staff development day = a fun family day

the kids had the day off from school and brandon had the day off from work so we decided to head up to mt. charleston to hike mary jane falls. it is about a 2 1/2 mile hike. we packed a little picnic and set off.

when we first got there it was FREEZING! but when we started hiking we warmed up pretty fast.

the scenery was gorgeous. it is so nice to be out in nature and i was gung ho to go hiking UNTIL... we started and it was all UPHILL!! ( i don't know how i thought we were going to get to the top of the mountain)

i made sure we stopped for picture opps (and so i could get a break!)

i was so impressed with my hunky husband. after awhile megan decided she didn't want to hike anymore so this is how she hiked the hike. he didn't even break a sweat!

when we got to the top the waterfall was flowing and there were iceicles. dallin had fun breaking them off.

there is a cave by the waterfall that we also hiked to. the kids decided they liked it so much they wanted to live there. so this is the view from our new house.

dallin wanted this to be his bedroom.

on the way down the mountain megan's ride was so comfortable that she actually fell asleep!

brandon is trying to get us ready to hike mummy's toe. he thinks next time we will be ready for harris peak and then onto mummy's toe next year. (wish me luck!) i have kind of decided i enjoy WALKING in nature more than HIKING in nature. but i will try.

on the way down the mountain i was telling dallin what a hiking STUD i thought he was. he didn't whine or complain once! he then said "thanks mom but you...you're gonna need a little work." how true that is!

after our hike we went the the old lodge for dinner. i love this place! i love the rustic atmosphere and the roaring fire. the kids got some yummy hot chocolate and we all enjoyed a great dinner.

i love my family and spending time with them. any 'extra' holiday is a treasure!

my name is megan

but my friends call me meggie.

sometimes my mom even calls me "a weapon of mass destruction" because i love to go around behind her while she cleans and mess everything up. i really love throwing all the pillows on the floor. mom doesn't like it too much but i always say "oh mommy...i am so sorry. i will never EVER do this again" in the sweetest voice i have. this seems to appease her until i do it again the next day. i love to run around in my underwear. no matter how many times a day my mom dresses me i always manage to get undressed again. and i especially like to wear my underwear inside out and backwards. i know...i am very talented!

on the rare occasion i feel like getting dressed you can usually find me in either in a princess dress or...

my ballerina outfit.

i also carry around a magic wand and with the magical words "abba caddabba" i can turn my mom into any animal i want!

and after my mom puts me to bed i super steathily sneak down the stairs to play with my toys behind the couch. ssshhhh...don't tell her!

aahhh...it is good to be a 3 year old girl!

how does your garden grow?

mine grows with the help of my hubby!! brandon decided he wanted to plant some pumpkins this year so he went out and planted them and faithfully watered them everyday. truthfully, i wasn't too excited until they started to grow. now we are all totally obssessed with them! i don't know why but it is so exciting to watch something grow in your own backyard!
one of my favorite things is how the vines grow all curly. it reminds me of cinderella when the pumpkin grows into a carraige. i just love it.

you may know this but i didn't...pumpkins grow from these flowers after they get some love from the bees. (i have never wanted bees in my backyard so badly!) we go out everyday to check on them. we have gotton a few flowers but the heat seems to be wilting them.

another one of my favorite things are all the ladybugs on the plants. the kids love to go out and catch them. we probably won't have any pumpkins by halloween but hopefully by thanksgiving. it has also inspired us to start a full fledged garden. wish me luck!

megan's 1st day of preschool

last week megan went to her 1st day of preschool. she goes to mrs. kim's house along with a lot of her friends. she loves it and was very bummed out when she found out she only goes 2 days a week! she thought she was a really big girl going to school with her diego backpack.
and i must admit i am really enjoying a couple hours of me time. i got a few new sewing projects i hope to get done. stay tuned to see how they turn out.

after her 1st day we went to the ice cream shop for a little treat!

you know you are raising desert kids when...

you get in the car and your son reads the car thermometer and says "wow mom, it's really cooling down. it's only 100 degrees!" :)