Another Busy Day

Today started out seeming fairly low-key, but that didn't last. After ballet, Paige came over to play. She was here until it was time to get Morgan to school. Then we went to the park with friends, then to Karate, then to the EAGLE College Prep groundbreaking ceremony and finally to the EAGLE PTO kick-off meeting. Phew. We didn't get home until after 8 PM tonight.

Pierce, Spencer Erik & Morgan at the local playground.

Adam & Pierce check out Karate class (that is MO in the orange belt).

Adam playing hide & seek.

The groundbreaking ceremony for EAGLE was really nice and we got to meet some of the school's administrators and governing board. We are excited about the school year and I am excited about being on the PTO.

Preparing to break ground.Breaking ground.

Future EAGLE Kindergartener Morgan and her new shovel.

Park with Grammy

Yesterday the kids and I went to my mom's house for a visit. Sydney was there too. Grammy told the girls to wear their pj's over so they did. When we got there, we had Monkey Bread (yum), visited with Uncle Mike before he headed to work and gave Sydney her b-day presents. She turned 4 on Cinco de Mayo.

I have been feeling really junky the last few days so my glorious mom offered to take the kids to the park while I napped. I snatched up that opportunity faster than Adam eats chocolate (which is fast). At the park, they ran into Grammy's neighbor and Morgan's pal, Allysa. Here are a couple pictures that my mom took during their outing. I would love to do some commentary, but I was snoozing at the time. (Hooray!)

3 Cuties (2 still in pj's) - Sydney, Morgan and & Allysa

Adam had so much fun playing he exhausted himself and actually (gasp) napped.

Last Wednesday & Thursday...

Last Wednesday the kids and I stayed close to home. Our big outings for the day were driving to school, running into our friends Spencer and Pierce at the local park and going to karate. Anthony came over to visit Adam during Morgan's time at school, but mostly it was just the 3 of us (Jeremy in NY) hanging out. Here are the kids in the backyard enjoying some homemade popsicles.

On Thursday night, Jeremy's flight was delayed out of Denver and I just needed a break so the kids and I met Kimberly, Dylan and Connor at Applebee's for dinner. Check my head for thinking that mediocre food with bad service and four young kids would constitute any sort of relaxation! Kimberly and I got a bit of a chance to chat, but mostly it was kid-control. Our kids are like siblings so they know how to push each other's buttons. They definitely love each other though.

Camping at Apache Lake

Today we returned from our Apache Lake camping adventure. It was a great trip! We went with our usual camping crew - the Adams-Urbinatos & the Kennedys plus this time we were joined by Apitchaya Miller and her two girls as well as our good friends the Dominguez family.

The weekend began with a harrowing drive to the Burnt Corral Camping Ground via Apache Junction. It was a bumpy dirt road for about 25 miles - parts of which were one way lanes and bridges. However, I was too carsick to be scared which is probably a good thing. The kids were watching a movie and not paying too much attention to the heights or sights, but Morgan did comment that the ride was 'fun'.

Adam enjoying the view upon arrival at the campsite.

Once we got there and pitched our tents we played for a while, had an enjoyable spaghetti dinner and roasted marshmallows on the fire. Kids of all ages love s'mores!

Making s'mores.

The next day, we drove about 8 miles back down the bumpy dirt road to the Apache Lake Marina. Unfortunately, we didn't get there early enough to rent a pontoon. In fact, the only two boats left were motorized row boats so we got a couple and took turns taking rides. I didn't go (darn), but Jeremy and the kids had a great time. I would like to give it a try next time if we get a bigger boat, have more time and I remember my dramamine. LOL

Daddy & Adam prepare to launch.

Morgan & Anthony model their life jackets.

Playing at the beach by our campsite.

Emily is such a cutie!

On Saturday night, it was our turn to provide a meal. Together with the Dominguez family we made tinfoil chicken fajitas. It was a lot of work to prepare, but everyone seemed to enjoy it. After dinner we made more s'mores and Mary showed me how to make Banana Boats in the fire. Basically, you cut a strip in the banana, scoop some out and put some chocolate and marshmallows in the hole. Then you put the top of the banana back on, wrap it in tin foil and throw it in the fire to bake. Only Mary, Morgan and I ventured a taste, but I thought they were yummy.

Mommy & Adam snuggling by the fire Sunday morning.

Mary reading to the kids.

Allysa brought glowsticks for the kids on Friday night and silly string for Saturday night. She was getting teased for being anti-evironmental for the silly string, but the kids went nuts for it. We just had to clean it up after. Allysa & David also brought a tent for the kids to play in. So smart!

Allysa reveals the silly string to the kids.

Pete post-string attack.

During our stay, Pete Kennedy supervised the crawdad trap that our sometimes camping buddies the Matsch family let us borrrow. We not only caught crawdads, we caught some fish. The kids loved this. They put the catch in buckets to observe then threw them back into the water.

Pulling in the crawdad trap.

We drove home via Globe-Miami which is a longer drive, but less bumpy and more scenic. We drove by Roosevelt Dam so had to get out and take a picture. We ran into Suzanne, Pete & Claire there. They had stopped for a picnic lunch. It was a beautiful view, I can see why.

Anthony, Claire, Morgan & Emily posing by the Roosevelt Dam bridge.

We will definitely go back to Apache Lake again. Our campsite was gorgeous. Right on the water, with lots of shade and decent bathrooms. The partiers were a bit annoying (who launches a boat at 3:00 AM?!), but clearly people who don't have young kids don't know or forget...

Dinner & A Movie

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days. Things have been kind of crazy. We've had a good week so far starting with Morgan and I attending her first high school musical "Fiddler on the Roof" at Arizona Lutheran Academy on Sunday afternoon. It was a 3 hour play, but she sat through and listened and loved it. In fact, she was not only singing the songs the next day, but doing the same arm movements the actors had! Unfortunately I forgot my camera, but I have a strong feeling that Morgan is going to be just like me in her love of musical theatre so there will be plenty more such outings in the future.

Fortunately I did have my camera with me (and charged) yesterday afternoon on my date with the kids. Jeremy is in NY so I thought I'd take them out for a day on the town. First, we went to see Nim's Island. It was a cute movie. Some of the concepts were a bit over their heads, but there was no violence or swearing and they both sat quietly through the entire flick. I am a huge Jodie Foster fan so, of course, I enjoyed being able to see a new release of hers in the theatre - over the past few years it has been wait for DVD - and Abigail Breslin is adorable. We thought her character, Nim, was very brave and Morgan said she was "sneaky from those Bucaneers" (see the movie to understand!).

Posing in the lobby by Kung Fu Panda - We are excited to see this movie!

Posing with WALL-E... this is one kid movie I could skip.

After the movie will killed time putzing around Hobby Lobby and getting the car washed because "Red" the Robin was due to be at Red Robin restaurant that night and the kids had their hearts set on seeing him. They love going there to eat, but we almost always end up going on days when Red isn't making an appearance so they were very excited. We were actually done with dinner just when Red was to report for duty so we waited for him by the front door. The hostess told him to come see us right away and I mentioned to Red that the kids had planned their day around seeing him. He spent several minutes interacting with the kids and even started to follow us out to the parking lot after we said goodbye. Adam was a bit freaked out by this last act of attention!

Playing with treasures at Hobby Lobby. Morgan bought herself some flowers to play bride and Adam found a measuring tape.

Happy to see Red!

Recycling Tour & Anthem Outing

Today was another day full of adventure. The kids and I began with a long drive out to the North Gateway Transfer Center at Dixileta & the 1-17. It is the newest City of Phoenix facility and is high tech and really neat! The kids watched "Alvin & The Chipmunks" in the car so the drive wasn't bad at all.

It was an eye-opening experience to see our City’s garbage and recycling process in action. Once you are able to see just how much waste is out there and how much opportunity for recycling there is, you walk away feeling like a visit to the center should be mandatory for all citizens. But, of course, it isn’t and we can’t mandate environmental responsibility. But, we can all do our part.

We learned that recycling not only helps the environment, it saves the City money. It costs the City to dispose of trash, but they make money on recycling – which trickles down those of us who are city residents in the long run.

After the tour, we headed out to my dad & Mary's for lunch and a visit. We hadn't seen them in a while so it was great to catch up in person. They treated us to lunch at a Nuevo Pinatas Mexican food in Anthem and then we headed over to the community park. The kids had a blast on the play equipment and we were excited to see that the Daisy Mountain Express (train) was running today so we took a ride around the beautiful park. We then took a quick trip over to the Outlet Mall where Grandma Mary & Grandpa Joe watched the kids at the playground so I could do some shopping. What a treat! After more post-shopping visiting at their house we headed home. It is a bit of a haul out there so, of course, Adam decided to crash in the car at 4:30. Here is hoping he still goes to bed a decent hour tonight! I am off to Self Defense for Women class so it is for Jeremy's benefit that I hope he has an easy night.

Mason, Madeline & Gina

Today we met Gina, Mason & Madeline at our usual rendezvous point - Chandler Mall. It is about in the middle of our two house which means it is far for both of us. It is a great place to meet - we let the kids burn some energy in the play place, have lunch and do some shopping. Morgan was over the line today for the acceptable height requirement at the play area. One of these days she'll have to stop going in, but for now if she is careful and it isn't too crowded, I let her play. Yes, I am one of those moms I used to scowl at when she was a toddler.

The kids and I got to the mall a little early and made some returns/did a little shopping. I got Adam some new sunglasses and he loved them so much he wore them practically the entire day - including at the play area as you can see in the picture below.

We went to lunch at our favorite haunt, Wildflower Cafe. The kids all bring out the best in each other and I love how strong their friendship is.

After lunch, play and shopping, we stopped off at Barnes & Noble. The kids enjoy looking at books and playing with the train table. It was really sweet to watch Morgan and Mason taking turns reading to each other. They are getting so big!

As you will notice, both my kids changed outfits during the mall visit. It seems to be their new thing to do when I buy them new outfits as evident from this trip and our one last week to Fashion Square.