Time for a Change

Nate had been growing his hair out for almost a year, and is now ready for a change. He buzzed and it looks great. Now he is ready for our summer heat!

Painting Fun

I have been so busy lately that I have not been doing many fun activities with Carter, so today we went to the store and got some stuff that we could paint with. I wanted him to get dirty, create and just have fun. He loved it and did not hesitate to dip his fingers in. Nate is going to make fun of me for putting so many of the same pictures in, but they are all so cute.

I went and washed my hands to get more paper, and this is what I came back too.....

When I showed him what he looked like in the mirror, he thought it was so funny!

BATH TIME!!

Road Runner

I looked out the window and what did I see.....


A Road runner staring right back at me..... This guy was just walking across our back wall. Pretty cool!

Summer Recipe

I was tagged to post a summer recipe that did not use the oven since it is getting so hot here. I am posting 2 great recipes, Enjoy!!

Fresh Corn Salad
3 TBS white wine Vinegar
2 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
6 ears fresh corn, husked (about 4 cups corn kernels)
2 cups red or orange grape tomatoes, halved
1 bunch scallions (white and green), thinly sliced
8 oz fresh mozzarella, cute into small cubes
1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves

Whisk the vinegar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, gradually whisk in the oil, starting with a few drops and then adding the rest in a steady stream, to make a smooth dressing.

Shear off the corn kernels with a sharp knife over a bowl. Toss in the tomatoes, scallions, and mozzarella. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to coat. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes or up to 2 hours.Before serving tear the basil over the salad and stir.

Mexican Chicken Salad or tacos...

Dressing:
1/4 cup cider Vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
3 TBS honey
1 TBS Chili Powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp cumin
pepper
Mix dressing ingredients and set aside

1 TBS Olive oil
2-4 chicken breast, cut in 2" strips (I just buy rotisserie chicken from Costco and chop it up)
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 (16oz) pkg. frozen corn
1 (15oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup plum tomatoes
5 green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped

Sprinkle chicken with garlic salt and saute in Olive oil until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Combine cooked chicken, corn tomatoes, black beans, onions and red pepper in large bowl. Stir in dressing ingredients, chill at least 1 hour.

Does not have to be exact:
1 pkg. lettuce mix
2 avocados, peeled and chopped
2 cups shredded Monterey jack or pepper jack cheese
3 cups slightly crushed blue corn tortilla chips
1 cup sour cream
1 jar salsa

When ready to eat, combine chicken mixture with lettuce. Top with whatever toppings you like.

*can also eat taco or burrito style

ENJOY!

Garden

So Nate and I have been talking about doing a garden for a long time. We don't have a big space to put one in, but we don't need anything big. We had gotten some info from a Master Gardener on how to garden in AZ, so it gave us hope. We have never done a garden, and really have not idea what we are doing, but the only way we can learn is to do it and try our best. Last Saturday Nate was not going fishing, so he decided it would be a good day to start our box. We went and bought all our supplies and got started. It is not done yet, but in the next few weeks we will be able to plant what we can plant since we are kind of late and hope we get something from it.

Our little helper

Getting the watering system measured

For your gardeners out there, what are your favorite kinds of tomatoes?

Little Swimmer

Grandma Jo got Carter this great little life vest that is actually Coast Guard approved. It helped give Carter great confidence in the pool and he was having so much fun. We were so amazed at what he was doing.

Happy Mother's day to me!!!

All weekend Carter had played and played and played with Grandma and Elle, so when we got home from our Backpacking trip, he was a grump box. He wasn't the best in sacrament and He almost fell asleep in the car on the way to church at 8:30am. They all came home to put Carter and Elle down and I stayed at church to do my thing. He slept for about 1 1/2 hours and then they left to go to the airport. When Nate and Carter got back we played for a bit and opened some more birthday presents. Around 3pm he was just being grumpy, so I decided he needed another nap. I put him down and he fussed just a bit and then was out. He usually eats dinner around 5:30pm and then to bed around 7:30pm. At about 5pm I asked Nate if we should get him up so he would still go to bed at night. Neither one of us wanted to bother him and thought he would get up soon. At 6 I went in to check on him and he was breathing heavy and out. I decided that I would just let him sleep and hope that he would sleep through the night and if not, I would be willing to get up with him in the middle of the night. We did not hear from him again until 5:30 am. He slept almost 15 hours. The first thing he wanted to do when he woke up was eat some pan cakes. I am so glad that I let him sleep because he obviously needed it. Happy Mother's day to me!!!

TWO

My big boy is 2!

He however isn't quite big enough for his present. We got him a Radio Flyer Twist bike that can be a tric or a big wheel. He loves it, but can't quite touch the peddles. He is growing and developing so well and is so friendly to everyone. We kept it simple this year and are just so grateful that he is part of our family.

Backpacking Adventure

Nate has been wanting to go backpacking with me for a long time. My only experience with backpacking was in college with a pack that was way too big and falling in the river after a 12 mile hike. I figured I would give it another chance. We arranged for Nate's mom to come into town to visit and watch Carter. This would be the longest we had been away from Carter so I was a little nervous. It had been along time since she had come, so it worked out for everyone. Carters cousin Elle ended up coming along too.


Lucky for me REI just had their anniversary sale, so I got my very own pack on sale and a few other great deals. We packed up and headed out Friday morning at 5:30am. We were doing the Hells Gate hike up near Payson. We got their and started hiking around 7:30am. Hells Gate is were 2 creeks merge, so we had a lot of down hill going in, which meant we would have up hill coming out. It was 14 miles round trip and we did both ways in 3 1/2 hours. It was hot and a tough hike, but worth the trip. It was beautiful and we saw lots of interesting things.


We even meet up with a Rattle snake on the trail. Allie and Nate were up front and it "rattled" right when they got up to it. It was probably 10 feet off the trail. He was all coiled up and ready to strike. YUCK!



Once we got down to the creeks, we found a great place to set up camp right where it merges. It was so pretty and peaceful. We hike around along the creek to do some fishing. Nate caught a few Chub, but no Trout. Fishing was not that great.We set up camp and took a nap. It was so nice to relax. We cooked up some dinner of Mashed Potatoes and Top Roman (Yum). Anything is good after a long hike and camping. We got ready for bed and watched all the stars coming out as it got dark. (you just don't see star in the city anymore).





Since fishing was bad and it was hot we decided that we would hike out in the morning and drive to another creek to fish. It would be a lot cooler. We made up breakfast that was soooo good. I was starving. Oatmeal, hot chocolate and bacon. While we were cooking and taking down camp we heard a big splash in the water. A bolder had fallen off the cliff. I looked up and something was sitting on the very top. It walked away and had a big long tail. It looked like a mix between a monkey and a raccoon. It was crazy. About 10 minutes later we heard something closer to the creek. About a dozen of these critters were climbing on the rocks and coming down to get water. We accidentally scared them away while trying to take pictures. We came home and looked them up. It looks like they are called coatimundi and are native to mostly southern and central America with a few spots in AZ.


Allie has really sensitive paws and she wore them out on the way in, so we put some little dog shoes on her and she hike out like a champ. It was a tough hike out, but I think the motivation of being able to take off the pack and sit in the car in the AC got me moving. When we got back to the car we headed about 30 minutes to another creek to see if fishing would be any better. It was a beautiful creek and had plenty of space on the side for me to walk and not have to climb through bushings to follow along. Spring fishing must be over, because he only got 3 fish. We hiked along the creek for 4 hours, so when we headed out we were hungry. All I wanted was a chocolate shake. It was sooo yummy.

Nate's faithful Fishing buddy

This little guy almost attacked Nate as we were jumping over a rock

When we got Carter, Elle, and Grandma Jo were just finishing up playing outside with Carter's new water toys. He was so excited to see us and kept giving us some big hugs. He looked exhausted, so we put him down and went and took a SHOWER......... It was a great weekend.

Weekend in Sedona

We had a great weekend in Sedona. Nate's Dad, Rick, and Step mom, Joan, came into town to visit and we thought it would be fun to take them up to Sedona since they had never been. They flew into town Thursday around 3:30pm. Dad loves pizza and we had told him about this place that has gotten great reviews and always has a wait, so he wanted to go there. It is down town so after we picked them up from the Airport we headed that direction. We got there around 4:15 and their was already a line out the door and it did not even open until 5pm. It is called Pizzeria Bianco and had been featured on The Food Network. It is a small place with around 10 tables, so by the time we got the the start of the line we had to put our name on the list for the 1 hour and 1/2 wait. We had already come this far we couldn't turn back now. So we just sat on the grass and talked and played. Carter did so well and was a trooper the entire time. He had brought his ball and made friends with a cute little girl that was waiting too. At exactly 6:30 we got called in for our table and ordered 4 yummy pizza's that we could all share. It was cool to see a real brick oven at work. We were all very hungry and devoured everything. It was yummy.

Friday we headed up to Sedona to a awesome Bed and Breakfast. It was about 3 miles up Oak Canyon right next the the river. Great service and beautiful green area and you would never know it was right off the highway. We had a cute little cabin and fun deck to sit and enjoy the beauty around us. Nate headed out to the river to do a little fishing while the rest of us went to the store to get some food. Carter bonded quickly with Papa and Nana, but really took to Papa. Any time he could not see Papa he would put his little hand up to his mouth and yell "PAPA". It was so cute. Nate got back from fishing and caught some good ones.

All the "Boys" enjoying something to read

Throwing rocks in the river

The B&B also had a little meadow that they had 3 sheep, a mommy and 2 babies. This is the face Carter gave every time he heard them BAA. He was not the biggest fan especially when the
baby's got out of their pen, the mom would BAA like crazy.


Saturday Nate got up early for a date with the fish. It was also his birthday so we were glad he was doing what he loves. The B&B offered breakfast so Papa, Nana, Carter and I headed in for breakfast on the patio by the creek. It was yummy food and so nice to be outside. Nate came back and joined us. Nate had a good morning of fishing and was ready for breakfast. We headed into town to check it out and look through the shops. Carter was ready for a nap, so we put him down and Nate and I headed off to catch some more fish. I enjoy going with him, because it is so beautiful and peaceful and I love watching him in his passion. I took tons of pictures, almost steeped on a snake and discovered that snakes can swim underwater! It was a fun day.

Snake in the water

Something with claws was after this one!

It was so nice of Nana and Papa to watch Carter while we enjoyed time together. Nana is so cute and brought tons of fun things for Carter to do. They colored, had fun with stickers, played with beads and read lots of fun books.

Enjoying cookies at the DAILY snacks in the lobby - Great service

We drove the jeep up to Sedona so we could enjoy some of the great jeeping spots. All 5 of us ventured over to Broken Arrow trail to jeep Devils Staircase. It was fun and scary all at the same time. Nate was loving it, Joan not so much!

Devils staircase

Sunday we enjoyed the yummy breakfast again and enjoyed a few hours of relaxation. Before we headed out we went over to Slide Rock to show it off. It is a part of the river where the rocks are like little water slides. We have never done it before, but it looks fun. We all took our shoes off (with the help of Carter) and felt the cold water. Carter had fun tip toeing around. Carter fell asleep the second we got in the car to drive home. He pretty much slept until we got to the airport (2 hours). He did not want to say good bye because he had so much fun.

Don't move that rock!

Thanks Rick and Joan for coming to visit and spend time with Us.