Giving Thanks

We have so much to be thankful for in our lives. Family and friends, of course, are at the top of the list. By the end of November, Ross and I were especially grateful to have a little time together as a family at home. Between the two of us we spent almost the entire month of November traveling. That didn't slow things down though. The kids had lots of play dates, wrap up of the soccer season, a few Cub Scout events, parties celebrating friends' birthdays, and a trip to Louisiana for Thanksgiving!

Back in September Jackson won the Raingutter Regatta for his Den. At the November Pack Meeting the winners from each Den were awarded "The Golden Duck." Jackson had been eagerly awaiting his award since that day. He thought it was pretty funny that the award was a rubber duck on a plaque with his name on it. He loved it! He also received his Bobcat rank the same day.

Audrey has two best friends these days, Charlotte and Chole. Charlotte's little sister, Clara, celebrated her birthday in November, and their dad captured a couple of cute pictures of them at the party that I couldn't resist sharing.

We spent the week of Thanksgiving in Louisiana catching up with family and eating lots of food! We stayed at a different house almost every night in an effort to spend a little more time with each person. We had a quick visit with Ross' mom, Susan, as well as with my Dad and his wife, Kim and Barbara, and my Aunt and Uncle, Kathy and Mike. It was an extra special treat to see my Aunt and Uncle since they live in Arkansas and made the trip to Shreveport just so we could visit! While we stayed with my Mom, Deana, the kids got to work on some art. They continued working on a canvas that was started during a previous trip. It's so much fun to watch them work and see how differently they approach things like this!

Our next stop was Ruston where our dear friends, the Tims family, and my grandparents live. We spent the night before Thanksgiving with the Tims watching the kids play while we caught up on life. Such a fun evening!

Thanksgiving day we eagerly made our way to my grandparents' house to meet the newest member of our family, Ellie, and of course, to see everyone else. My cousin, Meg, and her husband, Matt, made the trip from Connecticut with their almost 6 week old baby. She was so sweet! Can you tell where most of the attention went throughout the day?

Almost everyone from that side of the family was able to make it for Thanksgiving this year. We were just missing Meg's brother, Bud. He had a good excuse though...he has to work that day every year. It's a good thing he loves what he does! It was so wonderful to simply be with everyone. Being an only child means my cousins have always been like brothers and sisters to me. It was so fun to watch all of the 2nd cousins playing together with Great Aunts and Uncles, my cousins, and especially their Great Grandparents. Getting to eat the delicious food my Grandmother makes was the icing on the cake, and she make REALLY good cake!

There are more pictures from Thanksgiving in the album!

Mountains and Lakes

We had such a great week at Pinecrest Lake with some friends from our life group a few weeks ago. We spent a few days in a beautiful cabin and enjoying the great outdoors. All of it was amazing! The kids loved playing on the "beach" at the lake. We rented a kayak one of the days and took turns checking out the lake. When the adults were done, Audrey decided she wanted a turn, so Ross took her out on the Lake. She did awesome! The boys were busy making their own tide pools, which they thought was a blast.

When we weren't at the lake, we were busy eating, playing games, and looking at the stars and planets and rocket boosters reentering the atmosphere. It was incredible! We saw Saturn and Mars through their telescope. We saw a few shooting stars, and then we saw this huge mass entering the Earth's atmosphere and breaking apart across the sky, which we later learned was a Chinese rocket booster. Pretty cool for a couple of space geeks.

We were back at the lake each day, so we did a little boating, fishing, and hiking while we were there too. It was a great way to spend one of the last weeks of summer. Great friends and great experiences make wonderful memories!

There are more pictures in the album as usual!

Lovely Easter Day

Jackson and Audrey awoke early this morning eager to hunt for eggs and see what was in their baskets. We had to slow them down so they weren't simply a blur in pictures...it didn't really work. They had lots of fun anyway and were excited about all of the candy, of course. We spent the morning playing games and enjoying some time together before church.

After the church service, we made our way to our friend's house for lunch and an Easter egg hunt. The dads hid the eggs outside while the mom's kept the kids corralled inside. When the eggs were all hidden, the kids gathered at the door and eagerly waited to hear the word "go!" Then they were off! They had lots of fun searching high and low, and eating candy again. They also love the food and playing with their friends.

When we got home I convinced the kids to do a mini photo shoot in the backyard. Audrey was first and loved posing and smiling for the camera.

Jackson was next. He's always a great helper with picking spots for pictures and posing. He especially loved taking the picture above with Audrey.

It was a beautiful Easter day both because of the weather and the people we got to spend it with. There are more pictures in the album

Ringing in the New Year with the Tims Family!

Better late than never...right! The Tims Family came to CA to visit us around New Years!!! It was so wonderful to get to spend some time with them and to share our lives here in CA with them a little.

While they were here we checked out the Exploratorium, which is an amazing, hands-on science museum. We all had fun playing despite the large crowd.

When we finished at the museum we walked to Fisherman's Wharf for some cookies and hot chocolate and to see the sealions. Then we continued on to Ghirardelli Square. It made for a long, fun-filled day!

The next day was New Years' Eve, and we headed across the Golden Gate Bridge to Muir Woods to see the Redwood trees. We had a picnic in the car at the park before going on a hike. The trees were big and beautiful, and it was a gorgeous day! Unfortunately, we discovered Jackson still gets car sick on this trip...

We were all exhausted from our adventures so we ordered some delicious food and spent the evening relaxing. We did an online countdown for the kids so they didn't go to bed too terribly late. I'm pretty sure Barbara and Heath didn't make it until midnight either. I took a nap and woke up in time to ring in the new year with Ross and then headed off to bed.

Our next adventure was back in San Francisco at another science museum on New Years' Day. This time we went to the California Academy of Sciences. Since it was close to Christmas, they still had some reindeer on display. I think Barbara made the best reindeer!

The kids had all kinds of fun checking out the aquarium, the rainforest layers, learning about earthquakes and more.

After we'd seen all we could take in at the museum, we took our scooters out of the car and explored the paths and park in front of the museum.

The next day we took it a little easier. We let the kids play at the park behind our house and with all of their new toys. Then we went to eat at a nice restaurant that evening. Sadly, the Tims headed home the following day. We wish we could have stayed longer!!!

There are more pictures of our adventures in the album.

Goodbye Houston

On August 6th we pulled out of our driveway in Houston for the last time. We'd spent the previous two days watching the movers pack and load all of our stuff into their huge truck. There were WAY too many boxes!

The night before we left, we camped out in the living room of our empty house. It was a fun way to spend our last night together there.

The week before we left, we did our best to spend as much time with our friends and family as possible before we left. We had an after-work gathering on Thursday evening for kids and adults. I wish I'd brought my camera and taken some pics, but one of our friends did get some pics of Jackson and Audrey with one of their friends. You can also see all of the signatures Audrey got on her pillow...makes her feel so loved!

Our final gathering was at the park after church on Sunday. We hung out by the splash pad at Clear Lake Park for several hours while friends came and went. We LOVED spending a little more time with some of our favorite people!

There was lots of fun had by everyone!

Some of our favorite sibling pairs were able to make it. These kids (and their families) have been friends since they were babies!

There are more pics from the park in the album!

We spent over ten years in Houston. We accumulated a lot of "stuff" while we were there, but it wasn't all stuff that could fit in a box. We bought our first house there, both of our kids were born there, we began our careers there, and we built so many wonderful relationships there. We will treasure every moment...the good and bad because they made us who we are today. We look forward to the next stage of our journey and hope to continue growing the relationships we already have, as well as the new ones to come. We already miss everyone!

My Little Audrey Party

Audrey chose to have a My Little Pony party at Jump-N-Jungle this year. Before leaving for the party, we had a mini-photo shoot with the birthday girl!

After a few pics by herself, I decided we needed some family shots too! Thanks to Ross and my dad, I was able to be in a few as well!

Audrey and ~15 of her friends celebrated with lots of jumping and running, laughing and smiling, a few minor injuries and crying, pizza and cupcakes, and a huge pile of presents.

Audrey was too cute when opening her gifts. She made sure to read the card to know who it was from (with Mommy's help), and then after thanking the gift giver, she made sure to show all of her friends each gift by either holding it up for everyone to see as if reading them a book or passing the gift around. The process took a little while, but it was so sweet and funny!

The birthday girl declared the party a success! However, it took a while for her to realize her birthday was officially over after we got home. She tried to claim to be the birthday girl to get her way for several more days...much to her disappointment it didn't work anymore. We enjoyed spoiling her a little for the occasion though!

As usual, there are more pictures in the album.

Mardi Gras in Shreveport

We made it to Shreveport again for a Mardi Gras parade this year. It was fun as always! While waiting for the parade to arrive the kids got to feed the ducks, play and dance in the streets, and practice throwing the frisbee. The adults enjoyed some good cajun food and did a little karaoke. We loved catching up with some old friends and visiting with family!

The kids ended up with a ton of beads and cups, as well as a few specialty items including a light-up sword, flowers, a stuffed animal, and a very special light-up necklace from the mascot of one of the floats. It was a successful trip!

Unfortunately, I was sore for almost a week after the trip from having the kids on my shoulders most of the parade. It was worth it though! We were able to recycle the beads at Audrey's school the following week for their Mardi Gras parade, so the timing worked out great for them!

LA Tech Distinguished Alum

While Ross and I were in Colorado skiing, I found out I was nominated and selected to be Louisiana Tech University's 2014 College of Engineering and Science Industrial Engineering Distinguished Alum. I was stunned! I've been fortunate enough to go to the event where the distinguished alums are honored for the last several years as member of both the Industrial Engineering Advisory Board and the Engineering and Science Foundation board. The people selected for this honor are always amazing individuals, and I certainly felt humbled to be considered one of their equals. As I sat at the event listening to the description of each of the individuals selected in their fields, I wanted to slip under the table because I didn't believe I fit the bill! When they got to my name and started describing my accomplishments, I leaned over to Ross, laughed, and told him they make me sound really good!

After receiving the award, I got to say a few words. For me, it was an opportunity to let my families, my blood relatives and my LA Tech family, know just how much they have been a part of my successes and that the success I consider to be the greatest is that I have been able to carry forward the caring leadership they demonstrated to me.

Even now as I sit here recalling the event, I realize how much everyone in that room has contributed to making me who I am today. My parents poured everything they could into developing me and preparing me for the world. My professors not only taught me technical knowledge, but also team and leadership skills, as well as genuine care and passion for whatever I do. My husband and my friends taught me loyalty, support, grace, and accountability. My board member peers shared their wisdom and insights and encouraged me each step of the way. I think I am most grateful these relationships are nowhere near ending! I look forward to a lifetime of growth in these relationships, and I look forward to seeing who I continue to become with their love and support.

Here are a few pics of me receiving the award and of my closest relatives and friends.

Our First Ski Trip!

Less than 12 hours after I returned from my leadership training in CA, the entire family and our friends, the Fullilove family, were on a plane to Denver! We spent the weekend attempting to ski at Copper Mountain. It was a first for the entire Taylor clan!

We arrived on Saturday and spent the day acclimating and grocery shopping. We spent a little time playing in the fresh snow, throwing snowballs, making snow angels, eating snow, and attempting to sled. It was fun for a while, but the kids got tired quickly and began complaining...we were worried about what that might mean for the days to come.

That evening Jackson experienced a little elevation sickness, which made us worry even more. Fortunately, we got him hydrated and rested, and he was ready to go the next morning!

We loaded up and got the kids checked into ski school first thing on Sunday. Then we checked ourselves into lessons!

We practiced getting in and out of skis and learning the basics. Then we moved onto a hotdog lift and a little free skiing for practice. Next, it was time for a real lift! We made our way up, and we each made it down the easy green once. Unfortunately, as I was taking the lift back to the top, I could see Ross picking himself up after a fall. I didn't think much of it until I got back to the bottom again and found him debating what to do.

He heard/felt a pop in his lower leg when he fell and was in a lot of pain. I quickly took the lift back up again to find our instructor who rushed down with me following closely behind. The instructor called one of the rescue folks. While waiting, our instructor did an initial assessment and took really good care of Ross. When the rescue guy arrived, he sledded Ross to a nearby warming hut to better assess the injury. We were in luck because he was a Physician's Assistant! After a lot of questions, some poking around, and a few cries of pain, it was determined that Ross likely strained/tore a muscle in his calf.

After wrapping his leg, they got us a ride back to the resort, and helped Ross inside. The instructor stayed with us through the whole experience! Once we were inside, he helped us get all of our ski gear put away, and then helped Ross to the bar for a beer! Needless to say, he got a nice tip for taking such good care of us.

Ross is convinced that tip is why the instructor came back a little while later and offered to take me down another longer green run since our lesson had been cut short. I'm convinced he would have done it either way!

Ross spent the rest of the trip recovering at the resort. The silver lining was that he was able to take some pictures!

The kids did great in ski school! Their instructors not only thought they did well learning how to ski, but they also complimented them on their behavior and treatment of one another!!! They said they've never had a brother and sister that took such good care of each other! At the end of day 1, Jackson was doing well with the basics of stopping and going, and Audrey was very close to being able to stop on her own.

The next day, we got the kids dropped off and Ross set up at the resort. I joined Emma, Chris, and Clara for a day of skiing. It was a lot of fun! Since Clara is still relatively new to skiing too, the pace was slow enough for me to keep trying out new things and better get the feel of skiing. Clara gave me a hard time because that meant I fell a little more. I kept telling her, "you're not learning if you're not falling!" I'm not sure she bought it though.

Since Ross was not able to join us, he was also available to hang out with Clara when she needed a break. That meant Emma could take me on a little harder (still green) run. I had one particular fall on that run where I just couldn't find a way to get up! Of course, I eventually did with my new instructor, Emma's, help. The last part of that run was actually the toughest for me because it was so steep...I was doing ok until the very bottom, and Ross was there to catch it on camera! (The pics don't actually show the steep part of the hill though)

At the end of day 2, both kids were working their way through the cones and stopping well! We checked with the instructor, and he thought Jackson was ready for the green run! Audrey is, unfortunately, still too young for the lift. However, we were all so impressed with how natural she looked in her skis and going through the cones.

Jackson was beyond excited though! He loved riding the lift to the top. About halfway there he looked out and exclaimed, "Wow! It's so beautiful up here. It's so peaceful." It snowed the entire time we were there, which meant the tree limbs and everything around us were blanketed in snow. It really was amazing!

Jackson did great going down with Emma's help. She skiied backwards almost the entire way. When she wasn't backwards, she was "helping" Jackson go a little faster down the slow parts by essentially carrying him. He loved that so much, she took him down the last part of the run so he could go really fast!

The kids and I had an incredible time learning to ski and can't wait to go back someday. We're all bummed Ross wasn't able to join us more, but he says he's willing to try again!

There are more pics of me falling...I mean all of us skiing in the album!

Christmas Fun

Christmas Eve started with cookie decorating. Jackson was more interested in making each cookie look like what it is supposed to be this year, and Audrey was interested in making sure every spot of icing was completely covered in sprinkles. They each picked out a couple they wanted to eat, as well as a couple for Santa. They also wanted to make sure they gave one to Mrs. Claus in case she was in the sleigh too. They each wrote a note so Santa would know which ones were for Mrs. Claus. (I didn't manage to get a pic of the cookies they made, so this one is courtesy of my dad.)

We went to the early church service at 2 PM where we enjoyed worshiping and hearing a great Christmas message. The kids did really well throughout the service. The church handed out little coloring packets, which were perfect to keep them entertained during the message (they are normally in a kids service on Sundays). They loved the candlelight and singing of Silent Night at the end of the service. The hot chocolate and cookies after church were a hit as well.

My Dad and the Newman family joined us for dinner that evening. We had Ross' delicious chicken and sausage gumbo with a variety of desserts. The kids had fun running off the sugar while the adults chatted, and I got in a little snuggle time with baby Caleb. When the Newmans left, Jackson and Audrey were excited to put on their pajamas and get to bed so Santa could come and they could exchange gifts!

Santa brought each of them just what they wanted...a marble run and an American Girl doll. He also ate all of his cookies and delivered Mrs. Claus' cookies as requested. However, he did leave the eyes of one of the cookies for them to have one last taste.

Everyone was excited the next morning. We awoke to hear the kids discovering their toys from Santa in the living room. We quickly jumped out of bed so we could enjoy seeing the excitement on their faces. Unfortunately, I wasn't awake enough to operate the camera well at 5:30 AM, so the initial pics of Jackson didn't come out. The one below is from his first run of the marbles though! The kids enjoyed helping all of us go through our stockings too.

We spent the next several hours opening gifts and eating breakfast. Unfortunately, not long before we finished, I realized I had a stomach bug. After the last gift was opened and the real playing began, I crawled back into bed and didn't emerge again until late in the evening. I still enjoyed hearing the sounds of laughter and fun throughout the house though. Ross and my Dad played with them all day! My heart was filled with joy just knowing how much fun they were all having (a little disappointed not to be able to join in, but mostly joyful).

I managed to squeeze in a game with Ross and my dad while I watched a movie on the couch that night, which helped me feel like I was part of the fun. Fortunately, I woke up feeling almost normal the next day. Unfortunately, my dad caught the bug and spent the entire day after Christmas in bed...not the best gift I've ever given! He recovered by the next morning as well though, and so far...no one else has gotten it!

Christmas isn't quite over for our family yet. We're gearing up for the final round of gift exchanges with Ross' family in Leakey. However, my favorite moments from Christmas this year have been hearing Jackson and Audrey describe the true meaning of Christmas and seeing the delight they get from giving gifts to those they love. They are such sweet, amazing kids (most of the time)!

Halloween

It poured down raining in Houston most of the day on Halloween, but fortunately it stopped a couple of hours before the evening trick-or-treating began. Audrey's school trick-or-treating at NASA that morning was cancelled due to the rain, but they still dressed up and got candy from their friends and teachers with a little indoor trick-or-treating of their own. Audrey was Sleeping Beauty for Halloween this year...until she decided to ruin her costume at school. Good thing we have a few dress up clothes! She quickly turned into Super Girl when we got home and was ready to go trick-or-treating!

Jackson's class didn't get to dress up at school, but he gave everyone a clue of what he would be by wearing Star Wars t-shirts all week! His class did something called "Fall Centers." I took the afternoon off to help out, and it was a lot of fun! They had pumpkin bowling, monster making, Halloween necklace making, and cupcake decorating centers. I loved the chance to get to know some of his classmates better! He was quick to get into character when he got home too. He was Luke Skywalker this year!

Our friends, the Fulliloves, joined us for trick-or-treating. Clara was Dorothy, and she brought her little dog too!

Now that we know a few more of the kids in the neighborhood, walking around the streets was even more fun. Here's a pic from the first house they stopped at. It got dark soon after this, so I really didn't get many pictures this year.

Their buckets were quickly full of candy after a short walk around our neighborhood, so we headed home. They loved handing out candy to the kids who came to our door. There were even a few scary ones that they didn't hide from this year. Jackson told one kid he should win the scariest costume award! It was a fun night!

Jackson's Baptism

Jackson chose to get baptized tonight, and he was blessed to be surrounded by family and friends for such a special occasion. There to celebrate with him along with me, Ross, and Audrey were Jackson's Nana, Pop, and Grandmother, as well as several close friends. Pastor Randy, who also prayed over Jackson at his baby dedication, was there to baptize Jackson today. Last November Jackson prayed to ask Jesus to be his savior. I never imagined a 4 (now 5) year old could truly grasp what all of this means, but Jackson's desire to truly understand everything around him has resulted in a pretty amazing understanding of God. I am so grateful to know so many people are pouring God's love and grace into all of our lives. We have an amazing family, both church and relatives!

After the baptisms were done, our church's family fun night began! There were water slides and a grilled cheese food truck...can't beat that! The kids had a blast...at least until they stepped in a pile of ants.

Here are a couple of individual shots I captured of Jackson and Audrey from the weekend too. I love these kids!!!

There are a few more pictures in the album from this weekend.

Crawfish Boil

We had our annual crawfish boil a few weeks ago, and once again I didn't take very many pictures! Instead, I enjoyed eating crawfish, visiting with friends and family, and watching the kiddos play.

Jackson, Audrey, Mitchell, and Clara had fun checking out the crawfish before the cooking began!

We had a great time, and there are a few more pictures in the album!

Celebrating with Friends

About a month ago we celebrated a major milestone with our friends, Lauren and Dave. Their sextuplets (yes, you read that right!) had their 1st birthday!!! We were so excited to celebrate with them!

Eco-Marathon 2013

Shell's Eco-Marathon was in Houston a few weeks ago, and we attended to show our support for Louisiana Tech again this year! The event took place over four days, and I got to be there for parts of all four! Ross and I attended a reception Thursday night with the Louisiana Tech Engineering and Science Foundation (ESF) and the LA Tech team. On Friday, ESF had our board meeting and participated in the opening ceremonies for the event. Then the fun really began on Saturday when the competition started! Jackson and Audrey were beyond excited to see our friends, The Tims, over the weekend, and they had a blast cheering for the LA Tech cars! We all wore our Tech blue to show our support...

We couldn't have asked for better weather! It was gorgeous and not too hot!

The event takes place around Houston's Discovery Green, so we made our way across the track to let the kids play in the park for a while. Jackson and Audrey quickly took to the stage to give us a performance. I was pretty impressed with their moves! Carter had some good moves too, but he was being a little camera shy.

The playground was lots of fun, and Jackson showed us how strong and brave he is by tackling some of the tougher equipment. There were also lots of exhibits along the paths. The two favorites were a spinning wheel where the kids all won some coupons for gas savings, which the adults happily took, and the hands-on robotic demo. Jackson helped Audrey get a good look at it before taking a turn at driving it around.

All of that was lots of fun, but we were really there to cheer on the LA Tech team! Here are some pics of the beautiful cars they made and raced in an effort to get the most miles per gallon! Of course, the top pic with the kids in it is not one of the LA Tech cars...it's a Nascar race car!

We enjoyed some time in "the pit" and playing around inside the convention center too. The size of the competition grew quite a bit this year, and they also included more kid-friendly activities. Audrey liked the dance floor where your moves would help charge cell phones, etc. Jackson liked the paper airplanes and build-your-own saltwater-powered eco-car. I loved getting to spend some time with our LA Tech friends!

The LA Tech team did a great job again this year, and we were glad to get to be a part of it! There are more pictures from the weekend in the album