Because I am an Equal Opportunity Aunt

Can't Resist

I think she is just too cute!

Newest Addition

Reagan Taylor
November 5, 2009 at 7:28 am
7 pounds 9 ounces, 19 1/2 inches
Only 61 1/2 hours of labor!
Everyone is doing well.

Real Gems

When my parents came to help me move in they brought a few boxes of hidden treasures from my room. I honestly haven't even thought about them, but today was "Project Clean out the Garage". The garage had become the dumping grounds of all things that had no place. Today I unpacked all the boxes and put them up. Or in the case of the study/office, the boxes are piled in the corner. (That is next month's project.) As I opened the boxes my parents brought I found things like this:

And this:

Filled with these and even more embarrassing pictures:

Then there was an manila envelope from Ranger Insurance. Ranger is where my grandfather worked about a million years ago. In pencil scribbled on the front is "Cappetch Patch Kids Birth Sertevect".

Yep, inside is the birth certificate to every Cabbage Patch Kid I ever owned. This Ralph Baxter's...he was a cute dark brown haired guy that wore glasses.

Oh, and there was this guy that my grandmother made for my high school graduation.

And yes that is lipstick on the bears mouth and a Hallmark sticker as a gold medallion.

The question is what do I do with all this stuff?!?!?!?

Madeline's First Birthday

These are just a few highlights from the big event.

My mom and Madeline...she can be very serious!

Some day I'll make her laugh!

Michelle makes the cutest cakes for her kiddos on their birthdays!

Her first bite of cake, ever!

I think she likes it.

I had a great time at home, but now I am working to get caught up back here...Trying to make this house a home. Some new pictures of the house should be posted in the next day or two...I promise! :)

I Worked So Hard My Teeth Hurt

Yesterday Abbey and I began moving my stuff to the new house. We are both pretty impressed with how much was accomplished. The kitchen is basically all moved and so is my closet. What's even better is that it is all put away in the new house. Now I may not be able to find anything and I might have to call Abbey to locate anything in the pantry, but it feels pretty good to have all that done.

My parents arrived last night after getting stuck in traffic right outside of Nashville. We met last night for dinner in Goodlettsville before making the track back into Springfield since they got held up and we were all starving. Before we all officially called it a day we went by the house so they could see if for the first time.

Today will be filled with more trips up and downs the stairs. (I am really wondering why I live on the second floor right about now! My knees and ankles are feeling every trip made up and down those things from yesterday. I mean, my teeth hurt....oh wait, that may have more to do with the fact that I squeezed in an orthodontist appointment yesterday after work and before the move!) The goal is to get the majority of the furniture moved.

Have I mentioned what great friends and family I have? I have some of the best!!! They help you move, they mow your lawn, they drive long distances with a U-Haul....Well, I better get off this couch and getting moving...of course I think a cup of coffee and two Aleeve will really help the process!

It's a......

GIRL!!!!
Raegan Taylor due beginning of November

Tough Week, Good God

Last week my family received some very upsetting news. My sister in law, Alisa, who is pregnant found out she has cervical cancer. Needless to say, it has taken us all by surprise. Today, she and my brother met with an oncologist to determine the best plan of treatment in this situation. It does not appear to be invasive so she will continue to see the oncologist throughout the pregnancy and treatment will begin after my niece/nephew is born.

While this news has been difficult to learn, as a family we are thankful. Thankful that the cancer has been diagnosed and caught rather early...there is no telling when it would have been discovered if Alisa was not pregnant.

I would appreciate each of you joining me in praying for Roger and Alisa:

• That Alisa would be healed
  
• That both Alisa and the baby will be healthy
• That Roger and Alisa will enjoy the pregnancy
• Wisdom for everyone involved- Roger, Alisa, doctors, etc.
  

Sugar and Spice? Puppy Dog Tails?

I am very proud to announce that my family is expecting a new addition to the family. My younger brother, Roger, and his wife, Alisa, are expecting their first child this Fall. They went to the doctor yesterday and everything looks great. Both families are thrilled and I am excited about being an aunt, yet again!

Congratulations Roger and Alisa!!!

Happy Easter

She is getting soooo big!!!

Happy Easter!!!

And They're Gone

My parents left less than 24 hours after they arrived. Their quick trip was made even quicker for two reasons. First, right as they were driving through Little Rock they received a phone call from the nursing home where my grandfather lives. They were transporting him to the hospital to be treated for an infection that was not responding to oral antibiotics. (My grandfather is doing well. He is getting some IV antibiotics. Stuart went yesterday to check on him and then today he, my grandmother, and Jacob went back to be with him for a little while.)

Then there is the second reason:

Unfortunately they didn't make it very far. When I talked to them a few hours ago, they were already called it a day. My dad tried, but when there were no other cars on the interstate he turned back around towards the closest town. They are in Jackson, TN.

I am trying to stay warm, waiting for the snow, and picking up my apartment. The last few boxes are finally being unloaded! So, how are you?

The Parental Units

The parental units arrived tonight about 7:00. They brought a "new" dinning room table and by "new" I mean new to me. It was my great-grandparents originally. Stuart and Michelle had it in their house at some point as well. Yep, some family share stories, memories, and genese...we do that, but we also share furniture. :) You just gotta love family!!!

Today

Today was busy, but not necessarily blog worthy. However, since I have nothing else to share, I will elaborate.

Many of you know that my grandfather has Alzheimer's. About a month ago, he and my grandmother moved to a special facility that specializes in the care of Alzheimer's patients. However, in the last few weeks his memory has declined rapidly and it has caused us to make a few decisions to make sure that both he and my grandmother receive the best care that is available. The main two are he is now receiving hospice services and they gave up their suite and are now in two separate rooms. Today was full of moving furniture and their belongings.

On a lighter note...tonight, I took a CPR class. It is something that I have needed to do for some time, but just have never made the time to take. I did some investigating before I came home and found a local instructor here in Texas and she was offering a class this evening. So, as of 9:00 pm tonight I am BLS (Basic Life Support) certified. Basically that includes CPR for all ages, Heimlich for all ages, and the use of AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) device.

Well, I need to head upstairs and begin packing. I am flying to Nashville tomorrow night where I will spend a few days with my friends that live there. Then on Saturday I will head back to Tampa and return to my life. As much as I have loved being home, I will confess that I am looking to relaxing in TN for a few days.

A Date

Tonight I went on a date. Okay, so I had to pick him up, I paid, we ate at Chick-Fil-A, and he had to sit in the backseat in his booster seat, but I did get a good night kiss and a marriage proposal!

Man, that kid cracks me up. And he can asks some questions that are almost more than you can handle!

Tonight he asked me when my anniversary was. I explained that you had to be married to have an anniversary. (We have had a couple of questions and discussions about marriage during this trip.) He then announced we would have to work on that part. From there he informed me that I needed to cancel my birthday this year (an earlier conversation we had in the car about birthday parties and the fact that I will be turning 30 in less than 2 weeks). I asked him why would I need to do that. He said, that if I canceled my birthday then I could wait a while and then he would marry me.

Of course the next question was, "Aunt Jane, what was the weather like in Bethlehem when Jesus was born?" I told him we would have to Google that when we got back to his house. In case you are wondering, today the high was 55 and it rained!

Time Flies

I can't believe that I have been in Texas for 4 days. Time has really flown. I have stayed pretty busy spending time with family and friends. Instead of boring you with details about the past several days, I'll post a few pictures. Before I do, let me just explain that my favorite 5 year-old confiscated my camera on Christmas Eve and discovered the Photo Booth program on my Mac.

He wanted to take a picture of our shoes b/c we were both wearing Skechers.

All I can say is that this is the ceiling and top of the fireplace.

An attempt at taking his own picture?

I have absolutely no clue.

Why not take a picture of the TV!?!?!

If two heads are better than one...what is three?

He did not like it when our pictures looked monster like. He preferred multiple heads.

Or swirly heads.

The only semi-serious one that was taken...I have lots of him sticking out his tongue though!

And A Diva Was Born

We live in a world of equal opportunity...and sometimes Baby Jesus is actually a girl!

And sometimes Mary and Joseph are in their 30s!

And Mary's hair is actually red and Joseph, well I won't go there!

And sometimes Baby Jesus prefers "his" feet to hang out of the manger.

She smiled, she cooed, she performed...And a diva was born!

He's also one handsome dude! I can't wait to hang out with these two next week! :)

For Stuart and Michelle

Stuart and Michelle,

Here is the picture you requested.

Oh and in case the rest of you are wondering...yes, I did get my haircut this past week. It's taken a couple of days to get adjusted to it, but I must admit that I love it!

Busy Weekend

My parents are somewhere between FL and TX. We had a wonderful weekend. There was shopping, lots of shopping and great food. There was laughter and catching up on all my family. There was reminiscing and stories from the past. We also caught up with some various extended family members who all live in the area.

I did not manage to take one photo during the entire trip. I always forget to take the camera or forget to take pictures. This time I always left the camera at my apartment.

On a separate note, I am all ready for the Gala. The black dress is a keeper. On Friday, my jewelry arrived and then Saturday my parents and I went and picked out red shoes. I ended up not getting the pair I put on the blog last week. They are very similar, but a brighter red. (They matched the jewelry a little better.)

Well, I need to get ready for a busy week...10 days until the Gala! Oh, and I am getting my haircut this week...which may not be as exciting to anyone else besides me! :)

Parents

Mine are in town. I have just gotten in from picking them up from the airport and then on to their hotel...which is probably less than a 1/4 of mile from my apartment. We'll be spending the next couple of days together, so maybe I'll actually have some pictures to post.

How to Hold a Baby

First of all, I survived the open house at work. It was hot, but other than that a wonderful event. I am even all ready for tomorrow's training. I did most of my setting up after the open house. I even ran to the store on my way home and all I have to do tomorrow is pick up ice on the way to the office. (I don't have the freezer space at my apartment.) I mean, I have even ironed my clothes for the entire week. I did that last night. I am not sure what has come over me, but it is making things much smoother.

Now, to the point of the post.

Back several weeks ago when I was in Texas with the "fam", I found at the my younger brother, Uncle Roger, had yet to hold Miss Madeline. The night before I left Aunt Alisa, his wife, decided that it was time that he hold her. He protested, "I've never held a baby that small." Okay, I see his point. I remember my rotation through the NICU in nursing school. Those babies were so small. It can be intimidating, but she was a month old at this point. Alisa decided that was no excuse. I think her exact statement was something to the effect, "Well don't think I am going to hold our babies until they get big enough for you to hold." Before he knew what had hit him, Madeline was thrust into his arms. "How do I hold her?" My mom, Alisa, and I replied in unison, "Like a football!" As a football coach we thought this might help. Of course leave it to me to add, "But don't spike her!"

He thinks, "Like a football, like a football...I can do that."

Roger's face in this picture is priceless.

Relax, Brother...that's better.

"Maybe this isn't so bad after all."

"What is she doing?" Babies move, Roger. :)


Rog, watch Stuart. See. He is even man enough to sport the pink burp cloth. :)