Back to school...back to work....

Well, its been two weeks for me back at work (in the school) and one week back for the boys. Carter was so thrilled to get back to school he woke up on Sunday morning before and asked, "Is it school time today, Mom?" Let's hope his enthusiasm lasts at least until the next break. Needless to say he was more than excited to see his friends and teachers again and be in the routine.

Hudson is back with his infant group, too. There are about 2 other kiddos that are within a few months of him. I know after I leave he has a great time babbling away with them and exploring the new stuff. He is also working on two more teeth! That makes 6 so far....both my kids have been dentally advanced. ;)

It is nice to be back in the groove of things. I find the busier I am, the more I get accomplished.

here he comes!

The past few weeks Hudson has been hard at work practicing to be mobile. For a while he would scoot and scoot backwards until he hit a wall or piece of furniture. At that point he would fuss until he got help out of his situation. But, it appears he has finally built the strength to move forward!

Baseball Adventures

A few weeks ago, Kurt's employer put together a work outing to the Diamonback's game. It was nicely organized and was a great effort to get people out. The kids loved the atmosphere and had a blast naming everything that they could spot around the stadium. One of the first things was this D-Backs car that was right in front of where we were sitting. Carter is on the far left, Westin (a friend) is in the middle and his sister Aubrey right next to him.

The guys were most excited about the giant foot long plus sized hot dogs they were going to eat. The girls were most excited to talk and catch up. While it was fun to get out, I found it hard to really get into the game and follow what was going on while keeping the aisle nazi from yelling at the kids for not being in their seats. They did pretty well for being contained to a 2 foot space for a few hours. They later hit the kids play area at the stadium. I had no idea but apparently there are two places to take the kids to let them do whatever they want in a closed in play structure area.

Hudson was higly stimulated and fought his sleepiness. Can you imagine trying to sleep in a baseball stadium? Anyway, he wasn't unpleasant but we could tell he was wired.

In the end, I think the D-Backs lost. I guess our group effort of eating, chit chatting and disciplining was not what they needed most. Oh well.

Fourth of July

Some of you know that Carter absolutely LOVES flags. ANY flag. So this fourth of July (like last years) was extra special for him. The whole month is exciting for him with the display of flags--stars and stripes everywhere. As we drive around town and he sees flags he loudly announces, "Hey, I wanna get that flag!" Even now that the actual holiday is over Carter keeps asking me, "Mom, is it still July?" He actually thought it was "flag day". Even though I've tried to tell him flag day is different and that it is in June he insists on calling it "flag day".

So, to celebrate we had some friends over....and it sure was a great time! It was hot day but we cooled off in the pool. Kurt grilled the basics....hot dogs, brats, and hamburgers made by a friend. Our neighbor friend, Mark, cooked the popular brisket and ribs. On top of that other guest brought sides and I took a chance on a few new recipes. Needless to say we had TONS of food and even more fun. I enjoy having company at our house. This time we had a total of 9 kiddos! Here are a bunch of them:

Later, Kurt took Carter to the fireworks while I stayed back with Hudson who was asleep. They loved the fireworks, and we were lucky since many of the fireworks around the Phoenix area were cancelled due to weather conditions. According to Kurt, Carter was a little scared of them at first. He was covering his ears. I warned him before they left that they would be loud. His response, "No mom, not the America ones. The America ones are NOT loud". His way of saying the America ones are not as scary...America is nice. ;)

Sedona

A week ago today, we decided to take a trip to Sedona with Papa (my dad). He has never been there and with the new smokin' hot Sienna we got, Kurt and I have been feeling like a road trip. Plus, it is only a short 2 hour drive north and worth the 15 degree cool down.

Our first destination was a rest stop just before the exit. It was relatively typical, everyone taking care of business, walking, or fitting in a smoke break. But suddenly, this was no longer the ordinary rest stop visit. We (all 5 of us) became really interested in a tow truck and how he would manage to get this huge RV on his truck bed without dragging the bumper on the pavement in the process. For some reason I took a photo.















It looks tricky, doesn't it?

Then I decided it would be nice to have family pictures, too. Our deep interest in the tow truck shows that clearly, we don't get out much.
















When we got to Sedona about 20 mins later, we decided to go to a renown place called "Grasshopper Point". It was featured (along with Slide Rock in Sedona) in the Arizona Highways magazine a few years back as one of the best swimming holes in the state. I had been there in the past with a friend, and we really enjoyed it. It was a different kind of trip this time around with two kids, though. It is a short hike down a partially paved trail and then it is a lot of larger rocks and uneven terrain to get through before you reach the creek. When we got to a spot we thought we could make our "home" for a few hours, Kurt worked hard (as a former boy scout) to give us some shade using towels and large tree branches wedged between rocks. It worked like a charm.

















The water was very cool, but actually felt good after sitting in the sun for a while. There were many other people there enjoying the red rocks and serenity that comes along with a visit to Sedona. Carter waded near the edge catching minnoes in a bucket and every so often Papa and Kurt would take Carter out near the water fall a short way down the creek. Kurt and I tag-teamed with Hudson so we could both take advantage of the water.

I guess the highlight was when Kurt was brave enough to take a plunge off the cliff into the creek below. In this picture, he is about to jump, arms back and legs bent with immaculate form.






















After a good few hours we packed up and strolled around the main drag in and out of little "touristy" shops. I was unsure of this since I felt like a big slob after bathing in a creek all day. My dad assured me we wouldn't see anyone we know. I agreed. But, sure enough the first people we see as we enter the strip are two of Kurt's co-workers. It was kind of funny. I don't really care that much but I feel like just because we said that....we were forced to make a first impression in wet clothes and literally looking like river rats. Who cares, right?















Carter saw a bunch of flags and thought it was his job to untangle them as some of them were rolled up from the wind. We ate dinner at a not so great mexican restaurant, and then ran into a family of quails in the front yard of a little house.
















All in all it was fun...it was nice to travel with Papa and have some good conversations in the car to and fro. I think next time we should plan ahead and go for a few days. There is so much to see!

Here we are leaving for the day...