BMXing

We all love BMX Racing!

Last year our good friend introduced Mason and us to BMX Racing and we all loved it.  We bought Mason a racing bike, full faced helment, and bmxing gloves.  He doesn't always finish first but it is a fun activity for the whole family Friday nights.  Maddy even gets into racing by participating in the the tot race and the end of the night where every racer gets a medal.  Sometimes I feel like we are the loudest cheering section there but it is so exciting to watch your child preform

Mason racing so fast the picture is blurry!

Mason at the starting gate.

Maddy racing on a scoot.

Spring Break 2012

For Spring Break this year we went to Sedona AZ with a big group of our friends the Quarnbergs, Stegelmieres, Dares, and the Martins.

We Followed the Quarnbergs and stopped on the reservation at a road side stand that claimed to have petrified dinosaur tracks.  We stopped and low and behold they looked pretty really.  I was a fun break on our 9 hour drive down to Sedona.

Madelyn ready for the hike to see the Tracks!

Mason and his friend Bradin sizing up the dino track.

While in AZ we of course did some Mountain Biking, well not just some but a lot.  Most of our friend trips revolve around biking which is a great thing.  While on our bike rides we would see people on the side of the trail doing yoga.  We thought we would try it out for ourselves.

Towards the end of our camping trip we decided that we were sick of each others smell so we drove to Cottonwood and bathed in their city pool.  It was a fun way to relax and have fun with the kid who were mostly stuck at camp while their parents went on bike rides.

Me and the girls enjoying some time together at camp.

While the girls were on a ride the dad took the kids on a hike not to far from our camp, it had Indian art and dwellings.

The kids spent most of the time play at camp together,  they had a great time.

The couple huddled up by the fire!

On our first ride we finished the trail and asked a lady to take our picture and she was quite the professional.

Go Girls!!!!!

some the the causalities on the trail.

On our way home we drove to The Grand Canyon because, Monroe or the kids had never seen it.  I have told Monroe since we have been married that The Grand Canyon is an experience to behold and that word or picture don't do it justice.  So us the Stegelmiers, and the Dares drove a couple hours out of the way to Williams AZ where we stayed the night so we could wake up in the morning, drive the 30 miles to see The Grand Canyon, and be on our way home.  We woke up the next morning to 4 feet of snow!!!

With every road out of Williams Closed we anticipated staying another night, luckily the roads cleared and we went our way up to The Grand Canyon.  When we got there it was a blizzard and and view into the canyon was 0.  But at least we got to have our picture taken at the Grand Canyon!

What a interesting and fun adventure to say the least.

It was a really fun trip with good friend and beautiful scenery.  I would do it again in a heartbeat!

My Best Friend!

Yesterday I picked up Ruger's ashes.  And now that I have picked them up I can't seem to think about burying them.  Having them makes me feel like he is close to me, I know that sounds really weird but it is how I feel.  Our house has seemed empty since we lost him and I miss him so much.  It is amazing how the void of one spirit can really affect the feel of a home.
Per my previous post Ruger was diagnosed with Lymphoma but we had hope that we could have him longer with the use of steroids.  We were lucky to have him for a couple more months before the cancer had taken his whole body.  He started not eating well again and he stopped sleeping in our room where he always had slept, and when he would sleep he would breath really face and shallow.  He also stated to have more pain even though he would hid it well, (my Buger-Man always smiled). The day before we put him down I discovered some sores on his back where the hair and skin just started to sluffed off exposing these horrible sores and I came to the realization that it was time and no matter how hard it would be for me to not have him that it wasn't fair to let him suffer and waste away.
I really felt it important that I wanted to be there with him so the last thing that he remembered was me and not a stranger and upon arriving at the vet, Dr Bingham took one look and Ruger and said that the sores were from the Lymphoma and that his liver was enlarged and said if we took a X-Ray of his chest it probably would be covered with cancer.  It was time!  The process was very quick and painless for Ruger, however not for me and Monroe.  We where blubbering babies, he and Mesa were our first kids.
Mesa has done better than I thought she would she has connected more to me and the kids, which I am so relieved.  Another dog is in our future but not for a while, I don't want to get a puppy this summer with us leaving for vacations.  And I think that we are still morning our Buger-Man.

OH HOW I MISS YOU RUGER!
(?-JUNE 11, 2012)