Gorgeous Sedona

The grand red-striped crags of Sedona did not disappoint.

We made it up to our motel around 5 p.m. Sunday, and got checked in. Our room had a fabulous view of some of the mountains.

We then drove out to a beautiful hiking spot near the local airport, where my Dad got this family shot.

On Monday, we hit a few of Sedona's most scenic spots before getting on the road toward home.

Cathedral Rock is visible behind us, with a river just beyond the red rock ground. If we'd had more time, we could have spent hours here.


















We then drove on to Slide Rock State Park, where I remember going as a teenager. Here, the river runs over reddish rocks smoothed into a natural water slide.

Cora went down the slide three times, and Stacey twice. It was absolutely freezing, they agreed.

 

After Slide Rock, we drove on to Williams, the old-fashioned town along famous Route 66.

We then picked up fast food and got back on the (long) road home. With a couple of stops for gas and restrooms, we were finally back home around 11 p.m. It was a great weekend trip!

Dodger Springtime Fun

A couple of years ago, my dad went to Arizona to watch some Dodgers Spring Training games with friends, and he's been talking up the experience ever since.

After the fun of last fall's playoff race, I was sold on the idea of making the trip to see a couple of games ourselves.

In January, we planned to drive out on a Friday, watch games Saturday and Sunday, and then throw in an overnight up in gorgeous Sedona to round out the mini vacation.

After a long (9-hour) drive Friday afternoon/evening, we headed out to Camelback Ranch, the Dodgers training ground, in Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday morning.

The whole complex is a glorious tribute to the Dodgers. We posed with the bobblehead statue of Tommy, and admired the many well-manicured practice fields.

Here's Adrian Gonzales waiting for his turn to take batting practice. Dodgers, both major league stars and minor league hopefuls, were all over the place before the 1 p.m. game, getting in swings.










Yasiel Puig was all smiles after his turn in the cage. Across the walkway, my favorite from the 90s, Eric Karros, now coaching for the club, offered hitting pointers to shortstop Corey Seager, last year's Rookie of the Year.

We all hoped to get an autograph from the big names as they walked between practice fields. Because Arizona is so close (relatively speaking) to Los Angeles, Dodger fans were everywhere, all suited up in their best blues.

About half the league's teams train in Arizona, playing March games in the Cactus League, as it's called. The other half train in the "Grapefruit League" in Florida. 

Though we missed out on the stars, our girls did get their shiny baseballs signed by Trevor Oaks, a Dodger up-and-comer. Much to our delight, he was the starting pitcher for the game we attended Sunday. As a dutiful young player, he signed until everyone was finished asking.

One of the best parts of our weekend was spending time with Sara and Tony and their family, who have moved back to the Phoenix area after leaving Valencia in the summer. Oh, how we've missed them! After the game, we spent a lovely evening with the whole family, including Sara's parents, who were gracious hosts.

The girls really enjoyed reconnecting. Our seats Saturday were on the outfield lawn, and we chose spots overlooking the visitor bullpen.You can see a White Sox reliever under and to the left of Violet's hand.









The worst part of our trip was that Phoenix was experiencing record-setting heat this weekend, and being out in the upper 90s all day can really take it out of you. All would have been so much more enjoyable in more temperate weather!

On Sunday, we dealt with the heat better by not bothering to stay long in our seats (which were in full sun). Instead, we wandered around, taking in the game from different vantage points. I loved seeing the game from so close - at some points we sat just a row up from the dugout! 

Here's one of my favorite vantage points - with my favorite 10-year-old.

The heat was difficult, but I absolutely loved the whole Spring Training experience. I would love to do it again. And, we all loved seeing Tony and Sara and their girls! Repeating our visit with them, too, will be in our future.

Week In Review

Violet's love for Peanuts continues. We went to the library, and though she is a great reader - her latest reading score was in the 5th grade level! - she prefers comics.

One of her favorite things to do now is read the Peanuts comic book collection she checked out from the library, aloud, with her dad. They take turns reading the different characters' parts.

She also still enjoys drawing, and will decide on her own to find "how to" videos online for drawing cute animals.

Speaking of cute animals, Grandma and Grandpa were kitty-sitting this week when Melanie and Nick went away for her birthday.

Normally, I can't find my girls when they're on stage singing at Pioneer Club. They'll be behind bigger children. But on this particular Wednesday, there they were, singing together.

Violet was so excited about catching leprechauns this year. She started working on her Lego trap at Christmastime, and was thrilled that the first-graders in her split class were allowed to bring in their homemade traps, too.

She fully expected to catch one this time, and also made a cage out of popsicle sticks and hot glue, to bring it to school.

I asked why she wanted to catch a leprechaun - was she after his gold? "No, I just want to be his friend; then he will show me his gold."

As you can imagine, she was a little sad Friday morning when the leprechauns weren't fooled by her trap, and instead made a mess in the house and then broke free. They even changed the  Lego words she'd written on the base - she had spelled out "Don't Peek," and they wrote out "Ha Ha."

Speaking of Ireland, look at those green hills! This gorgeous meadow is actually the area behind our pool.

And, my friends and I took our Friday walk to Starbucks amidst the greenery and the oak trees through the Summit. So pretty!

New Haircuts

Violet decided last week that she wanted bangs, like her good buddy Melanie (and maybe like her mama?) I had her wait a few days to be sure it wasn't a one-time thought, but she was very excited and resolute. Cora was also due for a haircut, since her awesome style requires more frequent trims to maintain its shape.

The girls wanted to go see Colleen, my hair stylist, and not go to the kids' place we normally go, so I made appointments for Saturday. Colleen did not disappoint! We all absolutely adore the job she did on Cora - it is perfect!

Here is Violet, before her turn in the chair.

She was all smiles as Colleen snipped that layer of hair!

So cute!

We love both our girls and their new haircuts!

Week In Review

Cora played in her first AYSO game on Saturday, with Stace helping out as the Pink Dragons' assistant coach.














Cora was horrified to be playing in pink, but what can she do? The colors were assigned. Thankfully, she wore a goalie's bib over the shirt most of the game.

The team played very well, and won, 5-0. Cora was solid in goal, and played up front for a quarter, too.

















Violet's class led the school's Morning Ceremony this week, and Violet had the special honor of leading the whole school in saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Here, she's next to Ms. Sorenson, our principal.










On Tuesday night, International House of Pancakes celebrated "National Pancake Day" with free short stacks.

Cora and the rest of her beginning orchestra students had their first concert Wednesday night. She was nervous, but played well, with the rest of the strings students from half the schools in the district.

She sat next to her friend Violet, who also plays violin.

On Thursday, Cora rode her bike for the first time to school. She was happy to have me and Violet walk along with her, Vi on her scooter to better keep up. I got my heart rate up with a morning jog.

She used her new lock once she got to school, while Violet's scooter went in the back of my friend's car.

It was a big moment! Ten years old and riding to school!

Friday Fun

 On Friday, I had the chance to walk to College of the Canyons with this group of crazy first-graders.

 They had a lot of fun together, with minimal whining about the length of walk and the growing heat.

The children joined students from other Santa Clarita schools to watch a jazz/world musician named Imani Gonzales. She taught the children about music from India, Africa, and Native Americans, and it was amazing to hear the kids singing along in various languages.

 We didn't have plans after school, and I thought it would be nice to go somewhere and hike. Patrice and her kids were also free, so they joined us. It was a beautiful day, and the kids had a great time outside together.

 Thanks to our winter rains, the canyon was super green, and the water was flowing.

 Not being prepared for water didn't stop the kids from getting in!

Friday evening, we headed back to COC (in the car, this time) with free tickets to see Imani Gonzales again. The students were offered the tickets, and we had a free evening. This time, she played jazz and swing instead of the world music. It was very enjoyable, and good for the girls to experience.

Tidbits

On Monday, Nan and Pop's three-week trip came to an end. We were sad to see them off at LAX; it was a fantastic time together!

Until summer in person, but until then we'll see you on the laptop!

Tuesday night, we went out to ice cream at a different place - the newly reopened Golden Spoon, next to Big Five and Target. It was yum!

We were in the shopping center because Cora's soccer season is starting, and she has grown since the last time she played competitively. Shocking, no?






She needed new shorts, shin pads and her own set of goalie gloves. Our brave girl is excited to play in goal.

This week was Ash Wednesday, and we went with Liz and her boys to the family service at Valencia Methodist, prior to Pioneer Club. Here are Cora and Chris with their ash crosses.



















I forgot to get a picture of Violet and Liana before Vi's cross was smudged off.

Violet's class made clay bugs for their craft. Cute!