Matthew and Santa

Matthew and Santa have always had a rocky relationship and it looked like this year was going to be no different.

And then he finally warmed up to jolly old St. Nicholas...

November 2009

Well this is going to be a short update and a short montage because we really don't have much to report and didn't take many photos in November. Sometimes no news is good news. I still can't believe that the month is gone and we're only 23 days away from Christmas. You wouldn't know it here by the weather. We've been dry for a few days now. It's a little chilly, but not a cloud in the sky. We had great view of the Olympic Mts., now covered in snow, as well as Mt. Rainier and the Cascades getting progressively whiter too. I was sorry that I didn't have a camera with me today.
We had a lovely Thanksgiving with friends. As you will see, Matthew and Tia are becoming quite the item. When they get together they truly are like two peas in a pod. It's a blast to watch. I sometimes wonder who's having more fun, them or us?
I had a great birthday. My wonderful husband surprised me with dinner at Canlis which has fantastic food and a breathtaking view of Lake Union. And you have to love a date night with no toddlers every once in a while. Thank you honey!!
Matthew is still a constant source of entertainment. His latest accomplishment is sleeping in a big boy bed (it's just a toddler bed, but nonetheless a step up). I love it!! One of my favorite things is being able to sneak in his room just before we go to bed and tuck him in and give him a kiss and a snuggle. A little hard to do over a crib rail. And I love hearing him open his bedroom door in the morning, pitter patter down the hall and then climb into bed with us. What a great thing!
I hope that you all are enjoying this Advent season. Enjoy the show......

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An Interesting Adventure

So, we bought a cow this year. And before you have visions of Bessie tied up in our backyard grazing and making wonderful compost for us- let me just tell you that she's in packages in our freezer now. We had to drive over the Cascade Mountains to just outside of Yakima this week to go and pick up our beef. It's amazing the difference between western and central Washington. It's very green and lush here in the Puget Sound area this time of year and central Washington is desert-like farmland. And it's obvious that the main industry there is agriculture. I found it very refreshing to be in an area where a more simple way of life is the norm. Matthew, of course, was just fascinated by the cows. The exciting part of the trip was the drive back home through the pass. We were a little worried when the snow started falling sideways and the road was a sheet of ice. But when we saw all the semi's pulling over to put chains on their tires, we knew that we were in for an interesting ride. Growing up in Michigan, I'm pretty comfortable driving in winter weather, but that was exciting. But we're home now and had our first steaks tonight and it was worth the drive through the snowy pass. We look forward to heading back over the mountains sometime soon (in better weather) for another visit.

Taylor News for October 2009

Hello all. It's time for the monthly Taylor review. October was a busy month for us. We made a trip back to Michigan for Scott to join some friends walking the Detroit Half Marathon. We also got a chance to visit with lots of family and friends. We thoroughly enjoyed the Michigan fall colors and got to reminisce about our wedding day.
Matthew seemed to really enjoy getting ready for Halloween this year. We made several trips to the pumpkin patch and he really enjoyed getting a chance to carve his very own pumpkin. While I was getting this post ready tonight, though, I realized that we didn't have any pictures of him in his Halloween costume. I guess we got a little busy with all of the festivities on Halloween evening. Matthew really got into the concept of trick or treating this year. Of course He had to examine each piece of candy after it was put into his bag which made for a very long evening.
His newest infatuation these days is the movie Cars. He watches part of it everyday and has his very own Lightening McQueen and Mater. It is very cute to watch him developing his very own sense of humor and watch him laugh at certain parts of the movie. He really is growing up fast.
Well that's all for now. Enjoy the pics....

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Some Pics for Dad at Work

These are for daddy to put on his computer while he works. He can download pics from the blog, but not anything from the montage.

September Montage

Another month- come and gone. They seem to be going faster and faster. September was beautiful here in Washington. I love fall here! The summer boating crowd starts thinning out and the fishing vessels return from their season at sea. It seems like everyone is getting the last little bits of the great outdoors before the winter (and the rain) starts. The sunrises and sunsets are phenomenal this time of year as well.
Matthew has been as busy as ever. The most common comment that I hear about him these days is "boy, he sure is fast". And he is!! He continues to love playing outside as well as making messes with play-doh and paint (see below). We've taken him for a couple of early morning trips to the beach to watch the sunrise and find crabs under rocks at the boat launch. One crab was blowing bubbles out of his nose and Matthew responded with "crab need tissue".
We spent a few days in September in the San Juan Islands with some friends of ours. We all went whale watching one day and got to see several Orcas up close. It was great. Scott and Jacques did some kayaking on Orcas Island while Irina and I did a little roaming around town with Matthew.
We also made trip #2 to the Puyallup Fair since our camera died after only two pictures during our first visit. Needless to say, I think Matthew is now a carnival ride junkie. He also went on his first pony ride. "Matthew ride cinacinaminaminamon" (a.k.a. cinnamon).
The last pics on the montage were taken at the Ballard Farmers Market. We went one Sunday with our friends Steve and Julie and their daughter, Tia. Matthew and Tia were inseperable and walked around holding hands most of the time. We founds some drummers performing on the street and the kids got to join in. As you can see, Matthew really got into it after a while. What a ham!
Well, we hope you enjoy the pics. Stay tuned for more news from the Taylors.

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Puyallup Fair 2009

It's that time of year again...the leaves on the trees are turning colors, the days are getting shorter and the Good Sam ER is full of folks from the Puyallup Fair. Must be fall. "The Fair" is really quite a big deal here. We've been every year for the past three years and have really enjoyed it. We added a new twist this year and went to the cattle drive/parade that opens the fair on Friday. It was a lot of fun. We found a great spot on the curb right along the parade route. Matthew was so excited to see the cattle coming down the road and all of a sudden they made a sharp right turn into the gas station. Scott and I gave each other a puzzled look. Was this part of the parade route?? Then we saw a bunch of the folks on horses with lassos in the air. "Hmmm- I think they may have made a detour". After a few minutes they all came barreling out of the gas station, back on the parade route. Matthew was very matter of fact and said "Cows needed gas". It's a little tough to make out, but below is the cows leaving the 76 after getting gas ; ) (after that, my camera died- so no more pics).

Matthew was thrilled to be tall enough to ride some of the kiddie rides this year. We probably could have spent all day there going from ride to ride.

August Montage

Hey everyone. Here's what we've been up to for the past month...

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Summer Fun

We're sorry that we haven't had a post in a while, but we're trying to get out and enjoy what's left of the summer while we can. I noticed a set of trees changing color already and it makes me very sad. Summer here is so beautiful, but so short. And we feel that sense of the season coming to a close already.
Matthew has really enjoyed the summer and being outside. It's become a big struggle to try and get him inside in the evening for either dinner or bedtime. Half of the time we're dragging him into the house kicking and screaming (especially if the other kids don't have to go inside yet). He's been making the most of the great weather that we've had lately. The first set of pics below is at the boat launch on our island. Matthew will spend hours there playing in the water and sand. He likes to have us flip over the rocks so that he can look for crabs. But of course if we find some, he's hiding behind us. He also likes collecting all kinds of rocks and shells and then throws them back in the water.

On our way back from Seattle the other day, we also took him to a water park in Bremerton that's right next to the ferry terminal. He was a little timid about getting in at first, but then was totally into it and would go up to the fountain and knock on it to get it to spray.

"Get in daddy"

Well, that's all for now. Stay tuned for the August montage. The July one was such a hit that I'm going to try and do one each month.

Busy and Hot, Hot, Hot!!

Hi everyone. I know it's been a while since we've posted, but it has been busy (per usual) and it's been great. I think things have calmed down for a few weeks- no trips, no guests, no events, no illnesses, etc... Now it's just the heat... We had tickets for the hottest-ever Mariners game on Wednesday where it was 102 degrees. Thank goodness we were in the shade for about 3/4 of the game. It's cooled off significantly now (if you can call 85 degrees cool). So now that we have a little time I thought I'd put together a little montage of our month....

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Then and Now in the Olympic Mountains

Matthew, Do you like Thomas the Train?

So we went to see Thomas the "Too Too" Train.

He had a horrible time as you can see.

We couldn't think of a better way to spend the day with the trains and Thomas-obsessed Matthew. The funny thing is how excited Mom and Dad got when we found out Thomas was coming into town. We rushed online to get tickets before it sold out. You would think we were teenagers buying the hottest concert tickets in town. It was a ton of fun--

My wonderful wife got me an extremely cool Father's Day gift this year- salmon fishing on Puget Sound with our neighbor Tony. The ladies took the kids to the zoo and we got to fish for salmon. Very cool.

I wanted to throw in a few other recent shots of Matthew.

"pider" (Spider.)

Visit to the Pacific Ocean

Checking it out......


Getting brave......

Having fun......

The flee and pursuit......

The rescue......

The recovery and return......

Mommy Needs a Facemask

Stay tuned, we'll get some pics up soon. We've been crazy busy with company in and out of town. We also finished the Seattle Rock and Roll half marathon. Our friends Gary, Ellen and Tim completed the event as well. It was a beautiful day and we all did great!

We've also decided that mommy needs some protection when playing Matthew. Three weeks ago he broke my nose and yesterday he split my lip open. I've made it this far in my life without stitches or a broken bone and in the past few weeks, I've had both.

Quick Update

Hey everyone-
Sorry it's been so long since the last post. We've had out-of-town company and have more coming in tomorrow. Dan, one of our friends from Michigan, was here this past weekend helping his son, Tim, move to Ft. Lewis. It's so nice to have company and actually take the time to do some fun, touristy things. We visited Pike Place Market, the Space Needle and went to Mt. Rainier this weekend. It was snowing at the observation center on Mt. Rainier. I, of course, was totally unprepared in my capri's and Teva's. Lesson learned.
While we were in Seattle this weekend, Matthew decided that he wanted to go on one of the rides at the Seattle Center. I was a little hesitant and worried that he would want off as soon as the ride started. However, Matthew loved it!! He actually rode the cars 3 times and another ride once as well.



Of course, now that Dan has returned home, it's sunny and beautiful. Oh well, better luck next time.

Gary and Ellen arrive tomorrow and Tim G. on Friday. We're all getting ready for the Seattle Rock and Roll Half Marathon. Very exciting!! A special thanks to Irina and Jacques for stepping in at the last minute to take care of Matthew during the race. Wish us all luck!!

"All Aboard"

We took Matthew for a ride on the Sounder commuter train yesterday. He was thrilled, of course, since he loves trains. As we were heading toward the train after it pulled up to the station, Matthew starts shouting "All Aboard!!" and starts pumping his arms in the air. Where is the video camera when I need it? It was hilarious. He loved the train ride and had a big smile on his face the whole time.


We took the train to Kent and walked around a bit. We came across a park with water fountains for the kids to run through. We were totally unprepared (no towel, no change of clothes) and Matthew could not be stopped when he saw the water. Fortunately, there was a thrift shop around the corner and we got him a towel and change of clothes for the ride home. Lesson learned for next time.

I Love a Parade!!

This shot says it all...

We went to the Gig Harbor Maritime Festival Parade yesterday and Matthew was in heaven. All of his favorite things were there- firetrucks, tractors, big trucks pulling floats and horses. He was one happy boy!

Finishing Up Birthday Cake

These are the pics from the evening we finished up the last of Matthew's birthday cake. He, of course, still thinks that it is his birthday and keeps pointing at cakes in the store saying "Matthew birthday cake". It might take a while for him to realize that his day in the sun is over for now.

Happy 2nd Birthday Matthew!!

I just have a few minutes to post a few pics from Matthew's birthday. The first is from his party yesterday with all of our friends...

This one is from his birthday take #2 (today, the day of his actual birthday). We thought that this one was quite humorous.

And another from tonight...


Happy birthday baby boy! It's so hard to believe that you're two already. You have been an amazing blessing to us and we look forward to the years to come. We love you!!

And to Jessica, what else can we say? Thank you will never be enough.

Long Time, No See

Sorry that it's been a while since our last post. I almost forgot my blogger password as I tried to sign in tonight. So I guess I need to be a little more vigilant with my updates.

Life is busy here, per usual. We just returned from visiting Scott's father and stepmother in Florida this past Monday. Don (Scott's brother), his wife Julie and their twin boys, Jack and Charlie were able to join us as well. It was great to watch the three boys together. They all enjoyed swimming, playing with bubbles with Grandma Karen and just being boys.

We took the whole crew to the Homosassa Wildlife Park one day and saw lots of interesting birds and animals. But I think Matthew was getting a little pooped by the end.....

We also took a boat ride out to the Gulf. And as always, one of Matthew's favorite things was the playground.

He also got to visit the fire station across the street and was thrilled (sorry, no pics though).

I'm sure that Mike and Karen are now enjoying the peace and quiet after having 3 boys under the age of two in their home all at once.

Next, we have the big birthday bash for Matthew coming up. We're having a bunch of friends over for Memorial Day to help celebrate. And Nana Towne is making a surprise visit as well. So hopefully we'll have lots of great pics from the party with the next post.

For now, take care.

Nashville Completed!!

We just returned from Nashville on Sunday after running the Country Music Half Marathon. This one was a bit more challenging than Phoenix. It was hot!! I think it was 85 degrees when we finished. Not to mention it was a bit more hilly than Arizona. But nonetheless, we finished!! And it was wonderful to spend time with the Mickiewicz family. Thanks again Marcy for taking care of Matthew so that mommy and daddy could run in the race! Next up- the Seattle Rock and Roll Half Marathon in June with the Gibsons.

Not much is new, so there hasn't been much to post. Things are warming up here, so Matthew is spending a lot of time outside. He loves going for walks, playing at the park and looking for bugs. He LOVES his bug vacuum. Although the second pic below kind of grosses me out a bit....