Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

So...it's almost been a year since our last post and I'm sure you have all been checking back on a regular basis to find out what we have been up to only to find the same old post!  Ha Ha Ha!  I'm an awesome blogger!  Not only that, you can't find us on Facebook so no update there either. Well, here we go with an update.  Life is going well for us in the Taylor family-end of story!  Okay, I'll give a few updates using our Christmas letter.  This may be a duplicate for some of you, but there are extra pictures here.
 
 

Dear Family and Friends,

            We want to wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy new year!  We live far from most of you but we do think about you and miss being in your presence.  We hope things are going well for you and your families, and we enjoy hearing from you and the happenings in your life.  As for us we stay pretty busy here in Bealeton, VA.  We’ve lived here for 4 years now—10 ½ years total in Virginia.  Time really does fly!  So for the latest and greatest update from us (you can’t find us on Facebook and I rarely update our blog) this is what you get.

Ben is still working for McCarthy Tire as an outside commercial tire salesman and he loves what he does.  He has a knack for being able to talk to anyone about anything.  Mix that friendliness with his honesty, intelligence and excellent work ethic (he puts in a lot of hours) plus other great talents and you get a lot of success.  He has a good reputation in his company and is well known by his competitors.   In church Ben is the 13-14 year old Sunday school teacher, which he really enjoys.  He is able to really connect with those kids and engage them in good discussions.  The kids are always sad when the year ends and they have to move up to the next class.  He has high expectations for them and their behavior follows suit (or they do push-ups).  Ben also stays busy in 2 fly fishing clubs in the area (Trout Unlimited and Federation of Fly ishers).  His only disappointment—he doesn’t get to fly fish nearly enough.  He also enjoys hunting—he shot his first wild turkey last Saturday and we ate it for dinner on Sunday.  It tasted good.  Most important of all, Ben has a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and is a great husband and father and we love spending time with him when he is home.  The boys especially love sword fights and wrestling with Dad.

I am a stay-at-home mom and I enjoy that.  Preston is the only one at home all day now so shopping and other errands are pretty easy to do.  I try to workout every day and it’s a love/hate thing.  I’m still on our neighborhood HOA board which is fairly low key—attend a monthly board meeting and approve architectural applications with my committee.  Every now and then I get to help out at my kids’ school.  In church I’ve been the Young Women president for 3 years.  I love it!  Teaching the girls about the gospel of Jesus Christ and watching their testimonies grow and develop is awesome and fulfilling.  I’ve learned a lot about myself and grown in a multitude of ways in this church calling and it’s been a blessing in many ways.  I’ve seen a lot of new changes in the Young Women program too—new Personal Progress book and awards (2010), new updated For the Strength of Youth pamphlet (2011), and new Sunday curriculum (2013).  I love that we have a prophet that leads and guides us today and gives us the resources and counsel we need for this time to be strong.  If you aren’t familiar with these things hop on to www.lds.org and check it out!

          Natalie is 7 years old and in 2^nd grade.  She is looking forward to her 8^th birthday as she will be getting baptized and getting her ears pierced.  She really enjoys school.   Natalie and Lincoln sit by each other on the bus and trade off walking each other to class in the morning—so cute!  Her greatest love is reading.  She can be found with a book in hand at all times and in just about every place.  She has started keeping a journal this year and she loves her pen with 4 colors inside—needless to say, her journal is very colorful!  She is missing her top two front teeth and we keep teasing her that all she wants for Christmas is her two front teeth.  She’s taken lessons in a few areas this past year: tennis, roller skating, dance, karate and swimming.  She has enjoyed them all.  She is a great daughter to have around as she helps me around the house all the time.  She is also a great sister and gets along and plays with her brothers.  She did ask Santa for a baby sister last Saturday, but Santa won’t be delivering that.

       Lincoln is 5 years old and in kindergarten.  He also really enjoys school.  He is a social butterfly and a ladies’ man.  He talks to everyone everywhere we go, and he gives hugs out to the grandmas at church, hugs his female teachers of any class and enjoys the company of several of the girls in his class at school (one he thinks he wants to marry)—he does play with the boys too but not as much because he says the other boys always get in trouble!  Sheesh!  He likes practicing his reading and is coming right along.  He is very sharp and can often turn one of my or Ben’s lectures/lessons against us at some point to reprimand us—nice, I know, at least he got what we said.  He loves music and is often bopping his head to some or singing along.  He loves to play outside riding his bike or scooter and exploring the empty lots at the end of our street with Natalie and Preston or running across the street to play with neighbor kids.  He’s taken lessons in a few areas this year too: tennis, creative movement (dance—I told him he can be a better athlete), karate, tae kwon do, roller skating and swimming.  He is a great son to have around because he helps all around the house with chores.  He plays very well with Natalie and Preston, and he teases well too.

Preston is 4 years old and stays at home with me.  We go to the library just about every week and he helps me run errands.  He is very well behaved where ever we go and people are always impressed.  Now when you add the other two into the mix when we are out and about Preston changes that behavior a bit—trying to keep up with his siblings or show-off.   He looks forward to the day when he can ride the bus with his brother and sister.  He asks me every day if I’m going to workout after the kids get on the bus and if the answer is yes he asks if he can play on my iPhone.  He has an excellent imagination and loves playing with his Imaginext toy castle he got for his birthday (which just happened to fall on Thanksgiving this year—pretty cool) and a pirate ship I found at a big yard sale in September.  He loves for me to read to him and I love to do it because he snuggles with me.  He enjoys playing outside riding his bike, scooter or playing with balls.  He has taken the creative movement class with Lincoln and Natalie and done fairly well—he wasn’t very excited to take dance but I told him and Lincoln they would be better athletes and that helped persuade them.

          All in all, things are very good around here.  We are very blessed to be members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and have a knowledge and testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and that it was restored to the earth through the prophet Joseph Smith.  We love the scriptures and teachings of our living prophet and apostles.  We know Heavenly Father lives and loves us—that we are His children and that He has provided the plan of happiness for us to return to live with Him someday.  We are grateful for the priesthood and temples—that our family is sealed together and can be together forever even after we die.  We love Jesus Christ and are extremely grateful for all His teachings and His example, but especially for His Atonement and resurrection.  The gospel brings us a fountain of knowledge that brings happiness, peace and love when we embrace it and live it and share it!

We love you and wish you the very best this next year and always!

Love,

Ben, Anne, Natalie, Lincoln & Preston Taylor

 

Happy New Year from the Taylor Family

January 4, 2012


Dear Family & Friends,

Obviously we didn’t send out any Christmas cards, but we thought we would give you a little update on what’s been happening in our lives. We still live in Bealeton, Virginia in a house we bought 3 years ago as of November. We enjoy our neighborhood and have some great neighbors—sadly our favorite neighbors moved to Mexico right before summer and we miss them a lot!

We’ve done some painting but have a whole lot more to do…someday. If only we could decide on colors and money grew on trees. We planted 2 yellow knock-out rose bushes in our front entrance garden area—a mother’s day gift in 2010—and they are gorgeous and smell delightful from spring to fall. On the right side of our house at the edge of our property we’ve planted 3 crape myrtle trees which are small at this point and we will probably be long gone before they ever reach full size—but they are still pretty as they bloom pink flowers all summer long and we can thank Grandma Taylor and Grandma Tobler for those additions (we think of them when we see them). We have hired TruGreen to do our lawn care for over a year now and our lawn looks (and feels) a whole lot better than when we first moved in to mostly weeds and dead grass and bare spots. It’s amazing what a little TLC can do for the lawn aided by endless hours Ben and I have pulled out weeds since we’ve lived here. If we had a sprinkler system we’d have lush green grass all summer long and a huge water bill to go with it, thankfully it rains enough most of the year to keep the grass green during most of the summer—July and August can be harsh as far as water and heat, but it always bounces back.

Ben went back to working with McCarthy Tire over a year ago and is an outside salesman based in the Richmond area. With an 1 ½ hour commute each way and all the other driving he does the rest of the day he can get pretty tired but he gets to listen to lots of books on tape and he really enjoys his job, plus it supports the family so Anne can stay home with the kids. He also stays busy with his 2 fly fishing clubs—Trout Unlimited and Federation of Fly Fishermen—which each meet once a month. He teaches the 13-14 year old Sunday school class on Sundays at church and really enjoys that as well. He has become a hunter in the past year and happens to be an excellent shot. He shot a deer in 2010 with one shot and did it again in 2011. Ben and Anne butchered it together and the meat tastes great. Ben is hoping to get more deer this year as the season goes into March and you can get 6 on one tag. He really wishes he had more time to devote to fishing and hunting—stinking commute (and wife)!

Anne stays busy with the 3 kids—2 of which are still home all day every day. She gets them to different activities and appointments and has been driving Natalie to and from school this year. She is still on the neighborhood HOA board (has served 2 years of a 3 year term) as the Architectural Review Committee Chair (sounds important, ha ha ha)—really she just receives applications for changes/additions to houses and emails it to the committee and gives the final approval or not to the homeowner and she attends monthly board meetings. She has been the young women president in our ward for 2 years now and absolutely loves it. A year ago she earned her Young Woman Recognition/Medallion again, but this time as a young woman leader instead of a youth. She also tries to get into Natalie’s classroom as often as she can to help out. She has been going over to a friend’s house about 3 times a week to run on a treadmill while her friend does an exercise video and her son plays with Lincoln and Preston. Anne is trying to stay in shape so she can be healthy and help keep her blood pressure down (she’s had problems with it since having kids, but it’s under control and she feels fine).

Ben and Anne did celebrate their 10 year wedding anniversary this past July and spent a little less than a week down in Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina while Grandma Tobler watched the kids. It was absolutely beautiful and quite humid/hot, but they had a great time checking things out and enjoying southern hospitality. Ben would move there in a heartbeat. We can’t wait to take another trip down there and see more of the sites.

Natalie turned 6 in July and had her first birthday party with friends and had a blast playing in the water outside and eating a 6 layer rainbow cake Anne made. She is in 1st grade and really enjoying school, but was a little sad that they do work all day and don’t get play time like in kindergarten. She learned how to tie her own shoes for school this year. She still has her dark red curly hair and gets noticed wherever she goes. She absolutely loves to read—she can be found with a book in her hand almost all the time and her reading has just skyrocketed from the beginning of the school year to now. She has been reading us our family scriptures every night out of the Old Testament Stories the church has published for children with pictures and sentences below them. She also has really neat handwriting and is working hard to master her math facts. She can also be found with a stuffed animal of some kind almost all the time too. When she doesn’t have either of those in her hands she can be found listening to stories/books on CD, coloring/painting or doing some other sort of art, dressing up, playing with her Disney Princesses (Barbie size), playing a computer game (educational of course), riding her bike without training wheels (as of August), riding her new scooter, or watching a movie (usually a princess one). She took swimming lessons this past fall and is not a fan of putting her face in the water (we’re working on that). She also took tennis lessons and really enjoyed it. This winter she will be taking another session of tennis lessons and a month of roller skating lessons, which she is really excited about. She is in the CTR 6 class in primary and really enjoys her teacher. She has 2 loose teeth and is excited to lose a tooth for the first time. She is a joy to have in the family.

Lincoln is 4 and getting geared up to turn 5 in May and go to kindergarten in the fall. He has an incredible memory and a great love for music. He loves to snap his fingers which he just discovered he could do and zip his own coat. He wants to do everything Natalie is doing including homework, but he is a lot more daring. He was the first one to learn to ride his bike without training wheels in August and Natalie couldn’t be shown up so she practiced after school that same day and got it, but it really took her until the next day to be able to start on her own and turn with confidence (a little sibling peer pressure can be good). Lincoln also loves books and checks out more than he can hold every Thursday when we go to the library for story time. He can be found playing with Natalie (when she is home) and Preston almost all day, unless he is teasing them. He loves stuffed animals, cars, super heroes, playing computer games, listening to music and books on CD, singing, coloring and writing his name, building forts, building with blocks, dressing up, playing soldiers with Preston, riding his bike or scooter and watching movies. He is very social and not shy and always has a million questions to satisfy his curiosity about things. He had surgery this past July when he had his adenoids and tonsils removed and tubes put in his ears—he can hear a lot better in his right ear that was full of fluid and he breathes so quietly when he sleeps it’s amazing. He was a trooper and besides having a sore throat he was playing and trying to eat all sorts of things the day after—we had to continually remind him to take it easy, drink lots of liquid and eat soft foods so his throat would heal quickly and after a week he had no more sore throat. Lincoln is in the CTR 4 class in primary and is pumped to have 2 male teachers this year (one being only 18). Lincoln will also be taking roller skating lessons for a month with Natalie and is hoping to be able to take the next level class where they teach tricks. He will also be taking a clay class and a gym class with Preston this winter.

Preston turned 3 in November and was potty trained earlier in the fall—yahoo no more diapers! He is now a sunbeam in primary and did awesome his first Sunday. It really helps that his nursery teacher moved up with his class and she used to be a school teacher. He is no longer a baby or a toddler to us, but a little boy and is just a joy to have in the family. He is so mild mannered and easy going and loves to cuddle. He also really loves to drink hot chocolate when he’s cold. He is very independent and loves to pick out his own clothes and put them on including buttoning all his buttons and snaps and puts on his own shoes. He even washes himself in the shower and towels off. He, along with Lincoln, have their own cologne they put on after they shower (so cute and they smell so good). Preston also loves books and checks out a huge pile every Thursday and rarely leaves without checking out a DVD on firefighters. He loves his blanket, stuffed animals, cars, “shootguns” (Nerf guns), swords and shields, playing good guy/bad guy with Lincoln, animal toys, building with blocks, riding his scooter, playing with balls, and watching movies. He is also very daring as he enjoys riding his scooter down inclined driveways and has great form to keep his balance and jumping off high places. He will be taking a clay class and gym class with Lincoln this winter and I’m sure he’ll be wishing he were taking the roller skating class as he loves to keep up with his older siblings.

We’ve enjoyed having family live close by in Manassas so the kids can play with cousins and get to know them and aunts and uncles better. We also have had many family visitors come out this past year and it is always enjoyable to visit with them and take in some of the D.C. and other east coast sites. Our home is always open if someone wants to come and visit. We don’t see most of you very much, but we do think about you often and enjoy hearing about your endeavors.

We are very grateful for all our blessings and especially those made available through the plan of salvation, the atonement of Jesus Christ, and the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth and our knowledge and testimony of its truthfulness. We are forever grateful for the blessings of the temple and that through those ordinances our family can be together forever.

With much love,

Ben, Anne, Natalie, Lincoln, & Preston Taylor

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

We just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!  This just makes me laugh every time I look at it.  Sadly, it was by far the easiest picture to take, but it did remind me of the Christmas song (notice the lyrics around the picture).  Hope it brings a smile to your face too.  We are alive and well and enjoying life. 

Ben is still the 2nd Counselor in the Elder's Quorum in our ward and 2 months ago started working for McCarthy Tire again as an outside salesman based in Richmond and enjoys it--he says it reminds him of his mission sometimes.  His commute is still long, but it's shorter than going in to D.C. and he doesn't get any of the traffic.  Thankfully, he has a company truck and they pay for his gas.  Hopefully, Ben will get some accounts nailed down and we can sell our house and move closer to his work.  Ben is currently in his first ever hunting season and hopes to kill some deer.  He's been out a few times with our neighbor, but no sight of one yet.  If Ben can hunt as well as he can fish (believe me he's amazing and knows his stuff) we'll have meat in the freezer without a problem as long as the animals cooperate.  Every so often Ben has to take some time to wrestle the kids and feel young again, just to feel old the next day and for a long time after because he overstretched. Ha ha ha!  He thinks he's sooo old and he's only 33.  Ben, is truly great and especially as he's had to step in and do a lot of things on his own with the kids while I'm attending meetings here, there and everywhere.

I am the Young Women President in our ward and I will have been in this calling for a year in Jan.  It takes time, but I love it.  I'm also the room mom for Natalie's kindergarten class and I'm serving a 3 year term on our HOA board as the Architectural Chair (I've done it for a year).  Now you see why I''m always at meetings and hopefully my friends understand why I no longer attend book club and a lot of other extra stuff.  It's not that I don't enjoy those fun meetings but I really cherish family time and alone time with Ben.   I love being a stay at home mom and wouldn't trade it for anything (even on days when I feel like I'm losing it).

Natalie is 5 and loving kindergarten.  She is a bundle of energy, intelligence, spunk, and a joy to have in our family.  She still has her beautiful red, curly hair and can always be found with or near books.  Lately, she has been teaching her children (stuffed animals) when she comes home from school.  She adores her teacher and never wants to miss riding the bus.  Why?  She says it's fun and she doesn't have to wear a seat belt.

Lincoln is 3 and misses Natalie during the day, but loves to have mom's attention.  He is still our passionate child and has all the grandmas in nursery at church wrapped around his finger.  He adores all those women and they adore him.  He is also very energetic, intelligent, loving, and a joy to have in our family.  He is a lot like his dad and he enjoys teasing people.  He can still be found carrying his blanket and loves books too.

Preston is 2 and is a daddy's boy most of the time.  He has the cutest smile and laugh and gives some of the best kisses.  He is about 2 steps behind Natalie and Lincoln all the time and wants to do or have what they do.  He loves his babies and will often be found carrying a blanket and/or an assortment of dolls or animals or cars.  He is also a dare devil as he climbs on everything and also jumps off things.  He also enjoys books.

That about wraps it up without going in to too much detail.  We are especially grateful for our Savior Jesus Christ and for this time of year when we can celebrate his birth, life, atonement and  resurrection.  We love the gospel and are grateful for the fulness of it restored to the earth and that we have a knowledge of it and that are family can be together forever.  We miss all our family and friends and hope you have a very merry Christmas and happy new year!

Keeping You All In Suspense

Yeah, I'm sure you're all dying to know what we've been up to the past year! Well, I know a few of you are because you've actually said something about the lack of posts on our blog. :) Life just flies by and the computer isn't my number one priority, so we'll see if I can get something posted before Natalie's 5th birthday next week. So much has happened this past year, I'll just hit some highlights.

Preston turned 1 in November and at 18 months in May went into Nursery with Lincoln without a problem. My baby is no longer a baby, but he sure is cute! He keeps up with his older siblings, runs everywhere and has the best pout around. He is very independent and doesn't like to be left out of anything and is beginning to show an interest in potty training.










Lincoln has been perfectly potty trained since October, turned 3 in May and loves to help keep things clean and organized. He's a great little helper, loves water, horses, cars/trucks, and riding his tricycle, and enjoys all things boy.













Natalie will turn 5 in a week and be heading off to kindergarten in August. She is a dainty little princess with a lot of spunk and independence and is smart as a whip. Her beautiful red curls are very long although pictures can be deceiving (when wet and pulled down her hair about touches her bum). She still enjoys books and all things girl.















Ben and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary last week. It's great to be married to your best friend for time and eternity, through thick and thin and everything in between.

Natalie's 4th Birthday

Natalie turned 4 on July 30 and she was so excited! I can't believe how big she is getting. She is as cute as ever and such a joy to have in our family!
She had a great day although it was a little different because Daddy was in NY for work (He was really sad he couldn't be there.--He did call and sing to her and she laughed and giggled and said, "Daddy is a silly guy!"), and Grandma and Grandpa Tobler and Brooke were on their way home from WY where they had a stake youth conference trek (they did get home that night in time to give her presents before she went to bed). She still had Mom, Lincoln, Preston, Aunt April and Uncle Michael with her in CO to celebrate her special day.
Normally I bake and decorate the cake for birthdays but since we were in CO and April has taken some cake decorating classes Natalie asked her if she would make her a cake for her birthday. So the kids and I were happy to help (watch) April bake and decorate Natalie's cake.
She had the kids help her the day before by baking the cake and they loved it!





Then on Natalie's birthday she came over with all her cake decorating stuff and Natalie and I watched her decorate it per Natalie's request (a pink cake with pink frosting and pink flowers and green leaves). I think the cake turned out great!
Natalie loved it!




Thanks April, you're a great aunt and sister-in-law!!!

Natalie loved eating the practice flowers.
Natalie was too excited to take a nap earlier in the day with her brothers but she was so tuckered out she fell asleep on the floor. Pretty cute!
When she woke up she didn't want to eat dinner but get right to singing "Happy Birthday", blowing out candles, opening presents, and eating cake and ice cream.










So Natalie got some great things that she loves--princess roller skates with knee and elbow pads, a Fancy Nancy book, a 24 piece princess puzzle that she quickly learned to do on her own and loves taking apart and putting back together, some clothes and sunglasses, a heart money bank (Lincoln got a train one), some musice CDs and a pig water squirter from Michael and April, a dress and shirt, lip gloss and nail polish set with hair clips and magic grow towelette from Grandma and Grandpa and a princess phone from Brooke.