Hiking Piestewa Peak

It's become a tradition in our family: hiking on President's Day to humor mom for her birthday. So, on Monday we hiked the Nature Trail #304 on Piestewa Peak in the middle of Phoenix. It was cool to look down from the mountain and see the city surrounding us on all sides. Poor Jeremy carried Isaac up the steep parts and made the comment that Isaac weighs as much as a four-year-old now! The ocotillos were in bloom, Jacob saw a ground squirrel, it was beautiful, perfect weather and we all had a great time.

Shiver Me Timbers!

Happy Birthday, Isaac! Our big boy had a pirate birthday party to celebrate turning FOUR years old!

Noah was responsible for dressing Isaac as a pirate and he did a bang-up job! He really "blinged" him out.

As the "little kids" (Isaac's term) arrived, they were initiated into the pirate crew.

We played some fun games: "Walk the Plank" (above), "Captain Hook's Crocodile Hunt", and "Musical Islands."

The kids loved the treasure hunt and found the treasure chest buried in the sandbox in the backyard under a big black "X" that Spencer made.

Arrrr! These landlubbers made super-cute pirates: Porter, Casey, Kenzee, Bryson, Joseph, Amber, Isaac H., and Isaac K. (and Noah and I)!

Piles of pirate gold made great cupcake decorations and Isaac got to blow out candles that gave off red smoke!

The next day, on his real birthday, he got some great presents from his adoring family. Nana and Papa gave him a car mat and Kami's family gave him the traffic signs to go with it. Granny and Grandpa gave him Transformers shoes (he has to show everyone he sees how they light up) and an animal farm. But the best present was the light-and-sound lightsaber from Mom and Dad! See the big grin?

Eagle Project, Part 3

As difficult as Spencer's Eagle project has been so far, we realized on Saturday that up until now it has been a piece of cake! Nine of us spent 6 hours trying to calculate, design, and assemble the final instrument for the project. We are so grateful to Brother Nielsen and Brother Chatwin who, with their expertise, made it happen!

Brother Chatwin, above, is Spencer's Teacher's quorum advisor. I still can't believe the effort and time these two Brothers contributed on Saturday. Brother Nielsen hosted us in his workshop and provided lunch for everyone, too (grilled hamburgers...yum!).

The end was the fun part. All the boys were playing around with the assembled pipes and making some great music and unique sounds!

The pipes almost sounded like a didgeridoo (try to spell that!).

Ta DA! The (almost) finished product! Brother Nielsen's grandson was the official tester. We discovered that you could make a better sound using flip flops to force the air through the pipes. Now we are just inches away from being able to deliver the instruments to the museum. Good job, Spencer!

Derby Time

It's Pinewood Derby time! Jacob was so excited to build and race his first car. He and Jeremy spent hours over the last month designing, painting, and assembling this awesome-looking football car!

Ready, Set, Go!

This picture makes me laugh. I love how Isaac is trying to race the cars.

The boys are so intense watching to see how their cars do in each heat.


Watch the sweet video below. Jacob's car wasn't always the fastest, but you can't beat his enthusiasm. He is really a good sport and just lives life to the fullest.