Creepy Crawlies and Fallen Trees

Our Monsoon season was pathetic. But not so pathetic that it didn't bring out all the creepy crawlies around our house. The other day we found this in our front yard .......



Can you believe the size of this thing? I don't smash bugs or pick them up and Stoney was already at work. It appeared to be half dead anyways so just kept on eye on it most of the morning. Until I found it making its way across my porch, then I knew I had to do something. So I grabbed a mason jar and very quickly placed it on top of the scorpion and scooted it into the sun to bake for the rest of the day. It cooked it good and then I made Stoney lay it out so I could share it with you all.

We had the most amazing dust storm. We were on our way to Nicole's softball game, when a huge wall of dirt blew in from the south, you couldn't see more than 15 feet in front your face. While we are gone Stoney gets this call from our neighbor telling us our tree is now on our carport. It was sad, we have nurtured and pruned that stupid tree for 3 years and we were just starting to like it.



Then later that night I go to check the damage in the back yard expecting to find pool toys all over the back yard. Instead I find our pretty little oleander tree we just planted a few months ago just ripped to shreds.



I wanted to try to save our palo verde tree, but Stoney was much to eager to get rid of it. We tried to track down a chain saw to borrow. All we could find was a friend who had an electric saw. It was just one step up from a hand saw, but beggers can't be choosers and we were just grateful to have it. While Stoney is in the front yard hacking away at the tree, this guy drives past, throws his truck in reverse, jumps out and says "looks like you could use a little help" and he pulls his chain saw out from the back of his truck and in just a few minutes has our tree down. Funny! I think he was just driving around looking for a reason to use his chain saw. Boys and their toys!

Camping

This is the vacation we look forward to all year long. And as soon as it is over we are already planning the next year. We have been doing this annually since Nicole was a newborn, this was our 12th year. And just to give you an idea of how big this is.....It is only the immediate Mullenaux Family, my parents, siblings and our kids and now their kids. We total 81 and most of us were there I think we were only lacking 3. A Missionary and 2 that are in school in Hawaii. This year we had 8 camp trailers, 3 pop up tent trailers. And I think about 8 tents. Over the years we have added more and more trailers and less tents. It used to be all tents. We reserve a whole campground for a week. It takes numerous trips with numerous trucks to get all our stuff up there. Porta potties, water trailers, tables, chairs and kitchen complete with gas burning stove. Every family is responsible for one meal. We set up our card tables, and ignore our kids for a week. And the best part is we really aren't ignoring them, they are having so much fun playing the only time we see them is at meal time.


Lisa does a craft every year and the last few years we have done silk screen t-shirts.


My mom did a craft for all the kids.


We had a t-shirt contest (my idea) We had some fun t-shirts, my said....Keep Earth Clean, It's Not Uranus. I didn't win! I know, weird uh! The kids spend most of the week either fighting over or begging someone to push them in the tire swing.


The poor hamock didn't make it through the first day before it was broken. There is a question to ponder....How many kids does it take to break a Hammock????? It was nothing a metal stake and alot of duct tape couldn't fix. Rachel is always cutting someones hair.


We even had an improptu scavanger hunt that included a bike ride, a game of hit the bat and a dance performance to Soulja Boy! Paintball, even some of the girls dressd in layers of clothes and played a round with the boys. Night time drives to go spotlighting for deer, the older boys like to sneak off and scare all the kids in the back of the truck, while they are stuggling to see in the dark. Aunt Jane bought the little girls make-up.


On Tuesday and Wednesday night we were at Brenda's trailer to watch So You Think You Can Dance. Yes, we even had a tv with a Direct TV satalite. We had an amazing storm, it dumped so much hail it looked like it snowed. That is when we are thankful for our trailers and DVD players. We even managed to clean up enough to get our family pictures taken, which is no easy task in the mountains. But I just couldn't pass up the beautiful background.







I am so grateful for a wonderful family and memories that will last forever.

CHICAGO

I have been talking for a year about going to Des Moines to visit Allison. When she needed help getting all her kids to AZ it just kinda turned in to a great big party with a stop in Chicago. Brenda took her 3 girls, Lillie, Camille, and Callie. Jane and Lexie. And Me, Nicole and Haley. We flew out of Phoenix and in to Chicago. We spent the first night just relaxing at the hotel, there was a Outback steakhouse located in the Hotel so we ate dinner there and then hit the indoor pool. It was so loud in there with 6 screaming girls we didn't last too long. We had 2 rooms all the girls in one and us adults in the other. The girls took a trip to the vending machines because we didn't have enough crap to eat already, we gave them the safety/quiet speech and locked them away for the night.


The next morning we took a train into the city to meet Allison, she was driving in from Des Moines. I called Stoney so he could google us a PotBelly Sub shop. While we were on the phone trying to figure out where I am and were the closest one is, I turn around and I am standing just feet from one. It was funny that I even asked for help when we later realized there is one on just about every corner downtown. Such good sandwiches totally worth the trip right there. Allison met us for lunch and then we headed to WICKED!


Brenda and I had already seen it in New York and if you have ever seen it you want to share it with everyone. Wicked was the reason we were in Chicago. It was just as good as the first time. We had excellent seats and the girls enjoyed it as much as us adults. We have our wicked CD playing all the time.


We stopped to wade in the waters of Lake Michigan.



We spent the rest of the day at the Navy Pier on Lake Michigan, shopping for t-shirt and trinkets to take home. And of course we ate some Chicago style pizza.


We got back to the hotel late and crashed we had a 4 1/2 hr car ride to Des Moines the next day. It was a Beautiful drive and didn't seem all that long.


We arrived back at Allison's cute home with all her adorable kiddos(if you want to see how adorable her kids are check out David and Allison on my family and friends). We spent the next few days taking walks, catching fire flys, numerous trips to the Dairy Zone, which is just across the street from Allisons home. A trip to Racoon river, dinner at Bandanas, a drive to look at the beautiful historic homes.


And we managed to squeeze in a lunch with just the sisters before we flew out. It was such a fun weekend!