Where did 2012 go??

Here are some pictures from spring and summer.  The year has flown by!

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Macey practices her writing

A girl can dream, can't she?

Spain

Oh yeah, we went to Spain!  Almost forgot about that.  It seems like it was so long ago.  We had a great trip experiencing Spanish culture and most of all, loved being with Nicole, Paul, and Max.  It wasn't a very relaxing trip, traveling with young children and trying to adapt to public transportation, LOTS of walking (Owen and Macey were rockstars!) and meal times (we never did sync our hunger during meal serving hours at restaurants).  But, we are so glad we went and are so grateful to our wonderful hosts and tour guides.  It really was a fun trip and feel so fortunate that we had the wonderful opportunity.  Below is a link to some of the many pictures, unedited.  They say more than I need to.

Spain March 2012

Mountain Candy

Today we went to the Candy Plant outside of Flag towards A1 Mountain. You know you're in for an adventure when the directions include "follow the candy canes to the end of the forest service road - that could be plowed" - mind you we received over a foot of snow last weekend.

The kids got to make their own candy canes and other fun with molten sugar.

Still here...

Needless to say, life's been busier than usual the past few months. That seems to be the case for most folks we know. Owen and Macey are nearing the end of their first semester at their new school, Flagstaff Junior Academy, which both of them absolutely love. So do Todd and I. The transition over to FJA was much smoother than I anticipated and it was the change we all needed.

The house projects that started 3+ years ago are finally coming to an end. We've spent countless hours doing things we never intended, and things are looking good and it's feeling like our home. It's required a lot of patience from everyone here. While the projects themselves have been a big deal, it's the aftermath that's the worst part. I'm looking forward to having tools and materials put away and enjoying a "normal" house and yard.

We have taken time to have fun too. Playing out in the yard, hikes and bike rides in the woods, Halloween, Sky Ride at Snow Bowl, break dancing, the Grand Canyon, and chopping wood have been high on the list of fun times. Check out the album of pictures of attached.

Camping at Morton Lake

This past weekend we ventured out on our first camping trip of the summer to Morton Lake. We went with friends Bob and Stevi and their daughter Emma. We did lots of fishing, but no catching. We had some boats and enjoyed being on water.

If you've never experienced Arizona lakes, they are very different from the typical lake image you probably have. This particular one doesn't always have water, but I guess we went on a very good year. Access to it isn't easy, about 10 miles back on some gnarly forest service roads. The Subaru made it (with trailer attached!) and then some... Bob said that we should have taken a video of Todd driving it down one particular section and sent it to Subaru for marketing in exchange for a new car. We liked the idea, but didn't capture that on film and will never drive that road again.

For those of you who know the story of Ultimate Larry - he made another appearance the night we were camping. If you don't know the story, ask Todd, it's good.

Nana & Pa visit

We were also so lucky and thankful to have Todd's folks visit this summer too. More hanging out, hiking, and relaxing. Thank you for coming!

The kids love knitting! Nana set the kids up with knitting looms. Owen woke up a couple of days and asked if he could knit before anything else. The kids really liked having books read to them while they worked. I think Nana and Pa liked it too.

Snack break

Stream crossing

Along the West Fork of Oak Creek

And yes, more...