Little Princesses

July 15, 2012December 30, 2018Leave a comment

I love that Ellie is now getting to an age of playing dress up and make believe. Listening to the two of them play is such a treat. They mimic their favorite movies and make up silly songs all on their own. I love this age! As long as it doesn’t turn into fighting I could listen to them for hours. I sure do love my little princesses!

Abby’s First Trip to the Movies

July 8, 2012December 30, 2018Leave a comment

Today we took Abby to see her very first movie in a movie theater! We had waited long enough and we knew it was time to test it out. Since showing her a trailer quite some time ago, Abby hasn’t stopped talking about the movie Brave. So when the movie hit theaters several weekends ago, Shaun and I decided we would take her.

So today we dropped Ellie off at Grandpa and Nana’s house and headed to the theater. Abby was so excited. When we got there we headed to the concessions and let Abby pick out some special snacks for the movie. She chose popcorn and a box of Red Vines to share with mommy. When we got into the theater, Abby chose our seats and we got settled in. Abby looked like a pro and was ready for the movie to start. We only had one potty break and that was a quick one. It came at the right time too! There were a few parts of the movie that were a bit dark and intense and Abby decided she had to go potty right at the scariest moment. Potential crisis averted! Abby loved Brave and even more then the movie, she loved the theater experience. She hasn’t stopped talking about it.We cant wait to take her back again soon!

ABout to head over to concessions to pick out a few snacks. Abby is thinking about what she wants!

All settled into her seat, snacks in hand and cozy under her blanky!

Ellie’s Two Year Check Up

July 7, 2012Leave a comment

Ellie went in to see Dr. Calig today for her two year check up. It was a longer wait then normal but the girls were great! Abby made a new friend in the waiting room and Ellie found a few magazines to look at and of course attempt to tear apart.

Her check up went well and everything, according to Dr. Calig is great! She is very happy, healthy and doing a great job when it comes to growing. Just to show you how well she is growing, here are her stats:

Ellie’s Two Year Stats

Weight: 30 Pounds

Height: 36 Inches Tall

Ellie has grown a lot in 6 months. She is in the 98th percentile for both height and weight and doesn’t show any signs of changing. She is my skinny girl but we think she will be tall too! Ellie lucked out with this appointment as well. No vaccines today just a prick of her finger for some blood work and a poke on the arm for the TB test. She still wasn’t happy about it but it could have been worse. It wasn’t anything a few stickers couldn’t fix! Always glad to see that my girls are happy and healthy. No more doctor for another six months unless we get sick, but maybe we can make it a goal to stay away until then!

Ellie’s First Pair of Glasses

July 3, 2012December 30, 2018Leave a comment

About a month ago Shaun and I noticed that Ellie has having some trouble with her eyes. Out of the blue she started crossing or turning her left eye in and as parents this had us a bit concerned. After a trip to the our pediatrician and then to see a pediatric ophthalmologist we discovered that Ellie is extremely farsighted and has an astigmatism. As a note, most children up to age ten are farsighted. Its a natural part of eye development. They range between a 1 and a 2 and can correct their sight automatically without any issues or without any awareness of it. Ellie on the other hand sits between a 5 and 6. In order to see properly when looking at certain things she has to cross her eye or eyes to focus. The brain quickly adjusts to this, so the sooner you catch it the better.

Well we caught it right away so hopefully this will benefit her in the long run. Ellie now gets to wear glasses in order to strengthen her eye muscles and correct the issue. So today after a bit of waiting and a lot of patience we picked up her glasses! She looks adorable in them. We chose a light purple color mainly because they looked the best on her but also to match her blankie! Now the challenge will be getting her to adjust to wearing them and keeping them on. But until then, she looks adorable!

Happy Second Birthday Ellie Belly!

July 2, 2012December 30, 2018Leave a comment

Ellie,

Has it really been two years since we held you in our arms for the first time? Has it already been a year since we celebrated your first birthday, your first big milestone? Time certainly moves quickly but we have enjoyed every minute of it that we possibly can. You have grown by leaps and bounds; walking, talking, running, climbing, testing anything and everything. You are our fearless girl, the one who will climb and keep climbing. You are our engineer; taking everything you can apart just to see what happens and building whatever you can with blocks and more. There isn’t a book left in your library that hasn’t been torn to bits because of this. You are our thinker, always stopping to ask why at everything thing we do or say. You are our tester, always trying to see how far you can go before there are consequences. This keeps mommy and daddy on their toes and a little bit frustrated at times. You are our snuggle bug, always wanting to be held and loved when you can. Asking mommy or daddy to “nuggle” is guaranteed to put a smile on our faces. You are our silly goose, always making a silly face, saying something funny or doing a silly dance just to make us laugh.

Ellie you bring so much joy and love into our lives. Your sister has a best friend, a playmate and a cohort in you. We see many years ahead of us filled with dress up, artwork and plays put on by the both of you and your daddy and I look forward to each treasured moment. We love you so much and cannot wait to see what age two will bring. Happy Birthday Ellie Belly! We love you so very much!

Ellie only a few hours old, July 1, 2010

Ellie only 1 week old, July 8th, 2012

Ellie at One Year Old, July 1, 2011

Ellie Turns Two, July 1st, 2012

Ellie’s 2nd Birthday Party!

July 1, 2012December 30, 2018Leave a comment

While Ellie’s official birthday isn’t until tomorrow, today we celebrated her second birthday with family and friends. Since Minnie Mouse is one of Ellie’s favorite characters these days, we had a fun Minnie Mouse themed party. The day was pretty relaxed and low key. Abby and Ellie had the chance to play with Harrison and just enjoy being kids while the adults mingled, talked and caught up with one another. This year it was wonderful to have my parents and sister here to celebrate. I know its hard on them when they have to miss birthdays, so it was extra special to have them here.

Ellie had a great time and enjoyed eating her birthday ice cream cake. She was a little unsure of all the people surrounding her and singing to her and became very shy when it came time to blow out her candles, so mommy had to do that for her. We had two cakes this year (I think this will become tradition) one was an ice cream cake from Baskin Robins the other was made by hand by yours truley from scratch. For those who might be wondering, the ice cream cake tradition started last year on Ellie’s first birthday when the cake I was baking from scratch turned into complete chaos. In the end we ordered and ice cream cake instead and I only make a simple small cake for Ellie to smash her hands into. This year my cake was a success and I think a hit with those who chose to have a piece from it.

Nothing but smiles from the birthday girl.

Both of Ellie’s beautiful birthday cakes.

Ellie’s birthday cake that was made from scratch by mommy. Lots lof love went into that cake!

After cake and a bit of playtime it was on to presents! Ellie was definitely more involved with opening them this year but still wanted to play with everything as it was unwrapped. Eventually she lost interest and I did a lot of it, but that’s ok. Her distraction came from toys she loved the minute she opened them. Who am I to complain about that?

Blowing out candles but a little overwhelmed by all of the attention.

Kisses from mommy for the birthday girl.

MMMMMM… CAKE!

Opening presents with reckless abandon!

When all was said and done we were surrounded by lots of presents, food and two happy but tired children. The afternoon was a success and it was obvious to us that Ellie is very much loved by everyone she knows. What a wonderful day. Happy Birthday Ellie!

Disneyland with The Taylor Crew

June 29, 2012December 30, 2018Leave a comment

Take two excited Grandparents, One Auntie, a Fantastic Friend, a Cheerful Mommy and two very Happy Kiddos and what do you get? A TRIP TO DISNEYLAND! Yup, when the Taylor crew is in town its pretty much inevitable that we will end up at Disneyland. How can you resist? SO this year we found ourselves at Disneyland with the same Motley Crew as last year but we also tweaked a few things.

This time around we stayed the night at a hotel in Anaheim the night before. Best idea ever. This allowed us to sleep in a bit the morning of instead of waking up at 4am so that we could get to Disneyland and not deal with a three hour drive in morning traffic. It was completely worth it. We were up by 6:30 am and arrived at Disneyland only thirty minutes after the park opened. This allowed us to go to Cars Land (which had just opened a week and a half earlier) over in California Adventure. We had hoped to get on some of the rides but even by 9am, everything had a line no less then ninety minutes. Its ok, we still enjoyed a lovely breakfast at Flo’s Cafe and then enjoyed a few more rides before heading over to Disneyland for the rest of the day.

On the tram and ready for a day at Disneyland!

The whole gang, minus Grandpa Jerry who is behind the camera as usual. 🙂

Grandma Denise and Ellie waiting for the gang to finish up on the ladybug spinners.

Abby was just a little excited to see Pluto… just a little.

For this trip I decided to roll with the punches and let whatever happens, happen. For the most part, I stuck with that decision. I let Abby and Ellie decide what they wanted to do and Jillian and Drisana were great sports about that. The only snag of the day came with riding the Matterhorn. Abby has been on it once and loved it. Since then the ride format has changed. You can no longer sit in each others laps, instead you sit in your own seat. This meant the height requirement had changed and Abby just missed it by about half an inch. Grandpa Jerry had to leave the line with her and I felt so guilty going on without her. When we got off of the ride, I could tell Abby had been crying. It broke my heart. Its tough being at that point in life where you are still little but you also want to conquer the world on your own all at the same time. She cheered up pretty quickly and we were on to the next ride, but I have to admit there was a twinge in my heart that took a bit to go away.

Ready for her first ride on the Jungle Cruise.

All set to see Winnie the Pooh!

Happy Ellie waiting to ride on Pirates of the Caribbean. As she kept saying the rest of the day… “That was so fun!”

I did eventually get over it and I made sure it didn’t ruin my day with family, friends and my beautiful girls. Instead the girls enjoyed rides like Winnie the Pooh (two times to be exact), Pirates of the Caribbean, lunch and duck feeding at the Hungry Bear and their first time on the Jungle Cruise. The Jungle Cruise was a big hit and I am sure we will be riding on it again soon! Abby also had the chance to use her brand new autograph book and was able to get the autographs of quite a few characters, one of which being Minnie!

As a treat for the girls and the June birthdays, we had dinner at Goofy’s Kitchen. Abby had a blast and loved taking pictures with all of the characters. Well, all but Aladdin. Abby wanted nothing to do with him. Ellie was a bit leery at first but when Minnie came around, she was star struck. She was so excited and in awe that Minnie Mouse was right there in front of her. It was pretty cute if you ask me. Abby also met Cinderella which was another hit, so much so that Abby kept holding her hand.

Pictures with Minnie Mouse at Goofy’s Kitchen. Not sure you can feel the excitement here.

Ellie meeting Minnie Mouse. So start struck.

After dinner we headed back to Disneyland for another spin on Winnie the Pooh and then Drisana, Auntie Jillian, Grandpa Jerry and myself took on Splash Mountain. Yeah, Splash Mountain In June at 9:30 at night meant very soaked. Luckily it has been a hot dry day so my pants and shirt dried off quickly, but my shoe was another story. The rest of the evening was pretty lazy. The girls fell asleep so we watched the fireworks and then hit a few of our favorites. Auntie Jillian, Drisana and I rode Big Thunder and then it was Grandma Denise and Grandpa Jerry’s turn. From there we shopped while Auntie Jillian and Drisana went on a few more rides of their own. When all was said and done we stuck it out at Disneyland and nearly closing time.

At Auntie Jillian’s insistence we rode Splash Mountain. While you can tell we were hit with water, this picture does not show just how wet we were. Soaked, completely soaked.

It was a long drive home that night, but so worth it. We made lots of memories and enjoyed our time together. Drisana is now an honorary member of the Taylor family after surviving a Disneyland trip with us for the second summer in a row. I know I fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillow that night but it was all for good reasons. Yet another fun day in the memory books. Until next time!

This is How Jack Rolls…

June 26, 2012December 30, 2018Leave a comment

I would just like to preface this by saying that Jack is an indoor dog. Despite having loads of energy, loving walks and being an 85 pound lab mix who should love all things outdoors, he would rather be inside then out. Most days if he is out longer then an hour, he is scratching at the back door wanting in. To sum it all up, our dog thinks he is a cat. A pampered, indoor loving cat.

So when I saw this, all I could think to myself was “Jack, what are you doing?” He is lounging like the pampered pooch he is in the girls pink plastic pool. But its EMPTY! Not a drop of water in sight! Just a 80 pound lab, the hot sun and pink plastic that I know heats up faster then the tiles. I think this was his way to get pity from us and let him in.That or this is just how Jack rolls.

Six Little Ducks

June 26, 2012Leave a comment

Ballerina Kisses

June 26, 2012Leave a comment

Abby’s First Dance Recital!

June 26, 2012December 30, 2018Leave a comment

As I sit here writing this, I cannot help but smile. I think I am beaming from ear to ear. Tonight was Abby’s very first dance recital and I don’t think Shaun and I could be more proud of our little girl! She did an amazing job and even though I had my doubts this morning at stage rehearsal about whether or not she would dance at all, she did!

Grandma Denise, Granpa Jerry, Auntie Jillian, Grandpa Pat, Grandma Zoe, myself and Shaun were all there to cheer her on. When I dropped her off backstage with her class and the babysitters she started to get upset that I was leaving but soon calmed down and then ran off to play, saying goodbye as an after thought. Looking back I think she got upset at first because one of the younger little dancers in her class was crying. I took my seat with the family and waited anxiously to see just what would happen. We caught a glimpse of Abby in the show opener and then had to wait until her dances came along. Lucky for us, Jason and Lisa (our cousins) had their daughters dancing that night. We had the chance to see Kayla and Lily dance and boy have they grown. Both girls are very talented and I see dance in their future.

Abby’s ballet dance, “Ballerina Kisses” was first and she was so cute. Before they came on stage, Abby and her friend Victoria could be seen peaking out from the curtains. I honestly think they were looking for all of us, assuming all of our families would be in the same spot watching just like we do at the studio. When it was time to dance, Abby did a fantastic job and danced every step. It cane be hard to tell with Abby, but I could see that she was having a great time, which made me smile the most.

Later in the show Abby did her tap dance, “Six Little Ducks”… what a riot! For many years at Bobbie’s, the youngest dancers at the studio were ducks for recital. It was like a rite of passage. I was so happy to see that Abby had the chance to be a duck too and she did a perfect job. She really knew what she was doing and had a lot of fun doing it. I think all of us were laughing and smiling at our cute little duck on stage.

Ballerina Kisses

Showing off her basket of kisses

Quacking like a duck

“Six Little Ducks that I once knew, fat ones, skinny ones, cute ones too!”

Keep on Quackin’!

Taking a final bow during the finale! Its a great shot because Kayla is standing just behind Abby!

So cute

A very proud daddy with a super cute ducky!

Abby with her teacher Miss Elizabeth.

Abby and Bobbie. Bobbie is the owner of the studio and someone very special to me, my family and now my children.

When the show was over Abby was spoiled with lots of hugs, kisses and more flowers then I have seen in a long time. She was so excited and very proud of how she danced. I learned from Bobbie, Judith and some of the backstage babysitters that each time Abby came off of stage she wanted to know when she could go back on. I think someone likes the spotlight! She would have also been happy just sitting in the wings watching the dances. And here I was worried that they would be able to get her out on stage!

No matter what, the evening was perfect and we are so proud of Abby. From what I can tell, she cant wait until next year to do it all again!

Anniversary and Ghost Hunt on the Queen Mary

June 19, 2012December 30, 2018Leave a comment

In the time that we have been married, Shaun and I have never officially celebrated an anniversary. On our first anniversary we were in the middle of moving back to Los Angeles from Seattle. Our second anniversary fell during recital so I was busy working. For our third Shaun was stuck at E3 and I was too pregnant and uncomfortable to care. Last year was pretty low key as well. So we decided to live it up a little for our fifth and Shaun decided to surprise me with a night away.

This time around he was successful with his surprise and I had no idea where we were going until we hopped onto the 710 into Long Beach and I started seeing all of the signs for… THE QUEEN MARY! I have always wanted to stay on the Queen Mary so my excitement was evident. To top it all off our friends Jay and Mellissa had come down for the night and we were planning to do a bit of celebrating and exploring the ship with them.

Once we arrived and settled into the room, we headed to the Chowder House for a bite to eat. After a lovely dinner with conversation that was interrupted only by our waiter, we met up with Jay and Mellissa for a few drinks and some lovely 70’s lounge music. We had fun and enjoyed the smooth voice of the entertainer for the evening and his renditions of several Karen Carpenter songs. After some laughs and a few drinks we went to bed, only to wake up at 3am to investigate some of the Queen Mary’s paranormal history. We didn’t find much that night, but it was a lot of fun roaming around on board in the middle of the night with no one to bother us. I do want to come back again soon and take the ghost tour that will allow us to go inside the first class pool area. Its said the spirit of a young girl named Jackie haunts this area and many people have had unexplained experiences here. We wanted to do this on our own, but the area if closed to the general public. When all was said and done and the sun started to rise… we headed to bed.

We had a slow start the next morning, waking up and checking out of our room just in the nick of time. We had lunch with Jay and Mellissa and then decided to take a look at the parts of the ship that are not open at night, mainly the engine room and the museum in the lower parts of the ship. It was kind of a strange place but very interesting. From there we left and headed home. It was a quick trip and something I hope to do again soon but it was a wonderful little getaway for our fifth anniversary!

The hallway on M deck just outside of our room.

While exploring down on the A Deck we came across the third class nursery. The doors were locked and it looks as though people do not come in and out of these doors often, if at all. Another abandoned part of the boat.

One of many closed off elevator shafts throughout the ship.

Room B340, which is now unmarked as such, is said to be the most haunted spots on the ship. It has not been used as a guest room for nearly 30 years and most of the rooms around this spot are rarely used and if so are given to guests if asked.