Last days of summer....

Grandma Shepherd's beautiful garden. The little glowing birds and dragonflies (in the night time pic) amazed the kids at night so they wanted a picture with them.

We told the kids it was just about time to catch those chickens to eat them and they were so excited they wanted to be the ones to catch them for dinner! LOL kids! :o)

They were sure cute when they were little though.... but I am sure they will taste yummy too!

Playing outside on Grandpa's playground!

Marian found a new "stage" at Grandma's house, when the porch light was on it shines down on this square of concrete and she was singing her heart out! Meanwhile Reed was looking at all the cool stars that we can't see at our house!

Thanksgiving Point Adventure

We took the kids, and a good friend of mine, to Thanksgiving Point before school started. Of course my kids loved seeing all the animals and Marian went home asking for sheep and goats :o) The sad thing is we would love to have sheep and goats, we just don't have a house where we could keep them. They also got to see a chick hatching out of an egg (they have an incubator they can watch) and they got to see a real cow being milked :o)

I loved Dani's face!

Here is Dani's new boyfriend, Nathan Soto!

Marian is sooo like me! When my parents took me to petting zoos and such I had buttons eaten off my sweater. This foal took a liking to Marian's shirt :o)

And of course she had to pet the calf!

Here is my good friend Jamie and her son Nathen, and (below) her husband Juan! Love their blue eyes!!!

Thanks for coming and hanging out with us and the animals guys!

Percheron's!

kid sized tractors!

The display with the bugs and things were pretty cool, the had a lot of fun things in there

This had better be the only time I ever see my kids like this (even though I wish I had one of these at home!)

Marian had to hand feed the ducks while the other's threw the duck food through the fence. Luckily the duck took it nicely from her hand.

Dani on her first pony ride

Reed looking like a real cowboy!

Marian couldn't be happier!

It was after this sheep licked her that she started asking for a sheep at home. So we told her to ask grandpa Shepherd ;o)

Dani found a sheep!

Ode to Rocky Roo, may he rest in peace. :o(

This was our Rocky Roo. He died on Monday the 22nd of August. We don't really know how or why he got sick and we don't know why he didn't respond to the medications and I.V. fluids that were given to him. However we do know that while he was our dog he was the best dog we could have asked for.

Our Rocky Rooster (Rocky Roo) is what we ended up calling him. He had the cutest (most of the time) little bark that kind of imitated a rooster crow when he saw people walking by the house. He also liked to be up in the morning earlier than I did (which isn't too hard to do) He was ready to be doing things at 6:30 or 7 and he would fake bark at (or give a rooster crow) around then to get us up.

He loved having Simba out there with him and they were buds, it was fun to watch them play in the yard together. Simba would chase Rocky and then Rocky would chase Simba and then run away giving Simba a chance to go chase him again.

He was just a part of the family, so here is his in a family photo.

He loved following the kids and just loved having them out with him. He was the perfect little watch dog who just kept his eye on them and loved them probably more than they loved him (which was quite a lot).

Our hike up to Stewart Falls. He was soo good he would go a few feet a head then come back then go up ahead to watch the kids and come back. The day before he got sick he was in the house and all he wanted to do was sit downstairs with the kids. That was what he loved the most, was being with the family who loved him.

Annual Scera Party!!!

The kids the day before the pool party. It has been very hot the past few days and they were begging for the pool outside to play in, so here they are playing in the warm water on the warm day! :o)

Every year our ward puts together a party at the Scera pool (it has been going on for at least 15 plus years) I remember going to it when I was younger and every year (with 3-4 exceptions) we were called out of the pool early because of lightning, this year would have been no different except right as the the thunderheads came rolling in it was time to go. After we got home we watched a huge storm blow and power wash the yard! This year the sun was soooo hot that the pool was very warm and pleasant to be in. We always start with a dinner and potluck salads and desserts, then the candy cannon and games, then on to the pool!

Uncle Matt, Reed, Marian, Aunt Nicci, and Grandpa McNeff eating dinner at the party!

Dani after eating her dinner!

Kids scrambling to grab candy that had been blown high from the candy cannon! (a long time tradition in for this party!)

Kids getting ready for another round of the candy cannon!

Dani and Daddy went for a walk while the candy cannon was being shot off!

Marian after the candy cannon was done

Dani and her aunt Mariah!!! (she is such a stinking cutie!!!)

Naomi loved the water at first, but after an hour she got tired quickly, at least there is proof of her enjoying the water!

My brother Ammon, his wife Nicole and their daughter Naomi!

My brother Josh and his wife Nicci and their son Quinn playing in the pool! (Love the hat Josh!)

Marian loved the water slide, and so did Dani once she discovered it! :o)

These were the kids 2 favorite things to swim around!

Marian and her "Dumpers" (she calls the Scera pool the "Dumper" pool because of them)

Reed and his "mushroom" of water!