Fashionistas!

Our girls are modeling the fashion shows at Dillards these days. A good friend who manages there asked if the girls would be interested and they were excited to participate. They absolutely love the runway and we love seeing them on it too. This, by the way, is their second show.

Beating the Heat

It is summer in Tucson and we took part in the time honored Tucson-summer-time tradition of heading up to Mt. Lemmon to get out the heat. We went fishing at Rose Canyon Lake (pond by any sane measure) and had a cookout at another site on the mountain. Personal highlights were watching everyone but me take a dive at one time or another while walking in the woods and catching crayfish at the lake and teasing the girls with them. Somehow the crayfish made Daddy revert to his 10 year old self.

From Summer 09

Rachel's Graduation

This happened a while ago, but Rachel graduated Kindergarten. It was a sad day in a way, it means Rachel is growing up and getting big. It was also sad to watch her crying (triggered by her teacher's tears) during the ceremony. Overall a good day. We are proud of her.

From Summer 09

Sammy

From Pets

Sammy passed yesterday, May 20th. Even in death Sammy was a good boy, he simply went to sleep and passed during the night. We will miss him and his endlessly sweet and loving ways.

Disney Trip

From Spring 09

We surprised Rachel and Erin with a Disneyland trip this week, which was lots of fun. Ostensibly this was as a reward for Rachel's excellent report cards and parent-teacher conferences, but really we did it because it was fun and an opportunity to visit with some FPLC friends, the Parson's family.

Because of our friends we were able to go to Club 33, Disney's members only dinner club. We thought it was fantastic! Where else can you have seared ahi tuna, lobster tail, and lamb in the park? We also owe a debt of gratitude to them because we stayed at a family members (empty) condo over looking the ocean in Laguna Beach. Not too shabby either...

It was a great time for us and we, along with our friends, hope that we can make this an annual event.

Marie's Party

A pair of old friends, Ken and Marie Roberts, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with a party and renewal ceremony. It was a great time. Rachel was particularly interested in the ceremony because she claims that she is getting married at her next birthday party...

I thought the nicest part was that another old friend's daughter, Ed Xia, and Rachel were fast friends and played and danced all night together. They were cute as can be!

From Winter 08/09

Desert Snow

We had quite a surprise the other morning - 2 inches in snow! Unlike earlier this winter, we actually had 2 inches of snow on the ground. It made for a good pic of the house...

From Winter 08/09

Party Time

We held Erin's Birthday Party yesterday and had a blast. The house was overrun with little girls in princess outfits screeching and screaming as they played. Erin had fun and I think she really enjoyed being the center of attention for a change!

From Winter 08/09

Here is a pic of Erin and her big sister playing with Erin's favorite new toy:

From Winter 08/09

Oh Noes!

Warning - this is a two part post.

First, when your kid gets ahold of your camera you are bound to find some gems the next time you copy photos to your computer. Evidence for this hypothesis is as follows:

From Winter 08/09

I am blowing that one up for the foyer just in time for her first date!

Second, this morning was one of those "oh noes" moments for me. On the ride to school Rachel asked me this one "Daddy, are the Disney Princesses real?" To which I replied "I think so, why do you ask?" At that point I thought I was off the hook. She replied "sometimes I think they are just normal people in costumes and I would be very upset if you were lying to me."

Crap. She used my own words against me!

2 Years Ago Today...

From Winter 08/09

our little Erin came into the world in a terrifying hurry. The events surrounding Erin's birth remain some of the scariest in our memories, with the massive blood loss and all, but we are so happy with the end result! She is a little doll and we love her.

It is so hard to believe she is 2 today, it is crazy how time flies...

Christmas

Merry Christmas to all of our friends out there. As usual the girls did quite nicely in the gift department.

From Winter 08/09

The big news out here is that we got snow today, December 26th! It is a rare thing so we are enjoying it while it lasts. It is a shame we didn't have this for Christmas...

From Winter 08/09

A Day On Mount Lemmon

We spent the other day on Mount Lemmon so that we could get a taste of winter. It was nice and chilly with temps in the low 40s. As we walked around it began snowing lightly, which was nice. We have been missing New Hampshire and the change of seasons a bit lately so seeing a little snow was perfect. We finished the day with some hot chocolate outside in Summerhaven at "The Cookie Cabin."

A couple of photos:

Rachel showing off a pair of pinecones

From Winter 08/09

Erin flashing her smile

From Winter 08/09

Killer Sunsets

For whatever reason we have been having spectacular sunsets. It is definitely one of the advantages to living in Arizona.

Here are some pics from our backyard:

From Winter 08/09

From Winter 08/09

From Winter 08/09

Christmas Newsletter Time

For those of you on the list, it is in the mail. For those of you not on the list, contact me and learn how to get on the list. And click below...

From Winter 08/09

and page 2

From Winter 08/09

More Photos From Our Trip

Rachel on the beach

From Fall 08

Erin playing in the sand

From Fall 08

The family sitting on a wall in the old port area overlooking the Sea of Cortez

From Fall 08

Bargaining with a fish monger

From Fall 08

Aunt Lu and the girls

From Fall 08

Aunt Lu and Tom

From Fall 08

Our Mexican Vacation

From Fall 08

We spent Thanksgiving in Mexico with my Aunt Lu and her boyfriend Tom and we had a great time! We spent a good deal of time haggling over junk in the shops and on the beach just having a good time. After a few drinks Lu and I began to bargain like there was no tomorrow, so bad that Tom even began tipping the salesmen after we would walk away!

It was great to have some family out for the holiday and even better to not have to cook!

Puerto Penasco (aka Rocky Point) has grown up quite a bit since we were last there. There are huge resorts where there used to be only sandy beaches (and people from AZ camping on said beaches) with bars and shops everywhere. We were a little sad to hear that the Mexican government has decided to make the town a cruise ship destination and is replacing the old port with a spanky new port that will be very nice but devoid of charm.

Considering the convenience and how cheap the trip was, we will have to start going regularly!

Do You Boys Like Mexico?

We are heading to Mexico for a little R&R this week. I will post pics when we return!

Art Day

Yesterday we had the opportunity to go to our good friend Elizabeth's art studio and do some painting. As Elizabeth stated, it was just "art happening". The girls were having fun, mixing paint, and just making their "masterworks" (as Rachel called them).

We definitely owe Elizabeth a big thanks and will look forward to the next time!

From Fall 08

Doing Great

Rachel received her progress report for the quarter and we are happy to say that she received "Exceeds Expectations" marks for her school work and "Consistently Excelling" marks for her behavior across the board.

We are so proud!

Meet the New Boss...

smaller than the old boss.

Don't let her looks fool you, this kid is bossy! Nobody escapes her pint-sized wrath these days, especially our dog Pete. Normally Erin is a sweet kid who loves to kiss (and make you kiss every stuffed animal in her arsenal) and snuggle, but when she gets in the mood watch out! Our favorite is when she yells at the dogs "Don't Poop!" or at her sister "Rachel, STOP!". Little kids make for good comedy.

I wish I had a video of her ordering everyone around, but instead I will reuse a pic from our pumpkin picking excursion...

From Fall 08