Horse Rides!!

The twins are at the age now, where the best sort of entertainment is a good old horse ride. The bad part is that there are two little boys that want daddy, and one is always pulling the other off. Crying soon follows, and all the fun is gone.

Today, big brother came to the rescue and helped make it a fun time. Here is the solution, Tyler with Vivin...

and Tallon with Orrin.

Doesn't it look like fun!! The twins were in heaven, and Tallon and dad were wore right out.

It is wonderful that Tallon is old enough to play like this. It has been hard for him to go so long without a play mate, and now life is good!!

Tallon starts Kindergarten

This morning was the day I have been dreading for 6 years!! Tallon, however, was so excited!! He was so big as he walked into the school and found his classroom. He was so excited when I picked him up and he was all grins as he told me about his day. Life takes another turn for us now, this one will take some getting use to.

Cousins!!

Tallon has a lot of favorite things in his life, but nothing even comes close to the COUSINS!! He and Carter are the best of buds, they both get so excited when they are together, and it takes a good 1/2 hour before they calm down if it has been a while since their last time together. Well, we got spoiled this weekend, we got to be with Carter for 3 whole days, and now he is staying with grandma and grandad for a 1 whole week!!

Whitney and Kaleb got married in the Logan Temple, and it was a perfect day! They are gone for a week for their honeymoon, so Tallon is in heaven cuz that means he gets to play with Carter. It is such a blessing to have these two adorable boys be the best of cousins!!

Boating with Grandad

The twins got their first boat ride today. Grandad called early and invited us for a ride, how could we say no on such a pretty day!! Here is Vivin and grandad, Viv had a ball driving.

Orrin was a bit annoyed by the life jacket but was still all grins.

Tallon decided that he was going to try to ski!! He and aunt Brynja were all smiles when he was getting ready...

we even made it into the water! But then we changed our mind. Tallon really wanted to try, but had a hard time getting the ski's on. He gave it a good try!!

... and we did get to see Brynja wake board!! She did great for her first time.

Thanks Grandad for a great day!!!

A day up Hobble Creek

We have a fun family spot that is just beautiful in August. As the rest of the forest and Valley are starting to go brown, Hobble Creek is as green as ever. Today we invited grandma, grandad, and Brynja to join us for a ride and a picnic.

Tallon had a blast fishing, the Twins explored every inch of camp, and mom and dad enjoyed a day of relaxation. The day was perfect along with the company, and before we know it the long summer days will be gone.

Tallon Turns 6!!!

I can hardly believe that it has been 6 years!! Tallon was soooo excited for his birthday this year. We did things a little different and decided to take the birthday boy and his party to Bear Lake. We took Brixton and Bridger with us, as special guests, along with adopted daughters Alicia and Sydney. All the Dana Cousins were able to make it, and a few extra friends as well. Here is just a highlight of all the folks that took time out of their day, to show their love for Tallon.

Here is the Birthday Boy!! He had a lot of fun with everyone. He played and played, opened presents, and even got to share his party with Anna.

Tallon is such a delight to have for our first born. He is the best brother and cousins anyone could ever ask for. He has such a tender and thoughtful heart, and cares for everyone. Happy Birthday Tallon!!! We love you!!

County Fair!!

It is that time of year, and since it only happens once, we decided that we had better go and enjoy the County Fair!! Tonight was the Demolition Derby and it was so fun. The local fire department and a few good derby friends of Derek Haderlie, put together a car in his memory. It was hard to see it come into the arena, but yet it was wonderful. It is hard to believe that we have lived 6 1/2 months without our Derek, it seems as if he was with us yesterday. They raffled off tickets to see who got to drive the car, and Shandi won!!! It was so neat to see her driving Derek's car, and the kids loved it. She did pretty well, and it was so healing for her. I don't think there was a dry eye at the fair when they announced "car 170, in memory of Derek Haderlie, driven by his wife, Shandi Haderlie", it was awesome.

Here is Ryder, Taylor, and Shandi after the first heat. It was a lot of fun to go back in the pit and see what all goes on to get the cars ready for the next heat.

Shandi had a lot of fun driving. Most of the drivers were afraid to hit her! I guess they didn't want to hurt a widow, but there were some who didn't seem to mind. It was a great derby, and I don't think that there will ever be one so teary eyed again.

Tallon had been eyeing the mechanical bull throughout the evening. He first saw it when we were going into the derby, and he would find reasons to go out, so he could see it. Well, we finally talked dad into letting us ride it after the derby. Tallon couldn't have been happier!! He did really well, and the man running the control said that he hadn't seen a little boy with such good balance (bad news for mom, i want him to golf!), Tallon was all grins as the man was complimenting him, he just shrugged his shoulders and said "it's because I buck on sheep!". What a kid!!



We had a great time. Tallon is already making plans for next year, and says he is going to save his pennies so he can ride the bull a lot! Where else can you spend all your pennies, but at the County Fair.

So blessed!!

Our family loves the rain. We love to listen, play, and smell the rain. And when it is done raining we love to look for rainbows. We were not disappointed this morning.

Just breathtaking, isn't it! We are once again reminded, that we are so blessed to live were we do!

Man...

check out those eyes!! The twins were just playing around and a random picture revealed their eyes. Talk about blue!!

Yes I know...

they are adorable!!

The boys look so cute in their Sunday duds, and wow they are sooooo big!!

Daydreaming of the next Adventure

Tallon learned at a very young age to entertain himself. With no younger siblings to play with, he has filled the dull moments in life with "his friends". They play, sing, rope, ride and eat together! The thing they picked to fill this summer day was riding. They herded and branded and brought in the cattle, climbed to the top of a mountain, and finally came to a peaceful rest.

One of my favorite things about Tallon is his imagination. He has gone and done and been so many fun places because of it and I hope he can always find joy in daydreaming with "his friends".

The Big Day

Today is the day that Tallon talks about and waits for all year, The Little Buckaroo Rodeo!!! He prepares and dreams of the day that he finally gets to buck on sheep. He has been mutton busting for 3 years and is soooo hooked!! His first ride was when he was 3 and he talks of little else. This year was so much fun. Now that he is bigger that long awaited ride lasts longer and this year he was awesome. Here he is looking over the arena planning his big ride.

Tallon and Clancy talking things over. These two are so cute when they are all cowboyed up!!

I think this is about the cutest thing of the day. What a kid!
Here is the start of Tallon's ride. He was going to ride with one hand, but when he got up there he decided that the sheep looked fast and two hands would be better!
His dramatic finish. I laugh so hard every time I look at this picture. He ate a lot of dirt but that didn't seem to bother him, it only made his story that much better.
Being saved by the clowns. He was rather bothered by this part of his ride. He said that the clown laid on him forever!!! The sheep landing right on top of him was okay, but some guy trying to save him didn't impress him at all.
Walking out of the arena with the clowns and his dad. Tyler is hiding behind one of the clowns and it was a good thing because he is laughing at how much sand Tallon is hitting out of his helmet.
Tallon and Great Grandpa Taylor (one of his biggest fans).
Getting a kiss from biggest fan number two (his mom is number one of course) Great Grandma Taylor.
Tallon was awesome this year. He is already making big plans for next year and I am sure that it will be just as great.

Cool Dudes!

Tallon and Brixton seem to have a name for all the ways you wear a hat, backwards is being a "cool dude". It is so funny to see Tallon's personality change with his hat. If it is a cowboy hat he is a cowboy, if it is camo he is a hunter, and like this, wow, what a cool dude!


Sometimes it seems as if the twins just go along with what Tallon is doing, as you can see they are not as impressed by being a "cool dude"!

Number 3

Tallon has lost his 3rd tooth!! (well the dentist pulled his 3rd tooth) But we are sooo excited!!

The Tooth Fairy is the best! Tallon is already planning a trip to the store so he can spend is $1.

I wanna ride

Tallon got his first motorcicle this spring and is awesome. He has mom nervous most of the time and has even made dad squirm a time or two (notice the tear in his sleeve, that one made everyone holler). This morning he was out on the bike wishing he was riding, and before long he had Vivin on with him. Tallon was making all the sounds and Vivin was in heaven.


It was so funny listening to Tallon tell Vivin all the cool things that he does on his bike. I am just stressing over the moment when I look and Tallon is giving the boys a real ride. Oh well, no reason to stress over it, I just have to prepare myself, because it is going to happen!

Summer Bums!

The boys were running around in overalls this morning, how cute are they!?! Their tan lines show that we are enjoying the sun and all its warmth. They have had a busy summer of following Tallon in swim lessons and T-ball, playing in the sandbox, and going for ranger rides.

Here is Vivin...

which makes this one Orrin...

together they make twins!!

Vivin was done at this point in the photo shoot. Tallon and dad came through the back door saying something about going outside, and it was all down hill from there.

Quick Tells

Everyone is always asking how I tell the twins apart. Well here it is.
Orrin

Vivin

It is true, their cowlicks are the key. When they were 2 months old I said a desperate prayer for the key of telling them apart. Vivin was loosing his redness and I was so afraid of getting them confused. My prayer was answered while combing their hair. Orrin has one and Vivin has two. If I am holding one of them and someone asks who I have I look at the back of their heads and then I know. Everyone thinks I am crazy, but it works. So there you have it.

Shootin with the Boys

This morning I looked out the window to see Tallon, Brixton, and Bridger in the back yard shooting the BB gun. They had Tyler help them with a target and pulled up some chairs and were in heaven!! (yes Tallon is a lefty when he shoots, he gets it from his mother!)

They would shoot and then all run up to see where it hit. It was so funny watching them.

They stayed entertained for a good hour or so and then they were off to destroy something. It could prove to be an interesting summer if BB guns are in the mix!!

Ranger Ride!!

Today the day was nice enough that we gathered Granddad and Brynja up and went for a ranger ride. We left from Granddads and went up Grover Park and practiced shooting down trees, we are a weird bunch aren't we.

Tallon just got his own BB gun and is loving it.

He can shoot with the big boys and is right on target!!

I think they all might be related, what do you think?!

It was a really fun day. There were still a few drifts that we had to plow through and the twins squealed the whole ride. Summer is on its way!!