Grand Canyon Reunion

The Updike Family Reunion took place at Grand Canyon National Park this past weekend.

It was a lot of fun, somewhat cold and very exhausting, in a good way.

Camping is not an easy thing.  Camping in cold weather is even harder.  It was only cold at night so we just made sure we bundled up.

The cousins all loved to roam in the woods behind our campsites.  They found bones, prints in the dirt and fresh animal poop.  They all absolutely loved it.  We also saw a bird show and a big IMAX movie about the Grand Canyon.

I got to go on a run with my sister.  She's training for an Ironman (woman) and wanted to run.  I'm not so good at long distant running, but we ran from our campsite to the Grand Canyon.  We had to stop and take in the views and then we ran back.  It was fun. 

Damon did a minute to win it game night.  We played 5 different games.  It was so funny to watch.  I also got to sneak away with Damon and watch the sunset over the canyon.  So pretty.

The Grand Canyon was spectacular as always.  One of these days I am going to hike down to the bottom of it.

We also went to some Indian ruins at Wupatki  National Monument as well as Sunset Crater.  My sister had been making fun of Damon all day for driving slow over our two-way radios and when we were leaving the Crater we saw her pulled over on the side of the road by a police officer.  HA!  She didn't end up getting a ticket though.

We ended up spending our last night in Flagstaff, AZ before we drove back home.  We were all so excited to shower at our hotel in Flagstaff. 

It was Lily's first camping trip and she did a fabulous job and absolutely loved every minute of it.  We are so glad we were able to go and spend time with our family.

What We've been Doing

As life continues to go by at an ultra fast past and summer is still no where around we find ourselves getting busier in the hustle and bustle of life.  

Here is a quick look at what we have been doing since I haven't been blogging.

Boys and Basketball-finished up a 10 week class and loved it.  They look forward to playing next season on a team.

Scouts- Noah is all done with cub scouts and earned its highest honor, the Arrow of Light.  We are so proud of him.  He is already into the thick of it in Boy Scouts.  His first camp is in June.

Family Math Night- Lily insisted she go and Damon couldn't say no.

Tennis-every Friday.  Adam is loving it.

Ranch Round Up- I was in charge of the basket auction with another wonderful lady and was busy most of the night, but no pictures.  The kids loved every minute of it, of course, and spent most of their time in the bounce area.

Still trying to cut back on waste in our house.  Getting better at it with regards to shopping, but still have a long way to go.  Haven't been brave enough to do the kids rooms.

Redecorating-the boys room is finally getting a well-deserved makeover with a professional.  It will be finished in July with pictures then.

Learning a new language- We've decided to start learning a new language.  Lily and I, with Adam sometimes are learning French.  Lily is picking it up faster than me. She walks around saying, le petit dejuener (breakfast) and Je suis fatigue (i'm tired).

Piano Recital- #5 Music from around the World.  The kids played folk songs from around the world.  My boys did fabulous.  I did alright.

School projects-so tired of them, but since there is 7 weeks of school left they are still around. 

Family Reunion- Now we are off to the Grand Canyon, which we are all very excited about, for an Updike reunion.  No computers or phones or outside responsibilities for a few days.  Just good ole fashion family time.  Should be a nice break.

I'm just hoping to stay on top of everything so nothing falls through the cracks.  Hopefully life will get back to normal soon and I can resume my usual, cooking new things, exercising and reading. Abientot

A Weekend with Family

I'm getting behind in my blog posting just like I'm getting behind in all other aspects of life right now.  We are so busy it is crazy.

Memorial Weekend we went to Mortensen Manor to spend the weekend with family, but more importantly baby Sophie.  She was born May 10th and we were all excited to finally meet her. 

We were able to go swimming, eat lots of yummy food, have great conversation and just enjoy being together.  We also get to get lots of baby Sophie time which was good because she is moving to Texas very soon.

A Fun Weekend

Our friend, Heather, was having a party this weekend, except she didn't know she was having a party.  Her party was Saturday, but on Friday some of us went out to dinner with a friend, Melissa, who came into town on Friday.  So a couple of us girls went out for Italian food.  We had a lovely evening with some really great food and good conversation.  No pictures because Heather wasn't around to take them.

On Saturday we did chores and spent time together as a family, but Saturday night we went to the Party and enjoyed seeing the surprise on Heather's face.  She's going to kill me for posting that picture.We also enjoyed great food, dinner with good friends and dancing with a DJ.

We know we are getting older because at 10pm we were tired and wanted to get home and we thought the music was way to loud because our ears were ringing the whole drive home.  It was still a great party!

Damon was the photographer that night and that is why there are no pictures of us together.

Date night with the Kids

This past weekend was the Daddy/Daughter Dance. I decided to have a date with the boys too. So Damon and Lily went to the dance and the boys and I went out to dinner/dessert.

I didn't take any pictures with the boys that night.  We went to Pat & Oscar's for dinner and then Coldstone for ice cream after.  I had fun spending time with just them.

Lily and Damon went to school for the Luau.  They had dinner, watched some dancers and then danced the night away.  Damon said all Lily wanted to do was dance on stage with her friends.  It was the thought that counted right?

A good time was had by all. 

Mother's Day Love!

Mother's day is a wonderful day. We've had a wonderful weekend together celebrating. It's been so nice to spend the time with Damon and the kids. (I had this whole thing done and then blogger broke and I lost everything except the first sentence. grr) They spoiled me.

Saturday after our chores were done we went to the San Diego Zoo. The animals did not disappoint. The lions were great, we saw the most beautiful red bird. I think it was a scarlet Ibis. We loved spending the time with each other.

Saturday night we went to our church for a silent and live auction. The girls were raising money for girl's camp this summer. We won what we bid on so it was very exciting. We also got some cute pictures taken of us by our fabulous friend, Heather.

Sunday morning I awoke to the smell of bacon. Damon and the boys were making me an omelet. Yummy. I got to open my gifts from Damon and the kids and I was feeling the love. I loved the card, the drawings, and the Life Saver necklace. Damon shocked me the most with this...

and this.

Damon slaved over a yummy chicken Alfredo dinner. The kids helped make dessert. Yummy brownies, strawberries, ice cream and hot fudge. My favorite! Damon remembered when we were in Phoenix that I said how much I loved the Mary Coyle's dishes that they served their ice cream in. He went online and found them. Now we eat our ice cream in super pretty dishes and I get to think of Mary Coyle's and remember all the memories that I have of that place. It was really nice.

I love being a mom. It hasn't always been easy and there are times when it is down-right lousy, but my kids and my spouse enrich my life so much that I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.

A New Way of Thinking

During the break we had a lot of lazy mornings. They were nice. We would actually watch the news sometimes. We happened to be watching the Today Show and there was a segment on a family up in northern California that produces very little trash per month. That got me thinking... "How much trash do we produce each month?" It's a scary thought when you really think about it. We do our part, we recycle, we don't waste water and we don't leave the lights on.

Later that week Damon and I were really thinking about how we coul cut back on our waste. So we are embarking on a new phase. We aren't going to go all crazy, but we really are trying to unclutter our lives. The family the story was about talks about ways to get rid of the clutter in our lives. It's mostly just living more simply. Life has become so hectic because we have let it.

Now it's time to declutter all aspects of our life and return to easier times. #1- get rid of all things we really just don't use or haven't used for over a year. This involves going up to the attick and going through bins that have been up there since we moved here and haven't been touched since. That's 5 years, so obviously we don't need it. #2- clothes- we have so much in our closet that we don't really wear. #3- clean out stuff from the house- books, games, movies, dishes, all that extra stuff that we don't use, but we have.

After we have accomplished this (while the kids are gone so we don't hear any complaining) the next big step is to figure out how to bring less trash in. This is a harder step and will take more time, but I am sure we will find what works best for our family.

For information on how you can reduce the amount of "trash and clutter" you have visit the website at www.zerowastehome.blogspot.com This family really has figured out a great way to live. I hope we can incorporate some of it into our lives.