Why I Love Christopher Walken...

Need I say more? AWESOME!

What I Want To Be When I Grow Up!

I was asked a while ago what I would want to be in another life. (You can't choose doing the same thing you are doing now... it is cheating.) I knew right away what I wanted to be: a Kung Fu Master! What would you be?

A Crazy Car Driver

Well, this video speaks for itself. We just thought it was funny.

My New Obsession...

Welcome, my friends to the Holy Grail of chocolate. You will never be the same and Hershey just won't cut it anymore. Seriously, I don't even crave chocolate bars anymore... I have been spoiled, never to be the same again. (Here is where you imagine angels singing in the background.) Fran's Chocolates! (Hallelujah chorus here.) The salted caramels are wonderful, but the dark truffles are like nothing I have ever had before. When they ship them to you they are fresh... and AWESOME! (Angels crescendo.) Blake got these for our anniversary... I love that man! For the first time since we met, we decided to celebrate Valentine's Day just so we could buy another box. I have always been morally opposed to Valentine's Day, but that is another blog altogether. These suckers are expensive... but so worth it. I have been fundamentally changed my dear friends... and it is wonderful here in the land of obsession.

One Big House

On the way to Phoenix we stopped by Casa Grande NM. It was a small area, only a few acres, but it was interesting. The real reason I mention this place is this... you see that roof? It was built in 1932 and it cost $35,000. Which was a huge amount of money, but there is more. Every few years they have to paint the roof. A couple of years ago they painted the roof and it cost... get this... $100,000! Your tax dollars at work my friends! Give me half of that and I'd still profit $48,000. Believe me I'm all for preserving historic sites but that is ridiculous!

Another thing I thought was interesting was that the local Native Americans in this area are called the Hohokam. They were called that because when some missionaries came into the area and asked the locals who used to live in these structures they said "hohokam" which meant "those who have gone before" or "no longer." So we adopted that name. I just think it is funny how these things happen sometimes.

It's Phoenix, Baby! Again! (Day 3)

In the morning we went to the Arizona Science Center. It is a very cool place with everything being hands-on, which is awesome for the kids. For lunch we went back to the Farm. I love that place. Awesome food, the kids can run around while you eat and Chase can commune with the chickens!

That night we went to this place called Enchanted Island. It is a park with rides for kids 2 years to 8 years old. They had a blast. Chase didn't understand that you had to get off the rides when they stopped. (Hence the sad face on the dragon ride.) Once they got the concept down they ran from ride to ride.

It's Phoenix, Baby! Again! (Part Deux)

On Saturday we went to the Renaissance Festival east of Mesa. It is a huge production (approx 52 acres of shops and entertainment) with twelve different stages of shows going all the time and that is not including the jousting. The kids LOVED it! They didn't have a nap and they didn't throw a fit. That is unheard of! The shows included fire-eaters, tight-rope walkers, singing, playing all sorts or instruments, comedy shows, pirate shows, sword-fighting demonstrations and the list goes on. There were kids rides, play areas and a petting zoo, too.

Logan and Chase playing with sharp objects. I couldn't be prouder.

The Dragon Castle behind Logan is really a gigantic slide. Super-fast, but Logan went down by himself.

Ok, so I never thought that "stars in his eyes" could ever be a reality, but Logan seriously had stars in his eyes after he met this fairy. He talked about her frequently afterwards and kept trying to get her to stay.


We let them pick out something small from the festival. Reagan picked a butterfly wand, a dragon for Logan, and a lemon slush drink for Chase (food, of course).

Why is it always Reagan?

Why is it always Reagan that I get this kind of video of: (Wait until the very last second)
Poor Reagan...

It's Phoenix, Baby! Again! (Day 1)

Last week we went back to Phoenix. It was awesome! Figures that we would start going as we are about to move. Anyway, on the first day we went to Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments. They were about two hours north of Phoenix. We had our lunch by the creek at Montezuma Castle NM. Logan thought it was crazy that people actually lived up in those rooms in the cliffside. Next was Tuzigoot NM (awesome name, huh.... maybe for our next kid...). It was some ruins on a hill over looking the valley. The view was gorgeous. I can see why they settled there. I tried to get the kids to imagine that these little rock rooms were their whole house. Where would you put your bed? Eat breakfast, etc. Chase tried to drink some muddy water.... oh well, I tried...

Ok, the thing I left out....

There was one more stop that we made on the Apache Trail that I left out... We made a stop at Canyon Lake to eat lunch and play in the water. You know that feeling of premonition you get as a parent? Your kid is doing something that you know is going to end badly... Well, Reagan loved the lake and she was the only one of our children that wanted to get into the water. She kept getting deeper and wobbling around. We kept pulling her out and she'd get right back in. Here's for learning the hard way:

No Reagans were harmed in the making of this video... Blake was right there in getting her out and she was fine. I had a change of clothes in the car and she was as good as new in five minutes, but she wouldn't go back to the water. She was quite upset though. We did have fun though:

Anyone notice it is winter and my kids are wearing shorts... SHORTS! Arizona is awesome!

Phoenix (Part 1): Holy Apache Trail Batman!

Last weekend we went to Phoenix and had a great time! The first night we were there we held to tradition and went to a old west revival "town" called Rawhide. It was complete with the little train and shootout reenactments. We had to ride the train, of course. It is like a commandment with our children. Half the places we go are to ride trains, I am pretty sure. They love it though. I am really excited about this picture though, since it is one of the few that we have all together. Wonder of wonders!

I love this picture of Reagan and Daddy!






Here we are.... on another train and in another ghost town at the head of the Apache Trail. This day found us driving the Apache Trail. It really is a great place to drive... if you have a truck... and more than one day... There are so many places to stop on the trail, it was really fun (minus the messing up a six week old, brand-new car). The first stop was the ghost town at the foot of Superstition Mountain, a popular sight for gold mining even into moder times. This is where the Lost Dutchman's Mine is.... or isn't...

Once we left the ghost town, we somehow ended up on this twisty dirt road for 22 miles. I don't know why we did this. We were wondering it at the time as well. I have to say, though, the views were spectacular! Logan is in front of what they call the little grand canyon. It was amazing... but imagine driving along a small winding road with both lanes of traffic coming... it is a dirt road along the cliff edge... with little or no railing... CRAZY! Finally we hit pavement and the Roosevelt Dam. Very impressive! Along the second half of the trip was many other places that I would love to hit (Like Tonto National Monument), but we ran out of time... I had no idea how long 22 miles of unpaved road could take! Hopefully we can go back soon... maybe just on the paved road....

The next morning we went to The Farm for brunch. It was this organic farm where everything they made was from what they grew on site. While you are waiting to eat, the kids can wander around the farm. I had a very difficult time dragging Chase away from the chickens. That kid seriously LOVES animals. The last picture is of me and the kids (who are obviously being forced to take the picture). Ah, I love forcing happy poses!