Xander and I Greet the Spring

Today is the first day of Spring!  Pamela is returning from LA, so Mom and Curtis went to pick her up at the airport, which left Xander and I on our own for the day.  What better way to celebrate the new season than by going out and enjoying a nice day!  Xander and I spent about four hours outside today to greet the spring of 2015!

Xander likes to walk backwards, his brother has picked up on this habit.  Although Curtis seems to just be chasing his shadow most of the time.

 One of Xander's new hobbies.  Take the skateboard from a teenager and then play with it.  Luckily no one has really seemed to mind.

Xander sprayed me with the hose in this picture.

 Xander loves the water!  He had so much fun today with the hose.  A few days ago we taught him some of the basics of how to wash a car.  He is more interested in giving himself, the lawn, house, Daddy, and car a shower.

 Riding his tricycle isn't always easy.

 Xander is fascinated by dirt and mud

 Xander likes to swipe balls whenever possible.  Here he has three and is trying to store them while he plots to get more.  What was funny though was that he was storing them on a big blue bouncy mat that other children were playing on.  He would set his treasure on the mat, then run out to get more balls, only to discover that his treasure was rolling away.  He ended up running frantically back and forth for several minutes, trying to keep the balls he had and obtain new ones.

Xander loves to swing!

This is about where our day ended, it was getting cold and dark.

Paint

As I have contemplated leaving Pinon I have become very reflective.  My wife mistakes this for melancholy, but it is a mixture of emotions that are too many to give just a single name to.  Pinon has been our home for five years.  It is where we met and where we started a beautiful life together.  It is where we have started to raise two fine young boys.

(Though Xander is in a bit of trouble today for getting Daddy's shavers stuck in the toilet.)

This lonely desert place has come to mean a great deal to us.  We have loved serving the community here both in the school and in the church.  We have gained respect in a place where many whites can feel like outsiders.  Leaving this beautiful place in the wilderness will not be easy.

At the same time it is necessary for us to go.  Pinon simply cannot meet the needs of our young family.  We have to venture out into a community that has more resources.  To that end, my dear wife left this week to do the final stage of the interview process for a new school.  New school, new jobs, a new start.

While she was having a good day hundreds of miles away we worked on watching the boys and getting the house painted.  The house needed to be painted back to its dull and ugly original color.  We got a lot of it done yesterday.

It is surprising how something so insignificant, like the color of a room, makes the house seem less ours.  We are moving on.  We will know one way or the other soon.  Pamela should get the call on Tuesday and they are going to call me on Wednesday.  If these jobs are secured it makes moving easier.  If they are not moving will be more complicated but it will still happen.  I have promising leads in several cities.

Soon we will be saying good-bye to Pinon and hello to...

Back in the Stroller

I decided to go on another walk around town with the boys to get more photographs of Pinon.  To get these photos we walked almost to the clinic and then went around to the post office.

The Elementary School

Our poor puppy, Buster, has a hard time getting past the cattle guard, he always falls in.  He makes me carry him over it.  In the distance is the Middle School and the High School.

NHA (Navajo Housing Authority) Housing

Buster the Bow Tie Rez Dog

This house has tires on the roof, the purpose?  The tires prevent the tiles of the roof from blowing away in the wind.

The Pinon Shopping Center.

Xander leans over to check on his sleepy baby brother.

Xander got a little sleepy at this point

The local clinic in the distance.

Pinon Community School

The Rodeo Grounds

This community has been nicknamed Smurf Ville because most of the houses are blue.

This building burnt down before I moved here.  It used to be a gas station.  Other than the graffiti it has remained untouched for the last five years.

Community members gather at the flee market

The Pinon Chapter House.  The Chapter House is like a Town Hall in other places.

The Pinon Post Office

With that you've basically seen all there is to see in Pinon.  It's a nice small town that is about two hours away from any cities in any direction.