Moog's Family Blog: Happy 2011

We rolled in the New Year... BARELY. It was pretty boring at midnight, Josh was playing WOW and I was working. Though the peeps at work and I toasted sparkling cider. Very festive! We had our Taylor Family Party on New Years Day. That was a down right wonderful way to start the New Year. We opened our Time Capsule

It was fun to see how everyone had changed in the last ten years. We also wrote letters to ourselves about what we wanted to be doing in ten years. We put in the time capsule something that represented one of our our greatest achievements. I put in my first oil painting.

It's good to see it again, and I hope it motivates me to do some art again. In my letter, my goals were to be married, happy and a mother. Just to name a few. The big one I didn't keep was to still be painting. Gotta get going on that one, art used to bring me lots of happiness.

Liv and Jorja with Great Grandma Taylor

It was great to be all together as a family. We played some fun games that helped us learn some things about my Grandma and Grandpa Taylor. It was fun to go down memory lane with my Grandma.

We quickly got into the Birthday Mode after New Years. January is a very busy month for Birthdays in our family. My nephew Jaye turned three on the 3rd, we had a fun get together at his house to celebrate.

The cupcakes were very yummy that Lindz made.

Jaye was so funny slurping up the soup Grandma Launi made him for the shin-dig.

Atticus is getting so big... well sort of. He is crawling and moving like CRAZY. He's into EVERYTHING. He is my little pixie elf. Can't get enough of my cute boys!

Daddy and Sherrie helping us party!

Jorja and Jaye played and played in this new Toy Story seat that Grandma Launi got Jaye for his Birthday. It was a big hit!

We then turned our efforts into planning Olivia's Birthday. I can hardly believe my little girl is EIGHT! I was freaking out! I was not ready for her to be grown up. I'm so proud of her and we had lots of fun celebrating her. We did family dinner on Sunday the 9th and then let her have an all friend party on her Birthday after school. It was the first year she has ever had just a friend party. She decided on a camping theme for her birthday this year. We had lots of fun planning everything. Of course she was SPOILED rotten! She is so lucky so many people love her.
For her family dinner she decided on Mac and Cheese and spinich. She's a simple girl. We did some chicken and jello salad to round the menu out. I fussed over the camping cake and I think it turned out great. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. Though, the Birthday girl thought it was her best one yet. Which makes all the mess and stress worth it. We had a wonderful evening with the family celebrating. I'm glad it all worked out. Thanks to EVERYONE who made it possible. I had lots of help!

Grandma Launi and I fussed over the Friend party on her Birthday. I would have been lost without her help. Uncle Blake let us borrow his tent and we put it up in the big room. We moved the Christmas tree(minus the ornaments) out by the tent and layed out all our sleeping bags. It was great fun. We had the kids sing camp songs, put together first aide kits, and made a little bag they decorated with foamies to hold all their party goodies. Which we filled with a flashlight, little creatures, glow sticks and smore's treats. I think it all went well. We ended with presents which we opened in the tent and Smore's brownies with candles in it. They did not eat those in the tent though. =0)
I hope all the kids had fun, I know Olivia did and really that's all that mattered.
The funny thing was when the party ended. We didn't plan ANYTHING after that. Which means we ended up at IHOP for dinner. It went over well. Liv was happy and we didn't have to cook or clean up more of a mess. Plus for all!
It took me a few days to recover from those two days of fun. Which meant... on to the the next Birthday!

My amazing Mother turned 55 on Saturday the 15th! We spent the day out getting our nails done, shopping and then we ended up out to dinner with the family at Lorena's Mexican Restaurant. Hopefully she had a GREAT day... because no one deserves it more. I hope ALL her Birthday wishes come true. I know she is keeping her fingers crossed for a judge to rule on one of her wishes. We are all keeping our fingers crossed for her!
For Sunday dinner we had to have cake and sing happy Birthday. It was fun to end the day playing Settlers together. I hope she enjoyed her weekend and we all had lots of fun celebrating her day. I have the best Mommy in the whole world! She always goes ABOVE and beyond the expectation. She is my hero and I would be lost without her. She deserves all the happiness in the world.