Happy Thanksgiving

We have a chalkboard up on our entry way wall that a dear friend of mine made for us last Christmas. It has served as a schedule reminder and message board, a doodle spot, and today, it says, "Give Thanks." So, here is what everyone is thankful for just this minute:

Dallin: "Life." (as he finished off the last of the Life cereal)
Jared: "Computers." (As he finished playing a game before heading out to the backyard to move rocks.)
Noah: "Water." ("I'm going to be working in the backyard and I'm going to get thirsty.")
Chris: "Employment." ("Even though I'm not working this week."- but he really is- in the backyard, anyway)
John: "A house to live in." (As he reluctantly went outside to help move rocks.)
Brooke: "Hot water."  (I asked her as she was getting out of the shower.)

I am thankful for a lot of things this minute- the ability to move my hands, to see, and to think. I'm also grateful for a husband and children who are funny, hard working, and a lot of fun to be around. And, I'm so blessed to have friends and extended family who love and care for all of us. You are wonderful!!

Shameless Hacker Plug

Brooke is sad.

Why, you ask?

Because nobody reads her blogs! If you would read (and comment on!) The Brooke Report and/or What I Like About You: Rexburg Editon, you would absolutely make her day.

Thank You!

(Posted by Brooke, shameless hacker)

LACKING MOTIVATION. . .

Things to blog about- many.  

Motivation to blog- ehh.

So, for now, just to get something new up, I'll list some possibilities for future blog post titles, in no particular order.

• You mean I have to grow up?
• High school band geeks sons
• You have WHAT in your ear?
• Twelve new babies
• Pig races
• Everybody was kung-fu fighting
• Football
• Journey to Bethlehem
• Cooking catastrophies
• Blessings
  

Hey, wait- if anybody actually reads this, maybe you could tell me what you'd like to hear! There's nothing like knowing one has readers to motivate one to actually write. I know, I know, I shouldn't depend on others for my motivation, but what can I say? I'm a sucker for attention.

So what say you, loyal readers? (Both of you.) 

What exciting installment of our family's life would you like to read about next? Pick a title and leave a comment, and I'll see what I can do. Thanks for the motivation!

Editor's Note. . .

In case you have no idea what the last post was about, check out this one first.

Oh, and one of the joys of summertime includes napping in the midafternoon. If you still don't know to what I'm referring, read the previous post.

Brooke here! Since my mother lacks the time and energy to post, I'm going to do it for her! She just doesn't know that right now since she's napping.

So here's HER name poem, written by the YCLs:

This girl is a leader of most everything

From primary to just making people feel a part of something

She likes the color red

And gets outta bed to make sure you're fed.

You're the super mom of the Taylor family

She may not laugh a lot but Brother Taylor

Sure makes her giggly =]

Kids love her but she loves them more

With her there's never a bore.

She is very serious where need be

but get to know her; and she's chill, you'll see.

You can come to her with most anything

She's a great listener who won't go snoozing.

Majoring in early childhood education at Brigham Young University, Provo

Makes her perfect with children you know.

She loves to read and can always be found

reading away and never will frown.

She can cook anything and never the same thing twice

From sugar to spice, it's always nice.

Working with your children was your prophesy

that's why here at camp Taloa you will be known as...

ODYSSEY

And here's HIS, written by me:

Here's a face that we've seen at Taloa before!

When you're around Brother Taylor, there's laughter galore.

He works hard as a teacher & always has a plan,

but his favorite is being a family man.

He tells wonderful stories of his days as a scout

and his Palm smart phone he is never without.

He has many talents, we really must say-

like portraying the lead in "Willy Wonka," the play.

He also plays trumpet and has been to far lands

with Synthesis, the BYU Cougars Jazz Band.

He'll fix your computer or DJ for you-

This technology whiz is happy to aid you.

His Mac holds all music from rock to the blues,

so here at Taloa he'll be known as

iTunes

Celebrate Good Times, or Girls' Camp part 2

It seems like a long time ago now, but girls' camp concluded only 23 days ago. I had a fabulous time, despite silly string attacks and the usual drama that occurs at girls' camp.  It was unseasonbly cool, so the evening firesides were brought indoors to the lodge, which for my talk, worked out much better.  The theme as designated by the Youth Camp Leaders (the oldest group of girls who are going to be seniors in high school in the fall) was "Celebrate Good Times."  Each day at camp was dedicated to a certain time period- 1st day= ancient times, 2nd day=Jesus' time, 3rd day=modern times. The evening speaker for each day focused on that time period.  I spoke about Ruth from the Old Testament, and had a great time with the girls. Courtney, a 1st year girl from my ward, came up to me the day after and asked some questions during scripture study, as she was reading the account of Ruth and wanted some clarification.  Thanks, Courtney- you made my week!

Something else that was a ton of fun was getting my camp name. Camp Taloa has a tradition of giving camp names to girls during their 4th year, and to leaders after their 2nd. Not only did I get my name, but so did Chris!  He visited on Thursday night which is the traditional night for bishops to come, but the invitation was extended to the entire bishopric this year, so he came.  Our camp names are. . hmmm, I feel a game coming on! Here are your choices for Chris's camp name: 1) Goofy 2) iTunes   3) Mac or 4) Schoolhouse Rock  Here are the choices for me (Staci): 1) Betty Crocker  2) Mama Bear     3) Odyssey  or 4) Mary Poppins  Leave your guess in a comment, and I'll post the correct answers in a few days! (Brooke, no playing! --She made up both of our names! And, speaking of Brooke, you should go check out her blog, too.  Go here to see her latest post.)
I love the spiritual charge I get at camp from being up and away from the usual cares and worries of life.  I get home ready to face everything again with a renewed sense of purpose and enthusiasm. Hurrah for girls' camp!!!

Enough words-- here are some pictures!

The drive up-

In the lodge-

 

 

Sister Moore, (camp name A la Mode) Stake YW, and photographer extraoridinaire-

In the kitchen with Brother Lakey (All Star), Sister Thomas, Brother Thomas, and Brooke (camp name Energizer!)-

Silly Youth Camp Leaders, a.k.a YCL's-

Camp Director Purple Heart (Sister Toth), center, with Tinkerbell, left, and Sister Crosby, right, hanging out by the pretty much empty pool (there are a few crazy girls down at the other end of the pool out of the picture shot)-

Cutie Kristen from my ward and silly-stringed Zury from my cabin-(Did I mention I hate silly string?)-

Mail call. Each group of girls sings for their mail-

Or, if you're lucky and get a letter from a boy, you sing by yourself for it! Sister Burke from the Stake young women lives up to her camp name of Tart 'n Tiny-- she's not shy when it comes to singing for her mail!

The leaders kick back and enjoy mail call-

 

The girls and leaders from Upland 5th ward. The different colored shirts represent the number of years a girl has been to camp 1st years are green, 2nd years are purple, 3rd years are orange, 5th years are pink, and leaders are tan-

Sister Heupel on the left (Mosaic) was my fellow cabin mom and we had a great time together. Sister Hiatt (Tye Dye) is the assistant camp director and our bishop's wife. The leaders are from the "Stone Age", hence the sign-

Girls' Camp

So Brooke and I set off for Camp Taloa (to always love one another) tomorrow morning-- I as the music person/cabin mom, and she NOT as a camper this year, but as a cook! She has her food handler's license because of her job at Baskin Robbins, and they needed someone else to cook, so she's going. I am very glad to be there for 2 years with her there, instead of just one.  I've also been ask to speak at the campfire tomorrow evening, and let me tell you, I'm way out of my comfort zone speaking for 30 minutes! My thing is Primary sharing time, which is 15 or 20 minutes, and is interactive, NOT me speaking for the whole time.  So, hopefully they won't mind too much if I change it up a bit, and make it more interactive- not sharing time, but definitely not me babbling the entire 30 minutes.  So, I'll let you know how it goes after we're back on Friday.  Happy days, everyone!

I love these trees. . .

And I love this time of year when they're all in lovely lavender bloom. I think I'm going to have to have at least one of these in my yard- the jacaranda.  I know, I know, they aren't so pretty when they're not in bloom, but to me, it's worth it.  And yes, they get purple petals everywhere, but they're purple petals! Not ugly spiny balls or smelly seed pods.  Ah, the beauties of June!

Mother's Day

So as Mother's Day approaches, I thought it would be fun to take this little quiz and see what my "mothering style" is. Or rather, to see if by taking it the makers of the quiz would accurately describe my style, since I think I know myself and have been a mother long enough to know what that is!

Here are the results:

I'm a "Tuned In" Mother! (Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving) Aware, astute, and understanding, I am sensitive to my child's needs, feelings, and perceptions. What's your mothering personality type? Take the MotherStyles quiz at FamilyEducation.com!

This quiz is pretty accurate, I think. It definitely describes my general mothering style, but of course we mothers tend to be a little of everything when necessary, to try to be the best we can for each child.

My wishes for a Happy Mother's Day to all you fabulous women who take the time to nurture those around you. Whether in your role as a mom, a grandma, an aunt, a sister, a wife, a niece or a friend, thanks for all you do to make the world a better place with your profound influence!

P.S.- Quiz or not, what's your mothering style?

Easter Message

Either before or after you see the above video, go to this website for another beautiful experience.

I cried. . .

. . . because I was laughing so hard!


P.S. I stole this from my sister-in-law's blog--thanks Emily!

P.P.S. I've been working on part 2 of NYC, but I've had technical difficulties. Check out Brooke's blog for her take on the trip.

NYC. . .Part 1

Here's part 1 of our New York experience. . .pictures and part 2 to come soon!
Thursday, February 26--Saw Brooke off early in the morning--she had to be at school at 5am to get on a bus to LAX. Her flight left around 8am and she got in to Newark, NJ at about 5pm local time. She was scheduled to go ice skating at Rockefeller Center, but we haven't had a chance to talk to her about that yet. The rest of us spent all day traveling, too, just a little more round-about--Long Beach to Salt Lake to JFK. Both flights were uneventful and enjoyable. Dallin, John, and Noah experienced their first flight ever, and thought it was really cool. Our shuttle driver from the airport to the hotel was a hoot! He had us all in stitches imitating Valley Girl, southern, and Hispanic accents from people he's driven over the years. Our hotel in midtown Manhattan is even better than I imagined--we got an amazing deal and we have so much room! I should have known it would be wonderful, though--my friend who recommended it to us has impeccable taste--thanks Nicole! It took us awhile to settle down and settle in, so we slept in a little on
Friday, February 27--We walked to the Rockefeller Center and were going to ice skate, but decided to wait until Monday--it's a lot less expensive to do it in the middle of the day. (We may regret that decision, as it's supposed to be snowing and 26* tomorrow.) We found a quirky deli just around the corner from our hotel, and had lunch there. Yummy! We took the Downtown bus tour, and saw all kinds of cool places--the garment district, Times Square, Greenwich Village, Soho (which stands for South of Houston-prounounced House-ton, NOT Hyoo-ston, at least here in NYC-Street), Tribeca, Little Italy, the Financial disctict, the World Trade Center site, and bits of Chinatown. Of course, in these areas we saw famous buildings like the Empire State, Chrysler, and Flatiron. And cool bridges like the Brooklyn and Manhattan. After freshening up, we took the subway to Astor Place Theatre to see this. We all, like totally loved it (to borrow a Valley Girl phrase-thanks, Mr. Shuttle Driver). Brooke went to see this. I think we all had an unforgettable experience. We were hungry after the show, so we decided to get some pizza here. EXCELLENT NY style pizza.
Saturday, February 28--Mr. Comedy (a.k.a. the Shuttle Driver) told us that we could find a five-story Toys R Us in Times Square, which we happened to catch a glipse of on the bus tour, and which the boys begged us to return to at some point during our stay. So, since we didn't really have any plans until 3pm, we decided to head that direction. Jared and Noah were not disappointed--we found a huge area dedicated to their favorite toy--Legos. We were all wowed by the huge Statue of Liberty, Empire State (complete with King Kong) and Chrysler buildings made of Legos, as well as Star Wars characters. Very fun! In the middle of the store is a ferris wheel with various toys used for the cars--a Little Tykes car, for example. Of course, it's a little bigger than the original version. After spending a couple of hours in the store, we headed out for some lunch from a hot dog vendor. Now, from all the great things I've heard about New York hot dogs, I was expecting the best hot dog EVER. Wasn't. We chose unwisely. It was a hot dog. Period. Oh well. Anyone got any better ideas for where to get the best NYC hotdog? Next, we headed back to Rockefeller Center to do the Top of the Rock tour. Breathtaking views, and we got to see Brooke for about 10 minutes, too.

Big Apple, Anyone?

So I was talking to my mom the other day, and I started talking about the trip we're taking to New York, and I realized I hadn't even told her ANYTHING about the trip.  If I haven't told my own mother, then I haven't said anything to most of you, either.  Brooke, along with other members of Upland High School Chorale and Madrigals, has a fabulous opportunity to sing with the Masterworks Festival Chorus at Carnegie Hall.  We decided we couldn't pass up the chance to actually have a family vacation (well, sort of--Dallin has to come back early, but that's another story.) and so we're taking everyone. Did I mention it will still be freezing cold, as we're going at the end of February?  We're staying here at the recommendation of fantastic friends of ours who've taken their kids to NYC at least twice. Of course, we're going to do as much as we can in the 4 days  we have, but if anyone has recommendations for us, please comment!  And seriously, if anyone wants to come. . .

December Happenings and Happy 2009

December was a memorable month! Birthdays, the Nativity art and music festival, Elizabethan dinner, a car accident, illness, and of course, Christmas.


Noah and I are one year older and wiser. (I think I'm just older, but Noah's definitely wiser.)

Brooke experienced her 4th and final Elizabethan dinner as part of the Upland High School choir program. Brooke was happy to be a quadrant leader for the servants for the 3rd year. Her friend Gigi was the queen this year--you can see her in the picture below.

The show always ends with the Madrigals dressed in royal garb singing Silent Night with candles they light as they sing, and then blow out all together at the end. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the birth of the Savior.

Then there's the 16th Annual Christmas Art and Music Nativity Festival that is sponsored by our stake--it's a sight to behold. Thousands of nativity scenes, hundreds of performers, and a really fun children's activity room. Another great way to celebrate and remember the real meaning of the Christmas season!




Chris was in a minor car accident, which injured his lip. This was really bad timing, as he was supposed to play his trumpet with a couple of guys the very next day, and also the day before Christmas Eve. He's fine now, but his lip was pretty grusome for awhile. The picture shows his lip before stitches. He got slammed from behind by a drunk driver, which pushed him into the car in front of him and set the air bags off. The bag beat him up! Fortunately, no one else was hurt, even though the guy took off and hit another car going the other direction. (The only other thing that marred our month a little was this awful virus that gave us all searing sore throats, stuffy, then runny noses, a nasty, phlegm-y cough, and NO energy. I wish I could blame that on not sending out Christmas cards, but alas, I can't.)


And last, but certainly not least, we enjoyed Christmas! My camera was set wrong, so none of our pictures of the kids opening anything came out, so all you get is the tree. It was pretty nice having everyone home from school and Chris around a little more than usual. We had a kick-back morning just enjoying our gifts, and then we headed to Chris's parents house in the afternoon for more laid-back fun. The kids always enjoy running around and playing with all of their cousins, and wii, and being outside. Ahh, if only Christmas break could have lasted for one more week! Oh well, on to 2009!