Foster puppy

When we returned from Minnesota we got a call from the Humane Society saying they had a 4 week old puppy that needed a foster home for about 3 weeks. We named him Henry but only had him for a short time because he became sick and we had to take him back for care.

Annual Trip to Minnesota

We just got back from our fun-filled trip to Minnesota. We head up there every year to see family and friends and eat our way through all of the great restaurants in Minneapolis. See pics below for some highlights of our trip.

Jameson enjoyed the rides (and climbing) with Uncle Bill.

We rented a pontoon boat with Chris's family and spent the day out on Lake Minnetonka. The cousins had a blast swimming and playing in the water.

Beautiful Stillwater, MN! Jameson and I went to visit a college friend and her kids in Stillwater. It's been years since I've been there and I forgot how beautiful it is. We enjoyed a historic tour by trolley and climbed some of there many staircases in the downtown area.

The house we rented this year was across the street from Minnehaha Creek and the house came with tubes. What a gorgeous float and a relief from the heat and humidity.

Arches

We also hit Moab and Arches National Park on the way home. We did not have our bikes with us but will definitely return to the area with bikes in tow. We loved Moab!

Grand Canyon

We took a different way home to Colorado (from Arizona) this time. We enjoyed the views at the Grand Canyon. This was a first visit for Chris and Jameson. See pics below.

We think we'll be in Colorado most of the summer except for a few road trips to places other than Arizona. We made great progress on the house but we're still not quite finished. It's definitely feeling like home to us. We practically spent the first half of 2011 there!

This is actually not the Grand Canyon but on the Navajo Reservation east of the Canyon.

No it doesn't drop 4000 feet behind him :)

Pic by Jameson

Jameson in a tree

I just had to add this picture. This is Jameson in my favorite kind of tree here in Arizona, a Palo Verde. It has green bark!

Jameson's birthday in Arizona

Jameson had a birthday party here in Arizona before we head back to Colorado. All the kids brought their Nerf guns and they fired darts for 4 hours straight. Jameson didn't even want to stop for cupcakes or gifts!

Bobcat for breakfast

Our bobcat friend made an appearance again this morning while we were sitting at the breakfast table. Chris got a good picture of him enjoying the morning sun before disappearing into the brush.

Some progress

We've made some progress on the house. The master bedroom tiling is almost done. The painting in the master bedroom and bath are done. Jameson's room is next. We removed the wallpaper and the carpet already. We need to paint and tile and we'll have two livable bedrooms. His bathroom is next in line after that. The wallpaper is down so we just need to paint.
Jameson and I are living in the house now (Chris is in Colorado for the week). We're sleeping on mattresses and we have the patio furniture in the living room!

Master bedroom tiling in progress.

Kitchen cabinets are done!

More pictures to come!

Snow in the desert

We woke up this morning to snow!

More from Arizona

Chris's leg after running in the desert, although Melinda runs in the desert and doesn't have any scars...
Catalina Mountain sunset

Desert sunset

We've been working on getting our new house ready to move in on March 1st. Right now it's just a huge mess! We're losing the peach walls, the wallpaper, the blue carpet, the list goes on. Less than 2 weeks to go, the push is on!

Master bedroom

Cabinet doors

Wallpaper removal

Kitchen chaos

We're having a solar heater installed for the pool after we move in. Chris tried jumping in the pool the other day, he doesn't recommend it.

Adventures from Tucson

We're loving Tucson! It seems impossible that we've been here over a month already. We've been doing lots of hiking, tennis, and pool time.

I, Melinda, am not very good at remembering the camera so I don't have any pictures of Jameson and I indoor skydiving. We went with our homeschooling group and had a great time.
I also don't have pictures of the animals we've spotted around Tucson. We've seen a bobcat, javelinas, coyotes, and a roadrunner.

We found a house and close the beginning of February (see pic below of the backyard).

Jameson is busy with his new Arizona buddies. Chris is loving mountain biking and we both are excited about trail running. And tennis seems to be the new family sport.

Melinda

The pool and mountains in our backyard

Air and Space Museum with Uncle Bill

Hiking in Ventana Canyon

Hiking at Finger Rock

Jameson in the pool