Tanner's Cozy Corner

John Adams

2008-10-31T12:21:00.000-07:00

John Adams (October 30, 1735-July 4, 1826) was a famous politician in early American history. He served as the United States' first Vice President, serving for two terms. He also served as the second President of the United States.

Adams, before we were the U.S., served as a delegate from Massachusetts to the Continental Congress. He worked diligently at persuading the group to adopt the Declaration of Independence.

Early Life

Adams was born to John and Susanna Boylston Adams, on October 30, 1735, in Braintree, Massachusetts .

In 1751, at age sixteen, Adams attended Harvard College. Adams's father desired that he become a minister, however, John was unsure about his career. He taught at Worcester, giving him some extra time to think about his future career. 'After much reflection, he decided to become a lawyer and studied law in the office of James Putnam, a prominent lawyer in Worcester. In 1758, Adams was admitted to the bar. From an early age, he developed the habit of writing descriptions of events and impressions of men which are scattered through his diary. He put the skill to good use as a lawyer, often recording cases he observed so that he could study and reflect upon them.' (the words in the ' and ' are taking from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Adams)

John Adams married Abigail Smith, in 1764. They had six children: [1]Abigail, [2] John Quincy, [3] Susanna, [4] Charles, [5] Thomas Boylston, and [6] Elizabeth.

Cabinet
The Adams Cabinet
Office Name Term

President John Adams 1797–1801
Vice President Thomas Jefferson 1797–1801

Secretary of State Timothy Pickering 1797–1800
John Marshall 1800–1801

Secretary of Treasury Oliver Wolcott, Jr. 1797–1801
Samuel Dexter 1801

Secretary of War James McHenry 1796–1800
Samuel Dexter 1800–1801

Attorney General Charles Lee 1797–1801

Secretary of the Navy Benjamin Stoddert 1798–1801

FYI

HAPPY HALLOWEEEEEEEEEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

American Government

2008-10-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

The government of the United States of America is a Democratic-Federal-Republic. The first part of the USA's government is democratic. Democracy is a government put in the people's hands. In a democracy, everybody votes for everything. However, in America we do NOT have a pure democracy, like a lot of people think. A democracy only works in small countries or communities. If we did have a pure democracy, all 300,000,000 people in America would have to go to Washington, D.C. to vote on every federal law passed. Obviously, the USA doesn't have a pure democracy. America shows democratic tradition through the election of its President and Congressmen. The United States' Government shows federalism through its federal and central government. Levels of government are set up [on a graph] vertically. (see picture below- excuse me if its too small to see; if you can't see it, you can just click on the picture.) Federal government is at the top (as you may have noticed) but is supposed to have the least amount of power, which is why its space on the graph is so small. Below it, it says states. The states' governments are below the federal government, but are supposed to have more power. Below that are communities. (Examples are cities, towns, small organizations, etc.) They are below federal and state governments. Next are families, then individuals. Simple problems need to be solved at the bottom of the triangle and move up only when necessary. More serious problems may start immediately at higher parts on the graph. An example would be foreign invasion. Foreign invasion can't be settled individually, in families, or communities. The federal government is who takes care of foreign invasion. You see, problems such as education and health care are not supposed to be taken care of by the federal government. They shouldn't be the ones to control our lives. Families, and when absolutely necessary, communities, should be the ones to take care of their education and health care. There is more than this, these are just more common government controls. Now to talk to republicanism. Republicanism is a system of government in which governmental officials represent the people or states. Senators and Representatives are great examples of America's republicanism. The government of the United States of America shows democratic, federal, and republican tradition, making us a DEMOCRATIC-FEDERAL-REPUBLIC.

NBA ROCKS! [Go Suns!]

2008-10-09T16:28:00.000-07:00

My best friend (homie, homeslice, homedog), Jed, (left) invited me to come with them to a PHX SUNS game! It was my first NBA game. I thought it was awesome. (Especially Shaq and Nash) We started off so well but we lost 100-96 to the Atlanta Hawks. (Ya, it Stinks) Jed was crazy! (in a good way) and was yellin' at the hawks, calling them lint-lickers and somethin' else I don't thing that should be told. Well below are pix of Jed in his 'crazy state' and of the game.

I told him I was going to blog this pic and tried to delete it. But he says "no wait! you were going to blog it remember!"

Blogging: That Hits The Mark!

2008-10-06T18:53:00.000-07:00

Guess what?! I got an award. My mom got this award for her blog by another blogger. What you're supposed to do is give it to three other people.
So here are my choices: my friend, Jed, has a blog that is more of a website full of games: Mastermind Games!
I would also like to award it to my dad's two blogs: The Title of Liberty and The Iron Rod.

George Washington

2008-08-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

George Washington (February 22, 1732-December 14, 1799) served as the first national administrator of the United States of America. Or in other words, he was our first president. Besides national administration, there were two other key events in American history that would never have even happened without the brilliant founding father: (1) victory in the War for Independence (2) and the Constitutional Convention.

Early Life

Washington's ancestry leads back to the Scandinavian Viking Founder, Odin. (I found this interesting.) His great-grandfather, John Washington, was the man who led the Washingtons to America. During the year 1657, John Washington moved to the Virginian Colony.

Family Tree:
George Washington (Virginia) Father:
Augustine Washington (Virginia) Father:
Lawrence Washington (?) Father:
John Washington (Virginia) Father:
Lawrence Washington (England)

He lived on the Pope's Creek Estate where he was educated by his father and half-brother.

As a young man he served as a surveyor for Baron Fairfax. In 1751, Washington and his half-brother, Lawrence Washington, traveled to Barbados in search of a cure for Lawrence's tuberculosis. Lawrence died in 1752 and Washington inherited some of his estate. When George Washington was 20 years old, he enlisted in the Virginia militia as Major, which is incredible and quite rare. In December of 1753, Governor Robert Dinwiddie asked Washington to send a British ultimatum to the French on the Ohio frontier.

The French and Indian War [Seven Years' War]

In 1754, Washington was commissioned a lieutenant colonel by Dinwiddie and commanded to lead the militia to Fort Duquesne to drive out the French. With their American Indian allies, they attacked a group of 30 French scouts. However, Washington was overwhelmed at Fort Necessity by the French. After his terms of surrender, he resigned.

In 1755, Washington assisted General Braddock in the Monongahela expedition (also known as the Braddock Expedition). The Monongahela expedition was a major effort to retake the Ohio area from the French. General Braddock was killed in the battle, but Washington defeated the French and was promoted to colonel and commander of all Virginia forces.

In 1758, Washington served as a brigadier general during the Forbes expedition that urged the French to evacuate Fort Duquesne and Pittsburgh. Later that same year, Washington resigned and became a planter and politician.

Martha Washington

In New Kent County, Virginia, Washington met a widow from White House Plantation. Her name was Martha Custis Dandridge. They were married on January 6, 1759 at her home, known as the White House.

The War for Independence

On July 14, 1775, Congress created the Continental Army. Washington was appointed Major General and elected to the rank Commander-in-Chief.

In August 1776, General William Howe of the British lead a massive naval and land attack to take New York and the Continental Army engaged with the British in battle. This was the biggest battle of the entire Revolution and is known as the Battle of Long Island. Unfortunately, the British drove the Continental Army out of New York, leaving them in doubt. However, on Christmas of 1776, Washington led a counterattack across the Delaware River into Trenton, New Jersey, capturing 1000 Hessians. In January, they were the victors in a battle at Princeton. Another battle won by the British, was the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777. After a couple of British victories, Washington trapped General Burgoyne at Saratoga, New York. After this victory, France entered the war as one of America's allies.

Washington's army camped at Valley Forge during December of 1777. They spent six horrible, freezing months there. 2,500 of their 10,000 died from disease and exposure to the cold. However, thanks to Baron van Steuben help, they came out of Valley Forge ready to fight. In 1778, the British evacuated Philadelphia but were attacked at Monmouth by Washington's army. The British were on their way to New York. Washington was stationed outside New York and destroyed over 40 Iroquois villages.

The French fleet trapped British troops on a peninsula near the city of Yorktown. Then the British surrendered at Yorktown on October 17, 1781, marking the end of the American Revolution.

In 1787, George Washington served as the President of the Constitutional Convention. The states ratified it, and the government was established. Then George Washington was unanimously elected the first president of the United States under the new Constitution. He served as President for two terms, as well as voluntarily added 'so help me God' to the end of the Oath of Office.

The Washington Cabinet
Office
Name
Term
President:
George Washington
1789–1797
Vice President:
John Adams
1789–1797
Secretary of State:
Thomas Jefferson
1790–1793
Edmund Randolph
1794–1795
Timothy Pickering
1795–1797
Secretary of Treasury:
Alexander Hamilton
1789–1795
Oliver Wolcott, Jr.
1795–1797
Secretary of War:
Henry Knox
1789–1794
Timothy Pickering
1795–1795
James McHenry
1796–1797
Attorney General:
Edmund Randolph
1789–1794
William Bradford
1794–1795
Charles Lee
1795–1797

John Jay

2008-08-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

John Jay was an American politician, statesmen, revolutionary, diplomat, and Supreme Court Chief Justice. Jay also served in the Continental Congress. Before and after the War for Independence, he served as an ambassador to Spain and France. He also helped write the Federalist Papers with Alexander Hamilton and James Madison. Jay, as I said before, served as the first US Supreme Court Chief Justice from 1789 to 1795. In 1795, Jay was elected the Governor of New York, and his term ended in 1801. He was also a great leader who opposed slavery.

Birth

John Jay was born on December 12, 1745 in New York City. He was the 8th child in his family. His family tree, stretches back to French Huguenots. His father, Peter Jay, married Mary Van Cortlandt and had ten children. Unfortunately, only seven of the children survived. When Jay was but an infant, his family moved from Manhattan to Rye for a healthier environment. The main cause of their move was because two of the children had gotten smallpox.

Minister to Spain

On September 27, 1779, Jay was appointed a Minister (or ambassador) to Spain. During his time as a minister to Spain, he convinced them to loan $170,000 to the US.

Federalist Papers

Jay didn't attend the Constitutional Convention but he did help in the argument of the changes of government with Hamilton and Madison. They created the Federalists Papers, which is a series of eighty-five articles written to help convince the states to ratify the Constitution.

Funfacts!

Cities named after Jay: Jay, Maine, Jay, New York, Jay Vermont. Jay County, Indiana

Today...

Independence Day for Moldova (1999)
Constitution of Malaysia came into force (1957)
Mars made its closest approach to Earth (2003)

Rufus King (March 24, 1755-April 29, 1827)

2008-08-06T12:49:00.001-07:00

Rufus King volunteered for militia duty during the American Revolutionary War. He was appointed a major in the army under General Sullivan in the Battle of Rhode Island.

In 1787, Rufus King was sent to the Constitutional Convention representing Massachusetts and worked on getting it ratified. He also attempted to serve as a US Senator for Massachusetts but failed. Although he did serve as a US Senator for New York.

King disagreed with slavery as well as the slave trade. In 1817, he assisted the US Senate, which was currently seeking to abolish slavery.

His family also enjoyed being involved in politics. For example, his brother William was the first governor of Maine and his other brother, Cyrus, was a US Congressman.

Fun facts!

Rufus King was born in Scarborough, Massachusetts. Although Scarborough is no longer a city in Massachusetts, but in Maine.

Click here for more information.

Reeves!

2008-08-04T21:13:00.000-07:00

My brother's name, Tatum REEVES, leads all the way back February 25, 1832, even though he was born in March of 1998. Tatum was named after my father, Daniel REEVES. My dad was named after his dad, Alma REEVES Taylor, III. Who was named after his dad, Alma REEVES, Jr. Who was named after his dad Alma REEVES Taylor, Sr. Alma's father was Hyrum Henry Taylor. Hyrum married Eliza Jane Bird who's father's name was Taylor REEVES Bird who was born on February 25, 1832. That is why I enjoy working on my family history, because you can realize that your name or family member's name actually has a whole story to it.

Nathaniel Gorham

2008-08-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

Nathaniel Gorham was born on May 27, 1738 and died June 11, 1796.

Gorham was the eighth President of the United States in Congress assembled. This means he was the presiding officer of the Continental Congress. The Continental congress was responsible for making the Declaration and Resolves, Continental Association, the first Petition to the King, Olive Branch Petition, Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, Declaration of Independence, and the Articles of Confederation. When Gorham was in office they created the Articles of Confederation [later replaced by the US Constitution].

In 1771 he became a member of the Massachusetts General Court. In 1787 he represented Massachusetts in the constitutional convention.

Nicholas Gilman

2008-07-31T10:57:00.000-07:00

Nicholas Gilman and John Langdon signed the US Constitution for New Hampshire. They both served as US Senators. Gilman even fought as a soldier in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War! Gilman and his brother John Gilman both were active in New Hampshire politics. His bother served as the Governor of New Hampshire for 14 years!

Gilman was born during the French and Indian War as the second of eight children. Gilman started working as the clerk in his father's trading house the economical struggle between the colonies and Great Britain made him realize the importance of independence.

In November of 1776 he was asked to serve as an administrative officer for the 3rd New Hampshire Regiment under the command of Colonel Alexander Scammel. In spring, 1777, Gilman and the rest of the men in the 3rd New Hampshire Regiment marched to Fort Ticonderoga to help stop the advancing British army who at the time were under the command of General John Burgoyne. Unfortunately the British troops outflanked the fort and the American troops barely made an escape during the night.

Time as Senator:
March 4th, 1805-May 2, 1814

Born: August 3, 1755 in Exeter, New Hampshire
Died: May 2, 1814 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Note- Nicholas Gilman died in office on May 2, 1814. If you look at his death date and the end of his time as a Senator, they are the same!

John Langdon

2008-07-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

John Langdon represented New Hampshire when he signed the Constitution of the United States of America. Langdon was born on June 26, 1741 and died on September 18, 1819. Langdon was one of the first two United States Senators from New Hampshire and even served as the President pro tempore during is twelve years in Congress. Afterwards her served as the governor of New Hampshire.

Time as the President pro tempore:
April 6th, 1789-August 9th, 1789
November 5th, 1792-December 2nd, 1793

Time as US Senator:
April 6th, 1789-March 4th, 1801

Fun facts!

The town of Langdon, New Hampshire is named after John Langdon, as well as Langdon Street in Madison, Wisconsin, town with several streets named after founding fathers.

Executive Power

2008-07-29T14:53:00.000-07:00

"The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. he shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same term, be elected as follows:

Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress; but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector..." [US Constitution Article II section 1]

Even though the United States became an independent nation on July 4th, 1776 we didn't have a President until after the Constitution was written on September 17, 1787.

It basically says that the President and the Vice President can only serve for a four year term. Also it states how many electors can serve for each state. For example, there are two senators and eight representatives in the the state of Arizona. So there are ten members of Congress in Arizona. The number of electors in every state must match the number of senators and representatives so there are ten electors in Arizona. Article II Section 1 also states that no senator, representative, or other government official can serve as an elector.

Fun facts!
First President: George Washington
First Vice President: John Adams

The Senate

2008-07-28T13:48:00.000-07:00

"The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, [chosen by the Legislature thereof,]* for six Years; and each Senator shall have one vote.

Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence of the first Election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three Classes. The Seats of the Senators of the first Class shall be vacated at the Expiration of the second Year, of the second Class at the Expiration of the fourth Year, and of the third Class at the Expiration of the sixth Year, so that one third may be chosen every second Year; [and if Vacancies happen by Resignation, or otherwise, during Recess of the Legislature of any State, the Executive thereof may make temporary Appointments until the next Meeting of the Legislature, which will then fill such Vacancies.]*

No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of the State in which he shall be chosen.

The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.

The Senate shall chuse their Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the Absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the Office of the President of the President of the United States.

The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.

Judgement in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to the removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust, or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted will nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgement, and Punishment according to Law. [US Constitution Article I Section 3]

*Changed by the Seventeenth Amendment

Sleeping Over!

2008-07-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

My cousin Austin has spent the last four days at my house while his mother is at the hospital having their first baby girl. [She's already had six boys] It's been really fun. We gone swimming played video games, board games, etc. It was really fun. Unfortunately he has to go home today.

The House of Representatives

2008-07-26T13:29:00.000-07:00

My favorite section of the Constitution is Article I Section 2. This section points out the main purposes of the House of Representatives.

"The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.

No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to Age of twenty-five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant in that State in which he shall be chosen.

The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. The number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representatives...

...When vacancies happen in the Representation from any State, the executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of Election to fill such vacancies.

The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment." [US Constitution Article I Section 2]

They had funny words back then didn't they? Like 'chuse.' Regardless of their strange words this section says a lot to me and hopefully it does for you too. It doesn't teach much of a lesson through it's words because it wasn't meant to be a lesson. However the thought put into our Constitution by the Founding Fathers was magnificent and extremely intelligent.

Legislative Power

2008-07-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

"All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives." [US Constitution Article I Section 1]

Before the Constitution was written, a very important matter was brought up. They had to decide how they were going to form a Legislature. Many compromises were considered. Most of the states wanted a unicameral which is a one house legislature. The smaller states, like Rhode Island, wanted the unicameral to consist of a Senate which would represent each state equally (2 senators per state). The larger states, like Virginia and Pennsylvania, wanted the unicameral to consist of a House of Representatives. The House of Representatives represents the people according to the states population. So you had more representation in a state that has a higher population. But someone suggested that we should create Congress, which is a bicameral (2 houses) consisting of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. That is what passed eventually and I believe that it was the best decision. Congress now leads us as our nation's legislative power.

Did you know...

There are 435 members in the House of Representatives?

There are 100 members in the Senate?

The Preamble

2008-07-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

I thought that I would begin a political segment on my blog.

Today I will begin with the US Constitution's Preamble.

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." [The Preamble]

The Preamble is one of my favorite parts of the Constitution and I'd like to point out a few things.

"We the People of the United States..." The government's power is granted to them by we the people. The government is beginning to receive too much power. We the People need to realize need to realize that WE are the ones giving them too much power. Also, the government isn't the only protector of the Constitution. We the People also need to protect and understand our nation's Constitution.

"...in Order to form a more perfect Union..." The Constitution was one of the United States greatest founding documents and truly did form a more perfect Union.

"...establish Justice..." The Constitution mainly establishes Justice in Article III of the Constitution. Article III states the powers of the Judicial Branch which consists of the courts and lawyers.

"...insure domestic Tranquility..." It basically means that we are to try to insure our nation is peaceful.

"...provide for the common defense..." We all now that we need military defense. A few examples could be Pearl Harbor, the World Wars, Civil Unrest, etc. Everyone contributes to our common defense. The government, tax payers, and definitely those people who are in the military. Thomas Jefferson didn't agree with taxes unless there was a good reason behind. Such as the common defense.

"...promote the general Welfare..." The definition for welfare is 'the organized efforts by a community or organization to improve the social and economic condition of a group or class.' The US does this by promoting friendly trade relations with other countries to improve the people's satisfaction and their every day necessities.

"...secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity..." We have been given Liberty, a blessing that so many people in the world wish for. It was a blessing most Englishmen had until King George III ruined the colonies freedom and liberty which soon led to the Declaration of Independence and then the Constitution. We need to continue to hold on to this blessing and make sure that our descendents will also be the ones to secure the blessing as well.

"We're On The Road Again!"

2008-07-23T12:44:00.000-07:00

So "we're on the road again!" We got a call last minute from my uncle that they wanted us to drive a full three hours up to Prescott. So we did a mad-dash cleaning and packing and "we were on the road again." It was fun but the air conditioning didn't work in the cabin so we ended up leaving early. But it was fun. My cousin and I went climbing Saturday morning and went tadpole fishing. Unfortunately tadpoles weren't the only things living there. We soon found wasps trying to kill us! But we had fun nevertheless!

Scout Camp Raymond

2008-07-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

The week of July 14 to 19, 2008, our troop went to Scout Camp Raymond. It was very enjoyable and I was Senior Patrol Leader, so I had a lot of responsability. I took care of the troop firesides, camp inspections, SPL (senior patrol leader) meetings and on top of that there was more lightning and thunder than I wanted. When lightning strikes 1/8 mile from you, it's loud. Trust me.
We shared campsite three with another troop so a lot of assigning and negotiating was needed to be taken care of for things like shower duty and latrine duty.

This is one of the scouts wondering what the heck I was doing.

This is our good old responsible, organized scoutmaster: Brother Jordan.

Yes Jed, we all know that camping is tiring but you need to get up!

Above is the ramada that was centered in the camp.

This is Nick flipping his hair because "he's cool like that."

2008-06-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

Today my mom babysit three of her friends chldren. Benjy, Ricky, and Ashley. They had a lot of fun with my siblings. Kobe, Corwin, and Briar. Benjy...

...with Kobe.

Ricky...

...with Corwin.

(Briar and Ashley seem to be happy.)

Briar......with Ashley.

Pics Of The Day

2008-06-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

My sister just absoluteley loves the fan in my mom's room because it is the only one in the house she can reach.

On my recent sleep over my cousin gave me this "dolphin" ( I like to call it a platypus ) and it sits on my futon in my dirty room. I cleaned it last night but everyone seems to love my room. Either that or my room is a mess magnet.

Video Games

2008-06-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

Video games seem to control our lives sometimes. When one person (me) wants his turn the other (below) isn't going to give it up. Oh well. I'll just play later!

The two of us like the computer but some others enjoy playing bloody war games like Call of Duty 2 on the X-Box 360. (Above)

I Remember It As If It Were Only Yesterday

2008-06-13T10:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our family went to see Kung Fu Panda, which turned out to be a pretty good movie. There are sad parts, Kung Fooey parts, and funny parts. When we got home we went swimming. Again. But it was really fun. I even got a picture (finally) of the pool and I video taped the water fall.

Sleep Over!

2008-06-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

When I got home Sunday, June 8 (2008) I found my cousins waiting for me there. Apparently they'd been waiting for me for an hour so that they could take me, my brother, and my sister to their house. I was supposed to stay till Wednesday but my sister had gymnastics Wednesday so we had to go home Tuesday. But its no biggie. We got to swim when we got home. I brought my camera but I had left my card in the computer at home from the last time I was on my blog. Oh well. It was fun anyway. And they had just got a guinee pig (sorry I don't know how to spell 'guinee') so it was only more fun then I thought.

2008-06-07T20:40:00.000-07:00

My mom bought a ton of new soda and kinda kicked the old soda out of the fridge. And my brother thinks that he's Indiana Jones. (Which was being advertised on the Dr. Pepper.)

2008-06-07T20:34:00.000-07:00

Before we went swimming today I helped make some delicious home made ice cream.

Barbecue

2008-06-07T18:26:00.000-07:00

Today was fantastic! We started off with our house and yard work. Once we were finished we enjoyed a barbecue and a few hours of swimming with our cousins. Noodle wars were neccesary by the way.

I Can't Wait!

2008-06-06T21:41:00.000-07:00

I can't wait! Tommorow my grandpaarents and cousins come over for a barbecue and a little swimming. My dad has an awsome grill and we bought a bit of patio furniture. So eating will be great, unless its windy and trust me it sure isn't fun to eat in the wind. And swimming always fun! Its almost hard to believe its in our backyard now because it was just finished. My brothers and I used to dig in our backyard, building miniture cities or hiding "valuable treasures" and a while later it a giant hole! Not to say that that's a bad thing. But after three months it has become a 6 foot deep, chlorine water pool with an awsome waterfall.

2008-06-06T20:54:00.000-07:00

I just found this video I took on my Pink Jeep Tour in Sedona. I thought it would help you get an idea of how bumpy it was! Now this is only 18 seconds of the tour. There were parts where it was much bumpier and he was driving a lot faster.

That's Weird!

2008-06-06T20:29:00.001-07:00

In our house lack of imagination is no where near a problem. Here's an example: pink Barbie guitars are known as head smashing warhammers. And Barbie RVs are known as mobile army camps.

WooooHooo!

2008-05-31T20:06:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I usually won't have a picture. Anyway, today was really fun for me. Today they started filling up our pool (but it takes 22 hours so it is filling as I type). It wasn't completely filled but our family proved that a pool doesn't need 40,000 gallons of water to make us happy.
So we swam, jumped, fought, and hung out in a half filled pool. We supposed we should make the best of it because it would be the only time we would be able walk in the deep end. My mom also got a ton of plants to place around the pool. The flooring is what they call pebble tech. They're real pebbles cemented together. The pebble tech gives the water a natural color so it looks like a mucky pond but the water's clean.

Ooo! Ouch!

2008-05-30T20:40:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I don't have a picture but I have a story. Last week my entire family (on my mom's side) had a family campout. We intended to stay for five days but there was an unfortunate turn in events. On our third day my mom gave me the baby and said that she and dad would be taking a quick ride on our brand new ATV. Along the way my mom decided to get of the quad to let my dad have more freedom. The next moment he was falling down a blind hill and landed head first on a rock; a pointy rock. My mother sent my cousins (who happened to be with them) back to camp to get help. When my cousins arrived at camp she was teary-eyed and we had a truck and an Arctic Cat ranger on their way in a few seconds flat. When they got there they wrapped his head and got him to our van. My uncles escorted him t Strawberry (Arizona) where an ambulance met them there. They said that Payson wouldn't do anything for him so they flew him to Pheonix where he was stitched up put in a neck brace. He's got a nasty cut on his head and he fractured his neck but at least he's alive and walking. He has to where a neck brace for three months but it only gets better each day. A big bummer is that we are going to finish our pool in a few days and he won't be able to swim. But at least we're all happy!

The Pink Jeep Tour in Sedona

2008-05-02T22:18:00.000-07:00

We had a great time in Sedona we all got on a pink jeep and the driver took us down Broken-Arrow Trail. He made sure he didn't miss any good bumps. Afterwards we roamed down the street shopping and eating lunch. Yessir we sure had a lot of freedom!

Sunset Crater

2008-05-02T22:15:00.000-07:00

After we finished with Wapatki, we went to see Sunset Crater. I enjoyed my solo hike along the trail. I even saw a few sputter cones which would spew lava, similar to volcanoes.

Wapatki National Monument

2008-05-02T22:09:00.000-07:00

The day after we visited the Grand Canyon, we go to see the Wapatki National Monument. I'm standing in front of an ancient Indian community.

Here, I learned that the men would build the homes but the women are in charge of repairing and preserving it.

The Grand Canyon

2008-05-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

After IMAX is the Grand Canyon! It is extremely beautiful. We even got a three hour ranger tour. I learned that the rangers consider the rock squirell to be the most dangerous animal in the Grand Canyon!

Jr. History Tour

2008-05-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

My name is Tanner. I enjoy history and math and someday I want to become an Arizona State Representative. Just three days ago I went on my schools Jr. History Tour. It was amazing! First stop was the IMAX a few miles away from the Grand Canyon. Outside of the IMAX is a replica of the boats that John Wesley Powell used on his exploration through the Grand Canyon.