Back to School! (And what we did this summer)

Here we are, ready for another year of school already. I can't believe Jackson is in 8th grade!

Somehow I have one in 8th Grade, one in 5th and one in 3rd!!!

I love how excited Jordan was to get to school this morning. She had to run out to the playground to find Isabelle. They acted like they hadn't seen eachother all summer long and yet they just saw eachother at church yesterday....girls!


And now that the kids are back in school I now have a minute to sit down and blog a little so you get to see some of the fun things we did.

We went to my mom's in California which isn't all that new or exciting but it was fun. Jared actually went a week before the rest of us and spent some one on one time with Grandma and Grandpa. They went ot Legoland and had a great time. Once we all arrived we met up with our friends from Tucson that were in California for a dive meet and we went to the Pier at Santa Monica. None of us had ever been before and we all had a great day.

It started out a bit overcast but it burned off and was a beautiful day.

The kids had a lot of fun on the rides at the pier.


This is my cousin Patty and my Dad. She pretty much looked like this most the day. I think she's on the phone more than a teenage girl.


We then spent the 4th of July at my moms. We were supposed to have a big bbq but things didn't turn out that way so it was just the family. We had a nice day though.


We also went to the beach. The boys and my Dad spent the day fishing and Jordan spent the day in the ocean. If you look you can see an X on her back. This was from a few weeks before when I forgot to reapply sunscreen when we were at a friends and her straps shifted and she got FRIED. I didn't take a picture of her after this beach day but let me tell you....when there are 5 adults and 3 kids you shouldn't assume that anyone else put sunscreen on the kids. My excuse is that I spent an hour looking for a parking spot while everyone else piled out of the van and went to play.


We also went to Disney's California Adventure this trip. We hadn't planned on it but my cousin and her husband came for a visit too and they wanted to go. I am just thankful for good friends that work for Disney that didn't mind getting us in that day. The first thing the kids did was Grizzly Bear Rapids. They wore ponchos the first time and came off the ride dry - Jordan wanted to go again without a poncho and this was the result:


This was also the first time Jared decided to ride the California Screamin' Roller coaster. Last time we went he stood in line with all of us and put one foot in the roller coaster and walked right out the other side.

He was really proud of himself for riding it!!!

Friends! Let's Get Together, yeah yeah yeah!

So today the kids and I were a bit crazy. My friend Ellen had a birthday yesterday and so we decided to meet for lunch. Her job has been driving her crazy so I said she should play hookie and we would go to lunch. Sounds normal until you find out that she lives 7 1/2 hours away. We met half way, spent 2 hours chatting and eating and letting the kids run around and then we both turned around and went back home.

I met Ellen while living in England. It turns out we have a mutual friend - nothing like telling a story and someone you don't know FINISHING it but that's another story. We're good friends but I think the true love affair is between our husbands. I really wish I had a picture to prove this story but you'll just have to create your own visual. We travelled down to another military base for the weekend while living there. We were at a small base and for good shopping and taco bell we would drive 3 hours and spend the weekend. (Hmm this 3 hour driving thing is sounding normal now.) Anyways. We decided to order the kids pizza one evening and to go out for dinner. We sent the men out for the pizza as we got the kids all situated. Soon Stewart walked in and I realized he had a new jacket on. Seriously, you went for pizza and you came back with a new jacket? It really isn't that cold out. And then the door opens. Greg walks in......same jacket. Like two 13 year old girls they walked in to the store, looked at jackets and bought MATCHING ones. To make it worse they proudly wore them when we would all go out.

Either way I guess I'm grateful for good friends. I'm grateful for 3 hour drives for 2 hour lunch dates. For husbands with matching jackets. And for teenage boys who pretend to despise each other yet get along a little too well at times for us to believe. And amazingly 2 little girls who wore the exact same outfit on their first day of school last year without either of us knowing.....maybe their dad's planned it behind our backs!

Complicated Families

Jordan and I went to Portland a few weeks ago to attend my cousins wedding. While we were there Jordan got to meet her cousin Grace. Grace is a year older than Jordan and they got a long great. We went to the zoo and the girls acted as if they had known eachother forever. Kids are great like that.

Grace's mom is my step sister. This was also the first time I had ever met her. We are 37 and 38 and had never met - but I've known she existed for a lot longer than she knew about me. It's a complicated history of family but we're all trying to make up for it. I'm trying not to be territorial and she's super nice considering I'm the girl that took her life - that grew up with her father as my Dad. It's difficult to have feelings that I DON'T WANT to like her but I do. I still cringe when looking at her facebook pictures of her with my mom and my dad labeled "Me & My Dad". I even have trouble seeing the pictures of Grace and her Grandpa. Jordan is the only grand daughter - or she was - and now she isn't. Like I said - complicated.

The picture above is my mom, Ann-Marie, Me, Jordan & Grace

Where Have We Been?

Last month seemed to just fly by. We were pretty busy and somehow I missed updating the blog at all.

Let's see what happened?

Jordan got baptised


and we had a lot of our family and friends come for that. It was a crazy weekend with way too many people in my house - but we had fun.


(I could comment on my Mother in Law's sudden involvement with having her hands on Jordan's shoulders but I'll keep my Mother In Law stories for another day)

We had two school performances - one from Jared


And then a week later from Jordan


When I go to school performances I can't help but think about when we were in England and we had school musicals like this you'll have to click on the video to check it out 1/2 way down the entry.

Right after Jordan's performance we continued rushing around to get Jared ready for his school Grand Canyon trip. I've never been and I'm a bit jealous but I really didn't want my first Grand Canyon trip to be on a bus with a ton of kids. I did have to laugh when Jackson said it was no fair that Jared got to see the Grand Canyon. When Jackson was in Year 6 in England (5th Grade) he went with his class on a ski trip to Switzerland. Let's talk about not fair!

I think Jared took some pretty good pictures
This is Mikey - he has been all over the world with us so of course he went to the Grand Canyon too!





And then this last Wednesday we made a drive out to the new Gila Valley Temple. This was the kid's second open house experience.

The Wave or Tunnel Vision?

Every morning when I drop my kids off at school I pass by a few moms I know. Depending on who is on time or ahead of time or running late it could be coming or going. As we pass there is usually a wave. I am a waver. (And when I say waver I don't mean in the sense that I peg my pants and listen to New Order.) If I know what kind of car you drive I can pretty much spot it from a good distance and I will give you a wave as we pass. Some people are so intent on their driving or listening to their talk radio or something that they just seem to have driving tunnel vision. I have a friend who I used to pass on a regular basis when we were on a small military base in England. I could practically run in to her and she wouldn't even turn her head - she just wouldn't see me. I wonder if maybe she is just more focused and I'm more.....what was I saying?

Sometimes I drive my husband's car and I still wave and then I have to remember...they don't know it's me. It doesn't stop me from waving. Have I ever waved at someone and then realized "oops, wrong person"? Yes, but it doesn't bother me. Everyone needs a wave.

In England I did a lot of waving. The roads are small and you often need to share one lane with cars going both ways. As you signal to let the other person go ahead you wait for the pass and it is standard that you wave. A quick lift of the hand off the steering wheel to just say "thanks" or "you're welcome". You don't see that kind of hand gesture here too often. We're pretty quick to raise the hand but it's more often in the "would you get out of my way!" shake of the fist...unless you're being a bit more naughty.

I will continue my wave. I will continue to hope that you wave back. And for those of you that do...thanks.

Spring Break

This spring break we:

Went to Build-a-Bear. Jordan had birthday money burning a hole in her pocket.








Went swimming at the Cove in Sierra Vista. The kids love the wave machine and the water slides.







Went to the Zoo in Phoenix.








Before all of that we even went to the Rodeo.









And took NO pictures since my camera was in Germany. I think it's time for another camera in this house.

Something Old

I have thought about the idea for this blog several times and finally got around to blogging it.

I have this habit of holding on to stuff. Some of it useful, some of it, not so much.


I have this denim jacket hanging in my closet. It is a small and it is, let's say, 20 years old. Will I ever wear it again? Highly unlikely. But I will tell you I did toss out the matching jeans some time ago as I gave up the idea that I would ever be a size 2 again.


This is the TV we got when we first got married. It's 17 years old and is in our bedroom. We have upgraded it 2x but seriously - only 3 TV's in 17 years? That's not bad either. I am getting ready to move this one out and put our bigger TV in here - but it's such a monster I don't think we can lift it on to the dresser. (The dresser would qualify as old too - we inherited it from my Grandmother and you guys are lucky I didn't take a picture of the bed that matches it - yes we sleep in a double/full size bed.)


Yes, a fantastic picture of my ear. I was actually going for the earrings and I'll tell you that the hoops...I've been wearing those since I was 12. I've worn other earrings but I keep coming back to the hoops. They are comfortable, I don't have some allergic reaction when wearing them. I could go on. As for that "second pair" I got those from my husband when I graduated from college 13 years ago. That's why I wear them. I'm also suspicious that they are the reason I've never had a calling in young women's at church as well.




My alarm clock. This is probably the oldest of my possessions that I use on a regular basis. I got this for Christmas probably when I was 9. It used to be the only radio I owned and it got a LOT of use during the Duran Duran period of my life. I have used it almost my entire life except for when we were in England. Four years of using an alarm clock I never quite trusted. I was so happy to take this out of the box and proudly put it on my dresser again. Granted the light that tells you the alarm is set no longer works, but it has never failed me.


Some of these things have sentimental value, some of them comfort, some of them because we're cheap. I mean we are frugal and living within our means. Some of them are just trusted and I'm afraid to replace because I might not like it as much. And then there are those things that you held on to for 30 years. Something that you loved. Something that YEARS and YEARS ago you thought you might keep to give to someone else....and then that day comes.



If she treats the dress well I might just let her read my Little House on the Prarie Books that I have NEVER shared with anyone.