Happy Birthday Jaidyn!!!

Everyone keeps getting older, which sucks, it's making it super hard for me to deny that I am getting older too. Gosh. I had all of these goofy things I was going to say about Jaidyn, then I started looking at the pictures and now I'm sitting here feeling all sentimental. Not because I'm old but because I can't believe she's 14. It seems like just yesterday she was a cute chubby little baby.

Now look at her!

I couldn't find any pictures of Jaidyn alone, so I had to use this one of her with her favorite aunt.

Jaidyn I hope you have a GREAT day. We love you.

Happy Birthday!

There are things worse than play-doh.

So, this one time Scott gave my kids a backpack full of play-doh and play-doh "tools", it was a big backpack with LOTS of play-doh, and he thought he was very clever, not to mention funny. 

*

Guess what?  I'm clever too.  The last time Annie and Emma came over to hang out, I decided it was time for them to meet Nick, and those other two whose names I can't remember but you know who I mean......

The Jonas Brothers!

Here's Ivy telling Annie that this is not the cutest one, but he is the one closest to her age and that counts for something.

Here's Annie passing along the important details to Emma.

Annie loved it so much she was dancing her head off.

This is where Emma spent the entire evening learning all the words to all of the songs from Camp Rock.

I think I see some Camp Rock t-shirts and a greatest hits CD in your future.

Eli's Field Trip

Eli and I went to the Arizona Museum of Natural History(formerly known as The Mesa Southwest Museum) last Friday.

Out in the gold panning area is a lovely mural of a mining area, after it has been mined.

Here's Eli trying to get all the gold he can.

We saw dinosaurs.

Living..

and dead.

I don't know if you can read it, but this wall says-1001 uses for poop- Just the sort of dignified exhibit you would expect to see in a museum of natural history.

This is Elvis, the alligator that almost ate Brandon last year.  Really.  Ask him.

This is what Eli would look like if he were imprisoned in an old west jail house.  To be honest, that's probably how he would look in any jail house.

Ivy's Field Trip

A couple of weeks ago Ivy and I got to go on a field trip to the Goldfield Goldmine/Ghost town.

Here we are on the bus.  Can you tell how much I LOVE riding the bus?

As soon as we arrived we had the pleasure of taking a train ride around the place.  This bearded man drove the train and told us several stories of disapearing miners and unsolved murders.  I was so happy my group of GIRLS could hear all those stories BEFORE we went down the creaky elevator for the creepy mine tour.

Really, they were everywhere.

This is our group. 

  

We saw LOTS of interesting things, like rusty cans on fence posts.

This lovely lady taught us how to pan for gold.  I'm not sure if you can tell, but her neckerchief looked to be spun from pure gold thread.  It was very authentic.

Here are the girls striking it rich.

I'm not sure what this is, but Ivy took the picture and she really wanted it included in this post.

There are a slew of picures from the Living Reptile Exhibit, which Ivy will be posting later on her personal blog.  We had a good time and learned soooo much about mining, Ivy even got to bring home a vial of gold, which she will hopefully be able to use to pay for her college education.

Late Birthdays!!!!

OH! MY!! GOSH!!!!!
I completely forgot to post anything humiliating on Misty's birthday, which was Sunday or on Mark's birthday which was Feb. 19th (I know, I'm a huge loser!). I'm so sorry you guys.

Happy Birthday Misty and Mark!!!

Sylvan is having a little trouble

His desk is so full of important things, that this pile has sprouted on the floor next to it. These things are very important....... .... but not as important as the things already using the space.