School's Out!

Our babies enjoyed their last day of school and are welcoming summer vacation.  Rhys will miss his 5 classmates, except for the occasional play date.  He will be attending "real" preschool next year as Sophie will be moving on to kindergarten. Sophie's class ended the year with a pizza/ice cream party.  She was fine all day until just before bed when she started to cry because she was going to miss her two best buds.  Being overtired may have played into that a little bit.

We are so proud of our kids for all they have learned and the skills they continue to develop.  They are great and whoever gets them next year will lucky!  We are looking forward to spending the summer with them and finding ways to have fun and stay cool.

Rhys' Well Check

When you turn 3, you get a date with the doctor.  At Rhys' well check we found out that he weighed 38 pounds and was in the 93rd percentile for his age and gender.  He was 41 inches tall, placing him in the 98th percentile for his age and gender.  His vision was screened and revealed 20/20 vision.  The doctor noted that he had "no monkeys in his ears" and that "his tummy sounded hungry."  Rhys is a healthy big boy who was encouraged to continue in speech therapy.  No surprises--that's what we like.  No shots either--that's what we more than like.

Rhys Turns 3!

Our little guy is growing up fast.  He has shown a burst of growth in his language and speech skills over the last two weeks.  He gets excited about his own accomplishments.  He was eager to open his birthday cards.  He's still a cuddle bug and loves a good back scratch.  He is developing a great sense of humor.  We love having this "little" guy in our family. 

I softly entered his room as I heard him stirring and sang "Happy Birthday" to him.  For breakfast his milestone of turning 3 was recognized and inscribed in dried cranberries.

Rhys chose chocolate cake from all the fine cake mixes at the grocery store and I let the kids lick the spoon as I threw it in the oven.  Rhys got to open one of his birthday cards while we waited.

I made a cake of his favorite Sesame Street character, Elmo. Instead of using nasty icing laden with red dye, I used half and orange for his nose and sliced strawberries for his red fur.

We celebrated his 3rd birthday with his Opa and Oma at their house.  We had to move to the candle blowing fast because the strawberries were quickly beginning to slide off the icing. We sang the birthday song once more and he went to town trying to blow out those three candles.

We moved to the backyard for a swim and had so much fun.  Rhys loves splashing, swimming, and floating on his back now.

Just look at those two cuties!

Unprompted, Sophie decides to blow into her sail to hasten her voyage.

Love this! The two of them just kickin' back.  So cute.

 

While dinner was grilling we did not have to do much to encourage Rhys to open his presents.  There was an unplanned theme that surfaced as the unwrapping progressed: transportation!

After a tasty dinner we headed home.  Sophie fell asleep at the table and Rhys didn't make short drive home.  Looks like he had a lively day!  Happy Birthday, Rhys!  We love you!

Group Camping Trip

Friday afternoon we set out for Eisenhower State Park on Lake Texoma, north of Dallas.  We camped with the Goode and Huff families and had a great time.

Before reaching the state park we stopped by the birthplace of Pres. Eisenhower, as it seemed fitting to introduce the kids to the park's namesake.  It was a short stop but we learned that the home was rented for three years by the Eisenhower family, during which time the future president was born.  It was pristine white and well tended.

We pulled in with the Huffs and got great campsites.  Ours was spacious enough for at least two tents which was great because the Goodes joined in later.  After we got things set up Chris pointed out this "little" fella!

That was the first tarantula that I had seen that was not behind glass at a pet store. I just want to note that I prefer them behind glass in a pet store. This one however, was in on the path between our two campsites which only spanned maybe 15-20 feet, covered in brush, which our tent backed up to.

What really stinks is that those suckers can move freaky fast!  And then Chris was telling a story how their was this place where they were driving years ago and they could hear the popping under the tires because there were so many tarantulas.  It looked like the road was moving.  So after that there was no need for ghost stories around the campfire, as I was sufficiently paranoid.

And we don't know if he had company or was strolling back and forth but we sighted a tarantula again on the path a little while later.  Not okay.  Later, we found a healthy yet slightly smaller spider about the size of the "little" ones in the movie Arachnophobia.  It's body was just under 2 inches and that was not counting its legs.  I'm with Neal on this one, when he says "spiders should not have hair."  Just sayin'.

Enough about that.  Later that evening we went down to the beach and enjoyed some cold water and getting a bit of sand between our toes. 

 Rhys was shaking and teeth chattering when we pulled him out. 

That night we hung out around the fire and let the kids run wild.  Chris and Karen made a yummy peach cobbler in their dutch oven and shared.  The ice cream didn't make the trip well so we served creamy vanilla syrup over the dessert.  It was totally addictive.

At the campfire, we put A. E. Dolbear's Cricket Thermometer Formula to the test.  Although he based his formula on the snowy tree cricket and we were probably listening to a common field cricket, we still had fun.  Based on the chirps, the calculated temperature was way off.  Of course, age and mating success can affect chirping so maybe our cricket was old, not getting any, or both.

Well after dark, the wives and kids headed into the tents for the nigh and the guys took off to a close-by, 24-hour Walmart to pick up "essential" supplies.  When they got back they told stories around the embers of the earlier campfire until the wee hours of the morning.

We just slept on top of our sleeping bags and kept the screens open to enjoy the breeze.  As I intermittently woke up throughout the night, it was neat to hear the chorus of insects eventually die down only to be replaced by the varied bird calls a few hours later.  Upon waking, we had breakfast and headed out for what we considered a short hike.

The hike was nice as we passed the lakeside, observed wildflowers in abundance, and enjoyed the shade.  We had to cut what would be considered an easy hike by most a bit short as our smallest hikers, namely Rhys, did not have it in him to complete the hike unless dragged or carried.  There were no volunteers in sight so we opted to return to the trail head.

 Once back at camp we grabbed our fishing gear and headed to the fishing pier.  Thanks to Chris we used live bait!  The kids loved that!  Both Neal and I got an opportunity to bait the hook and I apologize profusely to the little worm.

 Neal actually got a bite!  I didn't write this earlier but I am going to divulge a secret.  When we went "practice camping" back in April, we purposefully never removed the protective plastic from the hook to catch any fish.  We just wanted to spend a few minutes "fishing" for the kids and we didn't have all the tools we'd need if we caught one.  That's why we never got a nibble.  But this trip we did!

Neal got a decent sized carp, according to Chris and had him almost to the surface when the line broke!  Truly, it was probably anywhere from 18" to 2'.  Now let the fish stories begin!

Back at camp we roasted hot dogs over the fire for lunch and met up with Carly who came into camp for the afternoon with little Clara.  We all headed down to the lake again for a cool swim.  Sophie swam all the way out to the buoy with me and Neal had Rhys (with water floaties on) "swimming" or floating on his own.  Rhys and Daddy were very proud of themselves, as they should be.  I have never seen my son beaming with self-satisfaction like that.  It was awesome.

When we got back to camp we spent a little more time with the Goodes before they broke down their tent and went home.  During dinner Neal and I got a real treat when our children fell asleep at the table.  A quick transfer to the tent and we were like young marrieds again.  The Huffs took extra measures and went for a drive to put their kids asleep while Neal and I got the fire started.

Once all the babes were slumbering in their tents we gathered around the campfire once more and enjoyed uninterrupted, adult conversation (quite rare) and smores.  We did save plenty smore ingredients for our kids as Sophie had been promised and was very much looking forward to this treat.

After another night of expected tossing and turning we served up smores with breakfast to our kids' delight.

We soon had the tent broken down and packed and were getting our stuff ready to go when we joined the Huffs for one last hike.  I thought Rhys would do better on this one and he did.  He started whining much further into the hike.  Sophie is a go-getter on a trail so she was always helping with the lead.  Rhys and I just took our time on the way back and did fine. 

That's a spider web tunnel into a tree hole.  Can you see his legs in the hole?  This State Park was replete with spiders.

After a quick good-bye to the Huffs, our family finished packing up, ate some lunch, and were on the road.

Later at home I asked what everyone's favorite part of the camping trip was and took note.  Neal loved spending time with his family, catching the carp, and getting a good work out on his legs.  Sophie liked sleeping in the tent and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Rhys said eating smores and swimming, and I loved sharing the experience with my family, catching up with friends, and admittedly, the tarantula was pretty exciting.  We hope to do more camping in the fall.

Albuquerque Trip

A few months prior, Kira, Neal's sister, invited us to meet up with them in Albuquerque, New Mexico to spend a few days together and view the annular solar eclipse that was to take place.  We were happy that we could make it.  It was a great trip.

We left right after Sophie finished preschool and made Amarillo, TX that night.  Along the way to this destination, we listened to the question, "Are we there yet?" a reprehensible amount of times.  Sophie was most excited about being in a hotel. 

The next morning we were off after a new pair of rear tires (we knew we needed them but after making it to Amarillo, we thought it best to take care of it right there) and some donuts. 

We passed Cadillac Ranch but did not stop since Neal and I had done that before.  Not much further west, we came upon a windmill farm and Neal thinks those are just so cool so he wanted a picture of them.  Since he was driving I asked if he wanted the picture with the window down or was up okay?  He wanted a better picture so he suggested down.  Regrettably, as I rolled down the window and got the shot, we soon became aware of the the cattle feed lot on the opposite side of the highway by sense of smell.  Neal's uncontrollable gagging ensued, all the while Sophie was repeatedly yelling, "I smell poop!"  It was an awesome moment.

We had the opportunity to point out something that my Texas-born children have never seen in actuality. Mountains! We talked about mountains and even learned a new word--plateau. It was awesome to see the mountains on our drive and throughout our stay in Albuquerque.

We met up with Kira, and her husband, David, two people we adore and always have fun with, for lunch in Albuquerque. We ate at Cecilia's Cafe, which was featured on The Food Network's Drive Ins, Diners, and Dives (DDD). It was very good and a complete hole in the wall. Their green chile sauce was perfect! We had it on cheesy fries, and chicken and pork enchiladas in blue corn tortillas.

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Petroglyph National Monument, a stretch of volcanoes carved with thousands of images created by the Pueblo people. We climbed a hillside and walked a sandy trail to see two of the main sites. The kids held up great but we were glad to have their Aunt Kira and Uncle David to help hold little hands, especially on the steep trial.

An skinny armadillo fattening up on a lollipop?

View from the top of Boca Negra.

For dinner we had diner food and headed for the hotel.  We love that in New Mexico green chile or red chile sauce are standard condiments-on chicken, eggs, fries, burgers, etc. Yum!

The next day, we headed for Jimez Springs, located in the Santa Fe National Forrest.  The place is rich with history but we skipped all that and went straight for the hot springs.  We stopped at Soda Dam it was really beautiful and had awsome geological formations but the water was not warm.

Backside of falls, from above.

David crossing

A quick stop was made at Battleship Rock for snacks.

We later hiked the trail to the Spence Hot Springs.  Again, the kids did good.  Once there we held up towels, got changed in to swimwear and taught the kids important vocabulary like brain-eating ameba.  We warned them not to get the water in their mouth or nose because of this unlikely but dangerous "bug."  There was some nasty algae that we got to experience.  The water was warmish though.  It was fun but for Keri the best part was just smelling the pine needles while hiking the trail--completely gratifying.

For dinner we stopped at another hole in the wall, Havana, for Cuban food.  We had fun sharing shakes, meals, and desserts with a terrific owner who had personality and catered to us wonderfully.

On our last full day in Albuquerque we spent the morning at Old Town.  We meandered through shops of souvenirs, art, and jewelry.  Then something magical happened for Neal.  We stumbled upon a classic car show.  Neal was quite gleeful so we readily accommodated.

What you can't see is Kira crouched down behind Rhys, trying to hold him high enough to get his chin above the cut out.

In front of Doc Hudson from Disney's Cars movie.  See the eyes in the windshield?  Cute.

We had lunch at Sophia's Place, another DDD destination. Neal had the Juevos Rancheros which he described as "good but not inspiring" and Keri had the blue corn pancakes topped with pinon butter and a mixed berry compote. The pancakes were "inspiring."

Then we visited the aquarium.

Followed by the botanical gardens which had pretty cool cacti among other cool flora.

A wee hummingbird atop a tree.

We refreshed ourselves with some ice cream that was served at a very eclectic shop by an owner that was equally so.  The ice cream was delicious.  The bathroom was unique in that every available inch of wall space was covered with tin boxes.  On our way out, the owner pulled out a penny-farthing, or high wheel bicycle and rode around the parking lot, giving the kids each a chance to sit astride it.

We then headed out for the second reason we came to Albuquerque--the eclipse!  Kira and David being the first reason we would drive hours with two preschool-age children.  We joined numerous others at a very large parking lot up a hillside facing west.  David got his telescope set up and also provided safe solar viewing glasses.  We were joined by serious viewers that brought out their several thousand dollar telescopes and families that arrived with homemade contraptions engineered using pie boxes and duct tape.  Everyone was generous enough to share their method of viewing.

When the annular eclipse finally revealed a complete ring, there were cheers heard across the lot.  Neal was romantic enough to plant an "eclipse kiss" on Keri.  We posted pictures on Facebook and just enjoyed the wonder we were beholding.  It was lucky that Kira and David planned this trip because back at their home in Colorado it was clouded over.

What appears as a tiny fleck of dust near the bottom is actually a sun spot.

Looks cool with the trees partly obstructing.

Every evening we put the kids to bed in the suite and Kira and David would come over and we would chat and eat foods that were bad for us.  It was great!  But the morning finally arrived when we had to go separate ways.  We felt so lucky to get to be with them for a few days.  We love them very much.

The ride home was made a bit more entertaining by a few stops and a game.  First, the game.  To make the ride home more enjoyable for ourselves we pulled out a pen a paper and started to tally the number of times Sophie would ask us, "Are we there yet?" but we soon learned that the question of the day was going to be "Are we off the freeway?" so we kept record of both.  This way we didn't feel like biting off her darling head but had fun with her natural curiosity.

We took a different way home after making back to Amarillo.  We followed the historic Route 66 into Oklahoma City and then continued home.  Along the way we enjoyed a few unusual roadside attractions.  First off was the VW Slug Bug Ranch of Conway, Texas.  What a cute play on the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo.  The place is totally abandoned--faded signs, piles of old tires, and spray painted, broken down shack and cars.  Totally worth the 10 minute stop.

Next up was the 19 story "The Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ" in Groom, Texas.  As you can see, there was no need to get out of the car for this one.  Although there are various bronze statues depicting scenes from the last week of Jesus' life at the foot of the colossal cross.  This is the second largest cross in the United States, the largest residing in Effingham, Illinois.  We were glad to be on the road to heaven, which now we all know it Route 66.

On our way out of town we also spotted the Leaning Water Tower of Groom, Texas.  Upon it is written Britten U.S.A. which is a tribute to the Britten family of ranchers in the area.  Rumor has it that it was never a functioning water tower but a ploy to draw in curious customers to the adjoining truck stop that is since long gone.  It is leaning only about 10 degrees. If you look closely, the center of mass is located directly above the two buried red legs. The white center water pipe is merely serving as the third leg of a tripod.  Thanks to Peter, the Dutch motorcyclist, that stopped to check out the scene for taking our family's picture.

We got home around midnight but had a safe and terrific time on our family vacation with Kira and David in Albuquerque.  What a great time!

By the way, on the way home Sophie asked, "Are we there yet?" only 7 times and, "Are we off the freeway?" an ample 29 times.