Reptilian Push-Ups

I couldn't resist posting this shot of a lizard taken this evening at the botanical gardens in Phoenix (be sure to click on it to see a larger, higher-res version). Chloe, Grace & I missed the exit when we were leaving and ended up heading down another trail. I spotted this good looking guy (or maybe it's a girl?) back in the bushes. It was bobbing up & down on its front legs, to which Chloe immediately commented, "Look, Daddy - the lizard is doing push-ups!" I LOVE seeing the world through the eyes of children!

Thanks, Joe!

Today was a happy day for many residents of Gilbert, ourselves included. Today was the annual customer appreciation day at Joe's BBQ in downtown Gilbert when they serve roughly 6,000 totally free meals! We first became aware of Joe's when we saw another of Joe's restaurants, Joe's Farm Grill, on the Food Network on TV last year. It's one of our favorite joints in the area. Today's offer of free meals was enough to get us out of the house to finally try the flagship restaurant. We were not disappointed! The food was terrific -- not much of a choice -- BBQ beans, cole slaw, and then your choice of either a beef or pork BBQ sandwich. The beans were seriously some of the best we've ever had, as was the slaw. The sandwich was a bit on the dry side, but very tasty, and given that they were trying to serve about 6,000 meals, that was a minor gripe. The inside has a lot of character, including the tractor right there in the dining room. And Joe himself was on hand to greet customers and thank them for coming. I guess if you offer a good enough product (quality food AND service), offering free food for a day is good business. Hey, it made customers out of us. Thanks, Joe!

Chloe - Spring 2009 Ballet

Chloe also did a fabulous job dancing tonight. She took center stage tonight and was quite the little leader. She's a hard worker and got bumped up to beginning classical ballet. Way to go, Chloe!

Elise - Our Very Own Prima Ballerina

Elise & Chloe had a big night tonight - their Spring 2009 ballet performance. Both have worked very hard over the past 4 months and did a FANTASTIC job dancing tonight. Elise always seems to have an incredible presence on a stage and is amazingly graceful. She's a delight to watch! She graduated to the next level in her classical ballet class.

A Sound Mind in Tough Times

Let me take a brief pause from photo updates on the family to share with you a very worthwhile resource. As a fairly recent college-graduate-turned-young-professional back in the late 1980's who finally had a little money to manage(!), I began to read newsletters and books, attend seminars, and meet with financial folks to begin learning how to be a good steward of what God was entrusting to me. After lots of bumps & bruises and a mix of success & failure, I encountered the one publication that I think I'll be a life-long subscriber to. Sound Mind Investing is a monthly newsletter for those seeking godly, competent counsel and insight on investment and other financial matters. Austin Pryor, the founder of SMI, had been running a very successful private investment firm for several years before he felt led to start the newsletter. How successful was he? Well, he was consistently rated among the top 5% of investment advisors nationwide. And he was advocating an investment model built primarily around no-load mutual funds, which all of my other reading seemed to indicate was the best all-around approach to investing. In addition to providing a very clear model with specific mutual fund recommendations, the newsletter provides great articles to help you better understand economic principles, practical help in getting out of debt, and a whole lot more. And if you subscribe to the online version, you also get access to the editor's blog with daily insights and news, as well as reader forums and the full archive of SMI newsletters. Whether you are a recent graduate or seeking to manage your retirement well, I cannot give SMI a high-enough recommendation. SMI offers a free 30-day trial so you've got nothing to lose from checking it out (they also have feeds on Twitter & Facebook).

Let me be up front and share that I do get a free month of SMI for each person who becomes a paid subscriber through the above links. However, I am sharing this because I think everyone will find this an incredible resource. Check it out. I don't think you'll be disappointed. SMI offers the kind of wise counsel that most people crave now more than ever.

The Blessing of Water

It's true everywhere, but we notice it more here in the desert: water is life. I think the population of Phoenix would be about 208 were it not for the technology that provided us desert dwellers with misters, water parks, urban fishing lakes, irrigation canals, and countless other ways to enjoy water. With spring just barely underway, we're already tipping 90 some days, so we are incredibly grateful to whoever at the Ph0enix Zoo who was inspired to devote precious real estate to a kids' splash park! Chloe is helping to ensure that we put our zoo recent membership to good use!

"I triple-dog dare ya!"

How great it is to be a kid! Fun and excitement can be find just about anywhere, including around the plethora of cacti in our area - cholla, prickly pear, pipe organ, saguaro, and more. Elise & Chloe love to test their bravery by daring each other to touch the needles. What could be more fun on a spring day than that?!

Desert Blooms

Before we get too far off the topic of gardening, I ought to highlight the true Gardener. Not only does He do an amazing job carefully pruning, watering, and otherwise caring for His people, He does quite a job in the rest of creation, too! Not so unlike us, who tend to get a bit prickly at times, cacti likewise have real beauty imbued by their Creator. As spring dawns here in the desert, it is fun to see the less prickly side of these amazing plants.

It's not very green, but...

I have a confession to make. My thumb is extraordinarily un-green. Yes, I've come a long way since my first "real" job selling seeds door-to-door as a 7-year-old. I'm not sure I was every much of a salesman, as I recall having a lot of leftover flower seeds, which I dumped in an uncultivated garden area in my backyard. To my surprise & delight, a month or so later we had an explosion of color as flowers of numerous varieties sprouted in spite of my gardening "skills". Perhaps if I'd learned the language better while I was living in Uzbekistan I'd be able to recreate that 35-years-old success story. In any event, inspired by my time in Uzbekistan and my successful gardner extraordinaire friend, E.B., and fueled by a desire to save a little change on groceries, my garden is now planted. I opted to bypass seeds and jump straight to seedlings to give the plants a chance at survival under my not-so-green thumb. Two weeks into this venture, I've managed to kill off only a few plants. Check back in a few weeks to see how the rest of the corn, squash, peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, basil, and assortment of flowers are faring...

Spring Blossom

One of our favorite activities whenever we are back in Torrance is visiting the local farmer's market. Once there the girls love to make a bee-line for the stand that offers free Gerber daisies for kids. Chloe picked one up on Tuesday morning, then later that day visited twin friends Annika & Sophia and picked a fresh lemon from one of their trees. She loves homemade lemonade, but she had a different idea - making the lemon into a vase. A great idea! Give it a try the next time you pick some flowers!

Park Fun

Brooke is 20-months-old now - a totally fun age. She's talking up a storm now -- we just can't figure out what she's saying! She loves the park and being outside doing just about anything. Her big accomplishment this week has been learning how to climb out of her pack-n-play. After 3 successful attempts today at nap time, it's time to consider some additional baby/toddler-proofing needs!

Shootin' the Moon

I can still recall my dad breaking out our telescope one clear summer evening nearly 40 years ago to show my brothers & I the moon. What kid hasn't been mesmerized by a full moon at some point? It was fun to relive some of that excitement through my girls last week as we set up the camera to capture this picture of a nearly full moon. Take a good look and relive some of your own dreams & memories...

Happy Birthday, Janelle!

Janelle notched her second birthday here in AZ over the weekend. To celebrate, we packed the kids in the car and headed for Joe's Farmhouse Grill, a great spot we first heard about watching the Food Network one night last year. Nothing fancy, but the food rocks! Much of what they cook with is grown right there on the farm. There's some great run-around space for the kids, a great walk around the farm, and a good playground a short walk away. And the diner offers free dinner on your birthday!

Janelle is a huge blessing to our family, and to many others as well. We thank God for her (not nearly enough, I'm sure). Janelle, may 2009 be the best year yet! Happy birthday!

Summer 'dos

As the East coast digs itself out from the latest snow storm, summer seems to be knocking on our door here in AZ. Over the weekend the temps were in the high 80s. Crazy, but nice! To celebrate the warmer temps, all the Stoops girls except baby Brooke are now sporting new, shorter hair. Don't they look fabulous?!!

In the barn

Fun shot of the family. This was taken over Christmas break visiting a friend's horses & mules in Palos Verdes. The girls had great fun feeding the animals carrots & apples and watching them all kick around & play when they were let loose to run around. They even got to sit on a real saddle. Thanks, Tom, for having us over!

"Hey, hey we're the Stoops girls..."

".... People say we monkey around, but we're too busy playing to put anybody down."

At the Worksite

One of the things keeping Janelle busy these days is a Daisy Scouts troop (Girl Scouts) that she started up and is leading. Back in November, the girls in the troop, including Elise & Chloe (far right) visited a nearby home being constructed by Habitat for Humanity to hand out bag lunches to the construction workers. We're proud of how all these girls worked hard to support a great cause in our own backyard.

Bathing Beauties

Bath time is also met with great excitement in our house... at least by the girls! What could be more fun for kids than hopping into a tub of water filled with toys?!

8 Years & Counting

Before heading back to AZ, we took advantage of the world's best babysitters - Nana & Papa Peterson - to sneak out for an early anniversary celebration. 8 years, 4 kids, and a heaping measure of God's grace later, we're going stronger than ever! As we close out 2008, it is with truly thankful hearts for a loving God who, among other blessings, brought us together in the unlikeliest of places (a remote city on the Central Asian steppe) back in 1999. Many of you have been a part of our journey before & since then, and we give God thanks for you, too! We wish His best for you in 2009. Happy New Year!

Happy Times at the Pier

A trip to the pier was a must for us while in Torrance for Christmas. Of course, after the pelican episode (see below), we may start thinking otherwise, but it is REALLY hard not to relax and have fun walking around the pier, especially at sunset. Our girls had a great time there with their cousin Lily snacking on churros and watching the sea lions and pelicans. May 2009 bring many more visits to Torrance and the pier!