Zoo Trip with Zip

Zan (Zip) and I took the kids to the zoo on Monday. Schools were closed and it was 75 degrees outside....so it was crowded! The "zoo keeper" said 10,000 people entered the zoo. The parking lot was completely full, but luckily me and Zan were in charge! We found a hidden parking lot with a secret passage way to the zoo. Parking couldn't have been better! Shhhhh.... Don't tell anyone!

Aubree, Ella, Garren, Skylar, Kate & Maya

The zoo has some irrisitable climbing trees.

Aubree and Maya in a tree.

Left: Kate; Right: Sky and Aubree

Left: Zan and Ella; Right: Garren surfing on the tree.

Left: Ella; Right: Maya climbing on rocks.

Aubree, Garren, Maya, and Sky riding the Oryx.

Hang on tight!

Hiking the Siphon Draw Trail

The trail begins at "Lost Dutchman State Park" and heads up into the Superstition Mountains. Jeff and I have hiked it before, but this time we thought we would make it a family adventure. The trail starts off easy, then quickly turns steep and rugged. Aubree and Maya trodded straight up the mountain, without making any major stops until we reached the draw.

We ate lunch at the draw. The girls had a great time climbing and playing on the large solid rock. I like to refer to this section as "the bowl", but whatever you call it, you wouldn't want to be here durring a flash flood!

The fearless one.

Sisters.

Maya tends to get her shoes full of rocks.... so daddy's doing a shoe check.

After our lunch we continued our hike up the mountain. I have read that "only experienced hikers in good shape should attempt to hike past the draw".... that includes Jeff and I and our four kids doesn't it??? I think so.

The trail was steep and loose, and required some scrambling.

Right: Aubree- our leader; Left: Ella-- all smiles.

Kate likes being high-up on my back so she can see everything, but she also loves getting some run-around time on the ground.

Right: We were headed back down the trail and the girls were still climbing up and down rocks along the sides of the trail. It's not easy to tire these girls out! Left: Yes, I told her her glasses were crooked, but that is the way that she wanted them.

Almost home.

Desert Snow

We went to the after-school snow day at Aubree's school. There was only a little bit of snow and a whole lot of kids!! I guess that was to be expected! Maya was determined to go sledding so she marched right over to the line, and waited about an hour for her turn. She sled down that hill! Aubree had fun throwing snow balls at her friends, while Kate and Ella stayed close to Mommy drinking hot chocolate.

Paint Ball Games

For part of Rochelle's 30th birthday celebration, Derrick put together a girls' paintballing expedition. They brought all the supplies including a toy hauler to keep the kids entertained. Thanks Debbie for watching our kids and mom for the wonderful lunch!


The tough chics.


And the girly chics (with guns).




Me and Jeff.



The birthday girl! Happy birthday Shell! I had a lot of fun (and have several welts to show for it).

The Back Yard

We had 5 heads of cauliflower this year. It really is better than store-bought too.

Plentiful Peas. We usually eat these straight off the vine, when we are hanging out in the back yard. Kids love them. Every time we've had little visitors over to play, they just can't get enough!

Ella picking and eating peas.

Spicy Jalepeno peppers. Kate picked a red one and took a bite. Poor girl. Her cute little face turned sour and she tried to spit it out. Mama came to the rescue!

Bell peppers, they will get larger and turn red or yellow.

Left: Two of our garden boxes. You can see broccoli, basil, cauliflower, and peppers in the far box. It is amazing how much you can grow in a box!

Right: Broccoli. You can't really tell from the picture, but this stuff is much greener than you'll ever see in the stores. It's tender and loaded with nutrients. Broccoli is great, because after you harvest the head, the plant will send off side shoots and you can continue to harvest it. Cauliflower on the other hand, grows one head, and then it's done.

Ruby Swiss Chard.

Jeff planted some Red Flame grapes this year. The leafs are beautiful!!! We haven't seen a crop yet, but we have high hopes!

This fruit is dangling and ready to pick. Oh wait! It's Maya!