The Playgroup

Tonight I had a really nice night out with my good friend, Kristin. We did dinner and a movie and got lots of good conversation in. It was just what I needed. :)

I met Kristin on a day that I was having a hard time as a new mom. Sam was 3 months old and I was a new stay at home mom. I felt isolated, not knowing any other moms to hang out with. I decided that I needed to meet other moms. I knew of a few that lived very close to me, because Id seen them outside with their babies so I decided to go meet one of them. I knocked on 2 doors and no one answered. The 3rd door was Kristin's. She was home and invited me in. I desperately introduced myself and told her that I lived around the corner and was looking for someone to hang out with that also didnt work. She had Tori, who was just 2 weeks younger than Sam. Tori was napping, so we exchanged numbers.

Soon we got together and started hanging out, going on walks and having short playdates for the jrs. She knew a couple of the gals in the neighborhood and so did I, so we made some calls and got a small group together one day at DeeDee's house. We were all new moms that had babies close in age. We started meeting weekly and that was almost 3 yrs ago when our playgroup started. All of our kids became friends and so did all of us moms. In that short amount of time, we have mourned the loss of 2 babies, Nicholas Cerasoli and Ty Stoddard. And we have all been pregnant and had our second children together. We have become great friends and we get together as often as we can, for play dates and girls nights out. We have also all moved out of that original neighborhood but still live close by.

I guess I just feel really lucky to have this great group of girlfriends. I think they are all really great moms. My kids have a bunch of great little friends. We dont get to meet as regularly as we used to since all of our schedules are pretty busy now. But we have great fun when we can. Earlier this month, we had a girls all nighter at the hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale.

This post is for all of my good friends. Thanks for being there!
And just so I never forget all the names cause the list is still growing:
Kristin, Tori and Kacy
Lindsay, Sawyer and Walker
Elisabeth, Andrew and Matthew
DeeDee, Quade and Sofia
Michele, Addison and a boy on the way
Michelle, Madelynn and Karly
Carolyn, Carter and Berkely

Father's Day Weekend

This weekend, we made the trip up to Flagstaff to visit Whitney, Jenny and their kids. It was such a good time. Spencer and Tyler played with Sam the whole time. Charlie had a blast playing with Cora and all of her toys. It was so nice to go up there and not have to bring any baby or kid stuff. They already had everything we needed. On Friday night, we went down to Heritage Square and ate yummy sandwiches from Pita Pit. Then we headed over to a creperie for some sweet crepes. We finished off the night by watching The Goonies with the kids and eating popcorn.

Saturday we all got up and just lounged around the house all morning. It was so nice. Whitney cooked us some yummy breakfast. After we were all ready to head out, all the boys went shooting. Sam got to shoot a gun for the first time. He said it was very loud, but I think once he got used to that he had a great time. Good thing he had these ear protectors to wear, and that camoflauge hat says it all!

While the boys were gone, Bailey and I took Charlie and headed back into town to walk around and check out some of the shops. We hit up some funky stores and Bailey bought a crazy hat. Then we went back to the creperie from the day before and we ate more crepes and talked. It was really nice, and the first time Ive ever spent any time with Bailey one on one, so that was great.

Saturday night, we didnt get up to much. Just hung around and relaxed. Whitney cooked us all a really great meal of grilled salmon, baked potatos, green beans, bread and a yummy garlic basil sauce for the fish. It was good. After all the kids were in bed, us 4 adults got to spend some time out on the patio, drinking wine and talking. We went to bed late, and then got up and went to church on Sunday. After church, we headed back down to Mesa.

After we got home and unpacked, we headed out to Tempe to Grandma and Grandpa Hardy's house where we got to see my dad and wish him a Happy Father's Day in person. It was a great weekend.

Sam starts Preschool

Today Sam went to his first day of Preschool. Its actually a Summer Camp at the school that he will be at in the fall. I was so proud of him today. He was excited when he got up and when Carl and I dropped him off, he just walked right in and got interested in everything. He wasnt even going to say goodbye to us! No tears at all. When I went to pick him up, the teacher said he did great, but that he went to the bathroom 17 times. Whaaaaaat?? 17 times? I was shocked that she even kept count. I think he was just a bit impressed with the new toilets and stalls and all that. He's never been in a bathroom like that alone before. Anyways, that is what I will always remember about his first day of school, he went to the potty 17 times in 3.5 hrs. LOL

Here is a pic right before we left for school and one we took at the school.

Sam's 1st Diamondbacks Game

Yesterday Carl took Sam to his first Diamondbacks Game. What a fun time it was. They got baseball caps from the team store. They ate hot dogs and snacks. Sam made friends with some kids sitting close by and whenever he was bored of the game, played with them. They managed to stay for the entire game and see the Diamondbacks win against the Washington Nationals 5-0. Afterwards, Carl took Sam to Hooters for dinner. I know, not my first choice for them, but hey, it was guys day out. And look how much having a cute little redhead with you can be a chic magnet. HAHA. I think Sam and Carl are both looking forward to more games.