First Soccer Games

This weekend, the older two kids had their first soccer games. Despite the 105 degree heat . . .

and the baby without a nap, I had more fun that I can tell. I was so proud of my little ones. They tried so hard. I have great memories of playing soccer growing up and they both had a lot of fun. I couldn't be happier.

Craig got to play goalie for a little bit. Here he is getting into his position. Legs bent, hand out. I just wish you could see the concentration on his face from here. No goals got by him!!

Abigail's team did well also, I missed some of it because of overlapping times, but she was happy because her team won. The her team dominated the game and so defense got a little boring. Still when the ball came to her, she took care of it every time. So proud!

#3 turns 3

I love my little girl and hate that she is growing up so fast. Last month we celebrated her 3rd Birthday. She wanted a yellow cake, which was no surprise. She loves all things yellow. The Belle doll is what she earned when she decided she was ready to be a big girl and stop using diapers, a bit before her birthday. She all of the sudden decided to grow up. She no longer uses her bib, booster seat, sippy cup or diapers. Which after diapering for over 6 years, will be nice to have a break before the next one comes along.

Love you Bugs!

Rocky Point Mexico

Our family just got back from a great vacation in Puerto Penasco Mexico. We were invited down by Chris' dad. We stayed at this wonderful resort. This view was from our balcony out to the ocean. I admit I passed many late afternoons on this porch enjoying the view.

The kids wasted no time enjoying all the pools. This one was a favorite with the frog and whale that sprayed water on them. There was also a lazy river we floated countless times.

Then we headed down to the beach. The water was clear and warm which was perfect. We took a ride on an inflatable raft shaped like a banana that was pulled behind a motor boat. The banana boat became one of the highlights when we came upon a 4-5 dolphins in the mood to play a bit. It was very cool to see the animals up close in the wild.

The beach is covered with vendors. There isn't a whole lot going on in Rocky Point besides fishing and tourism, so everyone is trying to sell you something. I think this guy had it figured out. He was the only one on the beach selling mangoes. He peeled the mangoes on the spot and then sliced them into flowers to make them easier to enjoy. You could select to have your drizzled with fresh squeezed lemon juice or, for those a bit more adventurous, you could have chili spices sprinkled on it. The mangoes were very refreshing in the warm afternoon. Next time we go to Rocky Point I will have a mango budget.

We attended the branch there which reminded me of my mission and of home. The sacrament meeting room was filled to capacity mostly with tourists. Chairs were brought in to fill in some of the aisles to accommodate everyone. It felt a little like Park City on the Fourth of July weekend. It was great to sing hymns and listen to the testimonies in Spanish. The branch was amazingly strong. They had two missionaries out. One headed to the MTC that week and three more working on their papers. They were just wonderful humbling people to be with.

One of the brothers in the branch presidency happened to be a friend of a family we were visiting with. They joined us for dinner. This picture shows the kiddos playing Duck, Duck, Goose with the daughter (4) of that family. Our room was on the bottom floor of the resort so the kid could just go down a set of stairs to this grassy area and play.

The kids had more fun than they knew how to contain. They played soccer, frisbee, and football down stairs. Upstairs in the room the only thing they played was chesse. Abigail and Craig were fancinated with the new game and Abigail caught on pretty quick. Chris and Abigail snorkeled. The kids built a hermit crab condo during low tide. I have never been so grateful for 50 sunblock. The kids played all day and no one was burnt. The best part of the vacation for me watching them enjoy everything from the pools to each other. I am very grateful we were given the chance to go.

Beginnings and Endings

This past month brought some new beginnings for us and a one chapter came to a close. First, Abigail started school. She was so excited. She is attending a charter school and the building was finished just before the school year started. The only thing that made her nervous was wondering if her teacher would be as nice as last year. Abigail reports so far that she is. Thank goodness.

Abigail also decided that she was up for trying ballet lessons. After taking last year off to "only do school", she decided this year she was willing to give it a try. After buying her outfit and only one lesson, she is in love. She looked so great and I can't wait for her first recital.

With all of these new things, we unfortunately had to say goodbye to one of our favorite people. This is Miss Erin the Libraian. She did storytime at our library. She was wonderful. She took a new job that will provide her new possibilities and opportunities, which we are sincerely happy for her. Though a piece of my heart is sad we won't get to enjoy spending time with her each week. I am so grateful for people like her. Thank you Miss Erin. We love you.

Geocaching and Other Adventures

One of the great advantages of being up on the rim is just being outdoors. The kids got filthy dirty everyday and loved it. We were also introduced to geocaching (a.k.a. treasure hunting). Santa might be asked to bring a GPS unit for Christmas.

While we treasure hunted, we turned down a wrong road that lead to one of the greatest moments of the trip. After we turned around and were headed back to the highway, we came across an elk family. There were about 7-8 elk ranging from a large male to a few babies. We had to stop the cars while they crossed the road. They are huge animals and it was one of the highlights of the trip for me. We also had a large havelina (big, hairy, wild pigs) walk right by the cabin on our last day there. The wildlife certainty cooperated.
After a little treasure hunting, we made the drive to Flagstaff past Mormon Lake. We stopped at Lake Mary for a little exploring.

I love the mountains. To me, they are the best place to relax. This trip was very rejuvenating. Chris promised me that if we end up retiring in AZ that we could spend the summers in these mountains. That would make is bearable.

Crawdad fishing and Funny Faces

Last minute we packed up our family and headed up to a friend's cabin up on the rim. For those not from AZ it means a weekend away from the heat and in the mountains. I had never been up that way before so this was a new adventure for me.
We started out the day with a run and crawdad fishing. I had never done this before. Bacon and a rock are placed in a nylon and tied with fishing line to a stick. The kiddos dangle these in the river and within minutes we started bringing in crawdads. My husband wanted to throw them in the jambalaya, but I talked him into waiting until next year.

Naps were not permitted on this vacation and the kids went to bed late every night. When they were being this good watching a little movie, it was hard to force them to bed.

Laney teaching Chase to make a funny face. (I had about 10 of these pictures on my camera.)

Fireworks and Goodbye

After all the festivities of the day, this was a grand daddy of them all. My parents bought a set of fireworks and the kids sat on the porch while the dads became like scouts again and got in touch with their pyro side. Some of the little ones were more worried than others, but everyone enjoyed the fireworks.

Yes it was a little cold. The kids wrapped up in blankets and jackets in their jammies to stay warm.

When it came time to say goodbye the next day, Abigail's little heart was torn out. She hated to say goodbye to her cousins. It was really great to everyone. We love you all and happy 4th.

As a side note, when we arrived home we had a surprise waiting for us. A message on the phone saying that the Stake President wanted to meet with us. Yikes!! Turned out that they wanted to issue a call to my husband to be the new executive secretary. He is going to really miss the Young Men, but he accepted the new calling and is excited for the challenge it will be.