Edyn's First Bath...

December 2, 2009, at two weeks old, Edyn Bryan had her first at home bath..



She loved it!!



And then she slept...

Birthday and Bowling For Our Avery

December 13th, 2009






Avery is four!! I can't believe it!! This year we thought she was old enough to decide what she wanted to do for her birthday. I offered to take just her to the new Princess and the Frog movie, but she was not interested. She wanted to go bowling...I kid you not, BOWLING!! So we went bowling as a family with the bumpers, the crazy shoes and even the greasy french fries from the snack bar. It turns out she is not bad at bowling. She has a very unique approach. She puts the ball down close to the line, gets a running starts and pushes with all her might. The ball rolls this way and that way until it finally reaches the pins. Sometimes a few fall over, and sometimes the ball stops altogether resting on the pins. We all had a great time!!

Four Things We Love About Avery:

1. We love her smile!! There are few things more deightful than her joyful smile and contagious laughter.

2. Avery loves her brothers and sister. She follows Kendal everywhere he goes and does everything he does because she loves him (Kendal does NOT love that much attention, but is patient anyway). She helps Drew pick up his toys and helps him put on his shoes. And Avery is such a great help with Edyn. She rocks her, picks out her clothes, sings to her, and even tries to change her diapers. Avery is just born to nurture.

3. Avery is musical. Her mom is especially happy about this one. Avery is always humming or making up her own unique songs. She loves Primary hymns and puts her won spin on them. She is also a dancer. It is great to see her move to the music and bop her head with the songs on the radio.

4. Avery is her own person. She can write her name, say and sign her alphabet, draw happy pictures of all her friends, and loves to read the scriptures (with help from mom and dad). She can pump herself on the swings, almost ride a two-wheeler bike and can navigate her Barbie Jeep better than most licensed Idaho drivers. She has her own sense of fashion and has an adventurous sense of fun!! She has a spark of greatness and we love her very much!!



Her favorite gift this year was a new church dress with a matchng dress for her favorite doll, Natalie Sophie.



The perfect touch was a glittery silver pair of shoes from Grandma-by-the-Temple.

Happy Birthday, Avery!! Hope you had a great one!!!

Cuteness...By A Nose

Drew has been great with his new little sister. In fact, he hugs her and holds her quite a bit. He has recently realized that she has some of the same body parts as he does, only smaller.

For example, he has a nose right here...






And Edyn has a nose right there...



Who knew a baby sister could teach us so many practical things??

She's Rolling Over Already...

Yep. Edyn is only two weeks old and she has already rolled over. I put her down to nap on the bed on a little pillow like this...




...and when I came back to check on her, she was like this...




...fast asleep. I think she may have had gravity working for her, and she has no recollection of the incident that I can get out of her, but I am just going to go ahead and chalk it up to potential prodigy status. I mean, when you hit milestones this quickly, it can really only point to one conclusion: superior genetics. Not bragging, just stating the facts. (hee hee)

Edyn's First Photo Shoot...

BE ADVISED!! YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BABY BORN THIS WEEK!!! TAKE A FEW DEEP BREATHS BEFORE PROCEEDING TO PREVENT EXCESSIVE EMOTIONAL OVERFLOW AND/OR HEART PALPITATIONS DUE TO THE DANGEROUS AMOUNT OF PRECIOUS CONTENT...

I am such an amateur, but I just love to take pictures. Edyn is 5 days old today and she was posing so perfectly I could not help myself. I wished for the great backdrops, lighting, the fun baskets, and perfect little blankets to drape her in, but despite the low budget film making, I just can't get enough of her wonderful face. I am making an appointment with a professional here in Ammon (though I have friends and family who could do an incredible job for me, but live far away). I have seen her work and am just excited to see what she can do with such an amazing subject to photograph. Until that happens though, here are some of my favorites.










Feel free to "ooh" and "ahh" as much as you would like, and leave comments doing just that. Our favorite part of the blog is hearing from you!! We love you, Friends and Family, wherever you are. Thanks for your love, even from far away!! It is so great to have a way to stay in touch!! I can't think of a more beautiful reason, can you??

Edyn Isabel Bryan Nov. 17, 2009

Happy Birthday to you...

Tari and I are excited to annouce the arrival of Edyn Isabel Bryan today. She joined us at 9:14am, weighing in at 7lbs 3 oz and at 20inches. Amy Crump is the winner of the vital statistics game. Her prize is amazing..Tari doesn't want to give it away yet!! We are on pins and needles here.

We had another C-section. This time, Edyn was in a transverse breach position, which was no real big deal since we were already going in surgerizing Tari...oh how she looks forward to these.

Actually, Tari did great. She is recoverying well. She is definately a trooper willing to undergo all she does for these little kids. I hope one day they understand this and fully appreciate her even more than they do now..or then (then)! Confused..me too!

I hope some of these early pictures of Edyn allow you to see how cute she is. She is definately a mix of Tari, Avery, and Drew. I hope that narrows it down some. She has dark brown/black hair. Enough to make Drew look bald (wait..he still is mostly)! She has blue eyes right now...she has no teeth (i hear its happened before)..but cute little dimple under her lips.

Thanks for everyones support and calls. We will get more on the blog as we get more pictures. As for my narrative..ya, I will get Tari to type something much better soon.

We Love You, Luke!! You Are Home!!

Luke Taylor
Luke Hulet Taylor, 23 months, our wonderful, beautiful boy, returned home to our Father in Heaven on Nov. 3, 2009, at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.

Luke was born Dec. 1, 2007, in Boise to Brian and Jan Taylor and was welcomed into the family by his two older brothers, Joshua and Michael. For such a short sojourn on Earth, Luke learned to do so many things. He could walk, run, talk, and boy could he climb. He would repeat everything that was said to him, but his favorite phrase was, "Where'd it go?" Our favorite thing he would say was "I Love You!" He loved cars, trains and Elmo. He loved to snuggle with his blue blanket and suck his thumb.

Luke will always be remembered for his infectious smile, his bright eyes, his horrible cowlicks and most of all his teasing nature, which he inherited from his dad. He was loved by so many people and will be missed by all. Luke, we are so proud of you and we love you. We look forward to being able to hold you and see you again.

Luke is survived by his parents, Brian and Jan Taylor; his brothers, Joshua, 8, and Michael, 6; his grandparents, Arlen Butikofer, Janis Butikofer, Karen Taylor and Kay Taylor; a great-grandparent, Wanda Whittier; and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends who love him and will miss him very much.

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Kuna LDS Second Ward, 224 E. Avalon in Kuna with Bishop Layne Thornton officiating. A viewing will be from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. today and from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Saturday, both at the church. Interment will be at 4 p.m. Saturday in Ririe-Shelton Cemetery. Arrangements are being provided by the Zeyer Funeral Chapel in Nampa.

In lieu of flowers, an account has been set up by Nathan Price and donations may be made there to the "Luke Taylor Memorial Fund" at any Idaho Central Credit Union.