Post of Sadness

I was hoping that this post would be filled with undated Pic of All the kids. New Pics for the G parents, but no. Attitudes have taken over, and the decision for us to have Dom and Kayla for the weekend was revoked. Its hard to convince anyone to change their mind when the mind has been set in selfish mode. Its more than a Father not seeing his children, its a brother not seeing his siblings, its a sister missing out of play time with a sister. Anger fills my mind as I type these words, but there is nothing that I can do except pray. My voice was left unheard by the one I wanted to hear it. I can pray for my heart to be softened, for others hearts to be softened, the bigger picture to be seen. I am torn in my wants due to the fact that I don't think Dom and Kay should be separated from their Mom, but I want to be able to see them and not have to worry that our plans will be dashed at the last minute. I now feel selfish for saying that. AAHHHH lost and confused amidst others anger and resentment. What do I pray for?

What I want my children to have!!

I received the following in an email, and although I do not fall into any of those catagories, Im not to far behind them and was lucky enough to be raised on these values, values in which I find myself struggling to maintain for my own children!
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE
1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads.
As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.
Riding in the back of a pick up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-aid made with real white sugar. And, we weren't overweight. WHY?
Because we were always outside, playing...that's why!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.
No one was able to reach us all day. And, we were O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times,we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms.
WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment.
Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!
These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers problem solvers and inventors problem solvers and inventors ever.
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.
If YOU are one of them? CONGRATULATIONS!
You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.
While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were.
Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it ?

To Share, or not to Share

Lany keeps her barbie dolls, and all their accessories in a toy dog carrier. When Lav takes a nap she happily plays with them all over the couch or coffee table. The second that she hears him crying from the other room she FREAKS OUT! She starts crying, running around like someone in a horror flick being chased by the bad guy, and her tone is almost the sound of fear. Keep in mind this is all before I even get up to get him! She shoves all of her treasures back into the bag and the funniest part of all she hides the bag in the hall closet with the vacuum. I don't understand it because she shares really well with him, always makes sure he has something to play with....

Learning how to be a Mom

Its funny because Ive been a 'Mom' for 3 1/2 years now but within the past 4 months I have only begun to learn HOW to be a Mom. I was a soldier brfore, a soldier with children. Being home with Lavieon at this age I realised that I really missed out on so much with Lanycia. I was talking to Cathy Powell, a family friend, I was telling her that being at home is really hard and that I would take any task the Army gave me over some of the things I now have to deal with. Another woman sitting next to us said, "Well Im glad someone finally said that". I went on to say that all I really need is a schedule. Personally I have been on a dictated schedule all my life really! The woman said, "Schedual, there is no such thing when your a mom". I was slightly offended. But not as offended as the other day. I was on the phone with my credit card company updating my info, she asked if I was still in the Army and I said no. She said, "Oh your just a stay at home mom"? WHAT?!?!? This is the hardest thing I have EVER had to do. I am learning and getting better day by day! It is such a wonderful blessing to be able to be with my children and I find the most joy in maintaining the house and having dinner ready for my Hubby. Before it was a struggle to get home and HOPE that we would make something instead of the two of us fending for ourselves because it was so late. I took pride in being an outstanding soldier and now im improving my abilities as a 'Home Maker'. I look forward to the future. To those of you who are 'HomeMakers', BRAVO!!! Hi five across the room! This is a tought job!!!

My Year is 1985 lol

You Belong in 1985

Wild, over the top, and just a little bit cheesy. You're colorful at night - and successful during the day.

http://www.blogthings.com/whatyeardoyoubelonginquiz/">What Year Do You Belong In?

CANDY CANDY EVERYWHERE

As we strolled down threw the grocery store Lany seemed to not even notice all the Halloween candy on every corner. I was shocked when we got to the last items on our list and realised that she had not once asked if she could get this or that. Near by were the tubes that are filled with candy with the plastic toy topper. I had Lany pick on out. She asked the bagger politely if she could have a bag. We got in the car which is usually when I would be bombarded with, "Can I PLEASE have my treat", but nothing. Lav was even a little fussy and she kindly let him play with her "special treat". When we got home I was once again waiting for the plea, but nothing. The two of them went down for their naps, and I unloaded the car. When she woke up she asked, "Can I please have my Candy". My answer of course was yes. It was candy corn which is one of my fav. I showed her how I ate them, Bite the white, chew, bite the orange, chew, then pop the yellow into my mouth. She soon repeated the demonstration. Although I LOVED this new attitude, where has my little baby girl gone. I was comforted to the point of Laughing out loud and even brought to a snort when she and I reviewed the pic. She said laughing, "why did I do that"? I guess she was just as delighted by her face as I was!!! Seriously LOL

Mean Mom with Sweet Kids

I woke up this morning to Lav crying, I went to their room, got Lav up, changed his diaper as Lany climbed out of her bed, got Lav dressed and when I was done I left the room to throw his diaper away, leaving Lany getting dressed and Lav with the toys. From the trash can I walked back to my bed, crawled under the covers, and thought to myself, "I wonder how long I could lay here untill all heck broke loose". I knew that Lav would not be able to see me if I covered up but knew that if I wanted to "hide" from Lany I would have to cover my face, so I did. Our dinning room has a little hall way that leads to my bedroom door and since I left the door open I could hear Lav's little feet walking on the floor. My lights were still off and I knew that Lav would first check the bathroom since on normal mornings im there getting dressed. A slight whine from let me know that he was now confused and he lefted my room. I hear him whine all the wasy across the house. Then the two of them entered my room, Lav still whining, Lany telling him in a sweet quiet voice to be quiet and that it was ok. Once again the bathroom was checked. Not there! So Lany says "Mommy", very sweet and quiet. The tone in her voice took me by surprise because she is not easily scared. I felt her walk to the edge of my bed, and again "Mommy". She patted the bed and climbed up but she could not see me. I knew that she had gotten off the bed but I did not hear her walk back into the dinning room. I was waiting to hear the front door open followed by a shout of, "Mommy where are you". But nothing just quiet. I SAT UP SLOWLY. She was standing in my door way, one eye in my room and the other out toward the rest of the house. My little girl came running over to me and said, "Mommy!! I was lost". I said, "were you"? She said "yes I was lost in the living room for 6 hours"! My sweet angel! I was also greeted by the very happy face of Lav who of course was getting into the treasures of my room. ;> The three of us hugged and cuddled for 6 hours, then had breakfast. This pic was taken yesterday after I had vacuumed.

To Chela

The Letter A

http://

IM GONNA GET YOU!

A family divided

This will be our first year in which we are close enough in distance to have Dom and Kayla more offten then just summer vacation. Something that I know everyone is already looking forward to. Each summer each one of us grows and changes in different ways. Dom becomes a little bit more of a man, more level headed, more mature. The time he gets to spend with his Dad is always treasured and not taken lightly by anyone. Its a special time for all of us when they have the chance to be together. Its heartbreaking to know that these two peas in a pod can not always be together. Kayla gets to be the big sister which is a complete role reversal for her. Although it is sometimes challenging for her to become the standard setter, she enjoys the leadership of "being incharge". I think Dom likes to see Kayla getting frustrated by Lany wanting to always copy her. Lanycia being influenced by both an older brother and sister gets introduced to new habits, actions, and vocabulary. When they are all together I find myself recalling things my Mother shout to my siblings and I in protest to our behavior. I find myself in a struggle of wanting them to all have a normal brother sister relationship and actions I find inappropriate for a three year old. Im still not sure exactly where I draw the line. ;> And then there is little Lavieon. He is in a completely different standing then any of them. He is the "Baby" no matter how you look at it. With Lany he has a playmate who is not to far in age from him, Makayla treats him like a baby, holds him, makes him laugh, and is always in his face. Then there is Dominique. It is special the relationship they have together. Dom treats him like a friend. A trophy. It was always exciting to see him interact with Lany, but to see him with Lav, his brother... its special! At the end of each summer we have to say good bye to Dom and Kayla. Say good bye to the daily friendship between Lany and Kayla. As hard as it is for us as parents to have to have a family divided it is harder to see the division between the kids. After we took Dom and Kayla back to Augusta (about 3 hours away), Lany said crying, "I lost my sister". Ro could not handle it! He broke down. Not knowing the next few days would be harder. Lav sat outside of Dominique's door the first two days and although it has been little over a week Lany cries every day for "her best friend" Makayla. We can only look forward to the days ahead in which we will have the opportunity to have Dom and Kayla at least once a month, and maybe look forward to the day that we can all live undivided.

Finally

Ok, now that it took me like 3 hours to figure out how to pics on, here we go....

Joining the Internet world... finally ;>

Hello to all family and friends. I am glad to open this Blog and for all of you to be able to keep up with the Taylor family and our happenings! I am new at all of this so if something is off, to bad! lol I hope you will enjoy everything. We love you and miss you! Alright... here I go to get things started, keep your fingers crossed for me.