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.

Mountain Lions, Wild Pigs, Coyotes, Bobcats and Killer Bee

They weren't exactly on the Las Sendas Gated Community Living Brochure. Combine that with the local fauna, where "if it's not pokey or poisonous it's not native", the 120 degree days in the summer, and torrential monsoons; you might start to understand why some people say they'd NEVER live here. Not to mention all the creepy crawlies, scorpions, snakes, yada, yada, yada. But I wouldn't have it any other way...I love how rough and raw it still really is out in the desert. We honestly love it here, especially this time of year. 70s and 80s all day long, even peaked to 90 on Monday. The kids love playing outside, riding bikes, and going to the park. AZ is great, come and visit anytime...except June- August. ;)




This swarm of killer bees that set up residence across the street in a Palo Verde. Luckily the guy who lived there is an Entomologist and let us know it was only a temporary thing. I guess when the old queen moves out, her loyals follow her and gather like this to protect her once she lands. The scouts go off and find a suitable spot to restart the colony and come back and report. It was interesting to see quite a few of them doing the buzz buzz shaking dance. (giving directions)





Fist signs of spring....January BTW ;)





Careful when you stop to smell the flowers.







Saguaro cactus that's probably over 80 years old. (another 80-90 to go)

Peek - A - Boo

Joaquin continues to grow and get more of a personality. Just recently he picked up playing peek-a-boo and get's quite a kick out of it. He's got to be the happiest baby alive. He doesn't complain much, even when he's teething like crazy. I think we're now at 8 chompers in 7 months. OUCH!