12 years/12 weeks: Our Amazing Arizona Memories

So I realized today that we have 12 weeks left here in Sierra Vista and we will have been here for 12 years.  So I thought it would be fun to document 12 amazing memories of this place we have called home.   So here we go. . . . . .

 

#1  Fried Chicken Picnic and Fireworks with Amazing People

It would be fitting to start with the fist day we arrived here in Sierra Vista.  Brian had come a month earlier, but Braxton and I had stayed in Utah to help with a wedding so we arrived here on July 4, 2001.  It had been a long month without Brain and then a very long, long drive to get here.  I was ready to just relax when Brain announced that we had been invited by the Thornburgs to the fireworks. So we packed up and headed off to the soccer fields.  Little did I know that this would begin our first and my most favorite family tradition.  It also was the beginning of realizing that even when you are far far away from family the gospel provides an amazing family to fall back on. 

A Special Thank You to the Thornburg family for making our 1st day in Sierra Vista AMAZING!

Nothing beats PoFolk Chicken and Niagra Falls. 

2001

2002

Brian even added to the tradition the next year buy making Homemade Root Beer for all the seminary kids and friends who stopped by to just say Hi.

2007

Niagara Falls

We are going to miss the amazing fireworks here, but even more all the friends we get to see each year at the biggest, best picnic I have ever been on.

Halloween In Arizona

Pumpkin Carving:

Outside because it is 90 degrees

and a lot less messy

Braxton getting ready for the

Ghost Shooting Gallery at Trunk-Or-Treat

Arizona style in shorts and flip flops

My first Homemade costume

She loved it, but when your trick or treating in Arizona and 90 degrees

this costume can be a little too hot.

Megan checking out her loot. 

When you acquire 7 lb. of candy, because you live in a retirement community and all the old people love giving your kid handfuls of candy, it is time to share.

FALL

So we haven’t been super good at updating lately, but here is what has been going on in Arizona this fall.

We attended the annual Art in The Park and only come home with this.

We went to Apple Annie’s with Beth’s family over fall break and had fun picking pumpkins and getting lost in a corn maze.

Megan and I had a fun Halloween Craft Saturday.  We learned you can do lots with just a 2x4 and some odds and ends around the house.

Next up Halloween, stayed tuned to see my first ever home made costume.

Summer Fun

This summer we traveled 72 hours in the car, circled through every state around Nevada, some we hit twice and had a wonderful time with all our family.

1st stop: Lincoln City Oregon

The Manwaring Family Reunion.  Where we had lot’s of fun playing in the ocean and enjoying some sweatshirt weather.

The view out our condo window, so beautiful.

4th of July crafts with aunt Josie & sight seeing old lighthouses.

 

Cousin time and tide pools

 

Fun Family Night with Grandma Ginny

2nd Stop:  The Boise Green Belt

We intended to stop and do some biking on the Boise green belt, but only 5 min. on the trail and we ended up with lot’s of scratched and one broken arm.

Ami stayed by Megs side through lots of dr. office waiting time. That’s true cousin love.

Dinner entertainment after a long day.

3rd Stop: Aunt Rooie’s for a Perm.

4th stop: Utah

More cousin fun!

Visiting my favorite Grandpa and Grandma Hirschi

5th Stop: Red Fish Lake

climbing on the logs

taking a tour of the kids dragon museum

Finally heading home

Toe swimming at the hotel.  Poor Girl =(

Megan’s new man.  I think he is a keeper!

Summer Goals Accomplished

This summer I had two goals:

#1 Super clean the entire house.

#2 Make the kids Levi quilts.

So I am happy to say that as we cleaned the garage this morning goal # 1 was accomplished.  One entire house all clean and just before our vacation. It will be so nice to start this school year off with a very clean house.

As for goal #2 here is the proof.  Two Levi quilts all done, and I still have enough Levis left to make me and Brian each one too.

Megan also accomplished a great feat this summer.  She jumped off the high dive at the pool.  Her next goal is to do it without the life jacket.

3rd Grade Camp

Last week Megs and I went on an over night 3rd grade campout.  We had a lot of fun.  We left Wednesday from school and returned Thursday at the end of school.  Her teacher did an amazing job at keeping the kids busy with all kind of classes from sports, to arts and crafts, to learning about snakes, lizards and our local plants.

Here are just a few pictures of our adventure.

Our roomies for the night

A little break from classes with her BFF

Campfire songs that seemed to never end even when the fire was out

Finally ready for bed at 10:30 pm

Learning all about snakes, she is much braver than her mother.