Our Week

Some pictures of our week.

Tuesday we did some shopping and played at the playground at our church before coming home for lunch and naps.

Wednesday night we ate dinner at Jason's Deli. We love that place. Good, healthy food, yummy stuff for the kids and free frozen yogurt with your meal.

Today the kids and I went to the mall. It was such a nice morning together. The kids played at the play area for about an hour. Pete made some friends and he chased them around all over the place. We walked both levels of the mall window shopping and talking about things. Pete asks me when we are walking, "Getting exercise mom?" We stopped in Stride Rite and had their feet measured. Wow, was I off on sizes, sorry kiddos! We played in Build-A-Bear and they loved it. We didn't buy anything but played with their display animals. Pete asked for one for his birthday. Here we go with the whole Build-A-Bear craze (expensive stuffed animals that never get played with). But to tell you the truth, I think it's a great idea and a wonderful experience for the kids. So, we will see. We then ate at Paradise Bakery and I had a salad and the kids shared a bowl of mac n' cheese. No one sat on my lap, no one tried to get out of their seat a million times and no one spilled a drink. We stopped at a kiosk that sold hermit crabs in these really cool shells and the kids played with them for a long time. They loved them. $9.99 for a crab of your own to watch. Hmmmm. We will see on that one too. On the way out Cinnabon gave us some samples. A perfect end to a perfect morning with my little sweethearts.

Build-A-Bear fun.

Jamie got to play too after her brother but when she plays I am usually holding her up so I don't get to take pics of her playing. Had to put that in there because P. says Jamie gets ripped off too often and I need to involve her more.

This was Jamie at the play area watching the other kids. Had to put this in here because I am just in love with her curly hair. I LOVE it. She is so beautiful and every day I tell her how I love everything about her. She is such an angel from God and I am so lucky to have her.
Us and the hermit crabs. So fun!I just have to say thanks. Thanks to God for my beautiful family. Thanks for my beautiful home and this beautiful place that I live. And thanks that I can stay home and be with my children every day. I get to take them places, teach them new things, show them things they have never seen or done before and I get to see their faces when they watch hermit crabs crawl around for the first time. I get to eat my meals with them, read new books from the library to them all morning and I get to watch them down tangerines like they are candy. Every day I get to dress them in cute clothes that make them even cuter than they already are. I feel so blessed that I am able to stay home with them and wouldn't change a thing about my life. What a wonderful life I have. First I thank God but I also owe my wonderful husband many, many thanks. God provides a way and my husband makes it possible for us. He got us here, he works hard every day so I can stay home and he comes home to us every night. He supports me in whatever I want to do and we are the perfect parenting team with our beautiful children. We are in it together and we thank our God for our marriage, our kids and our life. We know how blessed we are. We feel it every day. And we hope to teach our kids to love the Lord, lean on Him, and be as blessed as we are.

Jamie's up from a nap now. I am going to get my curly-haired angel, watch her drink some orange juice her dad squeezed himself and look at the same book we have looked at every day this week after her nap because it is full of owls. Goodbye!

Backwards

My actual birthday day. Dinner at In-N-Out, where else?

Visit From My Parents

My parents came to visit last weekend. We were able to share our new home with them, our new city, church, neighborhood and time with the kids. We spent a lot of quality time at the house playing with the kids, playing outside and eating meals together as a family. The kids enjoyed their company and we were thankful for the time we had together in our new AZ life.

Here are some pictures of our time together. Thanks mom and dad for making the trip out here to spend time with us. It really meant a lot to all of us that you came here to see us. I know traveling is hard but time with family is priceless and someday we will not have it anymore. The kids and I will have these pictures and memories forever.

Grandpa looking at a sticker book with the kids. Naming each item and putting stickers all over each other and the book.

Pete and Jamie decorating a birthday cake for me. It was topped with LOTS of sprinkles, gummy bears, M&M's and little fingerprints and holes.

The new pool we set up. It's so cute with two separate pools, a slide and a dolphin sprinkler. It will get a lot of use, especially when mom isn't up to getting in the big pool every day.
Sticker book again with Nana and Grandpa. There was a spider sticker and Grandpa would act like it was crawling up her arm and tickle her neck. She loved it.
The new Toy Story bedding Nana and Grandpa bought for Pete and his new big boy bed. He loves it and asks us to "cover me up" in them all the time. Thanks so much for this gift for Pete's new room. We will think of you every time we use it!
And the cutest owl lamp you have ever seen for Jamie's room. Pete helped us set it up and was so excited to show it to her and turn it on. It's perfect for her and we appreciate it so much. Mom and dad couldn't resist buying it for their little pumpkin.
Feeding the ducks.
The kids and a very brave goose.
We spent Saturday evening at our church. It was a perfect night and we were so proud to take my parents with us. We love our church and when we can't go we miss it. I was so happy my parents got to go with us. After church we ate dinner outside, watched the kids play, P. and Pete hiked the mountain and we had frozen yogurt. What a wonderful night.

Thanks again mom and dad. For making the trip, our gifts and for helping us with our new home.

St. Patrick's Day

Really the only way we acknowledged St. Patrick's Day today was after dinner I put Jamie in this cute shirt someone handed down to us. I didn't put her in it all day because I knew she would get it dirty within minutes of putting it on. And yes, that is what she did. We had ice-cream and she ended up with a mint-n-chip looking and smelling shirt after just a few bites. Oh, and Jamie WILL NOT wear a bib. She takes it off before you have it on. Anyway, this morning when I said we should be wearing green Pete said he wanted to wear his white shirt so that was the end of that. That's ok, next year will be more fun when they start understanding more. Funny, I don't really understand what St. Patrick's Day is all about myself. Next year I will do green pancakes for breakfast and an all green dinner or something fun like that.

Had to post 3 pics because they were all so cute. And they were all taken before she had ice cream all down her front. Good night all!

Going Back-March 4th

We did do some early celebrating before the birthday sicknesses set in. On the Friday before my birthday the kids and I went to the library for story time. It didn't go well (lots of kids equals lots of noise which equals lots of chaos and increased hyperness) so we just left but before we did I got a cute pic of Pete tapping sticks to a song. We will try story time again another day.We went out to dinner at Red Robin that night. Red Robin gives you a free burger for your birthday, it's a great deal. And a free sundae. And lot's of good people/things watching for the kiddos. And balloons.On that Sunday I took a whole 6 hours to myself to do whatever I wanted. I found a new mall south of us that we hadn't been to yet. Walked and shopped around that all morning. Had lunch by myself without ANY distractions. Shopped at Target afterward and enjoyed a Starbucks Frappuccino while there. Then hit another store for some frames for a picture project I am working on. It was a great day and by the time I got home I was missing the kids and hubby and ready to get back to real life. It's amazing how enjoyable leisure shopping is when you don't have anyone with you. Or eating without anyone sitting on your lap or spilling food on you and everywhere. Or driving and not having to pass goldfish and drinks back to the kids when they are screaming because they are hungry or thirsty. Ahhh, it was a nice day. Thanks babe.