Blessed Day for us all!

We are happy to report that Baby Taylor has arrived. She came @ 10:58 this morning (May 21, 2008) and weighed in at 7 lbs. 13 oz. She was only 20 inches long so her sister is the tall one, I suppose. Here is Alisha checking out every finger and toe. Alisha did an awesome job. She was so brave doing this with no epidural. However, don't ask her if she would do it again anytime soon.Wait at least a week or two. Ha, ha. Good job, Alisha, we are so very proud of you. (And baby too.) Jeffrey was brave too, I guess.

Here is daddy welcoming the new one into the world. What can you say when you have a little girl .....it just makes you go weak in the knees. Now, Jeffrey has three girls in his house to deal with. "Good luck Jeff!"

Here is her first full body shot. She is so perfect. (Apgar 9.9) Is her name Camille? Is her name Tori? We don't know. The suspense is so fun. Never fear, before they take her home all records will be complete.

Growing Things

If I can get to this tomatoe before the birds do I will have really accomplished something. I have several big ones coming and I am tending them so joyously. This plant shows some of the cherry tomatoes that are growing I have already eaten two that were orange because I couldn't wait ......they were already sweet and yummy.

So if anyone has advice on growing things in Arizona feel free to comment and give me any advice you have. I only have zuchinni and tomatoes and vinca in my garden because I have to keep it as simple as I can. I still have a growing boy in my house, a growing Ward @ church and a growing practice @ my work. Feed, nurture, pray and feed some more. That's my life right now.

Little happy plots

In a little patch of gravel, there is a little patch of dirt with a little bit of seed struggling to turn in to a little zuchinni. I am always excited by the effort and sooooooo happy when I see green. In the gardening world in Arizona...it is not easy being green. I am anxiously waiting each leaf and hope to see blossoms in a few weeks. Then I will go out and paint brush the blossoms so they will pollinate. Because......we killed a whole hive of bees in our backyard. Sorry.

If you put a frog in a pan of cool water and turn on the heat.....

This picture shows their True Colors....Beavo is on the left and has bigger paisley spots. Steve-o has more yellow. They say that if one of them gets much bigger than the other...the big one will eat the little one. Hey, it's a cruel froggy world!

Here they are together.....Steve-o and Beavo...it is hard to tell in this picture but they really do have red eyes.....no need to use the "get the red eye out" button. You can see by their smiling faces that they are very happy at our house. Well, maybe they are like daddy smiling on the inside.

We run, we're runners, we're running.....

When Jeffrey was preparing for the Triatholon he made this ridiculous head covering to help keep his head and neck from sunburn. I won't tell you what it was made from .....but it was mesh, nylon, white and sooooo comfy. Here, he is showing his method for reserving his strength while running. I guess he didn't need it because he came from behind and ended up in the middle of the pack after his bike-ride and his running. GOOD JOB JEFF!

The week before the Triatholon was Pat's run, which everyone but myself participated in. Here are a couple of the pics and the kids have more pictures on their blogs. If anyone out there is interested in being involved, the proceeds go to a great cause and all is done in remembrance of a fallen hero. Pat was the ASU/Cardinal football player that signed up to go to war after 9/11 and turned down a 3.7 million dollar contract. Evidently,there are still some athletes out there that put honor before $$$$$$$$.

Speaking of honor.........................well, let's not. Did anyone notice that in the 2006 pics of Pat's Run, Ross is soooo much shorter than he is in these pictures? He has grown at least his own head length since 2006.........Yeah, Ross! And I quote from the man at the San Angelo, Texas Rodeo..."That kid's got a big ol' head" -----to be said in a strong Texas accent.

Poppa's Birthday!

The best Birthday present ever......4 little granddaughters to love on. Daddy was in heaven when everyone came over to say "Happy Birthday POPPA! Emma and Sadee drew pictures and the little girls dressed up as usual .....we all ate food and I'm sure there was some wrestling going on. The normal fun when the Taylors get together. There was one important person missing in the picture. Sorry, Jared. We still love you.

Daddy's children.
How'd they get so big? How'd they get so cute/handsome? How'd they get so smart and successful? He had very little to do with that! But they wished him a happy birthday anyway.

We were so excited for them....

Debbie and Dave invited Caitlin and Ben to Utah for Conference and Dad and I were so excited for them. I think this was the first time for both of them to be at General Conference. LIVE>>>>from UTAH...........the Prophet and Apostles!!!!!!!! I hope that wasn't sacreligious. I am just glad they got to have that experience ....especially together, as newlyweds. Nice memory. I stuck this in because Caitlin hasn't blogged anything about it and her pics were on my camera. (also, we were almost as excited about it as they were)

Above, as you can see, they are at the Tabernacle and below they are at the Conference Center. What a blessing. When we used to go, the lines were so long and the crowd was daunting, but we squished in until it was most illegal, I'm sure, then we hung on every word and felt the wonder of being in the presence of a Prophet of the Lord. (Or we went to sleep) I can't remember. jk

A lot has happened...

You wouldn't know by the blogging that anything new has happened in our family. I tried to post some pictures after daddy's birthday but there were none in my picture file. So.... to my kids out there who borrowed my camera. Please return the lost pictures of daddy's birthday and other events of our lives.
We had all the kids over for Dad on April 13th, a Sunday. Daddy was very happy to have everyone together. Thanks, again, to everyone who came and made daddy's day. Something so simple can mean a lot. Today in church he had to give a talk and he did brag just a little about all of our children being such a blessing to us and to think that the married kids have chosen such wonderful spouses who we consider our very own. (wow) that was a weird sentence.
Anyway, work and my calling has kept me especially busy these past two weeks. It is all good. My Presidency at church is all reorganized and now trained and almost up and running.....(we are up but not quite running). Ross has been called to be the Teacher Quorum President. He takes his responsibilities seriously and I know he will do an awesome job. Dad is High Priest Group 1st Asst. and he will now get the "old" guys in line. So, that is a look @ some of our changes. At work I am trying to hire and organize and get the Doctor contracted with insurance companies when he gets here full time in July. The changes at work have been very interesting. A lot of work to do.
Right now I am missing my little girls.......I will have to find time this week to make some visits to each of them. The other morning I was a little early to work so I stopped by to see Jillian. She read me a book and talked to me and got excited about showing me everything she could do. Even her morning breath did not deter me. She was so cute.
I know yesterday was a big day for most of you who ran in Pat's Run. (I did attend a baptism for a new lady in our Ward so I wasn't a total flake.) I am so proud of you and Daddy is trying to persuade me to do something with it next year. We will see. It is a commitment! Congratulations to each of my kids.....and daddy, for the accomplishment. Here are the final times as daddy found them online:
Dad--64 Min.
Sarah--46:24 Min. 11:03 min/mile
Ross--43:28 Min. 10:21 min/mile
Caitlin--43:06 10:16 min/mile
Stan--40:17 9:36 min/mile
Jeff--29:42 7:05 min/mile
Ben--29:40 7:04 min/mile
Dad didn't have any pictures to post so if anyone has pictures let us know.
love to all, Momma

Easter Sunday

Another thing I do at my mom's when we go there for an event is look for daddy with a smile on his face. It never fails that Ronnie will make it happen and I caught daddy right at the end of a good laugh.

The easiest smile for Grandpa is when he has a chance to be with his grandkids and show everyone how proud he is of each and every one of them. Here it happens to be sweet Jillian.....Emma, Sadee and Chloe were running around playing. This is the best part of growing old.

Easter Dinner at Grandma Crane's

Easter Dinner at Grandma's means several things to me. Being around my family and eating good food is only part of it. And, believe me, because of these people and others the food is ALWAYS good. The weather was gorgeous and the orange blossoms were pungent. But we usually have Ronnie wax eloquent on the meaning of Easter right before he calls on someone for the blessing on the food. So, we were reminded of the sacrifice our Heavenly Father made when he sent his son to take our sins upon Him and die for us, that we could live with Him again.

There is always someone there to listen to a good story, and the kitchen is just the place to catch the girls at it. (Wait a minute, I think Kent was eavesdropping)

There is another important reason to come to Grandma's on Easter......the next generation can get in on the fun..... and more importantly, rub elbows with their cousins and all the people who love them and support them in everything they do. (Even if it is just finding eggs for now) Later on it will be other things.

I love my family dearly for all the support and love they have always shown me and my children and my grandchildren. Thanks, guys! It was a beautiful day.

YouTube - Don't Laugh at Me by Mark Wills

YouTube - Don't Laugh at Me by Mark Wills
I went to this site because Colton, (Ben and Caitlin's friend) suggested people check it out.
I had just listened to a young boy on the news that had been bullied to such a degree that
his family is now taking legal action against the bullies and possibly the school. As I listened to
this tortured young man my heart just hurt so badly. I hope this action will not only open the
eyes of those who act upon others, but give those who are on the receiving end of it
some hope. Hope for change in our horrible behavior. It was incredible what these kids got
away with at this school.

Chloe is #1......Chloe is #1.....

Chloe was the only one who did not know what was going on. But we met anyway and watched her worry about the sticky frosting and try on her new nightgown and cuddle with her new dolly!

Of course, the big sisters had to put on their silky, princess nightgowns and everyone danced. Anytime we get together it is a girlfest afterall.

So .....here's to you, Chloe, born March 9th, 2007....."Happy Birthday to you...(boop)..happy birthday to you.....(boop).......Happy Birthday dear Chlooooooooeeeeeeeeeee. Happy Birthday to You...ooooooooooooo(up high). We love you so much.

Beautiful Sunday Afternoon

After a long week of work the best medicine is a little girl coming over to play on Sunday. She was all ready with her candy necklace and Pro Bass Shop romper. Ross was blowing bubbles for her and she looks mesmerized.

Jillian was so fun to watch on Sunday. She chased bubbles, stomped her feet, ran around the house and babbled at me from the top of her lungs. It was hilarious. She stood in the doorway when Alisha and I were sitting outside and yelled at us all the "word" formations that she could come up with. Very entertaining.

Running like a Dental Office

Well, Dr. Montoya has signed on. I am so excited to be able to tell people that we have a great dentist for their children here in Queen Creek. The lovely girls are the assistants that Dr. Welch has provided until we hire some from out here. From Left, Dr. Montoya, Rindy, Nikki, and a little boy I pulled off the street to help make the picture look real.

Another shot of the "girls" looking very satisfied with a job well done. "Thanks, Ladies!"

This is Nicki Romney who will be helping in the office. She does everything, from answering phones to explaining Treatment plans to moms and dads to keeping my head on straight. Together we are learning a lot. In this photo neither one of us had gotten very much sleep, as you can see by the look in the eyes. She has teenagers/Young Adults and cats running around her house and I have no excuse.

Latest healing results

Today on March 5th 2008 I am revealing the wound as I am changing the bandage. You can compare with the one in the previous post. Doesn't it just make you feel all proud and warm and fuzzy all over?

Dad's leg after old bandage is off and I've washed it and am ready to dress it. It kind of looks like a ham with a meat timer in it! When it is done it will pop up to let us know!

Look away all you faint-hearted

This picture was taken soon after the hospital stay. It has healed a little bit. They liked to say that "beefy red" is good. I apologize to all for these gross looking pics but this episode has been a big part of our life since right before Christmas. So.....it must be posted!

Here is a "middle of healing" picture. You can see the hole is filling in. It is very important that the top epidermis does not try to cover over until the middle flesh has filled in. Just a little bit of inormation for all of you that don't know about "Big humungus Hole wounds"

In this shot I wanted to compare the size of the wound so you can see how big it was. Now, at this point it has healed quite a bit. In the beginning it was the size of a biscuit cutter that is about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Loverly! The yellowy substance at the top of this pic is called Slough. The home health nurse would wipe it out as much as possible. The wound center would give him a topical numbing cream and then clean it out real good. He liked that a lot.

Now, here is another shot at the same time. I will post a picture of the latest healing process. You will see just how great it has healed. We are pleased because it was very much a concern with his Diabetes. But, last time at the wound center they said he only had to come back one more time and the "open" part of the wound was barely able to be measured. Yeah! Thank you wound center!

Conference is coming up

Since General Conference is coming up I thought I would remind all you moms out there that there are things you can do to involve your kids. Here Emma and Sadee are listening for certain words......pictures are used to help them. When they hear those words being spoken by the Genereal Authorities they have a snack assigned to that word. ei. peanuts, popcorn, gummi bears etc. I think that made them realize the importance of listening to Conference and it was age appropriate to them. Try it ....Emma was 5 and Sadee 3. Thanks to Sarah for a great idea.