Daytime Memories

Emily has been out of preschool for over a month. It's been difficult finding things to do to occupy the days. With gas being so expensive, we try not to drive into town for little things. We save up all of our errands and do them all in one day usually on the weekends when I have David to help with the kids. So that leaves a lot of time on our hands. I often feel like the days are broken up into 15 minute activities. I like to think that it's because of the kids attention span, but frankly it's mine too. I can only play hop scotch, play doh or Candy Land for so long before I start to lose it. The weather up here is fantastic. We got an early monsoon season and the days are usually nice in the morning and overcast in the afternoon. I use any opportunity to get the kids out of the house. We go to the clubhouse pool or we have a great park really close. We usually go with some of the Mom's in the Mommy group which it's always nice to speak to another adult. Sometimes we just hang out in our front yard. Here are a few photos from one of our recent 15 minute segments.

Emily's outline. Ben's outline. Forest gets in on the fun. We can't leave out Buzz Lightyear. Here are videos of Emily playing hop scotch.



Being a stay at home Mom is the hardest job I've ever had. The days are long, the activities are monotonous and the pay is lousy. I sometimes think that I should get a part time job, but then, I think about all that I'd miss if I had to work and they were in day care. About 10 minutes after I put Emily down for her nap today, she came running out of her room. She wanted me to come look at something. She had drawn a picture on her magna doodle and she said "Look Mommy, that's my family." It's moments like these that I realize I'm the luckiest woman in the world.

The Greatest Show on Earth

We went to the Circus Friday night. We have a small arena here that holds about 5,000-6,000 people depending on the event. This was the Ringling Brothers circus, but they only had one ring instead of the usual 3 due to the arena size. This was our first time going to Tim's Toyota Center, and overall, we were very happy with it. It is mainly used for hockey, but they get a few odd and end concerts or shows. I didn't realize that it was so small. When I bought our seats they were in section 215, so I thought we were going to be on the upper deck. I didn't realize there isn't an upper deck. It was small and intimate and perfect. The kids both napped that day which is unusual. We went an hour early and they let you down on the stage floor to watch some of the performers or do a few activites. The kids got to swing from a trapezee and hula hoop. They both did well during the show. Emily was completely enamored. Ben got a bit fidgity after 90 minutes. I think he was moving just to stay awake. They loved the tigers and elephants. Emily told me during the show a number of times that she wanted to do this or that. We all had a great time and I think David and I enjoyed ourselves more than we thought we would. I looked over several times to see David laughing out loud usually at this French character that was the comedy relief. We put the kids to bed right when we got home. Ben was asleep in about a minute. Miss Emily was wired. She would not settle down. I went in her room to tell her to go to sleep at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00 and finally 1:00. When I went in at 1:00, she was standing on her bed. I asked her what she was doing. She said, "Cartwheels like in the Circus." I guess she's all ready to run away from home and join the Circus at the ripe ol' age of 3!

Room for 2 More

David and I always agree that our kids have way too many toys. I can probably count on one hand how many we've bought them with the exception of Christmas and birthday gifts. They are loved and spoiled by many. Granny came to visit for a few days after a trip to the casino with her sisters. My Mom had a little luck and came away with some money. She gave each of the kids $20. Ben had been eyeing a Buzz Lightyear toy at Kmart for months. Whenever we go to any store, we browse the toy section, bid a fond farewell and finish our shopping without buying any toys. Ben really, really wanted that Buzz Lightyear. Low and behold, Buzz cost $19.99. We headed to Kmart the other day and Ben got his Buzz Ranger. It's Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger, but he mixes it up. Emily wanted Woody. I showed her the Barbies and dolls and even a Snow White costume, but she wanted Woody which was fine with me. I've been a fan of Toy Story since it came out over 10 years ago. I used to have a Jesse doll that I took on vacation when Pam and I went around the U.S. Jesse was very well traveled and enjoyed sun bathing on the beach in Arcadia Nation Park, taking a ride on a Harley in Boston and she even went to the top of the World Trade Center. I don't know what ever happened to my Jesse doll, but I will have to find one and buy it for myself. The kids are having so much fun with their new Woody and Buzz. Ben even insisted on sleeping with Buzz. I could hear "to infinity and beyond" about 1,000 times before he finally fell asleep. Buzz even went on a ride in the Jeep today. I'm sure they will have as many experiences as Jesse did.

The Price You Pay

When we moved up here, one of the many things we wanted to do was find a church. We tried two different ones last year and gave up for a little while. David and I seem to be searching for entirely different things when it comes to a church. We are both Catholic (altough I never went to church as a kid), but we both agreed that we didn't want to head back to the Catholic church. So, we went pursuing other Christian options. David is all about the sermon. The music is almost an annoyance to him and he'd rather hear the message and leave. I, on the other hand, rather enjoy the music. I like a good sermon too, but the music is also nice. We agree that the church needs to have a good kids program. We want the kids to have a good time, learn about God and enjoy coming every week.

One church we tried last year was 98% senior citizens. The music was played on an organ. Now I like the elderly, but I was hoping for something different for the kids. They didn't have Sunday School or anything. The kids had to sit in service with us. This is not a bad thing, but at the time, Emily was 2 and Ben was 1. Getting them to sit for an hour was not about to happen. I spent about 45 minutes chasing both of them around the parking lot while David listened to the sermon. We didn't go back.

The next church was better at least from my stand point. The church was modern and the music was contemporary. They used a guitar and keyboard, so I thought we were off to a better start. It was a nice sermon. We both seemed to enjoy it. The kids had their own rooms based on age and they had a nice program for them. Emily was a little freaked out and that prompted us to put her in preschool for the year. She hadn't really ever been away from me. So, we stopped going for awhile. In the meantime though, this church called us probably 20 times. That was enough to make me abandon this ship and look elsewhere.

We just started going to a church called The Heights. It's close to the house, they have a great kids program and several of the Moms from the Mom Group attend. They are super modern (the church not the Moms). Checking in our kids required a finger print, photos and beeper system. Wow, I was impressed. They also had a nice coffee bar and you can bring your beverage into the service with you. Who doesn't like a second cup of coffee on Sunday morning? The music starts and it is really good. The singer used to be in a Christian band and it's like being at a rock concert. I'm enjoying myself and I look at my husband who I know is awaiting the sermon and merely tolerating the music. I will say, although the music is excellent, it is a bit long. They played for almost 30 minutes before the sermon began. My feet were actually starting to hurt from standing in one place too long. Plus, I'm used to wearing flip flops not anything with a heel. Around this time, my beeper went off. I didn't make it through the first set of double doors when I could hear the wail from the lobby, "I want my mommy." That's my boy. We've been to this church twice and each time it was the same thing. So, I calmed him down and brought him into church with me. He was actually so freaked out that he just held on to me and then David for the rest of the service. Emily is now doing just fine in church. The first time, she went in the 3 year old classroom and they did a craft and story time. We were sending Ben and her together hoping that he'd do okay with her in the room. Ben did not like the 3 year old room. So, last week, we put them both in the 2 year old room. It's really just all toys and some outside play stuff. Emily loved it. Now, we are dealing with the aftermath of the germ infested toys. Emily was stuffed up yesterday. She woke up today at 4 AM with a cough, congestion and a fever. It never fails. We sanitize afterwards, but I think she probably sucks her thumb when she feels insecure while we are gone and our sanitizing efforts are sabotaged.

I think we will continue to give The Heights a shot. Hopefully, Ben makes it through the entire service at the day care soon. We'll shout out a big Hallelujah that day!

It's raining frogs?

Every time my Mom is here for a visit, we find a frog. It's really the strangest thing. My Mom comes up usually every few months. In between that time, I never see a frog. It rained yesterday as the monsoons have started early. We are always glad for the rain. Emily was walking along the curbing in the backyard and spotted a frog. Where did he come from? There isn't any water around us. I don't get it. The fun part is always capturing them and looking at them for awhile and then we let them go. My Mom isn't afraid of frogs, so she scooped her up and put her in a crate. We decided this one was a girl and David named her Baby Bertha because she was small. Of course, Emily wanted the frog on her lap while Ben made little screams every time the frog jumped. We released Bertha back into the wild after a few hours in captivity. I hope she made it out of our yard and back to wherever it is that she came from.

Life is a Highway

About a month ago, we went to a play date with the Mommy group. Two of the kids had ride on jeeps or "beepers" as Emily calls them. Both Ben and Emily just loved riding on the jeeps. Emily would not get off unless I was forcing her to share and Ben only got off to get another cookie. They were hooked. I thought that our evening walks could actually be a walk instead of our normal stop and go if we got the kids a jeep. The jeep holds 2 kids which is perfect as Ben isn't great with steering yet, but he is learning quickly. We went to a few yard sales but we did not have any luck in finding a beeper for the kids. I certainly wasn't going to buy a new one as they are between $200-$300 and something only Santa could afford. Last week a lady had a jeep and quad for sale on Craigslist for $20 each. Of course they are used and a little sun faded, but I wasn't going to pass up a great deal. Plus, I've learned the kids could care less if it's new or not. It's new to them. Emily's is a purple Barbie jeep that even has a working radio and Barbie CD. Although I secretly wish the Barbie CD was broken. If I hear Barbie say, "Is everyone ready to go the beach?" again I'm going to through myself under the Jeep. We are going to add some cool new stickers to it soon. Ben is perfectly happy to be her passenger. A few nights ago on our walk he fell asleep while Emily was driving. Thank God he wasn't driving! Ben's quad is very cool and he loves it. It's awesome that it's a little used and the traction on the tires is worn because he fishtails every time he takes off or stops. That just adds to the fun. The kids are loving their new toys and couldn't wait to show Granny this morning. My Mom came back up for a visit again and it's great to have her with us for awhile. Here are some videos of our morning adventures.


Ben is starting to get the hang of it...


Emily decides she's had enough of Barbie and the beach party and hops on the quad!

Emily's Adventures

Emily has always been fearless. She jumped off a diving board before she was 2. David can't toss her high enough into the air. Some kids like to sit on their Dad's shoulders, Emily likes to stand on David's. She always wants to go faster and higher. She always wants more. In fact, "more" was one of her first words and the only word she picked up in sign language at 9 months. She is always up to try anything and usually the first kid to go for it. We had a play date at our house on Monday and one of the Mom's brought her water slide. Emily was playing with the older boys the entire day. She could completely keep up with them. Ben was inside in his room by himself. Their personalities are night and day. I don't know where Emily gets her sense of adventure. I'm kind of in the middle and I'm told David used to turn blue if pushed too high on the swing. Our girl is one of a kind. I love her spirit and know that she will experience many things in life because she loves a thrill. Notice in the video that she doesn't even use the slide. That's just in her way.



Here's another one of Emily at our clubhouse pool. I didn't realize that most 3 year olds will barely get their heads wet or leave their Moms. Emily will jump in the pool without the floaties, but when I have both kids by myself she has to wear them as I don't have eyes in the back of my head...yet. Notice Ben standing on the side of the pool watching.