New Year, New School, No Sleep

This week another school year began - where did the summer go? It has been an exhausting week (we moved into a new school this year) and I am grade chair yet again. I promise to post more as soon as I catch up on my sleep!

Until then, enjoy this picture that shows what I have been doing (other than blogging)... setting up my classroom!

San Diego Zoo

Finally, I am posting the last of our pictures from our Arizona/California trip (it has been a very busy week). Harry, the Jones family, and I went to the zoo after our trip to Coronado beach and Old Towne San Diego (there's that "e" again!).

Madison, Harry, and Luke are ready for the zoo!

Luke fell in love with the monkeys.

Madison really enjoyed the elephants (and the entrance to the new elephant exhibit).

Martha with Alex on his first trip to the zoo!

The kids loved this dinosaur cup (full of lemonade). Harry and I shared an elephant cup of "coffee" (actually it was diet coke, but if the kids knew it was diet coke they would have wanted to share, so we told them it was coffee).

Harry's preferred method of carrying Madison. He feels they both benefit... she can see everything and his arms don't get exhausted.

I thought this was very cute!

Look... there in the middle! Edward did make it to the zoo! (This is the only picture I took that he appears in.)

Oh wow! Here I am, too! (This is the only picture in which I appear.)

Finally, a series of humorous pictures from the zoo...

Really?!?!?!

They're getting closer, run!!!!

Madison as Zoolander.

I don't know...

Old Towne San Diego

On Saturday, the Jones family, Harry, and I went to Old Towne San Diego (I added the "e" to the end of town because it's old, not because I can't spell- although I can't spell so it was ok for you to assume that).

The Spanish missions set up between Los Angeles, CA and St. Augustine, FL were some of the first permanent settlements in the new world. Most of these settlements are now some of the largest cities in the United States, including San Diego (thank you NC fifth grade curriculum for that bit of trivia!).

We had lunch at Cafe Coyote (to the right) and got salt water taffy at the candy store down this alley.

Luke loved the chips and salsa... what other 2 year old would eat chips and salsa?

Martha, Madison, and Alex also enjoyed lunch.

The view of Old Towne San Diego from the restaurant.

Coronado Beach

On Saturday Edward, Martha, Madison, Luke, Alex, Harry and I drove to San Diego to visit Coronado Beach. It was a beautiful day!

The view of the beach and the Pacific Ocean from the parking lot.

The cliffs to the north of Coronado.

Downtown Coronado

The Thompson family

The Jones family.

Sisters - Martha and I (plus Alex)

Harry and Madison thinking about going deeper into the water.

Edward and Madison

Edward and Luke

Luke was SO excited to see helicopters landing on the base.

Coming in for a landing a "copter".

Edward, Martha, and Alex

Martha balancing her boys on the walk to the car.

Views of the Desert

Thursday, Harry and I took our last trip of the summer when we flew to visit my sister and her family in Arizona. We flew into Phoenix and drove the 3 hours to Yuma Proving Ground. We found the desert beautiful, albeit hot, and took many photos to document our travels.

The view from the rest stop outside of Phoenix.

Don't wander too far!



The sand dunes on the way to San Diego (this is where Star Wars was filmed).

Over the mountains to San Diego.



Harry and I with our niece, Madison.


The mountains just outside of Yuma Proving Ground.

The Iraq Training Village near the drop zone on YPG. Here the army trains dogs to sniff for bombs before sending them to Iraq.

The desert between YPG and Quartzite, AZ.

One of many dried river beds.


The desert just before we hit civilization in Phoenix.