Sunsets and Bike Rides

So I didn't take too many pictures in the last week but got a few of the famous Arizona sunsets. These mountain ranges to the west were pretty far away and my zoom would only take the picture so far; but you get the idea. The sunsets here truely are beautiful and these pictures really don't do them justice. Because of the monsoons we have been averaging low to mid 90's for the high which is great! The evenings are even better...Andy and I have been taking many long walks, building fires in our backyard, and setting chairs out to watch the lightning which entertains the sky nearly every evening.

Okay, so before you think we are crazy, let me explain why Georgia is riding in Tyler's bike carrier. We never tried it out before purchasing and when attaching to Andy's bike we wanted to see if it was any more stable with weight in it...hence Georgia. She wasted no time jumping right in and didn't make any fast breaks to get out either. So we biked around the neighborhood like this inviting many weird stares. Oh well...we didn't care and she sure had a good time :) The video below is too funny not to post!

Sabino Canyon

Well, we made our second attempt to Sabino Canyon this weekend since the dogs weren't allowed when we went last Saturday. We took a tram that gave us a tour of the canyon and then it dropped us down to the damn where the "lake" was. Although the monsoons have been fairly active; it wasn't much of a lake but we were still happy to see water and lots of GREEN!!!

It was cool to see the big trees, grass, and ocotillo (whispy thing straight ahead which does have spikes but not a cactus) and the tall saguaros in the background all living harmoniously together. We learned that it takes 70 years for Saguaros to grow arms, they can live up to 200 years old, and can survive up to 2 years without water...yikes!!
A big shady tree and the "lake" behind me :)
Some of you know that I am a HUGE fan of reptiles...you got it..love snakes, lizards, or just anything with scales. I have seen a few rattlesnakes while here but have yet to get a picture. This lil' guy was very colorful under his belly and he just stood there moving up and down as if he was doing push-ups...so funny to watch! We saw several of them all over. Arizona hosts the only poisonous lizard...maybe it was this guy!! I don't think so; he looks way too cute to be a killer :) Click on the picture for a better close-up...
Having fun with the timer on the camera...


Andy thinks we're growing apart...I think he might be right :)
The rockslide at the dam. We played here for about an hour. Didn't have our swimsuits but clothes worked just as great!

Officially 7 months last week!!
Andy has been doing a lot of road biking lately. Tucson is known for it and has a bike path on nearly every road. Unfortunately I can no longer join him as my knees bump into my belly when I pedal. He biked all the way to Sabino canyon where I met him with the car. Great job!!

Georgia and Polly's new pool :)

We found WATER!!!

This weekend we went to Sabino Canyon Recreation area to hike with the dogs in search of the river that is there. Apparently the park is not pet friendly so we had to find our own spot to explore and find water. With all the monsoons lately the wash's have become fuller and fuller. Andy found the Bear Canyon trailhead so we went for a lil' hike. Needless to say; water was waiting for us. Believe it or not; this is the first flowing river we have found in Tucson. Coming from Minnesota this is such a pity :)
Georgia and Polly having a grand ol' time!
Tyler and I hanging out


Happy Georgia :)
Polly sleeping in our backseat...looks uncomfortable to me :)
Meeting for ice cream with my friend Heather before the baby emerges...soon I will be the lone ranger of the 3 preggo spouses in the class...almost there!!

27 Weeks

There's no mistaken; at nearly 7 monthsI am definately getting bigger! The last 3 weeks my stomach has felt very tight and uncomfortable. Tyler must be starting to gain some weight as the scale and my tummy show it!! I am starting to eat smaller meals especially late at night since it is getting more difficult to breath and sleep comfortably. I can't believe I have 3 months to go!
I have had many people ask me what "theme" my nursery is or if it is all set up yet...well, these photos show my response :) With us moving a month or so after he is born there is no point in making everything all cute and setting everything up just to take it down again. Don't get me wrong; I would love nothing more than the ideal "nursery" to welcome him home to...but as many of you know we live by the "Air Force schedule" :) Wherever we go (most likely Korea...more on that later), we will just use the pack n' play shown (gifted by my lovely Bible Study gals), some clothes, and a few other necessities. Everything else will be placed in storage. I have a feeling he won't mind :) On a side note: I am a big fan of finding used baby stuff on Craigslist. Nearly everything we have been purchased is from their site and all in great condition; not to mention half the cost!! Check out your nearest local city for some great items!! (I was not paid for this advertisement:)

4th of July!

We spent the 4th of July in Phoeniex visiting Andy's Sis Pam, fam (oldest son jack is missing from photo), and his two other sisters who visited from CA. We hung by the pool for the afternoon since it was around 110 degrees and then took Haley & Myliah to shop, see a movie, out to dinner, and fireworks for some sibling bonding. It's always great having quality time with family; thanks Pam and Tony!
Myliah left, Haley right

Andy and Tom...the two are one in the same!
Andy messin' with the girls at the mall...his favorite past time :)
Georgia and Polly had a great time and needless to say they were not neglected with all the kids around! It took them about a day to recover when we got home! We couldn't find the dogs...come to find out they climbed the ladder and welcomed themselves to cooler temperatures in the pool... I don't blame them :)

The Monsoons are here!

So Tucson has been pretty hot lately...roughly 105-110 degree temps. Everyone has been talking up the monsoons which bring cooler temperatures and lots of floods. The city has plenty of "Washes" as they call it where the rain channels through to help take the water off the roads. Apparently many people still try to drive and die each year attempting them. This will not be the case for me as I have a 2 door honda civic that hydroplanes after a few droplets! I took Georgia and Polly out for a run at the start of the storm and as the rain hit. It was so exciting to see something other than sun for a change! Here are some pics of the mountains surrounding our neighborhood.

Rainbow shot from our backyard.
Here is a picture of my latest sewing project. For many of you that know me; know that domestication is not in my vocabulary. Well, I thought I would break the mold and buy a sewing machine as it is a very resourceful skill to learn. (I took a class and had a local friend teach me a few things to get started). My first project was Andy's Pirate Pajama Pants!
Second, was a dog bed cover for Georgia's bed, and now a baby blanket for Tyler. It has a fleece on the front and satin on the back. The satin blue binding around the edge didn't have any black on it so I had to sew the black ribbon on each side to add some color. I didn't sew the cow...merely stiched it on, but somewhat of a challenge in and of itself! Hopefully he will like it!

The Hog and 24 Weeks

So Andy is almost halfway through his A-10 (Warthog) training. This last week was especially exciting because he got to shoot the Gatling gun on the front of the plane at a live range. If you look at the photo it is right by the teeth. It can shoot nearly 4,000 rounds per minute! The plane can carry up to 16,000 pounds of , bullets, and missles. He finished the air to air combat training portion and is currently into range practice where they fly to an open range and learn to fire with all of these components. This Friday he will be air refueling where a tanker refuels the A-10 midair...supposedly a difficult task; but I'm sure he will do great! Watch this video to see it all in action!!

Here's me...6 months and counting!!!
Here are the pregnant student spouses at a Hail/Farewell last Friday. Anna (far left) is due next week, Heather July 9th, and me (well I have some catching up to do...3 1/2 more months!!

For some other exciting news...I have started to work as a Teacher at the Child Development Center on base. I trained all last week and started on my own today in rotation from infants to Pre-Schoolers primarily as a sub. I spent most of my afternoon with 12 roudy toddlers. Needless to say I had quite the headache afterward!! My boss told me this morning that she is wanting to place me in a classroom asap. I'm hoping it's Pre-K since I enjoy the classroom activities more than changing poopy diapers (I will get my fair share a few months from now...haha :)