A Weekend in Sedona

We just got back from a wonderful weekend in Sedona, Arizona with Nana and B-Pa. Emma has been studying Deserts in school, so this was the perfect opportunity to take a field trip and learn first hand about the geology, animals, and culture of the area.

On Saturday morning, we all went hiking in Red Rocks State Park. Here, we were surrounded by awesome views like this :

and this:

Both Emma and Ian were great hikers

and they put B-pa's Binoculars to good use


When Ian was told that he could not walk with the binoculars, he made his own:

"I see a cactus!"

Our family close to the end of the hike

On Sunday, we went on another adventure to get even closer to the rock formations.

We went off roading on the pink jeep tours.
Where we went up and down roads like this:

and saw views like this:

We also visited and old native american  cliff dwelling called Montezuma's Castle:



That evening, we went to watch the sunset wash the rocks in color

and got some great family photos, too:





On Monday, we explored Flagstaff before flying back home. Thank You Nana and B-pa for such a fun weekend!

To see more pictures, check out this slideshow:

Ian's First Day of Preschool

Ian finally got to go to school this week after asking to go every day since Emma started school in August.



So, off he went; broken arm and all. (Ian broke his arm a few weeks ago while playing on the playground)



Ian is going to school two days a week at a local preschool. He already loves it.



Ian refused to let me help him carry anything. He really wanted to give his teachers the presents that he helped me make. (He chose the chocolate kisses for their little survival kits).



He made himself at home in the classroom and kept saying "bye mom"


"Really, mom, you can head on out"

When I picked Ian up on Tuesday, Ian's teacher said that he was very lovable. They were talking about using "gentle hands" at circle time and after that he just wanted to give hugs for the rest of the morning. When I picked him up on Thursday, his teacher was impressed with how adaptable he is. They were doing painted handprints on their school bags and she said they just did his left hand twice.

We are really excited for Ian to make new friends and have a great school year!

Boy's Hokie Weekend

Ian and Daddy took off for a Boy's Weekend to Virginia for the Virginia Tech home opener against Georgia Tech and visited friends in Roanoke.

The first big hit of the weekend was the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke. The prime exhibits were a rail yard full of various trains and cars.

Ian was particularly fascinated by the various caboose cars.

They also had and engine inside where he could drive the train.

The other prime attraction was the very large model train exhibit. Despite only one train running, Ian was very excited and had to be pulled away.

For Daddy, the museum also had VT's Victor Tango vehicle from the DARPA Grand Challenge. Ironically, it was parked next to a Chevy EV1.

Monday was Gameday. After visiting a number of friends in Blacksburg, we made it to the stadium. Ian enjoyed the team's entrance and the fireworks, but half way through the 1st quarter, he asked if it was time to go home yet.

Of course, the game ended up going into overtime, where the Hokies won, 20-17! Ian was a trooper, making it through the whole game, finally collapsing when we got to the car around midnight.

When it came time to fly back, we got upgraded to first class, where Ian enjoyed the snacks and drinks.

He finished off with the mark of any good trip.

Eat Mor Chikin

Ian and I braved the crowds, walked a quarter of a mile, waited in line for an hour all so we could




EAT MORE CHICKEN!

We finally have a Chick-Fil-A in town!

1st day of 1st Grade

We just dropped Emma off for her first day of first grade. Emma was really excited about her new teacher and her new class. She was really excited to get her own desk instead of tables. There is one teacher who loops with her class from 1st to 2nd grade and Emma got her! We have been told she is one of the best teachers in the school and we will have her for 2 years.  Emma will also be able to make some real bonds with her classmates since they will be together for 2 years.

Here are a few pictures from the morning:


Ready for the day! (You can also see we lost another tooth last week)

Emma wanted Ian in the picture, also

The obligatory outdoor picture

Walking to school

In the classroom with Ian

Can you she how proud she is of her desk?
Emma had a really good Kindergarten year so we are hoping she will have an excellent 1st grade year with her new teacher and class.

Cousin Erin came to town!

We have had a great week playing with Erin and showing her around town. With Emma and Ian in swim lessons, we have spent a lot of time at the pool. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed popsicles as a special treat



We also took a trip up to our favorite cupcake store for some treats, too



On Saturday, we went into San Francisco for some adventures. First we grabbed a quick lunch from one of the street vendors.



Then we headed off to the Aquarium by the bay to check out some cool fish





Finally, we took a tour of the city on the back of an old fashion fire truck






The tour took us through the city on it's way to the golden gate bridge. We saw the cool octagon house...

and we went right through the Presido. Unfortunately, the fog came in right before we went over the bridge

On the other side of the bridge, we stopped to take some pictures on the truck....





Riding across the bridge was a real thrill

Here is the sign of a great day ...


On Sunday we went even further north to the town of Santa Rosa where they have a great safari park. We got to take a jeep tour through the safari and walked around and saw even more animals:







We have had a wonderful visit and will be sad to see Erin go back home tomorrow!