Comes with having a southern accent...

I rented The Lady and the Tramp for the boys at Blockbuster and told the boys the name of the movie. Trevor butchered the name right off, of course, but that's usual.

They watched it, and after the movie I asked Carson if they liked it. He nodded but had a confused look on his face so I asked what the matter was.

He said "It was good, but...I didn't see any shrimp." (which comes out shriamp, LOL)
"Shrimp? Why would there be shrimp in this movie??"
"Well, you said it was called "Lady and the Shramp", but I didn't see ANY fish."

Where'd these come from??

No humidity here, right? So how come my formerly straight-haired boy wakes up like this in the mornings? Especially if we don't comb his hair at night after bathtime. Funny!! It should be noted that Reed won't let me cut his hair.

The Grand What??

So after they get finished at an overlook yesterday, Reed and Carson head to the car before Trevor and I. Reed was really proud that we were able to take the kids to the Grand Canyon because he was really moved by it, and wanted to have a serious chat about it with Carson.

Reed: Carson, this was an important trip. I really want you to remember this, okay?
Carson: Okay.
Reed: So...what did we see today?
Carson: thinking....
Reed: The Grand....?
Carson: Opening!!!

Well...it IS an opening...sorta.

Grand Canyon

So, Reed had 2 1/2 days off this week, and we decided to take a little roadtrip. We went to the Grand Canyon! On the way, we stopped at the Deer Farm in Williams, AZ and it was really cute! Poor Trevor was petrified and wouldn't even enter, but he and I had a good time talking to the pretty parrots who talked back while Carson and Reed fed all the animals. Carson LOVED it.

Then another hour or two down the road and we got to pose for the requisite "We were here" picture:

And then just a short drive from the entrance we got to finally see it in all its glory. I really can't describe the feeling you get when looking out at the canyon, and these pictures, of course, do NOT do it justice. It's not just a hole in the ground, it's truly majestic. You feel small, the world feels awesome and magnificent, and it's hard to even comprehend how far down and across it is--it just goes on forever. It's very meditative and reflective, even though the first day we went it was swarmed with tourists. The boys loved it, and although my knees were shaking quite a bit (note to self: Learn how to get past fear of heights), the boys would literally bounce from rock to rock to ledge and lean way over, looking down. No wonder I was about to hyperventilate. I liked that they liked it, and were able to enjoy the views without being scared of it the way their mom was.

From one lookout to another:

Where I was most comfortable (a bench away from the ledges, lol):

I just love how precarious this looks balanced on top.

There was a village in this area with cabins, restaurants (fancy and otherwise) and shops. We saw Jeremy, Amy and Zach from Little People and they were filming what looked like a new show up there! Poor Reed was so mad because he's watched that show quite a few times and wanted to get a picture, but I wouldn't let him. The scenery changed just about every lookout. From lush green grasses below, to stark red earth to crazy cliffs. There's been a drought here recently, so the Colorado River was not visible but you could see where it usually runs. A rare picture of me by the railing. Note the white-knuckle grip. LOL And note the gap in the fence to the rock ledge...**shudder**
These huge California Condors were flying directly overhead, swooping low enough that you could see their huge claws...giving quite the show. We weren't quite quick enough with the camera to catch them down low, but it was pretty awesome regardless. They were very close to extinction but are now bouncing back nicely. Day Two, we took a more leisurely tour of some of the ones that were crowded the day before, sat on some boulders and chatted, and let the kids have a better look. Finally, a bit of "flying" over one of the 7 natural wonders of the world...

Yesterday part deux.

So after all the daytrippin' yesterday, we came home, got the kids to nap (blessed heaven!), I did some work and then...

he took me out to the ballgame. yep.

we went to see the D-backs play the Giants (woot! Barry Bonds!) and irritatingly, they walked Bonds. But it was still a good game, and the D-Backs won! Some really cute old ladies took a pic of us, quite possibly the cutest pic of us ever, albeit out of focus. We gorged on nachos with tons of disgusting crap on them and frozen yogurt. We had club box seats and VIP parking, and now Reed is spoiled and thinks that's the only way. We go again on Friday to see our team Boston play the D-backs, and it should be interesting to be the only two rooting for Boston in the whole stadium. Oh well. I'll wear an old t-shirt in case we get beers thrown at us! On Friday we'll be right behind home plate with the other player's families--got our tickets from a D-back! woot! so watch for us on tv. LOL I'll be the one waving hysterically and yelling "Hi Emily!!"

Canyon Lake and Tortilla Flats

Today was an interesting day. We took a daytrip to Apache Junction, AZ to try to find the Superstition Mountains. I say "try to find" because maps around these parts often just drift off, roads stop and start with no real consistency, and we're often left driving round and round the places we want to go with no way of knowing how to get in there. If you follow. But today, our maps rang true and we found the mountains we were seeking. We also found a great deal more, and I was very pleased. When we arrived there was a dust storm, but once that passed, well...see for yourself:

this was the view from the Canyon Lake Overlook in Tonto National Forest. There were a few lucky boaters out there, and this picture doesn't do the water justice. It was a clear, glittering turquoise--really beautiful. It was also noticeably cooler here, at this elevation--only 86 or so, as opposed to the 104 we are used to down in the valley.
Just around that huge lake was a strange shanty-town of sorts. Tortilla Flat, Arizona boasted a General Store, a restaurant, a post office, and a schoolhouse-turned-museum. There was also a Motel on the end with two very decrepit looking rooms, but the sign had been marked through with CHALK to let you know they weren't renting anymore. It is literally the town time forgot, and since the road turns to dust just past this stop, not many people remember to visit it either. There were a few that were obviously like us, taking a trip to see what we could see, and I'm sure they get some business from the marina down the street, but it was otherwise pretty desolate out there.

Along with Wyatt Earp, they also claim that Clark Gable, John Wayne, the Dirty Dozen and Colonel Sanders liked to stop in from time to time. snazzy.

THEN on the way down, we had more breathtaking views (again, this doesn't do it justice, there was no place to stop and get a decent picture, so at 40 MPH:

Then Carson talked us into stopping at this ghost town, and we're so glad we did! We thought it looked hokey from the road, but it was really pretty fun.

It was really an old mining town started by the Lost Dutchman, Jacob Walz, and turned into a spectacularly cheesy tourist town, but we dug it. There was a "Jail", a Livery where you could rent horses for the day, a church you could get married in, an old mine to explore, even a "Bordello" (only $2!) and tons of fantastic views of the mountains surrounding us.

They ALSO had a train station (full of Thomas paraphenalia, I might add. Time has certainly kept marching through this area.) that promised a real train ride through the ghost town complete with a grizzly Mr. Conductor who'd tell witty historical stories about the area complete with random cactus jokes. Where else are we gonna get this? So we bought tickets and waited for the train.



Fresh mountain air and the promise of a train ride make for some really well-behaved children! Must note this for future reference!

The Superstition Mountains Ghost town from the train. Superstition Mountains follow. Some people think the government has a secret lair in these rocks, which tries to explain why most people who venture out too far in them end up shot. Or abducted by aliens. Aliens are always hanging out around top secret military installations. duh.

you think this is a lot of pictures? wait till we go on vacation! And we weren't even done with the day yet--more to come! LOL

Advertising Works!

So Carson is a wily soon-to-be 5. Up until now, he's been largely unaware of commercials, treating them as run-around breaks during his favorite Spongebob episodes. But lately, I've noticed him paying rapt attention to these interruptions, and the remarks he makes afterward get me tickled.

"Mom! If you get a stain on your shirt, or Dad's shirt, you get that Tide Pen! It takes it off, see?"

"Mom! What's cardboard??" why sweetie?? "Because! Cardboard is an upgrade for Mampax!" *i may trademark this, don't steal it.

"Mom! We need to get that pediasure--it says it makes kids grow up big and strong! And it tastes great, too!!"

Let it be known that he's only allowed a certain amount of tv every day, and if we're otherwise occupied and can't watch, he doesn't get rollover minutes. So this is literally during the small window he is allowed. Advertising certainly works in this house!

Dear TV Execs

I love how you all have used the internet to keep us interested in tv shows that you run. Back in the day, we barely saw pics of our favorite characters outside of the show. Now they're on awards shows of every tiny thing imaginable, there are fansites on the 'net to tell you spoilers, cast bios, myspace profiles of characters (you can really be "friends" with Pam Beesly!!), clue games that may or may not follow the storyline (Lost, anyone?), even Trivia Superbowls to keep us interested! And the most ingenious use of the internet to keep us hooked? Having characters write blogs, in character. It makes them so much more real, so convincing.
Last summer I read quite a bit of Dwight Shrute's Shrutespace. And I've just found Creed Thoughts. If you watch the show, you know that Creed set up a blog at work, that Ryan cleverly set it up as a word document so that the world wouldn't REALLY be subjected to "Creed's Thoughts". But NBC sure capitalized on that, and voila! a blog! sooo smart and funny.
So, Dear TV execs, kudos to you. Thanks for keeping me entertained even when I'm NOT watching TV.