Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Nathan is 7!

So we went to the North Pole!  We surprised Nathan with the North Pole Experience in Flagstaff on 11/25.  He liked it.  He said he liked it even more than the Polar Express train ride we did last year in Williams.  That night we stayed at the Oak Creek Terrace in Sedona.  A cool place.  Our room had a jacuzzi and fireplace.

The next day we went to Out of Africa.  We had only been once before when Nathan was much younger and it was really hot when we went.  We enjoyed ourselves and even got to feed a tiger.

On 11/27, we went to Bearizona.  I always like going to Bearizona.  After that we went to the Grand Canyon Deer Farm.  We had only been there once before, too, a long time ago.  It was getting cold by that time and was snowing pretty good!  We fed the deer and even got to feed an elk that they rescued.  That night the power went off at Oak Creek Terrace because of the weather.  That was an interesting night with no heat most of the night!

The next day we just explored Sedona a little bit with the snow on the red rocks.

Nathan had his musical performance at school on 12/6.  Kindergarten and 1st Grade performed together so there were like 200 kids.  Nathan was so nervous that night, but he was pretty much lost in that crowd of kids.  We also could not see very well to even get decent pictures.  But Nathan was really good.

Nathan turned 7 on 12/15!  He did not want a party this year because he said the boys in his class are mean to him.  I think it is mostly just Jonathon, who has problems at school in general.  All Nathan wanted to do for his birthday was see his friend Jade from preschool.  So I contacted her mom and arranged to meet them for dinner at Peter Piper Pizza on 12/16.  Jade has turned into a girly girl!  She used to be more of a tomboy.  That night she dressed up in a pretty dress and her mom said she is into more girl things now, like princesses.  But her and Nathan still seemed to have fun together.  Nathan really likes the Batman video game there.  He was steering and Jade was pushing the foot pedals.  Her parents paid for the food, got a cake and gave him a gift (Turbo car launcher).  On Nathan's birthday, the day before he got together with Jade, he wanted to go to Hooters for dinner.  He wanted their boneless wings.  Then we went home and had some Turbo cake!

On 12/17, we went to Winterhaven to see the Christmas lights.  Each year it seems like they decorate less.  I don't like the crowds either.  But I do love to see Christmas lights.

For his birthday, Nathan also wanted to see the new Star Wars movie.  So we saw Star Wars Rogue One on 12/18.  I thought it was good, but Paul didn't.  He is not really a Star Wars fan.  I am not really one either and have not seen the Star Wars movies in years.  I thought this one was pretty good and kept you on the edge of the seat.  Nathan loves the Star Wars movies.  They are his favorite movies (Turbo is second, which came out in 2013, but he saw for the first time this year).  We have all of the Star Wars movies on DVD and he watches them often.

Christmas will be here in just a few days.  It falls on Sunday this year so we plan to go to church that day because, after all, Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Happy Holidays!

I went to the Reid Park Rose Garden and the zoo on 11/2.

I went back to the Reid Park Rose Garden and to the Tucson Botanical Gardens on 11/8.

On 11/9,  Tulla turned 10!  She is doing really good for her age, especially since she broke her leg as a pup and has a pin in it.

We went to Phoenix for Veteran's Day and the weekend.  On Veteran's Day, 11/11, we went to the Phoenix Zoo.  The next day we met and autographs from Kevin Harvick.  Afterward, we went to the Wildlife World Zoo.  The next day, 11/13, we went to the NASCAR race.  Kevin Harvick came in 4th place.  #22 won the race.  I think that may be the last race I go to.  It was not bad when we first started going because it was a new experience.  Now it is starting to get old.  It is a lot of walking, I don't like crowds and it is a long day.  I did not feel good at all on the way home.

We normally spend Thanksgiving with the Alvirs, but they moved to the Phoenix area.  This year it will just be the 3 of us, but the day after Thanksgiving we will be headed to Sedona/Flagstaff.  We are staying in Sedona, but we are taking Nathan to the Flagstaff North Pole Experience as a surprise.  We may also do Bearizona while we are in town.

Also in November the Cubs won the World Series!  Woo hoo!  I am happy, but the boys are not.  Daddy has brainwashed Nathan into not liking the Cubs.

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

We are back!

We had a great trip!  So we started at the Albuquerque Zoo.  It was raining when we got there, but stopped later on.  They were doing a lot of construction there with new exhibits, but we got to see a tasmanian devil and several animal babies, like an oragutan and twin monkeys.  From there we went over to the Gardens for a quick view.  Not a lot blooming at the time, but it was nice to see.  They did have some morning glories which are one of my favorites and a Japanese garden with a waterfall. The next day was the Balloon Fiesta.  It was cool to see all of the balloons.  I think this was our 3rd year going.  We did not get to see a lot of the special shape balloons, though.  I think they fly those on special days during the fiesta.  From Albuquerque we drove to Durango, CO.  We went to the train museum there where Nathan got a chance to ride in a locomotive with the engineer.  We were watching them turn the locomotive on the platform to move into the shed when the engineer came out and asked Nathan and another little boy if they wanted to ride in the train.  Nathan was thrilled!  The next day we took the train ride from Durango to Silverton and back.  It was very beautiful.  I sat with Paul and Nathan to Silverton, but went in the gondola car on the way back.  It was much easier getting pictures in the gondola.  The next day we drove that same route.  As cool as the train ride was, you could see so much more on the million dollar highway and stop whenever you wanted.  The views were awesome with the yellow Aspens and the snow capped mountains.  It was overcast and rainy during a lot of our trip.  So it was hard getting good pictures without good lighting and they look a little drab since the snow on the mountains blends in with the sky.  The pictures really do not the actual landscape justice.  I was using a new camera, too.  I finally bought a new DSRL - a Nikon D7200.  After stopping in Silverton to go the Harley Davidson and eat lunch, we drove up to Grand Junction.  We saw some waterfalls along the way, too.  One stop we made was at Box Canyon.  There was a waterfall there and they had chipmunks!   When we got to Grand Junction we had dinner with Paul's friend Tim and his family.  The next day we started our trek home.  Our first stop was in Telluride.  We took a gondola ride up and over the mountain to Mountain Village.  The gondola ride was even free!  We also caught it just in time because it is only operating another week until they close it for the season.  Then they start the ski lifts.  Telluride is a cool little town.  On our way out of town we saw a group of Elk.  Another stop we made was at Four Corners National Monument.  So we got to stand in four states at once - Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.  That night we stayed in Flagstaff, AZ.  I developed a cold and the next morning it was in the 30s.  The plan was to go the Snowbowl and check out Aspen Corner.  I really was not up to it, but Paul got out and took a few pictures.  The Snowbowl was closed and we did not want to wait over an hour for it to open.  So we decided to head to Sedona.  It was disappointing because there was not a lot of color there.  It looks like we missed some of color or the trees did just not turn a pretty yellow this year.  We ate at Picazzo's Organic Italian Kitchen and then went to Airport Rd to view Sedona from above.  Then we drove home :(

Nathan returned to school this past Monday.  We got his first quarter grades and he got all A's.  There will be an Awards Ceremony on Thursday for him making honor roll!  He got a M for meeting the standard in Art, but the comment was that he is often off-task.  He got an APP for approaching the standard in Spanish with the same comment.  So those are areas that he/we need to work on.  We have not met those teachers before, though, and this was the first feedback we got from them.  His teacher also gave him a character evaluation.  He is meeting the standard for being caring, perseverance and citizenship.  He is approaching the standard for respect, responsibility and trustworthiness.  

This Saturday we are going to Apple Annie's to pick our pumpkins.  

Next weekend we are doing the Air and Space Museum's Boneyard walk.  For Halloween, Nathan is going to be Chase from Paw Patrol, Bella is going to be Marshall and Tulla is going to be Skye.     

Friday, September 30, 2016

Fall is here!

On 8/26/16, I went to Tohono Chul Park, DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun, Lowe's Ventana Canyon and Tucson Botanical Gardens.

The next day we went to the Lowe's in Chandler for Nathan's Build and Grow Hulk workshop.  Then we went to the Toys R Us there for a Lego Captain America workshop.  We of course stopped at Portillo's for lunch!

I had jury duty on 8/31.  I had to fill out a long questionaire about a murder case.  A man was charged with murdering one of his twin babies.  The trial was going to be a month long and it would have made it very difficult on me to do that since I don't have any help with Nathan.  I also did not think that I could be unbiased in the case so I ended up getting excused.

Ann Alvir and I had one last lunch together at Pappoules on 9/1 before they move to the Phoenix area.

Nathan asked me to help vacuum on 9/2.  I told him that I did not know if he could handle the vacuum because it is pretty heavy.  He did pretty good with it.  He wants to do chores now to get an allowance.

Nathan attended a Home Depot whiteboard workshop on 9/3.  That night I saw my first hummingbird moth in our yard.  That was pretty cool to me.  On 9/8, I actually saw a damselfly in our yard.  Over the next several days I saw three different ones.

We went to a parent teacher conference with Nathan's teacher on 9/16.  She basically said that he is doing really well.  She says he likes to talk in class and that he sometimes rushes too much, but that he is doing well in most of his subjects, especially math.  We got access to the Leman computer system where we can see Nathan's grades.  That night he was getting all A's and 2 B's.  As of today, he has all A's and 1 B.  The B is in reading and is currently an 86.  He has one week to get his grade up to an A before the end of the quarter.  He had a couple of bad grades in Reading that really brought his overall Reading grade down.  She said that she will throw out the lowest grade at quarter end and that he has a couple of other opportunities to bring his grade up.  I just don't want him to be disappointed if he ends up with all A's and 1 B.  He had all A's last year and this would be so close.  I don't want to put too much pressure on him at this age, though.

We went to the U of A vs Hawaii football game on 9/17.  It was a tribute to the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor.  They honored military members and rolled out a huge flag the size of the football field.
Paul celebrated his 46th birthday on 9/20.  We went to Oregano's Pizza for his birthday dinner.  He previously bought himself a Lego Lincoln's Memorial set for his birthday.  I also bought him a Fitbit Blaze.

Paul took a vacation day on 9/22.  He and I were going to spend the day together going to the Desert Museum.  However, he got sick the night before and was not up to doing much.  Also, we just bought a new computer and had trouble with the internet ever since we set it up.  We ended up buying a new router/modem that day.  It seemed to work for a day or two, but then the internet started slowing down and freezing up again.  I disabled some Chrome extensions and that seems to have helped.  It still has problems once in awhile, though.

On 9/24, we took Nathan to a Lowe's Fireboat Build and Grow workshop in Sierra Vista.  Then we headed over to Madera Canyon.  We had never been there before.  We saw a black-tailed rattlesnake trying to find the waterfall.  Paul jumped 10 feet in the air!  We finally found the waterfall, but it was not easy to get to like I thought it would be.  It was close to the parking lot, but you have to go "off-trail" and go through a lot of brush, some of which has thorns.  We had to cross the water and then once down by the waterfall I had to walk in ankle deep water to see the waterfall.  It was worth it, though.  Then we drove to Santa Rita Lodge down the road.  They get a ton of different hummingbirds.  I also saw Mexican Jays, Woodpeckers and some other birds.  I would love to go back some time for more birding.  One famous bird in Madera Canyon is the Elegant Trogan.  I would love to see it.  We then drove down to the other end and I took some pictures of the landscape.  I was fortunate to see some turkeys.

So right now we are looking forward to our vacation starting next Friday.  Nathan starts his school Fall Break then and we are headed to New Mexico.  We are going to the Balloon Fiesta and to the Albuquerque Zoo/Gardens/Aquarium.  Then we are headed to Colorado to the Durango train ride.  Then we are going up to Grand Junction.  We will be stopping in Flagstaff on our way back home.  I hope we see some really good Fall colors.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Welcome to 1st Grade!

On 6/21/16 when we arrived in Chicago we went to Navy Pier before going to the Cubs vs Cardinals game.  Unfortunately, Cubs lost :(  Nathan also got to tour the firehouse after the game.  The next day we went to the Chicago Botanic Gardens.  It was the first time going there and it was beautiful, especially the water lilies.  On 6/23, we went to Brookfield Zoo with Aunt Lisa.  We ate dinner at Ledo's and then went to Shane's baseball game.  We saw Grandma Ariel on 6/24 and had dinner with Uncle Donnie and Austin.  Nathan and Grandpa Fred went to Lowe's on 6/25 for an Ironman workshop. That night we visited with the McCabe/Doyles.   The next day we went to church at Faith Baptist and met Debbie Madl at Stir Crazy for lunch.  We got to meet her twins and then see her "new" house.  That night we crashed Lynda Ganzer's birthday party.  Our last day in town we went to Olive Garden with Tracy and Sharon Simpson.

Nathan started his new FLIGHT classes at Casas on 6/29.  He had Soccer, Old Fashioned Fun, Clay Play and Baking Buddies.

I went to Tohono Chul Park on 7/1.

Nathan and I went to see Finding Dory on 7/8.

Nathan and dad went to another Lowe's class on 7/9 to make Falcon.

Nathan started his 3rd FLIGHT classes at Casas on 7/11.  They were Math Attack, Around the World, Aviation Station and Crazy for Crafts.

We all went to see Secret Life of Pets on 7/12.  Nathan liked it, but mom and dad did not care for it.

We went to Peach Mania at Apple Annie's on 7/16.  We also picked apples and other veggies.

Nathan and dad went to Lowe's on 7/23 to make Thor.

Nathan lost his 2nd tooth on 7/29.  He got another certificate, a Star Wars toothbrush and $2.

Paul and Nathan went to see Ice Age on 7/31.  Nathan liked it, but dad did not.

Nathan started 1st grade at Leman Academy on 8/3.  His teacher is Mrs. Howayeck.  His class has about 5 boys and 25 girls.  There are 5 1st grade classes!  This school just opened last year and this year doubled its enrollment.  Right now it goes up to 7th grade.  Next year they plan to go to 8th year. The long term plan is to go up to 12th grade, but they said there is a lot of red tape that they have to go through to make that happen.  We like that this school has a Christian background, but it is a free charter school.  Nathan was disappointed the first week because he was not learning much.  I told him that they were all getting to know each other and that he would start learning more soon.  It was a bit of a rough start for him, but I think it is getting better.  Last Wednesday, 8/17, I got a call from the school, though.  He had a cyst on his head that was oozing.  They wanted me to pick him up and get a doctor's note before he could return to school.  So we went to the doctor.  He had like 4 of them on his head about a month ago and she thought it was a bacterial infection.  She still thinks that is what it is so we started another round of antibiotics.  She tried to do a culture on it, but did not have enough sample to test.  She thinks shaving his head could be the problem.  Nathan returned to school the next day.

I went to Tohono Chul Park, Degrazia Gallery in the Sun, Tucson Botanical Gardens and Pima Prickly Park on 8/5.  I was able to see a lot of summer flowers.

Nathan built a skateboard pencil holder at Home Depot on 8/6.

I went to Bach's cactus nursery on 8/8.

I went to Reid Park Rose Garden and Reid Park Zoo on 8/11.

Nathan made Black Widow at Lowe's on 8/13.

I went back to DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun on 8/18.

Nathan had his school pictures already on 8/22.

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Getting ready to go to Chicago

On 5/15, we went to Lowe's Ventana Canyon for a late Mother's Day celebration.  We ate brunch there and Paul bought me flowers.

Nathan graduated from Kindergarten on 5/17!  We were surprised when he got the Music Student of the Year award.  Afterward, we went to Dairy Queen and then came home so Nathan could open his presents.

Nathan had his Field Day at school on 5/18.  Then he and I went to the anniversary showing of Ferris Bueller's Day Off movie.  That night I went to the ER because I had been chest pains and pain in my back, shoulders and neck.  They did not find anything wrong other than a UTI.

Nathan's last day of school was 5/19.  Afterward, daddy took him to a free Kristi Kids swimming lesson.  It did not go well.  He got put in time out several times, I think because he was not listening to the instructor and playing around.  We may try to get more swimming lessons later in the summer.

Nathan and Daddy went to Jesse's birthday party at the park on 5/21.

I went to Reid Park Zoo on 5/26.

Memorial Day was on 5/30 so we went to the Marana's 1st Memorial Day celebration at the Veteran's Cemetery.

Nathan started his summer FLIGHT classes at Casas Christian School on 5/31.  The first 3 week session was Microwave Magic, Paper Capers, Minecraft and Jr Olympics.

On 6/1 I went to Arthur Pack Park.

Nathan made his Father's Day gift at Home Depot on 6/4.  It was a cell phone holder.

On 6/11 we met the Alvirs at the La Encantada car show.  Then we went to Oregano's for lunch.

Nathan lost his first tooth on 6/12!  The tooth fairy brought him a certificate, toothpaste, toothbrush and a $1.

I went to Tohono Chul Park on 6/13.

Today is Father's Day.  We stayed home today because we are supposed to get record breaking heat around 115 degrees today.

We are getting ready to go to Chicago on Tuesday, 6/21.


Saturday, May 14, 2016

School is almost out!

On 3/28/16 I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens.

On 3/31/16 I went to the Desert Museum.

We went to the Phoenix Air Show with the Thunderbirds on 4/2/16.

I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens, Tohono Chul Park and to see the Oracle owls on 4/4/16.  At the Tucson Botanical Gardens I got to see the irises.

4/5/16 was a busy day.  I saw the 3 baby owls in Oracle.  I went to Arthur Pack Park.  I went to Bach's Cactus Nursery.  I saw the Argentine Giants at Northwest RV & Storage.  I saw the Flying Saucers at Tohono Chul Park.  I also went to Pima Prickly Park.

On 4/6/16 I went back to see more flying saucers at Tohono Chul Park and to see the Argentine Giants at Northwest RV & Storage.  I also saw the dad and baby owls in Oracle.

I went back to see the Argentine Giants at Northwest RV & Storage on 4/7/16.

On 4/8/16 I went to Pima Prickly Park and Tohono Chul Park.  I also got to see the First Light, Ladyfinger and saguaro blossoms at Tucson Botanical Gardens.  They had more irises blooming as well.

On 4/9/16 the boys went to Lowe's so Nathan could participate in a bird feeder building class.  I went to Tohono Chul Park.

I saw more Argentine Giants at Northwest RV & Storage on 4/10/16.  I saw more Flying Saucers
and a baby bunny at Tohono Chul Park.

I went to Bach's Cactus Nursery on 4/11/16.  I saw more Argentine Giants at Northwest RV & Storage.  I saw the First Light, Ladyfinger, irises and the butterflies at Tucson Botanical Gardens.  I saw Flying Saucers and lizards at Tohono Chul Park.

On 4/13/16 I went to B&B Cactus Farm for the first time.  I also went to the Desert Museum and the Reid Park Rose Garden.

We left for D.C. on 4/16/16.  We had a layover in Atlanta.  Took us almost the whole day to get to D.C.  We went to Chinatown for dinner when we got there.

The next day we went to see the Iwo Jima Memorial.  Then we went to Arlington National Ceremony. I was happy to see several cherry blossom trees still in bloom there.  Then we went on our brunch cruise.  Nathan got to meet the captain.  Unfortunately, we did not go by many of the monuments, but the food was good and the cruise was relaxing.  After the cruise we went to see the Jefferson Memorial.  There was still a cherry blossom tree blooming near it, too.  We went over by the White House on our way back to the hotel.  Nathan was excited to ride the train that day.  It was still a lot of walking, though.  I did over 30,000 steps on my Fitbit which is 3x my normal daily routine.

We went to the National Zoo on 4/18/16.  We got to see one panda outside.  Paul thought he saw the baby in a tree.

The next day we went to the Vietnam War Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the WW1 Memorial, the WW2 Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial.  Then I went to the Botanical Gardens while the boys went to the Air & Space Museum.  Then we all went over to the Smithsonian.

That concluded our D.C. trip and we spent the last day traveling back home.

On 4/21/16 and 4/22/16  I went to Tohono Chul Park to see more Flying Saucers.  They are my favorite cactus flowers.  

I went back again to Tohono Chul Park to see the Flying Saucers on 4/23/16.  The boys went to the Pima County Fair.  I saw a snake in our yard that day and had to call someone to come get it.  They said it was a baby rattler.

On 4/26/16 I went to see the prairie dog pups and the bighorn sheep lambs at the Desert Museum.  I also went to Columbus Park.

Nathan went on a field trip to the Children's Museum on 5/3/16.  He said he did not have that much fun, though, because there were too many kids there.

May 4th was Star Wars Day.  May the 4th be with you.  Nathan is really into Star Wars.

Cinco de Mayo was on May 5th.  Nathan went to Lowe's to make a chalkboard planter for me for Mother's Day.

I went to see the butterflies at Tucson Botanical Gardens and to the Reid Park Rose Garden on 5/6/16.

Nathan went to Home Depot on 5/7/16 to make an Angry Birds birdhouse.  He also went to the Pima Air & Space Museum to make a model airplane.

Mother's Day was 5/8/16.  Nathan made me a card.  He also gave me the birdhouse he made at Home Depot and the chalkboard planter that he made at Lowe's.  I really did not feel like going out that day. We were going to go to Tubac, but I did not want to go that far.  We may do that for Father's Day instead.  I stayed home all day and the boys brought me home Olive Garden for dinner.

I went to the Desert Museum on 5/9/16.  I saw the prairie dog pups, the bighorn sheep lambs and quite a few cactus flowers.

We went to an Awards Ceremony at Sonoran Science Academy on 5/12/16.  Nathan was recognized for being on the honor roll.  He got straight A's all year.  I am so proud of him.

Today the boys went to Breakers Water Park.  Nathan got a free pass from his school.  

Next week will be Nathan's last week of school.  His kindergarten graduation will be on 5/17/16.  He and I will be seeing the 30th anniversary showing of Ferris Bueller's Day Off on 5/18.  Nathan will be getting a swim lesson with Kristi's Kids on 5/19.  That is also his last day of school.  He will be home for a week before he starts the summer FLIGHT program at Casas Christian School.

Sunday, March 27, 2016

Happy Easter!

During Rodeo Days we went to Disneyland.  We went to Disneyland on 2/25 and Adventure Park on 2/26.  We went to Long Beach on 2/27.  We had never been to Long Beach before.  We went to Aquarium of the Pacific.  It was crowded that day so it was hard to see the tanks.  We were disappointed.  Then we went on a whale watch cruise.  I tried to find dramamine with no luck.  I really wish I had it because I got sea sick on the cruise.  I felt so sick I could not even take pictures.  We saw whales, dolphins and seals.  It was such a shame I was too sick to enjoy it.  Nathan was scared at first because the boat was going fast for him.  He actually fell asleep for awhile eventually.  On the way home from California we stopped at Joshua Tree National Park on 2/28.  We only had like 2-3 hours there, but we enjoyed our visit.  The Joshua trees were starting to bloom and we climbed some of the big rocks.

Nathan had his class picture taken on 3/4.

I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens on 3/5.

Nathan had his Bug Fair at school on 3/9.  He and daddy made a great dragonfly display.  I did not go to his bug fair because he initially told me that he did not want me to go.  He was disappointed that I was not there, though so I wish that I did go.  I heard he did great on his presentation and that he had one of the best bug displays.

I went to the Desert Museum on 3/10.

We went to Phoenix during Nathan's spring break.  We went to a Cubs and White Sox game on 3/12.  Cubs won!  The next day we went to a NASCAR race.  Once again Kevin Harvick won, but it was the closest race in PIR history.  On 3/14, we went to see the Salt River horses.  We hiked for awhile and could not find them.  Then we saw them.  It was so cool to see them in the wild.  There were a few babies, too.  After that we went on the Desert Belle cruise at Saguaro Lake.  We saw bighorn sheep which was pretty cool.  Then that night we ate dinner in Fountain Hills and got to see the big fountain there.  It goes off every hour for 15 minutes I think.  On 3/15, I went to Butterfly Wonderland while the boys went to the train park.  Then we all went to a Cubs and Padres game.  Cubs won again!  I swear I bring them good luck when I go their games because they win pretty much every time.  After the game we went to the Scottsdale Civic Center and took some pictures by the LOVE statue and of the flowers.  The next day the boys went to a Sox and Brewers game (Sox lost) and I went to the Desert Botanical Gardens.  I was disappointed because there were not many cacti blooming yet.  I spent the morning there and then walked over to the zoo.  I got to see the baby orangutan so that was fun, but it was hard getting good pictures.

We got home the night of 3/16 so I was not able to cook a traditional St Patty's dinner the next day for St Patty's Day.  Nobody eats the corned beef and cabbage except for me anyway.  I made it a few days later.

We took Nathan to see Zootopia on 3/18.  He liked it.  We also got Nathan's picture taken with the Easter Bunny.

I went to the Desert Museum on 3/21 and saw the free flight show for the last time this season.  Now I heard that there is a new bighorn lamb so I have to go back!  Some of the cacti were starting to bloom as well.  I also saw a baby hummingbird in the aviary.  I was there on 3/10 when it was born and I got to see in when it was a week old.

Yesterday I went to Tohono Chul Park.  There were not many cacti blooming yet.  They seem to blooming later this year.  I just hope I do not miss a lot of them.  I may also miss some when we go to D.C. next month.  Nathan colored his Easter eggs yesterday, too.

Today was Easter.  Nathan made his own paper Easter eggs for us and hid them in our bedroom.  He also made a special craft for me.  It has a bunch of "horses" (unicorns) kissing.  He made it because he and I are always kissing each other.  He was so excited to give it to me this morning.  Then he went through his Easter baskets.  The basket he got from mommy and daddy was Star Wars themed.  Then he did his Easter egg hunt in the house.  We went to church and afterward we had a traditional Easter meal....pizza!  We went to Grimaldi's.  I made deviled eggs and bought honey baked ham from the Honey Baked Ham Co, but I am the only one who eats it.  I got Paul to make the carrot cake for Easter, too.

Tomorrow it is back to school.  Next weekend we plan to go back up to Phoenix to see the Air Show.  We missed the one in Tucson because we were in Phoenix!

Thursday, February 18, 2016

It is Spring!

I am amazed how quickly time flies by.  I have not updated our blog since before Christmas.  We had a nice Christmas.

Nathan made honor roll the first semester!  I am so proud of him.

On New Year's Eve we stayed home.  I was the only one who stayed up until midnight!

I turned 41 on 1/2.  We went to Phoenix .  I went to Butterfly Wonderland while the boys went to the train park.  Then we went to Portillo's for lunch.  Next, we all went to Wildlife World Zoo.  On the way home we stopped at Olive Garden in Casa Grande for my birthday dinner.  We also got some donuts at Krispy Kremes.

Nathan had his 6 year old pediatrician appointment on 1/4.  He weighs 47 lbs which is in the 60th percentile and he is 46 inches tall which is in the 50-55th percentile.

I started my diet and exercise plan on 1/5.  My goal is to lose 40 pounds.  I started doing the elliptical every day.

One of my pictures was published in Arizona Wildlife Views.  It is a picture of baby prairie dogs taken at the Desert Museum.  I was paid $100!

I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens on 1/21,  There was not a lot blooming, but they had an abundance of orchids in the butterfly house.

Paul went to Chicago for work 1/19-1/22.

I went to the Desert Museum on 1/28.

2/2 was Groundhog Day or as Nathan likes to call it, Ground Squirrel Day!  Phil predicted an early spring.  It was a cold, rainy winter so I was looking forward to warmer weather and to spring flowers.  That day I also found out that one of my butterfly pictures taken at Tucson Botanical Gardens was chosen as an Arizona Highways Magazine photo contest finalist.  40 photos were chosen as finalists.

My photo of a steller jay taken at the Desert Museum was chosen as photo of the day on Capture my Arizona on 2/5.

We found out some disturbing news about Nathan's school.  Sue Lamberson, a friend of ours from church, forwarded us an article.  It seems that Nathan's school is one of many STEM schools in our country run under the Muslim influence.  We did our own research and it appears to be true, even though I think most parents there are unaware.  They supposedly offer a lot of visas to Turkish teachers to teach at these schools.  While they do not push the Muslim beliefs during normal school time, they do have a Turkish Club and Turkish is a required foreign language.  We really did not want to take the chance that they could be influencing our son's religious beliefs.  So we started researching schools.  I was drawn to Leman Academy, a new school that opened here in Marana this year.  It is a free charter school, but it has a Christian influence.  It is getting great reviews.  Nathan's teacher from Kid City Christian Preschool last year is now a teacher at Leman, Mrs. Robbins.  We took a tour on 2/8.  We were pretty impressed so we ended up enrolling him that day for next year.  He has already been accepted so it looks like he will be going to Lehman next year.  I like that it is closer than Sonoran Science Academy.  I was never really keen on Sonoran in the first place.  Paul was the one who pushed for it since it is a STEM school and rates so high in Arizona.  We were not impressed when we went to their open house, though, and they seem so disorganized.  I do have to say that Nathan has really excelled there.  The curriculum has been very challenging and yet he has done so well.  I feel bad making him change schools again, but we explained to him why we are doing so.  He understands as much as a six year old can.  I hope this is a good move and that he does well at Leman, too.  Right now the school goes up to 6th grade with plans to go to 7th grade next year.  I think ultimately they want to go to 12th grade, but we are not sure if they can make that happen or not.

On 2/11, I went to Tohono Chul Park.  There was not much in bloom yet, other than some desert bluebells.  That day was also Bella's 8th birthday!

On Valentine's Day I was sick with a sinus infection.  It started earlier in the week.  Nathan made me the sweetest Valentine's Day card.  He told me that he loved me and that he wanted me to get better.  He and daddy had gone to the Tucson gem and mineral show so they bought me a stone butterfly and a jewelry holder from there for Valentine's Day.

2/16 I found out that my mom went to the hospital with a kidney stone.  They ended up doing a procedure on her that night to remove it.  She was able to go home that night, but she had to return in a couple of days to get a stent removed.  I also found out that day that my Grandma Ariel was sent to the hospital.  A couple of days prior she was at Bingo and could not walk when she stood up.  They got her home, but the next day she fell in the bathroom and hit her head.  Come to find out she has stomach and colon cancer as well as an ulcer in her chest that may be cancerous.  It is not good at all.  She is still in the hospital getting tests done.  They need to determine how far along the cancer is and what they can do for her, if anything.  That night I also decided to go to urgent care.  They confirmed I have a sinus infection and they gave me an antibiotic.  Since the sinus infection started I was not feeling well enough to do my elliptical.  I also lost my taste buds so I was not eating as much.  I lost almost 5 pounds in one week.  I expect I may have lost more this past week.  I weigh myself now on Saturday mornings.  I am glad to be losing weight, but I am not happy about not being able to do the elliptical.  I was really trying to get in shape and get in a lot of steps on my Fitbit.

I was sick for our anniversary, too.  We did not do anything special since it was a school night and I was not feeling well.  Paul had ordered me Portillo's ribs.  They came that day, but he put them in the freezer until my taste comes back!  I ordered him Giordano's heart pizzas and they are supposed to arrive tomorrow.  Paul also bought me a ring at the Tucson gem and mineral show.  He was looking for "peach colored" gems.  The ring is a little small right now, but I told him not to get it sized yet because I still intend to lose more weight.  It may fit my ring finger if I lose the weight I want to lose.  He also bought another gem that we need to make into something.  It is pretty big so I am not sure what we are going to do with it just yet.

Nathan stayed home from school today because he was not feeling well and had a fever.  Last semester he had perfect attendance.  This semester we knew he was going to miss some days anyway because of our upcoming D.C. trip in April.  He seemed to do good today, but tonight he is not feeling well again.  It is looking like he may stay home tomorrow, too.

I sure hope all of us are feeling better next week because next Wednesday we leave to go to Disneyland.  Nathan has Thursday and Friday off for rodeo days so we decided to take him to Disneyland.