Happy 15th Birthday Caitlin!

Caitlin celebrated her 15th birthday on Memorial Day this year.  She got to go shopping for her gifts earlier in the day with dad and came home with some shorts and shirts and decided to order some shoes online.  Dad also took her to lunch (Chipotle) and dessert (Cold Stone).  We celebrated having her around for so long by having a barbeque dinner and cake (made by mom - with an exploding, singing candle!).  How did she get so grown up so fast?

Veggies already!

Rik has decided to become a tomato and pepper grower. He's quite dedicated and waters and cares for his plants daily. He's bought cool clay pots and researched which hot peppers are the best to eat. So far, he's gotten one pepper... and the sad part is that he thought it was a hot pepper of some sort when he bought it, but, after planting it and reading the tag, he discovered it was mismarked and said "Golden Pepper." Not a big deal right? Well, it looks like that it really isn't a Golden Pepper either. It's never turned any color at all. It's been on the plant for several weeks now, so, instead of risking it rotting, he decided to pick it. It's beautiful. I'm scared to eat it knowing how much work has gone into this pepper!

I on the other hand, am caring for a bunch of plants that somehow made it through the winter and didn't die. Not through any care on my part! It just so happened that we had a rainier than normal winter, so they didn't die. My artichoke and eggplants are what I'm talking about. In March I noticed that they were both showing signs of growth... so, I decided what the heck and actually started watering them! I have had about 20 artichokes... this photo being the most I have picked at once. I have been reading about grilled artichokes and am planning on trying them... if you have any info, let me know about it. And, I have had 4 eggplants with TONS more on the way - they are small ones, the kind that fit in the palm of your hand, but very tasty! Even my non-eggplant loving friends would like these (you know who you are!). I've been grilling them in a foil packet and even Rik admits that he likes them - and he is one of the non-eggplant loving people out there.

Spring in the Desert

Spring this year in the desert was one of the most beautiful in a long time. Lots of rain in Jan, Feb, and March made for amazing wildflowers! Ann and her kids wanted to go to Ventana Canyon... and I did too... how many years have I been here and never been there? One afternoon we strapped the kids to our backs and took off. Lots of yellow and blue/purple flowers all over! And... water... running... without being attached to a hose. I know - it's just something I'm not used to seeing!

When I went to work the next day, I was talking about what a beautiful day it had been and my friend Debbie wanted to go see it as well. Two weeks later we went, and while there weren't as many blue flowers and not as much running water, the yellow flowers had exploded all over and it was just amazing to see. What a difference just a couple of weeks can make!

Philip's trip to Catalina Island

Philip got to go on the same school trip that Caitlin went on a couple of years ago to Catalina Island. I guess I was expecting the same type of pictures that Caitlin took... you know, meaningful one of the island, herself in a wetsuit, and herself with friends. Well, Philip had a different way of looking at this trip... here are the highlights...
I guess he saw some water and a bathroom and they stayed somewhere to sleep. Or maybe I'm interpreting his photos wrong?

What the Brenton's spent April and May doing...

Track & Field...

We purchased new running shoes for him and also a pair of track spikes... think flat athletic looking shoe with sharp spikes on the bottom. I made sure to stay out of the way of those guys while wearing flip flops!

Philip was a long jumper and a 100 meter dash guy. He also ran in the 200 meter and the 4x100 relay and the 4x400 relay a couple of times. He was picked to go to a special invitational at the UofA where mostly only 8th grade kids competed where he competed in long jump. He was also one of the few 7th graders who got to the district invitational.

One thing I didn't know about track meets... they take forever and a day. With all of those events going on, everyone has to share the track and field for their events, so it takes a lot to coordinate. Not that it's bad, I just hadn't realized that you didn't show up and see your kid run or jump or whatever and go home. You might show up to watch two events that while one happens a few minutes after you get there, the other might not happen for another couple of hours.

Philip had an awesome season. Can't wait to see how he improves by next year!

And, while there is only a ballet performance, which differs from going to see a track meet every week, that doesn't mean we're not in it for the long haul. Classes and practices 3x/week, including 12-4 on Saturdays. Caitlin is dedicated! While she didn't particularly love dancing with this guy, here is her premire dancing with a guy (besides dad!). She did a beautiful job.

And, again, I'm going to save you from all of the school dance class photos (because there aren't any). There were four performances in a row... Rik and I took turns going. While I did really enjoy watching Caitlin dance, the rest was loud and enough to give one a headache. See my previous post about the December dance concerts, and you've pretty much got my review of the one for the end of the school year!

Now, we're in a dance break... only to be gearing up for dance camp to begin next week!