Livin' on a prayer!

I can't get enough of this little Rock Star! Trey would play his guitar all day, every day if we let him! And sometimes I do, now that he has started to make up his own songs. So darling!

Lately he has been having bad dreams every night and coming into our room. Last night he came in crying and then woke up crying this morning. :( I was trying to tell him if there is ever a time that he feels sad he should say a prayer and that would help him feel better. Since then we have said a prayer for every little thing. He got out of the tub this morning, got a little cold and went to say a prayer to be warm. At least I know he was listening!

Arizona Weekend

I am not really sure what we were thinking when we decided to go to Arizona in the middle of July?? It's true that after you get over 100 degrees it doesn't matter how hot it gets, it's all painful!! Jeff had a few days off here so he wanted to go and check out the residency programs in Tucson and Phoenix.

When we finally got to Tucson we were so excited to see an In-N-Out! Oh those shakes are so yummy!

All day in the car I was telling the boys we would go swimming as soon as we got to the hotel, little did I know that monsoon season was going to start early! We had a huge thunderstorm come in right when we got there and it rained so hard. It was nice to cool down a little!

While Jeff was working at the VA Hospital in Tucson I took the boys swimming and then we found a great children's museum. Trey's was so excited about the operation table so he could do surgery just like dad!

We almost have a full band with Trey on guitars and Kaden on drums!

After Jeff was done working we packed up the car and headed to Phoenix which is hotter then Tucson. As we drove into the sunset we watched the temperature get hotter and hotter. How can it still be 106 degrees when the sun has gone down?

With Jeff off to another day at work I was trying to think of an indoor activity for me and the boys to go do. The front desk told me there was a Chuck E. Cheese up the road which sounded perfect to me. It was further up the road then I thought it was going to be and we got a little turned around, not lost! Right then Trey looks out the window at this huge park filled with real steam trains and railroad cars, obvious change of plans! It was such a cute park that even had a carousal that I guess Kaden thought he was going to get a drink from!

Jeff only had to work till about 2:00 so after a hot morning at the train park we enjoyed the afternoon in the pool. With it being 120 degrees it was no surprise that the pool was a little like a warm bath but, still refreshing. We went and got some dinner and came back and let the boys enjoy a night swim which they thought was so cool!

While we enjoyed some drinks by the pool on our last night there I asked Trey if he had fun on our trip. He said, "yes I had my best day ever, mommy gets lost and we end up at a train place, and I get to go swimming ALL day." Even in the heat we had a wonderful time!

Happy 4th Of July

We had such a great 4th of July weekend. We started the day out right with pancake's, covered with fresh raspberries, blueberries and magic syrup. I thought the boys would think a sparkler was totally cool...I guess I was wrong!

During the afternoon we had a fun BBQ at our place with 2 other families in our ward. Trey enjoyed watching the movie the 'Sandlot' while Kaden took a late nap so we wouldn't be to cranky staying up late for the fireworks. That night we headed down to the Hot Air Balloon park where they had inflatable toys set up for the kids, yummy food, snow cones and music.

The original plan was to go down for an hour or two but still try to get home early to get the boys to bed. That idea went out the window when the Blues Brothers came out on stage. Trey was in rock star heaven!! We sat right up close so the boys could see the whole band and they really rocked out. Trey was dancing all over the place it was so funny to see peoples reaction sitting around us!

Off in the distance there were dark clouds heading our way and I didn't worry until I saw the lightning start. Luckily the storm passed to the side of us although we did get hit with a little rain. The boys and I didn't like getting wet but it was nice to cool down.

And the rainbow right next to the stage made for a beautiful evening!

We of course stayed for the fireworks after all what would the 4th of July be without fireworks!!

Explora Children's Museum

We were lucky to have Jeff home last Friday so we decide to take the boys to Explora Children's Museum for the day! There was so many things for the boys to do and see I felt like we were chasing them all morning!

The boys had so much fun playing in the water area. Here Jeff and Trey were trying to build a dam with sand and rocks. The day wouldn't be complete unless we were covered in water!

With our boys love of music they had so much fun playing in the sound area.

Outside they had life size lincoln logs where the boys tried to build a fort.

Taking a ride in the luxurious elevator. Kaden didn't like the idea of sitting down and taking a break!

Riding a bike on a tight rope 2 stories up was not what I had in mind to end the day but it was actually pretty fun. We spent all morning there and still I think we only saw about half of what they have. I guess we will have to make another visit on a hot afternoon!

Gillespie Visitors

We had a great visit with my parents and sister Kelly last week. ABQ is a little less exciting then CA was but there is still a lot of fun things to see and do. A beautiful morning at the temple grounds!

We also truly enjoyed the hot air balloon museum. I just realized Kaden is sucking on the side of the basket and how gross that is!

The ABQ Aquarium was so much fun. It is a little smaller then most but the kids loved it. They had one pool open where you could touch the sting rays. My sister Kelly actually got stung by one about 10 years ago but was really brave and still helped Trey touch them! :)

Right next to the Aquarium is a beautiful botanical gardens they we stopped at. Trey was so happy when he saw the train so we took a little ride. While they were here we got hit with some pretty hot weather so we tried to go out and do as much as we could in the morning and then hit the pool in the afternoon. Lately it has been 90+ degrees every day, good thing I got rid of all my jeans before we moved here!!

We all had such a great time and can't wait till we can see them again soon! It was so nice to have visitors so we hope you all know our door is always open!

The boys love "Ant" Kelly!

ABQ Zoo

Once we finally got settled we decide to go out and explore a little bit before Jeff went back to work. We spent one morning at the zoo which the kids loved. Here the boys are checking out the giraffes. The one right behind them was an 8 day old newborn!

Jeff and Trey got to go into the bird cage and feed the birds. They give them little cups and the birds must be very trained cause they fly right to you once they see that you have food. Trey was not so excited about birds being on him so he took the pictures of Jeff.

So I guess here you can also adopt a wild child but we figure since we already have two that is enough for us!

Trey loved the elephants until one had to use the bathroom right in front of us, he didn't like that so much!

Mr. Cheesy face is still adjusting to this dry dessert heat.

And last but not least what zoo would be complete without a train! Jeff has been back to work for a few weeks now at the VA hospital and seems to be learning a lot and keeping very busy. I think he has developed a deep appreciation for war veterans as he helps them and hears their stories. The boys and I continue explore and are having lots of fun!

Rock Star Saves Life!

Anyone who knows Trey knows that he LOVES to play his guitars. Recently we introduced him to the movie 'School Of Rock', well not the whole movie just the last 10 minutes anyway. Now his favorite thing to do EVERY DAY is rock out to the songs. Every day it is the same thing over and over again and for those of you who know me and my love for noise, noise, noise, well it gets old after awhile! After today however I will never again complain about our little rock stars. Trey was in the middle of rocking out while Kaden was to the side enjoying string cheese. One large bite later Kaden had a large cheese ball stuck in his throat. I jumped up to go help him when Trey swung around hitting Kaden in the back of the head just hard enough to dislodge the cheese! ROCK ON Trey Man!!

A picture of Kaden playing the guitar saying "cheese" has a whole new meaning!!