Sunday, February 26, 2012

Bell Rock

Once upon a time there was a bored princess...
(Oh how I wish I were bored...the princess part? - oh yeah, baby!  I love being a princess.)
She woke up one morning and said to the minions...
"Behold!  I have packed us a lunch, the Excursion is running, come forth, we are going hiking!"
(Basically, I had been working every weekend and needed a break away from the house with my family.)
"Yes!  You too teenager!  Get Out of Bed!"
On our way out the door we made a quick call to Grandma Goof and Larry to invite them, and they said, "Hurrah!"
Here's the group...getting ready to hit the trail...
Please note Tyler's helmet...safety first.  You never know when you are going to literally "hit the trail"!

The Roth 6 !

Charting the course...

The teenager and Isaiah...
he wasn't going to let her out of his sight!

And we are off...
of course Tyler had to turn back for a quick smile at the camera!

The thing about hiking in Sedona...
the backdrop is so beautiful that you hardly notice the child's shirt is hanging down from his sweatshirt!
...hardly...

So here is the thing about pictures...
I know exactly what just happened...
but the innocent viewer doesn't.
I could totally make up something, but I won't.
I will tell you the truth.
It is a good thing that Tyler was wearing protective head gear because he just
took a big ol' digger! 
Ashley is laughing because...
well...
we think she tripped him!

Two boys running...
but who cares?
The view is amazing!

Aiden has been obsessed with bears since he found out we would be hiking.
Here - he thinks he heard a bear in the bushes.

Which trail boys?
Why is Isaiah pointing back to the truck?

We decided on our trail and onward we went...
except Tyler...
he heard a bear growl and he took off to the trailhead.
He said, "I'm not taking that trail ~ I'm going to Cottonwood!"
That kid and the things he says absolutely kills me!
He is hilarious!

"Pop"
Pop said that he finally hit rock bottom...he's a funny guy.
aka: Poppy
...but your name better be Aiden if you call him that...
otherwise...
I'm not sure what would happen to you!

The teenager...
contemplating her college choice perhaps?
Off on her own adventure!
I love this kid!  I'm going to miss her terribly when she leaves for college!
The boys and Pop...
sitting on a rock...

Grandma Goof and Pop
"Mom.  Take picture of me with the sharp cactus."

Tim

The Roth 6
February 12, 2012

OK - so Larry and I share a phobia of kid backwash germs.
My boys hiked in with their own water, but they like the drinking game better.
Pop (Larry) has to give them a drink from his water bottle without spilling his water, and without choking the child...
The kids love this game!
Aiden was first.
Then Tyler...
who is seriously afraid of being choked by water so he seldom tips his head back far enough..

I think Isaiah's big mouth helps him win every time!

Then it's time for Pop, to attempt to kneel down, with  18" steel rods in his back, and tip his head back...
don't spill any!

The boys were so focused on finishing the hike!
They were ready to head back for lunch!

Aiden and Isaiah,
"We did it!  Hurry up Tyler!  You can do it!"

My three boys!
Tyler and his helmet...that kids cracks me up!

Heading back down to the truck...
this crew is ready for lunch.
BTW...don't ask why the grandma is carrying small child.
I'm the princess!

My mom and I!
:)

So... where is your next family outing?



Thursday, February 23, 2012

Just an afternoon...

Although we do have a television in our home...we don't have a "dish" (for cable television).  Not such a big deal to many Americans, but the reality is...where we live ~ no dish = no television reception.  My nephews go crazy when they come to visit  because "they have nothing to do"!  (Guess that bat and ball in the backyard is nothing!  Oh, and lets not forget the summer that they played "chicken" with the mean heifer in the back pasure... or shooting beebee guns... or... do you get the idea?  We have a number of exciting outdoor activities to do.  Along with outdoor chores.  Kids learn very quickly when they come to my home not to complain about boredom!)
For my children, watching a movie when they get home from school is fun and exciting.  It is a reward for them to just "chill out" before getting to chores and homework.  Watching a movie is also a priveledge.  When Tyler came home on "Yellow" today ~ the color system in his kinder classroom, yellow is almost in serious trouble, but not quite...it's just a little bit trouble ~ he was told, "No movies and no dessert."  For my Tyler man ~ dessert and movies are his FAVORITE THING IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!!!  After watching him entertain himself, I came up with a way to entertain him that was fun, creative, and somewhat educational!
STAMP YOUR SPELLING WORDS!
It is not a new concept at all!  Many teachers do it everyday!  I even used this same activity with my 5th graders when I was teaching.  Guess what?  Tyler loved it!
Don't be nervous about the construction materials on the calendar...
I'm just showing where I got the oversized paper...
The measuring tape was out because Tim couldn't find his "belt unit" (that's what happens when you let your three sons play in your tool bag!) and the level because he was hanging pictures!
So, basically, take whatever piece of paper you have laying around.  I've never liked these calendars, but they came in handy today!  See ~ there is a reason I keep random things around the house!
Flip it over to the back side...
tape it down to the table...
Give your kid some stamps, his spelling list, and stamp ink...
and say, "Get to it!"

Tyler had three different sizes of alphabet letters to choose from...

OK - so he needs a little practice with the direction of the stamp.

He was so proud of his letters!  He then moved on to his numbers...
then the little boys arrived...

Me: "Why is there a front loader on the table?"
Isaiah: "Because I'm pushing things over with it."
Hmmm...
Aiden is very proud of his castle with all the peoples inside...
Come Look!

Walls at varying heights...
peoples inside...
Looks like a building about to be destroyed by a tractor to me!

(Poor Tyler... he was having such a quiet moment with creativity.)

Stamping takes great concentration...


... unless he was simply planning his next attack on the fortress.

Those of you with children will understand why this is where I must end.
The carnage was great...
the city leveled and nearly tossed into the pits of fire (aka: Isaiah's head)...
I was forced to partake in the wreckage and demand a cleaning crew come in at once...

Oh the wars of stamping and boys...

Off to another adventure!