Carlsbad Caverns

In August, we had a Harwood family reunion in Colorado Springs...it's a long drive, so we decided to stop and see a few things on the way..one of which was Carlsbad Caverns, NM. We've been there before, 8 years ago when we first moved to Texas, but Wyatt had never been...and the boys didn't remember :)

Outside the visitor center
So, armed with flashlights...

sort of...
...and devastatingly good looks ;)
We are ready to enter the belly of the beast

Carlsbad caverns are HUGE...you can't even begin to capture it on a camera...the main room is 14 football fields long!!
That's big.

Conor started us off with a tour of the formations... he is a good li'l ranger

I asked Lance if I could have this in my backyard...

The Leaning Tower of Pisa was modeled after this...before it..leaned..

This one is called "The Witch's Toes". When the boys asked why it was called that, I told them because they belonged to the witch who sleeps in the cave and if you touch anything you aren't supposed to, it wakes her up and then she eats you.

Ranger Conor also informed us that if you get dripped on while in the cave it is called a "cave kiss" and it's considered good luck...

Naturally the kids thought if you got hit by a drip it's good luck, so if you catch one in your mouth it's even BETTER luck...that is, until I told them to knock that off...you don't know where that drip has been....it's probably crawling with Ebola or cave cancer...

They always have such "clever" names for these formations...This one is called "The Lion's Tail"...ok...I can see it...but what about the one on the left?....probably from a lion that got cave cancer

We saw the light at the end of the tunnel...but I wouldn't let anyone walk toward it.

The rangers tried to tell us this was "Cave Popcorn", but I correctly informed the kids that it was actually "Cave Acne" and their faces would look just like that if they didn't wash them....or eat their vegetables.

There are a lot of rules in a cave...don't touch the millions of years of growth...don't knock down stalactites and take them home....don't yell--why the heck not? We're in a CAVE not church! don't enter restricted areas...bah! They are probably just trying to keep the cave treasure all to themselves, without sharing...selfish rangers.


This is my hunka burnin' love :)
I just had to post this because it's one of the very FEW "normal" shots we have of Lance...he's always pulling some obnoxious face...but I caught him off guard! HA!

Here's Lance trying to convince me there's no bottom in the "Bottomless Pit"

Some people are easier to convince..


Here we found the "brain" of the cave

Then Lauren and I found the "heart" :)


On the way out, we hit the gift shop to get ourselves some "Canned Bat"
yum.

Conor and Wyatt were doing the Jr. Ranger program...I helped Conor on the page where it tells you to draw what you see in the cave:

People licking stalagmites

Climbing over do not enter signs...

Then Lance said, "He has to turn that in ya know".....

Oh. Yeah.

Luckily that ranger had a good sense of humor, so Conor and Wyatt were granted their badges

And last, but not least--the girls wanted to see what it was like to be a cave ranger...

They decided it wasn't for them...they will leave that kind of stuff to Uncle Cody!! :)

The next day we go to Roswell!!
Don't wanna miss that!!!

In which we become Chicken farmers...

By Wyatt Hacking

Once upon a time, there was a super fun Kindergarten teacher named Mrs. Necak that belonged to Wyatt.
His class did a unit on Chicks in the spring. His teacher got some eggs and put them in the incubator...

The kids turned them and watched them...and watched them...and watched them....and wa-t-ch-ed them ...until one day--March 21st--They started to hatch!!

"Ya-hoo!!" Wyatt and his friends said, as the precious li'l chick pecked it's way out of it's egg in his little anxious hands.

These baby chicks needed a place to stay...

The kids in the kinder class made them a hotel...which was quite nice...for awhile...
but they were needing something more permanent, so Wyatt said, "I will take them home!!"

So home they came!...all seven of them!

Let me introduce you:

Zeus

Pie Guy

Hope

Parrot

...and "the triplets" ...the three yellow ones that look the same...named Nugget, Goldie and Kelly.
The kids had so much fun holding them and loving on them...
Wyatt and his "Pie Guy"
Lauren and her "Parrot"

Conor and his "Hope"

The dog wanted to love on them too...but in a different way. Mom said "No dog!" and out the chickies went to the garage...."For their own safety" said mom...but I think it's also because she said, "They stink!"

After a couple of months in the garage...the chicks finally outgrew their house again, so Dad made a "Chicken Tractor" for them

...it's basically a hen house with a dog-run attached so the chicks can come out and run around in there without getting eaten by anything like snakes, coyotes or raccoons

They LOVE their new house!
They go in their little house every night and then come out every morning to eat.
And THAT'S how we became chicken farmers.....we've got LOTS of chicken stories, so stay tuned....

Grandma Mae

Our sweet Grandma Mae passed away at the age of 95 on Aug. 19, 2010

She was born Lilly Mae Lybbert in Alberta Canada April 13, 1915
She was an amazing active lady! She LOVED to play golf and played well into her 80s...I believe she even played on her 94th birthday! I am so grateful for the time our family was able to spend with her, and that my children were able to know their great-grandma

Conor and Grandma Mae in Durango, Colorado
2009

Grandma Mae with Lauren and Madi
2007

Grandma and her big strong grandson ;)
2008

I am so glad we got to spend this time with her!

Grandma Mae was always dressed so nicely--even camping!
She was such a classy lady and made everyone feel loved
We will miss her, but are grateful she can be with her beloved Wayne again, and we're thankful for the knowledge we have that we will see her again

Summer Splash down

Of course the last couple weeks of summer before school start are busy...especially when you are trying to play as much as possible before it ends!!

The weekend before school started we went to Pace Bend with our friends the Necacks. They brought their boat and we brought our wave runner. Lance's brother Scott was in town, so he got to come play with us too!

Stacey and Alecks Necack and Scott
Their last name is pronounced Ne-chick, but Wyatt calls them the nun-chucks :)
Stacey was Wyatt's kindergarten teacher-Miss Nunchuck :)
Love their family!...and their apparent martial art skillls ;)

Lancelot

Lance and Scott

Lance helping Chase get ready to do the wake board for the first time!
He eventually got up! :)
Yay Chase!!

Chase trying out the tube
Chase is willing to try just about anything! :)


Lauren, Madi and their friend Natalie heading out on the "UFO"tube ...before it popped...piece of crap.

Me and my friend Stacey

Wyatt and Conor just wanted to snorkel the whole time

It freaked me out every time I looked over there and saw them like this...apparently there were a lot of little fish that needed investigating


The weekend before that we went with some other friends to go float the San Marcos River

Here's our floating armada
Whitneys, Hursts, Applegates, Lunts....and us




The water was so clear and cool!
It was heaven on a 100 degree day!!!


At the end of the peaceful relaxing float (about 45 mins) there are three tiers of rapids that you can get out and go down over and over again on your tubes--very fun!..

Back to school...back to blogging...and the like...

Tap, Tap....is this thing on?

Wow. I have been MIA for awhile!!...I have so much to catch up on :/
I figure I will just start with now, and go backwards a bit...if I even remember how to do it...
=Ahem=

First day of school 2010!!

Two in High School:
Lauren:Sophmore
Madi: Freshman

One starting Middle school
Chase: 6th grade
(so cool)
And two in elementary!
Conor 4th grade
Wyatt: 1st grade
(yes, they wore shoes to school)

To commemorate this occasion, I decided it would be a fun FHE activity to make Twinkie School buses....like so....

I made a "short bus"

Madi's

Lauren's...complete with escape hatch in top...

Then the boys make theirs.....after Lance brings out the strawberry syrup...

Suddenly we have terrible bus wrecks...


...and licorice people run over and cut in half...


Finally The Lego rescue crew is called in, but it's too late.

We were all laughing hysterically...which was probably super inappropriate because bus crashes are no laughing matter.

Looks like we're off to a great start this school year!!