Silly Boys- and some forgotten pictures

Drew and Kyle might be some of the silliest boys I know.  They are amazingly charming and pretty darn cute, though they can also be particularly infuriating.

Today, I went to check on them watching TV in my room, and found them like this:

So much for making my bed.

Drew loves to play on the bed- he always has.  In fact, I mentioned here when he was a baby that it was often the only thing that would make him happy.  I took a few shots of him and love the pure joy on his little face.

Drew turns two next month:  As he nears that defining age where he will leave all babyhood behind, I find myself feeling a little relieved, a little sad, and a little more determined to enjoy all the squeals and giggles as long as possible.

As I was uploading the pictures to our computer, I found some pictures we took at the Dbacks game last month.  We had our usual seats just above the bullpen, and unlike last time, this time the children were really good!

Very little squirming, no whining for extra drinks or treats, and we actually go to watch the game.

Of course, this might have helped a little.

The crowd was energetic, and the Dbacks won!  It's a lot of fun to be a fan when your team is actually doing well for once!  Go Dbacks!

Rose Garden Round-up

Last night we went to our ward party, the Rose Garden Round-up.  It was sure eventful!

First of all, it was good to see such great turn-out.  A lot of times our ward hasn't been great at supporting activities, but last night there were tons of people there!

We started out with dinner- sloppy joes and hot dogs, veggies, and chips.

Many people brought desserts to share.  I brought Cake Batter Blondies.

They weren't the hit I thought they would be, even though they are super delicious.  The recipe is here if you want to try them yourself.  I guess that means there are plenty left over for us to enjoy!

After dinner, Dusty the Singing Cowboy put on a show for the families.

It wasn't such a great thing for my kids.  All the kids were given straw cowboy hats to wear, and as Dusty walked his (real) horse into the gym, the horse decided Kyle's hat would be good to eat.  Unfortunately, it was fastened under his chin, and as the horse lifted up the hat into his mouth, it choked Kyle.  Luckily, a good friend grabbed him, and comforted him, as I was dealing with Drew in the corner.

See, Drew doesn't like animals at this point in life.  He is even afraid of our giant teddy bear.  So when I put him down for a minute so I could grab the camera, he freaked out and started screaming and crying.

Mother of the year award-- pass it on over!  Make one kid scream and cry while missing your other child get choked by a horse.

Anyway, they also had fun activities like "bull riding", roping, and an obstacle course for the kids to ride stick ponies through.

Sorry these are blurry- my camera doesn't
quite capture "action shots" cleanly.

I'd say everyone had a rootin' tootin' good time.  Except maybe Kyle.  He's afraid of horses now.  He might be scarred for life.

First Day of First Grade

I can't believe school is starting again!  I dropped Emma off this morning, snapped a few pictures, and her class got right down to work.  I know it will be a great year!

School Year:  2011-2012
School:  Adams Traditional Academy
Teacher:  Ms. Brown

Camping with Children in Christopher Creek

It's becoming an annual tradition for us to take the children camping for a weekend.  We all have a great time, get really dirty, and find some fun ways to enjoy the great outdoors.  Marcus gets to go camping a lot with the Scouts, but camping with your family is a completely different experience.

We decided to try out the campground at Christopher Creek.  We went up Thursday afternoon and set up our campsite.  It wasn't too crowded the first night.  In fact, from this view, you'd never know we were surrounded by people the rest of the weekend.

We let the kids get oriented, then took them exploring by the creek.  

In the summer, Christopher Creek runs pretty dry, though it is prone to flash flooding.  Drew practiced his favorite pastime of throwing rocks into the water.  

Marcus helped Kyle work on his baseball throwing skills, using rocks for practice.

It only took a few minutes for Kyle to get wet and dirty.

After that, we made dinner and the requisite Smores.  The kids were pretty tired and fell asleep quickly.  Marcus and I enjoyed the fire, then turned in ourselves.  Our tent was on a slight incline, so we basically rolled down the hill all night.  Good times.

Friday began early-- Drew was up at about 5:30.  Fun fun.  

It was our hiking day.  Marcus found this great place between Payson and Pine called Tonto Natural Bridge State Park.  

It's a little hidden valley with some great undeveloped hiking trails.  This means you climb over gigantic rocks, following the creekbed to the natural bridge.  

The trail ended at a swimming hole, but it was too rocky and cold for the kids to stay in very long.

A day of hiking must end in a trip to Dairy Queen.  

My kids are still new to ice cream cones.

We drove back to the campsite and rested, then finished off our day with dinner and more S'mores.  

Saturday morning we packed up, went on a nature-collecting hike on the mountain behind our campsite, then drove on home.

I really enjoy camping, but I don't like campgrounds.  We've used them because they are convenient with small children (bathrooms, drinking water, a fire ring, etc).  But it's hard to "get away" when you have people 50 feet from you in all directions.   I think next year we might venture out and try dispersed camping- you still use a tent, but you don't have any amenities.  

School starts in a week- so we have a busy week preparing.  What are you doing to enjoy the last days of your summer?

Summer Movies

This was the first summer I signed up for Harkins Theaters weekly Summer Movies.  A few of our friends all signed up for the same day so we could get the kids together and have a little fun.

We saw some winners (Megamind, Despicable Me) and some....not so great movies (Cats and Dogs, Alpha and Omega).  More than a few eyes were rolled

But getting together with friends and keeping cool in the summer heat are priceless.

Drew had a hard time the first few weeks, as he didn't like loud, startling noises, but as with everything, he got used to it over time.

We'll definitely be back next summer.

Last Minute Lake Trip

I haven't posted in a few weeks.  We've been doing things.  They're just not necessarily blog-worthy things.

Our routine is this:  Mondays- swim lessons.  Tuesdays- run errands.  Wednesdays- Summer Movies.  Thursdays- errands or stay at home and fight play.  Fridays- Water Park.

So, you see, we're keeping ourselves busy, but it's probably not too exciting to read about.

On Tuesday, Marcus planned to go to Lake Pleasant with the youth for their combined activity.  He came home at 1:30, and we suddenly decided it would be lots of fun to wake the boys up from their naps, throw a bunch of stuff together, and take the whole family to the lake.  And we had to be at the church by 2:00.

Now, if you've ever made a trip to a lake or beach with small kids, you know you have to bring a lot of stuff.  Towels, sunscreen, water toys, drinks, food, diapers, etc.  It was a bit of a mad dash getting everyone ready to go.  We didn't make it to the church right on time, but soon enough, we were loaded up and on our way.

Emma and Kyle are getting to be stronger swimmers.  In our rush, we could not find their life jackets, though, so we let them swim wearing innertubes.  They had a great time hanging out with the older kids, who were nice enough to put up with them.

Drew as usual wasn't too interested in going in the water (which is a lot easier for me!)  He spent the afternoon throwing rocks into the water or sitting on my lap.

The older kids even got to go out on the boat and get pulled around in the raft.  They loved it!

We stayed for dinner- a BBQ on the "beach", then headed home when Kyle decided to throw a screaming fit on the canoe.  That was an obvious sign that our day was done.

With that bit of excitement, we are back to normal.  Summer is rushing by- we need to do something else fun before it's over.  Less than three weeks, folks.  School is beckoning!

What We Did for the 4th

This post doesn't have any pictures.  We did a lot last weekend, but I didn't take any pictures.  I apologize!

Two short days of recovery after our trip, Grandpa Steve flew in for a visit.  That means we had an excuse to get all the Arizona Earnests together.  

Friday we met up with Chelsea and Taylor at BJ's Restaurant for a Pizookie.  And dinner.  

Saturday, we drove down to Todd and Amber's for a BBQ and some fun with the cousins.  I discovered that Drew is terrified of dogs, as is Emma.  After some delicious food, we made our way to the Mesa Freedom Festival.  The kids jumped on bouncy houses and we tried to make our way through the crowds to check out the vintage cars and fun booths.

I should mention that the high was 118 that day.

I think we must have been crazy.

At 8:45, we had had enough, and headed for home.  We saw a fireworks show on the way home, then watched the local show from our front step when we got to our house.  It was a late night for my early risers.

Sunday was the big day.  See, Steve flew in because Marcus wanted him to be the one to ordain him to be a high priest.  That's right- Marcus was called to be in the bishopric for our ward.  2nd Counselor, to be precise.  Thanks to Todd and Amber's family, and Chelsea and Taylor, for coming up to join us for that special day.  We are excited about his opportunity to serve in this way, but of course apprehensive of the changes it will bring.   He will be gone on Sundays and evenings during the week a lot more, and I will now be wrangling my three young children in the pew by myself.  The only thing I can think is that they are getting older, and (mostly) better at being reverent each week, so it will only get better from here.  

After church, we had a quick family lunch, and then Steve was off to the airport.  Thanks for coming, Grandpa- we loved having you here!

Monday was the actual 4th of July, as you know.  Marcus went golfing with some friends (the high was only 108), and my friend Anissa and I took the kids to see Cars 2.  Then we got lunch and did a little shopping.  The kids swam in our little backyard pool all afternoon, and we celebrated the 4th with a little BBQ and some legal-to-buy-but-not-to-use fireworks.  We just used sparklers and pop-its, actually, which were approved to use here in Phoenix.

I am thankful to live in America, and thankful for the freedoms we enjoy.  I appreciate our armed forces for serving so faithfully in times of war and peace.  I can't think of a better gift than spending a holiday with friends and family.  I hope your 4th was just as fun.