Happy Birthday!

Jacob is 6 years old! We had a low-key birthday, but it was very nice. Jacob wanted tacos for dinner, and then we went off to two soccer games. He's loving his new gifts - the army set and the bionicle legos - and is playing with them constantly.

Toothless

Jacob has lost his first tooth and will be losing his second one shortly. A picture of his tooth-gap-smile is attached. I had to snap a picture of Annie too, just because. Also included is a picture of Jacob wearing Brian's NPS hat. Brian is in the background, and that's the closest I've been able to get to a picture of him in uniform so far.

North Rim Camping

We headed out for a long-overdue camping trip. We opted for the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, as it will close fairly soon for the season. It was a pretty typical camping trip -- we played, ate and slept in the woods. The kids entertained themselves with the felled trees and the tree stumps. They got a kick out of the mushrooms that grow on trees, running up and down hills, rocks, and the shear number of stars that can be seen in the dark sky. They also loved playing in the tent with the flashlight when they were supposed to be going to sleep. We reminded them over and over to be quieter, but they remained oblivious to how loud they were being. They were also completely unaware of the Grand Canyon. I suppose their world is much smaller, as they concerned themselves with things that were in their immediate reach. A covey of dusky blue grouse crossed our trail on a small hike, and it was fun to see. They reminded me of chickens.

We stopped for a picnic 30 or so miles before the campground, off on a forest service road Brian knew. The forest service/park service came by to start a management forest fire. We watched them light the brush with their canisters and left when the smoke became a little too much.

Soccer Season

It is soccer season, and both Annie & Jacob are playing this year. Jacob's games are much more organized, with rules, positions and a referee. Jacob doesn't usually play goalie, it was just the only good picture I got from his game. He seems to be enjoying it this year more than last, so let's hope it keeps up. Annie spent most of her game doing somersaults in the grass. We'll see if she shows any more interest as the games progress.

A posting, finally!

Many apologies for the lapse in postings. We've been a bit busy, but not with anything worth posting. This weekend was Labor Day, and Brian headed back to Kansas for his 20-year high school reunion. I couldn't take the time off with the school schedule, so the kids and I stayed behind. We did go with Maria and Landon to the Coconino County fair, which was the epitome of a county fair. We saw lots of animals (14 different types, as we counted on the bus ride), ate cotton candy and did some rides. Annie chose the pony ride. The boys were too big, so they did a trampoline jumpy-thing. We steered clear of the larger rides and just kept it simple. In hind sight, that was perfect. That was pretty much the highlight of the weekend, but it was nice to have an extra day.

Happy Birthday Annie

It has been quite a week. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of pictures to show for it. Jacob started Kindergarten, which he seems to like just fine. Annie went back to pre-school. We also celebrated Annie's 4th birthday. She had her first friends-only birthday party, which was a lot of fun for her. Lots of girls, doing lots of "girly" things. Hopefully I'll get back on track with taking more pictures soon.

Montana Vacation

We took a second vacation this summer (what a great thing!). The family headed up to Montana to enjoy the scenery, cooler temperatures and all the activites that the state has to offer. We mostly stayed in Missoula, where Brian and I lived while he was getting his master's degree. It was a fun trip back, and we realized that we like the city as much as we did 10 years ago. Brian fished the Clark Fork River, which runs right through Missoula, and we spent time walking the park along the river and through the downtown. We did take a jaunt up to Whitefish and the Glacier National Park. While in Glacier, Brian fished the Flathead River & Lake MacDonald. The kids and I did a hike and took the shuttle up "Going-to-the-Sun" road to Logan's Pass. While in the park, we saw a moose, big-horn sheep, a marmont and lots of deer. All around, another great vacation.