Adventures From A to Z

On the First Day of Second/Fifth Grade...

2011-07-05T19:23:00.002-05:00

The great thing about moving in August is that you don't have a whole lot of time to sit and pout in your room about not having anyone to play with before school starts. However, it is just enough time to really enjoy your new neighborhood pool that you have passes to! Both AZ3 & AZ4 had to be registered at the new schools and attend orientation nights. He was nervous as we walked the halls of the new place but tried very hard not to show it - only grabbed my hand (his was shaking a bit) as we walked to his classroom. She was not a bit nervous - ready to meet some new friends and start a new adventure!

On the first day of school, they each picked out their outfits the night before (with Mom approval), and got up and ready in a flash! We took the mandatory pictures by the vehicle side mirrors - these are fairly standard heights and a good way to measure height from year to year - and then headed out the door. Each gave me a sweet hug & kiss and bounded out the door. They both came home with great reports - liking their teachers and thinking there was plenty of new friend potential in their classes!

Moving Day!

2011-07-05T18:34:00.003-05:00

So after numerous goodbyes, moving day finally arrived. Since Az1 had already started his new job, he would fly that afternoon back to our old city while the kids and I were at the old house with the movers. They would pack the house that Friday, we would clean and leave Saturday, spend Saturday night as the first night at the new house, and the movers would arrive Monday morning at the new house.

We were very blessed with great movers! I tried to keep them full of cold water (as long as I could), and they were very gracious and patient. The kids did a good job of staying out of their way (as much as they could), and the movers had us packed completely in one day! I was amazed - they are experts at their jobs! After some last-minute playing in the backyard, we picked up Daddy at the airport and checked into a hotel.

The next day, we went back to the old house for a last cleaning burst, and then we were on the road! We waved goodbye to Oklahoma as we crossed the Red River, and were glad to be back in Texas. We arrived at our new house late in the evening - around 11pm or so. Fortunately we only had one day without our "stuff", as the movers arrived right on time Monday morning!

Happy Birthday Lady Bug!

2011-07-05T17:52:00.002-05:00

This year for her birthday, she proclaimed that she wanted a zoo party. Since we were under a time crunch, we opted not for the big city zoo, but one about 45 minutes from our house - The Little River Zoo. She was excited, and we would have family in that weekend also. Due to the time crunch, we expected that we wouldn't have a big crowd, but she was okay with that.

This zoo is very small, but the nice part was that we got a personal tour guide. Our little group went around the entire zoo with an employee, who not only told us the animals and their names, but also their favorite foods, habits, etc. It was very intimate and cozy, and I'm sure would have been much more fun had it not been around 105 that afternoon.

The best part was that the kids got to pet several animals at the conclusion of the tour. They were allowed to step in with the kangaroos, and pet a tortoise/a porcupine (not the business end!)/a goat/and a really fuzzy bunny. Except for the heat, everyone had a great time, and Az4 got her wish for a zoo party!

One Last Hurrah

2011-07-05T16:41:00.002-05:00

After figuring out some moving details, I decided to take the kids and their friends to the zoo one last time. Az4's class was organized by their teacher for a summer day trip there anyway, so I decided to bring along the other two, plus a friend each. We would all walk around with the class and enjoy a great day!

We met up with the first grade class and teacher, and then we were off! It was a bit of a handful trying to keep up with the class plus my crew, but it was well worth it to see the smiles on my kids' faces to spend time with their friends! The animals were out before it really got hot, so we got to see several up close and personal: lions, bears, even the prairie dogs!

After a couple of hours, we broke off from the class and played in the water area to cool off for a bit, and then it was time to head home. Everyone had a great day!

Then the craziness started...

2011-01-02T21:14:00.002-06:00

Most of you know that we have a very eventful life to begin with. Just when I thought we were settling into a new house, it all got crazier! We had been in the house for a little over 2 weeks when Az1 got the call that he would have an interview for a promotion. One that would involve a move back to Texas. Then after that interview, he got the call that he would have a face-to-face interview for that position. Then came the call that he got it - and we were moving. And he would need to report to his new position in three weeks. As in the week after our Ladybug's birthday. So we started praying and watching and waiting - and let's just be honest, I'm not very good at that. We also had to talk to our landlord, but just trusted that the Lord would take care of all of our details.

We discovered that it was going to end up that Az3 was going to Kids' Camp with church the exact days we would be looking for a house in our new town. We had done some research into the area and determined which school district we really really wanted to be in, so we started working with a realtor in the area looking for rentals. We put Az3 on the bus for camp with much prayer, and got on the road. We ended up looking at 6-7 houses and put an offer in on the last one we saw. While we were working on that, the Lord was working on Mr. Az3's heart, and he called us one night to say that he had asked Jesus to come into his heart and be his Lord and Savior! I cried on the phone - been praying for that boy (as I know many of you have!) for many years now.

What I loved about the way the Lord worked out all the details was His timing - the next weekend was our Ladybug's birthday (Az4), and we already had some family coming in for that party. After speaking with our pastor and explaining the situation, we were able to have Az3 baptized that Sunday morning with everyone still in town to see it. Great is our Lord and worthy of praise!

July 4th, 2010

2011-01-02T20:59:00.003-06:00

July 4th this year was totally different for the Hubby and I. We had already arranged for the kids to spend the long weekend at my parents' house, before we had ever thought about moving. (Looking back on the summer, I can see how the Lord already had arranged for us to have the kids away to allow us to have time alone and to work on the moves and the details!) The weekend before was our local fireworks show at the park across the street from our church. We had thought about not going, but ended up there after all. It was a great time! We parked at the church, and then had out our camping chairs to watch the show across the street. We saw a ton of our friends there, and the kids loved it as usual!

The actual July 4th weekend found us at a friend's house (my Mary Kay lady's) near a lake. We were thrilled - just hanging with good friends! Unfortunately the weather turned south on us at the last minute, but we still had a good time. It was more like fall weather - cool, misty/rainy, and we never got in the lake. We had a blast though, just relaxing and being there sans kiddos. Plus, we did head back into town and went to another friends' house for the night of the 4th. There, fireworks are legal in the city limits, and it is craziness! It literally looks like a warzone with all the smoke - you can't see across the street. Neighbors try to outdo eachother, and you hear the explosions almost continuously from dusk until the cutoff at eleven. I shot off my first Roman candle, and managed not to hurt anyone or anything! What a blast! (literally!)

Swimming Lessons

2010-07-10T22:31:00.002-05:00

The weekend after VBS, we moved in the same neighborhood...down the street and around the corner. This way, the kids will go to the same school, but we gain a 4th bedroom (necessary for 3 kids, 2 of which are girls!) The following week, I had signed the kids up for swimming lessons (thanks Grammy & Papa!), to ensure we got out of the house each day.

Lessons are designated by ability, not age level. Az3 was a Dolphin, as he could do everything. That class worked on perfecting different strokes, as well as swimming with his face in the water. He passed the class easily, and is even more comfortable in the water now.

Az4 was a Starfish, and she did well also. Her class worked on swimming with your arms and legs (at the same time!) as well as just overall comfort in the water. She passed her class easily, and is now jumping in as often as we'll let her.

Az5 made the most progress this year. She was in the top Preschool class, without parents, and worked hard on putting her face in the water comfortably but also moving in the water then. Her teacher told me that she has learned all she can from the preschool level, and needs to move on up to the first children's level lessons. Yippee!

VBS 2010 - Saddle Ridge Ranch

2010-07-10T22:06:00.003-05:00

June means it's time for Vacation Bible School at our church. This is just one of the many many things our church does so well - so very well organized, the members come out in numbers to help, etc. I taught again this year, as by doing so our youngest gets to go.

The theme this year was Saddle Ridge Ranch - Rounding up questions, Driving home answers. The theme verse was James 1:5 - "If any of you lack wisdom, he should ask God, Who gives generously and without condemnation to all..." Love it!! Each day had a different theme that related to this - God has a plan for me so I can ask Him about things that happen, etc. Plus, how can you go wrong with a theme that involves cowboy boots and horses?

I taught 2nd/3rd grade crafts. I really enjoy this, as I get to see the kids each day, plus my lesson plans are already laid out for me - easy peasy! I had some friends help me this year as well - Jessica (a fellow PDO teacher), Lisa (our neighbor across the street), and Lacey (a daughter of a fellow PDO teacher). The pictures are of some of the rooms that were decorated - these teachers here go all out! Our room has the horse corral and a familiar-looking Land Run conestoga. ;)

The best part of VBS was that my oldest was asked to be part of the student-led worship team for the opening and closing ceremonies each day. He agreed and loved it! All of our kids loved the songs, and we still get requests to listen to the CD occasionally. Overall, a great week spent doing Kingdom business!

June...

2010-07-10T21:39:00.003-05:00

June started off with the girls' ballet recital. That was an adventure (okay more of an ordeal for some of us!) but still a treasured memory, nonetheless. Both girls have taken ballet at the same place this year, a Christian school in the "city". We have loved it! They are receiving the same high-quality instruction as Big Sister got back in Texas, but in a school where everything (music choices, costume choices, etc) is done in a Christ-centered environment. The interesting thing is that Big Sister was on year 3 this year of ballet, and she seems to be not as interested now. This was Little Sister's first year, and she continues to twirl around the living room even now, and insist that you call her Clara from the Nutcracker.

I'm going to try and post videos from the dress rehearsals. Az5 is dancing to "God Bless All the Little Children", and I got weepy during her performance. She smiled so big and was so pleased and proud to be dancing. Az4 is dancing to "America the Beautiful" and enjoyed her performance...to a point. She had to wait too long backstage and had a meltdown right before she went on, to the point of almost not getting to dance. But she pulled it together, thanks to another older girl who hugged her and reassured her it was okay to be nervous. Az4 told me later she was soooooooooo glad she had gone ahead and danced - she "would have been really mad at myself if I hadn't!" I was very proud of her, and proud of how she tried so hard to do it all just right. Yes, I was weepy during her performance too!

Of Motorcycles and Moms...

2010-07-10T21:23:00.003-05:00

I have to start this post by confessing that I have never ridden a motorcyle. Never. in. my. life. I would love to.

For the older kids in Awanas, our church had an end-of-year memory verse blitz, and if you memorized so many verses, you could earn a motorcycle ride with our FaithRiders. (These are a super cool group of peeps that ride hogs, and use that to witness to others about Jesus. Did I mention they are super cool? Oh yeah!) So my oldest was the only one age-wise that could qualify, and he worked sooooooooo very hard to get all of the required verses in. I think he may have squeaked one in on the last day even, but hey, he did it! I was very proud of him.

Well the night they were supposed to ride, there were literally tornadoes and thunderstorms all around our city....as in didn't rain a drop on us, but they were north/south/east of us. So they rescheduled the event to a Sunday night, and he was so excited! I think he honestly only "earned" one ride, but nobody was really enforcing that. I personally counted 3 rides that he went on, thanks to Mr. Randy! He loved it! He's ready to buy his own, except for that pesky little detail of needing a license and money....

(PS I hope the video works for everyone. Let me know if it doesn't. I know the quality isn't that great, and yes, there's something on the lens, but it's on the inside and we can't get it out. However, he's on the first motorcycle that comes into view.)

May...

2010-07-10T20:39:00.002-05:00

The first weekend in May was crazy busy for us - but it was wonderful and I wouldn't have traded a minute of it! We had family in town, and to start the weekend off, my dad/brother/I all ran the Austism 5K downtown. What fun! My brother came in with the serious hardcore runners (I think 24th in the whole thing), and I came in about halfway, with my dad coming in at one of his best times as well. I finished right ahead of the Navy guys - meaning they all ran in formation, changing whomever was leading carrying the flag, running in cadence. I found the gentleman that seemed to be the officer in charge later and told him what an honor it was to run with them....then I noticed they were not running with an American flag, but with the "Don't Tread on Me" flag. ;)

The reason the whole family (and I mean whole! My parents, Az1's parents, my sister and daughter, and my brother) was in town was because Az3 and Az4 were both in the children's musical at church. Az4 had a nice solo and she did a great job as usual. Even more exciting was that Az3 had one of the lead parts! I was so proud of him....he worked hard learning his lines, trying to get inflection down, and remembering what he was supposed to do on stage. It was a great little show!

April...

2010-07-10T20:30:00.003-05:00

was the month for the big 4th grade Land Run re-enactment! Oh my goodness - it was so very exciting, especially for those of us that have been waiting so long to do this as a big kid! We had to build a Conestoga wagon from our little red wagon that we take to the zoo, and that was definitely a Mommy project the night before. (I really can live the rest of my life without ever running into that much burlap again!)

The teachers have done a great job on making this so much fun for the kids, and a huge learning experience in the process! They must wear clothing appropriate to the time era, as well as bring an appropriate lunch - no plastic, fried chicken/sandwiches, fresh fruit, no processed chips or anything, as well as in a tin pail and with a tin cup. Then they are divided up into family groups, with "chores" for everyone as soon as they reach their land plot. My son even got to be a sheriff and before the run, had to go arrest some sooners that had tried to start early. Once they reach their land, each family had to rope their section off, set up camp, and even register with the "land office". I was so super impressed - the teachers have really gotten this down to a fine art, and everyone had a blast!

Easter 2010

2010-07-10T19:53:00.002-05:00

Easter dawned a beautiful morning that day! We usually try and coordinate our new Easter duds, and this year was no exception. We got up and enjoyed a wonderful service at church. We have been so blessed to have a church home where the people are great, but even more importantly, the Word of God is preached without compromise. This means the worship services are designed the same way - no compromise, to lead people closer to the throne of Grace. After the service, we had a friend snap a quick picture of us all, and we went home to lunch.

After lunch, and a great long nap!, we gave the kids their Easter baskets from us. Then we hid eggs for the kids out in the front yard. I think this may have been the last year for our oldest to hunt eggs and enjoy it, and I'll take it! Last year, I came up with a new way to eliminate arguing over which egg was whose - the oldest has sports eggs, the middle one has fairy eggs, and the youngest has animal eggs. Ta da! Brilliant, I tell ya! It was cute to watch them have fun and help eachother find all their eggs.

March...

2010-07-10T19:28:00.002-05:00

March was busy! We started out by going to the big city car show. Everyone enjoys this one - even us girls that aren't "into" cars. It's just fun to walk around and ooooh and aaaah over the new shiny cars there. We don't believe in any debt for any reason any more in our family, so the price tags become particularly interesting from that viewpoint. Everyone was wowed by the new Jag, but especially the new Camaro...with the Bumblebee emblem! I had to be pulled away from the new minivans, which look really sharp and have tons of new fun features.

We also went to my parents' house over Spring Break, as my dad had just had a BIG birthday. Everyone showed up and surprised him, and it was so nice - it had been at least 2 years since we had everyone together. (Everyone means my parents, my group of 5, my brother, my sister and her crew of 3, my aunt, and even our great aunt.) 13people in one house is a lot of fun and works best with at least 3 bathrooms, I promise! While I don't have any pictures I can post here, we did head to a studio to have some pictures done, and they all turned out great - all 50 million of them!

February...

2010-07-10T19:14:00.004-05:00

Let's see if I can get this thing a bit more caught up....One of the big things that happened in February was the Daddy/Daughter dance our community center sponsored. We had heard from friends that it was THE thing to do, so we got tickets for Daddy and our girls.

First, we had to get ready. Each girl got a bath, as well as hair dried and in curlers. Plus, we had to do their nails....all in a coordinating color of pink to their dresses! Then they had a bite to eat, and got dressed. You have never seen such primping I promise! It was as fun for me as it was for them. Then Daddy got home, and he put on his suit with matching tie of course! He had matching corsages for each girl as well. After some mandatory pictures, they left with much pomp and circumstance.

The evening was well put together. They had a professional picture done, and danced to everything from "The Twist" to the "Macarena"....plus plenty of sweet slow songs for Daddies to teach their little girls to dance to. I can't tell you who had the most fun....Daddy or his girls! :)

Our Little Get-Away...

2010-01-09T15:54:00.002-06:00

Over Labor Day, we went down to the SE corner of the state to a state park that apparently no one ever goes to, except for people out of state. We had a wonderful time, just camping and being together as the 5 of us. We left early on Friday morning, as the campsites are first come, first serve, and we wanted to be sure and get a good one. We ended up not 50 yards from the river - perfect! The kids loved being able to go throw rocks any time they wanted, plus we always had visitors - the river flowed down to us from the boat shack upstream. I lost count on how many tubers/canoers/kayaks we saw.

The weather was great the whole time we were there too - got a little chilly at night, but nothing to worry about. The water in the river was another matter - we tried to go to the swimming beach and lasted less than 30 minutes. That was COLD! We had a few storms pop up that got close, but managed to swing around us and not interrupt our activities. The great thing was that where we were staying was a river just below another state park where the dam was, creating a huge lake. The list of things to do were endless!

We drove around one day and looked at the lay of everything, and got out to walk around at some interesting spots. We also hiked up a mountain one afternoon - not quite our intention when we started out, but we thought the trail looked fun. After following all the blue diamonds outlined in white on the trees, it ended up being a 5-mile trail from start to finish. Everyone finished it, which was fun, but tiring. We did get a great picture up at the top though!

It was such a nice time, just to be together and outdoors in God's world as a family. The only real world thing we did was to watch The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe outside on the big screen with the ranger one night. The kids had never seen it, and AZ3 and I had worked on reading it together over the summer, so that was fun. Plus, they had a huge nice grassy area for us to stretch out on next to the office. It was fun sitting there, counting lightning bugs while we waited, and we could hear the owls in the cages near the office (they are all for educational classes and are injured) hooting to the wild owls in the forests nearby.

On Sunday, we drove into Arkansas and up to Ft. Smith. We stayed one night and had a blast there too. The kids really enjoyed looking at all of the historical buildings and recreations and exhibits around there - I was impressed. I think they would enjoy a trip like that to the East Coast sometime also - seeing Revolutionary and Civil War places. The most moving part for my husband and I was the national cemetary there - it is 1 of only 2 in the nation to have Confederate and Union soldiers in the same cemetary. We were very moved to see those graves, plus the most recent ones from soldiers giving their all in the current wars, plus the WWI and WWII markers. A good reminder that Freedom is not free.

How the Vaccuum Vanquished the Wasp

2009-09-08T13:43:00.002-05:00

I hate bugs. Really and truly, I could live without ever seeing or having to dispose of most of them. I know, they are the Lord's creation, and I look forward to seeing their perfected forms one day when the new earth comes. But until then, I really hate most of them (not all), especially the buzzing and stinging ones. So know that what follows really really reallly freaked me out.

I locked my keys in the house one day, and had to throw a brick through the girls' window to get back in. We put up some boards over the window - one on the outside and one on the inside - to keep out cold/moisture, etc, until we could get it fixed. One of our wonderful Sunday school friends volunteered to fix it for us, and we didn't set a date, but thought that would work just fine. Well, that weekend, the kids and I were home alone that night, and I had just gotten everyone bathed. The girls came running into the kitchen, distraught that there was a wasp in their bedroom. I ran in there, and sure enough, it was buzzing behind the blinds. I put the kids in our son's bedroom, with orders not to come out until I got them - I really didn't have a clue how I was going to get rid of that thing, but wanted to be sure I was the only one in harm's way. I started praying, and then noticed I had the vaccuum in their room already. I put the hose attachment together (which is about 3 feet long) and prepared for battle. After turning it on, raising the blinds, and praying some more, I sucked up the wasp the first try!!!! I was so proud and soooooooooo thankful - I never even got near the thing! Plus I could show the kids it was buzzing around in the bottom of the vaccuum. Well, after getting 2 more that way over the next day, we called our friend, and he came over Monday to fix the window for us. He started on the inside, pulled off the first board, and hollered for me - there was a HUGE nest there!!!! I almost passed out - that is my horror of horrors!! Especially in the girls' room - it was almost as big as my fist. I showed him how to use the vaccuum to get the remaining live ones (3 more....), and he quickly removed the nest and fixed the window. (Micah, I'm forever grateful!!) I took these pictures with my phone, so you can see how close it was to Az5's bed....UGH!! I still get shudders when I think about it. We now are the proud owners of wasp spray too...lol!

Brother Went to Camp

2009-09-08T13:38:00.002-05:00

I know summer's officially over, but I'm still trying to catch up from summer on here....

This year, our son was old enough to go to church camp. Quite a big deal in our house - he'd never been away from us this long before except with family. He had a blast!! He went with our church's 3rd-5th graders to a state-wide camp, and our church had the biggest group go. He loved it - archery, fishing, b-b guns, sports, swimming his guts out - all the things a little boy loves to do over the summer. Plus, each night they had great worship and Bible study time. He was in a family group with several of his friends from Sunday School, and Mr. George was their leader. (And we love Mr. George!!) He did go down during decision time the last night, and talked with a counselor about what it means to ask Jesus into his heart, but did not make a decision. I asked him about it later, and he said he just wasn't ready yet. I was pleased that he was listening to the Lord speaking to his heart. And boy oh boy were we glad to have him home on Friday!

Happy Birthday Ladybug!

2009-08-15T21:20:00.002-05:00

Az4 turned six on July 25, if you can believe that. I'm not sure I do. We had her birthday at the local community swimming pool - just perfect in her words! We invited her kindergarten class and our neighborhood friends, and had just enough show up for all kinds of good fun!

The kids went swimming for a while, and then we had cupcakes, plus the pool provided drinks and ice cream. After that, she opened presents, and everyone swam some more. We had reserved the party during open swim, and it ended up being the "Midnight Swim" night - meaning our guests got in free for our party, and could stay literally until midnight to swim under the stars if they wanted! We stayed an hour after the party ended and then went home. Everyone had a wonderful time, she felt like a queen on her special day, and we didn't have to pick up our house! Everyone wins! :)

The Head Injury

2009-08-15T20:57:00.002-05:00

Some of you have asked for a more detailed explanation of the head injury this week, so here you go....

I was in my room changing clothes Tuesday morning, and the kids were in the living room watching their absolute favorite morning cartoon. I heard a HUGE thump! and then Az3 started screaming. I ran in there and found him laying on the floor with his head in his hands screaming. I asked him several times what happened, and he didn't acknowledge me. (His sister then chimed in with "He fell Mama and his head hit the floor and his feet weren't under him"....or something to that effect.) I then asked Az3 to look at me and again no response - like he wasn't even in the same room as me. I really got scared and started clapping my hands right in front of his nose (he should have been flinching) and yelling at him to look at me, and still no response. Finally after a good two full minutes, it's like he "snapped out of it" or something, looked at me and focused, and then said "Mama! my head hurts so bad!" and started crying again.

It took probably 5-10 minutes to get him calmed down, and then I checked his head and found a small bump on his left temple but nothing else. I had him go to the kitchen and got him some breakfast to eat as well as some Tylenol. He had a really hard time eating - I had to force him, and he continued to cry how badly his head hurt off and on. Once he had enough that the Tylenol wouldn't make him sick, he went to his room to lay down. After about 30 minutes, he ran to the bathroom and started vomiting. I got on the phone (with my Mom and MIL) to our Pediatrician's office, and she said that with the vomiting and the confusion he needed to go to the ER and get checked out - possibly a cat scan also.

I got everyone in the car and took the girls to a friends' house from church. (They thought they were getting to have a playdate and were fine.) We went to a local hospital recommended by the Pediatrician and went into the ER. Initially, the guy checking us in said he thought it was nothing to be concerned over, but we would get to see a doctor. After putting us back in the waiting room for an hour, we got into an exam room, and then saw a wonderful doctor. She put him through some paces, and said he definitely needed a cat scan, as she saw the confusion (at this point he was not able to follow some of her simple directions still) and the vomiting as red flags. So we had a cat scan shortly after that, which came back blessedly clear, thank you Lord! After that, the doctor wanted him to drink some juice to see if he could keep anything down, and when he could for 20 minutes, we were discharged.

On the way home, we were about 2 blocks away, when suddenly Az3 said "Mom pull over - I'm gonna be sick again!" and he profusely vomited all of that juice back up. I called the ER back, and the dr that saw us said to come back immediately, and that he would probably need to be admitted for overnight observation. Since we were 2 blocks from home, I stopped in real quick and threw together a couple of bags for each of us. (If we were going to stay, we were going to be comfortable!) We got back up to the ER and were checked back in. When we got back to the room, the same nurse that had seen us the first time asked why we were back - by that time, the first dr that had treated him was gone for the day. I explained what she had said, and the nurse frowned but said "okaaaaaaayyyyyy....."

We had a new dr this time, and he looked over Az3 again, and said that yes, the continued vomiting was a concern, but he still thought we had a chance of not being admitted for the night. We tried a gel medicine on Az3's wrists (which was super cool!) and it took effect immediately. His biggest problem became whether or not he would get to finish watching Star Wars before we left. ;) After that, we stayed another hour (to ensure we could keep the juice down this time!) and finally got home that night around 8pm.

The next day he was on bedrest, and our neighbors across the street became lifesavers! We borrowed 8 or so movies from them, and he stayed in bed most of the day and watched them. However, he was feeling so good around supper time, I let him get up and eat with us. After dinner, we all hung out in the living room watching a movie, and when it was over, I offered the kids ice cream. He refused, and then ran to the bathroom and was sick again. Apparently he had been wrestling with his sisters while we were getting the ice cream ready! UGH! So on day 3 of the saga, he was on bedrest again, and I threatened him with "BIG bad trouble" if he did anything other than lay down. He did fine, and we haven't had any problems since. He's still not able to run or do anything "vigorous" or winding until Tuesday, but I'm okay with that, as he'll be ready for school to start on Thursday. He is expected to make a full recovery now, and I'm glad to just put this all behind us.

VBS 2009

2009-07-08T13:53:00.003-05:00

We had sooooooooooo much fun at VBS this year! Az5 got to go, since I was a teacher, and had her own class. Az3 and Az4 each had their own classes, and it was great to see them doing their own thing each day. I taught 4/5 grade crafts, and it was really nice. (Hint hint Faye, I would do that again...lol!)

Our theme was The Boomerang Express - It All Comes Back to Jesus, and our church had a magnificent stage - the locomotive even blew steam out its smoke stack! The kids loved singing the songs and doing the motions, and were always excited to go to their classes. (Except Az5 on the last day, but we were all tired then...) My kids were great - we had prayed over our classroom and hallways the Sunday before it started, so what did you expect? ;) ) and we had really good crafts to do as well: rain stick, boomerang, ABCs of salvation bracelet, stepping stones, and bandannas.

Thursday night, we had a Family Night - everyone came back up to church around 6 for food, jumpers for the kids, touring the classes, a small worship service, and the coolest little animal show. A local place had brought in some animals from Australia, and they did a great job of tying the animals to our theme as well as to the lessons the kids had learned during VBS. Overall, I think it was probably one of the best VBS' we have ever been to, and I am so thankful for a church that thinks VBS is important as well as all the people that helped - especially with my kiddos!

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-08T13:27:00.002-05:00

This year we went to GrandMommy and GranDaddy's house, from Thursday night until Monday afternoon. We had a blast! We truly swam our guts out all day Friday and Saturday there, but the weather didn't cooperate on Sunday. That ended up being better anyways - we were all so tired, I don't think we could have enjoyed another day in the pool!

My mom cooked her usual gourmet meals while we were there: cornbread with blackeyed peas and fried okra, grilled steaks with mashed potatoes, and then of course we just had to force ourselves to eat leftovers on Sunday! We had a blast with our illegal sparklers in their backyard on the 4th, and really enjoyed watching the New York city and Boston fireworks shows on TV - but have to confess that Boston's was better - better music and just better fireworks overall.

We were so excited to see our friends and family while we were there too! I got to see a good friend from work days at lunch on Friday, at one of my faves - Rosa's! Yum....getting hungry just thinking about it. :) Plus Cousin Scott and his wife Lanissa came over that afternoon - she is so cute and preggers now. (And we're thankful that their ultrasound on Tuesday not only showed them what they wanted to see but that Little Fitz is healthy too!) We also visited our old church on Sunday morning - being a holiday not a lot of people were there, but we were so blessed to see old friends and hug some necks. Plus, Sunday night we went over to our very good friends' house to play and run around and pop "big" firecrackers. The kids were so cute - they oooohed and aaahhhed appropriately all night long!

My Dental Vacation

2009-07-01T12:40:00.002-05:00

So, I went to the dentist in April, and I had to have a really icky root canal done on one of my molars. (Long story short: we went 7-8 yrs w/o dental insurance and thus didn't see a dentist, and now I am in payback mode...) My dentist said I needed to see a root canal specialist, an endodontist, and so I started searching for one. Not a single one where we live. So I searched my parents' neck of the woods. Nada. Zip. My options came up to seeing my brother, sister, or my in-laws. I chose them because neither my sister or brother really have the space for me and the kids to invade like we would need to for this trip.

So we then decided to hit my parents' house and stay a couple of nights on our way to Grammy and Papa's for the actual appointments. It is only 15-16 hours if we didn't stop...We were there for my mom's birthday which was nice, and it really helped to break up the trip - especially their swimming pool!

We had a great time at Grammy and Papa's house too. The endodontist there was superb!! I'd go again to him if he'd just move his office closer. ;) We played at a park one day, went swimming at the country club one day, and even got to see Uncle JD one day too. Then we drove back home, stopping again at GrandMommy's house for a night, and we were all sooooooooo glad to be home by the time we got back. (Even though we really had a blast! We were gone for 8 days...)

Somebody is a big girl now!

2009-07-01T12:20:00.002-05:00

While we were gone on my "dental" vacation, Az5 decided to give up the paci. This was a BIG deal, as she was previously sleeping with 2 - one in the hand, one in the mouth. I'd never replaced them, and so right before we left, she threw one away of her own accord - it was "yucky"....translation: she had chewed a hole in it and couldn't suck on it any more. So, after we got to Grammy's house, she tried to throw the other one away. I told her to wait and give it to the B Fairy (thank you Supernanny!) and she agreed.

That night, while she didn't really give it to the B Fairy, she went to bed without asking for it. So the B Fairy came anyway, took the "B" (for Binky...) back to B land, and left her a new big Groovy Girls doll that she can sleep with instead. She was sooooo excited to open it, and find that the doll has her own sleeping bag.

Now she did ask for the B back a few times later on the trip, but my reply was that I didn't have it to give to her - the B Fairy had taken it. So her reply was,"Just go to the store and get me a new one please." LOL! Such a smarty pants! We didnt', and while she now doesn't seem to be terribly thrilled with the doll, she hasn't asked for the B since we got home.

Ladybug, Ladybug, Fly Away Home

2009-07-01T10:38:00.002-05:00

So for the unitiated, Az4's nickname has always been The Bug...specifically our Ladybug. In May, our local gardens downtown had their annual ladybug release day, and since Az3 and Az5 were still in school, I took her to this that morning before school. It was our last date for Kindergarten, which made it even more special, as she'll be in school all day next year. (And no, I'm not ready for that!)

We got everyone else to their spots and arrived a few minutes late - I was worried that all the ladybugs would have already been released. Oh no! They only had 5000 for the public to release, and they were all in the little cups like you get condiments in at Rosa's or some restaurant, about 20 to a cup. Needless to say, there were plenty! We each picked up a cup, and wandered around - there were a lot of people there, especially a lot of strollers, and we wanted to find a spot where we could watch our little ladies go. It was so cute! She opened the lid and they burst out - but all over her! She giggled, and we both had a great time making sure we got them on plants and not us, plus we wandered around the garden for a few minutes, seeing all the other gazillion ladybugs that had been released. Such a sweet and special day for her and Mommy! :)

Blog changes coming!

2009-06-23T22:07:00.002-05:00

Just a quick heads up: I'm going to be changing some things around here...

*If you read my blog regularly, please sign up under the Followers tool on the left - I'd love to know who reads my rants. ;)

*Redesign coming! Been checking out several blogs of family and friends....expect new colors and prettiness! lol...

*I may play with the safety/restrictions level on here - potentially considering making it private, so only those that I have given permission to can read it...especially now with Facebook friends showing up. Just want to be sure we have put in precautions for us and the kids...plus that would free me to post more and not have to be so anonymous....

I'll let you know!

Vacation Part 2...

2009-06-23T21:01:00.004-05:00

So the next day was Wednesday, and Daddy and I decided to escape for the day. After all, we have celebrated our tenth anniversary this year! Time for just some us time...with a HUGE thank-you to Grammy and Papa!! :)

We drove up to LA, which was an experience in itself - driving up the coast was amazing, and let's just say that I had previously never been through a customs checkpoint before. Now I can say that I have been.... We went to Knott's Berry Farm and had a ever-loving blast!!! We rode roller coasters all day as we're both fans of the biggest, fastest, craziest ones you can find. I loved the one that shot you out at 60mph and went straight up and down, and Daddy loved the wooden one with all its shakes and shivers. We loved the shows there too - from the saloon couple (I even had a sasparilla!) to the authentic Indian storytelling experience (which gave us both goosebumps) to the fun Snoopy and gang show. Which brings me to the only low point of the trip - I lost the digital camera at Knotts! DOH!!!!

The next day we went to the San Diego zoo, and it is still just awesome, in case you were wondering. We started at the Sea Lion show (per Miss Az5's request - she was hung up on them all trip long)and walked all over that crazy zoo. And it's not small either! The kids loved all the birds and the bears and especially the arctic exhibit - with reindeers and polar bears. Here was one instance where the cooler weather worked in our favor - the animals were all out lounging around and comfortable. We were even able to see the new elephant exhibit that had opened the week prior and loved it!! They have done a great job putting together animals there that go together and the elephants have a gi-normous area now to wander around in and show off. Of course we saw the Pandas (for me!) and rode the bus around, which was sooooooo nice as little legs started faltering. At the end of the day we rode the sky trams back to the parking lot and declared it a wonderful time!

The last day of vacation, we kept it pretty low-key and stayed there at the property. We walked on the beach for a bit, went and saw Night at the Museum 2 (loved it!) and had Smore's that night on the beach. Too much fun! The next day we dropped Grammy and Papa off at the airport early and then headed to the Children's Beach in La Jolla. After some serious meandering we finally found it - it is a spot where you can get within 10 feet of almost 200 harbor seals. The kids loved it!

(pictures are view out of our room, kids flying kites while we were at Knotts's and the zoo)

Vacation

2009-06-23T20:24:00.004-05:00

This year we went with Grammy and Papa to San Diego. Daddy and I were really excited, as we had been 2 years ago but the kids had not. We ended up staying in Oceanside - about 45 minutes north of San Diego proper - and were right on the Oceanside pier. It was fabulous! The weather was almost chilly while we were there - just a bit windy but highs only in the upper 70s the whole time. This made the water temps around 68 or so - not ideal for playing at the beach, but bearable for a few minutes.

The Cabrillo tidepools were first on our list (Daddy and I had only seen them briefly at the end of our last visit and wanted to be sure and take the kids.) We had a blast!! The kids loved finding the crabs in the crevices and watching to see when the next waves would hit, since we came right after low tide.

The next day was Memorial Day, and we had family over. Daddy's aunt and uncle came from downtown San Diego, his cousins came down from LA, and the cousins from Wyoming that were in for a UCSD graduation came over as well. What fun - almost 10 kids around to eat with and then play with on the beach! I don't have any cousins, so I love being able to get together with Daddy's l.a.r.g.e extended family. :)

The next day we went to Legoland, which was awesome! Our kids were the perfect ages for this - it's really designed for younger kids with just a few things for older kids. They loved the jousting ride, the aqarium there (which I didn't think was all that and a bag of chips, but whatever!), but the best thing of all was the "Dragon" ride. It's a pretty good little roller coaster - think basic, fairly fast with no loops, but just some ups and downs and turns - and even Miss Az5 got on there - TWICE! :)

Have You Ever Eaten Ostrich Eggs?

2009-06-23T20:03:00.002-05:00

I can say I have now! Our zoo here has an annual fundraiser at the beginning of May where tickets get you breakfast, zoo admission, and entrance to the Sea Lion show. We all went and enjoyed all the pancakes, waffles, and ostrich egg omelettes we could stuff in ourselves. (And of course it poured all during breakfast, but then cleared up.)

We had a blast that day at the zoo - we hadn't really been since the year before. We loved the sealion show, exploring every nook and cranny of the zoo, and finding the albino peacock. Yep, you read that right - our zoo has an albino peacock, and he is gorgeous! Daddy wasn't able to get a picture of him with his feathers all spread out, but still he was amazing. A zookeeper walked by and mentioned that the albino is the Daddy of all the peacocks they have there at the zoo (about 10-12) and is exceptionally rare.

AZ4 Got Baptized

2009-06-11T13:46:00.004-05:00

So back in February, our oldest daughter (Az4) got baptized. Understand, our belief is that not every one gets baptized - only when someone has accepted Jesus' free gift of salvation as the only way to Heaven. So since she accepted Jesus into her heart in November, we (Mom and Dad) went through the church's little book to be sure she understood her decision, and then she was ready for the next baptism night in February. Our church does a great job of this whole process - ensuring the candidate understands why baptism is important and what it means, showing them when and where it will be, and even having scores of people there to help that night. She was soooooo excited, and we got to church that night early, and got her dressed in her swimsuit, over which she wore loose shorts and a dark shirt. (Everyone wears a dark shirt, which just looks nice for continuity's sake from the sanctuary.) The church lets everyone tape a brief testimony that is played during the service, before your group goes up to be baptized. She stated that she was 5 and in Kindergarten, and she was praying by her parents' bed when she asked Jesus into her heart. The video says the rest....I was very proud of myself - only a few happy sweet tears that night.

Howdy back!

2009-06-11T13:36:00.001-05:00

So I'm trying to play catch-up once again, due in part to being on Facebook like the rest of the world and updating life there. While you're waiting for me to get my act together, here's a beautiful/marvelous/uplifting link - you need to watch the WHOLE thing - it made me laugh and cry. (Thanks to my Heavenly Father who knows just what I need when I need it!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXut0HxncvY&feature=related

The Ice Storm...

2009-01-26T20:41:00.002-06:00

We are currently in our first real ice storm here. The temperature hasn't risen above 25 degrees since yesterday, and it started drizzling and then raining today. More expected tonight, and we got the call today at 4:30pm that school is cancelled tomorrow. Woo-hoo!! :) We stocked up on firewood and water, just in case. (You know that means we won't lose power at all now...) The kids are excited - Az5 is at Grammy and Papa's house this week, so they can play games tomorrow without any interruptions.

Update on the house

2009-01-23T22:02:00.002-06:00

The Lord has been so good and gracious to us. We have accepted the offer, even while it was lower than our asking price. The couple has since waived their option period as well as their right to terminate the contract. They have also accepted our inspection of the property, and the house passed the termite inspection.

What does this mean? It means that they are more than likely not going to ask for us to make any repairs and the big thing is that.....

WE MAY CLOSE NEXT FRIDAY. Can you believe this?!? I have prayed that God would allow our house to be a blessing to the buyers, and in this case it is. The gentlemen's first wife died several years ago, and then he remarried four years ago. He and his second wife have been living in the house he lived in for 40 years with his first wife, and our house will be their new start. They are so excited! Also, the Lord has answered our prayers that the negotiation period and closing would go smoothly - can it be any smoother than not negotiating anything? And to close 9 days after the offer?!?

I continue to be amazed at His goodness and mercy and wisdom and perfect planning! :)

WE HAVE AN OFFER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-21T10:18:00.001-06:00

Our realtor just called and we have an OFFER!!!!! on the house we're trying to sell!!!!!! It hasn't even been listed with the new realtor for a full 3 weeks yet - PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!!

Keep us in your prayers - both for wisdom as well as for the Lord to smooth out all bumps and details along the way. I am THRILLED!!!!!!! :)

To Keep Catching Up....

2009-01-20T08:30:00.004-06:00

We have discovered the zoo here. We've only been once so far, but we all loved it and spent the whole day there! It is a really nice zoo, not terribly huge, but with a really good variety of animals - both local as well as exotic. The zoo had just started letting their new snow leopard cubs out for the public to see when we were there, and got to see them as they napped. The zoo doesn't have an aquarium but does have an aquatic area with dolphins and sea lions that we were able to feed that day. The zoo isn't very far from our house - only about 20 minutes - and so our New Year's present to ourselves was a year-long family membership. Now we can all go whenever we want, and it is very nice to be able to go walk around outside and enjoy God's amazing creation! (The first picture is the oldest snow leopard cub, snoozing the day away - you can't see Mama in the picture, but she is on the ledge just above the cub - she wasn't too sure about all the people coming to see her babies.)

My Favorite Upward Moment so far....

2009-01-18T16:49:00.004-06:00

And a few notes for clarification - 1. Az3's in the green jersey on both videos, and the only kid on the court with glasses. 2. The lady in the blue shirt is ref #2 - the other ref is wearing zebra stripes. 3. The court behind Daddy is where our pastor and his oldest son's team is playing (he is the coach), and we play them in a few weeks.

Upward Video #1

2009-01-18T16:26:00.004-06:00

Sorry, but I didn't want to overload the last post. Enjoy! (And these were taken with my digital camera.)

Upward Bound Basketball

2009-01-18T16:04:00.004-06:00

So Az3 is playing Upward Bound basketball this year, and Daddy is his coach. He was sooooooooo excited about this as soon as we found out! We have played two games so far, and the team has done really well.

(For those of you that are unfamiliar with UB bball, here's how it works - it is run through local churches, with parents as referees and coaches. No one keeps score and there are no team rankings. The emphasis is on players learning skill basics as well as how to be a team player. The logo is "every child a winner" - b/c they will win when they realize that God loves them, has made them special, sent Jesus to save them from their sins, and has a wonderful plan for their lives. WE LOVE IT!!)

We're in the 3rd/4th grade division, and only have 7 on the team. We started with 9, but one kid moved and another broke his foot and is out all season. It has been so much fun so far - practice on Thursdays, games on Saturdays. The boys all have memory verses to work on during the week, and then there is a devotion time for everyone during half time of the games.

Pictures are from our first 2 games, so you can see the two jerseys we have. and the videos are to get an idea of what the games are like, as well as our favorite moment so far! :)

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-01T16:21:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year to you!

For my new year, I have several big things I want to accomplish this year - the first is reading through the whole Bible this year (and I have a devotional to help keep me on track), as well as memorizing 2 verses a month. (This is from the LPM blog - let me know if you want more info...) :)

Catch-up Time...

2008-12-30T13:37:00.004-06:00

So moving....was incredibly emotional. My parents helped load up our U-haul, and then we spent that last night in town at my parents' house. Hubby and I drove our car (with the dog in the crate in the back) and my dad drove the Uhaul. My mom and the kids followed later. (There's a funny story there about Dramamine, but I'll share later.)

We arrived at the house, and it is huge!! Almost 700 sq ft more than our previous house, and like I said before, because God is good, almost 1000 sq ft bigger than the first rent house we thought we would live in. (and cheaper still - how amazing is that?!?) It took a while to get things unloaded and what not, but we finally got settled.

Then the next thing was getting everyone ready for school - the older two started school 3 days after we moved. That was done on purpose, because that way they were not sitting around all summer wondering who they could play with. It also helped force us all into a routine quickly. The 2 pictures are from the first day of 3rd grade (sigh!) and the first day of Kindergarten. (yes I cried!) Lil Miss Kindergarten only goes a half-day, but that's what I did, and it works well for our schedule. Az5 goes to a local PDO 5 days a week while I'm working, and she loves it - she has adjusted very well to the new surroundings and schedule too.

A few thoughts about moving...

2008-12-30T13:29:00.002-06:00

So let me just confess before I start any updates that this move has been the biggest emotional wrenching thing I've done in my whole life. It has been harder on me than anyone else in my family - living in the same town almost 30 years (the only place I'd ever known) and then leaving is awful. Hard. And there's just no other way to say it - I think I probably went through a bout of depression over it. Yes, I'll admit to that - there were days when I didn't care what was going on in the world and didn't care to be part of it either. Please understand - I've been through incredibly difficult/hard times in my life before, but I still had my family (extended) around; I still lived in the same place - still walked into the grocery store and knew almost everyone, still went to the same church, still knew how to get any where in town by shortcuts, etc. I still drove by my high school and college on a regular basis. These were all things that comforted me.

Now the Lord had shaken me to the core of who I was, and all I had to lean on was Him and the beautiful family He had provided. While it is a scary thing to have everything in life turned topsy-turvy, the blessing is that HE is enough - He is sufficient! Praise God that He loves me (and my family) enough to not just provide for my salvation but also for my mental well-being. And more than enough for our physical needs and even some wants too! More to come on all of that in future posts...but rest assured, I am now back towards feeling like the "normal" me, a more wholesome me, but wanted you to understand what a life-changing event this move has been for me, more so than anyone else.

Howdy! Happy New Year!

2008-12-30T13:02:00.000-06:00

Been a while since I posted, huh? That's just how life goes I guess... well, I'm going to take the next 15 minutes and see how much I can catch you up on before the muchachos wake up from their naps. :)

WE HAVE A HOUSE!!!!

2008-08-13T20:43:00.002-05:00

I talked to Hubby earlier, and he has house keys!!! (And yes it is the big/cheaper house!) Thank goodness! Now we can go ahead and start moving - moving utilities, moving mail, and moving us! The Uhaul comes on Friday morning.... :)

Update on our Housing (or lack thereof...)

2008-08-12T08:37:00.002-05:00

Good morning! So here's where we stand - the first rent house we had secured we are considering gone. The owners will not return Az1's phone calls, so we have no idea whether or not the other party got them the deposit. At this point we refuse to do business with them anyways. He went over the weekend and saw 3 potentials: 1 duplex that has a small backyard, a small house with a decent backyard, and then a huge house (the one that is double the size) with a huge backyard. We talked a lot over the phone about the pros and cons of this - the huge house requires a year lease. I was not happy - at first. But then I realized this hasn't been my plan to begin with, but His, and I am trusting Him to provide the best for us. So we decided to go ahead and apply for the big rent house. We are waiting for the owner to call us back at this point - he received our application yesterday. (It's just verifying employment, etc, that I think we're waiting on - very standard stuff.) I'm at peace with the year lease, for several reasons. One, we won't be moving the kids around during the school year, which will be very good for them. Also, it totally takes the pressure off of us selling our current house - we can let it sit and just wait. If it doesn't sell until January, we'll be okay. (Obviously not our preference, but we can just wait and hopefully get the price we want.) Also it gives us a huge amount of time to find a new house to buy - we don't have to go with whatever's available either. So I think it really is a good option - I'd just like to hear asap from the owner so we can start switching utilities and forwarding addresses....sigh..... :)

Update...

2008-08-09T09:43:00.002-05:00

Daddy called the rent house people yesterday, and they will not answer his calls now. So we've decided to take that option off the table to keep from getting burned any further. He is going to see a rent duplex today and then a house tomorrow, so hopefully we have something to go with on Monday. At this point, we don't have a place to live still once we get up there, but I'm just trusting God that He will work it out for us. (The place Daddy's going to look at on Sunday would be double the size of the first house as well as cheaper - how funny would that be?!?) I'll keep you posted - the Uhaul is still coming on Friday, and we've still got to get up there next weekend. School starts for the older two on Wednesday 8/20.

Plans, Schmans....

2008-08-09T09:23:00.000-05:00

We have planned to move next Friday (8/15) and have a u-haul reserved, electricity switched over, etc, to a rent house we found via an acquaintance up there. However, Hubby received a call today from the rent house owners' stating that they have another person interested, and that second party has until 5pm today to get them a deposit. If that happens, we do not have a place to move to. If the second party does not get a deposit to the owners, then they will accept a rent check from us and we can move in. We have no back-ups, as this has been in place for weeks now. Please pray for us! I'm nervous, but at peace - God has brought us too far not to have this already taken care of. This did not surprise Him, and I will trust in His perfect plan. (However, that does not mean it's going to be easy for us to work around this...and we have 7 days to figure out what His plan is.

The Moving Plan

2008-08-02T14:17:00.002-05:00

So here's the plan: Daddy will drive a rent car down here on Thursday 8/14 and return it here. Then on Friday, he, GranDaddy, and I will load the U-haul and drive that and the Explorer up there to the rent house. (It is our realtor's mother's house - what a blessing!) We will then unload that night as well as Saturday, plus moving Daddy out of his apartment. The kids will stay Friday night with GrandMommy here, and then they will all come up on Saturday afternoon. Hopefully we will have at least their rooms/beds/things set up by the time they get there...or as much as we can without supervision! ;)

The older 2 will start school on the next Wednesday. I am supposed to return to work that day, but if I don't have anything set up from home, I don't know that it will happen. We have found a PDO for Az5 to attend, but it starts the week after the kids start school. I'm still not sure how it will all work out, but I know that God will take care of all the details! :)

A Dress-Up Tea Party

2008-08-02T14:05:00.002-05:00

Somebody turned 5 at our house last week - can you believe it?!? She wanted a "grown-up" tea party, so we invited her friends from her preschool class as well as good friends from church. It was a BLAST!! (even us Moms had fun!) We asked everyone to dress up and started out with a hot potato game. Then we had teaspoon races - boys vs girls - where they had to put the spoon in their mouth and carry a chicken bouillion cube over to a bowl. The boys won the first time but then it was a tie. We moved to high tea then - you'll notice that we are using REAL china tea cups and saucers in the picture! Everyone had perfect manners, and loved the real china (no, didn't chip or break a thing!). We had pb&j sandwiches, fruit, and animal crackers with tea. Then, instead of a big cake, I used the mix to make individual chocolate cupcakes. We turned them upside down, spread on the frosting, used twizzlers and m&m's for decorations, and added a sour ring for a tea cup handle - too cute!! After that we opened presents, and her highness received several new Barbies, which have been the talk of the house ever since. It was good to see all of her friends again - especially to have one last chance to play with her preschool friends! (BTW the purple dress is special to me - it was my flower girl dress in a wedding when I was around 5... ;) )

From Buffalo to Fishes...

2008-08-02T13:59:00.002-05:00

After we saw the buffalo, it was so hot in the middle of the afternoon, we just HAD to go swimming and eat supper at the Grandparents' house! ;) The kids have been swimming almost every other day at Summer camp, and boy did it show this time. They both did not hesitate a second to jump in without help, and Az3 is even swimming! (okay, not totally, but he puts his head UNDER the water and kicks off to wherever he wants to go, and can even come up for a breath and then keep going!) Az4 will dog paddle to get where she wants, and doesn't always stop to think about the depth of the water. Even Az5 has lost some of her fear of the water, and is a riot with her floatie tube - she puts it under her arms and kicks furiously under the water to motorboat her way around - "I walking..."

Yep. No floaties. In the deep end.

2008-08-02T13:57:00.001-05:00

Where the buffalo roam....

2008-08-02T13:27:00.003-05:00

A couple of weekends ago, we had the pleasure of heading out to one of GranDaddy and GrandMommy's friends' place, to see their buffalo! Yes, real live buffalo - not more than 30 minutes from my house! It was amazing. They have a small ranch south of town, and a herd of around 170 head. (I LOVED their bunk house there - very simple but elegant - decorated in the stuffed animals he has shot on various hunting trips all around the world!) So we headed out to the pens and fields, and the first thing we saw was their longhorn - named Double T!! :) Then we saw the buffalo - several monsters of 2500+ lbs were the men, and the smaller, less shaggier ones were the females. The best part was getting to see the calves - they have been having calves for several weeks now, so we saw them in age from 3 days old (so sweet! and still shaky on her legs) up to several months. One mama was very fat (preggers) and started walking up and down the fence rubbing her sides there - our host pointed out that last time that happened, they had a calf the next morning. The buffalo do not give birth in front of humans, and our friends don't offer assistance. They are perfectly capable of handling that - the closest our friends have come to seeing a birth is walking out and finding a wet calf on the ground, with mama still cleaning it up. God in His wisdom... ;)

Listing Link Updated

2008-07-08T11:12:00.001-05:00

The online listing link for the house is updated with lots of good interior pictures! Hurray! Let me know if you need the link again. :)

Chatterboxes!

2008-07-07T21:19:00.002-05:00

BTW, we now have a sign in our yard - hurray! I'll let you know when the listing is updated with more inside pictures - email me if you need the link again.

Have I mentioned that I'm surrounded by chatterboxes?? Az4 never stops talking. Never. If a thought pops into her little head, then it's out through her mouth. Today I heard all about how she could do this if that, and if not, then she could do this, or if something else happened, then she had to do that. (All about clearing the table....)

Az5 has become a talker in her own right too recently - just in the last few weeks. She has moved from single/two-word ideas ("more milk, no!mine!, I can) to complete sentences. Today's prounouncement was right before dinner - I hungry, eat crackers please? She is not only stringing together full sentences, but starting to talk about herself and others, including actions and feelings. The word "because" is also showing up lately. It's really cute to watch a 2.5-yr-old try and be deadly serious about her toys or her siblings.

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-06T21:24:00.003-05:00

We had a blast - the kids and I went up to see Daddy and look for a new house. We got started with the realtor, and I think she has a good idea of what we want now. (So do we....4 bedrms, 2 bath, at least same square feet as now, plus a big backyard). We did find a couple that if we were able to make an offer on, we would have. Plus we have had our house here shown a few times, so we're trusting on God to work all the details and timing out for us. (I am praying it is soon!)

We went to see a fireworks display at a huge park in a town just 2 minutes away from Daddy's apt - billed as the biggest choreographed display in the state. We had a blast walking around beforehand, looking at all the vendors and rides and of course, sampling some funnel cake! The show was great - the kids loved it, the music was wonderful, and I got teary as usual. I truly am proud to be an American, and proud that my children are being raised in a country founded on Christian morals and the idea that all people are created by God with rights and freedoms.

Looking For After Pictures?

2008-07-01T23:48:00.002-05:00

Here they are....now you can understand why I've been a "house hermit" the last few weeks....praying it will go quickly and without fuss or much trouble. :)

So very sad....

2008-02-23T16:56:00.002-06:00

Our house was broken into on Thursday. We were robbed, in between my going to work and Daddy and the kids getting home. Our laptop, printer, all our cameras and video cameras are gone. They are just things, so we are very very thankful that no one was hurt. However, the only things we can't replace now are the videos and the pictures - some going back as far as 2005. Homeowners' insurance will cover replacing most of the electronics, so we honestly don't have much to complain about. However, would you pray with us that God would return the pictures and videos? We know He can work miracles, and He did return our honeymoon pictures to us that we just "knew" were lost after EIGHT years. I know He can do this. :)

Hello from Cincinnati!

2008-01-25T12:23:00.000-06:00

Hey there Yogi Bear! Howdy from Cinci! I've had a blast here, and have been here all week for work. It's my first ever work trip, and I've never been away from hubby and the kids for this long. (Confession: it was a great working vacation! Seriously....when else have I had a bathroom all to myself for a week?) I have never worked or played so hard in a long time. I'll fill you in more later, but the highlights of the week were getting to go to my company's corporate offices and meeting the "big" people, personal freedom, getting to make new friends from all over the US/Canada, plus from the Phillippines and India. Way cool! Also, I have to confess - we stayed out last night forever - I finally got to my hotel room at 5:30am!!!! (Understanding too that I was with a Director over all of North America and we were in several hotel rooms for a long time talking...) Anyways, I need to finish up some work stuff and catch my flight - I am soooooooo ready to get home and see my husband and my babies!!!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T15:37:00.000-06:00

Our prayer is that 2008 finds all of our friends and family knowing how high, how long, how wide, and how deep is the love of God. Blessings to you all!

The Polar Express

2008-01-01T15:26:00.000-06:00

Grammy and Papa had gotten us all tickets to ride the Polar Express the Thursday after Christmas, to take Santa back to the North Pole. We didn't tell the kids until we got there, otherwise they would have been jumping out of their skins. It was SOOOOOOO COOL!!!! (And I'm not 8 years old, and it was soooo COOOL!!!) I was really impressed, as was everyone else, since the only thing missing from the movie was Tom Hanks himself. We all waited out on the platform for the train, and it pulled up, larger than life, bleching out black smoke and hissing steam just like in the movie. We boarded car 6, and each car had their own hot chocolate chef as well (ours was Dylan.) We all sang Christmas carols to start off, complete with songbooks, and the best part was the chefs dancing to the Twelve Days of Christmas. (If I can figure out how to add video on here I'll post it - Az5 still does the partridge in a pear tree one.) Then Santa came in, and of course had a bell for each kiddo. The trip to the North Pole was a bit shorter than we expected, but it was gorgeous - no lights anywhere, and it had snowed the night before - PERFECT! Plus, Santa had it all lit up with beautiful blue and white lights. He hopped off, and we backed down to the train station, enjoying hot chocolate and the storybook of the Polar Express. The kids really seemed to enjoy it all, and I think all of us adults enjoyed watching them enjoy it as well!

Merry Christmas!

2008-01-01T15:16:00.000-06:00

I hope yours was as nice as ours. We started the Saturday before Christmas with my parents, opening gifts from us to them and to the kids. It was lots of fun, and very homey - Mom made her homemade soup, we had way too much to eat with snacks, and the kids had a blast opening presents then. Then on Sunday, we drove the 500 miles to Grammy and Papa's house. Gran and Codfish (Hubby's grandparents) were there as well, and we hadn't seen them since an April family wedding. Christmas Eve, we all sang carols (Grammy played the piano and Codfish played his clarinet), plus we read the Christmas story with a neat twist - we all had a piece of a nativity set, and each put their person in at the appropriate time in the story. It was fun for the kids to see how it all came together. Santa Claus came and brought everyone what they had asked for - a pink digital camera for Az4 and a Nintendo DS game for Az3. Plus Grammy and Papa gave the kids their own bikes, which will be so much fun when it warms up. The big surprise for Christmas was the Wii at Grammy and Papa's house - everyone could play, and it was almost more fun to watch people trying to run/jump than actually playing!

Our Christmas card tree

2007-12-17T20:23:00.000-06:00

We have the neatest Christmas card holder. It is in the shape of a tree - just a round gold wire that wraps up around and around in the general cone shape of a Christmas tree. It has stars on the wire all around the sides that hold our Christmas cards. I am so pleased to say it is very full already - and I love it!!! It is so good to hear from our family and friends at this special time of year, so to those of you that have already sent cards, thank you very much!! If you haven't yet, keep us on your list! (Ours should be in the mail no later than Thursday...getting pictures done first.) We've also gotten several e-cards, which are great as well - we just print them out and add them on the tree. It is a nice visual reminder for me of all the people that are loving/praying for us as we head towards the finish line in this crazy graduation game - MAY 10, 2008!! :)

Update on Az5

2007-12-15T14:58:00.000-06:00

Some of you know that we have struggled with Az5 since her first birthday - she has not ever been able to take regular whole milk. While it doesn't make her sick, let's just politely say that since she's still in diapers, you don't want to be around afterwards.... Anyways, we have tried off and on to switch her from soy milk (which she tolerates) to whole cow's milk and it just hasn't worked. We have done several stool samples to rule out rotavirus, etc, which have all come back normal. We've finally concluded that she is lactose intolerant. We've gotten to the point where we are checking ingredient labels for milk, and have noticed two things. One is that sometimes when it says it contains milk, it is just the whey from milk, and she can handle that without a problem. However, if it says lactose, then it bothers her. Fortunately for us, we have been able to find lactose free milk, cheese-free pizza, and other lactose-free items. My hope and prayer is that she is able to outgrow this as she gets older - closer to 4 or 5. If not, we definitely have more options for her than from even when I was growing up. Bon appetit!

How was Thanksgiving?

2007-12-15T14:49:00.000-06:00

Ours was very nice - very thankful too. We stayed here and went to my parents house, where my brother, sister, and my brother-in-law joined us. Everyone arrived on Wednesday, and we came over on Thursday. Of course we had our Thanksgiving morning traditions: all the pumpkin bread we can hold, as well as the Macy's parade on TV. Then it was over to GrandMommy's for cooking/snacking/football. We ended up eating around 4ish I think, and one of the first things we did was go around the table, stating one thing we were the most thankful for. We started with the kids, and both of the older two mentioned very nice things, like family and friends. Then it was the baby's turn.....and she said,"Uuummmm....." and then got down (from the kids' table ;) ) and walked over to our table, to Az1. She outstretched her arms for him to pick her up, and said,"My daddy!" Break out the kleenex!!!! It was a wonderful day, full of good food and being around the family, and also SNOW. Can you believe it? It was bitterly cold, and started snowing before we ate that afternoon. Nothing that stuck past the next morning, but it was very pretty.
Of course the next day we were in for our annual Holiday Urgent Care visit. Honestly, every year since Az3 was two years old, we have visited the Urgent Care place on some holiday during the year for someone. This year Az5 decided to have strep throat the day after Thanksgiving. Fortunately it didn't ruin any shopping plans for us, just delayed getting our tree and decorations up. However, she has since shared nicely with her siblings, and we have completed now 4 rounds of antibiotics between the 3 of them since the day after Thanksgiving. Joy! ;)

Happy Halloween!

2007-11-12T21:59:00.000-06:00

Yes, I know...just a tad bit late. But better late than never, right? (Besides I've just now seen some of your kids' pics in email anyway....that's what brought it to mind.)

This year, we are proud to present Zorro, Sleeping Beauty, and Raggedy Ann. Each has a special memory to it - Zorro started out wanting to be Scooby Doo, then a Ninja Turtle, then the Masked Rider (go TECH!), and then we settled on Zorro. Especially with such a cool hat!! Sleeping Beauty was very proud that she didn't have to wear a wig - she "had Sleeping Beauty hair already". LOL!

The best part to me about this year was Raggedy Ann. This is a very special costume to me. My grandparents gave me a Raggedy Ann doll that was about 3 feet tall when I was 4-5 yrs old. I loved that doll to pieces, literally!! My sister wore the costume when she was 3 too. The doll really is gone, but it is such a special memory for me - and what a precious gift too, to have my daughter now wear that. (getting teary now....better just post the pictures...!)

Az3's Bday Party

2007-11-12T21:40:00.000-06:00

We had a blast! It was at a local workout place that has an indoor waterpark area - as a mom I was soooooooo pleased to give that to him, because he had been asking almost since his last bday to have his party there. We invited a few church friends and a few school friends, so he had about 7 there; he was so cute too - very insistent that Az4 should come, but not Az5, as she "was a baby, and this was a big kids' party." LOL! They played their little hearts out too - there was a huge bucket at the top of the structure, that would fill with water and tip over every 5 mins. At the beginning, all of the kids would run away when it tipped over, but by the end of the party, they weren't even paying attention. They had over an hour to play too - by time to eat cake, Az4's lips were blue. (It was an indoor water park, but not heated!?!? Explain that one to me....) Anyways, he had a blast that day, so did his friends, and he STILL (over a month later) talks about what a cool/awesome/fun bday party that was. Yay for Mom! :)

The Soccer Drama Continues...

2007-09-23T22:20:00.000-05:00

This soccer season has started off interesting, that's for sure! Our coach is very nice (we are on the same team as last year) but he can't give the team the commitment they need. Practice has now been cancelled more than it has been held for the 3 weeks we've been in the season, because his job takes him out of town more than he is here. For example, after Saturday's game (which we lost pitifully due to one practice this last week with 4 players) he announced he would be out of town all week, and there would be no practices AGAIN. Daddy and I have had enough of this, so we announced we would hold practices Tues/Thurs. We'll see who shows up; one player has already transferred to another team. We've decided to hold out this season on the same team, and then we are probably done. Az3 is enjoying it, but not LOVING it. Plus, we really think he has much more of an aptitude for music, so we'll probably get him in something along those lines in the spring.

Speaking of Mr. Az3, he turns 8 tomorrow! Can you believe it?!? Where has the time gone? Where did my baby go? I can still remember the first few times I held him in the hospital, and all the wonder we had for eachother. One thing that hasn't changed: all the love I have for him in my heart. Tomorrow we are going to go to the fair after school, which will be a big treat. Happy Birthday, Mr. A!!!

First Soccer Game

2007-09-15T22:01:00.000-05:00

We had our first soccer game today. We're with the same team from last spring, with the same coach. (Have to get all new uniforms though - GRRRRR!) The coach is the same as well, but doesn't seem too organized this year. We are "supposed" to have practices on Tues/Thurs at 6:30pm, yet we did not practice at all this week. Oh, and then coach called Friday night at 5pm, and asked if we could make practice Friday night at 6:30pm. Um, no. The game went well though, considering the lack of practice. I was really proud of Az3 - he was so aggressive during the first quarter he played. He yelled to his teammates when he was open, and even passed the ball to assist in a score. The second quarter he played, he was a little slower - definitely not as much energy, but that little boy still hustled his little heart out. The team we played was not the best sports either - very physical and really kinda beat up on a few of our guys. I even hollered once at the ref when their player started talking "smack" to one of our guys up in his face! I think we ended up winning - especially after seeing the other coach's behavior.... We have two new players on our team this year, so it should be an interesting season.

Friday night, Daddy and I went to a work party. It was a management appreciation event, with a "casino night" theme. It was okay - we did have a good time, but I learned something very important. I HATE to gamble. Really I do. Honestly even though it wasn't my money (everyone received $10,000 worth of chips, and then used their winnings for the auction at the end). I don't know what I am doing, and seriously, what's the point of playing a game that is designed for you to lose? However, we did dress up, and I got a new clutch purse, jewelry and shoes out of the event! :)

You know it's fall when....

2007-09-09T22:19:00.000-05:00

Football games start (GO BRONCOS!!!) and we have the annual Balloon Festival here in town. It's always the first weekend after Labor Day. We've gone every year (except the first - that's when we went to the UNM game...remember that one anyone?) and the kids love it every time! This year, the temperature was really warm that morning, and it had poured the night before. Unfortunately, that is not the best hot air balloon weather - they could really only go up and down. There was no wind (which was a HUGE surprise considering where we live!), so most got up in the air, and then landed in the field across the street from where they took off. We did get there around 7am though, and the kids loved every minute. The great thing about this is that it is not very crowded at all, and you can get up close and watch the balloonists from the very start to take-off. The kids loved to see how big the balloons were, even as they were just being unfolded, and thought it was cool how the guys would walk inside the balloon as they were using the fans to start opening the balloons up before they even turned on the hot air.

We went later to the Apple Butter festival at a nearby town with some friends, but it was slightly disappointing, from a grown-up standpoint. The kids had a blast - they met Johnny Appleseed, got a hayride, had lunch outside, and even got to feed the animals in the petting zoo. However, there was one thing missing - APPLES!! Apparently a late spring frost had gotten all the blooms out there, and the apples they did have at the festival, the farm had to import. Too bad - that is one of our favorite things to do with our friends. But again, the kids had fun, and we had a little grown-up time, so it was worth it to head out. (Especially since everyone took a 2+hr nap when we got home - even mom and dad! Hurray!)

And then we started preschool...

2007-09-09T21:58:00.000-05:00

Az4 started preschool on Tuesday, and Az5 also started mothers-day-out on the same day. They will go Tues/Thurs at our church, from 9:30am-2:45pm, while Daddy is in school. It has been another blessing, as we were already considering this for Az4, and all of Daddy's classes worked out in this time period. Az4 loves her teacher, Mrs. W, and she comes highly recommended from another mom whose son already had her. Az4 is doing very well, even without naps on those days, and can't understand why she doesn't get to go every day like her brother! Az5 seems to be doing well - the latest note from her teacher stated she was even napping fine on the floor, along with her class. (Shocking to me, as the only time we tried a toddler bed, it lasted approximately 5 seconds....)

Plus, Az4 started ballet this week also. She has class on Friday afternoons, for 30 minutes, and there are four other little girls in her class. (It's pre-ballet for 4-5's.) She loves this too! We've enrolled her actually at a local ballet school - it's not just a studio, but a nationally known school. They do wonderful productions every Christmas of the Nutcracker, and always have alumni come back from exotic companies from New York/Los Angeles, etc, to dance in it with them. I'm very pleased, as she is really learning ballet skills and poise and positions, etc, even at this age, but her teacher does a great job of keeping it relevant for the age and attention span. (or lack thereof!)

On the second day of second grade, I'll tell you what he did...

2007-09-06T22:12:00.000-05:00

(Name that tune! Email me/post a comment if you know where the title of this post is from!)

Az3 started second grade this year. Time flying doesn't even begin to describe. He is so excited and has had a good couple of weeks so far. This picture is from the first day, with his teacher, Mrs. T. (She taught last year, but was Ms. M - got married over the summer) She is a wonderful teacher, and I am so pleased. I prayed long and hard this summer for her, even before I knew her name. She is the youngest teacher he's had so far, "possibly" even younger than Daddy or I. LOL! She is also (I think) in only her 2-3rd year of teaching, and is very enthusiastic about everything. She is also very organized - had a signup list for us parents with classroom parties for the entire year at the open house - before school even started. Plus, she sends home a million notes - which I LOVE! - about everything they are doing, how we can be involved as parents, what to sign, etc. Az3 seems to love her too, and even has a few friends from his first grade class in there. His first grade teacher did have to love and hug on him just a bit at the open house and on the few couple days of school - I still thank God for how blessed we were to have her for his first year of public school. And how thankful I am now for the teacher we have this year too - God not only has provided, but again blessed "above and beyond what we were able to ask or imagine"!

Beach Bums

2007-09-06T21:55:00.000-05:00

We had a blast on vacation - just what we all needed: some low-key, family time together without any stress, theme parks and their animals, and no where to be any certain times. We did get to see my sister, her hubby, and my aunt, but just at the beginning. That ended up being a good thing, as we just all stayed and played together the rest of the week. We loved our little house, and it was perfect - just the right size, and just exactly what the name said "Close Enough" to the beach that we could walk over the dunes, but far enough away that we didn't have to pay the really expensive beachfront rates. We made sand castles, the kids jumped the waves, the baby dug in the sand (but hated it on her feet - lol! go figure!), we found "real" hermit crabs, and watched the people around us fish for bait fish, and a few sand sharks. The water was very shallow - Daddy and I had to go out about 20-30 feet to get any deeper than our waists. We did go into "town" and cross the ferry back into tourist-land on Friday, to explore the island a bit. We ate at the Rain Forest cafe, which was fun, and would have been more fun if we had explained it a bit to the kids!, and also found a few souvenirs. But we decided our beach was muuuuuuuuuuuch better - so less crowded as well as cleaner, and better shells. Tropical Storm Erin did come in on Thursday, but pounded my sister with 9 inches of rain, while we only got enough to keep us indoors for the day. We lost count of the sea gulls, hermit crabs, fish, pelicans, sand pipers, and even the dolphins frollicking in the bay as we crossed on the ferry. The kids had a blast, and even Daddy and I found ourselves saying "when we come back...." I'm only posting one picture because a) you're not going to see me in a swimsuit, and b) it was that kind of vacation - we were there to be together and play hard, not take pictures. I miss it already! (and not just because we've eaten almost all the fresh shrimp off the boat we brought home!)

Hi there again!

2007-09-06T21:49:00.000-05:00

How are you? I hope doing well. We are finally really in the swing of things here - every one has fallen into their routines. I apologize for the delay in postings; we are currently looking into more reliable internet service. (I'll make more comments about why our current provider is um...unreliable later). So let me get to work catching you up, and posting some pictures and stuff. :) By the way, Az3 lost another tooth today....he'd been wiggling it soooooo much the last few days, and even got some blood on his new tshirt this morning, working on it while brushing his teeth.

Going on Vacation...

2007-08-10T19:28:00.001-05:00

(and hey, still one post a week so far! yay for me!) We leave on vacation this weekend, and we are soooooo excited!! We are going to the beach, for a WHOLE week! I think the best part is going to be just to see eachother for a whole week - no school or work to interrupt. We're taking sand toys from the sand box in the back yard, as well as 2 swimsuits a piece. The house we're staying in comes fully furnished - furniture, dishes, etc - all we have to bring are linens. We will also get to see my sister and her husband while we're down there too, and hopefully my aunt. I've posted two pics of the house - the front of it, and then you can see how "far" we have to walk to get to the beach.... lol! I hope you all have a great weekend, and we'll see you in about a week!

And then there is us...

2007-08-03T22:02:00.001-05:00

The wedding was Saturday July 28, at 2pm. We all had a blast, with the normal wedding jitters and stresses, but so worthwhile. The kids were wonderful too - behaved so nicely both at the rehearsal and dinner, and then during the ceremony. I wish you could have seen Big Brother holding Middle Sister's arm as he escorted her down the aisle - so cautious, and definitely guiding her down the aisle. I was so proud!

My sister is MARRIED!!!

2007-08-03T21:54:00.000-05:00

And I'm so happy for her. The wedding was great, and Az1 and I were so pleased that our little family could be part of it. I know she got exactly what she wanted, and that was what was important. Az1 was the usher, I was the Matron of Honor (and what an honor it was!), Az3 was the ringbearer, Az4 was the flower girl, and we all decided Az5 was "the baby". Look at the pictures yourself - I think they speak for themselves! (Top is K and my Daddy - as handsome as he was the day he walked me down the aisle!! - right as they walked into the chapel, and the bottom is K and her hubby M as they are in his truck, leaving the reception)

Hi there!

2007-08-03T21:47:00.000-05:00

I noticed this hasn't been updated, since...oh....um....OCTOBER!!!!!! Yikes! Sorry about that - can you tell when I went back to work full-time? Lol. Anyways, going forward, I'll try to catch you up a bit on where we've been and what's going on now. For example, since then, we've been to both mine and hubby's 10-yr high school reunions, celebrated the best 4th of July ever, become a caterpillar haven, and my sister has gotten married. Going forward, my goal is at least one post per week - I figure that will help keep us posted on what's happening now. That's all I will guarantee though... ;)

Denim & Diamonds

2006-10-18T14:34:00.000-05:00

On Sept 16, Daddy and I had a chance for a little grown-up meal, with our Sunday School department and several others from church. It was billed as "Neiman Marcus meets George Strait", meaning us girls could dress up if we wanted, and the guys would be okay in Stetsons and boots. A winner for all parties! I found a $10 dress at a local resale shop that I was really happy with and borrowed some shoes from a friend. I even did my own hair, with some major pointers from a scrapbooking/hair dresser friend. I think it turned out pretty well. We enjoyed the meal at a local steakhouse, even though we ended up being around 30 mins late due to Daddy's work. Sigh, but oh well - I was just glad we got to go. After a steak dinner, we had a couple speak on marriage from another class - it was extremely well done, on the things they've learned from their marriage. (Like always make time for yourselves, etc) Then we played the newlywed game, with one couple from each dept - newlyweds, our dept, and then the next two up from us. It was hysterical - the newlyweds won, and the couple that had been married the longest came in deeeeeeaaaaaaaddddddddd last!!

Oh, and I forgot...

2006-10-17T14:46:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite sets of pictures from the kids lately was right after Labor Day. It had rained almost 3 inches that weekend, and the Monday after, they were playing outside in the backyard. I told them they could get muddy if they wanted, but it would involve baths later. Apparently they took it to heart, starting out in the mud puddle to the point of not being able to determine their color of clothes they were wearing. Pretty cute, especially as they tried to see how high they could splash the mud in the air. After getting some pictures, I went inside (with the windows open so I could see and hear things) to finish dishes. I later heard hysterical laughter by both parties, so I stuck my head out to see what could be so funny. After seeing the black lab that was now a chocolate mud brown, I noticed a pile of muddy clothes on the ground. Yep, I had a couple of streakers in my midst!! Apparently when you get that muddy, it doesn't matter if you are wearing clothes or not. And yes, I got more pictures, for future dates and rehearsal dinners, before having to take the hose to them, just to get them inside to head straight to the bathtub!!

When pictures work again, I'll post them to the appropriate posts, I promise!

Balloon Festival

2006-10-17T14:32:00.000-05:00

The next weekend, we all went to the local balloon festival - which is quickly gaining popularity in my house as a family tradition, akin to the Pumpkin Days fest in a local town. We all had a blast as usual, despite the requisite 6am wakeup call to get there.

We arrived right on time, just like last year, to see the crews starting to work on getting everything ready. Last year only about 3-4 balloons got up, due to local winds and weather, but this year it was perfect weather!! The kids love to walk around and guess which balloon will go up before another. There were more balloons overall this year too, not just more getting in the air. If I remember right the Remax balloon was appropriately the first to go up. It was followed by lots of bright colors, which the baby loved! The two the kids really got excited about were the local bank one (shaped like a buffalo) and the other bank one which had my alma mater's emblem on it. "Guns up!"

We then took Daddy to work, and the kids and I went to the local Cowboy Symposium. Great fun, and fortunately the weather waited until this event to get kinda soupy. We found great spots for the parade of the horse, which featured, duh, Horses!! pulling all shapes and sizes of wagons/buggies/etc. We also wandered around all the exhibits and really enjoyed the smells of the chuckwagon cookoff contest. Plus the lcoal Native American association was having their pow-wow next door, so we enjoyed that. Puzzling thing though - last year they welcomed pictures and encouraged audience enjoyment. This year, their behavior was odd, almost as if we the audience were interrupting their private religious ceremony. (Which was just wierd, as they had chosen to have it on public grounds, next door to a very public event...)Anyways, the older 2 wore their cowboy hats, and loved every minute of it.

Labor Day weekend

2006-10-16T14:21:00.000-05:00

Can't believe I didn't post about this....but hey, I'm only about another month behind, huh? Well, let's see what I can catch up with while the girls are napping still.

Labor Day weekend, my sister K and her fiance M came into town. My brother T was also there, so it was a great weekend, as it was the first time since Christmas all 3 of us had been home. Also the first time for us to meet M, and I am pleased to say, he is absolutely a keeper!! Treats my sister as the princess she is, seemed to be getting along pretty well with the family (or putting up with us anyways!) and what I was most impressed with - really got along and played with the kids. Aiken played Nintendo to his hearts' content, and the girls loved having someone else to show off for. Plus Saturday night, K,M,T, and hubby and I went to a local place to just hang out, and really got to talk amongst ourselves - I thoroughly enjoyed it! (although I really hope T didn't feel like a 5th wheel...)

Funny story... Sunday night I had to work, and everybody was spending the night at my parents' house. Before my break, I had gotten 2 phone calls - one from my hubby, one from my mom. The voicemail from hubby said something like,"Don't worry, the policeman was great, and everything is fine, but you might want to give me a call when you have a minute." So I freaked out and called immediately. Turns out, Az4 found herself in GranDaddy's office alone, and started pushing buttons on the phone, happening to hit the preprogrammed one for the police. She had a lovely 5 minute conversation with the dispatcher that went something like this: "Hi, what's your emergency? My name is Ariel the little mermaid. How old are you? 3. What's your real name honey? Ariel. Okay, where's Mommy? At work. Where's Daddy? In the living room. I'm at grandmommy's house." The dispatcher figured she was okay, just playing with the phone, but still sent an officer out just to be sure. He rang the doorbell, and after someone opened the door, Az4 ran to hide, knowing exactly why he was there. After hearing the story, I died laughing!! And Az4 will tell you now that we don't call the policeman unless it's a "mergensee".

Pictures aren't working - will try again later.

9-11-06

2006-09-11T16:41:00.000-05:00

Where were you when the world stopped turning?

2006-09-11T16:15:00.000-05:00

I was at our apt with Az3 in our bedroom with me, getting ready for school/work. Daddy called right as he got to work, telling me to turn on the news - something had happened in New York. He didn't know all the details - something about the World Trade Center. (um, what was that? I sure didn't know at the time.) I turned on NBC to see the 2nd plane hit and hear Katie Couric comment on it. I sat down in shock, as they showed both buildings now, and then gathered my son up in my arms. I couldn't believe it - this was America for the love of pete! You don't do this in the US!! Then their Pentagon correspondent came on, talking about an explosion there. That's when my incredulousness turned to flat-out fear - like I haven't ever felt before or since. That's when the world stopped for me, when I felt totally out of control, when I suddenly realized that my precious little family (hubby and son at that point) was very much in real danger. So I did what any rational, red-blooded American woman/wife/mom would do at that point: I called my MAMA!! She was at work, with no tv, and I started blubbering: Mom, we're under attack! She quickly calmed me down to a coherent point, and then she proceeded to check in with the rest of family.

I sat down to watch more tv to see what else was going to happen that day, and talked with hubby again. Then I realized I was going to be late for class (if we had it that day) and that my 2-weeks-from-2-yrs-old son really needed to stay on his schedule. So I dropped him off at the sitters, marveling all the way at the expressions of people driving on the street. By this time, the nation had realized we were being attacked, and it was everywhere - every tv and radio station. You couldn't possibly have some form of media on and not know what was going on at that point. I stopped at my dad's office (to get some ground of reality) just to see the first tower fall. I continued to campus, where I went straight to the UC (university center, now student union building - center of campus). They were rolling out all the tv's they could find as students crowded around them. I went into the theatre, where they were broadcasting cnn on the big screen, just to see the second tower fall. They also announced that classes were cancelled that day, and the news people started talking about a missing airplane. (It would later be discovered to have heroically crashed in a Pennsylvania field.) I couldn't believe it, couldn't comprehend it. This was my generations' Pearl Harbor, and all I could do was sit in the theatre, trying not to cry, unable to move.

I went to work a few hours later in the University library, where again they had pulled out all the tv's they could find. This was both comforting and maddening at the same time: there was no more "real" news of the day, as it was now devoted to replaying coverage of the day, talking with people covered in ash, and they were just starting the rounds and rounds of the family members holding up pictures of the missing. That was what drove me nuts in the days to come: the media giving hope to the families of those who would never come home again by letting them show their pictures over and over and over and over. I did eventually have a moment of "losing it" on the evening of the 2nd day: I found myself watching the news literally 24/7 in my fear that something else would happen, and couldn't stand it any more that night. I remember a few days later, my fear turning into anger - intense hostility towards those who would dare DARE to attack my beloved nation. And how carefully it seemed to be planned - the date "9-1-1", the targets (economic, political, military), and the flat out audacity and disregard for human life.

Five years later, I sit here in my house, with my 3 kids watching a cartoon. Okay, my oldest is out early from 1st grade - he remembers nothing of that day. We talked about it today - bad evil people crashed planes into buildings, the policemen and firemen went to help, but lots of people died. We're okay though, because the soldiers are fighting the bad people where they live, instead of where we live. He (in a wonderful child's way of getting it) seems to understand, just in the way children understand death and other things we grownups worry about. My middle daughter is more concerned about wearing her jammies today than anything else. The baby is babbling and pulling up, and I sit here and think, what better way to commemorate today? Just to have a normal day - I think it's the best way to thumb my nose at them that wanted to destroy any sense of normalcy for us.

Az3's school had a very nice patriotic assembly this morning, followed by an indoor bike ride - he decorated his very nicely and enjoyed it! Then after picking him up, the kids and I went to the local 9/11 memorial - a field of flags, one for each person that perished that awful day. Pulling up it is an incredible reminder of the human life lost. It was also very peaceful - very quiet, hearing just the flap of the flags blowing in the breeze, reminding me of the Old Testament story where God speaks not out of the thunder or the wind, but of a gentle whisper. I took some pictures of the kids (Az3 spontaneously broke into the pledge of allegiance - drew proud tears to my eyes!) and then they started running. Running and laughing. This way and that, through all the flags. I couldn't see them any more, and at first I was worried it was disrespectful - this was a memorial after all, to our nation's darkest day. But then it hit me, that my kids were showing me hope: hope that while we must remember, we must also look forward. That as long as the Father is in His heaven, I have nothing really to worry about: any goodbye here is simply a "see you later". To watch them run and laugh in utter freedom - free to be kids, free for my daughters to be outside with no government mandated coverings, or restrictions, or anything. It was truly a beautiful moment.

Where were you on this date?

This and that...

2006-09-07T14:01:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful weekend with my family!! It was great - got to meet my sister's fiance (he is spectacular!!) and spend time with everyone, and we got almost 4 inches of rain through the whole weekend, when I wasn't working, sigh....I've got some great pictures to post, as well as a story about Az4 and the policeman's visit, but I was just about to doze off and take a nap. Then Az5 woke up fussy, and she's had a long few days. Got a bad case of the runs (or, pardon the language, "gutter butt" as a fellow mom calls it ;) ) and it isn't giving up yet. Even through bottles and bottles of pedialyte. So now she's up, and I can tell by my ears, just has filled another diaper, so off I go...But truth be told, I wouldn't trade it for the world. It's a gorgeous day, so the windows are open and a wonderfully cool fall breeze is blowing through.

So I'm going to try and catch a 20 min cat nap, while she's playing happily in her saucer right now, as we then need to go pick up brother, try and catch the dairy cow demo at our library, and then off to wally-world (4th time in 4 days mind you...) for some MORE pedialyte and milk. Can I invest in it yet? At least I've gotten some laundry done today, right?

Let's see if pictures work now...

2006-08-26T22:46:00.000-05:00

Going to try for Az5's baby dedication and then Az3's first day of school....

Whoopsadaisy!

2006-08-26T22:09:00.000-05:00

It has been brought to my attention that I kinda skipped over the end of our summer. (love ya G - you know I'm just teasing!!) We really had a good summer this year - just fast and furious as usual. We went to library time most weeks, with our little play group from church. Usually that involved story time at the library, and then us all going afterwards to somewhere to eat (um, McDonald*s cheap happy meals on Thursdays?) and the kids to play as well. Plus, it was a good chance for the kids to get books to read - they both seem to really enjoy reading, which is a joy for their dad and I.

Then, we met Grammy in Albaturkey just before Az4's bday. She and Az3 then left to go to D-town to see Gran and Codfish for the weekend. They had a blast! They played golf, putt-putt, and Az3 learned how to play the clarinet...or so I hear. I know everybody really enjoyed that!! Then Grammy and Az3 headed back to her house for a few days as well. He had fun there too - got to ride horses with his friend Lane, and got a Power Ranger too. (Those were his highlights - I know Grammy enjoyed having him. It brought back special memories for me too - I used to go visit my Grandma for a week or so by myself during the summer. I so enjoyed that - especially having her all to myself. Her house in Dumas was so special to me - not just because that was where my mom grew up, but because it was so different. No dishwasher, a long lonely backyard, all the cool "old" toys to play with, and even relatives to visit there. Some of my favorite memories were going to see Sissy and Sharon (Grandma's sister and her daughter) at their house there, where we would talk collectible dolls (Sharon had a million or so), and Sissy always had ice cream for me!!! Very precious memories to me, as Grandma moved down here to our town when I was in 5th grade, so I'm glad my son can enjoy that kind as well.

By the way, the baby is crawling!! She's been trying this for about a week, on her belly, think army men crawling. It's pretty hysterical - almost like a snake with legs. But just yesterday and today, she's really gotten it down, to the point of crawling around the living room, and even trying to negotiate the step up into the rest of the house. I ran an errand this morning, and when I came back, the older 2 were out in the backyard. Daddy and Az5 were in his room...or so he thought. He had stepped into the bathroom for a sec while he got ready for work, and when I hollered down the hall, we discovered Az5 had crawled from our room into brother's room - waaaaaaaaayyyy more interesting and with toys!! Plus, she waved bye-bye (floppy wrist/arm movement) to GrandMommy last Sunday, and now does it as prompted. The neatest thing for me though is that today she signed the word for "milk"!!! I was so pleased...we've been calling her bottles milk now for several months, but I've only introduced the sign for it in the last few weeks. I've taught my kids all signs at this age - babies really do have the ability to process language at this age, but their physical motor skills with their mouth, tongue, etc, just aren't ready yet. That's why sign language works so well with babies - they do have more control over their hands and arms, and it really helps them communicate, cutting down on their frustration. So cool!!!

Have a great Sunday! We're supposed to be getting some rain here - and got some nice rain today. Really cooled things off here too. OH, and for a garden update....we've had 7-8 yellow squash that we've enjoyed so far. (Az5 loves it as baby food!) We also have 3 baby ears of corn that have started, along with 4-5 baby seedless watermelon that range in size from quarters to dimes...plus my first blooms on the bell pepper vines, along with our first tomato blooms. (They are doing really well - about 3 feet tall - I'm hopeful that we will have little green 'maters soon!) We have had our first zucchini too, and I'm probably going to dig up our first carrot this week to see if they're ready yet. Got several little baby pumpkins too, and our first cucumber will be ready this week. The baaaaaaaddd thing is, we have serious insect infestations - multiple varieties, from mites to aphids - plus maybe grasshoppers. (You name it, I probably got it!) So I went to a nursery today, and got some serious insecticide to start waging battle on Monday. Hopefully by about 3 weeks from now, everything will be back to normal.....

First Day of School

2006-08-14T09:56:00.000-05:00

He was ready to go! He had a swimming party the night before, and I was at work. So, this morning was my first chance to talk to him about it. He woke up okay, and had breakfast at home. Then we had our morning devotional and prayer, he brushed his teeth and got dressed. He wore his new Lightning McQueen shirt, to go with his Lightning McQueen backpack and lunch. I had all his school supplies ready for him in his backpack - I hope they're all the right ones, as the school was picky down to the brand of crayons! We had to go 2 different stores to find them all, so I don't want to do that again.... Oh, and he even had his Lightning McQueen chapstick in his pocket today. (Can you guess the theme for his bday in a month or so?)

We all walked him to school, and it worked out pretty well for our first run. I think next time, we may leave a few minutes earlier, just to give little legs time to walk at their pace, not Mommy or Daddy's. I still can't get pictures to post, but when I do, I'll put the one up that I took of him in the same spot as kindergarten - he's definitely grown a bit! When we reached the door, he was ready to go in, but did decide to stop and tell everyone bye when I asked. We walked in together, and he goes straight to the cafeteria in the morning. (Did I tell you about his teacher? Again, a blessing from the Lord - someone I have known since I was in first grade, a wonderful Christian woman who was my next door neighbor, and hosted our wedding shower here!!) Anyways, he found Mrs. D at his table with about 7-8 from his class, and sat down. I gave him a hug and kiss, and walked out. (Yes I teared up!) The interesting thing is that his school provides breakfast for all the students, so he has to be there by 7:45 in the morning, late at 7:50, even though I don't think class starts until 8:10 or so. We think it may be due to the collective socio-economic status of the school being towards the low end. Nevertheless, we have decided to give him breakfast here at home each morning - I'd rather him have too much and a full tummy, rather than count on the school and us get there late or something.

So we'll see how his day goes. Az4 has already asked about him once, and the baby seemed to make a questioning noise (uuhhhh? Think Tim the tool man Taylor!) when we walked by his room. He gets out at 3, so we're going to walk down to pick him up again. I hope the weather is nice enough for us to walk to school most of the time - we really live close enough that by the time we warm the car up on cold days, we could have walked there. So we'll see - I know some of my friends on the East Coast walk no matter the weather, which is an interesting thought. It's kinda nice to be back on a "real" routine, although the break for summer was good for us too. Daddy is back in the swing of things too - he's already caught the bus to go to school to talk to advisors this morning, and will take it straight to work later too. I think it's kind-of a test run for him, as he wants to make sure he can take his last class and get to work on time. However it will make for long days - we won't see him til he gets home around 10 tonight, and I think on actual class days, he'll be leaving the house around 6:30am.

Disney Day 4

2006-08-08T10:45:00.000-05:00

Going to try pictures here...Az3 with the green soldier, the boys and the girls "in New York City", and Daddy and I with the Mouse himself!

Disney Day 4

2006-08-08T09:52:00.000-05:00

We spent the entire day at MGM Studios. I mean, the whole day here - it was probably one of our longest, as we never left for a nap, but did head back to the hotel around 5 or so.

We started out at the PlayHouse Disney show. If you've got preschoolers who have ever even seen one of these cartoons, this is a must do!! So cute, and much fun! There was Bear in the Big Blu@ House, Stanley, Winnie the Pooh, and Jojo's Circus. The kids loved it, and even the baby paid attention to most of the show. The best part for them was the bubbles from the ceiling! Then, while we were walking around, a policeman (stage character there) started following Az3 - sneaking behind a tree, reading a newspaper with eye holes, everything a snarky guy would from a '30's movie. Az3 wasn't sure what to do, until Daddy and I encouraged him to basically play along - I think he thought the man was a real officer! Anyways, he handed the kids each a badge and "deputized" them for the day at the park. Pretty cute!

We HAD to have lunch at Pizza Planet - really a hit with the kids! (It's from the first Toy Story movie) I think they were kinda in awe that it "really" existed. It was really loud, but it was so worth it for the kids. (You know how it is...) Then, we found Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the green soldier from Toy Story. Az4 still wouldn't go near Buzz or the green soldier, but Az3 was in HOG heaven!!! It was pretty neat for Daddy and I - that movie came out right around when Az3 was born, and that was his second bday theme. Nice to see he still enjoyed all of that - just like a little boy should! Plus, we found the Power Rangers after that, as well as the Little Einsteins. (Little Einsteins are the basic continuation of Baby Einstein for older kids - it's really cute and still emphasizes classical music and art. My kids could watch it all day!) Plus we found Jojo and Goliath, Sorcerer Mickey (Az4 calls him Mickey Philharmagic - one of the shows at the Magic Kingdom), as well as Sully and Mike from Monsters, and a couple of "cars"....Lightning and Mater themselves!

While Az5 took a nap (and I sat down to rest), Daddy and the kids went and played in the Honey I shrunk the kids playground. They had a blast! I think the best part was when Daddy turned on the video camera and let the kids lead him where they wanted to go. They of course found the leaky water hose (came out soaked!) as well as the breathing dog nose - which was just hilarious! They climbed all the ant mounds and tunnels, and were tickled at the giant lego piece. We also had to visit the Coke stand over by the character trailers - it had a giant coke bottle whose lid would vent off every couple of minutes and spray you. It felt great, as the day was really humid and sticky.

We finished the day by seeing the Little Mermaid show (nice, especially b/c of the a/c!!) and the "cars and stars" parade. It's neat, as it is a parade of all the characters in the park in specially designed cars. For exammple, Aladdin and Jasmine rode in one looking like the genie. We all had a fun day, but were pretty pooped by the time we left.

2006-08-08T09:46:00.000-05:00

Just really busy, as I'm sure you can imagine. Work is going okay for me - I really picked up/remembered things quickly. Everyone seems to be adjusting okay. The kids are staying on their schedule and at home, which helps them, and Daddy is doing okay too. I've really been trying to make things easy on him - having supper ready to dish out, letting him know what to do when, etc, so he doesn't have to reinvent the wheel when he's home with them. I'm just tired - which isn't surprising, as I worked 5 days straight my first week! Ack! I think I'll catch up this week though - I only work 2 days.

Az4 said the cutest thing the other day. I was tucking her into bed, and she was asking if Daddy would come check on her when he got home. After I assured her he would, she replied,"He's the best daddy I never seen in the whole world!" I couldn't help but smile, and told her what a nice compliment that was, and how Daddy would love to hear it himself from her. She stopped, smiled, and then sat up and looked at me, and said,"Mama, you the best Mama in the whole world I never seen!" and threw her arms around my shoulders. Yep, I had to keep myself from crying. And on my second day of work too - just what I needed!!

We are going today to register Az3 for school. Apparently we didn't do it right or thoroughly the first time - I dunno. Anyways, after Az5 wakes from her morning nap, we're all going to walk down to school and take care of this. (so I'll know how long it takes to walk there for future reference....) I think on Friday he and I are going school shopping - he wants a Lightning M*Queen shirt to wear the first day, and to get his supplies. We're going to make a date of it. We have story time on Thursday, and then to GrandMommy's to swim most of the day. I can't believe he's going into first grade in less than a week! Where'd my baby boy go??

Disney Day 3

2006-08-01T14:22:00.001-05:00

Should be Az5's shock at a kiss from Ariel, the kids with Jasmine, and topiaries of Snow White and the dwarfs

Disney Day 3

2006-08-01T14:22:00.000-05:00

No, I haven't forgotten yet!! We started the day with family pictures - the whole group! Little Miss Az4 was a toot, which means we got none of just the 5 of us. Oh well - at least she cooperated enough for everyone else. We got some really good ones, so I think everyone was pleased.

Then it was off to Epcot - we had a reservation at the Akershus castle in Norway. Waaayyy too much fun for everyone! For the kids, there was normal food (pizza, etc), but for mom and dad there was Norwegian delicasies. I can still smell the seafood on the buffet, and my mouth is watering just thinking of the smoked salmon. Plus it was all the storybook princesses as guests - Ariel, Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, Jasmine, and Belle. Yes, we'd just seen them the day before, but it was fun to be in a new place. Plus, I'm telling you these character meals are the way to go!! The kids always always ate a great meal, it was a/c!!!, and that was our one meal in the park - we had sandwiches and other snacks otherwise. Totally worth every penny!!

Unfortunately, our schedule for the day was kinda goofed up by the pictures. Instead of heading back for naps after lunch like we should have, we tried to stick it out, and ended up not doing much. In fact, I think the only ride we did was the Imagination Station. Fun, but not as much as I remember it being as a kid. Too bad...Anyways, I'm not sure Epcot was a big hit for my kids anyways - I think they'll enjoy it more when they're older. I was pleased to see that the Flower Festival that Daddy and I enjoyed soooooooooooooooo much on our honeymoon was going on while we were there this time! It was really neat. Oh, and we did do the big Spaceship Earth ride - Az3 really liked that one, especially when it turned around and went backwards. He and Az4 rode together in a car ahead of mom and dad, so they were big stuff to ride by themselves. :)

Happy Monday to you!

2006-07-31T21:28:00.000-05:00

I am the only person awake at my house right now. Very pleasant. Just thought I'd bring you up to speed on some things going on around here...

We had a week long birthday celebration for Az4. She loved every minute of it!! We had a great party with her little friends from our playgroup one Saturday - full of Princess and princes running around. I had foam crowns for them to decorate, and we had a little coronation. Now, the game of "freeze" fell way short, but hey, we all had a great time!

Then on her birthday, we let her rule the roost...within reason I promise! Just don't tell anyone about the birthday cake for breakfast, okay?

Then this past Saturday, we had her shindig with family. We went swimming at GrandMommy's house, then had a great meal of chili/hot dogs, and she opened presents. The cake was fantastic - when I download a picture, I'll post it - GrandMommy took a Be11e doll and made the cake her dress - again, it was amazing!! Plus she had a blast opening her presents...the funniest part was when she was reading the cards - she'd open them, say "Happy birthday to you!", and then chunk them to the side. I still chuckle about it.

Az3 came back home Friday from Grammy and Papa's house. It was a nice break to have only 2 kids while he was gone, but I'm glad my little man is back. And just like always, any time he or I are gone for more than a day, he looks so much older! I can't believe he starts 1st grade in 2 weeks! Yep, on the 14th, he really grows up. See, kindergarten was only 3 hours, it was at our church, and I knew he'd be home for lunch, naps, etc. This time, I'm making him a lunch, he's gone from about 8-3, and I'm not sure I'm ready...again!....WaaaaahhhH!! Funny, how as parents, we so hope for our kids to grow up and be mature and good people, but then when it actually happens, we're like "where'd our babies go?"

Speaking of babies, Miss Az5 is doing okay. Her schedule was waaaaaaaayyy off after this weekend, so we're working back to get on it. I fear she is teething as well - very fussy, not so content all the time, chewing chewing chewing!, as well as constant diaper rash. She's still pretty cute though! She gives really good hugs - and wraps one hand around my neck to play with the hair at the nape of my neck. She says mama, dada, baba (which we think may be "bubba"), and ni-ni (night-night). She can patty cake really well, which she demonstrated during her baby dedication this weekend. The pastor was talking about how blessed she was to have parents who are committed to raising her in a Godly house, and she applauded! How precious!!

One last note and then I need to go to bed. I start work on Wednesday. Now, before you spew your drink against your screen or fall out of your chair, let me explain: this is a total God thing. Understand too, we're okay if I don't work...we just aren't getting anywhere fast. So I've been praying alot lately that He would reveal an answer - and allow me to still bless my family. So I'm going to work at a local grocery store as a cashier, the same one I worked at as a cashier my first few semesters in college. The great thing is, they will let me work around my hubby's schedule - meaning ta-da-da!!! No daycare!!!!!!! Hurray!!! Also, this means that I could only work 15-20 hours or so a week, and it is still worth my while - 100% take home. Plus, I'm as close to this store as Daddy is to his, for those of you that know. So while I'm still undecided about leaving the home to work at all, I know it is going to be okay - Daddy and I made this decision together, 100% support of both of us, and the kids are going to get to see him a whole lot more. Praise the Lord!!

This and That...

2006-07-16T20:28:00.000-05:00

We had VBS at our church yesterday. It was a blast!! We did it differently this time - a one day (from 8 to 3) as opposed to a week of mornings or at night. Our theme was a Day in Jerusalem (very interesting considering the news of the week huh?), and so the kids were divided into 12 tribes. We did not do by age this time (except for the 2 preschool tribes), so it was a random mixing, and seemed to really work well. Each tribe had a couple leading it, and their own home "tent". Then during the day, each tribe would journey throughout the city. They visited the jewelry shop, the market, the animal shop, the carpentry shop, the music shop, and the synagogue. Plus we served lunch during the day. It was so cool! All the tribes would walk around carrying their flag, greeting eachother with "Shalom!" (which sounds so cute coming from preschoolers!) and all the leaders were dressed in character.

The baby charmed everyone in the nursery - all day long! She was spoiled rotten by 3 of the wonderful ladies of our church, and I truly think they actually enjoyed it more than her! Az4 started in the older nursery room, but then was moved to the preschool tribe - honestly, I think due to her maturity and vocabulary. She loved it! But she did end up cratering in the last worship time of the day, so I moved her back to the nursery room which was better for everyone. But can I just brag as a mom and tell you how proud I am of her - she's still 2, and she hung out with a bunch of 4 and 5 yr olds for most of the day without any trouble?!?!

Az3 really had a blast, and I was so glad! He had a great couple for his leaders (she is in the church choir and very musical!!) and was in the Levi tribe. Every time I saw him he was smiling and waving. Plus, as I'm sure some of you remember, I've really been praying for his salvation since VBS last year. I actually ended up working registration, and then was a counselor in the "synagogue" during decision time. When it came time for the invitation, Az3 popped his hand right up that he wanted to ask Jesus into his heart. I let someone else go talk to him, and she came and got me later, saying there was no doubt in her mind that he was ready! So I walked over to where he was sitting, ready to listen to him pray, and he froze up! Nothing going - but he can totally explain it all to you. There's no doubt in my mind he knows exactly what to do and why, but just doesn't seem comfortable discussing it with me or Daddy. So I'm just going to continue praying (and would ask that you do as well) and trust that God will bring someone else into his life to help lead him to the Lord.

On a totally nonrelated topic, my garden has really taken off! I'm so pleased. Last year I did a container garden, and it was so-so, but okay for a first attempt. Well this year, I have a real garden - part of the backyard, fenced off with rows and everything. I'm growing sweet corn (3 plants), watermelon (4 plants), yellow squash (4), green beans (4), bell peppers (7), zucchini squash (3), carrots (several), peas (5), cucumbers (11), pumpkins (4), and tomatoes (7). It's quite a little endeavor, let me tell you! But I am loving it!! I started late this year though - didn't get seeds into the ground until after vacation, about mid June, so we're just now getting to the good part. The corn is growing well, getting tall. The watermelon is just now starting to take off, but man is it going! The yellow squash have a gazillion buds on them - I expect the blooms to open within a week or so. The green beans are just starting to vine, as well as the bell peppers, but the peppers are growing crazy! The zucchini I expect are on the same schedule as the squash, but I just don't know about the carrots. We'll see...the peas in the back of the row are doing well, but the ones in the front are being devoured by something. I don't know what, and I've sprayed a couple of times, but it doesn't seem to help. The cucumbers are doing wonderfully, and I'm excited - lots of pickle potential! The pumpkins by far are doing the best in the garden - I'm concerned they may take over their entire end. Next time I will definitely put them at the end by themselves with lots of room! The tomatoes are growing well too.

Disney Day 2

2006-07-12T15:17:00.000-05:00

Should be the view out the front of the monorail, with Alice, with Ariel, and meeting Cinderella

Disney Day 2

2006-07-12T14:57:00.000-05:00

This was going to be a big day for the kids, and we were all so excited. Our first day in the Magic Kingdom, which if you have little ones, is THE park to go to!

Starting out, we had so much fun riding the Monorail. GranDaddy had told Aiken about this type of train, and so hopes were high when we arrived at the station. Plus, Mommy had a secret plan: someone had told her you could ride up front with the engineer! So we asked, and indeed you can! They even have honorary "engineer" cards waiting for you on the seat - waaaaayyy too much fun!

Then finally we were there, inside, taking it all in. We decided to start first in Fantasyland, as it tends to get crowded quickly. We found Alice in Wonderland in front of the dizzy Tea Cup ride, and she taught Az4 how to curtsy! Too cute! Then it was onto a fave, the Dumbo ride, for Mommy and the older two kids. (Daddy had to change the baby....) After that, we divided and conquered: Daddy and the older two went to Mickey's Philharmagic show, while Mommy and baby waited in line to see Ariel - the Little Mermaid! This particular princess has been a fave lately of Azx4's, so it was a BIG deal to get to see her, talk to her, and get our pictures made! (She had her tail on today - we'd see her later on a different day with her "legs"...)

We also rode the Pooh bear ride, and played in the 100-Acre Woods playground. Then we met up with family, and "prepared" to go eat lunch all together in Cinderella's castle. Az3 was excited about it, but no where near as jazzed as his younger sister. She bought a new crown and wand in a shop before we went, so as to be all dressed appropriately. We had a ball! While you wait for your table, you are allowed to go in and meet the Princess herself and get pictures and autographs. While this princess has also been a fave of Az4 (they rotate!) I could tell she was awe-struck at actually meeting Cinderella, due to her lack of verbage. I mean, I haven't seen her totally at a loss of words in a while. We got some cute pictures, one of which is Az4's totally inpromptu hug of "Sinderslelly" right as we left.

The lunch itself was wonderful!! Many many many thanks to Grammy and Papa for organizing this for everyone - the food was great, the company better, and we all sure appreciated the air conditioning!! During the meal, we were visited by Snow White, who promptly plopped a big ole' red wet one on Az3's forehead...ala Dopey! She was followed by the Fairy Godmother herself, then Princess Aurora (wearing pink for those of you in the know), and finally Belle. I think the novelty had kinda worn off by then, as Az4 looks like she's eating in most of the pictures I got. Priorities right?

Then we ran back to the hotel for a nap, and came back to ride some more fun. Buzz Lightyear was great - I got to ride it with Az3 for the first time. After I explained it was like a huge nintendo game, he yelled my ear off with "oh got that one! Look out Momma!" After which, we actually met Buzz himself, and then played in the water at Ariel's grotto. Plus we got to do the Peter Pan ride, and one of my personal favorites, It's a Small World. Did you know there are hidden Mickey's on that ride? Then it was time to get seats for the Lights parade...not as good as the Electrical Light parade in my opinion, but definitely worth seeing! By that time, we were all exhausted, and headed home! But such a wonderful day - and totally worth it to see my kids' faces as they rode all these rides for the first time, or met Cinderella for the first time, and even just seeing the castle!!

Too cute!

2006-06-20T22:22:00.000-05:00

While I've been sitting here tonight typing, Daddy and Az3 have been playing chess. Well more accurately, learning to play chess for Az3 and Daddy trying to play...Daddy got a great new set from Disney - it's pretty cool - all made out of legos. Plus the "dark" knight side has scorpions all on their pieces. Anyways, it's been precious to listen to their conversation: Daddy trying to teach him how to think strategically, Az3 just trying to remember who moves where and why. He's starting to get it, and I am so proud of Daddy and his patience. (He's tried to teach me once and it made us both mad. I am not chess compatible.) Daddy ended up winning, but Az3 put up a good effort. Plus, he went to bed with a smile on his face - he got some good quality time with his Daddy after the girls went to bed!

Seven months old already!

2006-06-20T22:08:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it? She is getting so big - this is sister's 12 mos bathing suit that's almost too tight already! She jabbers alot now - mamamamama, dadadada, yayayayay, and looks at you expecting that you understand her. She also knows how to shake rattles to make noise, and gets the cutest look on her face when she shakes something that isn't a rattle - she can't understand why all her toys don't make that noise!

Happy Father's Day

2006-06-20T21:38:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful day! Daddy had a great meal for lunch: fresh shrimp, Alaskan halibut, rolls and a salad. Then a nice quiet time while everyone else napped, and then onto GrandMommy's and GranDaddy's house for swimming, brownies (yum!) and pizza. We didn't get home til 10pm!

Congratulations to my baby sister!!!!

2006-06-10T23:39:00.000-05:00

Hurray for K!!!!! She got engaged tonight! She just called me on the phone and was all breathless and trying not to scream, and so I really can't tell you squat, other than she got engaged tonight!!!!

Disney Day 1 - last one!

2006-06-10T15:19:00.000-05:00

The safari ride, the Everest one we never went on, and Daddy and I - we truly did go I promise! (Although as I'm sure you can tell, we're not the ones in all the pictures...) Since this has been a picture-heavy entry, if you can't see them all, just click on the "June 2006" link on the right - it will have everything so far in it. Enjoy!