wedding bells are ringing again!

it is strange to say that my youngest brother is getting married next week. a "little brother" will always seem "little" so watching him grow up and get married is very surreal. as he and his bride-to-be, stephanie, were getting all their plans together, they asked mandy and i to take their engagement pictures. we aren't professionals (we fully know that...) but the photo shoot turned out pretty cute! we made sure to dress super artsy and use very technical photo-jargon just to make the whole experience feel legit. in the end, we got some great shots of the happy couple. i am no seasoned photographer, but i imagine engagement shots are pretty easy to take because the subjects are so happy and lovey. plus they know when to look at the camera-they are MUCH easier to photograph than vi...

congratulations are in order (but not until next week!)

helping with head start

my fabulous sister is over a community action program which deals with head start preschools. this past fall, she was busy planning events all over the state to help get parents involved in their child's education. when mandy plans an event- it is always a full-scale, grandiose production. as she was in the thick of plans, she mentioned she needed volunteers for the events so cade and i gladly volunteered to help out. cade was excited because he was the photographer for the salt lake event. this was right up his alley. he loves taking pictures of EVERYTHING and he was also able to get all sorts of people to pose for him. i was excited because i love promoting literacy and my job was to read to all the kids as they cycled through my station.


at the end of the event, we gave each child a book to take home. it was so rewarding to see their faces light up when they realized that they would have their VERY OWN book to read at home. my sister explained that many of the children grow up in homes that do not have any children's books and these books would be a beginning for them.

i was glad we were able to participate in this event. afterward, cade made a movie to show donors and potential sponsors what this program is doing for the community. so far, the movie has already helped them raise three thousand dollars for future events!

to help volunteer for head start, visit this link. they could really use your help!

a little violet update...

i have been out and about for two months now without being able to blog about anything going on in the taylor home. well, i am back and ready to document it all. things change everyday with a baby. i never knew that a baby's stages and interests would change on an hourly basis like they seemingly do here. i wonder if one day i will look back to read these entries and wish that i had added in more details or taken more pictures... i wonder that mostly because two short months have passed and as i review what i have done to document that time i find myself already wishing i had more pictures of violet the mountain goat or more video of her growling at her food. right when i think, "she always does this" - she never does it again! right when i say, "she hates that" - she will have to have it! she is in a constant state of progression, growth and exploration and i love watching it all happen. here is an update on this little babe.


vi truly is an adrenaline junkie. some of her favorite things are:

hanging upside down
climbing anything in sight (you will notice her pillow crash-pad below)

diving face first off any platform or lap
running wildly through the house in mommy's arms
throwing her toys out of the bath

jumping wildly in her bouncer - she has even bounced herself out a few times...

dancing to any beat those little ears can hear
yelling at anything she can see from the back window

sitting on the ledge of something so she feels like it is "dangerous"



she is also a little trouble maker. she may look sweet and innocent... but she has you fooled. as soon as those little hands and knees hit carpet, she is crawling (at an unreal speed) to anything she knows she is not supposed to play with. the main items of interest are cat food, the toilets, the bookshelf, stairs and sleeping cats. this is a busy baby and we love it. all this action does leaved her tuckered out for her naps...



this girl is on the move and we are doing our best to keep up. she is wanting to walk so bad- you can see it in her face as she watches other kids playing. it is so strange to me that a few months ago i would sit her down on a blanket to play with a few toys... i can't believe she is growing up this fast!