Halloween Part 1

Last weekend we made our way to the pumpkin patch at Schnepf Farms (www.schnepffarms.com). The kids had a blast playing with all the pumpkins. We also rode the carousel, saw a pig race, rode the train, and visited the petting zoo. We decided to skip the corn maze since we didn’t think a huge double stroller could make it through all the corn stalks. This year, they created the maze in the shape of Muhammad Ali (a local resident of Phoenix).

This past weekend was super busy. Our friends Brenda and Aaron had their baby boy on Saturday morning. So, their daughter, Kayla, spent the night at our house Friday night. She’s Noah’s age, so they had fun playing together. We were delighted to return the favor since they watched Noah when Bella was born.
Noah started soccer lessons on Saturday. It’s really funny; all the kids basically run around and try to learn not to touch the soccer balls with their hands. They are just so tempted to pick up the balls and throw them in the nets. After soccer, Bella and Noah also started swim lessons. We thought it would a good idea considering we have a pool now. They really enjoyed the swim lessons. We had to drag them out of the pool to leave. Bella was in the infant class and Noah was in the toddler class.
The last big event of this past weekend was a Halloween costume contest at Superstition Springs Mall. Both of the kids looked very cute. Unfortunately, Bella didn’t win, but Noah claimed the 3rd place prize. Not too shabby considering there were about 35 kids in each age category. We will make sure they both win next year

Home Sweet Home

We finally officially closed on our new home today! We are super excited. It is a 4 bedroom, 3 bath, 2 story home… with a pool! We are moving in this weekend. Noah and Bella seem really excited. Noah already knows which room is his. Amanda can’t wait to soak in the master tub. Sammy is excited because he will have a lot more room to play. We are very much looking forward to having people over and just enjoying the new house. Here are some pictures. I’m sure we will have lots more.

The Segura’s Have a Dog?!?

So, a couple of weeks ago our doorbell rang. It was a teenage boy with a small dog. He said the dog looked lost and asked if it was ours. Apparently, the dog had been hanging out in the front of our house for some time. Of course Amanda says that we don’t have a dog, and at the same time, Noah is screaming, “It’s our dog! It’s our dog!” The teenage boy then walks away, but without the dog. So, here we are, a dog (no collar) standing at our front door, 113 degrees outside, wondering what to do. We bring him in and gave him some water and dog food (my Dad had forgot it during his visit this past Christmas).
That night we put up flyers around our neighborhood, and posted a found ad on craigslist.com. We had some inquiries, but not for the dog we found. A couple of days later I took him to the vet to see if he had a microchip. He didn’t. That night we put him outside to do “his business” while we were out running errands. When we got home, he had escaped by tunneling underneath our gate. We did search for him by driving around for over an hour with no luck. So much for him.
A few days later we decided to check the Maricopa Animal Control Center (the pound). After looking at hundreds of dogs, I told Amanda that I didn’t see him and we should go. She thought it would be great to show Noah some of the dogs. Guess what she saw 30 seconds later… the dog that showed up on our doorstep. Like all dogs in his situation if he wasn’t adopted soon, he would be put down. So, what did we do… we bailed him out of jail and adopted him. $150 dollars later he was ours.
So, introducing the newest member of the Segura clan… Sammy!

They Have Parks in South Dakota?

A couple of weekends ago we traveled to South Dakota to visit Amanda’s family. Flying to Rapid City wasn’t too bad. It was Bella’s first time on a plane and Noah acted like a frequent flyer watching movies on the portable DVD player.

We stayed at Amanda’s grandparents’ house in Rapid City. While in Rapid we visited Story Book Island, which is a huge park filled with storybook characters and scenes from all the classics. We also stopped by Dinosaur Park, which had great views of the city. To go along with our park tour of Rapid City, we fed the geese and ducks at Canyon Lake Park.

Of Course we went down to the Whidby Ranch in Kadoka, where Noah got to see the cows, horses, dogs, and deer. His favorite with Aunt Denise’s English Bulldog, Sophie. I’ve never seen a dog take so much from a little kid and not bat an eye. Those are definitely dogs suitable for toddlers. And, yes, we did go to the Kadoka city park. I think we’re addicted to them.

We surely enjoyed our time in South Dakota and can’t wait to go back!

Happy 4th of New Mexico!

This past weekend we traveled to Albuquerque to visit family. Some advice to everyone with small children... Don’t take road trips. Our regularly 6 hour drive turned into a 9 hour extravaganza. We had to stop every 100 miles to either use the restroom, play, get gas, eat, stretch, change clothes, etc. It was the same on the way back, plus a 2 hour traffic jam through Payson and lots of rain. Next time we travel, we’re flying!
Albuquerque was great. We stayed at my Mom and Stepfather’s new house. Noah had a blast playing with the dogs and running around their gigantic backyard. We cooked burgers with my Dad, my brother Stephen, and my Grandparents at my Grandparents’ new house. We also lit fireworks and had a family BBQ at my Mom and Stepfather’s house. Of course we stopped by Great (in Noah and Bella’s case Great Great) Grandma Mary’s house. Overall, it was a really fun trip (except for the driving).

Romp N Roll... In More Ways Than One

This past Saturday we attended the opening of a new indoor play-gym called Romp N Roll. Noah had tons of fun running, jumping, and climbing on everything. Unlike our house, it's OK to do that here. The indoor play-gyms are always great during the Arizona summers. I believe the high on Saturday was 111. We might have to stop by a few more times this summer.

Since Bella is too little to enjoy Romp N Roll, she decided to do a little rolling herself. Yep, she finally rolled over on Tuesday. However, since she hates being on her stomach, she screams after she's rolled all the way over. Noah though she was being funny and had to try rolling a few times himself.

Amanda's sister, Denise, also came into town last Wednesday for a visit. She got to hang out with the kids and then went off to Mazatlan for a week with her parents. We will see her again this weekend on her way back to South Dakota.

Give A Quarterback

Today we traveled down the street (literally, about 25 houses away) to Dolce Luna Italian Café and Gelato Bar, for what else… some gelato! One of the moms in Amanda’s mom’s club told us about an event being held there tonight to help raise funds for the Matt Leinart Foundation. Matt signed Noah’s football and of course gave Noah “knuckles”. However, Noah’s favorite part of the night was… you guessed it, the gelato. He gobbled down his birthday cake flavored gelato in record speed. He did try to share some with Bella. Of course Bella’s too young for gelato, maybe next year Bella!

For more on tonight’s event check out the Give A Quarterback website at http://www.giveaquarterback.com/.