BOWLING!!

We all were home last Friday and we wanted to take advantage of it. So we let the kids decide where they wanted to go and they chose the bowling alley. Okay, so Justice decided he was really to go bowling again and the other two agree to anything big brother wants to do. We had such a blast though, they have a ramp that you set up with the ball on top and it goes down the ramp and hits the pins. It was great!! The boys adored it!! Benjamin would even start all the way back by the entrance and run all the way and push the ball at the end. He thought it helped him out anyways, which I think it did. I just look at the new bumpers they have that just pop up whenever it is the boys turn and dissapear when it was Bill and I's turn. Okay, I am not very old but I can remember when they had to put the blow up bumpers in the gutters and everyone had to use them if they were used. It was great though and it was Matthew's first time. I think he liked picking out what ball he wanted to use the most though. It was cute on one bowl because he went to chase after the ball and slipped right on his booty!! Well I got some pics so here they are, hope you enjoy. If you really have to know...Bill won all three games...what a show off huh?

Camping Trip to Greer, AZ 2010

We packed the van beyond its capacity and we set out North to Greer, Arizona. If you don't believe me, ask Justice. He was crammed in the back seat with a bunch of pillows and sleeping bags. Anyways, the trip up went okay, any ride that takes 4 1/2 hours is too long for kids. They all survived with the anticipation of seeing the wilderness and animals they have only seen on the television. We were about 10 minutes out and they were squilling with excitement, it was just too cute! We stayed at Bennie Creek Campground, which we visited once before. We loved it there, it is nestled off in the woods with very little people there.

Matthew enjoying his boonie hat or what he called "boobie hat."
We had a good time setting up the new tent for the first time while it was threatening to rain on us. Soon we had the van unloaded and we went into Greer to see the town. Greer is a very little tourist town that is full of cabins and a couple of restaurants. We said hello to Bill's parents and walked around the Greer Lodge Resort with them. We had dinner at the Neon Moon Restaurant, which was okay I suppose. We sat on the back porch and enjoyed the rain while we ate. We got back to camp and enjoyed a great campfire and marshmallows.

Little Anna reading to the boys at the Lodge

The next day we went to Big Lake and rented a fishing boat for the boys. The boys all got a turn driving the boat and fishing in the lake. Bill caught two Rainbow Trouts and Justice cleaned his first fish. He was even able to tear the worms apart by himself, so proud of the kiddo. When we got back to camp, we hiked to Bunch Reservoir and down into Bennie Creek. The boys were so excited when we started catching crawdads in the creek, well Ben and Matt kept calling them lobsters. The fish made for a great dinner that night while enjoying another great campfire.

These two pics are at the Lee Valley Reservoir, Ben was laughing at me while a bee was attacking me.

These are some happy boys on the boat in Big Lake.

Happy mom with Matthew on the boat

Matthew afraid to touch Daddy's first catch of the day
Matthew and Ben showing off our catch

Okay so one unhappy boy but the rest were happy fishing and looking for beavers in Bennie Creek by the campsite.

That campfire fun soon ended...the next couple of days we were rained out. On Tuesday we drove up to the Big Lake Look Out. It was supposed to be a nice hike but the driving directions put us right at the foot of the tower. This turned out to be good because while in the look out, it started to rain. The view was just phenominal, you will have to go see it yourself though because I was so overwhelmed by the height and view that I didn't take one picture. It is a must see though if you are ever in that area. After lunch at Crescent Lake we spent the rest of the evening in the tent goofing off while the rain continued.

At the bottom of the look out tower

The boys at the look out tower

On our last full day of camping we headed out to Big Lake for another boat ride. The rain held out a little while for us at least. We got to fish though and Matthew threw in and lost his fishing pole while trying to cast. Matthew also got his first fish and reeled it in. Benjamin learned how to cast himself, he knows how to even hold onto the pole. He does really good though and can get the line pretty far out. Justice got a lot of bites and is still learning how to keep his excitement under control. Soon we were dawning on the overpriced but wonderful ponchos and getting poured on. We made a mad dash to the van and headed back in the pouring rain. The rain continued through the night, so once again we were confined to the tent.


Ben showing off his catch of the day

Overall the trip was great and we headed back home to the blazing heat. It is not easy going from almost 70 degree cloudy weather to 115 degree heat!! We are thankful for the wonderful family time spent and for having a safe trip. To sum it up we saw elk in the distance, a deer up close, squirrels played in our campsite, chipmunks, ospreys, lots of cows, fish and a cat! The place was beautiful and we had a blast.

Visit from Sam and Family

Oh dear, it has been way too long since I have updated this blog. Life is just so busy. Sam drove down last week with Camron, Trent and Austin. My dad was returning from Chicago with Michael. Tatiana also stopped stayed a couple of nights with us. So I got a good five days with family. We didn't do much, we just visited...I loved it. We went and saw the fireworks, had a great Luau for Matthew's and Jacque's birthday and did some swimming. The kids are all getting so big, I can't believe how fast time is flying. Michael and Camron are both taller than me now, Trent is on his way soon. Ben and Austin were two peas in a pod. They were chatting away in the van and played together I think all the time. Matthew now jumps off the diving board, my brave one and Ben is working his way there slowly. Austin is a little daredevil, he launches himself off anywhere in the water. Sam also joined me in cutting off 10" of my hair, it is taking me a while to get used to but I will be okay. All in all it was a great visit and I was sad to see them leave yesterday. I thought I would share some photos with the rest of you all though.