Nope that's not what happened.....

Just in case you were wondering.....

It's not like we were lost in space!

Lowell's Observatory

Homeschool Group Rocket Project Day!

 Homeschooling is still going strong.  We started a group when we moved and we are loving it.  We have made so many wonderful friends and are learning so much.  Having a community is a beautiful thing!

Not even lost somewhere in the backwoods!

Our cousins came to visit and we took them on our favorite hike.

Homeschool group explorers project.

Cub Scout day hike.

We just can't get enough of the beautiful nature that surrounds us up here in the mountains.  The seasons have been so wonderful and watching all of the colors change has made us so happy!  We have already had a few friends come and visit us and we hope to have many more.

We certainly didn't get eaten by monsters!

What a Halloween fright.

No matter where we go trunk or treat follows.  We are loving our new church family and also having family close to join us in our haunted adventures has been quite the "treat".

Some freaky alternate universe?  Nope not even!

Disney Land

Can't you just feel the love?

RIDES!

To be little again and dream big.

We love family vacation!  Disney Land and California Adventure were a blast.  The kids were brave enough to go on "LOTS" of rides.  Kendal even braved Space Mountain twice.  Matthew loved California Screamin and The Tower of Terror, he wanted to go back for more.  It is so wonderful watching our family grow and our experiences change.  

However, we do have a little girl that is still wishing upon stars and loving princesses.  I stood in line with her for hours listening to all of the things she was going to say to the beautiful princesses, what great memories.  It does appear that are children are going to grow out of the Disney experience (thank goodness), we are glad that we have been able to share in this wonderful happiest place on Earth with them.

Off in music Land?

Acker Night in AZ's Christmas City.

This was truly a fantastic night!  The kids are still going strong on the piano and improving so much.  They were invited to play in one of the retail shops on the Court House Plaza on Acker Night (not sure why they call it that).  All of the shops are open late and have musicians performing in their place of business.  The kids took turns with other piano students and played at a little coffee shop.  You can't tell from the picture but the place was packed full of people.  

Before the concert we walked around and explored the lights, walked through the shops and made smores on the side of the road.  What a fun little city we live in.  Mr. Mahaney is their current teacher and he is wonderful.  He guided Matthew in winning third place in a county wide competition.  Sadly, we have to change teachers with the new year, but I know the kids will adjust and continue to improve.

No fear my dear friends and family we have not fallen off the face of the Earth......

We are trucking along as usual, doing all of those things that we crazy people do.  

AND LOVING IT!

Our Family Work Place

We have started our own home business site!

The kids have been wanting to start a business for some time and our brains have been spinning trying to figure out what would work best for our family.

We finally figured it out and have given it a trial run.  VIOLA, we have not one, not two but three mini family businesses that are up and running.  Click on the links below to check them out!

J&C "Re-new"

 

Knights.... Wizards.... Fairies

 

And

 

Breathing Life Photography

 

 

 

 

http://www.familyworkplace.blogspot.com/

Picture this and My Family Room

I have had this picture of MY LB and I in Chicago for a very long time.  I have been waiting to find a project that I really liked before I put it on the wall.  I found this project on Pinterest and knew right away that I was going to use this picture.  I love the way it turned it out.  Even so, there are some things I would do differently if I did it again (of course).

The canvas is 6x6 and they are an inch apart in every direction.  I printed the picture pieces on tissue paper and modge podged them on (I would just use regular paper next time).  I was going to leave the canvas white but decided to paint it black (would have painted it first if I knew).  The hardest part of this project is printing the picture pieces so they fit together (next time I would search the Internet for a trick).  All in all I really love it and I love having the reminder of this fun time on my bedroom wall.

This next picture I purchased off of the website of the photographer at my sister in-laws wedding.  Most expensive picture I have ever purchased...... totally worth it.  I LOVE IT!  

I know you guys want more of our new home (peeps have been asking).  It is a bit of a fixer upper and we are still in the process of fixing.  BUT, I will show you what we have already done.  My family room is completely finished and I absolutely love it, it is HUGE.

If you didn't visit us in Goodyear then you are going to need to know.....

I went "COLORFUL".

My LB and I just redid the dresser the T.V. is on, I love it.  Zebra pulls, polka bot knobs, so lovely!  We also did the coffee table when we were in Goodyear.  In its previous life it was a high top table, cut the legs off, put on a smooth top (we do school work on it) and spray painted it "ORANGE".  We are a very colorful family.

I also completed this collage in our dining area which is also filled with color.  I am really digging collages and  actually enjoy putting them together (empty wall, must have empty wall).

Any who, there you have it and just in case you didn't believe me here are a couple fixer upper pictures of the kitchen.

Both bathrooms need redone, our house needs painted and landscaped, our "12" year old has a glass door (tee-hee), and we need to turn our wet bar (not kidding) into a school area.  Lots to do, good thing we enjoy it.

Day of the Horses

(Don't you love her Wranglers?)

Kendal finally received her one and only birthday wish, to ride a horse.  This year for school I purchased The Circle C books for her and her sister.  They are wonderful books for horse loving girls.  There are two series, one for young horse lovers and one for the older more mature horse lover.  Great books!

The books have activity pages that are free on the website and one of these activities is a match the phrase with its real meaning.  One of those phrases is "Your acting to big for your britches".  Kendal loves this saying only she forgets how it goes sometimes and it ends up more like, "Mom your britches are big on you".  Love it!

We had such a great day with the Howes.  It was so nice of them to invite us out to their property, where there was more then just horse rides to enjoy.

Horses

 Barn Kittens

Chickens and Roosters 

 Play Ground 

Dinner Bell 

What a GREAT morning for a five year old horse lover!

She even got a "kiss" goodbye.

Photographers Play Ground

This place I live in is full of natures canvas!  

When you can find a place like this less then five minutes away,

you know that you are in a photographers paradise. 

My two beautiful nieces and their babies.

Our kids love when they come to visit, it is so nice having little people around again.  Especially these cuties!

Capturing the moments that

leave you breathless!

If you are interested in a photo session please email me at

cmecham2000@yahoo.com

Thanks!

Somewhere over the......

There is no getting tired of these beauties!

We knew we would see snow this year but we had no idea we would see so many beautiful rainbows.  It rains almost everyday just long enough to leave a mark in the sky and amazing evening weather (perfect for jumping on the trampoline).

Lynx Creek Hike

This hike has been branded as our favorite (probably not fair since we haven't been on that many).  Our last two hikes we chose this same area.  It is so beautiful with its; creek, pine trees, rocks to climb, puddles to jump and all of the critters.  We found three baby horny toads on our last trip.

The kids are loving all of our hiking adventures.  They are always excited to see what they will find and rightfully so, on this hike we found GIANT mushrooms and a rundown mine.  I especially like this hike because I found a bathroom on the trail "bonus".

Let me know if you want to come and play.  We would love to have visitors.