Vacation in Phoenix Part 3

Cowboy dinner night was very exciting. We took a van from the resort about 20 minutes outside of Peoria (AZ) to a cowboy ranch. While there we practiced hatchet throwing, horseshoes, pistol quick-draw and had a fun barbeque dinner. When you scroll through the pictures, if you are wondering where Zoe was....She is inside with Grandpa Rodriguez. The events outside were too overwhelming for her. She gets a little nervous and the sounds of the gun firing scared her.

Vacation in Phoenix Part 2

The pool was awesome. The kids loved going to the pool to cool off. We tried to go each day either early morning or late afternoon. A couple of the days we went in the early evening, but learned that the thunderstorms roll in every evening this time of year. It is monsoon season in Arizona and here in Sierra Vista we get some pretty heavy rains. In Phoenix, it is more thunder and lightning and high winds. Nick and Delaney loved the water slide. I am so proud of the little girls. Emi has been working hard during swim lessons this summer and she was swimming independently. Annie and Zoe have also been working hard and both were able to swim around (wearing life vests) on their own. It is the first time in many years that I have been in a swimming pool without holding someone. I feel liberated! (I know, it was just the last post that I was moaning about my babies growing up. But there are some perks!)

Vacation in Phoenix Part 1

We spent a week in Phoenix for our family vacation this year. We had such a great time. The temperatures rose to 113 while we were there, but we all did fine. The kids were miserably hot, but we didn't stay outside during the hottest parts of the day. Our resort was fabulous. They have a horse ranch right on sight and the kids enjoyed riding horses several times while we were there.

My Baby

I have no idea what happened. Just a few shorts weeks ago (in my mind), I had my first child. A darling baby boy. It seems like just yesterday he was walking around with little blonde curls over his ears and no teeth. He stood on the couch and shouted, "Wadies and Gemins!" He got into more trouble than most two year olds. He flushed my brush (we actually had to buy a toilet lock so he couldn't lift the lid), pulled all my pots and pans out of the cabinets and climbed in them to hide, wrote on the walls, and that is just the couple of things I can think of right now. But time has passed, and all of those events are now just distant memories. Nick turned 13 on the 4th of July. Last week he took a Jr Lifeguard course at our pool. Next week, he will begin his first job, a volunteer position, as a Jr Lifeguard. I felt all week like I should be following him around to be there in case he has trouble. You know, if he needs me to hold his goggles while he learns rescue breathing. I even worried that he would forget to eat without me there to remind him. But, somehow, he did fine. Very, well, even. I really don't know how this happened.

New Neighborhood Playground

For those of you who do not live in beautiful Arizona, most of the city playgrounds have wonderful shades over the entire play structure. Our neighborhood just completed a great playground and we took the kids to play today. It is a short walk out of our cul-de-sac and down the next street. We do not have grass in all the yards, but there is a large grasy area at the park. The kids took turns racing Rick. They are both winners. We have to stay hydrated.