Holy **** it's raining!

Since leaving Florida in August 2008 to move back to the desert Southwest of Tucson, AZ, it feels like it just didn't rain in Tucson EVER. I kept telling Kirsten and the boys that we just missed the monsoons when we came to Tucson in late August in 2008 and to just wait until the monsoons hit during the summer of 2009... well wasn't I made a fool by the weather that summer. For whatever reason, (I'm sure it's directly related to global warming and associated climate change) we just didn't get any monsoon rains during the summer of 2009. It was sad and very disheartening for this water-loving family, 3/4+ pure Floridians and I felt like quite the idiot :(

Well, January and February 2010 have brought some welcome salvation from my idiocy! Tucson had the 8th wettest January in history this year... then February came along and we are now in the 4th wettest year in recorded history. Here are some pictures of what the precipiation looks like on the mountains (for good Spring water supply) and the kids LOVING the rain in the yard.

This is still highly uncharacteristic for desert rainfall patterns, but we'll take it!

Rodeo Days

In Tucson, there is a large celebration of the rodeo every February.
This includes two days off of school and a parade every year. Emmett and his classmates were encouraged to dress up as cowboys and cowgirls the day before their "Rodeo Vacation". Emmett got into it, along with quite a few other boys in his class (the one shown is Adam in the same kinder class)... the girls were more reticent. Harrison chose Kirsten's snow hat and a favorite sweatshirt in perfect three year old fashion :)

We missed the parade this year because I had too much work to do and the boys decided they didn't want to get up and get going that early on a special day off. I think we'll try harder to make it to the parade next year, Emmett seems particularly interested right now.

First steps toward rainwater harvesting

We planted our Spring garden in late January, hoping for some good lettuces, onions, carrots and even some snap peas in March and April. It just so happens that we have a downspout located near the raised garden bed... so, we splurged at the garden store and bought a rainbarrel made of recycled plastic that had been shaped and dyed to look like a terra cotta pot. It works perfectly!

Last summer, Kirsten made a connection on Craigslist who has a steady supply of beverage syrup containers (think Dr. Pepper, Coke, etc. in the convenience store fountains). The containers are sturdy, watertight, and a pretty blue color. Once we had the sample rain barrel installed, Kirsten finished altering the blue beverage container to make yet another rain barrel. In the first storm after the rain barrels were ready, they both filled up within the first 10 minutes! Then we brought all of our five gallon buckets and other "containers" to the catch the overflow. We were so happy to have the rain and capture it for future use in our garden and for our fruit trees! I think more retrofitted beverage syrup containers are in our near future... right Kirs?

gifts of sustainability

This year our Valentine's Day gifts to each other reflected a huge shift in our priorities towards living a more sustainable life. One of the things we have been working on is establishing a sort of "permaculture" at our house. When we moved into this house, there were already two pomegranate trees, a grapefruit tree, a lemon tree, and a key lime tree. We now have six laying hens, have started composting on-site, grow our own herbs in a beautiful large pot in the front yard, and have a raised vegetable garden bed in the backyard. For Valentine's Day, I gave Kirsten a gift of more permaculture. We had two more fruit trees planted by a local nursery (Civano's): a Pink Lady apple tree and an Asian Pear tree. With all the rain we're having this month, they might just fruit next year...

Another thing we've been working on is reducing our waste stream. This was started with recycling first, then adding our non-meat food waste to the compost, now we are working on "pre-cycling" where you don't use or buy things that are packaged excessively or with materials that are non-compostable or non-recyclable. To that end, Kirsten gave me a very cool gift. A stainless steel "to-go food" container. Similar to this, although I'm not sure where she ordered my actual gift: I love it! It's perfect for to-go situations, and even just for taking a lunch or snacks on the road. Awesome gift honey!

Valentine's Day kisses

Happy Valentine's Day! The boys got candy lip thingies that made them look so funny, I just had to post this pic... so cute!

Supporting Henry Elementary

Our local elementray school is Henry Elementary. It is walking distance from our house and is located on a beautiful piece of land that is spacious and well-maintained. There are many devoted staff members at this school and a number of devoted families, as well. BUT... the school is struggling. Struggling with a limited funding pool that has to make the impossible decision between having a full-time principal, lower class sizes, and adequate supplies for the teachers and office requirements. Struggling with a number of children whose parents are unable or unwilling to support their children or the school. Struggling within a school district (TUSD) that has the worst $ to student ratio in Arizona due to declining enrollment and a slow to respond bureaucracy. Struggling within a state that is now coming in dead LAST in funding per pupil in the entire country... LAST (I'm so sad and embarrassed to live in a place that devalues children and education so much).

For the 2009-2010 school year, Emmett and Harrison started attending Henry Elementary. Emmett is in the kindergarten class with Ms. Woolen. Harrison is in the ABLE program with Mr. Bob, Ms. Donna, and Ms. Arlene. Our family has quickly become an integral part of the Henry community. This community is in an important transition time, looking to bring a smaller, near-by school into the fold. We are hopeful that the new resources, new devoted families, and new staff members will help revitalize Henry so it can reinvent itself. Kirsten and I are hoping to help with this by bringing energy, devotion, good ideas, steady attendance and attention, and most importantly a focus on the tenets of attachment parenting with all the children we encounter and all things sustainable. Please send us energy for this thankless and seemingly insurmountable effort. Also, please consider sending paper and glue sticks for the classrooms... we have three months left in this school year and are just about out, with no additional funding in sight for at least another 5 years.

Grandparents Rock!

The boys are so lucky to have their Grandma and Papa a big part of their lives. They all have so much fun together. Here is a very good picture of Grandma and Papa with their grandchildren: Emmett (5), Harrison (3), and Lucy (1).
Kirsten is loving her new camera, thanks for a great picture babe!

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 :)