Sedona. . . revisited

Every other year, continuing education for Shane . . . Sedona. We LOVE it! Red rocks, fresh air, hiking, swimming, shopping, relaxing and picnicking. This year we ventured back to Slide Rock Park, and since the conference was in Sept instead of Nov, we enjoyed the swimming.

Sedona 2007

2008

2010

Holy MOLY! Where is the time going? These kids weren't afraid of anything.
Their swimming skills have improved significantly.

They just took the plunge into the painfully COLD water. (I'm talkin' pain like stabbing needles. I could barely put my feet in.)

Then they sunned themselves on the rocks to shake off the shivers.

I either have to be 100% committed to the activity at hand and leave the camera behind, or 100% committed to taking pictures of the activity. Otherwise, I just worry that my camera will be damaged or stolen. I chose to be the photographer, which I don't regret. Next time, however, I will be jumping in whole-heartedly!

Shane tried his hand at the slide rock and high dive. Tyler also rode the slide rock with Shane, which I got on video. . . priceless.

We even managed a family photo on the hike back to the car. I love it when someone offers to snap a picture!

As we headed home we couldn't resist a picture by the giant chicken. These two kind of look neglected at this point. . . but boy howdy are they happy to be standing by this chicken!

Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th.

It's never as bad as they make it sound. Whoever "they" are.
Ty and I started the day at 2am with the meteor shower.
Some were so bright that they left a trail.
We were out for about 20 minutes and saw probably 15 meteors.

Beautiful and quiet.

I remember, as a kid, my Mom laying out with us on the trampoline, pointing out constellations and planets until we couldn't keep our eyes open anymore. I remember watching a solar eclipse. . . I'm pretty sure it wasn't a full eclipse, but it was really cool. I remember going with my family to my neighbor's home late at night to look though his gigantic telescope. We saw moons and rings on planets. . . all sorts of goodies.

My point is that there is something magical about the sky.

It makes you feel so small . . . a small part of something so big.

photo found at ChristianScienceMoniter.com

After the 2 am show, I woke up at 5:20 to go jogging/walking with Hollie. Let's be honest here, I wasn't exactly skipping down the street. 2am will do that to you. I got to the park, and there, on the ground, was a five dollar bill. How often do you get paid to jog?

Later in the day, the house became eerily quiet.

I was sure my luck had run out.

I grabbed my camera.

"MO? What are you doing?"

I found her in her room.

Me: What are you doing?

Mo: But? (means 'what' in her language)

Me: yes, what?

Mo: purse

Me: Oh ya? Do you have something in there?

Mo: yup.

Mo: keys


Mo: Mickey Mouse

Mo: dis. . . Ty Ty's (it's a lego)

Mo: dis

Mo: mokey

Mo: wing

Mo: cama

Me: are you sure you don't have any markers in there?

Mo: NO!

Her feet told a different story.

Each toenail carefully painted. Marks on her belly, legs, feet and hands.
But, here's where I luck out.

It's dry-erase marker.

And, no marker on anything but her and the dry erase board.

nothin' on the Kara baby, nothin' on the carpet or the beds.

Lucky me.

Tonight we're celebrating our 11th anniversary. Our anniversary is actually tomorrow, but tomorrow became too complicated. So tonight it is. Date night. . . massages and dinner. Ahhhh.

Paige just asked me why I like dates so much

and

when does she get to go on a date

Ummm. . . when you're 16

Paige: Justin Beiber goes on dates.

what the? . . . .

Happy Friday the 13th.

Almost the whole family

Fourth of July, 2010

Here we are, at our finest except for Mat. Not that he wasn't at his finest. . . he just wasn't able to make it.

Ty is upset.

Apparently he didn't get the memo that the second picture was going to be silly.

I think it's funny.

I chuckle every time I see the picture. Tyler in the perfect picture pose.
HEE HEE!

she's 2

Today was the day. 2 years old. . . where has the time gone. It seems like only yesterday that she was this old. . . .

. . .smaller than Daddy's hand . . . .


. . . . and then, bigger, but still too small to run away.


Now, she says "cheese" at the drop of a hat. . .


. . . has all of her teeth. . .

. . . and looks like a little lady.

She pretends that her toys are kissing and calls them honey. Are you kidding me?

She HAD to have "boo" cupcakes for her birthday. . . .

. . . and she's a little afraid of fire.

She's a little sassy, but mostly sweet.

LIKE, the other day when we were at Target. . .

Me (to Paige): You better knock it off, you're being so naughty!

Mo: Ya Gage. . . nice!

Mo then BOWS her HEAD and begins to PRAY for her naughty sister.

Not even joking. I thought Ty was going to split a seam.

Happy Birthday to our sweet Mo.

goggles are the new trend

Goggles. . . don't leave home without 'em.

happy days

Sunday was Fathers Day. Yesterday was Shane's birthday. He has had double days of fun ever since Tyler was born 9 1/2 years ago. This year, he celebrated Fathers Day with

A little bit of this

and a little bit of that

a little bit of this

and a little bit of that

The birthday celebration continued yesterday with a few friends, a seriously lit-up cake and a whole lot of silly string.

Let me tell you, it's hard to surprise this guy. He's SUPER sneaky and always knows/finds out what the plan is ahead of time. This time I waited until the actual day to get the ball rolling. That way, he's at work and can't find out anything. I called a few of his friends and they all showed up at 7:30 for cake and ice cream. He didn't have a clue. Mission accomplished.

We love you Shane! Happy Birthday and Happy Fathers Day!