Dragonfly & Butterfly Bash.

I took the kids to this event at a local park on a lazy Sunday morning in September. We went on a nature walk and learned interesting facts about dragonflies and butterflies. We saw quite a few dragonflies. Apparently they can be found year-round around this local lake. The kids were given nets to try to catch some dragonflies. They tried and tried, but never actually caught one. It was fun though!

Cassidy with her bug catcher net.

Lincoln and Cassidy trying to capture some dragonflies.

Almost got one!

Lincoln with his bug catcher net. 

 After the nature walk, we went inside and the kids got to do several bug-related crafts and activities.

Coloring butterfly masks.

My two cuties. 

Rawhide.

Granny came for a visit in September. It was still nice and hot while (actually, annoyingly hot) while she was here. We were able to get out one of the evenings to head to a nearby Old West town aptly named Rawhide.

Granny, Lincoln, Matt, and Cassidy at the entrance to Rawhide.

Granny and Matt watching the kids run down the old dirt road. 

We watched a short theatrical show in the Six Gun Theater. 

Granny, Matt, Linc, and Cass getting ready for the show in the Six Gun Theater. 

The kids in their proper place:  JAIL! 

To the electrical chair, Lincoln!

Now it's your turn, Cassidy. 

For her one activity at Rawhide, Cassidy chose to do a burro ride. She really enjoyed it! 

Lincoln chose to have a go on the mechanical bull. Hilarious. 

student council.

Beginning in 4th grade, students have the opportunity to be selected to be one of two classroom representatives for student council. Lincoln ran...and won! Congrats, bud. Below, he is proudly displaying his Student Council t-shirt.

first day of school 2015.

With us having year-round school here in Chandler, the kids started the new school year in July. Here the are on their first day!

knitting.

While Grandma was here visiting in June, she took some time to begin teaching Lincoln how to knit! There was all sorts of knitting lingo being thrown around. I have no idea what they were talking about, but they really enjoyed themselves.

Lincoln proudly displaying his first finished project: a dish cloth.
Way to go! 

happy father's day.

Father's Day was a bit low-key this year as we had just gotten home from vacation in California the day before. Dad chilled out at home, we swam in the pool, and ate in. It was a nice, relaxing day.

Here is Matt with his two little people. 

Oceanside, CA.

In mid-June, we drove about 5 1/2 hours to Oceanside, CA for a week's vacation. Escaping Arizona's 100+ degree temperatures was a welcome change. Temps in Oceanside were in the 70s. 

We had several cloudy days, which felt different for us as the sun is nearly always shining in Phoenix. It seemed as though the days started with cloud cover and, on most days, the clouds would burn off by mid-afternoon, which was great. 

I've posted more of our pictures here for those who'd like to see more than the handful below. 

During our stay, we visited Legoland, the San Diego Zoo, and took in a San Diego Padres game. We also took many walks along the beach, played in the sand, boogie boarded in the ocean, and stopped at a number of craft beer places for Matt's enjoyment. It was a great week!

A view of the pier from the balcony of our condo. 

The kids first walk on the beach.
This is the first time either of them has been to the ocean.
Lincoln absolutely loved it. Boogie boarding was his favorite part of the trip.
Cassidy enjoyed the beach and the water, but didn't much care for any seaweed or creatures that we encountered. 

Father and son boogie boarding. 

Cassidy riding a small wave into the shore. 

Legoland California! 

The Gough's with Buddy, the Lego guy.

Drenched Gough's.
This is us after going on two different water rides.
As I kid, I loved the water rides at Cedar Point and didn't much mind getting soaked and walking around the park all day with wet clothes. Fast forward about 30 years and it's a totally different feeling. The water is freezing and walking around in wet clothes holds absolutely no appeal. But, we must do these things so OUR kids can experience the "fun". 

Matt, Cassidy, Lincoln, and Grandma at Petco Park, where the San Diego Padres play.
This was a really nice open-air park with views of the city, views of the ocean, an impressive craft beer selection, and some nice grassy areas to run around on or to picnic on. There was even a little league field on the premises. 

Cassidy, Julie, and Lincoln at the entrance of the San Diego Zoo.