Bum, Buta-Bum, Buta-bum, buta-bum, Bonanza!

We needed a good family adventure this week. So we decided to go to the Superstition Mountain Museum, which was an eclectic collection of desert history and western Americana. The museum was not the children favorite (they did a pretty good job of not destroying the place, but didn't spend too much time there). Outside of the museum they have the more fun stuff. There was an old mine that they were trying to restore to working condition. Miles and Hadley really liked this part, since there were lots of rocks to crush. They were looking for gold in the rocks. There was also a barn filled with pictures of all the famous Hollywood actors to play in Westerns. The last building was a chapel from the only movie Elvis starred in without singing (at least that is what the old lady there told us). These were kind of fun, but the kids enjoyed the last stop of the trip the most.

There was an old stage coach you could clim into. 

And the star of the trip was the donkey rides put on by some nice old guy. They each got to help feed the miniature mule.

Then they each got to ride the full size donkey. Allie was brave and went first.

Hadley got to play some fun tunes from atop her mighty stead.

Miles held on for dear life (even though they only went about 2 miles per hour).

He also made sure to watch out for any Indians on his trip west. 

It was a great family adventure.

To Infinity... and Beyond!

Hadley has been loving her preschool this year and has been learning so much!  She had her first parent program and it was on their most recent unit - Space!  She knows all the planets, what they look like, all about Earth and so much more!  We love Discovery Club!

They had all the kids' pictures as astronauts lining the stairway and I think I found the cutest one!

Hadley is one of the tallest ones in her class so she was center back which made for great viewing opportunities.  She knew all the words to the songs and sang and did the actions perfectly.

 This is Hadley inside the spaceship that her teacher has in the room where you get to be an astronaut for a day.  Yea for knowledge!

Bend it like Beckham

These are our beautiful little soccer stars. It was team picture day, so we decided to get a few individual shots too. They both look great in their uniforms and brought lovely smiles to the party.

Walk like a man my son..

Today was Miles' 2nd birthday. This one was much more highly anticipated than the last one. He has been excited for days leading up to the festivities. When he woke up, he had the obligatory balloons in his bedroom. Then he suffered through the day, waiting until it was time for presents and cake. Mercifully, we survived until after dinner time.

We opened presents first and he loved ripping the paper from every package. He was enthralled to discover toys inside that he could play with, and enjoy. Then it was time for cake, and all presents were forgotten (momentarily at least).

As he is now tractor obsessed, Miles requested a tractor themed birthday cake. 

He huffed and he puffed and he blew the lights out.

And was proud of his accomplishment. Then we let him eat cake.

The next day, he really wanted to play with his new tractors. He couldn't wait to get outside and play in the dirt with his new prized possessions.

He was carrying  them everywhere.

Miles constructed his perfect birthday.

And in this corner...

This is the inaugural year of the Pink Flamingos Soccer Squad. Hadley is a promising young member of the squad with lots of enthusiasm, excellent effort, but lacking a little in the concentration department. The season kicked off tonight with a big win for the girls in pink.

From the beginning of the day, it was clear they came ready to play.

Their defensive alignment was stellar.

Hadley was able to burst into the open field and lead the charge down he field.

So begins a great new season of sports.