Because I'm so far behind on updating this blog, I've decided to cheat and just put up as many photos as possible in one post.
This collage puts us all the way back to spring break, when we met the Higbees/Trowbridges for a long weekend in Carefree, AZ. We went to museums, train parks and spent time entertaining the girls around the hotel. It was a nice break from the cold in Flagstaff.
After a few days back home, we headed back to the Phoenix area for Ada's eye surgery. Luckily, Grandma and Grandpa Hansen were able to meet us and help out with Clara while we dealt with the pre- and post-op procedures. Ada recovered quickly and we were able to spend the rest of the weekend visiting the aquarium, zoo and (again) train park.
These are just random photos from April, including Easter and Bryan finally shaving his beard.
Ada's still been going to "school" at the YMCA and at the end of the school calendar year, they had a "graduation" for the older kids. We were all invited to come watch the program, which was exciting for us. It was our first time seeing her sing with her class and she even did an impromptu dance solo after one of the songs.
Aunt Lauren also graduated, although from a little more reputable school- UofU Law. We decided to go up to Utah to see her walk, hang out with family and introduce Clara to Utah.
The trip included a stop for a few days in Escalante. We were able to stay at our house and see friends and by the end, we were almost convinced to move back.
Next, we spent some time in Flagstaff- visiting parks, festivals, and making trip to Phoenix to see Carol, Mike and Ellie. As you can tell from the big picture, Ellie loves her new cousin.
Ada (and we) has been itching to go camping so we decided it was about time to take Clara. We visited Fossil Creek for a hike. It was beautiful, and since we left home at 5:00 a.m., we made it before the crowds and were able to have some of the water to ourselves. Instead of camping at a low elevation (i.e. 90+ degrees), we decided to drive back towards Flagstaff while the girls napped (we have to plan around these things now) and find a spot in the forest. We got far enough down dirt roads to be away from other people and we set up camp and relaxed. The girls had a lot of fun in the tent, which is lucky because the gnats were so awful. After an uneventful night (uneventful in a good way), we woke up and walked to the rim of West Clear Creek Canyon to explore a little. We have a running list of places we want to go once we can all start really hiking, and this is one of them.
On the way back to camp, we were shocked to see a bear run in front of us. We looked at each other, afraid that it had been at our camp since we left the garbage hanging in a tree. Luckily, it hadn't, so we decided to relax and eat lunch before we had to drive back home. Just as we were laying out the blanket to eat, Bryan got a look of terror on his face and I turned around. A different bear had been coming towards us and decided to turn and run away when it was less than 100 feet away. At that point, we decided to eat our lunch in the car on the way home. We knew it was technically bear country, but we never expected to see one, let alone two bears!
Ada is officially three years old. I can't believe it. She's still small for her age, but she makes up for it in intelligence! It's amazing how much she learns every day and how much she seems to understand about the things going on around her. She's a great big sister and in Clara's eyes, she can do no wrong.
Clara's also hitting some big milestones. She is now eating solid food (loves apples, pears, sweet potatoes) and is sitting up like a champ. It's possibly the easiest parenting stage right now, because she'll sit in one spot and entertain herself with her toys for long periods of time and can't move around to get into trouble. She's a really happy kid (except when she's not) and loves laughing.
It seems like these two already have a bond as sisters and I can't wait to keep watching it grow!
The last piece of news to catch up is that Bryan has finished all of his coursework for his M.S. degree and before the semester was over, he got a job offer. He will be the GIS specialist for Lava Beds National Monument in northern California, and we will be moving to Klamath Falls, OR in October. We're pretty proud of him and he is happy to find a job that he's excited about in a place that should be interesting. It will be an adventure, as we have never been there before, and we are sad to leave Flagstaff, but I think we're all ready to move on to a new phase in our lives.
And that's it! In a few days we will be heading up to Utah to see family, then on to Yellowstone and Island Park for a Hansen family reunion. So hopefully we will get around to posting before too long!
