Try Again

Things were looking good when we headed off for Flagstaff this morning...windy in SJ but not too bad. Mike and I even considered stopping off in Holbrook for breakfast. Afterall, we saved a bunch of time because Highway 180 wasn't closed after all. We decided to wait until Flagstaff to eat not knowing what awaited us just past Winslow...


See that solid stream of semis in the eastbound (left) lanes? You would have thought that, combined with that thick strip of brown extending from the the horizon to the clouds-the brown strip that completely obliterates view of the San Francisco Peaks-we would have had second thoughts on continuing but no, wasn't to be.



Just short of Meteor Crater traffic came to a full halt. We were there, without any forward travel, about an hour when there was a break in the dust and Mike spotted a no U-turn sign ahead. He drove along in the median to get to the turn-out and we headed back. Flagstaff wasn't to be on this day.

This should be a familiar site, do you know where this pictures was taken?


Not at all a good day for traveling. We'll try again another day...I'll try again, tomorrow.

Did you figure it out?

We were on Grover's Hill-I opened the door to step out and take a picture and was dragged from the truck as the wind flung the door open! If you look really closely you can make out the Stake Center but I wasn't able to spot the power plant or other landmarks.

Elders

These Elders are living downstairs at Jacob and Maria's house. The Elders in SJ are always asking "who" is there and I can never recall their names. :( I figured by taking a pic it'll help me remember. Maybe. :)

For Holley

Holley sent this little Big Sisters Rock tee to Baylee and she just loves to wear it! I've seen it on her a couple times since it arrived a couple days ago. It's going to be awesome to see Baylee's reaction and interaction with her new little sister after she makes her debute!

Surprised Her

Kelly took Baylee to a play date with other little friends and was totally surprised that her dear friends had planned a baby shower for her and the new little one. The thoughtfulness and the gifts were so sweet! I especially like the decorative hand-made B A B Y banner made by her friend Stacey, and the tiny little bathing suit is so cute, and the burp clothes. Oh my, all of it is so cute!

Today Is...

Millie's birthday! :)

What a special gal. She is loving and caring, witty and gentle. And, she is my sister. I am so lucky to have her in my life. Millie brings a special quiet influence to all who share her life. A smile, a glance, a caress, a hug...she touches hearts and makes everyone feel special. Today is your special day, Millie. I hope it is a good one...and hope that you know always how very much I love you!

Happy birthday!

Phoenix Children's Museum I

Such a fun day! Kelly had heard from friends about Phoenix Children's Museum and we decided to go and check it out. Maria was interested in going too, just we changed plans one too many times for her. Sorry, Maria. We sure missed you and those little ones! :( Quentin got off work at 12:30 so we waited for him. :)

This post and following posts are loaded with pictures! If you're readin, I hope you like them but either way, I like them and it is, afterall, my blog. I reserve the right to post oodles of pics on it. :)


Baylee had fun the entire day. Here she is playing with a sand drawing platform. Then she went for a ride on the tricycle trail and through the trike wash.



Felicia and Jayden had fun going through the trike wash, too!


Baylee loved exploring the fort emporium...all kinds of little forts and hide-outs to explore. These were so cute, and so versatile. Just large panels of fabric with velcro tabs to secure the fabric on unique or everyday items.


She stopped for a bit to put together a puzzle then was off again.


Jayden watched the action from the sidelines.


Baylee rested for just a bit, lounging on a child-size sofa inside one of the forts.


Everyone was in a playful mood! :)


A little kid-size tent made for a fun fort, too!

Phoenix Children's Museum II

Next stop was the kid-size super market. Baylee loved wandering the aisles and loading up her cart.






Then she loaded the groceries onto the conveyor at the check-out.


She turned the lever to make the conveyor move while another little girl bagged her groceries in reusable shopping bags.


Jayden wasn't liking being in her stroller again!


Baylee had fun with the split peas-scooping them up and putting them on the scales.



In fact, everyone had fun with the scales!

Phoenix Children's Museum III

Next up was the kitchen and pizzaria. This little play area was so cute! Baylee donned an apron and jumped into action serving water and little dinner plates.


This picture is especially cute because the guy sitting at the counter was recipient of Baylee's first pizza! LOL Seriously, she created this fabric masterpiece of crust and toppings then folded it in half, Calzone style, and took it over to the man sitting at the counter. :)



I think these two practiced making faces at one another. :)




That kitchen set-up was so cute and sized just right for Baylee.

Phoenix Children's Museum IV

The race car tracks were the next stop and although I didn't get pictures of the tracks (disappointed?), I did manage to get one of Baylee playing the wrench xylophone in the hall near the tracks.


Our last stop...at least prior to the gift shop, was the under three year old playroom. I was able to get a couple cute pics of Jayden in this light, bright room. :)






All in all it was a fun outing. I am so glad Kelly suggested this activity. We'll have to do it again when there are more children with us. It was a lot of fun for Baylee as is but I think she would have had even more fun if she had a playmate going through these activities with her.

Early Walk

When she woke this morning, Baylee was not a happy camper. Typically, she is full of smiles and quite happy in the mornings. This morning, she was a grump. A little bear. In an attempt to get her focused on something, I asked if she wanted to go for a walk. It was still early morning, a bit chilly but the sun wasn't glaring. She did want to go fr a walk, but she wanted me to carry her! Nope. Not happening.

Eventually, Baylee did decide to go for a walk...even if she had to do the walking. :) We were only gone about 40 minutes but oh what fun!


Baylee was entranced by the long shadows of the early morning. The sun wasn't yet high in the sky. She walked along kicking her foot around trying to make the shadow leave from her foot. :)



Sometimes she would run ahead a few steps then turn and smile back at me just knowing she had Grandma right there following along. :)


Eventually, she tired of holding the little bag of cereal her mommy had sent along for the outing. She ran back and stuffed it into my pocket.


It didn't take long for the jacket to come off either! I thought it was chilly, Baylee was loving the cool morning air. Kelly says she gets that from John, he likes it cool, too.


Baylee has her own personal balance beam along the route we took. She practices walking along the inside curbing (no idea why it's there, just for her) over and over again. Her biggest challenge in mastering the concrete berm is the hair, keeping it swept back out of her face as she looks down.


Baylee can spot an interesting rock from yards away! The bougainvillea shrub behind her is gorgeous and typical of color spots throughout the neighborhood.


As Baylee stopped to clear a stone out of her flip-flop, she set the collected rocks on the sidewalk close by.

We had fun during the early morning walk and Baylee has been far more cheerful since returning to the house. I probably have been, too. :)

Rub A Dub Dub

It isn't three men in a tub, just one adorable little girl!



It was absolutely so nice to spend an extended time with Baylee and be part of her daily routine. I love this little girl!

She has quite a repertoire of songs she has memorized...she's an amazingly bright little gal.