Sunshine

Birthday Hat!

2012-01-04T09:56:00.009-07:00

It's time for that after-holiday birthday celebration! This year with the super silly birthday hat. Is this a good look for me or what? I think it looks better on Collin.

Thanks everyone for a great birthday dinner party!

Tutus and Angry Birds!

2012-01-01T15:19:00.019-07:00

Christmas 2011!

The Christmas Eve play, with Mary, Joseph, inn keeper, shepard, and angel with wings.

Here's our Christmas baby.

New pajamas for all the cute cousins!

The little girls love the fairy wings and tutu skirts.

The big kids liked their presents too.

Angry Birds - the boys' favorite obsession!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in Tucson where it is 80 degrees today! Perfect!

Jill's Wedding Day

2011-11-09T10:47:00.007-07:00

My niece Jill got married last weekend! What a beautiful bride!! Here are some photos of the wonderful day! (I know some are a little fuzzy, but I think they just catch the excitement of the day. That's my excuse anyway.)

Jill's Wedding Day.

Congratulations to the bride and groom!

Waves & Whales

2011-10-15T16:02:00.021-07:00

The kids had a fall break from school, so off we went for a fun long weekend to the beach in San Diego. All the kids, with all the g'kids were able to come, so it was especially fun! It's great to have them all together!

How many fun things are there to do in San Diego?

1. Beach -Everyone thought the water was too cold for swimming, but I went boogie boarding anyway, which was still a lot of fun.

Jumping the waves.

Running from the waves.

Sand Castles.

Nap time for baby Quinn in the beach tent.

2. LegoLand - This was a really fun place for kids ages 7 and under!

Fire Engine races.

Shark bait!

Boats, Cars, Planes & Trains!

3. Sea World - The highlight of the day was being splashed (meaning soaked) by Shamu.

Tide Pools.

Rides

A walk on the beach with some of the kids.

Sunset from the beach house. So long San Diego.

Apples in Arizona?

2011-09-15T10:37:00.016-07:00

Labor Day Weekend in Tucson.
Nice to see the house is still there. And with a little work, the yard still has the natural desert look. Notice the transplanted ocotillos (the tall plants) look green and healthy.

Now on to fun times with the kids.
7 yr old can now ride a bike! It seems the trick is taking off the pedals to learn balance. After that - put the pedals back on and 'it's easy"!

5 yr old is in kindergarten now!

The girls, ages 3yrs old and 18 months.

The boys love washing the car. Water and more water!

Pool time at Kevin's house.

Notice I caught the jump in mid-air here.

A trip to an apple orchard. Yes, they do grow apples in Arizona.

Some sampling along the way.

How does this one taste??

A little too sour??

To end the weekend, another amazing Arizona sunset.....

The Last of Summer

2011-09-10T20:26:00.014-07:00

Summer is my favorite season. In fact, I can not imagine why anyone would prefer any other season. In Utah, Winter is far too cold. Spring is only a little better than Winter. And Fall just means Winter will be here soon.

Before the summer is completely gone, here are a few photos from the past few weeks.

Suzy& Casey's new place - it's near his work and gives them a lot more space.

Claire even has room for her little swimming pool.

Quinn was not really interested in swimming.

The next weekend was the annual Yellowstone trip. The weather was great and the animals were very cooperative.
Warning: These photos may be disturbing to some viewers.

Buffalo - okay, a bison.

Elk - from the wrong end.

Bear warning!!

We saw not just one grizzly bear....

but here's another grizzly bear. This one is guarding a half eaten elk. Not only was he here in the evening, but the next morning, he was in exactly the same place. Great view from across the river.

Hiking the Yellowstone is always amazing!

How I hate to see the summer go.....

Coming next on this blog.... Labor Day in Tucson.

Jill's Shower

2011-08-23T17:18:00.009-07:00

Here comes the bride....

with bows and ribbons that were removed immediately after this photo was taken.

It was fun to get together with family and friends for Jill's bridal shower.

Here she is with Joanna, Suzy and Quinn.

It was fun to see the video of Jill and her fiance and see them so happy!

Great food, games, and gifts!
Thanks Joanna and Janelle for a great party!!

26 miles across the sea....

2011-08-12T15:40:00.019-07:00

..... Santa Catalina is waiting for me.

Even though I grew up in So California, I had never been
to Catalina. . . until last weekend. I don't really know what I expected, but I was pleasantly surprised. The little town of Avalon was like a cruise port with cute restaurants and shops, charming little street and houses, and lots of boats. Even the boat ride from Long Beach to the island was nice - saw at least 3 groups of dolphins along the way.

It took about an hour to get to Catalina on this boat.

Postage stamp size beach.

Even smaller and rockier snorkeling beach.

The popular mode of transportation on the island is golf carts - even if you have kids. Is this really what this seat was intended for???

Nice walking trails to see the sights.

Notice the golf carts on the streets, not on the golf course.

Charming houses.

Interesting tile artwork everywhere.

Boats and more boats.

Notice the dog with yellow life vest.

Pelican waiting for his next meal.
Maybe he's waiting for the dog to fall off the boat. : )

Catalina - A nice day trip!

What city?

2011-07-31T20:19:00.011-07:00

My work travels took me to a new city last week.
What city has sandy beaches and big skyscrapers?

Did you guess it?
Another hint....

It's Chicago.

Lake Michigan on the edge of the city.

Other Chicago highlights.

My question is: Why is there a huge statue of Marilyn Monroe in front of the Chicago Tribune building. Any ideas?

Explosives

2011-07-10T12:48:00.016-07:00

So many fun things to do in July.

In Tucson, they cancelled the usual fireworks show due to the extreme fire hazard there. But don't worry - we had another fun explosive activity in Kevin's backyard. All you need are bottles of diet soda, mentos candy, some friends and family.

Here are the results. Get ready.....

Get set.......

GO!!!!!!

The kids just got a little bit STICKY!

Also, while the boys were camping, the little girls spent some time at Yaya's house

Back in Utah, the Farmington Days run is always fun.
This year Suzy and Casey and kids were here to join us.

Suzy and I walked the 5K with strollers. We didn't come in last!

Claire had fun getting candy and other treats at the parade.

Quinn is getting so big!

And July is not over yet!

Baseball and Mary Tyler Moore

2011-06-11T17:31:00.022-07:00

Being here in Minneapolis by myself for the weekend, I had to find something to do, besides walking the paths by the Mississippi River.

I figured out that the Minnesota Twins baseball field is within walking distance of the hotel and they were actually in town playing this weekend. Yesterday, some guys who are also attending the work training here said they went to a game and got tickets for cheap from a scalper outside the stadium. So, today I went WAY out of my comfort zone and not only went to a baseball game by myself, buy I bought a ticket from a scalper! WAY WAY out of my comfort zone!

It wasn't the Dodgers, but it was good baseball.
The Twins scored 5 runs in the first inning and won 8 - 1!

And for something completely different....
Did you know there is a statue of Mary Tyler Moore throwing her hat into the air on a street in Minneapolis? If you remember her old TV show, you know why it's here.
It doesn't really look much like her.

Ohhhh, Mr. Graaaant!!!

Cheaper by the Half Dozen

2011-06-09T19:05:00.019-07:00

Kevin and family were in Utah for a visit last week.

Somehow got all 6 of the grandkids to sit still for a picture.
(Kevin's 4 plus Suzy's 2)
Can you believe there are 6 already? Can you believe I am their Yaya?

Time for a train ride.
The big train and.....

. . . the little train.

Kevin did a great job holding on to 4 kids.

The caboose?

Cute 2-year-old cousins!

Coming and going.

Minneapolis

2011-06-07T17:47:00.012-07:00

Surprisingly, Minneapolis is actually very nice.

Yes, I took this picture.

I'm here for work, staying just a block away from the Mississippi River, complete with walking paths, waterfall, shady trees and this stone bridge.

Also it's 103 degrees today - unheard of in this neck of the woods!

In case a boat needs to get down river around the falls, there are locks - sort of like a small version of the Panama Canal.

The locks are closed.

The locks are open.

I don't think I would want to be here in the winter, but June in Minneapolis is very pretty.

New Baby!!

2011-05-15T20:51:00.007-07:00

My baby has a new baby!

Quinn is here!

Claire has a little brother.

Aren't they just adorable?

More pictures coming soon . . .

Aloha

2011-05-01T23:37:00.015-07:00

A new place to find the sun. This travel is for a work assignment, so beach time has to wait until work time is over. Can't really complain too much about this.

Cool Banyan tree.

Can you see the fish swimming below?

Aloha!

Egg Hunt

2011-04-24T18:30:00.005-07:00

I admit that I haven't been to the city Easter Egg hunt for many years, but I can't believe how many people were there!! And this is only the age 3 and under group. General chaos for all!

With all the acres of grass at the city park, they had the eggs for the little ones on the ... basketball court. Very Eastery....NOT.

Claire had fun putting all the eggs in her basket and then dumping them all out again. Each egg had a treat in it. A fun new way to get candy!! She also won a prize - a pink bunny.

Other signs of Spring - cherry tree in blossom, tulips blooming, and Easter dresses.

Happy Easter!

Spring or Summer?

2011-04-22T20:04:00.012-07:00

A few days in Tucson, where summer has already started. Suzy, Casey and Claire were able to join us for a visit there.

With the grandkids at the Desert Museum. At least 4 of the 5 are in this photo.

All 5 kids in (or at least near) the bathtub. The one smiling is the one who wasn't in the photo above.

Back in Utah.
On one of the only sunny days of Spring, an Easter Egg Hunt practice run in the front yard.

I think she's ready for the real thing!

Cruise Update

2011-04-13T07:01:00.025-07:00

Just got back from the Caribbean - always 80 degrees, blue skies, sunshine, and beaches with crystal clear water and colorful tropical fish!

Some highlights:
Swimming with sea turtles in Barbados,
Hiked to 7 Sisters Waterfalls in Grenada,
Toured the coast of St. Vincents with Capt Wayne,
Celebrated Ken's (and Keith's) birthday near the Bahamas,
Snorkeled with Sting Rays at Sapphire Beach in St. Thomas,
and much more.

We were upgraded to a balcony room with a great new view every day!

Palm trees, beach, and cruise ship in the distance.

Two of the 7 sisters waterfalls in the rain forest.

This water is about 20 feet deep, but so clear you can see the coral on the bottom.

Rock arch near where Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed.

Sailing on a catamaran and swimming off the beach.

Happy Birthday Ken and Keith!

March Madness

2011-03-17T17:19:00.020-07:00

March in Utah....Spring has not yet arrived and there's still a threat of snow, but there's hope for better things to come.

We are watching BYU basketball - hopefully they will do well and continue the March Madness.
Suzy & Casey taught Claire to say " Go Jimmer" and it's very cute when she says it with such enthusiasm!

Updates on Claire: She turned 2 last month and is talking in sentences. Very fun!

Here she is with her cheesey smile.

Here she is with her new kitchen.

Our real kitchen counters are still in mid-renovation. I will post pictures when the granite is in.

We are getting ready to go on a cruise at the end of the month. I'm really ready for the Caribbean sun, beaches, swimming, snorkeling, and a little suntan. I'm always ready for summer!

Warm Up

2011-02-04T17:33:00.018-07:00

When January is just too cold and freezing. . . it's time to go to Tucson to warm up over a long weekend.

The kids love the park and doing some assisted pull ups on the monkey bars.

Saturday morning means 2 soccer games.
Soccer chaos for 4 year olds. The little one is the baseball cap is my favorite!

Then the 6 year olds really show us how to play.
The tall one in the middle with the green team shirt is my soccer star!

Later it's time for a hotdog cook out at the firepit in Kevin's backyard with Ryan and Ashley and all the kids. The blue Tucson sky says it all.

The baby is getting so big. She can pull up to standing already and she's only 9 months old.

And then it was back to the snow. Oh nooooooooooooooooo. . .

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T19:48:00.028-07:00

Back in Utah for New Years.
The AZ kids were in Utah too for the week visiting Caroline's family.
They were able to come up and spend an afternoon with us on
New Years Eve.

How many kids can fit into a play tent?

That's too many! Claire loves playing with "the cousins"!

We were planning to go outside and play in the snow, but it was just too cold outside!

The next day, a little drive down to Provo for pizza at the Brick Oven.

Then it was on to a BYU Basketball game.

This picture was taken about 20 minutes before game time, when the place looked empty. The seats were actually mostly filled by tip off time.

The kids had a great time

. . . and BYU won!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

P.S. For those who might have been wondering. . . Yes, I DID make the New Years spagetti. It's a New Years tradition I just can't break.

Christmas x 2

2010-12-26T11:48:00.015-07:00

Christmas is so fun, why not have 2 of them?
One in Utah and one in Arizona.

In Salt Lake City, a visit to Temple Square and the Gateway
with Suzy, Casey and Claire.

Then a Christmas dinner, presents, and all!

Claire loved playing with the little nativity scene.

Then on to Arizona for sun and azure skies.
Making gingerbread houses and other structures.

Can you guess which one is the Notre Dame and who built it complete with flying buttresses?

Yes, you are correct if you guessed it was Kevin.

There was the traditional Christmas Eve Play, complete with scenery.

Instead of riding the donkey to Bethlehem, Mary carried it.

The shepherds doubled as Wise Men bringing gifts.

The next morning, it was fun to see what Santa brought and open more gifts.

Baby L's first Christmas.

Back at our house for Christmas Day dinner, Ashley and Ryan brought some cookies. But watch out . . .

Here's what happens when you tip the plate a little too much!

Enough of the cookies, let's eat some vegetables.

What? More presents?

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

San Francisco

2010-12-20T21:32:00.022-07:00

I recently had to go to San Francisco for work. Ken decided to come along for a long weekend in the bay area. After the work was finished, there was still time to see some sights of the city.

At one of the shops on Pier 39.

Nice view of Alcatraz from the pier.

Looking back at the city from a long pier just in time to see all the lights come on with a nice sunset in the background.

We stayed the weekend with Ken's parents. They are ready for Christmas.

We had lunch with his brother Keith and sister Kim and family.

We also had a chance to visit my cousin, Dede.

Just a couple of California girls!

Thanksgiving and more

2010-12-02T20:22:00.021-07:00

Thanksgiving in Tucson.

While the snow was falling in SLC, we were enjoying the sun in Tucson.

Pecan Festival.

Fun with the kids playing in the backyard.

Watching Toy Story 3 in Ryan's new theater room.

Thanksgiving Day family photo.

Naptime.

Bathtime.

Making s'mores in Kevin's backyard.

Back to Utah and the snow.
I guess it really is winter now.

What is this white stuff?

Little Helper

2010-11-14T20:01:00.008-07:00

I have a new helper around the house.

She likes to cook ....

and water the plants.

She also likes to go on walks and feed the ducks.
She has a vocabulary of over 50 words which is growing every day.
She sometimes voices her strong opinions, but she has a smile that can light up the room.

It's fun having Claire around!

Happy Halloween!!

2010-10-31T15:00:00.006-07:00

Happy Halloween!

Having Suzy, Casey, and Claire here means we get to share their Halloween fun!

Even in the rain, Claire looked very cute in her giraffe costume and she enjoyed playing with all the candy.

We also enjoyed having my sisters and their husbands over for dinner, pie, and games.

Thanks for coming! Let's do it again soon!

Happy Halloween!!

San Diego

2010-10-17T15:41:00.024-07:00

San Diego - fun in the sun at the beach, the Zoo, and SeaWorld!
Spent a few days at Mission Bay in San Diego with Kevin & Caroline and kids, along with Suzy and her baby girl. We rented a beach house on the bay and enjoyed the biking, walking, playing in the waves and sand and all.

Mission Bay - biking along the bay with sailboats. This is the same part of the bay I used to come to with my family when I was a teenager and we sailed the boat my dad built. Good memories!

Mission Beach making sand castles.

San Diego Zoo

The train ride was a must do for the boys.

Sea World
So many things to see and do and not enough time to do them all.
Shamu is still fun to see, but the trainers don't go in the water with the Killer Whales anymore.

I think these shark JAWS are big enough to fit all 4 of us!
It still didn't scare me enough to keep me out of the ocean.

Sunglasses

2010-10-03T14:39:00.014-07:00

Fun times in Tucson.

We wear our sunglasses at night....
or maybe just inside the house.

Birthday time again for Ryan and Kevin.
There are lots of volunteers to help blow out the candles ...
and eat the birthday cake.

The baby doesn't eat cake yet, but here she is with a cute smile.

The Road Less Taken

2010-09-18T20:00:00.034-07:00

At Yellowstone last weekend.

The hike to Lone Star Geyser. No moose this time.

I seem to be on a continuing animal theme lately.

Here are some species seen at Yellowstone last weekend.

I think this was a weasel or a feret in the tree. Any ideas?

Here's the trail we took to Mystic Falls. We've hiked to these falls before, taking the short route. But this time we took "the road less traveled" which was the longer loop going 5 miles all the way up to the summit overlook.

This was the road less traveled . . . and I've heard that road less traveled is the one that makes all the difference.

Giraffes

2010-09-09T20:09:00.015-07:00

Are there really Giraffes in Georgia?

Yes, at the Wild Animal Park.

We took the bus tour where the animals can come right up to the windows.

Claire liked seeing the zebras, antelope, and other assorted creatures.

After that we went to a State Park for a picnic.
Georgia is so pretty and green with trees, lakes and ponds everywhere.

She is "sweet".

Hammerhead

2010-09-05T16:13:00.014-07:00

Labor Day weekend in Georgia.

Claire is growing up.
She likes hiking and swimming at the lake.

Where are the fish?

We didn't find enough big fish at the lake, so. . . .

We went into Atlanta to Olympic Square to see the Georgia Aquarium.
Claire likes the "shishies" (fish) even the hammerhead shark.

Back at home.......
She's looking forward to driving the car . . . only 14 1/2 more years.

Urban Titanium

2010-08-07T12:24:00.016-07:00

The 2005 Honda Civic is in Tucson. The Grand Prix is 16 years old now. The Jimmy is 15 years old now. I guess that means it's time to buy a new car.

We have always found that Hondas are reliable and a good value. So, when it came time to look for a reliable 4-wheel-drive, we first thought of a Honda CRV. We looked online and the 2 or 3 year old CRVs were selling for the same price as a new one, so we headed to the Honda dealer in Bountiful to look at the new ones. We also looked at Toyotas and Fords, but they couldn't compare.

There's more to this story, but to make a long story short, we drove home the new CRV last night. What color? Urban Titanium. Now that is a cool name for a color, don't you think?

Running & Running

2010-07-11T14:14:00.018-07:00

Farmington Days Run on Saturday!

One of us did the 5K and one of us did the Half Marathon. Can you guess which one I did?
I actually did more of a 5K walk than a run, but I beat my time from last year by over 2 minutes.
Ken did well in the Half Marathon, finishing in 2:07, and getting 3rd place for his age group. Notice the medals in his after race photo.

In the background of these running photos is the new Farmington City Hall. For all of you who are former Farmingtonites, what do you think of this new building??

Later in the day, we got a personal tour of the new city hall from no less than the actual Mayor of Farmington. He had lots of excuses - or should I say reasons - for the unattractive mismatched architecture that does not match the normal Farmington style. It was interesting to hear other Farmington residents' comments on the building. Apparently, they share my low opinion of the new look.

Update on a totally different subject: My pseudo-retirement is over for a while. I start a new job tomorrow as a Consumer Compliance Specialist with the Federal Reserve Bank. They made me an offer I couldn't refuse. I'll be posting updates on this new adventure soon.

4th of July - Part II

2010-07-07T20:01:00.011-07:00

On the 4th of July we had a picnic dinner with the kids and fireworks in the park. On the 5th of July there was more fun at Kevin's house with swimming, a BBQ, and trying out the firepit by making smores. If they're this messy, they must be fun!!

4th of July - Part I

2010-07-04T10:39:00.020-07:00

After about a month in Utah, it's fun to be back in Tucson for a week at 4th of July. Here are some highlights of the past few days.

It's always fun to have the kids at our house to play. Even more fun now that they only live 2 minutes away by car. Sadly, after about 7:00 AM, it's too hot to walk the 8 minutes on the path this time of year.

For a change from the heat, we drove about 45 minutes up to Mt. Lemmon with Ryan and Ashley. Yes, we even got this little white box of fudge at the General Store! Delicious!

Another way to cool off is in the pool.

Kevin demonstrates a fun and exciting way to get into the water.

Baby L is now smiling and laughing. So cute!

Here's a new way to watch TV.

And we haven't even gotten to the fireworks yet!!

Rock On

2010-06-10T20:16:00.014-07:00

We finally got the rocks in to complete the Tucson house backyard landscaping. We'll add some plants when we get a watering system installed, but it's done for now.

Ten tons of rocks were delivered which had to be transported to the backyard and spread around more or less evenly.

Half way through the job, striking the American Gothic pose with Kevin.

It's done.

Close up of rocks next to pavers and the larger edge rocks I scavenged from our back half acre beyond the view fencing.

From a lizard's viewpoint.

Now that I'm back in Utah, I'm trying to catch up on my blogs from everything that was going on that busy last week in Tucson. This is my second blog post for the day, so don't miss the other new one! I knew it would be cooler in Utah than in Tucson, but what's up with all this rain in Utah?

Blessing Day

2010-06-10T19:37:00.008-07:00

A few fun photos from Baby L's Blessing Day.
The family with Yaya, Pampa and Uncle Ryan.

Visitors from Phoenix: Jeff, Joanna and Jill with the baby.
Thanks for coming down! Great to see all of you!

The cute mom with the cute baby.
Notice the beautiful baby dress Caroline's mom made.

Can you believe that out of all the many pictures we took of their family, this was the best one?
When you have four active kids, it's hard to get everyone to hold still and look at the camera.
Say cheeeeeeese. . .

Memorial Day Activity!

2010-06-05T09:18:00.010-07:00

Kevin's family had outgrown their house, so they found a new house with more room inside and out! The moving day was Memorial Day.

The truck ready to pack up at the old house, with some helpers including Ryan.

The packed garage at the old house shows only a fraction of what needed to be moved.

All four kids on the last day at their old house.

Filling up every last inch.

Can they get the door closed? . . . yes

Truck driver wannabe.

The truck arrives at the new house.

After all that moving, a dip in the pool at the new house sounds good!

Their new house is less than a mile from our house, a 15 minute walk on paved streets or a short 8 minute walk over open desert trails behind the houses. Great location!

Class of 2022

2010-05-26T17:22:00.013-07:00

Kindergarten graduation = a lot of chaos with cake afterward. : )

Actually, the kids puts on a very nice program, with songs you could actually hear and understand. The program was fine. The chaos happened when about 1000 family members who wanted to see the event arrived to find only 250 chairs set up. We sat on the floor.

My favorite kindergarten boy has had a great school year learning to read, write, add, subtract, and so much more. He looks happy!

His kindergarten tassel says 2010,
but we figured out he will be in the High School class of 2022.
Wow! That seems amazing!

Part III

2010-05-20T11:27:00.012-07:00

After Disney, I had a chance to spend a few days in Georgia with this cute family.

One day we went to a state park which has a nice lake and green, shady walking paths.

This shows how beautiful and green Georgia is this time of year.
We found some baby geese and lots of blue and yellow butterflies.

After walking, it was time for a dip in the lake.

First Claire put a toe in to try it out. Then she decided to see how deep the lake was . . . getting completely soaked. She loves the water.

Back home again, it was time for some Wii.
I have figured out that people like to play Wii with me because I always lose. It's a great confidence builder.

At mealtime, this is the sign for "I would like some more of that delicious food, please" - for those who aren't quite verbal yet.

Claire has Suzy's big blue eyes.

Fun times!

Disney II

2010-05-18T23:35:00.034-07:00

Claire decided that her Mom and Dad needed to go to DisneyWorld. She wanted to try rides like Finding Nemo, Small World and Jungle Cruise, but wasn't sure she was ready for the challenge of Space Mountain just yet, so she asked Yaya and Pampa to come along.

We did the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood, all in 3 days. Fun times!

Posing in front of the castle.

We ran into some characters.

The People Mover, Disney Train, and Animal Kingdom Safari were some of Claire's favorites.

I went on the Tower of Terror ride, but someone in this photo would not try it.
(Hint: This someone was NOT wearing a blue shirt.)

Claire loved the swimming pool at the hotel. She's a natural water baby.

After a long and grueling day at Disney, it's hard to keep your eyes open.

Good night!

Disney Part I

2010-05-14T17:20:00.004-07:00

We had a great time at DisneyWorld. It was 3 non-stop days of fun! We did everything from Space Mountain to Finding Nemo, which was Claire's favorite. Now I'm continuing on with the fun at Suzy's for a few more days. Georgia is so nice this time of year, very pretty and green. Pictures of all this fun will have to wait until I can download them from the camera.

Pizza Breakthrough

2010-04-29T21:13:00.021-07:00

Normally kids like pizza and seeing them eat pizza is not something remarkable.

5-yr-old likes pizza, but please no green peppers, not to be confused with pepperoni.

20-month-old old likes pizza, with extra olives please, or just olives would be fine with her too.

However, the 3 year old has a very limited list of things he will eat, and pizza was NOT on his list. For a family that eats pizza every week, it was a very important event when he actually ate pizza tonight for the very first time. After some convincing and bribery, he finally tasted that first bite and declared "It's good!" He then happily ate everything on his plate. Look at that great smile!

New baby, sleeping in the background, had "no comment" on this pizza breakthrough.

Spring, Trains, and Butterflies

2010-04-24T19:50:00.020-07:00

Just a few views of Spring in the Tucson desert.
Thought I'd better get some photos of the ocotillo while they are in bloom.

A view of the desert from the back of the house.

Looking back at the house from the back property line.

Our saguaro cactus looks like it got hit by lightning quite a long time ago with the top half gone, but this remaining part stands over 6 feet tall. I'm so happy to see it's still alive and growing a new little arm this year.

This Spring I also get to spend time with some fun kids, doing things like making "the biggest train tracks ever."

I have to say, new baby looks a lot like Kevin did at this age. (Of course, he had cute blue outfits, instead of pink butterflies.)

THE END : )

Splish Splash . . .

2010-04-19T18:04:00.006-07:00

. . . Baby L was taking her first bath.

After the bath, she modeled her new outfit, a gift from Aunt Ashley and Uncle Ryan. Very cute!

Pampa with the kids.

Yaya with the kids.

And now for something completely different . .

Little Miss B practicing for her first piano concert.
It's seems so easy when you have an electric piano.

Baby Face

2010-04-09T19:36:00.022-07:00

I was thinking of two things that this new baby and I have in common. First, my middle name (Alice) was named after my grandmother too. When I was growing up, I never liked having such an old-fashioned name for my middle name. But, as I got older, I was happy to know I was carrying on my Grandma Dean's name and her memory. I hope this new baby will not think her middle name is too old fashioned, but she probably will.
Second, she is baby #4 in her family and so was I. Along with the hand-me-downs that come with being the younger sister, she will also have older siblings looking out for her (and teasing her) just like I did. Fun times!

Here are some observations from baby's first days at home.

The big brothers love to hold her.

The big sister doesn't quite know what to make of the new baby.
But the new baby sure makes the "old" baby look BIG.

So far, she's been a very quiet baby.

But if she wants something, she will let you know!

The New Addition

2010-04-08T21:42:00.015-07:00

Kevin & Caroline's new baby is here!

Lindsey Cathryn Judd
Born April 7, 2010
6 lbs 14 oz - 20.5 inches long

Here's the whole happy family shortly after arriving home from the hospital.

More pictures coming soon.

(Isn't that great that I now have two little namesakes! Thanks Kevin and Caroline, that was such a nice surprise!)

What a difference a day makes!

2010-04-06T15:37:00.022-07:00

I just noticed I missed a whole month of blogging. I guess I could have blogged about doing the taxes in March, but I didn't really want to post pictures of 1040 forms, 1099s, or my shoe boxes full of receipts and documents . The way things are going, doing your federal taxes will only get more ridiculously complex until the IRS finally goes to the form that says:

Enter the amount you earned during the year on line 1.
Send in the amount you entered on line 1.

But enough of that.
Now to answer the question: Why do people want to live in Tucson?

Here's a picture of what it looked like when we left Utah last week.
(This is an actual photo of our deck on April 1st, not an April Fool's joke. )

Compare and contrast with some pictures from the next few days in Tucson.
Some pool time at Kevin's house . . . .

Planting some flowers with the kids .....

and blowing and catching bubbles.

What a difference a day makes!

Tucson Visitors

2010-02-24T08:05:00.012-07:00

Suzy and Claire in Tucson.

Fun at Ryan and Ashley's house.

A walk with Pampa.

The two girls with Yaya.

It's really hard to get all 4 kids in one picture - just too much energy going on!

Claire was just taking her first few steps this week! So adorable!
It was fun having all the cousins together here!
Thanks for visiting, Suzy! Come back again soon - we miss you!

Cruisin' Mexico

2010-02-22T09:36:00.013-07:00

Here's a few highlights of our cruise to Mexico with Keith and Caroline. The weather was not the best, but you can't really complain, it's still a cruise after all.

Walking along the harbor and seeing the sites in Cabo San Lucas.

Sitting on the beach in Cabo, looking out to where our ship was anchored. (No, the ship is not leaving without us.)

On an "At Sea" day, Ken climbs the rock wall on deck 14 of the ship.

The beach in Mazatlan. Not good weather for snorkeling or sailing this time.

On a whale watching boat off Puerto Vallarta. Up close and Personal with the Humpback Whales - mom and baby.

Cruising: It's a hard life, but someone has to do it.

Dinner with a view.

Happy Birthday Claire! Balloon Trauma?

2010-02-04T09:33:00.013-07:00

Happy First Birthday!

Claire is one year old today.

Here's a photo of her standing on her own. This only lasts a couple of seconds until she realizes she isn't holding on to anything solid, so I'm lucky I got this picture.

Birthday cake and other festivities will come later today. She had a traumatic incident with a balloon yesterday. I thought it would be fun to blow up a balloon and then let it go flying around the room. (The kids in Tucson thought this was hilarious when we did this with them on their birthdays.) However, when I let her balloon go, it spun around and headed straight for Claire, making some very strange sounds. This just resulted in scaring her and causing her to scream and cry. Oh no . . . it seemed like a fun idea at the time. Now she is very wary of the balloons and will barely touch them. I hope I did not cause a lifetime balloon phobia for her.

PS - Happy Birthday to my sister, Carolyn, who also shares this special birthday!

Some photos as promised in the last post.
From Coke World.

From the Battle of Atlanta Cyclorama - Civil War museum. For more pictures, see Suzy's blog.

Georgia on my mind

2010-01-30T15:39:00.003-07:00

I'm in Georgia for a visit with Suzy&Casey and Claire. Claire's birthday is in a few days. Can't believe she is one year old already. She is growing up so fast. She can stand by herself, if she forgets she's not holding on to anything. She can walk if you hold her hand, but is not quite ready to try it all by herself yet. I'll post pictures soon when I figure out how to download them here.

Today we went to the Battle of Atlanta Cyclorama and the World of Coke in Atlanta. We could have spent more time at the Olympic Park, but it was a bit rainy and cold.

Just as my sister Carolyn recommended, the World of Coke is really fun. Especially the part where you get to taste Coke products from around the world. The grapefruit drink was the worst, the one with the coconut flavor was my favorite.

Update to the last post: The rental house in Tucson is now rented to a nice Air Force family. Yay!

Purple? What's wrong with Purple?

2010-01-21T16:01:00.009-07:00

Since the last renters moved out 2 weeks ago and the house is not yet rented again, I decided to spend the last 2 days painting two of the bedrooms at our Tucson rental house - not to be confused with the new Tucson house, where we actually live sometimes.

This bedroom was previously purple, which for some reason people didn't seem to like.

This bedroom was previously blue, with a lot of scratches and scuff marks, which is almost as undesirable as purple.

Now they are what was supposed to be a nice neutral tan/brown color. Somehow it has a pinkish tinge to it. Why is it that I seem to have so much trouble picking paint colors?

At least these rooms now look a lot cleaner and fresher.

Maybe someone will want to rent this house soon.

For other pictures of this place, go to: http://ritaranchrental.blogspot.com/

After Christmas

2010-01-05T10:44:00.008-07:00

After Christmas photos.

The pavers, planter and sandbox in the new backyard are finished.

The boys tryout the new sandbox.

A trip to the Pima Air Museum in Tucson with Jeff & Allison and boys.
Thanks for coming down for a visit!

5 year old also came with us to see all the airplanes and helicopters.
(Yes, it just happened to be one of those unusual cold and windy days in Tucson and most of the airplanes were outside, so jackets had to be worn.)

"I'm flying the airplane!"

New Years Day at our house with the traditional New Years spaghetti.

One yr old ate 2 plates of spaghetti.
Three yr old would not touch it.

We had a nice family pizza and movie night for my birthday at Ryan's house on Saturday, complete with birthday cake and ice cream. And then a dinner and game night on my birthday at Kevin's house on Monday. Thanks for all the fun birthday activities!

Christmas Day

2010-01-04T08:24:00.010-07:00

Scenes from Christmas 2009.

Santa came! So many fun toys.

Later in the day, all Tucson family came to our house for dinner, presents and games, including Ashley's parents who were visiting for the week.

Before Christmas

2009-12-29T15:51:00.006-07:00

Here are some pictures of things happening in Tucson before Christmas.

Christmassy things:

You can make some really fun Christmas decorations in kindergarten.

Going to Winterhaven to see Christmas lights.

Non-Christmassy things:

Going to the park.

Working on Kevin's bathroom tile project.

Pavers for the backyard of the new house.
Before

Mid-job

almost done . . . to be finished after Christmas

Clean up time.
Kids in bathtub.

Christmas and after Christmas pictures coming in next blog.

'Twas the Fright before Christmas . . .

2009-12-06T19:45:00.007-07:00

You have to admit, for children under the age of 5 who don't like strangers to begin with, a guy in a red suit with a funny beard and hat can be rather . . . terrifying.

But, for some reason we think it's cute to sit them on Santa's lap and take a picture anyway.

Here's what happened at the church Christmas party Saturday night.

One year old was screaming.

Even giving her a candy cane did not improve the situation.

Three year old wanted an even quicker getaway.

Five year old was fine with Santa and even smiled and talked to him. Unfortunately, my camera malfunctioned at that moment (grrrr) and I have no picture. However, this post-Santa-visit photo of his reaction to the candy cane is somewhat humorous. I guess he thought he would get something more substantial from Santa.

He didn't say this, but his expression says:

"I sat on Santa's lap and all I got was this little candy cane?"

14 Tons

2009-12-05T21:36:00.012-07:00

I know Ryan & Ashley will probably post a blog on this, but I hope they don't mind if I share some photos of today's fun rock shoveling landscaping activity at their house. Yes, it was 14 tons of rock to shovel and move to the backyard and we completed the job in one day! I have to say their yard looks very nice.

Some people shovel rocks and others just climb to the top of the pile and slide down.

The wheel barrow crew.

The back yard crew.

14 tons divided by 6 cubic feet per wheelbarrow load makes how many trips from the driveway to the backyard?

You don't even want to know.

Before

After

"After" on the other side of the pavers.

This was good practice for the rock moving I think we will be doing at the new house later this month. Just another reason why it's not a good idea to buy a new house . : )

Thanksgiving and more

2009-11-29T19:03:00.011-07:00

Back in Tucson for a nice sunny Thanksgiving Day. I forgot to take a picture of the turkey dinner, but I did get a few pie pictures.

Kevin and Ken cut the pies while Karen and Morgan decide which one looks best. Karen also brought lots of homemade candy and other treats. Thanks Karen!

3 year old liked the whipped cream more than the pie.

After dinner it was time for games.
5 year old felt very grown up playing Uno at the big table.

Other Thanksgiving week activities:

Real Bowling with all the Tucson family.
Somehow this is easier on the Wii.

Some bowlers need more help than others.

Helping dig dirt for the new pavers in the backyard at the new house.
This is like one big sandbox.

Riding bikes and fixing cars.

A little car trouble on the way down to Tucson meant Ken had to spend some of the week working on the Jimmy at Kevin's house.

Reading books and playing games.
5 year old is getting to be a good reader.

Somehow Yaya can never win this game.

1 year old feeds herself. Most of it actually gets in her mouth.

Washing the car. Notice Ryan's new BMW in the background.

Ryan made 7-layer dip for the BYU v. Utah football game on Saturday.
Yes, we saw it on cable, even in AZ.
An exciting game as BYU wins in overtime!

DIY

2009-11-01T08:38:00.004-07:00

Here are some Do-It-Yourself (DIY) projects for this weekend.

First, the kitchen faucet has been leaking and the old kitchen sink was looking really . . . OLD!
So, they were replaced.

I really hate to include a picture of the old sink (complete with the dirty, dirty dishrag), it's a bit embarrassing. But without it, you can't appreciate how nice the new one looks.

Before

After

On to the second project . . .
The light fixture in the bedroom was looking a bit dated. and the room needed more light with the new, darker paint. So, it was replaced. No before picture for this, just the after.

We also took out the garden yesterday, since all the tomato, green pepper, and zuccini plants were officially frozen. It's official when they are all black and shriveled up. I guess that's the last of the good BLT sandwiches for this year.

Georgia 2 - Stone Mountain

2009-10-10T14:30:00.015-07:00

One of the fun things we did in Georgia was a visit to Stone Mountain. They say this is the largest piece of exposed granite in the world. In the stone is a carving of Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis and Stonewall Jackson.

They also say the carving is larger than Mount Rushmore, which I do not believe.

We hiked to the top of Stone Mountain which was nice and shady through the trees and then quite steep as we got up to the top. It was a beautiful day and the view was great!

Claire was happy we made it to the top!

Afterward, we had a picnic dinner on the lawn facing Stone Mountain and stayed for the laser show and fireworks. It was a celebration of country music with Southern and patriotic themes and was really fun. Just like another 4th of July.

Thanks Suzy and Casey for a fun time. I can't wait to come back and visit again.

Back in Utah now and the weather has turned cool. It's hard to admit that summer is over. Ryan and Ashley arrived here the day we got back from Georgia and it's been really fun to have them visit for a few days.

Georgia

2009-09-29T08:17:00.007-07:00

I'm now visiting here at Suzy, Casey and Claire's house in Georgia.

Georgia is very pretty and green. They live in a new area of town with new houses and new shopping. There is also an older part of town. I was looking for a Tara (Gone with the Wind) house and this is about the closest I could find.

There are also armadillos around here, but I've only seen them as road kill along the side of the highway. No picture of that yet, but when I get one I will post it as Collin is interested in Armadillos - why? I really don't know.

We went into Atlanta and saw the Art Museum.

We also went to an Atlanta Braves baseball game. That was fun. They were playing the Marlins, not the Dodgers, which would have been the ultimate, but the Braves won and it was a fun night for all. I've always wanted to do the Tomahawk Chop!!

But the most fun is just spending time with Suzy and Claire.
Check out this new hairdo - on the baby, not me.

California

2009-09-22T11:59:00.011-07:00

Just got back from a visit with Ken's family in California for a family wedding. Suzy and Claire also came out for the wedding and a visit with Great Grandma and Grandpa. Unfortunately, Ken's dad was in the hospital while we were there. We hope he will be home soon.

Claire with Grandma Great.

Claire and Jared (Kim's baby). Claire is one month older than Jared.

Four generation picture.

Claire with Yaya by the orange tree.

And. . . we did make it to the wedding too.
Wedding Day for Sara and Scott (Kathy's son).

One more picture of Claire, just because she's so cute!

Kindergarten

2009-09-15T10:37:00.009-07:00

What I learned in kindergarten . . .
while visiting there with my favorite 5 yr old.

You need to learn these very important skills: Coloring, cutting with real scissors, and knowing how to effectively use the glue stick.

You need to remember these rules: Listen to the teacher, stay in your seat, raise your hand.

His favorite part of the school day: Snack and Recess

The little girl in green (sitting next to him at the table) told me he is a "very fast runner" . . . and she was right.

September Birthdays

2009-09-14T09:12:00.017-07:00

I had a little early birthday dinner for Kevin and Ryan last week.

After dinner we had birthday pie and some games.

It's always fun to have the kids over to play.

Snacks on the couch.

Cheerios anyone?

Arizona Sunset

2009-09-10T15:27:00.035-07:00

Here are a few things I've been doing while in Tucson.

Weeding. This front yard used to be full of tumble weeds. Yes, there are still some weeds, but at least you can now see the other desert plants which have all volunteered to be part of the natural landscaping.

While cutting back a bush, I discovered this baby prickly pear hiding under it. I'll have to try a cactus transplant in the wintertime. Good thing I was wearing gloves, as they are very prickly.

More painting. I liked the sage green in the bedroom so much it also migrated into the bathroom.

It seems the color is a good (unintentional) match for the Cucumber Melon lotion.

For exercise, there's walking and . . .

. . . swimming.

The view from the pool.

And I also took this Arizona Sunset photo from the front of the house.

More from Tucson

2009-08-31T17:07:00.010-07:00

Here's the color I painted the bedroom here in Tucson.
I was trying for a subtle sage green.

And now for something completely different . . .
Here are some new pictures of these cute kids!
Kohl's had a sale on kids clothes - I just couldn't help myself. : )

Notice the cute details on the back of the little dress.
Why is it so fun to dress up little girls?

One Year Old!

2009-08-26T20:33:00.007-07:00

Back in Tucson, just in time to celebrate baby's 1st birthday!

So many things baby can do now.

She can stand up and almost walk if holding someone's hand.

She can show off her 4 new teeth.

She can open presents and ride on a new toy!

She can eat cake!

But she still needed help to blow out the candle!
Happy Birthday!

County Fairs

2009-08-16T15:09:00.019-07:00

When I think of County Fairs, I can't help but think of the Los Angeles County Fair of my childhoold years. My Mom would take us kids there every fall. It was bigger than most State Fairs, with everything from a chicken who played the piano to mural sized pictures made out of vegetables. We were never allowed to go on the rides (too dangerous), but enjoyed all the seemingly endless rows of exhibits. To top off the event, we always had a County Fair corn dog (with mustard) and an ice cream bar dipped in chocolate and nuts, a big treat for us kids!

Yesterday we went to the Davis County Fair. It's a small town event, but it's free and close by. The fair consists of displays of farm animals, tractors, vendor booths, food and rides for kids. They also had alligator wrestling this year, but we didn't stay around for that. Unfortunately, we missed the Demolition Derby, which is probably the highlight. We also decided to pass on the Rodeo.

I knew the Davis County Fair would be small and couldn't compare to the L.A. County Fair, but I was still a bit disappointed when they didn't have a piano-playing chicken.

Update on prior post: We closed on the sale of the rental house last week. It's nice to have that completed and done with!

SOLD!

2009-07-25T18:50:00.013-07:00

Previously on this blog (March 20) , I shared some pictures of the renovation work we were doing on a rental property we have in Farmington. I just have to share the good news.

I'm happy to announce that after 82 days on the market, it is . . .
SOLD!!

As you probably know, it's a Buyer's market in Utah, as it is in most areas of the country, so we are very happy with this result. Ironically, after so much time on the market with increasing interest, but no offers - this week, we got 2 offers, one day apart. Competing offers are always a good thing, if you are a seller. Assuming everything goes well, it should close by mid-August. This is proof there is hope for those of you that might be trying to sell a home. The price is the key, so do your research and be realistic.

If you want to see what the house looked like after all our renovations, click here. (I hope this link works, it's the first time I've tried this feature.)

Don't Feed the Bears

2009-07-20T06:20:00.029-07:00

In Yellowstone they say: Please don't feed the bears. But apparently feeding the mosquitoes is perfectly okay, and I have the bites to prove it. Yes, we used mosquito repellent, but there must have been a mix-up at the factory and we got mosquito attractant instead of repellent. Aside from that, we had a good time seeing the sights at Yellowstone National Park this weekend.

I like to get off the beaten path away from the crowds, so we usually do a couple of 5 or 6 mile hikes to places most people never see. This time I found a new hike near the Canyon area.

It starts off across a meadow, where we came across a lone Bison enjoying the wildflowers.

It then goes into a shady pine forest and suddenly you are at Clear Lake.

After that the trail goes by some unmarked, unfenced, and unnamed mud pots and hot springs. It's interesting to see these things as the original explorers found them, but you have to watch your step.

Over the hill is a nice little Lily Pond Lake.

Then the path curves up to the edge of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

Again, no fences, no warnings, and a very steep drop off to certain death. This is no hike for sissies or little kids.

If you're wondering why they call it Yellowstone, you know why when you walk the edge of this canyon.

The waterfalls are amazing.

Then it's back through a nice shady forest, looping back to the start of the hike.

It's always fun to see some wildlife in the Park.

Eagle's nest.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), we did not see any moose or BEARS this time.
I guess they did not want to come out and deal with those pesky mosquitoes.

Corvettes and Jets

2009-07-15T14:47:00.016-07:00

I saw this on the internet and thought you guys would enjoy it. They swore this was NOT photo-shopped, but was an actual picture of a race between a Corvette and a Blue Angel. Well, since both the Navy Blue Angels and GM Corvettes are now federal government run entities, I guess that makes sense. Or not???

BTW, on a completely different subject -
I got my free can of Glidden paint today, just 2 and 1/2 weeks after my request. Not bad!

Only in Farmington

2009-07-12T19:08:00.033-07:00

I's July in Utah and that means not a weekend goes by without parades and fireworks. It's not enough that we have the usual 4th of July and 24th of July celebrations, but our little town of Farmington has its own July celebration. The Farmington Festival Days happens each year on the weekend between those two more famous holidays.

This year it started with an early morning race, 5K, 10K and Half-Marathon. Ken won 3rd place in the 10K in his age group. He's not too sad about moving up an age group this year. I walked the 5K and still beat over 40 of the 300 some 5K runners. I was a little worried I would end up dead last, so at least I didn't have to suffer that humiliation.

Then, after the awards ceremony and breakfast in the park, it was on to the Parade.
I will divide the parade into 3 segments:
1)Marching Bands 2) Cool Cars AND 3) Things seen only in a Farmington parade.

Marching Bands - the best part of any parade IMHO.

Can you believe it? Farmington JUNIOR HIGH has it's own marching band now. I thought you former Huskies would like to see this.

Viewmont Band. Sorry but it's pathetic.

And then there's the mother of all bands, Davis High Band. They just go on and on and on.

2) Cool Cars
I thought Ryan and Kevin would enjoy this.

OK. The last car was not actually in the parade, but it looked cool in the parking lot.

AND

3) Things only seen in a Farmington parade.

My boat is my float.

Make up your own joke about this waving beauty queen.

Every tractor ever built.

And I thought this guy was kind of cool on the 3-wheel unicycle.

Farmington Wildlife

2009-07-08T11:46:00.030-07:00

Some people are into running. I admire this, but I've never liked long distance running myself. The constant pounding seems to be destructive to joints plus I've just never liked that jiggly look.

I am more into walking. My usual 4 mile walks take me down the hill, through old downtown Farmington, and onto the Lagoon Trail.

This time of year, the trail is green and cool. It crosses the river/stream/creek in several places and is usually quiet and peaceful.

Along the way, there are opportunities to see wildlife. I took my camera one day to see what I could see.

Lagoon keeps Bison and Elk in pens which border on the trail. The animals usually look hot, thirsty and just really bored. I should probably report this to the local PETA people . . . just kidding. They would probably object to my treatment of the innocent wasps, spiders, and other assorted bugs I have tried to exterminate over the years. (But that's a subject for another blog post.)

Also along my walking route are other animals, kept by ordinary people in ordinary houses. Of course, there are the usual dogs (just ignore that annoying barking) and cats (harmlessly self-absorbed). But in Farmington, there is other wildlife to see.

There used to be 4 ducks in this pen. Then one day there was only one duck. A few days later 3 new ducks suddenly appeared. I wonder if one of those annoying dogs enjoyed a duck dinner?

Then I came across this group in the front yard of a house in the older part of town.

One or two chickens wouldn't have been so surprising, but this was a whole flock of chickens and roosters running free, with the roosters in full cock-0-doodle-doo mode. I know chickens can sometimes be mean and aggressive (again a subject to another blog), but luckily these did not pay any attention to me.

As I headed back up the hill, one more example of Farmington wildlife crossed my path.

Even though I'm not running, this little guy makes me feel really fast.

New Room

2009-07-03T05:59:00.007-07:00

If you've had more than enough of my painting projects, you may want to click off this blog right now. I finished the family room and hall and did some furniture rearranging, so wanted to share the final results.

The room looks so much bigger. It's amazing what removing half the couch will do. It looks like a whole new room.

Also notice the new and improved light fixture over the stairs. Initially, I was a little concerned with how dark it is. However, with the darker paint, I think it was the best choice. Also the old dark wood on the stairs and doors seems to look better now too. It's funny how the darker colors are back in style now. No need to do that annoying constant updating. You just have to wait about 25 years, and everything you have is back in style again.... or not.

Raspberries

2009-06-30T10:28:00.015-07:00

The raspberries in the backyard are lovin' all this June rain in Utah. The bushes are just covered in them.

Here's just one day's raspberry harvest.

When you have this many raspberries every day, you just have to make raspberry milkshakes.

No pictures of that - it's gone already.

Free paint

2009-06-27T20:15:00.010-07:00

I've been getting so much painting experience lately that I'm thinking about taking it up as my new profession - NOT. After hints and suggestions (nagging) from my children, I have been painting again and the white walls are finally gone in 2 more rooms of this Farmington house.

Here's a view of the extended kitchen area painted a dark sage green. It's a darker shade than the sage green of the main kitchen area. I think I like it.
Notice the white wall behind the TV in the family room in the background and compare to the picture below.
I forgot to take a before picture, so this is
AFTER #1

AFTER #2
Notice the white wall behind the TV is now a nice shade of warm brown.

Below are two other views of the new brown wall. I think it even makes the fire place look acceptable. I guess the rock fire place can stay now, but the wood burning stove will have to go eventually. I plan to paint the other walls of the family room this color along with the hallway to the bedrooms. I'm just trying to keep up with my sisters who have done recent renovations.

This paint was not free, but right now YOU CAN can get a quart of FREE paint from Glidden by going on their website glidden.com before July 1. It's hard to pass up FREE. I hope they actually deliver on this offer. It will take 4-6 weeks to find out. Anyone else want to try for it?

High Maintenance

2009-06-25T07:38:00.018-07:00

Now back in Utah, I have taken on the challenge of the yard. If Arizona can have low maintenance landscaping, why must Utah be such HIGH maintenance? I guess it's because you only have to deal with it for 6 months of the year. IMHO, This is the one and only advantage of the winter snow, ice and cold temperatures here.

One area that has always needed attention is the area by the sidewalk on the side of the house. Others who have tackled this challenge in years past (Suzy?) will agree, this is not an easy task. This has been my project for the past few days.

Before -
Notice weeds choking the sidewalk.

After -
Where you see dirt in this picture, was previously all weeds,
the full length of the fence.

Also, a few years ago I planted some wildflowers by the side of the driveway. They are really pretty this time of year, but no one sees them, so I thought I'd just include them here. Does anyone know the name of the tall orange flowers?

Name that Car II

2009-06-11T14:09:00.011-07:00

Apparently, some people thought the car I previously blogged (see May 15 post) was way too obscure.

I now submit pictures of two less expensive cars and ask:
Can you name that car?

Would you drive one? I guess the more appropriate question is:
Would you fit into one?

The bumper sticker is giving you a little hint here.

Most of you are way too young to remember this one, but you can still take a guess at which company manufactured this classic.

Belgian Waffle

2009-06-09T15:11:00.019-07:00

I have done some more painting at the Tucson house.
This time in the kitchen and dining area.

The paint color is called "Belgian Waffle" which sounds perfectly delicious for a kitchen. It appeared on the sample to be a golden brown. However, now that it's there, it seems a little too yellow to me. I think it looks like one of those "Tuscany" colors, which is fine, but not really what I had in mind. Also, look at the color above the cabinets. It looks much more orange than the color below the cabinets and I swear it's the same color from the same paint can.
How does this happen?

I think I can live with this, but I need ideas on what to put on top of the cabinets to soften the yellow color and NOT emphasize it. With the 10-foot ceilings there is plenty of room. I'm not really into any frilly flowery type stuff. Any ideas? What would you put there?

Hiking and Swimming

2009-06-07T12:31:00.034-07:00

It was so fun to have Suzy and Claire in Tucson.
While they were here we did some hiking and swimming.
Around here, the first activity usually result in an immediate need to do the last.

Hiking the trails at Sycamore Canyon.

At our Sycamore Canyon pool.

In Kevin & Caroline's pool.

Claire's first time "swimming" in a pool. (I guess the bath tub doesn't count.)

Other random photos at Kevin & Caroline's house.

Suzy and Claire have now gone on to their new adventures in Georgia. Thanks for coming to visit, Suzy. Miss you already!!

Three

2009-06-03T13:04:00.016-07:00

Another birthday! Three years old!

The birthday boy smiles while waiting for his tasty birthday dinner with the family. He won't really eat any of this food, but the rest of the family liked it!

Opening presents is so much fun. What's in there?

The family audience watches him open presents.

It's nice to have an older brother show you how to blow out the candles.

And the next day, even more fun with a visit to the Zoo.

A new way to see the bears.

Cousins

2009-06-02T07:48:00.018-07:00

More catch up photos:

With Suzy and Claire visiting in Tucson, that means lots of family time.

Ryan and Ashley meet Claire for the first time, with cousins looking on.

Baby cousins meet again.

I'm sure they will be good friends as they grow up, just like these 2 cousins, Suzy and Jill. Thanks Jill for making the long drive down to Tucson for a visit. We loved seeing you!

The family gets serious about playing a Wii game at Kevin's house.

A walk by saguaros with Claire.

Claire can finally wear her cute summer clothes in sunny Tucson.