What could be better than spending Memorial Day weekend with the two most adorable twin boys ever? Eli and Josh came to visit us again, this time for two nights! We had a blast!
I love that kids can take just about anything and turn it into a toy. They loved pushing this bicycle, and cracked up as it SCREECHED back and forth across the cement patio.

Eli discovered the doggy door... need I say more?

On Sunday we had some friends over for a BBQ. Eli and Josh were entertaining us as Scott was taking pictures. They love to say "CHEEEEEEESSSE!!" as the pictures are being taken. Watch the second video first to see how the boys demonstrate the "cheese!!", and then watch the first video to see how we all copied their "cheese!!"

My side of the family doesn't always celebrate special days in the traditional sense. For most Mother's Day would consist of going out to a nice lunch, shopping, buying flowers, and just loving on mom. Our mother's day this year included planting flowers, making a nice dinner, gathering around the fire pit, and lets not forget, shooting the potato gun. The weekend at the ranch (as we like to call it) was very restful and fun. Mom was so happy to be surrounded by all her children and she loved having us there to help in the yard, cook the food, and wash the dishes. We were happy to show love to her. While all the cooking, cleaning, and planting was great, what she especially loved was my brother's new potato gun. Let me restate that... the new potato gun was actually my mom's mother's day present from my brother. She got such a kick watching the boys load and fire the gun. We all had a few laughs. I wonder what the neighbors thought when they heard shot after shot go off followed by eruptions of belly- aching laughter. If you've never seen a potato gun in action, it's really a site to be seen. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this sort of "weapon", it is simply a few pieces of PVC, an ignition switch, and some fancy wiring... oh and you can't forget the flamible gas. I'm sure Youtube probably has a few videos you could check out...
Adam, showing us how it's done.

Scott the happy guy on the tractor!
Kona LOVES it at the ranch.
Happy Mother's Day!

Kona just loves the afternoon sun in the back yard. The warmth of the patio feels good on his joints and muscles I'm sure. He's such a happy boy.
Our backyard is pretty simple. We do not have many flowers, but the few we have happen to be in bloom right now. Unfortunately they are all on the side of the house and aren't often noticed. Since I recently re-arranged my sewing room, I now have the perfect view out the window of these beautiful flowers as I sew. I am enjoying every moment of their bloom as I know they won't last long.
I am also eagerly waiting the blooming of my favorite flower in the front yard. Last year we planted some new plants in the front yard. Two of those plants were Hydrangeas. I LOVE Hydrangeas, and I was so very excited for them to bloom. Because last year was so hot, they didn't get the proper water and the blooms died fairly quickly. I allowed the brown plants to stay in the ground until this February, when I decided to pull them out. Just as I was reaching down to pull out the first dead plant I noticed the tiniest little buds on the brown stems. I quickly pushed the plant back in the ground and got the watering can. The plant has continued to thrive and now it looks as though there will be some blooms coming soon. I will continue to wait. Stay tuned for pictures of the blooming...