Dancing Queen

Laurel entertains us with her energetic dancing. This was the most we've seen her get into the beat. So cute!

Anniversary and Seminar

This June Derek and I celebrated our 13th anniversary! We enjoyed a nice lunch to celebrate and enjoyed reviewing the last 13 years and planning for those to come.


We also had a little getaway to Colorado, where Derek was presenting a constitution seminar. He was representing The National Center for Constitutional Studies (see www.nccs.net) and gave an all day Saturday seminar in Grand Junction, Colorado. This was Derek's first presentation and he did a great job! It was also my first time to sell NCCS materials and it was a good learning experience. While we were in Grand Junction, we were able to visit my parents and siblings. It was nice to have two days of calm and quiet. As always though, we love to get back to our children after we are away.

Derek teaching at the seminar

Cathy helping at the book table

End of School Year Celebration

At the end of each school year we like to give a couple of awards to each of our children and have a fun activity. We first had our award ceremony, and then drove over to Golfland for some mini golf. We had a fun time. Even Laurel was given a small putter and she followed us around on everything. (we had to take turns keeping her out of the way actually). Unfortunately, Jamie wasn't feeling well this night, so she played very little and just watched.

Derek and Laurel

Adam

Samantha and Laurel

Mackenzie

Hannah

Adam's tooth

Well, it finally happened. After 2 and 1/2 years of trying to save one of Adam's permanent molars, he had to have it removed. At the beginning, his tooth had serious decay, and from that point on, he had numerous visits to dentists to help preserve the tooth and roots. Unfortunately, he had many recurring infections as well. Recently, he visited his endodontist (who had given him a root canal a while back), she discovered why he continues to have infection. There was a crack in the tooth that went too deep and there was no way to save it anymore. So we promptly went across the street to an oral surgeon, where they had his tooth out about an hour later. Now, he has his back molars (that haven't surfaced yet) moving forward into the empty space. Our next visit is to an orthodontist to make sure the teeth line up properly. Hopefully someday the extra dental visits will end because of this one tooth!

Samantha's new modeling career?

Some friends of ours from church run a children's clothing business. They make super adorable clothes. They mostly sell locally, but have some ads in various catalogs. My friend called the other day and was asking if they could use Samantha as a model for some pictures. A military catalog they advertise in was giving them a last minute deadline to submit pictures. We said sure, and within an hour or two they had sewn up a dress and hat that was Samantha's size and we met them at a park for a photo shoot. She said she thought of using Samantha for this because she is adorable even without smiling, so they figured they'd get a decent picture even if she didn't cooperate too much. Samantha loved wearing a new dress, but wasn't so sure about smiling and posing for pictures. Near the end, we had to do some bribing (offering french fries and time on the playground) as she was stomping off saying she wouldn't do anymore. Many pictures turned out cute enough and they were able to meet the deadline. Here are a couple of pictures, with more to come of the reverse side of the dress.

Because it was for a military catalog, they wanted Sammie to hold a flag and pose near some memorials at the park.

Brazilian BBQ

Datascaler provided a nice dinner for employs and spouses to celebrate closing their Series A funding. We went to a nice restaurant in Palo Alto that specializes in Brazilian BBQ. (see http://www.pampaspaloalto.com/food.htm and click on dinner menu to get an idea of what they serve). The food was great, but there was a lot of meat!! We also enjoyed the atmosphere and company. Derek works with a great group of people!

Fruitful Harvest

Our backyard is full of fruit trees and bushes. This last month the fruit has started to appear. We've enjoyed gathering apricots, plums and blackberries from our mini orchard. We also recently discovered a cherry tree and 2nd apricot tree. In another month or more we should have pears and apples ready to harvest. What a great yard and what delicious fruit!

Blackberries

Apricots

Plums

Taylor Family Reunion

We had a fun 3 night stay in a beautiful vacation home near Showlow, Arizona. The accomodations were excellent and the time with family was wonderful! The theme was military, so many related activities were planned, as well as some laid back time for visiting and games. We expected hot weather in Arizona, but were quite pleased with the cool temperatures that were more like California weather. Here are some picture highlights of the reunion.

Laurel enjoying the built in playhouse under the stairs

Samantha playing on the porch

Hannah taking a turn pitching for a kickball game

Grandpa leading some marching exercises

Jamie enjoying a morning hike

Our family

The whole Taylor gang

Grandpa and Grandma teaching the Virginia Reel

Family Camping

A few days before the Taylor Family Reunion, we drove through Yosemite, and then south to a beautiful area called Mammoth Lakes. It's a snow ski town, with numerous lakes and hiking and camping spots. The weather was a bit cool for early June, so we shouldn't have been too surprised to see so much snow on the mountains and the ski season still going. We had to miss out on some of the hikes we planned because of it, but ended up finding some other good ones.

We arrived the first night a bit late, which meant Hannah and Derek set up tents in dark, cold, wet conditions. They did really well however. Cathy made an effort to find all the food and supplies for us to eat something before going to bed.

We camped for two nights among lots of trees, (and supposedly bears) and enjoyed going on a couple of hikes. Some RVers next to our camp site said that a bear walked through our site while we were away. After that, Jamie was even more on edge about bears coming to get us. Even now, she says she never wants to camp in the mountains again.

The kids had a fun time exploring the campgrounds, and got an afternoon of game playing in our tents when the rain went on and on for about 3 hours. Despite the cold and on and off rain, we enjoyed this beautiful area and using our camp equipment again (it's been 2 or 3 years!)

Mackenzie with Half Dome in Yosemite in background

On theTioga Pass road through beautiful Yosemite

The kids enjoying a fun hike near an earthquake fault
in Mammoth Lakes area

Large earthquake fault

Mackenzie at our campsite

The other part of our campsite

Going on a hike in Mammoth Lakes, up to the
top of a dome mountain

The kids were thrilled to see snow on the hike, we
had to hike through some of it in one section (Samantha did not like that!)

The view of Mammoth Lakes valley at the top

A view of the beautiful mountains in the other direction

View of some of the lakes at Mammoth Lakes

Adam documenting our campsite

After camping, we drove through Death Valley National Park on our way to Las Vegas where we enjoyed very nice accomodations, and could shower, wash clothes and swim. The next day, we drove the rest of the way to Showlow, Arizona for our reunion.

May Highlights

Hannah participated in a fundraiser to help her earn some money for Girl's Camp. The Stake had a spaghetti dinner and cake auction. Her responsibilities included cooking spaghetti noodles in advance, helping with set up and serving food during the dinner. She was also required to make at least one cake to donate to the auction. Her cake is shown below. Her inspiration came from a bunny cake we received in April from a friend in our ward. She added a few additional details to the one she made and it turned out really cute!


Scout O Rama--Cathy took Adam and some of his sisters to our local scouts council's annual Scout O Rama. It is a huge scouting fair, held at a park in San Jose. There were lots of booths with activities, games or things to learn about. Adam's favorite were shooting targets with rubber band guns. We weren't there long enough to try everything they had, but it was fun to see what Scout O Rama is like and attend it for the first time. Hopefully we can go again next year.


Monopoly--Adam has been quite interested in the game of Monopoly. He played all of our versions whenever he could--The original, Star Wars and a computer version. He would even play by himself when no one was available to join him. (he was sure to win that way!)


Mother's Day--Cathy was surprised by a gift of a video camera! She has wanted one for years, and is so glad to be able to record some of the cute antics of the kids. Here are some examples below.

Samantha has done it. We've been working on potty training on a nd off for a few months, offering an M&M anytime she was successful at using the potty. She finally started showing real motivation on her own this month and kept at wearing panties and using the potty. After all the M&Ms were used up, she had established the new habit and earned the Charmin Honor Roll Graduate t-shirt. Sammie is quite happy to be called a "big girl" now a nd loves wearing her princess panties. Way to go Samantha!


Violin Garden Concert--Hannah and Mackenzie had their final violin concert for the year. It was held in a back yard, so that the students could experience an outdoor concert. They have lots of fun dealing with the wind and keeping their music attached to their stands.

Memorial Day--The morning was spent on projects and shopping. In the afternoon our homeschool Co-Op choir performed for all the parents and any additional friends and family who wanted to come. Later we met at a Co-Op family's home for a swim party and BBQ to end our Co-Op school year. It was a lot of fun! The weather was actually not warm enough for swimming, but all the kids filled that pool and played on and off in it for 3 hours. We enjoyed great food and visiting with our good friends.

Fathers and Sons campout--Derek and Adam and our friend, Kyle, attended our ward's Fathers and Sons campout. It was a little different for them this year, as it was held at a campsite near a beach. They had a nice evening program and dessert, and then a fun morning of activities in and around the beach.Adam in red jacket, Derek next to him in gray jacket

Primary Activity--while Derek and Adam were camping, the girls attended a Primary Activity that had a theme of camping. They learned all about safe hiking and camping, got to have a smores treat and enjoyed some playing. While they were there, Cathy took Laurel and ran errands in preparation for an upcoming family camping trip in early June. The girls came home from the activity excited to go camping!

Coversations with Samantha

Conversations with a three year old can be quite interesting. Here are a few we remember.

A conversation during dinner preparation

Samantha: What are you making?
Cathy: A casserole
Samantha: No, it's a castle. Call it a castle.

A conversation at dinner one night

Cathy: Please eat your vegetables so you can be healthy.
Samantha: No. (then a pause)
Samantha: Will I be big like Jamie if I eat them?
Cathy: Yes, vegetables will help you grow.
Samantha: Okay, I'll have some.

(We wish it were that easy every time!)


A conversation at dinner another night

Derek: How much do you want?
Samantha: I want a yot.
Derek: A yacht? I want a yacht too!

Kissing Pigs?

It seems that Cathy had been kissing pigs. How else can we explain her coming down with the flu, and then it spreading like crazy through our family over the next two weeks? Must be that Swine Flu going around. Well, even if that isn't the case, we've had a not-so-great first two weeks of May. We managed to survive the days of fevers, coughs and runny noses. Now that everyone has taken a turn with it, we are beginning to reach the "tail" end of it around here. One thing for sure about living through a miserable spell of illness--it helps you to be very grateful for a healthy body!

Samantha and Laurel lying around during their "sick" days

BYU Women's Conference

Cathy had the opportunity to attend Women's Conference for the first time. She flew to Utah and stayed with her sister in law, Heather, and mother in law, Ruth. The conference was two days long, filled with all kinds of classes and service projects. Cathy had a great time! The classes were inspiring, and the BYU campus was beautiful to walk around in between the classes. It was also nice to spend some time with Heather and Ruth. While Cathy was away, Derek was a super dad again and took care of the children. Thank you Derek!

Our little monkey

It appears that Laurel hasn't reached her limit of heights yet. Just the other day we discovered her on the top of a book case. She seemed quite proud of herself. Laurel has also learned how to climb to the top of the bunk beds in her room. Then on another day when we had moved a bookcase into the living room, she decided she needed to climb that too before we got books on it. It promptly fell over on her and Samantha. No injuries resulted, but we are beginning to wonder if we have even one room in our house that is safe for Laurel to be left alone in. (Anyone have a padded room they could loan us?)

When Laurel isn't climbing on something, she loves to just "hang around".

on the chin up bar in our hallway


from Adam's bunk bed

Farewell to a great woman

While in Arizona, I (Cathy) got the news that my Grandmother O'Dwyer had passed away. It wasn't too surprising, but nonetheless sad at the thought she was really gone from this life. The last few years she had been declining physically and mentally, so in a way, the Grandmother I knew was already "gone". However, I knew I really wanted to be at her funeral. Because my parents were in town when we were, it worked out conveniently for me to drive back to Colorado with them, and then fly home from there after the funeral. Derek was an angel to make the long drive back home with all the kids on his own. And then take care of them for another 2 days until I got back. It meant a lot to me to be able to attend the funeral. It was wonderful to see so many aunts and uncles and cousins, some I hadn't seen in a very long time. It was like a huge reunion, as we came together to celebrate the life of a wonderful woman. I had always know how great my grandmother was, but I learned so much more about her as family members shared stories and memories that they had experienced with her. I really wished Derek and our children could have been there with me to feel of the special spirit that was present. It is wonderful to know the blessings of the plan of salvation. I look forward to seeing my grandmother again someday.My Grandma Dorothy (or Dodo as many called her)

Cathy with parents and siblings at the gravesite in Fruita, Colorado

A wedding

The day finally arrived to participate in Rachel's wedding. Derek and Cathy enjoyed their special ceremony in the Mesa temple, and then we went with the children to the reception and took lots of pictures! Rachel and Corey were a handsome and happy couple. Once the reception got under way, we spent the evening visiting and enjoy cookies and milk (instead of traditional wedding cake). We had a fun time. At times like this, Derek likes to ask Cathy if she will marry him again. Her response is, "No, I've already married you, but I'll take another honeymoon!"

Samantha waiting for the party to start

Adam thought it was fun to wear a suit

cousin Sarah and Hannah

Derek and Cathy

Playing in Arizona

We spent a fun week visiting family in Mesa, Arizona. Our intent in coming during this time was to attend the wedding of Derek's youngest sister, Rachel. But until the wedding day, we had plenty to keep us busy. We enjoyed Easter weekend as we participated in a large family gathering that included an easter egg hunt and birthday dinner/BBQ. The kids had a great time playing with lots of cousins. They loved going on the eater egg hunt and eating up all their candy. Later that night, our three oldest went to spend the night at some cousins home. On Easter Sunday we spent most of the day with Derek's brother, Joe, and his family.

During the week we spent time at Grandma and Grandpa Taylor's home playing and relaxing. With Derek's sister, Beka, and her boys, we went to a fun park that had a carousel and train ride. By Tuesday, we were joined by Grandma and Grandpa O'Dwyer, who were also visiting. We had plenty of time to play and visit. The older kids loved Grandpa's new motorized razor scooter. We also went to a fun indoor amusement park, Fiddler on the Roof high school play, and Adam enjoyed a fun birthday treat at an indoor go-Kart racing facility. While we were having all this fun, Derek had flown back home to work for a few days, but got back in time to take Adam to race go-karts. We also enjoyed spending time with cousins any time they were available. It was a great week!

Mackenzie and Laurel

Adam

Cathy, Samantha and Mackenzie before train ride

Laurel and Jamie at easter egg hunt

Samantha hunting for easter eggs

Laurel at the park

Laurel having fun learning how to get easter eggs

cousin Sarah and Hannah

cousin Sidney and Jamie

Laurel enjoyed the trampoline at times, but also this slide

cousin Mary and Mackenzie