Arizona Adventures...Part II

Okay, okay...I'm FINALLY posting about our fabulous trip to Payson! Yep, in this neck o' the woods we actually have to travel to get to see snow. Rob took President's Day off work & since Z was out of school we jumped at the opportunity to head up to the snow. We went about an hour outside Payson & WOWZERS did we find it! Snow thigh deep! It was the pefect consistency for snowballs....here is probably my favorite pic of the day...the kids are planning an attack on Daddy. (notice the snowball whizzing overhead...he was already attacking them!) We spent all afternoon having snowball fights, sledding, digging & just plain tromping around in the snow. (Who can resist eating a little too?)

It was soooo much fun, but I'm SO very glad I don't have to bundle my kids up like this every time we leave the house! You snowbound folk have my SINCERE admiration!

Little B was NOT a happy camper at first...(here's big sister trying to cheer her up). After about an hour or so she finally "warmed up" to the snow. :)

There's that silly smile!

Tasting the snow....mmmmmmmmmm!

And here is Mr. L...who gave us the scare of the day...never would guess it from that sweet little face, but L thought it might be fun to sled right off a cliff (practically). He was pushing his sled with his feet (while lying on his stomach). Rob & I are watching..."Ok L that is far enough." He keeps going. "Stop L." He keeps going. "L STOP!" He keeps going. "STOP!!!!" Rob runs & dives through the air, grabbing L by the foot just in time. (And all this on a sprained ankle! Wow! You go babe!) And so L is still with us...although lets just say he got the hint that he should NOT ignore Mom & Dad again.

And....through the magic of self timers...behold THE WHOLE FAMILY! (see I really am there!)

And to sum up the day....sheer, joyful exhaustion...or is that just "Seriously Mom, PUT THE CAMERA AWAY!!!"

Snow Bunny

Here's What We Did Today....

Road Trip!

Sorry, but this is a teaser post...I've got LOTS of fun pictures about our 2nd Arizona Adventure, but unfortunately Mt. St. Laundry is calling & I must heed the call. So until then...here's a hint at where we went....

I'm baaaaaaaaaaackk!

Come on, you know you missed me. ;)

I am now finally reentering the land of the living, finally feeling like myself again mostly minus the annoying drainage....yuck! I guess it is now time to shower consistently, get off the couch, out of my sweats & turn off the tube....I must say although I HATE being sick, it was kinda nice to just REST & relax for a bit. Thanks to my hubby, mom & sisters for taking the rugrats off my hands now & again so I could recover.....back to life, back to reality, back to the here & now...yeah! (who's singing along??? lol! showing our age)

And now I will post what I was meaning to a week ago...my date with little L....

(this is what I get when I ask him to go stand by the backdrop for a nice picture....soooo my son)

For Christmas my sister-in-law K (oh yeah I guess it was from my bro-in-law too...thanks to the "other" K...we love you too), anyways, the 2 K's got the kids each 2 tickets to go to a play. Rock on, what a fun gift! So L & I went to see "Goodnight Moon" last Saturday night. You know the book..."in the great green room there was a telephone, and a red balloon and a picture of the cow jumping over the moon." (betcha you moms have it memorized too--its a CLASSIC.)

We had a BLAST!

It was L's first venture to the theatre & I must say, minus the occasional threats to jump off the balcony ("no son you'd get REALLY hurt." "no I won't mommy." "uh, yes, YOU WILL." "lets just try it." "um, lets NOT!." "awww, ok."), he really did quite well. It was great fun to hang out...just the 2 of us. Wow, my kids are so FUN one-on-one....who'd a thunk it!?!

To top it off we grabbed a bite afterwards at In-N-Out....ahhhh yeah....cheeseburgers, fries & a chocolate shakes. L & I have VERY similar tastes...lucky me.Thanks for hangin with me Bubbalou!

Where's Jen?

I'M SICK!!!!!!!

(enough said--be back when I can breathe through my nose again.)

The Love of a Brother

It's mischevious.

It's protective.

It's teasing.

It's unconditional.

It's unwavering.

It's endless.

It's the love of a brother.

Sisters

Is there is anything in this world quite like a sister? My brothers are awesome & I love them to pieces, but there is just something about my sisters. They are always there for me...they give it to me straight, the cheer for me, cry with me, argue with me, babysit for me & listen to me whine. Love you ladies....you know who you are! Smooch! (sister-in-laws included ;) )After Z was born I hoped & prayed that she would be blessed to have at least one sister to share the ups & downs of life with. So glad Z & B have eachother. ALWAYS STAY CLOSE!

Steps to an AWESOME First Birthday Party (AKA The Details...)

Step 1: Silly little birthday girl.

Step 2: Super Cute Welcome signs

Step 3: The Spread....(plus the pizza of course!)

Step 4: Valentine Mailboxes to decorate

Step 5: Swing time!

Step 6: Decorating (& eating) heart cookies

Step 7: Sticker tag

Step 8: PRESENTS....not pictured here (what you might ask?!?!?....yeah I was opening the gifts, couldn't do that AND take pictures at the same time could I? :))

Step 9: And last but certainly not least The CAKE!!

We sure know how to party. ;)

Super Shopper Strikes Again!

So I've been at it again...scopin' out the good deals & this time I scored with the kids clothes. The Children's Place was having 50% off their already reduced prices, plus I had a 20% off coupon...yeehaw!

The Goods: (most of these items are for next fall)
1 sweatshirt
5 sweaters
1 pair of pjs (x-mas ones for L next year!!)
2 scarves
3 hats
1 pair of the CUTEST flowered tights
1 pair of mittens
2 pairs of jeans
3 pairs of pants
9 shirts

The Total:

$100.97 (that averages out to about $3.61 per item) = One happy mom!

GO ME!!

Resolutions

Soooooo, we've all been thinking about New Year's resolutions (ok I KNOW it's February...so maybe I'M the only one thinking of them right now) but, I, like many, am always ambitious and motivated come January 1st to change all areas of my life for the better...physical, financial, spiritual, emotional, relationships, etc, etc, etc. I make a huge list & fail miserably....

BUT not this year...this year I WILL succeed because I've come up with a new plan....the MONTHLY resolution. oooohs & aaaahs appreciated (along with one overall goal for the year--more on this later). This way I can focus on ONE thing per month & hopefully make whatever it is a habit (21 days to form a habit right???) AND THEN move on to something new the next month...adding a few little & a few big goals to improve the overall ME. Can you guess what January's goal was? (hint....you're reading it. ;) )

And now February has arrived & with my January goal accomplished (YEAH!!!) I move on to a new goal.....and this one's big-time...a return to the gym.

Yes, this month I am going to get off my rear end (not that I have any time to sit on it except for when I'm bloggin) & get moving....at least 3, but hopefully more like 5 times a week. Wish me luck!

(BTW I DID make it there today for a full hour of step aerobics---I AM WOMAN! HEAR ME ROAR!!---and moan due to sore muscles....)

Year in Review

How is it possible that my baby girl is one?

How did that happen?
Wasn't it just yesterday that we brought her home like this?

Watched her learn to roll over (and drool):

And sit up:

And make us laugh:

And get teeth:

And cluck: :)

And celebrate:

And PAR-TAY!!

I can't believe how quickly this year had flown by.
Happy Birthday little B. love you.

Having Her Cake...And Eating it Too

We made it through B's first birthday party. Whew! It was really fun actually, a beautiful sunny day & good times had by all. Since I am plain worn out from the festivities, I'll just share a few pics tonight & more details later on.

Traditionally we have given the baby a whole cake to do with as they wish on their first birthday, but daddy could not bear to have the large heart cake I made totally destroyed (read:more for him later), so we gave B a nice BIG slice & let her go to town (it is supposed to be the first cake they have ever tasted, but as little B is baby #3...well, lets just say it is certainly not her first treat).

This is my FAVORITE pic of the cake eating extravaganza...yes even with part of her face cropped off (probably cuz I love artsy stuff like that). I LOVE those little dimpled hands diggin in...DELICIOUS! (both the cake & those pudgy fingers!) :)

And who can resist this face? She didn't look at me ONE SINGLE time while eating her cake....man she makes me work for it!

Love you little B!

Party Planning

So here's what I'm up to tonight...party plannin'! Tomorrow is little B's first birthday party!

I did think a bit about February's resolution today as it IS the 1st, but I didn't quite get to it...Monday for sure (more on this later).

One of the quirks of my personality is this...I LOVE to plan parties for my kids...not so unusual you might think, but I tend to go a little (ok sometimes a lot) over the top. As in...the theme is vitally important & EVERYTHING must match & go along with the theme....invitations, decor, food, serving plates, bowls, cups, drinks, games, favors, crafts....and the list goes on (thank goodness for the dollar store, I may be crazy, but I am also CHEAP!)

B was born in February so that makes the theme easy...Valentine's! So EVERYTHING is red & pink with TONS of hearts. So fun for my little girl. Can't wait until tomorrow. Stay tuned for a play by play. :)