Day Hike at Squaw Peak

Little Orphan Annie meets Angelina Jolie.

The studly shirtless hikers.

Jake, Dylan, and Milan pose with me on the trail.

I realized recently that I totally take for granted that my parents live walking distance from the trail of one of the best hiking mountains in Phoenix. The weather has been so gorgeous lately that we have taken the boys hiking a couple times this past month. Today Mom was kind enough to keep Sophie and we were lucky to have Uncle Burke as our tour guide. I was impressed with the boys' stamina. They wanted to go up to the top and were put out when we made them turn around. Since they dumped all the water in their bottles in a water fight before we even reached the trail, we knew we were on an abbreviated hike this time.

I Am Not Going to Paint Anymore.

I have started letting Sophie take a book to bed with her to "read" to wind her down at night. I underestimated how entertaining it would be to listen in on her rendition of the books. I Ain't Gonna Paint No More is a family favorite, so I have read it to the kids too many times to count. The title, (I ain't gonna paint no more) is repeated on almost every page of the book, but when Sophie was "reading" the book later in her bed, she corrected all the grammar. Page after page she kept repeating - "I am not going to paint anymore." Grandma Karla will be so proud.

Light Rail Day Trip

For the first time in months, we had nothing written on our calendar for Saturday. It was a nice day, so we decided to introduce the kids to public transportation. After years of debate, planning and construction, the Metro Light Rail finally opened for business the first of this year. It runs from West Mesa to Central Phoenix, spanning about 20 miles total. We live about 10 miles from the starting point in Mesa, so we chose the park and ride option. The parking was ample and free, but the neighborhood is less than desirable. I would be a little leery of it after dark and certainly would not leave any valuables in the car.

So we purchased all day passes for a grand total of $6.25. Adults cost $2.50, Jake cost $1.25, and DB and Sophie were free. (No one ever asked for our tickets, but the $160 fine for not having a ticket seemed to be enough of a deterrent, as it seemed everyone I saw had tickets.) Trains run every 10 minutes or so, and we were fortunate enough to get right on. I was immediately impressed at how clean and quiet the trains were. They were also very crowded, which was just fine for the boys, as standing while in a moving vehicle seemed like a party to them. Sophie and I were offered a seat, but it wasn't long before Sophie started to get jealous of all the fun the boys were having "surfing". She started to wiggle off my lap and wanted to get down with them so she could stand up too. I am sure it seemed too good to be true - first no car seat, then she can stand if she wants? Unfortunately Sophie's joy was short lived.

I made her wait until the train stopped to get down to go stand by Wes. The train doors opened and a couple of Scottish men in their kilts and full Scottish garb got on the train at that stop. (There was a Scottish Festival going on Downtown.) One of the men had what can best be described as a fanny pack or man purse, if you will. And it was actually pretty manly, as it was made from a real wolf head. This unfortunate taxidermied wolf with scary sharp teeth still intact was situated right at Sophie's eye level as she made her way over to Wes. She took one look and made a quick beeline right back to my lap. It was funny, too see the boys reaction to the kilts. Wes had just explained to the boys the concept of it being polite for men to offer seats to women and kids if all the seats are full. Not two seconds later, these men in skirts appear and you could just see the wheels in their heads turning. I watched the boys' faces as they assessed the hairy legs, then the skirt, then a goatee. So confusing for youngsters, those kilts are.


So one of the best parts of public transportation is the chance to people watch. It is good for kids to know that there are all kinds of people in the world, that are different from them. Mesa isn't exactly known for it's diversity so we were not disappointed in our quest to expose them to all kinds of people.

Light rail lacks conveniences such as bathrooms for potty training toddlers, which cut our trip short. We opted for Tempe Beach Park in lieu of any downtown festivals, because the bladder complications and fatigue, but in the end it was a interesting experience. Don't expect to find us on the train next weekend, but I wouldn't discourage anyone of from trying it once. I do recommend Pull Ups for the kids, and maybe even for you, too.

Sleep finally overcomes Sophie while waiting to catch the final leg of our trip.

Michael Who?

Every so often something will happen that makes me feel my age. Yesterday Wes was catching up with some news online and said to me, "Today is Michael Jordan's birthday. Can you believe he is 46?" Jake (who misses nothing) was in the room and said, "Who is Michael Jordan?" This is from a kid who lives and breathes sports 24/7. Wow.

(Side note to Burke and Mark: This conversation got me to thinking about those negatives of you guys when you met Michael Jordan that I stole from you for my high school photography class. I am digging through some old boxes in hopes of recovering them. I'll keep you posted if have any luck. I owe you a life size poster if I find them.)

Speaking of basketball, did anyone notice that the Suns are back? They beat the Clippers by like 50 last night. Bu-Bye Terry Porter. Hello seven second offense! I don't really care if they win or lose, at least they are fun to watch again. Defense, shmefense. Shoot the ball!

Valentines, Shmalentines.

Valentine's Day is typically uneventful around here, in fact it was well into afternoon before remembering that today was a holiday. I know sometimes I have a tendency towards sarcasm, but I can say with absolute sincerity that I got nothing for Valentine's Day from Wes, and I am not even sad. He also got nothing from me. We choose to boycott forced affections. Plus, lucky for our budget, neither one of us has "gifts" as our love language. So even though Fry's has an entire tent full of over-priced Valentine's crap, we resisted and are still happily married.

I am however very appreciative of the roses from Dad and the free babysitting night out courtesy of Karla. Love you guys!

The kids were sufficiently sugared up after their school Valentine's festivities yesterday. Jake's tongue was stained Incredible Hulk green and DB was literally bouncing off the walls until bedtime.

It won't be much longer that DB will willingly get off the bus looking like this. So cute, but so fleeting. I volunteered in Jake's class and got to see all the Valentine's mail boxes they brought in. It became quickly apparent who the Mormon kids were. Not Mormon: Shoebox, Mormon: Number 10 Can.

Jake and Dylan sort through their Valentine's loot.

And finally, today's "Awww" moment brought to you courtesy of DB. Those two have bonded a lot lately. Sophie is old enough to play a handful of games now, relieving me of the mind numbing job of playing Spill the Beans or Dora Candyland. I love spending time with my kids, but I'm convinced those games are a form of torture.

My "Bests" List

Best Bank: WAMU. No hidden fees with, friendly, knowledgeable and helpful employees. Unfortunately, Chase now owns them and they are definitely NOT on my list, so we'll see.

Best Mom Tip: Generously apply Vicks VapoRub all over your child's feet when they have a cough then put socks on them. I don't know why it magically stops the coughing, but it does - every time.

Best TV Provider: Dish Network. The 30 second skip is the only way to go if you have a DVR, which is also a must. Cable companies and Direct TV do not have it. I would give up one meal a day before I would part with my Dish Network DVR.

Best New Concept: FreSpa. In the interest of full disclosure, my brother in law is the owner, but this truly is a great concept -even if I wasn't biased. You pick a membership (I chose the $45/month option). Then you get points to redeem at the spa for your choice of over 100 services. You get greatly reduced spa services, by the best in the business in a five-star facility. I told a couple friends who also signed up and we now have a fabulous girls day out destination and because of the FreSpa referral program my membership dues have been significantly reduced and most likely will end up free. There is virtually no risk, because it is month to month. Plus they offer complimentary soft drinks, frozen yogurt, and lounge with a flat screen TV. They start scheduling appointments this Thursday and I can't wait. The best part: a strict no tipping policy. Sign up before they sell out and while the initiation fees are still waived. Yes the economy is bad, but even you can afford free. www.frespa.net Tell them I sent you and I will see you there!

Best Comment of the Day: I threw some chicken tenders on the grill for dinner tonight. Jake asked if they were chicken wings. (The boys have been fascinated lately about the fact that meat actually comes from real animal parts.) I said that they were chicken tenders. He wanted to know what part of the chicken tenders came from. I matter of factly told him - "the breast." He wanted to know where that was. Feeling weird about pointing it out on myself, I pointed to his pecs and said it came from that muscle. He said, "Oh sweet, we are having chicken boobs for dinner." I'm not hungry anymore and I'm starting to have second thoughts about letting him ride the bus with sixth graders.

It's Swimming Weather

The mercury topped 80 degrees this afternoon, which means the baby pool made it's first appearance of the year. The kids are so confused - jackets in the morning, swimsuit in the afternoon. By the looks of things, we seem to be in the market for a bigger pool this summer.

Our period of mourning for the Cardinals Superbowl loss is over. Even Sophie suited out for the big game Sunday. It was a fun year and an exciting game. Sophie is becoming more independent by the day. She can now make her own lunch, dress herself, and use the potty. It won't be long before she starts asking for a place of her own.

Please don't call the authorities. It was 100 percent the kids' idea to get in the crate and they were free to exit at any time. Besides, we left Winston in charge, so no worries.