Sedona

Went to Sedona with our friends the Campbells, had a great time.



Joaquin did a great job despite having to spend most of the day in the stroller. He's such a cute kid and so fun.


FINALLY....a family picture. We've often noted that for as many pictures as we take, there are only maybe a handful that have us all in one. Hope you enjoy.

Out of Africa

We have some very dear friends that we met in our first ward in Provo just after we were married. About a year and a half ago the Campbell's moved here to the valley and we love having them nearby again.

Last month we took a mini vacation with them to a few fun places here in AZ. Out of Africa is an exotic animal sanctuary where visitors can be very close to some of the coolest animals on the planet. Plus a "safari" tour where you can interact with the animals.


This Python wanted my camera for lunch


Tiger lookin for his next bite to eat...I'd hate to be the guy that builds these cages and estimates how far these things can jump.

cause they can jump.

We were lucky that we were there during their feeding time. Nothing like watching those at the top of the food chain go after a chunk of Mr Ed.


This lioness was PISSED...she wanted to take this guys head off. The growls were deafening. Check out the claws.

Like I said...we were close...

White tiger and lion cub born on the same day, they're great friends.

See why they call them man eaters?

There were some nice animals as well.

I guess this rhino was purchased in auction by a hunting farm in Texas, the owner of the ECHO brand came in and paid double the price and put him here in the reserve.

Joaquin loved the tigers...
on the safari.


We were the last safari of the day and our giraffe was full and didn't want to eat...so we fed the backup giraffe that was in the timeout pen. ;)

Our friend Dara Campbell getting a smooch.



Great day...

Orlando

I had a business trip to Orlando and we decided to make a vacation out of it. Visit my Mother in Law for Mother's Day, and hit the parks while we were at it. The kids had a great time as you can imagine, and Gigi was really happy to see the kids for 10 days. This time around we also gave Sea World a try and the kids really liked it.



Whitey needs a tan! ;)

Being Beautiful

Being Goofy

The UP crew


Cool kids aquarium where the kids could stand up inside and get a 360 degree view.


The spit-flip. How many people can say they've been spit on by Shamu? We actually went to the Shamu show twice the kids liked it so much...the 2nd time we had great seats right in the Splash Zone. ;)


Taking a break

April

April flew by this year...

Easter Sunday was a hit with the kids.


The first watermelons started to appear on the shelves. They LOVE watermelon and ate just over half of this one when we first cut it open.



Remember my posts back in February? Well add Rattlesnakes to that list. Our friend down the street called me late one night to help him get rid of a large rattlesnake in his yard. He's lucky he didn't get bit taking the trash out that night.

And then look what showed up 20-30 minutes afterwards. It must have caught the scent the snake sprayed and was rolling in it when we came back to the house.


Even more amazing was when with a 1-2 jump it was up on a 6 foot fence then walking on the roof past the daughters 2nd story window. Crazy night!

March

Playing a bit of picture catch up tonight.

Kohl's class put on a fantastic production of "re-written" nursery rhymes. Kohl was one of the pigs that caught the wolf blowing down the house and was making a stew out of him. It was pretty funny and Kohl really got into it and memorized all of his lines. Not to mention several of the other's lines in the play as well.


We went camping with some friends and tried out a new camping trailer I bought last month, in the back of the pic. It worked out really well and the kids had a blast. The stayed up late and roasted a whole bag of marshmallows. Good times!!!



Pets...

Well we've made the plunge and become pet owners. Kohl and Arianna have been really wanting to care for somehting for a long time. But Irene's idea of a dog would fit in purse...and mine...well is a bit bigger. One day Kohl caught a cricket and made it his new pet. It had a name, container, Kohl's best attempt at food, and was probably only hours from dying since we spray on a regular basis. Not to be left out Arianna went out to find herself a pet and came across an Arizona Blister Beetle. They secreet a nasty juice on your skin that develops into these nasty blisters. Not exactly the ideal pet...

So I went out with them that evening and picked up two African Spur Thigh (Sulcata) Tortoises. The kids love them and so do we. They're used to the heat of the dessert and live off of weeds and grass. So very EASY to maintain. Interestingly enough, they also have very similar peronalities to their owners. Kohl's is a bit bigger and content to nap all day. Arianna's is constantly on the move, testing the limits, and trying to break out. Here they are...planning their first escape attempt.

Joaquin En Espanol Bybee!!!

So in our efforts to kindly force Nana and Kohl to speak Spanish we told them that Joaquin doesn't understand English, he only speaks Spanish. Whenever they speak to me I always say, "en espanol" and they try their best to translate whatever they are saying.

Yesterday, the 3 kids were in the playroom when I heard, "Joaquin En Espanol Bybee!!"

I guess I have a thing for saying their full names when I mean business and Kohl meant business yesterday when he was telling Joaquin to stop putting things in his mouth. I don't even know what to say about the name, except that it is hillarious. Joaquin en Espanol Bybee better stop messing around because Kohl is watching.

April Fools

Kohl:

Hey Mom look, Santa Claus is standing behind you
bursts into laughter
April Fool's Day!

Hey Mom, there's a car parked behind you (mind you I am in the middle of the family room)
laughter
April Fool's Day

Mom, you hit the van with the garage door
WHAT?? I yelled
April Fool's Day!
That's not funny Kohl...he laughs anyway.

Boys and Toads.

We went on an outing with some friends on Saturday and had a really nice ride up in some remote parts of the Arizona outback. Crossed several streams and bumpy sections, and the kids had a great time.


Amazing resilience.


Arianna has really taken to climbing. Trees, rocks, whatever...she likes a climbing challenge.


They loved playing in the creek with their friends Kaleb and Owen.



At some point one of the boys found this toad and Kohl took to it like nothing I've ever seen before. He's usually quite sheepish of things like this, but it was an instant bond.



He absolutely loved holding it and showing it to the other kids....you can see that Arianna (while not scared of it) was a little less impressed by the bumpy beast.



A Boy's first Toad



"But Papa...I love him"

Like I said, never seen him so stricken over something like this before. This pic was after I told him that we'd have to let it go...to get back to his home. He was really sad. But I just couldn't see Irene lovin the idea of a pet toad in the house. He eventually let it go with a promise to stop by the pet shop some day. We'll see.