We had a blast during Amy's visit! Unfortunately, we were always running around so much, we never took pictures! Tuesday night, we had a girl's night at Appleby's. Have you ever wondered how just a simple 5 dollar happy hour appetizer, a big table and close friends can be so fulfilling?
Wednesday, we headed to the new and improved (purchased by an Austrailian company??) Wet n Wild water park. We spent hours in the wave pool bodysurfing. They had amazing slides, but the best part of all was just Don, me, Amy and Shannon floating down the lazy river on rafts. We were hooked together for over an hour just floating and catching up. Brooke, Tyler, Brandon, Nick, Nolan, and Carson went on the cool tornado ride. To top off the day (well maybe not for Don) we went to Old Navy's clearance sale for a little school shopping....only forty-six, YES forty-six, dollars later, I had about seven outfits for the kids for school. I love bargain shopping. At 8 that night, we sniff sniff, waved good bye to Don, the other coaches, and the Greenway football team as they headed to Whitter College, Huntington Beach, and Knott's Berry Farm. He gets home soon thank goodness!
Thursday, we had a sick puppy so Brooke volunteered to stay home with him while the boys and I met Amy and the Opitz family, the Olshans, Joie, and Sunny and Tom at Chuck E Cheeses. Wow, that restaurant has been around since I was little. The sound of tokens jingling out of the register still gives me goosebumps, but I refrained and let the boys spend 100 tokens! We drove by the new house and showed everyone. And then, the unthinkable happened....it rained!! Wow. It rained so hard that streams were flowing down 39th avenue!
Friday, Amy left for home in Nebraska...see you in October. The kids and I watched Remember Me with Robert Pattinson. I didn't know it was going to end with September 11th. I enjoyed the film. What do you think?
Have a great week...two weeks until school starts:)
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
water water everywhere!
Oh, the sweet days of summer fun. I wish they lasted longer! We have had fun this week in the Joyner's pool, ice blocking and sliding at Paseo Verde Park, and swimming in Grandpa Jim and Nana's pool.
Brant Joyner
Joey Cunningham and Emma Roundy
I My sunkissed children
I love you!!!!
Host and swimmer extraordinaire: Tiffany Joyner (not pictured: Marty Joyner)
Fun in the sun
Jacob and Marissa Joyner
The young women were enjoying the cold ice in 109 degree heat.
Brooke and Nicole ice blocking down the knoll.
Brittany Staheli, Carolyn Bean and Danielle Coates eating grass and spinning out
Brant Joyner
Joey Cunningham and Emma Roundy
I My sunkissed children
I love you!!!!
Host and swimmer extraordinaire: Tiffany Joyner (not pictured: Marty Joyner)
Fun in the sun
Jacob and Marissa Joyner
The young women were enjoying the cold ice in 109 degree heat.
Brooke and Nicole ice blocking down the knoll.
Brittany Staheli, Carolyn Bean and Danielle Coates eating grass and spinning out
Monday, July 12, 2010
Camping with Britt, K.J. and Ciara
This past week, we went camping with the Davis/Anthony family. The weather was wonderful, only 65 degrees when Phoenix was 109! We did get caught in a gigantic moutain thunderstorm and tents got soaked. Nothing though compared to Laura and Jared's soaking at mom and dad McAdams in Missouri last summer! We went shooting back in the forest as well. What a relaxing week. Oh yes, and we had several battles with diving bark beetles....not something I would engage in again, nor would K.J!
Boy Scout Camp and Girls Camp
(Thanks for the photos Dawn Taylor!!)Tyler arrived home last week under a thick layer of dirt, but alive and happy! He completed three merit badges at camp and had a great time on horseback. Brooke had an unfortunate car sickness incident on the way up that we won't post pictures of, but the rest of the week went well for her. Her dvd for the ward turned out well.
After they got home, we had a youth swim party at the Chou's.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Don and Tyler come home today!!
Brooke arrived home last night from girl's camp and of course, we were off to see Eclipse (again). Admittedly, it was better the second time. She opened presents this morning and was so excited! She has some serious shopping to do. Thank you grandparents and Amy for the thoughtful gifts!!! Thank you also to her cousin, Josie for the happy birthday phone call. We can't wait until the rest of our family arrives home....and then off to the swimming pool at grandpa's; it is supposed to be 114 today! Happy Fourth of July!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
It's just you and me kid
Brandon and mom alone for a week!!
Brooke was off to girl's camp (she will have to tell of her adventures as things began as early as the car ride up!). As always, something conflicted with her birthday; it happens every year. This year, she was at camp on her birthday. Her leader let her call home! Don and Tyler are up at Scout Camp (Geronimo). So....just Brandon and I are at home and we are having a blast (although we are really missing everyone else about now). Brandon planned a fantastic week thus far so that there could be some real mommy/son time.
Monday, we went to Arizona Mills mall for hours. We walked and walked and then played games at Gameworks....Brandon beat the reigning family champion at basketball. I guess, uh, I was off my game that day, or maybe....Brandon is emerging as quite a little shooter! Instead of turning in countless tickets and waiting for some bored high school kid to count how much he was spending in the prize room, now they have a ticket counter that puts your prize money on the game card! After all that, Brandon decided just to save up his ticket count for another day. (Usually he and Tyler split the tickets so I think this was the first sign that Brandon missed his brother).
Here is Brandon driving at Gameworks:
Tuesday was especially busy. We went to the World Wildlife Zoo in the morning (of a 112 degree day no less) and had a blast.
There were so many amazing animals that we endured the 112 degree heat for five hours (drinking lots of water) because we didn't want to miss the next cool thing around the corner.
Brandon would run up and down the fence near the baby lion, Delilah as she chased him back and forth. So cute!
Long-neck momma giraffe came over to eat from Brandon's hand, but he couldn't quite lean far enough to reach the baby. I found out this zoo is a breeding zoo so there were many baby animals to see.
Check out the baby tigers.
The Scarlet Ibis
The white tigers
The poison dart frogs! They have enough toxin secreted to kill an adult man!
The monkeys (related to Brandon, I'm sure)
The leopard inches above us in an overhead cage!
We fed Koi, ducks, and black swans in the pond as well while meerkats and spider monkeys looked on. Brandon even played tag and chicken with some aggressive ostriches, rheas, and a toucan. It's amazing how close you can get to the birds and animals. These animals seemed to enjoy interacting with my son that has endless energy!
We did save the aquarium (best part) for last so we could be in air conditioning the last hour. Our fearless youngest enjoyed feeding the stingrays in the new aquarium.
We saw pirahnas, pacu, and many different fresh and saltwater fish. The aquarium was amazing.
Then, we went to ice cream with Sven Kestila (our Finnish exchange student from two years ago who was here visiting) and Mike G.
After that, we had sushi at Kabuki with Sidney and Shelbie. Shelbie returned from orientation at USU bearing gifts of USU scrapbook supplies! How sweet.
You'd think we'd had enough, but no, my little trooper waited in line with me to see Eclipse with fourteen other current and former student council members. Although the movie was disappointing, we had a great time. We fell into bed exhausted....
Needless to say, Wednesday was a day to relax.
We'll see how the rest of the week turns out!
Brooke was off to girl's camp (she will have to tell of her adventures as things began as early as the car ride up!). As always, something conflicted with her birthday; it happens every year. This year, she was at camp on her birthday. Her leader let her call home! Don and Tyler are up at Scout Camp (Geronimo). So....just Brandon and I are at home and we are having a blast (although we are really missing everyone else about now). Brandon planned a fantastic week thus far so that there could be some real mommy/son time.
Monday, we went to Arizona Mills mall for hours. We walked and walked and then played games at Gameworks....Brandon beat the reigning family champion at basketball. I guess, uh, I was off my game that day, or maybe....Brandon is emerging as quite a little shooter! Instead of turning in countless tickets and waiting for some bored high school kid to count how much he was spending in the prize room, now they have a ticket counter that puts your prize money on the game card! After all that, Brandon decided just to save up his ticket count for another day. (Usually he and Tyler split the tickets so I think this was the first sign that Brandon missed his brother).
Here is Brandon driving at Gameworks:
Tuesday was especially busy. We went to the World Wildlife Zoo in the morning (of a 112 degree day no less) and had a blast.
There were so many amazing animals that we endured the 112 degree heat for five hours (drinking lots of water) because we didn't want to miss the next cool thing around the corner.
Brandon would run up and down the fence near the baby lion, Delilah as she chased him back and forth. So cute!
Long-neck momma giraffe came over to eat from Brandon's hand, but he couldn't quite lean far enough to reach the baby. I found out this zoo is a breeding zoo so there were many baby animals to see.
Check out the baby tigers.
The Scarlet Ibis
The white tigers
The poison dart frogs! They have enough toxin secreted to kill an adult man!
The monkeys (related to Brandon, I'm sure)
The leopard inches above us in an overhead cage!
We fed Koi, ducks, and black swans in the pond as well while meerkats and spider monkeys looked on. Brandon even played tag and chicken with some aggressive ostriches, rheas, and a toucan. It's amazing how close you can get to the birds and animals. These animals seemed to enjoy interacting with my son that has endless energy!
We did save the aquarium (best part) for last so we could be in air conditioning the last hour. Our fearless youngest enjoyed feeding the stingrays in the new aquarium.
We saw pirahnas, pacu, and many different fresh and saltwater fish. The aquarium was amazing.
Then, we went to ice cream with Sven Kestila (our Finnish exchange student from two years ago who was here visiting) and Mike G.
After that, we had sushi at Kabuki with Sidney and Shelbie. Shelbie returned from orientation at USU bearing gifts of USU scrapbook supplies! How sweet.
You'd think we'd had enough, but no, my little trooper waited in line with me to see Eclipse with fourteen other current and former student council members. Although the movie was disappointing, we had a great time. We fell into bed exhausted....
Needless to say, Wednesday was a day to relax.
We'll see how the rest of the week turns out!
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