Hi Family!
We have had a fantastic summer so far! Right now we are riding a heat wave and it. is. HOT. We can't wait to head up to Utah this week and get a reprieve from triple digit temperatures. Yesterday it reached 117. The crazy thing is it was very pleasant during May and then on June 1st, the summer sizzle arrived. Grandma Lisa and Papa John came to visit. They left on Tuesday (May 31) so I was glad the weather didn't get too hot during their stay. We had a wonderful time together. We were sad to see them go, but can't wait to see them in a week! I'll share all the fun things we did through pictures:
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| Will and Van love to play on Grandma Lisa's iPad. Here she is showing them her new iPad. |
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| The boys were so excited to show Grandma and Papa Organ Stop Pizza. |
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| We spent two days in Tucson. Lisa lived in Tucson for a few years when her dad was getting his PhD at the University of Arizona. We visited her middle school and saw the home that they lived in. What a treat! |
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| We liked this desert mural in the school cafeteria. The cafeteria is called the Overton Cafe, named after the principal when Lisa was there. |
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| Here is Isaac attempting to eat an "arm burrito" at the first Mexican restaurant Lisa went to when she lived in Tucson. |
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| We also ate tacos at this yummy Mexican restaurant Tanyia's Tacos. Van's face is classic. |
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| We went to the Sonora Desert Museum. It is so awesome! There are tons of exhibits. There is a mini aquarium, zoo, man made cave, a hummingbird exhibit and botanical gardens. Will and Van had fun digging for fossils at the prehistoric exhibit. |
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Here is Van testing out the lemur view finder.
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I had to get a photo in front of my favorite exhibit--the hummingbirds! If you love hummingbirds, you'll think this place is magical!
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| We also got to spend some time at the Saguaro National Park. We drove through the park, admired the beauty of the desert, spotted some wild life (deer!) and walked some of the trails. I'm so thankful this beautiful land has been preserved. |
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| The desert has it's own kind of charm! |
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| I loved this cactus and that little boy standing next to it. |
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| Grandma, Daddy, and William |
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| It's hard to see, but the white haze is a massive spider web covering the top of the ground |
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| Van loved that shirt that Papa John is wearing. When he is inside, it's black and white, but as soon as the sunlight hits it, the butterfly turns multi colored. Van loved to point to his shirt each time noting, "Papa! Look at your shirt!" |
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| Takin a break on the bench |
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| I love this picture. |
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| We hiked up to Signal Hill to see the petroglyphs of the Hohokam. Can you see the markings on the stones? |
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| Van the man |
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| Here is Van taking a look through his binoculars. |
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| We came back from Tucson Saturday night. On Sunday, I gave a talk in church on family history. It went well. Sunday night, Lisa cooked a delicious meal and then we went to Tempe Marketplace. The boys played in the splash pad and the adults enjoyed chit chatting on the overstuffed chairs. |
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| Water is so refreshing in the desert. |
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| Deep dissertation conversations were taking place. |
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| Monday, we ate lunch at The Flower Child in Scottsdale. |
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| Then we went to Butterfly Wonderland! |
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| The first part was a 3D movie about the life cycle of butterflies. Van was cracking me up. He was trying so hard to catch the butterflies in the film. I tried explaining to him that it's just a 3D movie and he wouldn't be able to touch them, but he had fun anyway giving it a try! |
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| There's a butterfly on Isaac's shoulder! Van desperately wanted a butterfly to land on him. He tried and tried to stand still for long periods of time. Even though none landed on his shoulder where he could see, there was one that brushed up against his back and briefly landed. Van was thrilled! |
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| These blue ones were my favorite |
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| Tuesday we went to the Tempe History Museum and showed Grandma and Papa our library. Then we went to Mucha Lucha's for lunch. It's our favorite Mexican restaurant here in Tempe. |
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The boys love the wrestler paintings.
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As you can see, we had tons of fun with Grandma and Papa. I'm so glad we were able to do so many things together and make lots of memories.
Overheard at our house:
- Van, when he stepped out of the store yesterday yelled, "Ow! The sun is burning my eyes!"
- After our second stop, he pointed his finger and said, "Mom! It is too hot. After this we are going home!"
- Earlier today, after church, when Van was whining and we were all too hot and uncomfortable, William came in and announced, "I just said a prayer that my family can have a good attitude." Van responded, "Jesus answered your prayer 'No.'"
- Tomorrow we are going to Las Vegas to see Grandpa Steve and Grandma Dana. William asked, "Will anyone be there in Vegas with us?" I said, "No, just Grandpa and Grandma." William then said, "At least they'll have some company."
- William recounted a conversation he had with Brother Shepherd at church:
- "Mom, today I told Brother Shepherd that I'm going to Las Vegas tomorrow and he said, 'Don't do any gargling.'" I said, "You mean 'gambling?" Will smiled and said, "Ya!" We laughed.
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