First Snow of 2011

The girls had heard that there was a chance of snow this weekend and they were VERY excited! I tried to tell them that it’s just a “chance” of snow and that doesn’t mean that it’s going to snow {here in DFW there is always the chance that it might snow but growing up in Austin it NEVER snowed when they said there was a chance…and I mean NEVER.  Sure, we had ice storms but no snow}.  It started raining early Sunday morning but it was just a heavy {cold} rain.  Midway through our church service the rain turned to snow and by the time we got home from lunch we were outside playing in a winter wonderland!!!

The girls were so excited to go outside to play in the snow that it took all Lance and I had to get them dressed in the warmest & driest outfits they have.

And they’re off…

 

Let the first snowball fight of 2011 commence…

 

 

 

 

As the family photographer I am “safe” from the snowball fight so that I can take pictures.  That is until Lance and the girls figure I have taken enough…

 

 

 

The girls L.O.V.E. the snow! But I think there is one in our family that loves it even more than they do…Marty!  He has an absolute blast running around in it and catching snowballs.  If he could play fetch with a snowball he would be in Marty-Dog-Heaven. He’s 10 years old now, but when it comes to a snow he acts just like a pup again.  It’s pretty fun to just sit back and watch him go!

  

 

 

The camera went up and we stayed outside playing for quite awhile.  I went in early to start a fire {which was actually just “turning on” the fire because we got gas logs for Christmas} and to get a pot of Hot Chocolate going!

It was a great way to end our time in the snow!

The girls {mainly Gracie} were hopeful that school would get cancelled on Monday.  She didn’t get the whole day off but they did delay the start 2 hours so they got to sleep in.  I think it’s the best solution because now they don’t have to go to school on one of the Bad Weather Days in the Spring when the weather will be nice and sunny.  Winter is not over yet so the girls might just get their snow day…we will have to wait and see!

Baby Zachary is Here!!!

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” ~Psalm 139:14

Zachary David Wright

Born: December 28th at 1:50pm

Weight: 8.38 pounds

Length: 20 inches

 

Proud Mommy & Daddy with Baby Zachary!

I am so excited for Christie & Tim today as they welcomed their precious son through the blessing of adoption! God is good!

Welcome to the family Zachary!!

2010 Taylor Family Christmas Card

I went with Shutterfly this year and was really happy with how quickly my cards arrived {since I was late ordering…as usual}.  I actually had to order them in two sets because I used the wrong list {yikes} and drastically under ordered.  I have made sure that I won’t be making a repeat of this incident again.  The “wrong list” has been deleted!  I did squeak by with the one extra card that I need for my scrapbook, so all is well. I am optimistic that I will be on the ball next year and have a professional picture taken early so that I can order my cards early {perhaps my semi-professional sister will be the photographer}. Merry Christmas!!

A Visit With THE Big Guy!

We just got home from our visit with Santa!  The girls {especially Gracie} says that the Santa at the Villages at Allen is THE Santa Claus.  They assume the other ones are just helpers but the one they get to see it THE one.  Here is the 2010 picture with Santa…

I don’t usually buy packages of the pictures.  I just need my one 5x7 for the frame {which I also scan for this blog} BUT they took a sweet picture of Santa giving them a big hug so I had to buy that one too.  Luckily they let you buy each picture a la carte.

 Here are a couple from Christmases past…

They sure are growing up fast…Santa however hasn’t changed a bit!!!

Gwynie’s Preschool-3 Picture

 

But Who’s Counting?

Days ‘til Christmas…

Another Royal Wedding…I Can’t Wait!!!

 July 29, 1981

I was 4 years old when Princess Di & Prince Charles were married.  I remember watching it with my mom on the TV and loving every second of it.  It was the first time I had ever even seen a real-life princess and to me it was as if Cinderella herself was getting married.  I can't wait to watch {hoping they televise it} Prince William & Kate's wedding with my girls!! Times have changed, but I hope it's as neat for them as it was for me almost 30 years ago!! :)

Save The Date: April 29, 2011

P.S.- I also love the fact that she is a brunette…that is all. ;)

Crock-Pot Lasagna

The other day I was watching Oprah and Jessica Seinfeld {Yep…Mrs. Jerry Seinfeld} was one of her guests. {Unnecessary confession: I record ALL of Oprah’s new episodes on the DVR, however, I only watch the “happy” ones.  Back to Jessica Seinfeld…} She was on the show sharing some of the recipes from her latest cookbook and one of them caught my eye….Crock-Pot Lasagna! I have never made a dish after watching a cooking/talk show but this one seemed easy enough and it also “looked” like it would taste good.  So last night I decided why not!

My Crock-Pot Lasagna

I have to say that it turned out pretty good!  Lance and the girls were all fans so I think I shall keep this quick & easy recipe in my arsenal {ha…like I have an arsenal, more like a gun or two}. Next time I may try to add some ground turkey just for kicks. We had a ton of leftovers after our little family of four ate it, so I had it again for lunch today. Here is the recipe for anyone that may be interested:

Crock-Pot Lasagna

(Jessica Seinfeld’s Recipe)

Ingredients:

12 lasagna noodles (¾ of a 1lb box) {I used whole wheat noodles}

3 cans (14.4 oz) crushed tomatoes

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. dried oregano

½ tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 containers (15 oz) fresh ricotta

2 cups (8 oz) grated mozzarella

¼ cup grated Parmesan

5 ounces (6 cups) baby spinach

Directions:

1) In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt, red pepper and black pepper. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella and Parmesan.

2) In the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, spread a thin layer of the sauce. Top with 3 of the noodles (breaking to fit as necessary). Spread about 1 cup of the sauce over the noodles and layer with 2 cups of the spinach and 1½ cups of the cheese mixture. Repeat twice more with the noodles, sauce, spinach and cheese mixture. Top with the remaining 3 noodles, sauce and 1 cup mozzarella.

3) Cook on low, covered, until the noodles are tender—especially in the center of the lasagna—about 3 to 3½ hours.

Just Add Water!

Every single time it rains I tell myself that I am going to break down and buy some rain boots.  I see all these cute rain boots all over the place {on people and in the stores} but I always talk myself out of them.  Well, this last rain shower {downpour} that we had convinced me to FINALLY place the order and I just got them in today…

There were SO MANY styles to choose from on Target.com that I had a bit of a tough time making a decision on which ones to get…now that I can see them in person I am really happy with my choice! Now all I need is rain to break these puppies in!!  By actually purchasing these rain boots I probably secured the longest drought in DFW history! Ha! I will wait patiently, but the next time I see any precipitation falling from the sky I know exactly what shoes I’ll be wearing!!

Gracie’s 2nd Grade Yearbook Picture