More Family Fun and Preparing for a Summer in Europe

We continue to enjoy the opportunity to tend little Taylor a couple of days per week. She is so much fun and is developing such a cute personality. It becomes easy to understand why my Mom and Dad became so close to Laurie as they tended her many days while we finished school before our move to Salt Lake City. Was it really that long ago?

Dad has put in many hours helping our yard recover from a rough winter. Several trees that died had to be replaced and the pond had to be dredged again to remove gravel washed down by high spring runoff. But now the lawn is recovering from the mouse chewing it got, the yard is mowed and blooming lilacs are beautiful this spring.

Leslie, Matt and boys spent most of a week with us earlier this month. Leslie did a beautiful job of restoring an old patio table with a new tile and pebble surface.

Baby Jaxon is as cute and chubby as can be and is very close to crawling. Brandyn, Travis and Dillan enjoyed playing in the creek, movies, television and chasing around the yard.

While they were here their Uncle Lance came out and taught them correct techniques for shooting both handguns and rifles. They all did well at target practice.

When all the shooting was over Brandyn and Travis made some interesting and creative toys out of the empty shell casings.

They also helped Dad with some of his yard work. We love the almost constant commotion associated with three energetic boys and it is always interesting as Dad and I look at each other after they leave and wonder why it is so quiet. Was it really that way all the while we were raising a young family? It must have been.

Over a four-day weekend last week we visited my sister, Jane and her son, Lee's family, in Boise for a couple of days and then went to Nampa to visit Dad's sisters, Sharon and Bonnie, and their families all living nearby. On Sunday we happened to be there for the blessing of Sharon's daughter, Donae and Chris's new baby boy named Lewis. We also visited Dad's ninety-three year old Uncle Horace and his wife Anna Marie whom he hadn't seen for several years.

Finally, after a marathon of emails, phone calls, doctor appointments, lab visits and a mountain of paperwork for the past three weeks we have airline reservations and apartments rented for our stay in Belgium this summer. We fly out on July 1st and will return September 29th in time for Lance and Aubri's wedding on October 1st. Laurene and I look forward to a lot of playing while the guys are working and hopefully we can work in a few weekend trips around Europe while we are there. I am excited for this new experience!