So hanging around the kids school is this beautiful hawk.
Now I know I've talked about him/her before but I haven't been able to get a very good picture until this morning.
I still couldn't zoom in as much as I would have liked but I could see the bird lift it's talon and turn it's head.
This is such a gorgeous bird.
When we pulled into the parking lot the other day the hawk cam soaring across the playground and landed a tree.

Normally he can be found in this half dead eucalyptus. Once in a blue moon his/her mate will be on another limb.
Now that the weather is getting cooler I'll start to see them more.
I wished that I would have been able to hang out longer and get a picture of some wing action but I had Chelsea in the car and I had no clue how long I would be so I fired off these shots on my tripod.
It was so cool to see this bird look around and then down at me.
This haughty stare.
Well don't worry Mr. Bird I will gladly admire you from a distance.

My beautiful birthday present arrived the other day.
Cotton Candy by Natalie
I have wanted this strap, in this fabric for a year now and I was so excited to see and put it on my camera.
What's cool is that it is just a bit longer than the strap I was using and it fits better in my camera bag.
I can't wait to walk around and show off my newest accessory.
It's also made me want to make a couple more in different fabrics for my old strap and just interchange them out.
Since I have no plans on getting rid of my XT anyway. Plus it matches the camera bag I saw on Becky Higgins blog the other day that I would like to get   Missy-pink
I really like the damask interior and can picture a camera strap to match. which I almost got but decided on my cha cha carnival one.

I found a cool how-to on Moda bake shop website that I'm thinking of trying that show how to make camera straps.

I have more exciting kid news coming up this week.
Wyatt starts soccer practice today (hopefully not a rain out) and once we go to the store I'll show you Wyatt and Daddy's new journey. We are all so super excited. But first I have to get some pictures.

It has to do with this <-----

He is gonna look so cute.
*Carrie*

Girl Scout Camp out 2010

Oh what a weekend!
Kelly and I headed up to Whispering Pines Girl Scout Camp this weekend with the girls from her troop this year and some of the girls from last year that have bridged to Juniors.
We had 20 girls, 3 moms and 3 troop leaders.
It was a crazy, fun, relaxing weekend.
Did I actually say relaxing?
Someone smack me.

The only time that was remotely relaxing was at 6 am, when barely anyone was awake and I was sitting and just enjoying the beautiful morning.
Our first project for the girls was to decorate shoe boxes to keep all their treasures in.
This is the stuff Kelly loves. If you were to look into her room you would find boxes, containers, etc. for all her treasures.
After lunch we went for a little hike down to this stream and little waterfall that has some big rocks that the girls could climb.
Ms. Kelly got half way up before she said no way and came back down.

Instead she spent most of her time playing in the water. The hike back up was a bit easier and we had the task of finding non-natural objects on the path.
Let's see, we had brownie stew for dinner and then went on a night hike to see the lights of Tucson.
It was so pretty and sooooo quiet.
We headed back to camp and had some s'mores. A few of the girls fell asleep sitting up. I know I was tired.
Poor Kelly was almost begging to go to bed but she was a trooper until after the s'mores where she then snuck away and went to sleep. Considering that she normally goes to bed at 8pm and it was about 9:30, I didn't blame her one bit.
And sleep, what is that? I was tired, but I didn't sleep well Friday night and thought I would just crash. Know what??? I could not sleep! I dozed a bit but really I only got a few hours and woke back up at my normal 5:30.
Oh gosh, the beds! Okay, so we have these twin size beds that have some wonderful springs and a four inch mattress. So wonderful that if you were a little girl they are comfortable to sleep on. For a mom, a plus size mom at that, that wonderful springy bed SINKS with your weight! My butt about hit the floor and my feet were pointing up toward the ceiling! We added a second mattress which helped, but it sure wasn't comfy to me.
Over the course of our time we made our treasure boxes, name tags and bandannas. Yesterday we earned our drama badge and oh, how proud am I of my girl.
We went through several drama exercises and in this exercise Kelly was given an emotion and had to say "I did it" in that emotion. She did awesome, the BEST out of all the girls. Seriously, no joking, you could hear her, you could hear the emotion and see clearly her expression. I told Rob that she looked like a natural on stage.
I will be honest and say that I teared up. To see how far Kelly has come, yes, she is still shy but more outgoing than she used to be. And to be the last to go and onstage in front of everyone. Wow!
Overall it was a great experience for both of us and my one and only regret is that I didn't get a single picture of us together.
I'm so mad at myself for not getting a picture of us but know this Ms. Kelly, that I took allllll these pictures and you are in most of them. Next time baby.
*Carrie*

Almost a month ago I hit 35.
I've been depressed ever since.
We know about my dilemma about having a birthday party. This is/was the path I chose, to go on vacation, and I'm still having some trouble dealing with it.
I love birthdays, whether it is my family's or friends. Cards, cake, ice cream, presents.
The one day to celebrate you.
There is just one fly in the ointment.
 I hate my birthday.
That is a hard thing for me to say.
Let me try to explain and warning this could get long and complicated.
Most of my birthday party's have been just family, nothing wrong with that. All through my life most of my friends have forgotten when my birthday even is.
When Rob hit 35 I threw him this good ol bash, invited tons of friends, decorated everything in a Chinese flair and catered food. We agreed that every five years we would have a big sha bang. My 30th birthday was great! My mom, Rob and friends gave me a 80's themed  party which I loved. My best birthday ever. And I have been so excited for my 35th party ever since. Well until this summer anyhow.
So now I'm older and I thought wiser, but over the last year I have had a couple of friends have birthdays that basically have made me green eyed with jealousy.
It's not about the presents or the party either. It's the love that their friends have shown.
Both people have received lots of birthday cards, not just people saying Happy Birthday on Facebook, both have had friends take them out to lunch or movies. Their husbands have taken them out to dinner.

I've stated to my husband and others that turning 35 is really hard for me and I wasn't sure why. I think now I do.
Since Kim's death 3 years ago I have no close friends. I think I sincerely try, but making friends is so complicated and I feel really unsure what to do. Seriously, I feel like an outsider trying to find someone to want to be my friend. And making friends now is way different than it was in school.
Seeing shows like Friends, Sex and the City, How I met your mother, and reading books where the theme is women friends orientated just seem to make me want that type of friendship more.
Except I have no idea how to get it.
Last year I was part of a group that was learning how to quilt. I really liked each woman in that group and had hoped we could continue and grow closer but that group has since fallen apart. Also I had hoped that someone would join our home church that I could really connect with and that hasn't happened either.
Back to my birthday story rant.
So my birthday this year was no where near ideal. It would rank pretty sucky on most peoples lists. Here's how it went.
Got up and ready for the day, came back to the campsite where hubby gave me kiss told me if it wasn't for his phone he would have forgotten it was my day. Thanks dude but really you don't tell your wife that.
We loaded up our gear and headed to breakfast where Rob had the kids sing Happy Birthday to me in the car. Rob asked if the restaurant did anything special for birthdays but they said no. Eat. We hit the road. I get a text from my Mom that reads happy Birthday.
We make a couple of stops but we get home at 4:30 that night. I call mother in law to let her know we were back and thank her for providing dinner. She apologizes for forgetting that it's my birthday. Thanks, not what I need to hear
Get home, My mom had dropped off a balloon, which was immediately confiscated by my kids, two cards and some cupcakes. Thanks mom!! My dad tried to call but he was at a baseball game and couldn't hear me. Sigh.
That was my day. I got on Facebook and I had 14 birthday wishes and I didn't have the heart to say how much my day sucked and all I wanted to do was cry.( as I have been doing as I've been writing this out)

So I think my goal for this next year is to make sure I send a card (at the least) to people I like on their birthdays, so that they at least know that they matter to me.
I keep praying that God would make me into a person a friend would want to have and to teach me how to be a great friend. My other prayer is that by my 40th (gulp)birthday that I'll be in a much better time in my life than I am right now.
*Carrie*

What do these things have in common.
4 clay pots, 5 plants, tree roots, fabric liner to the porch swing, gas hose to the grill, igniter wires to the grill, Wyatt's bicycle seat, streamers and handles to Chelsea's tricycle, the computer on the elliptical, the tension strap on the elliptical, the gas hose to the smoker, the power cord to the rotisserie, the cord to my mother in laws pressure washer, little people toys, a box of books, my doormat, a vinyl bar stool, 1/2 a bag of dog food, a few squirt guns, part of the potato bush, the water hose and sprayer.
I'm sure there is more but this is what comes readily to mind.

So what do they have in common???
Lucy.

In the two months we have had her this is just some
of the damage she has caused.
It is with a somewhat heavy heart that we have asked her previous owner to find her a new home.
It also looks like she will be with her new family tomorrow night.
This decision has been really hard on Kelly and not very easy for myself. I feel like I have given up on loving this dog because of her destructive nature. The sad part is she is such a sweet dog, she does fantastic with the kids but the last couple of days I have caught her with her paws on the table and the counter trying to get food. Now before you start saying I'm not feeding her enough, she gets 4 cups of food and treats everyday. She is not underfed, in fact she has put on some weight since we got her.
But I can't afford to continue replacing the items that she has chewed up.
I refuse to live with my stuff locked behind a gate so that she can trash the yard.
See once upon a time we had a dog yard, but when our last pet, my beloved Chester past we decided to make Braxton an indoor dog and turned the dog yard into the kids playground. This way Brax couldn't pee on the wood play set.
Anyway, we feel that it is Lucy's best interest to find a new home. It looks like she will be going to a great guy and we will wish them the best.
*Carrie*

Total randomness
I love how much these three have grown over the summer.
There's hope for them yet :)
They have really begun to gel as a kid group to some extent.
Wyatt and Chelsea have eased up on the fighting and are helping each other out and of course big sis Kelly is always trying to be the bossy mom to all of us.
Now by no way am I saying they are great and perfect but when I look at last summer and compare to this summer.
I'm so proud of them.
You can say it was only a matter of time but in some families the youngest sibling can either be doted on or ignored. I wanted them to just be a member of the family. Because Chelsea is the baby I don't want her to be treated differently then K and W. On the same hand I don't want Kelly to feel she has to take care of her siblings because she is the oldest. They all have responsibilities.

Wow, this was so not what I was planning to write.
This past holiday weekend (Labor Day) we took the kids to Denny's for brunch. Because the restaurant was so busy we were seated in this extra room by ourselves for most of the meal. We had this beautiful light coming in from the north windows that was just lighting up the kids eyes and I just had to play.

When I say how happy I am with how much they have gelled together it was mainly because of this photo. Chelsea and Wyatt looking at each other with the same face.
Chelsea is a ham, at the dinner table she tries to make the others laugh and her newest trick is to blow bubbles in her milk and giggle hysterically.

Anyway this week is pretty much going to be random pictures of whatever catches my fancy.
From getting down low, to finding photography challenges to try.
I'm wanting to spread my wings and learn and relearn some new/forgotten techniques.
*Carrie*
Through all the silly face pictures Kelly never changed her look!

Duh, duh, duh
So a few million years ago this volcano erupted and it spewed lava and ciders for miles around. It is kinda freaky to see a solid black cinder covering a side of a mountain and only a sparse pine tree here and there.
As we pulled down the lane toward the mountain it is a photographer's paradise.
There were at least three people with tripods not including those with just cameras.
Rob called it camera nerds paradise.

Beside this parking lot is a small bridge that spans this lava flow stream.
It was odd to see this one tree growing out of the lava bed.

Now that I can think and not feel rushed I should have stepped onto the other side of this bridge and included the bridge in the picture. I didn't because there was a couple also on the bridge and he was "teaching" his wife about the history of the volcano.

You leave the forests and begin to head into the desert and red rocks. You can see for miles around and yet you could drive right past this community and not know that it was there. Like I have said before, the people that found this place really ransacked it. This is sad because now you don't know what is original and what the park service has fixed. The kids liked walking around it and we talked about how the people might have lived.

This is walnut canyon.

It is hard to tell but this triangle shaped mountain is actually like an island surrounded by cliff dwellings on all sides.

It was 185 ft down and 224 stairs ONE WAY!!

The wind was whipping around us and at spots there was no protection from the edge of the cliffs.

The kids got such a kick out of walking through the rooms and seeing the blackened ceilings and doorways.

Dead trees and flowers were all around. Well I can't forget all the pine trees can I?

You can see where there were popped gas bubbles in the rocks, there were iron geodes that the park ranger pointed out.

The rooms were fairly deep but of course low, since Indians weren't that tall way back when.

I had to duck a couple of times and when we took our little picture my sunglasses almost scraped the ceiling.

Wyatt thought that it was so cool that my head could touch the roof.

Walking around was pretty cool but the climb up really wasn't that bad. Yes, I had to stop a couple of times and once I had a bad pain in my back but otherwise, slow and steady got me up there.

We headed back to town and some dinner. We decided that we would try and find some souvenir T-shirts for Rob and the kids.

Do you know we went to Walmart, Target, CVS and the next morning Walgreens and all they really had were Arizona shirts? A couple of route 66 shirts and one ugly styled flagstaff shirt. So we gave up that dream Sunday morning and after having breakfast at the Crown Railroad cafe we started our way back home.

We took a couple of detours though.

First stop was Montezuma's Well.

I really didn't know what to expect and I ended up letting myself down when I didn't follow Rob and the kids on this small hike carrying Chelsea. Instead I went back to the parking lot with Chels to wait.

I missed some pretty cool stuff. Maybe next time.

It was cute to hear the kids jabbering away about the stuff they saw, which was a stream and butterflies.

This well is fed by 4 natural springs which flow into this river that feeds the valley.

When your on top like this and looking down you don't see all the beauty that is hidden if only you climb down.

We loaded back up to head a few miles down the road to Montezuma's Castle.

Funny, I had know idea that where we were going I had only seen in pictures.

When we parked that river from the well was still flowing miles away.

Unfortunately you couldn't get too close to the river because of rock wall barriers, which is a good thing because recent rains had caused high water and some flooding.

I really wonder about the people who lived here.

You have these small cliff dwellings all around and then you see this huge housing development with levels.

Was it the city center? Was it the chiefs castle?

Interesting.

Imagine all the climbing you would have to do daily?

So after wandering around (it's not big at all) we headed to lunch at Sonic and finally drove the rest of the way home.

We pulled into the driveway after 4 pm and thankfully Rob's mom had brought us some delicious chicken stew and mom had delivered cupcakes.

Yep cupcakes, after all last Sunday was my 35th birthday.

Part II Grand Canyon
After a horrible night of sleep we were up very early and got ready for the drive up to the Grand Canyon.

If I remember correctly it's about 74 miles and there isn't a whole lot to see when you come up through the south entrance. We parked at Mather Point and began our rim walk.
Now to be completely honest, I'm not super excited about seeing the canyon and I soon find out why.
My fear of heights is a LOT worse than I thought. Figure in my small children, klutziness and no railings and I'm freaking. Seriously.
Most of the photos taken out on the edge were taken by Rob.
Anyway we walked from Mather Point to Hermit's Rest transfer where we took a  bus ride and hopped on and off. Our hike was 2.6 miles, it sure felt like more than that. The kids did fantastic, our only issue was that Wyatt kept walking and we were constantly having him stop and wait for us. We drug the tripod along with us and took several family photos. The one thing we hadn't really considered was that we had to face south into the sun for most of the shots and we have plenty of squinty eyed photos to show for it. Our other problem was as we entered the Village area is that we couldn't find water and we were almost out. They had bottle water to sell but no where to refill our water bottles.

So we hopped on the transfer bus to see a few key or famous locations. We stopped at Powell point, and Hopi point but by then we were all exhausted and hungry. So we skipped Mojave Point and the Abyss.
Rob jumped off at Hermit's rest, the last stop, to take some photos while we hung out in the air conditioned bus.
After a 10 minute wait we headed back to the transfer to catch the next bus that would get us to our truck.

The kids were such troopers and we are very proud of them. Very little complaining and eager to explore.
By the time we got to the truck we were all dragging and that's about the time that it started to rain. A chilly rain.
We decided since we came in the South entrance we would take the east exit and stop at all the views and points that our map pointed out.
Yes we did it in the rain.

Or I should say Rob did it.
I ended up doing the driving. The only bit of driving on our whole vacation :)
The last stop on the way out is the Watchtower. At this time the rain is letting up, I have to go to the little girls room and Rob wants to see this tower.
The kids don't want to leave the video they are watching in the back seat.
Since we were only going to be gone a couple of minutes we locked the doors and set off.
Rob and I walk up to the Watchtower and see the view and we almost immediately turn around to go get the kids. They had to see this.

Sunset was coming soon and you can walk up into the Tower so we took the kids inside to explore.
Afterwards as we waited for the sunset the kids got a chance to run around and explore.
Rob spent most of his time taking group pictures for other people.
The rain had moved on and the foggy clouds were lifting.
Further to the east was a rainbow and almost a double rainbow. Wouldn't you know I had taken my polarizing filter off my camera. dang it.

The weather changed so many times in that 20 or so minutes and each stage had it's own beauty.
By the time the sunset was over we loaded back to the truck and headed into the darkness for our camp in Flagstaff.
We arrived around 9pm, after a quick drive through McD's and ate a few bites before we crawled into bed and promptly slept like rocks.
Tomorrow Part III- Sunset Crater, Wupatki Ruins and Walnut Canyon
*Carrie*

Have you ever gotten sick of looking at your trip photos? We ended up taking over 1000 photos over the 4 day trip.
Yesterday I uploaded both memory cards and then looked at every image and deleted a few that were beyond recognizable.
Today, I have spent the morning going through them all again and writing down what photo #'s I like and then creating albums in Facebook.
I'm tired. I have tried three times to create one more album to finish showing off the photos but Facebook is giving me a fit so I thought I would take a small break.
I think I have recovered from our trip.
The laundry is done and things have been put away. My sunburn is starting to peel, except that it is only peeling on my forehead and nose, not cool.
Here are some of my favorite photos from Sedona and Flagstaff  The kids really enjoyed all the trains that run through Flagstaff. Rob and I really liked the feel of the town. We wished we would have had more time to explore.

This is the inside of our tee pee. It was better than sleeping on the floor but those metal, round beds were not very comfy. We had Rob and Wyatt in one bed, myself, Kelly and Chelsea in another.

We ate at the Galaxy diner our first night. A cool 50's-60's restaurant that we enjoyed.
Our last morning we had breakfast at the Crown Railroad cafe. The restaurant was train themed, with a electric train chugging around, the seats had train themed fabric and the tables were given railroad names, like Georgia Pacific and Santa Fe and the windows even looked out toward the train tracks.
There were trains passing by about every 10-15 minutes.

One recurring theme that Rob and I noticed was that we like to photograph dead trees. Up in northern AZ there are lots of dead trees and in some very interesting places.
Here are some of my favorite photos of the GC
Grand Canyon
Of course there are others but I'm sure no one wants to see hundreds of photos from the same place.
So this is just a quick over view of our trip. Hopefully I'll come back later today and post more in depth detail of our trip. I'll need it later when I go to scrapbook.
** Up close and in detail*
We headed out Thursday morning for Flagstaff and map quest said that the trip would only take 4 hours. That's it? So we knew we could make some detours along the way. Rob did 100% of the driving because if Rob doesn't drive Rob bounces off the walls. Believe me I experienced it once, and once was enough.
So outside Phoenix we stopped at a rest stop to, you know and stretch our legs. Yep that lasted about 5 minutes before we were all ready to climb back in and take off.
Rob took the turn off to Sedona and we meandered our way to the town. The scenery is so green right now and mix that with the reddish rocks it was like seeing glimpses of hidden treasure.
We swung the truck into every "scenic view" spot that we could find and would snap a couple of pictures.

 As we drove through the town, in the distance up against the red mountain is this church so we decide to go investigate. The Church of the Holy Cross sits at the base of the mountain and you walk up this winding ramp to get up into the chapel with the window that looks out across the town. But when you walk back out and walk to the side you see this one elaborate million dollar home that just does not fit the area, but is stunning. I took plenty of pictures of this home and then came home and zillowed the address. Only 1.1 million with 10,000+ sq ft.

Anyway we headed back on the main road through Sedona when we see this little sign for Schnebly Hill Road. Rob asks me if we want to take it and after a split second I say let's go for it.

At first I was a little bit scared because we are on this very bumpy dirt road and no one in sight. Within a few minutes we see a tourist jeep coming toward us. So I know if we get stuck we won't have to hike back out. A few minutes later is another tourist vehicle, then a Hummer touring truck. Then we start to come upon people camping and others out hiking. So basically I start to sit back and enjoy the ride. Poor Rob, every few minutes I would tell him to stop or back up so that I could take a photo. My reasoning is that you never know which photo you take is gonna knock your socks off so take 'em when you see 'em. We stop to grab some lunch out of the cooler and then it was only a few more miles back to the interstate and only a little while later that we came through Flagstaff.

Wyatt and Chelsea both love trains and the railway comes through the middle of town. So every 15 minutes or so one of us was pointing out a train. On Saturday morning we walked around the downtown a bit and Wyatt had the opportunity to stand at the crossing arms and wave to the conductor as the train came by. He was so excited.

Back to Flagstaff, we pulled into the KOA campground and found out where our tee pee was located. Once Rob pulls into the drive we all pretty much dump out of the truck and go check everything out. The tee pee is certainly big enough to house six comfortably and it has a paver floor with a couple of woven grass mats. The restrooms and showers can be seen from our campsite so no real worries there and then off to the left is the playground. This was how we ended our evening besides doing to dinner. The kids were able to have the entire playground to themselves.

Part II Grand Canyon Later

*Carrie*

Howdy from Flagstaff!!

Just a quick drive by to say all is well and beautiful. We drove through Sedona and took the
"scenic" off road Schnebly Hill Rd and saw some amazing natural wonders.

I would never have seen this gorgeous meadow if we had not gone off road.
Here in Flagtaff the roadsides are covered in these black eyed susan type flowers. Acres of yellow.
It reminds me of Michigan.
   

Yesterday we spent the day at the Grand Canyon.
Oh I have so much to show and tell.
But the big man is telling me to get off and enjoy our vacation.
We are off to Sunset Crater and who knows where else.
Let's just say I/we have already taken 600 photos!
Have a great Saturday.


*Carrie*

Just WOW!
I have had more than 1,000 people see my photo from Tuesday's paper and to all I say a humble thank you.
It was a pretty crazy week last week and I was on a high for most of it.
Couple all of this with the fact that this weekend we are going on our first family vacation and it's my 35th birthday and yowsers I'm tired just thinking and planning.
photo credit


I've been checking out websites, looking at blogs, making notes of all the places I want to photograph. I've learned how to take and stitch a panoramic photo because my biggest hope is to take a panorama of the Grand Canyon.
Our plans are to relax and have fun and explore our awesome state. Knowing me I will be taking a TON of photos and I'm already excited about scrapping them.

With the help from friends and family I have procured lots of copies of last Tuesday's paper. I have a fun photo idea in mind and I'm hoping to execute later this afternoon.
Rob is suggesting that we frame it but I don't know.
I've also been told that I need to set up a portfolio. I'm not that good, but it doesn't hurt to have your favorites printed out.
My mom is setting up a connection with a gentlemen that takes photos for postcards.
I was also told to try and freelance for the local paper.
We will see, I'll leave it all in God's hands and let him direct me.
Here's hoping for another storm tonight. The clouds are building up. Monsoon season is over next month.
*Carrie*

Just remember you can click on the picture to make them bigger.
These were taken last night.
What a crazy night for a storm.
I had been home from work for maybe an hour when I heard thunder.
I asked Rob if he was cool with me going out. I really couldn't be long because I still needed to do my work reports and get stuff ready for school in the morning.

So I headed up to the parking lot of our local CVS that sits on a hill looking east. This is one of my first shots. The lightning just kept getting more amazing.

I had to trim a couple of the shots because I had a bit of light flare from the parking lot lights but DANG!
This is one of my absolute favorites!

I was leaving my camera open for about 20-25 seconds and the flashes were fast and furious

So my experience last night- wow.
I ended up having to leave the CVS because my battery went dead and I left my spare on the charger.
I know, I know, don't lecture. :)
When I got to my house, 1/2 mile away it was pouring. So I headed back to CVS and the storm had moved more west and I had to move to a different spot.

I really didn't like the next spot so then I remembered to head back to the hill at Lakeside park. That is where I got these last three beauties.

Can you believe that the local TV station didn't show any of these shots but they showed one of someone elses that was blurry and had power lines showing.
Am I biased, Hell yes!
I posted an album on Facebook with about 45 different shots but these are my favorites.
It looks like I'll be changing or adding some pictures to my walls.
After about and hour though I had to head home. There was a storm coming up from the south, a new storm from the east and the one heading west was petering out. The lightning continued for a couple of more hours with rain here and there, but I had stuff I HAD to get finished and so I enjoyed watching from my living room window as I did my work.
August and September have produced some of my best photos so I'm sure there will be at least one or two more good storms before the season is over.
*Carrie*
* Update- a local channel 4 has emailed me that they will be showing my photos tomorrow morning. Cool!
** Received another email today, this time from our local newspaper Arizona Daily Star, wants to publish the second photo in tomorrows paper!!
*** I made the front page! Az Daily Star  and channel 9 news showed photo #3 several times.

It has begun!
First Day of Schooool!
This morning we headed back to school to start 1st and 3rd grade. Saw a lot of classmates from last year and some new faces too.
I'm praying for a great year this year.
Both kids got the teachers that best suit them and were able to meet their teachers and check out the classrooms last Friday.
Kelly and Wyatt have been psyched up all weekend.
This morning both kids were up before 5:30am and dressed just waiting.
As a little something special I took a picture of Wyatt and Kelly together and sent it in to one of the local stations. Every morning they show celebrate pictures and there were plenty of us celebrating the kids going back to school!
The last photo they showed was Wyatt and Kelly and their good luck wishes from Mom, Dad and little sister Chelsea.

Wyatt and Kelly were sooo excited to see themselves on TV! Of course I had to tear up, my babies are getting bigger so fast and they are changing so much that at times I can't keep up.
This monkey <---- will not look at the camera. He was so fidgety this morning that this is about the only picture that is not blurry.
The kids helped pack their lunches and get their stuff ready and were watching the clock just chomping at the bit to go.
Thankfully they still want to go to school :)
This year will be a lot easier because there is only a 15 minute gap between the two grades getting out instead of the hour wait last year.

Of course it's not back to school without new clothes and shoes.
I had the kids lay out their outfits last night so there was no scramble this morning.
We also had to make sure that their back packs and lunch boxes were ready to go too.
For some strange reason Kelly has decided to use her old Dora back pack this year instead of the one she used last year.
Wyatt is finally able to use his backpack that we got him last year. His kindy teacher didn't want them to use backpacks so Wyatt's hung up on his door for the entire school year.

As cheesy as I am I gave the kids instructions that they had to wait for me to get the camera ready before they could take off across the parking lot.
Maybe this year I will experiment with just dropping them off, but I really enjoy talking to other moms and seeing the kids' teachers.

Also this morning I reminded the kids that it being the first day of school what treat do we get?
Dairy Queen!!
Here is to a wonderful school year!

P.S. Chelsea is a little bit lost this morning without the big kids and is getting into a bit of trouble. We are all going to have to find and get into out routines again.

*Carrie*

If you've been in a store lately you know that it's back to school shopping time!
Yeah!!! Boo!!!
I took the kids to Wally wold to pick up some school supplies this morning. We got there about 7:30 and thankfully there were no crowds to fight.
It's crazy some of the supplies that the teachers are requesting. Well not completely crazy but still
the list included, paper plates, forks, spoons, cups.
Of course there is always the Kleenex, paper towels and hand sanitizer. That's a no biggie.
This year instead of getting the kids the boring folders I went ahead and let them pick up ones that are more their tastes.

Kelly needed two folders and Wyatt needed three. The choices were pretty minimal but they both found ones that they liked.
They also got to pick out what color some of their other items are; rulers, calculator, pencil sharpeners, pencil boxes.
Combine all this with what my mom has purchased they both have lots to take in.
I'll bring the general class supplies on the Friday before school starts and hopefully the teachers will take them off my hands otherwise the first day is going to be a little more crazier than usual.

On the way home from the store I asked the kids what they wanted to do next. Kelly says, lets go home and lay all our stuff out and take a picture!
That's my girl!

This is most of Kelly's stuff, we just need to put her name on the things that go in her bin and her name on her bin. Sigh

I love shopping for school supplies and this year I bought myself a new notebook and a pink clip board.
If I had a craft room I would have picked up a couple of more things.

Wyatt's collection, well most of it anyway.
He is so super excited about going back to school. I told the kids yesterday that we were going shopping this morning.
Wyatt misunderstood and thought that after shopping we would be going to school. Not yet dude. Soon enough.

Normal craziness around here. I've been sick since Sunday. A cold/sinus allergy thing. So far today is better. Plus getting the kids ready for the new school year. Then the craziness of my demo job.

I need to do some more research for our family vacation at the end of the month. There was a change in plans with my job and I'm not working as much as I had planned. So now I need to make sure that for the activities that we want to do we have the money to do them. Thursday we drive up to Flagstaff, Friday is the Grand Canyon, Saturday is Meteor Crater park, maybe Slide Rock?? Sunday we come back home.
Yep we need to do more research. Driving directions, park costs, restaurants.

Right now my yuckiness is kicking up and making me feel so tired. I really need to go straighten up the living room and kitchen before my new demo kit arrives and I can play.
I start demoing at Best Buy this Saturday, back to  Michael's on Sunday. Our company is sending me a baby bug and some supplies to make samples for the BB demos. I haven't used a baby bug in years.
I think I'll take a nap first.
*Carrie*