this week

Now that school has started again, I cherish the weekends so much! With a new school year comes new germs and so I'm trying to stay well. I wasn't feeling well on Friday but I'm doing much better so that's good :) I've entered yet again a new chapter of being a mom this year. The kids are in 3 different schools for the first time and we now have 2 teenagers. They want to spend more time with their friends and they have things going on at school so there's lots of time in the car. :) I have 3 years until Braden is an adult and he'll go off to college. 3 very short years...that's hard to believe.

Just finished this page up today. On our way home from Utah this summer, we stopped at Zion to hike The Narrows. Aaron hiked the entire length of it as a teenager and we thought it would be fun to take the kids there. We hiked about a mile and a half in. Southern Utah is a beautiful place!

 

I started this page after school got out and just finished it today. It was a great school year. I have to say that I miss seeing Paige at recess but she is enjoying junior high.

 

 

1st grade field trip

A scrapbook page of pictures from the 1st grade field trip to the PHX Zoo :)

May 2013 part 2

May was so jam packed that I'm doing a part 2 :)

Braden went to the 8th grade semi-formal dance. He mentioned he danced all the fast songs and broke out some Gangnum style. He went with his friends and he had a great time. In the middle of the night, he came down with the flu :( Then that same flu made its way through our whole family :(

Paige participated in her first golf tournament last Saturday. She's gotten serious about golf this year and she participates in the First Tee program of Phoenix. She loves it and she placed 4th in her age division. Parents aren't allowed to talk to their kids at all when they are playing. They have to make their own decisions on how to play each shot, keep their own score and another girl's score they are playing with. She enjoys it :)

and so does Heston. He loves golf. Aaron takes him to the course by our house to practice his short game. He has to be 7 to play in the First Tee so he'll start this summer.

Golf buddies :)

Paige earned the Presidential Fitness Award again this year. Now that she's 10, she had to run the mile in 9:19 this year. It took her a few tries but her persistence paid off. The shuttle run was also a challenge for her this year. That had to be done in under 10.8 seconds. She would practice at recess to get faster. She stuck with it and passed it, I was so happy for her!

1st grade field trip

 On March 7th, we went to the Phoenix Zoo for the 1st grade field trip. 5 boys in our group...I had my hands full :) We had so much fun and I'm glad I got to be a chaperone

 Miss Thomas and Mrs. L

 H said that he wanted to go to Petco to buy a bald eagle and name it Skittles :)

field trip scrapbook page

I got around to doing a page on P's field trip. I probably should have added some journaling but I was too lazy :)

We had half day on Friday and no school today. A nice long weekend was just what we needed. The weather has been so awesome...we're trying to soak it in because the heat will return soon enough.

January fun stuff

Braden has been doing this everytime I bring out the camera...

 B's beloved bracelets

 Surprises from Papa and Gaga

 Aaron has been gone to China for business. It was so nice to have a visit from Mom and Dad. We had a great time and they loved the awesome weather. Mom's birthday was on the 19th so we got her a Nothing Bundt cake. It was so good!

 I got to be a chaperone for the 5th Grade field trip. We went to Local Motors and the kids got to learn about cars. It was really fun, the kids loved it.

 Each group got to design a car. I think this was their favorite part

 After Local Motors, we found a park to eat lunch. I'm glad I got the day off so I could go :)

Thanksgiving 2012

 Wednesday was a 1/2 day of school for us. The Turkey Trot is a tradition at the school. The kids run and play games. I'm the only one in the office who has kids that still attend school here so I got to participate. This is H's class...

 I wish I would have taken a video of him jumping rope. He does it backwards and he's fast! It was funny

 juggling scarves...

 and eating oranges

 Paige found this hat in the dollar section at Target :)

On Friday, we traveled down to Tucson for a day and night. We took the kids to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. What an awesome place! It's a museum and a zoo. All the landscape, animals and exhibits are all about the Sonoran desert.

 These are 2 pieces of art that I really liked

This is a Ring Tail Cat and a Diamondback rattlesnake. One of those cat's climbed on Aaron looking for food when he was sleeping at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. In this presentation, we learned that they spray like skunks when they feel threatened...scary! 

 The museum had stamp pads of different animal tracks...P&H loved stamping in their books

 It was a beautiful 90 degrees that day

 These wildcats loved that pair of Levi's

 They released owls and some other birds and they were flying really close to everyone's head. It was cool!

 Our hotel room

This labyrinth was right behind our hotel room

 

 The kids wanted to find somewhere to toss the football and frisbee around. While we were walking we heard all 3 of them yell, "Grass!!" We weren't expecting to find grass with all the desert landscape. That hour we spent with our kids was one of my favorite of our Thanksgiving weekend :)

 H kicking the football in his pajamas :)

 Before heading home on Saturday, we visited the Children's museum of Tucson. It reminded us a lot of the one in Phoenix but I think our kids liked this one better

 The was a machine that showed how frequency works. This is what A does for a living so it was fun to see him explaining to the kids how it worked.

 He loves motorcycles and I had to take this for my Dad :)

 What up Ben?!

 P&H could have played here for hours :)

 They had an entire wall display of vintage Mickey and Minnie Mouse collectables. I thought back to a Minnie Mouse bank that our sweet next door neighbors brought me back from Disneyland when I was 2. I lost it years ago but I was curious to see if they had it on display. Sure enough, there it was :)

 Life with a teenager...never a dull moment

 Paige loved this little pet vet area. She loves kitties

 This outdoor area was something that all 3 of the kids enjoyed

 Hammond kids doing what they do best...Hamming it up :)