The Life and Times of the Artesia Knowlton's

White Christmas

2011-12-26T12:02:00.003-07:00

Boy did we get snow this time! It started snowing late Thursday afternoon. We got a little break on Friday, then it started again Friday night. The storm hit SE NM much harder than other parts of the state which is odd.

The boys were done with school on Thursday morning so there were no snow days with no school. Trenton and I braved Walmart on Friday morning. Wes was at a friends house instead. He decided it was a good opportunity to make snow angels.

The boys just had to go out and play in the snow on Saturday morning. I bribed them into cleaning up their rooms and the game room. They spent about two hours outside before a fight broke out and they came it. That was okay because I needed to get their winter clothes clean and dried before their ski trip.

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T11:42:00.003-07:00

We spent Christmas Eve at the Pinsons. The boys had a good time because there were a lot of people there and a lot of food. We hung out, ate, drank, played Bingo, ate some more. It was a great way to spend the day. The boys got to open some more gifts. They got a couple of gift cards that they are excited to spend!

We made a deal with the boys when we got home after the party: if they went to bed and sleep RIGHT NOW (9:00pm), they could wake us up at 6:30am. For every 1/2 hour that they stayed up, they had to wait 1/2 an hour to wake us up. They understood the concept and were out in about 5 mintues. They claimed they weren't tired, but they went to bed pretty quickly.

Santa brought Wesley an iPod touch. He voluntarily gave me a hug and kiss for that one. Santa brought Trenton a new bat. They have to have "thumbprinted" bats from USSSA to play with starting January 1, 2012. He was excited about that and wanted to go play baseball right then. However, he got distracted by the new xBox 360 with Kinect. I got a decent bonus this year and they boys deserved something special for helping me get that bonus. I work a lot and they are really good about allowing me to do so.

I did convince them to put on shorts this year so I could take pictures. Usually, they prefer to hang out in their underwear.

Trenton was taking Brad on in baseball. The hand controls were hard to figure out. I don't think we got the hang of it completely.

Early Christmas Saturday

2011-12-23T11:14:00.002-07:00

On Saturday, December 17 everyone went to the Octotillo Theatre to see the piano recital. Trenton played Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Wesley played Frosty the Snowman in a duet with Mrs. Branch. Notice how sharp they look and they quickly changed clothes when they got home.

Cutie patootie was wild and crazy at our house that weekend. He didn't stop playing. We had saved some of the Cars toys and some dudes and he loved them, dragging them all over the house. We had a good time playing with him.

The boys opened presents from Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Mona. The Kindles were a big hit.

I think Dylan enjoys spending time with the boys. He doesn't say much about it but he was well behaved and seemed to have a good time.

School Christmas Party

2011-12-23T11:05:00.002-07:00

Both boys had Christmas Partys on Wednesday, their last day of school for two and a half weeks! The parties were staggered which was good for me so I could attend both parties! The boys were in good moods so they were okay posing for pictures with me.

I snapped this photo of Trent quickly but I really like it. He is so cute even with his shaggy hair.

Trenton's class activity was to make a snowman. The class mom brought in a box of stuff including a couple of rolls of toliet paper. They class broke into groups and choose one student to be the snowman. Trent was the one so had to stand there very still while his classmates went to work.

Wesley rocked a bunch of prizes at his class party. They had various "minute to win it" games. Wesley was the only kid to get the cookie from his forehead to his mouth without his hands. He also "fished" the most candy canes out of the bucket.

Adventures of Fred

2011-12-23T11:00:00.002-07:00

Fred is at it again. He decided to help the boys open presents a little early. I guess it was okay. Grandma got the boys Kindle covers to go with their new Kindles so Fred decided that they needed help in opening the Kindles early last weekend!

Fred found a friend. Not sure where since we are thick with boy toys and there aren't any girls around. . . .

Again, not sure what caused this little war but I think Fred won.

Party Time!

2011-12-16T16:56:00.002-07:00

Party time. . .Yates Annual Christmas Party time anyway. The one time we are guaranteed to get dressed up. I usually get my hair cut that day so that my hair dresser can poof me. But I couldn't make it work for a variety of reasons this year. So I asked a friend to help me out. Mercy did an awesome job and "mercified" my hair this year. Don't we look pretty with our friends and neighbors, the Pinsons.

November Balloons

2011-12-13T20:09:00.004-07:00

You can't hardly get the boys to take off their hats so their faces are always in the shadow. However, they are some cute boys!

The balloons did take off on Sunday. Trenton did not want to wake up early so Wesley helped get the balloon off of the ground!

Wesley and I went up first - bye Dad!

Wesley was so excited that he got an aerial view of Bulldog Bowl. This is his favorite picture!

RSL was the sponsor this year. Knowlton Enterprises doesn't need any more work!

Windy Last Soccer Game

2011-12-13T20:01:00.002-07:00

The last soccer game of the season was windy! The ball was blowing around the field. It was also the weekend for Balloons and Bluegrass but the balloons didn't go up at all on Saturday. Cooper came to watch the action this time. He had as much fun playing with Brad as he did watching the boys.

Trent said that head balls hurt but he likes to do them anyway!

Wesley is getting so handsome and he is such a competitive athlete. He still needs a haircut.

Ninja Baseball!

2011-12-13T19:49:00.003-07:00

We played in a tournament in Alamogordo the first weekend of December. It was FREEZING! We were wrapped like burritos with all of our layers and blankets in the stands. I was worried that Trenton couldn't move he had so many layers on but he was fine. His new head covering made him look like a ninja, though.

Here he is sliding into home. Trenton has perfected this skill and it no longer looks like a Paul Blart move.
This is Trenton on third base working to steal his way home. That is Coach Chad with him giving him direction.

The ninja baseball player is looking to steal third!

Another perfect slide. . . .into second!

Batter up, Ninja player!

It Is Time for Fred!

2011-12-13T18:41:00.005-07:00

Fred is back and he is a bugger this year! He is very mischievous this year as you can see. He decided to give Trenton and Wesley some additional decorations. On the snow day, I wouldn't let the boys go out and play because I did not want to deal with the messy clothes. Fred had to taunt the boys by playing in his version of snow. Fred is quite the character!

Another Weekend and More Baseball. . .

2011-10-23T13:04:00.002-06:00

I am limiting myself to just a few photos this weekend. I am getting better at taking action photos of the games, I just get caught up in the action and forget to take photos. I haven't gotten any good ones of Trenton sliding (this is a fairly new skill that they have all recently acquired and practice). And I love good hitting photos. This one was a three-base hit and you can tell by his stance. It is hard to "tell" Trenton what he should be doing but the pictures show when he does it right: his hips are turned, the bat is level, and his head is pointing in the right direction!

Trenton, Get Out of The Way

2011-10-17T21:23:00.005-06:00

We keep telling Trenton to duck, move his feet, drop to the ground, ANYTHING! But his face keeps getting in the way of the ball. This one blackened his eye, well more like greened and purpled his eye!

Saturday Scrimmage

2011-10-17T21:06:00.003-06:00

On Saturday, the Desert Dogs played the Roswell Invasion. Look at who is pitching. . .

Trenton did really well. He only walked two people and struck some out. They got some hits off of him but the defense did their job. He was really nervous but he did very well. As a parent, it is nerve racking to watch him pitch. I can't sit still. . . I have to walk around or I just sit and bite my nails.

Besides being a great pitcher, Trenton hit very well this game, scored three runs and played first one inning.

Game Room Fun

2011-10-17T21:02:00.004-06:00

After all of the work, it is so nice to see the boys enjoying the game room. Wesley is working on his homework and Trenton is reading. We went to the Book Fair today and they both got to pick up some new books. Trent is reading Geronimo Stilton books. Wesley is working on a Titanic trilogy.

Soccer Fun!

2011-10-17T20:44:00.008-06:00

We made a mistake in deciding to participate in Soccer. We know it and are making the best of it for 8 weeks. The boys have something EVERY night. It makes them sleep well, but we all feel a little stressed trying to make it all work. However, the boys are pretty fun to watch play now because they get it!

First Flag Football Game of the Season!

2011-09-25T16:25:00.002-06:00

The boys are on the same team this year along with their best friends, Nathan Barrera and Braxton McDonald. Trent plays center on offense and Wesley rotates between different positions.

I put this picture in not because it is a great picture but because of their hair. They are the only blond boys on their team so it is easy for me to pick them out on the field!

Soccer Starts!

2011-09-25T16:17:00.003-06:00

The boys are once again on the same team and they have moved up to a bigger field. There is actually some strategy now. They work on passing to each other and their teammates. If nothing else, soccer will help their stamina, they end each game tired and sweaty.

Wesley in the classroom!

2011-09-25T16:14:00.002-06:00

Wesley is in Fourth grade and has such interesting projects. He recently had to write a "how to paragraph" and then deomonstrate his how to. He decided to make chocolate tamales n- they are easy, fun, and the kids usually help me make them. His friend, Mark, was his partner. Mark read Wesley's paragraph while Wes did the demonstration. He was very cute. I microwaved the chocolate before had because it is hot. So Wes pretended to microwave the chocolate during that part of the reading.

Homecoming 2011

2011-09-13T19:11:00.002-06:00

The boys were in two different floats this year so Brad and I got to watch which was really fun. . .

Trenton rode with the Desert Dogs. We needed to thank our sponsors. The boys looked good and were very enthusiastic on the float!

Wesley rode on the Agave truck with his friends. Wesley likes being Mr. Sociable and waving at all of the people that he knows.

Grand Canyon by Air

2011-09-13T18:42:00.007-06:00

Aftr checking out the trails and estimated hiking times, we decided to hike the west portion of the South Rim. We didn't think that the boys could handle the hike out of the Canyon. It was still a pretty good deal. We hiked until we were tired and then hopped the bus. The boys did about 5 miles. It started raining shortly thereafter so we were glad to hope on the bus. Both boys had a camera and tried to take some "artistic pictures" that I am showing off here!

We stopped at the end of the bus trail at Hermit's rest for a little snack and some water. It cooled off drastically and we LOVED it! Some of the other hikers were complaining but not us. It was a welcome break from the heat.

After the hike, Brad surprised us with a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon. This was on his "bucket list" and he decided that there was no time like right now to fulfill your bucket list! It turned out that we were super lucky. The helicopter was over booked so they sent us to their sister company which was an upgrade. We also got the longer ride which we didn't pay for because the people we were with did pay for that :) It was pretty darn awesome. Wesley was hoping for some excitement like the door blowing off or something. A pretty nice ending to a vacation. . .

Goodbye, Las Vegas and Hello, Grand Canyon

2011-09-13T18:29:00.003-06:00

I always forget to take a picture of where we stay so here are the boys crashed in the living room of the condo in Vegas.

Brad thought I was a big nerd for insisting that we stop by "the sign" for a quick picture before we left Vegas but here we are! The boys will want to see this in years to come to prove that they did Vegas. . .

On the way out of Vegas, we stopped by the Mike O'Callaghan - Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. This is the second highest bridge in the United States.

It was a long trip to the Grand Canyon. We didn't realize how long it took from Flagstaff up to the Canyon. But, a storm came through and the temperature dropped significantly on the way up to the Canyon. It was awesome. I actually needed a sweater! So our first view of the Canyon was at the end of the day and we were suitably awed.

Stratosphere, Tournament of Kings and Freemont Street

2011-08-21T19:59:00.004-06:00

We slept in and then hung out by the pool for a little while. We had lunch in the condo and then decided to go to the Mirage and the few other casinos we hadn't been to on our last full day in Vegas.

There were lots of surprises inside the Mirage that the boys enjoyed, including the chocolate fountain. . .

The boys really, really wanted to ride the rides at the Stratosphere. Brad and I declined to do so but "happily" watched them do it!

After twirling the boys around at the top of the Stratosphere, we went all the back down the Strip to watch The Tournament of Kings. The boys loved it! They cheered, slapped the table, and booed with the crowd. It was an excellent family adventure!

After the show, we went to Freemont Street. It was. . . .different. Maybe we just didn't pick a good night, but it wasn't as awesome as we had read about. Things were cheaper, but smokier as well so you really didn't want to go in any of the casinos or eateries. Anyway, we can mark off that we did Freemont Street or FSE as the t-shirts say.

Adventure Dome and Trent on Stage

2011-07-27T22:01:00.006-06:00

Sigh. Trenton loves amusement rides. Wesley tolerates them because he can't let his brother show him up. Brad turns green and I am ambivalent. Sometimes they are fun and sometimes they give me a headache. So we went to the Adventure Dome at Circus Circus. We were so early, we had to wait for them to open up.

Here are the boys looking over the map and planning their attack.

This ride was kind of lame, just back and forth. But it tickles your tummy and makes Trenton's hair do crazy things. Wes insisted on wearing his hat so his hair wasn't crazy.

If I was better at Photoshop, I would make Brad green in this picture because he was done after this.

I rode this roller coater with the boys the first time, but I didn't see the need to ride with them the second, third, or fourth time. The lines weren't long so they could jump right back on. Brad and I just hung out and waited for them on the bench.

After Adventure Dome we walked on the Strip a little bit. While most of the "characters" out there were passed by, Brad really wanted his picture taken with these ladies.

We went to see Nathan Burton that afternoon. It was a cool illusionist show. We also picked up discount tickets to one of his special guests, a juggler, at Planet Hollywood, the Resturant. So we spent some time in the Forum Shops until the show.

Trent was tired as you can tell here. But I know the secret to putting him in a better mood. . .

Lipstick kisses. . . . .

The boys watched the pyrotechnics of the fountain show while I did a little shopping at H&M.

It was a small venue for the juggler but very cool. Especially cool since he pulled Trenton up on stage to help him spin plates: (BTW, I had permission to take photos!)

It was a fun day. We rode rides until Daddy was green. We saw a couple of shows. Trent got to get up on stage. We closed down by watching the fountains in front of the Bellagio at night. We hung out here to see three fountain shows. This is Brad's favorite part of Vegas.

Climbing and Shows!

2011-07-27T21:30:00.002-06:00

So on Tuesday, the boys wanted to get away from the strip and go to a climbing gym. It was a good thing we had our Suburban because Red Rock Climbing Gym was very off the Strip. However, we picked an excellent time to go. It wasn't crowded and they had self-belays so the boys were able to climb without assistance.

Wesley practiced making his knots!

After a late lunch, we went to see a show called Matsuri which is Japanese acrobats. The boys enjoyed the show just because it was different. Here we are waiting for the show to start.

After this show, we went to eat at Planet Dallies in the Hard Rock Casino. Then we went to see V - The Variety Show. It was very cool. There were all of these small acts that change all of the time so every time you go, it will be different. We saw a juggler, an acrobat, the crazy gouchos, and a couple of other.

Fourth of July at Hoover Dam

2011-07-27T21:10:00.003-06:00

It actually rained on the Fourth of July! Yea! I really think that was the best part. It kept things nice and cool while we walked on the top of the dam. We did the whole dam tour (he he, those jokes went on all day!). We started with a tour of the exhibit hall. The boys had to take a picture of Brad and I so we were acting like the boys and showing off.

After eating lunch and In and Out Burgers (new family fave!), Trenton got to choose. He wanted to go to the aquarium in Mandalay Bay. We did that for awhile then rode the tram to Luxor to walk around that hotel for awhile.

The Knowlton's do Vegas

2011-07-25T20:11:00.009-06:00

So. . .our first full day in Vegas started off at M&M World. We convinced the boys that they didn't need to buy anything right now. They could wait and think about it and hopefully forget what they wanted. So we moved to the Coke store where we sampled drinks from around the world. We had fun deciding which were good and which were gross.

We started moving through the casinos. The boys didn't really understand when we told them how huge everything was in Vegas and how much we would walk.

The Strip was a thrill a minute. Initially, the boys were excited about all of the characters that they saw. Then they realized that they were everywhere and they lost their luster. It was kind of cool that Trenton is still cool with getting his picture taken like this. Notice that Wes chose not to.

My new shoes were seriously cute but they were heck on my feet. I will not be wearing them again this week.

We were seriously hot in Vegas. So we spent some time at the pool complex at the condo. This is the family pool. It wasn't very deep but the boys still had a lot of fun.

After a quick dinner, we went to The Blueman Group. The boys weren't sure at first, but they loved it. Brad has been wanting to see them forever so he was excited. The boys really got into it and totally enjoyed their first Vegas show.

Here they are showing off their "blue"!

We finished by watching the volcano at the Mirage.

The boys quickly adapted to Vegas time - staying up late and sleeping in. They did not mind walking on the Strip but Brad and I tried to get them off as quickly as we could to prevent some of the more unsavory sites.

Ah!!!

2011-07-25T20:09:00.003-06:00

Where has the time gone? The summer is almost over. Not really, but since "summer" is defined by school, we only have three more weeks. For some odd reason, we go back to school on August 11 which is early!

We have also spent a lot of time at baseball this summer. And remodeling. Oh and vacation! Hopefully, I can get some pictures out on all of it soon.

Hobbs Tournament - Desert Dogs

2011-06-13T22:52:00.005-06:00

It was very HOT in Hobbs this weekend. Saturday, there was a little breeze, but on Sunday, there was nothing. Trenton had back to back games on Saturday and again on Sunday morning. This is why Coach had them long practices! The boys were definately ready to play.

The Desert Dogs totally dominated their division. They mercy ruled every team in the pool play. While they did allow some scores in the bracket play, it was also total domination. All of the kids hit awesome and played great defense. The final game was at 3:30pm on Sunday. The ref messed up and flipped a coin which allowed the other team to be home (bat last). We had the better record and higher seed so should have had the home position but it didn't matter.

First inning, we score seven runs with no outs. In U8, there is a seven run rule so the inning was over. We played a Lovington team. Their first at bat, they hit three good hits into the out field. But our defense was awesome and all of the airborne hits were caught by the outfield. Trenton caught the third out and it was perfect.

Second inning, we score seven runs with two outs. Trenton hit an RBI that inning. At this point, it is pretty much over. I think they might have gotten two or three runs, I don't remember. We were all so excited!

While the team got a trophy (we aren't sure what happens to it), the players all got a Championship ring instead of an individual trophy. Trenton loves his ring and has worn it constantly since he got it.

Braxton also got Offensive MVP for the tournament. I lost track of the number of home runs that he got but they were pretty awesome.

Hobbs Tournament - Diamond Dogs

2011-06-13T22:37:00.004-06:00

So the Diamond Dogs didn't do so well at the Hobbs tournament this weekend. Wesley gave his best effort and I was very proud of him. He kept a positive attitude despite the disappointment of the weekend. I did get some good shots of him playing. We were both on ESPN SouthWest.com. They were there taking photos of the games to promote USSSA baseball. They posted a photo of Wesley talking to his coach. I am in the background with my camera! Yea, we made ESPN! Ha ha.

Trent Can't Keep His Face Out of the Way!!!

2011-06-13T22:30:00.003-06:00

The sun was in his eyes and Trent missed a ball at first base. The ball found him in his lip though! Poor guy! It also loosened his tooth. Luckily, it is a baby tooth so we are going to let it go.

Getting Closer!

2011-06-05T21:58:00.003-06:00

We did lots of little things this weekend but some aren't so noticeable in the attachment this weekend. We were interrupted for practices on Saturday and Sunday, but we were still able to get some things done. Brad hooked up the water softener. We are still waiting for the electricians to finish hooking up the water heater, but there is water in the bathroom! We also finished all of the trim in the bathroom and the spackling, caulk, and paint touch ups. So I finally got to put all of the stuff in the bathroom. Yes, I know it is impracticable to put out white towels right now, but I wanted to see what it looked like.

In the game room, we got all of the trim, spackling, caulk, and touchups done. All of the doors are trimmed on one side. I also painted the french doors and we re-hung those. I ordered the door knobs so those will do in soon. We also put in the shelving for the toy closet. Again, impracticable to hang the curtains in the game room, but we were tripping over the curtain rod, so might as well. There is still the shelving that has to be cut and painted.

So we basically have the flooring in each of the boys room, the trim and the closets. We are closer to getting a brick layer (we hope). The electricians should finish up this week which means that the HVAC can be done (big yea on that one!) and the attic insulation is the last of it.

The Rain Dances Worked!

2011-06-02T20:52:00.003-06:00

It has been over 225 days since we have had an measurable moisture. It started sprinkling at 5:30 and pouring at 6:00. I left exercise class and went to get the boys at the ball park. No practice tonight. As of 9:00pm, we have had 2 1/2 inches AND it is still raining. There will be much mud happening this weekend.

Weekend with Cooper

2011-06-02T20:48:00.002-06:00

We spent the weekend in Albuquerque. We had a lot of errands to do on Saturday but on Sunday, we got to spend some time with Cooper. I really enjoy this picture, I have one of the boys doing the exact same thing when they were small. They were a little bigger than Cooper, but not by much. . .This time they built a big lincoln-log house for Cooper to play in. They used to play in it themselves!

End of Baseball Season for Wesley!

2011-06-01T17:45:00.003-06:00

Wesley's last game was May 27. They moved the game up to 5:30pm and it was HOT. My thermometer in the pickup said 104 F. There were about 4 boys who started throwing up and had to sit out some of the game. They just didn't get enough to drink and aren't used to the heat again.

Here is Wesley running to home plate from third base.
Later that night, Wesley recieved the team award for third place.

And got chosen for All Stars. We totally weren't expecting this. We thought Wes had a rough season: he was young on the team, he had a hard time batting, he played mostly outfield. None of us thought that he had displayed skills that were All Stars material. The coaches thought differently.

Lucky for us, Wesley is also playing in Hobbs on June 10. He and Trent won't play together so Brad and I may have to separate, but we won't be in two different towns which is more than we could have hoped for.

Brad and I are so blessed that we have smart, athletic, happy, healthy, handsome boys. They are so talented and still have so many hidden skills that we are lucky to help them explore!

End of School Awards

2011-06-01T17:35:00.003-06:00

Wednesday, May 25 was a busy morning for boys. Both of them had nine weeks awards in their classrooms followed by year end awards in the cafeteria. I can't be in two places at once, so I only attend the cafeteria awards. They get up on stage, sing some songs, say the pledge, and get awards. It is fun!

Here are Trenton and Zachary, soooo excited to be here, are they!

Jeron, Trenton, and Braxton got the awards for highest math and highest reading awards. Trenton also got highest honors for the year - all A's. These are also Trenton's best buds this year and on his All Stars team. It is nice that he is friends with good kids. We don't have to worry so much.

Wesley's class sang a song for their parents. I actually caught a picture of Wesley looking normal and not like a dork!

Wesley and Nathan got the math awards this year for their class. Pretty cool to have such smart, handsome boys!

End of a Fantastic Baseball Season for Trenton

2011-05-20T21:26:00.002-06:00

Closing Ceremonies for U8 were tonight. Due to their awesome, "undefeatableness" record of 13-0-1, the Blue Jays were awarded the first place trophy for U8.

Here is Trenton and Braxton. We are so lucky that Trenton has really good friends.

The Blue Jays with their first place trophies!

After the medals and trophies for all of the teams, the league president announced the U8 All Stars would be coached by Cody McDonald and Chad Letcher. These were the coaches for the first and second place teams. To our surprise and pleasure, Trenton was chosen for the All Stars!

Braxton was also choosen so more baseball time together:

There are only 12 players chosen for the All Stars:

We are so proud of Trenton. He plays in a tournament on June 10 in Hobbs if there is anyone in the area that wants to watch some awesome baseball!

Attachment Update!

2011-05-20T20:43:00.002-06:00

Brad thought we had tempted fate long enough and insisted that we spend the weekend roofing. If you have never done that before, it hurts the next day. I put on SPF 75 three times and still got burnt. I don't sunburn easily. My legs and butt really hurt; my back hurt. But we got the roof on. The soffits are up and painted. Of course, now Brad has cursed us to another 210 days without any measurable moisture.

Saturday Baseball

2011-05-20T20:26:00.003-06:00

We are almost done with baseball but here are some recent action shots:

Here is Coach Boone giving Wesley some last minute batting advise.

Wesley played second base during one game.

Wesley made a home run during the last game. It was an awesome first base line drive. Wesley is also very fast so was able to make it to third base easily. The opposing team over threw third base and Wes ran home.

Wesley looks very fierce as he gets ready to bat.

This is Wesley's friend, Trenton Taylor pitching to him during an evening game.

Trenton usually plays first base.

Trenton on second base getting ready to run.

Here is Trenton fielding a ground ball.

Painting, painting and more painting

2011-05-20T17:14:00.003-06:00

So, I took a "vacation" day from work on May 6 and painted, painted, painted. That is all I did for three days with a break for recital and a couple of baseball games. But, I got 99% of the painting done and that was the point. I was ready to go back to work on Monday because my forearms ached from rolling and reaching.

This is the wall in the living room. The color is Pumpkin Cream. I admit that when it came to choose between two colors, I choose by name. The other color already on the walls is Cinnamon Spice; they seemed to go together!

The bathroom is Desert Tan or something like that. A nice neutral that isn't white but appropriate.

I admit that I really like Trenton's room. This is going to look like a field; we are going to stencil in the numbers. The other wall is a denim treatment. Brad thinks it is too light, but the comforter that Trent picked out is dark so it will work.

Wesley wanted grey. We "discussed" that he couldn't do all of the walls in dark grey so he got a metallic treatment on one wall and another treatment on the other.

The game room is Sagey. I am going to do black, white, and navy accents.

The boys thought that painting would be fun. It was for about five minutes then they decided that they would rather play.

Trenton's Pill Experience

2011-05-01T13:04:00.004-06:00

Trenton had the "crud" a few weeks ago. It is hard to handle when they get sick like that because there isn't a lot you can do for them. They took most of the decongestants off the shelf for kids. Plus, there isn't anything you can give them for viral infections right away anyway. I have been drugging him with Benadryl at night just to keep him from coughing. Anyway, he woke up Tuesday morning with green gook coming out his eyes. No one can argue it is a sinus infection now so we go to the doctor's office. To my surprise, Trenton didn't want the syrup or chewables for the antibiodics. He wanted the big pills. I think they are large, almost the size of my calcium pills. Trenton takes them like Grandma does: he throws them in, takes a big swallow of milk, and then tips his head back to swallow. He is proud to get it down the first try. He is already doing better; no more sinus headaches.

It doesn't seem like it sometimes, but we are making progress on the attachment. Here is a preview of all my paint. Hopefully, I can start on Friday. The inspector held us up on the insulation and the drywall so they didn't start mudding until Friday. The second mud will go on Monday with the texture up on Tuesday. Brad is going to come home on Thursday to spray the ceilings and primer the walls. I am going to take off on Friday to start the fun stuff!

I take the books for Wesley's team (I curse learning to do that!) so there aren't as many pictures of Wes as there are of Trenton. I made Brad take some last weekend when he was home!

Here is Wes scoring a run:

Wes is hanging on second waiting on the play. That is his good friend, Nathan, playing short for the opposing team:

This is actually a good shot of a ball. Wes has a good eye in general. The kid pitches are hard.

Insulation and Yard Work!

2011-04-18T20:00:00.002-06:00

We spent all day Sunday doing yard work but look how pretty my porch looks now! We mowed, trimmed, edged, and fertilized. It was a lot of work!

The insulation guys came on Friday! Yea, we asked for the inspection so we are that much closer to drywall (imagine me singing that out because I am so excited). We went to Home Depot on Saturday and I bought all of the paint for the attachment. Two of the gallons were for the soon to be craft room. I haven't decided what I am for sure in the living room (just one wall!) so I got samples for that.

Attachment Update - Again!

2011-04-13T20:24:00.003-06:00

New windows are in!The tale of the door installation:

First the window had to come out. . .

Then the door went in and the window hole had to be reframed.

Finally, the window hole had to be insulated.

Now we are waiting on the insulation guys. The sheetrock guys are running out of work, so they are pushing the insulation guys to hurry up. I am going to Home Depot to get the paint. I might be jinxing the timeline, but I can't wait anymore!

Trenton's 8th Birthday

2011-04-13T20:08:00.002-06:00

Trenton's birthday was a little different this year. Because of baseball, we just didn't have the time to do a lot of stuff. We had the traditional sleepover with his friends. The Taylors' invited us over for a barbeque on Saturday night. We brought over cupcakes and everyone sang happy birthday to him! The boys just played together on Sunday! Here is Trenton with his friend, Zane, putting together the ever present Legos.

New Hair Cuts!

2011-04-13T19:44:00.001-06:00

Daddy laid down the law. New haircuts with hair above the ears. The boys weren't happy as you can tell. Everyone else liked it though!

More Baseball!

2011-04-13T19:32:00.004-06:00

Notice the very cool shades. One of Trenton's friends on another team plays first base and wears a pair of shades. Trent decided that he needed a pair to play first base better. That is his friend Braxton on second base. Together, the pair of them are unbeatable. I lost count of the number of outs they worked together.

The wind was nasty on Saturday. Trenton's hat would not stay on so his hair just blew in the wind like a model.

I take a lot of pictures. It is easy to do with digital - occasionally, I am spectacular. This is an awesome picture of a home run. The ball went over second base and bounced to the outfield. I am going to make this into a poster for Trenton's new room.

Wesley is very good at taking the good pitches and letting the bad ones go. He always gets on base one way or another.

I haven't figured out how to take good night shots yet.

Opening Day Baseball 2011

2011-04-02T19:33:00.005-06:00

Yea - opening day! This year will be a challenge because Trenton is playing for the U8 Blue Jays and Wesley is playing for the U10 Twins. Double practices, double the games but double the fun. We will be spending a lot of time at the ball field the next couple of months. Here are Wesley and Trenton after both games, tired and slightly sunburned. Wesley and Nathan Barrera. They are on different teams but still friends.

Wesley on third base. The rules change in U10 and stealing bases is allowed. Wesley is fast so if he gets on base, he is good.

Here is Wes on first, stealing second.

This division is kid pitch and it is harder to hit. Wesley actually struck out, but if the catcher doesn't control the third strike, you can steal first. Wesley is fast and was able to get on base.

Wesley didn't start this game, but he is young in this division so that is expected. He is a good sport and always has a nice word for his teammates.

Trenton hit awesome today. He got a homerun and several RBI.

Here is Trent on third base getting ready to score at home plate.

Trent played first base this game against the Rockies. He was nervous because it is a big deal and he didn't think he could do it. He did an awesome job and got several outs on first.

Despite our repeated requests, the hair makes it obvious who they are even if you didn't know their numbers!

How to be a Ninja by Wesley and Trenton Knowlton

2011-03-22T19:32:00.003-06:00

Wesley found this super dumb video on Utube called "How to Be a Ninja". He made me watch it and it is five minutes that I will never get back. However, it inspired the boys to make their own video version of it with the Flip camera.

School Photos

2011-03-22T19:23:00.003-06:00

Both boys got highest honors this past nine weeks. Trenton also got a surprise. He got the math award in Mrs. Lopez's class. He wasn't expecting it. The best part was that his friends were just as proud of him as we were.

In my quest to clean up my cameras before anything happens to them, I also found these pictures from Valentines Day parties. This is Wes and one of his best buds, Nathan.

This is a group of Trenton's friends from Mrs. Lopez's class.

Midland Piano Competition

2011-03-22T19:11:00.003-06:00

On March 5, both of the boys competed in Mary Alice Knox Piano Competition. Wesley placed second in his division. Trenton got honorable mention. Trent was disappointed that he didn't get a higher place. But then he was okay because his ribbon was bigger than his brother's medal. These are all of the other participants from Ms. Branch's piano studio. We stayed the night with Aunt Pat. She took this photo of them before the competion. Brad really doesn't like their hair here.

Wesley and Basketball

2011-03-22T18:55:00.003-06:00

I really meant to get these up sooner. But, I lost the camera. You know how you do tasks so often that you can't remember doing them? I went to get the camera last weekend and it wasn't there! I had a panic attack because well, it is an expensive camera and mostly because all of Wesley's basketball pictures were still on the media card! However, the very nice guy at the Artesia Rec center had picked up my camera. He went on vacation and locked it in his desk. I just got it back today so the first task was downloading a season's worth of pictures.

This is Wesley and his good friend, Mark. They were on opposing teams and got a huge kick out of guarding each other.

I really love the floppy hair shots. Not. The floppy hair part anyway.

Snow Day!

2011-02-02T17:59:00.004-07:00

We spent the weekend in Albuquerque celebrating Cooper's first birthday! Someone was very excited about it and he showed us! I didn't get to this earlier because at 8:20am on Monday, I get a call from Trenton. He threw up at school. Anyway, I spent Monday taking care of Trent. Finally, at about 8:30pm that night he felt better. Then I got sick. So yesterday, I had the first actual sick that I had to take for me in a long time. Usually my sick days are for the kids. Anyway, Cooper was his usual cute self!

The fun never stops around here. Wednesday was the first snow day of this year! Here are my winter warriors braving the cold (and it was cold, the high today was about 15 degrees according to our temp gauge). I think Wesley stayed out too long because it took awhile before feeling came back to his cheeks.

Framing Complete and Waiting on the Inspections!

2011-01-26T18:48:00.005-07:00

Yea! After taking yesterday off as a "vacation" day, I think we are done with the framing. Unfortunately, we are now waiting on the inspectors: electrical and framing. We did pick out an air conditioning unit today. Yea!

If you are looking for a really good leg and butt workout, I suggest roof work. All of the squatting and scrambling works your muscles like you wouldn't believe. It is going to be very hard tomorrow to do Turbo Tone at 5:30am because I am really sore!

Here is the bathroom and the game room closet.

Wesley and Trenton learned to use the air powered staple gun. We ran out of nails in the nail gun. I like the staple gun better because it is much lighter. I also used a palm hammer. It is an air powered hammer. I used it yesterday to put in the hurricane straps. This is because I don't use the hammer very well and the stupid nails you have to use in this application bend if you don't hit them exactly head on.

This is the east wall and the two bedroom windows. Trenton's is the window closest to Brad and Wesely's is the one on the right side of the photo.

Also ordered Trenton's bedspread. It is sports themed. I need it to start thinking about paint colors. Maybe that is a tad bit of jumping the gun but it is also the fun part. Wes and I are still discussing his "options" because all black is not an option for me and if given the choice that is what he would want. As soon as we get to Albuquerque, I think me and the boy will be making a trip to Kohl's to look at some bedding options. There has got to be some non-boring black bed covers.

Attachment Work!

2011-01-24T19:53:00.006-07:00

Due to some extenuating circumstances which would take too long to explain and aren't really interesting to read, we have had to make a big push to get the framing done on the house. The electricians are hard at work and the plumbing is roughed in. So we spent a cold Sunday working on the framing.

Here are Brad and I working on the decking. I am not afraid of heights, but I am not comfortable with wiggling and menuvering over shaky trusses.

Wesley was putting in the nails here for the siding. He can be helpful but he doesn't move very fast!
Occasionally, I get to use powertools. I don't mind the nail gun as long as I don't have to hold it above my head very much. It is heavy and awkward.

Oh yea, here is the whole I kicked through the ceiling of the living room when I slipped on the tar paper and fell. I caught myself on the existing stemwall of the living room. That HURT.

Wesley and Trenton were both a big help on Sunday. They have no fear of the roof and were willing to run up and down the ladder to fetch things. Trenton knows what most tools are and can get them for his dad out of the trailer.

At Brad's "request", I am taking tomorrow off so that we can finish the decking and the siding. Hopefully, the electricians will finish up. The plan is to have the framing inspection, the plumbing roughin, and the electrical roughin inspections this week. Then the initial HVAC, the insulation, the new door from the living room THEN drywall. Yea! Brad is going to the Pumper Show in early March. Hopefully, we will be at a point where I can finish up all of the painting while he is gone. I prefer to do that without comments from the peanut galary.

Trenton Basketball 2011

2011-01-16T12:48:00.004-07:00

We still have a week of games for Trenton and then we are done with one Basketball team, just in time to start another. The boys played for the City this year and played on two different divisions. Trenton started before Christmas and Wes will start practice this week. Trenton still has some growing into his legs to do and I don't think that basketball will be his sport. It is a placeholder between football and baseball!

Merry Christmas, Wesley and Trenton

2010-12-26T17:52:00.006-07:00

We spaced out our Christmas fun this year. On December 11, we joined several other families for Christmas fun. Santa surprised everyone with a visit! They boys thought it was cool but wanted to make sure that Santa was also visiting them on Chrismas eve as well!

The weekend before Christmas, we went to Jimmy's and celebrated. It was a lot of fun. We tried to go to the River of Lights but it was impossible to park and we weren't going to wait 80 minutes to ride a frickin' bus back to the Botanic Gardens, so we went bowling instead. The boys spent the week before Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa and got home just in time to celebrate Christmas Eve again, with the Pinsons! We are part of their family now so we enjoy celebrating with them!

Yes, there were more Nerf guns. How many nerf guns can two boys possibly have? I suspect we will find out eventually, but as long as new designs keep coming out, we will keep getting Nerf guns!

Being only 10 months old, Cooper was more interested in the wrappings and boxes, but he is trying to walk so enjoyed this pushing toy!

The boys were back at our house for Chrismas!

The boys enjoyed their gifts on Christmas morning. I took pictures but because they spent most of the morning in their underwear, I shouldn't share all of the pictures but I am going to share this one! They are playing Golden Eye 007 on the Wii.

This was the aftermath of the Christmas celebration!

Very Cute Boys

2010-12-26T17:51:00.004-07:00

For Christmas, we made the boys behave long enough to get a good picture for Grandma! Cooper had a difficult time and it was EXTREMELY hard to get all of them smiling and looking at the camera at the same time but this is the result!

Christmas Recital 2010

2010-12-13T06:52:00.003-07:00

The Christmas Recital was awesome as usual. Besides their normal selections of Away in a Manger, Silent Night, Up on the Housetop, and Jingle Bells, the boys had their first duet. It was a struggle. Trenton thought his brother took up too much room on the piano bench. Trenton told Mrs. Branch he wished it were a "suet" - a single duet instead.

We had drama practicing up until the very end. However, when it came time for the actual piece, they did very well!

Weekend Update with the Knowltons

2010-12-12T21:24:00.003-07:00

Trenton is not a morning person. If he had his way, he would stay in his underwear until noon with showers and teeth brushing optional. We have a morning routine that involves a lot of cajoling. Because he is choosing to have longish hair, we have to include time in our morning school routine for hair care. For obvious reasons:

Friday was Agave's Annual Ladies Christmas Lunch. Eash year is a different themed gift exchange. Depending on the gift, sometimes it is a random exchange and sometimes it is more personal. This year was slippers. Don't we look fabulous!

Friday night was also Yates' Christmas Party. It is the ONE night a year that we are guaranteed to dress up and look fabulous. Here are Brad and I with our neighbors and friends, John and Julie Pinson on our way to the party. Grandma was the babysitter for everyone and another friend was the DD.

Oh yea, more framing got done today. I didn't take a picture because unless you KNOW what you are looking at, it looks pretty much the same. Brad was putting in the headers and top plates.

Attachment Update!

2010-12-07T21:58:00.002-07:00

Yea!!! We have progress on the attachment. The framing package was delivered on Monday morning so Brad spent a beautifully cold December day starting the framing on the attachment. We have had to make some adjustments to the original design, but they are small in comparison to the end result.

Wesley gets the near bedroom. This is looking into his room from the game room.

This is in the game room looking into both bedrooms and the TV niche. We were going to make this a computer desk, but the flow will work better if it is a TV niche with storage underneath for movies and Wii games. The closets are behind the TV niche.

I am standing with my back to the house looking into the game room. The framing for the bathroom isn't done, but that is the bathroom right in front. There is also going to be the water closet to the left (water heater and water softener). There will be a storage closet in the game room in front of the bathroom. The boys have a lot of toys and they need a place to put them!

This and That

2010-12-05T13:24:00.002-07:00

We went to Wyoming for Thanksgiving and we were busy preparing to be gone for a week. Meanwhile, there were several little things happening.

Yeso had a second grade Thanksgiving program. Trenton was very handsome!

Here is Trenton with some of his friends.

Meanwhile, Fred is challenged to find new and exciting places to greet the boys every morning:

It was very cold in Wyoming. The boys weren't able to spend a lot of time outdoors which is tough but they played a lot of games indoors. Uno was a big favorite as well as chess. Trenton isn't quite as good as Wesley, but with practice, he is getting better.

Its Begining to Look A Lot Like Christmas. . .

2010-11-16T18:49:00.002-07:00

Last year, I wasn't in the Christmas spirit. Nana's health was drastically declining and we knew the end was near. It was necessary to do something because of the kids, but it was hard. As a matter of fact, I was at the requisite company Christmas party when Mom texted me about Nana's passing. So there wasn't a letter and only the bare minimum of decorations. I plan to make up for it this year. Since we are traveling some over Thanksgiving, I had the boys help me take stuff out of the attic to get started.

First out is Fred. Fred is the "Elf on the Shelf" (Google it for the full story). Basically, Fred is Santa's helper that watches for good boys. Every night Fred magically goes to the North Pole to give Santa an update and returns to a different watching place in our home. Sometimes Fred is sneaky and hides up high where boys can't see him. Every morning, the boys take turns to find Fred in the living room.

The second tradition is the annual ornament. Since Brad and I were married, I bought a family ornament that is representative of something that happened to us as a family that year. I continued the tradition with the boys (and nieces and nephews!). This year, the family ornament is a black dog. Trenton's is Animal playing the drums and Wesley's is a guitar. The special ornaments have their own place and a wire tree. The boys love looking at past ornaments and discussing memories.

Finally, the tree. For those that have been in my house at Christmas, you know that I like different color schemes. This year, I went with green, gold, and silver. I was inspired by a BHG magazine article last year. I am super anal about my colors. The wrapping paper has to be in the same color scheme. I recently started purchasing color coordinating stockings when they are on sale at Hobby Lobby. I like this color scheme and will probably stick with it for a couple of years. I REALLY liked the purple and silver but Brad didn't. He likes the blue and gold, but I think that looked like a sports team.

And yes, I am about halfway through my shopping list. That is the way that I am! Brad was pointing out something on FB to me last night and I read a post he put up, something about "the start of stress season". I quizzed him why he was stressed about the holidays. He doesn't do much. . .he asked if I found it stressful to travel. That is why I plan. I tartly told him he should try it sometime and see if he finds it helpful.

Progress report on the "attachment"

2010-11-13T07:19:00.002-07:00

It isn't just that we are cheap. Okay, we are, but also that Brad does a better job than anyone that we could hire. So we are doing most of this ourselves. When I say ourselves, I broadly mean, anyone we can get sometimes! This is Wesley and his friend, Trenton Taylor, who said to Brad that this wasn't "torture" when Brad had them helping tie rebar last Wednesday.

So the forms got completed on Thursday and the wonderful concrete guys came in on Friday morning to pour the slab. It is a beautiful slab. Hopefully soon, it will have some spectacular framing.

Balloons and Bluegrass 2010

2010-11-07T11:39:00.007-07:00

When we got back from the Balloon Fiesta, we mentioned to a friend that it was really fun and that the only disappointment that the boys had was that they weren't able to go up in a balloon. She mentioned that the Chamber was still looking for sponsors for Balloons and Bluegrass event. We told her to sign us up! It was so much fun. We go to meet the pilots before the football game on Friday.

We also invited Jimmy, Ramona, Dylan, and Cooper to spend the weekend with us. We woke up early on Saturday to help inflate the balloon and then bounce around Artesia. Sunday was early but with the time change, it was a little easier! Trenton and I rode on Sunday and it was more windy and thus a rougher landing but still so much fun!

Wes and I really early on Saturday!

This is the view of Eagle Draw on Saturday morning as the balloons were inflating!

Dylan and Ramona went up first. Here is Wes and I are waving them off.

Dylan and Ramona went up first. Dylan still has the remanents of the doughnut he had at the Pilot's briefing!

After Dylan and Ramona rode, the balloon touched down in a field. Brad and Wes jumped in then. Here we are walking away back to being the chase crew!

The balloon was called "Peppermint Patty" the pilot was Jim Moore. He and his wife, Millie, were so awesome and we have new friends. We told them we will crew for them the next time they fly!

Brad enjoyed the technical aspects of getting the balloon set up in the mornings!

Jimmy came out on Sunday to help. Unfortunately, the wind was up and he couldn't ride. Next year, he gets to go first!

Cooper came out with us on Sunday. Although it was awkward to hold him while wrapped up in the blanket, he was warm and Wes liked holding him for that reason!

Here is the view of Eagle Draw on Sunday.

Trenton thought that the balloon flight was pretty awesome.

On Sunday, we flew right over our friends, the Taylors' house. I texted them to tell them to come out and wave at us!

Wesley's Las Vegas Adventure

2010-11-01T19:28:00.003-06:00

My mother loves drag racing. I don't know when or how that occurred, but there you have it. Every year, she goes to the NHRA finals in Las Vegas. When the boys were little, we would watch Race Day on ESPN and look for her in the crowd. The boys REALLY wanted to go but I told them they were too little. Being the questioning little boys that they were, they wanted to know when they would be old enough. In exasperation, I told them third grade. They were three and four for Heaven's sake.

Well, third grade is here for Wesley and he did NOT forget. So he and Grandma took off for Vegas for the weekend to go to the NHRA Finals. I took him out of school on Thursday because I had a meeting in Santa Fe that afternoon. We had a rough start because I had to take Wes to Urgent Care in Albuquerque that evening. He slept all afternoon while I was in the meeting so I knew something was wrong. He had strep throat. However, after a day's worth of Tylenol, antibiotics, and lots of sleep, he was fine.

He and Grandma flew out of Albuquerque for two days of racing fun. Las Vegas at Halloween was quite the eye opener for a small Artesia boy. He told me on the phone Saturday night that he tried not to look at the girls' without a lot of clothes, but they were pretty.

Wesley thought of us all as he bought souvenirs. He spent a lot of time in the key chain section and the M&M store. I was very happy that he thought of his brother though. Trent was not upset that his brother got to go. After all, he can go next year when he is in third grade!

Thank you, Boys of Mine!

2010-10-31T21:39:00.003-06:00

I was in Albuquerque on Friday. I did a little shopping for myself and got home about 5:00 to find Brad baking me a cake and this on the table! Isn't it beautiful! Brad later told me he had to talk Trenton into this one instead of the M&M vase. Birthday's aren't much fun as you get older, but gifts like this help!

Sunday and Halloween

2010-10-31T21:26:00.005-06:00

Halloween should not be on a Sunday. It just shouldn't. It really limits what you can do and for how long you can do it. Unfortunately, Halloween fell on a Sunday this year. We started at about 5:30 meeting some friends at the first Annual Pumpkin Palooza at the Rec Center. There were lots of games for the kids to do. There were also a lot of people so we didn't stay long.

Then we went trick or treating with some friends. We only stayed out about an hour, just enough time to get some "loot" for Trenton. Here he is with Braxton and Zane.

You might be wondering where Wesley is in these photos. Here is a hint with more to follow this week. . .

Wesley's 2010 Football Season

2010-10-26T20:57:00.007-06:00

Wesley played on Coach Taylor's Bears this year for the city league. He had a rough start with his finger in a splint. However, Coach Taylor was awesome and he allowed Wesley to play defense. So Wes was the star rusher for the team. He would rather have played offense but by the time he got his splint off, the positions were pretty well set and understood so he continued to play defense. There were 12 boys on his team and they played 8 on 8. The rules were similar to Trenton's division, but they allow some more such as kick offs. All and all, it was a good season despite the rough start.

Update!

2010-10-24T20:31:00.002-06:00

Yes, I haven't been keeping up with the Blog in awhile. Everyone has said something to me and while I feel guilty, there was a good reason: NO free time.

I was an expert witness for a series of greenhouse gas regulations proposed by a group called New Energy Economy and by the New Mexico Environment Department. It was a lot of time and energy to prep for the hearing.s The initial filings by NMED were over 1800 pages. NEE also had initial filings. Then there was all of the rebuttal testimonies that were filed and everything that the opponents filed. You get the picture. There were lots of articles about the hearings in the Albuquerque Journal if you are interested.

There was a dely in the start of the hearings due to a lawsuit. Once that was settled, then the hearings were fast tracked despite opponents objections. In addition to the hearings themselves, I represented NMOGA and other interested parties at presentations around southeast New Mexico describing the potential consequences of the proposals.

I was trying to keep up with all of that in addition to my normal tasks at work. It made for some very long days where I read for a couple of hours after the kids went to bed. The NEE hearings started in August and lasted a week. It wasn't completed so was reconvened the first week of October. The NMED hearing lasted two weeks in September.

The EIB will deliberated on November 2 and early December. We aren't done yet but now the discussion moves into the legal and political arenas.

That is the short reason as to why I didn't have any free time this summer. Add that to two busy kids and a busy husband and there wasn't a lot of time for anything else. I did, however, find a jewel of a housekeeper which helps me tremendously! Hopefully, now that the hearings are over, I can find a couple of free hours a week!

Balloon Fiesta 2010

2010-10-24T20:15:00.006-06:00

Last year, we tried Balloon Fiesta and it didn't work so well. This year, I was in Santa Fe for a series of hearings and Balloon Fiesta was in the middle of that. Soooo. . .instead of coming home, I talked Brad and the boys into coming up to Albuquerque to see the Balloons. As a spectator, it was beautiful and the weather was great. I know that the balloonists didn't like it because it was too warm. But I have been to Fiestas where you can't wear enough clothes. We didn't even need jackets one morning and just long sleeve shirts the other morning.

The boys were all in to collecting the trading cards this year. I knew that collectible pins were a thing, but I didn't know about the cards. The boys thought that was cool and used them and this video as a show and tell at school. Trenton picked the song here. If you have ever been to Fiesta, there is a balloon called the "Purple People Eater" so it is appropriate.

Halloween and Pumpkins

2010-10-24T19:48:00.006-06:00

Halloween starts with Pumpkin Carving! For the last couple of years, we have gathered with friends and neighbors to make a big mess with pumpkins.

Everyone always thinks theirs is the best. Trenton got very detailed this year. He spelled out Halloween on the pumpkin but you can't see it all at once!

Wesley carved a bat in his. Brad's is puking up its on guts.

Introducing Scarf. . .

2010-10-24T15:19:00.004-06:00

The story of Scarf actually has a happy ending. One day this summer at Pizza Inn, Scarf was in the parking lot. He seemed to be a nice dog, if enthusiastic. He showed up at our house a couple of days later and hung out there for several days. The boys have been wanting a dog, FOREVER (just ask them!). Brad said that Scarf had some training and appeared to be healthy.

We were on the verge of taking him, when he disappeared. We ended up rescuing him from the pound which wasn't a bad deal for us. For $35, he got his first round of shots and a microchip and a bath. There was also a spay certificate.

Scarf still needs some training but we are working on it. You can see the bit of white hair he has here. Trenton thought it looked like he was wearing a scarf, thus the name.

The pound put him down as a black lab mix but we think he is part Great Dane. He is supposedly a year old and he is very large! His head is huge.

He will fetch until the boys' arms fall off.

Trenton's Football Season

2010-10-24T11:20:00.013-06:00

This year, both boys played football with the City leagues. It was a great experience. At Trenton's division, they play 4 on 4 so each player gets ample opportunity to play all positions. Trenton's team was the Colts and he was on the same team as one of his best buddy's, Braxton MacDonald.

Cody MacDonald was the coach. Coach Cody also coaches soccer and baseball and some basketball.

Trenton was a good defensive player. It wasn't supposed to be tackle football, but sometimes the boys were aggressive.

The last game was Saturday, October 23. On the second to last play of the game, Trenton recieved a hand off, dodged all the defensive players and SCORED!

All and all, it was a good season, and Trenton is looking forward to playing next year. Rumor is, if the city can get the funding, they are going to try pads on the third and fourth grade division. Stay tuned!

The "Attachment"

2010-10-24T10:26:00.007-06:00

We really like the location of our house in Artesia. The layout wouldn't have been our first choice but we make it work. Since we purchased the house, we have known that we want to make some major structural changes in the form of an addition. Currently, the boys share a room. It is okay when they are small, but as Wesley reminds us constantly, they are growing up and they need privacy. In addition, they usually have some friends over. While I generally don't mind, there are times I wish we had a second living area for boys.

So Brad drew up plans for an addiitonal 625 suqare feet to be two bedrooms, a bath, and a game room. It will be the "boys area". Trenton calls it an "attachment" so we tend to as well. Unfortunately, Brad cannot give up paying jobs to work on it so it is slow going.

After moving the incoming water line, the next step was removing the sidewalk in preparation for the foundation work. This is how Wes broke his finger by the way. He was helping Brad by balancing on a piece of concrete and pinched his finger in the roller of the forklift. I try not to think about the fact that this project didn't start off well.

Second step was taking down the bricks. Fortunately, the boys and their friends thought that this was fun and didn't think of it as work!

Then the hole was dug and back filled with engineered fill. This is where it stands today! Hopefully, things will slow down and we can make some progress in the next month or so!

Labor Day 2010

2010-10-23T20:36:00.003-06:00

This Labor Day, we participated in the First Annual Family Campout. There was five families, ten adults and nine kids who camped out near Cloudcroft. We had one baby girl and eight boys! Four of those are in the same second grade class! We rode the four wheelers and hiked by the falls. The boys ate like pigs in front of the fire. Brad perfected his dutch oven cooking! It was fun and we made lots of memories!

Soccer 2010

2010-10-23T19:16:00.008-06:00

Wesley decided not to play soccer this year because he was going to focus on fall ball. Then his finger happened anyway so it was just Trent on the field this year! We still have a couple of weeks left to play but it has been a good season!

Here Trenton takes on a bunch of defenders!

I think that Trenton is cheering on his team, but I am not sure with that face!

Trenton likes playing goalie. In this league, they don't actually have goalies, they are called defenders because they can't use their hands. Goalies can use their hands.

Trenton's footwork showed a huge leap in maturity this year. You can tell he has been working at it because he had some unexpectedly fancy footwork.

This is Trenton's good friend Jeron. They are in the same class and play together all of the time. That doesn't stop them from competing on the soccer field however.

Trenton gets ready for a goal kick!

Halloween Recital 2010

2010-10-23T18:44:00.006-06:00

Today was the Halloween Recital and it was scrunched in between other activities. We had a soccer game at 12:00 to about 1:00pm. We ran home and ate and changed into Halloween clothes. Wesley's costume was sort of a last minute thing, but it worked out well. You can't really see the "blood" running down the side of his head where the knife is but you could see it when he went on stage. Trenton had to leave the recital as soon as he was done because he had a football game at 3:00. Wesley had a sleepover at Coy's. We ran home to wash off the face before Wes went over there for the night!

Wesley's Finger

2010-10-19T22:11:00.007-06:00

This fall, I was very busy in Santa Fe as a technical witness for a series of hearings in front of the Environmental Improvement Board. On August 18, I am in Santa Fe and Brad's cell phone calls me. I can't get the call so I let it go to voice mail. When I check the message, I hear Trenton, "Hey mom, we are taking Bubba to the emergency room, we think he broke his finger!"

He did in fact. He broke the growth plate in his left index finger. He also dislocated his first finger joint. Luckily, the Artesia ER did a good job with the relocation and he didn't have to have surgery or pins. He was very worried about potential surgery. He just had to wear a finger splint for a month. His nail looks funny and it might not stay on while it grows out, but he has full movement of his finger and it doesn't appear to be deformed.

I ended up coming home from Santa Fe at 8:30 at night. It was a long drive. Brad had me drink a Red Bull before the drive. Now, I don't normally drink those, I just don't like the taste. I didn't realize that there are different sizes and I just picked up whatever was in the ice chest at the gas station. Turns out is was a large. I made it home, but when I could sleep, I couldn't. I was so tired, my eyes hurt but I couldn't sleep. I finally fall asleep about 2:00 in the morning and Wesley wakes up to tell me all about his ordeal. We both fall back asleep but Wes wakes up about 6:00 because the pain meds had worn off and he was hurting.

He told me some interesting things in the middle of the night. His dad took the long way to the ER and hit every red light in Artesia on the way to the hospital. He lost track of how many times he said "freaking" because he knew he couldn't say other words. He talks alot under the influence of morphine. And the doctor was suspiscous of what actually happened with his finger.

And yes, you have seen similar posts with Brad's injuries. Once everyone was assured that Wes was okay and didn't have to have surgeries, there were LOTS of comments about his habits of taking after Brad!

End of School 2010

2010-10-19T22:02:00.005-06:00

First and Second Grade in 2010 ended very well. Both boys made Highest Honor Roll (all A's). Neither made perfect attendence, but tht is okay because they do very well anyway. Trenton had a show for parents where he had to dress nice. He doesn't mind having his picture taken! Both boys have shaggy hair because they were growing it out at this point.

Wesley's Sleep Study

2010-10-19T21:52:00.004-06:00

Wesley doesn't sleep. We weren't sure why so his doctor scheduled a sleep study. This is Wesley at his sleep study. It seems strange, how can you sleep well with all of these cords and wires hanging from you? Turns out, Wesley can sleep well, he just wakes easily and quickly. We have altered his pillow, his mattress, his caffine intake, tried allergy medicine. . .He just doesn't need as much sleep as everyone else.

Luckily, he is willing to watch tv and get his own cereal early on Saturday morning!

Baseball 2010

2010-10-19T21:22:00.010-06:00

Both boys were on the same baseball team this year: Blue Jays! When that occurs, the season is a lot of fun because we can focus on watching both of them play and not run back and forth between games. Granted, it only happens once every two years!

After some fumbling about, Wesley was moved to catcher where he excelled! He was one of the best catchers in the league. He made several big plays at home by getting runners out. He got a kick out of throwing his helmet off and trying to catch the pop flys.

Trenton is still getting his groove. He decided to focus on hitting right-handed this year instead of switching back and forth. He was an awesome hitter and was always positive to his teammates.

With both boys on the same team, Brad and I could help out more. At this division, the teams have to start keeping stats so I got to do that. You have to pay attention because sometimes things happen fast! Brad helped in the dugout because he didn't allow the boys to misbehave while there!

Habitat for Humanity

2010-04-25T21:03:00.002-06:00

Brad gives a lot of his time and effort to Habitat for Humanity for Artesia. He was featured in the paper on Sunday!

Easter 2010

2010-04-25T20:50:00.003-06:00

Easter was upon us before we knew it this year! The Bunny Man brought hoola hoops for the boys to play with! Luckily, the weather was beautiful so the eggs could be "hidden" outside!

Go Trenton - go Trenton!

Shake it Wesley!

Trenton's Birthday

2010-04-25T20:32:00.005-06:00

We had a hard time scheduling anything for Trenton's birthday this year. We are deep in baseball season and it is hard to find a day that worked for all of his friends seeing as how they aren't on the same team. These are Trenton's best buds anywhere: Braxton, Zane, and Zack. Braxton, Zane and Trent were the "Three Amigos" in kindergarten. Zane goes to a different elementary school because of where he lives so they REALLY enjoy when they can get together.

Despite the threat of bad weather, we went to Sitting Bull Falls at Trent's request. It did rain some, but it cleared out and we had a great time. We picniced there because they have awesome picnic area's now. The boys were filthy, muddy messes when it was time to leave, but they fell asleep on the way home so you know it was successful!

We had never been up so early in the season before. All of the Yuccas were in bloom and they were beautiful!

The Pinsons and McDonalds joined us for lunch and some more hiking. Wesley and his friend, Coy, are in there as well.

Trenton was forced to pose with me for a bit!

Brad, John Pinson, and Cody McDonald.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-15T19:53:00.002-07:00

We went to visit Dylan and Cooper for Valentine's Day. The boys loved their new cousin. Wesley especially was very attentive and helpful. He even helped to change Cooper's diaper one time. Wes was always willing to hold and rock Cooper and didn't mind if he cried!

Dylan had a Boy Scouts event that we watched and cheered for on Saturday!

Basketball Time!

2010-01-31T19:47:00.006-07:00

Both boys are playing basketball with Upwards again this year! Trenton is happy because he isn't the shortest one on the team this year! I am not sure but I don't think that basketball is going to be either of their sport of choice. It is a place holder until baseball starts anyway!

Welcome Baby Cooper!

2010-01-30T15:47:00.005-07:00

I thought I was just going to Santa Fe early for the weather. Little did I know, that Cooper had other ideas. I was scheduled to be in Santa Fe for a meeting on Friday, Janaury 29. Normally, I would have traveled to Albuquerque on Thursday to spend the night with Mom before the meeting.

My boss came into my office on Wednesday and asked about my travel plans because of the weather. Ten minutes later, Mom called and said Dad thought that I should come up early because of the weather. Okay, I will listen.

Turns out that Mona's doctor decided that she was in labor, the baby's heart rate might indicate distress, etc, etc and checked her in to the hospital.

I helped Mom get Dylan into bed - not that he needs much help - he is a big boy! Then I went UNM to see if I could help. I hope I was supportive for both Mona and Jimmy as Mona labored to bring Cooper into the world. He was born at 12:10am on January 29 weighing in at 6 pounds 15 ounces! Seeing as how my boys outweighed him by 2 and 3 pounds respectively, he is tiny. But he is beautiful. Mona didn't have to push for very long and his head is nicely shaped and his face is perfect!

We think he is the cutest baby since Trenton!

Sorry Sorry Sorry

2010-01-30T14:55:00.002-07:00

I didn't realize that I hadn't posted anything here lately - we haven't fallen off the face of the earth, things just got in the way.

October and November are always busy with the kids because of school, holidays, and birthdays.

December (although Christmas is great with the kids), was very hard this year. After a painful battle with ALS, Nana passed away on December 11, 2009. We knew the end was near and I am thankful that her passing was peaceful and that her family was there. We took the kids to see her the weekend before. Although she didn't acknowledge Brad or I, I KNOW that she still recognized the boys.

The holidays were subdued and I wasn't very ambitious this holiday season. I inherited Nana's sewing room and it was bittersweet to both pack and unpack that room. I have a lot of memories of Nana and various handicrafts. My cousin Nikki and I are the only ones who cared to learn to quilt. I sent Nikki a big box of things to get her started (I hope) with the promise to send on anything that I forgot! There are still tubs of fabric. kits, and patterns in the garage that I don't have room for right now (but I will!). There are also half a dozen quilts that need to be completed.

I also take some comfort in my memories of Nana and the boys. She loved her great-grandsons and enjoyed spending time with them. They would hold Nana's hand when we went somewhere with her so she wouldn't get lost. Nana always had ice cream and candy and toys for the boys when they came to her house or she came here. They knew that a fantastic bath waited for them at Nana's house (she had a huge garden sized jet tub).

The boys have always believed that Papa is in heaven watching out for their pets that have died. Now, Nana is up there as well and the boys firmly believe that she is in heaven with Papa and their pets.

Mom and the family decided to wait to hold her service until after Christmas so that Christmas wouldn't be spoiled for the littlest family members. We held her service on January 16 in Midland and most of the family was present. It was very enjoyable spending time with my family now that we are all older. The small kids had a whole game/exercise room to themselves and the grownups sat around the kitchen eating, drinking, and talking.

Go Texans!

2009-10-07T21:13:00.008-06:00

Here is Wesley on the sidelines cheering for his teammates! That is Clay on the field, Coy and Houston are standing with Wesley.

Wesley has been playing center this week. He got some one on one coaching with Coach Houghtling earlier and is doing much better.

Wesley is blocking here. He told me he didn't want to catch the ball because then defense would be done and he wouldn't play anymore!

Trenton scored a touchdown at the very end of the game. Here he is on his run!

Here is Trenton crossing the goal line! David tried to take him out, but didn't get his flags in time! The boys ran the "Flea Flicker" earlier in the game but this was a handoff to Trent that scored this touchdown!

Soccer Saturday 2009

2009-10-07T20:54:00.013-06:00

We forgot the camera last week so here is the first look at Soccer 2009. Both boys are playing on a U8 team called Big Red Dynamite coached by Brian Taylor, John Pinson, and Cody McDonald. Coach Cody is also their football coach. John and Cody also coach baseball.

Midland Paper

2009-10-06T19:05:00.001-06:00

On September 24, I did a presentation for the Permian Basin Chapter of the Natural Gas Producers Society. I got a write up in the Midland paper:

http://www.mywesttexas.com/articles/2009/10/04/business/oil/top_stories/epa_regulations.txt

Check it out!

Facebook Rant

2009-09-19T19:28:00.003-06:00

I don't often do just written posts - this is afterall, where I try to keep the family up-to-date on the kids, but I just have to rant for a bit about Facebook.

See, I don't have a Facebook account. Why am I only person without a Facebook account? Several reasons:

1) I can't access Facebook from work. I should be working, not on Facebook, correct? But still! I spend more awake time at work than I do at home. And I am allowed a couple of breaks a day but that is company policy. I read in the paper that a Mebourne Univeristy study said that people are more productive when they aren't denied access to stuff like that. Maybe because once the novelty wears off, it isn't such a big deal. Or they feel guilty and work harder to make up the time?

2) The time I have at home is already booked. We have practices three days a week. Then there is homework, reading, piano, piano practice, etc, etc. If there wasn't something with the kids, then there is laundry, dinner, dishes, more laundry, etc. And I am trying REALLY hard to put in 30 minutes a night on the ellipical.

3) I have to have 8 hours of sleep a night. Perferably more. If not, I get headaches and I don't feel good. I don't have time to not feel good!

When all of that is added up, there is very little time for Facebook. We have two computers and a laptop. Brad spends a lot of time on Facebook. I try to think nice thoughts and that he isn't putting off any important activities because of it, but I have a hard time with those charitable thoughts. Why? Because there is a DEAD FISH FLOATING IN THE FISH TANK!! He hasn't had the time to get to it but he has time to play Mafia Wars?!?!?!?!??!?!?

Wesley has a Facebook account. Brad set it up so that they could play chess with each other but of course it has grown from there. Brad had to lie about Wesley's age in order to get the account so it appears as if Wes is Jimmy's age. Brad didn't even notice. We only allow Wes to be friends with family members. He really enjoys chatting with them but we worried that he was bugging them so Brad found a child safe chat room called Kidz World. Wes just joined so I don't have an opinion about that yet. So, Wesley is on the boy's computer.

Trenton loves a website called FunBrain. He can set up the laptop and get there on his own. He is only allowed on that website and sits at the island in the kitchen where we can moderate his usage.

So if Brad is "working" (and work does have priority - he often has one or two reports that must be done that night) and I am moderating the boys - when do I have time to get on Facebook?

Don't get me wrong - it is not as if I don't get computer time in my own house. I post here don't I? But you will notice how frequent my updates are! I also check my email daily although sometimes I can do that from work if I set it up correctly. I also do the paperwork for the business on a weekly basis (try to anyway).

When I do paperwork for the business, I can't take any side trips and still concentrate and get it all done correctly. It is too easy to make a mistake. I have to start it, focus on it, and get it done.

I understand and appreciate the concept of convenience that Facebook offers. But part of me thinks it is hypocritical as well - if my "friends" didn't have or take the time to find me before Facebook, why is it such a big deal now? I like email, letters, cards. I sort of think that a Facebook "Happy Birthday" doesn't count as much as a "Happy Birthday" delivered any other way. It doesn't take much thought or effort to go the Facebook route after all. Sometimes "it is the thought that counts" isn't true. A fake or insulting thought is often worse than no thought.

So, I don't have the time for Facebook. Yea for those that do - that doesn't make me a Facebook snob. It just makes me a mom with priorities.

Flag Football

2009-09-19T18:21:00.025-06:00

Okay, we are crazy. We are allowing the boys to play soccer and flag football. In a way, it is easier than last year because the boys are on the same soccer team and the same football team. So there are only two games a week and three practices. Last year, with soccer and the boys on different teams, there were four practices in two different places and two different times and games that conflicted. Football practice is only on Tuesday's for an hour and they play every Saturday at 9:00am. One week they are white, then purple, etc. Their first game was last week.

Trenton likes defense better and Wesley likes offense better. The coaches do a good job making sure that the playing time is fair. They have lots of friends on their team and Coach Cody is also their baseball coach and their assistant soccer coach.

They really enjoy it. They have a hard time sometimes keeping track of their flags and their wrist band thingy. I have to get on them to put them in the correct place. This way we KNOW where they are when we need them for practice and for games. For some reason, that is sometimes a strange concept with boys - big and small!

Soccer starts next week. I am still active on the soccer board. We had a hard time this year with the board because there are some personnel changes. Hopefully we are getting past the rough patches and can start getting on with business.

First Tooth!

2009-08-17T20:30:00.004-06:00

Guess who lost a tooth tonight? This tooth has been loose for awhile now but Brad convinced Trenton to leave it in as long as possible because smart kids keep their teeth for a long time! However there was an incident today on the play ground and it loosened up again. I didn't get the full story on that one! He pulled it without help after yardwork tonight!

First Day of School at Yeso!

2009-08-17T20:21:00.002-06:00

Today was the first day of school for both boys. Trenton is now in first grade in Mrs. Lopez's class. He has A LOT of friends in his class - Braxton, Kaylin, Mike, Zack.

Wesley is in second grade in Mrs. Stubblefield's class. Wesley let me help him put his supplies away! I felt so needed.

Neither of the boys would hold hands walking into the school this morning. Wesley did let me give him a little hug before he went on to the playground. There are two sets of doors and we were between them. No one saw that happen.

Trenton allowed me to kiss his hair. I asked him to give me a kiss - he said no. Then I asked if I could give him a kiss - he said NO. I said, Trenton, give me something here! So he tilted his head towards me and pointed to his crown and said right here and hurry up so no one sees. It is bittersweet. I am happy, truly that they are independent little boys. But I am sad that they don't need me anymore.

I did get big love from both of them at home after school when no one was there to see. I guess I should take what I get and be happy!

HPJRA Finals - Wesley's First Cover

2009-07-19T17:59:00.014-06:00

After getting back from vacation, we had two days of rest and then Brad and Wesley had to go to Clovis for the opening of the High Plains Junior Rodeo Association finals. Wesley qualified because he 1) rode in 5 rodeos and 2) sold enough raffle tickets. They attended a meeting on Tuesday morning and then came home. Wesley rode on Wednesday night and Thursday night. We told him to just do his best and we were cool with that.

To all of our astonishment, he COVERED! He scored a 61! Although he wasn't in the money for the first-go, he covered! Wesley was so excited - to put it mildly. We had to relive the ride over and over and over. The video is a little shaky at the end because I got so excited!

Here is Wesley's challenge - calf 590!

Wesley has this whole routine that he goes through. He also recently saw some of the older kids stretching so he added stretching to his routine this time as well.

He is so cute in his gear. He puts the helmet on right before he rides because it is tight and hot. But it is supposed to be tight!

As soon as the calf is in the chute, Brad puts the calf rope on. Sometimes he can get it started in the alley, but mostly in the chute.

This is Wesley on Thursday night. He rode "a calf they call Nightmare" according to the announcer. I think that the announcer was making up the names as he went along because there was also a Grass Chomper! Wes got a kick out of the name though!

So after being in the money on the second go, Wesley was in 2nd place for the short-go on Saturday with 122 points. He said that he wasn't nervous, just excited, but I think he was nervous. Especially because there was a "to do" with the calves. They had been riding holsteins but they put in beef calves for the finals which are more rank (i.e. buck more). Some of the finalists weren't happy about that and we ended up waiting while someone went and got the other calves.

Anyway, Wesley didn't cover in the finals, but he finished fourth anyway. We are so proud and he is already talking about next year. A lot of the riders are moving up to steers (9-12) so Wesley thinks he will rock next year since he will be more experienced and stronger.

Vacation Day 7 - Mesa Verde

2009-07-19T17:17:00.008-06:00

Okay, I am just going to say it flat out. While it was neat to see and we are happy that we did visit Mesa Verde, we will not be going back. We feel no connection to the Ancient Puebloan People. On Friday, we left Moab (sadly), and headed to Mesa Verde National Park. We got there about noon. We visited a "tour it yourself" first at Spruce House.

Then we went on the Balcony House tour. You have to purchase a ticket for this one and it is ranger led. You climb down, down, down into the canyon. Then you climb up this ladder.

You also have to climb through some tunnels to get into Balcony House. The boys had no problem. Brad, on the other hand, found it small.

After Balcony House, we had a tour ticket for Cliff Palace. By this time, it was HOT and the boys suddenly had to go to the bathroom. When we were in the middle of the tour. Now what?!?!

We weren't sure if the tour was really over or not, but we started up the ladders to get out anyway. The boys couldn't wait anymore!

Day 6 - Jeeping in Moab and Canyonlands

2009-07-19T15:39:00.012-06:00

So on Friday, we rented a jeep from Canyonlands Jeep Adventures. With some input from the rental agent, we decided on a circular trail that would take us to Canyonlands National Park for the day. We started north of Moab and took the Gemini Bridges Trail. There are two bridges next to each other that you can hike to. It is about 3/4 on a mile from the main road. This trail takes you to Hwy 313 and into Canyonlands. It was fun to drive around and stop where we wanted.

We were trying to take a picture of all of us on one of the Gemini Bridges but the 10 second delay wasn't enough time for Brad to get back to us. Here he is sprinting when the photo snapped.

This is inside Canyonlands, looking down on the Schafer Trail which we will be taking back to Moab. You drop about 800 foot in elevation with all of these switch backs. It sure looks cool from up here!

We asked someone to take our picture at the Upheaval Dome. We stopped here and had lunch and then hiked up to look at Upheaval Dome.

Trenton made it clear he was tired of hiking.

This is at the Grand View Point Overlook. From up here, you can see the canyons of the Green River, the Colorado River, and the Confluence. It is an awesome view and I am working on some panoramic photos.

Here we are on the Schafer Trail, headed back to Moab with our rented jeep. The boys loved that there were no doors or windows on the back of the jeep. They could just look over the side. They had to climb in over the tire.

We are on the Schafer Trail here. I didn't even get out, I just leaned out the window and took this picture.

This is looking back on what the Shafer Trail switchback took us down. Awesome elevation change.

This is looking out over the Colorado River. This lookout has a name, but I don't remember what it is. I do know that this is the last scene in Thelma and Louise where they drive their car off of the cliff.

Canyonlands was more scenic and less developed than some of the other parks we have been at. If you wanted to camp or do more hiking without the development, I think it would be cool. There are more trails that you can drive, hike, or bike if you wanted.

BTW, we were just in the Island in the Sky area. We didn't even make it to the Needles District because you have to go back to Moab, go south to Monticello and then west.

Day 5 - Rock Climbing

2009-07-19T09:50:00.014-06:00

At first, the boys decided that river rafting was "wicked". However, river rafting took second place to rock climbing. We went once again with Moab Adventure Center who subbed to Moab Cliffs and Canyons. We weren't sure if it was something that the boys could do, but I was assured by the MAC that this was a family adventure.

They were right. The boys were little spider monkeys. The guides gave us some basic instructions on ropes, safety, etc. We went west of Moab on Potash Road to an area called Wall Rock. The specific area we were at is called School House Rock because it is a good beginner area. There are also some petroglyphs a little further west if you are familiar with the area. The highway is pinched between the rock wall and the Colorado River. When you "ring the bell", the view is awesome but you are almost too tired and scared to enjoy it too much once you are at the top.

Here are the boys in their gear. They were excited but also a little worried about it. Wesley jumped right in! He wanted to go first and he was awesome! Trenton went up next. He had a little trouble coming down and wasn't sure if he wanted to go again, but we talked him into it. The second time, he paniced and couldn't get down. The guides helped him come down and Trenton decided he was done.

Here is Brad belaying for one of the boys. It was actually harder to belay for them because they don't weight very much. Notice how close the highway is to the wall. The guides say that most injuries are because of the highway rather than the climbing.

After conquering the initial climb, Wes moved on to a more challenging climb. Here is is coming down. This is looking west.

The boys also took photos because I wanted to climb as well! There were lots of butt shots in the camera. However, those aren't flattering so you don't get to see those!

This is one of Brad's favorite shots. Wesley is learning the technique for crack climbing. He was really awesome. The guide told us that Wes was a natural and we should encourage him if we wanted too! Wes is all for that.

After his mini-meltdown, Trenton took a break. However, I think that he couldn't stand seeing his brother having fun without him so he tried again. Getting up wasn't the problem initially. However, this time, Trenton trusted the rope and came down much better. Then he was off!

After mastering the crack climb, Wes moved on to a very challenging climb. We were in a group of eight. The other four climbers had some experience in rock climbing and were attempting this climb. There were two guys and one girl that attempted this climb. Wesley out climbed all but one of the guys.

This is right next to the climb above. Again, Wesley out climbed everyone!

Brad attempted this climb at the very end and he just had to go higher than Wes did! It took awhile but he did it. Here we are at the end, tired but happy and had a great time!

We went home and sat in the hot tub. I was still VERY sore the next day. The boys claim that they weren't - whatever. Brad was sore in one calf and the opposite tricep muscle. My legs and right below my butt were very sore! We highly recommend rock climbing as a family adventure!

Day 4 - Part 2: Hiking in Arches

2009-07-15T13:31:00.012-06:00

So after spending some concentrated time in the Fiery Furnance in the morning, we took a bracing nap and then returned to Arches to explore on our own. We returned at about 5:00pm. It was still warm, but you knew that the sun was going to go down and it was going to get cooler.

This is the Fiery Furnance from the Garden of Eden viewing spot. It is still early in the evening but you can kind of see that it looks like a red flame.

Here are the boys in front of Double Arch. We spent a little time in Park Avenue before proceeding to the Windows. We parked there and hiked around. The boys climbed up inside one of the arches in the Double Arch. Once there, they said "oh my gosh, it is a long way down!" We didn't climb up there and suggested that they come down.

This is looking from inside the Double Arch to the rest of the Windows area. You can't really tell, but North and South Arch are in front of us.

After leaving the Windows area, we went to the end of the Park which is known as Devils Garden. This is a picture of Landscape Arch. "Landscape Arch is the longest arch in Arches. The trail is a short walk/hike of about 1.5 miles along a maintained trail. The Natural Arch and Bridge Society considers the Landscape Arch to be the longest natural arch in the world, having measured the span in 2004 at 290.1 ± 0.8 feet Since 1991, three large slabs of sandstone measuring 30, 47, and 70 feet long have fallen from the thinnest section of Landscape Arch, forcing the Park Service to close the trail that once passed beneath it." Considering the rate that it is falling, we wanted to make sure that we saw it just in case it wasn't there during any return trips.

These are just some scenic photos as we walked out of Devils Garden. As the sun set, the reds and oranges really came out creating some wonderful photo opportunities.

This is Delicate Arch at sunset. We hiked to the Upper Viewing Area rather than the arch itself because it was already at sunset. Not to mention that the Upper Viewing Area trail was shorter than the trail to the Arch itself and we were getting tired.

We hung out there until the moon rose and then hiked back out. Monday was a full moon so there was plenty of light to navigate the trail.

Here we are very tired and a little sunburned and dehydrated.

Day 4 - Part 1: Hiking Fiery Furnance

2009-07-15T13:04:00.018-06:00

On Tuesday, we woke up EARLY (like dark time). Not really, about 6:00 am which is early for a vacation day. But we had to meet at the Moab Adventure Center for a planned hike into the Fiery Furnance. The Fiery Furnance is a "confusing maze of high sandstone fins where it is very easy to become lost." There are some more photos on the Arches National Park website. The Park offers Ranger led hikes into this same area. However, after doing some research, I decided that I was willing to pay more for a smaller group. We actually passed the Ranger led hike and there were about 25 people in that group roaming around like cattle. We only had eight people including us in our group and it was awesome. We were able to climb around and up and over as we liked instead of being restricted to the trail. Actually, there were very few places where there was actually a trail. Mostly, we just walked on the rocks.

This is at the La Sal Mountains lookout, looking into the park. The towers in the middle-right are the Three Nuns.

Here we are heading off into the Fiery Furnance. Notice the very cool Camel Paks. They were a life saver for the boys and Brad was so jealous that we had to get him one when we got home.

Wesley was quite the photographer during this trip. Actually, both boys were. Some of these photos were taken by the boys.

Inside the Furnance.

Family portrait in front of Balanced Rock.

This is a picture of "crypto". This is a big deal in the area. "Biological soil crust is a living groundcover that forms the foundation of high desert plant life in Arches and the surrounding area. This knobby, black crust is dominated by cyanobacteria, but also includes lichens, mosses, green algae, microfungi and bacteria." Unlike most hiking ventures, you want to stay off of the soil and stay on the rocks. Walking in sandy ravines is okay, just not other soils.

Traversing the Fiery Furnance is an up and down adventure. It isn't for people who are claustrophobic, however. Some of the trail was very narrow - Brad had to walk sideways because his shoulders were too wide to fit in between the fins.

Taking a break inside the Fiery Furnance. It is a very quite place. You definately feel that there aren't other people around for miles.

This was definately taken by one of the boys! I am not sure of the elevation changes but there were times that Brad and I were huffing and puffing on this hike.

Here are the boys at the end of the hike. We finished up about noon and headed back to Moab. We woke them up to eat and then went back to the condo for a longer nap before heading out for Hiking Part 2.