3.. 2.. 1 Blast Off!

We went to a model rocket show so Jordan could see how fun science can be. Here is a rocket on one of the flags from the sponsor of the event.

On the left is Jordan pushing the button to launch a rocket! They did a cool thing where they let you fly a rocket for just a couple of dollars. On the right are some interesting rockets that look like crayons and other rocket items. 

There goes Jordan and Preston to retrieve the rocket after Jordan launched it. Jordan was so excited that he just ran out there. Preston ran right along with to show him where the rocket was.

Here is the happy boy holding the rocket he launched and retrieved. Jordan loved launching it, finding it, and showing the rocket to mommy. 

Here are mommy, Natalie, and Jordan enjoying the show. There were lots of people with some pretty crazy rockets out there. We had to cover Natalie's ears when there was a loud rocket. She didn't like the loud ones very much. 

Here are some of the possible rockets of our future. We did not get one today, but I can foresee Preston and Jordan doing some really fun engineering in the future. Dad can hardly wait. 

March Goings On

Preston and I finished up our soccer season. A friend of ours in the ward puts together a community soccer team to play in the coed league here in Tucson. It has been really fun to play together. It's a great Friday night date. 

"I'm not tired Mommy..."
(Funny to note this is the part in Peter Pan where Wendy is singing Michael to sleep, coincidence I think not!)

Having a little girl is fun for so many girly reasons. One of them is putting bows in her hair. One day we were playing with the assortment of bows and Jordan decided to decorate my hair. When he was done he said proudly, "Mommy you look so pretty." I had to take a picture of his work. Well done J Man. 

Jordan making faces to make Natalie laugh. It's sweet, Natalie is trying to copy him. Also funny note, in case you didn't notice Jordan is wearing a Dusty the airplane hat, Darth Vader shirt, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (longest name ever) socks. He is one decked out boy today. 

Cute picture of Bo Peep (who will never lose her blanket, but maybe her sheep) and Sheriff Woody. 

Pool time on a hot day in the desert. 

Jordan and his friend Ethan being ninjas.

Bro and sis hang out time is the sweetest. I love this sibling stuff. 

Messy face Natalie. Blackberry jam mmmmm....

Love it when these handsome guys match!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We've been playing with an old cd and making rainbows on the wall a lot lately. Perfect for the holiday. I also tried my hand at an actual Irish dinner. Some things turned out well and others didn't, but there was a lot of green... so it's all good. I love holidays, it's an excuse to make a day extra special and fun. 

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.