I SPY

As summer winds down, we are trying to check everything off our "Summer To Do" List. EVERY summer my kids put on the list to go to THE DINOSAUR MUSEUM (AKA: The Museum of Natural History) in Mesa... and its awesome, we love it, you should go.

...However I MADE them try a NEW museum this summer.

Yesterday we went to the:

I brought all 6 kids, age 2-16, and it was so cute inside that everyone loved it.

(I spy Logan sittin in a tube below)

(I spy Dallin and Logan building like crazy below)

While the girls cooked in the kitchen,

the boys built towers with blocks forever...

(I spy Ashlin reading kids books below)

And even though my kids don't really know "Charlie Brown" (the theme for this summers display there)... they still loved playing the miniature piano whose keys light up, and dressing up like Snoopy and Woodstock...

(I spy a big black spot on Dallin's eye below, because I majorly messed up editing his red-eye in iphoto... ha ha, turns out you have to adjust the size of the circle before you click on his eye)

so much hands on stuff to do...

We give the museum 2 thumbs up

(even though it is not as big and amazing as the Phoenix Childrens Museum, still it was so nice, and so much closer to us)

www.arizonamuseumforyouth.com

Then the yummiest part of going to any downtown Mesa Museum... is lunch afterwards at SWEETCAKES (it's a must, and so are their cookies, yum)

I still have to post about our road trip to Texas last month, it's comin...

Dallin wigged out in the car telling Ashlin, "you have to take a picture of Sophie, she's so cute!"... so she did:

Sophie turned TWO!!

We just got back from Texas. Yee-haw.

While we were there Sophie turned TWO! Wow. I wanted her to know that I loved her, so even though we were on vacation I spent 4 hours making her little Bumble-Bee and Flower cupcakes at my friend Kelli's house. Kelli and I laughed all night making these. I chose to make the frosting green, thinking "plant stem"... even though Kelli tried to talk me in to pink. After they were done and we thought they looked like cupcakes for an old lady luncheon... I realized I should have frosted them pink with flowers. Oh well.... ha ha.

...Sophie still loved them!

She got to celebrate her 2nd birthday with all the Spackman cousins at her Grandpa Vernons house in San Antonio, Texas (where her dad Bruce lived when he was 1)

I made BEE cupcakes because Sophie is obsessed with them. Anything that flies (or any insect) she calls "bee" and points at and loves. We think its so cute. One time right in front of her I swatted a fly and killed it... she couldn't stop staring at the dead fly on the table and saying, "Oh no, Bee?"

I made the bees out of black jelly bellies, yellow frosting and sliced almonds. The flower petals are sliced and shaped gum drops.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOPHIE

We love you!

FINALLY...

... TREES and LIGHTS!!

Oh man is construction a pain... the delays can make you crazy!

The landscaping should have been done weeks ago.

Before we left for Texas, I got to take a few photos of the trees and lights going in... too bad the hugest dust storm ever came through here that night and ruined some of the trees. (they are being replaced, but ugh)

Check out our website:

WWW.RockwellAZ.com

(only 3 lots left... come be our neighbor!!)

4th of July

In the past we have gone somewhere to watch fireworks in the sky... this year we stayed at my parents house and did our own fireworks by the pool while the kids swam.

So cool.

I spent $100 on fireworks, yah, I don't even know what got in to me. Really it was because Dallin went with Ashlin and I to the mall and I felt bad that he had to sit and wait in our girl stores for us forever... so on the way home when he begged to stop at a Firework Tent, I caved.

It ended up being so fun. Him and Bruce put on the show for us, Dallin lit them all, he loved it.

At first little Sophie wasn't convinced this was a safe activity, but then she embraced her inner patriotism and loved it. We really sang any patriotic songs we could think of as we watched.

And is there anything more patriotic then sparklers...

...maybe just sparklers in the pool!

Aren't we lucky to have all the freedoms we do?

WE LOVE AMERICA!

(and spending America's birthday swimming as a family is pretty awesome too)

8 is Enough

...aaaaaand the only family picture we got on the whole Cali vacation was the free one at the Mormon Battalion Museum in Old Town San Diego. THE END.

Ocean Activities

Every year my awesome dad plans some new thing to go do that we haven't done before. This year we did a kayaking "cave tour" on the ocean. We kayaked over by "Seal Beach" and saw the Sea Otters right up close. We saw big sea turtles, sting rays, and some cool fish below us. Little Logan was my kayak partner and really got to paddle, he did a lot better than I thought he would and was even good at steering our kayak out in that big ocean.

Then of course we walked to the park right on the beach for our packed picnic lunch... and ate too many Oreos while the kids ran around like crazy people.

Any maybe other people don't consider this an "Ocean Activity"... but of course WE go to church every year in Cali. I love going to church other places and showing my kids how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the same everywhere. It's different people and a different building, but the Lords church just the same. (I really believe that with all my heart)