Arizona ambling (for JB)

By all reports we came up route 64 (180?) and parked in the main parking areas.  We all used the restroom in facilities that looked like this:

Somewhere around there we saw this sign.  If you see the "You Are Here" label towards the eastern side, I am reasonably confident that we followed that red line to get to the rim path.

The view from that area looked a lot like this:

We walked down some paths.  I'm not sure whether this path was parallel to the rim or if this was us getting TO the rim.

Here we are definitely at the rim.

We came across this sign and headed east towards Yavapai Observation Station.

These are some landmark vistas that we saw between the sign and the ashes spot.

This is us leaving that last vista.

Walking down the path headed east still.

Here is the spot.

View from the spot.

Ash throwing in action.

We got to Yavapai Observation Station afterwards, so my educated guess based on signage and timeline is that the spot is about half a mile west of Yavapai.

Hope this helps!  :)

(sorry about the watermarks, I didn't take all these pictures but forgot to turn the marker off!)

365.27-29, 33, 34

365.27 (jan 27)  Gotta hang up the clothes...

365.17, 18, 21, 25, 26

365.17 (jan 17)  Yummy SNOW!!!

Likes & Dislikes

Likes:
Z - watching his two shows everyday, reenacting Caillou adventures with himself as the main character, playing with play dough, drawing with sidewalk chalk, making mischief, WHY mommy WHY, talking to his (imaginary?) friend Henry
N - using WORDS!!!!!, doing it himself (SELF, mommy, SELF!), "bruffsh"ing his "teef," trying to sleep in big brother's bed, reading books, giving hugs (especially to Z, who is less enthusiastic), instigating with his brother (Z asks a question, N says "NO, Z. NO."  Z hates it!), asking WHY just because Z does, throwing monumental tantrums
Mommy - being able to understand N more often, seeing how far I can go with WHY before resorting to "physics, buddy, physics"

Dislikes:
Z - staying inside, staying WITH mommy instead of running off wherever he wants, not having WHY answered every time,
N - being told NO, having someone forget to let him do it SELF
Mommy - having to answer the same WHY multiple times in five minutes (the answer didn't change, child!), tantrums when I didn't understand what N was saying

365.6-8, 11, 15

365.6 (jan 6)  Well I'll just go UNDER you, then!

365.1-5

365.1 (jan 1)  New Year, new lunch...hahahaha, no we'll have our usual thanks.

366 Recap...and on to 365?

So, my very first year of photo-a-day is officially over.  How'd I do?  Well, I didn't actually keep track of how many times I used someone else's photo (for whatever reason), but out of 366 days I had 302.  I haven't checked to see if there's a video I could get a still from for most of those missing 64, but the odds are rather against it (I did check for the first couple of months, and only once did I find a video containing both kids).  The biggest streak was 21 days, in July.  Must have been because we were cooped up in the house during the heat!

Despite the fact that I haven't started posting pictures for 2013, I can already tell you that we're off to an abysmal start.  Most days I haven't been thinking about it, the way I was last year.  But I've started making more of an effort now, so bring on 2013!

366.361, 363, 366

366.361 (dec 26) I think this piece...goes...here...

366.360 Christmas 2012

Can we open presents yet?  (no, your brother's not up yet!)

Likes & Dislikes

Likes:
Z - preschool, popcorn, Super Why!, Caillou, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, riding the tricycle around the new house, play-doh, writing stories (illustrated by Mommy), being helpful, picking up the kitty (kitty tolerates), sledding, baking banana bread/muffins, asking WHY, legos, getting his own water from the fridge dispenser, right now he's telling me he likes spinach (I'm dubious)
N - using his vocabulary (even if Mommy doesn't always understand), all things yellow, learning letters (O!), building block toys of all kinds, going to "pa-pa" house, taking turns ("N turns! Z turns! Mommy turns!), ice, apples, pushing brother around on the tricycle, balloons, maow (aka kitty), throwing massive temper tantrums, Mommy time while Z's at school
Mommy - having more room for the boys to play in, seeing them play well together, the excitement in N's face when he's discovering things, having actual conversations with Z, being able to ask Z to do me a favor and have him actually DO it

Dislikes:
Z - disappointment (not getting to watch his two shows every day, not going to the playground because he wasted too much time getting his shoes on, etc)
N - not being understood (hey, it took awhile to learn that "lurch" means "shirt"), balloons that don't last forever, being babysat by non-family, bathtime
Mommy - having more room to clean up after the boys, seeing them fight over things, being ignored, getting two kids out the door on time for things

366.348-350, 352, 353, 355, 358, 359

366.348 (dec 13)  Mmmm...rice and beans!

366.337 - 342, 344, 345

366.336 (dec 1) I got nothin'.

366.337 (dec 2)  Now wait a minute, I think we have the wrong cars...

366.325-330, 332-335

366.325 (nov 20)  Synchronized spoon lifting!  Bro, you're going too slow!

366.312-316, 318-320, 322, 324

366.312 (nov 7)  iPod time!

366.307, 308, 309, 310, 311

366.307 (nov 2)  Abraca DAbra!

(this photo and the next two courtesy of Grammy, who hosted the boys for a couple days without me)

366.301, 302, 303,304, 306

366.301 (oct 27)  KISSESSS!!!!

366.295, 297, 298, 299, 300

366.295 (oct 21)  My fav-rit pill-oooooooo

366.289, 290, 291, 293, 294

366.289 (oct 15)  Which game are you playing now, bro?

Likes & Dislikes

Likes:
Z - using the potty, getting marshmallows and chocolate for using the potty, preschool, speaking in complete sentences, telling stories starring pieces of his dinner (pasta came home from preschool and saw another pasta and fell into the mashed potatoes and played with his friend...), lentils, "chicken and rice and beans", PLAYDOH in a big way, making soup in his play dishes (thanks P & M!)
N - using the Mommy-multitool (and the Daddy-multitool, and the Grammy-multitool, and the Granddaddy-multitool...), lentils, peeling his own banana, bread, bread, more bread, playing with other (gasp!) people (gasp!), putting away play dishes, playing in water in the sink, taking socks and shoes off in the car (and managing to COMPLETELY lose them somehow), coming up with new ways to pronounce APPLE so that it means five different things
Mommy - having conversations with Z, figuring out the new words that N is trying to manage, big hugs, explaining the new house progression to Z (and N, but he doesn't seem to grasp things just yet), the delightful games that N comes up with, seeing N lean in to give Z a kiss at bedtime

Dislikes:
Z - using the potty, having accidents, giving goodbye hugs and kisses when he leaves (or they leave, whichever), wearing clothing
N - not getting his way, being told he needs to sit in his OWN chair and let Mommy eat her dinner, his "baby" high chair, getting an APPLE when he clearly said APPLE (but meant banana)
Mommy - getting a little frazzled trying to keep up with everything that's going on, dealing with temper tantrums, having to un-spoil N



(sorry it's been a little dead over here, we've had a lot going on!  read about the house we're building over here:  romeinginrichmond.blogspot.com/  and I'm trying to catch up on pictures as quick as I can!)

366. 284, 285, 286, 287, 288

366.284 (oct 10)  N: This book is AWESOME!!!  Z: Yeah, the FIRST five times...