What we do of a Sunday Afternoon

I love living near the mountains. We are literally minutes to nice little hikes where we can get up and do some "rock climbing" with the boys. They love it. It is what we do most Sunday afternoons lately.

Scottie showing his cool rocks. He finds plenty of cool things most times and my pockets are laden until I start "accidentally" dropping some of them.

James demonstrating his climbing prowess on this impressive foot high rock. Also in the back is the chola cactus. We have all come home with several "pokeys" in our hands, feet, and yes once in our tongues (Hyrum was eating the inside of a prickly pear fruit and missed a few spikes).

We do get to climb some big rocks too and the view is great. Come and visit us. We miss you.

Expert

We enlisted John, the sprinkler, moisture sensor expert to come help us with our new backyard over labor day. He was such a good sport. He worked tirelessly on Saturday from sun-up to much beyond sun-down, with us as his less than skillful "crew." He also patiently played with his adoring fan, Scott, all day Sunday. What a guy.

Putting in our new system.

In front of the mission church in Old Town on Sunday afternoon.

We also took a ride on the tram on Sunday.

We enjoyed hiking up on top. Thanks for coming out John. We had a great time!

Lake Cochita

We missed going to the lake so much that we drove 45 minutes with some friends here to a little, slightly murky reservoir. It was a lot of fun. It did the trick though I was wishing for it to be a little closer to home.

Digging in the sand with James.

Scottie and James soaking.

More house photos

Here are some more pics of our house. These were taken before our movers came so it is empty. The funny part is that our movers have come and gone and it is still pretty empty. All in good time I guess.

My favorite part of our new house.

The view from our family room looking into the kitchen.

Family Room.

Living room and Dining room. The ceilings are about 1 1/2 stories when you first walk in. The picture doesn't show it but right to the right there when you walk in there is a huge empty wall that I have no idea what to do with. You can't put a little picture on it and call it good. Suggestions?

The Tram

If you come and visit us in Albuquerque we will take you to do this. We went on a tram ride last week and it was amazing. It is the worlds largest tramway spanning 2.5 miles. It was so fun. I was amazed at how beautiful the mountains here were up close. They were much more rugged than I had imagined. At one point on the ride the driver told us we were 1000-2000 (I can't remember how far exactly) feet above the ground and that it would take us 7.5 seconds to fall to the ground should that happen.

James and Hyrum enjoying the ride.

The other tram coming down from the mountain to meet us.

Scottie and Hyrum up on top.

There is a ski resort up on top that we will have to go to sometime. The kicker is the tram is only 10 minutes drive from our new house.

Temporary Housing

We have been our home for a week now, but for the first two weeks in Albuquerque we stayed in some posh temporary housing. Our favorite part was the pool. We literally went there every day except Sunday. Scottie has gotten to be a really good swimmer. He can float on his belly with his face down in the water, and swim underwater, and swim across the deep end without a life jacket on.

Scottie modeling the pool for us. The best part of the pool was a wading area on the side that is only a foot deep so James could walk around or sit in deck chairs while Scottie and I swam.

James jumping into the pool.

Sunday Afternoon at the Rio Grande

Two Sundays ago we drove down to check out the Rio Grande and had a fun time.

My three handsome men in a tree.

It was super shallow, warm, and muddy but we had a fun time wading.

We saw lots of bugs, some bunnies, and our favorite, a big toad.

Home Sweet Home

It's official! We closed on this beauty on Friday. Tomorrow our movers come. Welcome to the wonderful and slightly daunting world of home ownership. We are excited.

From the front.

From the rear... yes the back yard needs a little work

Seattle to Albuquerque

We have made it to Albuquerque. We miss all of you Washingtonians. Here is a little recap of our journey. First 4 days at Twin Lakes on the Colville Indian Reservation. Next 2 nights in Boise for some fun with the other cousins. Then 2 more nights in Utah. The last night was spent in the metropolis of Cortez, Colorado, and finally on to Albuquerque.

Goodbye house!

Playing with Jesse dog in Boise.

James playing with the new calf.

Melyn with Matt Beecher's little munchkin at our Boston reunion in Utah.

Scottie and James playing with their cousin Dallan.

Mesa Verde, Cortez Colorado.

Twin Lakes 2010

Ahh Twin Lakes.... no matter the weather we love you. It was a little cooler than usual this year but we had a blast nonetheless. Everyone loves hanging out with cousins, eating too much junk, swimming, biking, waterskiing, playing volleyball, seeing fireworks, and staying up too late, seriously what could be better?

Scottie and Eric having fun on the boat. Eric's head is blocking me on the waterski. Scottie tried tubing for the first time and did awesome!

Party Island. The kids LOVED the paddle boat. My favorite was when we had our 7 year old captain with his 5 and 3 year old side kicks. Yes you DO need a life jacket Scottie!

James and Daddy and I on a quiet ride at dusk.

Scottie and cousins dancing on the picnic table.

That's me waterskiing. Yes I know wearing a wetsuit is sissy but did I mention it was cold out. The water was nice but in the wind... brrr.

We miss you already Twin Lakes.