The desert truly is a harsh landscape. The flora and fauna are not exactly the most inviting. There are cacti, tarantulas, rattlesnakes, and dust storms. There are jaguars, javelinas, fire ants and lightning storms. My kids
love it.
We are spending every spare moment exploring! We've taken homeschooling on the road as we visit state parks and ancient ruins. Matthew is fascinated by the colorful history of the wild west. Last week we visited 2 Ft. Huachuca history museums, a military intelligence museum, a
Nature Preserve, a beautiful canyon, a ghost town, a
Raparian Conservation Area, an Ice Age excavation site, and several other local spots, concluding the week with dinner in the
Crystal Palace Saloon in Tombstone.
Our adventures are made even more exciting by the fact that Leila is deathly afraid of bugs. Nature does not amuse her. If an ant crosses her path she becomes hysterical. As a matter of fact, when we hiked one of the trails to the river last week she was in hysterics when we passed an ant hill. She insisted that I carry her and when I did Sarah decided that she could not walk either. It's as hot as the sun and I'm carrying a girl on each hip as I cross the desert. (Does that count as exercise?)
The views here are spectacular and I sometimes wonder if you ever get tired of looking up and seeing these beautfil vistas. I asked my dad (who lives outside of Denver) and he says he is still amazed whn he walks out his front door and sees the front range.
When we walk out our front door we see the mountains and these beautiful flowers. We have all kinds of pretty things blooming around us right now. Each morning Leila and Sarah run outside to see how many new blooms are out and what colors they can see.
Matthew has been busy catching lizards. He is lightning fast when he goes after these things! I don't know how he does it!
I've been talking to cows (and yaks.) Did you know I love cows? I've always had a thing for cows and I'm not sure why. When I spotted these guys hanging out in the shade I had to stop the van and get out to talk to them. Yes, I have issues.
On a recent trip into the canyon to stop at the playground we came across this sign. And then we decided that maybe the playground was not such a good idea.
We're are sucking up the sunshine for a few more weeks. Next weekend we are visiting the Grand Canyon and before we know it we'll be headed back to the east coast again. Time is flying by since we're having fun and I'm so sad whenever I pause to think about the future. Last week we closed on the new house (Hallelujah!!!) and Jason finally got official info about his deployment. It's so easy to forget about him leaving when he's here with us now. November will be here all too soon...
The desert truly is a harsh landscape. The flora and fauna are not exactly the most inviting. There are cacti, tarantulas, rattlesnakes, and dust storms. There are jaguars, javelinas, fire ants and lightning storms. My kids love it.
We are spending every spare moment exploring! We've taken homeschooling on the road as we visit state parks and ancient ruins. Matthew is fascinated by the colorful history of the wild west. Last week we visited 2 Ft. Huachuca history museums, a military intelligence museum, a Nature Preserve, a beautiful canyon, a ghost town, a Raparian Conservation Area, an Ice Age excavation site, and several other local spots, concluding the week with dinner in the Crystal Palace Saloon in Tombstone.
Our adventures are made even more exciting by the fact that Leila is deathly afraid of bugs. Nature does not amuse her. If an ant crosses her path she becomes hysterical. As a matter of fact, when we hiked one of the trails to the river last week she was in hysterics when we passed an ant hill. She insisted that I carry her and when I did Sarah decided that she could not walk either. It's as hot as the sun and I'm carrying a girl on each hip as I cross the desert. (Does that count as exercise?)
The views here are spectacular and I sometimes wonder if you ever get tired of looking up and seeing these beautfil vistas. I asked my dad (who lives outside of Denver) and he says he is still amazed whn he walks out his front door and sees the front range. 
When we walk out our front door we see the mountains and these beautiful flowers. We have all kinds of pretty things blooming around us right now. Each morning Leila and Sarah run outside to see how many new blooms are out and what colors they can see.
Matthew has been busy catching lizards. He is lightning fast when he goes after these things! I don't know how he does it!
I've been talking to cows (and yaks.) Did you know I love cows? I've always had a thing for cows and I'm not sure why. When I spotted these guys hanging out in the shade I had to stop the van and get out to talk to them. Yes, I have issues.
On a recent trip into the canyon to stop at the playground we came across this sign. And then we decided that maybe the playground was not such a good idea.
We're are sucking up the sunshine for a few more weeks. Next weekend we are visiting the Grand Canyon and before we know it we'll be headed back to the east coast again. Time is flying by since we're having fun and I'm so sad whenever I pause to think about the future. Last week we closed on the new house (Hallelujah!!!) and Jason finally got official info about his deployment. It's so easy to forget about him leaving when he's here with us now. November will be here all too soon...
