The Prez Comes to Town

We were very excited to learn that President Obama was going to be in Rio Rancho for a Town Hall Meeting in May. Stu & I tried to get tickets to the event, but we weren't successful. As an alternative, we were able to hike to the top of the overlook in our neighborhood & watch the presidential motorcade as it arrived at Rio Rancho High School. A very neat thing to see & share with the boys!


A helicopter surveying the area before the motorcade arrives.


The procession begins.


President Obama's limo arrives at RRHS. Demonstrators got in the way of our photo!


The full motorcade in the RRHS parking lot.

The End of an Era (sniff, sniff)

As they say, all good things must come to an end, and so it was with Bryce's preschool experience. After being a "lifer" that attended for three years, he had his final end of the year program in May. His class was studying animals at the time, so they each go to choose what kind of animal they wanted to be in the play. Bryce was a cheetah, and he delivered his lines perfectly! After the play was over, each student got an award from the teachers. Bryce had quite simply the best preschool experience I could have ever imagined. We were so blessed to find a wonderful school with truly amazing teachers. Thanks for all you have done for us...Mrs. Lindsey, Mrs. Aragon & Mrs. Kissane...YOU ROCK!!!

Bryce tries to wait patiently for his part in the play.


Bryce delivers his lines perfectly.


Mrs. Lindsey tells us how awesome Bryce is! :)

ROAD TRIP!!!

Well, in preparation for our big two-week adventure to Montana this summer, we decided to take a short road trip to Denver in mid-May. Stu was ending his compressed schedule at work at the end of May, so we took advantage of one of his 4 day weekends and hit the road. We were fortunate to have my cousin Sarah & her husband Peter as our gracious hosts, along with their "babies" Guinness the Mastiff & Roscoe the Black Lab. Guinness is truly one of the biggest animals I have ever seen up close, but Bryce & Drew loved him! The boys were thrilled to have dogs around to play with! (Little do they know that we are YEARS away from having one of our own!)

While in Denver we ate at the legendary Casa Bonita (complete with caves to explore & a cliff-diving show while you eat), hit Elitch Gardens amusement park for some rides, and explored the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. We were also thrilled to discover during this trip that Drew is totally able to climb out of his travel crib (& now the crib at home), so that opened another can of worms! Ah, life with a two & a half year-old.

Here are some highlights of our trip...


Drew takes a spin on the bumper cars.


Bryce doesn't like to brag, but he's pretty much a bumper car expert!


Drew had a blast in the foam ball play area.


Ridin' the rails.


According to Stu, I'm on this roller coaster somewhere. I think I was in the last car...


Love the carousel! (Although it's not as cool as the one in Missoula...)


Cool dinosaur in the lobby of the museum.


Houston, we have an astronaut-in-training.


Bryce poses near the moonscape.


Liftoff in 5...4...3...2...1...BLAST OFF!

BBQ & Soccer!

We had our dear friends the Baillios & the Bynums over for a BBQ to celebrate Antonia's birthday. When Charity, Antonia & I last taught together in 2002, none of us had any children. Now, we've got 5 boys among the three of us! :) Bryce, Drew, Lamar & Jamal had a great time in the new bounce house, while Trey kept us all amused with his fear of grass. It was a wonderful evening with friends!


Drew, Lamar, Trey & Charity in the bounce house.


Little Trey playing with his mama.


It looks like Drew is sharing with Trey, but looks can be deceiving!

Charity's delicious birthday cake for Antonia!

Drew chowing on some ice cream.

Bryce enjoying his cone.

Bryce just finished a soccer program, so I took some pictures on his last day. The building in the background is the one Stu's office is in at Intel.

The kids ready to play.

Bryce gets ready to throw the ball in.

Bryce on the move.

Drew makes a friend (& tries to bum some snack.)

Field Trip to the Zoo

Bryce's preschool class took a field trip to the zoo during their study of animals. With Stu's compressed schedule, we were all able to go with Bryce and enjoy a beautiful spring day. Albuquerque has a great zoo, and the kids had a ball visiting all of the animals they had been learning about.


Drew posing at the zoo.


Drew & Daddy.


Drew refusing to cooperate. :)

Bryce's class ready to check out the animals. Note the cute matching t-shirts!

Bryce & his buddy Ariel.

The boys enjoying ice cream on the patio.

A Sunday Hike

A few weeks ago, we took a short hike to the overlook in our neighborhood. It was a beautiful Sunday morning, and we got some great shots of the Rio Grande valley and the Sandia Mountains.


The Sandia Mountains in the distance.


Stu & the boys at the overlook.


Getting ready to head home.

Happy Easter!

We had a fantastic Easter! My parents come down to visit from Montana, and we had the best time with them! We took Grammy & Papa bowling, to the Children's Museum in Santa Fe, to the Zoo on Easter morning, and much more! My mom & I had a great time doing some shopping, and my Dad got to get in several rounds of golf with Stu's dad. If any of you are interested in Southwest jewelry, I've got the hookup! My mother-in-law took my mom & I to some of her favorite places, and we found some tresaures! :) All in all, a great Easter weekend!


Drew & Grammy dying eggs.


Drew sampling his "Ice Cream Cone Cupcake."


If you didn't already know, Drew is a "Rock Star!"

Bryce hoisting himself up at the Santa Fe Children's Museum.

Papa building a masterpiece.

Grammy & Bryce at the museum.

The boys checking out their Easter loot.

Drew found Starbursts on the lawn!

Bryce on the hunt for tricky eggs.

Happy Easter!

Easter morning at the zoo.

A gorilla enjoying his Rice Krispie Easter treat.