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!

New Mexico Rains

Rain falls in New Mexico quite strangely. Sometimes I can smell it, but don't see it. Usually it rains lightly or very heavily for short periods of time. We almost never have a good old fashioned thunder storm like Texas gets.

This evening, rain came from seemingly nowhere. We heard the rain, and looked out to see sunshine and blue sky.

Our front yard, however, revealed a gray sky.

We see rainbows pretty frequently here in the summer.

But my favorite rainbows are the ones that arch over the mountains.

Another New Friend

As I sat out on my back porch this afternoon enjoying another summer day, I spotted an unfamiliar bird. He stayed just long enough for me to go inside and grab my camera! My bird watching friend and son helped me identify him as a ladder-backed woodpecker looking for insects. I hope he finds some next time and stays around a little longer.

Go To the Ant

Proverbs 6:6 Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise,...

I'm not a fan of ants, but here in ABQ we see some of the biggest ones I've ever seen! Chloe and I saw this ant yesterday on our walk. It was very busy along with the rest of its friends. I was amazed at how fast this one could scurry with such a huge load to carry!