Charlie's doctor appointment

Charlie had his 6-month appointment in Arizona since we were there for these past 2 1/2 weeks.  He weighed in at 16 lbs 12 oz and 26.5" long (Graham was 16 lbs 14 oz and 25").  As usual, all went well during the start of the appointment.

He just loves those toes!

And then,... those dreaded shots!  Whaaa...!!!

Three shots this time, including the flu shot.  Not taking any chances this flu season!

Graham, on the other hand, is adding a few more cuts and bruises to his repertoire.  3 band-aids in a day!

The boys are growing up so quickly!

By the way, Charlie was chomping on my finger today and I felt a tooth on the bottom gum.  Finally! Perhaps he will be less of a cranky pot!

Backyard landscaping project - Part 2

The following week, the putting green curb is being built.  Yes, you heard right... we're getting a new putting green!

Daddy is testing out the new putting green area:

And the stucco goes up on the BBQ and bench area.  Graham called the built-in BBQ area his "little house" since there's a little door by the side:

Halfway there!

On Day 7, we picked up some nice blue Mexican tiles for the BBQ area - just for a punch of color.

The fire pit area has also been carved out.  Graham is busy shoveling rocks with his bulldozer.

Did we mention that the weather has been perfect here?

Charlie kept Mommy company as we watched the crew cut out the holes for the new putting green.

The final day and all hands on deck!  The pavers and sand were delivered the day before:

It was so dusty and loud as the crew cut and assembled the pavers!

Who knew piping bags were used to fill in grout!

As for the putting green... love that splash of green in the backyard!

Tada!!! Didn't take long for Graham to move his toys onto the new putting green:

And yes, we splurged on fancy green lit cups! :-)

And here's our new built-in BBQ:

 And our new fire pit!

Didn't take long for Daddy to start our first fire:

And I wonder how long it will take Graham to master that lefty putting stroke. 

And if you didn't notice, check out the cool looking lights under the bench!

It helps Graham to see in the dark when he's crawling along the bench:

We can't wait to get back to Phoenix to really enjoy our new backyard!

"Phoenix house" backyard landscaping project - Part 1

We decided to take the plunge and fix up our backyard in the "Phoenix house" (this is how Graham refers to our place in Arizona).  It's gone through quite a transformation since we first bought it back in March 2011.  I found a photo taken back then - the cacti were abundant and the weeds were very healthy to say the least!  

We've pretty much gotten rid of all of the cacti in this area of the yard.  The crew had a tough time taking down the bigger ones.  This is how we started out early in our trip:

As usual, Graham was helping the "builders" as he refers to the work crew.

 And making sure all is going according to plan:

 Like I said, the crew was having a really tough time with the bigger cacti!

Look at all that cacti!  We probably could have sold that to a supermarket!  Prickly pear is a popular item in Arizona.

At the end of Day 1, the gravel was piling up and Graham loved every bit of it!

"See, Mommy...!"

Day 2 and the concrete is being poured.  Charlie is up early as well to supervise:

This will be where we'll have our new BBQ area and bench:

The pile of gravel continued to get higher.  Graham has discovered a new game to play with his trucks!

But then again, we're back to level ground for more digging.

The next day, more progress is made:

The crew took a break over the weekend and so Mommy took the opportunity to clear out a few things - including this monstrous aloe vera plant!  Here's the before picture:

No turning back now!

These aloe plants are so huge, heavy, and almost as tall as Graham!

Phew! What a work-out! Thankfully our neighbors were kind enough to let us use their garbage bins :-)

Trip to the Phoenix zoo

We finally took the opportunity to see the Phoenix Zoo during the day (vs. at night during Zoo Lights).  It was great!  And the new double stroller has definitely come in handy!

We didn't bring any sunscreen, so right off the bat - Charlie scored a new hat!

These poor animals must be so tired of hearing the roaring jets fly by!

Graham was his usual self... running around and climbing wherever he could:

And he's learning to read the map too so he could navigate us around the zoo:

We tried to make sure that Charlie participated too:

But as the day progresses, Charlie needs his binkie to keep him happy!

And as for Graham, can't leave for home unless we get another new toy from the gift store!