Saguaro National Park

The girls and I took a trip to Saguaro National Park one afternoon. It is about an hour drive from us, right outside Tucson. Here is a link to the park's website. www.saguaronationalpark.com We took the eight-mile-loop drive through the park and really enjoyed seeing the desert and its wildlife. We spotted a roadrunner, several lizards, and a kangaroo mouse. And probably the most significant thing we saw, we didn't see. On one of our stops we got out to take pictures and saw a temporary caution sign near the rock. So we walked over to read the sign. It warned that Africanized Bees were swarming in the area and were very aggressive. If they came toward us, we were to run to our car, roll up the windows, close all vents and call 911. Needless to say, we got to the car as quickly as we could and finished the loop. We never did see any bees swarming, but it is all the girls could talk about for the next week. We also saw a teddy bear cactus. The Teddy Bear Cactus is also known as the Jumping Cholla Cactus. This is one desert plant that scares us! This beautiful almost soft looking cactus can be the most painful of plants to run into in the desert. All of the little fuzzy parts are prickly needles that can pierce even a pair of shoes. If you get near one of these, you are not likely to get just one needle, but hundreds. The needles go deep into your skin (searching for water) and are more difficult to get out the longer you wait. We were told, not to try to pull them out with your bare hands, as you will get them stuck in your hands as well as where you are trying to remove it from. The needles seem to jump to each place you touch! We took this picture from the car and the girls were all yelling for me to hurry and close the window. They take it pretty seriously, as do I!! The large saguaro cactus shown here is the namesake of the park. They are actually fewer in number now than they were when the park was established. The cacti began to die out in great numbers after a couple of freezes about 50 years ago. They are slowly coming back, though. They are a beautiful plant.

Annie is my character!!

This is just a quick post, and I will move the quote to the quote section of the blog later, but I thought this deserved its own entry. Annie was upset today and in protest announced, "I am going to my room and I am going to close my door meanly!" We eventually reasoned with her and she changed her mind. But it is so funny that she can be so articulate with her thoughts and actions at just four years old.

De-Carb-olized Spaghetti

School food is just not what it used to be. When I was in elementary school, I used to love the big fluffy rolls. I remember taking an extra nickle to school so I could buy an extra roll. What a no-no today. The kids are absolutely not allowed seconds. Then again, why would they want them? Nick describes the food as quite disappointing. Everything has to be fat-free to limit the calories and fat the kids eat while at school. There are no candy machines or unhealthy foods. When I was in high school, I lived on a Snicker Bar and a Diet Pepsi every day for lunch. Poor, skinny Nick will never have that luxury. He came home from school Monday and told me they had de-carb-olized spaghetti for lunch. We figure that is like eating red air. YUCK.

First Day of School

I sent four kids to school on Wednesday. (Annie pictured in the first picture was excited and packed her lunch, too. She is home one more year.) The reports from the kids are that they love their classes, teachers and are excited to go back. Zoe wasn't sure if she was going to like school and gave me a bit of trouble in the weeks prior to school starting when we would discuss it. After the second day of school, she came home and said, "Mom, thanks for putting me in school." Emi is excited as she has a job at school. She is the official pencil sharpener. That is quite a job, because she is allowed to use the electric sharpener! Delaney is very excited. Her class is writing their own Declaration of Independence for the classroom. Nick is happy with his classes and teachers and enjoys going to school.

A Few Pictures of Summer!

Here is Delaney practicing her dives. She was pretty nervous to go off the high dive head first, but her swim coach went up with her and helped her get into a good position. He gave her a gentle nudge and off she went perfectly head first. There was no stopping her after that. They say that the thrill of the dive becomes an addiction. I don't have shots of those dives. Didn't have the camera with me that day. I should learn! Emi and I are enjoying the beautiful weather!

Annie's Birthday

Annaliese, my precious baby turned 4 and is half grown without me knowing what hit me. She is quite a character and keeps us all in stitches with the funny things she says. Here are a few pics of her birthday breakfast. She got a couple of gifts and then some money for a shopping spree. I thought that would be easiest since I had agreed myself into a corner. You see, I get through shopping trips smoothly with the kids by agreeing. I am not going to buy them everything they want, so I began long ago telling them when they saw something they loved that they should remember it for their birthday. Well, Annie takes this principle to heart and routinely asks me if she can have an item for her birthday. I always say yes, knowing that neither one of us will actually remember everything by the time her big day arrives. And besides, in October or February what can it hurt to agree to something that won't happen till July? One little problem. When I did shop for her, I had no idea what she really wanted. She had asked for EVERYTHING and I had agreed to EVERYTHING. So, I solved the problem by giving her a couple little things from us and $30. Let me tell you, she was very picky about spending her own money. I helped her make choices by telling her how much of her budget it would take up. She chose two mermaid barbies, a mini polly with a car, a microphone, AND a telephone. And she came in just 40 cents over budget. Not bad, I think.

My 29th Birthday

My birthday was July 16th and I turned 29 again. It is official because it is on my cake!

Rock Climbing

Nick is really enjoying activities with the youth group. On this day, we went to Rocks and Ropes in Tucson and climbed for a few hours. It was a lot more work than you would think. The kids really worked up a sweat. Here are a few pics of Nick climbing.

Welcome Grandpa Dreegus

We have enjoyed visiting with Rick's Dad from Ohio this month. Rick hadn't seen his dad in many years since he was deployed for so long, and they have enjoyed reconnecting. Annie knows well how to pronounce our last name, but in her hurry to address Grandpa, usually shortens it from Grandpa Rodriguez to Grandpa Dreegus. It was quite a treat for us to visit with Grandpa Rodriguez's baby brother while we were in Phoenix. Uncle Abe and Aunt Lydia welcomed our entire crowd into their home and introduced us to wii sports. We are hooked now. We also were so happy to see our cousins Becca and Mario and Mario's new fiance, Patty.

Sheriff Zoe

Each day at the resort the kids could enter a coloring page into a contest. The horse picks the winning page and the winner is sworn in as sheriff for the day. Zoe won the contest on the day we participated.

Was it a Mirage?

Phoenix is home to the man-made Lake Pleasant. We took a Duck tour around the lake and then right into the water. A Duck can drive on land and water and was used during WWII to transport cargo and people. Each of the kids got the chance to drive and they were so cute.