Daycare Camping 2013

There are many things that we enjoy about Arizona, one of which is the fact that you can drive two hours and leave the 100 degree desert for 70 degrees and this:

This weekend we went camping in northern Arizona to an area called Blue Ridge Reservoir in the Coconino Mountains. 

We went with three other families: Dawn and Natalie; Wren, Tim, Niah, and Grae; and Sarah, Bart, and Aubrey. Our connection is that we all have used Dawn for daycare. Last time we camped with Dawn, Wren, and the gang was in 2010. Looking back on those pictures just shows how time does fly.

The Bearded Man (as dubbed by Owen) and his lovely bride. It felt good to be temporarily out of the heat and have to wear long sleeves again. 

We went on a short hike to the reservoir. Short is the key word when traveling with young kids, but it was worth it to dip our feet in the water and skip rocks.

Roland is turning into a nice little camper. He enjoys exploring, remains fairly calm (unless we encounter a dude hiking with a parrot, which we did), and curls up right next to us when we're sleeping.

We camped with a great group of people. We had never met Sarah and Bart before, and they turned out to be the nicest people. Since Owen and Niah have known each other since they were one, they play together very naturally. We are hoping to make this group camping trip an annual tradition.

Moving Up

Wednesday was the last day of preschool for both me and Owen. It was a bittersweet day. Owen seems ready to move on to kindergarten and I am excited about starting my new career.

It is pretty much official that I am going to be a middle school Language Arts teacher. I passed the secondary Language Arts test which means I can teach 7-12 English. The day after I passed my test, my little preschoolers surprised me with a party. 

Along with the encouragement and support from Ed, it was working at this school the helped push me towards becoming a teacher. Working with kids is as rewarding as people say. The above photo shows the class I worked in, and Cari, the teacher I worked with. I learned so much working with Cari. Plus, she has that amazing ability to make you feel like you are the most special person in the world to her.

Amy (on the left) was one of Owen's teachers.  I lovingly dubbed her the Buddha of the school because she had a beautiful way with words and outlook on life. Nola (on the right) is the school's director. We met through a mutual friend (Miles' mom). Nola helped me immensely with pursuing a teaching job. She was supportive every step of the way and got a kick out of the fact she converted a city planner to a teacher.

On the last day, the school had a little ceremony to say good-bye. They showed a slideshow and the kid's sang a song, and the ongoing kindergarteners were recognized. There, of course, was nary a dry eye in the audience. (I am having trouble downloading the adorable video of them singing; hopefully, I can make that happen at some point.)

I had lunch with some old co-workers a couple months back, and they asked me if I regretted quitting my consulting job because they feared I would. I can say with 100% certainty that quitting that job was one of the best decisions I have made. I am so happy that I took a year off to focus on my family and to re-center. Owen and I have two more months together, then I start work on July 31 and he starts school on August 7. I am looking forward to this next stage of our life knowing it is beginning on such a solid foundation.

Trampolines, Star Wars, Fireworks and Other Ways to Celebrate 34 Years...

We had a great time celebrating Ed's 34th birthday this weekend. We started the day out by going to an indoor trampoline park, where our age became apparent as we got very tired after 30 minutes of jumping, but Owen was just warming up. Afterwards we had lunch at a small wood-fire pizza restaurant. We chatted with the owner most of the meal and had the opportunity to try his delicious homemade amaretto. Owen got Ed the Star Wars trilogy for his birthday, so we spent the afternoon watching Star Wars. (Owen loves the light sabers, Chewie, and Yoda. In fact, he does a pretty fine Yoda impersonation.)

Kristi, Jeff, Miles, and Django came over later that night to celebrate. The boys made him a sprinkle-topped cake and we ate, drank, swam, and generally just had a good time with good friends. We finished the evening by shooting off some fireworks. Overall, a dang fine way to celebrate 34 years

Mother's Day 2013

I had a wonderful Mother's Day today, thanks to the boys. While I slept in, they went to the store to get me coffee and flowers.  Ed made me breakfast and Owen gave me tons of hugs and kisses.

Owen (and Ed) made me two wonderful necklaces that I will cherish forever. One is a drawing of a flower, tree, and the sun; and the other is a picture of me and Owen holding hands. Owen is so proud of these necklaces, which makes me love them even more.

It was a hot day so we went up the street to El Dorado pool to go swimming. It was a blast. We all went down the water slide (it's been a long time since I went down a water slide), and just splashed and swam for hours. 

We were able to relax in the shade, eat some snacks, and read.

After spending a day at the pool, we came home and took a nap together. When we woke up, I putzed around my garden for a bit. Owen likes to hang out with me when I'm working in the garden. He checks for caterpillars and let's me know the status of the vegetables. (Notice the nose poking through the garden gate.)

To sum up the day, I was able to spend it doing my favorite thing: being outside with those I love. The perfect way to celebrate Mother's Day.

Anyone Can Cook

Inspired by one of his favorite movies, Ratatouille, Owen loves cooking and trying different spices. His favorite to cook is a basic noodle soup. He likes taste checking the different spices and purposefully adding them to his soup. We're growing herbs out in the garden, so he has started experimenting with those as well.

His soups turn out pretty good, and the added benefit is that he usually gobbles down whatever he cooks himself.