Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

This weekend we went to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson.

The weather was perfect and we had so much fun.

There were a lot of people there so while we waited in line we got to check out this 10 year old Screech owl.

Here are some of the highlights.....

This Mountain Lion was sooo close and we were the only people there

so we got an awesome view.
We saw 2 Mexican Wolves but all they were doing was sleeping.

Two of the many fat Prairie Dogs.

Here are 2 Bobcats sleeping in the shade.

Colin, Samantha, & Patrick with lots of Saguaros behind them.

They LOVE Saguaros!

Colin, Patrick, & a raccoon.

The kids exiting a kid cave.

Colin & Patrick

Colin would walk along the path touching every plant he saw.

I kept telling him that was a bad idea in the desert.

He must have been careful because no cactus got him.

Javelina

Patrick & Samantha with their second love

Palm trees!

A Bighorn Sheep perfectly posed.

This Otter loved to swim up-side-down.

He was very fast and hard to get a picture of.

The kids liked this huge tortoise shell.

Oops, I accidentally deleted the one of Colin. Sorry!

Colin with some beautiful pincushion cactus.

The walk-in aviaries were so cool!

Here is a humming bird.

We were barely out of the parking lot went Samantha was asking when we can go back.

Dale was kind enough to stop so I could get a picture of this awesome sight on the way home.

Cousin Grant's Baptism

Yesterday was Grant's baptism. It was very nice and I was glad we were able to make it.

Unfortunately, this is the best picture I have to show for it!

After our kids and this set of wild cousins had played for hours we headed back to Becky's house. There the kids dived right into the dress-up box.
Can you spot........Space Ranger Samantha, Captain Colin Sparrow,

SpiderPatrick, Samantha of Arc, the Pharaoh Colin, and Army Guy Dylan?

Samantha's Baptism

Samantha, Patrick, & Colin all lookin' good in their church clothes!

Dale & Samantha all ready

Opening gifts after her baptism & lunch.

Samantha's baptism went really well. She didn't want me to put her hair in a pony tail and was hoping she'd have to be dunked twice. She got her wish, it took 3 tries to get it right (none because of her hair).

We were so glad that Uncle Alan, Grant & Nathan and all of Aunt Becky's family could make the long drive to be here. And we were sorry that Grandma Connie & Grandpa Don weren't able to make it.

At lunch she spilled Hawaiian Punch on her pretty white dress and with all the excitement of so many cousins ready to play I didn't get any good pictures of her all dressed up. I'll have to try later.

CAUGHT RED HANDED!!

Colin took this picture of Samantha playing her cousin's DS

(right after she told me she wasn't playing it!).

What was she supposed to be doing?

She was supposed to be in her jammies, in bed, reading.
It was 9:15 P.M. and she was insisting on going to school in the morning.

Her hopes of getting her own DS are in serious jeopardy.

Samantha's Birthday

Today is Samantha's 8th birthday!!!
I've been so busy getting her baptism planned that I totally slacked out on her party. She invited 3 friends from her class over to play after school. Thank goodness for Grandma & Grandpa's yard (& almost nice weather)!





John & Calvin loved the plane.








Samantha & Jordan









Who knew helping Grandma get wood would be a great party game?!?







Of course the trampoline was a big hit.








And they all had fun on the slides & teeter-totter. After they were done playing we came back home for root beer floats.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAMANTHA!!!

Flat Stanley

Our friend Flat Stanley has been at our house for a visit.

While he was here he got to help us make pizzas.

We went to a museum and he got to ride a coyote....

check out a covered wagon...

even one his size!

He also got to help us celebrate

Arizona's birthday.

We took him to the park where he got to slide

and play on the monkey bars.

He even got to help Dale at work for a few minutes

before he had to head to

Oklahoma.

Good-bey Stanly, come visit again!

Happy Valentine's Day, Arizona's Birthday, & Chinese New Year!!

So today was a busy day with so many holidays on one day.

The kids all had Valentine's parties at school so

today it felt like Valentine's was over.

They were so excited to find "motor" toothbrushes on

their pillows this afternoon.

(Now they are cool like the Utah cousins!)

We made cookies shaped like the state of Arizona, saguaro cacti,

and roadrunners in honor of Arizona's birthday.

Here are the kids with some of the great stuff they made

at school for Chinese New Year.

We also had teriyaki chicken for dinner

(we even used chop sticks!)