Doug and Clyde's Family

My Pets

2009-01-02T16:37:04Z

I collect Littlest Pet Shop Pets. I have 51. I take good care of them, taking them on walks, playing with them, feeding them, cleaning up after them and even keeping them out of Andrew's mouth. I wanted to share some pictures of my pets with you. Enjoy!...(read more)

The Trains at Northpark

2009-01-01T14:30:00Z

Grandma Marti and Grandpa Keith took us to see "The Trains at Northpark Mall" the other day. It's a model train display where they had TONS of trains. The tickets money went to help the Ronald McDonald's Playhouse Foundation so the exhibition was worth twice. First for our entertainment, and second for children with real needs. They had all sorts of trains and models, which is one of Andrew's favorite things - besides his Poppa (Grandpa.) He was in heaven! We saw models of real...(read more)

Smile, please!

2008-12-25T21:52:00Z

We happened to be at the mall in our Christmas-best outfits when, out of no where, we ran into Santa Claus! We found a near-by chair and some nice people willing to take a picture, and for a small fee they even let us have a copy! Andrew was moved to tears, and the girls couldn't stop grinning at their good fortune. They were able to tell the man himself exactly what they wanted for Christmas, then have lunch in the food court! What a memorable event:...(read more)

Pancakes with Santa

2008-12-13T16:20:00Z

UPDATED 12/14: Thank you to Sister Moon for forwarding some pictures she took yesterday. Click on the collage to the right to see several she captured during Andrew's exciting meeting with Santa. Grandpa Keith was asked to help cook pancakes for our church's "Breakfast with Santa" this morning. He called Helen a few days ago to ask if he could borrow her griddle (Grandpa gave her one for Christmas 2 years ago.) So with Grandma Marti's help, Helen's griddle and a few other...(read more)

Good Solutions!

2008-12-08T05:41:00Z

Helen was asked by her teacher to complete a school assignment by answering some simple questions. Miss Walker listed for her some problems and it was up to our girl to find a good solution to them. She sure found the most honest and “appropriate” way to deliver a piece of her mind: My Solutions , by Helen Taylor P: Tim wants to learn more about what sharks eat. S: DUH!!! Humans of course. But he can look it up on the Internet too. P: Ken couldn’t find last night’s homework...(read more)

A Date at the Theater

2008-11-30T06:46:00Z

On Saturday, the girls of the house went out to see The Nutcracker . It was the happy final touch to our long school break. We did that for two reasons: It's our girly family tradition to see this ballet around Christmas. We missed you this year Aunt Jenny!... Grandma Marti could not come with us either- she was still sore from too many Wii tournaments over Thanksgiving. It's a chance to dress and get all fancy as a preview for the coming Holidays. Since Daddy and Andrew refuse to dress ...(read more)

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T22:01:00Z

We're over at the Grandparents' house having a fun time. Grandpa Keith purchased a Wii game system for Grandma Marti, and they've graciously been sharing it with the kids. They're in the other room right now playing tennis, bowling - working off some calories after dinner. Speaking of, the dinner was wonderful. I saved some samples in my pocket for you. The family wanted to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to our aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, service-men, in...(read more)

Waiting for Santa

2008-11-24T21:37:00Z

My mom and dad took us to see Santa's arrival and the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Allen (which is about 5 minutes away from Plano where we live). It was really cold but we enjoyed very much all the planned activities around it: we had a few too many cups of hot cocoa, cookies handed out by no other than Mrs. Santa Claus, sang silly texans songs, and to warm up a bit, we stayed put in front of an stage where the tree lighting countdown was about to happen . Here are some pictures of the...(read more)

Thank you Dad

2008-11-17T21:41:00Z

Dear Dad, I wanted to say thanks for your help in making fried corn and bacon for my office's Thanksgiving potluck today. It turned out great. There was food to feed everyone 4 times over. After the eating, ballots were distributed and people voted for the best side dish, appetizer, salad and dessert (main course was provided by the company - turkey and ham). The Taylor's Fried Corn with Bacon was the clear winner for best side dish. I graciously accepted the $25 gift card on behalf of the...(read more)

Ramen a la Carte

2008-11-16T03:27:00Z

In our house we worship Ramen soup. All the kids have enjoyed it since they were babies, and this devotion has become more evident with Rachel and Andrew at the house while the big sisters are at school. For them it's as if they were eating candy! They're living in a self-inflicted, ramen-flavored, brainwashed state of mind. There are some good reasons for anyone to fall in love with it: it’s an easy recipe to follow, light to any cranky tummy, and very affordable to any family-size...(read more)

Habla Espanol 101 with Claire

2008-11-13T09:50:00Z

For the last few years, my mother has taught my siblings and I some Spanish at the end of the day. We call her an octopus because she always handled four of us at once and try to use her time wisely, all at the same time. And with any time that's left she manages to squeeze in some language classes. So far her favorite slot to use is during our bath time, right before dinner - because everyone is in one place and naked so there's not time or room to run around. Mom always makes us repeat...(read more)

Happy Halloween Too!

2008-11-01T10:03:00Z

Some snapshots from our Halloween fun. The pictures of me at work were taken right after I said, "I'm not sticking my head in there, that's disgusting." The kids were all vampires: Claire personified a scary Skeleton-Vampress Witch, Helen was a cute Spiderella Vampress, Rachel was a Spider-Vampress Princess (of course), and Andrew was Count Dracula himself. Clyde did a fine job face painting and they happily roamed the night looking for candy victims. We went to "Trunk-or-Treat"...(read more)

Parent's Homework... Check.

2008-10-19T19:25:00Z

Last Friday, Claire and Helen brought home a homework assignment for us. We (the parents) were suppose to put a few thoughts together about the dangers of harmful drugs and ways to encourage the kids to be their best without using them. We were assigned to write down these thoughts on cards they provided and send them back to school so they can be posted on a "Positive Statement Wall." Here are some of the ideas that Doug and I came up with: There is no drug in this world that can match...(read more)

Fear the Wildcats

2008-10-14T00:03:06Z

Helen moves in for the kill:...(read more)

October Surprise

2008-10-14T00:02:11Z

Jenny came to town for conference weekend. She knitted some hats for the girls while we listened to the Good News from Salt Lake. Andrew then used one of the hats to hold up a local 7-Eleven....(read more)