Turtle Trapping at the Phoenix Zoo

On Friday April 17, 2009 we participated in an AZ game and fish home shool event. We went to the Phoenix Zoo and helped them catch, sort, and educated the public about non-native turtles. It was really interesting and we all learned alot. They gave us alot of information to learn so that we could infor the people crossing the bridge into the zoo about what was going on in pond/river. I didn't know that non-native turtle were out-competing our native turtles, even eating them in some cases. Reilly and I were the outreach people and Charlee got to be the runner, she was allowed to take the turtles (in a container) from the pond to the where the data was collected. She was allowed to write the data down for the biologist. (from PHS).

As a fun bonus, we received a free pass to the zoo and an upclose and personal tour of the galapagos turtles.

Here is the link to the news story:

http://www.azfamily.com/video/stevebodinet-index.html?nvid=353027&shu=1

IT'S IN THE GENES

DADDY DOING HIS FAVORITE THING, TORTURING THE KIDS.

HIS DADDY DID THIS, HIS GRAND-DAD DID THIS.

SUI-SLIDING

SAND SLEDING

EASTER PAGEANT

THIS WEEKEND WE ALSO WENT TO THE EASTER PAGEANT WITH SOME OF OUR WONDERFUL FAMILY.

JACK AND LAURI AND KIDS

BRANDON AND LEAH AND KIDS

BRENDEN AND NICOLE AND KIDS

CHRIST AND THE ANGELS

FREEZING TO DEATH, ARTIC GEAR ON.

FAMILY

FUN FILLED WEEKEND

MATT AND CRAZY COLBY
AUNT TARA, CHARLEE, HALLIE, BRAEDEN

DAD'S REAL PERSONALITY

AUNT PAMELA

LAURI, TARA, AND BRANDON

DEBORAH, LEAH

PARKER

JOSEPHINE, JACK AND LAURI

NICOLE AND LEAH - SISTERS

THIS WEEKEND WE HAD A WONDERFUL TIME SOCIALIZING WITH FAMILY. MY SISTER LAURI, FROM LUND, WAS VISITING WITH HER FABULOUS FAMILY. AND MY OTHER SISTER LEAH, AND HER FAMILY ARE GOING TO BE MOVING BACK WITH HER. WE'LL MISS YOU.

ROCK CLIMBING

WE WENT ROCK CLIMBING!!!!

WE WENT ROCK CLIMBING AT THE AZ SCIENCE CENTER,

IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!!

SEE SLIDESHOW ABOVE!!!!

Science Center

Last week we went to the AZ Science Center for science class on space.

Then we went to hang out in the Science Center.

Charlee having fun on a spinning contraption

(kinda like a sit and spin)

Reilly going really fast.

Reilly on the BED OF NAILS

Charlee said they felt good.

Miss Charlee on the pulley system.

THE WALL

AMERICAN VETERANS TRAVELING TRIBUTE - THE WALL

THIS DISPLAY CAME TO THE BUCKEYE AREA AND WE FELT IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR THE CHILDREN TO EXPERIENCE THIS. IT IS AN 80% SCALE VERSION OF THE VIETNAM MEMORIAL IN WASHINGTON, D.C. WE FELT IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR THE CHILDREN TO SEE THIS MEMORIAL AND TO LOOK AND READ THE MANY NAMES ON IT, TO REALIZE WHAT OUR COUNTRY AND OUR SOLDIERS HAVE GONE THROUGH FOR OUR FREEDOM AND FOR OTHER COUNTRIES. IT PROVOKED SEVERAL SERIOUS DISCUSSIONS, AND WAS A SURPRISINGLY EMOTIONAL EVENT.

WE HAVE RENEWED OUR INTEREST IN LEARNING ABOUT OUR

CONSTITUTION AND OUR FOUNDING FATHERS.

DAD EXPLAINING ABOUT THE WALL AND WHAT IT MEANS

Saturday Soccer

Well another Saturday has come and gone and the kiddy's had soccer again. Charlee's team won again, this was a bitter-sweet win because she played against her best bud Alyssa, and several good friends from the b1 ward. Reilly's team lost but they all had fun and did well. They didn't seem to care as long as there was the treat at the end.

BLUE BELL

MISS CHARLEE HAS WANTED A BIRD, FOR LIKE, FOREVER, SO WE TOLD HER AFTER CHRISTMAS IF SHE WANTED A BIRD SHE HAD TO COME UP WITH HALF THE MONEY. WELL SHE HAS SAVED ALL HER PAYCHECK (ALLOWANCE - THEY EARN IT, THEY ONLY GET IT IF THEY DO THEIR CHORES), AND RECEIVED MONEY FOR BIRTHDAY. SHE SAVED UP AND WE WENT ON WEDNESDAY TO GET HER A BIRD. SHE WAS VERY SPECIFIC ON WHAT SHE WANTED IT TO LOOK LIKE AND DID HER RESEARCH ABOUT HOW TO CARE FOR THE ANIMAL. GOOD GIRL, SHE KINDA KNOWS WHAT SHE IS GETTING HERSELF INTO.

PRESENTING BLUE BELL THE BLUE PARAKEET

SURFING THE IRRIGATION

REILLY JUST HAD TO PLAY IN THE IRRIGATION, SO HE GOT OUT THE OLD DOG BOWL AND USED IS AS A BOAT AND HAD A WONDERFUL TIME, 'BOATING'. THEN HE GOT OUT A PIECE OF WOOD AND SURFED THE IRRIGATION, I ONLY SAW HIM DOING THIS A THE END WHEN THE WATER WAS ALMOST GONE. HE HAD A BLAST.

(OR COURSE WE THEN HAD TO DEAL WITH THE SKIN PROBLEMS FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS, BUT IT WAS SO WORTH IT.)

BUTTERFLIES

REILLY
CHARLEE

BUTTERFLY

OUR BUTTERFLY EXPERIMENT WENT WONDERFUL. THEY HAD TOLD US THAT ONE MAYBE TWO OF THE COCOONS WOULD TURN INTO A BUTTERFLY BUT HOORAY WE HAD ALL THREE BUTTERFLIES. IT WAS REALLY COOL WATCHING THE BUTTERFLY'S STRUGGLE OUT OF THE COCOON AND TO SEE IT'S WINGS ALL WET AND CRUMPLED. WE RELEASED THEM AFTER A FEW DAYS OF OBSERVING THEM. WHAT FUN!!!

SOCCER

THIS PAST SATURDAY CHARLEE AND REILLY BOTH TIED THEIR SOCCER GAMES. I SEE TONS OF IMPROVEMENT IN EVERY GAME. THEY ARE DOING AWESOME.

WE ALSO HAD SOCCER PICTURES TAKEN SO THEY WILL BE COMING SOON.