Birthday Brunch...a little late

This is actually what the point of my last post was going to be about. Taylor's birthday brunch.

I started out the last post talking about the festivities in our lives, in our families, the fact that we fail to realize the festivities never end. It starts with the Pumpkin Patch in September which leads to Halloween in October, then its Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and then the Birthdays begin, Valentines Day, more Birthdays, St. Patricks day, Baseball, more birthdays, Easter, and so on and so forth. We celebrate, every occasion, with all of us, like its our last. We have fun, we get tired, we do it all over again. Since Zack and I got together, we have made a big deal about Cole's birthday every year, and then Taylor's birthday, and now both of their birthdays. In general every occasion is the means to celebrate. When I was growing up, we didn't celebrate every birthday with huge festivities, yes we celebrated, we acknowledged our special day, but no where in the means that we do it today. I love it, I love to entertain, I love to plan and I love the company. Sometimes we remind ourselves that it is ok, to take a step back and slow down a little bit. We can celebrate and make the occasion just as special in a smaller version. This is the attitude we took on for the kids' birthdays last year and this year as well. We chose to make it more of a family affair instead of a friends and family affair, with the size of my Husbands family, its always a party. This year, we decided to do brunch, simple, just family, brunch. I even decided to do pot luck just to be sure that I wasn't over extending myself. (Plus I like to have the variety of everyones choices, and the recipes, nothing better than finding a new good recipe to fall in love with, thanks Jen you always pull through!)

So we had the food,

(no picture of the spread, I will remember next time)

we had the song, we had the cake,

(uuummm shes either shocked, singing to herself, or getting ready to blow! )


(sorry about the picture of the cake, apparently I didnt get one before we started messing with it)

we had the family,

(Ayden and Auntie, he is often the life of the party!)

we had the decorations,

we had the presents,

and we had the birthday girl!

(This would be Taylor watching Daddy and Mommy cut her cake, while rocking her new baby, a big baby "my little pony" w/ a bink bink as she would call it, precious!)

Which by the way, big difference from age 3 to age 4 in the realization that "Its my birthday! Taylor was the definition of a birthday princess. She gave orders, she flew through her presents, she said Thank You's, she made sure EVERYONE was there to sing to her. She was excited, and it was simple and it ended quick!


Taylor still holding the new addition to her children, in her princess castle, AWESOME gift, it was a huge hit with all the kids. Ayden wanted to get in the castle with Taylor, Taylor didn't really want him in the castle with her, so Ayden being little smarty pants that he is, snuck around to the back, and quietly scooted himself in there. It was rather funny, even funnier that Taylor didn't realize it for a minute.

All in all she had a PERFECT day!

A product of my mind

It seems like every year around this time, it hits all of us that the festivities have begun. Birthdays, baseball, Easter, summer, birthdays, and more birthdays. I think what most of us in this Family, have failed to realize, is that....the Festivities never end. It starts with Halloween, which in this family, due to the Pumpkin Patch, it starts the last week of September, from that point on until the last day in October, the vision of my Sister in Law is literally a blur. She is racing from one thing to the next, chasing after her three kids, maintaining the things she does for the patch, making sure every person in her family feels her love and attention, all the while working full time. Usually I feel guilty when I call and I can sense the urgency in her voice, and I take into account all that she has going on. Yet no matter what, if I call and she senses the urgency in my voice she lets all the balls drop, she stops, to listen, and makes me feel like I am the only person in her world, at that moment.

There are days, I get overwhelmed, there are days that I feel like I am barely keeping up. Then I stop and think of her, think of all the balls she has in the air, how much she has to juggle all at once, while still loving herself, still maintaining herself and making herself a priority. It is a demanding job, it is a hard job. Going to work, sometimes feels like a break. I know this for her and I know this for myself.

Then I remind myself that these are the best years of our life, if we endure them and race through them, they will be gone. We have our children that bring us more joy than we could ever imagine, we have our Husbands who make us feel more special than any other woman, we have our families that make us feel like we are important, AND we have our sisters, our sister-in-laws, our girlfriends, who make us feel like a woman, a mom, a person, that no matter what we have going on in our lives, we are normal. Chances are we are far more normal then sometimes we accept. We all fall victim at one point or another, its human nature, its at this point that truly matters, when you pick yourself up and realize we are stronger than that, we are not "victims". We are living our lives with every fiber of our being, we are telling our story. For every hurdle we cross, we get stronger, for every lesson we learn, we get wiser. We are the center of our families, we are there when our children are sick, when our husbands need to vent, we are there for support, we are there to laugh, to love, to observe, to engage, to praise, to discipline.

Theres a bond between us women, no matter what the tie is. There is a bond that has its own uniqueness. It does not replace, the bond between husband and wife, nor does it replace the bond between Mother and child, it has its own place. Each bond with each woman in our life, has its own place, its own meaning, its own importance. Each one different and just as fulfilling.

My sister stayed the night with me the weekend before last. Both our lives are busy, it takes an effort to get together. I like to blame this on the miles between us, its just not as convenient. No matter how long we go between visits, when we get together, its like we are little girls again, we are sisters. I cherish the time we get together. We made dinner together, and it was easy, we stayed up later than everyone else, to decorate. We woke earlier than everyone else, to share a cup of coffee. She helped me prepare for the festivities of the day ahead. It was special and I hated watching her leave.

A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost. ~Marion C. Garretty

This post which turned into a tribute to women was supposed to be about Taylor's birthday brunch. I had a point, I started the post with the outline that was to lead to my point. It seems as though this post was supposed to be about something else. I would go back and change the beginning to make it fit more to what the post ended up being about, but Im not, Im going to leave it and title it a product of my mind today. The funny thing is, you might read this and think I just might be a little down. This is not the case, I am not, busy yes, focused yes, but not down. I have a bond with my sister in law, its hard to explain, its special, I sometimes take it for granted, I sometimes get so caught up in the feeling of it, it makes me stop. This is what happened today. She inspires me, she lifts me up, she gets me, and at the same time, I have this urge to ease her load, so to speak. We have a relationship that is the same as if she has always been my sister. We laugh, we cry, we have differences, we agree, we disagree, and we can make fun of eachother with a light heart that isn't criticizing.

Sometimes our hearts get tangled And our souls a little off-kilter Friends and family can set us right And help guide us back to the light. ~Sera Christann

Please note this post is not to take away from any importance our better halves (our husbands) role is in our families and our lives. This post was about Mothers and sisters and women. This is just a point that we have different avenues that fill our cup at different moments in our lives.

Happy 4th Birthday Taylor Rose!

Our Baby Girl
You are 4 today. I cant believe it has been 4 years. Its seems like yesterday when Mommy had you. I will always cherish that time in my life, when I carried you and brought you into the world. You were early by 8 days. Mommy was trying to work as long as I could so the time would go by fast when we were waiting for you. They sent Mommy home from work earlier than I wanted to and I was mad at them. Especially the next day when I felt fine and had nothing to do at home. Then all of a sudden around lunch time my water broke. You were ready to meet the world. I had you the next morning at 5:30am, I would do it all over again in a heart beat. Your Auntie Erin brought Bubba down to the Hospital EARLY EARLY in the morning so they would be there to meet you and witness your arrival. You amazed us ALL even the Nurses and Dr. how big you were. I will never forget the first words the Dr. spoke, "Look at her hands!" I guess he thought they were big! ;) Your Daddy delivered you while the Dr. coached him from behind. He wasnt nervous at all and he was SO proud, prouder than I have ever seen him. It was one of the most amazing experiences anyone can go through. You immediately left a print on our hearts and our lives are forever changed.
You bring so much joy to our family. I can see it in your eyes you posses the same passion as your father, this is a gift, this will help you fly and seek and accomplish what you desire. Every single day you amaze us, the things you learn, the things you remember, the things you do and the joy you bring to so many around you. I am always so proud at what you have accomplished, how fast you learn and grow. When I look at you I am confident that we are doing an amazing job, confident that you are going to grow to be an amazing woman, with strength, determination, passion, confidence, and the knowledge that you can do what you set your mind to.

I love that you dont just believe everything you hear, if something doesnt seem right you question it, if you are confused you speak your mind. Even at 4 years old this is one of your strengths. You always look deeper and dont settle for less than what you set your mind to.

You are constantly absorbing everything around you, you learn when you are not even being taught.

Taylor Rose, you are going to be the best Mommy one day. You take care of your baby dolls like they are your real children. You can change a diaper better than some real Mommies. ;) You love going to the store and buying them diapers and wipes, you sometimes talk me into new clothes for your babies.
You definitely are not hard to read, your many many facial expressions lead us to what is in store. Usually you send us on a ride. You are a smart little cookie and know exactly how to get the attention you seek. You have lived every phase a baby and toddler goes through, to the extreme. You could throw a tantrum with the best of them, we are so happy that is over. The most trying times for us was and is when you get curious. I cant tell you how many lotion bottles, shampoo bottles, powder, makeup, ointments we have gone through with our little Rosey around, or how many concoctions you have made in the carpet. Its always an adventure. We are also happy to be seeing the end of that road. You have ultimately tested my patience, just to be sure it was there, we all have had to remember that one. Thank you for teaching us, reminding us and showing us what we are capable of, how far we can push ourselves.

You are the light in our lives. Your rosey cheeks, big blue eyes, blond curls and beautiful smile is all it takes to warm our hearts, to bring a smile to our faces.

This is my wish for you, my baby girl....

I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
and each road leads you where you want to go,
and if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
and if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' 'til you find the window,
if it's cold outside,show the world the warmth of your smile,

but more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
and while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
all the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
and you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
and always give more then you take.

But more than anything, Yeah, and more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
and while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
and while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

this is my wish
i hope you know somebody loves you
may all your dreams stay big
(Repeat)(Chorus)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAYLOR ROSE!

Taylor's Hair cut

Sorry this post is a little late. We had Taylors hair cut since it desperately needed it.

She absolutely LOVED the experience. When the lady was washing her hair her eyes were literally rolling in the back of her head, then she would look at me and give me a cheesy grin, the whole time being very still.

She cut almost 3 inches off and put a few layers in the front. This was her first REAL haircut. It is so nice, so much easier to brush and the curls seem to have a whole new life to them! :)

Big Cheesy Grin!

A few of Taylor's favorite things.....

Taylor turns 4 on Thursday the 12th. I thought it would be fun to post a few of her favorite things at the moment.

Flipflops~LOVES them, she would wear them with everything everywhere all the time.

Lip Gloss/chapstick~ OBSESSED! I should probably mention she applies lipstick better than I do WITHOUT A MIRROR! This has been one of her favorite things, well since she started talking. She called it "Be Bop Bop" I would have to hide them. She likes to go in my purse to get herself some lipgloss. I noticed this was a BAD idea, whenever we were around other people she thought it was ok to look for lip gloss in their purses! We had to have a little chat about that. :) I have to keep mine on lock and key because I found that they would come up missing quite often.

Our little girl would drink a GALLON of milk a day if we let her, we dont, but she would!

This has been a little nice I have to admit. As a baby/toddler she really wanted nothing to do with the TV. As she has gotten older she has taken more of an interest. She still will only watch it for a little bit then go and find something else to do and come back, unless she is tired. Although she thinks cartoons have to be on whenever the TV is on, we have to explain to her that we all have to share and take turns watching our shows.



This is more recent. I have always given her a variety of juices, mostly apple juice. In the last few months she now requests orange juice over other juice. This just happens to be our favorite brand.

Her ultimate favorite snack. (and raisins, plain and yogurt covered)

Taylor is going to be the BEST mommy some day. She takes care of her Baby dolls like they are her real children. We buy her diapers so she can change the baby's, she does a perfect job, its rather funny. When we go to Target/Walmart she always tells me her baby's need diapers and wipes, her favorite toys all center around her baby's.

Her PINK blankie. This is not her actual blankie. Im not sure if I even had a picture of it, that I would post it on here. When it was new it was the softest most plush blanket I had ever felt, that's why I bought it. Well she obviously agreed, she doesn't go many places without it. The poor thing feels more like a towel than a blanket. Shes only 4, its just going to get better. ;)

Coloring....with anything. Pencils, markers, crayons, paint, you name it, she loves it. We stay away from the paint, only on special occasions.

She would eat a whole box of these if we let her. She likes to show me how to peel them, then makes me take the middle part out.

This goes along with her lip gloss obsession. If you have gum, you have won your way to her heart. When I pick her up from daycare, everyday when we get in the car she asks me for gum and lipgloss.

I would like to say she is one of the lower maintenance children, but I would be fibbing, she is not. Who would have thought that such an easy low maintenance baby would turn into such a little high maintenance princess. All of these things make me smile, it makes me smile that she has a preference and she is not shy letting us know.