Gettin' kicks on Route 66

Life has been crazy busy lately with little time for sleep, family and relaxation--so we took a couple of days and spent some much-needed time away this weekend. On Thursday AM, we packed up and headed up to Flagstaff, AZ. Flagstaff is always about 20-30 degrees cooler than Phoenix, so we had a VERY welcome climate and scenery change. We found an AWESOME park in town and hung out for the afternoon~
After checking into the hotel and having some dinner we all went for a swim~
On Friday, we drove up north another couple of hours to the Grand Canyon. When we arrived Anna exclaimed "So that's the Grand Candyland!" We had a great time enjoying the breath-taking scenery, and beautiful drive through the park. We stopped at several look-out points, and had a picnic lunch with the kids--the red wagon came in handy to get around!On the way home, we stopped about 20 miles into the journey for a cup of coffee. As long as we were there, we decided to get some gas. Chris put the pump in the tank, went inside to get the coffee, then moments later came dashing across the lot to frantically remove the pump from the tank. This deceitful little gas station (the only one for 30 miles--so we hear) cleverly doesn't post their gas prices...so that unsuspecting customers (like us) pay $3.70 per gallon. We stayed one more night in Flag--went out for Chinese for dinner. Saturday noon we checked out of the hotel and headed home. Surprisingly enough, the most relaxing time we spent was just after we got home. We put the kids down for a late nap and took a dip in the pool. Whilst Flagstaff was a comfortable 70-75 this weekend, Phoenix was nearing 100--which was fine by us--our pool is now 84degrees...perfect!

Easter Sunday~

I haven't posted for a while--been a little busy! :) So, now, I'll have to back-track and post chronologically---we'll start with Easter Sunday! We all got dressed up and went to church with Papa Bob and Grandma Beth--then headed back home for an awesome ham dinner and the traditional basket hunt! Papa Bob put Anna's on the ceiling fan and Anna found hers under some pillows. What a fun day celebrating Jesus' resurrection! More to come soon!

Instant Grassification

Today, finally after 8 long months, our backyard is finished! We have been working on the landscaping so hard for so many weeks now that it is hard to believe we are done! For those of who are not from AZ--it's hard to appreciate just how difficult landscaping can be here. Our "yard" when we moved in was just dirt. When I say dirt, I mean dry, dusty, and solid as a rock (in fact our land is solid bedrock only 3 feet down--all digging requires a pick-axe.) Because everything is so dry here, anything green requires automatic watering. Chris (along with whoever was around to help) installed the sprinkler system (he dug hundreds of feet of trenching...by hand), I planted the trees and bushes (I dug 23 holes--I still have blisters), and today, we layed the sod, and finished shoveling the rock. We celebrated by taking a dip in the pool (that's why Chris and Anna are swimming in the pics.) I had a hard time tonight keeping Anna and Jaden off the grass--we aren't supposed to play on it for at least ten days! Anyway, we are sooooo excited to finally have a yard to enjoy!

Matt's in Town

My brother Matt came in town for the weekend, so we tried to pack it full of fun! On Friday, we went to the Diamondback/Padres game and had a BBQ with Grandma Beth and Papa Bob, and Uncle Ron and Auntie Kay. Saturday night, we went bowling and out to dinner (thanks for BB-sitting Megan!) and Sunday after church we went to In-n-out Burger. Monday morning we had a big breakfast before Matt had to go back to the airport. Anna and Jaden loved having Uncle Matt here! Jaden especially loved playing sumo and Anna loved the extra treats because "Uncle Matt said". Tabs, I, and Jeremiah, we sure missed you--hope you can come next time! Thanks for coming Matt!

Easter Fun!

Let's hope they taste as good as they look!

Dancing Princess

This morning, Anna decided to have her very own ballet recital. So we cranked some opera music (The Barber of Seville) and she danced and danced and danced (for over an hour). She set up her own audience (upper left) and had a great time! We're going to try to get her into some real dance classes soon!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRIS!

Today is Chris' 27th Birthday! He came to pick us up for lunch--went to Jason's Deli and Dippin' Dots! Before we left, we thought we should snap a family pic. Anna insisted on wearing her "Birthday Girl" tiara because it was Daddy's birthday. This morning, the kids made cards, and tonight, Chris and I are going on a date!

The Package Arrived!

4 Generations~

Grandma Beth, Lori Beth, Jaclyn Beth, and Anna Beth!

Grandma's Engagement Ring!

I have the most wonderful grandparents! They will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in September~ My Grandma lost her wedding ring over 15 years ago and although she has other (very beautiful) rings, there is nothing like the ring you got when you were proposed to. So--with the consent (and pocketbook) of my Grandpa, I decided to embark on a search for her ring. I got photos of her hand from their wedding day, covertly solicited descriptions and drawings from my Gram and had my mom describe as well. After several months of very regular ebaying--I managed to find her exact ring (minus the wedding band--still looking!) It arrived today--even more beautiful that the pics~ Can't wait to see her face when she gets it!

Family Fun Day

Today was family fun day! We had a picnic at the park behind our house. We also replanted 3 of our front yard bushes (had a nasty frost this winter that killed them). Yaya (Grandma Lori) came over and we had a Friday night fish fry dinner!

Swimming with YaYa & GaGa

It has been very warm here (80's and 90's!) So, our pool water temperature has been climbing daily! We took our first swim about a week and a half ago (72 degrees) and today the water was almost 80~

Anna's Big Day

This morning Anna awoke to the news that Papa Bob and Grandma Beth (Jaci's grandparents) would be picking her up, spending the day with her, and hosting her at their motorhome overnight! Anna could barely contain her excitement as she darted through the house filling her suitcase with every imaginable thing. Before she could leave, she found it necessary to inform Jaden repeatedly that he would not be joining them today--instead he would have to stay home with mom and dad. (Poor guy!) The photo above is just before leaving (note the matching outfit and luggage) and just before Jaden broke down in tears.

Jaden's Big Day

So as you already know, Jaden's day started out a bit rough. We had to make up for the fact that he did not get to go to Bopbopbop's house, so we filled the day with as much fun as possible. We had a lunch picnic at the park, an early afternoon T-ball game, a shopping excursion at Home Depot, and a haircut! Jaden felt so grown up being the oldest child at the house that he insisted on sitting on the potty like a "big boy." Of course, we were ecstatic. He quickly proclaimed "it doesn't work!" and removed himself from the toilet, but it was fun while it lasted. The night came to a close with dinner with Mommy and Daddy, a bath (all alone), & a bedtime story. I think we gave Anna a run for her money!

Star Gazing~

New Paint~

For the last seven months it's felt as though we live in the middle of the desert. Finally, there is a glimmer of light (an oasis) at the end of the tunnel. Today I took both kids shopping to our new Home Depot. This is the first finished segment in the new shopping/dining area that is being built 3 miles from our house. The area will include Super Target (opening Mar. 10), Kohl's, Best Buy, JCPenney, Linen's-N-Things, Sportmart, Petsmart, Ross, and many more stores and restaurants. We can't wait for everything to open--it will finally feel like we live in a real-live city! While at the HD, I decided to buy some paint and paint our bedroom. After 4 long hours of taping, rolling, and brushing I can now say that I am a firm beleiver in expensive paint. I have never purchased the "top of the line" paint before. I always go for the no-name cheaper variety. Today though, I found a diamond in the rough. After examing all of the paint in the "mistinted" discount area, I found a gallon of grey Ralph Lauren satin sheen wall paint. (Here's a hint for you bargain hunters out there--pay attention.) Beyond the ugly mis-tinted gray I say a beautiful earthy olive color. I asked the very nice lady to add some additional tints to the paint, then mixed it up and VOILA~ a perfectly mixed gallon of Ralph Lauren paint for $5. So, here are the pics!

Pretty Nails!

My Bathroom

Here are some pics of my bathroom that I painted a couple of days ago. We might tackle our bedroom this weekend. If we do--I'll post pics of that too! Today is a good day--we have the day off of work, AND the shwann's man is coming! What could be better than spending the day with the fam eating schwann's pizza and silver-mint bars?

Mischief!

I think I was talking on the phone too long...now I'll need to add markers and bandaids to the shopping list. Too much quiet is never a good thing!

Here it is~

Due to much peer pressure and clever persuasion, the Uttechts now have their very own blog. I (Jaci) will (hopefully) be posting regularly to keep you all updated on the ups and downs of Uttecht life in Arizona! The littlest family members will be posting as well--and you'll get to see tons of pics of the fam.

The weather has been good here lately, today was about 75 degrees and sunny! Chris has been working hard on the back yard--spent the afternoon yesterday digging a trench to finish our watering in the back so that we can finally have grass! Hopefully we'll be able to plant in the next month or so. Also--in other house news, I also worked hard yesterday~ I painted my bathroom...pics to come soon! It only took me 9 hours to finish (of course I had to paint amidst serving snack, putting Bob on the TV (I know...bad Mommy!), making dinner, giving baths (I had to...the kids sneaked outside to play in the dirt with Daddy), and putting the kids to bed. Also, I underestimated just how big our bathroom is. I am currently obsessed with finishing painting my house...only 2 rooms left~