Move to Arizona

Well, we moved to Arizona last November and thought now would be a good time to update the blog.  We are finally into a normal routine in life and comfortable in our new home and neighborhood.  Travis absolutely loves his new job and I am loving being home with Leah and taking on new interests and hobbies here in the desert. 

After the big move the first thing we had to do was find a house.  We found one that we love in a neighborhood that is surrounded by the mountains and has walking/running trails everywhere.  There is also a park right behind our house and a community pool that we get to enjoy year round, especially on the hot summer days.  

 Our home

 The kitchen is my favorite part

 Built in fireplace in the backyard

We have explored many of the mountains around us and we absolutely love the scenery.  There is nothing like seeing a cactus with blossoms on it in the spring.  The hot summer days are not as hot as they sound.  OK, so maybe 115 degrees IS as hot as it sounds, but we love it!  We have been able to hike many different trails and love finding new places to go.  Here are a few things that have kept us busy and active:

 Travis pointing out some small critters to Leah

  Leah enjoying the rocks on our hike

Spending time in the backyard making smores

We went to an airshow at the air force base near by

 

  Interesting sign at the air show

 We ran into Superman at the Diamondbacks Baseball game

We have already taken a few trips to Utah to visit family and we love the fact that we are closer to them.  Leah loves getting to know her cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents better.  We always have a fun time with family and it is always sad to go back home.  

  Family game of kickball

 My mom and some of her grand kids

Leah and her cousins playing on the slide

Last, but not least, Leah turned 2!!  We can't believe that she has been a part of our family for 2 years now.  She is such a joy to have and we love watching her learn and grow.  She can tell you the sounds that most the letters of the alphabet make, she loves singing songs, and (lucky for us) she loves nursery!!  Here are some of her 2 year pictures.

The Dirty Dash - September 25, 2010

What is "The Dirty Dash"?  It is a 10K race in the mud with many interesting obstacles...oh and did I mention that is the greatest race ever!!  It was held at Soldier Hollow and when they said it was going to be muddy they did not lie.  I ran the race with my brother and sister and we are already planning to do it again next year.  The race started with a steep, muddy, slippery hill that made me realize we were in for a real treat and heavy feet.  As we wound through the mountain trail we came upon HUGE hay bails that we had to jump over, some people had to climb over them because they could not jump that high.  We also had to climb through tunnels, run through 100 feet of tires, climbing over walls with lots of mud around them, run through a blizzard created by snow making machines, and run through a mile and a half of a muddy, muddy mess along Deer Creek Reservoir (many people lost their shoes).  The race ended with a 500 ft slip and slide and finally a 1 1/2 foot deep mud pit that I did a graceful cannonball in to.  This was one of the funnest things that I have ever done and of course we got some great pictures!

  Our Outfits

Jumping over the Wall

The slip and slide

 Jumping into the mud pit 

After the race

 Just a little muddy

       

Playing In Montana - August 2010

We spent a weekend in Montana visiting my brother and his family.  While we were there we went boating, hiking, and just enjoyed the layed back Montana life.  Leah loved being towed behind the boat on the big tube, she kept signing "more" over and over.

We hiked about a half mile to this gorgeous waterfall.  Leah hiked the entire way down!  We really enjoyed spending the weekend with family and being in the outdoors.