Secrist Christmas 2011!

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2011!

Go Cougars!

Tap shoes and Sushi

Did you know that Ryan knows how to tap?  Quite well, actually.  Neeley begged him to dust them off and show her a few moves.  She is still chanting...shuffle, step, shuffle, step, heel, ball change.....

Hattie and I went to a fun mother daughter "Minute to Win It" activity and had to dress as a pair.  I found the cutest little pattern and voila! Sushi complete with ginger, wasabi, and sushi grass and soy sauce! Fun activity and even more fun to watch her laugh at herself even with much older girls around.  May I just brag and say that we even tied for second place!  I know, that's just how we "roll."  Get it? 

Escaping the heat!

Labor day is way too hot in Phoenix so we escaped to beautiful, cool LaJolla! 

We even wore sweaters...okay, sweaters with swimsuits underneath, but still.  

How many photos can your phone take?

Mine can take 391. Wanna know how I know this?

I have about 3 pictures of this.

380-something pictures of something like this.

And about 7 pictures of this.

All this was a result of being shut in a super tiny piano studio for an hour for the girls weekly lessons and desperately needing Westy to stay quiet. Was it worth using all my phone's camera space for an hours worth of quiet? You better believe it. (The tire sticker on his forehead is how we spent the first few minutes before he found the phone.)

Channeling our inner Corban

My little nephew, Corban is such an animal lover. I have never seen a little boy quite like him. He constantly carries around frogs, lizards, snakes, anything creepy and crawly. He loves them and has absolutely NO fear. When we were camping together a few weeks ago he said to his mom, "mom, I just want to kiss a feeog" (I love the way he says Frog) Not long ago, we were outside talking to some neighbors and Hattie came with this little guy. The pictures are less than great but you get the idea. A lizard!

Good thing he was a slow baby because we would otherwise need Corbie to get it for us.

Pink Flamingo

I love summer forts. They really set up shop with the dvd player, food and even a secret password. Okay, not so secret...

To Ryan

On Monday, we celebrated 11 years since we got on this crazy train ride.

We've had some incredible climbs

Some devastating drops

And we still hang on

You have a good eye for design

Because you are just creative like that

You can paint the hell out of a chalkboard

Or a wall

Or a toenail

These are all the things on your someday list

That I could not get you this year

What did I get you?

It is (ahem)

unbloggable

Love you babe

First Day of School

Hattie is in third grade, Neeley is in first and Westy is just hanging with mom.

Camping in the Sequoias

We had such a unique vacation this year with my family. We camped in the sequoias for an entire week! No electricity, running water or anything. The Secrists know how to "rough it!" Luckily mom and dad bought us a shower tent years back so we could at least get clean.

The sequoias are an amazing sight and even though we have been camping there years before, my kids needed to be reminded that there is so much more in this world than the Wii, their friends and their own little universe. The sequoias, Kings Canyon and the scenery are a stark reminder that we are children of God and He created this beautiful world for us! I always can connect with my spiritual self while taking in the wonders of the world and this trip was no exception. It gave me great inspiration and reminded me of what is important in my life. getting prepared to camp in the back woods for a week is an immense amount of work but well worth the efforts. These pictures are only a fraction of our trip but some of our highlights.

Hattie in front of General Grants Tree

I told the kids to make a silly face in front of the Boole Tree. The hike to this tree is uphill almost the entire way but when you finally get there, WOW! The 2.5 miles back to the car included the most breathtaking scenery. This picture doesn't even capture the enormity of this tree's trunk. This is only a fraction of the tree trunk.

We loved Hume Lake! Lots of swimming, canoeing, and paddle boarding. Certainly a highlight of our trip.

Haboob? Could this possibly be the lamest name for this?

Tuesday July 5th was an interesting one. This time of year we have our Monsoon season where extreme temps kick in and weather patterns clash. Its very humid, temps around 115 and a lot of electrical sky storms. Its miserably hot, but visually it can be a beautiful/electrifying time in the desert.

Well, Tuesday a massive dust storm (aka Haboob) hit while we were at our Aunt and Uncle's home up on the mountain. We had such a great view! This is the largest dust storm on record since the 1940s - it was MASSIVE and we watched it roll northward from our viewpoint. Amazing.

A haboob (Arabic ) is a type of intense sandstorm commonly observed in arid regions throughout the world. They have been observed in the Sahara desert (typically Sudan), as well as across the Arabian Peninsula, throughout Kuwait, and in the most arid regions of Iraq.

Amazing. The first picture is of the wall of dust coming across our area of Ahwatukee. The 2nd picture was taken in the middle of the dust wall - pitch black. Daylight turned to night in minutes. All you can see are the faint lights across the street. It lasted for several minutes - maybe 20 to 30 it was that huge! Enjoy the video at the end. So glad we were able to watch from an elevated spot.

Happy Independence Day!

Dreaming...

It is supposed to be 117 degrees here today. Are humans really meant to live in this kind of weather???

I am dreaming that this picture is of me and Westy somewhere. Sigh.

Summertime Rules

I am normally a very structured person. I thrive with structure and don't do well with a lot of chaos. So needless to say, summer is sometimes a challenge for me as a parent. However, to preserve my sanity I have implemented a new set of rules this summer.

1. A swim in the pool counts as a bath.

2. A swim in the ocean does not unless you rinse off with a hose afterwards.

3. Blond kids will have green hair until I get around to rinsing it out with purple kool-aid before school starts.

4. Cheesesticks count as a balanced meal if deep fried and dipped in marinara sauce and followed by a grape popsicle.

5. Never serve your kids chilled juice boxes. If you do, they will always want them chilled. My kids think that juice boxes are supposed to be served at room temperature.

6. If you are two or under, diapers and flip flops are an acceptable outfit.

7. Fudgesicles are an acceptable form of bribery.

8. Naps are mandatory. For me, not the kids.

Happy Summer!

Father's Day

I love this picture of my Dad. As I've grown older I've been able to focus on the great things I've learned from him. The major lesson: He will give you the shirt off his back! I aspire to be as freely giving as he is. He does not judge, ever. Love you Dad. -Ry

STAAR Night 2011

They did it again! Scottsdale Area Association of Realtors (SAAR) hosted another successful fundraiser and ended up raising $110,000 in one night! Can you believe it!?! They packed the theater and so many friends and talented people volunteered their time and talents to help raise money. Ryan was in two numbers and one number was with his friend Keith Mishkin. Keith is an incredibly successful

developer/business owner and to have the two in this medley was just fun.

Here is the link to the video for those who desire. Ryan and Keith's number is at 27 minutes and then Ryan, Keith and two others are in a Jersey Boy Medley at the very end.

http://vmlh.com/staar/2011.html

We HEART Mud!

Saturday we put on our angry eyes and ran a six mile MUD run with 13 obstacle courses. When we came to the first muddy pit, I completely slipped and fell all the way under the muddy water. I was totally submerged. The obstacles consisted of lots of muddy pits, lots of fire hoses, a swim in a river, climbing over a wall, muddy tire run, up and down a muddy hill and more.

Before the mud. What a nice looking clean crew!

After Hattie and Neeley ran the kids race. It was less than a mile but they had their fun in the mud.

After the mud run.

We all came home and showered. We had mud in every nook and cranny and even this morning I found mud in my ears.

We had so much fun!

Why I haven't been blogging...

I have been busy eating these:

Oh man. just when I thought that I escaped the girl scout Samoa cookies this season. I honestly didn't eat one girl scout cookie this year. I have a real sweet tooth and the more I eat, the more I eat! I figured my best plan of attack is to not make eye contact as I entered the grocery store, not to answer the door or answer the phone for the few weeks they were selling. It worked! I came out unscathed!

Until I stumbled upon these in the grocery store:

I was curious so I bought a pack. I brought them home and after one taste had to make another trip to buy the rest Safeway had to offer. And then I bought stock in Keebler. I can't help myself! Now, I can have Samoa's any time I want which is a wonderfully awful thing!

So, forgive me for not blogging about the important things in our lives. Easter, parties, everyday happenings, milestones, etc. I've been busy coddling these little babies.

Butterflies...

I came in with the kids after a very busy morning away from home. When I rounded the corner into the kitchen Taani emerged precisely at that moment from the hall outside our bedroom. She took my breath away. You know, the kind where the butterflies emerge and you feel the way you did when you first met and were married. Man, I love those moments. You're an amazing woman Taani!