One Year

This week marks the anniversary of our move to the land of the sun. I still tell people that we are new or that "we just moved here", but I guess I can't say that anymore. I don't feel like we are Phoenix veterans either, but definitely more comfortable. So, what do we think after a year of endless summer... There are many things that we really like about this place we currently call home.

- The community - We were talking to a friend who teaches school in Peoria district (where we live). I asked her why this school district is ranked highest in the state, in spite of all the funding, overcrowding, etc... that schools face these days. She thinks it is because people in this community are very family oriented and working to make this a nice place to live and raise a family and I would agree.

- Our friends - We have made some good friends and reconnected with old friends that make life more meaningful and fun.

- Our girls' friends - This is probably the biggest bonus - we feel very grateful that there is a neighborhood full of sweet, wonderful little girls that Curly and Lou can play with.

- Our ward - we love it!

- Fisher's job - He highly enjoys his work and that is important. (and we are grateful to be employed)

- The winter weather - we just wish the warm winter occurred during the summer months and that we had seasons to enjoy. But that said, we have loved swimming in the summer and fall and biking and going to the park in the winter.

- Our home and garden - we like having a house and a garden - though it has been a challenge to figure out the growing seasons here... it's a fun game to see if what we plant will actually produce anything (our beautiful honeydew melons melted before getting big enough to eat :(

In celebration of this anniversary, we are focusing on all the things we like about Peoria. We are happy here and have enjoyed having family visit and being able to visit them. Here's to another year in the southwest...


A few pictures from the past week -

Lou's preschool class (a mom taught co-op preschool).

Having fun with our friends the Rollins (one of the old friends we are very grateful to have here)

Miss-matched

Curly started taking the big kid bus to school - which is really scary for me (I cried the first day). She looks so tiny next to those 3rd graders, 6th graders, and 8th graders. But, we have a posse of neighborhood girls around her age and that little army with the 11 year old sister of her friend as commander fights the bus battle together :) Having a bus is very convenient, getting to the bus stop is a challenge - especially with Lou in tow. This was her ensemble the other morning as I tried to hurry her out the door to catch the bus at 7:30: Several layers of pajamas, different colored socks, and a mismatched pair shoes. It made me laugh.


This weekend we completed one of our baby arrival preparations - bunking the beds. The playroom is becoming the nursey, so to make room for toys and floor space to play with them, the beds are bunked. Curly is cozied up in the reading nook we are creating in front of the window.

August = back to school, our anniversary, and a campout

Sweet moment - I woke up from my nap last Sunday to discover Curly washing dishes.

Well, that fateful day has finally come... my firstborn has officially entered the public school system. Curly started Kindergarten this week. She was very excited for this new adventure and it did not disappoint. She loves her teacher, recess, and riding the bus home... hopefully she will like learning too :) To initiate this great beginning we held a "Back to School Banquet" or "fancy dinner" as Lou and Curly named it, complete with candlelight and a new school outfit fashion show. The dinner was a hit and I think it is a tradition that we will continue.

Ready for Kindergarten

Curly with her teacher and student teacher. We lucked out to be in a great classroom!

This week also marked our eighth year of marriage. As with every year, we can't believe how fast the time has flown. It marked the first full year that we are not students and have an official job. That is something to celebrate!And finally, no summer would be complete without a camping trip. Our ward provided the opportunity and we jumped at the chance to be with friends and escape the heat. We drove 90 minutes northwest to the Prescott area and enjoyed a pleasant evening and morning at Granite Basin. Fortunately, Fisher gave into my pleas to bring the air mattress (I used the pregnant woman ploy) and we all slept relatively well.

Lou with two buddies.

And we are back!

Curly, Lou and I returned from our three week visit to Idaho and Utah. What did we do for three weeks you ask? Well...

We went to Artic Circle (a lot)

We hung out with nice Aunts (a first day of kindergarten necklace from Ba)

We rowed on Daybreak Lake with cousins

and aunts

We floated the river with Grandpa and Grandma

We went to a fair

We slept (some of us, like me, a lot)

We fed the ducks at the nature park

I went to a Brighton Girls Camp staff reunion (many of my sisters, cousins, and aunts worked there also - so it doubled as a family reunion)

We went to the aquarium with Oma

We got to see Aunt K-Rae when she came home from DC

We had our yearly photo shoot

We rode the carousel

and a whole lot more... K-Rae was volunteered (by my mom) to make the long drive home with us (and she more than graciously agreed). We were very happy to have her visit and sad when she left. We had enough fun to last until Christmas! but as Curly put it, "It's fun to be home, mom!" I agree, it is nice to be home.

A few weeks ago we gathered for our bi-annual Lake Family Reunion. We met at the Lovell LLL ranch. The event was well planned with 100% attendance and we had a lot of fun. There was a nice balance of planned activities and free time for game playing, visiting, and golfing. Here are just a few of the activities we enjoyed -

We all tie-dyed our own t-shirts, messy but fun

Oma spent lots of time with her grandchildren

The kids played in "the fort" which is an old grain shed converted into a western style fort. They formed a "Cousins Club"

We had relay races and classic group games like the three-legged race and the human knot.

Grandpa Lake came up for a day. His great-grandchildren surprised him with handfuls of wild flowers they gathered on an outing into the forest.

One activity was a trip around the world. Each of the men prepared a little presentation about the country where they served their mission. Steve served in Honduras and demonstrated the birthday tradition of cracking an egg on the head after singing to the birthday child. My nephew T was a good sport!

Other brothers/father-in-law served in Russia, Germany, California, and Mexico.

Fisher served in Finland and taught the kids the art of the Finnish sauna. They skipped the sauna part and went straight for the ice cold lake experience (a bathtub filled with ice). Lou was so cold she started crying.

At each country, the girls got a stamp on their "passports"

We hooked up the little trailer behind the ATV and took a ride once or twice a day... usually in the evening when the kids were starting to get a little whiney/crazy.

Fisher waiting to spray the unsuspecting victims coming down the water slide. He looked so cute and mischievous waiting there.

Wahoo! and Brr!

Jumping on the tramp to warm up after the water slide... not many trampolines have such a great view!

During the reunion everyone "earned" G.O. (Grandpa and Oma) Bucks for helping, being kind, being cute, etc... Grandpa and Oma were the distributors of these currency. The last night of the reunion there was an auction with some pretty serious prizes. Grandpa was the auctioneer.

There were plenty of cute nieces to pass around.

We spend an afternoon at Jefferson Lake and then had a hot dog roast at Great Grandpa Lake's house.

Oma brought the biggest marshmallows I have ever seen. YUM!

Thanks to our planners C & S and Ba & Ry for planning such a great reunion!!!