TAYLOR TALES

I Love You Alesha

2009-04-09T14:08:00.003-05:00

I love you Alesha and I dont tell you enough so here is a song dedicated to you my wonderful wife.

The Healing Begins

2009-03-05T20:52:00.003-06:00

Well it has been a week since we learned the bad news about our baby. Like we said in the previous post even through all the tragic events of this week we feel like God has been very gracious to us.

We told Bailey the news a couple of days ago. It was one of the things that I dreaded the most. She handled it like a champ. She is old enough and smart enough to understand that the baby is gone but still young enough to not be very effected by it. She asked several times why the baby got sick but then left the room and returned with with an arm full of babies. She handed me her babies and said "Here mommy, you can share my babies". She is so sweet.

We had a good day today. The three of us went to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch. It is Bailey's absolute favorite place to eat. It has her two favorite things; pizza and games. We came home and Bailey and I laid down and took a nap together. When we woke up we all went outside and spent a couple of hours playing tee ball, riding in the barbie jeep, and other various outside toys. Then we walked across a couple of empty lots and picked lellow(yellow) flowers. Austin and I had to walk all the way back to the house without her. She had to walk back by herself really slowly carrying her bouquet of flowers (like she was in a wedding or something). Austin got his phone and took some pictures of her. That started it. She then went to several other spots asking daddy to take more pictures. We finished our day with American Idol or Hollywood as Bailey calls it. What more could you ask for?

Tragic News

2009-02-28T19:22:00.005-06:00

I had an appointment Thursday for a regular check up at my obgyn. I was eleven weeks along and my doctor decided to do another ultrasound because my first was so early. Austin, Bailey and I all went to the appointment because we thought that it might be neat for Bailey to be able to see the baby on the ultrasound. When the doctor came in with the results from the ultrasound he gave us the bad news that something was not right with our baby. He didn't not give us any details on what it was, but gave us some ideas. The way he acted and the things he said let us know that it was something pretty serious. He told us he was sending us to a specialist to get a better idea of what was wrong.

Our appointment was the following day so we had 24 hours to let the information sink in and prepare for the fact that something was seriously wrong. From the small amount of information that we had I had a good idea of what we were facing. Austin and I spent every moment together sharing our fears and hopes and what would be the best and worst case scenarios. We both agreed that we hoped that it was nothing or something very easily dealt with or that the baby wasn't going to make it. This may sound a little harsh but the idea of having a severely handicap child was heartbreaking to us. We knew it would be hard for us and for Bailey, not even counting the quality of life the baby would have.

We went to our appointment with the specialist and the high quality ultrasound they had made it quiet obvious what was wrong. The doctor came in and gave us the news that our baby had a severe development abnormality and that there was zero percent chance of survival. The previous hours had prepared us for these results and we were almost relieved that the answer was so black and white. There would be no time of anguish wondering what would happen and how it would affect our child.

We are both very sad and mourn the loss of our baby but even in these times God is so good to us. We found out at a point much earlier than many women do and were gradually eased into the news instead of an all at once shock. Austin has been so wonderful. He has cried with me, listened to me, and shared his thoughts and emotions. He has been by my side for every moment and I could not be dealing with this as well without him. It has really helped to know his thoughts and emotions and be able to share this experience with him.

We are so blessed to have Bailey and have really been soaking that in these last few days. She is and has always been so healthy. She is very smart and just the most precious child I know, obviously. We have not told Bailey yet and that will be the most difficult part of all of this for me. Today while we were eating lunch she looked at me and said, "Mommy, Is the baby in your belly asleep now? I bet it will come out soon." Austin and I looked at each other then I had to turn away because I had big tears in my eyes. It just broke my heart. She was looking so forward to being a big sister.

We pray that we will be able to heal quickly both physically and emotionally. We look forward to trying for another child and look forward to the blessings for our family in the future. For all of you who had already heard the news thank you for all your prayers. For those of you who are just hearing this we would appreciate your prayers through this time in our lives.

For those that have been through tough times like this our heart is with you. We do not feel in any way that God does things like this to people but that we live in a broken world. This is simply the result of the brokenness of our creation due to the fall of mankind. Followers of Christ are not exempt from tragedy but we have Jesus to go through it with us. Where God does not cause these things he does want to take the weak and broken things in this world and teach us more about himself so we can be more like him. Jesus we love you and will praise you in this storm.

Austin & Alesha

Bad Dream and Broken Heart

2009-02-06T09:00:00.000-06:00

My poor baby girl had her first nightmare a few nights ago. She came in my room crying and saying "Mommy you need to come to my room there is something scary". I could not get her to tell me what her dream was about. I stayed with her for a few minutes. I sat there rubbing her face telling her that everything was okay. I watched her little eyes darting around the room to make sure there were no monsters. She would sniffle from time to time. It broke my heart. I cannot stand to think about her laying there scared. I have always been a big chicken myself so I can remember laying in bed at night scared of everything.

The next night she was so resistant to bed time. The later it got the more she kept saying, "I am never going to bed again". When I told her it was time to go brush teeth and go to bed she started crying and saying "What if I have another bad dream?". Talk about killing me. I was ready to just put her in our bed and be done with it but I knew that wasn't the answer. We got in the bed to read her bedtime story and started talking about all the things that make her happy. We talked about her friends, family, cake, her new bed, and several other things that came to her mind. By the time I left she was smiling and seemed to be okay. I prayed several times throughout the night that she would have a wonderful night. She slept all night and woke up in a wonderful mood. Yeah!! She said "I didn't even have any bad dreams". Thank you God.

Bailey's Room

2009-02-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

Bailey's room has kind of been my pet project since we moved in the new house. We painted before we moved in and have been gradually adding things. We got her a new bedroom suite a few weeks ago. She is sleeping well in her new "big bed". It gives her more room to move around than the toddler bed did.

Another Taylor Baby on the Way

2009-02-02T19:07:00.003-06:00

Austin and I found out a few weeks ago that we are expecting another baby. I don't know why but I have been very nervous this time. We didn't want to announce it until we had our first doctor visit. We went to the doctor Thursday and had an ultrasound. Everything looked great and we are expecting the new addition in September.

Bailey is so excited about being a big sister. She couldn't stop smiling and laughing when Austin and I gave her the big news. When I was trying to explain to her what was happening I used our friend Kacey who has a 10 month old baby boy as an example. I said "Do you remember when Mrs. Kacey's belly got big and then Levi came out? That is what is going to happen to Mommy". Bailey quickly said "Their baby was a boy baby and my baby is going to be a girl baby." We'll see if she is right. She has been telling people for a while now that she has a baby in Mommy's belly.

I have been explaining to Bailey over the last few months how she used to live in Mommy's belly until she grew big enough to come out. We looked at pictures of my pregnant belly and her as a new born. She seems to understand fairly well. I guess about as well as a three year old can. She knows we'll go to the hospital and they will get the baby out then we can bring it home. The other day she lifted my shirt and said "Mommy, your belly isn't big yet, did the baby come out already?" I think she will have a hard time waiting. We will keep you all updated.

We are still alive!!

2009-01-10T21:49:00.002-06:00

Wow. These last few months have been so busy. To all of our loyal readers I'm so sorry. Most of you know that we bought a new home and moved in October. October, November, and December are also our busiest months with the fundraising business. We do about two thirds of our business for the entire year in these three months. We were blessed to be able to spend two weeks with our families for Thanksgiving and another two weeks for Christmas. On top of all that because of complications getting our phone and Internet transferred we didn't have a home phone or Internet at the new house until the day before we left for Christmas break. Austin did his work from his office in the old house, but when I was there I always had a two year old no toys wanting to go back to her new house so I spent as little time there as possible. Hopefully we are back up and running.

A few things that have happened since we were last on line are:

*Bailey's school program (hopefully post short video soon)
*Thanksgiving & Christmas fun
*My brother-in-law Tim almost won state in the 2AA football division
*Tim now moving up to 6AA head coach of the Searcy Lions - Yeah Tim!!
*Tim will also be one of the coaches in the Arkansas high school all star game.
*Celebrated Tim's 40th birthday
*Austin & Adam built an awesome clubhouse for grandkids at Mom & Dads (David working on it while were gone - will post pictures soon)
*Helped my brother Adam and his wife Amber move to Benton
*Painted and moved into our house (Bailey's room is too cute - will post pics)
*Went & watched Razorbacks play Old Miss, Florida, and LSU
*Went trick-or-treating with Ernie, Claudia & Ethan
*Celebrated New Years with lots of cousins, uncles, and aunts
*Went to Bailey's last class at the Little Gym (will post video)
*Celebrated Baileys 3rd birthday (already posted - yeah)

I know I am leaving some things out. It's hard to think back. We got a busy few months ahead, but having Internet at home helps. I can usually squeeze in a few minutes after Bailey goes to bed. I'll work on catching up. Until then..........

Happy 3rd Birthday Bailey!

2009-01-10T20:41:00.005-06:00

Tuesday my baby turns three years old! We had the big party today. Bailey is into all things princess so we had a princess birthday bash. She was so excited the whole day. Austin and Papaw walked in with the two dozen balloons I had ordered and Bailey said "let the party begin". She couldn't wait to sink her teeth into the cake so we got that started pretty quickly. After a couple pieces of cake and lots of icing she went off playing an forgot all about presents. Later I reminded her of the presents and she told Mr. John Wayne "Come on, we gonna have another party"! She got lots of girlie gifts. The child has two rooms full of toys between Christmas and birthday. Several friends came to celebrate with us. Nana & Papaw, and Aunt Amanda, Taylor & Alex even drove in also. Thank you all for making Bailey's third birthday a special one. We love you guys!

God, Cherries, Fans, Bread

2008-10-13T22:25:00.003-05:00

Okay, first off I will say that something is on my mind, but it keeps whirling in several different directions so I am not quiet sure where this post is going but her goes anyway.

A week or so ago Austin was talking in one of our church meetings about how he had been thinking about the goodness of God. He said the verses in Matthew 7:9-11 had been on his mind. "You parents - if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him."

Austin said that as a father he has come to really see that verse more clearly. He said that we do things for Bailey all the time that she does not even realize that we do. For example, at night after she goes to sleep we always check on her to be sure she is in her bed and is cozy. Lots of nights she has gotten out of her bed and has fallen asleep in front of her fan. We pick her up and tuck her in comfortably. He wondered what all God does for us that we don't even realize he does.

That got me to thinking about God's love and who God truly is. I have been reading the book "The Shack" by Wm. Paul Young. This is a fiction story about a man that truly experiences God and comes to know Him to be someone totally different than the "god" he thought He was. It gives you a fresh and exhilarating perspective about who God is. You should really read it. It will make you laugh, cry, and experience God. I really think that God gave this author a wonderful blessing in the ability to pen these words. If you want to read more about the book you can go to www.TheShackBook.com.

While reading this book I began to think more about God's love for us and how nothing we do can cause God to love us less or more. I think that most of us have heard our whole life that we can't do anything to make God stop loving us. But have we ever really thought about the fact that we can't do anything to make God love us more. His love is entirely complete and it is impossible to become more complete. Growing up I was a "good christian girl". I didn't do the things that good christian girls shouldn't do. I really thought God loved me but then again I was pretty lovable right?

The more I learn about God I realize that my arrogance and self righteousness was actually a barrier to God rather than something that brought me closer to Him. I have come to see others more the way God sees them, though still no where near perfection. I can love them despite their religion, skin color, social class, "righteousness". That last one was always the biggest struggle for me. I mean they weren't living right and that gave me the right to judge them, right? I now realize that I am no better than anyone else. I am so delighted that I can't do anything to change God's love that I can just live in that love. Yeah!!

Anyway I bet you are wondering about the cherry part of the title. Bailey loves cherries. Anytime we get a cherry limeade she always ask for the cherry. Tonight we were eating supper out and Austin got a milk shake with his meal. I noticed a little bowl with something red in it. Bailey noticed it to and asked what it was. Austin told her that when she was done eating she could see. By the time she was done eating she was so excited. When Austin pulled back the lid there were four cherries inside. I thought that was so sweet. Bailey had not even asked for or thought about cherries. Her daddy knew she loved them and got them for her just because. Isn't that the way God is?

I have been getting to know God out side of the "religious" box that I have always put Him in and more as the loving, real father that He is. God is so much bigger and greater than we realize. I must stop putting Him in this little box of what I can fathom and understand and let God be who He is.

Update!!

2008-10-11T14:25:00.003-05:00

There has been lots going on lately. The following is a list of things that have been happening. Some of them I will do a more detailed post on later.

**We closed on our house this past Monday, but things have been so busy that we haven't had time to do much.

**We painted Bailey's new room. Two shades of pink and a chocolate brown. (Will post pics soon).

**Mom/Amanda's birthday dinner at Nashville.

**There was a frog in our living room at the new house today right beside Bailey. We had to get Austin to get it out but even he used a paper towel.

**We ate at a BBQ place in Memphis two days in a row this past week. Austin has made friends with the owner and he always gives us a great deal. The food is awesome. If you're ever in Memphis you'll have to check it out. The website is www.tomsbarbq.com.

**We've made several new friends the past couple of weeks. We seem to really relate well and share a similar vision for what God is doing with us in this area.

**We went to Fayetteville and watched Arkansas and Florida play last Saturday.

**Visited with Darren, Rachel, Ada, & Isaac (Austin's childhood friend Rachel) last Friday on our way to the football game.

**Bailey is doing wonderful with potty training. No accidents in over a month and even a dry pull up most mornings. Yeah!!

**Bailey likes school now, I think. She told me the other day "I still don't like my class, but I'm not going to cry". She loves The Little Gym though. We go every Tuesday evening. Austin even goes with us. Fun!!

**Fundraising season is in full swing. These next couple of months are our most busy time of year. We do more than half of our business within about two and half months.

I will post more details later along with some cute and funny pictures.

Reality Check!!

2008-10-05T19:52:00.003-05:00

I am sitting here listening to Bailey. She is in the bath and talking to her toys. You can tell a lot about your parenting by listening to your kids talk. Sometimes, like now, I hear the way she talks to her babies and think do I sound like that. I don't want to think so, but I know I do. She tells her baby to do something then gets louder and louder each time her baby doesn't do what she is told. She says "Do you hear me". I'm not a yeller, but I do sound worse than I ever thought I would. I always envisioned myself as being a parent who would handle all situations calmly and rationally. How could I ever get aggravated at a sweet innocent child? Then I became a mom.

Don't get me wrong, I adore my child and I think overall I'm a pretty good mom. I spend lots of time with her and we talk constantly. I tell and show her how much she is loved nonstop, but there are definitely some areas I need to improve on. One of those is the way I handle her when she doesn't obey. I am easily frustrated and then don't handle the situation as I should. I worry all the time about the person I am teaching her to become. I pray God's grace will cover all of my parenting mistakes and somehow highlight the good things that I do.

I guess God is doing that because, I think anyway, Bailey is a wonderful little girl. I am tearing up right now just thinking about her. I definitely need to work on some things and become closer to the mom I always hoped to be. Don't think I'll ever reach the goal, but I will try each day to get closer. I think I'll go now and talk to her about what is going on with the babies in the tub.

Busted!!

2008-09-18T15:35:00.002-05:00

Oh the things kids say and the way they think. I have been trying to teach Bailey to tell the truth. The other day she lied about needing to go to the bathroom after she was in bed. I let her get up. After sitting on the potty a few minutes she told me she didn't need to go. I asked her if she said she needed to potty just to get out of bed. She said yes. I explained to her that telling me she needed to potty when she really didn't need to is a lie and it is not nice to lie. Without hesitation she replied, "Mommy, do yall lie?". I stuttered for a few seconds then admitted that Mommy and Daddy lie sometimes, but that isn't nice for us to do either and that we all needed to work on telling the truth. What can you say?

A few days later Nana was in town and we decided that we would go to On the Border for supper. It is one of our favorite places and we have eaten there several times. Bailey asked where we were going for supper and I told her On the Border. She asks, "Where is the border?" I tried to explain that On the Border was a restaurant that we were going to. I don't know what she had in her mind that the border was. When we pulled up to the restaurant she pointed to the roof and said, "Is that the border? Are we going to eat up high?" I again tried to explain we were going in the restaurant and that was On the Border. When we got inside and they took us to our table she began crying as I put her in the high chair. She was saying, "This is not the border". She was very upset that we were not at the border. We couldn't help but laugh. Austin and I still laugh about it and wonder what in the world she had in her mind that the "border" was.

I guess the best times though are the times like just a few minutes ago. She wrapped her little arms around my leg and squeezed hard. She said "I love you sooo much". Melts my heart.

Pretty as a Picture

2008-09-15T23:00:00.002-05:00

Bailey is growing up so fast!! If you don't believe me just ask her. She says "I'm getting bigger. I'm almost grown up". I try to take as many pictures as I can but I go through dry spells sometimes and realize it has been weeks since we have taken any. These are a few pictures that we took today at a park here in town. Bailey loves to pose. She is such a girly girl. Hope you enjoy them.

Who's Out There????

2008-09-14T15:33:00.003-05:00

I always wonder who is reading and keeping up with our blog. I know people don't always have time to comment. That is understandable because I know I don't often take time to comment on blogs I read either. Sometimes I have a few spare minutes and quickly check a few of my favorite blogs just breezing through them. I am glad that any of you out there take a few moments from your busy lives to keep up with ours. Austin and I were talking and we thought it would be neat to get a list of our readers. If you could take a moment to just leave your name as a comment (or more if you like) we would appreciate it. Hope to hear from you.

A Fun Day

2008-09-13T09:26:00.007-05:00

Yesterday when we woke up Austin told us to get ready and we would go do something fun. We decided on bowling and miniature golf. Bowling went great. Bailey loved it. We knew it was going to be fun when the guy asked what size shoes Bailey wears. I didn't know they had bowling shoes that small. She was so excited. Check out the shoes in the pictures above. Then he found her a special pink ball that was only 4 pounds so she could pick it up and throw it all by herself. You can see in one picture above how slow her ball went down the lane. She had time to throw it and comfortably sit down and watch it roll down the lane. It was fun.

Next we went over to the miniature golf course. As good as bowling went golf was that bad. It was hot outside and she wanted nothing to do with that. She didn't even try it. She had a pink ball and a putter just her size but that didn't matter. After about 15 minutes of trying to get her to play with us I gave up and began taking pictures of her instead. It helped that we were the only ones there.

When we came in from golf Bailey spotted a video game with a horse that you could sit on. She climbed on and Austin rode beside her. By then it was nap time and we had to get home.

Mother's Day Out

2008-09-12T16:16:00.003-05:00

Bailey started Mother's Day out a couple of weeks ago. She attends two days a week from 9:00 to 2:30. To prepare for MDO we bought a new lunch box, nap mat, and princess blanket. She was so excited about starting school because of her new items. We were a little concerned about how she would do because she hasn't been away from us too much and she tends to be a little leery of people she doesn't know, even other kids.

On her first morning she was very excited (until we pulled into the parking lot). We got out of the van and began walking toward the church. The closer we got the slower she got. We made it to her classroom. She went in okay and things were going well until we began to walk away. She began to wail. It was soooo hard to leave her, but Austin insisted she would be okay. When we picked her up (30 minutes early I might add) she acted like she had a good time.

On Thursday I had to take her by myself. Austin threatened me if I brought her home. She began crying before we ever left the house saying she didn't want to go to school. She cried all the way there and was sniffling as we walked down the hall toward her class. I handed her to the teacher and she began to cry like she has never cried before. She was screaming "Mommy". I left quickly. I sat in the car and cried for a few minutes until I could gather myself enough to drive home. When I got home I called the school and asked someone to go to her room and check on her. They checked and assured me that she was okay. I made it through the rest of the day but picked her up a little early. After that I decided that Austin should take her to school.

Austin said she cried a little Tuesday. Thursday morning she was ready to go. She kept telling us that she wasn't even going to cry. She was true to her word and we were so proud. She had a great day Thursday and is asking when she goes back to class.

Bailey has made a new friend, Camden. She told us that Camden is her favorite. Camden is really pretty and has long brown hair that winds (a.k.a. blows). She is so excited to show us her work. The last picture is of her work that she took to bed with her. When I checked on her before I went to bed that is how I found her. Too sweet. Hopefully it will keep getting better and better.

All Star Fundraising

2008-09-05T21:44:00.003-05:00

The following post is a short descprition of how All Star Fundraising got started and what we do.

Seven years ago Austin and I opened a pizza restaurant in Lewisville Arkansas with my sister and her husband, Tim and Amanda Harper. Austin was in his second year of college and I had one class (a correspondence class) left. Tim was pastoring a church, teaching, and coaching in Lewisville. The restaurant was slow during the summer months so we decided to start selling our pizza's as a fundraising product. We bought a shrink wrap machine and printed our own fliers. We had a few groups run with our pizza's.

We then decided that we would look for other products to supplement the pizza. Tim had sold Butter Braid in the past with his football players so they got online and inquired about becoming a dealer of the product. We met with a representative for the company and signed on to become a Butter Braid dealer. We also made our own cookie dough in the pizza restaurant and packed it in 5 lb tubs (lots of work).

After about six months of preaching, coaching, and a new position of Regional Fellowship of Christian Athletes director, Tim decided that he had too much going on to pursue the fundraising business. Austin was going to school full time and also playing college football at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia. Shortly after the business began he realized that he couldn't grow the business and continue to play football. He quit football and changed his major to business. After one more year of school Austin decided to pursue the business full time. We talked with other dealers and saw the great potential Butter Braid had to offer. Over the past six years we have grown our business at a rate of at least 50% per year. We have grown to be one of the top dealers in the country.

Now we only carry Butter Braid brand products with the Butter Braid pastry as our main product. It accounts for about 95% of our sales. Within the last few years we have hired a few employees, all of which happen to be family at the moment. Our marketing area consist of NE Texas, North Louisiana, Arkansas, and the Memphis metro area. The first few years we only had the Texas and Louisiana areas. About three years ago we picked up Arkansas. Austin's mom Sheila began working with us to cover the Arkansas area. Two and half years ago we decided to move to Southaven, Mississippi (a suburb of Memphis). We had been looking to hire an employee to cover the Texas and Louisiana area for us. My brother Adam and his wife Amber became available and were willing to move to Shreveport. We have been soooo blessed to have our family work with us. They have been awesome. The first year that we had all three employees our sales doubled.

What our company does is help fundraising groups plan and run their fundraiser using our products. Austin's office is in our home. I bake samples of the product and he will take them out and "sample" potential groups. If a group decides to run with our product we help them plan their sale dates and send them a start up packet. At the end of the sale they call us with their order. We then deliver their product the following week. That's the basic day to day operation of the business. It is a seasonal business that runs along with the school year so we have a lot of vacation time. If anyone would like more information on the product or the business you can go to the website at http://www.butterbraid.com/ .

So much for the short explanation of the business. Sorry it's so long.

New Home

2008-09-04T19:00:00.008-05:00

For those of you who haven't heard we bought a new house a couple of weeks ago. We will probably close in a few weeks. We actually had house plans drawn up several months ago, but in recent months building supplies have gone up so much the builder actually recommended waiting a while to build.

We have been looking around from time to time to see if we could find a great deal in this "buyers market". We haven't been just real determined that we would buy soon, just keeping our eyes out in case. A couple of weeks ago I stumbled upon this house on the Internet. It is a foreclosure and was an awesome deal. The buying process was a little different though because it was bank owned. They took offers from three different people and then choose which offer they wanted to accept. Our agent told us that these things could sometimes take weeks so we weren't really expecting everything to happen as fast as it did. The week went something like this:

Thursday - house was listed on the website

Friday - saw the house on the website

Saturday - drove by to see if we liked the house

Sunday - agent took us inside to look at the house

Monday - made an offer on the house

Tuesday - called us and accepted our offer

When we made the offer on Monday we thought it would probably be several days before we heard anything. We were excited and a little in shock. We had looked into several possibilities, all of which had not worked out.

This house is 1,000 square feet bigger than our current house and the payment will be within about $50 of our current payment. It is only two years old and was being leased by the builder. We wanted something with a separate dining room and a fourth bedroom we could use as a guest room when we have another baby (no we are not pregnant). Most of our family is 3-6 hours away so when they come they stay a couple of nights and it's nice to have that extra space. We also needed an extra room for Austin's office since he works from our home. This house has all of that plus a bonus area upstairs that will make a great playroom and a hearth room down stairs. The home has three bedrooms and two baths down stairs and two bedrooms (guest room & office) and one bath upstairs.

So now we will be trying to sell our house and moving into another. We should be closing sometime on or before October 6th. I think we are going to be doing a lot of painting. We are anxious to get started. Austin is dying to work on the front lawn and landscaping. We will post more pictures as we do some painting. If there are long periods with know post you'll know why.

My Little Gymnast

2008-08-13T11:07:00.012-05:00

Yesterday was our first class at the Little Gym. Bailey loved it. She is already asking to go back. Austin and I enjoyed it very much as well. It is always fun to watch your little one enjoy themselves. It took her a while to warm up, but by the time we left she was sing the songs and joining in. She was happy when the class was over and all the kids left. She said "All the kids are gone, now I can play". She thought she could have the whole place to herself. We will go once a week for the rest of the fall. I'm sure we'll have lots more fun.

Bailey the Hilarious

2008-08-10T19:18:00.003-05:00

Since Bailey Dawn has been talking she has been making us laugh. She is the funniest child I have ever known. People say they don't know where she got her personality. She is so much more out going than Austin and I and just down right funny. I don't know if she has been exceptionally funny today or if I had just forgotten since she was away for a week.

This afternoon we decided that we would go to the zoo. Bailey was so excited. She has been wanting to go to the zoo for a few weeks now, pretty much since the last time we went. It was cloudy when we left and had been raining earlier but we have season passes so we thought we'd take our chances with the rain. Bailey got in the van and was in there a couple of minutes by herself while I was gathering up some last minute things inside and Austin was in the garage loading the stroller. When we got to the van Bailey had gathered all the change in her little hands and proudly said "I have some money if we need to get a milk shake". We died laughing.

Shortly after we left the house it started misting rain. We were talking about alternative plans and Bailey kept saying she wanted to go to the zoo. Finally we decided that we would go get lunch somewhere close to the zoo and see how the weather was afterwards. We had not decided where we were going to eat yet (Austin and I can never make up our minds). We told Bailey our plan and she said "After I eat all my pizza we can go to the zoo". She is so subtle. I said I guess we are eating pizza for lunch.

While we were waiting on our pizza to come Bailey was playing around and making silly noises. I started picking on her and imitating her noises. She stopped, looked at me and said "Mommy, that's my line". I thought where in the world did she hear that. All these things happened within an hour. You've got to love two year olds.

My Baby Is Gone

2008-08-04T22:10:00.002-05:00

Saturday afternoon Bailey went home with Nana. Today Nana and PawPaw met up with Aunt Ericka, Bethany and Micah. They went to visit Austin's Aunt Leigh Ann and Uncle Bill in Texas who also have two young children; Madison and William. I know she will have lots of fun. She will be gone until Thursday.

The idea was that I could be at home and relax to fully recover from surgery. We have done anything but relax. We have been on the go every since she left. We haven't eaten one meal at home. We have shopped, watched movies, looked at houses and almost got a massage.

On our way home from lunch today we were talking about how nice it was to have some time for just us. We've felt like newly weds the last few days. Don't get me wrong we miss our baby girl and are ready to see her already but every couple needs time for themselves.

The whole conversation started when I said "I think we'll be alright when our kids leave home". I've never had that thought before. I've always teared up at the thought of my precious baby growing up. I still do, but I realize that Austin and I, at this point, have a relationship that goes beyond just mom and dad. So many couples get so involved in raising a family and work that they neglect the relationship as husband and wife.

We are so blessed to be able to spend so much time together as a family, but we need to be intentional about keeping our relationship strong. Bailey loves her family. She likes it best when we are all sitting on the couch together real close. It almost never fails that she says "We're all together". She has done this since she could put a few words together. I have always heard it said that the best thing parents can do for their children is love each other. I have seen this many time through Bailey and I believe that is true. Make time for each other. Your kids will appreciate it. After all, happy mom = happy family, right?

Family

2008-07-28T15:07:00.003-05:00

I just love my family. I always know that, but guess I don't truly appreciate how much until hard times come. I am not only talking about my family but Austin's as well. We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives. Not everyone can say that about their families. Not only are both sides individually great, but they can all come together and get along and seem to genuinely enjoy each other. I know a lot of people dread awkward events where both sides are together (wedding, childbirth, illnesses, birthdays), but our families just jump right in and work together.

Everyone has been so great through these last few days. I was really underestimating the seriousness of my surgery. Don't get me wrong, it was an outpatient deal, but it was still surgery. I had in my mind I was going to have surgery and go home that afternoon and just have maybe a little discomfort. I thought I really wouldn't need anyone here. Things did go really well and just as the doctor expected, but I wasn't able to just get back to my normal life that day. They actually told me before I left the hospital that I shouldn't lift anything heavier than a coffee cup for 2 weeks. That's when I realized I really did need help.

Thankfully our family didn't listen to me and came to be with us anyway. Everyone pitched in and I didn't have to lift a finger for a few days. Sheila and Roger stayed until Friday and Mom and Amber left Sunday afternoon. They all cooked, cleaned, and kept Bailey really busy. Amber even held my drain about six inches from my neck so I could take a bath. (Aren't sisters wonderful?)

I had my drain removed today and other than the awful headaches that are coming and going I feel pretty good. Thank you all for your prayers and thank you to my wonderful family for being there, as always. I love you.

Whew!! It's over!

2008-07-24T19:27:00.002-05:00

My surgery is over. Everything went well. I had to be at the hospital at 5:30 a.m. (Ugh) They got me prepped and the surgery actually started around 8:30. It took about an hour and a half. We were home about 15 till 2:00. The cyst was about golf ball size. They did the frozen biopsy and the cyst was benign. They will send it off and get a more accurate biopsy. My doctor said that in 15 years she had only seen once that the results were different from the frozen biopsy so we are pretty confident that we are done. The surgery was at Baptist Desoto. Everyone was sooo nice. Probably the friendliest hospital I've been to. Amanda says she approves of us having a baby there. It was funny because it just came from no where. She and Amber said Austin made a couple of trips to the nursery while we were at the hospital. Sounds like I better recover soon. We have lots of help. Mom, Amber, Rebekah, Luke, Tim, Amanda, Taylor, Alex, Roger and Sheila all came. Tim was brave enough to keep all five kids at the house while we were gone. It was so much help. Mom and Amber are going to stay a few days to help out. Roger and Sheila dropped my prescriptions off and have been really helpful too. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

3 Little Monkeys

2008-07-22T16:39:00.005-05:00

I couldn't decide which pictures to post so I just posted several. I thought there were too many cute ones to choose from. We made two different trips to the zoo a few weeks ago. One trip was Austin, Bailey, and I. The other trip Amanda, Alex, and Taylor came along. There are a few things I wanted to point out. In the first picture where Bailey is hold up her finger she was telling me "just one more picture mommy". I had been snapping pictures all day and she had had enough. The picture of Taylor and the polar bear freaked us all out. I had taken the picture of Alex and the bear so I told Taylor to stand in front of the bear next time it swam by so I could get a good picture of her. When the bear saw Taylor stand there it dove down and started clawing at the glass like it was trying to get her. Amanda screamed and made her move. Austin and I joined the zoo so hopefully we'll go several more times this year. It's soo hot now. We'll wait for cooler weather.

Busy, Busy

2008-07-03T10:29:00.002-05:00

It has been a while since I have published a blog. We've been going quiet a bit. In the last few weeks we:

*went to Alex's birthday party at Des Arc

*went to the zoo twice

*Bailey and I went to Mineral and spent a few days

*went to Grapevine for about a week

*went to lake Ouchita for the day to visit Ericka & Nathan

*various doctor appointments

*Lauren's birthday party

I feel like I'm leaving something out. Maybe the lack of sleep last night is affecting my brain. The last few weeks have been crazy for Bailey. I don't know if it is because we have been going so much or what but we are all off. While we were at Grapevine Bailey had issues about every other night. I don't know what the deal was. She would wake up at around 2 or 3 and reach for me and cry until I would pick her up. She would lay down for about 10 minutes very quiet and still. Just long enough for me to relax and think that she was asleep then she would stand up and cry again. She finally ended up in the bed with me and Austin went in the other room. One night she laid in bed with me from 2 to 5:30. She was very quiet and still. She just kept starring at the ceiling. I don't know what the deal was. She just couldn't sleep. It has been better since we've been home, but we were up for a while last night.

We've also been dealing with this newly developed attitude. My precious two year old baby girl has been acting like a teenager. I am hoping that getting back into a more normal routine will help. She has been better the last few days. Pray for us!!

I went to the doctor for a yearly check up and she noticed that I had a lump on my thyroid. She sent me for a thyroid ultrasound. When the results of the thyroid ultrasound came back I was referred to an Ear Nose & Throat doctor. At my first appointment they did a fine needle biopsy and removed three syringes full of fluid from my cyst. The result of that biopsy came back benign but the doctor want me to come back in. We discussed my options. I could just keep an eye on it and see how much it grows (it is a little smaller than a golf ball right now) or we could go ahead and remove it. The doctor recommended to go ahead and remove it because she was pretty confident that it would just continue to grow. I am having surgery July 24. They are going to remove the cyst along with part of my thyroid. While I am still asleep they will do a frozen biopsy on the cyst. If the results are benign they will sew me up and send it off for a more detailed biopsy that will take a couple of weeks, if the results are malignant they will remove the whole thyroid while I am still sleeping. The surgery is an outpatient procedure unless the frozen biopsy results are malignant then it is just one night in the hospital. The doctor says the chances of cancer are very low. If the results of the frozen biopsy are negative, but the more detailed one comes back positive then they will have to go back in and remove the rest of the thyroid. The chances of that are slim to none. The doctor also reassures me that thyroid cancer is the best cancer to have. It is very easy to treat and for someone my age there is nearly a 100% cure rate. If I understood her correctly, the only treatment besides removing the thyroid if it is malignant is one treatment of radioactive iodine.

Anyway keep me in your prayers. At this point I am not really too nervous. I had a pretty major back surgery 5 years ago so this doesn't seem like such a big deal. I will try to post some zoo pictures soon. There are so many cute ones I am having a hard time narrowing it down.

"Flower Girls"

2008-06-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

The last time we were at Poppy and Mammie's house Bailey and Mammie decided that they should plant some flowers together. We went to Wal-Mart where Mammie picked out flowers. We saw some Dora gardening gloves that Bailey just had to have (well I just had to have them for her). It was so funny how serious she was. She really thought that she was doing something. I think you can see how she had her little lips in one of the pictures above. That was her expression the entire time she was "working". First they pulled all of the weeds out. Next they adding potting soil. Finally they planted the flowers and "gave them a drink of water". They had so much fun and Bailey is looking forward to seeing them again. (The flowers and Poppy & Mammie)

We also spent some time in the back yard with Poppy & Mammie. Poppy was so cute when he chased down a little bird that had fallen from its nest so he could show it to Bailey. She actually liked it and rubbed it's head when Poppy held it up to her. She is usually a little afraid of anything that could possibly bite. We had fun and look forward to seeing them again.

"Pizza Pie"

2008-06-08T08:00:00.001-05:00

A few days ago Austin and I decided it would be fun to let Bailey help us make a pizza for supper. She was so excited, as you can see in one of the pictures above. She did a great job. She loves to cook. Every time we cook supper now she wants to pull a chair up so she can help.

CRUISING

2008-06-04T20:25:00.011-05:00

Here are some pictures from our trip. We had a great time. We left from Mobile, Alabama around 4:00 Monday afternoon and returned around 8:00 Saturday morning. We won the trip from Country Maid for having the fifth highest sales volume. Yeah!! Sheila was kind enough to come and stay with Bailey at our house for the week. Thanks so much!! It would have been a totally different trip with a two year old. It also happened to be the week before our 7th anniversary so it was a wonderful anniversary trip.

The first picture is our ship. I thought it was huge when I first saw it. The second picture is our ship beside a much larger ship. That ship was enormous. Here we are docked at Cozumel. We were there all day Wednesday and Thursday. We were supposed to be in Cozumel Wednesday and a beach just south of Calica on Thursday but the wind was too strong to dock the ship at Calica so we stayed an extra day at Cozumel.

These pictures are from the first day on the boat. The wind is so strong out on the deck. That's why there is no picture of me. The wind blown look just doesn't look great on me. The weather was very nice. It was sunny but the wind kept it from being too hot.

The first day that we were in Cozumel we spent the whole day eating and shopping. Austin loves to bargain with the people at the stores. It gives him great satisfaction to pay $15 for something they were originally asking $35 for. It makes me nervous. I try not to look them in the eye so they don't try to wave me into their store. I just walked by Austin and let him do the talking. This picture is of me and a live statue. These guys were standing around in different spots in Cozumel. The would stand there and not move a muscle, then they would reach out and grab some poor unsuspecting person and scare them to death. Unfortunately I did not know this and I was one of the unsuspecting people. This guy grabbed me and I let out a very loud scream. Everyone laughed and I was sooo embarrassed. Austin convinced me to go back and take a picture with him after we sat and watched him get a few other people. The embarrassing thing is we probably saw 20 other people that these guys grabbed and I think that I screamed the loudest.

The sunset was beautiful on the boat. Night time was also nice out on the decks. They were illuminated beautifully. The second picture is some sort of house looking thing built on stilts just out in the ocean. It wasn't too far from land. I think you might can see some land in the background. We weren't sure what it was. Austin teased and said we would have to tell my mom that we found her some ocean front property for when she an dad retire. She isn't crazy about the idea of being out on a boat in the middle of the ocean so he thought that would be funny. Any ideas on what it could be?

This is the couple that we had supper with every night. We were assigned to the same table. We hit it off right away and spent quiet a bit of time together every evening after supper. It was crazy how much we had in common. We were about the same age and had kids very close in age. We bought our kids the same souvenirs and had many of the same concerns about being on the boat. One night was particularly windy and most people had trouble walking because of waves rocking the boat. It was nothing dangerous and the people who worked there even seemed a little amused watching the rest of us trying to walk. The couples names are Mike and Jen. They live in Pensacola, Florida. He is in the Air force so they move every few years. I think they said they had been there about a year now. We got their e-mail address so maybe we can keep in touch.

These pictures are from the days spent in Cozumel. The first picture is of me rescuing Austin from a shark. Don't know what he would do without me? The second picture is of the coast of Cozumel from our boat. The last one was taken from a dock off of one of the restaurants in Cozumel. It was very nice to be able to sit in the restaurant with a view of the ocean as you eat.

This first picture is a picture of our room. It was quiet a bit smaller than I expected, but I guess you don't have that much room on a ship. The next pictures are of some of the towel animals that we would find in our room. They cleaned our room at least twice a day. The service on the ship was amazing. Everyone was so kind and you were waited on all of the time. Almost none of the employees were American. We teasingly said that was because they wanted people who would be so kind.

The food on the trip was excellent. The buffets were good, but the meal in the dining room at night was awesome. I tried some things that I wouldn't have usually tried. My favorite meal was probably the grilled Mahi Mahi. It was delicious. It had grilled vegetables and a potato cake on the bottom. It was all stacked in a tower with some kind of sauce that would melt in your mouth. Each night you had your choice of an appetizer, salad, entree and dessert. There were always several options to choose from. Some were the same every night and they would throw in a few new things each night. I didn't stray far when it came time for dessert though. I had the warm melting chocolate cake with ice cream every night. YUMM!!

This was one of our waiters. You have the same two people that wait your table every night. His name was Vladamir but we nick named him Franc. If you have seen the Steve Martin movie "Father of the Bride" you know what we mean. Franc was the wedding coordinator. This guy doesn't look like Franc but he sounded just like him and his mannerisms were very similar. We told Mike and Jen what we thought and they couldn't look at him without laughing after that. Supper time was the most fun. Every night the wait staff would break out in a song and dance that they would do around the room. They would pull people from their table to join them. I sat on the inside so I was safe. They tried to get Austin a couple of times but he didn't budge. It reminded me of a movie when everyone in the restaurant joins in a song that someone started. Anyway we had a blast and definitely plan on doing it again in the future.

Potty Time!!

2008-06-02T12:42:00.003-05:00

Bailey's first day accident free.

Last Monday we decided that we would start the toilet training process, again. I tried for about an hour a few months ago and after several pair of wet panties decided I wasn't in any hurry. Monday morning I put her in big girl panties and told her that when she goes tee tee in the potty she will get candy as a reward. If you know Bailey very well you know she loves candy. She did pretty well that day but we did have a few accidents. Tuesday was better. She still had a couple of accidents but was starting to figure the whole thing out. By Wednesday Bailey had figured out that she could squeeze out a little tee tee about every fifteen minutes. She would say "I want some candy. I'll go tee tee now", and sure enough she could manage to go. I knew then something had to change. I decided to make her a chart and when she gets three stickers in a row she gets candy. She was so excited about putting stickers on the chart she almost forgot about the candy all together. Thursday was her first day using the chart. She still had one accident Thursday. She wasn't telling me when she had to go and if I asked her if she needed to she would still say no. I started using our kitchen timer. It beeps every thirty minutes. Bailey knows when she hears the beeping that it is time to go potty and she doesn't mind at all. Friday was her first day to be completely accident free. Hooray!! I am gradually lengthening the amount of time between potty visits. She is even telling us on her own a lot now. In just one weeks time she is accident free most days. She doesn't even remember the sticker or the candy very often now. She just goes. She doesn't do as well when we are out and about, but I know that will take time. Sorry I know this was a long and rambling blog but we are so excited. She's growing up so fast!!

Bailey and the Cousins

2008-05-27T21:50:00.002-05:00

Bailey, Alex, and Taylor

Micah, Bailey, and Bethany

In the last few weeks we were able to spend some time with our family. Bailey loves to be with her cousins. I don't have any recent pictures with Rebekah and Luke, but hopefully we'll all get together again soon. Austin and I had a wonderful time on our trip. I haven't had time to download any pictures yet, but I will post pictures and more information soon.

Family Fun

2008-05-16T21:18:00.003-05:00

We were fortunate enough to get to spend several days with Adam and Amber a few weeks ago. We really enjoy the time we get to spend with them. Bailey attaches herself to them and follows them where ever they go. They were at our house a few days then we went and stayed at their house a few days. The first morning that they were at our house I found Bailey laying in the floor outside their bedroom when I got up. She was half asleep still, but alert enough to realize they were here and wait for them to wake up. We ate a lot, shopped a lot, went to the fair, and even went bowling. Love you guys!!

Rock Stars

2008-05-10T21:12:00.003-05:00

Bailey rocking out the drums.

Austin belting out Bon Jovi.

Is it just me or do they look very much alike?

Today Austin decided that he and Bailey would go have lunch together while I was doing house work. They were gone a couple of hours which is not unusual. I heard them coming in and went to the door to meet them. Bailey was so excited when she walked in. She couldn't say a word. She just kept pointing out the door smiling. Next thing I knew Austin was walking in with a huge box. He and Bailey had been at Best Buy playing Rock Band (a X Box game). He said she loved it so much that he just had to buy it. (It didn't hurt that he had looked at it every time we walked into a store lately.) I didn't care that he bought it but didn't think I would enjoy it. Boy was I wrong! Austin and I played for hours this afternoon. Bailey played a little then lost interest. I am sure we will have a lot more fun with this game.

Amber "Blue" Eyes

2008-05-03T14:35:00.003-05:00

Last week Austin and Adam went to St. Louis for a Butter Braid strategy meeting. While the guys were in St. Louis Bailey, Amber, and I hung out at Southaven. We had a lot of fun getting to hang out and do girl things. Bailey attached herself to Amber. One day she looked at Amber and with a shocked sounding voice said "Amber, what you got on your eyes". Amber and I looked at each other with a puzzled look. Bailey asked her again and then said "you got blue on your eyes". We both laughed when we realized that she meant that Amber has blue eyes. We were out in the sun and as you can see from the picture Amber does have beautiful blue eyes. Kids have the funniest ways of looking at things.

From the Mouth of Babes

2008-04-27T22:12:00.003-05:00

I just had the most awesome conversation with my two year old daughter. Every night before bed we read a story then rock and sing some songs. One of her favorite songs is the "Elmo's World" song that you can substitute any one's name into. She loves to tell me who to put in the blank and then we sing the song. The conversation went as follows. Keep in mind that she just turned two in January.

Bailey: I want to sing Elmo's World.
Alesha: Okay.
Bailey: Do Blue's Clue's.
Alesha: Song....
Bailey: Do God's World.
Alesha: Song....
Alesha: That's a good one. Did you know that the whole world is God's world.
Bailey: God loves Bailey.
Alesha: That's right. He loves Bailey so much.
Bailey: Where is God mommy?
Alesha: Well, God is everywhere. (stumped on how to explain that to a two year old)
Bailey: I want to see him.
Alesha: Well, we can't see him. (stumped again)
Bailey: God is a man.
Alesha: Kind of? (stumped)
Bailey: God is like daddy.
Alesha: Kind of? (big shoes to fill)

I really didn't think that I would be having this conversation for at least a couple of years now. She really seems to be churning thoughts and ideas in her mind. That is so great. I hope she has a life long love for thinking, exploring truth, and wonder. Just a side note to dads; I have heard that a child's first perception of God is their father, this is really true. No pressure there, huh? God is awesome.

Levi's Here!!

2008-04-21T15:09:00.002-05:00

Levi Craig Rhodes

What a cutie!!

I was looking back through some of my recent blogs and realized that I had not yet announced Levi's arrival. I let everyone know that he was coming soon, but failed to tell you when he came. Levi was born March 11th. He weighed 9 lbs. 1 oz. Jeff and Kacey said everything went well. He is growing fast. We joke saying that he will probably pass little 24lb. Bailey in a few months. Jeff and Kacey have 4 boys now. Their oldest is 7. They have really surprised me how well they have handled the addition. They aren't seeming to miss a beat. Congratulations guys. He's adorable.

Red, Yellow, Chocolate!!

2008-04-21T13:54:00.002-05:00

Life is such a funny thing. Our children pick up so many of our mannerisms and habits. Some good, some bad, and some just funny. My precious little Bailey has picked up one of my not so good habits. She loves chocolate. If her metabolism stays like it is she'll probably be okay though. Yesterday she was sitting on the couch enjoying some M & M's. Each time she got one I would ask her what color it was. She picked up a red one and told me that it was red. Next she got a yellow one and told me it was yellow. The next one she picked up was brown. I asked her what color it was. She looked at it for a minute then said "ummm chocolate". I thought that was too funny. Her love for chocolate comes honestly. You never know what your kids will say.

Biker Babes

2008-04-10T18:03:00.003-05:00

Austin and I bought bikes today. I had a sweet picture in my mind of Austin, Bailey, and I leisurely cruising through the neighborhood on our bikes. I didn't think about the pain in my legs and rear that would occur as a result. Hopefully when I get in better shape and maybe get a "big booty cushion" for my bike it will be better. Bailey loved it. She kept saying "We're going fast".

We started going back to the gym Monday. Actually, Austin started a week before me. I was having my wisdom teeth pulled that week so I thought I would wait until the next week. I also joined weight watchers online. We are really trying to cut back and drop a few pounds. Austin has lost five pounds in the last two weeks and I lost three pounds since last Saturday. Hopefully we will continue this trend.

Austin booked a cruise for us in mid May. We have our vacation certificate that we won at the Butter Braid Conference last summer. Maybe we will be looking good by then! We hope you all are doing well.

HENDERSON GRANDKIDS

2008-04-03T13:42:00.006-05:00

These are pictures of Bailey and all of her cousins on moms side of the family. A comment on an earlier post inspired me to post pictures of my nieces and nephew. It is hard to get a good picture of all the kids together. A few months ago we were all at mom and dads for Christmas and we got all the kiddos together for a photo session. We really ended up getting some good pictures. Some of you who haven't seen them in years can get a better look at them in these pictures.

This is Rebekah Lynn. She will be 12 in a few weeks. I say she is 11 going on 18. She is very mature for her age. She is a sweetheart, our first baby girl. She sings and plays the guitar, very well I might add. Isn't she beautiful!

This is Luke David. He is 8. He is "Amber's son". If you know my sister Amber at all you know she is the life of the party. He always has something funny to say. Luke is the only boy in the lot of 5 grandkids. He is better known to Bailey as "Spiderman Luke" because of his beloved spiderman costume.

Taylor Dawn is 10. We used to call her "little Tim" until her little sister came along, now we can see more of Amanda in her. Taylor is a little athlete like her parents. She loves basketball, softball, and cheer leading. She's pretty as a picture with her dark complexion and blond hair.

Alexis Grey is 4. She is better known as "Alex" or "Cita". We also call her "little Tim". If you know what her dad looks like you'll see why. Alex is the artist of the family. She has been drawing pictures since I can remember. From an early age you could recognize what she was drawing. She gets that talent from her mom and Poppa Henderson.

Bailey Dawn is 2. She is mommy's little princess. If you don't believe me just ask her. Bailey loves to sing, work puzzles, and buy new shoes. She loves to play with her cousins. She is a big talker and usually has something funny to say. She keeps us on our toes and laughing.

SNOW DAY

2008-04-02T15:57:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures from a few weeks ago in the snow. It snowed really hard for several hours.

Austin & Bailey braved the wind and snow for a couple of minutes.

The wind was blowing so hard and hitting us in the face that we came in really quick. We decided that we could play in the snow the next morning.

Bailey smiling beautifully in the snow. She was all bundled up and looking adorable.

For most of the morning Bailey sat in the chair and watched Austin build a snow man. She wasn't crazy about the snow. She remembered it hitting her in the face the night before and also it got her boots dirty. That's a big no-no in Bailey's eyes. She loves her shoes.

Austin got up with Bailey that morning so I could sleep in. It didn't last long though. He was so excited about taking Bailey out into the snow that he came and woke me up. He sent Bailey in yelling get up mommy. Then he said let's go play in the snow and Bailey said no I don't want to play in the snow. After about an hour and a half she finally warmed up and got out of her chair.

Austin, Bailey and the snowman.

Alesha, Bailey and the snowman!

Easter Fun

2008-04-02T11:21:00.005-05:00

We went to Ceder Hill farms on Friday before Easter. Austin, Bailey, and I met our friends Claudia and Ethan there. We had a lot of fun. Some of the activities included pony rides, an Easter egg hunt, and pictures with live bunnies. Below are some pictures from our fun day.

We left Cedar Hill farms Friday and traveled to Grapevine to spend Easter with Nana & Papaw. Bethany and Micah were also down for a visit while Ericka & Nathan were gone on a ski trip with their youth group. Nana and Papaw had lots of fun activities planned for the grandkids. They went fishing, hunted Easter eggs, and made cupcakes.

We came home Monday afternoon and got ready for a visit from my family. My whole family (minus David) came up on Thursday. It just worked out that they were all on spring break on the same week. There were 14 people in our house for two nights & mom and dad stayed three nights. Love it! We had planned a trip to the Memphis Zoo, but chances of rain changed our plans. We ended up going bowling and watching movies. Our neighbors were kind enough to bring over one of their bounce pits for the kids on Saturday morning. It was fun and freezing.

WE'RE STILL HERE

2008-03-09T14:31:00.005-05:00

You may be wondering if we still exist. It has been a while since I have taken time to blog. Things have happened and I have several pictures that I would like to post. I promise I will get to them soon. Some things recently going on with us are:

*** Went to Mineral for my dad's surprise 60th birthday party. We all went in together and got him a 37" flat screen T.V.

*** I got two wisdom teeth pulled about a week and a half ago. It went smoothly for about a day and half then dry socket and infection set in. That's part of the reason I haven't updated the blog. I've been in a lot of pain part of the time and on pain medicine the other. I thought the right side of my head was going to explode for a couple of days.

*** We've been working with an architect drawing up house plans. If we can get a good bid from a builder we might begin building soon. If not then we will have the plans for when we decide to build.

*** Austin, Jeff, and Dave took a trip to California for a conference. They had a great time and Austin came back with ideas for a vacation.

*** Bailey has kept us laughing and on our toes. It seems like we are either laughing hysterically at her or getting on to her. She is a blast. You never know what she will come up with next.

*** Waiting on little Levi's arrival. Kacey is going in on Tuesday, March 11th to be induced. We will meet him in a couple of days. Keep them in your prayers (4 boys)!

*** Celebrated Austin's 27th birthday. He has caught up with me again. I love him more each year.

*** Austin was sick on Valentines day. He was feeling terrible for about a week. I told everyone when Austin is just laying around on the couch you know something is wrong. If we are just hanging out at the house he will usually sit for a while then walk around outside for a while or find something to work on. He has those "Taylor" genes. It's a good thing one of us does. I'm pretty sure Bailey does too!

*** We got our first snow of the year. It was pretty but I am ready for spring. We need to be able to play outside and release some energy.

I am sure that I am forgetting something. I'll be sure to post more later with some pictures that we have taken.

Celebrating Levi's Upcoming Arrival

2008-02-05T15:37:00.000-06:00

Last thursday night a group of us got together to celebrate our sweet friend Kacey. She is expecting a new bundle of joy, Levi Craig Rhodes, in early March. We celebrated at Olive Garden where we ate well and watched Kacey open gifts. Below are a few pictures from the night.

From left to right: Melinda Kelley, Claudia Towell, Alesha Taylor, Terry Lewallen, Kacey Rhodes, Alissa Thomas, Deby Prince

Kacey smiling sweetly after arriving at her surprise baby shower.

Claudia, Melinda, and Terry

Kacey, Alissa, and Deby

We had a wonderful time just getting together and enjoying the good company. We decided that we should find something to celebrate every three or four months.

BIG GIRL BED!!

2008-02-05T15:09:00.000-06:00

Austin is carefully reading the instructions before constructing Bailey's new "big girl bed".

A project this big requires a lot of concentration.

Bailey is proudly posing on her new bed. Now she wants me to take a picture every time she goes to bed. She got a little upset when she realized that her baby bed was coming apart.

She is showing us how she is going to lay her first night in the new bed.

Fast asleep after only one attempt to escape. Bailey followed me out of her room after I tucked her in. She told me that was not her bed, it was some other kid's bed. Nice try. She has done wonderful. That was the only time at night that she did not just get into her bed and go to sleep. She has slept all night until about 8:30 every morning. Yeah!!

Nap time has been a different story. She will lay down for about one minute and then come out and say she is awake now. The second day I found her asleep half way in her book shelf and half on the floor. This picture is day three. Here she is sleeping half in her bed and half hanging out. She plays for about an hour and finally konks out. I am hoping this will improve over time. If I had to choose though I would definately pick nap time to be our struggle.

Has it Been Two Years Already?

2008-01-22T18:49:00.000-06:00

On January 12, 2006 at 3:55 a.m. our precious girl arrived. She weighed 6 lbs. 14 oz. and was 19 & 3/4 inches long. That very day she began holding up her head and looking around. I should have known then that I would have trouble keeping up with her. She hasn't slowed down since making each day exciting and somewhat exhausting.

Here is Bailey at 3 months old. She was rolling over, smiling and capturing the hearts of her love sick parents. She began rolling from her back to her stomach while she and I were spending the night with my parents. That night I put her to sleep and laid her down in her playpen (on her back of coarse). As soon as I placed her on her back she flipped over to her stomach. I turned her over and she flipped right back. We did this a few times ending with her getting her way and me staying up all night watching in fear of her suffocating. The next day my mom convinced me that if she could roll over then she would roll back over if she couldn't breath. I slept a little the next night. This was the beginning of the many battles of will to come. I have recently heard several people say the three's are worse than the two's. O' boy. I'm looking forward to every minute of it.

Six months old! How fast the time goes by! There are so many things happening, from beginning solid foods to crawling. One of the many things going on during this time is our move to Southaven. Bailey is going on seven months and still not crawling. To this point she has been right on or ahead on all her milestones. I'm starting to worry. Just days after we move into our new home Miss Bailey takes off. There is no stopping her now. She can get into all of the things that she has been scoping out all these months. It is then that I realize it's God's grace that caused Bailey to begin crawling after the move. Things would have been much more difficult with a mobile six month old. Thanks God!

At nine months my sweet girl is pulling up and cruising. At ten months she begins walking and loves this new mode of transportation. If our home wasn't baby proof before we had to make sure that it is now. She is saying lots of words. She has mommy and daddy wrapped around her little finger.

The big first birthday. It's bittersweet. That first year of sleepless nights and worrying are over, but so is the tiny baby that I once had. Bailey now loves to climb, jump, and play. One of her favorite games is playing catch. She will eat just about anything that you put in front of her and may even finish the plate of the kid next to her. She is tiny, but it is not due to a lack of appetite. Bailey can put a few words together now. If you have trouble understanding her she will find a way to get her point across even if it is taking you by the finger and leading you to what she needs.

Here she is at 1 & 1/2 years old. When I think I couldn't possibly love her more it seems exactly that happens. Bailey is talking in sentences now. She loves to be around other kids. We aren't quiet sure where she got it, but Bailey thrives on being the center of attention. One of her favorite phrases is "Mommy, watch me". Others used rather often are "I so funny" and "I do it myself".

My two year old birthday girl. Bailey can carry on a conversation with just about anyone now. She talks all day long. I tease saying she may be a narrator or sports announcer when she grows up. She gives us a play by play of everything that she does. She loves to play games and spend time with her friends. She has also turned into a candy monster. That is something we need to work on. Bailey is mommy's little sidekick. If I do it, she does it. She watches my every move. I do not even realize some habits I have until I notice her doing them. If I sneeze, Bailey does too. If I laugh, Bailey does too. It is flattering and frightening at the same time. Wow, God really gives us an awesome responsibility as parents. I just pray that he covers all of my mistakes because I know I make plenty.

This two year journey has been full of highs and lows. I worry often if I am being the mom that I need to be, the woman that I want Bailey to become. Being a stay-at-home mom is truly one of the hardest, but most rewarding jobs in the world. I try to remember that if everything doesn't get done today there is always tomorrow. I want to do today the things that I would regret not doing if tomorrow doesn't come (laundry isn't one of those things, spending time with my daughter is). I have days that I don't get much done other than tending to and playing with Bailey. Sometimes that makes me feel guilty. Then there are other days that I feel like I got a lot accomplished, but pushed my baby away saying I was busy. It is hard to find that balance.

I also worry that I will look back and realize that I did not enjoy her as much as I could have had I not let the little things cause me stress. I want to enjoy every moment that I have with her. The older she gets the fewer there will be. Sometimes I think stay-at-home moms take for granted all of the time that we have and don't really savour the everyday moments. I pray that I will begin to do so.

Although life as mom isn't always easy it's always worth it. I love Bailey Dawn Taylor so much. At the end of the day when we are rocking at bedtime it seems that all is right in the world (of coarse I don't mind when Dad steps in and lets me get an early bath). My daughter is so precious to me. I can't remember really wanting to be anything when I grew up other than a wife and mother. Isn't God good. I don't always appreciate all He does and sometimes even need time from my greatest blessings (but don't we all). When I really stop and think about the life He has given me I am amazed. I couldn't have imagined anything better.

I would love to hear comments from other moms and dads about the highs and lows of your journey through parenthood.

Happy Birthday to Me!!

2008-01-17T10:17:00.000-06:00

I can't believe we have a two year old daughter now. Happy Birthday to me, has been Bailey's favorite song for about a month now. She walks around the house singing it. We had our big two year old bash Saturday the 12th. Several of our friends and family were here to help us celebrate. Our neighbors were kind enough to let us use one of their big bounce pits so we had a blast. Nana threatened me if I put the picture of her sliding on the Internet, but I thought it was too cute not to share. Sorry Sheila. How many Grandma's do you know that would jump and slide with their grandkids. It was sweet. We also celebrated Bailey's birthday at my families house a couple of weeks before so all of my family got to celebrate as well. Bailey loves seeing all of her cousins. She talks about them often. Hope you enjoyed the birthday pictures.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-18T15:58:00.000-06:00

We will be leaving in a few days to be with our family for Christmas. I just wanted to take a few moments to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May God bless you all as you celebrate Jesus this Christmas season. Love Austin, Alesha, and Bailey !!

"Double Trouble"

2007-12-18T15:20:00.000-06:00

Recently we visited a friend of mine and her new twin baby boys Jackson and Jonathan. Bailey couldn't beleive her eyes when she realized that there were two babies. They are absolutly adorable. When I asked Bailey if she wanted mommy and daddy to bring home a baby like that she looked back and forth at both babies and then pointed to Jackson whom Mammie was holding and said she would take that one. Then she was disappointed when he didn't come home with us. I guess I should watch what I say.

Trick-or-Treat

2007-11-01T13:58:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to show everyone our precious little lady bug. Last night Bailey went trick-or-treating. She got the hang of it by the second or third house. About half way through we met up with one of our neighbors and her son Ethan. We are going to have him over to play sometime soon. Bailey loves to have kids over so it should be fun. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Adam's Birthday Bash

2007-10-30T20:20:00.000-05:00

Adam and Amber

Mom and Austin

Amanda and Alex

Taylor

Alex

Alex and Taylor and Bailey

We were blessed to be able to celebrate Adam's 23rd birthday with him this year. The crew included Austin, Bailey and myself, Mom, Amanda, Taylor, Alexis, Adam and Amber. We ate at Tokyo Japanese Restaurant in Shreveport. Then we all went back to their house in Mooringsport, LA to spend the night. The next morning we went to the Boardwalk and did a little shopping and ate lunch. We had a great time. Adam is a very special guy. He has a wonderful heart and I am lucky to have such an awesome brother. I love you very much Adam. Keep your head up. I wish you only the best.

Fair Fun

2007-10-30T20:03:00.000-05:00

We had a great time at the fair in Memphis a few weeks ago. We got to ride a few rides and of coarse pig out on some yummy fair food. Here are a few pictures from our fun day.

Pumpkin Painting

2007-10-30T19:44:00.000-05:00

Sunday night Kacey brought all of the kids pumpkins to paint. They had lots of fun putting their own creative spin on their pumpkin. Bailey got the award for most colorful. She thought it was great. The excitement wore off the next day and she threw it in the trash after her dad told her the paint might rub off on her. She doesn't much care for anything on her hands. Her buddies Jonathan, Aaron, and Caleb had beautiful pumpkins as well.

Go Razorbacks

2007-10-08T15:03:00.000-05:00

These pictures are from the Middle Tennessee game a few weeks ago. It was our first game to go to this season and was Bailey's first Razorback game. She loves the band. When we left she said over and over, "I like a band". Now if she she's a football game on T.V. she asks about the band. We had a good time. Austin and I also went to the Auburn game. We decided we should have just came for the 4th quarter since that's when all the action happened. It was still fun. It nice sometimes to get out just the two of us. I think we are going to try to go to the South Carolina game next weekend and that will probably do it for us. Go Hogs!!!

Colorado - Butter Braid Conference

2007-08-24T16:18:00.000-05:00

Wow!! The beautiful Colorado Rocky Mountains.

God is good isn't he!
The view is breath-taking (literally). If you don't believe me ask Sheila. Due to the thin air she and I found ourselves stopping to catch our breath quiet often.

We drove over the Loveland pass to get to our resort. One side was mountain and the other side was a cliff with a huge drop off. Adam, not being too fond of heights, held his breath most of the way up.

Mom, Bailey, and Dad enjoying a photo opportunity on the way home.

Bailey, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Amber waiting to go on the scenic wagon ride.

Mom & Bailey at the beautiful Keystone Resort.

Mom & Bailey

Aunt Amber, Uncle Adam, Alesha, Bailey, Austin, Sheila during the break on our Wagon ride. The horses, Rocky and Randy, were gorgeous as was the scenery.

The 17 hour drive was exhausting on a 1 1/2 year old baby girl. Nana was gracious enough to share her pillow. These times were the most peaceful times of our ride. We stopped and spent the night on the way there and back so we didn't drive 17 hours straight. She really did very well considering the long drive. She never really cried. Toward the end of the day should would fuss about getting back into the car seat, but would calm down when we would get going again.

All - Star Fundraising had the fifth highest sales volume for the fall 2006 - spring 2007 season. I was very proud of our team and their accomplishments. Austin has put in a lot of hard work to build this business to what it is today. We started the fundraising business about five years ago. My sister Amanda and brother-in-law Tim were with us in the beginning until his football career took them else where. The first few years were busy. Things were tight for a while, but the business is really taking off now. Our sales grew almost 100% from last season to this season. Adam, Amber, and Sheila have done an awesome job this past year. Thanks guys for all the hard work! For those who don't know, about a year and a half ago my brother Adam and his wife Amber began working with us in the northeast Texas and north Louisianna area and Austin's mom, Sheila, started working with us in the Arkansas area. Austin is now concentraiting on north west Mississippi and the Memphis metro area. Bringing them on board has been rewarding for everyone involved. We won a $1,000 vacation package. We need to decide soon where we are going to go. We'll be sure to take lots of pictures and fill everyone in on the trip. We love you all.

Mammie Visits

2007-08-23T10:02:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago my mom got to come for a visit. She stayed four nights. We really enjoyed our time together. We did lots of shopping. We also took a trip to Graceland. Mom has always been a big Elvis fan so we decided it would be fun. We saw the house, graves, cars, and airplanes. We had a good time, but I don't recommend taking a 1 1/2 year old. The time went by too fast. We can't wait to see her again. Maybe next time we'll get to see Poppa too.

Bailey's Photo Session

2007-08-16T22:26:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago we had Bailey's picture made. I ordered this picture as our package. When I went to pick them up they told me that the negative had been destroyed so I had to pick another pose. There was another one that I liked almost as much so it wasn't a big deal, but I thought that at least this way everyone could see this picture. I thought it was adorable. Hope you enjoy it.

Fun at the Beach

2007-08-15T22:36:00.000-05:00

It has been way too long since I have posted in this blog. Our summer has been so busy. I have lots of things to post, but haven't taken the time to do it. This was our most recent trip. I thought I would begin there and work my way back. We spent the week last week in Gulf Shores, Alabama with Austin's family. We had a blast at the beach and playing games at the beach house. We rented a four bedroom beach house. The gang included Austin's mom and dad, sister Ericka, brother-in-law Nathan, niece Bethany, nephew Micah, Aunt Lee Ann, Uncle Bill, little cousins Madison, and William. The picture of the handsome young man is William. He's a sweetie. Of coarse, they all are but he is the one I happen to have a picture of. There is also a picture of Bailey and Papaw and Bailey at Fort Morgan. It was a hot week, but it felt great at the beach. Bailey enjoyed playing in the sand mostly. Towards the end of the week she got brave enough to play in the water. I hope to post several new blogs in the upcoming weeks to catch up on our summer activities. Until then God bless you all. Alesha

2007-07-10T11:19:00.000-05:00

If you want to leave a comment you do not have to set up an account just click on the comment link at the bottem of the post you want to comment to. Then select other as your user account then put your name in the name box and type your comment. After you are done hit publish comment. We would love to know who all is viewing. Austin

First Haircut

2007-07-09T21:15:00.000-05:00

Today Bailey got her first haircut. She was such a big girl. She sat up in the chair and loved the little dog cape. She didn't wiggle around too much. We bribed her with a milkshake when she got too wiggly. The hair dresser also let her wear one of her bracelets during the process. We only got the ends trimmed a little, but it looks healthier. When we were done she got to go pick out a sucker for being such a good girl.

Summer Fun

2007-07-06T09:19:00.000-05:00

Bailey is really enjoying her summer. The heat doesn't seem to bother her, ofcoarse she stays wet most of the time. Here are some of her favorite summer activities.

Swimming

Bailey and Austin have a blast splashing and playing in the pool at the athletic club.

We bought a 5' kiddie pool for cool fun at home. Austin thought it would be fun to put Bailey's slide into the pool. He started with the big slide. It goes alot faster when wet and Bailey wasn't at all fond of it. They comprimised with the short slide. Her favorite activity is climbing in and out of the pool.

Water Fun

We were watering our flowers and Bailey kept coming to us to fill up her cup. When she filled her cup she would walk around the house and come back with an empty cup. I followed her to find her filling a bucket behind the house, one cup at a time. It kept her occupied for the longest time. Then Austin decided that it would be fun to soak her down. It was a fun afternoon.

Rain - Yeah

It has been so dry here. When a good rain finally did come we all enjoyed watching it. Bailey pulled her chair up to the door and just sat and watched the rain coming down.

Playing with the Boys

Bailey always looks forward to playing with the boys. Jonathan, Aaron, and Caleb are her buddies. This picture is of Caleb, Bailey, and Aaron. Jonathan is at the bottom of the slide catching the car and rolling it back up. They are 7, 5, and 4 years old. She thinks that she is just as big as they are though.

Happy Fathers Day - Papaw

2007-06-17T14:43:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's Day Papaw! We hope you have a wonderful day. Thanks for all you have done and still do. Austin always enjoys the time that he gets to spend with you golfing, fishing, or just catching up. You have been and continue to be a big influence in his life. We love you.

Happy Fathers Day - Papa

2007-06-17T13:54:00.000-05:00

Happy Fathers Day, Papa! I just want to take a moment on this special day to celebrate my father. I feel so blessed to have you as my dad. With each passing year I come to appreciate you more. I see so many dead beat dads that won’t take responsibility for their families. That was never the case in my home. You always put the needs of your family far above your own. You sacrifice your time and even your health for your family. I hope you will always know that all you have done and still do will not go unnoticed, but is deeply appreciated. We love you so much. You’re a very special man.

Daddy's Girl

2007-06-17T13:17:00.000-05:00

Bailey loves her daddy! And why shouldn’t she? He adores the ground she walks on. From the moment she was born he had a new twinkle in his eye. It thrills my heart to see the relationship between my husband and my daughter. You would think that I would get a little jealous when I say whose girl are you and Bailey replies Daddy’s, but it gives me warm fuzzy feelings. God has really blessed us by giving us the life that He has. We are able to serve Him in the ministry and Austin has a “full” time job as well. You would think that a family given these circumstances would have very little time to spend together. That is definitely not the case for us. Austin’s full time job is wonderful. We have our own business. Austin is a dealer of fundraiser products for Country Maid (who are of themselves a blessing and wonderful people). He has worked very hard to make our business what it is today. The business has become very successful, but what I like best about it is all of the time it allows us to spend together as a family. We work as a team in the ministry trying to build relationships and make disciples for Christ. We realize that the most important disciple that God has given us is Bailey. America’s society seems to think that the most influential person in a child’s life is the mother. I don’t want to discount moms, of course, but I believe dads are of equal influence. A friend of ours recently shared a story with us about a man he knew who owned a strip club. The man was talking about how he had recently come to the realization that all of his “girls”, in some way or another, had a poor relationship with their father. Some never knew their father, some fathers abused, some neglected, some were extremely overbearing. This really makes me thankful for my father and my husband. That father-daughter relationship is so crucial. Austin takes his role as a father very serious. He spends so much time with Bailey teaching, playing, and just loving. About a week ago Austin let me sleep in. I woke to see him and Bailey snuggling in the recliner watching Sesame Street. They had just returned from I Hop where they went to eat breakfast in their P.J.’s. How sweet is that? Its times like this that I want Bailey to remember when she thinks back on her childhood. These are precious memories! For those who didn’t have this kind of father my heart breaks. Praise God that doesn’t have to be the end of the story. Everyone has access to the ultimate Father, God Himself. His love, mercy, and grace are endless. His love doesn’t hinge on what you look like or what you have done. His love hinges on who you are, His child. I am grateful that I can call Him my Father. He has never failed me. If you need a Father like this you know how to reach me. I would love to introduce you to my Father.

Mommy's Precious Girl

2007-06-07T22:07:00.000-05:00

How cute is she? I thought everyone would enjoy seeing Bailey's first pig tails. Mommy needs a little practice, but I thought they turned out pretty cute. She was a hit everywhere we went. We ate supper at La Hacienda and they gave her a balloon. Then we went to the baseball game and the dad who brought drinks gave her one before the game was even over. She is growing up so fast. She thinks she is big stuff too. She usually doesn't want to sit by mommy at the games. She has to be right by Aaron & Caleb. Tonight was our last baseball game. We won a whopping one game! The boys played hard though and had lots of fun. They should be pretty good next year. We will get all but a few boys back because we had such a young team. I hope to have more pictures soon. Stay in touch.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

2007-06-04T21:39:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago we went to an Arkansas Travelers baseball game. Some friends of ours were kind enough to share their sky box tickets with us. We had a wonderful time watching the game and visiting with friends. Rachel, Darren, & Ada feed us all supper at their house before the game. Braxton and Courtney were there also. We don't get to see everyone often enough so it was great. Bailey and Ada had a blast playing together. They were both up past their bed time, but they were little angels. Bailey kept occupied by eating Ada's snacks. Everyone was shocked by how much Bailey could eat so they just kept giving her more. Of coarse she had no objection. She cleaned her plate and then finished Ada's. We wonder how she is still so petite. Alesha

Friends For a Visit

2007-06-04T20:10:00.000-05:00

We had some friends come visit this past weekend. Byron and Denea were in town for a wedding in Memphis. They are some of our friends from Magnolia but they moved to Louisana after we moved to Southaven. They came in on thursday night and we all ( Us, The Rhodes family, and The Blackwells) went to Chilli's and ate. Byron and I rode around Friday and I showed him around the area. We got to visit them a few weeks ago . The pics are of them here and us there. Austin

Memorial Day

2007-05-28T22:17:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone. We enjoyed our memorial day even though we were all a little under the weather. Austin bought us a swing and Bailey enjoyed helping him put it together. We spent the afternoon outside swinging and grilling. It was nice to just have time to be together without any agenda. Sometimes it is good to just do nothing. Bailey loves to be outside. She also enjoys drawing. Sidewalk chalk makes the perfect activity for her. Of coarse she loves to draw on the same spot that mommy draws on. I guess you could say she completes every picture I draw. She scoots around from spot to spot and gets completely covered in chalk. She also likes to walk under the sprinkler. She just stands there with her eyes squinted and her fists clinched waiting for the water to get to her. We hope everyone is enjoying our new blog. We'll try to keep you updated.

Alesha

Just catching up

2007-05-22T21:16:00.000-05:00

We have been in Southaven MS for about 10 months now. This journey started about 3 years ago when I was working with Youth @ Calvary in Magnolia AR. That is where Jeff Rhodes and I first met. Jeff came to Calvary to be the full time youth and education director. We hit it off really well and it wasn't long before we began discussing working together in the future. We began church planting training together and began to pray and discuss where we would go. We began looking at the St Louis area but that door did not seem to be open. Then we were approached about going to MS. We visited the area and knew that this was it so 10 months ago we loaded up our families and moved to the great town of Southaven MS, a suburb of Memphis. I will be publishing a few post about the past milestones in our lives so friends and family can catch up. I hope you enjoy. I will also be putting some of my favorite videos on the sidebar just click on it and it will play so you will have music as you read. I will try to change the videos out from time to time. Austin

WELCOME

2007-05-21T13:17:00.001-05:00

Welcome everyone to a new chapter in our lives. Taylor Tales Family Blog. With God doing great things in all our lives we found our selves hours away from friends and family. With everyone being so busy it is hard to keep in touch . We want to share our lives with all the people that have cared for and loved us over the years. So enjoy our journey as you trek your own. Austin & Alesha
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