January 2017

As the chain counted down to our Disney World adventure, life continued.

Candy shirt and back pack. This warrior was ready for anything except nap time...

Lunch with the girls

September

I like to think of myself as wordy. An author in embryo.

And yet....

 when I sit down to write of our adventures and escapades, 

I come up with a pile of pictures and not much to say. 

These kids are growing!

My job is evolving and I'm actually manage to keep up a little.

Or so I like to tell myself.

Fourth grade and this one-- Socks has officially graduated to surly pre-teendom.

he's NOT what I call wordy, and sometimes

 getting him to talk to me is my biggest challenge of the day.

Pow-Pow (AKA Pencil) is suddenly comfortable in the 'big-kid' category.

 He's reading up a storm and developing quite a sense of humor. 

Cue the punny jokes!

Grapes is still wont to be photographed - a shame because she's turning out to be a pretty girl-

But she is continuing to develop her artsy and musical talents.  (note my sweet hair-do here!)

But here she is enjoying her straight hair.

And Feta the Little Girl (DON'T call her a baby!)

is keeping me busy. She turned 2 in September. 

She has since OWNED the title of terrible two, if in attitude only.

She loves babies (this is our friend's baby, S. She can't get enough of him. Holding and kissing and patting rather roughly with a sweet "good boy" in his ear)

She loves being outside. Especially with Pow Pow.

She has a mighty independent streak. 

"I hewp my-SEWF" is our new theme.

She speaks so well that usually I know exactly what she is thinking-

but on occasion, her idea of communication  isn't the same as mine. 

THAT is when the fireworks happen.

September was also our family trip to Phoenix to meet up with Grandma and Grandpa for a fun weekend and a BYU-U of A football game!

We visited the Lego Adventure and Sea World Aquarium areas.

We stayed at a hotel very near the football stadium and enjoyed time with Grandma and Grandpa.

As my kids age, I am convinced that we will never get enough time with extended family.

I was spoiled as a child to have SO many dear ones so close.

My monkeys especially loved the time we spent with the grandparents at our house before heading to the valley. We upheld a new tradition to make homemade root-beer with them.

Homemade root-beer is always fun, but especially so because it is done with Grandpa.

Science Museum

Because we're awesome science nerds like that!

We went to 'the valley' to take in a Hockey Game (Feta and I took in a hotel room...) but a good time was had by all! Sockie even made it onto the jumbo screen at the game with the  Go Coyotes sign Grapes made! Sadly, those Detroit Red Wings won in overtime. Better luck next time, Coyotes!

The next day we visited (again! last year here) the science museum. I took more videos than photos- so settle in with your lemon water and enjoy!

Water fun!

Summer

Rooming

We have enjoyed living in this new house of ours. We have slowly been making it our own.

(As a side note, I have really disliked having our house called by someone else's name. I understand that you may have known the past two families to live in this home, but don't say so to me!!
"Oh, you live in the old So-n-So's house?"  Correction- I live in my house. That's why I live in it. It is mine.  If So-n-So used to live here, that is neither here nor there to me. Because I didn't live here then.) ANY WAY....

We have been working first on the kid's rooms.

The Boys' Room-- Robot themed

Bunk Beds!

 Top Bunk

To celebrate Easter

 Our Easter Weekend was simply lovely, thanks for asking.
Some of the things we want to remember...

An odyssey

My Grapes has been on an Odyssey Of The Mind team. They work together to solve a long-term problem (and then present their 'solution' to the judges) as well as preparing for a spontaneous/unpracticed problem in front of judges.

Grape's team worked on scripting, rehearsing, designing and presenting (making props and costumes as well as sets) for MONTHS.

These faces

The sun is shining and the trampoline is calling. To my kids. It's not calling to me.

Just to capture the moments- to remember these faces as they are before they turn into the faces they will become. And just to remember that the same humans who drive me decidedly bonkers are the the ones I live for and the ones that bring me the sweetest, most bestest joy.

Happy March!

Randomocity

We have been doing things.... and I have documented them. 

I am failing to keep up regularly with this blog- but no more! I originally wanted to document this pregnancy and I wanted to keep a record of what we are doing as a family, but this summer has been a whirlwind of busy times and a VERY busy dad, and to be honest, it is wearing us all a little thin. 

(July, you are murder in these mountains!!) 

BUT school starts in a week, and some semblance of a routine will be re-introduced to our lives. 

Sayonara, lazy summer.

So in an attempt to remember some of our dealings, here you are:

Randomocity, at its finest.

A pizza lunch date with my littlest (for now...) I am still trying to understand that he is 4 1/2 and going to preschool this fall. What?!

Oh say, Can you see?

We've been slightly absent. It doesn't mean we're gone or dead or any such nonsense. I'm just getting really good at procrastinating a blog update.

Today we had an exciting adventure, and I decided it was time to share it with you.
(someday we'll delve into the Trek experience, and the two week long trip to Utah and Wyoming.... but probably not today. I told you I was a good procrastinator!)

Moving on....

Thanks given!

Now that I'm over my hostess hangover, I can post about the most delightful long weekend I've had in ages.

The Doctor's whole family came to celebrate with us, and I am so glad they did!! (I just spent a lot of time on my feet and the day after they left I was paying for it!) But it was exactly what my sweetheart and I pictured when we first walked into our house. I found myself wallowing in the joy of it all. Fabulous people, super space to keep them in, and the time to really love every minute! (plus- talk about beautiful people!)

It was basically a 4 day party, and I'm not gonna lie, while it was dream-a-riffic, it was exhausting!! The standard method of staying up WAY too late, followed by getting up too early with kids is not my daily plan for a reason!

 I'm not complaining, though. I loved laughing with my sisters-in-law, and it was like magic to watch my kids enjoy the time with some uncles. I would be remiss if I didn't also mention the down-right marvelous parents-in-law who love and lead our herd with finness and seemingly effortless skill. SO wonderful.....truth be told, there were tears when it was all through.

It's Fall, and I'm Freezing!

I hope my blood thickens up soon! The weather is cold here, and I am not handling it well. Constant socks and hoodies, and I still find myself wrapped in a blanket and finding excuses not to move. The thermostat is set at 72, but I think it is a conspiracy.

Since last we met, our oldest monkey was recognized at school for being respectful. It is a monthly 'character' /citizenship award, voted by the students. Her teacher called me to invite us to attend, and he said he fully agrees with the classes choice. SO proud of her!
She is doing very well in this new place. She has great friends, and is enjoying school and the 'extended learning' class she get to go to. She is being her usual, enthusiastic, smarty self. I think we'll keep her.

Frosty

The other morning, I woke to the sounds of happy children's voices.

"Snow! Snow!"

The Doctor had mentioned that Flagstaff had recently seen snow, so I was not too surprised that it was now our turn. I was worried, however, because we don't really own snow clothes yet.

My tricky kids overcame that hurdle quite quickly.

Grapes' coat from last year (not really a thick one, but a coat nonetheless)

It is a process

I have to keep reminding myself that moving in and making a house into a home is a process. 

It is not something to be completed in one moment, or even one day or one week. 

(or month or year if we are looking realistically at this)

I have visions of bookshelves and media console/entertainment units. I picture bar stools and rugs, paintings and pillows. I imagine color where beige reigns supreme. 

Sadly, the world of retail in this tiny rural town has not seen fit to provide the items I imagine. 

(or not at a price I'm willing to pay, anyway) 

Online shopping, the new bane of my existence, is something I attempt, and abandon in a panic, nearly daily.

I am also hampered by the all-too-familiar not sure where to start, so I don't start at all syndrome.

Instead, daily life is keeping me busy. 

*Doing laundry, while Pencil spends time in the 'house' under the laundry room cabinets.

He has blankets, pillows, books and a flashlight in there. He calls it his room.

Mind the Gap, Part 2

Filling the spaces in between. That is what we are doing today.
Not yet into the new, we are reminiscing about the old.

--Like that time the temperatures climbed to well above comfortable, but we had to have an open-house to try to sell our house. So we piled into a van named Clifford and drove to Mt. Lemon. (remember, here?)

Only this time our car overheated about 1/2 way up and we got to enjoy the view from the side of the road instead.

Like a Cream Pie to the Face*

Hi world, it is us. We're still here!
Where is here, you ask? Well...
HERE is known as limbo. We are currently house-less and chilling in the land of Utah. (A desert, yes, but it has been seeming so delightfully green and lush to my Arizona eyes) Yay for time to hang out with family and while our summer days away.
Sadly, the padre unit is still in Arizona, working his officially employed magic. Officially Employed! (and there is nothing like jumping into the busiest month and busiest weekend of that month to start a career off right! Am I right?) (Also, there is nothing like a 10 year process to lead up that blessed employment, either. Am I right?)
So I am blogging to fill the gap (because we must mind the gap) between the old Arizona days and the new Arizona days to come.
For your viewing pleasure:

Pictures at the park while someone was viewing our house for sale

Absence makes the heart...

Whiting Family- Reporting in. While the Dad is away the kids shall play. (And maybe even pick up?!?)

Since last we met, we have:

Helped Dad pack

Blown through some pants. (Sock had another knee on his pants go as well)

Possibly bitten off more than is chewable in the random project department....

Attended a third grade concert (my Grapes is in gray in the back row)

Dropped an egg- and then NOT cleaned a mess!

Begun our Spring Break in STYLE!

This is my friend J, walking with the kids while I drove my car to her house. How's that for nearly 90 degrees?!? Who needs spring, I ask you?
Not us, apparently. Nope- straight from snowy winter to summer it is!

 I LOVE Pencil's body in this cross the road one. SO cartoon-esqe and true to life!!  (and yes, I was totally parked in the middle of the road to get these shots)  Moms rule the world.

LULLsville

We are officially in the weirdest place of our lives right now. (I don't mean Arizona... I mean time place, not place place. Milwaukee was definitely weirder as far as place goes.... but I digress)

We are waiting. Not the "what will happen?!?" kind of waiting. Just the "what can we do until it's time to DO something?" kind of waiting.

And life is good while we wait. It is slow and uneventful and I feel like it is the lull before the storm.  So I guess this is us, battening down the hatches...


...while being blanket tail mer-people.

...while sharing/fighting over the i-pad. (OH- these faces!)

...while enjoying MORE snow. really?!

...while napping near Legos. (I like the foot propped up. He woke up with his foot asleep)

...AND while celebrating a ninth anniversary of birth. Nine years?!

...while enjoying banana cream pie. Mmmmm.... Pie.....