Our So-Called Calm Summer

So we thought this summer would be so calm and even a little boring since we were not really going anywhere, but who knew that staying home this year would be where all the excitement was.

This is the Monument fire that started Sunday, June 12th.  This is night one right out my front door.

By the next day we thought things had calmed down, but then on Tuesday/Wednesday the winds hit and sent the fire across the Hwy into residential areas and about 1/3 of our ward was evacuated.

After that we thought we had seen the worst, but Mother Nature was not cooperating and Thursday brought a second fire that started on Fort Huachuca and many more evacuations.

Thankfully no lives have been lost.  I have witnessed great love and support as many calls have come through our home to find housing for many of our ward members.  Hopefully things will continue to get better and families will be able to return home soon.

SUMMER BEGINS

To start off summer vacation we decided to go camping!

We spent 4 days in Sedona and had a blast.

We finally made it to the red rock slides and boy were they FREEZING!

The boys even tried a little cliff jumping

We took in a beautiful hike

And just had fun!

It was a perfect beginning to our summer.

Were off to see the Wizard…

 

Megan got the opportunity to be in the High School play this week.  They were doing the Wizard of OZ and asked for munchkins at the school so we signed her up.

Here is our little munchkin practicing for her part.

This was at rehearsals the night before our big debut. 

Glenda the Witch of the North and Dorothy just before the Munchkins come out from hiding behind the houses.

The Munchkins singing and dancing, that the wicked witch is dead.

I wish I could have filmed her part, but dumb copy right laws prohibited it.  She did a great job and even wormed her way to the front on the night dad came to see her. 

Now we just have to work on get these songs out of our heads!

I can’t wait until I’m Eight….

 

Megan’s Baptism Day

Saturday, April 30th 2011

We even had Braxton playing the prelude. 

1st time in public and he did great.

Afterwards we had a celebration dinner with homemade root beer and Ice cream.  It was a wonderful day.  And what is a party with out the adults throwing the kids around right . . . .

A Tangled 8

So my baby girl is 8 ahhhhhhhh… where did the time go.  We had a little party for her with some friends, it was all themed around the movie Tangled.

We made paper lanterns and put glow necklaces inside so they would glow.

See the glowing??? 

I promise they looked better than the picture is showing.

We roasted Hot Dogs on the fire and had a picnic on our new grass.

Then we hit a piñata with a frying pan of course.  By the way thanks Lisa for the fun idea the girls loved it.

Finally we settled them down to watch the movie TANGLED in the backyard on the big screen. 

Overall Megan said it was a great birthday.

A little piece of green heaven

 

BEFORE:  Here was our backyard when we moved in, and of course we just couldn’t leave it like this. . . .

So we pulled out those ugly bushes . . . .

Brought in some good dirt . . . .

Built us a delicious and beautiful garden . . . .

Added a super fun fire pit . . . .

Planted us some Peach trees . . . .

And finally got us some beautiful, green, green, grass.

AWWW the perfect non-Arizona yard.