Let's go shopping!

Jacob

Sam with his new horse friend 'Steamy'

So when we made our summer time plans one of the thing the kids wanted to do is to go shopping and pick out a fun new toy. So a-shopping we went.

Yuba lake

Spending the day at Yuba Lake...

Yes, this is Karissa--of all people--playing with mud!
And having fun with it too :)

The water was fun...not too cold.
(Sam, Jacob, Karissa)

Sam and Bryan out in the canoe.

(Bryan, Kelsi)
We all had fun playing Frisbee in the water,
although this turned into more of a water war.
Everyone was drenched,
...yes even Bryan, I actually got him wet too.
The only casualty was our Frisbee--cracked.

Kelsi and Bryan out in the canoe.

Sam LOVED playing in the sand; he built an entire village.
In this picture, he's pointing to "Temple Square".

Jacob, Kelsi, Sam, Karissa

Bryan, Mindy

The Big, Dead Fish.
The kids' one request was that we find a section of the beach that
was not crowded,
where it would pretty much just be our family.
So, we found such a spot, got all settled,
and met our one and only company, the dead fish.
Hmm, I wonder....

Bunny Play Time!

Jacob and Kelsi love taking their bunnies to the park!

Kelsi with her bunny, Oreo.

Jacob with his bunny, Midnight.

Pinewood Derby!!

Jacob is ready to go...to the derby!
Yes...we've been ready for a month now...very exciting!

On your mark, get set...

...Go!

Dart', Brandon, Jacob

Jacob got an award for 'best use of color'.
Always a fun night :)

THE 'HOO' DO

Kelsi did my hair -- CRAZY--"hoo-ville" Dr. Seuss style.

I guess I'm like my mom--I LOVE to get my hair done!
--doesn't matter if it's crazy or beautiful;
if someone's doing my hair, I'm lovin' it!

CRAZY FUN!

Ahh! The peace of the outdoors!

Camping Trip July 2009

(Jacob, Kelsi, Karissa, Sam)

Kelsi made this beautiful arrangement of wild flowers for me.
(Kelsi, mom)

(Bryan, Mindy)

A thirsty visitor! :)

'New Horse' taking it easy. Of course, he had to come--
after all, he is part of the family. And just like the rest
of the family, he had a bath when we got home.

Roasting...
(Bryan, Sam, Jacob)

...HOT DOGS!
(Sam, New Horse)

Chopping fire wood--boy style.
(Jacob, Mindy, Sam)

Fun times!....with bug spray?
(Karissa, Kelsi)

Had some fun adventures together!
(Sam, Jacob)

Jacob and Sam loved hunting for firewood. And Sam found some great sticks this way--one of which he used as a golf club--golfing rocks, dust, etc.--making some great air for the rest of us :) It's all good and fun, right? They also had fun collecting wild flowers and making various arrangements--Kelsi joined in on this fun. The trouble came when Sam claimed part of the campsite as his very own property! --Thank goodness that was rather short lived. Other fun was reading, relaxing, playing in the stream, collecting rocks, watching for 'visitors', and enjoying the great outdoors and the delicious dutch oven food Bryan fixed for us all.

Memories of the Fourth of July

The Fourth of July
The sound of bag pipes fill the air,
Hands over hearts, with a silent prayer.
Bands are marching, the parade goes by.
Family Surrounds me, it's the 4th of July.
Gather around the food and fun,
Good times are happening under the sun.
Smell the baked beans and Grandma's delicious rolls,
Peanut butter bars, salads, and cold snow cones.
Filled with good food and the day's just begun.
It's Independence Day, there's much more to come.
Time to beat the heat with something cool,
Water fights or swimming with Grandma at the pool.
Refreshing, wet, water everywhere,
It's war with the hose, catch me if you dare.
Volley, kick, hit, or bat the ball,
Steal the flag, launch water balloons to all.
Munch on cherries and candy with good company,
Soon the show begins in the Land of the Free.
Sit back and relax as fireworks light up the sky,
Painted colors fill the night by and by.
The sound of fireworks now fills the air,
Here with family there's much to share.
And as the day concludes, I've got a hunch,
As Grandpa would say, there's not a bummer in the bunch.
-By Mindy Taylor (July 2009)

4th of July

I'm Proud to Be an American

Sam

Kelsi (and Bunny Oreo), Bryan, Jacob (and Bunny Midnight), Mindy, Karissa, Sam

We had a great time with family at the 4th of July Picnic.
It's certainly a fun tradition and memory.

Hayley, Karissa, Makell, Kelsi

Our own little 4th of July parade.

Hayley, Karissa, Sam, Kelsi, Jacob, Blake, Makayla, Luke

We're so glad that our cousins stayed with us--we had a lot of fun!

Sam said something really sweet when his cousin, Makayla, was getting ready to sleep on the floor of his room. He pointed to his picture of Jesus and said, "Makayla, if you get scared, just look at Jesus and He'll help you."

TIME TO COOL DOWN...

SWIMMING WITH OUR COUSINS!

(Blake, Jacob, Matt, Sam)

(Matt, Melanie, Sam, Makayla, Jacob, Blake, Kaitlyn)