&t The Taylor Family: June 2011

Thursday, June 30

Ophelia is sick

I had the day off yesterday and my mom came over to watch the kids so Peter and I could run some errands. We had a few things to do in Daytona and stopped a couple places on the way home. The last stop we had for the day was at Pearle Vision where I had to pick up my prescription sunglasses. When we got back in the car she wouldn't start. Peter had this same problem last week but after I jumped the Civic from the Odyssey she started up alright and then Peter let her sit for a while and she seemed fine again. Peter asked someone in the parking lot if he could use their battery to give our car a jump but after we tried that it didn't work. Eventually we had a friend come pick us up and take us home so mom could get going. Peter had already had the battery checked after the last incident so we knew that wasn't the problem. He had also cleaned the terminals and any areas where a connection is made to ensure there was no corrosion or blockage. The car stayed in the parking lot overnight and then today I left work a little early and we went out to see if we could get her started. Still no luck. Peter called for roadside assistance and we had her towed to a local mechanic that our friend uses.

Update* She's all better. Ophelia was in need of a new starter and the mechanic was able to get the part in and fix her up in just one day.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 7:46 PM   0 comments

Saturday, June 25

Game time

Today we had to make a few stops at a couple stores that aren't too close to home. We stopped in Sanford for a couple things and then stopped in Orlando at Sky Craft to get a couple things for Peter's work. Once the errands were through we drove to Tina and Noah's house for some lunch and games. The children played Animal Crossing and watched a movie or two while us adults played a long and expanded game of Settlers of Catan. The game lasted from lunch to dinner and then we started a game of Alhambra which didn't take near as long. It's been a while since we played a few good games so today was a nice change and chance to relax and just enjoy good company. I didn't want to get home too late since we have church in the morning and getting three kids up who haven't slept long enough is never fun. We left Tina and Noah's around 8:30 and went straight home and pretty much straight to bed. All that fun, even relaxing fun, can really wear a person out.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 8:58 PM   0 comments

Sunday, June 19

Happy Father's Day!

I have been asking Peter for a while what he wanted to do for Father's Day but he didn't really have any answers for me. As today approached he decided we should meet his Dad for lunch and then just spend time together as a family. He had a difficult time figuring out what would be fun for the whole family when it is about 100 degrees outside and children tend to get cranky quickly. Eventually Peter decided to get a puzzle that we could all put together while we watched some shows on Nova and the Discovery Channel (off the internet). He picked out episodes for each of the kids that he knew they would be interested in: a volcano episode for Abbi, the solar system for Bresa, and a Wright Brothers episode for Javan. Before we started the puzzle after we got home from church and lunch Daddy opened the presents we had ready for him. He was happy to get the windshield wipers he so desperately needed but he really was thankful for his 365 Reasons Jar. The girls told him all the parts they contributed and I made sure he knew there was a lot of work involved. For dinner Peter wanted pizza from his favorite place, Papa Johns. We are so blessed to have Peter as the head of our household. There is no other person I would rather share my life with and not a single other man who would make a better father to our 3 three children.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 7:49 PM   0 comments

Friday, June 17

365 Reasons why we love Daddy

For Father's Day the girls and I worked really hard on a present for Daddy. Each of the girls came up with 100 unique reasons why they love Daddy. I came up with 165 reasons to be from Javan and I. We started months ago to make sure that we would have everything finished in time. Once all the reasons were done we printed them out on card-stock (a different color for each person) and cut them into strips to put in the jar. Once that was done we decorated the jar with the kids hand prints and then added a few star stickers, ribbons, and a label. When we give it to Daddy on Father's Day we will explain all the work we put into it and tell him that there is a reason for each day of the year and for the next year he can randomly pick one out and be reminded how much we each love him and why.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 2:37 PM   0 comments

Wednesday, June 15

Pizza and Pool

Since the girls are out of school for summer vacation I rearranged my work schedule to help Peter out and also to have a day off that aloud me to take advantage of some summer specials that go on during the week. Instead of my normal Fridays off I know have Wednesdays off, just until August and then I will return to my M-Th schedule. Today was my first Wednesday off and since my mom had Abbi I thought I would take Bresa to the movies and get her out of the house. We went with my friend, Lisa, and her son, Brogan. The movie was just $3 a piece and that included popcorn and a drink. After the show we went and grabbed some lunch and then did a bit of Father’s Day shopping for some last minute gift ideas. We hit all the good stores in our area and around 4:30 we decided to call it a day. It was hard to believe we had been out that long but time just flew by us. When Bresa and I got home we had to hurry and get ready because we were meeting some more friends, Jana and Joe, for pizza and swimming. It didn’t take long and we were back in the car again, this time with Javan and Peter too. Dinner was great and swimming was fun. The water was warm and kids had a great time and us adults got to have a good conversation too.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 8:30 PM   0 comments

Friday, June 10

National Guitar Museum Opening

Peter and I were invited to a VIP event at the Orlando Science Center. They were hosting the unveiling of the very first National Guitar Museum. The museum will be touring with their exhibit and the premier was tonight at OSC. We dropped the kids off with Grandma and then got to the OSC a little before 7. There were hors d'oeuvres and an open bar before the doors opened. We got some food and a drink and sat down and talked with a few people there. Peter ran into a couple people who knew throughout the night and there were a lot of introductions to other people. There was an opening presentation done by Roger McGuinn, which I was little concerned wouldn't be my thing but it was very nicely done and very interesting. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Once the opening was done we were able to tour the exhibit and see all the guitars they had for show. It was interesting to go through the history of the guitar with instruments dating back as far as 3,000 bc. They had displays to show the difference between different types of strings and they had interactive amps and displays where you could play back riffs and design your own guitar. They also had a 38' electric guitar that you could pluck on. I wasn't sure how well I would like the event but we ended up staying past the closing time because we were so caught up in the displays and talking to other musicians. Overall there were 250 people present for the opening and we found out that you could purchase tickets to the event for $50 a piece. The event is now open at the OSC and you can go see it with normal admission. To find out more click on the National Guitar Museum.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 11:50 PM   0 comments

Wednesday, June 8

Happy 6th Birthday Abbi!!

My baby girl is no longer 5, she turned 6 today and is very proud of it. Once again I tried to convince her not to get older but she said she wanted to and already learned everything she could in Kindergarden and needed to go on to first grade. I had to work during the day but I told Abbi on the phone that when I got home she could open her presents after she gave me a hug. Peter took the kids to McDonald's for lunch which is a very nice treat for them all. When I came through the door after work Abbi was the first one to greet me with a nice big hug. She opened her presents very excitedly and then I made her the dinner of her choice, macaroni and cheese. I tried to change her mind about that too but that is what she wanted so that is what she got. She helped me make some chocolate chip cookies and asked if she could have one after dinner but much to her surprise I pulled out a really cool Kitty Cake for her instead. We sang Happy Birthday and after she blew out the candles Abbi chose the cake piece with the cat's face on it. We all enjoyed the cake and Daddy read some chapters in their Narnia book. Christina and Noah came over after they celebrated their anniversary over dinner and picked up Abbi to have a sleepover at their house for a couple nights. It is hard to grasp the idea that my baby is already 6 years old. People always say they grow so fast but you really have no idea until you live it. Happy Birthday baby girl, you are so sweet and wonderful and you bring me so much joy. You remind me to love and put others first and your never-ending compassion helps me stay in check. I love you so so much!

posted by We are the Taylors @ 7:44 PM   0 comments

Sunday, June 5

Off to the Beach

Our friend's, Brenda and Bill, are staying at a condo in New Smyrna Beach this week. They invited us up to enjoy the beach and pool with the kids. Since Sunday's are usually laid back and lacking of work for both Peter and I today seemed like a good day to enjoy the ocean. After Peter got home from playing at the second church service we got everything together and drove over to meet Bill and Brenda. We found a nice spot on the beach and once we were all lathered up with sun screen we headed to the water. The temperature of the water was really nice and, as always, the kids had a blast playing in the waves. We played in the ocean for a long while but eventually went back up to our stuff to build sandcastles and dig holes to see if we could find water. After another quick dip in the ocean we headed up to the pool. They had a big pool for older kids and adults but also a kiddy pool for toddlers and babies. Javan played and played in there and the girls played with Daddy in the big pool. There were two hot tubs there, one for adults only which I was told was really hot and then another that kids could get in too that was closer to body temperature. After all the swim fun the kids all played on a nearby play set while Brenda made a pizza run. Dinner was very delicious and satisfying after all the playing and swimming we had done. Too bad I have to go back to work tomorrow but I am glad that New Smyrna is just a short drive away from home.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 9:28 PM   0 comments

Friday, June 3

Splash Fun

The girls have been out of school for the week and since Daddy has to work during the day (as do I) they don't get to go out too often. I know being cooped up in the house is no fun so I figured I would take them out for a little local excitement. I asked my friend Lisa if she wanted to join us and she met us down the street at the Splash Pad at a nearby park. Bresa and Javan had a blast splashing and running around but, although Abbi was really excited to go, she got an attitude right from the start and just sat pouted the whole time. Her loss though, everyone else was having a great time.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 8:18 PM   0 comments

Wednesday, June 1

Gladiolus

It is always nice when we see the sprouts of our Gladiolus shoots come up. We planted these guys a couple years ago and they still come up and bless us when their beautiful vibrant colors. The girls get really excited when the buds start showing up, they are really the ones that did the planting so they enjoy reaping the rewards. Once the first few buds burst through the rest follow very quickly. Each day the girls go outside and get more and more excited as more bloom and the little buds get bigger.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 6:00 PM   0 comments