The Zoo

Last Friday Jordan and I went to the Reid Park Zoo here in Tuscon. Jordan had never been to a zoo before and we had a great time. We went with our friends Rachel and her boys. We had an awesome time!


Here is a cute picture of Rachel and her boys on a train ride.


This was amazing to me... the zoo had peacocks all over the place. They weren't even fenced in! Here are some just hanging out in a tree. They are such beautiful birds, it was really neat to see them so close.


Here are some fun pictures of Jordan exploring the zoo. He was really hesitant at first and then as you can see I had to keep up with him. It is so fun to see him learning and experiencing new things.


We saw so many amazing animals while at the park! The unique thing for me was the animals were all outside! I've never lived in an area that was hot enough all year round that could have African animals outside all the time. It was really amazing... it felt like we were among them, not just looking at them.


We had a great time at the zoo. We'll definitely be going again sometime.

Sabino Canyon Park

We were invited last Saturday to go to Sabino Canyon Park with our friends the Buck's. They have been great informers about the area here. We had a great time checking out the new and very different scenery.


Here is the landscape of the area. Lots and lots of cactus. This will take us some getting used to.


Here's a picture of Preston and Jordan with our new friends the Buck's. They have been the best new friends ever! They helped us find our house here, invited us to do things with them, and have been so welcoming to us in every way. We are so grateful for their friendship here in Oro Valley.


Jordan and his new friends Kyai and Cirdan throwing rocks in the river. Kids can be entertained by this all day if you let them. Fun times.


Did I ever mention that Jordan loves water? We were throwing rocks in the river and he decided he needed a better look and walked right in. Dad stopped him from going any further.


Splish splash... we turn around and where's Jordan? IN THE RIVER! He decided standing on the side wasn't fun enough. When we turned our heads for a second he just walked right into the river, tipped over, and got soaked! Here's a picture of him in a blanket our friends just happened to have. We gotta keep a close eye on this one.


When Jordan was warmed up, he was back to throwing rocks in the river. Nothing can phase this kid from his love of rocks and water. Unfortunately we didn't bring an extra change of clothes. So here's our little boy in a diaper, jacket, and shoes. He wasn't even bothered that his shoes were still wet. That's our silly little guy. We are having fun times here in Arizona.

Our home in Oro Valley

Here is a picture of our home we are renting here in Oro Valley, Arizona. We really enjoy the area and the people are very friendly. There is even a little playground area just up the street. Our ward here is wonderful and we are getting to know the area as time goes on. We feel very blessed to be here and are making the best of this new adventure in our lives.


Here is the inside of our home. It's got a huge kitchen which I think is awesome! We have a nice living room that we still have decorating plans for. There is an office room for all of our projects and organizing space. Our bedroom is much larger then in our last place and it has a bathroom connected to it, plus a walk in closet!


Here are pictures of Jordan's favorite play areas around the house. He's got his own big bedroom. He can actually climb up on the chair by himself now and as you can see he loves books. Being a former elementary teacher I think it's the cutest thing ever.

Jordan also enjoys the back yard full of rocks. That's how they do most back yards here in Arizona. It works great for a toddler. Jordan also has his own bathroom... no he's not potty trained yet, but he loves having bath time in the tub as often as possible.

Moving In

Moving into our new place here in Oro Valley, Arizona. Boxes, boxes, and more boxes. It was good times getting the rooms put together and organized. We started with Jordan's room first so he wouldn't feel so much of the chaos that the house was in. He really loved having his crib and toys again after a two week vacation of sleeping in a pack n' play. He actually slept through the night again... yay!

Our home is put together now and we are enjoying it here in Arizona so far. We are getting to know the people, places, and keeping a good distance away from those "pok'ey" (as Jordan calls them... quick learner huh) cactus. The next blog posting will be of our home and the sights of Oro Valley.



Look at this cute little guy that we unpacked. Ok, not really.. but he does look really cute in the suitcase. What a lucky find!



Here is Preston and Jordan. Jordan is hanging out with one scruffy looking guy.



After winter semester was over at BYU Preston decided to take the opportunity and not shave for as long as possible. He lasted about two weeks and this is what he looked like. Man, without that Honor Code he really let himself go. J/K

Christmas 2011

This past Christmas we had the blessing of spending time with many friends and family. We were able to do some projects at home and have so much fun doing them. Christmas this year being on Sunday added an extra special spirit to the day. We so enjoyed being with friends and family for the holidays! We love you all and are so thankful for the impact you have on our hearts and lives.