A few reasons that I love summer

I have heard it several times that it is almost impossible to grow anything in Taylor (except weeds) because the wind blows so incessantly for so long in the spring. We have found that our plants and flowers do struggle in the spring, but somehow we manage to grow a few things each year. These are a few pictures of things I love in my yard, disproving the well accepted theory that nothing grows in Taylor.

I really love my hanging baskets. They always make me smile every time I walk up to my front door. The forsythia you see in this photo is probably about six feet tall now. Jeremy prunes it down to almost nothing every spring after it has bloomed, but it just grows like crazy and I love it. When we first were putting our yard in, I told Jeremy that I really wanted forsythia, because it reminds me of my mission. The yellow blossoms in the spring just scream "Kentucky" to me.

Our little flower garden out front is finally coming back. It had a rough go while we were gone and I was afraid it couldn't be saved, but I didn't give up on it, and with some TLC it is rallying. This picture doesn't do it justice. The colors really are beautiful.

Here is a close up of some of those flowers. Love them!

Our little garden out back. We would like a bigger one, but our backyard is pretty small, so this is about all the space we can manage. It still manages to provide plenty of fresh, organic, beautiful produce for us all summer and plenty to freeze and put up to be used through the winter as well. Jeremy does such a good job with this.

Well, there you have it. I'd post more of our backyard, but we are adding a small family room onto our house, so the rest of the backyard is a mess of a construction zone. Maybe next summer.

Swimming Lessons

Dallin and Thomas just finished two weeks of swimming lessons. They both passed their level with flying colors and Dallin even gets to skip a level. They absolutely loved it and wish they could take swimming all the time.

Waiting for class to start.

A little chillin' in the shallow end.

After class. Good Times!!!

Vacation

We recently returned from our trip to Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. It was a good time, but one of those things that is better termed a "trip" than an actual "vacation". Our boys were great little travelers - but 5 states is a lot of driving, even for us grown ups. Here are a few pictures from our travels.

Somewhere along I-15 in Utah

Thomas, Jack, and Dallin at the Elberta Dairy. My Dad took them on a tour of the whole operation while we were there. They loved it!!

Me and Jack at Idaho Falls

The boys with some buffalo in Yellowstone.

Me and the boys at the brink of the Lower Falls in Yellowstone. Notice Thomas spying the camerman (Jeremy) with his binoculars. It was quite a hike to see these and Jack wet his pants all over Jeremy's shoulders on the hike back up. The day started to get a little long after that.

The family in Yellowstone.

The boys just outside the park.

Some moose visited our cabin one morning.

Jeremy with the boys at Henry's Fork on the Snake River. This was really a beautiful place.

Thomas and Jack at Idaho Falls. Thomas made us take him back here on our way back home, because he was having a rather bad day when we stopped there on the way up. He wanted a better picture for his scrapbook. Notice Jack is a little bit afraid of so much water.

We're Back!

We just got back from a family reunion and trip to Yellowstone. I will post more about our vacation soon - but for now - here is one of the reasons I won't get to that post for a few days.

This is how my laundry pile looked when I walked in the door.

This is what it looks like after unpacking.

Welcome home to me!

Drake's New Trick

I looked across the room last night and saw Drake doing this . . .

Drake is 6 months old. It was a happy moment, but at the same time I can't believe how fast this is all going and it makes me a little sad to see my baby growing up so quickly. Do all moms go through this with their last baby?

"It Wasn't Me!"

Last night, the boys had a bath and were getting ready for bed. After several minutes, Thomas emerged looking like this. We got after him for writing on his tummy and legs. He told us that Dallin had done it. Dallin denied it, and we almost believed him, until we discovered this. . .

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BUSTED!!!!

Then Dallin's defense was - "Thomas tricked me!"

Springtime in Taylor

Spring has arrived in Taylor. The wind blows non-stop through June. I am not kidding. It is honestly Hell on Earth. A kid in his mission report a few months ago talked about a hurricane he experienced in Central America. He said he thought "Are you kidding? This is nothing like the wind we get in Taylor." Sadly - I actually believe it. Wish me luck getting through the next few months without pulling my hair out.



This video is of one of our milder days here. Sorry about my filming skills - - I was in a hurry.