California

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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!