Eagle Court of Honor

Last night, Eric's YM President surprised him with an Eagle Court of Honor at a Boy Scout camp-out at Parker Canyon Lake. It is a beautiful campground overlooking a lake. Unfortunately, it was an hour and a half away so we didn't get to invite many people. But Aero Ala, Eric's scoutmaster during his Eagle project, and Hank Tolman, Eric's EYO scout leader in Monterey, were both able to attend. Eric was completely surprised. We appreciate Hank's work in getting Eric within 2 months of the rank of Star while Eric was 11 years old. I think that was key in Eric getting Eagle. Then Aero helped Eric finish it all off. Many thanks to Uncle Charlie who designed the programs.

Nathan Horseback Riding

We have noticed that Nathan is starting to enjoy activities that just a year or two ago, he was to scared to try. One example is horseback riding. He and Mario went on an almost 2 hour ride last night. I'm so proud of Nate.

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Snow in Late March

We have been lucky to live in a nice, warm place. Even luckier than that, we live within an hour's drive of Mount Lemmon that has skiing and sledding. The kids, neighbor Emma, and I ventured up yesterday for one last time before we move. The kids froze and didn't last more than an hour but had a lot of fun. We definitely must buy good snow boots and gloves in Nebraska.




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Zach's Cooking

I have been lazy over this Spring Break. I try to sleep in and once I do wake up, I like to stay in bed as long as I can. Zach got impatient with me and decided to take matters into his own hands. He made pancakes on Monday, muffins on Tuesday, and biscuits on Wednesday. He is taking after Erin, cooking really well. Eric is excited that he has two siblings to cook for him now.



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Tucson Zoo

The boys have been begging to go to the zoo. This will be our last time in Tucson. I will miss the snack bar because hotdogs and chips only cost a dollar each. It's conveniently located right at the end. So when I get tired of walking, I remind the boys of the lunch awaiting them. That always gets them moving faster.


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Ford Ranger

Mario is mourning the loss of his beloved Ranger. He had to sell it yesterday. I have been begging him to sell it for years because it is so small, but he loved his truck and wouldn't dream of parting with it. The plan was for it to eventually become Eric's truck.

But, with upcoming move in a couple weeks to Omaha, Mario thought about trading it in for a 4x4 SUV. But he just couldn't do it. It would need some maintenance before the long road trip. But after taking it to the shop and finding that it would cost more to fix then it was worth, he felt he had no choice but to say goodbye. He sold it to the twin's basketball coach who plans to auction it off. It was a difficult day for Mario and he isn't sure how he's going to live without a truck now. Eric may be getting his first truck within a few months of moving to Omaha. Then Mario will always have one that he can borrow. I think that will be a good solution. Eric will just have to wait a few months before he gets his learner's permit to drive it.

Newspaper From the Past

We just happened to be visiting a toy store in O'Fallon when the newspaper was doing an article on the small business. They asked if Nate and Zach could be in the newspaper.