Michael and Sarah's Wedding!

Congrats to my Uncle Michael and Sarah! They got married in October, and their wedding was such a blast! Sarah has had a crush on Michael since high school! I love how happy they are together! :) 

Michael has always been a brother to me. We would always go on forest adventures together, build fires, and pop fireworks. I love that we still do all of those things even today!

The night before the wedding, we had a dinner at Landry's.

Granny (Michael's mom/my grandma) and my cousin, Randy

Granny, my mom, and me

Julee, Uncle Randy, Granny, Aunt Edy, and Uncle Michael

Edy's husband, Gavin and Conrad. Gavin is going to be such a fun dad!

Love my parents and Matty!

Papa Elton!

Then, it was time for the wedding! They were hitched at Agave Road in Katy, Texas. It was gorgeous!

The groom and me

Where the ceremony was held right at sunset.

Michael and Sarah wrote their own vows. It was super cute!

This is my second cousin, Lily. I personally feel like when your 1st cousins have babies their offspring should be called your nieces and nephews. "Second cousins", to me, is such a blah term. I love my second cousins to pieces! 

Sophia and my mom

The wedding cake

Love my cousins!!! We are all mixed babies!!!

 Cousins!

Matt and Jason

I love all these people and hoe our family is very diverse!

Sarah's dress was stunning.

Those mashed potatoes and gravy were off the hook!

Devon loves his Uncle Michael.

Aunt Edy and Gavin. They're going to make some beautiful babies some day (soon!).

This is my cousin, Nikki. We have been attached at the hip since we met each other! Every summer, we would go to our Grandma's and play video games for hours and hours. This is our gamer pose. Lots of fun memories with this girl.

Uncle Randy and most of his family.

 

 Does he not remind you of Michael Scott from The Office?!

Mother-son dance.

Randy doing some twerking on the dance floor!

My 2 favorite boys.

Look who made an appearance on the dance floor!

Twerk!!!

Young Michael was super cool with his coke bottle glasses and purple shorts.

 They came over the day after their wedding to have dinner at my mom's. They looked a little sleepy. ;)

Love you guys!!!

Letter to birthparents

As a part of our adoption process, we wrote a letter to possible birth parents to let them know more about us. Here's our letter...

Dear birth parents,

We truly admire your strength and courage during this time. We always want our child to know of the sacrifice and love you have for them. We hope, depending on what you are comfortable with, to have a lifelong, loving friendship with you. We are praying for you!

This adoption process has never felt like a last resort for us. Adoption has been a goal I (Rachel) have had since I was six years old. I am biracial (African-American and Caucasian).  Growing up, I would always get asked if I was adopted when I was out with my mom (who is Caucasian) because of my darker skin. I vividly remember asking my mom what adoption was, and from the moment she told me about it, I KNEW in my soul that I would adopt some day. I have shared this story with Matt since we were dating, and we have both known that we would adopt in our future. We are so excited for this step because it has always been a part of our plan together. We know that we will be loving and patient parents, and we will not take a second for granted because of our trials through infertility.

Now more about us...we are Matt and Rachel! Matt comes from an amazing family of two loving parents and two awesome brothers. He grew up in a home built on the Gospel, and he learned how to work hard and play hard at a young age. Matt served an honorable two year mission for the LDS church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, in 2005. After his mission, he continued his college career at Brigham Young University-Idaho and graduated with a degree in accounting. When you think of an accountant, you probably think of a boring, don't color outside of the lines type of person. Matt definitely doesn't fit the accounting personality! He is very creative and enjoys directing and filming comedic short films with his friends. He is the most kind and loyal man I know, and he will be an amazing father. His goals as a parent are to raise his children in a righteous home and be someone they can confide in always. He is so excited to take his children on "dates" where they will go do fun activities and talk the night away. If I were to describe Matt in 3 words they would be: patient, calm, and loving.

Rachel is a born and raised Texas girl. She is an only child, who never felt like one because she was raised around cousins, aunts, and uncles who loved to tease her. Her parents and stepdad raised her to be a strong, confident woman. Her mom is her hero, and they talk on the phone every day. Her main hobby is basketball. She has played basketball her whole life and won't stop playing until she can no longer walk. Rachel is so great with children, so it was natural for her to obtain her degree in elementary education. She is currently a first grade teacher and a talented photographer, but she is anxious to be a stay-at-home mom once that awesome time comes.

Even after almost 5 years, our marriage relationship is fun, easy-going, and full of non-stop laughter. We believe that a couple who plays together stays together. We love to play tennis, go golfing, shoot some hoops, and work out. Matt and I go on weekly dates with friends or just one on one. We also enjoy traveling to a new place each year, and we are excited to show our future children all the world has to offer. Our goals for our children are for them to be happy, healthy, and to grow up making lifelong memories they can continue with their own families someday.


We hope to have you as an amazing extension to our family. We are excited to meet you, and thank you so much for taking time to read about us!

Love,
Matt+Rachel

Please feel free to contact us by e-mail, phone, or text. (832) 483-4345 // raetayphoto@yahoo.com

Taylor Gang Cruise

Over the summer, the Taylor side of the family went on a Caribbean Cruise! We went to:

-San Juan, PR

-Bahamas

-St. Thomas

-Turks and Caicos.

It was SUCH A FUN trip, and I want to go back so badly! This was the first time we all took a trip together, and it was a blast. The food was excellent  on the Carnival Liberty, the entertainment was mediocre, and the frozen drinks were so so good. One of the bartenders had my drink order down pat by mid-cruise...virgin pina colada with EXTRA cherries. Mmmm! Cruises are seriously the best way to travel. I am so grateful tha tI married into such an amazing family! I love these guys with all my heart.

Here are some highlights of our vacay...

Matt's parents on the left, all the Taylor boys, and all the Taylor wifeys...

We took off from where Matt served his mission. What up Miami!

My favorite hobby right here.

Matt and his little brother, Mikey would act like 5 year olds in the adults only pool. Pretty entertaining...

 Matt wanted to get a rat tail in St. Thomas. So he did. Keepin it classy :)

All of us in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Just a typical brother wrestling match in the library.

Mikey and Cree.

This is my "I am STARVING" face. I would always be the one to order the most food at dinner--usually one of everything on the menu. 

Hangin out in the Bahamas. The sand was like flour!

Matt's awesome parents, Tam and Larry.

Paddle boarding in St. Thomas! None of the boys could do it. 

Turks and Caicos...

Sadie and I gave Cree a makeover before her performance.

Taylor gals

Taylor boys

James wasn't the biggest fan of the entertainment.

Cree sang in front of the whole ship as Arethra Franklin!