Not ready to go back to school

Even if they had to start back to school, at least the kids can come home and play in the backyard. Jeffrey is having so much fun playing catch, but after each catch he stops, holds the ball, and then does a play by play of each move and why it was great or not so great. It takes a LONG time to pass back and forth just twice. I think his favorite game of the spring is going to be pickle. During family home evening, Brandon's New Year's Resolution was to play baseball with Dad every day. Pretty good idea!

They forgot the Elephants!!!

The boys were right. We did have a great trip to the zoo, but they forgot one of the best parts-the ELEPHANTS! We didn't go up top to see them, but we still had a pretty good view from the back fences by the zoo keepers entrance.

We couldn't figure out why this elephant kept spraying dirt all over his back. He would reach down and get a huge handufl and spread it all over his back. It wasn't hot. He wasn't wet. Bored?

Another reason I was glad they weren't too close. No dirt shower for me, thanks.

I remember trips to the Hogle Zoo in Utah. Back then, you could buy peanuts to feed the elephants. It was one of my favorite stops even though it was so scary to watch that big trunk come closer and closer to your hand. I was always afraid the elephant would swallow my fingers with the nuts, but some morbid thrill seeking center always kept me coming back.

The Phoenix Zoo

My Dad, Brandon and I are looking at some turtles at the zoo. There's this big long bridge before you get to the door and way down under you is a lake. There are lots of giant fish in the lake and some ducks and lots of turtles.
Here is one of the ducks.

And this is one of the turtles. He's really big, but it's hard to tell cause there's nothing else around him. There is moss growing on his feet and his shell.

We're looking at the turtles. I was asking my Dad about them. I was glad he took us to the zoo. I like doing things with him.

My mom really likes this giant fish. Every time we go, she tries to find it. Sometimes it is really far away, but you can still see it from the bridge, because the fish is so big and the bridge is up so high.

The Orangutan Family

On our trip to the zoo, we saw a family of orangutans. Above on the left we have the mom and on the right, the baby girl named Kasih.
The baby climbed across the rocks, dropped 2 stories down a rope and used her feet to grab some blankets. She hauled them up to the top and hid under them. It was so cute, she just threw them up over her head and put herself to sleep.

There is also a grandma. You can see just a little of her foot on the right of this picture. The Dad was waiting down below staring at a door, in the exact same position that I saw him last time we were at the zoo. (About a few months ago.) He could hear his zoo keeper inside getting everything ready for him to go in for the night. He had huge cheeks and ugly teeth.

He looked like.... hmmm.

The Land of the Dragons

There is a new exhibit at the zoo. We've been waiting and waiting for it to come. it is called The Land of the Dragons.

The Komodo Dragons weren't doing much when we saw them, but I still think they are raelly cool. There were two of them. One boy and one girl. The boy's name is Ivan and the girl is called Gaia. They are really big, but they don't live together. They live in separate cages.

It has really sharp teeth and powerful jaws. The grab on and they don't let go. If they do let go, the animal dies, because they're saliva is venomous. They are 8 feet long.

Sting Rays

My Mom and Dad took me to the zoo. Brandon came, too. One of my favorite things to see is the sting ray exhibit.

Brandon was reaching down to pet a shark. I was going to pet the shark, but I couldn't reach it. It was at the very bottom. It looks like my Dad is going to fall in the water.

The sting rays are so soft. At 10:00, you're allowed to get dead fish and feed them.

Right under that black sting ray is the shark that Brandon petted.

That little basket in the back has a baby sting ray in it. It's in a basket, because the other sting rays will eat it. They eat their babies. It was born on Veteran's Day (yesterday).
I was leaning over to pet the sting rays, when this one speed up and splashed me.

I had to use my jacket as a towel. It was funny.

It was a good thing my mouth was closed so salt water wouldn't get in my mouth.

My mom was the one taking the pictures.

Pigeon Plucking

One of our favorite park past times....
...chasing pigeons.


I don't know if the kids were chasing the pigeons in circles or if the pigeons were leading the kids in circles, but it was making my head hurt.

It started out calmly.

But then they decided they wanted to touch one. The pigeons were too fiesty today, so the kids ended up chasing them all over. (Fortunately no one caught one. Aren't pigeons just rats with wings?)

This was how Joey entered the fray. Smart kid.

Jeffrey finally started trying to sneak up on them.

Still didn't work.

Gratefully, there were other things to do.

Falling with style.

Joey decided to feed himself instead of the birds.

Good Friends

Lucky remembered me! (And he wasn't even wearing Jacob's suit.) Cam & Chris (former elders Soane & Hamilton) came down to Mesa with their buddy Ryan. One of their investigators was getting baptized. They arrived early, early Saturday morning and left late, late Saturday night.
Chris gave us (Brandon) a Frisbee for Christmas. But this wasn't just any Frisbee, it was their team Frisbee from BYU. They played for awhile-just so Brandon could have another chance to show him how it's done. But then Brandon introduced a new game that Jessica gave him for his birthday. It's kind of like Simon Says and Turbo Twist combined. Each player gets a colored band and scans it into the ball. Depending on what game you choose, the ball calls out where to toss the ball. A perfect game for Chris....

...since he's color blind.

But Brandon's plan to beat him at something failed again since Chris' photographic memory trumped being color blind.

It was fun to take a few minutes and catch up with Cam and Chris. Ryan was a good moderator. I wish they'd had a camera in the car with them. Chris glanced at google maps and 'memorized' the way down-so no else was allowed to drive. To help him stay awake, they sang the whole 10 hour trip down, but Cam would only wake up occasionally to sing snatches of songs and then crash back to oblivion. (Am I getting any of that right?) They drove all night, and we served....pizza. I don't think there were any complaints.

At least Jeffrey was entertained.

This is just about the only chance the kids have of beating the elders at anything....and I'm not sure they were successful.

And no visit is complete until the s'mores. (Guys-Sorry we wimped out and didn't build the fire outside. But you know how it is; Arizona is just sooo cold.) Gotta love Utah-hope you're having fun!

Taylor is awesome. Last night, he and his friends (Chad, Adam & Kyle) got dressed up and went out with different missionaries. They came back to our house and lifted weights, built a fire and stayed up for who knows how long. In the morning, they met back up with the missionaries at 5:30 (a.m., yes a.m.) to lift weights. Then they came back to our house while the missionaries had their study time. They made up a huge bowl of pancake batter and started making pancakes for everyone in the house. They ended up with this monster. Later, when I was getting ready to leave, I walked down the hall and heard them in Taylor's room studying their scriptures to get ready

to go back out with the missionaries. What a way to spend your Saturday! Taylor, Jessica and Amanda met Mark and I in Mesa for a missionary meeting. Elder David Bednar and Elder Snow were in town for leadership training and asked to meet with a group of our missionaries. One of my favorite parts of the day was going to the grocery store with Amanda while she told me the impressions and aha moments she had during the meeting.

Jessica came home and did a different kind of dressing up. Her friend Lizzie came over and did her hair and make-up. (We love Lizzie!) Jessica got on her most formal dress (she and Lizzie went looking for something warmer without spending a fortune, but couldn't find anything) and waited. The plan was, well Jessica didn't know the plan. Her friend Walker asked her out and told her to dress up. He came in a tux.

They met another couple and drove down to the new light rail station that just opened in Mesa. They rode up and down the light rail in their 'formal' attire, dined at McDonald's, had dessert at a crazy little sandwich shop that specializes in cookies and ice cream with every possible combination of the two (I gotta go there!), and had a great time puzzling everyone around them. It sounded really silly and like a lot of fun. I'll let her post more if she wants. I wish they had pictures all together, but I was allowed to ask.

Jeffrey helped her pass the time, and then of course I got out my camera and she was patient for at least one or two pictures. Jeffrey isn't pleased there's a picture of him kissing his sister on the blog but I need a record of how sweet he is to his big sister. He's a good little brother.

Yes, this is the same picture. I was trying to fiddle with the photo editor a little bit, except I didn't get past the quick fix menus. A digital photography class is on my wish list for the future. Anybody up for a class in, oh, say 2 years? Maybe Janea will just come down and teach me what to do.

beautiful