This is the REAL Taylor Family

Okay so Dave posted the other picture and while it's fine for a hallway hanging, home teacher Christmas card, it's not the REAL picture. This is the real picture and actually if you want to be truthfull it's got all the elements. Tim is playing the super hero (he has a superman complex). Aleca looks like she has wings. Dave is trying really hard to forget where he is at the moment, Greg's smiling like he's the only normal one(in your dreams Gardner). Catherine and I look like we are a few sandwiches short of a picnic, and we'll just leave it at that. I love it. It's the only shot where we are all looking at the camera and where we are all enjoying ourselves.

What was Dave thinking when he posted the other one? He has been a little off lately... maybe he forgot who he married and what married into.

The Taylors

My favroite TAYLOR

Dennis and Margene came home this week and all their children were here to welcome them home (Melissa will blog about that). I don't see Tim and Aleca's kids, so I took lots of pictures. Zoey seemed to get in more than others.

She looks like her mom (ha ha ha ha )

Grandma turns 85

The family didn't come through for Grandma so she took matters into her own hands. What kind of grandkids don't throw a big bash for their Grandma's 85th birthday? What a bunch of slackers we are. Grandma decided that she couldn't wait for us so she called about 200 of her closest friends and relatives and had her own PAR-TAY. Tim, Sue, Laurie, and Terry came down for it and the kids and I showed up. She was the belle of the ball. We were all there to pay homage to the elder! Here's some shots of the lady of the hour.

New Dawn(no that's not it) New Eclipse (not that either) Dawn.. something, New Moon, (Crap, no. no . no) BREAKING DAWN (Thanks Rebecca)

This weekend the saga of Edward and Bella will continue. I will be at Barnes and Noble along with all the hords of teenie boppers to get my copy. I will do nothing this weekend except read until I am finished and then I will be disappointed that it is all over with and now I must begin the wait again. I do this with authors that I love. I did it with Patricia Cornwell, I did it with JK Rowling and various others. I thought I would throw out a theory to all who have the courage to read my pontifications. Wordy as they may be...

I am obviously on Team Edward. If you truly think that Bella could be happy with Jacob then stop here. We cannot be friends because you just don't get me...(just kidding, I'm always up for a spirited debate this just isn't it). Ever since they introduced Leah into the mix of the werewolves it has seemed strange to me that Stephanie Meyers (heretofore known as SM) would choose to use Jacob and Leah together as names and not have some deeper meaning. SM is LDS which most of us know, she also graduated from my alma mater BYU. She, therefore, is well versed in the Bible. We all had to take religion classes to gradamacate from the Y. She KNOWS the story of Jacob, Rachel, and Leah. Jacob is in love with Rachel, and he goes to her father to ask for her in marriage. At the time, the oldest sister Leah had not yet been married off. (I feel your pain Leah... when my younger sibling got married before me I felt like a leper.I digress) Jacob had to work for Rachel's father for 7 years to get Rachel and on the day of the wedding/wedding night Leah dressed up in Rachel's clothes and Jacob married Leah instead. Let's not go into the fact that good ole' Jake couldn't tell them apart... It is no coincidence that SM used Jacob and Leah. She's the wife/lover that he got not the one he wanted! He wanted Bella but in the end he will be with Leah who understands his pain as well as his instincts. SM was leading us into this when she gave us the tidbit with Jacob languishing over Bella and Leah there to help him through it. Bella will NOT end up with Jacob. It is unclear to me whether Jacob imprinted on Bella or if he can still imprint on Leah even though they have already "seen" each other. I know that sometimes you can "see" someone in a totally different way than you have before in certain circumstances. Maybe after his sojourn into his natural/carnal side he will become someone who is more thoughtful and imprint. Maybe he will meet the only other wolf who transfigured and never came back. I can't wait for the saga of Jacob to continue either. There certainly are arguments that he became what Bella needed, but she belongs to Edward.

Fun in the Sun

Every year the Lowes and the Cortes family's get a beach house in Oceanside. This year we decided to invite ourselves and I'm glad we did. It was so much fun the place is right on the beach

Demetri the Boogie Boarder

How cute Matt and Emily Lowe riding a wave together.

Matt with his girls

I took a bunch of shells that we had from Mexico to the beach to build a cool sand castle. everybody who walked by wanted to take the shells. It was fun just watching people walk by.

Poor Phoenix the ladies ran the show... Now that I think about it he should just get used to it.

The Week of Willow

The second week of july is always a big one for our little Willow. She starts school (we're on year 'round school), she has a birthday and sometimes parties for birthdays and the forth of July. This year was no different.

First day of 2nd Grade (the headband was her idea...)





Birthday #7 (again can't believe it)





Cool underwater shot. I love my camera.