Halloween I -- The Jack-O-Lantern

First, you pick a good pumpkin

Second, you let daddy handle the cutting

Third, you pull off the top, see the gunk inside, and decide you are not going to stick your hand in there because it will get all icky!

Finally, you take credit for your jack-o-lantern.

Back in MO

Well, I have arrived. I was able to catch a plane from Guam to Travis AFB as a medical escort for a patient. Then, a few frequent flyer miles got me to Springfield. I left Saturday morning, got to Travis AFB Saturday morning, slept for a few hours, caught a red-eye to DFW, and flew into Springfield on Sunday. Needless to say, Courtney and Olivia were excited to welcome me. It is Wednesday now (Halloween), and I'm still recovering from jet lag. I went to bed last night at 8:30 and got up this morning at 4:30, but it is getting better.

We have had a couple doctor appointments while I've been home. All looks good, and now it is just a waiting game. Courtney is on full bed rest and popping anti-contraction pills like M&Ms.

Speaking of M&Ms, tonight is Halloween. Olivia will be dressed in her pink spider costume. Of course, we'll be sure to get pictures. Until then, enjoy this one:

Good news

Well, Courtney got to come home from the hospital today. The doctors decided nothing was really changing that much, so why keep her? The biggest concern was Katelee's heart rate dropping during contractions, but they did a biophysical ultrasound to monitor her, and I guess she passed. She didn't ace it, but we'll make her study harder next time! Courtney is quite happy to be home. It is a little tough on Olivia having mom home without being able to play though. Don't worry . . . dad is on the way! Hopefully, all plane connections will be made with ease!

Here's a fun pic we took one night in August after putting Olivia to sleep.

Weekly Update

Courtney has been enjoying the lovely walls of St. Johns hospital this past week. She went in on Tuesday due to contractions, and they have kept her there for monitoring. The plan at this point is to keep her over the weekend and continue monitoring. She is still only dilated to 1 cm, and she is 70% effaced at this point. They also did a biophysical ultrasound to monitor Katelee, and she scored a 6/10. Not sure exactly what that means, but they weren't worried.

As for Mark, the plan is for me to head out of Guam starting next weekend. I'll try to catch a hop (a military flight), which can be tricky sometimes. But, this is not the busy season, so there should be plenty of seats available. Where those planes are going is the important part! So, this may be a busy week preparing to leave. The plan is to stay through November and return at the end of the month. I'll have to work through December, but then I'll come back and get the whole family when they are ready to return.

No pictures this week, but if you just have time to spend, Blogger has a new toy allowing you to see everyone's pictures: http://play.blogger.com/.

We'll keep you posted on new developments!

Mid October

Well, it has been about a week since the last post. Not much is new. The latest was a late night last night for Courtney. She called me late (her time) with contractions. After a bath didn't calm them down, she visited the hospital. Unfortunately, the contractions had caused a little bit of dilation, but some meds helped stop the contractions for a while. She has now been put on bed rest with orders to avoid chores and relations. She is at 30 weeks, so needless to say, Katelee needs to cook a bit longer. They did give her some steroids to help with lung development.

Saying Goodbye at the Airport

We were able to webcam a bit this week, which was nice. Granted, I get the better end of the deal since Courtney sees me in the morning (not pretty) and I see them in the afternoon (very pretty). Olivia read a book about a horse named Lucille to me.

Grandpa & Olivia at the Zoo

Coping

Holding Grandma Donner's Kitty

A month has passed since leaving Guam. Of course, Mark returned after a couple of weeks, but how are Courtney and Olivia adjusting? Mark & Courtney talk nearly every day, and Olivia wants to talk sometimes. Courtney has become involved in a Bible study, as well as a play group. They have also gone to Barnes & Noble to read, created a care package for daddy, and visited the zoo!

Tigers!

Courtney told the story of overhearing Olivia rocking a toy baby to sleep. She was comforting the baby by saying, "It's ok. I know you miss your daddy. He has to work though." She has been a bit more vocal lately saying she wants to come home.

Baking cookies for Daddy's care package

But, it isn't all bad. They are having a lot of fun. They just returned from a weekend in Branson with Grandma Donner and Grandpa Joe. They also got to swim at the hotel pool. Courtney is now 29 weeks pregnant. Can you tell? She continues to have contractions, but nothing is changing. That is good.

Basketball Belly

As always, see more pictures at Flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/taylormadefamily/

Another Week

Hello! It is Sunday afternoon in Guam. I just returned from church and grocery shopping. It has been a busy week here in Guam after a helicopter crash. It is a stark reminder of the risk our pilots and aircrew have, even when training.

We had a great marriage retreat on Saturday called Heart of the Father. 23 couples joined us at a local hotel. My part was Christian Romance, and I think it went well. Courtney was originally supposed to co-teach with me, but they pushed the date back, and she had already returned State-side.

Courtney is doing well, despite missing her husband! She had a doctor appointment yesterday, and all is still well. Even though she continues to have contractions daily, they are not changing anything. So, just part of this pregnancy. Olivia misses her daddy. She constantly asks when she can go home to Guam. Of course, she is having fun too. Yesterday, they went to the zoo. Today, they went to watch her cousins play football. Courtney and her have found a playgroup to attend, and Courtney has found a Bible study with other moms.

I found this article interesting:
The world's tiniest baby - meet the 10oz bundle of defiance

Amazing pictures!

I'm Back / They Aren't

Well, I had to say goodbye to the family on Sunday to return to Guam. It was tough. I returned to work on Wednesday a bit jet lagged and with a bit of a head cold.

The time at home was good though. We were able to play tourist in Branson. We went to Wings of the World, where Olivia got to be in a "magic show." We also went to the Butterfly Palace. Then, Grandma Donner took Olivia for the night so Courtney and I could have a night on the town together. We ate at Red Lobster, went to see the Pierce Arrow Show, and stayed at the hotel.

We were also able to enjoy some good family dinners. We may have just eaten the whole time we were there!

Of particular note, we were able to have another ultrasound -- this one in 3D. You can see all the great pictures by clicking the Photos link on the right.

Labor Day Weekend

We enjoyed a party put on by the base on Friday afternoon -- a pre-Labor Day Celebration. There were the typical activities -- jumpy castle, water slide, music, free food, and face painting. Olivia saw a little girl with a butterfly on her face, and she decided she needed one too. She was quite proud of it, so we had to share!

And, this may be the last for a few weeks as we head back to the States. So, will update when we return.

Prego Party

While you would think Campbell's would have a monopoly on the Prego name . . . not when all these ladies get together! Courtney had a last bash before heading back State-side for a while.

From soonest due (left) to last (right)

Much to say about nothing

Well, has it been two weeks since we last updated the blog? Ugh! That might be a combination of things -- being busy, pure laziness, and/or no big news to report. Of course, at the very least, we could have posted a new picture.

Again, not much is new. Mark did some diving last weekend. This was the first time he has been in the water in about 3 months! We didn't actually get to dive where we had planned due to a big storm coming through and causing big waves, but I did dive somewhere I had not been previously. Nothing major to see except a big hermit crab.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to buy a cow. I think we go through at least 17 gallons of milk per week. OK, maybe not that much, but probably around 2 or 3. It is cheaper to buy half gallon cartons here than a plastic 1 gallon container, so we generally have 5 or 6 half gallon cartons in our refrigerator. It adds up.

Olivia went to a petting sue (Guam style) last week. She said she pet a baby goat. "How did it feel?" asked Courtney. Olivia answered, "I think he felt a little bit well." There were other animals there too, but I heard she was too afraid to touch them.

A couple of weeks ago, Courtney and Olivia went to Big Navy to tour a Chilean ship called the Esmeralda. From Courtney's account, they had a ball with Olivia -- giving her lots of attention. I'm pretty sure she enjoyed it too!

Dr. Steve Allison in the Neighborhood

In early August, Steve Allison visited us while passing through the area. Where are you going to be "in the area?" -- Bali, as well as some other Asian countries. He works with missionaries as part of his job. So, he flew in on a Wednesday and played until Sunday. Unfortunately, Mark had to work Thursday and Friday, but we made up for it on Saturday. Steve (as introduced by Mark to some of his friends) is an old professor of Mark's from ACU.


I believe Steve had a good time with Olivia, reminding him of his daughters who are now grown and out of the house. Olivia and Steve hit it off quickly. I believe Steve's first assessment was, "man, she's verbal!" We got to hear lots of stories of how Olivia was similar to one of his daughters. Unfortunately, it is the same daughter who yelled "what the hell is going on in here" when the preacher visited! He brought Olivia a game of checkers, which Olivia quickly turned into her own game of Stack & Crash. Steve also treated Mark & Courtney to a dinner one night to one of the fancier places in town (without Olivia). Mmmmm.


We had a good time on Saturday driving around the whole island. We stopped at Jeff's Pirate Cove and had lunch with Esther (co-worker) and Jim (her husband). Then, we went to their house to have desert and hear about their trips to Bali. We also did some swimming in their pool. The whole trip to Guam allowed Steve to get adjusted to his jet lag and relax a little bit before getting down to work. I know we had a good time with him here.

Meet Miss Taylor

With Olivia, we narrowed down a list of over 10,000 names to 100 to 20 to 2. When Olivia was born, we did not name her immediately, trying to decide which name fit her best. We also did not know whether Olivia was a boy or a girl before she was born.


However, with our latest addition, we figured it would be an easier transition for Olivia (and Mama) to learn if she was having a brother or a sister. So, we found out a couple of weeks ago we are having another little girl!


Fortunately, the name game is actually easier this time. We will be paying honor to our grandmothers -- Ava Lee Barton (Mark's "Nanny"), Kathron Westerhold (Courtney's "Granna"), and Dorothy Daily (Courtney's "Grandma"). One important side note: Dorothy always wanted to be, and claimed she should have been, named Sarah.


Thus, the name we finalized is:

Sarah Katelee Taylor

To be called "Katelee"

According to http://babynamescountry.com/meanings/Katelee.html, Katelee is an American combination of Kate and Lee. The Greek name Kate means pure. Lee is actually short for other names, such as Leonard (brave as a lion), or Farley (sheep meadow). And, the Hebrew name Sarah means princess.



So, we will have a pure princess who is as brave as a lion from the sheep meadow?

Welcome to This World

Well, we finally made it to the doctor to see if that was a watermelon seed growing inside of Courtney's belly. As you can tell from picture 3, we are having a . . . well, I don't need to tell you. You can see for yourself!

Olivia and Emily

We are blessed to have great neighbors who Liv plays with several times a week...good for the kids and good for the moms! Here the girls are sitting at a "Toy Stand", sharing a snack and just hanging out. Oh, those lazy days of summer! Emily and Olivia are about the same age and have a ball playing together.

Weekend Activities

Well, it has been a bit since our last post. Yes, we did survive the storm. It mainly consisted of strong winds and some good rain. The grass is green again. Since we are into typhoon season, more may be coming.

It is a busy weekend. We partnered with the Chaplain on base to provide the Love & Respect Conference to those interested. We had 111 people show up tonight for the first 4 hours of the video-conference. The rest will occur tomorrow morning -- 8 - 12. People seemed to really enjoy it. It is such a great conference, and we were excited to be part of presenting it. For more information on it, you can check out www.loveandrespect.com.

I spent last night at the airport waiting for a co-worker to fly into Guam. However, after waiting for an hour at 1 in the morning, I checked with the counter. They informed me she would be arriving the next day (tonight). So, I came back home, got into bed around 3, and slept a bit. Tonight, I hope to get in bed by 3, but I will have to get up about 6:30 to get the second half of the marriage conference ready. So, a nap may be in order tomorrow!

Hope all is well with everyone. We'll post some pics soon!

Here Comes the Rain Again

Starting over the weekend, the wind began to blow! While we have not reached typhoon status, it has brought a lot of rain and wind. And, it did a little number on Olivia's play house.

I woke up last night around 2:30 a.m. to the sound of a thump, thump, thump. I went outside to find our canopy being tossed around like a parachute. This is a canopy weighed down by six cement blocks! So, I took a knife and cut all the tie lines. By the time I came back inside, I was a drenched rat!

The good news? No physical fitness workout this morning due to the rain! So, I slept a bit longer. :)

Happy Birthday Cake

After getting a great bargain on a red, white, and blue cake mix after the 4th of July, we decided to make it one night. Olivia was convinced it was her birthday. Actually, I'm pretty sure she knew it wasn't, but she was trying her hardest to convince us. Why would we bake a cake if it wasn't someone's birthday?!!! So, we finally decided it was someone's birthday -- our country! She was content with that. As you can tell, she enjoyed spreading the sprinkles, as well as licking the spatula.

Happy 4th of July!

Well, it is 4th of July in Guam! How do you celebrate the 4th here? Unfortunately, not with fireworks. It used to be that a fireworks disply was part of the festivities, but the person responsible for it died. Thus, no fireworks this year. You can't even buy any on the island. Instead, they are having a laser-light show at the Navy base. We have decided not to join the festivities there though, despite the fact that the 80s band, Survivor, will be playing.



However, we did celebrate yesterday on Andersen AFB. We had a Freedom Festival, complete with free hot dogs and hamburgers, a bouncy castle, a water slide, face-painting, paintball, snow cones, hulu hoops, a live band, and lots of free door prizes. In fact, we won a 20 dollar gift certificate to a local Italian restuarant. And, the highlight of the day really was Olivia taking a ride on a Carabao. We didn't bring our camera, so no pics. But, here is what a Carabao looks like. Can you believe we got Olivia on it!?! Right before riding it, she said, "He doesn't like to walk, but it sure will be fun!" And, later, she said, "it was fun," although she was a bit scared when the moment came to hop in the saddle. She said, "it went clumpity-clump, but I held on."

We hope everyone enjoys a Happy 4th of July! We are planning on watching a movie, getting some ice cream (maybe homemade if we can gather the ingredients), and enjoy the day off!

Happy 4th!

For extra reading on the sacrifice of the founding Fathers, read
"Our Lives, Our Fortunes, Our Sacred Honor"

Water Fun

One of the hard things to get used to in Guam is the lack of change in seasons. Granted, we have wet season / dry season, but things don't really change that much. So, of course, that means we can play in the water all year. Here are some fun pics of just that.

What do you get when you cross a 2 year old, a running water hose, and white pants?
Trouble.

Old Friends

Amy G! I cannot even believe you would ask me if I remember you! Of course I do and I have often wondered what in the heck you have been up to! Where are you now? What are you doing? How is your family? I would love to hear...you can leave a comment on the blog and just ask Mark not to publish it so you can give some contact info. That way, he can forward to me and I can get in touch with you! Talk to you soon!
Court

Party Time

Today was party day. Olivia had a birthday party to attend, and the the theme was "dress up." Many of the little girls there had on princess outfits. Although Olivia didn't have a princess outfit, she looked pretty cute in this one! Enjoy!

Spelling Genius!

Although Olivia had no idea what she spelled, we were quite shocked to find her arrange her magnetic letters into the following word:

Our little genius!

The Dog has a Friend

As mentioned earlier, we are dog-sitting. Needless to say, Olivia has had a blast with her. Unfortunately, the dog is quite the scaredy-cat. So, having a 2 year old chase her around doesn't do much to calm her nerves. But, they have their moments. Enjoy.

Play Time

Some good friends of ours are leaving next week, so we had to get one more play time in with them. Their favorite game? Throwing sand at each other, digging in the sand, and pushing each other in the stroller.

Strangers in the Night

We are currently dog-sitting for a couple, so we have a traumatized Cocker Spaniel living with us for the next week. Two nights ago we went for a walk and Courtney found this little critter in our yard. It is a coconut crab! You can learn more about them here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_crab.

Here is our visitor:

Pic of the Day . . . or week.

Weekend at Underwater World

Well, we are going on Week 3 of Olivia having a cold, which shows itself through a runny nose and cough. Of course, Olivia has learned she can just wipe her hand across her nose though to remove the snot. Unfortunately, rather than remove it, she smears it across her cheeks! Very lovely and ladylike.

Olivia and I did spend Saturday picking up trash at the beach. She was a big help -- wanting to be carried in order to avoid getting sand in her shoes. One hour and 2 bags of trash later, we were ready to hit the store for some doughnuts. Olivia picked a nice big one for her. When choosing for her mother, she picked a doughnut hole. There's something about a mother-daughter relationship.

Sunday was another day of skipping church. Unfortunately, with Olivia's runny nose and her mother's illness, no church was in order. But, we did managed to sneak away to Underwater World to see God's creatures. So, enjoy some pics!