captain America crashes the party!

Beau's party to be exact!

his 4 year old party!

celebrating Beau is so much fun!

He is our oldest nephew, so we are learning the ropes from him

He is always up for a party and loves to be with his family

the party was at Jamie's sisters house about a month or so ago and the guests included our family.

it was just perfect. 

honestly, Beau loves being with his cousins more than anyone. So, it was the perfect guest list for him!

well, it was once Captain America showed up (points for my brother!)

it is so hard to believe that Beau is 4!

i truly adore him and am so thankful that he made me an aunt.

it is so much fun to watch him grow and learn new things.

he's becoming quite the conversationalist and is always spouting out something hilarious.

he's the big kid in town now and i'm so glad that Judson will have Beau to follow!

us 3

as we anticipate the arrival of the next Taylor bro, we prepare for the transition that our family will make.

3 to 4.

we sure have loved our little family of three.

so much so.

I asked GT if he was going to miss it being just us and Judson?

and if it was ok if i think i kind of will.

it's been good.

the three of us 

we have enjoyed our lazy days around the house

our busy days running errands

our roadtrips

Sundays at church 

meals as a family

and all that goes along with living as a family

I think we-GT and I- have both enjoyed our time with just Judson

learning who he is, his quirky personality, what makes him laugh, what interests him

simply focusing on him

individual shots for the basketball team

(he's the only member of the team)

we are so excited for him to have a brother

we are elated to have another son!

what we lose in an only child, we gain in the joy of more children and siblings for them.

perhaps these emotions are normal and just part of growing your family?

for however much we will miss our family of 3, we are equally ecstatic about adding to the number

and pray that we can continue to do so

i sure love spending time with my Buddy Ray

his presence is life-giving and incredibly joyful

he is full of energy, but putting him down for naps and for bed is just the best and so sweet.

he is my sweetness and I never want to lose that bond

(every mothers longing, i know)

i'm eager to see how this heart of mine will grow....knowing it is fully capable and ready

these kids are ready to take on more Taylor boys

i think.

Granddad is 90! and some words from the wise

We called GT's grandparents the other night to wish them both a happy birthday.

Granddad turned 90. 90! 90.

Grandma turned 84!

So, what'd you do to celebrate turning 90, granddad?

he told us, then made a small (very small) comment about how tired he was.

so, i will tell you.

he played 18 holes of golf before 930, then mowed his yard

I'M tired thinking about doing that!

Grandma proceeded to ask how I and the baby were doing.

GT said that we were doing good, he's just having a hard time slowing me down.

i'm not actually sure what that would look like-with a 19 month old and very active family.

Grandma told him, "us women, our job is in our home. it's hard to quit working"

EXACTLY!

even if we work outside of the home, which i do (part time and school).
my home is still my responsibility and my job. you don't clock out or have designated work hours.
 it is hard to quit. especially when you care about the state of your home and you want people to feel comfortable (and clean) in your home.
Grandma really is full of incredible words of wisdom.
i always catch a new one when i'm with them.


speaking of words of wisdom.....sort of.
here are some words from GT lately.

I asked why he wasn't playing golf with some folks one Saturday.

GT: "Mostly because my clubs burned up"

Kate: "Well you can borrow some"

GT: "That's like borrowing someone's swim shorts...technically you could, buuuuuuuuut"
i stopped asking.

I can't even remember the context of this statement.
GT:" Kate, I'm a proverbs 31 husband"

...i'm going to leave that one alone...

I had casually mentioned going in for a few hours of clinical one Saturday.
Around noon that day, i mentioned it.
GT: "nah. you aint' got that look about you"
that's probably accurate


happy Monday fine people!
we're just t-2 week counting down to getting a good breath over here.

water fun

we installed some new sod last weekend

and i can say "we" because i did lay some squares myself.

and i use the word "installed" because i never know how to write the past tense of lay.

true.

thankfully, we have had some good rain this June, so we haven't had to water the new grass every day.

but, you better bet your bottom dollar that when we do-

this guy isn't too far behind.

kid LOVES the water hose.

LOVES

and we kind of love it, too

summer at it's best, if you ask me

always on the run

he kills me in a onesie.

acting like he's 5, dressed like a baby.

hey, sometimes you have to entertain yourself at the expense of your child.

parenting 101 with katelyn.

more to come.

6 days of going-ons

since friday, i have been to Shreveport three times for class/clinical

completed an additional 2 half-days of clinical

taken my first test of the semester 

and GT was out of town Thursday-Sunday

a HUGE thank you to my mom and mother in law for helping with Judson!

the nephews and their parents stopped by for a night on their way to the beach

ready for them to stop and stay on their way back!

our garden is beautifully productive

i cooked some of the squash and beans with dinner on Monday night

the beans are Royalty Purple Podded beans

the pod is purple until you boil it...then it turns green!

magically delicious

the squash were also excellent

we kicked our ducks out

they are now real ducks on a pond

not sure if they can fly, so i hope they are safe.

they were unsure at first

of course, they have lived in our yard for the past month or so and have become yard ducks

 but they quickly warmed up to the idea

and took to it like ducks to water.

hardy har!

babyTaylor2 is steady growing

i started my weekly OB appointments this week

and little buddy is knocking on the exit door 

at least, i feel that way

hang tight buster!

for 3 more weeks. pleeeeease, hang tight!

i've got to make your curtains!

and do more clinicals, and get a bed for you, and get some diapers, and get mentally prepared, and sleep some more, and grow your lungs some more.

you are constantly rearranging my internal organs with your karate moves.

but, i sure am eager to meet you!

Judson has met the developmental milestone (a rather important one, i say!)  of saying "cheeeeese"

a milestone we all love to document with selfies

my girls and our words

For the past school year, I hosted some of the high school girls from the youth group in our home on Monday nights.

and i miss them.

we stopped meeting for the summer because- do you remember summer when you were in high school?

Monday nights were probably spent at camp, getting ice cream, swimming, at a friends house, on vacation or a million different things!

so, we're taking a break and will hopefully resume when school picks back up.

I absolutely LOVED getting to know the girls and being with them every week.

the first time that we met, i said "ok, we can meet once a month or twice a month...."

they quickly responded that they wanted to meet weekly!

i'll admit, i was quite overwhelmed at that thought.

that's quite a commitment and a good bit of prep work every week.

but, what a blessing it was!

they encouraged me 

made me laugh

definitely made me cry

lightened my load

gave me perspective

and shared their hearts

and of course, became Judson's 1st crush

i was always encouraged by their commitment to the group

not only did they like being with one another, they were so eager to learn how to be women living for God.

one of the lessons/discussions resonated with me so much. (even though it was intended for the girls...funny how that works, huh?

we talked about encouraging one another with our words and building each other up. 

it is so easy to talk about other people.

a.k.a. gossip

imagine yourself in conversation with someone and the conversation isn't flowing, there's some silence.

your worst fear. awkward situation. 

the easiest thing to do is say, "do you know so-and-so?" or "have you heard what whats-his-name-did?" or "what's going on with thing-a-ma-bob?"

common ground.

you have something to talk about now!

but, is it encouraging? is it beneficial? is it kind, good, truth?

what's the point?

to make you feel comfortable and decrease the awkward.

so, i gave them an idea. and it has worked for me.

ask about the person you are talking to!

everyone likes to talk about themselves or their family, activities, etc.

if a conversation isn't happening or you feel insecure, talk about the person you are talking to!

ask about their school, job, kids, parents, house, hobbies, whatever!!!

and hopefully the conversation will lead to something that is good and fruitful and not detrimental to someone else (someone who isn't even there to defend themselves!)

you follow?

i know this isn't that profound or earth-shattering, but it is a little tool that has helped me quit gossiping or getting into a situation that can hurt others.

you also realize really quickly how shallow your conversations are when all you do is talk about other people.

there is so much more to say and so much more to learn about others when you just ask!

everyone leaves the conversation feeling better and hopefully encouraged.

I told the girls from the beginning that I was not an expert on anything we would talk about, but that I could share with them what I've learned in life and lead them through Gods word so that they can be women/girls of God and of truth.

each time I gave them a little tip or advice or lesson, i'd tell them to put that tool in their toolbox.

even though it might not be applicable to them right now, it might be the exact tool they needed down the road.

I also saw their relationships grow with one another 

it is so good to see people be good to each other.

especially high school girls. amen?

i sure love these girls and am truly grateful that God placed this opportunity in front of me!
there's no doubt that I received blessing after blessing because of them.