Easter 2014

The Easter Bunny Cometh...

...and three little Pinks are getting ready for the big day.

First they decorated Easter Eggs.

 

Then they decorated Easter Cookies.

Au. decorated every single one of her cookies her favorite color--blue.  Then she proceeded to eat the entire bottle of blue sprinkles.

 

A. meticulously covered every inch of her cookies with a multitude of springtime hued frostings.

We'll probably never get all the pastel dye stains out of the kitchen table but at least our little cookie bakers had a good time.



EVMCO Spring 2014 Concert

Our little performers...

...did a fantastic job singing in the East Valley Millennial Choirs and Orchestra's annual Spring Concert.  This was A.'s first time performing with the EVMCO.  Already a veteran performer, this was P.'s third performance with EVMCO.  We were so lucky to have Grandma D. and Grandpa G. join us from Utah for this event.

(Jay couldn't participate this semester due to scheduling conflicts with work.)

 

A. sang with the Children's Chorus while P. sang with the Young Singers' Chorus.  I wish I could have taken a picture when they were onstage but of course, that is forbidden.

The concerts didn't get out until 11:00 pm so they were both very tired.  We couldn't even get P. to stay awake long enough for a picture.

 



The Baby Bumb

Getting Bigger.

This picture was taken at 35 weeks.  I sure hope this kid comes early!

 



Tucson Botanical Gardens

No Taylor Family Spring Break...

...would be complete without a trip to Tucson to visit our dear friends.  While there we hit one of our favorite gelato stores then took a tour of the local botanical gardens.  Thanks so much J. and C. for hosting us!

 

 



Repainting the Big Bedroom

It's taken us a little over a year but...

 ...we have finally finished repainting and decorating the big bedroom upstairs.  It is now a fit habitat for two pink loving little girls.  Here are the before and after pics:

 

 BEFORE:

Note the jungle green wall color.  The previous owner of the home had 3 boys. 

 

We believe the previous owner also intended to replace the small baseboards with larger ones but never got around to it.  Hence the unfinished lines of paint.

 

Pinks 2 & 3 help clear out the furniture.

 

 

The first step was to use two coats of primer to cover the green, then lay on a pretty buttercream yellow hue.

 

Next on the list was doing something about the brown blinds.  Purchasing new ones wasn't in the budget so I spray painted the old ones a nice bright white color instead.

 

 

 

Jay installed and painted new 6" baseboards, then fixed the holes in the doors and did touch up paint work.  Meanwhile, I sewed new valances for the windows, got Pink #1's blessing dress framed, purchased matching pink bed linens, and made a new set of pin boards from old frames, fabric scraps and cork board.  The final touch was adding two headboards and a nightstand (all found on craigslist) to the wicker furniture set we inherited from my parents.  It was a lot of work but we couldn't be more pleased with the results. 

 

AFTER:

The 6" baseboards look so much better than the small ones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



This and That

P. recently finished up another season of soccer.  Go Union!

 

 

 

A. & Au. get into the swing of things in the backyard.

 



Another Birthday

Happy 3-years old, Au.!

 

To celebrate her special day, Au. got to go to a movie be-gator (movie theater) to watch "Frozen" (for the second time).  Then she enjoyed a blue cake with blue frosting (currently her favorite color) and opened gifts.  Thanks so much to everyone who sent our baby girl well-wishes.  She had a very happy day.

 

 

We love you Au. Sue!



Happy Birthday

It's a Bird-day Party!

P. wanted a bird themed party to celebrate turning six. 

 

First, the guests decorated bird masks.

 

Then they played a stick-the-feather-on-the-bird relay game.

 

Next came a candy-filled bird piñata.

 

And finally, they all got to enjoy a slice of bird-day cake.

 

Each guest went home with a custom made birdseed ornament (yay for pinterest--I never would have figured out how to make those on my own).

 

All the feathered friends seemed to have a good time.

 

Many thanks to all the other birdies out there who made our little chick's day so special!  We love you, P.!!

 

 



A.'s Baptism

It's Great to Be Eight

A person must be at least 8 years old to be baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  A. turned 8 in December so her baptism was held the following month on January 18th.  We are so proud of her for choosing to follow Christ by making this important decision in her life.

 

 

As a priesthood holder, J. was able to baptize and confirm A. himself.  She had to be baptized twice, however, because her big toe popped out of the water the first time.  Her Grandpa G. and our good friend J. Ross were the witnesses.

 

Thank you so much to our friends from our ward and neighborhood for helping out with the music for the service.  Thank you to my sister who designed the adorable invitations.  Thank you also to those who came from far away to be with us on this special day and to my wonderful parents.  My Mom insisted on coming even though she was nearly dying of the stomach flu the day before and my Dad patiently allowed me to order him around as I prepared for the both the service and luncheon.

 

 



Yearly Family Picture

We took another family picture this year...

...despite the fact that I'm currently pregnant (I don't like taking pictures when I'm pregnant).  But sending out holiday cards is a good way for J. to stay in touch with business colleagues and holiday cards are always more interesting with pictures on them so at 8:00 am on a Saturday morning we hauled the kids to nearby grove of what I think are pistachio trees, to snap a yearly memory.  We managed to get a good one--that's the one on the card.  Here are the more candid moments of the morning.

 

 



First Dance Class

Audrey participated in a tap/ballet/tumbling class...

...this past fall semester which she absolutely loved.  Parents were invited to sit-in on the last day of class to watch our little budding ballerinas dance and tap and tumble.

I'm now going to try to insert a small clip of her dance performance.  Cross your fingers that this works: