Monsoon Season

The only good part about summer in Las Vegas is monsoon season.  We get a little bit of humidity and, every so often, a good old soaking rain.  But, these past few days have been a doozy; Las Vegas is actually getting hit by a tropical storm!  Yes, a tropical storm in the desert.  Ivo made his landfall in Baja California and has been making his way across the southwest for a few days, leading to more rain in Vegas than I have ever seen.  

Now, luckily for us, we were smart enough to buy a house in the foothills, which means we are higher up in elevation AND on a hill; all the rainwaters just flow right past us.  But they have to end up somewhere, right?  All of these shots were taken less than 10 minutes from our house, on roads we drive almost every day.

Grand Canyon/Grand Teton intersection 

SkyPointe Drive near 95 and Horse

The desert near Grand Teton

Grand Teton and Hualapai

Grand Teton near Oso Blanco

Ft. Apache and Brent

This is US 95, looking north . . . the way my husband travels to work every day.  Very, very thankful he had yesterday off, as the road was completely shut down due to high water.

And what were we doing during all this flooding?  Having a "tropical storm in the desert" party on our backporch!  We snuggled up and watched the rain . . . 

. . . and played in it (when the thunder and lightning stopped, of course!).

The only party pooper was Oskar, who hid under the chair and sulked because he hates the rain.

The good Lord also gave us a pretty spectacular sunset as well, even despite the clouds.

Thanks for the rain, Lord.  Keep it coming. :)

Desert Hiking

I love being a mom.  Don't get me wrong:  I really do.  But sometimes I miss the freedom of just being able to pack up my pup and go exploring.  Before Matty was born, Oskar and I used to just take off walking and see where we ended up.  Well, not so much in Korea, but in Germany--yes.  We'd venture off the beaten path, just the two of us, and usually end up seeing some pretty amazing things.  Our ability to just "get up and go" has dwindled with a little one; we have to schedule adventures around naptimes and meals and also take into account trails that Matty can walk (or I can handle doing while lugging a 30 pound kid around).  Needless to say, Oskar and I don't go exploring too often anymore.

But this morning, I decided that needed to change.  I needed to get out of the city; Oskar needed some exercise; and we both needed some QT together.  So I left Matty with his dad, and the two of us ventured to the edge of the city, where the blacktop ended in desert, and we just got out and walked.  Fellow Las Vegans--did you know the Red Rock Conservation area comes all the way up to the edge of the city?  You don't have to drive all the way out on Charleston to get to it.  

   

And so, we hiked.  Yes, it was hot.  Yes, we were walking through not-as-pretty-as-Indiana scenery.  But, for the first time in a long time, it was just me and my pup.  I could feel the stress melting out of my body (along with a few gallons of sweat.  It was 9AM but already in the 90s).  

The desert really is pretty in its own way, right?  I could have hiked much longer, but Oskar's tongue was soon dragging in the sand, and he was desperately searching for shade under a cactus.  

But it felt nice to get out of the city, even if it was only by a few miles, and just hike.  Looking forward to doing it again soon (but anytime you want to drop the temps, Mother Nature, I'd be fine with that).

Happy 2nd Birthday, Matthew James!

My little boy is 2!  How is that even possible?  Seriously . . . how is that possible?  Time has flown by and, while motherhood has certainly been harder than I ever thought it would be (why did no one tell me the 'terrible two's' start at age one?), it's also been more joyful and rewarding that I ever imagined.

We've had a lot of family issues going on in the Wright household that led to a complete lack of time and preparation for a "proper" party but, luckily, Matty is two, and he didn't really care.  I was able to make a few cupcakes . . . 

 . . . and call up a few friends for a last-minute "Party at the Park."  Splash pads, swings, slides:  what else do you really need a for a two-year old's party, right?  Of course, Matty and his friends didn't care about that.  All they cared about was a nearby mud puddle.  They spent a good chunk of time splashing in the muddy water and throwing dirt at the ground, the light pole, and each other.

Thank goodness for the splash pads and a free "white trash bath" afterwards.

Two precious birthday cards from two of Matty's friends,  Kaylee and Jordan.

Daddy, of course, had to work so we had another small, mini-party when he got home, which meant even MORE cupcakes.  Matthew was VERY concerned about the candle.  As I was lighting it, he kept yelling "HOT! HOT!" in the background.

 

My little non-sweet tooth (seriously--how is this kid related to me?) wasn't interested in the cupcake.  All he wanted was the sprinkles off the top . . . 

. . . and to put the candle back where it belonged.

After (not eating) cake, it was FINALLY time for presents.  We are so blessed to have had friends and family from across the country shower Matty with presents, and we had been hiding them in the laundry room for over a week.  MJ may not have really understood the whole concept of a "birthday," but he darn-sure understood that there were presents in the laundry room he was not allowed to have.  He was NOT happy about it, either.  So imagine his elation when I finally pulled them out and told them he could FINALLY have them.  He wasted no time in diving right in.

A pretty good haul for someone who didn't even really understand why he was getting presents in the first place.  Our little boy sure is loved by some generous, thoughtful people!

Our tired little boy in bed after a long, happy day with one of his new toys (if you didn't notice, tractors and trucks were sort of the theme of the day).  

Thank you everyone near and far who helped make Matty's birthday so special.  We are so blessed by friends, real family, and our military family.  

And wish us luck as we navigate the "official" start of the Terrible Two's. :)