Silly Hair Day....

Well today was in fact Silly Hair Day at preschool. So, Phedora didn't forget that she wanted her hair red again. I had hoped she would forget but she loves her red hair and eagerly jumped at the opportunity to get it done. She has been asking off and on since September to dye it red. Anyway, last night we went ahead and dyed it and she couldn't be happier.

Ahh, Red at last.
Our little Princess

Hayden decided that he wanted red hair too.

We did his this morning after Dan tried to give him a hair cut.

Then we took him to the salon for a haircut and some green spikes.

Silly'ing it up.
I know its not a word... but....

Hayden's red and green spikes. He asked the hairdresser what color red and green made.

He thought his hair should turn to that color. She was quite impressed with him.

Phedora. Sorry it didn't turn out very good.

The Biggest Loser

The other day I rented The Biggest Loser Workout from Netflix. I tried watching it the other afternoon to see what I was in for, but I ended up falling asleep a few minutes in. I guess I was really tired or having Phedora sleeping on my put me out too. Needless to say I never watched the video. Well this morning I got up and decided to give it a try. OMG I am hurting now I was barely able to even finish it. It is definitely a good full body workout. There are a lot of lunges and squats and abdominal work. All in all a good workout that I will be doing again. They say to do it 6 days a week but I don't know that I can handle that right now. IF I can move in the morning I will try it out again. Then I think I will alternately between the video and the elliptical. Some how or another I have to lose these 35-40 extra pounds that I am carrying around with me.
If you want a good quick workout though I highly reccomend the Biggest Loser Workout. It only took about 30 minutes from start to finish and I was feeling it for the full 30.

I <3 Coupons

I just got home from the grocery store and wanted to share my amazing trip. I walked in with a list and walked back out with nothing but what was on it.

Here's my list:

6 boxes of 21 oz Life cereal
2 boxes of Quaker Instant Oatmeal
2 boxes of Nature Valley Granola Bars
2 16 oz containers of Daisy Sour Cream
2 4 packs of Activia yogurt
1 bottle of Cattleman's BBQ Sauce
1 large bottle of Franks Red Hot Sauce
10 boxes of Kleenex Facial Tissue
2 Bottles Pace Salsa

Grand Total (before coupons): $96.58

I paid.... $16.36!!!!!

Can you believe that?

Well I am a happy camper and I have to say my pantry is so full right now that I had to make room in the linen closet for the Life as well as the Kleenex.

Happy shopping and coupon clipping.

Thank God its not just ME!

I found this while surfing around just now and thought I would share.

The story resembles my every day life in so many levels it is unnerving! Enjoy :)

Recently, I was diagnosed with C. A. A. D. D. - Child Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.

This is how it manifests:I decide to do the laundry. As I start toward the laundry room, I notice that there are cheerios all over the floor and my car keys are in the cereal bowl. I decide to pick up the cheerios before I do the laundry. I lay my car keys down on the counter, put the cheerios in the trash can under the counter, and notice that the trash can is full. So, I decide to take out the trash. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the trash I may as well pay the bills first. I take my checkbook off the table, and see that there is only one check left, my extra checks are in my desk in the office/playroom, so I go to my desk where I find a sippy cup full of juice.

I'm going to look for my checks, but first I decide I should put sippy cup in the refrigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the kitchen with the sippy cup, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye--they need to be watered. I set the sippy cup on the counter, and I discover baby wipes that I've been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back in the bathroom, but first I'm going to water the flowers. I set the wipes back down, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote, one of the kids left it on the kitchen table. I realize that when they go to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote as they fight over who lost it, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.

I splash some water on the flowers, but most of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back down, get some paper towels and wipe up the spill. Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do. At the end of the day: the laundry isn't washed, the bills aren't paid, there is a warm cup of juice sitting on the counter, the flowers aren't watered, there is still only one check in my checkbook, I can't find the remote, I can't find the wipes, and I don' t remember what I did with the car keys. Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail. Do me a favor, will you? Forward this message, because I don't remember to whom it has been sent. Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming.

Just one more....

On our way to Kartchner Caverns we saw this truck driving down the freeway. We just had to have picture of it. Too funny.

The main event

The whole reason for our trip last weekend was our tour of Kartchner Caverns. This has got to be the most amazingly beautiful place I have ever been. The pictures that I found on the internet don't do it any justice. Its something that you have to see to truly appreciate. The kids were a little afraid at times but overall they did really good on our 1/2 mile tour of the caverns. They are extremely strict there and we were a little concerned since Phedora is in a real rebellious stage right now. Pretty much anything that she knows she isn't to do she does. But she did really really good. These are pictures that I found on the internet, you aren't allowed to bring anything into the caves with you. Inside the caves it was about 72 degrees and 100% humidity. It felt freezing cold when walked back outside again.

This was taken in the Rotunda Room. We started our tour in here.

These are stalactites out over the mud flats.

Also in the Rotunda.

More stalactites and the mud flats.

Don't they look like carrots?

After our tour we headed to the gift shop and then took a little road trip down to Tombstone for dinner. I have to say Tombstone was not at all what we expected. Its really a commercialized tourist attraction. But we can now say we have been to Tombstone.

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Putt Putt Golf

Next door to Trail Dust Town there is a family fun center type place. On our way I saw that they had mini golf so we thought it would be fun to take the kids. We all had a good time but we will wait at least another year or two before attempting this again. They are just a little too young still.

They have their putters and are ready to go.
Phedora learning how to putt.

Hayden trying to get the ball in the hole.

It was a long 18 holes I will tell you that much. But well worth it. Phedora would eventually get mad that the ball wouldn't go in the hole so she would go pick it up and drop it in. Hayden never gave up though and eventually got the ball in the hole.

Trail Dust Town, Tucson, AZ

After checking into our hotel and taking a little break we headed over to Trail Dust Town for dinner and entertainment. For those of you that have been to Country Village in Bothell its kind of like that. Same type of atmosphere.

Phedora taking time out for a horse ride. She loved it.
Hayden's turn.

You are going to jail! Get in there already.

Uh Oh, they both ended up in jail!

Take my picture!

Rifle shooting. We found the boxes for the kids to stand on a few minutes too late :(

Dinner at Pinnacle Peak Restaurant "Home of the Cowboy Steak"

This place was supposed to be really good. They supposedly cook their steaks over an open flame hickory wood fire. Neither of us noticed any difference. While it was good it wasn't great. Needless to say, Dan makes a really good steak and we must be really spoiled :)

We had to go on the Merry Go Round.

They had a 1920's carousel. It was kind of scary to ride on.

It was really creaky and felt like it was going to fall apart.

Sorry I should have changed over to night view.

No trip would be complete without ice cream and a train ride around town.

Phedora and I got front row seats.

Aww, the sweat smell of cash.

Getting ready to go gold panning.

They both found two gold nuggets!

The kids

The water fountain outside the hotel.

T-Rex Museum err..store, Tucson, Az

Last weekend we went to the T-Rex Museum in Tucson. I found it a few months ago while searching for fun things to do. I got really excited when I found it since the kids, especially Hayden has been really into dinosaurs lately. The website told us of all the great fun we would have digging up fossils in the sand pit, playing in the water sluice, digging for real gems and even breaking open a real Geode. There was even a movie and popcorn and we got to keep everything we found. Sounds great and like a lot of fun, right? The whole experience is supposed to last about 2 hours.

Fast forward to Saturday afternoon and we get there to find not really a museum but rather a store operating under "museum". Everything in there was for sale and when I say everything I mean everything. It was a tiny little place in a strip mall. Anyway, we go in and they give us a little bag of popcorn and set us down to watch a 30 minute movie. It was about some guy and his search for dinosaurs. I don't know the name of the movie as they never told us that but, if I did know the name I wouldn't recommend it. After the movie the kids when to this raised sand box rectangle that was sectioned into 8 different sections. This is where they got to "dig" for fossils. They were given a little plastic cup and there was a little screen attached to the middle of the rectangle to "sift" out the little fossils.

While they were sifting Hayden asked our guide if these were real or if they came from the store. The lady at first said they were real and when Hayden continued to press her she told them that they bought them. So he concluded that they were not real fossils. They both came away with 5 claws? I guess that is what they were. After that we turned around and took about 2 steps over to play in the water sluice. This is "like panning for gold" Its a wooded square with a net on the bottom, it is then filled with sand and they can shake it back and forth in the water to find the treasures. They both found a dinosaur and a few little polished rocks. After that we took a tour of the store section, basically. She was telling the kids about the different dinosaurs but we were in the store area as everything she talked about was surrounded by for sale signs.

After that they went and dusted a big rock looking for another polished rock. Then they both tried to bread a Geode with a hammer. Neither one of them was strong enough though so daddy ended up doing them both. They shattered into piece and anything that we may have found in there was destroyed.

That was the end of our trip to the T-Rex museum. It was not 2 hours like they claimed it to be. We spent all of an hour there. Including the 30 minute movie. The kids had a good time but it was definitely not worth the money they were charging. Here are a few pics from while we were there.

Digging for "fossils"

In the water sluice

Hayden's little dinosaur.

Dusting for a polished rock

Phedora's polished rock

Bubble Blast

January 14, 2009

Before school we headed over to the Tumbleweed Rec Center for Bubble Blast. It was an hour of playing with bubbles. However, after about 15 minutes the kids were ready to go. So we walked over to Tumbleweed park to play for a little while and have some lunch before school.

Bubbles, Bubbles Everywhere!
Trying to get a big bubble.

Trying to rip off her wrist band.

Tumbleweed Park

January 5, 2009

The kids were so happy that I remembered my camera
This is a little hill that they always want me to take their picture on.

Swinging good fun with their new friend.

Uh Oh, how am I going to get down???

This rock that he climbed up on is probably about 5'3" maybe 4" high.

She desperately wanted up on that rock.

How am I going to get down from here.

I have always told the kids they can go up on things if they can get up there. But they have to be able to get back down. He was way too afraid to jump down like the rest of the kids. After about 10 minutes I helped him climb back down the way he got up. I don't think he will be climbing that rock again. At least I hope not :)

Espee Park

Espee Park

Edible Art

On January 5th the kids started their Edible Art class. They made a snowman snack, a turkey snowman and a polar bear paw print. All in all they had a great time and enjoyed the class. This is Hayden's turkey snowman.

(for those of you who like to take the pics off... I forgot to shrink this one so it is huge)

Hayden

We went to Phedora's friend Kelsey's birthday party and this is what Hayden did while we were there. He is so silly sometimes. We had a great time at the party. They had it at the Rec center and they did a bunch of different crafts. First they each made a birthday card for Kelsey, then they painted and decorated a extra large Chinese style take out box, they used tape to decorate a piece of card stock and then painted over it to make a design. They also got to paint and decorate ceramic. Phedora chose a flip flop jewelry box and Hayden a vase. Unfortunately someone else accidentally took Hayden's vase. All in all it was a great party. We just might have to have Phedora's birthday party there as well.

Happy New Year!

On New Years Eve, Dan and I went out for a nice evening out together. We went out for sushi for dinner and it was the best yet. It had been awhile since we got to go out without the kids. It had also been a long time since we got to have sushi. So it seemed like the perfect combo. The sushi was fabulous and I cant wait to get back to Washington. It just doesn't seem right eating sushi in the desert. After dinner we headed over to a nearby pool hall. I wasn't having very good luck so we headed over for a good bowling competition. Dan kicked my butt at that too. But we both had a good time. We called it an early night and headed home. We got back at about 10:30 and the kids were still up waiting to ring in the New Year. We all made it to midnight, barely.

Phedora trying to stay awake with Daddy.
Hayden was wide awake.

Happy New Year!

Bowling

On Tuesday, we took the kids bowling for the first time. We all had a great time. We are all definitely better at Wii bowling.

Phedora getting ready for her first roll.
Learning how to hold the ball. Her little hands are way too small though.

We'll just roll it down instead.

Watching it roll.

It took along time for the ball to reach the pins.

Hayden's turn to go.

Learning how to hold the ball.

Watching the ball go down the lane.

Its down by the pins.

Smiles.

Phedora rolling again. Big cheers for Phedora.

Taking a break for a little drink. Yep, she still has her face painted from yesterday. She refused to let us wash her face.

He is just too cute!