Too Many B's

Brody on the Big Boy Bike

2012-01-27T18:45:00.000-08:00

Nearly three years ago Britten was away on a trip to Africa and Braeden learned to ride his bike without training wheels. We took lots of pictures and video to share with his dad when he got back home.

For the past couple of weeks Britten has been in Southeast Asia so it was only fitting that Brody would learn to ride his bike without training wheels. Good thing we got lots of pictures and video to share with dad when he comes back home.

Wondering Why Wednesday

2012-01-25T08:39:00.001-08:00

Another installment of "Wondering Why Wednesday..."

Why is the entire bottle of toothpaste squeezed out in the sink?

It Works for Me: Praying for Our Small Group

2012-01-24T13:01:00.000-08:00

We aren't really big on New Year's Resolutions around here but we do try and choose a few things we'd like to do better in the upcoming year. This year we wanted to be more intentional about praying for the families in our small group on a consistent basis.

We asked each family in our small group to bring several copies of a family photo. We then punched holes in them and hung them on a metal ring. That just so happens to be the Vail family and their three girls who manage to up the cuteness factor each time they walk through the door. I tried to get Mama Vail to give me one but....no such luck. =o)

To give it a little more stability, I printed a verse on card stock and cut it out to serve as the front and back cover.

We passed one booklet out to each family in our small group. Our booklet hangs above the boy's bed to remind us to pray for one family each night during family worship.

It's not rocket science, not is it earth shattering. But hey...it works for me.

Brooks' version of Jesus Loves Me

2012-01-21T17:58:00.000-08:00

There is a side of Brooks Judson Taylor that you will only see after you've spent countless hours with him...or his mom happens to catch it on video.

A few weeks ago we had friends over for dinner when I had to sneak away for a minute and tend to the baby. Brooks decided to join me and I was privileged enough to experience this performance first hand.

Other than the fact that he keeps repeating the same section over and over, I'd say he does pretty well until the end when he starts to feel the spirit and slams into the baby bed.

A Lego Surprise

2012-01-19T03:46:00.000-08:00

No matter how insane those little Lego pieces make me when they plunge into my foot because they didn't all get picked up, I can't change the fact that my boys love Legos.

The two big boys get the Lego Club magazine and screech with excitement all the way up the driveway each time it arrives. If you don't get the magazine, go here to get your free two year subscription. Kids under seven can get Lego Club Jr. which is designed for the younger crowd. You will thank me later.

Each month in the magazine there is a Lego building challenge for kids to participate in. The really determined kids can build a Lego creation then ~~incessantly question their mom until she sends the photo in~~ have a parent print the picture and mail it in. Lego selects five winners each month. The winners receive a $100 Lego gift card and their photo will appear in the issue.

Braeden wants to do it every month but his lousy mom usually doesn't get around to printing the photo, going to pick it up, labeling the back and dropping it in the mail before the deadline. Slacker, I know.

In December we trimmed back our work load in school that left us with a little more free time. Braeden again asked to participate in the holiday themed contest by building his rendition of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller center in New York that we were able to see in 2010 when we went for Thanksgiving. This time around I managed to get his photo sent in. I wistfully crossed that off my "to do" list and did not think about it again for a single second...until this week.

I was running out the door to head to a friend's house and stopped on the way out to get the mail. In our mailbox was a letter addressed to Braeden with the all too familiar Lego symbol in the return address. I thought to myself, "Surely not!" and figured it must be a ploy to get us to buy more Legos or a "thanks for your effort" letter at best. I tossed the envelope back to Braeden and told him he had some mail. The moment he saw the Lego symbol he started shouting that he had won. I attempted to settle him down and ensure him that is not what this was but his confidence could not be subdued.

He ripped the envelope open and out plopped a gift card. He nearly jumped clean out of his seatbelt all the while screaming, "I can't believe I won! I can't believe I won!"

I took the letter from the envelope and read it aloud to him.

"Congratulations Braeden on being selected as one of the five finalist in the December Lego Building Challenge."

You've got to be kidding me? He really won? He really won!

Upon further reading I was elated to learn that he indeed had won. He certainly did receive a $100 Lego gift card and the picture of him with his "holiday themed Lego creation" is going to appear in the March issue of Lego Club magazine.

And, you know that is good enough to earn a blog post of it's own.

Wondering Why Wednesday

2012-01-18T09:56:00.000-08:00

Another installment of "Wondering Why Wednesday..."

Why is Braeden sound asleep with his hands cuffed to the bed?

Birthday Surprise...Almost

2012-01-15T18:39:00.000-08:00

Next week Britten will celebrate his birthday. Unfortunately, he will be out of town so for the first time in ten years we will not be together to celebrate his birthday. If you've known me for any length of time you've picked up on the fact that I firmly believe everyone should feel extra special on their birthday so, it didn't sit well with me when I realized he'd be away from friends and family on such a special occasion.

I couldn't stand the thought of him not having the star treatment on hisspecial day so I worked to get his gift together along with a letter I had written him. I coordinated with another person that will be on the trip to make sure he would be given his gift on his actual birthday, have the happy birthday song sung to him at annoyingly loud volumes and without a doubt, have a candle to blow out even if it had to be stuck in the top of a doughnut. I was pleased with the way my plan had come together, especially on such short notice.

Now, if you've known Britten for any length of time you know surprises or waiting for a gift aren't exactly his strong points. In an effort to accurately portray the picture I would describe them as blaring weaknesses. He can't wait for a surprise and he doesn't want you to wait either.

(Photo courtesy of....oh, who am I kidding, you know where it came from.)

He's been known to hack into my email searching for order confirmations, ask our innocent children about his gifts and even insist that I open my presents ahead of time because he can't stand to wait.

Today we kissed him goodbye at the airport and I smiled inside because I had managed to slip his present into the luggage without him having a clue. I was giddy over the fact that he would climb onto an airplane thinking his birthday would be celebrated upon his return home but all the while I had put together the perfect plan.

We said our final goodbye at 11:20 a.m. and I got this text at 12:44.

You guessed it, that is a photo of the new Bible I got him for his birthday. No more cute wrapping paper, no more well thought out plan, no more birthday surprises. He had found the gift and opened it barely an hour after I had dropped him off.

But seriously, how could I really get upset at this guy?

Happy "early" birthday to the most amazing husband and father. We love you Britten!

Wondering Why Wednesday

2012-01-11T14:38:00.001-08:00

Another installment of "Wondering Why Wednesday..."

Why are there 25 Nerf darts stuck to the TV?

Ornament Swap 2011

2012-01-10T19:05:00.000-08:00

I realized today that I hadn't posted the results from our annual Christmas ornament ~~swap~~ competition. If you are just now jumping on board the blog you'll need to go here and find out what all they hype is about. For those of you that read regularly, you'll remember that I got mutilated in last years swap which meant I had to bring my "A" game this time around.

This past October our family took a trip to Chattanooga and in lieu of a regular old hotel room we stayed in a genuine train car that had been turned into a guest room. This may by far have been one of the highlights of our boys lives.

Britten searched the internet until he found a replica of the train car we stayed in and this is the ornament he gave me this year.

We were actually in the caboose just like this one. I know, I know...he's a keeper. But, I knew that way before he got me such a thoughtful ornament.

Now moving right along to this years winning ornament....

As long as I have known Britten he's always dreamed of going snowboarding. We moved to North Carolina two weeks after we were married for him to attend seminary and always planned to go then but, his student status coupled with my whopping teacher salary left no room in the budget for snowboarding. This is as close as we ever came.

Nope, that's not a mountain. It's a golf course across the street from our town house and we used inflatable intertubes. Lame? Yes, but we were poor seminary students so what more could you expect?

This past year Britten officiated a wedding for some sweet friends of ours whose parents have a home in Breckenridge, Colorado. As a "thank you" for being part of their special (and absolutely breathtaking) day, they invited him to go snowboarding and just like that, Britten's dream of jetting down the slopes with the wind in his hair all came true.

I found a girl on Etsy who could make one of a kind polymer clay snow board ornaments and had her make this for my sweetie.

Britten was genuinely shocked and excited when he opened it. He's decided it's his favorite ornament of all time...and I'd say that last comment sealed the victory for me.

Photographers in Training

2012-01-06T17:19:00.000-08:00

Those photographers in training have been at it again.

I don't think this is what photographers are talking about when they refer to "shadowing in photography."

A nice representation of the wall color in our playroom/school room.

Not exactly sure what is going on with Brooks' hair but I'm thankful it was captured by the camera.

A rather blurry rendition of Brody's photo shoot.

A riveting photo of the bouncy seat.

I may be a bit partial but I think these boys may have a future in photography.

Make Your Own Dishwashing Detergent

2012-01-02T04:25:00.000-08:00

Making my own laundry detergent turned out to be so easy and inexpensive that I decided to try and find a way to make my own dishwashing detergent. I found several different recipes online but in the end decided to try one that was simple and contained ingredients I already had at home.

I'm going to try this recipes first and after a full batch I'll let you know what I think. I've already used it twice and it seems to work fine but I'm not closed to the idea of their being a better recipe out there. But, for now, this one is super simple. All you need are the following items.

-White vinegar

-Borax

-Baking Soda

-4 packets of Lemonade Flavored Drink Mix (You can also use 4T of citric acid in place of the lemonade but I could only find citric acid online)

The vinegar is used as a rinsing agent in place of something like Jet Dry. Use it to fill the reservoir in your dishwasher to make sure your dishes come out sparkly clean.

Now mix 2 cups of Borax, 2 cups of baking soda (approximately one of the boxes shown above) and the lemonade packets. I sifted all of mine to get the clumps out but you don't have to. Stir or shake it really well. When you are ready to wash dishes put one tablespoon in each reservoir and you are ready to go. I keep mine under the kitchen sink (with a label of course) so when a darling soul decides to help me out with the dishes, they know just what to do.

Some of the recipes discussed problems with a white residue on dishes after using this, that did not happen to me but if you do have that problem it says experiment with the amount of Borax you use and it should clear it right up.

Now, for all of you guys that are brave enough to tell me you read the blog and you darling college girls that are just now beginning to put down your domestic roots, let me give you a little help.

Two Years

2011-12-29T18:34:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago marked the two year anniversary of my sister's death.

I had assumed that after two long years things would get easier. I had hoped that when I had to drive through the intersection of 4-11 and Church Street I wouldn't vividly recall the flashing lights and incomprehensible sobs. I had imagined that with time I would stop "thinking" I saw her in the grocery store or at the mall.

Others would say that time would heal the hurt...that was not true.

Contrary to popular belief, time doesn't always make the pain go away, in fact, nothing makes it go away. But, I can say there is an aspect of God's goodness and gentleness that I have only felt during the times I've cried out to Him in unbearable pain. Psalm 34:18 reminds us that "the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." The death of my only sister crushed my spirit. Losing the one person I spent 32 years of my life with broke my heart into pieces that to this day aren't put back together exactly the same.

Going to visit the place we buried my sister is not something that I enjoy. In fact, it is something I dread at times. The emptiness of that place is not the way I choose to remember the woman that filled so many other lives (including mine) with unadulterated joy. But each time I go sit alone in front of her marker, I come away with a renewed sense of longing for the day that Christ will return and I see His face, as well as hers again.

My parents worked for countless hours to put together a headstone that was a reflection of my sister. I have hesitated for a long time to put these photos on my blog but was reminded just today that this blog serves as a record for me and ultimately my children and I want them to know every detail.

My sister's children wrote letters to their mom to go on the headstone. This one was from her son, Cross.

This one was from her daughter, India.

If you were fortunate enough to know my sister and her "sparkly" personality you would understand why nothing but lime green stems, red glittery poinsettias and a silver metallic wreath with multicolored ornaments would do for Christmas. These decorations PALE in comparison to the glitz and glamour she modeled daily to those around her.

During the weeks after her death I had a couple of friends who literally held me together when I was falling apart. As my world spiralled out of control they were faithful to clean my home, handle our meals, care for my children, go to the grocery store, wash laundry for the 7 people now living in my home and even bring clothes for me to wear to the funeral. The Lord used those girls to get me through some of the darkest hours.

Two weeks ago, one of those dear friends showed up at my house with this.

Psalm 46 is the passage Britten preached at Mandy's funeral. I wear this to remind myself daily that even when the earth gives way, even when the pain will not subside, even when the "waters roar and foam", God makes me glad and He alone is my fortress!

Wondering Why Wednesday

2011-12-28T08:36:00.000-08:00

Another installment of "Wondering Why Wednesday..."

Why is a hush puppy stuck on the end of a drinking straw?

Merry Christmas from the Taylors

2011-12-19T21:30:00.000-08:00

I wish I could send out Christmas cards to everyone but being that I just had to order another round of cards tonight because I obviously did not order enough the first time, I better not attempt it.

However, I did want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and celebrate the fact that I managed to get my Christmas cards finished BEFORE Christmas. I was cutting it close due to a little mix up by Shutterfly but they came through in the clutch and I finally got done tonight.

Elf Yourself

2011-12-15T14:05:00.000-08:00

As sad as I am that our family has officially outgrown the number of elves allowed on the Elf Yourself website, I'm thankful I still get to watch the boys double over with laughter when they see themselves dancing on the screen.

Make Your Own Laundry Detergent

2011-12-13T13:54:00.000-08:00

I promised a long time ago that I would tell you how I made my own laundry detergent and was reminded by a sweet friend last night that I had not kept my promise.

My friend shared this video with me and after reading the words "twenty cents a gallon" I decided to give it a try.

The first order of business was to collect containers to store ten gallons of laundry detergent in.

I saved whatever containers came up empty but after doing this once I've decided I'm not a huge fan of the milk jugs. The plastic is thin and if you pick it up and sit it back down several times the bottom may begin to leak. The milk containers work fine but if you were going to continue to do this I'd work to collect containers with a bit thicker plastic like the vinegar or bleach containers.

The thing I love about this recipe is that everything you need can be found at your local Walmart in the aisle with regular laundry detergent. No need to run all over town to find some product you've never heard of before. You need one bar of Fels-Naptha and a cheese grater,

a box of Borax laundry booster and a box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda and two five gallon buckets.

We did this as a science experiment and counted it as school so I put the boys to work grating the soap.

Caution: When you're done grating you will have something that remarkably resembles shredded cheese.

Your child may walk by the counter and grab a handful for a snack resulting in tears and a mad dash to the sink. If this happens, do like all good mamas would and grab your camera but, whatever you do...don't let him hear you laughing.

Next, take your grated cheese concoction and mix it with about a quart of water in a saucepan and put it on the stove over medium-low heat and stir until all of the grates are disolved.

Put your little elves to work once again so you can check off the "science" box on your homeschool report card. After 10-15 minutes it will look like this.

Now take your five gallon bucket and fill it halfway full of hot tap water. Add your melted soap along with 1/2 a cup of washing soda and a full cup of Borax. Stir until everything is dissolved and then fill the bucket the rest of the way with hot tap water. Cover the bucket with a lid (I used plastic wrap because I didn't have a lid) until the next day.

24 hours later the mixture will have gelled up a bit and look like this.

I used a heavy duty whisk to break up the big chunks but a wooden spoon or something equivalent would work also.

Take the contents of the five gallon bucket and do the best you can to pour half of it into the other five gallon bucket. Next, take hot tap water and fill both of the buckets up to the top and stir. It may suds a bit, no biggie.

Bat your eyelashes and show a little leg so your husband will carry all of the containers and the five gallon buckets outside (b/c this part can get messy). Use a funnel to fill up your containers.

The website said this one batch lasted her family eight months, don't think it will last us quite that long but still a long time. It is all we use now and the hubby and I are both pleased. The detergent will settle when sitting so before you add it to the washer just shake it up a bit. One cup is required per load and can also be used as a pre-treater. I do not have a high efficiency washer but the website said only use 1/3 cup for HE machines.

My only complaint is that my clothes don't really smell that fresh when they come out of the dryer. With the money I am saving on detergent I bought a bottle of Downy Unstoppables In Wash Scent Booster and my clothes smell AHHH-MAZING! Bottom line, for the amount of money you save and the simplicity of the recipe, I'd say the Taylors are LOVIN' their new laundry detergent.

Favorite Apps

2011-12-12T08:02:00.000-08:00

Last weekend during our small group fellowship time we found ourselves swapping favorite apps...my how times have changed. I learned a few new ones and was reminded of the ones I'm currently crazy about.

I know not everyone is concerned with calorie count and neither am I all the time but I've been doing Weight Watchers since Breck was born and the Fooducate app is a dream come true for all calorie counters. I simply use my phone to scan the bar code of the product and it gives me the calorie count, Weight Watchers points and basic nutritional information. Then it will even give me suggestions of similar alternatives that would be a bit more healthy. Love it.

It's no secret that I'm a Starbuks junkie. The annual introduction of the Christmas cup makes me giddy. This year Starbucks has introduced the Cup Magic App.

I use my phone to scan one of the five holiday cups and the scene comes to life on my screen. The goal is to collect all five cups. My boys think this one is pretty impressive. But, if the barista puts the order sticker over the character on your cup...game over. Bummer.

I'm a faithful follower of all things Jillian Michaels and a firm believer in her workouts but sometimes I'm not in a place to pop in a DVD and go to work. No problem, just download the Nike Training Club App and you've got an instant workout...wherever you go.

You can even add music to your workout, track your progress and earn rewards as you go. Thanks for the tip on this one Sybil.

So now it's your turn, tell me about your favorite apps.

Family Photos

2011-12-09T21:32:00.000-08:00

Last week my favorite photographer took our family photos once again. I'm going to resist the overwhelming urge to put them all up in this post but gosh, she did such an amazing job (as usual) that it's hard to pick just a few.

Allison has an incredible ability to listen to me while I ramble on about what I want in pictures, coach me in outfit selection, choose the perfect back drop in the oh, so perfect location and work feverishly to tie all of those things together into a finished product that leaves me wiping away the tears as I gaze in amazement at our slide show and the song Dream plays in the background. All I can say is that she has a God given talent and it gets me Every. Single. Time.

Here are a few of my favorites from our time together at Railroad Park.

I could upload LOTS more but in an effort to keep my Christmas card a surprise I'm going to hold back.

I've said it many times before but this time, I'm SERIOUS! If she hasn't taken your pictures yet, you're truly missing out. What are you waiting for, email her now.

Wondering Why Wednesday

2011-12-07T08:57:00.000-08:00

Another installment of "Wondering Why Wednesday..."

Why is the pencil sharpener in the freezer?

Advent Bags

2011-12-06T12:14:00.000-08:00

I had not planned to blog about these but I've gotten so many questions from people coming in and out of our home that I decided to post about it after all.

In an effort to try and keep the boys' focus on Christ this season I made these Advent bags.

I used brown paper lunch sacks I had in the cabinet and some scrap book paper I had on hand. I cut the numbers 1-25 out of the scrap book paper while I longed for a Cricut and tried to convince my husband that I NEEDED one....no luck.

I glued the numbers to the front of the bags and put a slip of paper with a scripture reference

and a small surprise in each bag.

I tied the bags shut with some stray ribbon I had left from Christmas crafts of the past and hung them along the bar.

For example, one day the scripture reference was John 2:1-10 and the surprise in the bag was raisins. The entire concept could be easily adapted to fit whatever book or guide you use to walk through the Advent season as a family. We are currently using this one.

It was written by an elder at our church who just so happens to teach the 1st grade class with me on Sunday mornings. He and his wife are both incredible people with a true desire to serve the Lord and glorify Him with their lives. If you don't have this book...you should and I'd love to give it to you.

Oops, didn't mean to get off track.

Each night the boys anxiously take the bag from it's place and ~~knock each other out fighting over who gets to open the bag~~ gingerly bring it to the Christmas tree for family worship. They've been so excited each day to see what the surprise will be and ask me often throughout the day if they can open the bag.

Most of the Advent things I found in stores and online stopped on the 25th of December but we didn't want our boys to leave that sweet baby Jesus in the manger and forget the most important part. Yes, he came as a baby but He didn't stay that way. He grew up to become a sinless man and to ultimately die on a cross to pay for our sins and be resurrected from the dead three days later. So, we made a 26 to be opened the day after Christmas to celebrate the rest of the story.

Inside this bag is a small cross, some thorns and three nails.

The Advent bags have proved to be a useful tool in helping the boys to think about why we truly celebrate this season. It has also been a great motivator for consistency in family devotions because everything is ready to go each night. And I'd call that a win-win!

Advent: God With Us

2011-12-04T15:50:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share this incredible video with you. We used it last week with our boys during family worship and I still have to wipe away the tears every. single. time. Such an accurate portrayal of the Advent season and a powerful reminder of Immanuel...God is INDEED with us.

It would also be a good resource to share with those around you as a reminder of the true meaning of the Christmas season.

Don't say I didn't warn you....3:30-3:35 brings the water works.

Advent: God With Us from The Village Church on Vimeo.

Ornament Downsize

2011-12-01T05:53:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that Christmas ornaments are a pretty big deal around this house. If you haven't read about our yearly ornament swap, go here to catch up to speed. Each of the boys also get an ornament on Christmas Eve that is reflective of the last year of their life. At the rate of 6 ornaments being added this year, our tree fills up rather fast.

As we pulled each ornament from it's cozy little home last week I decided to make a change. If there wasn't a particular person or memory that was tied to the ornament it did not make it on the tree. That tiny change resulted in a garbage bag full of ornaments that I was able to pass on to a couple of super special young ladies who are decorating their apartments for the first time this year.

We added a few ornaments throughout the year that I was anxious to get up on the tree.

Britten's mom gave us this one. It was Britten's when he was a little boy. It even has 1979 scribbled on the bottom to mark the year he got it. Super-dee-duper sentimental is an understatement.

This one was to commemorate lats years New York trip.

We found this little goody when we went to Chattanooga in October.

I got this one last year to help a friend bring home their precious little girl from China.

And this one was brought to us recently by some friends that are serving as missionaries in China.

The removal of all those ornaments certainly changed the overall look of our tree but it also made it so incredibly meaningful. I can't look at our tree without thinking about the people, places and experiences that have greatly impacted our lives.

Simple Christmas Card Display

2011-11-30T07:18:00.000-08:00

Not only do anticipate the making of our family Christmas card each year, I eagerly check the mail each afternoon for a little bit of Christmas cheer in the mailbox. Hint, hint....

This year I wanted to come up with an inexpensive way to display the yearly Christmas card collection without taking on a time consuming Christmas craft project.

I purchased some ribbon and used paper clips I already had at the house to make these.

Then I used some scrap book paper I had on hand along with my computer to make this. (You didn't expect it to not have a label did you?)

Then I used hot glue to attach my sign to the top of the ribbon and affixed all of the paper clips along the length of the ribbon.

I hung it all on my laundry room door and as the cards arrive I can hang them up to see and enjoy.

I Think My Daughter's an Arminian

2011-11-28T18:40:00.000-08:00

Just in case the last video left you wanting more.

My Wife's A Calvinist

2011-11-27T14:58:00.000-08:00

If you've ever heard of Calvinism, Reformed Theology or the Doctrines of Grace then this video will be hysterical.

If you watch this video and have no clue what he is talking about you can click here to read until your heart is full of everything Reformed!

Thanksgiving Puzzle Answers

2011-11-24T04:19:00.000-08:00

We learned last night that my husband has but one solitary flaw...he is HORRIBLE at these brain teasers. How did you do? Here are the answers.

1. Space Invaders

2. Try To Understand

3. In Between Jobs

4. One in a Million

5. Down to Earth

6. A Walk in the Park

7. You're Under Arrest

8. Update

9. Repeat After Me

10. Small Talk

11. Big Brother

12. First Lady

13. Shop til' You Drop

14. Man Overboard

15. Wide Load

Thanksgiving Games

2011-11-23T19:53:00.000-08:00

I told you earlier this week about our White Elephant tradition and mentioned how my sister would always dominate the brain teaser puzzles but I didn't explain the puzzles.

After our Thanksgiving lunch each year we compete for a Starbucks gift card by seeing who can solve the most word puzzles. I search every square inch of Google to come up with new options each year and then make copies for all of the adults in our family. We set a timer for 10 minutes and see who can solve the most. The winner gets the gift card, pretty simple and always provides LOTS of laughs.

In order to keep the playing field level, I'm not going to post tomorrow's puzzle. But, I will give you the one from last year (download HERE) in case you need something to fill the time with your family on Thanksgiving Day...or any other day for that matter.

Come back next week and I'll give you the answers.

More Moves Than Jell-O

2011-11-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that our boys love to dance. They are pretty reserved when other people are around but if you happen to catch them when no one is looking they get pretty wild.

I caught them in action this morning rockin' out to a little Toby Mac. Braeden looses interest pretty quickly but Brody and Brooks rock it to the end.

I'm not sure at what point I should be concerned that Brody can work his hips like that or that Brooks continues to scrub the ground.

White Elephant

2011-11-21T14:18:00.000-08:00

Let me just go ahead and clarify before I get started, no one has ever accused our family of being "normal." Due to that fact, you can imagine our holiday celebrations are often times a bit peculiar. For example, how many families do you know that have an Easter pinata? I rest my case.

One of our other "out of the ordinary" holiday traditions is the annual game of White Elephant. Each person brings a gift from home that they no longer need/want. The only rules are that the gift must be wrapped (a Publix bag tied tightly will suffice) and it can't cost any money.

We then use the "recycled" gifts to play Dirty Santa. Everyone comes away a winner....or maybe not every time.

Over the weekend I got my gift wrapped up and ready to go.

It is a rather interesting Thanksgiving tradition but I must say it has brought quite a few laughs

and even a few good gifts. No, Britten doesn't wear the shirt with the heart on it, he kept it for me.

Last year we sat out to go to New York but the year before that I won myself a bread machine. I'm hoping to bring home the gold this year...wish me luck!

Disguised Mercies

2011-11-20T04:33:00.000-08:00

Today my sister would have celebrated her 36th birthday, which in many ways begins an extremely difficult season for our family.

Today - November 20th: The day my sister was born. This world was blessed to celebrate the birth of this remarkable woman 34 times.

Thanksgiving - November 24th: One of my sister's favorite holidays. So many memories here, I am not even sure where to begin. It was always comical to watch her unexpectedly dominate the brain teaser games our family plays each year after Thanksgiving dinner.

December 16th: This, by far, is one of the worst days I've experienced thus far in my life. Words can't even begin to describe the heartache, hurt and painful memories that are deeply entangled within the detailes of that day. This is the day my sister was tragically killed in a two car accident, just a few days before Christmas.

Christmas: We still struggle through this amazing holiday and reflect on how much Mandy loved this time of year. A new normal may one day be found, but it still doesn't erase the pain of her not being here.

As you can clearly see, today begins a season in the lives of those who loved Mandy. A season that leaves us in a daily struggle as we remember the loss of life, the sadness of not having her around, the difficultly of her children not having their mommy, the void that is left due to her untimely death.

But the reality is we live in a very limited perspective. And I must remind myself of this often during this time of year. I have learned that a big part of the battle during this season is not to allow my limited perspective to trump God's eternal perspective.

Let me explain.

Yes, her Birthday is hard...really hard. But, she is more alive today than ever before. Yes, Thanksgiving is tough, but our hearts should be overflowing with thankfulness for the amazing work of grace in Mandy's life that gave her eternal life.

There is no doubt that the day of her death was one of the worst days of our lives. But from her perspective (an eternal perspective), it was the BEST day of her life. That was the day she met Jesus Christ face-to-face, the One who gave His life a ransom for her. That day she joined in with a multitude, doing what she loved doing, worshipping King Jesus. Not such a bad day for her!

And Christmas. It has been hard the past 2 years, and this one will be no different. But we must not forget that Christmas is the celebration of God coming to take away her sins and my sins and all of the sins of those who trust in Him.

So, my prayer on my precious sister's birthday, which begins a difficult season in my life and the lives of many others, is that we would remember her life and worship the One who redeemed that life and gives us hope, even on overwhelmingly sad days like today.

Native American Costumes

2011-11-19T06:03:00.000-08:00

I think it's safe to say you can't have a Tee-Pee without having ~~authentic~~ cheaply made Native American costumes.

A few of you have asked how I made the boys costumes so at the risk of you realizing I'm just a big fraud I'm going to share my little secret with you....hot glue.

You will need a pack of inexpensive brown pillow cases.

Fold the pillowcase in half and cut it like this at the end that is stitched shut to create arm holes and a place for the head. I also had to cut a few inches off of the open end of the pillowcase because it was too long on the boys and they said it looked like a dress. Who knew?

Open the pillowcase back up and cut a slit up just the front side to make it open like a jacket. I folded the front part of the jacket where I cut it open over and hot glued the edges to make a seam so it wouldn't unravel. Now cut one inch slits across the bottom to create fringe.

Given the fact that I have lots of spare pony beads lying around the house I let Braeden spend a ~~few hours,~~ ~~long time~~ little while threading beads on the end of his fringe. If you choose to put beads on yours I would recommend cutting the fringe a little bit smaller, ask me how I know.

I used the spare fabric I cut from the bottom of the pillowcase to make headbands by folding it the width of a ruler and you'll never guess...hot gluing it together. I can hear Martha Stewart cursing me as I type this. Oh, the shame.

~~Because I needed a few minutes to think without being interrupted by kids~~ I gave the boys a string and had them thread more beads on it to make a belt and tied it around their waist.

Now add a few necklaces, bracelets and headbands made from dyed pasta and in no time you'll have a few wild indians running around your house shooting each other. Note to self: I should have thought about that before I took on this project.

My plan was to paint Native American symbols on the outfits but by the time we were finished with the project I was D.O.N.E. and decided we could do without cute symbols but, if you add them to your project you'd win the mom of the year award.

Thanksgiving Story Bracelet

2011-11-17T16:27:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share a simple little craft to help your little one's remember the history of Thanksgiving. We made these today during our weekly co-op and I was surprised to see how much the kids retained as a result of the activity.

All you need is a small piece of elastic string and colored pony beads. A chenille stem or regular piece of string would also work but the elastic makes it easy to pull on and off.

While you tell the story (or read it from the paper) have the children put the beads on the string as you explain the meaning of each bead.

For those of you that may need a last minute Thanksgiving craft here are the instructions to print and send with your class (or in my case....your children.)

________________________________________________________

Ask me about my Thanksgiving Story Bracelet!!

Your child has created a bracelet to help him/her retell the story of the first Thanksgiving. Try to set aside a few minutes to listen as they recall the details they have learned. Below is a list of what each bead represents so you can help prompt your child if they get stuck.

Gold Bead: The Pilgrims left England for religious freedom.

White bead: They sailed on the Mayflower.

3 blue beads: They had a long trip across the ocean.

Green bead: Finally, they spotted land.

3 white beads: There was lots of snow during their first long winter.

Light green bead: Finally, spring arrived.

Brown bead: They met their friend, Squanto, who helped them a lot.

4 beads for the food at the first Thanksgiving:

Red= cranberries

Yellow= corn

Glittery Gold= turkey

Orange= pumpkins

Wondering Why Wednesday

2011-11-15T19:05:00.000-08:00

Another installment of "Wondering Why Wednesday..."

Why do my boys insist on opening every cabinet or drawer in the room?

Halloween Block Party

2011-11-11T19:47:00.000-08:00

One of the couples in our small group lives in an apartment complex that is home to many non-Christian families . We came up with the idea to host a Halloween Block Party at the complex in an effort to build relationships that would bless these families and hopefully lead to opportunities for us to share the love of Christ.

A few hours of brainstorming and we were in business.

We put together a flyer and met the Sunday before the block party to go to each door and invite the families.

The actual party was pretty simple. We brought a grill and served hot dogs, chips, drinks, cookies and muffins for lunch.

We scoured the internet for inexpensive games and decided on the following: face painting,

Halloween tattoos,

a craft station with color sheets & various Halloween crafts,

a shooting range with Nerf Guns (by far the most popular),

a candy corn drop,

toss the pumpkin in the hole

and a couple of corn hole boards.

The kids came to play games and win prizes (mainly candy) while the adults spent time eating and getting to know each other.

We had a wonderful turnout and were able to get to know several people in the complex. But that's not the best part... as a result of our block party we were given 2 separate opportunities to share the gospel and one couple in our small group has had dinner with another family in the complex just this week.

God was so gracious to use our time together as we sought to be a blessing to those in our city. We are incredibly blessed to have a community of Christ-following, people-loving, gospel-sharing folks to do life with!

Too Big Tee-Pee

2011-11-10T08:29:00.001-08:00

The past couple of weeks we've been in full force around here with the Thanksgiving spirit. We've paused our usual history lesson and exchanged it for a unit focused on the meaning of Thanksgiving and why we celebrate still today.

The past couple of years we've made a "Thankful Tree" and used it during family worship for the month of November to serve as a reminder of the many ways God has blessed our family and how thankful we are for each of them. After 2 years of the tree I sensed a need to mix it up a bit.

*enter my bright (and really big) idea*

Braeden and Brody have been enamored with Native Americans and can't get enough of the bow and arrow, headband, hunting, dancing sort of thing so I tried to think of a way to incorporate that into our family worship time.

I giggled while batting my eyelashes at Britten until he agreed to make a late night run to Lowe's for some PVC pipe. I then showcased my mad engineering skills (pun intended) by duck taping the four pipes together near the top. Aren't you impressed?

Once we sat the pipes up and spred them out to resemble a tee-pee we realized we'd done the same thing we've done in years past when buying a Christmas tree from the tree farm. The trees look so small in that big open field but when you get them in your living room they double in size. I promise these pipes didn't look that big at Lowe's. Yep, that is the ceiling fan you see.

Next I took a sheet and started pinning it around the pipes and hot gluing it in some places until my boys were bouncing off the wall and begging to crawl inside.

I used ribbon to tie the door flaps open because good gracious...it gets hot in there.

Braeden's craftiness got the best of him and he insisted on making flags. We used the extra scraps from the sheet to tie around the top. Um, excuse the fan blade.

We studied Native American symbols and used them to decorate the tee-pee. We decided to do family worship in/around the teepee and at the end of our time we all say one thing we are thankful for and draw it on the tee-pee using made up Native American symbols. You can imagine my delight when the first thing Braeden drew on the tee-pee was this.

And that made the "Too Big Tee-Pee" completely worth it.

Wondering Why Wednesday

2011-11-09T12:21:00.001-08:00

Another installment of "Wondering Why Wednesday..."

Why is there lotion smeared all over the mirror?

Photographers in Training

2011-11-07T12:34:00.001-08:00

The three older boys love to take pictures and have their picture taken. They are constantly asking me to take a picture of something they've done or a Lego creation they've made. I personally think God knew they would have a mom that was obsessed with documenting every little breath and looked favorably upon them.

Often times I load pictures from my camera or phone only to find a few I know the boys must have taken. Here are some of the latest.

I guess Brooks wanted a picture of his sandwich.

Yep, that's a close up of Squanto. Bet you can't guess what we are studying this week?

I'm guessing Brody was excited that he got to pick Space Buddies for Family Movie Night.

I think Brooks was pretending to do Shared Reading here...while standing on the table. That's nice.

A nice view from our upstairs window.

Just in case you wondered what our doors look like

or our sidewalk.

Judging from these pictures I'd say Braeden is usually the one behind the camera. What can I say, I guess he gets it honestly.

Secret Church Simulcast

2011-11-03T18:51:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we are hosting our first live Secret Church Simulcast here in our home. Our small group, along with a few others, are getting together for dinner, dessert and an amazing night of worship, prayer and time in the Word. To say I am giddy would be a massive understatement.

We've worked diligently this evening testing our internet connection, making sure the sound is working properly and plugging up the gizbillion wires that are ~~making my left eye twitch because they are unsightly and a major hazard in a home with four rowdy boys~~ running through my living room.

We've got the TV set up and ready to go.

We've got the study guides and pens prepped and waiting.

The offering basket is sitting on go (well you didn't think I would use an ugly offering basket did you?)

and my coffee pot is prepared to work over time as we dive into an intense night of study on the subject of Family, Marriage, Sex and the Gospel.

If you've never heard of Secret Church or been part of the live event/simulcast, you are truly missing out. Check out the promo video and do whatever you possibly can to catch the next one in April of 2012.

Secret Church 11 Promotional Video.

Face Painting

2011-10-29T11:52:00.001-07:00

Our small group has been working feverishly for the past few weeks putting together a Halloween Block Party in an apartment complex in Birmingham. The complex is home to several international families from Argentina to Kenya, diversity is an understatement. Our hope is to build relationships with some of the families that lead to opportunities to share the gospel but, I will tell you all about that later.

Our family is in charge of the face painting booth which gets the Taylor boys rather excited. This week I decided I needed to brush up on my face painting skills as well as make a poster of design choices. Luckily, I had three anxious participants who were more than willing to be my guinea pigs.

The Chattanooga Choo-Choo

2011-10-28T05:24:00.000-07:00

It could possibly be woven into the genetic makeup of every little boy but it certainly has proven true with mine...they love trains. All of my boys love trains so it was only fitting that we take a trip to Chattanooga when we learned that you could stay in a renovated train car.

There are tons of fun things to do in Chattanooga like the Tennesse Aquarium

Imax 3D Theatre

Incline Railway

and of course, Rock City.

But, I honestly think the three older boys could have stayed at our hotel climbing on old train cars and walking through the model train museum the entire weekend and been perfectly happy.

Excuse the blur at the bottom of the picture, Brody was so excited I couldn't get him to stay still for longer than .5 seconds.

Our time away with these two crazy kids was absolutely wonderful

and now that we know Chattanooga is only 2 hours away, we are looking forward to doing it again really soon.

Trick or Treat Bags

2011-10-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

When Braeden was just a tiny tot I decided to make him a trick-or-treat bag which meant as the other boys grew older they would get their turn. A couple of years back I helped Brody make his and today Brooks was thrilled to join the ranks of his big brothers.

He was giddy at the thought of painting his hand and kept screaming, "I pain! I pain!" Which would lead you to believe he was in some sort of pain but judging from this photo, I'd say he clearly is not.

Wondering Why Wednesday

2011-10-26T12:45:00.001-07:00

Another installment of "Wondering Why Wednesday..."

Why are all three of the older boys asleep in the baby bed?

Laundry Basketball

2011-10-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we had dinner with some friends who have seven children, the oldest 4 being girls. I sat and marveled as the girls finished cooking dinner, fixed plates for my children, fed the baby while I ate and cleaned up upon the completion of the meal.

We teach our boys to help out at home and contribute to the daily workings of a family of six but sometimes I have to remind myself that having a house full of rowdy boys means it's not going to look exactly the same...and I've got to be okay with that.

I was reminded of that this week when we geared up for a game of Laundry Basketball.

In order to get my boys excited about helping me with laundry I turn it into a game. When the clothes are finished washing I blow my imaginary whistle to signal the start of a new game. You can tell by the look on their faces that this is no light hearted competition.

I pull the laundry out of the washer one piece at a time and chunk it across the laundry room. The boys wrestle around to get it and see who can dunk it in the dryer for a point. There may or may not have been an occasion that the clothes needed washing again because they were drug across the floor a few hundred times.

I just know their future wives are going to one day graciously thank me for the stellar job I did teaching them to help with the laundry.

History for Little Pilgrims

2011-10-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

If I ever happen to stumble upon a home schooling resource I really enjoy I like to share it with others and I hope they will do the same with me.

This year for history we are using the following book.

I did not know anything about the book when I purchased it but I must say it's been a great fit for our little family.

The book is designed to be read aloud so it's a convienent excuse for me to curl up on the couch with Braeden under a blanket and snuggle...which happens to be my favorite way to teach. Heavenly.

The chapters are short enough to hold his attention but long enough to include some really useful information. If you want to take the lessons a bit further there are "Words to Know" listed at the end of each chapter that I have Braeden listen for one at a time. When he hears the word in my reading we stop and highlight it in our book. The concept isn't too fancy but it does wonders for his ability to listen to what is being read.

If you wanted to breeze through the book you certainly could considering it only contains 15 chapters each consisting of approximately 6-7 pages. For me, I like to chip away at the book a little at a time, which gives opportunity to digest small amounts before we move on to the next chapter. We usually take a week at a time for a chapter...sometimes longer.

At the end of each chapter you will find a Unit Review which could serve as an assessment if you're into that type of thing. There is also a fun activity like pretending to be an Israelite and taping red construction paper around your door frame to represent the blood of the lamb or building a castle out of Lego's when you study Europe and how the lord's (little L folks, no need to get your panties in a bundle) built castles to protect their people.

While there are several "animated" drawings it's balanced nicely with real photographs and maps that enhance the information in each chapter. I've been amazed at how much I've learned from this little book.

My favorite part about History for Little Pilgrims is that the entire story of history points to Christ by beginning with Creation and carrying you to His anticipated return. It certainly has a Biblical perspective and I personally can't think of any better way to begin laying the framework of history that our children will build upon for many years ahead.

What NOT To Do When Making Laundry Detergent

2011-10-16T14:41:00.000-07:00

A very dear friend recently shared a video with me on how to make your own laundry detergent. It sounded like lots of fun and I needed to do something to check off the "science" box on our home school report card so I decided to gather the boys for a little project.

I'm getting the post together to show you exactly what we did and share my thoughts on the whole sha-bang because a few of you have asked. But, because it's Sunday and my spare seconds are around 1.6 on any given Sunday, I'm going to make it short and sweet.

When you grate your Fels-Naptha to use in your detergent it's going to look like this. Yep, exactly like shredded cheese. In fact, it's going to look so much like shredded cheese that your middle child may walk by the kitchen counter and swipe himself a handful...despite the fact that he helped you grate "soap" just a few minutes ago.

Hypothetically speaking, if he ate a handful of soap it could possibly land his little hiney right on the bathroom counter like this. If the above had indeed happened I'm almost certain it would have resulted in lots of tears, spitting and drooling profusely while lying on the driveway calling for your mom who was across the culdesac running her mouth. But, in the end you would have been completely fine and your breath would have smelled like soap. I call that a win.

I'm just guessing that is how it all would have played out.

And, while I'm at it, I'll accept my mom of the year award for grabbing my camera while my 3yo was choking on soap. Good job mom, good job.

Paperback Swap

2011-10-13T12:24:00.000-07:00

I ruled out the idea of writing this post a long time ago because I assumed everyone already knew about Paperback Swap. But, after I posted here about Take Them a Meal and Perfect Potluck, I realized some of you are missing out on some seriously wonderful tools. Let me tell you about this little gem. Paperback Swap is a website that allows you to list used books that you no longer want. Other members can request your listed books and when a book is requested you simply mail it to that person using Media Mail. The sender is responsible for the postage which is usually fairly low. Once your book has been received you will earn one credit that can be used to request another book in the library. Even though the website is called Paperback Swap you can also swap text books, hardback books and audio books.

The really great thing about this site (in addition to the fact that it's free to use) is that all of the work can be done from your house without a single trip to the post office. I've been able to find lots of books I needed for homeschool curriculum and many others that I've just wanted to read.

So, what are you waiting for...get to swapping!

Wondering Why Wednesday

2011-10-12T05:28:00.000-07:00

Another installment of "Wondering Why Wednesday..."

Why is Brooks mopping the inside of the dryer?

I Am Second

2011-10-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

We have the privilege of having college students in and out of our home on a regular basis. One of the great things about having them around our boys is that we can be purposeful in asking those young men and women to share their story of salvation with our children.

Britten and I share how Christ saved us with our boys often....very often. But, sometimes it is good for our children to see that God works in the lives of other people in very powerful ways...not just mom and dad.

I recently found a wonderful website called I Am Second that contains numerous videos of men, women and even some children sharing their story of conversion. Some of the faces you may already know and some will be new to you.Our boys love to watch these stories and they make great tools to use during family worship. Some of our personal favorites are Bailee Madison, Jason Castro and Sam Bradford. However, as with anything else you would show your children, please watch them first and use your own judgement as to weather or not your kiddos are ready to hear them. Some of the stories contain subject matter that we weren't quite ready to address with our little guys.

The Puritan Pumpkin

2011-10-08T05:12:00.000-07:00

About this time each year we make a trip to the pumpkin patch and bring home a collection of bright orange pumpkins. We then research many different pumpkin carving patterns and the boys choose a favorite.

Some years the requests are simple: Two triangle eyes, a square nose and a mouth with only one tooth. Oh, I can totally rock that!Other times they choose patterns that are way too complicated (like Scooby-Doo) and leave my hands cramping and my knuckles bleeding. This year the boys wanted to do something different so their pumpkins would last a bit longer. After much discussion, they decided to paint them. We began the usual discussion of what we would paint and after ruling out a few options that were impossible to create, they went to work.I must say, the results turned out to be adorable. We ended up with a cat.A space alien.And my personal favorite, John Bunyan.For those of you wondering why our six year old chose a John Bunyan pumpkin, you must know that his Daddy reads Pilgrim's Progress to him and it's his favorite book. We also have the Torchlighter Biography DVD's and you guessed it, John Bunyan is his favorite.

Sidenote: We have the entire Torchlighter series but some of them our boys are not ready to see. If you choose to show them to your children, watch them first and use your own discretion...instead of mine.

Happy Fall Y'all!

Corn Salad

2011-10-06T19:18:00.000-07:00

After I had Breck a sweet friend brought us dinner and that same night I sat down to email her and ask for the recipe. In my opinion, those are always the best recipes you know, the ones you get from someone else because it tasted so good the first time around. With that being said, here is a new recipe for you to try.

2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 of a green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup red or white onion, chopped
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 bag Chili Cheese Frito's, crushed

Mix everything together except for the Frito's and refrigerate until ready to serve. Before serving, mix in Frito's.This makes a great companion to any type of Mexican food.

Wondering Why Wednesday

2011-10-05T13:09:00.001-07:00

Another installment of "Wondering Why Wednesday..."Why is there a bottle of strawberry syrup poured out on the living room rug?

Peace of Thread

2011-10-04T13:43:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my sweet hubby went to the Jesus in the Qur'an conference where they were selling these rockin' little messenger bags made by an organization called Peace of Thread.Side note: It did not have my name on it. I took it to my dear friend and she made it extra special for me.

Peace of Thread is a local non-profit organization that empowers women who have come to the United States seeking refuge from war, persecution and poverty to make a new life for themselves and their families. The women use recycled fabrics to make one of a kind accessories so no two bags are ever alike. How cool is that?

Although the bag has quickly become one of my favorites, the sweetest part of the gift was what I found when I reached down inside the bag. The name of the girl that worked so diligently on my bag in an effort to make a new life for herself after fleeing her own war torn country was written on a slip of paper and slipped ever so gently into my bag.

As I fingered the worn slip of paper I couldn't help but think of the stories Najah Ali would tell me if we could sit down over a cup of coffee. I wondered if anyone had ever shared Christ with her or did she still hold tightly to the teachings of Islam. I imagined what her family would be like. I found myself wondering if she missed her home and what it was like for her to leave everything that was familiar to her and start a new life in an unfamiliar place. Does she have children and if so, how was their transition to a new country? The questions began to mount as I let my mind slip off into the land of imagination.

In a matter of minutes my eyes began to fill with tears as I thought about the many changes this woman must have experienced as she sought to make a better life for herself. The reality of her life became extremely personal to me and I found myself wanting to know more about her and her journey to America. I know it sounds silly to most of you who will read this but for reasons I can't yet explain, this young woman became very real to me and my heart was burdened for her life.

Although I will probably never get the chance to meet Najah Ali, I have committed to pray for her each time I pick up my new bag and hope you will take a second to do the same as you finish reading this.

Preschool Activity Bag Swap

2011-10-03T14:06:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was invited to participate in a Preschool Activity Bag Swap. I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting into but a dear friend invited me and the offer of educational activities coupled with words like "label" and "homeschool" had me hooked in no time.

The organizer of the bag swap emailed my assignment and I quickly went to work making fifteen identical bags according to the instructions. My activity was "Let's Go Fishing" and required that I cut out ~~ten million~~ several foam fish and create a fishing pole using a magnet, dowel rod and ribbon. Paper clips were attached to each fish so the kiddos can go fishing and catch a fish using the magnet. The activity was designed to promote hand eye coordination but I decided to also add sight words so older children could catch a fish and then read the word.The directions gave specific instructions for how to package your bag and the directions that needed to be included.The massive hand cramps paled in comparison to the joy I experienced as I stood back to gaze at my masterpiece. Yep, fifteen completed bags just waiting to be distributed. I was joyful. All of the ladies got together over coffee and dessert to swap bags and I came away with 15 new activities to use with my little guys.The idea was taken from the book Preschool Activities in a Bag (there is a Book 1 & Book 2) and would even work for older children if the activities were adjusted just a bit. Overall, I think it was a great idea and worth the time I spent cutting out little foam fish until I achieved bloody knuckles.

I can't wait to grab some of my homeschool friends and do this again soon.

Fool Moon Risisng

2011-10-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

I came across one of my favorite books for children this week, Fool Moon Rising, and wanted to share it with you. My two older boys adore this book and ask me to read it to them often. The illustrations are incredible but pale in comparison to the true message of the story. I seriously have cried multiple times while reading it to my boys as the story describes how understanding the greatness of God transforms proud hearts into humble ones.

Wondering Why Wednesday

2011-09-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

Another installment of "Wondering Why Wednesday..."Why is Brooks using the Bruster's table as an ice cream holder?

Goldfish {or more appropriately, That's What I Get For Being Gone For 2 Days}

2011-09-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

It's not often that I get away and leave the boys here at the house with Britten for an entire weekend. But, when I heard this conference was coming to Birmingham I decided to count the cost and give it a go. While I'm on that subject I must say if this conference happens to make it to your town in 2012, you need to go. All kidding aside, grab some of your girlfriends and go. It was an incredible weekend filled with laughs, tears, encouragement, conviction and lots of fun with some really precious friends. I would love to show you pictures but I purposely left my camera at home in order to be fully attentive to what the Lord wanted to show me during our time and I'm so thankful I did. I'm still basking in my thoughts and reflections of the entire weekend.

Needless to say, when I came back home it looked as if a bomb had gone off in my house but that was not the only present awaiting my return. When I woke up on Sunday morning I found these little guys staring at me.Oh yes ma'am, that is three...count em'...three live goldfish. The boys went to a birthday party that included an animal show put on by the folks from Ed's Pet World. As ~~an act of cruel and unusual punishment~~ a token of appreciation for coming to the party each of my boys got to bring home a goldfish. Luckily, Breck was too young to mutter the phrase, "I want one!" so we escaped with three rather than four. Whew!

Now, don't you animal activist worry your pretty little heads. Despite the fact that I've previously confessed my ~~mild hatred~~ slight disapproval for all things animal related, I'm not an animal killer. In lieu of heeding the advice of friends and neighbors to flush those bad boys while my kiddos were sleeping I decided to take a more heartfelt approach and give them a home. I am however secretly plotting my revenge. The hostess of the party (and you know who you are) is likely to get a very pregnant dog that was picked up outside the local Wal-Mart dropped off at her front door with a big bow tied around it's neck and a tag that says, "Happy Belated Birthday!!!"

What Women Fear

2011-09-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

I must first apologize for yet another book recommendation, it seems like I've been doing a lot of that latel y but this one was just too good to pass up.

Before I get into the book, I have a confession to make. When I made the decision to purchase What Women Fear it was only because I like Angie Smith, her blog and her writing. Her story is gripping, gut wrenching and most importantly a glorious testimony of God's all sufficient grace in the midst of suffering. With all that being said, I bought the book as more of a, "Way to go Angie!"My intent was to plop the book on the shelf and get around to it after I'd read through the mile long list of other books that beckon to me daily, "Come read me Brook! Pick me next!" What??? You mean, books don't do that to you? Oh, I guess I'm the weird once again...no surprise there.

Moving right along.

I watched the book trailer and thought it was interesting. I read the chapter headings and decided it was probably a nice little book and then I put it away on my shelf for several reasons but mainly because I'm not a woman that struggles with fear.

I do not Google illness and self diagnose, I'm at peace with the fact that God saved me from a wretched past (and I'd love to share that story with you someday), death has violently shaken our family and Job 1:21 still rings true, I don't find myself wondering, "What if?" about decisions I've made or the way life has turned out. But, I would be sure to recommend the book to "those people" that do struggle with fear.

I glossed through the introduction and attempted to toss the book into the "someday pile" but after a solitary turn of the page I was completely enamored. I could not tear myself away. I found that I would read it while my boys were at PJ Storytime, or sneak a few pages while I waited to weigh in at the weekly Weight Watchers meeting, while I was nursing the baby and even while I sat for a few seconds at a red light.

Angie has an ability to gracefully address issues that women play over and over in our minds but would never let escape from our lips and then she calls them exactly what they are...fear. Her book caused me to search the deepest corners of my heart and take an honest look at the millions of thoughts that run through my head each day that I fail to take captive and make obedient to Christ.

Why do I strive so desperately for perfection? Why does it bother me when I'm not part of the conversation or when I'm not invited? Why do I struggle to say that itty-bitty word...no? Why do I write a blog post/email and read it a hundred times over and then have Britten come behind me and read it just one more time? Why do I give my boys "the talk" before we go just about anywhere? Why do I say my son is only 3 months old in an effort to justify my stomach not being as flat as I'd like? Why do I let my mind go to the darkest place when one of my boys sleeps a bit longer than normal? Why do I compare myself to....everyone? Why do I research things to death in my quest to be informed and prepared? Why do I feel the need to explain to my homeschooling friends why some of my children go to a class at church instead of my lap on Sunday mornings? Why am I so enslaved to a plan, structure and routine? Why do I stake my reputation as a mom on the slight chance one of my boys will slip up and say they've watched Kung Fu Panda 2? Why do I feel like my past will always make me the girl who "barely" squeaked into the club? Why you ask...because it turns out I'm a bit fearful after all.

I'm completely open to the idea that it could be the season of life I find myself in as I type this post. I know how certain things impact a person based on what they are currently walking through but I feel confident that not a single woman will read all 209 pages of this book and not walk away changed.

It's good stuff I tell you, good stuff.

Wondering Why Wednesday

2011-09-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

Another installment of "Wondering Why Wednesday..."Why is there an entire bottle of fish food poured in the fish tank?

A Gentle Reminder

2011-09-20T19:24:00.000-07:00

There are often times when I feel as if I'm whizzing through my day teaching, training, shepherding & pouring gospel truth into a bunch of people who are less than interested in what I'm saying.

You know what I mean. I would dare to say that all mothers experience those times when you are pouring your heart out to your children only to have them say, "Yes ma'am....can we watch a TV show now?"

Or while you're trying to explain what a widow is and why we should care for them and they lose focus because they are enamored with the fact that the toilet water at church is blue and now they can't hear what you're saying.

Yes, we were having that conversation while a child was relieving himself. Welcome to our world.

Or my personal favorite, "Mom, after I ask the Lord to forgive me for hitting my brother can I go get an Oatmeal Cream Pie?" Oh, gracious!

But, on the rare occasion when the Lord chooses to show me that the work I'm doing is in fact making a difference, it's a sweet reminder.

It encourages me to not grow weary (Galatians 6:9) and helps me get up in the morning and do it all over again the next day.

This week God was so gracious to gently remind me of that truth through a little note Braeden wrote during family devotions.For those of you that haven't sharpened your phonetic reading skills it says, "God is faithful. God always keeps His promises."

And oh, gracious girls....yes, He does!

It's In The Bag...Brody's Turn

2011-09-19T17:09:00.000-07:00

Nearly two years ago I wrote a post about Braeden earning his red bag at church. You can go here to read the explanation of the bag.

A few weeks ago it was Brody's turn. He was anxious to achieve the same accomplishment as his older brother and worked very hard to conjure up the courage he needed to share his verses. The memorization part came fairly easy for Brody but having the courage to say the verses out loud, well that's another story.

He quoted the following verses to his small group leader and emerged from his class that afternoon with a smile that lit up the entire hallway.

-In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

-Jesus said to him you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:37-39

-Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Ephesians 6:1

-For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19:10

-I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go into the house of the Lord." Psalm 122:1 We're so proud of you little guy and pray often that the verses you hide in your heart at this young age will be used to transform your heart in the years to come.

The Lemonade Stand

2011-09-17T19:14:00.001-07:00

For a while now Braeden has been begging to set up a lemonade stand but the sweltering heat collided with an overly scheduled couple of months and resulted in a whole lot of, "Not today," "Maybe next week," and even an occasional, "Go ask your dad." I know most of you would NEVER deny your child the right to a wonderful bonding moment over a make shift lemonade stand in the warm summer sunshine on a beautiful August day in Alabama but for some reason I just didn't have it in me. However, my Braeden is a bit on the persistent side and did not tire of making his requests known to me.

A couple of weeks ago I gave in and told him he could certainly have a lemonade stand if he got everything completely ready and set up all by himself. I was hoping the size of the task at hand would deter him but before I could blink he had made this and climbed himself up on the counter to make a pitcher of Crystal Light.Great, I guess that means we're having a lemonade stand after all. My little entrepreneur had himself a nice set up in no time. In an effort to redeem the time I ~~made~~, ~~forced~~, highly encouraged him to use his lemonade stand as a way to serve our neighborhood with the Gospel. I mean after all, if I've got to stand out in this 100 degree heat we're at least going to do it for God's glory. I'm sure the Lord was delighted with my attitude but I'm just being transparent with you here.

I remembered we had recently ordered a pack of The Story booklets so I pulled them out of the drawer and had Braeden hand them out to his customers.

In no time he was in business. He made $12.00 in a couple of hours which I was sure he would want to give to foreign missions or feed a starving child in Africa but the money was burning a hole in his pocket so he decided to spend it on this.I guess we'll have to work on that another day.

The Story Booklet & Iphone App

2011-09-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

We recently ordered a pack of booklets called The Story.These little booklets tell the complete story of the Gospel and are a wonderful tool for helping you walk through Creation, the Fall, the Rescue and the Restoration with believers and unbelievers.

I keep a few in my purse, my car and around our house and have found they are an excellent resource to give to your waiter/waitress at a restaurant, hand out to neighbors and even share with your kiddos.

Go here to read the complete booklet and while you're at it, go here and order a few.

And for those of you that prefer to geek out with your iphone, there is a free app that allows you to walk through the entire booklet right on your phone. Now, it just doesn't get any better than that.

Wondering Why Wednesday....on Thursday!

2011-09-15T12:05:00.000-07:00

Because my head has been in a complete fog for the past three days I totally forgot it was Wednesday until I sat down to write this post and realized today was Thursday. Oops! Let's just be excited that we are one day closer to the weekend than I initially realized. And tonight is date night with Britten "too incredible for words" Taylor so it's all good. Right?

But, because I've found myself wondering why a whole lot lately....here ya' go.

Another installment of "Wondering Why Wednesday..." Why is there a Nerf dart balanced on the baby's head?

Flat Top Grille

2011-09-13T11:51:00.001-07:00

I mentioned in another post that I would tell you how seven of us went to Flat Top Grille and ate for free and today I'm making good on my promise.

We chose Flat Top Grille because it was new but didn't realize exactly how new it was. We walked through the door only for the hostess to tell us the restaurant was not yet open. Bummer! But, she followed it up with, "If you're willing to give us some feedback your meal will be free." Let me think for a second....YES! So here it is...feedback.

Let me begin by telling you how the process works. After you've been seated your waitress will bring you a stick to write your name on (a label, if you will, to make my heart thump with joy) and this nifty little contraption that holds two bowls. Then you are directed to a never ending selection of rice, noodles and every fresh vegetable you could possibly imagine...even a few you may not know exist. First you choose either white or brown rice and place it in the black bowl. You can get as much or as little as you like. Then you go down the rows of noodles and veggies and add whatever suits your fancy. Seriously, whatever you want and as much or little as you like of it. The rice, noodles and veggies all go in the black bowl pictured above.

Sidenote: for a set price you get to create one dish and for a few dollars more you get to go back as much as you like. An all you can eat stir-fry buffet if you will.

Next, you slide on down to the sauce selection and top off your black bowl with 3 or 4 ladles of whatever homemade sauce you like. You can choose 4 of the same or mix them up to make any combination you like. They have everything from the common red hot chili sauce and ginger sauce to the out of the ordinary like garlic water and spicy lime basil sauce. Once your black bowl is filled exactly like you want it you choose from several meat selections and place them in the red bowl. I must say the sight of all that raw meat was less than appealing and I'm not exactly sure how they handle the whole cross contamination thing but I'm sure you could ask the staff and they could explain. Once you've chosen your meat you put it in the red bowl. Now you can choose colored sticks to customize your stir-fry or add any of the other things seen in the picture. For example, I wanted Roti Prata Bread (a type of bread I grew to love on our recent trip to Malaysia) served with mine so I grabbed a blue stick and stuck it in my stir fry. Now that you've created the perfect stir-fry, you hand it off to the chefs who are working feverishly behind a monster sized grill.Once your creation is complete it will be delivered to your table. I loved that the waitress came to the table and said "Brook?" rather than stating the name of the dish and waiting on someone to claim it. Cheesy? Yes, but it made it kind of personal for me. I'm a dork, we've established that fact long ago. So, what are my thoughts on the place? Well, I'm so glad you asked. Overall, I really liked the Flat Top Grille. My food was yumm-a-lish and since I'm currently doing Weight Watchers I loved the fact that I could keep the calorie count down by loading up on veggies and brown rice. I also thought this would be a great option for people with food allergies or gluten intolerance because they can customize their dish.

The experience itself is a lot of fun. I don't know of another place like it and I enjoyed being able to create my own dish and have it delivered to the table. The atmosphere is trendy and the wait staff was very patient with our 6,000,000 questions. They explained every vegetable, every sauce, every noodle, the process of creating your dish, suggested possible combinations after we'd told them our likes and dislikes and patiently reassured us each and every time we asked, "You mean all of our food is really free?"

The down side of it all is that if you aren't careful you could really mess up your food by mixing up some yucky combination. There are choices GALORE so if decision making isn't your strong point you should stick to the menu. Which brings me to my next point. One suggestion we were going to give is the need for a few recipes to follow in case you aren't comfortable creating a unique stir-fry but when we looked on the table we realized there was a menu that gave recipes for several familiar dishes like Kung Pao Chicken and Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps. Problem Solved.

Secondly, it's more of a date night place and not a "bring the whole crew" type of establishment. Kids 4 and under eat free (Points for that!) but otherwise it's a little pricey for a family dinner out.

Overall, I can't wait to go again. Britten and I are in the process of planning a date night and I bet you'll never guess where we are going for dinner.

Books To Have On Your Shelf

2011-09-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

I do realize that I blog about books a lot. A whole lot.

First there was the whole "Bookworm Post", then just last week I told you about Francis Chan's books for children and now here I am at it again today. Please forgive me, reading is a favorite hobby of mine so just bear with me.

Last week I ordered these two books from SojournKids (a great website by the way) and this week when they arrived I was super pleased to add them to the Taylor Family Bookshelf. This week only the books are 25% off at Westminster Bookstore which brings them to the whopping total of $3.74 each and that's less than a trip to the Cupcake Truck.

Grandparent's Day Gift

2011-09-08T20:44:00.000-07:00

Grandparent's Day is this Sunday and I usually try to have the kiddos make something to celebrate the wonderful grandparents the Lord has given them.

Last year we made these.

This year we decided to do something a little different. I found a few jars around the house and ran them through the dishwasher.

I squirted some paint inside the jar, replaced the lid and let the boys go to town shaking the jar until the inside was completely coated.

We used these colors because I already had the paint here at the house but any color would work. When the inside was dry we used white paint to make hand prints on the outside of the jar.

Tie a coordinating ribbon (again, what I already had at the house) around the top of the jar and fill it with artificial flowers you snagged on clearance for 70 cents a bunch at Michael's and you've got yourself an absolutely adorable gift for next to nothing.

Wondering Why Wednesday

2011-09-07T14:28:00.000-07:00

Another installment of "Wondering Why Wednesday..."

Why is there a yellow M&M floating in the bottom of the toilet?

It Works For Me: The Lucky Duck

2011-09-05T13:35:00.000-07:00

It probably never happens at your house but around here it goes something like this.

"Mom, can I pray?"

"No, I would like to pray."

"Can we watch Bob the Builder?"

"I want to watch Mighty Machines."

"I would like oatmeal for breakfast."

"Let's have muffins this morning."

"Can we hear number five on the blue Seeds CD?"

"I want to hear number 12."

Okay, maybe that's a tad bit of an exaggeration...maybe not. Regardless, my point is that we ~~always~~, ~~usually~~, ~~consistently~~ occasionally have trouble getting all of the kiddos on the same page when it comes to decision making.

I am in complete and total agreement with the fact that you should teach your children to put others first and to serve one another. Heck, I'd even give you the green light to tattoo Philippians 2:3 on their foreheads to serve as a visual reminder. But, let's just be honest, sometimes you need a simple way to keep the peace in your home on the days you don't have time for a Gospel presentation complete with a song of benediction.

To keep the peace around The House of Too Many B's we use the Lucky Duck system.

Because the smell of lamination get's my adrenaline pumping, (and I'm a complete nerd) I made a chart to hang on the fridge.

I printed each child's name, laminated them and attached a velcro dot to the back. We rotate the boy's names daily. When it's your day to be the "Lucky Duck" you are the decision maker among the kiddos resulting in a lot less bickering.

My hubby would love nothing more than to see the name changed from "lucky" to a more theologically sound word such as "blessed" or "Sovereignly Chosen." His personal choice would probably be along the lines of "Predetermined Before The Foundation of The World" but I decided to keep it quite simple, "Lucky."

It's not rocket science, nor is it earth shattering. But hey....it works for me.

Francis Chan's Children's Books

2011-09-02T05:47:00.000-07:00

I love sharing resources we use for family worship in our home.

Because of that, I get simply giddy when I come across something I think will help connect the dots swirling around in the minds of my boys.

I'd like to introduce you to Francis Chan's collection of books for children.

You can get a better deal by ordering all 3 together.

Go here to watch the trailer for the Big Red Tractor, or Ronnie Wilson's Gift.

Wondering Why Wednesday

2011-08-31T12:49:00.001-07:00

Another installment of "Wondering Why Wednesday..."Why is there a medicine dropper in the fish tank?

Hangin' with the Girls

2011-08-30T08:40:00.000-07:00

Last week our small group of girls got together for a night out. No hubbies, no diaper bags, no high chairs, no kids meals. Just the girls and it was good stuff, really good stuff.

Let me introduce you to the girls I do life with each week and treasure dearly in my heart. The back row is Amelia, Kari, Haley and Celeste. The front row is Julie, Sybil and of course, me. This group of women is so diverse yet knit together by the fact that we are sisters in Christ. There's a teacher, a physical therapist, home school mama's, a Physician's Assistant (almost done with school), a Marketing Director for a ultra cute children's clothing store and a missionary wife and mom who recently moved back to the states. Our marriages range from eight months to 10+ years and we have a total of 13 kids ages 12 weeks to 8 years with another on the way. (Although 2 of them have yet to begin the journey of motherhood)

Our lives look so very different from the outside looking in but the reality that God has uniquely formed this group and brought us together for the sake of His Gospel is completely undeniable. I could write an entire post about these women and how each one of them has been used in a different way to encourage me and somehow shape my life but I'll save that for another day.

We had dinner at the Summit's new Flat Top Grille which was an experience worthy of a it's own blog post. But for now I'll just say my food was yumma-lish and completely 100% free. I'll have to tell that story later. Overall this place was a lot of fun and I can't wait to go back.After 7 free entrees, 7 free drinks and 2 free desserts we waddled ourselves over to the theater to see this.Oh gracious, girl! I have no words. If you haven't seen it, you need to...and bring some Kleenex.

Thank you ladies for a much needed night out and hubbies for giving us the night off. I love each of you and look forward to seeing what God has in store for our group.

Strawberry Triple Chocolate Pizza

2011-08-29T12:02:00.000-07:00

There is really no way to describe this dessert other than absolutely SINFUL but oh, so DIVINE!

My sweet grandmother B.J. (yes, that's what we call her. When my sister was born she said she was too young to be called Granny) has perfected this recipe by tweeking the original Pampered Chef version. She made it recently for my baby sprinkle and so many people asked for the recipe that I decided to post it here.

Take your cookie dough and do the best you can to roll it into a circle. I put it on my baking stone but a round cookie sheet would work as well. This part was a little tricky but mainly because I'm a perfectionist and need to seek therapy. Bake it according to the recipe and let it cool. Next, mix up your cream cheesy, white chocolatey, sugary concoction of yumminess and spread it over the now cooled cookie. At this point you could add any kind of fruit you like for the topping but I personally like the strawberries flying solo. Blueberries definately deserve honorable mention. Then melt your chocolate chips and drizzle them over the top. I put my melted chocolate in a Ziploc bag and snipped a tiny corner off to make it look all cute. See?
Now, I would suggest you slip it in the fridge for a bit and don't tell anyone you made it. Then, when the kids go to bed you can eat it all by yourself. I'm sure none of you would EVER think to do that so if you decide to share, it serves a lot of folks.

Here are the details:
1 package (18 oz) refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
2 squares (1 oz each) white chocolate for baking
2 tablespoons milk
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup thawed, Cool Whip
12-16 strawberries, cut in half
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350. Shape cookie dough into a ball and place in center of round stone. Roll dough to a 12-inch circle, about 1/4 inch thick. Bake 12-15 minutes or until edges are set. (Cookie will be soft. Do not overbake.) Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes. Carefully loosen cookie from baking stone; (not as easy as it sounds) cool completely on baking stone.

Place white chocolate and milk in a bowl. Microwave on high 1 minute; stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Microwave an additional 10-20 seconds if necessary. Cool slightly. In another bowl, combine cream cheese and powdered sugar; mix well. Gradually stir in white chocolate mixture; mix until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over cookie. Arrange strawberries and whatever else you like over cream cheese mixture.

Place chocolate chips and vegetable oil in a bowl; microwave uncovered, on HIGH 30 seconds or until chocolate is melted and smooth. Drizzle over fruit. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Cut into wedges.

A Simply "Dreamy" Fieldtrip

2011-08-26T12:16:00.001-07:00

One of the many things I love about home schooling our children is that it allows me to turn everyday events into learning. I mean lets just be honest, when you've got your little people with you every second of the day, there are lots of educational opportunities that may arise.

This morning we finished up school and I took a second to skim through my Twitter feed only to find that the Dreamcakes Cupcake Truck was going to be on our side of town. ~~Mama really, really needed her cupcake fix~~ I knew the boys would enjoy a special treat but I also thought this would be a great field trip.

*Operation "Make This An Educational Experience" Begins Now*

I gathered the little chicks around the computer and under the watchful eye of Mama Hen we navigated our way to the Dreamcakes Bakery website and the Tweet announcing the cupcake menu for the truck. We then read the truck menu while referring back to the bakery website to find details of the cupcake titles we were uncertain of. Who knew the "Lunch Lady" was a butter cake with strawberry jam filling & iced with peanut butter buttercream?

Next, we did what any ~~mom with a horrible sweet tooth~~ good field trip coordinator would do. I loaded all four boys in the van and we headed to the truck.Seriously, they start squealing the minute the truck is in sight. The boys have an unspoken competition going to see who will be the first to spot the truck.

Brody and Brooks start shouting out their cupcake selection the second I read the menu from the computer but Braeden likes to mull over the decision. We read the menu at home, he thinks about it on the drive and then when we get there, he likes to go over the chalkboard menu one. more. time. In case you haven't figured it out already, Braeden is my thinker. After we've made a final decision I cut off my right arm and hand it to Mr. Cupcake in exchange for the four we've just selected. O.K., not really but they are $3.50 a cupcake so it's a special and rare occasion. Here are today's choices: Curious George for Brooks (banana cake with peanut butter icing and banana candy for decoration) Over the Moon for me (white velvet cake, vanilla cream filling, vanilla bean icing and white chocolate curls), Peanut Butter Cup for Brody (Chocolate cake filled with a chocolate peanut butter ganache, topped with a peanut butter icing, drizzled with chocolate ganache and garnished with a peanut butter cup candy) and Red Velvet Cake for the thinker in the family.We headed back home with our treasures hidden in a cute little bakery box.Upon arrival we had a quick math lesson explaining how mommy is going to cut 1/4 off of each cupcake and eat it because she bought them all. Mission Accomplished.

What is the Gospel?

2011-08-25T20:48:00.001-07:00

The reality of these words flood my eyes with tears.

Wondering Why Wednesday

2011-08-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

Another installment of "Wondering Why Wednesday..."Why is there an ENTIRE PAN of lasagna on the kitchen floor?

Still Reaching

2011-08-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

For today I do not have time to go into the history of it all, maybe someday. I'd love to sit down over a Skinny Vanilla Latte and piece together the puzzle for you. I'd love even more to tell you that it's all coming into focus now...but I can't. And the reason I can't is because I'm still not even sure myself what the Lord is orchestrating as He dances over me but, that's not the focal point of this post.

I've learned over the last year that sometimes it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. And oh, oh how much this journey has taught me. I was reminded today of the fact that when God seems painfully distant, it's so very critical that I keep reaching for Him like a child reaching to be held. When I want so desperately to hear from Him but can't seem to drowned out the rest of the noise, He still hears the voiceless cry of my heart. When everything in me longs desperately for direction, clarity and ~~a pdf file precisely mapping out my next 10 years in bullet form~~ security, He is faithful to His Word and promises to uphold me with His righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

But today, in this single moment...God is real, so tangible, so close and I'm rejoicing greatly in that truth.

Life With Boys

2011-08-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

I did not anticipate it, but this blog has really helped me to see how ~~interesting,~~ ~~exciting,~~ just plain wacky our life really can be at the "House of Too Many B's". I used to think being a mom of little one's was like this for everyone until you all began graciously sharing your comments with me. Thank you for opening my eyes to the truth.

I've mentioned before that life with boys is rather exciting and often times sanctifying but lately I seem to be reminded of that truth quite often. I'm so thankful that God has graciously chosen me for the task at hand and can't really imagine life any other way. But, there are times when I just need to take a deep breath and ask God for grace...much grace.

Like, when the temperature outside is anywhere between 45 and 90 degrees and my boys want to stay outside all. day. long. By the time I pull the last little piglet from the tub, the water looks like this.Gross, right? Oh, and as if the murky brown water isn't enough. Look what happens when I let it all out. Now that is just pure nastiness people.

Or when they decide to use the couch as a trampoline, resulting in mama getting to fulfill her lifelong dream of being a nurse and super gluing the puncture wound. Or when I have to use the phrase, "Please get down and don't climb up there again" five times before we even sit down for breakfast.And when black eyes are the norm.But, seriously, who do I think I'm kidding? We all know that being the only pink in a house of blue has LOTS of hidden advantages.And that's worth every single trip to the ER.

Wondering Why Wednesday

2011-08-17T09:15:00.001-07:00

Another installment of "Wondering Why Wednesday..." Why is there a plastic butcher knife in our bed?

The B Taylors: A Random Coincidence

2011-08-16T13:31:00.001-07:00

Okay, so the other day a blog post popped up in Britten's Google Reader with the heading "The B Taylors." Assuming it was my latest ramblings, he clicked on the post to find this.In case you haven't already figured it out; despite the super cool fohawk, the rhinestone jeans and the 2 year old with gelled up hair....that's not us. It just so happens that they are the "B Taylors" and she is a stay at home mom as well. What a small world.

Still not sure how a random blog post from Utah ended up in Britten's reader but I thought it was a fun coincidence.

A Little Excitement [Animal Lovers Beware]

2011-08-14T13:55:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Britten was outside working in the backyard and I was putting the three little guys down for naps. Just as I was laying the last weary head to rest, Braeden crashed through the door announcing there was a snake in the backyard. I was a bit skeptical because I'm a boy mom and this would not have been the first time they've tried the ol' "There's A Snake" trick.

After a few basic questions (and noticing the absolute joy in Braeden's eyes) I was convinced he was serious and headed outside to check it out for myself. This is what I saw. It's at this point I should tell you that Britten and I are both terrified of snakes. Call us fraidy cats, chickens, pansies...whatever you choose and it still won't change the fact that we are scared silly when it comes to snakes. Blame it on Genesis 3.

We decided the beast must die and I headed to the garage to pick my poison. Hmmm, Round Point Shovel? Classic Garden Rake? Fiberglass Pruning Shears? So many choices. What's a girl to do?

I chose the shovel and bolted to the backyard to present Britten with the murder weapon. About that time Braeden came through the back gate wearing his cowboy boots, carrying his Field Guide to North American Rept iles and murmuring something about finally having a pet. A PET?!? WHAT?!?! Did this kid really think we were going to keep a snake?

We tried to explain to him why keeping the snake was a bad idea but before I could blink I found myself rummaging around the attic searching for a cardboard box. Not really sure of the exact point my sanity went flying out the kitchen window but it obviously did. After five or six attempts to get the ~~spawn of Satan~~ snake in the box we decided it just wasn't going to happen and went back to plan A: Kill The Snake.

We told Braeden we were going to have to kill the snake and that he and I should go inside while Daddy "did the deed." With tears in his eyes, he held my hand as we walked back inside. A few minutes later Britten came inside to announce that the snake had somehow gotten away.

So, all of you animal lovers that were upset because we were going to kill a harmless snake, you can breathe easy. On the other hand, all of you folks who still have an ounce of sanity when it comes to this kind of thing, we'd love to have you over for dinner so your kids can play in our backyard.

Wondering Why Wednesday

2011-08-10T07:13:00.001-07:00

Another installment of "Wondering Why Wednesday..."
Why is there a dinner roll in the bottom of your Gatorade?

Restoration Academy: Addressing the Urban Crisis

2011-08-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to even attempt to give you the full background of Restoration Academy, I would do it a terrible injustice. But, I will give you the skinny.

Fairfield is an area of Birmingham, Alabama that is characterized by high crime, violence and many low income families. With a mission to provide a private, quality and Christ centered education to predominately low income families Restoration Academy relocated to Fairfield in 1999. In an effort to follow the example set forth by Christ who "became flesh and dwelt among us" half of the current staff live within a two mile radius of the school.

Britten and I had the privilege of attending the Restoration Academy Informational Luncheon a while back and were deeply moved by what God is doing through the ministry of RA and its staff. It is a story that radiates the glory of Christ and worth you going here to read all about it.

The Spirit of the Game from Matt Minor on Vimeo.

It Works For Me: Pajama Hooks

2011-08-04T07:14:00.000-07:00

Laundry is a big issue around here...I mean a BIG issue. What I really mean is that we have A LOT of it which makes it an issue that requires a lot of my time and attention.

I try to take simple steps to cut down the amount of time I spend in the laundry room by using sorting bins and even an occasional splurge on the all in one laundry sheets but at the end of the day we still seem to dirty up a whole bunch of clothes.

The boys have "usually" (using the term loosely here) had baths before they put on their pj's and they take them off right after breakfast so they are "relatively" (loosness again here folks) clean. To encourage them to wear the same pajamas a few consecutive days I've placed sticky hooks in their closets with name labels above them. Don't laugh at the fact that I used name labels, my inner homeschool mom thought it would help the little people with name recognition. Each morning when they take off their PJ's I remind them to hang them on the hooks. That evening when they go to put them back on they are in the closet ready to go.

Before the hooks I attempted to teach them to fold their PJ's neatly and place them back in the drawer but eventually learned the hard way that they do more harm than good when they go diving into the pajama drawer. Having their pajamas in an easily accessible location has helped when the boys have a sitter and allowed me to maintain an ounce of sanity.

It's not rocket science, nor is it earth shattering. But hey....it works for me.

Wondering Why Wednesday

2011-08-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

Another installment of "Wondering Why Wednesday..."

Why did I ask Brooks to put his shorts on by himself?

This Calls for a Celebration

2011-08-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

I'm a little hesitant to actually say it but it looks like we are out of the woods with the whole stomach virus thing.

Braeden on Friday, Brody on Saturday and Brooks running a fever on Sunday. Fortunately, Brooks never got too bad just a few "less than desirable" diapers and a low grade fever.

After spending a few days cooped up in the house with a carpet shampooer we needed to venture out. We loaded up the boys for a little celebration. Of course, they picked their favorite place. The boys always want to do the arcade first and this time was no exception. Braeden chose the first game of the night, Britten swiped the card and then this happened.Yep! Braeden won 500 tickets on the very first game he played. Can't you see the excitement on his face?The rest of the night was spent trying to recreate the experience, which did not happen. But look at the bright side, we got out of the house and the boys spent $20 on arcade games and walked away with three plastic swords and a handful of Tootsie Rolls.

Another One Bites the Dust

2011-07-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

I could almost hear the music playing in the background as Brody stumbled into our bedroom at 1:30 this morning.

"Dunt-dunt-dunt....another one bites the dust."

I sprang out of bed as the all too familiar, "Mom, I'm not feeling good....." jolted me into high gear.

I'll spare you the gory details but lets just say the bug has now bitten sweet Brody.

I'm not sure exactly how he made it 3 months shy of his fourth birthday and has never had the stomach bug but, I am sure that it made for an interesting early morning lesson on "how to make sure you hit the target." I'm going to phrase it like that because I don't want to hear your 3P stories (pee, poop and puke)and I'm sure you don't want to hear mine either. The good news: This guy is back to his usual old self so hopefully Brody will be up and running by this evening.

A Friday Afternoon Riddle

2011-07-29T10:51:00.000-07:00

Put the four following picture clues together to figure out what's going on at the house of Too Many B's on this Friday afternoon.

Clue #1 = a rather large pile of laundry containing bed sheets, rags and towels.Clue #2 = An ECONOMY size bottle of carpet cleaner.Clue #3 = One of the best Mother's Day presents I've ever received, a carpet shampooer. (On a totally different note, I think all women should receive a carpet shampooer when they become mothers. It would even be nice if the hospital gave them away as parting gifts b/c between the spit up, potty training and sickness, you're going to need it.)Clue #4 = The most adorable 6 year old in the world taking a nap in the middle of the day. Give up yet? Or, have you already guessed it?

Yes ma'am....the stomach bug has caught our big boy. He's been up since 3:30 this morning and at 12:45 this afternoon he still can't keep anything down and now is running a fever. Oh, how my heart breaks for him. Not only does he feel terrible but I just shared the news that we had to cancel tonight's dinner plans with some of his (and our) favorite people. Boo...all the way around!

Wondering Why Wednesday

2011-07-27T13:00:00.001-07:00

Another installment of "Wondering Why Wednesday..."Why are Lego pieces in the laundry detergent?

Two Months Down

2011-07-25T20:24:00.000-07:00

I logged onto Google Calendar yesterday only to realize my sweet newborn had somehow turned two months old. Wow, where did the time go? No, really?

When Braeden was born sweet little ladies in the grocery store would encourage me to cherish every moment and then tell me that if I stopped to breathe, he would be grown. I thought they were obviously delusional because the days seemed to trickle slowly by why I struggled to keep my head above water.

Six years and 3 boys later, time goes by at warp speed and I can't seem to take it all in fast enough.

It's amazing what a difference eight weeks can make. We started with this and now we've got this. Really? His little legs are already dangling out of his bouncy seat?!?The smiles are starting to come more often. He's sleeping through the night. His little head bobbles as he tries to hold it up. His eyelashes have almost doubled in length. And the best part of all, he knows his mama's face and her voice. Just when I think I can't possibly love him anymore, the Lord seems to enlarge my heart and I fall more deeply in love than I was the day before.

A Sprinkle for Breck

2011-07-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago some of my dearest friends were kind enough to throw a little "sprinkle" to celebrate the arrival of our most recent addition.

Considering Breck was not only the 4th child but, the 4th son (just typing that still causes increased heart palpitations) I didn't need a big fancy shower. But, an excuse to get out of the house for a night and hang out with some of my favorite girlfriends is always a welcome addition to the calendar.

The food was nothing short of amazing. I meant to get a photo of the table before we devoured most of the contents but I totally forgot so this will have to do. There weren't many things I "needed" for Baby Breck but it was so nice to have a few new toys and outfits to look at. My mom lived up to her appropriately earned title of "Gift Giver Extraordinaire" when she showed up with this adorable diaper bag. While the food was amazing, the time with friends was needed and the gifts were greatly appreciated, let's not forget the real reason we were celebrating...the star of the show, Mr. Breck Elliot Taylor. I'm so thankful for the gift of friendship God has given me in each one of these women. I am reminded how truly blessed I am and "I thank my God every time I remember you." Philippians 1:3.

It Works for Me: Car Emergency Kit

2011-07-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

Have you ever...

-Shown up to dinner with friends/family only to find they don't own a single cup with a lid?

-Been driving down the road with a sleepy baby in the back seat and realized you don't have a pacifier?

-Reached into the diaper bag to change a blowout only to find you must have used the last diaper on your previoius outing because you're fresh out?

If you have, then this post is for you.

Obviously the aforementioned scenarios happen to us often because I've had to come up with a solution. Introducing the Car Emergency Kit. Forget band-aids and Neosporin, I'm talking serious "emergencies."

I purchased a plastic container from the Dollar Tree and filled it with all of the necessities: pacifiers, extra diapers, wipes, cups with lids and a few spare Spider Man Underoos because well, you can never be too prepared.When the box is closed it's about the size of a shoebox so it does not take up much room.Throw the Emergency Kit in the trunk and the next time you find yourself unprepared you'll be super glad you did.

We May Eventually Make It to the Beach

2011-07-18T20:34:00.001-07:00

We are scheduled to leave for the beach tomorrow. Five days at Seacrest Beach sounds heavenly but about this time before every vacation I decide it's not worth traveling with a small army.

I've spent three days washing, two days gathering, one day at the store and we still aren't packed and ready to go.

I have managed to make several neatly organized piles but if I manage to get the piles into suitcases and loaded in the van (along with the pack and play, stroller, scooters and five thousand other things that go into making a trip with lots of little ones successful) it will be nothing short of a miracle.

Art Camp

2011-07-17T20:11:00.000-07:00

Last week the two oldest boys spent the week at art camp. At the last minute a sibling class was added so I was able to put Brody and Braeden in the same class. The use of the word "ecstatic" would be a mild understatement when used to describe the boys sentiments about the upcoming camp.

The camp was one hour each day so I usually hung out with the littles in another room while the boys worked their magic down the hall.Breck was a big fan as you can tell from this photo. I had big plans to display the boys artwork in the playroom but when these adorable little paintings made their way to the van on Thursday, the boys decided their artwork needed to go in Daddy's office. And I couldn't agree more.

Breck's Announcement

2011-07-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

Some would say it's silly to send out birth announcements for a fourth child and in some aspects I would agree. However, to prevent Breck (or any of our other children that weren't the firstborn) from one day flipping through their baby book and asking the dreaded question, "Mom, where is my birth announcement?" I go ahead and do them for each child.

Given the ludicrous price of stationary these days I'm unable to send a birth announcement to everyone but I can post it on the blog for everyone to see and given how insanely cute that little guy is, who wouldn't want to see another picture of him?Oh, and I'm not sure why the bottom of the announcement is cut off in this photo but, I need to shower before my husband comes home (so I don't smell like spit up) and I'm going to leave it just like that.

Photos courtesy of Allison Lewis Photography

Wondering Why Wednesday

2011-07-13T18:28:00.001-07:00

Another installment of "Wondering Why Wednesday..."Why can't you just wash your HANDS and not everything else in the bathroom?

Things I ♥: Baby Products

2011-07-11T08:17:00.000-07:00

I'm always surprised when I go to a baby shower and watch the "new and improved" baby products emerge from the pastel clad gift bags. It's only been a couple of years since I was giving birth to #3 but oh my how the baby products change.

At this point in the game I have most everything I could ever need for a new baby boy but I've added a few things this go round to make life with baby a bit easier. Here are a few of my faves in no particular order.

-Snap and Go Stroller FrameI noticed LOTS of moms using these so I asked around and got nothing but rave reviews. So, despite the fact that I already have ~~three~~ too many strollers I decided this would be money well spent and I turned out to be right. It's extremely light weight and can be steered ~~by my six year old~~ with one hand. Love the ease and simplicity of this one. I must also add that you need to be careful to buy the one that fits your particular infant seat. I went to Buy Buy Baby and tried them all until I found the perfect fit.

-The Woombie Where do I even begin with this wonderful thing? All of my boys have been huge fans of a good swaddle so I've mastered the art of swaddling. Now...think swaddle on steroids. The woombie is a sleep sack designed to simulate the feel of the womb. It allows baby to stretch and move their hands but prevents the startle reflex and softly confines those chubby little arms. My favorite part, it prevents little scratches or the possibility of the blanket scooting up over the face. Not to mention, who can resist color choices like Bubble gum, Cocoa Puff and Paprika?

-Itzbeen I know I said these were in no particular order but this is BY FAR MY FAVORITE. On a serious note, I could not make it through the day without this little diddy. It is a timer that keeps up with things like how long it's been since the last feeding, how long has the baby been down for a nap and how long has it been since I took my pain medication? It also has a couple of features like a nightlight (great for when I'm trying to find my way back to bed when it's 3 a.m. and I'm cross eyed from lack of sleep) and a switch to help me remember the side I started nursing on last. Love. This. Thing.

-Aden + Anais Swaddle BlanketsI was given one of these blankets as a gift from the too cute for words boutique, Favorite Laundry, located in Mt. Laurel. Not only is it made of a lightweight, breatheable fabric called muslin, but it's incredibly soft and comes in more adorable prints than I can even mention. It's also BIG for a baby blanket so I'm hoping Breck will use it well into the toddler years.

Now I want to hear from you. What is that one (or more for that matter) baby product that just made life a little more doable for you?

Atlantis

2011-07-09T05:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we gathered the boys to witness a little piece of history. On July 8th at 11:29 am Eastern Time the space shuttle Atlantis was launched from the Kennedy Space Center marking the last time NASA would every launch a space shuttle.We gathered the boys around the iMac and typed in the web address for Fox News. Needless to say, things have changed a bit since the 1986 Challenger explosion but seeing my boys gathered around the screen watching history unfold (even though they had no idea that was the case) brought back vivid memories of the winter I was 8 years old, sitting at my babysitter's house watching as the Challenger mission began to unravel.

I'm guessing the combination of painfully vivid memories coupled with post partum hormones was a little much because before I knew it, my eyes were flooding with tears. I'm sure if you haven't reached the conclusion before now, you're pretty confident as of today that I need the word "DORK" stamped across my forehead. I would have to agree.

The boys were emotional as well but an emotion of a different kind. After the launch they immediately rushed to their rooms to grab anything that resembled a space shuttle. The remainder of the day they talked to each other using phrases like, "Mission control, do you read?" and "Astronaut Taylor, prepare for landing."At one point they disappeared to the playroom and judging from the photo below, raided the dress up box. It was a sweet time of memory making for the fam but judging by the fact that Braeden's astronaut suit was 2 sizes too small all I can say is, "Houston, we have a problem!"

It Works For Me: Setting the Table

2011-07-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

With each wonderful addition to our crew I find it more important to teach our children to help with everyday chores/tasks that are part of being a family and managing a home. I'm not quite ready to turn the blunt of the housework over to them but little by little I bring them each along side me and teach them a task fitting for their current age.

On a side note, I recently finished reading The Everyday Family Chore System which I thought had some useful information regarding this subject. It's an easy read and I have it if you'd like to borrow it.

One of the things our boys can easily do is set the table for dinner. I noticed that sometimes they would do really well and other times the table wound up looking like this. Which by the way is not acceptable.

I went online and found a template that would work for our family, printed it off and ran it through the laminator. The templates now hang on our refrigerator (one for each of the older boys so we don't have to fuss over who had it first) for the boys to refer back to when they are working on the table. It's not rocket science, nor is it earth shattering. But hey....it works for me.

Wondering Why Wednesday

2011-07-06T14:29:00.001-07:00

Another installment of "Wondering Why Wednesday..."Why did I leave the lotion within the reach of my 2 year old?

Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies

2011-07-05T14:36:00.000-07:00

Britten's grandmother (Nonnie) is quite the legend in his family when it comes to cooking...there is just one slight problem. In order to receive "legendary" status, you must pass something on.

Because Nonnie is so well known for her cooking she is often asked to share recipes. We all know a truly excellent cook doesn't have to follow a recipe so of course, none of Nonnie's recipes are written down which means she has to give you the recipe verbally.

~~Every single time~~ On more than one occasion, Nonnie has shared a recipe with an anxious daughter in law (or grand daughter in law) only to find that the recipe ~~NEVER~~ usually did not turn out as expected. You can draw your own conclusions from that but we ladies agree, that may be intentional.

Britten's favorite dessert his Nonnie makes is her Chocolate Oatmeal no bake cookies. My mom made those with us throughout our childhood but something was different about Nonnie's. I desperately wanted to recreate the cookies for Britten and after a good bit of trial and error I've come up with a recipe that gets two thumbs up from the hubby. Here ya' go, I hope you enjoy them as much as he does. Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies
-2 cups sugar
-2 T. dark cocoa (regular will work also but you may need to add more)
-1/2 cup milk
-1 stick butter (do not substitute margarine)
-1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter (you can use smooth if you prefer)
-1 tsp vanilla flavoring
-3 cups quick cooking oats (I've used old fashioned oats and they also work well)

Mix the sugar, cocoa and milk in a saucepan. Heat over medium (stirring often) until boiling. Once boiling begins add a stick of butter and let boil for approximately two minutes. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter. Stir in vanilla and oats. Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper and let sit until firm. (FYI= if it's really humid outside or rainy, these tend to not set well so save your cookie making for a dry, sunny day.)