Airplane Museum

In Tucson there is a fantastic airplane museum that we were able to visit. It was really neat for all of us, but I think Preston got the biggest kick out of being there. 

In the area in front of the building the museum has a bunch of plants labeled so that people could get to know what kind of plants live here in the desert. Here is the rare Stealth Cactus! You could get a shin full of spines and not even know what happened! P.S. This is Hillary's favorite cactus.. the kind that aren't there. 

In part of the museum they had some really fun exhibits for the kids. Here is an actual airplane that they turned into a play toy for the kids. Jordan is moving the stick there in the middle and it actually moved the flaps. He loved it! It looks a little small but Preston was even able to fit into it. There was a nameplate on it that said it was an experimental airplane built in the 80's. I think I would be been sick riding in this thing.

Here is a close up of Jordan enjoying the display. He wouldn't look at the camera because he was so interested looking at how the wing flaps moved. 

Preston and Natalie even had a turn in the airplane moving the stick and having fun.

The museum had airplanes on the ground and hung from the rafters. This red airplane looked really cool and reminds us of Dusty the crop duster.

Here is another kid display that is the control tower for an airport. There were lots of switches and fun things to play with for the kids. Natalie is here pushing a button and having a fun flashing/spinning light go off. Jordan is also pushing buttons and listening to some fun sounds.

This big blue airplane was the largest Naval Airplane that could be landed in the water. It was pretty much just a transport airplane to haul things from one place to another. The docent told us that in for this airplane to take off it had to have rough seas, and even then it needed some help from a tug of some sort to get it started. If the water was smooth and hugged the hull of the airplane it could not get enough speed to lift itself out of the water. 

They had a pretty cool cockpit from some old airplane. The kids really loved pushing the buttons, flipping the switches, and pretending to fly an actual airplane. They had lots of fun here. Preston looked really hard for the cabin pressure controls and he found something that resembled a rudimentary control switch. Cabin pressure has come a long way from those days.

We walked through a WWII area and Hill and the kids sat in an old fighter airplane cockpit. Lots of fun.

Here is a reconnaissance airplane painted with some cool teeth painted on it. You can tell this is a reconnaissance airplane due to the bubble shaped windows. I assume this is for allowing the pilots to see a little better to spot the enemy.

Here is Preston in front of his favorite airplane ever, the SR-71 Blackbird! He loved seeing this airplane. Every time he sees it and hears about what this airplane can do he gets all giddy and acts like a kid in a candy shop. He is such a cute engineer!

Mud Run

I had the lucky chance to do a Mud Run with my friend Rayleen. Her husband couldn't run with her last minute, and I answered her question on Facebook if anyone would like to run the race with her the coming Saturday. It was an adventure!

Preston and I have done a Mud Run together before, but this one was muddier by far. There were obstacles that forced you to swim in the mud to get to the other side. We had to climb up rope towers, crawl through tubes, scramble up and down slippery hills, go under wire (hence the swimming), and walk through a mud area so thick that many shoes were lost and were never recovered. It was awesome!

It actually rained the day of the race, which for Arizona is a big deal! It made for a more exciting and challenging race. It was only a 5 K, but it felt like a 10 K for how heavy and tiring it felt running with mud weighing down our shoes. 

Speaking of shoes, mine didn't survive the race. I've had these shoes for a record time (since high school), they have been on many a hiking, biking, and running adventure. They were falling apart by the end of the race and so I thought the Mud Race was a great way to end the life of these shoes. 

The atmosphere of a race is always a thrill to experience. I also always get a kick out of what people are wearing when they race... from tutus, superman shirts, all white (for a mud race), to camo (like you need it).

It was a great day! 

Thanks Rayleen for the wonderful experience! 

Now I'm thinking of what race to do next. 

February In Review

Birthday time! My sweet fam made me feel really special on my birthday. Jordan was more then happy to help me blow out the candles on the cake. What a good helper. Natalie is a little confused about the whole candles on cake idea. 

Here, Daddy and Jordan are working on the cake. Gotta make sure those sprinkles go on just right. 

Jordan put in the candles that spell Happy Birthday. Can you tell? I love that the "A" in happy is almost lost in the cake. Way to go J Man. 

Happy Valentines Day! We had fun making valentines for each other, making/eating sugar cookies and sharing them with neighbors, and it doesn't hurt to get some roses too. Thanks sweetie!

Bath time! Jordan and Natalie get so excited about bath time. If one of them is having a bath the other wants to get in too. 

I always think Natalie looks adorable after every bath when she is wrapped up in a towel, so we finally got a picture of it. So adorable. 

Sleepy baby. 

Here are some pictures of when I needed to wake Natalie up before she woke up on her own. She was so out of it, that of course I had to take some pictures to document this funny moment. I can see her looking the same way getting up for school as a teenager. 

Sis and Bro hanging out together. 

Jordan really wanted to hold Natalie... she was mostly ok with it. I like his proud big brother smile. :)

Hair time! I have been trying to do more then just brush Natalie's hair lately. Here is my first attempt at pig tails. She actually sat and let me do her hair for a few seconds, which gives me hope for the future. She might actually let me do her hair, unlike myself with my Mom (sorry about that Mom, in my defense... I don't remember giving you a hard time).

Jordan even got into that hair time. He had fun clipping berets onto a head band. He'll be really embarrassed about this picture someday... but I think it's a cute memory. We always have fun times in the simple things at our house. I love it.

 "Is Dad home yet?" 

At the end of the day the kiddos can't wait for their awesome Dad to come home so they can go play, dance, wrestle, or jump on the bed with him. Dad's with young kids really should feel like rock stars when they come home... because they are in the eyes of their kids. 

Gilbert Temple

We had the wonderful blessing of being able to attend the Gilbert Temple open house. Though it was a busy time (handling two active kiddos) with lots of people coming and going, there was still a very peaceful and sacred feeling inside of the temple.  

While walking through the temple, I was impressed at all of the breathtaking stain glass everywhere. Inside the temple there was a very obvious theme of agave art. Agave is a plant that is seen here in the desert often. It is a plant that looks a lot like an aloe vera plant, but it also has a long (up to 26 ft tall) flower that shoots out the top. 

Here Natalie and Daddy are walking around the temple. Aren't they just the cutest?

Temples always have some sort of water feature and of course no kid can go without touching it. Our kids are no different. They had a blast touching the water and I am happy to announce no one fell in. Yay! That's a success for us (reference Portland, Oregon Temple.. not so lucky)!

Here is a view of the temple that shows a closer look at the beautiful stained glass. Temples always draw our gaze heavenward; physically, mentally, and spiritually. 

Here Preston is tossing Natalie in the air. I was lucky enough to catch a picture of her joy and laughter. She loves it! Jordan had fun climbing on anything that would get him up high. Good times all around. 

Here are the cutest kids ever! 

I think it's so sweet that Jordan put his arm around his sister. It is also fun to note that what Jordan and Natalie were wearing just happened to match with the flowers behind them. We love our sweet kiddos so much and are so grateful to have the knowledge that we are sealed to them for all eternity. 

It was wonderful to be in one of Heavenly Father's holy temples where sacred promises can be made that will last forever. The spirit was strong, calm, and oh so happy. Families are forever. How thankful we are for temples. 

Holiness to the Lord. The House of the Lord. 

Jared and Shaylee Visit

This month we were lucky enough to have a visit from Jared and Shaylee. They traveled down from Utah and we wanted to show them the sights of Tucson. Here we are at the Trail Dust Town Wild West Stunt Show. They shot hand guns, shot guns, and there was even a large explosion at one point. Jordan thought it was awesome and loved having the ear muffs on.



Here is the cast for the Wild West Stunt Show. We went on a Monday, so there was our group and two other couples. We thought that is might be a little weird not having much of an audience, but they got us all involved in the act and we had a ton of fun! 

This is another part of the "Trail Dust Town." This is a place where you get a feel for what the "Old West" was like. Here is a picture of Jordan and Dad looking at a place you can pan for gold. 

The Trail Dust Town had a fun shooting alley as well. When you shot a target things moved or made sound. Jordan loved it!

Here are the sharp-shooters having a great time. Jordan thought it was neat to shoot a big gun like Daddy and Jared was lights out with his gun.

Here we are in front of the shooting alley on a mechanical horse. Jordan called him Bulls-eye from the Toys movies. Natalie saw Jordan on the horse and just had to have her turn as well.

As part of  Jared and Shaylee's trip to Tucson we went out to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. On our way we stopped at the Saguaro National Park to see the sights. Here is a picture out the back of the visitor's center. It is amazing how many saguaro cactus are on this hillside. (Interestingly, the 'g' is silent in saguaro. It is pronounced sa' uaro.  You know someone is from out-of-town when they say it wrong.)



Here is a little closer shot of the famous saguaro cactus. Even though they look like a bunch of sticks, there are enough of them that they are difficult to see through. Here are some interesting facts about the saguaro cactus:

1. They grow very slow. A ten year old cactus might only be 1.5 inches tall.
2. They can live to be 150-200 years old under the right conditions. The ones you are seeing in the pictures about have been there since the before the land was broken.
3. They live exclusively in the Sonoran desert.
4. They can grow between 40-60 feet tall
5. When rain is plentiful a Saguaro is fully hydrated it can range between 3200-4800 pounds.
6. Even though they are very tall, their roots are only 4-6 inches deep. They extend out about as far as the cactus is tall. There is a single taproot that goes about 6 feet down to collect water from the ground.
7. Depending on how much water they absorb, they can shrink or swell 20-25 percent over the course of a year.
8. The saguaro cactus serves as a hotel for many birds. Apparently they can push through the spines and carve out little homes.

Here is a nice picture of Jared and Shaylee at the Saguaro National Park Visitor's Center.

At the Desert Museum they had a really fun un-tethered Raptor Free-Flight demonstration. There were a couple of areas where you could watch the birds fly around and we picked the highest one. The birds were amazing! Part of the show involved a family of  Harris Hawks which are shown in the picture above. We got right next to the helper (shown holding the bird) and we could actually hear the birds as they came in to perch on her hand. It turns out they lure them up to this spot with raw meat, yum! 

Jordan and Natalie got a little bored watching the birds fly around, so here we are going up and down stairs! I always find it interesting that the things that interest grown ups (like birds flying so close they look like they will hit you in the head!) and the things that interest kids (going up and down stairs) are so different.

Here is a sampling of animals in the desert museum. We refer to is as a desert zoo because of all the animals that they present. From upper left and moving clockwise there is a seahorse, mountain lion (yes, there are lots of these in the area), a black bear (these too up on Mount Lemmon), an interesting fish, and black tailed prairie dog. Even though there is not much water in southern Arizona, the Sonoran Desert goes until the Sea of Cortez (in the Gulf of California), hence the fish.

Here is Jordan loving watching the prairie dogs. It turns out that the museum worker fed these little guys right as we were watching them so they really put on a show for us. They are the cutest little guys, especially when they sat on their rear legs and ate their food. Think animal with the biggest belly in the world with small arms, feet, and head. They were hilarious to watch!

Part of the museum tour was a walk to see Javelina, Coyotes, and desert plants. These two spots were on the way. Natalie loved exploring this new place.

Here we are with two tired kids at the end of the day. They found where the museum's strollers were and wanted rides. Actually, Jordan found them and got pushed by Daddy. Not to be outdone, Natalie wanted in on the action as well!

On our way back home, we stopped at the top of Gates Pass to take some pictures. Here is a nice one of Jared and Preston. Notice the matching beards...

Here is a nice picture towards Avra Valley taken from the top of the pass. Avra Valley is the next valley to the west from Tucson.

We successfully wiped out or kids after a day of fun and adventure. They had lots of fun and really enjoyed spending time with their aunt and uncle. We really appreciated Jared and Shaylee taking the time to come down and visit us so far away from their home in Utah. Thanks for the fun!

Art

Jordan and I had some fun being artists the other day. Our neighbor gave us this kid sized play table and chairs. I am tired of all of the white walls in our place and so I thought we'd add some color to this furniture.

I wanted Jordan to go for it and paint how ever he wanted to. I would put the color paint down that he wanted and he'd begin painting. After a while though he liked my job better, so we switched. He put the paint down and I painted it in. I thought the painting part was more fun anyway. He was happy, I was happy, and we had a lot of fun with colors. 

Here is the end product. I love how it turned out! This will be a fun splash of color to our home. I have never really painted anything... so this was an exciting new experience. Thanks Jordan for being an artist with me! 

Natalie's Stats At 15 Months

Natalie is 15 months old. 
Here are her stats from her check up:
Length 31 in. 50th-75th percentile
Head Circumference 47.5 cm 90th percentile 
Weight 24 lbs. 7 oz. 75th percentile 

Natalie can:

• Can say more or less "Mamma, Dadda, moon, star, bear, spoon, eye, nose, ear, head, mouth, milk, nana (for banana), neigh, bah bah, moo,... She is really talking all the time and tries to say anything and everything.
• Started trying to eat with a spoon. She smiles so big when she gets the food into her mouth.. big accomplishment.
• Started drinking from a cup. She drinks about half of it and then spills the rest on her tray, just to see what will happen from turning her cup upside down. 
• She is really good at taking bows out of her hair the second they are put in... heavy sigh from Mom. 
• She has learned to safely climb up and down the couches. 
• Starting to try her running legs out... she's still a little tipsy but enjoys the new speed.  

Natalie likes:

• The moon and she will look for it up in the sky every day. 
• Birds and dogs. She squeals and jumps up and down whenever she spots a dog. 
• To sit in my lap and read books. 
• Loves her blanket and thumb as much as ever. 
• Milk, but has also started being interested in what we have in our glasses. She now gets excited about juice. 
• Sitting on the couch and being at the same level as her big bro. 
• To DANCE! She is adding to her dance moves all the time. She's got head bobbing, leg bouncing, and arm swinging down pretty well. (It's the most adorable sight to see.)
• Cuddling. She is such a cuddly girl and we LOVE it! Melts our hearts.

We love to see Natalie learn, grow, and become the amazing person she is meant to be.