Louisville Kentucky Temple

Shaker Village, Placerville, KY

With Joseph in town, we took a road trip with grandpa to Shaker Village.  The drive was absolutely gorgeous.  The village is at the top of a hill with these views of stone fences and green pastures for miles around.  On our tour, we became experts in shaker life, including carpentry, shoe making, broom making, and ox training.  It was a horrifically hot and humid day, but we managed to enjoy ourselves.  The highlight was probably the drive home through country roads in complete downpour.  Scary but exhilarating!

More Kentucky

Grandma is good at taking care of those toenails

Out to dinner with cute parents.

Emmy found a new friend... cousin Faye.  Only four months apart... already enjoying each other!

James dances in the rain.  You can't see the rain in the picture, but it was pouring and he was so thrilled to be soaked.

Daddy comes to visit!  Yeah!!!   We have three days together before we all board on a plane to come back home to California

Family in Kentucky

It's so nice to be with family.  It's funny how we all look alike, talk alike, share similar tastes, and find each other funny.... our kids automatically love each other too.

Ruth had no problem finding a buddy during our stay.  This is 9 year old Francis.  We took a 3 mile walk to Graeter's Ice Cream and she patiently held Ruth's hand the entire time.

Five of the eight Mumford children... not bad!

Nothing beats eating hamburgers out on Grandpa's grass.

Emmy agrees.

a beautiful day with the Diamond kids at Louisville Zoo

Hello Phillip

How can a duck face be so adorable?  Phillip was our favorite animal on the Diamond family farm in Kentucky.  Whenever he heard us in the yard, he would sprint over and peck our feet until someone would finally pick him up.  Ruth and James were terrified the whole week, but the rest of us found his routine hilarious.

David took to the farm like a duck to water.  Aunt Emily was sweet to let him help with chores around the yard in the mornings.  When he'd disappear during the day, we'd notice him outside chasing chickens.  

Baaa baaa.... lots of sheep

David earns his wolf!

This was my first meeting with my new calling as den leader.  I never imagined myself in a scout uniform, in fact, I still feel weird with it on.....but, kids take you on unexpected journeys.  

David is officially welcomed into bears.  What could be more fun for a boy than a bag of gummy bears and a secret handshake?!

Busy Bees

Kentucky State Fair

We had the opportunity to venture to the fair with my parents yesterday.  We saw cows, cows, and more cows..., rabbits, bees, and goats.  I loved watching the boarder collies round up the ducks, eating fried trout with hush puppies, and watching the kids enjoy the rides.  The girls and I had really good naps when we got home!   It is sure fun to be in KY with my parents... they give love and time so generously.  Their home feels so cozy, especially on rainy days like today.

Happy Birthday David!

David is 9 years old!  This year he opted out of the usual Lego gift and asked for a fishing pole. It is funny how kids get you into things that you'd never dream of.  The morning of his birthday, we left Emmy with a babysitter and headed to our Lake Mission Viejo.  A few kind fishermen taught us how to string the hook, bait it, and cast the line.  Eventually, a fish cooperated and gave David a happy start to his fishing career.  Needless to say, I am much relieved that our excursion prooved successful.

I always think that the first born of any family is a brave spirit.  He is the child that paves the way for the rest.  We're sure grateful for David's presence in our family.  I can always rely on him to help out around the house and distract unhappy babies.  He is also very in tune with my mood and hates to see a stressed mother.  We love you David!

Not everyday...

I almost ran over this big guy ... good thing Joseph was there to save the day.  First time seeing a Tarantula in the wild... ever!

Four year old fun!

As of Tuesday, Ruth is officially four!  She is so happy these days, and begins statements with this line: "now that I'm 4 years old....."  Her birthday is #3 of our 4 midsummer birthdays, so we are definitely in celebration mode!

Ruth asked for an Elsa dress for her birthday.  It sounded like an easy request until I began looking around for one.  You can't buy them anywhere!  If you look online they are marked up 3x the value- definitey not worth it.  Finally, just as we were headed to JoAnnes so that I could try my hand at sewing one, I got word that the Disney store finally had a few.  Whew!  This is definitely the most glitzy of all her princess dresses and she LOVES it!  In fact, Ruth usually has her Elsa dress on before any of us are up out of bed in the morning.

We borrowed Eleanor for the day and took her for an outing to the pool.  Afterwards, they played for hours.  It was great!  We were lucky to have grandma and grandpa Larsen as well as two aunts and their families join us for dinner.  It was a big crowd!

This is a real smile....the kind that appears after your have sucessfully blown out candles and listened to 20 family members cheer and clap for you.  Birthdays are the best!