Hiding Places

Joshua and Elyssa are always looking for places to hide and play in. Their newest place is in the cabinents in the corner of our kitchen. We used to have the cabinent full of plastic storage containers. Joshua and Elyssa loved to get into it and I would find the floor covered with lots of containers and lids. I spent alot of time trying to put them all away. We have had to put locks on a lot of our other cabinents, but because of the way the door opens it wouldn't work with this one, so I finally just decided to empty it out and put the containers somewhere else. Well, I guess the empty cabinent were too tempting to leave alone and not too long after cleaning it out I found Joshua and Elyssa hiding in it. They can actually close the door while they are in it, but then it gets stuck and they can't get it open until I come to their rescue. I guess it is a better alternative then having to pick up all of the containers.

Let it snow ... in Tucson?

On Tuesday we woke up to find snow on the ground. It wasn't alot, but it was pretty unusual for it to snow in Tucson. It was fun until it melted by lunchtime. Joshua and Elyssa had fun playing in it and were very cold and wet. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough to have a day off from school, so David and Machella couldn't stay home.

Lockdown???

David came home from school on Monday (Machella was home sick that day) and said that they had a lockdown at their school. In Bakersfield David and Machella would have lockdowns at their school usually because there would be some kind of criminal activity nearby. Well, we aren't in Bakersfield anymore and this lockdown was because someone saw a pack of coyotes near the school. They had to stay in their classrooms most of the day and even had to eat lunch there. We live on the outskirts of Tucson with quite a bit of open space, but I was still surprised about the lockdown.

Saguaro National Park

Last week we took a drive to see the Saguaro National Park. It is only about 15 minutes from where we live. At first David and Machella weren't too thrilled to go on a drive and look at cacti. As we were driving around David and Machella really got into it and really enjoyed themselves.

I took pictures of the kids while we were driving and I thought they turned out cute. I should take more pictures of Elyssa and Joshua while they are strapped into their carseats and can't move around.

We actually got out of the car for a little and hiked on a paved path. Elyssa and Joshua loved to be able to walk around. They called the cacti "Owwies" and "Pokies" so I felt pretty confident to let them walk by themselves. They were smart enough to know not to touch them.

Joshua thought it was fun to rest on the information markers. He would pretend to read them and then rest his body on it.


Overall, it was a great little trip and we plan on going back soon. We are really loving living in the desert and are excited to go on more trips exploring Tucson.

Bragging about my Husband

I usually blog and brag about my kids but I thought today I would brag about my husband. It has really hit home how much I appreciate him because he has been gone almost two weeks on business in Minneapolis. I have definitely had some crazy moments while he has been gone and ones that I really wished he had been here for, but luckily we got through them. I can't wait until he gets back and will be so glad to have him here. He definitely helps me stay calm when I get stressed. He is very thoughtful even when he is over a thousand miles away. Last week he sent a beautiful plant with white flowers and yesterday he sent balloons with a rose and teddy bear. Luckily this should be his last trip this year. I don't know if my sanity could take him being gone again anytime soon.

David and Machella Started Their New School!

David and Machella started their new school on January 5th. They have really nice teachers. The transition to their new school has seemed to go very smoothly and they have made a lot of friends. They seem a little ahead of what they are learning right now in their classes so I guess their school in Bakersfield prepared them well.
In Bakersfield their elementary school was right across the street from where we lived and now their new school is right behind our house. We have debated whether to just hoist them over the wall in the mornings, but have decided against it. I forgot to take pictures of David and Machella on their first day of school (what a bad Mom I am), but I found this picture of Elyssa on our swing set in our back yard that shows their new school.

David is 11!

David turned 11 on January 5th. We had a party for him and it was nice to have family near to come and share this event with us. I can't believe David is already 11. What I really can't believe is that in one year he will be 12. That will be a big. It has been great these last 11 years and David is truly a blessing to have in our family. He is such a great example to all of us.