Signs of growing up

Lauren elected not to wear any sunglasses during her last visit to the dentist again. This makes it two times in a row now.


Cole on the other hand still wore them. I didn't get a shot of him in his shades but here's one before his x-rays.

Real world education

We've been very impressed with the Montessori education but you have to love the snack that the students served us during our observation and parent/teacher conference. Glad to know they are teaching the finer skills of making good coffee.

Tragedy at the local "Zoo"

We were cleaning up the garden and stumbled across this. We believe this was one of the chuckwallas that lived in our backyard.


We aren't quite sure what happened but believe he got trapped beneath our garden cage and then literally burned up.

3.5 year old project finally completed

After 3.5 years, we finally completed our photo gallery. The actual process took about 5-6 hours not including picking the photos. I wish I could tell you Cole was jumping for joy but rather he was just trying to get in the shot.


Here's the before photo.


All the frames finally getting opened. Luckily none of them were damaged.


We used wrapping paper for our templates to finalize on the wall design.


Here's the final design.


Now with the real thing. I only had to redo a few nails to get the spacing right.


Here's the final version with pictures and all.

Local Zoo

No need to travel to the zoo to see some reptiles. Here's one of the chuckwallas that lives in our yard.


And new to our yard is a Sonoran Desert Toad. This is the first time we have ever seen toads in Arizona besides the zoo.

1st big scar

Cole unfortunately banged his head during basketball camp and required some stitches. This was a doozy. His first time getting stitches. Reminds me of the scene in Lethal Weapon 3 where they are comparing their scars. Hopefully this will be his last.


Here he's waiting for the doctor to stitch him up. They applied some numbing gel instead of giving him a shot. The only thing is you have to wait 30 mins before it numbs the area. I think I'll take this option next time too.


Here's the end result. He had about 2 stitches and then the rest was glue. Hopefully it won't scar too badly.


You can tell he was feeling much better because he couldn't help himself on the way out.

July 4th Tradition

Is that time again where we go to our old HOA 4th of July Picnic celebration. Here you can see the Fire Engine cooling off the crowd.



Cole is enjoying the snow cones...


...and Lauren enjoying collecting the cicada shells.



The kids are waiting in line for the water slides. Amazing how times have changed and they are the smallest ones anymore. Here's Cole in line 3 years ago. Here's Lauren in line 5 years ago.


Lauren still closes her eyes...


and same for Cole.


Lauren participating in the hula hoop contest. I also participated in the parent contest but didn't last long enough for anyone to take a photo. :)

WARNING: Graphic post - Clogged drain

Every year or so, the water in the sinks drain very slowly. Inevitably the issue is hair getting clogged in the stopper mechanism. I've seen these stick drain cleaners for a few bucks so I thought I'd try it. The old way would be to remove the p-trap and clean out the drain with an old toothbrush.


Here you can see what I fished out. Overall the tool works pretty well. All I had to do was fish out the hair and clean off the stick. Total time was ~5 mins versus the old way of ~15 mins and there's no need to get a bucket, remove the p-trap, clean the drain, empty the bucket, etc. It's so easy, the kids might enjoy "fishing" out the clog.

Faking it?

I picked up Cole early last Friday because he wasn't feeling too well. I checked in on him while he was "resting" and spied him watching TV like this. He doesn't seem sick or maybe this was making him feel better. :)

Cool shades

Cole is trying not to smile.

Summer reading fun

If only all moments could be this quiet and peaceful.

Smart water controller

Here's my latest upgrade to the house - Solarsync for Hunter irrigation systems. It's a smart controller for the water irrigation system. It basically measures the sun intensity and adjusts the watering amount automatically. It also will shut off the water if it has rained recently. The one thing it doesn't do is adjust the watering intervals. It only adjust the amount of time the water is on.


I ran the wire behind the gutter so you can't really see it except for the small transition to the down pipe.


In order to get the snake the wire to the controller, I bought these fiberglass poles that are used for snaking wires. Picked these up at Harbor Freight tools for $8 which is a lot less than if you were to buy them from Home depot.


Here you can see the tip of the pole. I've attached the wire to the end so I can pull it up through the pipe.


Here you can see a close up of the pole in the pipe. Thanks to Chuck for helping snake the wire too.

I'm 8 yrs old today!

I finally lost some of my baby teeth including my two front ones as you can tell. I'm dressed in my PJ's because it was Pajama day at school today. I'm also sporting some of the handmade jewelry I received for my birthday. I still love reading and would have finished the Harry Potter series if my parents didn't regulate which books I could read. I just read the 3rd book in the series and finished it in about a day. I still love my stuffed animal doggie and if I could have one wish, I'd wish for a dog despite being allergic to dogs.

Wood's best friend

Cole accidentally broke the drawer front to his Ikea desk. The desk didn't cost much but it seemed a waste to have to buy a whole new one. So instead I bought some wood epoxy and repaired it.


Here's the epoxy in the chipped out area. You just mix the two different parts of the epoxy to activate it and let it set.


Here's the epoxy after sanding it down so it's smooth.


Our exterior door frame started to get some water damage and dry rot. I had some estimates to fix it and originally I thought you could just replace the damaged wood pieces but it turns out that you have to replace the entire door frame. One of the guys suggested to use epoxy and then paint over it and replace the door frame after the whole frame gets worse.


Here's a picture of the epoxy before any sanding.


Here's after sanding (not the best job) and paint.


You can buy this product at Lowes but not Home Depot.

I'm 6 years old today!

This is a big birthday because I can finally say that I'm potty trained with the exception of a few accidents here and there. I can also say that I've learned to ride a bike without training wheels. I can't believe my parents started potty training me before I was 2. I showed them who's in charge. The only milestones left are learning to drive a car and going to the prom which I heard you have to dance with girls. I can do without that milestone.

Not a kid anymore

Lauren opted to skip the sunglasses at the dentist this time. She's growing up. Here's one of her previous visits.

Tucson Spring Vacation Trip '15

We recently took a short vacation down in Tucson. The first stop was Kartchner Caverns which is about an hour past Tucson. Cole is being his silly self.


Lauren and Cole fit through the holes. They could become cave explorers.


After the caves, we went back to the hotel so the kids could hit the slides and pool.


The next day we checked out the Pima Air and Space Museum.


Lauren and Cole standing in front of a MiG-29.


The kids were playing some game and started becoming more interested in that than the planes.


The next day we went to Sabino Canyon. It was the first time we had been there and we were wowed by the desert scenery which isn't easy considering we live in Phoenix.


Lauren smiling at the end of the last tram stop.


Lauren and Cole were playing by the stream passing through the canyon.


Luckily the water was just a trickle.

Finally learned how to ride a bike

Cole learned how to ride a bike last weekend. This picture was from the weekend before where he tried without training wheels for the first time. What finally put him over was pretending to hold his bike while running along.

The Next Bobby Fischer?

Lauren's 2nd chess tournament.

Scavenger

Cole recently found a lot of change under a coinstar machine so now he's checking for money everywhere we go.

Milestone

Finally after 10 years...

Merry Christmas '14

Ice skating

Tips

I've never seen 22% before.

Benihana style

Kids were mesmerized at their first Benihana experience.

Buckled up

The books had a tendency to go flying off the car seat so the kids now strap them in. I think the seats were a little too slick. :)

Training for American Ninja Warrior

Poop or pine cone?

Cole picked this up and we were convinced it was some poop but luckily it was a pine cone that was wet.

Side gate fun

The wood in our side gate was starting to break off. It didn't help that the kids would ride their bikes into the slats and even broke off a piece. So I got some quotes to have the wood replaced by a handyman and they ranged from $200 up to $425. A little more than I was expecting so I decided to do it myself with some help.


Here I removed the wood slats, sanded any major rust spots, and then repainted with some spray paint. This is after I taped and covered the area. One piece of advice. If you want to keep your hands and arms clean, wear disposable gloves and a long sleave shirt.


Here's the synthetic fence wood I picked up at Lowes. Hopefully I won't ever have to paint or stain these or replace them for that matter. Our local Home Depot and Lowes carry the same synthetic wood slates but Lowes has this darker color and a red cherry while Home Depot only has the red cherry. My neighbor fortunately has a very nice table saw and even offered to cut the wood while I was at work. All I had to do was let him know the measurements and then pick them up later. Now that's a neighbor.


Here's the finished project. I bought new bolts at Home depot and the kids helped me install the pieces. All I had to do was drill the holes for the bolts.

Cousins 2014

Justin and Caroline came for a visit back in April. So we naturally took them to Butterfly Wonderland since Arizona is known for its butterflies. :) Here the kids are posing before heading into the 3-D movie on Monarch butterflies.


Justin and Caroline showing off their pearly whites.


Lauren and Caroline are trying to pet one of the stingrays. It must have gotten close.


Caroline demonstrating one of her katas.


Justin doing one of his medal winning ones. Okay maybe not but it still looked cool.

World Cup 2030

In honor of Tim Howard's performance in the World Cup today, I thought I'd post about our own little goalie. In Lauren's second attempt at soccer, she took a liking to playing goalie. Maybe it was because she didn't have to run around but overall she was quite good at it. Here you can see her tracking the ball.


Action shot of her making a save.


She was the game MVP. And yes they did get trophies at the end of the season.


Just to be fair so I don't have to hear "It's not fair!" when they are finally old enough to look at this blog, here's a shot of Cole in action. Also note, soccer was back in the spring when the temperature was much cooler.

San Diego 2014

I'm 7 years old today!

This has been the year where I really have gained my independence. I'm now in 1st grade and get to hang out with all the cool older kids, the 2nd and 3rd graders. I traveled to Camp Surf in San Diego with my class for 3 days and 2 nights without my parents. I even got to use my own disposable camera which I pretty much used up on the bus ride there. I took karate for the past year and have learned a multitude of self defense moves. I learned how to ride my bike without training wheels and I still have all my baby teeth. Okay that last one isn't a good example. I'm ready for my adult teeth and all the responsibilities being an adult brings. :)

Top gun at the dentist

I'm 5 years old today!

I'm five years old already. I love playing with my cars and trucks and enjoy doing the bank game at school. I'm just starting to read and sound out words. I love playing soccer especially as a defender. And most importantly, I'm fully potty trained. "Tricked ya!!!" as I like to say. Maybe next year....

Stucco water damage

Our raised wall on the side of our house wasn't sealed properly. As a result, water would damage the stucco and cause it to peel off. The proper fix is to seal the block wall from the inside which unfortunately requires removing the dirt, brushing the wall, sealing the block with tar, and then filling it back again. That is some nice dirt, um I mean rocks.


You can see the rest of our wall and all the rocks. The white stuff on the wall is my attempt to stop the water from the other side which no matter how hard you try, won't work.


Here you can see the nice tar coating on the inside of the wall.

Weekend activities

Did another hike up Telegraph pass. Lauren usually doesn't want to pose for a photo and Cole does but it was the opposite this time around.


Cole is sweeping our grass. I don't think he'll ever get to experience jumping into a leaf pile like you do back East. I found jumping into a pile of leaves as a kid was highly over rated.

Scorpions falling from the sky

I had to change a light bulb tonight in one of our recessed cans and noticed this. Yes that looks like a scorpion.


I wonder how long he's been up there. Of course he was dead.

Tennis fun

Took Lauren and Cole to play some tennis. Lauren's 2nd time and Cole's first.




This might be Cole's last time if he keeps this up. This was his pose when I asked to take a picture of him.

Phoenix central library

After 17 years in Phoenix, we finally visited the Phoenix Central Library.


Lauren wanted to start reading here. Reminds me of undergrad and looking for a place to study.

Girls scout world thinking day

Lauren is getting a braid done.

Happy Valentines Day

Waiting for dinner

The kids are playing Crazy Eights.

Mushroom Kale Pasta

Tried this recipe this past weekend. I substitued real mushrooms for the dry so it required a little adjusting. One piece of advice, make sure your kale is very clean. Despite being washed, we had a little unexpected protein.

Vitamix blender

We replaced our Blendtec blender with a Vitamixer from Costco that we bought during black friday for $350. The problem with the Blendtec was that the jars kept leaking at the seal. We had one jar replaced by Blendtec but the replacement actually locked up. After googling the problem, I found a lot of other folks had the same complaints. I haven't seen the same complaints for vitamix so I thought I'd try that one out. As usual, Costco was great with returning the Blendtec no questions asked. The one problem with the vitamix though is that it doesn't fit under the cabinets. :)

Relaxing at the top

Made it to the top again. 3.6 miles round trip without too much complaining. I think the promise of frozen yogurt helped.

It's official - Lauren can ride a bike

Over the Christmas break, Lauren learned how to ride her bike. She has gotten close in the past but this time she can ride and ride and ride. Here you see her riding around the track at the middle school. Notice she's not riding her bike that she got from Santa. That bike still has yet to be ridden.


Here's Cole following close behind on his new bike. Notice he's trying not to smile for the camera.

Advice for the New Year

One piece of advice for the New Year. If you ever see these little poops anywhere in your house, you have a mouse. I had seen some of these a few weeks or even months earlier and thought they were from a cricket but there were other signs that I missed that should have led me to investigate more. It wasn't until I was searching for a bag in our garage cabinets that I found him or should I say her.


Here she is. I luckily was able to trap her in a box.


She had made a nest in our cabinets. She tore this orange ribbon off of our luggage and used it as part of her nest.


Oh and this is how I could tell he was a she. In case you were wondering we carried them far away from the house and let them go into the preserve.

Cole's turn

Cole made it to the top of telegraph pass. Total hike was 3.7 miles with an elevation gain of 625ft. He can't wait to go up again.

Shopping with....

Santa Delivers

Sick with a fever

Elves hard at work

Visited Walmart last night to scout out Xmas gifts and was a little disappointed with their standard bike display. That's when I discovered 3 elves working feverishly in the garden center.

Great Customer Service

I recently noticed a tear in my hydration pack. Since I didn't want to return it to Costco, I submitted a warranty claim with geigerrig.com. They emailed me back saying that they'd be sending me the latest pack version because they didn't have mine in stock anymore.


I was expecting just the pack and not the water bladder as well but they actually just sent me the entire backpack and system. I didn't need to show them any receipts or mail anything back. In addition to the great customer service, the water bladder is a great design. The bladder itself can be inverted and placed in the dishwasher. All the other camelbacks or hydration systems usually develop some kind of mold or require way too much care to keep clean and free of any buildup. I highly recommend the geigerrig system. I also recently emailed the customer service about my bike pump and how one of the pieces broke off. They also just sent me an entire new pump since the existing pump was no longer in production. Again, no receipts or returning the old one. So the moral of the story is remember to try customer service or a warranty claim for an item that you probably would have just purchased a new one of.

Home Depot Project

Stopped into the Home Depot this weekend to look for an item and instead Cole got to build his own tic tac toe board. Kids get their own smock and a pin after they complete a project. We might have to stop in for future projects.

First trip to the top

Lauren and I went for a hike up Telegraph pass.



A view from the top.


Lauren made it to the top for the first time.

School fund raiser

A first this year was the mini Ferris wheel. Cole enjoyed taking a ride.

Classroom Observations and teacher conferences

For our classroom observations and teacher conferences, the kids usually offer us a drink and a snack. Lauren's new classroom this year offered french press coffee and a biscotti. I'm glad to know they are learning good taste. :)

Cole's soccer team

Watching 4 yr olds play soccer is awesome; between the kids that are daydreaming on the field to the kids scoring in the wrong goal. Cole is really enjoying it.

Divine Design - Master Bedroom Retreat

When we had cable, we would watch Divine Design with Candice Olsen and always dream about having her design our bedroom. So for sabbatical last year, we decided to hire an interior designer to redo our bedroom. Overall the experience wasn't quite what we expected but we are pretty pleased with the transformation. Here are the before pictures.


Luckily I was able to sell all the furniture on Craig's list.


Since I redid our closet, we didn't have a need for the dressers anymore.


Here you can see the faded carpet from the previous owner as well as our redi shades covering the sliding doors. Those temporary shades were up for over 2 years.


We added 7 recessed cans, moved the ceiling fan, and added another pendent light.


Here I'm having the painter smooth out the stucco wall to make it ready for wallpaper. Yes, wallpaper. Never did I think we'd be putting up wallpaper.


Here's our new wood floors to replace the carpet. They are 7" maple. You can also see the new wall color.


Here's the wallpaper lady.


Here's the finished product. We had just finished getting professional photos taken so if you look closely, you can't see any alarm clocks or phone chargers. You can see the TV and the console table on the left which were things that we had picked out. The designers weren't too keen on a TV in the bedroom.


Here's our sitting area.


Another shot of the finished product.

Guess the game

Feed the animals. Cole tossed the whale right into the shark's mouth.

Freebie at the end of dinner

The kids would be in heaven.

Date night at the Biltmore

Halo halo

2nd Sabbatical - Vancouver

After spending some time in Seattle, we headed up to Vancouver and Whistler. In order to not pay for international data plans, we only used wifi on our phones. This proved to be difficult since we couldn't really navigate or get in touch with each other when we split up. We survived though and saved some money. :)

2nd Sabbatical - Seattle

I finally got around to posting our sabbatical trip. Here's the first part, Seattle.