Taylor Family Zoo

Slider the snake has been a member of our family for about 4 months. I am terrified of snakes and so is Russ but the kids love him and believe it or not he really is an easy pet. It's been a great learning experience for the kids to feed him and to watch him shed his skin. In fact the day he shed, Lukie totally freaked out because he thought Slider was throwing up. It's kind of been like a Science Lab in the garage.
We have a new edition to our family thanks to Bailey Bug Taylor. I don't know what it is about that girl but she seems to find every injured, helpless animal within a 20 mile radius and wants to bring them home and love them back to good health.(one of the many things I love so much about her) I took the kids to the park about a week ago to have a picnic and play on the play ground, we hadn't been there 15 minutes when Bug runs out of the bathrooms in tears because there was a salamander curled up in the corner that she absolutely had to save. She grabbed my McDonald's cup, threw out my ice and coke and marched back into the bathroom - the rest is history and now we have a beautiful, healthy salamander named Barbie, who eats very small crickets that I have to go buy at Pets Mart once a week:)

Potty Training

I'm quickly discovering some of the differences between raising girls vs. boys (besides of course the obvious)

Potty training is such a great example -

For Lukie it was pretty easy, pull off the bottom half of clothing, jump up on the throne and do your business (which we are so proud of him for and continue to praise him about!!)

For Bug it was all a huge production that required keen fashion sense, superb cooking skills, athletic ability and patience, patience, patience.

July 24th

Five, Six, seven, eight, Liz's shoes De-pre-ci-ate - my costume

So you think You can dance? Yeah, Baby!Hiding out in the back of the car

Racing for pinks Amanda aka the Big Cheese, Bree, Liz, Em and Bug.

Fire in the Hole
Illegal fireworks are fun!
Cul-de-sac of Fire
Honestly, Russ just needed a little light for Clean Up

Fire...............Ha, ha, ha FIRE!

I've seriously been contemplating this post - as it contains material inappropriate for children. Just want every one to know that no animals or humans were injured in the process, unless you want to count the personal injury by humiliating myself in old Drill Team costumes,

which I am now just overcoming..........
We had an amazing 24th thanks to our good friends and neighbors the Bells and the Mackay's. Sometimes the spontaneous get togethers are the best and I have to say that this one ranks up there among my favorites. Russ had bought some fireworks in Wy. on our way home from Bear Lake and it would have been such a waste to not share them with someone. We literally lit the neighborhood on fire.

Orem City Days

The Boys in an Orem City Fire EngineLuke and Dylan on the Mum Mum
Bug and friend KaylieLukie on the big slide all by himself
Em and D on the slide


So, for those of you that don't know, I grew up in Good'ol Utah County. I lived in Orem for most of my life and as it may surprise you, I actually loved it! In fact, I still miss a lot about it like the wonderful friends and neighbors that have become more like family over the years. I miss autumn in the canyon, Stratton's Fruit Stand, eating fish and chips by the river, the view of Mt. Timpanogos right out my kitchen window, Bridal Veil Falls, Cascade Springs, climbing Rock canyon, fishing the Provo, Crandall's Apple Cider, running the Utah County trails, golfing at Tri-City and just being familiar with everything and everyone. Orem was a great little community to grow up in. After living there for over 20 years I became pretty rooted which gave me an amazing support system in friends, family, church and community. I really felt a part of things. So, now that I have moved north I still try to make it down to Orem City Festival every year to show my kids the home where I grew up, spend some time with my little brother Kyle and his son Dylan (who both still live there) and enjoy the amusements and fireworks of the "Fest". I have to say it is a little nostalgic to be there, I have memories attached to everything in Orem , plus I always thought that I would just live and raise my family there. I hope that my children will feel as much a part of things here in Holliday that I felt growing up in Orem.