Bathing Beauty

One of the absolute best things about having a little girl is definitely the bathing suits!! I just love to watch Taylor prance around in cute bathing suits... and they all look adorable! This is my favorite so far, her blue tutu.

To my beautiful daughter

Taylor, you are such a precious gift. I am so happy to be your mom and get to see your beautiful smiling face every morning. There are so many little things you do that melt my heart. You are filled with joy and you brighten a cloudy day. I can't imagine life without you and I know that as you get bigger and older I will only love you more and more.

I've heard the pastor of our church talk about children/parenting several times. He often says that in the end our kids are really ultimately God's children and they are just "on loan" to us here on earth to love them, raise them, teach them, and give them a home. Looking at it that way, man, did God give me a good loan! :)

Taylor's Personality

I thought it would be fun to write down some things others tell me about Taylor and look back at this years down the road to see if it foreshadows her developing personality.
Some things I hear about her frequently from neighbors and friends that watch her:
"She's just a ham!"
"She makes all the other kids laugh"
"She is so funny"
"She loves to dance...hears a beat, and starts bopping immediately"
"She loves to smile and laugh"
"She is such a happy kid"

Things I have noticed:
She is nurturing; She likes to hug, kiss, hold, and feed her baby dolls (and Riley too!). She also sometimes tries to comfort the crying kids at church (which is about the sweetest thing I've ever seen)
She LOVES to jump, flop, and throw herself around on beds, mats, bouncers. She also LOVES being flipped around and thrown in the air (hmm.. should we try gymnastics???)
She likes to dance!
She is not the kid in the nursery throwing a fit when mom leaves... she gets excited to be in a new place, and doesn't want to leave!

Taylor's 1st Vacation

If I don't count trips back to Ohio, this is Taylor's first vacation. We were both in a little beach withdrawal and decided it was time to get some fresh ocean breezes and cooler California weather. Unfortunately, Taylor had a cold... and then I had an even worse cold. But trust me, it didn't ruin any of the beauty and relaxation of just getting away to the beach! We had such a nice time walking around the beautiful resort, exploring Venice Beach and Santa Monica, and very briefly driving through Beverly Hills and Hollywood. Hollywood was our last planned excursion, and sickie pup just wasn't up to it. (And in case you're wondering, "sickie pup" is what my mother called me when I was ill as a kid and I guess it's getting passed down to the next generation.)

Big girl bath

Well, we finally outgrew the baby tub! Taylor graduated to the regular tub and some new tub toys. I actually don't have any great bath stories to share. She doesn't get into bath time as much as other kids. She's not the kid who cries when the bath is over. It's more of her sitting in the tub and playing for about 5 minutes then standing up and giving me the "ok, I'm clean, get me outta here" look. Her favorite bath activity is sucking on a wash cloth. This usually wins out over any and all bath toys.

Lazy Baby

I just thought these pictures were so cute! Taylor was having a relaxing morning sitting on the chair with her blankie and her milk. She was just hanging out watching Mickey Mouse, her favorite show, on the tv. Sometimes she likes to crawl up on the chair with me, but usually ends up crowding me out so she can sit all by herself like the big girl that she is! She also can shimmy up onto the couch all by herself and get herself down off of it. She really likes the challenge of trying to climb. I really hope she doesn't have her aunt Kelly's climbing genes. I've heard many stories about Aunt Kelly climbing out of her crib, climbing up onto tables, and even swinging on chandeliers!

Happy 4th of July!

Is there a cuter little girl than this!? I don't think so! Grandma Goodson sure sends some cute stuff to Taylor! Taylor enjoyed a picnic with the neighbors to celebrate the 4th! She particularly enjoyed chowing down some barbecue flavored chips... a favorite of hers these days. She just LOVES those chips. She was the life of the party with her bopping around and playing. We didn't make it to any fireworks this year. She was worn out by 8 pm!