders.
Write my lesson plans.
Play with my kids- Karlee can do the monkey bars now and ride a bike.
Color my hair- don't tell. It is Ghetto looking right now.
Be inspired to fill a nursery and two Sunbeam calling for church.
Collaborate and plan the final Primary activity for the year.
Make 2009 Primary goals.
Prepare sharing time for Sunday.
Oh ya- I have to work everyday this week. 7-3
Pump it up party on Thursday.
TWILIGHT movie on Friday 7:30. I am taking 5 girls including Alexa, then a huge sleepover@ the Taylor house.
Go to baptism on Saturday.
Sell at least 100 items on Ebay. I think Alexa is going to be hired. She works the computer better than I do sometimes.
Think really hard about going to the gym. It takes a lot of time to think about it!
Lose 5 pounds.
RELAX!!!!
Wish me luck

HALLOWEEN PARTY 2008

OK- I know I may be better suited to be a party planner. Mike absolutely hates Halloween, but I think it is so much fun. We invited some of Alexa and Harrison's friends over early in the evening on Halloween for a costume party and dinner. We had 35 show up. It was a lot of fun. I learned a few things. Junior high kids don't really want to play games. They immediately went to the farthest corner of the yard to hang out. It was fine. They were all good. We had some fun dinner treats, some costume winners and lots of pictures. Alexa was a Hippy, arlee was a witch, bradley was spiderman and harrison was a Convict. Mike and I wore out tattoos with pride. We had some fun with dry ice and with decorations. This is the third year in a row I have had a party. We'll see how long I can keep it up. The kids had a lot of fun. Happy Halloween.

The Taylors

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