June and July! and our 80th post!

This is our 80th post! Wow! June and July have sure flown by!
June 18th Tony and I celebrated 5 years of marriage! On June 20th Tony's brother Keith and his fiance Jenny were married! The wedding was held at a park in Ohio and was very casual. It was so much fun and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Taylor really enjoyed being able to play wherever she wanted, and she loved meeting all the new people. It was a great day of ceremony, play and swimming!



Fathers Day was spent enjoying the sun and Milford. We went out to eat at Milford House and walked around downtown. Tony got what he really wanted: relaxation!


June 24th Taylor, Tony and I headed up to Tawas to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We were blessed with wonderful weather, and we enjoyed every minute of it! We went to Tawas Point where Taylor and Tony swam in the freezing water, went on a bike ride along the point, and played in the sand. We visited in West Branch for a day and enjoyed some shopping. We also went to Oscoda for their art fair on the beach! Taylor had a lot of fun playing in Sand Lake and running around the cabin! We rode our bikes around the lake every morning, and we of course enjoyed eating at G's Pizza and making friends at Marions!








Two years ago this month (July 5th to be exact) we met our precious little Taylor! It is hard to imagine life without her, and everyday she reminds us of how lucky we are.

July 5th 2007:


July 4th 2009:


July has been full of fun. Our neighbors and us had a 4th of July party with food fun on the lake and fireworks. Taylor enjoyed swimming in her clothes (see the picture above!), and really loved the fireworks. She loved playing with Isabella and Gianna. Taylor enjoyed having our friends Mike, Corrie and especially Tony over too. She really liked Tony and seemed to follow him around! It was a lot of fun with great people.


During July Taylor also got to spend some time with her Uncle Nicky! She loves him so much. It was great for them to have some time together.


July 22nd we went to see "If You Give a Pig a Pancake" with our friend Alyssa and her two kids Brayden and Cheyene. It poured the whole time, and all the adults were crowed under the umbrellas, but the kids wanted to be out in the rain! It was a good time!



To end the busy month, Taylor and I went to Canton's Summit Park to spend some time with Heather, Aubrie and Mark. Taylor was so excited, and the girls played so well. After all the heat and action of the day it was great to relax and have some ice cream!

Kazapalooza 2009

This year we spent June 4th through the 8th in Nashville, TN to celebrate Kazapalooza 2009. Muriel, Gretchen, Michelle and Kristen did a wonderful job hosting the event and we all had a blast being able to see our friends again! Some we have not seen since we were overseas in Kaz! This year there were over 60 families that came to the event!


We came into Nashville a day early and stayed at the beautiful Opryland Hotel! We took Taylor to the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere Friday morning and met up with Sarah, Andy and their kids Zach and Addie. We had a blast and Taylor loved seeing the Meerkats and Elephants. That evening we met with all the families at the hotel and got to see old friends and make new ones.




Saturday was the pool party where we spent hours, and then we headed to Opry Mills for the afternoon. Taylor was able to pet the stingrays, however she thought they a little scary. She did enjoy seeing them though! Afterward we headed to Dave and Buster's for the big celebration. There was a raffle for the charity Two Hearts for Hope, dinner and dancing. Taylor loved the dancing and had a blast.






Sunday we did breakfast with our gang from Astana, Annette and Marwan and their daughter Kate, and Peter and Maren with their son Rinat. It was wonderful to be able to spend that much time with them, just like old times! We said our goodbyes to the families leaving that day and we headed out for a tour of downtown Nashville. Taylor was able to ride her first bus and could not get enough of it! Taylor and Kianna also had their first bar experience while on the tour! Taylor wanted a shot of tequila but they refused her due to her size. Sunday night we went to dinner with the remaining families and we were able to catch up with our good friends Steve, KJ and Tougy.






Every night we spent the evening at the Delta Island where there were dancers and music. Taylor was able to eat ice cream, dance, be with friends and stay up REALLY late. I don't think she was in bed before 11pm EST. Taylor and Tougy tried to break into the toy store on the final night but they were unsuccessful.




Overall this was a wonderful trip and we all had the time of our lives. Thank you so much to Muriel, Gretchen, Michelle and Kristen and we cannot wait to see you all next year in Milwaukee!

A wonderful Mother's Day and a precious 2 and a 1/2 year old!

Mother's Day was a wonderful day. When I woke up I found that Taylor and Tony had gotten me some beautiful yellow flowers which remind me of sunflowers but in mini form. I was then taken out to brunch at Hector and Jimmy's in which we all partook of the scrumptious meal that was prepared for the mom's! We headed to my mother's in Romulus and enjoyed some well deserved time with her. We all had a blast and shared some great moments. Afterwards we headed out to do a little shopping and enjoy the day, and enjoy we did! Taylor got a huge milkshake from Dairy Queen in which she sucked down rather fast for the size! It was a great day! I love my family!

On May 14th Taylor officially turned two and a half! She went for her 30 month check up and it turns out our little peanut remains our little peanut! She currently weigh 21lbs. 12oz. and is 32 inches tall! The big news is that she has finally made it on the charts! She is below 5% but she is on it! She did pretty well at the doctors, and we stood out in the hallway to speak with the doctor. It always amazes me how much she freaks out when she sees the building! What a memory!

Taylor loves to dance and boogie,sing songs, and read books. Her favorite book at the moment is "Llama Llama Red Pajama." Her favorite song includes many, but we have dubbed Sugarland's "It Happens" Taylor's song. She loves to sing to the radio! Taylor loves horses, donkeys, and bunnies.

Here's her newest sayings:
Let me do it!
Really? How come?!
It happens!
I'm 21 pounds.
Two!
Turn the radio up!
Go faster!
Let's go buddy!
Green means go!

Now I will leave you with many very cute pictures! Enjoy!

The Easter Holiday!

Easter was spent playing, cooking, and spending time with family. We had awoke that morning to Taylor calling to us from her bedroom, asking for the Easter Bunny! When we all got ready for the day, Taylor realized that the Easter Bunny had visited and delivered an Easter basket and had hidden all of the eggs we had colored! She first dove into the basket and received some stickers, nail polish and candy. Taylor went right for the candy, immediately eating M&M's! She then ran around the house looking for eggs, and every time she found one she yelled "I found it!" She would place the egg in the bin and continue looking for more! She got so excited about the idea of eating the eggs that she smashed one on the fireplace, almost as to ensure that we would let her eat one right then! She eat a couple of them and then went for more chocolate! We had a great morning, playing and goofing around, and then Bushka and Grandpa Mike came by for dinner. Taylor wore her yellow dress with her baby crocs, while I cooked ham, sweet potatoes and a green bean casserole. After dinner we topped it off with Dutch Apple Pie! All the food was delicious! Taylor received a basket from my mother which contained jewelry, candy and cookies! Needless to say Taylor had a great sugar high all night! It was great to spend time with family and we all had a great day. We all feel so blessed!

Winter in Michigan

January 8th was Tony's birthday, and I had it all planned out with a cake and everything. Taylor and I went to the store and ordered the cake, but she cold not contain her excitment. All week she ran around asking for cake, so Tony knew what was up! Never the less, it was a great day.


These past couple of months have been very cold and very snowy here in Michigan. But we have made the most of it. Taylor loves to go sledding and play in the snow. She has been playing with the cats a lot lately and they have been letting her! Taylor is growing and surprising me every day. She has so many new sayings, and everytime we here them we crack up!
"It happens."
"Taylor's a toddler."
"Taylor potty training!"
"Twinkle twinkle little star..."
"Patty cake patty cake..."
"Whats goin on?"
"Kody and Tommy crazy."
"Im a cowboy baby!"


Here are somepictures of the past few months.