Happy New Year!

Hello All,
Welcome to 2009. Callie, Matt and I had a great Christmas and a fun New Years. Our cousins from California and Western Iowa came to visit and we had a couple fun filled days of hanging out and playing until we dropped. We went ice skating and shopping. 2009 has been cold so far and there has been a bunch of snow! Callie and I have been playing in the snow a lot and pretty much getting in the way when it comes to shoveling and clearing the snow. We had no school today because we got 6+ inches of snow last night. I hope we don't get any flooding this summer. Keep warm everyone and remember as my daddy tells me "don't eat yellow snow!"

Lynda Dee

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!

We had a great Christmas as a family. Lynda and Callie were ready to go bright and early. Matt was a little more ready to sleep in (17 and all). Grandma and Grandpa stayed over night and we had Lynda safe goulash and we had a turkey dinner for Christmas day. I have attached some pictures for your enjoyment.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Years from the Taylor's. Call that family member you have not spoken with for a while and wish them Happy Holidays at least! All out allergy friends, please please be safe during this season of parties and goodies flying everywhere. Lynda, Callie & Laurie made Lynda safe sugar cookies while Laurie was off from work. Leave us a comment or e-mail us if you want the recipe. The cousins are coming from California next weekend and we can't wait! Our western Iowa cousins are coming too! Enjoy the season and God Bless.

The Taylor's

An Iowa Winter Wonderland

Hello all,

I hope your holiday season is starting out great! The girls are way excited about Christmas and are part of the church pageant this year. They play towns people that come to see baby Jesus being born in the manger. Their singing has been great and they really are not sure how to take the boys who want to upstage them. They are stars don't you know :o)

We had the Taylor Family Christmas this weekend. Sadly due to scheduling Tanya and the Simmer clan were not able to come down for the celebration. Maybe next year we can meet somewhere in the middle. The girls got digital cameras from Grandpa and Grandma this year and are budding photographers and Matt got a radio for his shower and some cash. We had fun and there was food enough for everyone.

Today we are dealing with our first major snowfall of the year. We had our first snow fall a week or so ago and the girls made snow angels. I am posting pics of their play, snow angels and them with Grandma Diane. Have a very Merry Christmas- we will keep posting throughout the holiday season. We are excited to welcome family back from California the weekend after New Years and of course GO HAWKS the Outback Bowl Rocks!

Have a great day.
Sean

A Great Thanksgiving Day!

We started our day off early. Daddy got up at 6am and made breakfast. We had sausages, hash browns and I had my pancakes. The rest of the family had eggs and muffins that grandma and grandpa brought. After we had a great breakfast, daddy and mommy got ready so we could goto grandpa John's house for Thanksgiving dinner. We went and our uncle Jason was there, our cousin Jake and Gracie. And of course grandma Diane. We ate, grandpa make special turkey so I could eat it and special corn, my daddy brought my mashed potatoes too. We had fun, watched football and played. Callie and I did not want to go home, we had so much fun playing the piano and hanging out with our cousins. I have included our Thanksgiving picture with Matt. Hope you all had a joyous Thanksgiving.

Lynda Dee

Thanksgiving- Time to give back- will you help me!

Hello all,

At the Taylor household we have a lot to be thankful for this year. Barring a total disaster Lynda will not have been in the hospital for an extended stay in over a year (knock on wood) and is generally doing better. We still have our daily challenges but we count our blessings. A friend of mine at the VA hospital in Iowa City sent me this info. I think it would be fitting this time of year to support our troops, because without them we do not have the freedom we enjoy. So I have a challenge for all my friends and supporters out there. Please send a holiday card and a kind word to a recovering solider so they know they are appreciated for their sacrifice. Here is where you send it:

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20307-5001

Just add one card to your holiday cards this year. Think about how you can impact a solider with very little effort. We are sending 3 for starters.

Thank you for your consideration and God Bless America!

The Taylors

Lynda Turns 6!!

Yesterday we had a 6th birthday party for on Lynda Dee! Wow it has been a long 6 years and flown by all at the same time. Lynda got the modern day Baby Alive that now "Pees and Poops", joy at the Taylor house. We got a great surprise with our friend Jack coming over. Lynda's cousins, grandparents and god parents all were in attendance. The pictures are of Callie with her cousin Anna and Lynda opening her Baby Alive. This morning we were blessed with our first dirty diaper, boy was that a celebration by the young women in the house. Lynda also lost her second top front tooth, so for Christmas she not only wants her two front teeth, but her 3 front teeth. Laurie goes in for knee surgery tomorrow we are hoping she will be in and out tomorrow. Hope all is going well for you today! God Bless

The Taylor's

Halloween Pictures

Hi all,

I know this is a bit late, but I am now posting pics of the girls in their Halloween outfits. Now here is the ironic thing, Laurie got these costumes at goodwill at a great deal for two reason, first they are Disney and good quality costumes and second it is always really really cold. So what was reality this year... you guessed it 71 degrees and sunny so the girls were down to shorts and t-shirts underneath to survive going up and down the street. Enjoy the pictures. This year we determined we could expand Lynda's candy offering to Skittles, Swedish Fish, Dots and Smartees. So fun was had by all. Callie expanded her candy offering to everything else Lynda could not eat. :o)

Sean

Preparing for Halloween

Well yesterday Callie got to goto the pumpkin patch with her pre-school class. Tomorrow Lynda gets to go. So hopefully more pictures tomorrow. We are really excited about trick or treating as well. Here is a pic of Callie's visit to the pumpkin patch.

Have a safe Halloween!

Lynda Dee-

Knock on Wood

Lynda's skin has been doing great for about 2 weeks now. Her asthma did kick up but that seems to be calming down now too. Her daycare provider noticed that she could have Trix cereal. I double checked the box and she was right. I never even looked at a box of Trix cereal. I just assumed that it was made from wheat and stayed away from it. So this morning Lynda had her first bowl of Trix cereal. Her first comment to me was "mom this smells like my Glee Gum". Next week both Lynda and Callie will be going on a field trip to a pumpkin patch with the school.

Take care and God bless.

Pumpkin Patch

Well we made our annual trek to the Pumpkin Patch so that Matt, Callie and I could pick up our pumpkins! Callie and I both posed on the little IH tractor they had there. Dad thought the pictures were really cute. We took our time picking out pumpkins and talked with the animals. There were horses and donkeys, chickens, and cows that were eating pumpkins that were smashed in the yard. The weekend prior we went to Pumpkin Fest in Anamosa, IA and Matt climbed up a rock wall. He was way up there. We had fun both weekends. So much fun daddy forgot to post my messages. It is getting really pretty here in Iowa now, we have the leaves changing. We will try to get a nice picture of the color of the fall in Iowa. School is still fun and we have gone to a couple Stormin Pointer games. They have not won yet when we watched, but we had fun anyway. It was home coming and there was girls riding in corvettes. All I have for now. Have a great week.

Lynda Dee

Great Weekend...

Well I have to tell you I did something I have never done before on Sat. night. I went to a barn dance with Callie, mommy & daddy (Matt was working). Some folks from our church hosted a barn dance, they had horses, a real live band, people wore cowboy (and cowgirl) hats and there was tons of people there. We feed the horses apples from their tree and they ate them up in one bite and the juice came out of their mouths. Callie and I kept laughing. Our buddy Ben was there from next door and so Callie and I took turns dancing with him. We all three did the Cotton Eyed Joe song together. I also danced with daddy and so did Callie. It got a bit late so we had to go after that. The today we went to our cousin Anna's house for her 2nd birthday. What a blast, we went and watched her open presents and then we went with Anna's grandpa Kenton to the park. If you every get the chance, they have a very nice park in Coggon Iowa! I would highly recommend it and I believe that Callie would too. It is cooling down and so are my allergies, I don't seem to be reacting as bad, but my face is still red. We put up holloween decorations today since I kind of look like a Jack-O-Lantern with my 2 missing teeth anyway. We keep meeting families everyday that have challenges with food allergies too! My words to them is keep up the good fight and as my daddy always says "Knowledge is POWER!"

Have a great week everyone and God Bless!

Another Tooth is history.....

Lynda lost another tooth this morning. This time from up top and on the opposite side of her mouth. Mom says she looks like a Jack-O-Lantern! Seems appropriate for the season I guess. We will have to see if the tooth fairy comes to visit tonight.

Have a great Monday all!

The Taylor's

Trip to the Apple Orchard in Vinton

Callie went to the apple orchard in Vinton on Thursday for a class trip. Lynda remembered having so much fun that we decided to get up this morning and go pick some fresh apples. We had a blast and got some apple cider to bring home. I think most of it is gone already. Lynda and Callie also picked their own favorite apples and bought some dehydrated apples to munch on the way home. I think dad and mom ate most of them. Sounds like they will have some pears ready to pick in Nov so we will be heading back. We also are almost ready to pick the apples off our own tree in the back yard, can't wait for some apple crisp!

Have a great day!

The Taylor's

Video from Food Allergy Awareness Night

Hi all,

I have had a couple requests to share the video I made for the food allergy awareness night. Well here it is, I hope you enjoy! Lynda is doing great. Thanks for all the e-mails and keeping up with the Taylor's.




Sean

Lynda Lost a Tooth

Well things have been going pretty well with the climate change. We have been trying really hard to keep ahead of the skin thing. School is going well for both the girls and Matt is keeping busy with school and work. This weekend mommy was on a retreat for the girls at church and Lynda lost a tooth! The tooth fairy gave her a dollar at grandma and grandpa's house last night. Hope all is well with everyone, remember your safe food rules as you tail gate and have football parties during the season. Also get ready for Trick or Treat for a cure! We will be asking for your support very soon.

Have a great weekend!

Lynda Dee & Family

Labor day weekend

Well we had a rough weekend. Lynda is going through her semi annual break out session.  We are not sure what makes her break out in April and late Aug/Sept.  but she is really itchy right now.  They love being outside right now due to the weather being nice but we need to watch her close so we don't end up in the hospital.  Callie is enjoying pre-school and Lynda seems to like Kindergarten so far.  Matt has been keeping busy with work at Mc Donald's and being a senior.  Keep safe and keep cool as we transition into fall (and football!!).

The Taylor's

Lynda's First Day of Kindergarten

Well Mom and I survived Lynda's first day of Kindergarten. This morning was a challenge remembering every little think like say..... LUNCH for her. Yikes. Our new routine makes the mornings a little more hectic with the additional chores what not. Lynda had a great day, she even got to play with her friend Nicole at recess. Next week Callie starts pre-school and Matt has made it though his first week of his senior year. WOW time is flying by. Laurie went and had lunch with Lynda today to check out the new peanut free table there and Lynda did not want her to leave. More to come as we start this new adventure.

Sean

Grand SLAM at the ballpark!

It was amazing to see the other families affected by food allergies here in Eastern Iowa come out to the ball game last night. I want to say thank you to the Kernel's for pulling this event together! Jessica and I were in close contact all night and niether of us heard of anyone having an reaction while at the game. I also want to say thank you to FAAN for providing pencils, bracelets and documentation to had out to everyone who attended!

Three things that I learned last night were
1. That we really need a FAAN support group chapter here in Iowa.
2. That there is a product called Sun Butter at Wal-Mart for only $3.00. It is a peanut butter substitute. It is made out of sunflower seeds. I will be stopping at Wal-Mart sometime today to read the ingredients to see if this Sun Butter is safe for Lynda to eat.
3.There is one school who is not working with the family as a team to keep their daughter safe.

Lynda had a great time. She wore gloves during the game to protect her from her other allergens. I have already checked out her skin this morning and there does not appear to be any signs of a delayed reaction. Thank you God!

Many people hope that the Kernel's will do this event again next year. We sure hope they do too. I suggested to Jessica to make the Food Allergy Awareness Day the first game of the season. That way the stadium will be still be clean from last game played and from all of the winter snow and spring rains.

Drop Jesssica Fergesen a letter or an e-mail letting her know that you want to see another Food Allergy Awareness Day at the ballpark.

Here is Jessica's contact information:
Community Relations Director
Cedar Rapids Kernels
950 Rockford Rd. SW
Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
jfergesen@kernels.com

Thank you to all the families that stopped by to share their stories about their children, friends and co-workers and the challenges. So many said this was the first opportunity for their families to go to a ballgame together. So often we hear that many parents say they feel like they are on an island when dealing with this affliction. Well last night gave us an opportunity to be on the same island for a while!

Have a great (and safe) day. Knowledge is power, so help is keep people informed about food allergies.

The Taylor's

PS Yes the Kernel's did WIN last night :)

Two Great Articles

Hello all ! I hope you are making plans to head out to the Kernels game in Cedar Rapids tomorrow night. Minor League and Major League teams a like are join in this great event to educate and allow children that do not normally get to enjoy our national past time see a professional baseball game! There was a great article today in our local paper (Thanks Cindy) and one recently in Newsweek regarding food allergies. See both articles here:

Cedar Rapids Kernels Article

Newsweek Article

Come enjoy tomorrow nights game! Hopefully we can sell the place out! Let's enjoy a nut free experience at the ball park! See you all there!

The Taylor's

....and the Rockets Red Glare!

I hope you all had a great 4th! We were able to get up early on Friday morning and head to Independence Iowa for their parade (with a name like that how can it not be totally awesome!). We had a blast, the parade was over an hour long and they had fire trucks, squirt gun fights, water balloons and cool stuff to have. Callie got a lot of candy, I got a Pioneer hat, UNI t-shirt and a 4H t-shirt. Callie & I got necklaces too! Then we went to the riverside park and had lunch. Matt had a pulled pork sandwich with hot bbq sauce and Callie and I went to the kids fun zone. We did not stay too long cause Matt had to get back to work. All in all really fun time. Then that night we went to grandma & grandpa meyer's house. They live really close to where the fire works are shot off and we got to fall asleep in our bed there, got woke up for the fire works (which were awesome) and then crash back again. We also spent time in the afternoon swimming in their pool where they live. Callie and I both jumped off the side into daddy and mommy's arms. We also both went under the water. I can't wait to go back. Mom was sick most of the weekend with the flood flu so we got to spend a bunch of time with Dad! Hope all is well. God bless and pray for all the kids with food allergies.

Lynda Dee

PS don't forget allergy night at the ball park for the CR Kernels July 29th!