Little Adventures

We have a little "nature trail" in the midst of the cluster of apartments we live in. It's a winding sidewalk behind all the buildings, with some desert landscape and a couple of greenbelts and a cool tunnel under the major road near us for added excitement. It's a good little walk, not to far but just hilly and windy and mysterious enough to be an adventure for a 4 year old! Today as a bit of a sprinkle rolled in we took advantage of the slight cool (it's been unseasonably warm, 97 degree! YIKES.) and walked the trail.
We saw: 4 rabbits, a half dozen quail, a whole mess of birds, a couple of dogs, identified creosote and palo verde, got sprinkled on, and enjoyed our stroll!

clean slate

ok I'll admit it: my house is almost always cluttered and messy. I have always been a messy person, not filthy or squalor riddled but cluttered and in need of a good dusting.
A few weeks ago I got a wild hair to clean and organize the apartment. I'm not sure what triggered it, perhaps it was the lovely fall weather (that promptly disappeared after a day or two), perhaps it was all the lovely pictures of creative spaces on Pinterest, perhaps it was that fact that in an 800 sq. ft. apartment you really have to keep all spaces free of clutter because otherwise you will kill each other because you can't think straight.
Whatever the case I turned to the internet for inspiration and found it in the form of FlyLady.net. The site is coincidentally a bit cluttered but her basic approach to cleaning appealed and so I started the program.
I don't follow it to a t, I do try and get dressed every morning (the boys too!), and I do different chores on different days...most interestingly I keep my sink clean and empty. This is one of those things that I never felt capable of doing for whatever reason. I felt like keeping my kitchen that clean was the provenance of the A personality, adults, whatever. I always felt like I was still 16 inside and that I'd rather play with my kids than have a clean sink...But I do it. I clean my sink...And I like it! And now that I have I've discovered that I have more time to play with the boys and I am not distracted by a cluttered messy house. Its marvelous.

from mess to magical

Our life in cell phone photos...

I have come to grips with the fact that this blog is really a place for my mother, my in-laws and a few friends to come and see pictures of my babies...and periodically be amused by my rantings. I'm okay with that. SO that said...Mom, Cici and Pop, Lisa, Rach, and the rest? Here's what we've been up too!











We've been:
-eating food like we're people and getting 2 new teeth to help us enjoy our cheese love!
-enjoying the view from on top of Nana's apartment complex garage
-taking brother baths and loving it
-Nighttime park adventures with Mama's small group
-making our own IronMan costume
-Lunch with Grandpa at the Tempe Town Lake
-playing the "ukelady"

Slowly but surely our average temperature drops down to 70 and we get to spend more time out and about (especially at our park across the street!)The squids and I couldn't be more delighted that fall has arrived!

Summer from the cell phone

cuddles, DMV visits, reading with CiCi, giggles, scooters, first taste of avocado and peas and soybeans and bananas (LOVES THEM ALL), preschool homeschool, love, ice cream and long road trips...it's been bliss.

Away We Went

Annual Taylor August Adventure...this year there was a lot of creek swims, Lego builds, hikes with baby on back, and relaxing with friends. It was marvelous.

2 months

I will take this shot every month for as long as he will let me...he is my last baby after all!

A few by Julie

my wonderful sister in law is an amazing photographer...she took the fabulous shot of Colin in the previous post and did a little mini newborn shoot with Z while she was out visiting us a month or so ago!

1 month...

i will take one of these on this couch every month as long as he will let me...what can i say? he's my last baby




eyes? still blue. babylove? still gorgeous.


and lest he feel left out, who could forget my beautiful big boy?


Colin is adjusting well. He is a marvelous helper and loves showing off "his baby"

Tiny Z

Ezekiel Ryan Taylor
born February 7th, 2011 at 7 in the morning
8 lbs. 9 oz.

champ sleeper
netted me another emergency C-section
growing like a weed
beloved by all

hi...I had a whole baby and everything

squirt sleeping in the Moby wrap, via webcam


we named him Ezekiel Ryan Taylor. He was 8 pounds, 9 ounces, and was the source of my second emergency c=section...more soon, including pictures...still exhausted 2 and a half weeks later...

9 months

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Monday, January 24th. 7:00 PM

Even I am sick of myself these days. I told my husband that I am not thrilled with how I react to being incessantly uncomfortable, nor proud. He however lavishes me with compliments; "you're so lovely" this, "you're doing such an amazing job" that. He's a trooper, and I adore him. I can't imagine having babies with anyone else.


Colin has embraced the concept of "baby" fully. Yesterday as we sat on the couch, he leaned over and said "what is my baby doing?" I told him to ask the baby through the microphone (my belly button) and he leaned over and said "what you doing in there baby brudder?" It was so adorable that my head exploded.


Colin has also started karate. This was our bid to burn some energy and to do something special for just him. He seems to like it and I like the fact that it's on our cute little Main Street about 5 minutes from our house. The school is run by an awesome family and they are so patient with the little guys. I have yet to attend a full class with him but tomorrow we give it a go. Thank goodness for Nana!


Babylove is still growing. Firmly entrenched. Head down, 1 cm dilated, soft and thin. All that. I am a slow laborer and so the last few weeks of my pregnancies are really rough. This time around I have my eyes focused on the prize, a no pitocin induced, no c-section delivery. I have been having contractions off and on regularly for the last few weeks, just like last time. And terrible terrible insomnia, just like last time. Non-stop heartburn, just like last time. New this time? Incredibly debilitating back pain (attempted to control with Tylenol to no avail), much MUCH stronger contractions off and on throughout the day (last time it was more like Braxton Hicks with only some of the contractions being "real"), I have begun losing my mucus plug little bit by little bit (yay! finally something like a normal pregnancy! I didn't experience any of it last time!) and a three year old with boundless energy. On Wednesday we are going in so my OB can strip my membranes, just to see if we can get things moving along. I am glad for that, her non-medicated approach. I am also trying some "old fashioned" ways of getting things moving so we'll see what works!

With any luck this time next week I will be holding a tiny bundle. But if not, another picture will be forthcoming. I will attempt not to flip off the camera.

January 13th, 2011. 8:00 am

just rolled out of bed edition


mercy. uncle. I give. 37 weeks hit me like a ton of bricks. With all usual pregnancy blah blah (insomnia, heartburn, muscle pain, fatigue) plus an incredibly active 3 and a half year old, AND a husband who just got done with one of the busier periods of work so I was alone a lot the last several weeks in addition to regular fake labor (actual contractions that lead nowhere after an hour or two), the news at my 37 week check up that I have not progressed at all almost made me cry. Not only not progressed at all but haven't even moved in the direction of being done. oh me. oh my. oh sigh.



Luckily, with the downheartening news came a bright spot. My very active, not particularly obedient little kiddo will be starting karate soon! It is in fact my fondest hope that this class will help him burn off some energy and learn how to follow directions. He is on an Indiana Jones kick which is hilarious because all of his toys now rescue someone or go on adventures while he sings the theme song. So awesome. Colin is also beginning to acknowledge that his "baby brudder" will be here any day and seems to be looking forward to it! He helps me fold tiny newborn clothes and likes to pat the massive belly. He enjoys getting a kick or a roll in response. He has also been very affectionate with me of late. While I have not always been the nicest mommy he always takes time to stroke my cheeks and say "I wuv you mom. you da best" and somehow we make it through another day. He really is such a sweet boy, my complaints about his non-stop-ness notwithstanding. :)



Babylove is growing growing growing. Last time around I gained weight all over and that helped balance out the big belly. This time I have been very aware of what I am eating and so my weight gain is under control. However the downside is that my belly continues to grow and so it is just out there, hanging, causing me near constant back, hip and shoulder pain trying to balance it. I should be grateful that I am not as big as I was last time, but the non-stop pain makes it hard to be thankful a lot.



All in all I think our whole family is just anxious to meet our newest member. And to have less in pain mama back! We are all looking forward to the move in the next few months and even more to the quiet summer we have planned after that! How has your recovery from holidays been going?

the bump lovers

so if you are, or have been, a pregnant woman, you know that there are some people out there who LOVE to feel a baby bump. Some are welcome pats (like when my mom talks to the babylove up close) and some are super creepy (like the time a random man touched my stomach in a Michaels WITHOUT ASKING FIRST and I had to say something snotty about not rubbing his bald head for luck). Whatever the case, when you have a protuberance housing another being, people just want to get up close and personal with it.
It has been an amusement to be pregnant in a very close Christian community this time around. (I put the specifier "Christian" on there because it's widely known that we, as a people, are big on the procreation thing and so babies (and their housing, let's not kid ourselves, I know where I stand) are held in high regard.) I have many dear friends who are so looking forward to meeting the newest addition of our family that they want to get to know him right now. And so I spend a lot of time with my college girls like this:



and joyful is the girl who gets to feel the kicks and flips of the kiddo. Oh there are shrieks of delight and love! It is hilarious and sweet. It's even better when the boys get to feel him moving around, they are in awe of the process and love asking how I am doing and if the baby is coming soon. It makes the whole thing just a love festival and distracts me from being uncomfortable most of the time.
To sum up: I wish everyone had such a large crew of folks excited to feel those alien movements, because it makes everything hard a little bit easier.