4th of July - Arizona Style

How do you celebrate 4th of July in Arizona?

Step 1:  Immediately call people and tell them you have nothing to do on 4th of July.  You'll be surprised how many people also have nothing going on and who feel trapped in the hot blistering weather.  Adam sent an email to his brothers and sisters to confess our situation and we were pleased to find out that they were just as desperate as we were!

Step 2:  Establish a party at someone's house.  Since we were first to fess up, we hosted a last minute pool "party".

Step 3:  Don't stress about anything.

Step 4:  You must smile and act like you're having a good time.  

Step 5:  Don't forget to snuggle with someone.

Step 6:  Use the grill even though it's 100+ degrees.  Also, eat some cheese.

Step 7:  Keep cool by swimming, slip 'n' slide, or cheap misters.

Step 8:  Light some sparklers once it's dark.

Step 9:  Go to bed at a decent hour.

Step 10:  Wake up early and grab your cowgirl/cowboy hat.

Step 11:  Drive to Prescott (bring friends named Nichole and Ivan if you can!)

Step 12:  Eat large amounts of shaved ice.

Step 13:  Ignore the crowds and just have fun.

Step 14:  Remember, you are never too big for a pony ride...EVER.

Step 15:  Don't forget that fried foods are very patriotic.

Step 16:  Go to the rodeo and scream like mad during the barrel racing.

The End.

Photos from the Spring

These photos are from Easter time.

Our hens are much bigger now.  We have eggs too!

Barry Heber Cabin Trip

Video by Allison

Oh, what do you do in the summer time?

Adam and Anya both get the stomach flu at the same time.

Here's a disoriented photo of us laying down, fighting the waves of nausea.  

We were like a pair of black plague victims and enjoyed complaining together about how bad it was.

Even during the stomach flu, Adam and I can laugh.

Fortunately, Nana drove the kids around and made dinners.

John builds and builds.

We headed to the cabin...to pick and pit sour cherries during a vicious 119 degree heat wave.

I have been very "sour" lately.  Perhaps still recovering from the plague.

John does indexing, a great contribution to worldwide ancestral recording.

We also go to Peter Piper and play ski ball. 

What do you do in the summer time?

World Record, The MIM, Cabin Cherries

John and Ella are really getting a hang of proper swim techniques this summer.  I love sitting poolside in the shade and watching.

John made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for participating in the world's largest swimming lesson.

Unfortunately, Ella had a stomach bug that day.

When we're not tackling a home renovation project, we do the splits.  John's has improved on his splits during gymnastics.  He can also climb the rope using just his arms.

Ballerina Ella is flexi too.

We went to The MIM for Father's Day weekend and it was fabulous!  I would recommend it for older children because the majority of the museum is hands-off.

John and Pappa exploring.

We saw an owl perching just outside of the museum.  

We went up to the cabin and I was thrilled to see that some of the sour cherries had ripened!

The kids loved picking.

Surprisingly, the cherries are surviving the harsh winds.

We made a sour cherry crumble with our harvest.

Cousins visited and that made the weekend even better.

We went to the Bluegrass Festival which was not what Ella expected.  We adults probably could have enjoyed laying around listening to the music and watching people.  The children were bored and wanted a little more excitement. Adam says, "If you don't have anything nice to say - don't say anything."

The weather was cool and absolutely gorgeous.

Smokey Bear stopped by.  Wildfire education is critical because Arizona is so susceptible to dangerous wildfires...many of which can be prevented.  

Summer has been enjoyable, interesting, boring at times, and very very relaxing.

Feliz verano!

Ella's Ballet Recital...Summer Kickoff

Ella had her ballet soiree recently and danced beautifully as one of the acrobats.  She did a very good job at smiling, pointing toes, and her cartwheels were impressive.

She remains a diva on stage.

While Ella had rehearsals downtown, we played at the science center.  We loved walking through the da Vinci exhibit to learn about the incredible contributions he made.

John also had scout day camp for three days (complete with archery, swimming, bb guns, and crafts).  

It's a great kickoff for summer.  We have a lot to look forward to...swim lessons, cabin trips, and house projects.

John is also in an intense gymnastics team program with 4 hour practices.

Rooster

Sadly, one of the hens turned out to be a rooster...