Get Well Soon, Uncle Scott

We just heard that Uncle Scott isn't feeling so well. He was all set to go to Mexico for the Thanksgiving holiday with his friends but had to cancel because he came down with pneumonia! We hope you feel better!!

The Countdown Begins!

We have been planning our Disney World trip for many months now, but we're starting to really get excited!! Taylor and Mommy made a countdown chain today that shows how many days left till we leave for Florida (on Christmas Day). As of today we have 35 days, every day T will rip one chain off and can watch as the chain gets shorter and shorter and our vacation gets closer and closer...

Better Late Than Never! Happy Halloween!

So I know this update is a little late but I figured better late than never! Our Halloween this year was complicated a bit by a winter storm on Oct 29th. We only got about 4-5 inches where we live but with most of the leaves still on the trees, the impact was big. Lots of trees went down and most of the area lost power for days. The city postponed Trick or Treating till the following Saturday on November 5th. While we were without power for a few days, we stayed in Quincy which happened to not get snow or have any problems so...Taylor may have participated in a little Trick or Treating on BOTH days! :)

She made a very beautiful Snow White....

Happy 4th Birthday, T!

Taylor had been looking forward to her birthday for a while leading up to the big day. On Sunday, she had 24 of her friends (a mix of school classmates, neighbors, and friends) gather at North Andover's Smolak Farms. Everyone got to pick out a pumpkin from the patch, decorate, play games, go for a hayride, and eat cake! They packed quite a bit into 2 hours. I think everyone had fun and it lived up to Taylor's expectations. Below are just a few of the pics from our gorgeous fall day at the farm...

Daddy and Taylor on the hayride

This is Taylor dancing along while everyone sang Happy Birthday to her.

Taylor all ready to go. Just a little excited, ya think?

Madeline and her dollhouse

One of Taylor's favorite bedtime books is Madeline. It's about 12 little girls that live in an orphanage, one of whom's name is Madeline. She knows the book so well she recites the rhymes with us when we read aloud, "In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines ...".

Riley, Taylor's cousin, gave Taylor this book when she was first born with an inscription that says "this was one of my favorite's when I was little, I hope you like it."

Well today, Taylor got another very special gift from her cousin Riley. Her Madeline dollhouse fit with furniture and dolls. It's pretty amazing! Taylor is in love with it. Here are a couple of pictures of her playing...

Thanks very much, Riley. We will take very good care of it!! ♥

Night out to see the Lowell Spinners

We went to see the Lowell Spinners play on Saturday night! What a fun time....thank you to the Cunningham's for organizing the night. We had dinner across the street from the ballpark, saw a great game (Spinners won in extra innings!), Taylor and Tyler rode Thomas the Train, and then ran the bases! How much fun can you pack into one game?! :)

Boarding Thomas...


Rounding second on the way to third...

And Taylor on her way to home...

Beach pictures

My Aunt Stacy brought her camera over to the beach house on our last day and she took some really great photos. I only wish my sister, Stacy, and her boys were there to make it a true "family photo." The pictures turned out really nice...maybe next year we'll get the WHOLE gang in there!

My favorite of the whole bunch!!

Taylor REALLY enjoyed hanging out with her Uncle Scott for the week. He seems to be able to quickly revert to his "kid" maturity level and goof off with her. Ha!!

Dance Camp Week - July 25-29

We just got back from a week long vacation on the beach, and I'm finally getting Taylor's Dance Recital pictures up on the blog. It's been a very busy 2 weeks. Nana and Pops got to our house on Wednesday July 27th so to be sure not to miss Taylor's big recital on the 29th, then we headed to the beach on the 30th. We'll have more posts about the beach soon...but now for Dance!

We signed up Taylor for a week long "Dance Camp" to see if she'd like it enough to enroll her in the fall semester. She was VERY excited to begin! For 2 hours every morning for a week she went to Camp and learned a little bit of ballet, jazz, tap, and hip hop. Then at the end of the week, they put on a show for parents. Taylor had, by far, the largest audience that included: Mom, Dad, Ray Ray, Papa, Nana, Pops, and Great Grandma!!!

Here's a picture of her off to her first class....ready to go with her shoe bag in hand (a pair of ballet slippers and a pair of tap shoes).

Here are a few action shots. Dad had the video camera going so hopefully soon we can edit and post a video!

Her tapping...I think tap might have been her favorite! And who can blame her... those shoes make the best tap sounds!! :)

Captain Papa and First Mate Taylor

Say Cheese!

Taylor dressed up super girly for Picture Day at school this week. She looks so grown up in this picture for a few reasons. 1. Her hair isn't in the usual pig tails or pony tail. She loves this new headband that Riley got for her! 2. This cute little shirt/dress with leggings - a little more structured than her usual tops. 3. She is growing up!! T's not our little baby anymore. I want it to slow down. :)

Happy Birthday, Auntie Brooke!

At the Salon

This is Taylor last week at the salon getting her hair washed before she got a trim. This is her third or fourth haircut, so not as big of a deal BUT it was her first hair wash. Usually Melissa just spritzed some water from a bottle, but this time they asked her if she wanted to get her hair washed. She took a look at the sink, a look at me, and said, "Let's give it a try."

As you can see, she loved it. I am finding out a little at a time, that our Taylor is a bit of a diva! She's been pretty sick this winter...fighting colds, strep throat, and the croup. So if a little pampering makes her feel better, so be it. It's a girl's prerogative, right? Manis and pedis next?

Looking forward to the spring and summer!

Go Patriots!

This picture was taken this past Wednesday when we got about 24 inches of snow...it's almost as tall as Taylor is! She's also wearing her Patriot's jersey today because we're headed to a "football party" to watch the Patriots beat the Jets!! Maybe a Patriot/Bear's Superbowl is ahead of us???