Camping in Flagstaff

Camping was a bona-fide success for the kiddos, and the adults, too. We all had a great time at Mormon Lake in Flagstaff. Having Aunt Annie was, of course, the icing on the cake.

The kids loved the tent - in fact we put them to bed in the tent about 7:45 pm, and with the flashlight on, they entertained each other for 3 hours! We heard phrases like "Ladies and Gentleman" from Jake, as well as stories about a rocket ship. But we really don't know what they were doing, except for the requests to go potty.

We stopped in downtown Flagstaff to meet up with Aunt Annie and have a drink on Friday afternoon. Then on Saturday (Public Lands Day), Aunt Annie and Brian did some trail work. Jacob, little Annie and I did some crafts, toured the grounds, watched the horses, met the birds of prey they had there. Later we were introduced to Smokey the Bear. Little Annie got a real kick of the life-size teddy bear. The bottom picture shows a felled tree, that the kids saw crash to the ground.

So, it looks like we'll be camping again in the future.

P.S. McVay family -- Mormon Lake Lodge looks almost identical to when we were there 15 years ago. We snapped a picture, but it didn't turn out so great. Brought back memories of a good time.

Snapping Dragons

Here is a picture of a picture - The Snapping Dragons. Jacob has been thoroughly enjoying soccer. Still not much "athletic skill" in the game, just lots of fun, exercise and good interaction. He even told me once "Mom, your not supposed to talk to me. That's for the coach."

We're off this weekend to Flagstaff for a camping outing with Aunt Annie. I'll take some good pictures and update you on the camping experience with a 2 & 3 year old.

Saturday Soccer / Sunday Hike

Well, that sums up our weekend. Saturday's soccer game (not really a game, more of a "chase-the-ball-run-around"). Then a small hike to Horseshoe Bend. Dramatic scenery, but no guard rails for the thousand foot drop to the Colorado River.

Friday at the beach

Went to the beach this beautiful Friday afternoon. Temps are cooling down (for the desert), and it feels great. We had a relaxing and fun afternoon, with lots of swimming and playing in the soft sand.

Sunday Hike

We went to another kid-friendly, early morning hike in the desert. This was just across the border in Utah (Page is about 8 miles from the border of Utah). It was called the Toadstools.

Once again, Jacob hiked the whole way (with some complaining, of course). Annie was carried in the back-pack, as Brian couldn't suffer her slow pace. (Her slow pace was made worse because she stopped every few steps to pick up a rock or any other thing that caught her attention.)

Just a note: my dad brought this to my attention. If you'd like to see a picture more closely, just click on it. It blows is up to full-screen-size.