How cool is this?????

I got to work this morning and opened my email to find I had won....

*EIGHT* tickets to the Broadway production of High School Musical on January 2nd!! And - backstage passes! Now, I'm not a huge fan (I actually slept through the movie!!), but - to win tickets - and eight of them no less - how cool is that??? Not only that - but also backstage passes as well! Caitlin and her cousin Harley are THRILLED - Philip - not so much! Now, to find a few more people that want to go with us! :p

A camera-less day...

And of course, Philip's team wins the football game 46-39! Of course, Philip made 2 touchdowns AND an extra point - but do you think I was there to see this??? No, I had to pick Caitlin up from school and then drive to another school to see the game. Unfortunately, one of the dry river crossings that I had to cross to get there was not so dry, so I had to turn around and add 15min on to my trip. :( I saw the last ten minutes of the game. Maybe that's the key though - every touchdown he's made I have not been there - maybe I should stay home from the next game??? I'll try to remember my camera next time though!

I won!

A running skirt that is! Read all about it here! http://www.runningskirts.com/turkeytrot.html

A southwest tradition..

For the 2nd year in a row, on Friday night the girls (myself, Caitlin, and Joan) went to see A Southwest Nutcracker...



It's a neat concept - a regional theme on a classic ballet. Instead of the sugar plum fairy and the army of mice, there is the prickley pear fairy and the army of coyotes. There are lots of other fun things that have replaced the original ballet - dancing rattlesnakes for the Chinese, Zorro for the uncle, the kids all get dreamcatchers and other southwest items for Christmas, etc. It's a fun show to see!

I think Caitlin appreciates it more than the rest of us though - at one point a dancer was jumping on pointe and she pointed out how difficult this was and how that would hurt a bunch!

Football update...

We are two games into the season. The first game was almost rained out - but luckily - it happened anyway! The coach was really glad because he said he had a bunch of 5th graders that were more than ready to play - in fact every one of them had told him that it was OK if they played in the rain!

Here are a few pictures from the games...

I'm learning lots too! I really don't know much about football - even after sitting through 4 years of it while playing in the high school band! I now know that since Philip is hiking the ball, he is the center! Yay - one position learned - how many more to go??

They haven't won a game yet. Both games they were ahead until the very end. And, during the first game, Philip made a touchdown - which I missed because it was during the time I had to run to the Jr High to pick up Caitlin from school. Figures.

This week they will travel to another school to play - it should be interesting to see them playing on another field!

Thanksgiving...

I didn't mention what a nice Thanksgiving we had!

First, we had to go run the local turkey trot for the the 2nd year in a row. And, for the 2nd year in a row, I beat Rik - this year by 15sec. I have to gloat just because this is the only thing I will ever beat him at - he's just done El Tour 5 days before - so he's tired - I can only get him when he's down! There he goes - #54....

And me in the pink skirt....

We celebrated Thanksgiving then at Rik's parent's house - I made the pies - pumpkin, pecan, lemon meringue, and vanilla pudding. Does anyone know how to not have pecan pies boil over when you bake them? Everyone I have ever made has. I'm tired of the house smelling like smoke when it's done.

My sister came to visit as well - the kids loved playing games with her. She is probably very sick of playing LIFE now!

Hat's off to Caitlin!

Caitlin got picked as Student Council student of the month! Yay! Her teacher sent home a really NICE letter about her and gave her a $10 gift certificate to...

She went this weekend and got a book - it's called Eclipse - which is part of the Twilight series of Young Adult books. Apparently they are all the rage - "Vampires with Values" is what I was told! Actually, I did read the 1st one just to see what all the fuss was about... and.... OK.... I love Edward Cullen now too! ;)

Anyway - YAY for Caitlin - we're so proud!!!

Our El Tour finishers!

Yesterday was El Tour - a very fun and exciting day around here. The kids are a little upset that they have to get up at 5am on a Saturday, but, it's only once a year! We went down to the Convention Center to find Rik at the start - it was easier than last year for some reason - they seemed a little less crowded together. If you can't find him - Rik is the one in the UPS jersey.

Then on to the Kid's Ride. There were 400 kids and their parents riding in this. Philip goes FAST!!! Here he is after his ride with his well deserved medal....

Then we went and drove to the 75 mile point to find Rik again.... he looks pretty good for 75 miles doesn't he?

And back to the start/finish line....

The kids made this really cool sign while we were waiting for him to come back - we're going to have to watch the El Tour highlights show - there were at least 2 official El Tour photographers that came along and videotaped them making their sign!

And here he is - 109 miles later - with a time of 5:39:42... at the finish line - almost 1/2 hr faster than last year! Yay! Too bad he had his crash in September and the flu this week - he might have won the race!

Guess why Philip is excited...

Any guesses? He found out he made the B team for flag football at school today. He was convinced that he wasn't going to at all - and now look! Stay tuned for football photos - games start the week after Thanksgiving!

Cross Country...

Is over for the year - but Philip had a fun time! It was off to a slow start as the first meet was cancelled and the 2nd one was postponed due to the school they were traveling to being in a lock down situation! Eep! He did his best at the 2nd meet they went to and got a ribbon - the top 30 got ribbons and he was 23rd in the 5th & 6th grade boys. Yay Philip - look at him go!

Halloween...

Here are a few pictures from our Halloween...

Isn't this the coolest sign for us? I was disappointed that the K wasn't a C in the Kaitlyn, esp since everything else is a C word, but, I bought it anyway because it made me laugh. The spiderweb on our door looked much cooler before the wind blew for about a week and I could never get it to look the same again.

And, here is Dumbledore..

And our fairy...

And them both together...

Our traditional pumpkin carving. I was using Caitlin's camera that night (mine had dead batteries) so I obviously didn't know how to get non-blurry pictures, so, hopefully you get the idea. Caitlin did Garfield, Philip did the bat house, and Rik did the skull.

We had A LOT less trick or treaters than normal - too bad I went out and bought some extra candy! We were all in bed at our normal times - Wow!

Brush with Celebrity...

Do you recognize this man? No, not Rik - the other guy!

Does this help? He is famous for climbing this...



Another hint? This is Mount Everest....

Ok - since you're probably not up on your Everest climbers - it is Ed Viesturs. He has climbed Everest 6 times - over half without supplemental oxygen! He's either crazy or impressive!

Anyway, Ed was in town this past week and Rik got to go hear his presentation. He had lots of pictures and stories about his adventures. In the end, he did get to meet the man too!

But, the coolest part about the whole evening for me? He got a raffle ticket for going to this and got his number pulled - not for a cool backpack or any of the other neat gear they were giving away - but this...



In red - for me - a ladies fleece jacket - I tried it on and it's really warm! I wish it would quit being 95º here so I could wear it!

Happy October!

Well, so, it has been October for a few days, but I had to show my October quilted wall hanging I finally got done. There is one of these for every month - they look really cute in real life, it's just taking me a while to get them done! I am pretty well on my way to having November done already though!

And costumes are in the works...

Here is Philip's - he wants to be Dumbledore from Harry Potter...

If you have any great ideas about how to make a white wizard beard and wig - let me know. They are all too expensive at the costume places to wear just a couple of times.

And Caitlin's...

The fairy in the top middle. And again, if you have any great tips for making fairy wings - let me know - again - way to expensive for what they are. That and none of them match the orange fairy that we are supposed to have!

How cool is this?...

Philip and Rik (and Grandpa and Uncle) have been off hunting for Philip's deer the last couple of Saturdays. This is the the last day of his hunt. Maybe they'll find something? If not, Rik found this cool antler last Saturday. And yesterday they saw a 300lb black bear of all things - in a much much lower elevation than you would expect. Luckily it was going the other direction!

A couple of funny photos to leave you with...

and...

This is what happens when a 10 yr old boy has run out of PEOPLE to make paper hats for. Aren't they patient???

For all you moms out there...

I loved this!

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/ver/223/popup/index.php?cl=4274384

Hope you're having a good week!

A new ride...

Look what Rik went and picked up at the bike shop today. Actually, they even let him be there while they put it together! He's pretty excited about it - this new one has all the bells and whistles he could ever want in a bike and more. Isn't it pretty?

And, just in case you are wondering, the black eye is almost healed, he's still a bit sore, but getting better everyday. Just don't ask him to take his shirt off over his head, it just about kills him. I did make him buy a new helmet for his new bike as well.

Leave me a comment letting me know what a nice wife I am for letting his get this great new bike! He's one lucky guy! I need all the praise I can get - who knows when I'll feel like being this nice again? Of course, he deserves it - surviving a death defying crash and all!

100%

Philip and Rik have been taking the hunter safety course required by the Game and Fish Dept in order for Philip to take part in his deer hunt that is coming up in October. It has been every Tuesday and Thursday since the first day of school - way back on August 9th! Going to all of these classes has not been easy - it's been a pain for everyone involved - mostly because it's been such a long period of time and the comittment in the middle of a school and work week has been enormous - but we have carried on! Tuesday was the test - and BOTH Philip and Rik got 100% on theirs! Philip was really happy since there were only 5 people in the class that got 100% - and he was the only kid. He doesn't look that happy to be posing for my picture - but he really is pretty excited over this!

The Crash...

Yesterday about 2:30, I got a call from Rik, who wanted to tell me that he had finally gotten his new bike shoes so that he could ride his new pedals that he had gotten for his birthday. But, he also wanted to tell me that his bike had gone from this.... (as pictured in El Tour last year)...

To this....

The good news? He was wearing his helmet and only has scrapes and bruises. He's really sore, but it appears nothing is broken. His helmet is cracked - so we know these things work! He looks pretty bad in this picture, but it's really the black eye where his sunglasses hit his face that looks the worst...

I wish I had a totally exciting story to tell you how this happened - but - I don't. He was riding on the riverwalk and felt something change in his bike, and the next thing he knew he was on the ground. We think he might have gotten a flat or something that caused this. I am thankful this happened on the riverwalk and not out with traffic.

Philip kept saying on the way over to pick him up... Poor Dad, he really liked that bike! I (jokingly) told him... I buy you something nice and this is how you treat it???!!

I know we were blessed by him not having a bigger injury - the fact that he got up and went to work today is amazing if you look at his bike! The guys at the bike shop could just stand there and stare at it - it was like they didn't even know what to say. One of them said he had been to the Cannondale factory and saw where they test frames and the force it would take to make this happen was just unbelievable.

I'll leave you with one last photo.... (there used to be a fork and handlebars attached to those 2 pieces....)

Labor Day Run

I ran the 8 mile Labor Day run out at Sagauro Nat Park. It was hilly - but fun! I was sore for a couple days afterward, but it was worth it! I ran it in 1:12:07. I was excited just over that number because with all the hills, it was only 2 min slower than my poor little flat neighborhood I run in all the time. Caitlin and Joan came along for support, but I won't bore you with all the pictures Caitlin took while I was running (everything in Joan's purse and then some!!!). I wish she had taken some of the beautiful scenery, but, no, we have pictures of Grandma's makeup!

Violins...

How many of you know anything about a violin except how it sounds? That's what I thought. Me too, up until a couple of weeks ago. Since Philip has started 5th grade, he got to pick an instrument to play and he picked violin - which I thought was really cool - not only can he someday play classical, he might be Alan Jackson's backup as well! :) He was quite excited to go rent the instrument and get started - he figured out Twinkle Twinkle before class even began. I love hearing him practice!

School Started...

On August 9th acutally! So, I'm still a bit behind. Better late than never right???

Here is our 7th grader on her first day of jr high...

It's actually been going quite well - she's in student council, English, band, social studies, PE, Adv science, and algebra 1-2. Friday was the 1st dance of the year and student council had to host it and work at it. She worked the snack bar and guarded the door. I got to be a chaperone (imagine me in a hot, stuffy gym with loud music and teenagers running all over!). I wonder why they call them dances when they are more socials than anything? I never really saw anyone actually *dancing*!








And, here is Philip on the first day of 5th grade. He didn't want to act excited about it, but I think he is. He has the same teacher that Caitlin had for the past two years - we love her - though I had to apologize for cursing her for yet another year of Brentons! Philip also has gotten to start with the CATS program this year (the school's gifted program) and gets to travel to another school every Tuesday and do lots of fun things he wouldn't normally get to do. This past Tuesday they did chemistry and made some sort of goo. They also have pen pals in Australia.

Oh - almost forgot - the part of starting school Philip was really excited about...















His new shoes! It's because they are a *men's* size 8. Pretty impressive for a 10 yr old - huh?

It happened over a month ago...

That's how *lazy* I've been about getting pictures off of the cameras around here but...

The kids and I went for a couple of days to visit my parents. We had a fund time - first at the science center there were LOTS of exhibits that we could have stayed and played around with all day long - but we only had the afternoon. This picture was a fun thing to do - you pushed on the pads and big poofs of "smoke" came out. If you played with it just right, you could make smoke rings and all sorts of fun shapes.


The next day, we went and painted at a paint-it-yourself ceramics store. I painted a bowl, Caitlin made a tricket jar, and Philip painted a puppy. I haven't seen the finished fired projects yet since we had to go home - but the kids are already making spaces on their dressers for them!


And, we also got to decorate cupcakes. The kids had a blast! I wonder if Grandmommy did after all those sprinkles were all over her pretty wood floor?

37 reason we love Rik...

Happy Birthday!

1. He's taller than me.

2. He's a great dad.

3. He loves to fish.

4. He loves the Grand Canyon (and has hiked it 2x).

5. He loves a challenge.

6. He's a perfectionist.

7. He has great ideas!

8. He's a great friend.

9. Ketchup.

10. He's a good example to those around him.

11. He loves to learn.

12. He loves clean sheets.

13. He's the hardest person in the world to shop for shoes for!

14. Actually, the same can be said about clothes for him as well!

15. He can reload his own bullets.

16. He's ridden 110 miles in El Tour de Tucson.

17. He can run/bike/work in the hottest of hot days.

18. He loves gear of all sorts.

19. He loves to read.

20. Dessert is important.

21. He can tie his own flies for fishing.

22. He likes to have fun.

23. He's not afraid of hard work.

24. Crocs.

25. He's a great UPS employee.

26. His pocket PC.

27. He lives the Gospel.

28. He has a really cool bike!

29. He has a toe he wants cut off.

30. He is persistant.

31. He can build and fix lots of things!

32. He's not afraid of anything.

33. He puts the garbage cans away every week.

34. He drives "Little Ugly".

35. He researches things until he finds the perfect one.

36. Cookie dough.

37. He's a great husband. :)

Everyone is welcome...

Well, Cold Stone *was* our favorite....

But, I think we have found a new favorite... a gelato shop called Frost. If you are ever in our lovely area of the world- it is a must do! Gelato is creamier than ice cream and has less calories (or so they say!). It has a very silky texture and a very rich flavor. For the past two Saturday evenings we've found ourselves at this shop - it's bustling - but once you taste it - you know exactly why!

But, poor Caitlin has yet to have any! She is been off babysitting the past 2 Saturday nights - we decided from the money she's making that she can go buy her own! ;) Can you believe that she's babysitting already??? It wasn't that long ago and I was worrying about who was going to watch her!

Pickles!

I planted cucumbers in our garden this year. I kind of ignored them. Then I noticed they were blooming. And blooming. And blooming. But, they weren't growing any cucumbers! I was getting annoyed because they were spreading and taking up a lot of garden space! One day, I was out there and glanced down and there was a cucumber - and another - and another. I picked 20 cucumbers that day! Here is the picture of my harvest that day...

I was very excited - because in the next two weeks I managed to pick over 60 cucumbers! I decided to make them into pickles - because who can eat 60 cucumbers? The bread and butter pickles were fun - 3 hrs of sitting in an ice bath and about an hour to can them - but - the dill ones - *3 weeks* of sitting in a brine bath and "skimming scum" off of the top of the brine everyday - doesn't sound very appetizing - does it? But, I did finally get them made last weekend and, while they are very very *dill*, they are done! Here are all the pickles together... kind of pretty - huh? The dill are on the sides and the bread and butter are in the middle.

The other thing I've been canning this summer was kind of an experiment. OK - not just kind of - really an experiment! I had heard about mesquite bean jelly a few years ago when I was looking for prickly pear jelly recipes online. I decided to try it this year. So, instead of picking up all the fallen mesquite beans in the front yard, we harvested them! The kids were not quite as excited over the change of terms as I was because it essentially meant they were still spending hot summer mornings picking up beans, but oh well! We boiled the beans and made juice. It smelled like granola bars cooking! Who would have guessed! In the end, the jelly was a success - it tastes slighly like apples - another who would have guessed moment! Philip says it is his new favorite jelly. If you're in the area, you should stop by and have some - we have plenty and would love to share a piece of toast and jelly with you!