Plans and Pictures

So I think we finally have a plan to move - We're working on listing our house for short sale and we're leaving for AZ the first week of April. Yay! It feels good to have a plan and we're getting excited to be closer to our families! We'll have a few new nieces to meet when we get there :)
Here's a few pictures of our kids who both seem to have grown a bunch lately.

I can't believe Miles is going to be one this week. It really is amazing how fast this year has gone.

Caroline's class celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday by dressing as cat in the hats! So cute, huh?! I just love her flair and zest for life!

I asked a friend to bring Caroline home from school for me the other day and this was Miles waiting for Sissy at the door.

He's starting to stand on his own and take a few steps. He'll be walking in no time - maybe for his birthday!

Here's my little loves before church today - they are getting so big!

4 Day Weekend

Caroline had a four-day weekend recently so we tried to make the most of it with some fun. First off, games at Chuck E Cheese!

Miles loved watching Caroline play skeeball. In fact, he was pretty content to just observe. Anytime I tried to get him to play with something he looked like this:


Not a fan.

We made a PVC pipe fort (more on that later) and Caroline slept in it - she loves it!

Then we went to the Children's Museum with Caroline's new cousins. We've been trying to get together for a while, and it was a great day. The kids all get along so well.

Again, Miles was not an enthusiastic participant. He was well-behaved, he just didn't want to climb on or play with anything. Which is ironic, because the boy doesn't stop moving when we're at home!

Caroline's favorite parts of the museum are always those that involve music, dancing and stages. She was glad that her cousins were willing to dance with her!

Oh yeah. I couldn't help it :)

After the children's museum we went to McDonalds and after they ate, the older kids played together with their happy meals toys for like 30mins! They were playing and laughing and afterward Caroline said she had even more fun at McDonalds than she did at the museum! Silly kids.

Around here lately

We started February off with a case of .... pinkeye! Thankfully, Caroline was the only member of the family to get it. We found out that it was going around her school and even some teachers missed a few days. The good thing about pink eye is that you don't really feel sick, no vomiting or fevers - you just can't be around people! So we used it as an opportunity to hang around in pajamas, watch movies, color and build forts.

After the pink eye went away, Dave got some tickets from a guy at work to go see a Memphis Grizzlies game. So the three of us went and our dear friend, Vicki, stayed home with Miles and put him to bed for us. It was a lot of fun!

Caroline was so funny - she really got into it! Basketball is easier to understand than other sports I think so every time our team made a basket she was yelling and jumping up and down and high-fiving - it was great!

I love that Miles is at the age where he can start eating a lot of what we eat. Here he is destroying a peanut butter and jelly sandwich :)

A little while ago, Dave found some good moving boxes at a house he was working on, so he snatched them up and we've had some fun with them...

Star Student

Caroline was the "Star Student" this week in her kindergarten class! Every week a student is picked at random to be the star student which means they get to be line leader and teacher's helper. Each day of the week they get to do something special. On Monday, she got to bring in a poster all about herself. She and Dave worked on making it very sparkley!

On Tuesday, she got to bring her favorite book, which was "My Lucky Day" by Keiko Kasza and on Wednesday she got to bring a toy. On Thursday, I got to come and read to the class:

It was so fun! The kids were so good, laughed at all the right places, and made me feel like a celebrity :) We handed out treats and I had lunch in the cafeteria.

Caroline has been looking forward to this all year-long and she said it was just as great as she hoped it would be!

A Day in the Life of Miles...

Hi Everyone! It's me, Miles. Since I don't have a job or go to school, you've probably been wondering, "What does that guy do all day?" So here it is, a description of a typical day to satisfy your curiousity. Enjoy.


I wake Mommy up between 6:30 and 7am. We snuggle on the couch while I enjoy a delicious baba and mommy watches the news and weather. Then we eat breakfast and mom takes my sissy to school. All these morning activities are pretty exhausting so I take a nap around 9.

One of my favorite activities during the day is taking things out of boxes. Clothes, toys, books, whatever. I simply enjoy emptying containers of all varieties.


I hate baby gates. They may keep me out of the kitchen and off the stairs sometimes, but they will not keep me quiet.


I also help mommy with chores. Mom thinks I need a second nap around 1pm, but I disagree.


I've recently discovered a diabolical portal used by the kitties. I put my hands through it, but then they get stuck. One of these days I will figure this thing out.


Me and mommy play every day. This is one of my favortie toys. It's a Playskool Busy Ball Popper. Pretty sweet, huh?

If the weather is nice, me and mommy take a walk to pick Sissy up from school. I wear my sweet shades and enjoy the adoring looks from other mommies.

I get really excited when Daddy comes home from work. Then we have dinner. I really like mashed potatos.

If I make a big mess, I get a bath. So that's usually my goal at every meal.

Bedtime is between 7 and 8pm, but first I get one more delicious baba. This time I get to snuggle with daddy and if I'm really lucky a kitty will join us. I love kitties. Just like my dad.

Then I sleep with my blankie. I'm a good sleeper - it's a talent I've worked hard to develop.

All in a day's work.

A trip home...

The very next morning after Christmas, Miles and I flew to AZ for my grandpa Bud's funeral. Grandpa Bud had been living with my parents for the last several years and was the last of my grandparents to pass away. His health had been declining and so his death was was not unexpected in anyway, but still a sad event to go home to.

Grandpa Bud and his sweetheart, my Grandma Madeliene. They have the best love-story ever. Really, someone in my creative-writing family should write a screen play based on their story :)
Grandpa Bud was too young to get married, so they tried to elope. When they went to the courthouse, the secretary recognized Bud and said she knew his family and that he was too young to get married! So instead of waiting... they drove to the neighboring county where no one would recognize them and got married on the fly! So romantic :)



My dad is the smiley one in the middle - love the bowties!
It was pretty neat to go through all of grandpa's old stuff. He had A LOT and it wasn't even a fraction of what he and grandma had together before they moved to AZ from Utah. Grandpa Bud was in the Navy during WWII. He had saved all the letters he and Madeliene had written back and forth to each other - they were so sweet. So many cool old photos and treasures.


There was a whole stack of old newspapers:


The funeral was really good. It was a true tribute to an amazing life. Grandpa Bud was involved in some very serious battles during the war and recieved veteran's honors at his burial. I honestly felt very proud to be one of his decendants - he had such a wonderful and fascinating life.


And of course it was so nice to see my family! It had been over a year since I'd been home, so none of my family (except my mom) had ever met Miles!


We played "telephone" with some seriously giggly girls! So fun :)

Miles had his first Eegee! A true milestone for any Tucson-connected baby :)

It didn't take Miles long to realize that Grandma likes to eat snacks in the living room, and if you beg, she's likely to share!

Miles did as good as could be expected. He had a hard time sleeping, so that kind of threw him off for the first few days. Ok, he was a bit grumpy. But he started to figure things out and we had a good time visiting family. I was SO nervous to take him on a plane (on account of his constant wiggley-ness) but he did pretty good. He fussed a little here and there, and he slept about half the time. We sat next to some very kind and understanding strangers, so that was helpful.

Fun with Uncle Joe :)

I tried getting a picture of Miles with cousins Jenna and Adam, but it was difficult - none were very interested in having their picture taken!

I'm so glad I was able to go. We were all reminded of a truly amazing life - one that we're all so proud to be connected to. I love my family!