Home Sweet Home

 The Greatest Show on Earth! It's been nearly two decades since I went to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, and even longer for Justin, so we thought it would be fun to take the older two kids this year on opening night. We only had cheap upper level seats, but Brighton & Adaira really enjoyed themselves and it was fun to feel the excitement when all the music started and all lights and action came out on the floor.  Our tickets included a free round trip pass on the light rail to get to and from the US Airways center, so at the last minute we decided to park and take the train just for the experience. It was a 40 minute ride!  Adaira's second train ride, Brighton's first. It got a little crowded the closer we got to Phoenix, but it was fun and we didn't have to pay for parking!  The opening act with all the dancers and clowns, the guy on stilts really creeps me out...  the show didn't end until 9pm. The last 15 minutes was pretty ...

 Kinder Springs Marathon Post Kinder Springs was pretty much the happiest place on earth for me as a kid. I really think the time spent there getting dirty and being forced to make up my own activities really helped shape who I am today. I think Kinder Springs is the reason I don't put priority (or much importance at all) in having my hair/nails/toes in tip top shape, or why I don't seek out the latest fashions when they arrive. I think the two weeks of Kinder Springs every summer helped shape me to have a desire to be more of a country girl, and I couldn't be more glad that I am. Here's to hoping it can rub off on my own kids! It was a short 3 day trip this year, unfortunately, but with Dale's refusal to nap and his clinginess, plus the freezing nights and worrying about Dale being warm enough, I wasn't too sad to pack up. This was the first time we actually only used a primitive bathroom (A hole in the ground between some trees with a tarp wrapped only halfw...

  Memorial Day A couple months ago I told Justin that we should take our kids and both sets of grandparents to the Mesa City Cemetery and tell our kids stories about our family members buried there. I thought it would make a good Sunday or Family Home Evening activity.  I want my children to identify with their ancestors and feel like they can learn from them. I especially want them to feel like they can develop some of the same good qualities or avoid some of the poor ones. They had also never been to a cemetery so it would be a new experience for them. Justin and I never got around to organizing it until today. Justin's mom was planning a lunch BBQ and swimming for Memorial Day and told me she was thinking of inviting my parents and asked about time preferences since she was thinking of doing it around dinner time. The idea of the cemetery popped into my head and I mentioned that I thought it would be neat to do the BBQ earlier in the day and then take everyone out to the...