Cabin

We are not big vacationers but we have done more as a family this summer than the last three years combined. It is so nice to have the house done, the yard in and other major projects on hold. Of course once the baby comes our adventures will be of another kind.

We decide to venture off to Mom and Dad's cabin for the weekend. I love it up there. There is just something about being in the mountains that calms my spirit. We went on a pretty good 4-wheeler ride. Taylor drove with Jared and Dallin behind him and I drove Abby. This worked out well for this very pregnant lady. We went slow and easy.

That night we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over the campfire. Abby decided that Hot Dogs are her favorite meal. I think it had to do the with ambiance not the actual Hot Dog.

Jared decided that I have been neglecting my duties as the family photographer and decided to take over. I try to carry the camera around but I forget most of the time and when I do remember the shots are not that great. Jared on the other hand is pretty good with the camera so I am including some of his shots.

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day Jared!

Jared is a really good dad. We are so lucky to have him in our family. This summer has been so nice to have him be able to do things with us. He works so hard and puts his all into everything that he does. He is gone to work before the rest of us even crack an eye open and he is usually the last one to bed. The very last thing he does before he goes to bed is to check on the kids and make sure they are tucked in.

For Father's Day, I took the kids shopping with me. Taylor found this black John Deere tee shirt that he knew that Jared would love. Abby made him a picture frame when we went up to Lava and for her present she wanted me to take a picture of her and Jared. It turned out really cute.

We love you Jared. Thanks for all that you do for us.

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

We took the kids to see the Oquirrh Hills Temple Open House. The temple was beautiful and the weather was perfect. I love that the kids can go through the temple and feel the Spirit there. I hope it makes an impression on them.

We went with the Dabb family and enjoyed spending time with them and their cute family. After the temple we went to the Kennecott Copper Mine. Taylor worked on a Cub Scout Badge there and we learned all sorts of things.

We stayed the night at the little America in SLC. They have great weekend rates and if you book your room three weeks in advance you can't beat the price.

We spent the evening and morning swimming--which the kids loved. We had two queen sized beds in our room. The boys shared one and Abby and I the other. The boys are both snugglers and Taylor kept scooting towards the middle. Jared didn't get much sleep that night but the kids loved sleeping in a hotel.

The following day we went to the Clark Planetarium. Taylor being the science kids loved it but so did the other kids. We saw a 3-D movie on the ocean and it was fun to see the kids reach out like they could actually touch the fish.

Lava Hot Springs

We went on a fun camping trip with my family. We went up to Lava Hot Springs and stayed for a few days. This June was so rainy we were concerned about the weather but the kids had a great time regardless. Mom and Dad have 6 married kids and 20 grandkids—so far—and everyone was there but 1. We stayed in an old school house that had been renovated. It had several bedrooms and a big gym, a family room and a good sized kitchen. We more than filled the school house. Meal times were a little crazy trying to feed 33 people - three of whom are pregnant and the majority of the kids are under the age of 6.

We hiked to an ice cave, visited the old pioneer town Chesterfield, and went swimming at Lava Hot Springs. Jared and I really enjoyed touring the town of Chesterfield. It would make a great Youth Conference. It made me really grateful for our nice home. I can't imagine raising a big family in a two bedroom house with no indoor plumbing. I'm not sleeping so well these days but I was grateful for my nice soft mattress after sitting on the straw tick ones they slept on. The kids loved Lava Hot Springs, especially the slides. I wasn't even too bad in the rain. At least it wasn't crowded.

It was a good time. Everyone got along really well and the kids loved hanging out with all the cousins and just being “wild”.

Garden

Last year we had a normal sized garden but this year our garden is huge. (At least by my standards) We have high hopes of stocking the freezer and our shelves with some home grown produce. (We might be stocking the neighbors shelves too!)

Jared has spent a lot of time working the ground and planting. We have tried to make this a family project. The kids have been pretty good at helping but it really is a lot of work.

We have planted peas, beans, carrots, lettuce, broccoli, radishes, potatoes, corn, zuccuni, summer squash, pumkins, cucmbers, spaghetti squash, winter squash, onions, tomatoes and peppers.

Taylor's Baptism

Eight is such a big birthday. Taylor has looked forward to being baptized for such a long time. It is a huge milestone in his life. Lately his favorite family home evening lessons were about being baptized and being able to practice with Jared getting “dunked”.

We met at the church with lots of the family. Tiffany was in charge of the program and TJ talked. They both did a good job. TJ really is a very good speaker. Jared baptized Taylor and then confirmed him.
I am really proud of Taylor. He really is a good kid. Congratulations Tay!

Taylor's B-day Party

I let the kids have a Friend Birthday Party when they turn 5 and 8. We decided to wait a month to have Taylors and do an outside water party. Taylor made up an obstacle course. We filled water balloons, made a giant target, Grandma Sherry bought the kids some really cool water guns, and we made cupcakes.

Taylor and his friends had a really good wet time. They were good to let Abby and Dallin join in the fun. Taylor has some good friends. This was a great party idea--a little bit of water and the kids pretty much entertained themselves.

Dallin's Preschool Graduation

Dallin had two wonderful preschool teacher’s this year. Miss Angie and Miss Stephanie were so good with him. Dallin is a goer and sometimes has a hard time sitting for very long, (surprise surprise). They were so patient with him. I think that Dallin has learned a lot this year. His attention span has grown and he is a lot more willing to color and write than he was before.

I was sad to see him end this year but the graduation was really cute. They made graduation hats for all the kids and presented each child with their own award. Dallin got the busy bee award. He received a really cute book and lots of little BEE things. His favorite thing was a sack of marbles that were yellow and black.

Abby's Dance

Abby took Dance this year. She really loves to sing and dance. I've had to rethink time out in her room because most of the time she just turns on the music and starts singing and dancing--by the time that she can get out of her room she doesn't want to leave. She looked really cute for the Dance Review (a little too grown up for her Mom's taste) but she was so excited. She performed three dances and danced her heart out.

Taylor

Taylor turned 8 on May 5th. I really can't believe that my baby is this tall smart blond boy. He has grown up so much this last year. He still loves to tease and pester Abby and Dallin but also wants to hang out with the grown ups.

After waiting so long for a baby. Taylor was an answer to many many prayers. I think all those prayers must have infused into his spirit somehow because he has such a strong spiritual side to him. We choose stories every night and Taylor almost always chooses the Book of Mormon. We have read the kids version probably ten times. He prays with such faith. I sometimes wish I had his faith. I hope that he can hold onto this.

Taylor is very smart. He excels in school and loves to read. Of the three years he has been in school he has only missed 1 day. He makes friends easily and is confident in himself. He is also very good about seeing the positive side of things. This year in school for every hour they read at home they were able to put their name in a drawing for a bike. Taylor read so much. The last month of the contest he spent all of his spare time reading-literally like 3 hours a night. I really hoped that he would win the drawing just because he worked so hard but instead he won a book in the drawing. That night in his prayer he mentioned how thankful he was that he could win a book.

We love you, Taylor. You are a blessing to our family. It is privilege to be your parents. Happy Birthday.