Sunday Comic #24

I am not going to explain this one. You'll have to figure it out. I will give you a hint. If you don't recognize the neighbor, you won't get it.

Phoenix

 So, November's over. Not sure where it went but we are already half way through December now!

We went to Phoenix!

 On our way to the airport we hit what was possibly the worst EVER traffic on the freeway. What is normally a 45 minute drive to the airport took 2 hours and 15 minutes. By the time we parked and took the shuttle in we had totally missed our flight. Luckily, we were put on the next one without a problem. The kids were beyond excited to get in an airplane. Even the rental car was exciting.

 We stayed with Shelly for most of the time we were there. She took us to this little nature area and we did some hiking. Lyla loved having Natalie to play with. Natalie was so fun and the kids love her!

 Jason felt like a true Wild Kratt when he got the chance to visit the Sonora Desert and see Giant Saguaro Cactus. He was hoping to sneak upon some native creatures but they alluded us!

 A big highlight of the trip was getting to SWIM EVERYDAY. Jason felt like a daredevil leaping into the deep end. Him and Natalie would dare each other to go from the hot tub to the pool.

Lyla loves to play in water and is desperate to learn how to swim so she can keep up.

We have lots of peeps in the Phoenix area. People I really wish we could see more often.

Meaghan and I go WAAAAY back.We were in seminary together and she was often my partner in crime for random fun. We also graduated High School early together...a lot of good that did us! She will be having a baby soon and I wish I could be closer for all of that!!!

Lance and I were BFF's during a point in high school. I have also known his wife for years and they are an AWESOME FAMILY. She is expecting baby #4, another little newborn that I wont get to see! They are so fun, wish we could hang out more!

And of course, Auntie Kakes!!! Kaylee even hosted us for a night, isn't she brave!? I have known Kaylee since she was BORN! Here she is sprucing up our toes and making us a pretty :) 

Macy and Emily at the park.

Deep conversations between siblings.

Lyla posing for the camera. She wanted a picture all by herself. She is such a photogenic little girl!

If you know Tommy then you know Shawn. We love the Dowlers and we are beyond excited that have been able to adopt a wonderful little 4 year old girl. They invited us to come to their family sealing in the temple. It was beautiful, a truly wonderful day for their family.

This picture cracks me up. Macy and her chipmunk cheeks, Jason's going grin, and Lyla trying to decide which type of face to make.

We loved going to Phoenix, so many fun people!!! Hopefully we can make it back within the next 5 years. Our door is always open, SO COME VISIT!!!

Halloween and Costumes

During the month of October we went to what felt like 4,000 Halloween events. Carnivals, festivals, parades, parties, Trunk or Treats, and actual Halloween night. We went to so many events that Lyla was able to rotate between her 2 costumes (a witch or a wild kratt) and each was worn a few times.

At Lyla's trunk or treat event Macy was without a costume. So she stole Lyla's hat and broom when she got the chance.

Lyla with her Preschool Teacher Ms. Emi (dog ears) and Ms. Metta. Ms. Emi also taught Jason's class.

Our very own CABBAGE PATCH KID. Adorable doesn't even begin to describe her cuteness!

The whole gang! These are all the neighborhood kids (plus some extras) on Halloween night.

Checking things out and trick or treating

I am a little Halloween-ed Out at that moment. Luckily I have a whole year to recuperate!

Renaissance Fair

We had our first group experience at a Renaissance Fair. What's not to like? Plenty of weapons, animals, costumes, food, and boobs. Something for everyone ;)

We got watch a Jousting Competition. It was pretty cool. 

The kids with the jousting loser. 

They got to ride the giant horses after the jousting competition. Lyla is in the front and Jason is on the horse in the background.

 There was a lady (notice the giant boobage to the left) who had a Falcon that kids (or adults) could hold. It was only a couple of pounds but it was a little hard for Lyla to hold. On the bottom picture they are making total eye contact. I kept waiting for the bird to peck her face off but luckily it didn't.

 Mr. Cautious here really enjoyed holding the bird. He felt like a true Kratt Brother ;) At one point the bird got a little wild and started frantically flapping but Jason kept it all calm and collected.

 I see helmets and think "Don't touch those sweaty lice infested things." Tommy sees a helmet and tells the kids to put them on. I couldn't even watch them do it. I wanted to sanitize their heads and faces. 

  Although we didn't get a single picture as proof, it is noted that Clare was here for this activity ;) 

10-18-14

Clare was in town so Tommy and I were able to do this thing called A Date. When 2 people like each other they like to go on these outings, without kids, and it's called A Date. This date was more calm and enjoyable than our last adventure. (The time we went tubing down the river and I almost drowned. Plus I lost my favorite hat. And, as you can see by the fact that I am wearing Jason's hat in this post, I haven't replaced it yet.)

Mr. Mountain Man with his "beard."

Jason's First Backpack Trip

PHOTO ALBUM 

When I first told Jason what backpacking was, he immediately wanted to go. He loves camping and he thought that carrying all of your gear on your back sounded like a fun adventure. I love backpacking, so I looked into some local hikes to introduce him. I was lucky enough to stumble upon Avery Pond. Avery Pond is a hike in only campsite with only one campground that generally goes unused.

The hike from the parking lot is only a mile, but I had a friend at work who lived nearby which pushed the hike to 3.5 miles, each way. That was perfect, so we were ready to go.

Jason started the hike with this monkey on his back. It didn't last long and ended up back in his bag. Jason carried the stove, warm clothes, tent poles, food and water. These pictures also document my short lived beard. It only took my face 2 months to get to this point.

The views on the trail were pretty great. I was surprised how varied the hike was for such a short trip. Here is a lookout point just before Rattlesnake Bar. Jason was pretending to be an explorer. He commented that the scenery looked like the African Savanna. I agreed, even though neither of us have been there to verify.

Almost there. The last half mile was a struggle for Jason, It was 94 degrees that day and we started hiking at 3:30pm, so it was a sweaty endeavor. Along the way we saw a jackrabbit and a deer. It was the biggest jackrabbit I'd ever seen. Jason brought his magnifying glass to investigate nature while we were out. We used it mostly to look at coyote poo on the trail.

Avery Pond, we made it! Time to soak our feet.

This was a horse drinking area next to the pond, but it doubled as our foot bath and our water source for pumping water. We always bring a purifier along for such things.

Cooking our rice and chicken dinner on the camp stove. This campsite had a few picnic tables, so we had a lot of space to work with. Jason learned how to use a lighter... great.

I can't stop laughing at this picture. It distorts just enough of his teeth and head to make him look like a demented chipmunk. Good thing he brought along the magnifying glass.

It was a very quiet and dark night of sleep considering there was no one else around. We didn't see one person on the hike into camp.

This was the section of river that was right down from our camp. I didn't ask Jason to pose for this picture, he decided on this Rocky pose himself out of excitement of being there. He loves it!

My runner friend Paul told me that there was an exposed rock arch near the water's edge that had been uncovered due to the severe drought. We walked for a while trying to find it until finally...

Success! Jason is being a troll who lives under the arch. We thought we were done, but there was another surprise...

It's like a mini-arches national park out here! Pretty cool. We were both stoked to actually find them since we didn't quite know where they were.

It was a great trip, and now I want to take my whole family out here next time. I look forward to many more hikes with the kiddos.

Until next time.