Science Center, Camping, & CT Scans

This past week was perhaps one of the busiest weeks we've had all summer. We were on the go daily, to and from everything from dentist and doctor's appointments, to field trips and mini-vacations. On Wednesday, we met up with our old homeschool group at the Arizona Science Center. It was the first time we've been there since Tegan was an infant, and the first time we've ever seen the planetarium (where the girl happily grabbed a nap). We were there for over 4 hours, and I'm pretty sure the kids would have liked to stay for 4 more.






Mike took the day off on Friday and we headed north for a couple of days of camping at White Horse lake. As per our usually preferred method, we took the scenic route. It was beautiful!





The campground itself was one of the nicest we've ever been to. It was in a gorgeous wooded area that reminded me a lot of New Hampshire. Our site was big and clean, and the bathrooms were surprisingly non-smelly for vault toilets! The first night was a little rough - Tegan burnt her hand on a lantern, and it took more than an hour to nurse her into feeling well enough to get some sleep. By day two she was feeling much better and not slowed at all by her bandage.

We enjoyed hanging around the site...







We visited the lake...





We hiked...






We went geocaching...

It was a good trip, a quick trip. It was nice to come home on Sunday to sleep in our own beds... not nice to get that blast of Phoenix heat when we stepped out of the car. You can see the whole album of camping pictures here.

And finally, I had a full CT scan of my kidney - and related parts - on Tuesday. Is it a sign that I've had too many of these things that I suddenly find the field of radiology very, very interesting? Anyway, I see my doctor again on Friday, and will find out what's next. Thank you to those of you who've followed my saga, asked me for updates, and sent your good wishes. I appreciate it more than you know.

Splish Splash

Yesterday we took the kids up to enjoy a splash park with their cousins. I know I posted wet pictures of Tegan just a few posts ago, but well... there's not much else to do outside in the 105 degree heat :)

The Girl and the Hose

My summer so far has not been an overwhelmingly relaxing one. There are stresses, and I haven't slept in several weeks. Pictures like this though, remind me that I'm at least succeeding in seeing to it that the kids have a happy and carefree summer. For that, I am so thankful.

The Dog Days of Summer

A snapshot of this Tuesday, June 30, 2009, at 10:40 AM. (No actual snapshots though, as there is a little too much free-flying water out here for my camera to make it out unscathed).

Spencer has made some sort of water rocket with an old tube and the garden hose. He and Paxton are experimenting to get the best height and velocity. The rocket is flying, twisting and turning and spraying water in a circular pattern all over the yard.

Everett has turned the sand table into a lake table. They do this almost daily, and between the heat and the dry air, the water evaporates and they're back to perfect sand-castle sand in a matter of hours. All of their plastic food from their food set, from sushi to vegetables to icecream to sandwich fixings, are floating in the water, and he has been spending the past hour preparing and bringing me snacks.

Tegan is bouncing around like only a toddler can do, and is enjoying it all - the water, the sand, the toys, her brothers.

The dog is laying in the sun.

It's summer in Phoenix.