Sunflowers in Bloom

Taller than last week!

Jemez Mountains

A little over a year ago, Kyle took Grant to the Jemez river to do some fishing. The rest of the family finally got see the Jemez mountains and river this week when we took Gigi and Poppa with us while they were visiting.

We saw lots of red dirt on the way up.

We braved the trail up to the waterfall where they kids played.

We had a picnic among beauty.

And, the kids played more in the river.

I followed this loud squawking stellar jay trying to get his picture, but he didn't like me following him. You can kind of see the crest on his head here, ...

...and a little of of his striking blue color here.

Sunflower Growth Check

Our sunflowers are finally about to bloom!

They've definitely grown taller this week!

Weekly Sunflower Growth Check

The kids are home, but fortunately the sunflowers are the only ones that grew mightily in one week!

Petrified Forest National Park

Although we were more amazed by the Painted Desert on our way home from Phoenix a couple of weeks ago, we also found beauty and wonder in Petrified Forest National Park.

Petrified wood gets its name from the Greek word "petra" which means rock. Petrified wood is literally wood that has been turned into rock.

The wood from trees has been preserved through the process of petrification.

Petrification occurs when the wood gets buried under lots of sediment and is deprived of oxygen. When water containing minerals then flows over the sediment, minerals get deposited into the plant taking the place of decaying plant cells. A stone mold then takes its place. The colors found in petrified wood come from elements, like iron and copper, that are in the water and mud during the process.

The Petrified Forest is mostly comprised of badlands, or areas of scrub brush and rock formations. The area is very hot and dry, but we thought it was beautiful as well.

Growing Plants: Growing Kids

I took this picture of Chloe right before we left to take the kids to their grandparent's house for a week. I'll take the picture again when they get home. My guess is that both Chloe and the plants will look bigger!

Painted Desert

On our way home from Phoenix, we toured the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. As we traveled through the Petrified Forest, the landscape looked mostly brown. We drove around a bend and suddenly the landscape had changed. Now, instead of brown, we saw brilliant colors--red, orange, pink, shades of gray, and even lavender stripes.

This picture is one of my favorites because you can see the rain falling around the outskirts of the desert.

I also love these next two pictures because of the way the desert looks so vast and almost unreal.

God's creation is truly amazing!

Introducing the Saguaro Cactus

Did you know the Saguaro cactus can only be found in the Sonoran Desert?

Saguaro cacti are everywhere!

But, they were especially intriguing in the wild on the side of the highway.

The Saguaro cactus is the largest cactus in the United States. They need very little water and lots of heat to grow well. You can find them in Arizona or western Mexico.

Allison even found one on a cupcake! Check out her blog post to read more about her Saguaro cactus cupcake adventure.

Cactus Desert: One Small Square
Read this book to find out more about the Saguaro cactus!

Sunflowers Again

Our sunflowers are growing again...

...and, Chloe is going to help me keep record of how big they get and how fast!