I'm Thankful!!!

I love this time of year! We reflect and ponder our many blessings.
Some things I'm thankful for:
The bright warm sun.
Great neighbors.
My wonderful family.
Our home.
Kenny's job - in today's world having a job is a great blessing.
I'm grateful that I have a job that I enjoy.
The gospel.
The YW who got up so early this morning to go to the temple. (4:40 AM)
The YW leaders I work with, they are so fun and so diligent in their service.
My grandson Jaxon - he is such a little boy now. He's fun to interact with. We love him so much!
My children. They bring me so much joy. It's fun to see who they are becoming. They are good examples to me.
My in-laws. We'll be celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary this Thanksgiving Season.
Good health. You never know!!!!
I'm very thankful for all these things and many, many more.

Happy Birthday Jessica!!!!

21 Big Ones Today!!!

Jess is our party girl. She has always liked to have a lot of friends around having a PARTY.

We missed partying with you on your birthday today. We're so grateful that you had good people in Kansas helping you celebrate your special day today.

Jessica's personality has been one that brightens a room when she enters it.

She likes to have Fun with a capital F.

Jessica is a good friend and she has been blessed to have wonderful friends.

(Jessica was a poodle in "How much is that doggy in the window" for a dance recital.) How appropriate because she has always begged to have a puppy.

She has always been very active, running, jumping, skipping, turning cartwheels, round offs, back bends, back walk overs, dancing. In VB - she runs, dives and rolls. In softball she was quick around the bases. She was the player who was brave and fast enough to steal the bases.

Most important - she has a big, soft, kind heart. She loves and supports her family and friends. She would do anything for anybody at the drop of a hat. She has a strong testimony of the gospel and the YW in Kansas are lucky to feel of your love for them and to know of the love you have for your Savior.

We love and miss your sweet smile.

We'll see you in a month!!!

Happy Birthday!

Love,

Mom

Proud Moment!

Jen won a pie eating contest at the Halloween party she went to. She won the 3 guys she competed against. You make me proud Jen.

The contest was whoever ate the most pies in a certain amount of time was the winner. You can see the small little pies at the bottom right hand corner of the picture. Jen was dressed as a baby. Maybe the reason they picked her to represent the girls was she had a bib on!? I asked her what she had on her head - she said it was her baby bonnet. Go figure.

I think she ate 5 of those little pies. WOW!

Homecoming..................

Taylor + Overstreet = Homecoming 08

In the above picture, Courtney is helping Jen get ready.

Courtney was such a big help - I don't know what we would have done without her. She helped pick out the dress, she bought the shoes and the jewelrey and then did Jen's hair and make-up. Whooo - she did it all. Thanks Courtney.

Side note - the whole time she was working on Jen's hair - she kept saying "Where's Jess?" Jessica usually jumped in and did the hair when she was still here in Mesa. Courtney jumped right in and did a fantastic job.

This has been a different experience getting ready for this. Sorry Court & Jess, but you two used to get so stressed about hair, make-up, etc. Jen doesn't. I stress because she's not. There were no tears. What's up with that?

Jessica wanted to know what Jen's dress, etc. looked like. Here are some photo's I took as they were leaving. Callie was taking their group pictures in the Overstreet's back yard, in front of their big trees. They should turn out nice.

This is Jordan Overstreet and Jen. Don't they look cute.

Our families have been friends for quite a while.

And.... Jen's oldest sister is married to Jordan's oldest brother.... go figure.

Whenever we have a party with the Overstreet's Jen and Jordan have been each other's competition. They're both really good at Guitar Hero, Rock Band and card games. They give each other a run for their money.

After the dance tonight, their fun group is heading back to Overstreet's to play some games. Let the competitions begin!!!!! You go girl!!!!!!!!

Get er Done!.

I made myself a list of "Things to Do" - during my week off from work.

This was on my list.

Get Flu shot

Got er done.

They are giving them at the Fry's on Baseline and Val Vista this

week - end.

On the list........

Plant Flowers.............

Got er done!

On the list......

Plant garden (tomatoes and jalepenos)..........

Got er done!!!!

The weather was so nice (Sunday night)- we played outside w/Jaxon. - Jaxon loves to play outside and "kick" the ball. We also went to the park on Thursday....

On the list.....

Spend time w/family.........

Got er done!!!!!!

The list........

I'll never know if I completed all the things on my list - why? Because I lost my list.

I'm getting old!!!!!!!

Strolling Down Memory Lane

Kenny and I went to get some Mesa Fro Yo after Mesa Highs Football game on Friday and we ran into our previous neighbors who lived next to us 20 years ago. It was so fun to see their kids now grown and married, chasing their little ones.

Running into them made me ponder on the past.
Some of the changes in the past 20 years are:

4 different neighbors in the house to the North of us.

3 different neighbors in the house South of us.

and more in the houses around us. We love our neighbors and our wonderful neighborhood.

We cherrish the memories of then and now!






The kids then--->










The kids now----->

Our family then........

Our family now...........

The many swimming parties we've had.

.

Many friends parties.........

Many first days of schools.....

Our front yard holds the most fun memories for my kids. They played many games of football, baseball, soccer,hide-n-seek, kick the can and whatever else they did in our front yard.

(This is the only picture I could find of the kids playing in the front yard(sad) - it was Jen's 11th birthday party)

We're thankful for all of the Great Times we had then and are very thankful for the Great Times we're having now.

Tagged

Courtney informed me I had been tagged by Jessica . I hope I can remember events from long ago in order to answer the following questions. Here Goes.

1. What is your husband's name?
Kenneth Lee Taylor

2. Who eats more?
He does. He loves to eat. .I grew up in a family that didn't snack - he grew up in a family that did. He converted me. Now we both snack.

3. Who said I love you first?
I had to ask Kenny this question. Sad, but neither one of us could remember that moment. We both think he did. He was ready to get married before I was. So we both say him.

4. Who is taller?
Easy question - him. I'm short.

5. Who is smarter?
Easy question - him. I always tell my kids that their dad is more intelligent than me - but I got better grades in school than him because I was very conscientious about doing my assignments and my homework. He didn't care about those things - thus me getting a scholarship to college - he didn't. He's more intelligent!

6. Who is more sensitive?
I think Kenny is. He's very thoughtful and kind. He's more sensitive.

7. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?
me - I don't think it really matters to us because that's changed a few times over the years, we're just creatures of habit now. He has always slept on the side where we had the phone. He can't stand to not answer the phone, and if I'm asleep - the phone can ring and it doesn't bother me. That's what has decided who sleeps on what side.

8. Who pays the bills?
I do. I don't necessarily like it, but I am a little more organized. I have folders and I keep track of what I pay and when. If he pays them, he doesn't keep any records - only in his steel trap. My steel trap is a little tarnished, so I have to keep records.

9. Who cooks more?
Me. I guess it kind of depends on what you define as cooking. I like to cook-sometimes. He warms things up, or can microwave things - but I don't think he has ever made anything from scratch or a recipe. I make more meals. He does help out a lot in the kitchen. The things he cooks are: hot dogs, hash browns, eggs, bacon, can of soup, popcorn, & cheese and crackers. If I don't cook, he'll fix something to eat, and he makes sure the kids have something to eat also. He's always been a better mom than me. I "cook" though and he doesn't.

10. Who is more stubborn?
If you ask him, he would say me. If you ask me (and you are), I say him.

11. Who is the 1st to admit they are wrong?
Me - just because I talk. You have to talk about it in order to admit you're wrong, he's quiet and doesn't talk about it - so me. He doesn't ever blame anybody though - I do(sorry).

12. Who has more siblings?
Another easy question - him. He has double the amount of siblings than I do. Kenny = 7. Me = 3. His family is a lot bigger than mine - I think they have 90+ immediate family. I have somewhere in the 20's. Kenny has a GREAT family, I love them and I've always had a lot of fun with them.

13. Who wears the pants in the family?
Some advice I was given when we got married was "to let him think he was in charge". I have thought about that advice a lot - and it usually works. I don't really know who wears the pants - he does on some things and I do on some things. We both wear pants!

14. What do you like to do together?
We have always had the same interests when it came to sporting events. We both love Volleyball, I played in high school and he played on a men's VB team that traveled all over. And then we even played on a co-ed city league VB team for many years, and now we love watching our kids play. We both love to travel, eat out, go to movies, watch the D-backs, Phoenix Suns, ASU and any other sporting events.

15. Who eats more sweets?
Me. I like the sweet stuff, he goes more for the salty.

16. Guilty pleasures?
Snacks & watching TV.

17. How did you meet?
Through our Young Adult Friends. We got married when he was 31 years old. He had been through many sets of friends because they would all get married on him. He got to the stage of friends that were more my age (there's 8 years age difference between us). It just so happens that I went out with all of the friends that he hung out with. They would meet at his condo on Sunday nights to play cards and eat M & M's. I started going to Kenny's place to play games with my friends who were also his friends, and that's how we met.

18. Who proposed?
This is a long, complicated story, so I'll spare you. We had talked a lot about getting married because we dated 1 1/2 years, but it took me saying that I was ready to get married before we were officially engaged . We had to get some things resolved ( I had previously been married in the temple and needed a sealing cancellation) and then we went and bought a ring and stopped by my Grandma Farnsworth's house first to tell her we were engaged and then by his parents to tell them. I think everybody was glad we had "finally" (really me, he was ready long before me) decided to get married. It was not a traditionaly proposal but more of an agreement that we were both at the same point ready to get married.
We have lived "Happily Ever After" since making that decision.
Kenny is a wonderful, kind, and thoughtful husband. My kids have the best dad ever. He would and does anything for them. He loves his family very much and I'm thankful for that. Love you lots KLT.