Positive Thoughts please!

My cousin Keri's 13 year old son, Dylan, has been in a coma since last week, after a bout with the flu that led to Diabetic KetoAcidosis (DKA). This is a link to a nice website they have set up for him: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/dylanskay

I appreciate all thoughts, strength, prayers, anything to help Dylan and his mom and dad. This is a very scary and emotional time for the whole family and we are all hopeful for good news soon!

AZ Sonoran Desert Museum

Kirsten and I took the boys and their cousin, Lucy, to the Desert Museum today. It was a little chilly and windy, but once the sun came out it was a very nice day. The kids loved it and we definitely plan on visiting again soon. We saw javelina, a raptor bird show, lots of snakes, scorpions, big horned sheep, hummingbirds, and much more. The Sonoran Desert is a beautiful place, if you know where to look!

Sick Day for Potter

Harrison missed his last day of school before winter break due to a high fever. The Tylenol kicked in for an hour or so and he had the energy to play "swords" outside. What a cutie! Poor guy ended up having a fever for 5 days this time, yuck. Doctor thought maybe virus, maybe swine flu... but thankfully he is better today.

Agua Caliente with the Audubon

We were invited by some other moms to join an early morning bird-watching walk at Agua Caliente last week. The bird watching was followed by lemonade and cupcakes with some arts and crafts, all hosted by the Audubon Society. It was a perfect morning, overcast with a breeze (very unusual for an August morning) and we had a great time. The boys and Vanessa found a recently deceased bat that proved very interesting to inspect, then found a 3 inch long walking stick that looked just like a twig perched on top of a sign post. We saw a blue heron, lots of ducks, some good-sized fish in the stream, and lots of turtles in the lake. Papa even joined us for some fun hiking and exploration.

The crafts and snacks were great for all the little attendees. Not sure if you can see in this picture, but one lady brought a butterfly cocoon that was close to maturity. She showed us the cocoon in a large glass jar and told the boys that the butterfly should come out any minute. No kidding, about 10 minutes later, she brought this beautiful swallowtail over for us to see. It was really amazing!

Emmett lost his first tooth!

He lost it while biting a doughnut, of all things! The tooth fairy came and brought him a whopping $5! When he woke up at 5:30am the next morning, he reached under his pillow and we heard him say "Yessss!" from across the hall. So cute!

It must be because he is five :)

Marshall's Gulch on Mt. Lemmon

We joined other families from the Rainbow Families group, sponsored by Wingspan in Tucson, for a picnic at the top of Mount Lemmon yesterday. This picture shows how much the kids enjoyed the running water and MUD in the very lovely temperature of 68-72 degrees. Emmett is on the right, his "mud brother" Matvey is on the left. Huge thanks to Matvey's dad for taking such great pictures!

This was a great escape from the valley heat of 102+ that has taken over for the summer.

A note from Kirsten (great story!)

The boys were 'gardening' when E and P came running to the door telling me something was dead in the birdbath. So I went to take a look and there was a chick dead in the water. Probably a little house finch. Emmett took the flowers that Grandpa Krueger gave me (I was getting ready to compost them anyway) and walked to where the dead bird had been with this clump of flowers in his hand, said a few words and dropped them to the spot. As they were falling to the ground Emmett waved goodbye to him.

I watched this from inside the kitchen and it was very powerful for me. Yes, I cried. He is so kind and loving. When he came in I hugged him, crying, told him how proud of him I am and how sweet and kind he is. Potter said, 'me too?'. I told him the same and we all had the nicest hug. We are so lucky to have these guys.

Ahhh, Seagulls!

Looks like they're trying to eat Harrison... I think he was just trying to throw them a few crackers.

Beautiful Boys and Beautiful Beach!

This could have been taken any day of the kids three week Florida vacation. They are total beach boys! I think this is Boca Grande, so lovely...

Too much playtime, so sleepy!

Oops, too much cousin fun in Florida :) Good thing Granny had lots of comfy pillows and a kid-freindly TV show when the thunderstorms started!

Summer vacation in Florida

The kids jumped right into playing, swimming, climbing with their cousins Kaylee and Hannah when they got to Florida for their summer vacation.

Tide Pools in Maui

The first few days we were in Maui, it was a little rainy and not so warm. So we went exploring the tide pools after walking to the Farmer's Market. This park is such a great park, with it's own beach, a great children's playground and just across the street from the Bad Ass Coffee Company. Awesome morning!

Maui, here we come!

The boys are marveling at the beautiful flowers and lush, green grass at our layover in the Oahu airport. It was a long flight, but so, so worth it! Thankfully they both travel well and we had the added adult presence of Grandma and Papa to help out when Mommy and Mama got tired and/or ran out of ideas :)

His 1st Trophy!

Emmett received his first trophy at his soccer party the other night. It even has his name on it. He is so proud and excited to have a trophy. He is taking it with us everywhere to make sure everyone can see it. Such a cute boy, growing up too fast!

Playing at the Park

Reid Park in central Tucson has some nice bike paths, lakes, and lovely green grass... all located on the same campus as the regional zoo, a children's train, and a large heated pool facility. The kids LOVE going there!

Granny Doughnut!

I don't think this picture needs any extra explanation :)

Farmers Market

We have been sampling the local farmers markets since moving here. This one has been the favorite so far, the kids loved it and we found lots of yummy produce... even some grass-fed local beef!

Cousins!

Our niece, Lucy, has started staying with us once or twice a week now that her Mom has gone back to work. Miss Lucy loves her cousins and her cousins love it when she comes over. The grown-ups are in love too! The only glitch so far is Lucy's natural preference for breast over bottle. Hopefully, she'll get more used to taking the bottle on her visit days really soon.

This is a picture of all three cousins on our bed the other day. So sweet!