Aug-Blog: We love Arizona!!

Before we get into the main topic of today’s blog, let’s show you the Muppets that Amanda and the kids created (remember like a year ago when they started making them?):







Amanda and kids also decided that instead of going out to a Chinese Buffet, we’d just make our own, so last Monday, they created the “Peterson House of Noodles,” complete with authentic décor:




And several dishes to choose from:

Elliott has learned to crawl and pull himself up onto furniture, which has given us mixed emotions.



The boys “spider-webbed” their room, which is actually something Kevin and I did when we were around that age. But we kept ours out of the walking path—saying goodnight to the kids is just plain dangerous.



Speaking of danger, one drawback of having such high ceilings is that things like A/C vents and smoke alarms are up REALLY high. This week we had to replace our A/C filter and the battery in the front room smoke detector. As you know from the pictures in the last post, those items are both up about 12 feet or so off the ground. Our 30-inch step ladder just wouldn’t cut it, so for the filter, we put the step ladder on top of our kitchen benches. The smoke alarm was even higher, though, so we had to put the stepladder on top of the kitchen table, with Amanda there to hold me steady [Yes, I am currently without health insurance]. Then to top it off, the old 9-volt battery BROKE OFF, leaving one of the battery contacts attached to the alarm piece. So I spent several stressful minutes trying to pry off the piece of battery from the smoke alarm while on the top step of the stepstool, which was on top of the rickety kitchen table. Yes, we’re currently in the market for a cheap 10-foot ladder.

Here, in no particular order, are some of the things we love about living here in Arizona:

--Arizona sunsets really are the best sunsets in the world.
--We’re 2 miles from a 12-screen movie theatre (including IMAX), which is in the same shopping area as Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Bed Bath and Beyond, and tons of other shops and restaurants.
--I’ve got a steady job with a steady paycheck.
--It’s hot right now, but our fall/winter/spring are gonna be FAB-U-LOUS!
--We finally have a house that has enough room for us.
--We live near one airport and I work near another airport, so we always get to see planes flying by (Maybe I could FLY to work!).
--We’re only 6 hours from Disneyland!
--School starts early this year (August 11th)
--The library!
--Goodwill—especially every other Saturday, when everything is half price!
--That the boys get the master bedroom (Abe put that part in!)
--Our ward is awesome—everyone’s so friendly and we really feel part of the ward family.
--The elementary school is just down the street.
--The Mexican restaurants are just BETTER.
--Arizona thunderstorms!
--The stairs!! (Abe put that in, too!)
--You can get tortillas at the store that are wrapped in shrinkwrap and were probably patted out on a senorita’s thigh—just guessing on that last part, though.
--There are so many museums, zoos, water parks, malls, etc. that it’ll take YEARS to see them all!
--Tucson is just a hop, skip and a jump away—we just need a van to transport all 6 of us!