Random Thoughts

Since I don't have any pictures to post tonight I thought I'd copy Kath from Haf Doz'n Reasons and just post random thoughts.

• I've been missing Charlie, Max and Elly today. They arrived safely home last night. Charlie called me today around noon and asked me what I was having for lunch. I told her we were probably going to McDonalds (we were out and about all morning). She said they'd go to McDonalds too and could I call her when we get there and tell her what I was having. She's been identifying closely with me lately - she'd knock on my bedroom door while she was here and ask what color shirt I was going to wear that day so she could do the same. One night she asked me if I was wearing short sleeves or long sleeves to bed! So sweet.

• My friend Mickey arrived tonight. She'll be here for a week for a much needed round of R&R. We plan to go to Scrapbooking Etc. in Mesa tomorrow or Friday. And we'll rest by the pool and maybe go on an easy hike (as long as there are no snakes!) over the next week. We've been told that its much too cold for the snakes to be out. It was 76F today (about 24C).

• Emily cooked us another wonderful meal tonight - that girl has a way with food! She and Allan are enjoying themselves exploring the Phoenix area on their own.

• Lloyd and I think of Tania often and feel so bad for her. Losing her son has been such a devastating blow for her. Thankfully two of her other Aunties are there to offer comfort and help.

• Although we have a television here in Surprise, we haven't turned it on since we've been here. We've watched a few movies via dvd on the projector/screen we've set up in the loft.

• In the evenings there's always at least two of us in the loft sitting with our laptops, working on blogs or emails or whatever. Tonight it's Mickey and me.

• Estate sales are fun.

• WalMarts are the same in the US as they are in Canada, except you can get different 'stuff'. For example, we wanted Gravol for Elly before she flew home. They had never heard of it at the WalMart pharmacy. They had dramamine but only for kids 2 and over, and Elly is only 13 months. And (you won't believe this!) they had never heard of Robaxisol or Robaxiset for back pain. Poor Lloyd had to get something we had never heard of.

• I don't play golf and Lloyd doesn't scrapbook. I will, however, pose for pictures with a club in my hand, beside a golf cart. And once a year or so I'll play a round of 'best ball' with Lloyd and another couple (Allan and Emily this week), but my ball seldom gets used. It's fun being out for 4 hrs with Lloyd though. Do you think he'll ever spend an evening scrapbooking with me???

• I love Arizona.
  

Starlight Swimming

We had the best time the other night. The water temperature was warmer than the air temperature in the evening and we decided we HAD to go for a swim in the starlight. It was awesome. The pool has a light system that changes colors as programmed so that made it even more beautiful.

Me and Charlie

The kids never get in the pool without their life jackets on and Charlie always needs her ring floatation device as well. Tonight, for some reason, Max and Charlie were more brave than usual. It started with Allan trying to encourage Max to try to swim. Then, after much coaxing, Charlie gave up her floatie and agreed to try to swim with her life jacket on too.

At the end of our pool time, Charlie finally was able to swim...in an upright position...doing a treading water motion, but using her arms to propel herself through the water.


Halfway through the swimming lesson, Max, obeying the first rule of the pool (no peeing in the pool) ran into the house to go to the bathroom. Of course, wet bathing suits are very difficult to get on, so his mother told him that he could just go skinny dipping. He thought it was great.


Once he got the hang of moving freely through the water under his own steam, Max was in his glory. In the picture above, he's swimming to 'the perfect light' at the deep end of the pool...totally fearless. We got such a kick out of him. His little legs were pumping a mile a minute..it was like he was running a marathon in the water.

Charlie, not so brave, didn't venture very far from an adult, but she eventually got the hang of it and didn't want to go in when we were finished.


Sara was so proud of her kids. So were Grammie and Papa, and Allan and Emily.


Max figured he could chase the adults around now and it was hard for us to excape his fast pumping little legs.

Max and Sara

Charlie and Sara

It was a great fun night.

Still Having Fun

Today Lloyd and I, Emily and Allan went golfing - 18 holes - 4.5 hours. It's January 12 and today I got a bit of a sunburn on my arms! I'm not in Edmonton any more Toto! We played best ball so the game moved right along. We even used my ball and Emily's a few times and both Emily and I sunk the final ball on a few holes. It was a beautiful desert course with mountains in the background.

Lloyd preparing to tee off.

The swing of an expert player.

Lloyd and Allan

Me and Emily

Allan and Emily

Occasionally we ended up in the bunker. They weren't too hard to get out of though.

Allan and Emily

Me and Lloyd.

A Zoo-rific Day

Sara and I took the kids to the Wilderness Park about 10 minutes from home today. What a beautiful park. We spent about 3 hours there feeding ducks and giraffes and seeing all sorts of animals from white alligators and penguins to camels and kinkabous.

Max and Charlie really liked feeding the ducks and swans.

Their favorite birds though were the penguins.

Sara and the kids went on a log water ride.

The huge tourtises were beautiful in their own way.

Charlie enjoyed feeding the giraffes - such long black toungs.

Charlie, Max and I went on the sky ride - a 15-minute ride on a ski-lift type aerial chair. It gave us a different perspective of the park.

The flamingos were beautiful, such a lovely color.

Elly fell asleep as we strolled along.

The ducks took food right out of my hand. Max tried it but was bitten on the finger by a goose.

Charlie, in front of some beautiful parrots.


The kids had a ride on the merry-go-round.

Not sure what's in the background there, but I like this picture.

The swans were beautiful but Max wasn't too impressed when one bit his finger.

We topped the day off with a starlight swim - the water temperature was warmer than the air temperature. We sure had fun for over an hour. I'll post some pictures tomorrow.

A Quieter Day

We had a quieter day today but it started in a very pleasant fashion. Emily and Allan got up before the sun and went shopping for ingredients for breakfast for the family. Emily loves cooking so we let her treat us today. She made delicious french toast with syrup, whipped cream, strawberries and banana slices, as well as bacon and chocolate milk.

Emily worked hard in the kitchen preparing the breakfast.

Allan helped by setting the table and acting as Emily's assistant chef.

Elly loved the whipped cream and ended up with it all over her face, hands and Papa.

Then for a change of pace, in the evening Emily, Allan, Lloyd and I went to an NHL game - Phoenix vs Dallas. We're Edmonton Oilers fans of course but have adopted Phoenix Coyotes as our second favorite team since we'll be spending considerable time down here. Allan and I wore our Oilers jerseys to the hockey game even though they weren't playing. It was a fun time - it's nice to feel the energy of the game in person, even though the game itself wasn't too exciting. The Coyotes won 1-0 in a shootout.

Allan and Emily

A face-off in the Coyotes zone.

Lloyd and me at the game.

Lloyd and me outside the arena - it's a very impressive place - kind of like a carnival atmosphere - much nicer than the Edmonton facility.

Emily and Allan outside the arena.

Hiking and Swimming

I am so tired and sore tonight I can hardly drag myself upstairs to go to bed. But here I sit with my laptop trying to record the fun we had today.

This morning, while Emily and Allan relaxed from their busy day traveling yesterday, Lloyd and I and Sara and the kids went hiking up White Tank Mountain, not far from where we live. It was a beautiful place in an unfamiliar Arizona way. It was a two mile return trek, not much really but I'm so out of shape that my knees and legs fought me after the first mile. Luckily we stopped often to take pictures.

Charlie is an average sized five-year old but just look at how much
taller than her that saguarro cactus is.

This is part of the cactus forest.

This one is not as tall as the one in the first picture.
That's Charlie and Max standing there with me.

We were a bit nervous stepping off the trail to stand by the cactus because of signs like this that were posted all along the trail. You can bet we checked carefully before putting our feet down!

There are several areas there with these old, old pictographs carved into the rock.

Near the end of the trail, Elly got tired of being in her stroller and wanted Papa to carry her.

So he did while she quickly fell asleep. What a good guy.

Here she is early on in the hike, while she was still perky and full of vim and vigor.

Lloyd with Max and Charlie at the top of our hike. There was supposed to be a waterfall up there but it was just a small trickle. It was a good hike up to see it though.

Max, the professional model, on the rock. He just climbed up there, posed himself and told his mother to take his picture. Posing for pictures is second nature to Sara's kids.

The three of them climbing on the rocks.

Max, posing again, this time in front of another pictograph rocks.

Elly always thinks she should be able to do what the big kids do!

When we got home after having a lunch on the way, we decided the pool was warm enough to swim in, so we all went in, including Elly in her baby floater. It was impossible to keep her out of the water once she saw the big kids go in.

Me, with Charlie and Elly. The kids are fearless in the water as long as they have their life jackets and floaties.

Allan, me Charlie, Max and Emily. Max loves that giant sea turtle and would paddle his little legs as hard as he could to steer it towards me.

Elly's first try at jumping into the water. It was pretty cold on her little bare bum but she enjoyed it and was mad when Sara took her out to put a diaper on her.

Charlie and Emily having fun in the shallow end.

Lloyd and Max playing with the sea turtle.

Charlie and me on the 'secret' bench. Charlie loves that spot.