Some like it HOT HOT HOT!!!

Thursday was another scorcher in Phoenix. Only 115 degrees! I had had it with the extreme temperatures and was ready for a break. Luckily a few weeks earlier my aunt Nancy invited us to join their family in Prescott for the 4th of July weekend. I was excited to see Nancy and her family and especially to get out of the heat! I got up early on Thursday morning and got a lot of work done. I was able to get home sooner than expected and help get the car loaded up and ready for the trip. Rachel had already done the majority of the work which was nice. It seems that she usually gets the majority of the work load when we go on vacations. I am lucky to have her. We got everything ready to go and then had to wait around while Sophia finished her nap. Once she woke up we got all the kids into the car and then headed north. We headed up Lake Pleasant Parkway and got to sit in a long line of traffic. Finally a police officer raced ahead of us on the shoulder and started to direct traffic. We would have been there for another 15 mintues if he had not gone ahead of us. The trip up to Prescott went well and we hit a little bit of traffic on our way up. The kids didn't really have any idea of where we were going on what we had planned. They were excited to see Quinten and Margaret and get some good quality playing time in. We got to Nancy's and unloaded. We piled into the house and got everything situated. Nancy started cranking out tacos and we had a great dinner. It was really nice to see the kids play together and get some great time with Nancy and Dan and catch up. I was nervous when I picked up the tv remote and realized that they did not have ESPN! I almost walked out the door and headed back to Phoenix. They did have a computer with internet access so I made due with checking on the scores intermitently.
That night the kids had a great time playing with their cousins. Nancy and Dan have a nice play house off of the main house and the kids spent a lot of their time playing video games in the play house. The kids finally headed off to sleep and we stayed up catching up with Nancy and Dan and talking about the good times. We wrapped it up around midnight and headed off to bed. We had Sophia with us in our room so we had to sneak into the room and then drift off to sleep. I actually slept well and woke up to Sophia squaking. She thought it was funny to see us sleeping and apparently wasn't too comfortable with our peaceful slumber and decided to wake us up. Nancy was busy making eggs and bacon. I felt like we had stumbled into a bed and breakfast. Nancy and Dan did a lot to make us feel at home and spoiled us with lots of attention. It was great! We got everyone ready to go for the parade that morning. On the morning of the 4th they do a parade for the kids. The kids can dress up in whatever they want or not at all. We did not really bring any costumes with us so we put ribbons in hair and tied balloons to things. The kids thought it would be fun to march in the parade. Unfortunately, we had to wait in the middle of the street for nearly 45 minutes before the parade started. Sophia thought that was fun for about 10 of those 45 mintues and began to make us pay for entering her into the parade without her consent. My parents also decided to come up to Prescott for the weekend and were able to come and see us before the parade started. The kids were happy to see them and pictures were taken and hugs exchanged before the parade started. The parade was finally under way and we walked a couple of blocks and then into the main town square. At the end of the parade every child was given a ribbon and everyone was given an ice cream sandwhich. Nothing gets the day started like an ice cream sandwhich at 10:00 in the morning. The kids gobbled them up and then waited to see if there were any left overs. We found a nice place on the grass and hung out for a little while. There were little shops set up all over the town square and we walked around and looked at all the crafts and toys. Dan's dad took the kids on a walk and they found a little shop where the kids put different colored sand into a glass figurine. The kids each got one and added their own sand creation. The kids loved it. I was not very happy about the glass and knew that they would probably not survive the weekend.
We stayed in the town square for another hour and then decided to head over to the fair. The kids were very excited to learn about the fair. They think the only fair that they get to be a part of is in October in Phoenix. The town of Prescott puts on a fair every 4th and it is a pretty big deal. There are inflatible rides for the kids along with bungee rides and climbing walls. We got to the fair at 10:45 a.m. Unfortunately, the fair did not officially open until 12:00 p.m. That included the food as well. We were all pretty hungry and hot. The sun was beating down on us and there was no where to hide. Luckily some other people had come early and set up small tents to hold their spot for the fireworks show later that night. We borrowed a couple of tents for an hour until everything opened up. I was worried that the owners of the tent would come back and kick us out. Nancy and Rachel took off to the grocery store to get food for us and were gone nearly 45 minutes. Dan and I did the best that we could to keep control of the kids. Dan ended up wrestling the kids the whole time while I watched the babies. Nancy and Rachel showed up with chicked and grapes and strawberries. We all chowed down and then headed over to play on the rides. We were there for an hour when Rachel and Nancy decided to take the babies home for a nap. The babies were blitzed and needed some rest. Dan and I stayed and tried our best to watch after the kids. Aubrie and Margaret took off to do the big kids rides. I shadowed Boston and Ethan and made sure that Cletus and Jethro didn't take off with my kids.
The fair was quite the experience. I have never seen more bad tatoos, more flabby butts and more grandma cleavage in all my life. I was in HEAVEN! I spent most of the day walking around throwing up in my mouth! I love to people watch and I had a great time. I took some pictures of some of the more interesting people that I encounted and I am sure that they will make this blog. The names will be changed to protect the innocent :) Around 3:00 p.m. Dan and I rounded up the kids and headed back to their house. I was glad to get home. The kids rambled off to play with each other and have fun. I went into the house and collapsed on the couch. I should have tried to sleep but stayed on the couch and faded in and out. We decided to eat dinner at the house and I ordered Papa John's Pizza. The pizza got there and we all ate it up as quickly as we could shovel it in. We spent the rest of the evening talking and hanging out. Around 8:30 p.m. we headed over to Dan's shop to watch the fireworks. His shop is located above Pioneer Park where we attended the fair. We pulled chairs out of Dan's office and got the fire pit going so that the kids could make smores. My parents got there around 8:45 p.m. and we had a great time visiting. The fireworks finally got under way and they were great! I was really surprised at the quality of fireworks. They went on for quite sometime and the kids were transfixed on all the different colors and shapes. They each made sure that the other knew which explosion was their favorite and why. Sophia really liked them and squealed her pleasure at each new firework display. At the end of the show we packed up and headed back home. When we got home we were all pretty tired and headed off to bed. Aubrie was sleeping in the front room with Margaret on the couch. I was about to fall asleep when I heard her whimpering. I went in and saw that she was not sleeping well. I grabbed her off the couch and put her in bed with Rachel. I hit the floor next to the pack and play and started to drift off to sleep. I was almost asleep when I felt something moving in my armpit. I jumped up and reached into my shirt and felt a crunch. I was done sleeping on the floor and headed off to the front room to sleep. I spent the rest of the night trying to sleep on the love seat. I didn't work out too well and I felt like crap in the morning. We got up and got ready for another day. Nancy was up and handing out monster muffins. The boys were very excited and plowed into the muffins! I got a call from my Dad telling us that we needed to get down the town square quickly because he was holding spots for us and there were people that were giving him a hard time for holding the spots. We got all the kids into the car and headed down. We got there and I dropped off Rachel and the kids. I went to park as close as I could, but could only find a spot 3 blocks away. I grabbed Sophia and put her in her stoller and headed off to meet up with the rest of the family. When we got there I could tell my dad was relieved. I hate having to save seats. You always get the couple of jerks who feel they should be able to sit where they want and not have to come down early and save a spot like everyone else. Once we got settled in I headed off for some Indian Fry Bread and Gatorade to help keep the kids in check. Nancy had created little bags for each of the kids. They had candy and treats and those little snap poppers that you throw at the ground. The little snappers were a great idea except that the kids decided to do what I would do and that it throw them at people and animals of the parade. I thought it was hilarious but several people around me began to complain. One guy in front of me started to make a big fuss and I told him to shut his mouth. It was fun to scuffle with the locals. I later apologized for snapping at him and all was well. The kids really liked the parade and especially liked the various groups in charge of cleaning up the horse poop. There was a Mario Brothers group in charge of poop and Ratapooie. It was fun to watch them interact with the kids. After a couple of hours we were done with the parade but the parade was not done with us. We left early and headed back to Nancy's house. The kids again disappeared into the playhouse and we were left to help Nancy get ready for the BBQ. The BBQ was great and we had hot dogs and hamburgers with all the trimmings. My parents came to the BBQ and we had a great time stuffing our faces and visiting. We had another thunderstorm come through and drizzle on us for an hour. We had 3 thunderstorms while we were visiting. It was great! I remember as a kid that I did not care too much for the rain. Of course I did not live in Phoenix as a kid. The kids really liked the rain and almost did not know what to do. It really cooled everything off and made things much better. Around 3:30 p.m. we decided to head home. We had previously packed the vehicle and were ready to go as soon as Sophia had woken up. We thanked Nancy and Dan and headed out. The drive home went relatively fast and we did not hit too much traffic. It was nice to get back home, but I was not happy with the temperature. It was HOT again and we piled out of the car and headed straight for the pool. The kids spent the rest of the day swimming and enjoying the pool. The had not been able to swim for a couple of days and they missed it. Rachel's mom ran to El Pollo Loco to grab dinner for us. That was nice of her since we were kind of wiped out and did not feel like making anything.
That night we got the kids to bed early since we had early morning church. I headed over to Jarman's for my monthly ritual of bloodlust! That's right baby! FIGHT NIGHT! I really enjoy getting together with my friends once a month to hang out and watch some good fights. It is really fun and not as bad as people think. The fights and sanctioned and gloves are worn. Ultimate fighting is growing very quickly and has already passed boxing. It turned out that it was only Bret and I this night. We usually have 4 or 5 guys. It was good to catch up and watch some good fights. I got home around 11:30 p.m. and got ready for bed. I finished working on my lesson and then headed off to bed.
Sundays are a little tough since we have church so early. I don't mind it and like having church early. The kids aren't so fond of it and don't like being woken up (especially ETHAN)! Church went well and the kids did great. I rememeber how much I did not enjoy Sacrament Meeting as a kid. It was hard to sit still for over an hour. I was able to bare my testimony and share my feelings about our country and, of course, my beautiful wife! The lesson went well and I had more people in my class then I had ever had. I got Sophia for the last hour and she was done. She does not like to sleep in public for some reason and I spent the last hour making laps around the church. We headed home from church and I made sandwhiches for everyone. Rachel had to head back over to church for something with the young women for the Pleasant Valley ward. While she was gone we hung out and tried to rest. When she returned we headed out to the pool. It is so nice to have a pool. It is almost a necesity here in Arizona. Later that afternoon we headed over to the Spooners. I had promised Tony a projector. While we were at church one of the missionaries came up to me and said that they had someone steal a projector out of their car. I had four at home from my days at IBM. I gave them my projector to keep and they were very appreciative. Later I was talking to Tony and told him about the missionaries. He said that he really needed a projector also. I told him that I had an extra and he told me that he would buy it from me. I told him not a chance and told him that I would stop by later that day to give him one. He was blown away. I love being able to help others and give things. It really makes you feel good. We stopped in to visit and ended up staying for over and hour. I brought Tony some of my world famous caramel corn and he and his family ate it up quickly. The kids went and played Wii with Tony's daughter and Rachel and I got to visit with Tony and Wendy. I really like Tony a lot. He is such a great guy. He is like the big brother I never had. Sophia started to melt down so we headed home. It was also getting late and we needed to start the movie of the night. Tonight was to be Star Wars I. I always forget the name of the first movies. I know the ones that I grew up with. Last week we had watched all of the originals and the kids wanted to see the new trilogy. We started with I on Sunday and are currently watching Star Wars II as I type this entry. Wednesday night we will finish the trilogy. I am glad that my kids like star wars and other things that I like. I am sure they like it because I like it and expose them to it. Either way I am glad.
Tonight we had family home evening and the message was on repentance. Rachel did a great job with the lesson. She always does a great job with the kids and in getting a lesson ready. I have always said that if it wasn't for Rachel the Lord would have done away with me a long time ago. She is wonderful and a great mother. The kids love the lessons and love to help in any way that they can. Sophia actually made it through this time and had a fun time keeping us entertained. After family home evening we had an ice cream treat and then got the movie going. The kids are laying all over the family room watching the movie. This is the best! I sure love my family and am grateful for all that they do for me and for the joy they bring to my life.