Cunningham Shenanigans

Its my time now

2010-09-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

I started school last week. Im studying to be an Aesthetician. Ive only gone to school a few days but I am already LOVING it!!! By the 3rd day, we were already hands on. So that means that almost every day right now, I am giving a one hour facial and receiving one. Its absolutely amazing. I lay there and relax and the lights are dimmed and the music is going and everyone is quiet and working or relaxing. I just cant believe this is school. Its fun. I enjoy it. Im excited about what Im learning and excited to go each day. Its a first for me. So this is what its like to be working on something you love. I think its wonderful.

There are 18 girls in my class. Most of them are in their early 20's. Myself and 3 others are in our 30's and one lady is almost 50. Its fun. So far everyone is getting along fine. We are getting to know eachother and its already becoming a comfortable atmosphere where we joke and tell stories. We get two 30 minute breaks and an hour for lunch so its nice that we all have so much time each day to shoot the breeze. Ive been enjoying Tempe again. Its been years since I had a reason to be in Tempe on a regular basis. Today I ate at Dilly's Deli...just as good as ever. It has been years since Ive been there. Im planning on Nello's later this week. I get to go to lunch with new friends and hang out and talk about adult type stuff. I barely think about the kids and house when I am gone for 8 hrs a day. Its a HUGE mental break and it makes me really savor the time I do have with Sam and Charlie.

We are all adjusting just fine. Carl has been super helpful and that has been a very unexpected bonus. He feeds Charlie breakfast and gets him dressed and takes him to school each day. He said he would make dinner once a week and so far he has made Chalupa on my first day of school and Ceviche yesterday...both turning out perfect. He's been picking up and doing laundry and loading the dishwasher. It is sooooo nice to come home and find that I dont have to do it all.

Im just very thankful right now. I cant believe I get to do this.

First Day of School 2010

2010-08-24T11:43:00.000-07:00

We have had a busy month this August. Sam started Kindergarten on the 11th and Charlie just started Preschool yesterday. They are both doing great!

Sam is going to Zaharis Elementary. Its a really awesome school. His teacher's name is Mrs. Moore and he has 26 kids in his class. He gets to go to computer lab, library, music once a week and PE twice a week. He gets to climb a rock climbing wall in PE. That is so cool. Sam had a tough time adjusting. We had some tears each day and he wanted me to stay with him on the playground in the mornings until it was time to line up and go in. When Id pick him up he'd announce how many times he cried and that he missed me. Finally on Tuesday the following week, he announced, "Mom! I cried Zero!" He is doing well now. I think he likes his class and he has made a few friends.

Charlie started at Desert Rose preschool here in Las Sendas. His teacher is Mrs. Rose and she is very sweet and nice. I was a bit worried about him because he was starting out right away with 5 days a week for 4 hrs a day. I need him to be doing this so I can go to school starting next month. When I went to pick him up, he was running around playing and having a lot of fun. When we left he kept saying, "I liked it! I liked it!" So cute.

Im so proud of both of them. They are growing up so fast.

Both kids riding bikes without training wheels in the same weekend!

2010-08-01T17:41:00.000-07:00

We have graduated to a new level of big kid around here. Bikes without training wheels!

Its been stormy with the monsoons and overcast, so yesterday we decided to take the kids to the park and try to teach Sam to ride without his training wheels. So we did that and he was off and riding on his own in the first 5 minutes! He rode all over the park loving every second of it! He was so proud and I was so proud too. It felt like when he started walking or something. haha.

Then today, we went riding again and Charlie's training wheel broke off. So we took off the training wheels and Carl started running him around on the bike. Sure enough, he was off and riding too! Its crazy! All it takes is a big brother for motivation sometimes! I cant believe how fast Charlie picks up the things Sam does. Its crazy that they both learned to ride in the same weekend!

I also should mention that I was very proud of Carl this weekend. It was so humid and muggy out. He ran and kept up with both boys, who need help every time they fall. He was soaked with sweat. Im happy to have a husband that is almost 40 that can keep up with them. Go Carl!

Summer Fun 2010

2010-07-26T18:35:00.000-07:00

The kids have been having a ton of fun lately. Summer is already coming to a close. Sam starts full day Kindergarten on Aug 11. Charlie will start his preschool the following week, going 5 days a week and I will start my school on Sept 15. I CANT WAIT! I am so excited to learn something new, meet new people and just have something else going on in my life. Im ready to start that next chapter. Im ready to move on from only being home with my kids all day. I hope that doesnt sound bad. I dont mean that Im sick of them at all. Im just excited about finally after almost 6 years to be doing something that is just for me. Im going to miss not having to wake up to an alarm clock, and having these leisurley mornings Ive enjoyed for quiet some time now. I have a hard time getting out of the house before 11am. Its time for more structure.

We didnt go on a vacation this summer. We have made up for that by taking little weekend trips. we went up to the cabin for 4th of July weekend with our good friends the Werners. We had a great time. The kids are all old enough to play outside on their own a lot so that really made things relaxing for Carl and I. We spent a whole afternoon at Fossil Creek and that was amazing and fun.

A couple weeks ago, Carl's sister Audrey and I went up to Flagstaff with our kids to visit the Whitney Cunningham clan. We had a blast. The kids had fun with all their cousins and the adults got to eat lots of yummy food and drink yummy wine and just get in some good relaxing time. We didnt get up to many plans at all and that was fine with me.

Tomorrow, Im headed back up to the cabin with 2 of my bestest girlfriends and our kids. I cant wait. Its a mid-week adventure for 2 nights. We may hit up Fossil Creek or the Tonto Bridge. Hopefully since its mid-week, there will be hardly anyone but us around.

Ive really enjoyed the cabin this summer. I think when we went for the 4th of July, and I saw my kids playing and enjoying the same things I used to enjoy, I realized how much I love that place. Its barely changed since I was a kid. Its the only place that we can go that has been there my entire childhood. I will really miss that place someday when it gets sold. I wish I could buy it and keep it in the family where I think it belongs.

Fun Grandpa

2010-06-19T18:15:00.000-07:00

We went over to my mom's today to hang out for awhile. Mom and Randy got a play pool and a slip n slide for the kids. I was sitting inside reading and I start hearing the kids screaming and yelling and laughing like crazy. I look out the window to see Randy doing the slip n slide with his jeans and tye dye shirt on!

The kids were getting such a kick out of it. He would throw the kids down the slip in slide and they go slipping all the way past the end into the grass. Even Carl got into it. It was so funny. It reminded me of when we were kids and Randy would come home from running and he would run straight into the pool with his cloths and shoes on, just to get a laugh out of us. I really love Randy. He is a good grandpa to my boys. They are so lucky to have such awesome grandparents!

We have Sparky

2010-06-06T10:41:00.000-07:00

We have a new pet for the time being. Sparky. Sam named him. He is a little bird that fell out of a nest that was up on the eves of our house, in the sun. Its been especially hot this weekend and the other bird in the nest died. This one had fell out and survived the 12 foot fall. So Carl brought him into the courtyard and put him in a planter that gets a bit of water and lots of shade.

He and the kids are nursing it back to life. He's made more than one trip to Pets Mart already. We were excited because Sparky started eating today. We couldnt get him to take anything yesterday, but today his mouth is wide open and ready.

Carl feeds him this:

Which are these meal worms crushed up. Eeeeew! I know!

Anyways, earlier we saw another bird come by and take note. Later that bird came back and was in the nest with Sparky for a bit. I had a great view from Sam's bedroom window. She was feeding Sparky! Awesome. We are all excited and hope that he will live and these other birds heard his tiny cries and are here to help :)

Cousins and Snow

2010-02-02T15:17:00.000-08:00

This weekend we went up to Flagstaff and stayed in condos with Dad, Fran, Jason and Kristal and their kiddos, Felipe and Hannah, and Sarah and Jim and their kids. It was so much fun! We were each in charge of different meals and we all made such good food. The kids were all playing together constantly. We had a pretty good sledding spot, right outside of our back patios. The condos each have their own spa on the deck. It was so nice to see everyone. Uncle Al and Aunt Donna came over on Sat and Sunday night and both nights Al brought wonderful soups for us to eat. It was so nice!!! I just love my Prescott Family!

Charlie Schmarlie

2010-01-26T14:45:00.000-08:00

Charlie is so funny. His vocabulary is really growing fast and he loves to chime in constantly! He is the biggest back seat driver. What is more funny than that is sometimes I hear him back seat driving in his sleep! He is such a sleep talker and he says the same stuff he says when he is awake and sounds so funny.

Here are a few recent ones:

"Mine Mommy! MINE!!"
"Dont wanna go to church"
"Wanna go home, wanna stay home"
"I wanna go to Grandmas"

It is so funny. Sometimes he almost throws fits in his sleep.

Five Years Old

2010-01-20T10:09:00.000-08:00

Sam's Birthday was yesterday. I cant believe he is 5 years old already! The years are just flying by!!!!!!!!! I have to say that the last 5 years have been some of the hardest years of my life, but also the most rewarding. Ive given a lot more love in these 5 years than I ever did in my entire life before.

For Sam's Bday this year, we had a party at a bowling alley. It was so much fun! We invited our friends the Stoddards, the Werners and the Crists along with Mom and Randy and Bob and Pat. It was so much fun! The kids really loved bowling. They make it easy for kids to bowl these days. Even Charlie was able to bowl. Put the rails up on the sides so the ball cant go into the gutters and they have this thing-a-majig that you can wheel over and just set the ball on top and it rolls down and onto the lane in a perfect straight line.

Sam made out like a bandit like he always does. We got him 2 hermit crabs and the whole crabitat set up. He named his crabs Su Su and Yu Yu after Tiffany and Leslie's cats. I cant believe Tif and Leslie have cats named Su Su and Yu Yu. So funny! We also got Sam the new Super Mario Bros game for the Wii and we all love it. I stayed up until 1am playing it! It was a fun time.

Happy Birthday my sweet, thoughtful, caring little guy. I love you more than the world.

Tis the Season

2009-12-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

We have been getting ready for Christmas. I think so far this is the most fun its been. Sam is super excited and he believes in Santa and all that fun stuff! We've been driving around looking at lights at night and we found a great cul de sac in Mesa. We also took the kids to the temple.

Sam had a Christmas program at his school this week. Once again, he was front and center, right where it was easy to see him! He did so good and they were all really cute.

I guess the biggest news of the month is that Charlie is potty trained! Yay!!! I had though a couple months ago how it would be a nice Christmas present to myself if I could be done with diapers. I didnt think it would happen, but on Sunday when we woke up, I asked if he wanted to use the toilet and he did. From that point on, he wore underwear. Its now Friday and he has only had a couple small accidents this entire week and none since Tuesday. He even goes on his own, without me asking him all the time. It is wonderful and Im so proud of how great of a potty trainer he has been. Pretty much perfect!

We are heading up to Prescott this afternoon for the Hardy/McGuire Christmas party at Dad and Fran's. Im so excited to see everyone.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T07:34:00.000-08:00

We have had a nice Thanksgiving weekend so far. We had a little dinner at my mom's on Wed night with just us, Mom and Randy and Grandpa Smith and Grandma Lumpkin. It was nice! It was the smallest Turkey meal Ive ever had. We got to sit at the dining room table and eat on China. It was very nice. The next day, we headed over to Bob and Pat's for a Cunningham family Thanksgiving. It was so much fun! The kids had a soccer tournament. There was lots of tree climbing and rough housing. The food was amazing too! It was great to see Whitney and Audrey's families. It had been a long time since we'd all gotten together. It was better than I had hoped.

hahaha...how gross!

2009-11-11T13:53:00.000-08:00

Am I the only mom that see's a mess like this when she checks her kids bathroom? This is what the toothpaste ALWAYS looks like in the boys bathroom. Its so gross, but it makes me laugh at the same time. Charlie is pretty obsessed with brushing his teeth. He mostly likes to eat the toothpaste, but I usually find him in the bathroom 5 or 6 times a day trying to brush. Now if only I could get Sam to like it that much.

Halloween Madness

2009-11-02T10:09:00.000-08:00

We hosted a Halloween party here for our friends with small kids. It was a lot of fun. Charlie was very into trick or treating. By the end of it, his bag of candy was so full he could barely carry it. Here are some pics of us from the party.

A Hustler, Cleopatra, and 2 Power Rangers: Oh and Carl glued that comb over on with rubber cement! OUCH.

Power Rangers:
My goblin cupcakes. I also made eyeball cupcakes !

Our Jack O Lanterns!

Where have the months gone?

2009-10-22T22:02:00.001-07:00

I cant believe I havent updated this blog in over 2 months. Life has been busy.

Sam started Pre-K at his school this year. His teachers are Mrs. Martinez and Mrs. Klemmer. Sam's friend Will is in his class this year, so that is nice. Will's mom and I are good friends so we take turns picking up the kids from school and letting them play all afternoon. Here is a pic of Sam with his friend Will, on an opposing soccer team.

Charlie and I hang out when Sam is in school. I take him to the park and run errands. He goes to a babysitter here in my neighborhood on Wed mornings so I can have a few hrs to get things done. Miss Lina is his sitter and she is a very nice lady that does child care out of her home full time. She has 3 other 2 yr olds that are always there for Charlie to play with.

Sam is playing his 2nd season of soccer! He is on the Las Sendas league this year so I see all my friends at the games and practices. Its fun for all of us. This year, Sam really seems to understand it more. He actually knows what goal is his haha. He has also discovered that he is a great goalie! So this year that is his job. Its fun watching him, but its a nightmare dealing with Charlie at the games. Man that kid just wants to GO in his own direction.

The kids and I went up to Prescott over the weekend with Leslie who was in town for a wedding. We spent one night up there. It was a quick trip, but nice. We got to go to a pumpkin patch with Kristal and her kids and actually pick pumpkins off the vine! I dont think Ive ever picked pumpkins. Most pumpkin patches in AZ are field with pumpkins trucked in and scattered about.

We are looking forward to the holidays. We are kicking it off with a Halloween party here at our house for our friends and neighbors. Carl has plans to make a haunted house in our courtyard that the kids have to go through to get into the house....he is procrastinating it though, and busy with work so we will see.

Havasupai

2009-08-12T16:56:00.000-07:00

Well, Im back from hiking Havasupai in the Grand Canyon. I had an amazing time! Everything from waking up at 2:30am and driving 3 hrs to get there, to the hike, the camping...it was all a lot of fun!! Not having to take care of kids, I felt like a kid again.

The hike in wasnt bad at all. Its 10 miles and the first mile is practically straight down, the switch backs. Then after that, its just a LONG walk. It was a beautiful walk though and I didnt get any blisters at all. Im sure not having to carry our packs made a huge difference.

The campsite was amazing! A large creek running through the middle and lots of little brooks and creeks all over the place! The spot we got was surrounded on both sides by creeks. We were right against the canyon walls and there was a really cool cave right up above us that had 4 tunnels that went back about 200 feet. The water falls were the most amazing waterfalls Id ever seen. They blew anything Id seen in Hawaii out of the water. Havasupai falls was nice, but the 2nd day we hiked to Mooney Falls and wow, it was so awesome! We had to go through this crazy little cave, and climb down latters and hold onto ropes and chains to get down. It really was one of the coolest spots Ive ever seen in my entire life.

Everyone hiked out, but my mom and I took a helicopter out. Aside from waiting forever, it was really cool. When you are in the bottom of the canyon, all you can see is the walls right by you, so the canyon doesnt look as big. But flying out, I saw all the other canyon walls that were set back and I was like, wow this really is the grand canyon! There is a village down at the bottom that 300 natives have been living in for over 1000 yrs. It was crazy seeing houses down there. The only way in is to walk, horse back or helicopter. They all keep their cars at the hilltop and fly in. I cant imagine living down there, totally cut off from the rest of the world. We saw horses carrying mail bags out.

Anyways, the whole trip made me realize how much I need to get back outdoors and starting camping and hiking again. I really enjoyed the rock climbing as well. It was scary but when I was down and saw what I climbed, I was so proud of myself. It was amazing being in a spot where there were no cars, no music, no noise at all but the creek. You couldnt even hear the other campers. It was really neat.

Here is the link to an awesome slide show that Carl made if you want to check out more of our pics:
3sevens.myshowit.com/havasupai2009

Have you ever gone backpacking??

2009-08-05T22:45:00.000-07:00

Because I havent. And Im doing it this weekend for the first time. Carl and I are hiking to Havasupai with Tiffany and Luis, Leslie, and my mom and Randy. We are dropping Sam and Charlie off in Prescott to spend the weekend with my dad.

Packing for a trip like this is hard! Ive never had to include everything in one pack before. We each get 35 lbs and that has to include our tent, sleeping bags, clothes, food, dishes and everything else we might need! They dont allow fires down in the canyon, so we are bringing freeze dried meals and little bunsen burner stoves and mess kits that we cook with. We got beef stroganoff, beef stew, and bacon and eggs. We actually already tested out the eggs and they werent half bad! A bit salty and porky for my tastes, but the texture was fine, so I know I can eat that stuff for a couple days. I will take plenty of pics of our food and post them to my other blog

Its going to be 95-100 degrees down there, but the water is cool and it cools down enough at night that its tolerable. I feel like even though we will be roughing it, it will still be vacation because I wont have the kids. My load will be lighter because I only have to worry about myself, and that will be nice.

We will take tons of pics and I will be sure to share them all!

Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe

2009-07-21T23:38:00.000-07:00

Dirty Jobs is a show on Discovery Channel and they are doing a show about my parents dirt shirt factory in Kauai. They did all the filming yesterday and today. The show will air this fall.

Pictures from San Diego

2009-07-11T16:41:00.000-07:00

Carl made a pretty cool slide of our pics from San Diego. It includes all of our friends we were there with. Its really good! There are a lot of pics, but it goes really fast. Check it out!

San Diego Slide show

San Diego

2009-07-10T15:30:00.001-07:00

We went to San Diego for July 4th this year. We were invited out by our friends Nate and Stacy and their 4 kids. They rented a big house right on the boardwalk of Mission Beach. We also met up with our old friends Jim and Elisabeth and their 3 kids too. There were 10 kids in one house. It was loud and crazy and everyone had fun. We had a really neat fire pit on our patio and we got to make smores. Each family was in charge of a dinner and everyone grilled and made really yummy food. We mostly stayed at the beach but on the last day we went to Sea World. We had a great weekend with our friends. Cant wait to do it again

Crazy Hair Day

2009-06-26T15:47:00.001-07:00

Sam went to vacation bible school this week at our church. Yesterday was Crazy hair day. Since Sam's hair is so short, we decided to dye it any color he wanted! This is how it came out!

Swimming Lessons

2009-06-24T10:21:00.000-07:00

Sam has been taking swim lessons this summer. His swim teacher, Harrison, comes to our house and gives him a lesson twice a week. We love Harrison, he is a 17 yr old kid that is wonderful with kids. Sam loves him and is always painting him pictures and stuff. Sam is doing great with swimming. He can doggie paddle all over the place, go down the slide, jump in from anywhere. Charlie is right behind him. Here are a few pics of the boys having lots of fun in our pool and the last one is a close up of Sam, with all his adorable freckles he is getting!

What Sam and Charlie are up to lately

2009-06-23T18:20:00.000-07:00

Ive been meaning to blog about a few recent things that have made me smile, laugh or cry. I will start with Sam. He is very into things and how they work. He gets obsessed with little things and then they are the topic of conversation forever it seems. Right now we are on Gates. All of the neighborhoods up here are gated communities. He knows that on Saddleback Rd, there is a neighborhood with green gates, the only one with green gates in all of Las Sendas. This makes them very interesting and he begs me to go down that street all the time, even though it takes us out of our way. Also, he is constantly asking to go into this neighborhood or that...anywhere that we dont live or havent driven. He loves me to drive around and show him new streets and neighborhoods...preferably with gates that I can magically get into because I guess the gate code right. Now even Charlie is catching on to this fun and he constantly points the opposite direction I am driving or turning, and says, "Mommy bat way!"

Charlie is very interested in numbers and letters. His love of clocks has inspired a love of numbers. He can count backwards from 12. He prefers to count backwards actually. Anytime we are driving around or at any place, he notices signs and all those interesting letters and numbers. He randomly calls out any letter that comes to mind and points...A...E....K....P...sometimes even getting them right. The other night he was asleep and talking in his sleep. He was pointing and yelling out random letters...the kid even dreams of letters.

Back to Sam...he knows almost all of the 50 US States! Each night, Carl goes over them with him on a neat map that is hanging in his room. He picks a new state and memorizes it. He can now name almost half of the country's States. Who knows maybe after the States we can do the Capitals. Maybe he can be on Oprah someday as a child genius! (kidding)

Summer Play Date Fun

2009-06-22T23:36:00.000-07:00

Some friends from my playgroup got together today at Kristen's house for some swimming fun. It was a good time. I love all of Sam and Charlie's little friends. They are all so cute in their bathing suits.

Sharing a room

2009-05-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

*this entry was written over a month ago and I forgot all about posting it. I think I wanted to get a pic of their room in. I may do that today. But I still think this is worth remembering.

Lately, Sam has been complaining that he didnt want to sleep alone. I always tell him he has to, then kiss him and leave the room. When I think about that, I felt kind of bad. Why should he have to sleep alone when I dont have to? I asked him if he'd like to share his room with Charlie, so they could sleep together every night and he was so excited and said yes. Today we moved Charlie's crib into Sam's room. We had to do a little rearranging of the furniture, but everything fits very nicely! Im happy with how it all looks. Tonight was the first night putting them down together and it went fine. I told Sam that he can talk to Charlie, but has to stay in his bed. And he did. I heard some talking and goofing around, but soon after I walked out, Charlie went to sleep. It took Sam about 20 more minutes to fall asleep. All in all, it went very well. I hope that sharing a room brings them closer as siblings.

6-24-09: Well, its been over a month and its going good. They are both used to sleeping together. It takes them over an hour usually to settle down and go to sleep. Charlie can climb out of his crib now too, so that poses a few challenges. He cant climb back in, so I may just take the rail off and convert it to a toddler bed, until we can get bunk beds for them.

Preschool is over

2009-05-19T14:26:00.001-07:00

Sam had his end of the year program at his school last night. It was really cute. They all sang songs on the stage, then got called down one by one to get their diplomas. Sam will be in Pre-K next year, then its off to Kindergarden! I cant believe how fast time is going with him. That is Sam, front and center with the red and white striped shirt on. CUTE.

Kauai Part 1

2009-05-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

My friend John FINALLY uploaded a slide show from the first half of our trip to Kauai in March. Such good times. Such great photography! Its long, over 400 photos, but they are amazing photos that capture every detail of our trip. Ive already watched this many time, feeling nostalgic and wishing I could be back in Paradise. I feel so lucky that my good friend John is such an awesome photographer and made this awesome slide show for us.

http://johnheil.myshowit.com/hawaiipart1

Did I climb out of your mouth??

2009-05-05T22:45:00.000-07:00

Tonight when I was putting Sam to bed, I told him that I loved him so much and he was special because he was my first born. We had an interesting conversation that followed.

"I was born?" Said Sam.
"Yes, you were the first one born, that is what first born means."
"I was in your tummy all alone for a long time. How did I get out of there?"

Ummm "Well, God took you out."

"Well how did I get out of your belly though? Did I climb out of your mouth?"

Ok, after I held it all in, wanting to burst out laughing, we had a nice discussion where I lied to him and told him that no, he did not climb out of my mouth he came out of my belly button. "but did I climb out myself?" NO!!! You didnt. God said it was time and he had the doctors take you out of me."

"oh."

So that was that. I had no idea what to say! Maybe it would have helped if Id have gone to the 3 week bible study Im attending right now on teaching your kids about healthy sexuality. Except today I completly forgot we had that class today and I just skipped it. Go figure that the day I miss the class, Sam asks his first question about sexuality.

Maybe God is telling me something.

Happy Bday Charlie

2009-04-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

Charlie turned 2 this last week. We also celebrated Carl's bday (38) and our anniversary (5yrs). Needless to say, it was a busy, fun week. We had a little party here on Saturday for Charlie. We had the pool heated up and friends over to swim...everyone had a great time. I made a cute cake and cupcakes this year, stole the idea from my friend Laurel. Yesterday after the party, we had a nice little hike with just Carl and I and the kids and it was nice.

Oh Charlie

2009-04-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

Isn't this just the cutest picture? Charlie loves putting on any boots he can find. These were Sam's rain boots. I love when he is walking around in a diaper like that. He just looks so babyish and adorable. Exactly how he is.

I am so divided on how I feel right now with Charlie. I can barely go into public without him throwing knock down, drag out tantrums. He is extremely hard to please at the moment. He is starting to talk a whole bunch, but he gets really frustrated when he cant get me to understand what he is trying to say. Its hard. I cant wait for him to talk better. More communication will mean more reasoning with him.

On the other hand, he is the sweetest little thing. He is so cuddly. If I sit on the couch, he is right there, laying across my lap with his blankee, which he nows calls his frisee, sucking his thumb...looking so sweet and innocent. He is a lover. He loves to give me hugs and kisses. Big open mouth kisses. I love it.

My little guy is going to be 2 years old in less than 2 weeks. I just cant believe it. He is growing so fast, and is so happy and healthy. I just feel so blessed.

Happy Easter! (alittle late)

2009-04-12T14:13:00.000-07:00

Its Easter. We have had a nice few days. On Thursday we went up to Prescott to hang with everyone up there. Leslie was in town from Seattle. We stayed at Jason and Kristals and that is always great for the kiddos. On Friday, we went over to Sarah's place and some of our other family was in town from Michigan. Sam and Charlie got to dye eggs with all of their cousins that were there. It was fun. I think they went through 120 eggs in about 30 minutes or less.

Yesterday, we hoped to go to an Easter egg hunt here in Las Sendas at the Trailhead. It was rained out though, so we came back home and I had an easter egg hunt here for Sam and Charlie, so they werent missing out. Since I did that, I had to go to the store and buy more stuff to have for Easter morning. LOL, cant forget that the Easter bunny comes!

Today, the kids got up earlier than normal, and I was not prepared. Sam was wondering why the Easter bunny was late. I made them stay in Sam's room till everything was ready, then they had their little hunt and got gobs more candy that they really dont need.

Its been a nice holiday. Carl hasnt worked much and its been nice having him around this weekend.

trying to get a free photo workshop ticket

2009-02-16T15:38:00.000-08:00

I dont usually do this type of thing, but I really want to win a free ticket to a photo workshop that will be here in Mesa in May. Ive been following a really neat blog called Sunshine in my Soul that I randomly found on facebook somehow, months ago. I started reading about this womans life with her children, as a stay at home mom and I got hooked. She takes the best pics of her kids and posts them and it always leaves me feeling like I could learn so much more with photography. I could have some of those awesome pics, of my own kids! She teaches a workshop with her friend every so often and usually they are out of town. This one is right here in Mesa, so I must try for some more free entries. I just needed to mention this here and I get 10 more entries.

Thanks Audrey

2009-02-14T22:04:00.001-08:00

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
James 1:2-3

I was reading Carl's sister's blog, and she posted a verse that really spoke to me tonight. It was just what I needed to read. Thank you.

Life has been hard lately. Everyone that knows me in my personal life, knows this, because I am an open book about my life. I have to talk about it because its what is happening in my life and Im a talker, its therapudic and its who I am.

I am so thankful that we have so many good friends and a lot of close family to help us through the bad times. Every night when I put Sam to bed, he tells me that he wants to me to God Bless all our friends. So I start to do it and the list just goes on and on. We have so many great people in our lives.

Moving Schmoving

2009-02-12T18:06:00.001-08:00

We are finally all moved and settled! YAY!!! I have to say that it feels sooooo good to be back in this house. I am loving it with Sam and Charlie. Its so much easier to keep track of them, to keep the place picked up. Sam has stayed in his bed all night since we moved in. We've been enjoying the spa and fire pit at night with the kids. Its been nice to be near all of our friends again and having spontaneous play meet ups at the park with friends. We've been going on lots of walks again too, Sam loves all the wild life. It just feels good to be home. I feel like we were in a dream for 2 years or something and now we are back. It was surreal moving back into this house, feeling at home the very first night, knowing where everything should go before we even moved anything in.

That is a pic of Sam and Charlie playing in some boxes I unpacked. Nothing like plain old card board boxes for the best kid entertainment.

Yesterday Sam turned 4!

2009-01-20T06:57:00.001-08:00

I am constantly amazed at how time started flying by much faster once I had Sam. With each year, I cant believe how fast it went and how much he has changed and grown. I cant believe he is already 4!! Its been 4 fun years for sure!! Yesterday, I had a little party here at the house with all of our playgroup friends.

It was fun. We ate pizza, killed a pinata, and then had the gooeyest Sneaky Snake cake ever. When I asked Sam a few weeks ago what kind of cake he wanted for his Birthday, he says, "a smeaky smake cake." Um Whaaaaat?? haha. I love his cute little voice and the funny ways he talks. What he really wanted was a Sneaky Snake cake. He remembered Charlie's snake cake from last year and he LOVES the song Sneaky Snake. I decided it had to be different, so I had this one done out of cupcakes. It had more frosting on it than Id ever seen and it was messy!!!! Of course the kids all loved it.

Sam got lots of fun presents, including a spin art machine, a sticker making machine, nerf guns, hot wheels, an adorable home made book bag that my friend Elisabeth made.

It was a great day and Sam had a blast! Happy Birthday my big boy!

A New Year...a bit late.

2009-01-10T09:19:00.001-08:00

I cant believe we are already into 2009!!! I have many high hopes for this year. I just know that it will be better than last year. Already things are starting out right.

Sam started at a new preschool last week. Its called Love Of Christ. He has 16 kids in his class and 2 teachers. I think we are going to like it a lot more. I liked his other school, but it was just too small. Some days, Sam would be the only one alone with the teacher for the entire afternoon. After only 3 days there, he really likes it and is making friends.

Charlie is talking so much. He is already very good at ordering me around. He is saying new words every day. Recently he has gotten into reading. He loves books and we read before bed and nap and also several times during the day. It makes me happy that both of my kids love books. I really want that to continue.

Here are a couple pictures from the park the other day.

Sisters Only Slumber Party

2008-12-27T19:57:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful to have sisters. They have been my best friends throught my life. They are always there for me. They know me as only a sister can know me.

Last night, I had the pleasure of hosting our first and hopefully annual sisters slumber party. What a great time! Sam and Charlie spent the night at my Mom's and I got to entertain them here at my house. We went out for dinner at Fez in downtown Phoenix then headed over to a little neighborhood bar called Shady's.

After we got back to my house, we tried to figure out who was sleeping where and no one wanted to sleep alone. Finally we decided that the only way to have a slumber party would be to make Carl sleep in the guest room and all 4 of us gals would sleep in my bed! We sat up in bed, drinking wine and watched What About Bob. It was a fun time, but we all eventually got uncomfortable and one by one moved out of the big bed into other beds in the house. Turns out that Tiffany slept alone in my huge king size bed.

This morning after we all got up, we headed to Last Chance for some bargains then over to Scottsdale Fashion Square where we shopped until we dropped. Had a yummy lunch at Sauce.

What a fun time! It was so nice to spend this quality time with my sisters. Usually when they are in town, its a whirlwind of activity, and there isnt a lot of catching up. This time we got to talk and talk and talk....what sisters LOVE to do. The only regret about the whole night was that our brother Jason's wife, Kristal was not able to come.

Dude will be missed

2008-12-18T20:36:00.000-08:00

I am sad to say that we lost a loved member of our family this week. Our crazy beloved dog, Dude. He was a character for sure. When I met Carl and started dating him, he had only had Dude for 3 months. He rescued him through Pointer Rescue. Dude was a 9 month old hunting dog that his original owner couldnt handle. He was high energy! Carl took him and gave him a loving home and good life. Dude was a bit crazy sometimes. To say that he was lively and rambunctious would be an understatement. He was extremely jealous when I came on the scene and would get up on the couch next to me and lean his whole body on me. If I called Carl on the phone and he talked to me, Dude would bark in the background. Sometimes when I was over, Dude would stand in front of me and just bark at me and Carl would have to put him outside, then he would throw himself against the windows and doors until we let him back in and he went into his kennel in the kitchen. Then he would try to dig his way out of the kennel, and the kennel would be bouncing across the room, until it was facing a wall and then he was really unhappy...barking and making a ton of noise...we had a difficult time watching a movie . I laugh when I remember that now. Dude was not going to accept me easily.

Poor Dude had Carl alone for 3 months, then Carl met me and got married and then 2 kids came along....he was never first place again. He didnt like to be left alone and was known to demolish an entire leather couch one vacation that Carl left him home. He also loved to steal food off the counters any chance he could.

With all of Dude's challenges to us, he was a really great dog. I dont think there was a mean streak in him at all. This dog took a lot of abuse from the kids and never once snapped at them and in time he also came to love and depend on me. Charlie is going to miss Dude a lot because one of his favorite things to do is to drape his blankie over him, then hang on him and suck his thumb. Im really feeling the void that his loss has left here. Every time I walk into my closet, I expect to see him there, laying on the floor like he always did. Its strange around here without him. He definitely had a place in our home and now he will be missed. RIP Dude. 2000-2008.

Colors of Christmas

2008-12-14T09:08:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, Sam's school did a Christmas program called Colors of Christmas. It was sooooo cute! The kids all wore their matching school shirts, with little sashes with a Christmas sprig on it. They all sang and did hand motions the entire time. Sam sang all the songs and participated so well! I was really really proud watching him up there on stage with all the other kiddos in his school.

Sam

2008-12-04T12:50:00.001-08:00

I cant believe Sam will already be 4 next month! The time is going by too fast. As much as I enjoy my kids growing and thriving and doing new things, I want them to stay little forever!

The other night when I was putting Sam to bed, I said, "I love you, your my little boy." And he replied with, "I love you too mom, your my little girl." I melted. I was trying to be serious and get him to go to sleep, but I had the biggest smile on my face. I love when he tells me he loves me.

Right now Sam is really into art projects. He begs to paint, glue, cut, glitter, make cards, make anything...all the time. He has a box of colored pencils and his favorite thing to do is sharpen them. He sat at the table for over an hour the other night sharpening his pencils! LOL. Then he accidentally threw the sharpener in the trash when he was trying to empty the shavings, and I wouldnt let him get it out cause there was lots of nasty stuff in there, so the next morning we got up and made a special trip to the store for another pencil sharpener.

Sam is my wonderful helper. He loves to help me with anything I could possibly get help with. Carrying groceries into the house from the car, emptying the trash, washing windows, sweeping, vacuuming, folding small towels and washcloths, washing the car. Its fun to have my little shadow helping me with everything around the house. Plus, he LOVES to get the door, and hold it for anyone that is passing through. What a little gentleman already.

He is my sweet, soft spoken boy. I love his gentle nature and good spirit. I love when he comes into my room at night and climbs into bed with me. He doesnt do it as often as he used to. I was worried it would become a bad habit, now I find myself missing him when he isnt there. Im so glad I had him. What a great person to be my first born!

Charlie is wonderful

2008-11-19T22:42:00.000-08:00

My baby Charlie is 19 months old. He is becoming more of a little boy than a baby these days. I love that little boy. I really did bond to him in a wonderful way with breastfeeding him for 14 months. It was the best experience ever. I wish I would have stuck it out with Sam, but you know, its the one thing I had with Charlie that was just with him. Our own little thing. He doesn't even take a bottle anymore, but he is still so much my little baby when I'm putting him to bed at night. I sing a couple songs, usually the alphabet song and the I See You song I learned at Gymboree when I used to take Sam. Charlie tries to sing both songs. He can sing up to J in the alphabet song. This kid has my heart.

Charlie is starting to say things. He loves putting on his shoes and always says Shoo whenever I mention that we are going anywhere or its time to get ready. I say, lets get ready and he runs to his room and opens up the sock drawer grabs a pair, then says shoo over and over and gets his shoes, then heads to the rocking chair where I always sit with him and dress him.

This kid LOVES to brush his teeth. We brush teeth anywhere from 1-4 times a day. He says, bra tee for brush teeth. He insists on it all the time. I put toothpaste on the brush and I brush his teeth first, then hand it to him to finish off the job. He is such a cutie.

Charlie loves to pretend. He loves the phone and if he doesn't have a real phone, he will use a baby monitor, or remote or any other small electronic item he can get his hands onto. Then he cradles it between his cheek and shoulders and walks around, pretending to talk on the phone, complete with whole sentences of baby talk babbling.

He is also a climber. Sam was not a climber at all, so I had no idea what tiny kids were capable of. Many times I will be cooking, or on the computer or just walking in from another room and find him standing on the kitchen table. Or up on my desk, playing with the phone. He pulls a chair around from the other side of the table to his high chair, then uses it to climb up into his highchair. He grabs the tray off the counter and slams it down on his high chair table, then bangs on it when he is hungry and wants a meal or snack. He has already mastered the ladders on the swing set. Ive also recently found him on top of the washer and dryer, playing with the buttons. I am also humiliated to admit that twice now, Ive found him on our view deck, up on the roof! We try to keep that staircase fenced off, outside, but sometimes Carl and I go up there and night to enjoy the view and its been left open and he always finds it. I thought I was going to have a mini heart attack when I found him up there, all bright eyed and smiley. WOW

This next pic is one of Charlie with his little blankie that he LOVES, draping it over Dude (one of our dogs), the good sport of a dog. Any time he sees it, he immediately sticks his thumb in his mouth and runs toward it. He loves to lay on his back and cross his legs, then whip the blankie back and forth over his head and back over his feet. He loves to drape the blankie over anything, including Dude then just hang there and suck his thumb. Poor Dude just takes it and stands there, never snapping or getting annoyed. Our other dog Scottie, would be a different story.

I love my little Charlie. I thought Sam was a handful, but Charlie REALLY keeps me on my toes. I love his happy personality and how feisty he is. He is loud and he lets you know exactly what he wants. My mom tells me lots of crazy stories of things I did when I was little and she says that Charlie is a lot like me. I'm getting my payback now, that's for sure ;)

After all the feistyness and spunk that keeps us on our toes constantly...he sleeps so good for me. He goes to bed at 7:30 every night without a fuss. He usually lays in there playing and talking before falling asleep. I don't have to go into his room to get him most mornings until 7am. If Sam wakes up, he just comes into our room and climbs into the bed with us. This momma gets to stay in bed all night most nights! That is so great after several years of having to get out of bed more than once in a night.

Charlie my little cuddle bunny. I love you so much.

The zoo

2008-11-16T20:20:00.000-08:00

This turned into a really great weekend. My sister Leslie came into town from Seattle since she was homesick. Randy got back from Hawaii on Friday night after being gone several weeks. Saturday night, we planned to bbq here at our place with mom, Randy and Leslie. Then Jason called and said he was coming down from Prescott with his wife and kids and I invited them for dinner Sat. Well, that turned into them staying with us overnight, and it was so much fun. Sam and Charlie had a blast playing with Evan and baby Brielle is not far behind! They all stayed up late playing outside until 9pm. Up and down the swing set, constantly! It was good times! The kids were WORN OUT and you would hope they would sleep in, but that is never the case. We were all up and going at again at 6am.

Once we all at our breakfasts and got ready, we headed to the zoo and Dad and Fran met us there. We had a really nice time walking all over the zoo. The weather was perfect and all the animals were out. There are times I go to the zoo and almost NO animals are out. Too hot. But not today, it was great. We enjoyed all the shade from all the mature trees. The kids saw Giraffes, Zebra, Elephants, Bears, Piccary's, tunnels, bamboo forests, monkeys and how can we forget the wonderful petting zoo? Lots of happy kids and tons of adults holding their noses! Its a stinky place and its nasty to see your kids trapsing all over the goats pee. Yucky! I held Charlie the entire time and never let him out my arms. I remember all too well taking Sam there when he was a new walker at 13 months old and he was falling all over the place, covered in goat pp! EEEEw!

It was so fun having Jason and Kristal, Evan and Brielle here. It was great seeing Leslie. She looks so happy and seems like she loves her new job. Its the right mix of stress and fun. Its good to see her looking carefree. I love my baby sister. I cant wait till Thanksgiving when I get to see everyone again!

Sicky Pumpkin

2008-10-31T07:11:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics of our pumpkin carving last night with the kids. Sam was very much into the little saw and getting to cut the pumpkin himself. We did a funny one this year, it looks like the pumpkin is sick and puking! Hey, it wasnt my idea and I do live in a house full of boys.

For halloween, Sam was Batman and Charlie was Robin. We went to a party at our friends, The Crist's and it was a great time with lots of good friends. They kids got to trick or treat and everyone had a blast.

Field Trip: The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

Sam had a field trip with his preschool class today. We all got to go to Mother Nature's Farm for some fall festivities! They boys got to pick out a pumpkin and decorate it. Then there was a hay ride and a bounce house and lots of animals to see. Sam's favorite part is the baby chicks they have in the store. He even remembered them from last year!

Here are a few of the pics from today.

Sam being silly like always:

Picking out pumpkins can be so stressful!:

Decorating their pumpkins:

Going through a maze:

Playing on an old tractor:

Big Shopping Carts now

2008-10-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

Do any other moms deal with the battle of the grocery carts each time they are in the store? I sure do. My kids beg for the big carts that are like cars for them to drive. These things are huge! Its not easy to maneuver them around the store, down the aisles. Its funny though, because even though its harder, I still give in. I love my boys and want even a trip to the grocery store to be fun.

Sam's first soccer game

2008-10-18T12:37:00.000-07:00

We had Sam's first Soccer game on Oct 18 and it was so fun! The kids were so cute in their uniforms and they loved getting cheered on by everyone. I think Im gonna like whatever sports my kids want to do. I just love watching them run around and be apart of a team. Here are some pics from the game:

Sam with some of his team mates, Aidan, Grant, Sam and Jace:

Kicking the ball to Coach Drew:

Some fast action:

Sam and his good friend, Grant:

Charlie enjoying every minute of it:

a reunion with old friends

2008-10-12T22:05:00.000-07:00

This weekend I got to hang out with some old friends that I havent seen in years. Beth flew in from MN and Annie drove in from L.A. My mom had my boys for the whole weekend and I got to entertain my friends here at my house. It was so fun. We lazed around, ate out for every meal and just talked till we were blue in the face. We went to bed way too late and got to sleep in. It was wonderful. I havent had a girlie bonding weekend like that in a long time.

Beth and Annie are 2 of my friends from Kansas City. We all went to Dominion Christian School together when I was there for my senior year of highschool. We recently got back in touch on facebook. It had been 7 years since Id seen Beth and 13 years since Id seen Annie. We picked up right where we left off. We got out pics and yearbooks and laughed at them and talked about our memories. We all had different memories, so it was fun to catch up. I do believe we caught up on 13 years in only 3 days.

Friday night, Beth and I ate at Grand Lux Cafe, then Annie rolled into town right as we finished up. We all headed to Kazmires wine bar and met Annie's husband and his friends for some vino. We didnt stay too long, then came back home and talked into the early morning. Saturday we had breakfast at Maria Maria Cantina. I had Juevos Rancheros for the first time and it was the best breakfast ever. We shopped then went back home and lounged around the house for the rest of the day. We went to AZ88 for dinner and had a blast there. Then we came back home for more talking...till 2am! I cant remember the last time I stayed up talking until 2am. Years!!

Today we went to Crackers for Breakfast and Carl tagged along. Afterwards, we picked up S and C at my mom's and my friends got to spend the day with my family. We hung out in the backyard and watched S and C play on the swing set. They showed off for us all afternoon and kept us entertained. The weather was perfect.

What a perfect weekend. Im sad to see my friends leave. Im excited to rekindle such old friendships and I look forward to more visits someday. This weekend has been so uplifting and it was just what I needed. :)

Im a Soccer mom now..

2008-10-03T13:35:00.000-07:00

Today Sam started his soccer season. He was so excited to wear his cleats and meet his team and coach. Sam's coach is a really nice guy named Drew Parada. He is a parent of one of Sam's teammate named Jace, and he's been coaching Soccer for 15 years and has 5 kids. He did a great job of keeping all the kids with the program. I really was expecting much more chaos, not lines and kids actually kicking the balls into the goal.

It was fun being there and meeting the other parents. Im excited about getting involved in stuff like this with Sam and Charlie. Check out the kids in Sam's team standing in line together...arent they just so darn cute???

Buying local benefits everyone

2008-10-03T12:41:00.000-07:00

For the last 2 weeks, Ive been to the farmer's market here in down town Mesa. At first when I drove up I was disappointed because I only saw 3 tents and figured they wouldn't have much, but I was wrong about that. They had sooo many veggies! Just what I wanted. Check out the white eggplants and the yellow tomatoes! I love getting veggies that are different colors than what we usually see. A reminder that there are lots of species of fruits and veggies that we don't get to see so much in the boring grocery stores anymore. Id like it if these things made a comeback.

Recently I read a great book that has really changed how I feel about the food that I feed to my family. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver is about her and her family's commitment to give up conventionally grown foods, and for 1 year, only eat what they grow for themselves, or can get locally...or learn to do without until the next season rolls around. Seasons, remember those? It used to be that we could only get certain produce at certain times of the year. But now that we can ship things from across the Ocean and have it in our grocery store within 5 days of picking is pretty amazing. Except that it uses a lot of fuel for our food to jet set around the world like that, and its not good for our environment, or our dependency on oil. It also doesn't help to support our local economy when we don't buy food from our local farmers.

Since I cant really grow much myself...I decided to do what I can. I am making an effort to feed my family with as much local organic food as I can find. I also want to try to use produce when its in season, because it tastes better when its in season, and it has up to 60% more antioxidants and vitamins when its in season. Well, I was happy when my friend Elisabeth told me about this farmer's market. All of the food is organic, and its all from Arizona and they have a huge variety! Since we live in such a warm climate, its open all year long!

I have to laugh..

2008-09-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

After a long day of just the kids and myself, Im always happy to sit and relax after everyone is finally in bed. House all to myself. I like that, since I lived alone for 5 years, I really enjoy the silence. Tonight, I just had to laugh, when I went to use the guest bathroom and came across this typical mess that anyone with a toddler knows all too well:

Right now C is into EVERYTHING! Oh my gosh. I thought S was bad. Nope, C is much MUCH worse. This kid has already figured out how to use the door knobs. How to pull out a drawer to stand in it so he can reach whatever is on the counter. He knows how to pull a chair over to wherever he wants to climb.

His favorite place in the house right now is the bathroom. He especially loves the pool bathroom, because it has a fan switch low enough for him to reach. He's all over that any chance he gets. Of course, he loves toilet paper and all the fun a mile long roll of paper can afford. Many times, Ive found all the toilet paper in a huge wad on the floor. I have to be quick and pick that up because if Im lazy and take too long, S will find it and "help" mom out by sticking the entire wad into the toilet and flushing it..because that is where toilet paper goes, afterall.

Ive become very familiar with a plunger...the joys of being a mommy!

Grandpa McGuire's 100th Birthday

2008-09-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we flew to MI to celebrate a huge event, Grandpa McGuire's 100th Birthday. It was a really great time for all of us. I really am amazed at the size of our family, and how everyone keeps in such close touch!

We flew in on Friday and that night we went to Rose's house for a cousin's party. There were a bunch of my cousins there, with their spouses and kids. It was great to catch up and see all the kids. We didn't stay out too late on Friday because we had a HUGE day coming up for Grandpa's bday.

Saturday morning, everyone met at the school that is next to Grandpa's house. We had to use their gymnasium to do a family photo. That is what it takes to get 150 people in a photo together. It was hilarious when it came time to do a photo of just the great grandchildren. Picture 20 toddlers being put down by their moms all at the same time, then the mom's running away to get out of the photo. Screaming and crying and fits ensued. I'm sure it will be a hilarious photo! The little ones were sprawled out on the floor, throwing fits and all the babies were screaming with their little terror faces babies have when they scream.

After the photo, we headed over to the church across the street and had a special Mass just for our family honoring Grandpa and his life. Its amazing that Grandpa's immediate family can fill a church! It was very special. Lots of people got up and talked about Grandpa and it was very evident what a remarkable life he has led.

Once the mass ended, it was back across the street to Grandpa's house where the celebrating and festivities began. There was good food, live music, open bar and of course, lots of ice cream and chocolate milk. Kids were everywhere! S was having a blast playing with all his little cousins. I was having a blast catching up with everyone, and running myself ragged trying to stay on C like a hawk. Between Carl, my dad and I, we were able to watch him pretty good. The alcohol was flowing all day, from noon to midnight. It brings out a whole different side of people! Like Carl singing, Alice's Restaurant with Uncle Tom Rice playing guitar. Or Luis belting out LaBamba! Then there were endless games of beer pong that I could not drag my cousins or husband away from.

It was such a great party! Just like a 100th Birthday party should be. Grandpa was out a lot of the day, being greeted by his friends and family. He was so happy to have all of us there. We were so happy we could be there. I loved getting to see all my siblings, and am so thankful for each of them. Carl had a really great time. It was his first trip to MI to meet that side of the family and he fit right in! Everyone loved him and thought he was great and he loved everyone too. I am looking forward to more trips to MI, much more often now.

We had a room at the Novi Sheraton, but was not impressed with the hotel room. When my cousin Greg and his wife offered their home to us, I could not pass it up. They have 3 kids, Mason, Myles and Michaela. Myles and Michaela are the same age as S and C, so it was perfect. A baby proofed house, with tons of toys... we could let the boys run wild and sit back and relax. It was so nice hanging with Greg and Kim. I hadn't hung with Greg since we were kids, so it was really nice to catch up with them. They cooked us a great steak dinner and we visited for 2 nights. It was fun. We cant wait for them to come to AZ for a visit, so we can return the hospitality!

Aside from the flight there, which was terrible, the entire trip was great. Its just not fun travelling on a long plane ride with a 16 month old. Its not easy to keep them entertained, especially when they scream for 80% of the flight. Once I pulled out all the tricks in my bag, I was reduced to sticking raisins between C's toes, for him to pick out and eat. I know its gross, but it was the only thing that brought out a giggle, and stopped the screaming. Whatever works!

Thanks to my entire family for making it such a great trip. We are sooo lucky to have so many cousins and aunts and uncles to have a blast with. I loved these pics of Leslie and Maria being great Aunties.

We have a swimmer!

2008-08-25T16:39:00.000-07:00

Its been a great day. S had swimming lessons and today he graduated from beginners to immediate! I was so proud of him! He has been swimming really good the last couple weeks at home, since he got his new teacher, Miss Maybell. His old teacher was just so dull. Months went by with no progress. But he has had 2 lessons with this teacher and they were both private because no other kids are signed up for that class. And he has learned soooo much.

So today he had to jump into the pool, flip over onto his back and float for 10 seconds, then swim over to the side and grab the side and climb out. Anyways, he did it and the deck manager came over to me and said that Maybell just signaled to him that he is ready, so he is going to watch and make sure. And he was! After 5 months he finally did it all!

He got a metal and got to stand up on this little platform and they played Olympiad sounding music and announced that he graduated. It was so cute. All the other kids were coming up to him and giving him high 5 and saying way to go. Ive never seen him be so proud.

A few pictures from this week

2008-08-23T10:17:00.000-07:00

S learning about dipping cookies in milk.

S with his nerdy glasses he won at Chuck E Cheese

C with his nerdy glasses given to him by his brother

And the lovely scorpian that stung me on the bottom of my foot the other night. He was promptly killed right after this picture was snapped.

2008-08-22T23:35:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in awhile. Its just so hot right now and we are cooped up inside and there is nothing going on. I cant wait for these hot days of summer to end. Oh Fall. I think of you and I am so excited for you to come back into our lives. Cool days...well 75 degrees is cool here...and the park and being able to send the boys outside! We cant wait!

C is already trying to talk to us! Its so cool because he is talking soooo much earlier than S did. Here is a little list of his words so far:

Dee Dee (thank you)
mama and daddy
Sah (Sam)
Bye Bye
Hi
baby
ABCD...he tries to sing the ABC song up to the letter G
awa awa awa (he is trying to sing S's favorite song, an Alicia Keys song, As I Am...no one, no one, no oooonnee!!)
baba (bottle)
wawa (water)

And what about S. What's he been up to this long boring Summer? I assure you he finds many ways to pass the time. Like swimming and playing with the hose. He loves to glue and use glitter. He loves to cut. I just give him a bunch of paper and a pair of scissors and he goes to town for about an hour just cutting up paper. He also likes to find new places to pee. Yes I did just say that. He pees in the bushes outside or just on the rocks. He even peed in the dryer! Yep! I was doing laundry last week and as I'm going to put the clothes in the dryer, I open it up and see that there is some yucky yellow residue in the bottom of the inside of the dryer. (it had been a few days since Id opened up that dryer so who knows how long it had been there?) Apparently, S didn't realize that the dryer isn't a toilet. Luckily its wasn't that hard to clean up because little three year olds don't have huge pees yet.(Thank God)

S is starting official preschool on Tuesday. I know that earlier I posted the pics of his first day of school, well that was in June and it was really just Summer Camp. Real Preschool is starting next week. We had our very first meet the teacher open house last night. He is very excited about his new teacher, Miss Jill Majestic. Yes her last name is really Majestic and she named her class the Majestic Monkeys! I'm sure it will be a fun year for him!

Prescott and Grand Canyon with the Cuencas

2008-08-06T13:19:00.000-07:00

Tiffany and Luis are visiting the US right now with Luis's parents, Jauni and Luis. It is their first trip to the US and their first time ever out of Spain. Its been really great to see them. Earlier this week, we all headed up to Prescott. Tiffany and her in laws stayed at Dad's so we all stayed over at Jason and Kristal's. The first night there was a really nice dinner at Dad and Fran's. Everyone was there and all the little cousins were running around and having a blast. The kids even found a HUGE horney toad and everyone got to hold it and pet it. It was so nice seeing Aunt Lucy, Sarah and her kids, Beth and Mark. We got up early one day and drove to Williams and took the train to the Grand Canyon. Its really fun. They have a whole Wild West experience for us on the train complete with fake train robbery and entertainers that come through the cars. We got up to the canyon and had 4 hrs to walk around and eat and enjoy ourselves. Luis's dad took us all out for lunch to the El Tovar Dining Room. Its a very nice restaurant up there in the neat old El Tovar Lodge. Charlie fell asleep in his stroller right before we ate, so it was nice to enjoy a relaxing lunch for a change.

When we got back to Prescott, we picked up Pizza's and everyone went to Jason and Kristal's for dinner and to hang out. It was great staying over there. Sam and Charlie had a blast with Evan and all of his toys. Their house is all baby proofed and had tons of toys and kid entertainment. We had the whole downstairs to ourselves and it was wonderful! We only had to bring our clothes with us, and that is rare with small kids! We are looking forward to staying there more in the future so Sam and Charlie can play and have fun with their cousins. Thanks so much Jason and Kristal for your hospitality. I hope that next time, we wont be as busy and can have some time to chill.

Even though we had a great time, it is always good to get home. Tiffany and Luis will go to Kauai for the next week to stay with Mom and Randy. When they get back, they leave the next day to go back to Spain. We get to see them soon though cause they are coming to Michigan for Grandpa McGuire's 100th Birthday. Yay!!

We got soooo many great photos of this trip. If you'd like to see all of them, click here.

Charlie chipped his front tooth!

2008-07-27T12:44:00.000-07:00

Charlie fell on the patio a couple weeks ago and chipped his tooth. He didnt get hurt at all, didnt even cry! I think that the tooth is cute. Gives him a little bit more character!!

My 33rd Birthday

2008-07-10T06:49:00.000-07:00

This week was my Birthday. I have to say that I had a great Birthday this year. I woke up and Carl had a gift all ready to go for me, wrapped up in a little blue box and everything! He never wraps anything, or has it on the actual day he should be giving it to me, so I was super excited that he had gone out ahead of time and bought me a present. He gave me the coolest necklace ever. I love it and its exactly what I like. I could wear it every day. :)

So my day started out so nice like that, with my necklace. I couldnt stop grinning all morning. Sam had preschool that morning and Charlie napped good, so it was easy for me that morning. Then in the afternoon when Charlie was napping, Carl went to the gym and took Sam with him and let me have a nice little break!

At 6pm my mom came over to hang with the boys so Carl and I could go out for dinner. She brought me some flowers, 2 cast iron skillets, and a cast iron Dutch oven. I wast thrilled! Ive really been wanting to get into cast iron cooking lately and now I can!

Carl took me to AZ88, one of my favorite resturants. It wasnt crowded, and it was just the 2 of us. We had our new camera with us and were taking lots of pictures. Everything there was fabulous as always. We got the St. Petersburg Potatoes, which is my favorite appetizer EVER. I am definitely going to have to try to recreate that for myself somehow.

We had a great time. Thanks Carl for making my Birthday really special this year.

Sam goes to the dentist

2008-07-09T13:23:00.000-07:00

Today Sam had his first visit to the Dentist. He needed to get his little teeth cleaned! He had a lot of fun. I was impressed. I thought there would be tears, but just smiles all around. He loved the cool new toothbrush they gave him, and his very own travel size of toothpaste and floss! What a treat! He had to wear sunglasses so the bright lights wouldn't bother his eyes. He loved every minute of it. Sam cant wait to go back to the dentist next time.

July 4th at The Cabin

2008-07-06T17:05:00.000-07:00

This weekend, we went up to my grandparents cabin in Strawberry which they named Hardy's Hollow. We took our good friends Nate and Stacy and their 4 kids, Alli, Maddy, Jenna and Zach. It was so great to get out of the heat! The weather was beautiful up there, and we even got some good rain and hail! We left Mesa in the morning on Friday and got up there around noon. We all got settled in and picked out our rooms. My grandparents cabin is a really great cabin that Ive been going to since I was little. We used to spend a lot of weekends up there. Its on a creek and there is a big yard and tons of trees. Some things are different from when I was a kid. The tree swing is gone and so is the tree house that my grandma built us, but the porch swing is still there and so that always ends up being the main hang out.
We hung around, letting the kids explore the yard until about 4:30 then we went into Pine and had Mexican food at Pine Verde Mexican Restaurant and it was pretty good! Better than expected. Once we filled our bellies with fattening Mexican food, we made the trek back into Payson to watch some fireworks.
The next day, we got up and went to Houston Mesa and found a creek to let the kids play in. It was a lot of fun and it was something I hadn't done since I was little. Once Charlie got tired and needed a nap, Carl and I left and headed back to the cabin with our kids. Nate and Stacy and their kids stayed longer then went to check out the Tonto Natural Bridge.
When everyone got back to the cabin, Carl and Nate grilled up some burgers and dogs for everyone. Then afterwards, we roasted marshmallows and made s'mores. We finally got the kids in bed and finished off the night with some board games. It was a great weekend and we cant wait to do it again! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa, for letting us use your cabin! If you'd like to see the rest of the pictures, then click HERE.

The Playgroup

2008-06-28T23:01:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-15T17:26:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

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.

Sam's 1st trip to the Movies!

2008-05-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

Today Sam went to the movies for the very first time. He was thrilled when his friend, Grant came to pick him up and he got to ride in someone else's car. What a treat! We got to the theater and bought tickets to see Veggie Tales: The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything! It was a cute flick and Sam loved being there. He and Grant each got a kids pack that had their very own popcorn, fruit snack and Icee. What a big kid!!

Afterwards, we headed over to the kids area. We were at the new San Tan Village and they have an awesome play area with 2 playgrounds and a splash pad. So we let the boys splash around and get wet while Christine and I took turns going into all the stores around the playground. Sam and Grant got matching flip flops.

After getting out lots of energy playing, we headed into the food court for Sam's favorite, Mexican food. What a fun morning!!

Memorial Day Weekend

2008-05-26T14:33:00.000-07:00

Its been a nice long weekend. We had record breaking weather last week (when is it not?) with 108 degree temps. This weekend, we had rain and cool weather in the 60s and 70s. I cannot remember a cooler Memorial Day weekend than this one.

On Saturday, there was a family reunion/memorial at Carl's parents house to honor Carl's Grandfather, Richard Patman Crowsen, who died last month at the old age of 89. Carl's Uncle Mike and Aunt Jill came to town along with their kids, Laura and Nick. Nick, who is a chef at the Four Seasons in Jackson, Wyoming cooked up some wonderful salmon and gourmet macaroni and cheese.

We had the pleasure of having Laura and Nick stay here at our house with us all weekend. It was really fun. They both were great with the kids and Sam just adored Laura. He wanted her to do everything for her.

Today, the last day of the weekend and the weather was still beautiful so we didn't want to waste the day. We decided to check out the McCormick-Stillman train park in Scottsdale. We took a picnic lunch with us and let the kids run around. It was a beautiful park with trains to ride and an antique carousel. Everyone really enjoyed it.

Spring gives way to Summer

2008-05-21T15:13:00.000-07:00

We haven't had much to report in the last few weeks. Sam and Charlie are just as cute as ever. Charlie is walking all over the place now and is into everything! Definitely keeps me on my toes! Sam is doing great with his swim lessons and he is excited about starting a preschool summer camp in a couple weeks.

Its been getting really hot lately. It was 108 yesterday. *cry* One thing I really love about the summer though is swimming. Sam and I have been getting into the pool every day when Charlie naps. Yesterday, I decided to see if I could handle both of them in the pool together and Charlie loved the water! He floated around in his little floatie raft and Sam ran around and climbed in and out and did Spiderman all the way around the pool a bunch of times. And I got to work on my tan. ;)

Here are a few pics of us hanging around the house.

Charlie's 1st Bday Party

2008-04-26T15:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Charlie!!

Charlie had a great party. It was alot of fun, lots of friends and family showed up. Tons of kids. All of Sam and Charlie's friends from playgroup and from the neighborhood were here. The bounce house was a hit. We had Mexican food from Someburro's...one of my favorites! Charlie was in a great mood the entire time. When we sang Happy Birthday to him, he just looked around and then was trying to go for his cupcake the whole time. I finally got that candle out of there and he just went for the cake. He ate 2 pieces of cake!! By the way, the Snake cake was awesome. Made by yours truely. The kids got to beat up a Pinata. I think all the kids had 2 or 3 turns before we were offering the stick up to an adult. Finally Carl broke the pinata open a bit, to get it going. It was cute. Every little one there wanted to beat that pinata open. All in all a wonderful time. If you'd like to see the rest of the photos, click Here

My first post

2008-04-25T21:42:00.001-07:00

Well, I decided to start up a blog about my family. Its for all of my family and friends. I thought it would be a cool way to document our lives and keep in touch with everyone.

Charlie had his first bday on Wednesday (23rd). It was also Carl and I's 4th anniversary. We stayed in that night and had a low key evening. I made some grilled mahi mahi and we put a candle in a cookie and sung Happy Birthday to Charlie. We wanted to do something on his actual bday, but we are having his party tomorrow. I cant wait. We have just about everyone we know that has young kids coming, plus the grandparents. We rented the biggest bounce house we could find and are getting food from Someburro's. Should be a really great time.

I will definatly post some pics and update about the party later.