I'm Back....

I have decided that I am so far behind now on this blog that I really can't possibly recreate all of the awesome things we have done over the last few months.  So I am not even going to try...sorry everyone.  I am going to attach tons of pictures and give some brief summaries of some of our highlights and hope I can keep on top of this better in the future.  Also, for those of you who might not know already, we are preparing for a big move.  Pat recently started working for Raytheon and we will be moving to the Dallas area at this end of this month.  We are so sad to be leaving, so busy trying to spend time with all of our friends and family and  trying to coordinate the move that I really haven't had the energy to put as much effort into the blog as I would like.

Back in June, before we left for Chicago for the summer, I started to write our May/June update.  I couldn't get our pictures to upload and then I forgot about it and never got it mailed out.  So we will just start all the back at the beginning.

May and June
If I had to give this past 5 or 6 weeks a title it would hands down, easily be "The month of birthdays". The girls have attended somewhere around 12 parties between the beginning of May and mid June. This doesn't include Kyle's birthday dinner, Rory's little playgroup birthday or the birthday we celebrated with Gigi and Baba. On many days we attended more than one party, and I can personally say we spent most of the summer so far exhausted!

Between all of the birthday fun we did find time to swim, visit many splash pads, and generally have a lot of fun!

In May, before it got too hot, we went to Marley Farms for the first time. It is a really neat animal rescue farm not too far from our house. The girls fed the animals and enjoyed running around the farm with their friends. The farm had a very friendly camel that liked to get nice and close! :) BTW - don't the girls look too cute in their hats???

We had a wild time at Bounce U, and indoor kids play zone! It always reminds me how much Alex and Rory are growing up when we go places like this.  They ran, jumped, slid and generally went crazy for hours.  I couldn't believe the things they tried and the amount of fun they had.  Here is a little movie of the action.

We also made our annual visit to the local peach farm for a little peach picking.  It was so much fun and we were lucky enough to pick a day that wasn't too hot.  We enjoyed our yummy peaches and even more enjoyed the farmers market attached to the farm were we picked up tons of fruits and veggies and some old fashion hard candy. 

 

Pat started teaching the girls some mini golf lessons...way to cute!  Alex really seemed to enjoy it and would love to learn more...Rory couldn't wait to run away and play on the playground. 

We have had a great summer of swimming and have even taken a couple days to swim at Gigi and Baba's pool.  It was so nice early in the season to swim in a nice heated pool. 

In addition to swimming for fun the girls had very successful swimming lessons this summer.  They both made significant improvement and are well on their way to becoming great little swimmers. 

As an early birthday celebration for Rory we had her playgroup over for some fun and cupcakes.  Plenty of fun was had by all and Rory loved being the center of attention! 

We also had a great time at Gigi and Baba's for a second pre-birthday celebration!

I am very sad to report that Josie, our beloved black lab, passed away this June. She was 12.5 and had lost her hearing and was starting to lose her eyesight and was showing some signs of dementia as well as neurological problems. We are so sad to say goodbye to her but happy that she can be in Heaven with Bailey and watch us all from above. 

July and August

We spent July and some of August in Chicago and Michigan, which as always is such a wonderful escape from the awful heat of Arizona summers.  Seriously, if you have never been in AZ in July or August you have no idea what hot is.  

Alex, Rory and I drove to Chicago this summer with Catherine.  It was a real adventure, but the girls did great considering they spent 30+ hours in the car.  Rory rode in a princess dress for a good portion of the trip, which I can't imagine is all that comfortable.  

The 4th of July was spent at Klinger and Alex fell in love with the lake all over again.  I have never seen another kid who loves the outdoors as much as she does and the thrill of the grass and trees and lake all in one place made it completely perfect place for her.  Rory preferred to play indoors, but during those times she was found outside she was again wearing a princess dress. I bet she is one of the first kids to be playing in the sand at the lake in a white princess wedding dress!

The girls returned to school (and the birthday party parade) immediately upon our return to Arizona.  They have both made some new great friends and are having a great time learning.  

Late in August Bronson, Fawn, and Jamie made a little trip out to Arizona.  We had a great time visiting with them and an especially fun, hot, day at Out Of Africa in Sedona.  The girls are still telling their friends about the awesome safari ride we got to take.  

September and October

Alex fulfilled one of her life goals in September.  She was out in the backyard chasing lizards and actually caught one, with her bare hands.  Seriously.  It was such a small lizard I am not sure how she even found it, let alone how she caught it, but she did.  Wow!  That might have been one of the most exciting days of her life.  

We had a great time celebrating Alex's 5th birthday at Marley Farms.  All of the kids loved feeding the animals, riding the horses and taking a hayride.  Alex must have taken 10 horse rides and can't wait to get started with her lessons again.  

The girls and I decided to take advantage of Pat working in LA and took a little trip out to visit him.  We had so much fun visiting the beach, even though it was a little too cold to be there, going to the aquarium, and taking our very 1st family trip to Disney Land.  Rory was so excited to meet all of her favorite princesses and treated each and everyone like she had known them forever.   Alex loved the ocean.  She would stay there cold and wet for as long as I would allow her and loved just sitting and watching the water just as much as running and playing.  

Halloween was great fun this year and we collected way too much candy.  Alex was a spooky spider and Rory was Alice in Wonderland.  Rudy and Molly also enjoyed dressing up this year, but they didn't get any treats.  

Wishing you all a very Happy November!
Caycee, Pat, Alex and Rory