Grand Canyon Fieldtrip!

15 Parents of children in Kade's 4th grade class put their names in to go on the Grand Canyon Field trip. 4 were picked out of the hat and Jon was one of them. He was still sick so I got to go in His place. I had never seen the Grand Canyon so I was so excited. It was incredible. We met at the school at 5:00 A.M. and loaded everyone on chartered buses and headed towards the Grand Canyon.

We took the train from Williams all the way to the Canyon. It took about 2 hours. They had some fun entertainment the kids had so much fun. On the way back we even got robbed by some mean cowboys. The kids handed over their goods (mostly candy).

There was tons of snow as we hiked two miles along the rim. It was a beautiful day. I lent Kade my old Canon camera and He took the most amazing pictures of the Canyon. He is a great photographer.

I was in charge of four boys including Kade. Thank goodness their teachers scared the heck out of them before we got there. They were very careful about the edges. However, I spent most of my time counting them and making sure they stayed on the trail. I couldn't believe some of the drop offs and it was slick. Scary!
After we spent the night in cabins in Prescott, We woke up and giant snowflakes were falling from the sky. We decided to skip the hike and head to Montezuma's Castle and Well. It was fun seeing the dwellings of the ancient Sinagua Indians. We learned about how the women built this amazing structure located on the banks of Beaver Creek using 5 different ladders. 30 people lived in this 5 story indian dwelling and 100's more lived in the valley below.
After we went to the castle we drove another 11 miles to Montezuma's well.
Montezuma's Well is a sinkhole, a collapsed underground limestone cavern filled with water. More than a million gallons of water a day flow continuously, providing an oasis in the midst of surrounding desert grassland.The well is a unique ecosystem with several plants and animals found nowhere else on earth. There are leeches, amphipods, water scorpions and turtles that live in this closed ecosystem. However because of the conditions no fish live in the Well. This remarkable habitat is perhaps due to the receiving and the discharging of large quantities of warm water (76° F) that enters through underground springs, keeping the environment within the well very stable. As we stood their in the cold rain we felt the water and it was very warm.
These were dwellings of the ancient Sinagua Indians found at the top of the Well. Sinagua Indians still live among Arizonians today. Everything we learned about them was very fascinating. Kade and I had a blast on this field trip. I also got to know Kade's friends, teacher and principal better. What fun!

This is a poem written by Kade:

The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon looks huge and colorful.

The Grand Canyon smells sensational.

The Grand Canyon sounds like the rustle of leaves.

The Grand Canyon tastes like hot cocoa.

The Grand Canyon feels wonderful.

The Grand Canyon is orange, red, yellow, the color of the desert.

Kade's Basketball 2008

Kade has an amazing b-ball team this year. He played in a different league than we are use to and we are really impressed at how organized it is. He has a wonderful coach and most of the kids are really skilled. They have only lost one time and last night they beat the team they lost to earlier in the season. They play for the championship next week. Go Kade! Kade and His Friend Max!

Something to do on a RAINY DAY!

I remember playing with these balloonies when I was young.

The kids played all day with their dollar store toys.

Saturday was kind of cold and rainy. Jon was still sick and the kids were climbing the walls. I told them if they deep cleaned the house I would take them to the dollar store. They started cleaning like mad. I have never seen them clean so fast and good. I should've thought this up sooner. They had a blast picking out their loot. Then we came home and messed up the house with all of the toys they got. Oh well, it was worth the fun.

Sick Week!

Is this the Medicine Cabinet? No, it's just the side of Jon's bed. He was down all week with the flu. He went on the Oceanography trip with Riley to California for 3 days and caught the disease that everyone else on their bus had. A bad virus!! I'm sure He will really appreciate that I took His picture and posted it on my blog. I told him to look at it every now and then and it will help him to remain grateful for feeling good. You know your really sick when all you have to look forward to is "People's Court". I have never seen Jon so sick. He still has a bad cough but He gets better everyday. Cole has it now and Riley is just getting better. We are praying the rest of us stay healthy. Lysol is my friend!!!

Flowers!

I had fun practicing taking pictures with my new camara.

The flowers in Disneyland are so amazing! The bright red tulips were the most beautiful sight.

California Adventure

We stayed in California for one more day with Jon, Jeanna, Mac and Issak. We spent most of the day in California Adventure. Sooooooo fun!! Kade joined the cast of Highschool Musical and played the drums. The hightlight was the Tower of Terror. We took everyone on the ride even the little guys. Issak talked about it the rest of the day. He loved it!

It's Magic!

The next day we all went to Disneyland together. Every time we waited in line we all gathered around Ryan and listened to his stories of His mission. What a perfect place for a magical weekend.

We now have three Jedi's in our family. Way to go Cole, Maddie and Mac. This was the highlight of Disneyland for Cole. He was very excited to become a Jedi. He takes his title very seriously and continues to take his light saber to pre-school everyday.

These are the people who were to cool to go on the Dumbo ride. Or maybe they just didn't want to get sick. Yeah that's it.

Ryan's Surprise Homecoming!

Surprise, Welcome Home Uncle Ry!

Getting ready for the big surprise!

My Mom and Dad took a trip to the Philappines to visit Ryan's mission. They spent a few days in Japan visiting Keishi(our foster brother) first. They had a wonderful time. They flew back to the U.S. and into LAX with Ryan and we all had planned a wonderful surprise. Dad and Mom told Ryan that Jon (my Brother) was in LA on business so they were going to spend the day with him. Jon picked them up at the airport and brought them back to our hotel in Anahiem. We were all waiting with signs and balloons. It was a sight let me tell ya. A bunch the hotel workers and guests came out to see the show. We have never been that excited. It was very emotional and amazing. The kids could not keep their hands off of Uncle Ryan. They just kept giving him hugs. How exciting!!!
Learning Philappino games!
"Ryan, Where do you want to eat for your first American Meal in TWO YEARS?"

"In and Out, of course." Can you imagine what a milkshake would taste like after no milk for 2 years? YUM! You would think Grandpa hadn't had American food in a few years too. Even after going a few weeks without it Dad was really enjoying His hamburger. This was a week-end we will never forget!

Aunt Janet met us that night and we all went out for some awesome Mexican Food.

Book Bunch Beauties!

Book Club in January was at my house. We had a surprise birthday party for Cara. I'm not sure what was funnier, the surprise, or Monica and I getting ready for the party. Fun!!! I'm so lucky to have wonderful friends to share fun times with. And most of the time we even talk about the books we read. Smart and Fun Friends! Wow, I'm so blessed.