I suppose I'm making up for lost time by submitting another post this soon. I went for months without posting a thing. I'm not quite sure if it was because we moved and I needed to find peace in our new home before I could dedicate time to the blog, or if I just had a dry spell. It's likely a bit of both. At any rate, I hope to be doing this more often.

Dylan and I went to Fort Ebey for a hike last weekend. He enjoyed being in the woods and exploring the trails. It's tourist season, so it was busier than other times Justin and I have gone to hike with the dog. There were a lot of folks out with the kids.

Max was pretty good. He seems to be getting better with people (in small doses), but still acts like a rabid dawg when he encounters other pets. Wish he would learn some manners. After going to Fort Ebey, Dylan and I headed over to Fort Nugent to play at the 'Castle'. Unfortunately Max acted like a nut and I found it too difficult to keep a good eye on Dyl, and simultaneously handle the mutt. Needless to say, we had to cut it short and head back to the car.

We tried leaving the dog alone in the car with the windows down a bit, but he cried hysterically. It ended up that Dylan and I had to take the poor emotional dog home before he had a breakdown. It all turned out okay though, because we were a tad hungry. It gave us a good excuse to sit for a bit together and have a treat. We went to Wendy's and had a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger and a frosty. It was fun just chilling and watching all the motorcycles ride past; they're always out in numbers on beautiful summer days.

After our lunch, we took Max home and headed back to Ft. Nugent. Dylan had a great time. His favorite activity at the park was climbing up the tires. His second favorite thing was hanging like a monkey. He would count 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 then drop to the ground. The next time, he would count to 4, then 5, and continued all the way up until he got to 10! When it was time to leave, he stalled as much as he could. He begged me to let him swing since he had not done that yet. He worked very hard at what his Grammy had taught him . . . how to pump his legs while on a swing. After the swing, he begged to try walking the rope, and so it continued to the tires, and as we finally began to walk the path returning to the car, he decided it would be a much better idea to let mom go ahead by herself. Naturally I had to chase him a bit. And when I finally wrestled him over the back seat and into his chair, I had to promise to bring him back.

It was a great day together =)

So about a week or so ago I decided to plant some flowers. They bring me a little piece of home, which is important considering I haven't been back in three years. My grandparents had tons of flowers for as long as I can remember, and they seemed to take great pride in what they grew. My grandfather would walk around the house showing me what was new, which flowers the 'birds planted', ones he was most proud of, which ones he snipped and began growing in jars, etc. He would share the names and tell me how to take care of each. Everything he planted seemed to flourish.

As I got older, he gave me flowers to plant at my own house. Every evening I got my hands in the dirt, or spent time outside watering or pruning the plants, was therapeutic. It was a gift I’ll cherish forever; a gift I hope my boys eventually carry on with their children. I love being outdoors and appreciate nature to its fullest. I recruited my oldest son Zack to help select and plant our garden. He worked pretty hard, and we got everything planted in record time, despite encountering terrible soil and a ton of rocks. It was great having his assistance, not just because it was less work for me, but because we were spending time together working toward a common goal. I thoroughly enjoyed his company. And since then, I love seeing him out watering the flowers taking pride in his handiwork.

I should also mention that we had the little guy ‘helping’ us dig. He’s always eager to be a big helper, and constantly emulates his big 'bros'. I must say though, he’s a bit better at watering the flowers, than he is digging.

I decided the best pop of color I could give our house would be vivid purples, since our house is a pale yellow. Rather than be boring and only stay with purple hues, I added a few spots of pink too, but I tried to keep the pink flowers bold; mostly fuchsia. Together we planted Salvia, Phlox, Mexican Heather, Fox Gloves, Butterfly Bushes, Blue Bells, Asters, and a few others. We already had a gorgeous pink Hyacinth blooming by the front porch.

I love each of them. Some were chosen strictly for their color, while others reminded me of my grandparents, and several were purchased for their sweet fragrance. My grandfather had butterfly bushes, which I think our whole family loved. Although I’m sure we won’t be here long enough to see these ones grow as tall as the one we had at our last home, I’m hoping they attract some butterflies. My neighbor’s favorite color is purple, and she loves butterflies so much, that she actually harvested about 30 this spring. It would be ideal if someone else can share in the joy, taking simple pleasure from our garden.

The flowers are still rather small at the moment, but hopefully by the end of summer they will start filling out a bit.