Basketball Fun

Logan is on a basketball team with some of his friends. I love to watch them play at this age. It cracks me up! This is their first time playing on a team, so they have been learning a lot...and still have a lot to learn! Caden and Brooklyn cheer on big brother and get into mischief, as seen here sitting in a tire on the side of the court.

The funniest thing Logan does is when he guards his guy. He keeps playing against the same kid who shares his passion for defense. While the game is going on all around him, he and this boy stand facing each other and sway back and forth with their hands up, in an attempt to stop each other...like they're dancing. The ball could be at the other end of the court and they will stand there for minutes at a time, doing this same thing.

Creating Some Structure

Since our kids are still fairly young, we are still getting into routines--chores, homework, bedtime, etc. I wish there was a manual that said "This is how you do it" and laid my day out for me. Since we got the Wii for Christmas my latest question is "How much time do I allow for video games?". I've been toying around with a few ideas, but I want to be consistent and reinforce limits that will help my children be balanced in their lives. The video games are a great reward for homework and chores accomplished, and the boys don't play unless they've done these things, but I thought I'd ask all you great moms what works for you. I'd love to hear your ideas.

If I Had My Child to Raise All Over Again

I ran across this poem the other day and I wanted to share. I love it because it inspires me to do the things that are most important and to worry less about the things that don't matter. It summarizes perfectly what my goal is as a mother this year (and always). I'm already realizing how quickly they grow up and I want to be a mother without any regrets. Here's the poem...

If I had my child to raise all over again,
I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I'd finger-paint more, and point the finger less.
I would do less correcting and more connecting.
I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.
I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.
I'd do more hugging and less tugging.

~Diane Loomans, from "If I Had My Child to Raise Over Again"

Happy Birthday and Happy New Year!

We went out to lunch with two of my good friends and their families in Salt Lake on New Year's Day. This is becoming an annual event. We took a picture of all our kids in this same spot at Joe's Crab Shack last year. It's amazing to see how they've grown up in one year!














Brooklyn turned 2 on Saturday! What a big girl! We celebrated in Salt Lake with the Stott side of the family on her birthday and tonight with the Taggart family. She is definitely spoiled!











































We love our princess. She cracks us up with her independent spirit and the funny things she says and does. She's such a joy to have in our home.

Merry Christmas!

We wanted to share some of the highlights of 2008 in the Taggart home with you...

Logan (5) started kindergarten and is amazing us by how quickly he learns. He loves playing with and picking on Caden and Brooklyn. He played on a t-ball and a soccer team this year, and is currently playing basketball. He also enjoys swimming and doing flips off of the diving board. He cried the other day because it was cold outside and asked when it would be summer again. He is a great big brother, always willing to help out. He and Caden love playing wrestle mania with Brandon when he comes home from work each day.

Caden (4) is enjoying preschool. He catches on quickly and has a big vocabulary. He is the comedian in our home, always quick to laugh and make us laugh. We try to compliment him by saying he is handsome or smart and he says, "No, I'm funny!" That is the ultimate compliment in his mind. He still loves his blankie and chocolate milk, and is always wearing shorts and a t-shirt. He taught himself how to ride a bike during the summer so he can keep up with Logan. He's had stitches twice this year, so we hope 2009 treats him better!

Brooklyn (almost 2) is little Miss Independent. She loves to dress herself. Sometimes I try to help her when her shirt is stuck on her head or is inside-out and she says, "No, I do it!" I've learned to step back and let her express herself in her own way. She's quite the talker. She tells us exactly what she wants and gets a lot of satisfaction in being understood. She loves babies and dolls and playing in the kitchen. She gets into everything! Once, I sent the kids downstairs so I could mop the floor, only to come downstairs and find Brooklyn on the carpet, with navy blue paint all over herself and the carpet! After days of cleaning, we miraculously got the carpet back to normal. Talk about a counterproductive day!

Christmas is so much fun with these little guys in our home. They have an enthusiasm for life that is contagious. This has been a challenging year for us with the real estate market being slower than usual. It's been a good learning experience in many ways, as our faith and our abilities have been put to the test. Through it all, we've been reminded that as long as we have our family and the gospel of Jesus Christ, we have everything we need and we can truly be happy.

We are grateful for wonderful family and friends. We appreciate your love and support. We hope you have a wonderful holiday season and wish you the best in 2009!

Little Mommy

Brooklyn is OBSESSED with babies! It's funny what an innate attraction she has to them compared to our two boys. Here she is holding our friends' baby, who is almost bigger than she is. Anytime she sees a baby she runs up and tries to hug, kiss, pet, soothe, and hold him/her. She's helpful, but almost too helpful. She was on the baby lookout yesterday at church. As soon as she spotted a baby she would yell, "Hi Baby! Hi!" over and over again. She knows their names and when we pass by their houses she tells us where they live. Obsessed! She is a good little mommy in training.

Better Late than Never

I'm a little behind the times in getting these pictures posted. These guys absolutely loved Halloween this year...the candy, costumes, parties, everything!We borrowed this pink poodle costume from Brooklyn's cousin. I'm glad we didn't buy a costume because Brooklyn wore it for maybe a total of 5 minutes. She only wanted to trick-or-treat in her t-shirt and flip flops. Crazy girl!

Our cool clone trooper really got into the holiday. I got to help out with a party in Logan's classroom, and here he is in a parade through the school. It was all about the candy for him.

Our poor middle child...I realized when we got home from trick-or-treating and the kids had changed that I never got a picture of Caden in his costume. I begged him to put it back on for a picture, and this is as good as it gets. Funny pirate!

Stitches...Round 2

As we were getting ready to leave Grandma and Grandpa Taggart's house the other night, the kids got a little crazy and were running around with their cousins. I was about to say, "Settle down" and "Let's go!" when they ran into the living room and one of the cousins accidentally pushed Caden into a table that was holding a ceramic rose. One of the petals jabbed into Caden's cheek, leaving a pretty deep wound. We knew he'd need stitches so we left the other kids with Aunt Julie. We had to stop at home for a minute and decided to stop by our neighbor's house, who is a PA, to ask his opinion. He agreed that we'd need stitches and went above and beyond by offering to go with us to his clinic and do the stitches himself. It was late, so the only place that would have been open was the ER. It sure put Caden at ease to know that his friends' dad would be taking care of him, instead of a stranger. Thank you Matt! This was Caden's second time having stitches (pushed by brother the first time, just 6 months ago). He was petrified the first time, but he was so calm and brave this time. The best part of this experience happened when we got home. Logan had been crying and was so worried about Caden. He and the cousins drew cute pictures for Caden. Logan hugged Caden and told him how much he loved him. It was so sweet to see this tender side of our normally tough boys. They do love each other after all!

Happy Birthday Caden!

Caden turned 4 on Friday. I can't believe how quickly he's growing up! We had a busy weekend and Caden loved every minute of it. His friends, Rylan and Ethan, also have birthdays on the same day, so we had a big Halloween Party for them and some of their friends. Grandma and Grandpa Stott and Aunt Kim and Uncle Jason came up from Utah for the weekend, and spoiled the kids, of course. We also had the rest of the family over on Saturday for another birthday celebration. Caden asked me, "When I turn 4 can I still have my funny blankie?" I thought it was cute that as much as he wants to grow up, there's still a bit of a little boy in there that likes his blankie and chocolate milk.

Caden loves everything Star Wars! He was very excited about his light saber and other toys.
My attempt at making a pirate cake almost failed at the last minute. I held the cake together as we sang so it wouldn't fall apart!
We love our little pirate. He is so fun-loving and tender-hearted. His favorite things are animals, bugs, digging in the dirt, Star Wars, pirates, super heroes, and sports. He is quick to laugh or make us laugh and loves to wrestle with his brother and Daddy.

The Things They Say...

Today Caden came to me and said, "I'm hungry. Can I have a grand crapper?" I laughed to myself as I found him a graham cracker. I hope you're not offended by the "strong" language, but I thought that was too cute not to share. I don't think I'll ever think of graham crackers without smiling again.

Soccer in the Snow

We knew we'd have to gear up for Logan's soccer game today. We heard there was a chance of snow, so we bundled up in our coats, gloves, hats, and layers of clothes and headed to the game. I forgot how long it takes to bundle everyone up! The wind was nearly blowing us over when we got there, but at least it wasn't snowing. Logan and his teammates were such troopers, taking off their coats to play and never complaining of the cold. We told Logan to run around A LOT, so he wouldn't freeze. Shortly into the game, the snow came. The kids were so excited and distracted by it that we had to keep reminding them to play the game. They were catching snowflakes on their tongues and slipping and falling all over the place. Brooklyn was tired and frozen--a bad combination! Luckily Caden kept himself busy on the playground with some friends. Is it possible to go back to Arizona just for the soccer/football season? I wouldn't mind that weather right now. Logan only has one game left, but this is just the beginning for us. I'm sure we have hundreds of games yet to go to over the next 15+ years. We better learn to grin and bear it... and wear snowsuits next time.

Family Fun

We went to Teton Spectrum Raceway last night to celebrate the birthday of one of our friends. The kids had never been there before and they had a blast!

Brooklyn was obsessed with the race car video game. We didn't even have to put any quarters in and she was perfectly content.

The boys loved the inflatable toys. We were amazed at how quickly they maneuvered through the obstacle courses and went up and down the slide.

Brandon used Brooklyn as an excuse to go on the slide. I think he enjoyed it even more than he let on!

This was Logan's first time on a go-cart. Somehow he knew just what to do and avoided crashing into the wall and his friends.

Little Miss Independent

At 20 months, Brooklyn already thinks she can do it all. Once she gets something in her mind, there's no changing it! We went to Target yesterday and I decided to buy her some new shirts. I showed her what I had picked out and she took off her shirt right there and was determined to wear a new one. She even took out her bow! I tried to put her shirt back on and she threw a fit, much to the chagrin of all the mothers passing by. We then went to Michael's and while I was checking out at the register, she was determined to leave. I kept telling her to come back, but she went through the first set of double doors while I was in the middle of paying. She stopped to look at the Halloween decorations and just as I approached her she put her hand in an empty Halloween candy bowl. Suddenly a skeleton hand emerged from the bowl and she ran away screaming! I picked her up and brought her back to show her what it was. I put my hand in the bowl, thinking that seeing it the second time would be funny to her rather than scary. I was wrong! She cried and pulled away as fast as she could. It was hilarious! I decided that maybe next time she'll think twice before going off on her own again...Wishful thinking.

More Milestones

Caden loves preschool! It's nice for him to have something to do while big brother is in kindergarten. He's making some new friends and he loves his teacher. Every day he's excited to tell us about everything he's done.
There are 6 boys and just 1 girl in Caden's class!
He's growing up so fast! Last week Caden reached another milestone...he rode his bike without training wheels! Ever since Logan learned at the beginning of summer, Caden has been begging to take off his training wheels. I finally told him I'd work with him a few weeks ago. He sat on Logan's old bike and I steadied the bike as he rode. After 15 minutes he decided to go back to his bike with training wheels because it was too hard. I figured that was the end of that. Wrong! Over the next several days he would sit on Logan's bike and push himself along. One day without notice he just took off! I couldn't believe our 3-year old was riding to the end of the street so quickly, and that he had taught himself. Way to go Caden!

Our Big Kindergartner

Logan was so excited for his first day of school! I wasn't sure how I would hold up as we dropped him off in the morning. I started to get a little choked up, but I fought off the tears and put on my brave face. I was proud of myself, but more importantly, I was very proud of him. He came home that day with so many things to tell us. He loves learning! I can't believe how quickly he's growing up!

Logan lines up behind his friend, Landon, who is a head taller than him. Most of the kids in his class are friends from our neighborhood.