Christmas AND some very exciting NEWS! :)

The last month has been like a whirl wind, and I've completely lost track of time. I have lots to blog about so I better get right to it! :)

First I'm going to share our EXCITING news! Tate is going to be a BIG brother! We are expecting Baby Taylor #2 on June 4, 2014! Today we found out that IT'S a GIRL!
We couldn't be happier, and I'm feeling so blessed!!  How amazing!

We brought home PINK cupcakes to share the news with Tate. He knew right away that he was having a sister when he opened the box. It was such a fun way to share the news with  him!

 

 

 

 

Ok, so now I have to move on to Christmas. Before Christmas we had a major scare. As we were getting ready to go to school on December 20, I got a call from my mom saying that my dad was being rushed to Mason City because they found some blood on his brain. Without knowing the severity of the situation, we got right in the car and headed for the hospital.

He was put in the ICU. The doctor had said that the bleed wasn't too large and that it wouldn't require surgery, but  later in the day things started to go down hill and it was determined that the bleed had tripled in size. The situation became critical at that point, and he was taken in for a craniotomy to help relieve the pressure and remove the blood from his brain. The surgery went well. Dad was able to come home on Christmas Eve. What a blessing! He does have a long recovery ahead of him, but he's strong and Mom has already seen improvements. He continues to receive daily therapy at home.  He has some vision loss and won't be able to drive for quite some time. Poor guy. I pray that God gives him the patience to get better and not get too down. I know this hard on Mom too because she's the one that deals with it all day in and day out.

 

On Saturday the 21st, I stayed at the hospital with Dad but Tate and Blair headed to the big Taylor family Christmas. I didn't want them to miss it, and I know they had a great time! I know that this year was a bit different without Grandpa Dick.

 

Our Taylor family!

Tate, Cora, and Kayson with Great Grandma Janis.

 

ALL the cousins!

 

 

On Sunday the 22nd, I met the boys back at our house in Nevada and we had our own little Christmas before we headed back to the hospital on Monday. It was nice to have our own little time and open gifts between the three of us.

 

Tate and Daddy!

 

 

We were so thankful that we were able to be with Dad on Christmas so we spent the whole week of Christmas at my parents in Emmetsburg. It was wonderful. Tate was thrilled because Santa knew to come to Nana and Papa's to find him! We had a nice time and did lots of relaxing. Tate was spoiled by Nana and Papa of course!

 

Tate and Nana Dawn looking for Santa!

 

KD and Tate putting milk and cookies out for Santa (and carrots for the reindeer).

 

Tate and Papa Tim

Santa came! Tate got all new John Deere things!

 

On Friday the 27th, we left Emmetsburg and headed to Creston to Blair's parents. We went out for supper Friday night, and then Saturday Ryan, Janelle, and the kiddos came! We had a blast. The kids played so hard. We opened gifts from Nana and Papa and everyone else. Again, we were all spoiled! 

 

Papa Mike and his Grandkids!

Our family of 3

 

The boys playing with the new kitchen set from Nana and Papa!

Janelle and I got each other the same shirt. Funny! I guess great minds do think alike.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





A Wonderful Thanksgiving!

I can't believe that it's already the 1st of December! Where did November go?
It's Sunday evening we we're just getting settled back in from a very busy, fun Thanksgiving break. We've done a lot of traveling in the last five days, but it was all worth it!

We left Nevada on Wednesday and headed to Emmetsburg. We were excited to get back to see Uncle Marc and meet his girl friend, Amanda. It was so great to finally meet her. It was great to see KD, Marc's dog too. :) Mom and Dad had a wonderful supper for us. They even babysat for us so we could meet up with a few friends.
On Thursday, we headed to my Aunt Danita and Uncle John's house. The food was amazing! It was so great to see some of my mom's side of the family. Tate loved it too because they have lots of John Deere tractors! He was in heaven!
On Friday morning, our best family friends, Emily and Keegan came out to Mom and Dad's. Tate and Keegan had a blast.

 

 

Later in the day on Friday we headed three hours to Creston to Mike and Jean Ann's. When we got to town, we stopped and  saw some of Blair's friends and caught up with them for a little bit.
Blair requested A&G pizza for supper and we just played for the evening and went to bed early to prepare for another day of travels.

On Saturday, we left Creston and headed to St. Joe to see Aunt Maagie and the gang. We were actually celebrating Christmas, and it was a great first one of the season. We had Aunt Maagie's favorite fried chicken and then played at her house for the afternoon. Even the adults had fun as we played several games of Rumikub. It brought back lots of memories. Susan, Ashlei, and Baby Ali were there. We finally got to meet Ali. She is so adorable and such a happy baby. Later Jim and Diana came and joined in on the fun! :) It was a great day!
On the way back to Creston, we stopped at Grandma Janis' house for a quick visit. We were there long enough for Tate to drag out all of Papa D's farm toys and to enjoy some of Grandma's left over turkey.

 

 

 

This morning we got packed up and before we headed out of town we had a quick breakfast. We were home by 12:30 and had a busy day of unpacking, laundry, and a little Christmas decorating. This is the first time in several years that we put up an artificial tree. At breakfast this morning, we were discussing how we were going to stop and pick up our tree. Jean Ann told us that they had a tree that they were no longer using and said we could take it. We did! We put it up today and it looks pretty good! I was impressed. So after putting it all together and propping it up on a box, I have to say that I love it! \It feels like Christmas at this Taylor house! :)

And tomorrow we start The Elf on the Shelf tradition with Tate. Tonight we read the book and talked about what we're going to name him. Tate wanted to call him Roller-Coaster" (haha Random), but we settled on Bronco. So Bronco the Elf will arrive tomorrow morning! He was excited when he went to bed, so we'll see! :)

Now, I know I'm a bit crazy but BRING ON THE SNOW! :)

Papa D

The last week or so has been very busy!

This past week we had to say good bye to Papa Dick (Blair's Grandpa). He passed away on Saturday.  He was a great guy, and I've heard even more stories about him this week that proves this. The services were very nice, and the Taylor family is pretty amazing.  Tate obviously doesn't understand it completely, but he does ask me lots of questions about it. Papa D is discussed daily in our house because everytime Tate plays "farm" he mentions Papa D. According to Tate, every tractor and truck usually belongs to him.
He will be missed greatly.

Halloween was a lot of fun! We carved pumpkins with Nana and Papa Taylor. They were here last week to babysit for a couple of days. On the 30th, we went to Baxter to trick-or-treat at Dennis and Jan's and Heather and Troy's. And on the 31st we did out trick-or-treating in Nevada. We only walked our big block and then we came home and handed out candy!

Tate loved all the Halloween festivities this year!

Jake & Sophia

Well it's Sunday evening, and we're settling in to watch the Broncos game. We had a wonderful weekend with some great friends.
Yesterday morning we went to Cedar Rapids to the Scheckel's. We had tickets to see Disney Live, featuring Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Sophia the First (Two of Tate's favorite Disney shows). It was such an awesome time and the kiddos loved it! They shoveled popcorn in their mouths and kept their eyes glued on the show the whole time. The best part about it was that we dressed them in their Halloween costumes, and Tate and June became Jake and Sophia for the evening! It was adorable!
After the show, we had a wonderful dinner out and then went back to the Scheckel's for more playing and relaxing! We headed home today for naps and a low-key Sunday!

Thank you Beth, Jared, and June for the awesome weekend!

This was directly after nap. I love their expressions. It's as if they are both saying, "Mom, why are you doing this to me?" HA!

Cute little pirate!

 

The Taylor's!

 

The Scheckel's!

Popcorn!

 

Football, Family, & Fall

Of course this blog post is LONG overdue, but we've stayed pretty busy so I have plenty to share. The school year is well underway, and we're loving the start to fall.

It's Bronco and Cyclone football time. Tate loves football. He loves watching and 'playing' it. I think I hear "Hut, Hut, Hike" about 50 times a day. I know this makes his Daddy happy!

So here's what we've been up to in September:

 

The Scheckels came to tailgate with us.

The moms and the kiddos.

Beth and June, Emma and Esdon, and Mommy and Tate

 

Go Broncos!

 

 

We also spent some time in Emmetsburg at my parents. Tate is always in heaven there. He loves the lake and is always right by Papa's side. A few weeks ago, my dad was sick. I'm so thankful that he's ok. Tate loves his papas!

 

Tate and Papa Tim grilling

 

 

 

Today we spent the afternoon at Center Grove Orchard with Ryan, Janelle, and the kids and my parents. The weather was perfect and there is SO much to do there.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm feeling so blessed this fall. We have so many things to be thankful for! Now let's just hope that fall last for a very long time, and winter stays away for awhile!  

 

 

 

July & August

Alright, it's time for a catch-up blog entry. You would think that since it's summer I'd have all this free time, and post on here all the time. For some reason it's harder for me to keep it up in the summer.

We've had such a great summer, and it has just flown by (I think I say this every year). We've spent time at the lake in Emmetsburg, played with lots of friends, went to Chicago, and so much more.
Tate has been loving summer and plays outside constantly. He loves anything to do with water, and can't get enough golf or t-ball.

I guess the best way to share is with pictures!




WATER!! Tate LOVES everything that involves water. He and Daddy washed the cars and he even had to wash his truck.

 

 

 

We got a new tractor from Papa Tim. He's been all over the place with this thing! 

 

 

 

We spent the week of the Fourth in Emmetsburg! We swam, played in the lake, and watched the fireworks.

 

We went to Chiago for the Cubs game with Papa and Grandma Taylor. We had a blast!

 

 

 

Now our summer is coming to an end and it's time to start thinking about school. Tate will head back to Deb's in a week! I'm sad that my time with him is ending, but I'm hoping for a wonderful school year.