Eating and Sleeping

I love moments like this one when your kids fall asleep during the day doing something. I'm not sure what David was eating but it looks like pie. In the middle of the day I'm usually tuckered out. and It is good to know that sometimes they get tuckered out by me once in a while. I also love Mattie's expression in the picture. After the picture she tried to wake David up.

Watermelon

This year the garden was bigger than ever and I was up to my ears in produce. We decided to try something new and plant the watermelon along the fence this year and let it grow. It did grow and we did get watermelon but for whatever reason not like the past summers. We did have one big watermelon that weighed 28 lbs and it was yummy.

Dan's uh.... what birthday is this?

Sorry there are tons of pictures on this post. Dan celebrated his birthday last month. I did a small party with family and friends. I ordered a large sub and had chips and dips and salads. I ordered his cake from my favorite Bakery. I made individual peach pies in mason jars and a apple pie which is Dan's favorite. We all had a great time and learned that Dan yes is a fast runner. My 13 year old nephew thought he could out run Dan and so at 8 that night there was a race in the street to see who was faster. Dan beat Lane 3 times but we also learned that Michael is a fast runner who also beat Lane running. Dan received some great theme gifts and some also really nice gifts. Of course I forgot to take pictures of the funny gifts but I think I managed to get a picture of the tennis balls.

Breakfast

One morning I walked into the kitchen and saw this laying on the floor. I did not put it together and just thought one of the little one's took it out of the trash.



Later in the morning I opened the cupboard to get a pan a saw this.....



Then I figured it out...... Someone decided to make breakfast and I think it may have been this little guy.

First Day of School

School started in towards the end of July. Michael is in 1st grade and Mattie is in pre-school. Both are doing really well in school and have great teachers. Mattie is in the morning pre-school class so it is David and I for a few hours each day. The one time has been great and I sometimes get things accomplished. Since David has seen Michael and Mattie with backpacks he decided he wanted one to. He know uses one of Michael's old backpacks and will take it with him when we go places.

David

Mattie

Michael



Mattie and Nancy

Mattie walked into the classroom and went to the reading area

While I was making dinner someone colored on the couch

And then fell asleep.

Cabin Trip

End of June we went to the cabin for a few days. The weather was great, it was warm during the day but cooled down to the mid 60's at night. We borrowed Grandma and Grandpa Hurd's SUV because it has 4 wheel drive and we wanted to do some exploring at the top of the mountain. We went to the Old Dandrea Ranch which was a working ranch around the 1890's. No buildings remain but there is still some fencing in the pasture area. We also went into Prescott the back way "Old Senator Highway" and had a picnic and went to the Sharlot Hall Museum. The kids had so much fun playing and hiking and were so dirty and tired by dinner time. There was no hot water and the water up there is cold so we did old fashion baths with a pot of warm water from the stove. Every trip Michael wants to see the Pink cabin, which at one time many many years ago my Aunt Mattie Lee and Uncle Jimmy owned. We always say the cabin is haunted and sometimes at night you can hear the ghost of Uncle Jimmy whistling.

Just in case anyone picked up on the name Mattie, this is who Mattie is named after. My aunt's real name is Mattie Lee and never Mattie. When Mattie was born Dan and I took out the Lee and gave her my middle name. My Aunt Mattie Lee was my Grandma Anderson's sister(mom side of the family).

Proof that the SUV has seen dirt.


Michael


David was so dirty after playing all day.


Mattie chilling on the porch


Picture taken from the top of the mountain when coming back from Prescott. Our cabin is somewhere down below.


David and Michael showing the sticks that they found while hiking up at the top where the mine is.


All 3 showing there sticks.


The haunted pink cabin: Where Aunt Mattie Lee and Uncle Jimmy used to live.



Michael on the porch of the pink cabin. Found some old bones that are kept on the porch. This is proof that it is haunted.

Dandrea Ranch and Sharlot Hall Museum

We went to visit the Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott. We packed a lunch and were able to sit at a picnic table at the museum (next to the windmill). After visiting the museum we went across the street to the archives site and I was able to view and copy old pictures of our cabin area when it was a working mine.


Sharlot Hall was Arizona's first territorial historian. She felt it was important to preserve the history of Arizona. The sight of the museum is where the first territorial Governor's home was built. Since then either replicated or the actual buildings were added. It is a great place to visit and would recommend it to anyone.

Mattie looking at the flowers


First Territorial Governor's Mansion


A old bed in a log cabin. Mattie climbed right on up and laid down. The bed was stuffed with straw and underneath there was rope to tighten or loosen the mattress. I'm not sure if it was an actual bed or a replica of a bed. If I had to guess it would be the actual bed.


looking at fish in the pond


The windmill that we sat next to and ate lunch.


Fort Misery. Sign reads "oldest log cabin built in Arizona in 1864. The cabin originally was about 1/2 mile away from the Sharlot Hall Museum.



OLD DANDREA RANCH:
The ranch is located about a mile from our cabin. It was a working ranch in the 1890's.

I copied this picture from the Sharlot Hall Archives site.




Cows


Part of the road that we drove on.


Mining Claim


Pasture area of the ranch. My dad said the house used to be in this area but burnt down a long time ago.