Crop 'Til You Drop

Allison invited 6 friends for a scrapbooking birthday party to celebrate turning 8. I got the house in order while the girls were at school and was ready when the kids arrived at 4:30.

Goodie bags with scrapbooking supplies.

Happy Birthday banner

Stickers, paper, cutters, hole punches and scissors

Each girl got her own scrapbook and bag of pictures

Our Birthday girl

Lorien, Grace and Marley

Allison and Reanna

Abby and Kaylee

Allison's Soccer page

The girls took a break from scrapping to play a few games in the playroom. I loved all of the giggling and fun. They were so cute together.

Thanks to all of her friends for the wonderful gifts. She got some great craft kits, pool toys and bathing suits, gift cards and soccer stuff.

She is so excited for our Photo Caravan at the Wild Animal Park on Sunday. Taylor got to do this when she turned 8, so Allison can't wait for her turn!

Make a wish!

This was such an easy party to host. The girls had a ball being creative and working on their books. They took a lot of pride in their pages and were so proud to share them with their moms when they got picked up. Happy 8th Allison! We love you!

SeaLife Aquarium

The 2nd graders squeaked one more field trip in before the end of the year and loaded the buses for a morning at the Sea Life Aquarium. I didn't chaperone this time, but Wendy was nice enough to send over a few pics since she had Allison in her group. Allison said it was a pretty bumpy bus ride, but she had fun sitting with Kaylee and Kylie.

Once there, the students attended a shark class and learned about different species of sharks, their characteristics and habitats.

They also had some free time to tour the aquarium. Allison said her favorite part was touching the starfish.

Allison and Cooper playing in the tidepool.

After a picnic lunch and potty breaks, it was back to the bus for the trip back to school. I think it was a fun day for 2nd grade!

Interview with Grandpa Al

Before Spring Break, Allison was given a family history project for her 2nd grade class. She was asked to interview a family member to learn a little about her ancestory. Since we already had plans to visit AZ, she decided to ask Grandpa Al to help out. Prior to our arrival, she asked him to find some old photos, a family heirloom and be prepared to answer some questions about his childhood and family history.

We spent Thursday at his home in Surprise listening to fascinating stories, looking through photo albums and mapping out the family ancestory.

Grandpa Al told Allison all about this 107 year old clock that was his grandmother's. Her name was Lillie Newman and it was given to her as a wedding present from her mother when she was just 16!

Taylor was even intrigued by all of the information he had to share. We learned that he earned 5 cents a week allowance and loved building model airplanes and cars. He walked to and from school and once got in trouble for taking money out of his "March of Dimes" collection can to buy a drink at the grocery store. Oooohhhh!!

Grandpa Al at about 18 months.

His mother was a telephone operator. What a neat photo!

Graduation.

We also learned that his family came from Ireland, Germany and Hungary. After going through so many albums, we actually stopped by Kinko's to scan several of the photos to keep at our house. It was a fantastic experience for Allison and all of our family and I think Grandpa Al really enjoyed going through all of the momentos. I think Allison is ready to get her project underway at school next week.

Pinnacle Peak

I had researched hikes on the internet before heading to AZ and most people recommended Pinnacle Peak as the best family hike in the area. We geared up early and made the 20 minute drive from our resort to Northern Scottsdale for some fabulous hiking and scenery. The parking lot was overflowing and the kids were a little overwhelmed when they looked up at what we would be hiking, but we took our time and observed the views and the wildlife.

View from the start of the hike.

We were lucky enough to spot a Chuckwalla sunning himself on a rock. He got startled and ran in a hole, but we waited patiently and quietly for him to emerge again to snap a photo. He was really big!

Amazing rock formations.

Stunning views as we approach the highest point on the hike.

We had a great time seeing about 10 species of lizards, several varieties of birds and so many native plants we had never seen before. Matt was great at giving the girls nature lessons and teaching them to observe the environment to obtain clues as to what lives in the area. We kept our eyes peeled for rattlesnakes, bobcats and coyotes but only spotted small, harmless creatures. Allison was ready to head back about half way up, but I know she was proud to have made it to the top! We will definitely do this hike again.

Old Town Scottsdale

Tonight, we revisited Los Olivos, a delicious restaurant we remembered from our last trip to AZ.

After dinner we walked around town window shopping. Every store was full of turquoise jewelry, cowboy boots and cactus flavored candy. It is a wonder they can all stay in business!

All of the benches in town were in the shape of wagon wheels and all of the street signs were marked with Sheriff badges or cowboy boots.

Padres vs. D-Backs at Chase Field

One of my goals in life is to visit every ballpark in the US and I was able to pry the girls away from the pool long enough to cross another one off my list. After a delicious dinner at Coach and Willie's (highly recommend), we walked over to Chase Field in Phoenix. We watched the Padres play the D-Backs in the 2nd game of the Opening Week series.

From the outside the stadium looks more like a football stadium, but once we entered there was no question we were watching baseball. Every seat looked like a good seat, although the nose bleeds were quite high! I was lucky to find field level seats down the 1st base line.

Allison got a new jersey from a vendor outside the stadium so she gave Taylor her old shirt. They were both proud Padres fans in a sea of D-Backs' loyals.

Alan and Audrey met us downtown for dinner and the game to help celebrate Alan's 70th birthday.

The girls devoured these caramel apples while we watched the Pads beat the D-Backs 6-3! Chris Young pitched a 1 hitter before exiting and there was a lot of offense to make us cheer. It was a sad showing for the home team with only 19,000 fans to watch Opening Week. The season is officially underway and we look forward to many more games. Another stadium crossed off my list...