Owen thinks that he should be able to eat food too when we eat dinner. He has to sit on someones lap at dinner time or he will just cry the entire time we eat. He tries so hard to grab food off everyone's plate. Gavin likes to share his food and sometimes I will catch Owen with food in his mouth. Owen does get to eat baby cereal though and loves it. Soon we will try baby food and before we know it he will be eating at the dinner table along with the rest of the family. They grow up so fast.

Gavin is always on the move and refuses to take a nap even is he is tired. Eventually he will finally collapse somewhere around the house. Here are a few pictures of him sleeping.

We picked our first watermelon from the garden. We couldn't believe how big they got. It was very juicy and delicious. We planted lots from a seed packet but they all died. Instead of buying a new packet of seeds we decided to try planting seeds from a watermelon we had bought from the store. We didn't know if it would work but as you can see it was successful. I think we will do it this way every year now.

Gavin loves horses. It has become his favorite word. He is constantly saying it. I think it is so cute because he whispers it every time he says it. It was one of the first words he learned. The first thing Gavin wants to do when we go outside is to see the horses. Lots of times Gavin will stand at the door looking out calling for the horse wishing he could go outside with it.

This is a picture with all my sisters-in-law (except Lindsey) at the farewell party for Heather, Spencer, Zack, Claire, and Mason before they went home to Texas. We had a fun time with them this summer. Nate enjoyed working with Spencer and Zack at the dairy and misses their help now that they are gone. Claire was a great help and was always willing to babysit Gavin and Owen when I needed a little break. We enjoyed watching the boys card tricks, riding horses, camping, playing nerts late into the night, and relaxing and visiting. They sure will be missed.

Nate is always telling me how good the food in Texas is and how much he misses it. He said that he often ate Okra for school lunch in elementary school. When we planted a garden he wanted to plant Okra. I had never heard of it but was willing to give it a try. One day Nate decided he was going to make me a Texas style dinner. It consisted of Chicken fried chicken, okra, masked potatoes, gravy, and corn on the cob. It was amazing and the perfect comfort food. I would have to say that Nate is an excellent cook.

On Sunday night as the day was winding down, the boys were in bed and Nate was at a meeting; I had the evening to myself. It was raining outside and memories of running and playing in the rain as a child ran through my mind. I have always loved rainstorms and for some reason they have always fascinated me. Maybe it’s the smell of the rain or the sound of it hitting the roof while you are safe inside, or the beauty of the earth as the sun comes up after the storm.

I couldn’t help but contemplate life as I went outside to enjoy the rain. I thought about life like a late summer rain storm. The thunder and lightning, the on-then-off-again cloudbursts, seem to control the moment. Soon the slow uneven raindrops turn into rain-sheets swept across the sky by gusting winds.

But later, the rain will slow and gradually stop. The sun on the western horizon will shoot through a small opening in the storm clouds, and the sky will turn to a panorama of changing colors. Deep ambers, brilliant golds, cool wet blues, and translucent white will brighten the once-grey heavens.

The work and worry will pass as quickly as summer’s refreshing storms. Then autumn will arrive and memories will be sweet as they recall those cherished summer days of growing.

As I came inside soaking wet, I felt so much peace and joy about life and love for my wonderful family. When I parallel this to my day-to-day struggles, I know that the storms will come and go which helps me look beyond the present and into the future.

As I was reading today this passage caught my eye which went along with my thoughts…
Many today feel troubled and distressed; many feel that, at any moment, the ships of their lives could capsize or sink. It is to you who are looking for a safe harbor that I wish to speak today, you whose hearts are breaking, you who are worried or afraid, you who bear grief or the burdens of sin, you who feel no one is listening to your cries, you whose hearts are pleading, “Master, carest thou not that I perish?” To you I offer a few words of comfort and of counsel. Be assured that there is a safe harbor. You can find peace amidst the storms that threaten you. Your Heavenly Father—who knows when even a sparrow falls—knows of your heartache and suffering. He loves you and wants the best for you. Never doubt this. While He allows all of us to make choices that may not always be for our own or even others’ well-being, and while He does not always intervene in the course of events, He has promised the faithful peace even in their trials and tribulations.
Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Finding a Safe Harbor,” Ensign, May 2000, 59