Hiking

The weather has been perfect here for weeks. It's September/October and March/April that is so gorgeous that you don't need AC or the heat on.  Windows are open 24/7 and it's cool and crisp in the mornings and just warm enough to feel delicious in the afternoon. 

We couldn't let another weekend go by without spending some time outdoors.  We went to our favorite hiking spots.  The kids love all the rocks.  I think this is where we are doing family pictures in a few weeks.  We did them here last year, but we were by the creek, so it'll be a different backdrop this year. So, I was scouting out possible spots for our photos.  This would be a cool spot.  That's the kids crossing the creek. I'm praying they don't fall in.  Fall in on the way out, not the way in!

 

In a few more weeks, all of these leaves will be changing and it'll be magnificent.  It's spectacular green too! 

 

This little archway is cute and in the background is people taking family photos.  :) 

   

 

I love the rock formations there.  They are so different. 

 

You can't tell from these trees, but they will be a wall of beautiful fall colors in 2 weeks.

 

My boys favorite spot is the cave. 

 

I freak out the whole time we are in there.  But, it's part of the trail, so we have to climb through it. 

 

Why does he do this stuff and then say, "Look, Mom!"  

 

Does she not know that this is where snakes hide? 

 

Ben getting eaten by a rock. 

 

Another, Look Mom moment. There is a giant crevice between us and he's on the other side alone.   

 

Then, she does handstands.  

 

This is the cutest little tree.

 

Ben pondering life. And this is when he tells us, he no longer wants to move to a big city when he gets older. He now wants to live in Papa and Grandma Suzy's cabin in Idaho and write books.  Look the guy on Misery.  But, minus his number one fan who breaks his ankles. 

 

These stairs would make for a good pic, but it's too far of a hike in fancy boots. 

 

One last little break in the shade before heading down the hill. 

 

It was a lovely day!

Today, Emily and I are volunteering in the church coffee shop for the first time. Should be fun! 

Jack-o-lantern

Oh my, could he be any cuter?  He looks so cute without that top tooth.

13...Again

So, I totally didn't realize that I didn't post any of these pictures here on my blog.  I did some on Facebook, so somewhere in my brain, I thought I did it here.  Then, I was just looking and thought, where are her 13th birthday pics?  On Facebook, that's where!

So, here they are 2 weeks late.

My girl is growing up too fast. This week, she got asked out by a boy. She doesn't like him, so she just responded that she's not allowed to date.  But, man, David and I were not ready for that. What if she did like him?  I mean, she's obviously not going to have a boyfriend at 13.  She doesn't even want one now, but still.  Ugh, too fast, too fast!

Anyway, here was my pretty girl the morning of her birthday.

When she got home from school, I had presents for the cat, I mean her. 

She had her favorite dinner, roast, mashed potatoes, carrots and rolls.  Then, we went to the pool.

And home for pumpkin cake. All I do on her birthday is cook.

But, she's worth it.

And she finally got new bedding! She's had this bedding since she was 18 months old. I've tried to have her replace it a few times, but my girl is sentimental.  But, it is paper thin. The sheets won't stay on.  It was time.  

She picked out this super cute set and it matches her yellow walls, so we don't have to paint.  It looks so pretty.

Pam sent her a gift and this super cute shirt.

This lady posted on this neighborhood community group that her cat had to be put to sleep and she was getting rid of all of her cat stuff. One thing was a window hammock. So, I responded and went and got it all. It's Rio's new favorite place to sit and sleep. Ben's room is at the front of the house where all the action is. And by action, I mean bunnies. We have so many bunnies right now. It's a cats dream.

We went out to dinner at Olive Garden thanks to a gift from Gwynne and Enrique.  Emily loves their mac and cheese.

Emily and I went somewhere and couldn't resist this cute pic of Rio in the window.

Anyway, that's my girls 13th birthday and more info than you need to know about our cat. 

A Night Away

We just went on a fun 24 hour adventure.  I got free tickets to this show called Marvel Universe Live in Phoenix, so we decided to make a night of it. We pulled the kids from school a little early and headed down to Phoenix. We checked in to the resort we were staying at. The kids love staying at a hotel. This one was nice with a separate living room area.

We headed to this place called Cafe Rio for dinner that my friends always rave about.  The food was delicious. The service was awful. They were slow and rude.  We won't go back. But, here's some lady making homemade tortillas. So yummy!  

The kids posed for me outside the event. There were lots of little kids dressed up. I didn't even think of telling the boys they should dress up.  But both said in hindsight, they would've put on a costume had they known. I'm glad they are still having fun being kids.

The show as awesome. It was like an action play mixed in with acrobats, motorcycle and other stunts.  This is lizard climbing down the ladder.  

And here's green goblin flying in to create trouble.

Emily and I at intermission.

The set was really cool.  There's Spidey swinging around.

Then, they got out these dirtbikes and road around. Spidey even did a flip on one!

There was fire.  

And they are trying to save the day, but having trouble.  There's Groot on the left. I love Groot.

Then, Hulk showed up and saved the day.

It was a really cool show! 

Noah said it was the best thing he's ever seen. It was fun to watch Ben and Noah during the show. They were thoroughly enjoying it.

We got ice cream at Sonic.  YUM!

Then, we went to the resort and slept.  When I got up, I went out on the balcony and had a nice view.

Then, we headed to the pool.  It's a mini waterpark with a slide, lazy river and a super nice pool with waterfall and a hot tub.   Here's Ben sliding down.

And Noah...

Pam came over to spend the day with us.  It was great to catch up.

There was lots of pool room for wrestling.

We had some fries poolside and Starbucks. We left around 1:30 and were hangry.  So, we heded to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch.  This is Ben after two huge plates of cesar salad and 3 snickerdoodle muffins.  We were all stuffed.

Then, we headed home.  We were gone for 25 hours and had a great time.  This year is already flying by and the kids are off for Fall Break in 4 weeks!  What!  We have an awesome beach house rented with our friends right on our favorite beach in California.  So, we can't wait!