Children's Museum

I have to start this blog about my library experience. This is a new experience for me, not the books but getting these Culture Passes that they have. It is where they give you four free passes to one of like nine different museums and stuff to do around Phoenix. Anything to break up the zoo visits is fine for me. Anyways, I saw that they were going to have a Children's Museum one available this morning and Sherry wanted to meet up there to see it. I got there a little early and parked the stroller as close to the entrance as I could without feeling rude. I have learned that between these passes and the internet, people rush in as quickly as possible. It is almost funny to sit and watch an old man running for the culture passes that was infront of me. Okay, this isn't a short story...I got the kids seatbelted in for a ride of their lives and bolted with everyone else and got the pass....wooohooo!!

I showed Sherry the library and we were off to the Museum after a stop. We got there and was so happy that we had the culture passes since it is $9/person over 1 year old. I feel that the price was a bit ridiculous but was happy to be there. The place was just awesome and I loved it, the kids even loved it more. They had all kinds of rooms with different themes. I will show you some pictures and explain them to you as best as I can.

On this one...when you walk in the whole wall is covered in CD's hanging down the wall. As you can see on top that the light shines down and reflects off the disks and it just looks so cool. I couldn't capture the reflection like I wanted to but one day I will learn to use my nice camera.

Okay these are from the same area. There was a whole room full of these foam green noodles like the ones you put in the pool. They are all hanging and you just make your way through them all. There was a couple of open areas in there where we squeezed and took pictures. On the outside there was some huge shoes sitting there (the other picture) so I put Matthew in them. I sure hope they were there for people to play with and I didn't put Matthew in someone else's shoes. I don't know what I would have done if I had lost Benjamin or Matthew in the middle of those noodles...I would be there all day looking for them.

Okay these ones are just random things that were out in the hallways. The first one was by a ramp that you set these little cars on and you can race them on all kinds of different ramps. He loved climbing up there and riding his motorcycle. The other one is a great gift idea for anyone you want to drive nuts. It has a metal piece to bang on all types of wrenches. It wasn't as loud as another toy but it was pretty neat to see.

Okay these ones are pretty cool too. The first picture of Benjamin sitting infront of all the white stuff is shoes. Yes, they are shoes nailed to the wall and all painted white. You would think that I would get it that they want you to take your shoes off for the next room but I didn't know until I was in there already. The next of Ben with the flowers is a little house that you can pretend cook and sit at the table, pick flowers and all. The next room over had a grocery store where you can shop and check out and all that. It was just so cute. The one on bottom Matthew was sitting in this little spiral spot tha was kind of cool looking. I only got this picture because Robert was nice enough to help me out. It is so difficult to try to explain to a one year old where you want them for a picture. Anyways, still was cute and fun.

Okay on the bottom floor we took the boys back down and let them play. The first picture of Benjamin in the tunnel was a whole tunnel that went all the way around, pretty neat. I was asked to remove all shoes so we moved on to the drums. I do not like to take off the boys shoes or my own in public places...I just think that the floor is way too gross to go barefoot. The boys really loved the drums though as you can see. Matthew was just having a blast though and really enjoying himself. We finally were done and I didn't even want to leave but I was pretty tired. We had a lot of fun and appreciated Sherry and Robert going with us.

Happy Birthday Matthew

What a day for Matthew, it is amazing how much birthday parties take out of you. I want to first say how blessed I am to have such an amazing little boy like Matthew. He is just so sweet and full of love. He tried to make it an all dayer without any naps but he didn't make it. Everyone showed up and we played some games and ate a lot of food. Bill grilled up the hot dogs and I tried to make a killer cake. Sorry to say but we didn't get a picture of it. It was chocolate icing, chocolate cake and chocolate filling...topped with rasberries. Oh it was so good, well I liked it. Matthew got a lot of nice stuff and we are just so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. Matthew waited till everyone had left and sat on the floor and dug into his cake. He stood up and I could see the look in his face....cake on floor...Matthew standing in front of it...I didn't think so. I snatched that boy up before he could think twice about it. Thank you all for being there and sharing that special time with us. We love you all and appreciate all the gifts Matthew received. Here are some pics of the party!!

If you look at how close Ben is throwing the water balloon at Kiera in the water balloon toss

Matthew showing off his teeth and laughing at his Papa Bill.

He had to wait until everyone left to dig into his cake.

Cruising the house on his new quad...he is just too cute.

Day trips...

We have taken a couple of day trips, last week we went to Prescott and this week we went to Sedona. Just trying to get out of the heat and just enjoying time with each other.

Prescott was beautiful of course. We first found Heritage Park Zoo that was pretty cool, it is in rough shape. We did get to see some animals that the boys have never seen like a badger, all sorts of snakes, coyotes, peacock, racoons, emu, and I can't remember what else that he hasn't seen. We loved it though, the peacock had its feathers all spread out and beautiful. That was the greatest part of this trip, that and Ben getting to see the deer. He loves animals and wildlife, we took home a snake and a giraffe. We then took off to the Yavapai Downs where the horse racing takes place. We really enjoyed that too, those horses are so beautiful and you get an adrenaline rush just watching them run so fast. Benjamin and Matthew really loved watching the horses. We ended our trip in downtown Prescott on Whiskey Row, they had a little garage sale type thing going on with a bunch of antiques. They were closing shop when we got there though. So we had some chocolates, ate dinner and headed home.

On our latest trip on Sunday the 14th of June, we visited Sedona, AZ. If you have never been there it is quite a sight. The mountains and rocks that surround the area are all bright red. It is just gorgeous, especially with all of the beautiful green trees and rivers that are there. We went through Oak Creek that is right by there and took the boys to the Rainbow Trout Farm. You can rent poles and catch fish there. You have a pond with hundrends of fish, so the boys chances of catching a fish was great. Both Justice and Ben caught a fish, we got them cleaned, took them home and ate them. Ben and Justice both loved the fish too, I was so proud of both of them. Boy Benjamin is just too excited about his fish too, he couldn't stop talking about it. He wanted to tell everyone. We went across the street to the water company today and out of nowhere he started telling the ladies and guy about his fish. He was asked if it was big or small, he told them small. They all were nice size since they are fed all the time. We had a good time though and so did the kiddos. These trips aren't much time away but we sure do enjoy them. We love getting to spend that extra time with each other. We are also trying to get the kids prepared for our long road trip coming up...we are traveling everywhere in the van so we will see.

Eagle Eye's First Shoot

Eagle Eye showed up for the first time on Saturday and showed those old cowboys how it is done. He looked them all in the eye and wouldn't take "no time" for an answer.

Justice really enjoys shooting with his Dad and they finally decided it was time for Justice to join the Cowboy Fast Draw. Well he hasn't "joined" yet but he got to go shoot this last Saturday. He didn't realize how special of an event it was for him to shoot until we got there and his aunt and uncle from Mexico and some cousins from Maryland were there too. We even showed up, sick kids and all to cheer on their big brother. We had a really good time and it was overcast for most of the morning, so not too hot but it was really humid. Justice finished 22nd out of 23, he was a bit disapointed but we had to remind him that it was his first time. He has only shot maybe 2 or 3 times his whole life. I think he did great and we are so proud of him. We look forward to Buckaroo Ben shooting one day now. I will keep you all updated. Bill also shot at this tournament and he placed 9th place. Bills uncle Charlie placed 2nd and Grandpa Bill placed 3rd. They are all on a roll and doing great. Here is Buckaroo Ben himself waiting to be driven to town.

This is Kaleb, Ben's cousin from the east coast. He just looked so cute and had his own gun too. Ben was thrilled to see another cowboy his size.

Visitors

I have been looking forward to having my Mom, Samantha, her fiancee and the kiddos come visit me for quite a few months now. Just a couple of days for visiting just isn't enough because they were gone in a blink of an eye. I did have a lot of fun though and enjoyed getting to visit. I have so many pictures to share that I hope I don't overwhelm you al. The first day I brought the family by David's house where I couldn't stop taking pictures of his bougainvilla bush...I think that is how it is spelled. It was so colorful and beautiful, we had a good time visiting though.

That evening we headed over to Trisha's to swim in the pool for a little bit. Ben started jumping off the diving board and we had a blast cooling down. Felt bad that they had to visit in the 100's. It can be brutal for anyone out here so it is nice to refresh ourselves with the pool.





The next day I dragged them all to the zoo where we exhausted the kids and ourselves. We got to see a lot of the animals and let the kids play in the water area that they just built at the zoo. With the heat killing us, it was nice to get in there with the kids and play in the water.

Well I had so much fun and I appreciate them making that very long drive down here, especially with three fiesty kids. I enjoyed meeting Sam's fiancee Mike, he is a really nice guy. The kids are getting so big, Michael is taller than me and Trent isn't too far behind. Austen is such a love bug and had a blast with Benjamin. Hope everyone enjoys the pictures!!

What a Happy Mother's Day

I had a wonderful day with all of myboys!! One of my favorite things to do is take pictures though and it is rare that I get to go on a trip to do just that. Well since it was Mother's Day and all I decided we were going to go to a spot I have been wanting to take pictures and have the guys pose for me. I know that we don't seem to happy in the pictures but you have to remember that it almost a hundrend out and it is close to noon so the sun is shining bright. Poor Bill has really bad allergies and never takes his sunglasses off for anything but to go to bed. They all were good sports about it and I got, I think, some really good pictures that I hope you all enjoy.

Okay so I didn't take this one...but we haven't taken a picture together in a while.

The Love of my Life

It isn't too often that I get to sit down and write and when I do...it is about the kids. Today I wanted to ensure that I write a little something about my wonderful husband Bill. We are celebrating three years today of being married. I think for just three years, we have accomplished so much as a couple, parents and just ourselves. I have gone through so many different transitions these three years from getting married, having kids, starting new jobs, starting school and even wanting more kids. Bill has been there through all of it, even when it was really rough for me and I made it hard on him. I have been struggling with school and figuring out how to be a stay at home mom and Bill has helped me to keep my sanity. He is the kind of husband that I had always dreamed about, he will rub my feet, cook dinner without complaining, change a dirty diaper and even get up in the middle of the night to help with Matthew. As parents, we are kind of put on the back burner with attention because we want to be so involved and show our kids all the affection we can. I do want you to know Bill, that I love you so much and you are everything that I ever wanted in a husband, dad of my kids and as my best friend. I know we may go through rough times or be very tired from little kids wanting to be up in the middle of the night, but I know it is all worth it. I couldn't think of anyone else to spend the rest of my life with then with you and these three boys. You are definitely the love of my life.

Easter

We had a great Easter together and ate way too much food. We thought that finger foods would be nice to munch on all day, it was way too much food that we just gorged ourselves with. Anyways, the kids woke up and found the eggs and baskets and had a blast. We had Bill's parents and Kristen, Nathan and Julia over too. We had so much fun just jabbering and watching the kids play. They all got to do an egg hunt, which Ben and Julia caught on really quick. We flew some kites, Kristen saved the day by catching the runaway one. We also blew some bubbles until I got light headed. Matthew just wanted to eat the eggs, Ben wanted all the eggs and Justice didn't want to share his eggs. They all had a good time and so did we. Here are some pictures to prove it!! I sure did miss my family back home and wish we all could be together.

Benjamin and Julia looking cute after hunting for eggs, Ben was already getting into his candy.

Justice loved the bubbles he got and Matthews, who says big kids can't have fun?

Ben wanted to keep dipping the eggs in the different colors. You should have seen the color of his hands...they worked better than the spoon he thought.

I think he just wanted Daddy out of his basket...he just wanted to eat the grass.

Benjamin's soccer metal

Benjamin finished his soccer practice and I couldn't be more proud of him. He did so good and listened so well. We all had fun going and watching all the kids play. I don't know if Ben enjoyed soccer more or seeing his friend Julia. Whenever we go anywhere it is always "Julia," it is so cute. Anyways, on the last day the coach tried to get them to practice getting the ball from each other, it was just so funny and cute. Ben got bumped out of the way by a girl too, it was just so funny. He just laid there until the coach picked him up, he didn't know what to do. The coach gave them all medals with soccer balls on them, he was so excited and showed it off to everyone. I am just so proud of him and I am kind of sad to be done...but we will be now watching Justice play tennis.