Hiking

The weather in the morning is so wonderful this time of year.  We took the boys for a hike and E wanted to keep going higher and higher.

We found this great spot to look out over the city for a while. Sometimes I just love watching the boys take it all in.

Church Carnival

Each year, the church my parents attend has a carnival to raise money. I have taken the kids twice in the past and we decided to head down again this year. My dad is usually working the sound for the stage, so we get to put our things in the shade under his tent.

We rode this bee ride a few times...

 and walked away with a TON of toys from the kids games!

How we roll..

We brush our teeth while wearing headbands...

 and we give each other rides.

Science Center Field Trip

I feel as though I picked a great year to become a stay at home mom. I have been fortunate to be able to join E and G on so many events for school that I know I would not had been able to do if I was working. 

This time we headed to the science center for E's field trip. We have been there once before (over a year ago) and E definitely had more fun this time.

E was racing his wheel against Mrs. Carter and Mrs. Mokwa's.

E's VIP Week!

Evan had quite an exciting week at school on the second week back! First off, he was able to celebrate his summer birthday. He requested cupcakes for his birthday treat. 

Getting spun six times!

Aren't these birthday crowns AMAZING!

 Happy summer birthday, E!

That week E was also the VIP for his class. During their turn, they bring home a suitcase and fill it with 5 important items about themselves. After they share, the entire class makes a book about them. It's pretty special and E loves reading his book. What a lucky kid to have this kindergarten experience!

Trains, Trains, Chase, and Dinosaurs

This is one of the reasons I keep delaying Paul's need to take down the Christmas tree. These boys of ours LOVE to watch the train go around and around and around.

 Paul is still on his time off from work, so we decided to take the boys on the light rail. Paul has been on it a few times when he goes to Diamondbacks games with friends. I had yet to ride. The boys were super excited!

 These two love to play in the volleyball sand at the park near our house. The game is for them to try to run past us, we try to catch them, then throw them back into the sand. It's a blast!

 Dinosaurs. Need I say more?

Finally! A 2015 Post!

January has since come and gone, but I have so much to write about. This may just be the year with the shortest book I receive at Christmastime.

Flagstaff received its first big snowfall just before the new year. We took the boys up in the afternoon to find a good place to play. The plan was to go to a designated snow play area, but when we arrived, they were full and not allowing anyone else to enter.

We kept driving past SnowBowl until we found a spot where other cars had pulled off to the side. One of the side roads was closed and people were sledding down a small hill that led to the side road. It seems like the perfect place.

 We played in the snow and made some tiny little snowmen.

 They even were able to sled for the first time. It was so much fun!

 Thank you to the random stranger that took this photo for us. (I think this might be the beginning of Grayson's "I will not look at the camera" stage.)

The worst part of this trip was when we left. I think that everyone wanted to come up to the snow, just like we did. It took us 3 hours to drive three miles before even getting into town. Worst ride ever. Surprisingly, the boys did really well. We had the DVD player in the car and were pretty pooped out after sledding. That night we arrived home after 10:00pm, even though we were in the car ready to drive home at 4:45pm.

It will surely be a trip we remember. Note to self; next time, find a snow play area south of Flagstaff!

2014: A Year In Review (Part 3) - December

Finally making a December post...in MAY 2015!

Yikes.

These are all out of order, but they pretty much sum up our hectic month!

My sister took out to the desert and shot us.  With her camera.  She's our go-to family photographer.  I love that she loves my kids and they love to see her.  Especially when she takes them to explore in nature.

I love that this is really what happens behind the scenes.  Momma is holding stuff.

 

I ran my first 15k!  The kids made signs with Grandma Marie the night before.  They also ate all of my chocolate that I received in my finisher's mug.

We took the boys on the Polar Express again this year.  This time my parents came with us since they had yet to go.

We didn't take the boys to get pictures taken with Santa this year because they didn't want to go. Evan instead wanted to ask this Santa to take a photo with him instead. When he did, Santa turned him down.  What kind of Santa is he?!

Tok came this year again, right after Thanksgiving.  He brought snow covered donuts and a note for the kids.

The boys were really into helping us decorate the tree. I think we only had about 4-6 broken ornaments in total this year. Not too shabby!

Mommy cuddles. That is all.

E was also big on writing letters to Santa this year. He must have written 3 or 4 to him.

"I want a toy sword and all the Chuggintons please!"

"I want a new dog that looks like Layne. that is all I want for Christmas is baby cars. Daddy and Evan and Mommy and Grayson and Grandma and Papa."

"Toy sword. Please give this to Santa."

Evan hit the treasure chest on the shark game that he likes to play at Peter Piper Pizza.  He won gobs and gobs of tickets! (I think it was close to 500.)

E's kinder class sang Christmas songs. It was the most darling thing I had seen all year.

We went driving around town looking at Christmas lights several times.  This one was the kids' favorite. Why? Because the inflatable Santa kept pulling his pants down.

These two boys sure do love each other.

On this night, G did NOT want to sleep in his room.  He was adamant about sleeping in his brother's bed.  Yes, there were a few giggles, but they did a great job.  Plus, they looked so sweet sleeping together. I'm hoping this happens more and more.

I think we started a new tradition for New Year's Eve...bowling!  It was a bit last minute, but we had a blast.  I'm hoping we can get more of our family members and friends to join us this year.  But at the same time, it was nice with just the four of us!

This carousel is always a hit at Grandma Marie's. The boys will watch it and watch it and watch it!