Supercalifragislisticexpialidocious!

Saturday February 13, 2010: Sounds pretty precocious doesn't it?! It is the only word I can think of to describe Mary Poppins--The Musical! It was a girls treat--just for Mommy and Reagan! (We sent the boys on their way to Bass Pro and Sportsmens'--which there was no complaining about!) I had purchased the tickets litterally months ago with the big plans in mind! It didn't work exactly to plan,but the show was nothing short of amazing! Reagan and I loved every minute of it! The "theatrics" far surpassed my imagination! From dancing on the ceiling to costumes to giant dancing toys to slight differences from the movie--it held our attention to the max! I had worried a bit about Reagan since the show was near 3 hrs long with an intermission...but there was no need to worry! She sang and danced in her seat right along with the production! We'll have to do this again someday soon!

Ps-no pics because I forgot the camera...but you weren't allowed to take any photos inside Gammage at all. anyway..the lady in front of us just snapped a pic of her kids and down came an usher insisting that she put her camera away...so guess it was okay I forgot it!

See It...Do It

The ER motto for teaching is often "See one, do one." I guess I apply this to other parts of my life too--as I learn. Well, the story starts last week when I attempted bread making and it was a complete bust....didn't even rise and I was too embarrassed to even photograph it as the beginning of my learning curve! I hate to fail at anything (surprised?!) so quickly I go to work and set up a little "bread making class" and watched a pro at work. Emily Larson, my husband's baby sitter at one point, was the teacher... and she is just that--A PRO! She is so good, she doesn't even measure! (I don't think I've ever had or will have her confidence in the kitchen!) She was fun to watch and talk to though! (I love that girl!) Our bread turned out nothing short of perfect and yummy! I was so proud!

I "saw one" so it was my turn to "do one"! I made bread yesterday! I had to think just a bit and half Emily's recipe and still hope it came out right---and surprisingly it did! I made some mini loaves (that looked and tasted amazing) and one lg. loaf (that looked like a mess 'cuz it stuck to the pan, but tasted heavenly...gotta get some special "Emily pans" soon).

It worked! I did it! I think I'm getting the hang of this homemaking thing!

ps--I took some to work and no one believed that I made it from scratch--said "its too perfect!" It passed the test though--everyone enjoyed it warm with honey butter in the wee hrs. of the morning!

Travis Says....and Lip Meets Hot Pan

As time passes, we forget things. These are some of the things Travis says that I don't want to forget:

*"My name is TraBis."

*"Mom, I need to talk to you."

*peanut butter = "pink-a-butter"

*cough drops = "off drops"

* "But I want Dad's tractors!" (Jason has a toy collection and doesn't share!)

*"Can I watch Cars??? AAAAHHHHH.....Why can't I watch Mater?"

*"Let's read Mater the Grater." (He has a toon Cars book we read over and over again!)

*This morning as I sat on the bed next to Travis after I got back from my run, he says, "Mom you smell like pee!" Gotta laugh at that one!

What a grown up little guy he is....or just thinks he is! I laugh so often about his attitute and how he talks and acts...2 going on 7 I'm sure! (Wonder where he gets it from?!)

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Travis stretched up to see what Mom was cooking and touched his top lip to the hot cookie sheet I had just got out of the oven. OWWWW!! Yep--nasty little burn to lip. Very traumatic for all involved but Travis is dealing with it pretty well. "My lip just hurts Mom!" What a cutie! (And -thanks for the cute hair cut Aunt Amy!)

Out for a Drive

After being under house arrest for a few days, we needed a break. Out for a drive "around" the mountain we went. We drove from home to Cedar Springs where the kids enjoyed some rock climbing... Big rocks meant big fun....

Behind the huge rocks were some smaller boulders that had been used by the Indians to grind corn in the past....we found lots of these enormous "matats" around. Very cool...and historical.

Reagan being the little climber that she is--just had to climb to the very top to prove she could do it! What a girl! She is so not afraid of anything!

Travis wanted to climb so we had to find some rocks more his size.

Then, it was off again to Klondyke and up into the Aravipa Canyon for lunch. It was really pretty and reminded us of Bonita Creek. The kids and Grant found the water and enjoyed some mud playing...should have got a few pics of the beautiful mud "castles" they created. These kids love getting dirty!

Dad's truck got dirty. "Its not my fault!" Travis says! I agree...Dad drove us there--must be his fault!

The kids soon fell asleep and we drove through Stockton pass and home. It was a long relaxing drive. Fun!

"Vacation"

Well, on our "forced vacation," I have managed to get some things done--master cinamon rolls and sugar doodles, flop completely at making bread (someday I'm going to learn the secret!), get some blogging done, go on a short ranger ride, go on some long runs, clean my floors and shower (both of which I hate doing and put off as long as possible), canned some chicken, started reading Wuthering Heights for the millionth time (I haven't been able to get past the first chapter since HS), and just hung out with my funny kids and my sweet hubby. My mock cinabuns are the best!Yummy bottled chicken! Reagan and Travis built a snicker doodle snow man! Crazy kids! (Yes, we may weigh a million lbs. by the time we are free to roam the town!)

The kids have enjoyed some outside time and some inside time...playing legos, trains, and Disney figures have been their favorites.

Have You Ever Seen So Much Snow???

All of our rain down here has brought LOTS of snow to Mt. Graham...........more than we've ever seen! With feet-not inches- piling up on the cabin roof top, Jason and Tanner decided we needed to take a trip up and clear off the snow. As we made the trek from the truck to the cabin, the snow was up to my waist in places...and there was still snow pack under my foot! Crazy! Jason and Tanner worked long and hard...it took lots more time than we expected! This is a pic of the peak of the cabin roof. Check out that snow drift on top of it!

Travis loved the snow, but missed insulated gloves! His hands got cold fast so we just sat on our sled and watched the men work.

The snow was almost deeper than the shovel on the (highest) roof of the cabin!
What a blessing the rain has been to the valley and to the mountain...it is going to be a beautiful spring and summer!

Ps--Tanner is Daddy now! Alexis Grace was born last week! We are so excited to have another baby (especially a girl!) in the family!

Riding/Biking to School

As Arizonans, we love any sprinkle of rain we can get....but with rain everyday last week and some this week, the kids and I are about done with rainy, wet, and muddy days. Finally, we had a few mornings this week that were dry enough to brave biking to school--which Reagan has been begging to do since Travis and I got our cool bike trailer. It may be cold out, but the kids don't mind. They love it! Now, we just have to work on Reagan being able to bike all the way to school beside us--so she can be a biker instead of a rider!