HAPPY 9th BIRTHDAY TAYLOR RE!!

I guess I don't even know where to begin with this birthday. Besides the fact that I am exhausted from having 2 of my kids birthdays and parties within 2 weeks of each other. I have pictures from Mason's birthday party that I will post later along with Taylor's. What's crazy and why I'm so tired is that I have had 12 kids that have spent the night over here within the last 7 days. But that's what it's all about right? Making your kids happy? Well, my Baby Girl turned 9 on September 23. This hurts! Tony and I realized that she is now half way to being out of the house...maybe for good maybe not ha! Anyway, this day ALWAYS brings back so many emotions and feelings...some good, some bad, some sad.

See Taylor's dad was a professional runner. He ran for UT then ran for Adidas. Tony had always dreamed of making an Olympic Team and we thought Sydney (2000) would be the one...I mean who wouldn't want a free trip to Sydney right? We were already planning our extended vacation there if he made the team. I'm always reminded about how God has His plans for our lives and we aren't always in charge. We found out in January that we were going to have a baby! GREAT RIGHT? Well yes and no. Oops this meant if Tony made the Olympic Team I wouldn't be going with him. Part of me really wanted him to make the team the other part (the selfish part) didn't. I didn't want him to go experience Australia without me. After all, that's somewhere I've always wanted to visit. Well, the Olympic trials came and Tony won the Bronze medal meaning yes he would be leaving me alone....PREGNANT.... for 2 months to go and train and then travel to Sydney. Bitter Sweet I must say! Eventually we found out that Taylor's due date was October 20, 2000. No problem, I thought. Tony was scheduled to return from Sydney on October 1, 2000. Plenty of time to make the birth. As the months went by and my belly grew larger, I started to panic. I was having more and more contractions and I was already dilated to 2 centimeters and it was only September. I went to bed the night of September 22 after talking to Tony but to awaken in the middle of the night with you guessed it...MY WATER BROKE!!!!!!!! NO NO NO I kept saying to myself. I knew what was happening. After all, that's why we spend those 2 days in Baby University or whatever they call it. So I called my sister-in-law and off to the hospital we went at 5:00 a.m.

I kept saying to myself this isn't good. I called Tony immediately. Now keep in mind that 5:00 a.m. in the states is like 5:00 p.m. in Australia. No big deal right? Except this was the night before the biggest race of his life. We called in all the family from out of town because I WASN'T doing this alone I could assure you. Tony stayed on the phone with me during the whole LABOR AND DELIVERY! What a great husband and supporter I had in him. Here he had achieved the two biggest dreams in one day in his life...an opportunity to be in the olympics and the birth of your first child. I really wish we could have experienced this together but for some reason like I said before God had other plans. Taylor Marie was born 5 weeks early weighing 5 lbs 12 ozs.

Here I am talking to Tony before giving birth to Taylor. I think this is the picture where I am actually talking to Chelsea Clinton...Yes while in Labor! Now who do you know that could say that? Tony is friends with another runner that went to Stanford and so they were roommates in the same house in the Olympic Village. And because Chelsea was attending Stanford at that same time they became friends. This particular night , Chelsea decided to come visit him and had no idea what she was getting herself into. She asked Tony if she could talk to me and we talked for awhile...even through contractions ha ha!

Welcome to the world sweet girl! Here I am on the phone (Taylor in my arms) again with Tony while the news crews were taping our story. NBC was so nice because they actually sent a live feed to Tony in Sydney so he could see his brand new baby girl! I think he is one of the few that had baby's while there.

Here is our baby girl under the bili lights at home thankfully supporting her daddy who was still in Sydney because he couldn't come home for another week.

And this is the house Tony and I bought our first year out of college. We only lived here for a couple of years since we way outgrew it. This was a sweet surprise our neighbors did for Tony

and myself the night before he was to arrive back home.

Tony coming off the airplane which was a 14 hour plane ride

And on October 1, 2000 Tony finally met his daughter 1 week after she was born

So that's the story folks (for all of you tens of readers). That's the story of how Taylor arrived into this BIG world a famous baby. She has grown into such a beautiful young lady. She has such a spunky personality with a punky brewster style about her. She makes us all laugh so much all of the time...in fact lately so many people have told me what an entertainer she is. Watch out you might just see her name in lights one day. She is a very bright student, loves to swim, play soccer and most of all read. She has even been caught in the middle of the night reading by her night light. It has been a great 9 years with this girl...very entertaining and full-filling. I know she brings so much joy to each and every one of you that knows her as well as hearts.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRECIOUS!!