Crazy Christmas and a Wacky 2010

(click on the picture to see it larger)

Merry Christmas Friends and Loved Ones,

We decided to forgo the cost of physical Christmas cards this year, especially since we can connect so many of you digitally ;). We hope this finds you well and resting in the peace of Christ. 

The wacky picture? I often wonder why I even expect the family photo to be ideal. LOL. Three - or should I say four - excitable, eccentric boys are tough to corral. It's been a crazy year - as most are in the Taylor household.

Draes turned 2 in June. He is growing SO quickly in wisdom and understanding. He's into everything, loves his family, his brothers, and spider man, and is advancing in vocabulary faster than I can keep up. His favorite phrase as of late is "Gy yus oo" (I love you) - or "Gy yus oo too muts" (so much). It's heart melting and more than compensates for the two-year-old fiascos we've been through. Draes has a generous heart, like his daddy. He never gets anything for himself without asking for one for Dax too, and will VEHEMENTLY INSIST that you take a bite of whatever it is he's enjoying. He is a joy... op, he just came in and said, "Momma, go clen upa mess!" Maybe I was too complimentary. Ha!

Dezdin weathered about a month of illness in September and October. He graduated from an ear infection, to the flu, to pneumonia. Sweet boy. We were beyond grateful for his recovery and healing. He's growing up quickly too. Since having turned 1 in November, he is singing and "conversing" much more, using some sign language (somehow I'm starting everything later with him, poor kid), and terrorizing his brothers. He has even taken a few, timid steps, though I'm in no hurry for him to walk. He's my cuddle bug, and I'm cherishing every moment.

Daxton started Kindergarten this year - which he loves, despite chagrin over missing out on the few hours of family time. He turned 6 last month and is reading and exploring math and science concepts all on his own - along with being a bit of a philosopher. This week, on the way home from school the topic of discussion was what happens to our bodies when we go to heaven, if we have a body in heaven and the eternal existence of God. My brain about combusts trying to understand all that myself, let alone trying to find words to satisfy a six-year-old. He loves the family, and has asked that we "do a family Christmas thing" every night after dinner. It makes Dusty and me happy to know his family is so important to him. He's a great help too - working with his brothers, doing chores and helping out with Connections tasks as often as possible.

Dusty's invincible, as usual. Very little slows him down or catches him off guard. He's our own personal super hero - coaching the Connections team, taking care of all of us, and still finding time to be a family. I seriously don't know how he does it. This year, he and the team wrote, directed, filmed and produced our very own little mini-movie. You can watch it at www.imconnected.org. They had a lot of fun! He's always dreaming up some new, creative way to love on people and share the message of Christ. I suppose my favorite, though, is watching him instill values and Christ-like character into the boys. I'm so thankful for his example to them.

And me? Well, I just try to keep up :) No, seriously! I help where I can, just trying to maintain balance, and relying on God to show us which step to take today. It is never dull, always just a little crazy... a lot like the picture. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Love you each and all. We hope your Christmas is full of the crazy joys of life and that Christ outshines everything else. PLEASE get in touch with us if you are ever near Boise. We would love to see you.

Christ in you, the hope of glory,

Tammi

Daxton's 6th.

Our little man turned 6! It's so crazy, yet with how busy life is with 3 and then the holidays, it just breezed by. Here I am 3 weeks later finally getting pics up.  He had so much fun with a few of his little buddies and his brothers and cousins. The first pic is of Dax as a baby, because it just doesn't seem like 6 years ago! And the rest are kind of self explanatory. If you check out my Facebook page, you can see TONS more pics of the kids. Life is crazy and fun and tough and beautiful and... us - who God made us. We're not a "tame" lot, just a little nuts, but we love it.

Enjoy the pictures.

Dez's 1st birthday pics, enjoy!!

Here are the pics. :) Dax's bday shots to follow...

The pretty lady Dez is with, is our friend Brandi, who made his cake! There are more pics on my FB page too :)

Dez turns one!

There are days that seem to crawl, but mostly, you look back and say, "Already?!"

I put my sunglasses on in the card aisle, trying to mask the tears as I read through the card I would buy for Dez. One he probably won't read until he's a grown man, if then. 

I remember when we found out we were pregnant - unexpected, afraid - knowing we wouldn't be insured, because we were making the move to Idaho and I wasn't going to be dishonest on the application. So many uncertain moments, feeling God whisper in the background, have I ever left you alone?

I never DIDN'T want Dez. Never felt that. I just feared the unknown, the "out of my control." 

And then he arrived. The timing perfect - after church but before our scheduled induction - and fast. And God came through. As He always does - in different ways - not often the ways we expect.

And now that precious, surprise baby is 1! 

Almost over night he seems to have grown up - to KNOW he's older. He doesn't cuddle quite so much as he did. He wriggles out of arms. He converses more and backs down less. He pursues everything with zeal - his daddy, his brothers, me, the cupboard contents, the trash can. 

Grandma said he bested the toilet lid yesterday - might have to get locks - never had that issue.

We're so proud of our sweet boy. So excited about who he is becoming and can't wait to know him more. Hope you enjoy the pics!

(Pics R causing me problems, I'll get them up soon as I figure it out :)

Update...

I KNOW! I KNOW! It's been forever! I need to get back to my blogs.

But alas, laundry and diapers,

Dirty dishes and kitchen floors,

Unmade beds and husband's socks

ALL BECKON ME! LOUDLY!

(not to mention Connections duties)

Relationships? Friends? I think I have some of those...

Let me just... crawl... through... the... mound of... breakfast crumbs...

Ahhhh, there.

Well, I'll have to post pics another time. But here's what's new...

Dax started kindergarten - he's really enjoying it. We miss him, but it's only a couple hours :). He is my ever-drawing, building and inventing man. Everything is his new invention, or a magic trick. He's so much fun! And he loves his family - forever drawing pictures of us all or writing all our names with hearts to show how we all love each other.

Draes... has a new vocabulary every day! His favorite phrases are... 

"MOMMY COME NOW!" 

"Hyuss, NO!" (Hyuss is Dax... not sure how that evolved?) and 

"DAAEEE (daddy - which is either mommy OR daddy), I WANT!"

MY favorite phrases are...

"Mommy, keece" (kiss)

"Mommy, hoc" (hug)

"Iee uh oo" (I love you) AND

"mmmmmaaa" (mmmwaaa)

He's still getting into everything, but he's also GREAT at cleaning up after himself. I'm pretty impressed!

Dez is threatening to be as ambitious as Draes. No walking yet, but we crawl fast and get into anything left accessible to us. Already opening cupboards and drawers... He's a joy. A love. He's still a very happy, easy going guy and greets everyone with a smile. He's got 4 teeth now, which have changed his "look" considerably. He's just fun!

So, there's the info. I'll post pics later :) hopefully not months... later :)

Draes

June 21st was a big day at our house! (Yes, it's taken me a month to get this posted :) Father's Day, Draes's birthday and my birthday (which is conveniently forgotten due to Drae's birthday, therefore I have ceased to age! LOL :)

Considering Drae was 2 months old the first time we visited Boise and wasn't walking when we moved here, it seems like his 2 years have just flown by!

He's ALL boy - climbing everything possible (no longer matters that we removed the bottom rung from the bunkbed ladder, he climbs it anyway) and fashions EVERY toy into a weapon of some sort.

His vocabulary is exploding! Recently, I guess we've eaten hot dogs too frequently because now EVERY entree I make (literally) is called "ot-doc?" "No, honey, it's chicken." "Si, hot-doc!" (No, we haven't taught him Spanish, that's just how he says "yes"). And the other day a car with a dog inside was pulling by and Draes hollered, "Bu-bye, ot doc!" 

He's a lover AND a fighter! Overall, an absolute joy! Enjoy the vid; ignore the annoying narrator :)

Dezdin at 6 months

Hey all...Dezdin turned 6 months last week. I took some video on Dax's little super camera. The background noise is annoying, but I thought those of you, especially family, who are far away would enjoy seeing what he's up to.

Dez is our little joy. He's still always happy. He goes with the flow and is smiley for everyone. 

Lately he's rolling over and over like a champ, pushing up on all fours, and even moving his knees separately. He's pushing up on his elbows while on his side. He just started FLYING through some of these things - but it helps when we put him on the floor, which we hadn't been doing as much as we could have. 

He's a "talker" :). We'll see if it follows through. 

We thank God daily for our little surprise. He's such joy!

Update on the kiddos

Well, being as Mother's day is this Saturday, I figured I'd gift myself by getting this off my list of "mommy guilt" :) and updating the interested parties on what's new with the boys. I feel better already :)

Dezdin - by far the over-achiever of the crew. He's babbling, blowing bubbles, rolling over like a champ, pushing up on his arms, and, most recently, pushing up on his knees and scooting backwards. I'll leave the room for a minute and come back to find he's turned 180 degrees. He's an extremely happy and easy baby. He's sweet and cuddly - weighing 16 plus pounds and 29 inches. He's a family favorite.

Draes - is super fun! He's talking more and more; he loves to play and dance. His newest joy is jumping. He works really hard to get that whole body off the ground. He's still my super-sleeper. He actually asks to be put in his crib! Woohoo :) He is the purveyor of justice in our house. Any attempt at unfairness will be met with the a hair-raising scream, tears and "ma nib na mabu nagdu NO NO." It's cute and painful all at the same time. We're working on the screaming aspect. He loves to put on and take off his shoes. I hear him singing random little songs, when he thinks no one is looking. And his new favorite thing is "tickle" - he loves it when Daddy tickles him. However, "tickle" also refers to just about ANYthing that makes him laugh.

Daxton - is Mommy's SUPER HELPER! He's always helping to get me a diaper, play with the baby, give a bottle, fold laundry, clean up toys, set the table, clear the table... he has even "made" breakfast for Draes (which consists of a bowl of dry cereal) when they wake up super early. He's growing up so fast. He gets up every day, makes his own bed, gets dressed and brushes his hair... and you've seen his hair, right? lol! He's SO excited to go to kindergarten; he's learning all the time. Today he was excited to tell me he'd counted by 10's to 100 all on his own. He's mastering simple math and reading.  He has a heart for others and is newly concerned with sin. It's fun to walk those avenues with him and see his heart and mind grow.

We couldn't be more proud of our boys. They're crazy and fun and they keep us laughing. God is meeting our needs, and we're so grateful to Him for this time in our lives. Love to all of you.

One Year

It's crazy to think... one year ago today I arrived in Boise to my new home. 

One year ago we began a life on this new terrain. We wondered what would happen, who we'd meet, what God would do.

Tonight I was in the nursery with 8 little ones. Each one a picture of what God is doing here - what God is doing at Connections. One year ago, some of them weren't even walking. One year ago I'd never met some of them. Now they are dear to us, a part of our lives.

One year ago I was a mother of two. Now I'm a mother of three. 

I keep finding myself wondering what God is going to do next. SO much has happened in one year. There has been so much uncertainty and so much blessing. I know many of you are there too, in this economy, wondering where the next paycheck will come from... and yet I find myself in giddy, anticipation, trying to peer around the corner of divinity to see the next little miracle. I don't understand it; I cannot explain it. All I know is God is doing cool things. 

One year ago, my life went from certain to spontaneous. I'm ready for His next amazing move.

"To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, not knowing what tomorrow may bring." Oswald Chambers

5 reasons it's a good thing we're not God (well... me specifically)

I sometimes wonder why God called me into ministry. Let's face it, I'm not the poster child for pastor's wives, ya know? I speak when propriety would hush me. I get emotional when others would say I should be clinical. Not saying I'm proud or ashamed of that... it's just true. 

But there is this... between loving people through ministry and loving my kids, God keeps me always at His knee. Humanity is such a mystery sometimes -  the way we walk into something knowing the pain will come, but wanting the rush badly enough? The way we hurt each other... the way we get stupid? I'm often asking God, "How do you put up with it? WHY do you put up with it? with me? with us? with this mess we're creating/have created?" LOL and in that mental abyss I sometimes think about what I would do if I had the power. Scary thought huh? Yah. I know you're frightened :) Me too, AND, to keep perspective, I thought I'd note just a FEW of the reasons HE'S the guy... and I'm not.

5. I  have a shorter fuse.  - Yes, I try... and I do marvel at the level of my own patience sometimes, but there's no WAY I would withhold my vengeance for generations while people spat in my face.

4. I think I'd prefer robots.  - Sure choice is a great thing to you and me. But if you were the ruler of all these crazy beings running around shooting themselves and each other (figuratively AND literally), would you rethink free will? 

3. I'm a stinkin' elephant! - I remember the craziest details! Especially how I was wronged, by whom, in what season, location, date and time... you get the point. If I were a deity there would be no "hurling your sins into the depths of the sea."

2. I'm a justice girl. - I'm all for mercy, but I'd make you pay SOME restitution first. Purgatory might be real if I were almighty.

And number 1? NO WAY!!! It's possible I might sacrifice my son's EGO for your salvation, but that'd be about it. Lay down my sons innocent life for the sins of a bunch of people who are just going to be unfaithful and sinful anyway? Probably not gonna happen...

When I step back and think on those things, I am SO, SO, SO thankful that HE is God and I am not - that He is complete in all His being, His justice and His mercy. I am speechlessly grateful for the sacrifice He made in Jesus, because without it, I, you, we... would be utterly hopeless. 

Joy in Unlikely Places

I hate receipts. Being vocational ministers, we keep every receipt because anything ministry related can be a deduction. So, I categorize and keep all these annoying pieces of tree waste, just to keep the IRS at bay. BLECH!

But this year, as I organized and entered them into mind-numbing spreadsheets, God began to minister to my spirit.

"Wow, this time last year, we were on the road to Boise, screaming Draes in the back seat (he had only been 2-months-old when we made our first Boise trip), to look at housing and connect more with the area and people." I remember looking at the very house we're now living in, for the first time. Dax ran in stocking feet from room to room saying, "Mommy, look at this hooj one!" with his usual enthusiasm. How could we have known, then, how much love and joy we would share in this space? That this would be HOME?

Just a month later Dusty and I would venture up again, to finalize things. It would be that week I would know, beyond doubt, that we were pregnant again, against our meticulous plans. :) I would fear and fret and be sad - little knowing how much joy little Dezdin would bring to our home and how much God would teach me through him.

I can't believe it's not even been a year since we arrived here. God has done SO many amazing things, in our lives, in the lives of those with whom we're connected. I'm flooded with joy and gratitude, amazement and hope. There's an anticipation in my Spirit. If God has blown things up like this... what does he have planned for the next 11 months?

Maybe tax receipts won't be such a drudgery next year :)

Recently on the Taylor Chronicles...

Dax making cookies for launch week.

I don't WANT to finger paint!

Draes in the toybox again.

Dax helping me stamp postcards for launch.

For those of you who hadn't heard, Connections officially launched last week, Feb. 21st. For details check out D's blog http://imconnected.blogspot.com. Life has officially returned from MAJOR chaos, to minor chaos :)

Dax becomes a better big brother EVERY day! Lately, if he can't get the baby to stop crying for me, he CARRIES him - in true five-year-old style - to where I am. Yikes! We've discouraged him from doing so, though he really tries to be careful. Today I turned in the paperwork for him to enroll in KINDERGARTEN! Cannot believe my baby's gonna go to school. And SO glad we waited the extra year. He's pretty excited and it's a great motivator for upping certain behavior and responsibility levels. "Hmmm... do you think boys in kindergarten act like that?"

Draes is slowly learning that "screaming for his supper" isn't the way of the civilized. He's gaining more vocabulary and doing cute things again. This week, he started throwing his hands up and saying "DAH" - which is his form of taa-daa. He's also become exTREMEly affectionate. The other day he sauntered up to a man in the lobby and said "IEE" (hi), then "m-aah, m-ahh." Apparently, in Draes culture, greetings include kissing random people you've never met. Nice... :) He's also enjoying being a big brother. He waves at the baby and kisses him relentlessly :)

Dezdin is more fun all the time. He smiles constantly, is laughing a little, and is beginning to show signs of wanting to get mobile: flexin' those stomach muscles, trying to roll, pushing up on his legs and way up on his elbows... His smiles are absolutely contagious. Seems you just can't hold, kiss on and snuggle a baby enough. He is delectable! 

I'm finding TONS of joy lately. Yes, there are days where I drown the toddler screams in daydreams akin to Narnia or Lord of the Rings, but for the most part I enjoy my particular heroine role in the saga of rearing 3 boys. I fight the monster of bad attitude, wade through the swamps of dirty diapers and bath time and slay the dragon of bad nutrition just in time for naps :). Now if I just don the flowing white gown... then I'd become the eccentric lady that lives down the street. I'd be THAT mom! :) I am a little crazy, after all.

That's the latest with us. Hope you are all well.

The Comedy of My Life

Or you could say "the comedy that IS my life."

Thought I'd share a few things that have forced me to smile lately...

Dax came down to breakfast in his pajamas and sunglasses the other morning. Said he needed to look like a "cool boy."

Draes disappeared in stealth this afternoon, and, of course, when I realized it was WAY too quiet and found him, he had dumped half a loaf of bread on the floor and walked all over it.

Yesterday Dax gave me a big hug and said, "Mommy, I love you so much. I'll always love you. I'll never kill you with a gun." ...yah - don't even try to ponder that, just laugh and let it go - who KNOWS what was going through his mind (and I don't even BUY him guns :).

And to add icing to my belly-laugh cake, the picture? Yah, that's the egg I had begun frying for myself, then forgot about as I fed the kids then took my shower. I discovered it in its caramelized, petrified state after I HAPPENED to go back downstairs. But know what's REALLY sad? My first thoughts weren't, "Oh how dangerous! I could have burned the house down." They were, "O what a waste of money! Now I have to make another egg!"

Just gotta laugh... 

And just like that...

I awoke Monday morning to the glorious snow I've cherished so much over the holiday season. It was a balmy 50 degrees that day, and by late afternoon, the snow that had taken WEEKS to accumulate was GONE!

And it got me thinking (cuz that's how my brain works) about the fact that things can change SO quickly.

In a moment, last night, we left 2008 behind and began a new year, full of new hopes, dreams and struggles to be had.

In a moment, in November, we went from being a family of 4 to "survival mode" as a family of 5. Yes, there were months of preparation, but it's that moment that makes the difference between "a kid on each arm" and "can I grab him with my foot?"

I've had several friends lose parents in these past few months. In just that MOMENT, an entire LIFETIME of relationship is transformed into "memories."

It's amazing what a moment can mean, can create... And, of course, it turns my thoughts back to our Heavenly Father and to Jesus. In one MOMENT, Christ entered the world and began the fulfillment of a promise generations in the making. And in the MOMENT He died on the cross, our lives were forever altered... we changed from creatures bound for death, to those with the potential to live for eternity near to our Creator. 

We are created for moments. It's those moments that make up the journey. And that journey is part of eternity. God is in it all. Those valleys, the "dark night before the dawn"... sometimes they seem like forever, but in one instant, the sun breaks, and we have hope and rest and new life. Even the tragic moments are an invitation to hold onto our Father as He walks with us, through the struggle to create something beautiful and new.

Isaiah 43:19 says, "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." This verse means a great deal to me because where we are planting connections is called "high desert," and I love the thought of God doing this new thing in this "desert." As we walk on in the new year, I pray you will embrace your moments. See how they've been shaped by your past and how God wants to use them to catalyze your future. Open your heart to what He has for you, and just like that...

P.S. Dusty will be doing a series in Jan. called "21" - it's all about forming new habits in 21 days - becoming who God wants us to be and who we want to be. You should DEFINITELY check out his blog starting January 10th.  www.imconnected.blogspot.com   Happy 2009!