August news

While my mom and I were enjoying the peace and quiet of two little ones the last week of July, Derek and the rest of the children went to the Taylor family reunion for a few days. It was at the Arizona Youth Elks Camp near Young, Arizona. They had a great time staying in cabins and hiking and playing in a nearby stream. When the reunion was over, Derek drove back, bringing his mother with him to stay with us for a week.

Laurel and Samantha on a firewatch tower

Mackenzie, same location

Adam and Jamie

Hannah with her cousin Sarah

Derek lounging on a lovely rock chair

The following week, Derek blessed Bethany at church. Grandma Taylor was here for the event.

Bethany, 2 and 1/2 weeks old

Our family (unfortunate poor quality picture)

Grandma Taylor holding Bethany

Samantha loves to hold Bethany often

Jamie all dressed up for church

Hannah also celebrated her 14th birthday this month. She was excited to celebrate. She has realized that each additional year in the teen years yields more opportunities she can participate in.

14 years old!

Hannah enjoyed the socks, books and piano music she received.

Our little Katelyn seems to be prone to owies. (those who see her regularly will remember her many bruises) She is pretty daring in her activities, but also has overly "helpful" siblings that sometimes cause accidents. One such accident this month was when a sibling pulled on her arm too hard. It was first suspected that she had the common Nursemaids Elbow. A visit to her pediatrician seemed to confirm this and the doctor did what she could to set it right again. The next morning however, she was still hurting and not using her arm. Her doctor said to go to Urgent Care. After hours there and trying to treat for nursemaids elbow, they had her get xrays. It was decided she may have a small fracture and should go to an orthopedic doctor. They put a splint on her arm to wear until then. Two days later at the ortho, he confirmed there was a little fracture and not the nursemaids elbow. She was supposed to wear a splint for 3 weeks. Once they got a new one on, she did well in the following weeks and began to use her arm more. We had to rewrap the splint 3 times because it would get soaked. But by the time 3 weeks was up we took it off and she began using her arm as usual. Hopefully no more accidents for Katie for a while!

Katelyn with her splint

Other activities for the month include Derek taking the children to Santa Cruz for time at the beach and on the boardwalk. They had a great time!

We spent much time getting ready for the new school year, and Hannah started her first year of early morning seminary. Getting up at 5am is not easy for Hannah, but she enjoys the class and is willing to make the sacrifice of her sleep. She actually goes to bed at a decent hour now! :)

It's been a busy and good month!