The Dunns

Out of Hibernation

2010-03-31T11:28:00.000-07:00

I love springtime. What's not to love? Springtime brings Easter, warm weather, color to the desert, kite flying, pastels, new life and change. New life as in little eggs (2 of them!) the size of jelly beans ready to become hummingbirds. We check the nest daily to see if Twitter has met her babies. Change as in the most significant milestone in a baby's life is just around the corner for Sophie. I celebrate another year of life (uggh!), anticipate a crazy summer, and join along (with some reluctance) to come out of hibernation.....

I think I'm gonna need.....

2009-12-10T08:29:00.000-08:00

a coat. A big thick down-filled puffy adorable COAT. And wool socks, and extra blankets, and my space heater, and mittens, and a scarf, and a hat, and hot chocolate around the clock, and hot soup, and a magical way to teleport us to Utah for the holidays so we don't have to drive in this. Can you help?

(photo courtesy of my sister's front yard)

Three Worlds

2009-11-25T10:04:00.000-08:00

I've often said how it can be challenging for me as a mother to meet the needs of my three children who are in completely different stages and see the world in completely different ways.

Sadie is winning turkeys at class parties.

Deklan is spinning webs, riding horses and inseparable from Kash.

Sophie is loving her Boon spoon as she is put in and out of her carseat and going here and there. If you want a Boon spoon (which I know you will because they are awesome!) go here.

Truth be told....I wouldn't have my world any other way.

Shabby Apple Dare to Design Limoncello Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-11-05T09:01:00.000-08:00

Shabby Apple Dare to Design Limoncello Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

I'm in love!

Shabby Apple Dare to Design Lawn Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-11-05T08:56:00.000-08:00

Who couldn't use a new dress?

Shabby Apple Dare to Design Lawn Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Here we go again....

2009-11-05T07:57:00.000-08:00

I vaguely remember years ago watching an Oprah where there was a lady who was a full time prize seeker. She entered every sweepstakes imaginable. Cereal boxes, mail entry, newspaper ads, game shows, you name it. She proudly showcased her winnings from over the years: money, a new tv, bikes, cameras, and the list goes on. I remember being a little impressed but also thinking she had no life.

I'm just promising you that I do have a life......which will resume after I win something. Ha!

This one is cute (and they mention a holiday boutique here in Gilbert that I may just have to attend). Here's my extra entry!

http://pepperblossomdecor.blogspot.com/2009/11/november-give-way.html?showComment=1257436619561#c4849931703447966084

Change of luck....

2009-11-04T10:24:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling the need to win something. Something cute. Something I love. Something I don't want to live without. Something I CAN'T live without. Okay, maybe that's a little extreme but seriously is this too much to ask for a girl being audited? And that's not a typo....I did type A-U-D-I-T-E-D.

So in keeping with the spirit of the recession and my need for free I'm entering this contest and for an extra chance at winning I'm posting the link:

http://www.recessionistaparty.com/2009/11/feeling-love-with-freebieeeee.html#comment-form

Be warned...my blog may turn into a boring linkage to other blogs until I win something. Or it could lead you to some very cool websites and in that case you'll be thanking me.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T09:24:00.000-08:00

Creative juices are gone. That's G as in Goblin. O as in owl. N as in night. E as in eeery. All creativity has been expended on door decor, costumes galore (bats, posh pumkin, cute cupcake), trunk or treat festivities and parties, parties, parties.

Happy Halloween!!!

Carving Comments

2009-11-02T09:08:00.000-08:00

When it comes to carving pumpkins we are like a well oiled machine. The setting has been the same for the past five years (FIVE years?!?!). Only the little bodies behind the counter have gotten bigger and a little more independent. In addition to my other annual duties at our pumpkin carving night, I bounced the baby and jotted down the comments that filled the air:

"Dad, I want you to get my guts!

Bluuuuuck!

This is my favorite part of Halloween, carving pumpkins!

Spooky! O.K., now I'm going to wash my hands again.

Mom, why aren't you helping out?

I'm not going to touch the guts anymore.

GUTS!!!!!

Start thinking about what you want the face to look like.

I want to cut it out.

HEY! You got it on my arms Sadie!

Here, try a piece!

Where's the knife? I need it.

I think daddy should do the cutting.

Why? I've cutted before.

Yes!!!! I cutted it!

Look Mom! Mine has a tooth!

I'm cutting the hair cuz daddy doesn't know how."

Happy Halloween from our house to yours!

One Love, One Life

2009-10-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

One love
One blood
One life
You got to do what you should
One life
With each other
Sisters
Brothers
One life
But we're not the same
We get to
Carry each other
Carry each other

U2 360* Tour....Glendale, AZ....University of Phoenix Stadium,
Tuesday, October 20, 2009, 7:00 p.m.

Happy 10 year Anniversary Babe!

Sunny St. George

2009-10-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been to a fall wedding in beautiful St. George, Utah? If not, you're missing out. Most brides are happy, but this bride? She was beaming. Beaming I tell you!

Sadie cried and cried and cried half the way home. And then cried some more once we got home. I cried on the inside.

Let's just say the trip there was much more pleasant than the trip home. A good indication that we had WAY too much fun!

Taking Off

2009-10-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

It's true. We're taking off and I'm so excited! I think I need a cape in my size....

I CAN Can

2009-10-10T21:49:00.000-07:00

I knew I could do it. I mean canning runs deep into my veins. It would have been oh so much better with my mom and Nana by my side (no offense ladies) because I had so many questions running through my mind. And for some reason my memory fails me when it comes to the detailed steps of processing. But I do remember the smell of pears permeating the entire house, the lulling sound of bottles in the hot water bath on the stove and Nana's stories as I sat mesmorized by her constant peeling.

We started with about 80 pounds of pears. Wow, that was a lot of work. Then convincing ourselves that the blanching of peaches rather than tedious peeling of pears and adding a few more eager canners into the mix would improve our efficiency we tackled about 140 pounds of peaches. Are you tired yet?

Lessons learned:
1) Do not can if you think you are saving money by doing so. Sorry, but after you add up jars, sugar, fruit, lemon juice (not to even mention TIME) you are much better off taking a little trip to costco.

2) Is it worth it? Totally! Grocery store canned fruit is nastiness. Plus there is a lovely sense of accomplishment and provident living that comes along with each bottle.

3) It does get easier. You do get faster. The jars get prettier. And friendships become stronger.

Wax On, Wax Off

2009-09-15T23:41:00.001-07:00

Deklan had his first karate class tonight. He did well.

But he did not like it. Apparently it was "no fun".

Apparently he was expecting to learn some "tricks".

Apparently he wanted to come home with the ability to do "front flips, back flips, and stand on a stick on one leg".

Apparently I've underestimated his abilities.

Someday Soon

2009-09-13T23:18:00.000-07:00

If someday never comes it will be ok 'cause my kiddos had their day in the sun (literally) with their lemonade stand.

They've been asking for awhile now and my response is always, "sure, someday soon". Someday soon came on Saturday. I wasn't home (or else "someday soon" probably wouldn't have come, I'm sad to admit). I was at cub scout training. Really. I know you don't believe me, but I have the patch to prove it.

Sophie was snoozing and E was supervising (while mowing lawns, trimming edges, sweeping walks, etc.)

They made $7.40 in a matter of a few hours! People will pay a lot of money for a 2/3 full glass of ice cold lemonade (even if from concentrate) on a hot...like 100 degree plus day in AZ. I'm so proud! If we were parents of the year, we would have sat down and talked about profit, the cost of doing business, giving 10% to the Lord, and so on. Funny thing is, when divvying up the cash, neither wanted the bills and both wanted the coins. They fit better in the piggy bank don't ya know?

I love it when someday comes. I'm going to make someday come more often.

Today...

2009-09-08T23:21:00.000-07:00

I am thankful for the kind lady in line behind me who called me a dear, a content 7 month old baby who happily played with her rattle, and an energetic 4 year old who patientlly waited (even if bribed with chocolate milk) all while spending an extra 15 minutes checking out at Wal-mart so that I could save a few bucks by price matching.

Sweet Dreams

2009-09-05T20:50:00.000-07:00

There is something to be said about getting back into a routine. A lot to be said about what transpired during the time we went from routine to no routine back to routine. Thank you school.

With Erik whooping it up in Dallas right now (Go Cougars!!!!!), you'd think I'd be sleeping single in a king sized bed. But no. Sadie and Deklan have joined me. Sadie, who sleeps in a queen sized bed, is used to spreading out. S...P...R...E...A...D...I...N...G...out if you know what I mean. And Deklan likes to sleep smack dab against you and it doesn't matter what size of bed you're in. He's right there like a leech....in a lovey kind of way. Factor in that with the extra body heat that two little bodies can give off, a missing husband, and my incessant need to peek in on my baby to make sure she's still breathing and you get a pretty sleepless night.

3:30 a.m.

Deklan starts shaking and little snorts are emitted. You know, the type where you're not sure if the person is laughing or crying? I sit up, look down at his little face (cause remember he's a leech) and see a big grin on his face with eyes peacefully closed. More laughter. I whisper, "Hey buddy, what are you dreaming?" With eyes still closed, he raises his little arm in the air and says, "GUMBALLS" as he spirals his little hand around and around as if a gumball is making it's way downward.

I'm going to try and dream about gumballs tonight (that and BYU football). Sounds like fun. Wish me luck.

The Gift of Teachers

2009-06-18T21:01:00.000-07:00

It has been a crazy few weeks as the school year came to a close. I seriously can't believe I'll have a 2nd grader next year. We made these adorable picture frames for Sadie's teachers. I had fun digging through my photos from this past year and found this one from the fieldtrip to the Arizona Children's Museum. Sadie L-O-V-E-S school and I'm so glad that she will have the same teachers next year. Since they do 1/2 classrooms it will be a smooth transition to second grade....well, not so much for her mommy!

Watch how I grow!

2009-06-15T11:29:00.001-07:00

Not bad for my camera phone used while: standing in line to order a diet coke and white chocolate macadamia nut cookies at Paradise Bakery, holding a diaper bag, pushing a stroller, talking baby talk to coax a smile, and keeping an eye on my four year old who was anxiously awaiting our arrival at the "play place". A pretty happy 4 month old for having just gotten four shots don't ya think?

I'm Pooped....Read On

2009-06-05T21:34:00.000-07:00

This story begins on May 1st, Sadie’s school’s annual Spring Fling
Originally a mommy daughter date, turned into a family thing.

Baby Sophie, if you can believe it, turned 3 months old!
In a month of soccer games, a women’s conference and the end of weekly Yuma trips I’m told.

Mother’s Day began with breakfast in bed;
Included some gifts, hugs, and at church tears of gratitude were shed.
Sophie’s card made by Sadie, you’ll definitely want to see
When I tell you it made me laugh so hard I had to pee.

The Father Sons campout was less than 24 hours packed full
While the girls and friends prepped for Dek’s party and flushed 20 goldfish down the bowl!
Breaking camp at 4 am they had a good reason,
To make it home by 8 to coach the last game of the season.
And after 3 seasons, all the practicing went “click”
When not one...BUT TWO goals Sadie did kick!

A fishing themed party demanded we run to the store to replace the fish,
2 p.m. rolled around, 8 little friends, fishy games, presents and a wish!

Imagine all this and yet we squeezed in some “needs”,
A haircut, the dentist and curse the HOA we even pulled our weeds.
Did I mention that Erik’s overnight trips to Yuma have come to a stop?
The library grand opening gave me a reason to shop!

Thanks to the Roos’, the Summers and E’s parents who shared in our delight,
And we think they’ll agree the library is really a sight!
“The Main” is a spectacular building to see,
From the terrazo flooring to the children’s section tree.
My kids loved Booker’s Cave filled with dazzling lights
And we donated to the awesome fireworks at the end of the night!

Off to California including a day in the sand;
If it wasn’t Memorial Day weekend we would have gone to Disneyland.
Instead we stayed with the Summers our friends,
Pizza, the park and beautiful weather trends.
We returned on purpose for Memorial Day
A pool, delicious food....we sure love Uncle Scott and Aunt LaRae!

A month can’t go by without a few dates.
E & I happened to have three despite that it’s getting harder to stay up late!
With two other couples we did dinner and a show
A testosterone filled movie, to Terminator Salvation, we did go.
Amazingly Sophie slept soundly all during the noise
And I’m convinced that this movie was made especially for boys!

The end of the school year is finally near.
All but our “school-loving Sadie’ will cheer.
Especially Deklan our preschool grad
‘cause leaving mom to go to school twice a week often made him really sad.

Speaking of sad, I hate saying good-bye
To my amazing friend Dawn....I admit I will cry.
A final memory at Oreganos with lots of Diet Coke,
But of the reality of her move hardly anyone spoke.

Now as the month ends Erik gears up for Scout camp.
I thought the lonely nights were over with me, my book and a lamp?!
But wait, good news, my sister just rang!
She’s coming down in June for a visit and bringing the gang.

Just as I write this my little Sophie did a first!
Is the passing of time a blessing or a curse?
From her back to her tummy she rolled on the rug,
And on my heartstrings I felt quite a tug.

This gift we call life really goes by so quick.
Enjoying each moment is surely the trick.
Reflecting on May it becomes apparent to me.
I’m blessed to be a wife and a mommy of three!

Play Together...Stay Together

2009-04-15T22:58:00.000-07:00

Can you tell Erik is gone? That's when I blog my friends, be it three posts at a time. Since he departs every Tuesday, Mondays have become pretty treasured evenings. This week we had a spontaneous reenactment of a galactic battle with a medieval twist. Erik told the kids to go play for fifteen minutes so we could talk uninterrupted while doing dinner dishes. They came downstairs in these duds:

Erik couldn't resist using one of the light sabers to engage "jedi deklan gone batman" in an intense battle.

The damsel was in great distress.

But never fear, Sir Deklan was not going to give up.

But truth be known, his skills had nothing to do with his conquering of the enemy. The secret was the damsel/fairy princess' flower powered token containing secret charms.

When it was all over, Sir Deklan was dubbed a hero by the heroine.

The End.

Easter Is.....

2009-04-15T22:30:00.001-07:00

Waking up to a maze of yarn that leads to your Easter basket. (Who knew that stringing yarn could cause the Easter Bunny's helpers to spew forth vulgarities?)

Eating eggs Benedict,

Color coordinating in new Easter outfits (my favorite part, by the way):

Feasting on a leg of lamb,

And coloring eggs so that mom can think of recipes that will require the use of two dozen hard boiled eggs, And most importantly, finding renewed hope in our Savior that we can each be forgiven of our sins and live as families forever!

Milestones

2009-04-15T21:50:00.000-07:00

Sophie had a few milestones last week. In fact, a week ago today she smiled for the first time. It was memorable. I can't remember the first smiles of Sadie or Deklan....some "firsts" sort of seem gradual or uncertain. Not this one. She just finished eating. It was about 6 a.m. and I was snuggling her close, hoping we could both sleep a little bit longer. But she was bright eyed. I looked down at her and waalaaa...there it was: the biggest open mouth smile ever!

My friend describes taking pictures of your kids (especially babies) quite well. You take 64 and hope 1 or 2 will turn out. Well that's what I did the next day. It's sort of a half smile, but you can't blame her. We had just returned from the pediatrician where she had her two month check-up which included four shots. Sad! The pediatrician was a little worried because she had dropped on the growth charts. I'm not worried....if she follows the curves of my other two, her growth curve at her 4 month visit will reflect the last year of the stock market. It's that skim milk diet I'm telling you! At least she's on the charts!

Without further adieu, here is the token photo where I tried earnestly to capture her smile:

P.S. I'm learning how to use hypertext in my posts. Thanks Katie for being my first link. Baby steps to a better blog!

Blessings

2009-04-07T22:45:00.000-07:00

We've been busy. Very busy. And there is much I could say...like how my life has been transformed with a new car (although I'm going to drive the old car to and from Sadie's school this last quarter; with 144,000 miles, what's 3,000 more?), how Deklan continues to make us laugh (like today when he reported to Sadie that it was picture day at preschool so "he got handsome"), how Sadie started soccer and finished her 3rd quarter of school, or how Erik's job is in the final stages (and won't we be glad when his weekly commute to Yuma is duh, duh, duh, duh DONE!), or how I'm returning to my roots and breaking out the sewing machine (more to come on that exciting news), or how I'm trying to rennovate my blog (based on blog etiquette....more on that later too).

But of all the activities and such that keep us busy, one was most signficant and that was the blessing of our little Sophie Brooke. It was three fun filled days with family and friends....21 people Friday night (the 27th) , 36 people Saturday night and 23 people Sunday night....filled our house....every nook and cranny. We swam at the hotel, ate at In N Out, visited, filled ourselves with delicious food (even if I do say so myself), opened gifts, built a backyard fire, cheered at Sadie's first soccer game, had a "family meeting" for old times sake, and ooohhed and ahhhed over Sophie. It was a beautiful weekend! And all I can say is, "I feel blessed!"

Little Koy Boy

2009-03-17T21:00:00.001-07:00

Little Sophie hasn't met any of her cousins yet, but I imagine her and Koy were kickin' it in heaven just a few months ago and that they'll be pretty good pals growing up together. I like to whisper to Sophie little Koy's milestones 'cause I know she misses him like I do. Tonight as she was completely zonked, like nearly snoring zonked, I looked over at her and this pic of Koy from my sister's blog came to mind. They are both ready to catch some flies (only my lighting stinks). How crazy is this? He was five weeks old in this pic (Sophie is five weeks old) and my sister had posted that Koy had slept like six hours at night. Guess who slept six hours last night? I'll have to let her know when she wakes up six hours from now that she's keepin up with cute Koy!

As Promised

2009-03-16T22:44:00.001-07:00

I never got around to posting pictures of the completed nursery like I had promised a few people that I would. I think I take for granted how talented Erik is when it comes to "home improvement projects". He's such a sport when I get these ideas in my head of how I want things to look....and then he does the work.

I of course owe additional thanks to Molly, Natalie, Shara and Sarah B. for their contributions. My talent is calling on the talents of others.....brilliant! And the photo collage....well I'm just going to keep adding to it............

Baby Lovers

2009-03-10T22:40:00.001-07:00

I've never met a man that loves babies as much as this one.....

or a girl that loves her sister as much as Sadie does.....

Mellow Yellow

2009-03-10T22:32:00.000-07:00

You know what makes me happy right now? Besides smelling my yummy baby and laughing at Deklan, loving my hubby, and reading with Sadie....

Lemons.

Yep, lemons.

For a year now I've been wanting to try to make lemon curd. I was feeling sorry for myself one night (the usual reason that brings on my pity parties...my sisters and mom got together AGAIN without me) when there was a knock on the door. A friend brought me a sack of lemons. How appropriate for my sour attitude. Then I thought of this recipe and headed for the kitchen.

I wasn't too sure of it's taste at first and wasn't too sure what to spread it on. So I whipped up some almond poppy seed muffins. Erik and I couldn't get enough of those muffins with a generous spread of curd. Delish!

Deklanisms

2009-03-10T22:27:00.001-07:00

This little boy keeps me laughing til my side hurts....here are a few of his latest....

"Mom, are you thinkin what I'm thinkin?"

"I don't know bud. What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinkin I need a treat."

"I'm in my prime mom."

"What?" (Did I hear what I think I just heard?)

"Yeah, I'm in my prime."

"What?" (Seriously, is he saying PRIME?)

"I'm in my prime just like Melman on Madagascar."

OR, my personal favorite.....

whenever I pick up Sophie and she goes from crying to calm he'll say,

"Sophie knows her mom. Yep, Sophie knows her mom."

One Month!

2009-03-10T22:21:00.001-07:00

Erik is OOT for a few days, so I have nothing better to do at night than to catch up on my "to do" list (that, and wish he was home) so I'm posting away....

For Sophie's 1 month birthday, we decided to get OUT OF THE HOUSE, because I'm getting a little stir crazy if you know what I mean. Deklan has been itching to ride his scooter so we went to the park. It was a little windy that day (last Friday), so Sophie was able to sport her cutest hat ever made by the oh so talented Tara. (Picture is after the park and Sophie was more than ready to eat and take a nap on mommy's soft bed).

Pink Sadie

2009-03-10T22:18:00.000-07:00

What color are you?

3 Weeks Old

2009-02-27T19:20:00.000-08:00

Sophie Brooke Dunn

2009-02-12T14:11:00.000-08:00

She's here!!! Ten days early, 8 lbs. 4 oz. (biggest baby we've had!), 19 3/4 inches long, 6 days old in top picture, 2 days old (coming home from the hospital) in bottom picture. Back to her birthweight at her 5 day pediatrician visit. Has been smothered with hugs and kisses since her arrival!

We had already taken about 175 pictures before we even left the hospital so it was not an easy task picking two for the blog post. Truthfully, I didn't scour them too closely because, well, for one they are all adorable (minus a few of the "during labor" shots my mom captured) and also I'd much rather be cuddling with Sophie than blogging.

Which brings me to say.....i'm checking out for a while....not working (for money anyway), not blogging, not facebooking, not going to school, not teaching joy school......I"m pretty much going to be soaking up every second of every minute of every hour of every day of my baby and her big brother and big sister!

Light Saber P P

2009-02-05T13:55:00.000-08:00

Deklan in his most enthusiastic voice announced, "MOM, I got all the bad guys with my light saber p p".

I'm slightly confused. "What?"

Deklan with a slight annoyance at my lack of understanding but not diminished in his pride announces again, "I got all the bad guys with my light saber p p."

Three years ago, I might have been a little appalled, even slightly disgusted and maybe even prepared to have a little talk about what's "o.k." to say and what's not....but I'm all ears.

"What is your light saber p p?"

"You know, that thing where the pee pee comes out!"

"And where are the bad guys?"

"They live all around the inside of the toilet!"

That's my boy!!! And by golly if it takes a light saber p p to get the urine in the toilet rather than a diaper, pull-up, or even worse--his underwear, I'll be the first to support it! He is one cool jedi!

(Pictures not posted for obvious reasons).

January Dates

2009-01-29T09:44:00.001-08:00

In preparation for the new arrival (and the attention shifting to her) we planned some special dates for Sadie and Deklan. Earlier in the month we took Sadie to Broadway's The Lion King which was stunning. We first went to dinner and then hustled to get our seats. The costumes were out of this world. Of course, I enjoyed watching Sadie and her reactions more than I did the show. She loved it! Then last week Erik took Deklan to the Monster Truck Jam. They went to Cooperstown for dinner, had pit passes for the up close experience and then watched big trucks jump over things and crash into things and make a lot of noise. I think that sums it up. Originally our dates were supposed to be both parents....but as more dads and sons decided to go a pedicure and dinner with Sadie started looking better and better. Every day Deklan asks if they are going to Monster Trucks again......boyz!

Oooh Baby Baby!

2009-01-15T09:19:00.001-08:00

The idea of getting belly shots has been around for awhile but something about a black backdrop with a naked fat belly sticking out just never appealed to me. I mean, not that I'm not happy to say that even with baby #3 on the way I am stretch mark free and my belly doesn't get nasty looking (hair, black lines, sorry TMI) when I'm pregnant. I know, lucky me (well, luck and Burt's Bees belly butter)....but still I just never wanted the belly shots.

Then I saw my sister's shots. SOOOOO cute and tasteful. And then I factored in the fact that this is the last time I plan on being able to capture that prego look on camera and I couldn't resist. So while in Utah I had them done....and let me just say that this girl is good. So good, I wish I could go back and have her take my bridals, engagements and wedding photos. But I can't so I won't...but I will forever treasure these shots.

And who doesn't want a photographer who tells you to try and stick your belly out so you'll look pregnant when you're 7 months pregnant? And a daughter who tells you that from behind nobody can even tell you're pregnant. And a hubby that drools over the pics as well. Pregnancy never felt so good!......and you know how I feel about pregnancy!

How You Know.....

2009-01-12T19:40:00.001-08:00

You just know it's going to be a good day when you start it off with a hearty nutritious breakfast of Fruity Pebbles and glazed donuts. And then it IS a good day when you organize and sort and purge four garbage sacks and three boxes of "stuff" to make room for the new addition to the family......

You just know it's going to be a good day when you pull up to the mall with your two children and get a front row parking spot all because you're large and uncomfortable and hot and can't bend over and can hardly breathe. And then it IS a good day when you make the rest of the returns to the stores you purchased from and then changed your indecisive pregnant mind about the purchase.

Bad Words

2009-01-06T19:19:00.001-08:00

Sadie, "Mom, I'm not going to say the "F" word, because it's not very nice so I'll just say that you are REALLY BIG and can't fit between those chairs."

So now we add the "F" word to our growing repertoire of "bad words" at the Dunn house. When Sadie first listed off these letter words, "the "D" word, the "H" word and the "S" word, on our long drive to Utah, I thought I might be in big trouble (I always thought I was saying them out of her earshot)....but thank heavens she was willing to elaborate....

"F is fat, D is dumb, H is hate and S is stupid".

Holiday Happenings

2009-01-05T09:40:00.000-08:00

Last year after our Thanksgiving spent in Disneyland I thought to myself that we will never be able to top that Thanksgiving and now I find myself saying the same thing again. I could write a 5,000 word essay on all of the things we did....but frankly I don't have time. I have a nursery to set up! So I asked each member of our family their top three activities (keep in mind they would probably tell me something different if I asked today) and here is what I got:

SADIE

1) A Christmas Carol at the Hale Center Theatre. Simply amazing! Thanks Dad and Myrna.....an unforgettable Christmas gift! Fun to have Grandpa and Aunt Mary along as well. We were thinking of Grandma...it was her birthday and we all miss her so much!

2) Sunday brunch at the Little American Ballroom. Festive music, all you can eat food and good company. We ate breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert all in one sitting. Pic above is the kiddos anxiously awaiting the feast in the hotel lobby. Sadie visited the shrimp table more than once. Yes, she loves shrimp!

3) Playing in the snow! Check out this big guy! Aunt Aly is a good sport!

DEKLAN

1) Riding his new scooter at the church. And my bros were there to teach their nephews about football. I don't think Deklan stopped grinning. I have awesome brothers!!! And Deklan rode the scooter like he'd been doing it his whole life.

2) Playing in the snow....sound familiar? My kids couldn't stop eating it...too bad it wasn't packed with vitamins and minerals!

3) Santa Claus! I guess after having eight kids you have the hook-up with Santa. And my amazing mom pulled some strings so that Santa came Sunday night for a personal visit. The only downside? Your kids tell Santa what they want and you've never ever heard those words leave their mouths before. Even the adults sat on his lap and I seriously could not stop laughing.

ERIK

1) Snow! (Again?) No, snow did not make my list.

2) The Spoken Word (a weekly TV and radio broadcast of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir) that we were able to view LIVE. Thanks to Dad and Myrna for taking the six grandkids into the theatre room so we could all attend. Taken from my phone so it doesn't do it justice...but it was gorgeous!

3) Vernal. Doesn't really narrow it down since that is where we spent the 23rd-27th but my sister and her husband once again shared their Danish Christmas traditions with us. We love it!!!!

STEPHANIE

I'm sorry, but I just can't follow my rules of coming up with the top three things. But being with my sisters and my mom always top the list. Seeing Brittany's new baby Koy was a real treat. Myrna's fabulous Christmas dinner and Christmas brunch were very yummy along with their Christmas gifts to us: A Christmas Carol, sledding at Soldier Hollow, The Spoken Word and brunch after, presents for the kids....definitely gifts of the heart to bring the family together. The Danish dinner, late night games, the Spanish Fork lights, shopping, movies, pedis with the girls........have I reached my 5,000 words already????

And less you think the whole vacation was flawless, let me just mention that I DO NOT have the hook-up with Santa and for some reason a very large "bag" of my kids' Christmas presents were accidently left in AZ. I remembered all the gifts from E & I and Santa brought the big Santa presents but p.j.'s forgot, stocking stuffers forgot, small gifts forgot. I didn't cry, even though I felt like it, but my feelings towards Wal-Mart have drastically changed since the Wal-Mart in Vernal really came through on Christmas Eve. And of course my sister pulled out some "extra" things to give my kids as well. I think we were able to replace everything except some things from Bath and Body Works (NOT in Vernal). And now I have 8, yes 8, stores to visit for returns. YUCK!

I could say more....much much more but like I mentioned at the beginning of this post....I have a nursery to get set-up! Which, by the way, my hubby finished painting this weekend and once I finish decorating you will get to see the finished product.

Happy New Year!

Under Construction

2008-12-16T11:39:00.001-08:00

For family night, we assembled a gingerbread house. Personalities were revealed and everyone exposed their true colors. Erik got down to business....shoring the side of the house as it started to collapse, mixing the concrete, organizing the stock pile of supplies, asking us to submit RFIs if we wanted to alter anything in the plans.....you know, the construction business as usual. Sadie kept us all artistic, color coordinated and on task. In between my giggles (after all these years Erik can still get me laughing non-stop), I stuck close to Deklan who's MO was: one treat on the house, one treat in the mouth, one treat on the house, two treats in the mouth, one treat on the house, one treat in mom's mouth. He's no dummy. It's a lovely little house, but unfortunately will be undergoing foreclosure upon our return from Utah and I'm sure Erik and Deklan will find a way to implode the little beauty when the new year rolls around. Merry Christmas!!!!!!

Thanks for Thanksgiving

2008-12-02T19:11:00.000-08:00

A Thanksgiving walk......

Where cattails are found.......

And cattails are picked......

And cattails are plucked.....

And cattails are discarded in exchange for HUGS!

Gag Me!

2008-11-24T19:03:00.000-08:00

Wish me luck....tomorrow I have to down a bottle of "orange nasty" loaded with 50 gms of sugar to see how well my body handles glucose. I have to accomplish this in 10 minutes without puking. Not my finest hour in my previous pregnancies. I told my doctor I could down 12 fun size snickers in 10 minutes and well, couldn't that count? I took the laugh as a big fat NO.

I can't help myself!

2008-11-20T10:29:00.000-08:00

I must confess, I've been listening to this (and many other festive CDs) since the day after Halloween:

and spraying this EVERYWHERE in my house:

And totally craving these and wondering WHEN Target will get them on their shelves!:

And formulating my Christmas list to Santa and I'm including THIS:

I love this merry time of year!!!!!

Post Now....

2008-11-18T20:39:00.000-08:00

or you can forget it happening later. And this is too cute to NOT tell.

Deklan and I were looking at pictures from the past. I'm a firm believer in putting your pictures at your fingertips rather than hidden away for some future time. And so we were looking at the pictures at our fingertips. And we came across this one from February of this year.....

And when Deklan saw it he said in utter shock and disbelief while rubbing his current head of hair, "Mom, what happened to my hair?"

Apparantly he doesn't like the shaggy look.

And now I'm thinking.....will I someday be the victim of comments like....."Mom, what were you thinking?" or "Geez mom, were you trying to get me beat up at school?" or "Yikes mom, what IS that?"

And so I proudly did my part today when Sadie came downstairs ready for school in an adorable dress with her tennis shoes. Eeegads....a dress with tennis shoes? Fashion BEFORE comfort my dear! And so rather than insist she go change, I simply said...."uh, Sadie, your brown shoes would look much cuter than those tennis shoes. You can wear what you want, but in 10 years I don't want you to ask me what I was thinking letting you out of the house in a dress with tennis shoes". She looked at me like I'd just spoken Greek but promptly went and changed.

Rock and Roll!

2008-11-18T18:31:00.000-08:00

Ah, Yuma....what can I say?

The Peanut Patch was not much to look at....but had plenty to eat! And lucky for us they had a "Guide to Yuma 2008" magazine to browse through while eating peanutty ice cream.
Who knew? Yuma has a camel farm? Hey kids, Yuma has a camel farm!!!! And off we went to the camel farm. I will admit, I had to laugh when there were signs posted everywhere that said, "Enter at your own risk!" and "Animals bite!" and "Do Not Feed the Animals"......but would you like to buy a cup of food to feed the animals? Uh, yea, I guess.... But less you think we only saw camels let me mention I saw things I'd never seen before. Like turkens and zeedonks and a mini hini. And Deklan was quite fond of the ostrich named Moe. And did you know that camels do NOT store water anywhere in their bodies? For real people. Did I just rock your world? And I thought I knew about camels having ridden a camel across the Egyptian desert a few years back (summer of 96 to be exact). But my confidence was restored when it was confirmed that yes indeedy long eyelashes protect their eyes from blowing sand.

I can't forget to mention that I did get to eat a chicken ala mundo salad from Kneaders. And yes, that would be Kneaders as in Utah Kneaders. Yummy!

And then finally, here is THE library....a current pic and then a pic of what the completed building will look like. So come one, come all....buy your LBD and join us next May for the Grand Opening of the Main Yuma Library. On second thought...I'll get back to you on the LBD.....it may be "camel farm attire".

Santa's Brilliant!

2008-11-10T08:49:00.000-08:00

I think Santa was simply brilliant in his idea to bring Sadie an easel for Christmas last year. That four legged outlet for creativity has been one of our most played with toys E-V-E-R! It is the place where Sadie writes the "schedule" when playing school, where pictures have been drawn and painted, where spelling words have been practiced and my personal favorite.....where notes back and forth between Sadie and the rest of the family are left.

Last night when tucking Sadie into bed I noticed her latest note to self:

When we go to Yuma we are going to rock and roll!

We are going to Yuma today when Sadie gets out of school. Why not? Tomorrow is Veteran's Day so Sadie doesn't have school. We can stay in a hotel, swim, lounge, shop, eat out and finally see the progress Erik has made on the Yuma Library project he has been managing.

So as soon as chef Deklan and I finish making our cinnamon rolls, we will pack our bags, do a little cleaning and then get ready to rock and roll!

Cousins Defined

2008-11-02T20:05:00.000-08:00

According to Sadie and Deklan, a "cousin" is any person who lives a great distance away, with whom you are guaranteed to have a great time, and upon their departure you are overcome with sadness.

A "cousin" is often mentioned in prayers such as dinner prayer tonight offered by Sadie...."and please bless Drew and Ian and Owen to be safe until we see them again in 3 1/2 weeks".

To alleviate the emptyness we felt in our house after the departure of the Summers we went on an evening walk and then had donuts and wassail. And while I binged on my donuts and wassail I had to giggle at the thought of Johanna's warning to her son as he begged for yet another piece of his Halloween candy which was sure to remedy his hurt toenail....."Emotional eating is not allowed Ian. It leads to obesity." Parenting is so much more fun when done with a touch of humor.

And so in honor of our "cousins", the Summers, I give you from the friend of a friend a yummy wassail recipe.

Wassail

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 3" cinnamon stick

12 whole cloves

1/2 c. fresh lemon juice

2 c. water

1 1/2 c. orange juice

1 1/2 quarts of apple cider

thin lemon slices (optional)

Directions: Bring cider, sugars & spices to a boil. Add water & other juices (at this point you can pull out the whole cloves & cinnamon stick or just leave them in. Another option is to put them in cheesecloth that way you can just pull it out at this point---I left them in & think it's fine). Heat and serve with lemon slices. Yields 3 quarts.

Happy November!

My Little Spooks

2008-11-01T20:01:00.000-07:00

This is what Deklan was supposed to be for Halloween:

But he had other ideas. And these ideas started brewing on Thursday when I attempted to get him dressed in costume for his preschool Halloween party. He wanted nothing to do with it. I threatened, I begged, I bargained. No deal. "Fine, you're going to feel really sad when everybody is dressed in their costume and you're not." Uh, not so much. Not when his buddy Kash shows up to preschool sans costume. He was vindicated. I attempted again the next day, with not as much wasted effort on my part, before heading to Erik's work party. We managed a Spiderman t-shirt, but other than that.....well, his face pretty much tells you what he thinks about this silly holiday.

Think he changed his opinion before trunk or treat? Only when Daddy saved the day by dressing up as a soccer player and convinced Deklan to do the same. Then there is Sadie...always poised and ready for any photo op. This time as Princess Ariel. And can you guess what I am? Give up already? O.K., I'll just tell you. I'm a "smarty pants". Get it? (Well, neither did most people...except one witty gentleman who shall remain un-named who suggested I tape them to my backside and then I could be a "smart...A"). Funny, funny, funny, Brother B.

When the night came to an end I concluded that this was one of the best Halloween's we've had. The trunk or treat at the church rocked! Cotton candy, throwing darts at balloons, Charlie Brown on the big screen, chili, cornbread, face painting, crafts and oh yea, did I mention the trunk or treating? Good times!

Sugar and Spice and....

2008-10-12T21:33:00.000-07:00

EVERYTHING NICE!!!!

And we couldn't be happier about it! We're having a girl and have oodles of images to prove it. Thanks to modern medicine we have had our fair share of ultrasounds....both a blessing and a curse because with today's technology you can see EVERYTHING, even things that you think you may be seeing. We are just grateful that with some extra reassurance from some excellent physicians our baby is growing and developing perfectly.

Every couple of days Sadie will state, "Mom, I'm so glad we're having a girl".

And rest assured BOTH of Deklan's babies (the boy growing in his tummy and the girl growing in his foot) are "happy" and "don't cry very much". Imagination run wild!

Click on images to enlarge ;)

The House on Hillman Drive

2008-09-15T20:51:00.000-07:00

I'm playing along with this "tag".....afterall, I don't want to be dubbed the party pooper. And by the way, I'm going to tag all of the "silent lurkers" of my blog. Yea, that's right, I'm talking about you, and you and you.

My Closet:
O.K. so here's the weird thing....I swear I took a picture of this (when I took pictures for this post that is) and now that I'm getting around to posting I can't find it. I'm not about to go take more pictures because I'm determined to get in bed before 10 p.m. tonight. So sorry....but trust me......my closet is not much to see minus the fact that the laundry basket is seriously overloaded. Tuesday is laundry day.

The Kitchen Sink:

I do love that there is a window above my sink. There was always a window above the kitchen sink in my childhood homes. So what if they looked out into beautiful green lush lawns and a large garden? I can pretend that there isn't another brown stucco house 10 ft. away from my window.

The Fridge....I mean pantry:

The fridge isn't much too look at....it's pretty bare and needs cleaned...lots of crusty milk flakes floating around. Those bug me so much. I'm bending the rules here and taking a picture of my pantry. Neato.

The Laundry Room:
Again a lost photo. But my laundry room (uh, hmm...closet) is awesome. No joke. E built shelves all the way up and around that wasted vaulted ceiling and so I have storage galore. I heart my handy man.

Self-Portrait:

It's growing.......Please just tell me I look pregnant and not bloated.

My Favorite Room:

My kitchen/dining room. For now anyway. But I do adore my kid's bedrooms too. I guess I should have taken pictures of them. Oh, well. Big blue stripes on the wall in Deklan's room and chair rail bordering the red lower half of Sadie's walls. Quilts compliments of The Quilt Shop at Gardner Village in Utah. All in all our favorite places to cuddle up at the end of the day for story time.

The Toilet:

Now you tell me why a three year old would NOT want to do "brown stuff" and "yellow stuff" (Sadie came up with those terms during her potty training days) in this lovely toilet? On the verge of tears I begged Deklan to poop in the toilet and he said very adamantly...."I will mom ALL NIGHT LONG!!!" And then, "Are you happy to me?"

My Favorite Shoes:

Flip flop weather here in AZ 9 months out of the year. My kids detest socks. I can't wait until I can pull out my long black boots and Uggs. I look at them lovingly every day!

My Dream Vacay:

Begins in four days!!!! And Zana is coming to town to hold down the fort. My kids are acting like it's Christmas! And I'm acting like I'm leaving on my honeymoon!

What My Children Are Doing Right Now:
Sleeping soundly with bellies full of ice cream. And I'm going to go join them.

Oh yea, and my "other child" is doing this right now. Go Monsoons!

I fought the law....and the law won.

2008-09-12T10:54:00.000-07:00

And I'm not happy about it. Not happy at all. It all went down three hours ago in Courtroom 404 of downtown Phoenix. Judge D presiding in the case #3863731. Defendant: Stephanie Dunn in violation of Phoenix City Code 36-145A on 7/30/2008 at 8:15 a.m. as follows: "Parking/Non-Dust Free Lot". Here is how it played out:

Judge D: "Please raise your right hands to the square and repeat after me...." What? No Bible for my left hand? Well that's disappointing. "Officer, please present your case."

Officer "Ralphie": Blaa, Blaa, Blaa, Blaa, Blaa, Blaaaaaaaa. "I have some pictures I'd like to present as evidence your honor. May I approach?" Pictures, smictures you moron!

Judge D: "Mrs. Dunn, do you have any questions for the officer?"

Me: "Uh, yes. Where did you get those sweet tatoos officer Ralphie? They make you look so TOUGH!" (Kidding.) "No, sir."

Judge D: "Mrs. Dunn, go ahead and present your case."

Me: "On 50th street there are only two "No Parking" signs. One is at the bus stop. I was not parked there. The other is about 10 yards south of Chandler Boulevard and just south of that sign there is a sign that reads "No Parking Begins Here" which implies that south of that sign, parking is allowed. That is where I parked."

Judge D: Heavy sigh. "Now there are a lot of you here this morning facing a similar situation as Mrs. Dunn so let me explain something. A few years ago the city developed an ordinance. We live in a desert climate and they felt it necessary to control the dust so they prohibit parking in non-dust free lots. However, there are so many of these lots in Phoenix that it would be impossible to post "No Parking" signs in all of them. Therefore, they do not have to post those signs."

Well isn't that brilliant! Who is the brainiac that came up with that idea? Seriously, alert future President John McCain because I think this guy could fix our national debt crisis.

Judge D continues: "Now in most cases, a judge can evaluate mitigating circumstances, (Here's where I get my hopes up), like in Mrs. Dunn's case, the sign that says "No Parking begins here" which may have been misleading" (YA THINK!?!? But reality check here......half of the city of Phoenix can't read signs written in the English language so I'm doubting that will help me win the case). "However, in cases such as these the city ordinance prohibits a judge from either lowering or raising the assessed fine. In other words, it's a set fine". (Hopes shattered). "So the fine will be imposed as originally presented in the amount of $135.00. Mrs. Dunn, will you be making a full payment today?"

Me: "I'd like to appeal this ruling". (You'd better believe I said this).

Judge D: Clearly unsure of how to handle this since apparantly it must not happen too often. So he turns to the recorder. "How would this be handled?"

She then explains that I would have to file my appeal within 14 days. Still pay the fine today PLUS a filing fee. If the next judge ruled in my favor, I would be refunded the money. I'm feisty, but not foolish.

Me: "I'll pay in full. Can you answer a question for me your honor so that I can avoid future citations? Why on Frye road, just as you turn west off of 50th the cars fill that "dirt lot" just south of the school? Is that not a non-dust free area as well?"

Judge D: "Basically Mrs. Dunn, it comes down to the priorities of the City of Phoenix Police Department." (PRIORITIES?!!???!!!) "The enforcement of parking regulations along this area may not be a priority for them at this time". (OH, you mean along with the "No Parking, Fire Lane" all along the back of the school which is essentially a parking lot of eager parents waiting to pick up their kids from the hour of 2:30-3:30 every day? Let's hope there isn't ever a fire between these hours. Or how about the parents who don't want to fight the parking (or NO parking in this case) and so just stop along the street to let their kids out? Priorities, huh? Awesome. Thanks for clarifying.)

I exit out the left door. I want to throw Ralphie a wink and tell him not to work too hard today. I restrain myself. I get another paper from the bailif. I go down stairs. I take a number. I sit and wait. I pay the $135 fine with my sassy pink credit card. I walk the six blocks back to my car because I parked at 3rd Street instead of 3rd Avenue. I see a Paradise Bakery. I go buy a very large diet coke and an unsaid number of white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. I find my car. I pay the parking fee. I do some serious emotional eating. I compose the letter in my head that I am going to write to the Phoenix Chief of Police. I call E and he is reminded of why he loves me so much and he falls in love all over again. I'm home now. I'm going to go clean my bathrooms. I'm going to think of how my hard earned money just handed over to the court today is going to pay for the meals of some illegal immigrant crowding our jails. I"ll scrub harder. My toilets will have never looked better.

I'll sleep better tonight knowing that there are fewer dust particles in the brown, mirky air of Phoenix all thanks to the brave efforts of officer Ralphie. I'll think about how in a few years I'll look back and laugh at this although right now that doesn't seem possible. Damn you Ralphie.

P.S. Dad, will you pay for me to go to law school? I know you've always thought I'd make a good lawyer.

P.S.

2008-09-07T20:38:00.001-07:00

Totally craving these.....

And it's a good thing I'll be in Utah in a few weeks to stock up!

Back To School...

2008-09-07T20:22:00.000-07:00

Uh, six weeks ago that is. Can you believe it? I couldn't either because I was in denial that our summer only lasted seven weeks. Sadie starts her seventh week of school tomorrow and Deklan had his first week of preschool last week. Two hours on Tues. and Thurs. of solitude for me. I did get a lot done, but didn't really like being alone believe it or not. I guess that's why your children slowly grow their wings.

So here are the typical first day of school pics with a few extras thrown in of Sadie's hairdos. Sadie and I made a deal that if she got tired of me doing her hair everyday, we would cut it.....so far so good.

Life is good.

Labor Day Labors

2008-09-02T20:18:00.000-07:00

It was sort of "spur of the moment" but we decided to beat the heat and take a "little" day trip to "Apple Annie's", a nice little orchard and farm to pick some apples and vegies. The kids loved it....apple picking, tractor ride, apple smoked hamburgers and all. They were completely worn out and fell asleep the second we were on the road home. That left 2 1/2 hours of uninterrupted "talk time" for Erik and I which made it completely worth the tank of gas.

All that harvesting made me wish I had some canning equipment (hint, hint momacita). Now I have a stash of apples, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes and clearly not enough time nor the proper tools to do anything with our loot of food. We did come home and made eggplant parmesan, tomato basil bruschetta and apple crisp. Delish!

It was a nice way to try and capture that "fall feeling" since we clearly won't be feeling any of that here in Maricopa for at least another month and a half. I concluded that if I could recreate any of my childhood experiences for my children it would be that "fall feeling". The specifics? Well, every year my Pa and Nana (my mom's parents) would arrive for a 4-6 week visit bringing with them peaches, pears, green beans, tomatoes, potatoes and gobs of other food. I remember coming home from school every day to bottles simmering on the stove, the pressure cooker working it's magic and the smell of peaches and pears weaving throughout the house. And amongst all of the washing and peeling and slicing and boiling there would be a pot of autumn stew and fresh rolls for dinner. And then Sunday would roll around and Pa would make his famous caramel corn. I don't know why it took so long for him to boil that darn caramel. I make it now in no time at all, but it sure seemed like his caramel simmered for hours. Oh how the passing of time changes as an adult.

I can buy the equipment and do the canning. All I need now are the grandparents who are willing to come for more than an overnight stay and the cooler climate. One can dream, right? Someday, if I have anything to do with it, Sadie and Deklan will come home bundled up in their coats, darkness will settle in by 6:30 p.m. and they too will watch with amazement as the kitchen fills with bottles of food....and in the end they will look back and realize how much more they learned and experienced beyond the art of canning.

Time to Announce.....

2008-08-25T20:39:00.000-07:00

that we're pregnant. And that would explain why I haven't been blogging. I've been puking instead. Forgive me. I'd rather be blogging. I'm 15 weeks along. Don't hurt yourself...I'll do the math. That's 3/8 of the way through my pregnancy. Oh, sorry, you probably don't care about that calculation. My due date is February 16th. I'm known to deliver early though, so I'm planning on the beginning of February. In case you are wondering, I detest, yes even hate (a word I don't use casually) being pregnant. I know it's a strong word, but pregnancy and my body don't get along. With Sadie I had horrific hives. With Deklan I had shingles. And with both I was nauseous for over half of the pregancy. Poor Erik. He's had to hear every day how I'm never, ever, ever, ever, never, never, ever, ever doing this again. Never. I know I sound like a brat. I know there are people out there who would give anything to be pregnant. People keep saying it's worth it in the end. Believe me....this I know or else I wouldn't be pregnant.

And now for the sweeter side of Stephanie. I love labor and delivery. It's true. I look forward to it. I'm even a little sad when the whole labor and delivery thing is over. In fact, I'd rather go through labor/delivery a dozen times if I could forgo the nine months of misery. That tells you two things. Either 1) I have really easy labors (TRUE) OR 2) I have really miserable pregnancies (TRUE).

Sadie wants a girl so bad. She is preparing herself for disappointment. She said to me, "Mom, if you want a boy then just say you want a girl. If you want a girl, then say you want a boy. I really really really bad want a boy". Deklan wants another "stister" probably because that's all he knows. I want a girl on most days. But having a boy would give Deklan a playmate...something I take into strong consideration on a DAILY basis! Especially now that Sadie is in school. And my cute little sister is 7 weeks ahead of me, pregnant with a little boy. How fun would that be to have little rugrats together? And Erik just is happy that I am willing to go through nine months of hell to have another baby.

Gotta run. Erik is coming through the door with my jalapeno poppers and diet coke. Yummy!!!! (believe me, that's the pregnancy talking!)

What's for dinner?

2008-07-25T16:42:00.000-07:00

How many conversations have you had with your friends about trying to come up with something new for dinner? Yeah, yeah, we all know the story....pizza, spaghetti, chicken nuggets, macaronni and cheese...yada, yada, ya. Well, I love to cook and even though not every new recipe ends up being a keeper, I've had two successes in a row. Whoot whoot!

So here they are....

Baked Scallops

1 1/2 pds. sea scallops, rinsed and drained
4 T. butter, melted
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 scallions, chopped
3 pinches of ground nutmeg
salt and pepper
1/2 c. bread crumbs
2 T. olive oil
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400*
2. Pour the melted butter into a 2 qt. casserole dish. Distribute the scallops evenly over the butter.
3. Combine the remaining ingredients. Sprinkle the mixture over the scallops.
4. Bake in pre-heated oven until scallops are firm, about 20 minutes.

On the side we had mashed potatoes, green salad, and french bread. Delish!

Knock out #2:

Country-Style Pork Tacos with Tomato Salsa

Paste:
1 T. kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
1 1/2 tsp. chile powder
1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 pds. boneless country-style pork ribs

Salsa:
1 1/2 c. roughly chopped ripe tomatoes
1 large ripe avocado, finely diced
2 to 3 green onions, white part only, finely chopped
1/4 c. finely chopped fresh cilantro (Can I just say how much I L-O-V-E cilantro!!)
2 T. fresh lime juice
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

flour tortillas

1. Make the paste. Trim excess fat from the pork and then rub the paste all over. Cover and refrigerate the pork for 2 hrs. (or as long as 8 hrs.).
2. Make the salsa.
3. Allow the pork to stand at room temp. for 20-30 minutes. Grill over Direct Medium heat, 12 to 15 minutes. NOTE TO READER: GRILL WHENEVER POSSIBLE IN THE SUMMER TIME IN AZ. WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WANTS TO USE THE OVEN??!!!!!
4. Warm tortillas. (Can wrap in foil and place on grill for 2-4 minutes or use the microwave).
5. Cut the pork crosswise into very thin slices. Serve the sliced pork wrapped in warm tortillas with the salsa.

Serve with refried beans and fresh pineapple as your sides.

Sorry no photos of the food. Come on people, if I had to stop and take pictures, my kids would already be full on goldfish, fruit snacks, pretzels, oreos, bread and whatever else they could sneak out of the pantry. I swear as soon as I start cooking dinner they suddenly become ravishing and wither from starvation as I'm madly whipping together the ingredients. I promise they are Yum!

Sweet Sadie

2008-07-19T21:45:00.001-07:00

Anyone who knows Sadie, knows that I am truly not that biased when I talk about how amazing she is. She turned 6 last week and so I've spent a lot of time thinking about how quickly the past six years have gone and how my life would be so empty and meaningless without her. Today marked her last swim meet of the summer. It turned out to be a HUGE commitment but so like Sadie, she never complained about getting up at 5:30 a.m. to get there on time. At the end of the hour long practices I could tell she was completely wiped out, but she would do the conditioning drills with the biggest grin on her face. She was definitely the smallest on the team and I think I worried more about her age/size/ability than she ever did. In fact, at one of the meets she was thrilled to finally win the pink ribbon (8th place) because she didn't have that color yet. Ahhh, someday I'll long for those days when she grinned about 8^th place. She has come so far this summer in her swimming abilities and is so much fun to watch. I could go on about the other things that she does....like make all of our beds in the morning, picks up after Deklan without me asking, is so kind to everyone, tries everything on her plate and always compliments me on the meal even though I know she detested it.....alright, I'll stop and just post the pictures of our little fish. Man I love her!!!!!

Summer lovin'

2008-07-13T21:28:00.000-07:00

You just have to know that blogging is not a priority in my life.....

Having said that, I think I am now recovered from our annual summer trip to UT/CO. We have spent the past week reminiscing and wishing we could return to cooler weather, greener surroundings and mostly to our families. Isn't that backdrop gorgeous?!!!!

So Erik's favorite part of the entire trip was our float down the Green River at Flaming Gorge. We had two rafts carrying 15 passengers. Not bad when only 5 of them were kids and then 10 adults. Which made me question the sanity of my parents and my aunt and uncle (20 years ago was it???) when they took 11 kids and the 4 of them down the Colorado River, which had many more rapids than the Green River. What were they thinking?!? O.K., they weren't, but none of us are in therapy over it and look, I took my kids, so they must have had it all under control, right? Anyway, it was a two hour float and we had fun getting in waterfights, laughing, manuevering the rapids, and for Erik.....fishing.

Notice Erik...fishing. He caught a Brown Trout (not the kind you're thinking Mr. Case) a German Brown Trout and was very excited. I think this experience convinced Erik once and for all that lake fishing is just not that exciting and river fishing is where it's at!

And there are my cuties and Jorgen with their Papa. When can we do this again?

For Sadie, the best part was riding her cousins' kid-sized quads. They let her drive all by herself and of course she was a very poised and careful driver, until you saw her pull into the driveway and give herself whiplash. It was a sight to see!

When I asked Deklan what his favorite part was, he of course copied what Sadie had said. But as a boy after his daddy's heart, he did enjoy the fishing. Concentrate buddy.......you never know when one of those fish might take a nibble. Oh wait, you don't have a hook on your line. (I don't think next year I'll get away with that safety mechanism.)

And my favorite part? Hands down, it was spending time with my sisters. I absolutely adore them and definitely need the constant laughter I experience whenever I am with them. Thanks girls for admiring my skinny arms and for playing detectives.....I miss you!

And no, I won't wait another six weeks to post.........

The REAL American Idol!

2008-05-21T22:03:00.001-07:00

All I can say is.....look out Davids!

Can it be? My baby is three?!

2008-05-15T22:31:00.001-07:00

In my three year old’s world:

A ladybug is a “leggybug”.

A screwdriver is a “screwdriver-er-er-er-er-er”.

He has mastered the sound of a video game gun. “Pew, pew, pew!” Better watch out or he will “pew you”. When the sun shines in his eyes he asks me to “Pew the sun, mom!”

Sadie is his “stister”.

On Wednesday evenings we go to soccer “prastice”.

I say, “You’re my boy”. He says, “You’re my girl.”

When anything leafy, green, or highly nutritious appears on his plate he says, “Mom, I can’t like those.”

He gives the best hugs, kisses, and snuggles. He forgives within seconds.

His new favorite phrase is “not yet”.
“Let’s go to bed Deklan.” “Not yet.”
“Should we go get Sadie?” “Not yet.”
“Do you need to go potty?” “Not yet.”

He loves balls, cars, and fishing.

The sound of the garage door opening brings forth a loud, “DADDY!!!!!”
I now use the back door and walk around to take out the trash in the middle of the day.

Yesterday is "yesday". The other day is "yudda day".

"Deklan, let's take your medicine".

"I all-yeddy did yesday".

"Let's pick up your room."

"I did it yudda day".

I told him last night that Jesus loves him. He said, “And daddy loves me and zana loves me and grandma loves me and grandpa loves me and Sadie loves me and Zoe loves me and you love me and papa loves me and Stacey loves me and Karston loves me and EVERYBODY loves me!”

I like his three year old world.

Cinco De Mayo!!!

2008-05-11T19:16:00.001-07:00

"I'm having a party!" It was a fair warning that I issued on April 21st upon my return home from a work trip to California. Maybe it was the evenings I spent alone in my hotel room that gave seed to this idea....brilliant idea I might add. Lest you think I only came up with ONE idea during my three days away from home, let me clarify that I actually made a list. But a Cinco De Mayo party toppped the list and how can one throw a party when the backyard is only partially finished? So landscaping the backyard pushed the party idea to task #2 on the list. That gave us two weeks to prep the ground, dig trenches, lay the irrigation, plant trees, bushes, etc., add the rock (10 tons!!!), stake the trees, mow lawns, in other words, break our backs. But I'm not whining. It looks great! And we finished just in time for our Cinco De Mayo party where 26 adults and 37 kids gathered for festive food and fun!

It's Potty Time!!!

2008-04-26T22:13:00.000-07:00

Let me just get this off my chest right now....the one thing I detest about motherhood is potty training. I think I'm just too intense. Mainly because I want potty training to be done and over with in a day (go figure, I used the book "Potty Training In a Day" for Sadie). So you know the comments you hear, boys are harder than girls, yada, yada, yada....well, those have bought me a little extra time to put off this destested chore....but three more weeks and I'm going to start getting "the look" when people ask how old he is and I have to say three and not potty trained.

So we've been a little "potty focused" these last few days. Being the bright person I am, I decided to bring Deklan's toys downstairs to the tile and spend our potty training days away from the carpet. So you can see we have "the potty", the toys, the demo doll, the candy, the chlorox, and a blanket so poor Deklan's bum doesn't get too cold on the tile, and oh yes that reminds me....a naked little boy. All of the right ingredients for potty training.

All conversations have revolved around the potty. Potty this, potty that, potty, potty, potty. Long story short....I decided today that I need to back off a little. Why? Well, wouldn't you after this....."Mommy, does spiderman have a pee pee?"

Soccer Season

2008-04-18T10:08:00.000-07:00

Go team Inferno!!!!

It's finally a reality....Daddy's little girl is decked out in her soccer uniform complete with size 9 cleats, shin guards compliments of Aunt Carol (finally, she gets to wear them!!!) and socks that she can pull up to her hiney (we have to fold them over). I knew it would be interesting...Erik refraining from scoring in the middle of the game, Sadie digging deep to find an agressive bone in her body.

Well, Erik manages to only kick the ball "when necessary to get it back inbounds" and Sadie really is improving each week. I decided I'd be happy if she managed to keep up with the action as opposed to my athletic tactics as a child which were to avoid all collisions or potential knock-outs by anyone bigger than me (which was usually everyone). Last week she even kicked the ball a few times. SWEET!!!

Erik coaches, Sadie plays and my job is to keep Deklan on the sidelines....no easy task. But no worries, we bought some goals for the backyard and he will be working on skills so that he is primed and ready for fall soccer 2009! I'm an official soccer mom!!!!!

Celebrity Sighting

2008-04-08T23:17:00.000-07:00

My pulse is still rushing.....

Sadie had climbed into the car and I was buckling Deklan in his carseat when I look up just in time to see him walk into the store. Yummy, yummy, yummy Matt. I was in a trance. Sadie brought me back to reality as I was sending a frantic text to my peeps. Think, think....yes, slash your tire and when he comes out he will help you change it. No, no good. He won't and then I'll be stuck here for who knows how long. Go scatter your purchases and when he comes out he'll find you distraught and will help you pick them up. No, no good. You'll be standing stupid with an empty Pier One sack...just standing and staring. Cry, yes cry! Tell him you just recieved the news that you have a terminal illness and need to be comforted. No, no good. What am I? A candidate for the Jerry Springer show?

Oh Shnike--eees. Here he comes. The texts are flooding back requesting autographs, photos, telling me to go for it. He hops into his oversized black Lincoln Navigator and drives away. The moment is gone.

One question....will I see you again Matt?

**Update: Who is Matt? In all fairness, you would probably not know who Matt Leinart is unless you live in AZ and/or watch the NFL. He is the QB for the AZ Cardinals. For the record, I'm not usually starstruck, but I watched a special on Matt Leinart a few years ago before he made it big and was amazed at his life journey. That, and I rarely come within ten feet of a celebrity while out shopping. In reality, he is kind of a scumbag. Don't worry dad, my dreams have already come true.

Superhero Deklan Saves the Day!

2008-04-08T12:48:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning my bathroom while Deklan played. When I was finished, I quickly noticed my gift card to Sonic was missing from my dresser. This was an emergency!!! Happy hour at Sonic was only three hours away and I must find that card. I asked Deklan where it was and he pointed to my underwear drawer. I rummaged through it....no card. "Deklan, where is it? Help mommy find it." Again he pointed to the drawer and said, "It's in dere."

"No, Deklan, it's not. Mommy already checked. I check again. "Where is it? Do you remember where you put it?"

"It's in your office mom." The trip downstairs was pointless. No card. Back upstairs.

I'm looking....piles of laundry? No. Under furniture? No. In other drawers? No. In his toy basket? No. Frustration is building. Deklan keeps wanting to play other things. "No, Bud. Not until mommy finds the card. Can you please help me find it?" I leave the room to look through the laundry piles once again. I return to find a sobbing little boy. "What's wrong bud?"

"I'm so sad mommy!"

Good grief.....it's me who was so eagerly looking forward to Happy Hour (diet coke, route 44, 1/2 price....in case you were wondering).

"Alright Deklan, one last look and then we'll go play cars. Now where is it?"

"Right in dere". The drawer? Blast it...I've already looked...twice. I pull the drawer out.....there wedged in the crack between the drawer and the inside wall of the dresser sits my card.

Deklan does the bootie dance! Life is good. He laughs and giggles and shouts. My sanity is restored.

Big Girls Don't Cry.....

2008-03-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

Or so the Fergilicious song goes, but anyone who knew about Aunt Stacey's departure Saturday morning before any of us got out of bed knows what a big fat lie that song is. With Stacey gone....there will be no more of this.....
but a whole lot more mommy time. I can't believe it's been 5 1/2 months of full-time work for me with Aunt Stacey as the full-time nanny. So tomorrow, I'll resume my former life of full-time mom! What will I do? I'm not sure where to start...spring cleaning, organizing my office, making orange rolls for my neighbor, play dates at the park, scrapbooking, shopping, reading novels, playing with playdough.....oh the ideas are endless.....

And it's all because of this:

My diploma. It came in the mail. There was no pomp and circumstance, no graduation BBQ, no cap and gown, no new car or congratulations cards with money in them. Just a piece of paper and an immense amount of personal satisfaction that I finally got my Masters Degree. Thank you hubby, thank you Stacey, thank you to my kids.....no more papers, no more late nights of studying, no more grouchy mommy because I have ten chapters to read and three hours of online classwork to tackle and it's already 11 p.m.

The long journey has ended and with the void we feel not having Stacey in our home it's a bittersweet end. I told my mom tonight that the emotions I've felt this weekend are not familiar to me. It's not like I miss Stacey (don't take that wrong)....I mean we'll see her in two weeks! But this chapter in life has ended. I sure as heck hope that this isn't a preview of what it's like when your child leaves home for college. "Is it mom?", I asked as I sat in the nearly empty room that was Stacey's. "Oh, no", my mom said, "That will be far worse."

What does Fergie know anyway?

Love, Love, Love

2008-02-18T20:39:00.000-08:00

I pretty much loved my Valentine's Day.....weekend this year!!! Thursday night we were going to keep it pretty low key, but Erik called me at work and had tickets to the Suns game. Boo-yah!!! It was a total blast!!!! On the way to the game (we were in the bike wagon...you know, those guys in spandex that you pay to pedal you from your car to the front doors of the event...sometimes the view is better than others :), anyway, Erik said, "Oh yea, you forgot your phone", and hands me a new phone, the "cherry chocolate" which will now replace the dinosaur phone I have been using. Dang he's cute, isn't he?

Then Friday night we went out to dinner with a group of friends followed up with dessert and games at the Halbisons. Italian food, girlfriends, laughing, Erik, chocolate dessert,....really, how can you go wrong with that combo?

Then Saturday night we went with another couple to Red Lobster and the U23D IMAX movie. Can you say 1976 and going strong?

This Valentine's Day will definitely be one for the record books (or blog)! I love you babe!

A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes.....

2008-01-27T15:17:00.000-08:00

Tickets to Disney on Ice: Princess Wishes............................$99.60

Jasmine Costume...........................$37.45

Cotton candy during intermission...........$10.00

Making a five year-old princess' dream come true........priceless

First Visitors of the Year!

2008-01-26T13:47:00.000-08:00

My dad and his wife, Myrna, came to visit us last weekend. First of all, let me just say that I'm never sure how to refer to Myrna. "Stepmom" is out of the question....sounds too much like "Cinderella and her wicked stepmom"-ish...."my dad's wife" sounds a little too distant--(refer to the first line of this post), "she's my friend" makes it sound like I don't know what to call her....so, I've decided on my "second mom". Phewie...stress! Regardless, let it be known that I adore her to pieces. She is so optimistic, friendly, kind, genuine, patient, happy,.....I could go on and on.

We went to the park, "Desert Breeze Railroad Park" to be exact and fed the ducks, rode the train, and swang--("swang" is one of those words that bug me, I wish swinged was proper English, although that doesn't sound much better). Sorry, I digress. I think that was another one of those moments where I was like, "Geez, Myrna is amazing!". She pushed Deklan for what seemed like hours on the swing. My kids call her "Grandma Myrna" and Myrna's grandkids call my dad "Grandpa Doug" or "Grandpa Dunk"--(2 year olds are so cute!). After the park we went to "In-N-Out" for lunch. YUMMY! Myrna flew home Monday afternoon and Deklan kept saying...."I want to go wiff Granma Myrna on the earrrrrrplane". Made us all melt!

Sadie had the day off from school which made it all the better. I love those moments in life when you're like, "Ahh, I get it. I know what really matters!" And I usually have those moments when I'm surrounded by my kids and I see how delighted they get doing the most ordinary, inexpensive, spontaneous things. It's simple. Bread + ducks + outdoors + grandpa and grandma = sheer joy! Kids really do have it all figured out.

Southwest Pork Kabobs

2008-01-12T19:58:00.000-08:00

So I haven't mastered the art of photographing food...but a new year calls for some new recipes. A person can only eat chicken nuggets, pizza, tacos, spaghetti and fish sticks so many times, right? Well feast your eyes on these little beauties.....

Marinade

1/2 c. fresh orange juice
3 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 T red wine vinegar
1 T minced garlic
2 tsp. pure chile powder
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 pds. boneless pork sirloin, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 pint of grape or cherry tomatoes
1 lime, cut into quarters
2 T finely chopped fresh cilantro

1. Whisk together the marinade ingredients.
2. Put the pork in a resealable plastic bag and pour in the marinade. Press the air out and seal tightly. Turn the bag to distribute the marinade and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. Remove the pork from the bag and discard the marinade. Thread the pork and tomatoes onto skewers, alternating the ingredients. Grill over Direct high heat until the pork is barely pink in the center and the tomatoes are very soft, 6-8 minutes. Top with a squeeze of lime juice and the cilantro. Serve warm. Will feed 4 adults and 2 picky eaters.

Blase'

2008-01-02T14:18:00.000-08:00

What is wrong with me? I'm feeling blase'. Usually come January 1, my Franklin planner has made it's grand entry into the new year...addresses are up-to-date, calendar is planned, goals are written, projects are listed in order of importance, the budget is carefully projected. Not this year. Today I woke up at 5 a.m. and decided it was much too early, shut the dumb alarm off, and cuddled with my two kids who had made their way into my bed. We slept until 8:15!!! And then I decided, I didn't really need to work today anyway. We played cats. Sadie was my pink fuzzy cat and Deklan was my skinny striped cat. (Something IS WRONG with me..I hate cats!!!) Then we lazily got dressed, ate breakfast and played with our Christmas toys again. Deklan is down for a nap. Sadie is washing dishes because, "I want to do something nice for you mom!". And I'm blogging. We will go to swim lessons today at 5:30 p.m. and meet Erik there. Then we will return home to crockpot stew and cornbread. And that will be it for January 2, 2008. A wasted day? My cats will tell you different!

Dreams do come true!

2007-12-30T13:18:00.000-08:00

I'm usually not the sappy type and I know this may generate some gagging (so take this as your fair warning). 2007 ended (obviously), leaving me ever so grateful for my amazing hubby. We had given Santa the word that the only gifts Erik and I would get this year would be contained in our stockings. Yea, right! Apparently Erik wasn't in on that conference call with Santa. But how can I be mad when he went behind Santa's back and bought me Uggs!

I wasn't too worried though about feeling like he got the shaft. I had a wonderful surprise in store for his 32nd birthday celebration. I suggested we meet after work for dinner. He picked a steak house (a nice change from my usual Macaronni Grill requests) and it was there that I gave him his birthday card. In it was the confirmation letter for our one night stay at the Arizona Grand Resort. He was surprised (a moment for the record books as I have a hard time surprising him)...and we had an incredible time. It was a birthday to be rememebered. It's strange...I used to dream back in my high school/college days about romantic getaways with my husband...and it hit me as I left work early to check in to the resort....I'm living my dreams!!!!!

Making a Comeback

2007-12-05T20:39:00.000-08:00

Where or where has Stephanie been? Yes, it's true--life as I knew it back in April when I began my blog took a number of twists and turns and believe me I would have rather blogged than experienced 8 weeks of vertigo followed by a flooded house followed by non-stop studying in preparation to finish my master's degree.

But I'm not going to complain....despite the pitfalls, we have managed to have fun....a trip to Sea World, a girl's trip to NYC, Polar Express at the Grand Canyon, Thanksgiving in Disneyland (AMAZING!!!!), and tonight an evening at Seussical! I managed to be in six states within 2 weeks in the month of November--CRAZY!!!!! I'm happy to say that we have no more trips planned and are looking forward to a quiet Christmas in the desert.

Did I mention that Seussical was fantastic?

Stunned by Swim School.....

2007-04-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

WOW! I was so impressed with the New Mike Troy's Gold Medal Swim School! You see, I wouldn't be able to properly describe the former Mike Troy's Gold Medal Swim School, but if you were ever privledged enough to watch our little swimmer, Sadie, in action at the old place you would know why I am awestruck! Today was the first day in the new facility and it is incredible. The pool is at least 3x the size of the old one, the parents can actually sit to watch the lesson, there are 8 showers instead of 1, it's air conditioned, the temp in the pool area is 88*, they have a fountain diet coke machine,.....Need I say more? I can't wait to start Deklan in lessons as well. They will both be able to take lessons simultaneously whle I sip my DC from the side and relax! Have I sold you on it yet? Have you packed your bags and put your house up for sale and need a place to stay while you look for a house down here? Seriously, its AMAZING! And Sadie, well she's nearly mastered the freestyle stroke, has a gorgeous backstroke and will soon be learning the butterfly. Competitive swim team...here we come! Check it out....www.goldmedalswimschool.com

Girlfriends!

2007-04-29T22:13:00.000-07:00

Dawn, Autie, Me, Brooke, Amy and Tara

I have the most amazing husband in the whole wide world! Really, it's true. He puts up with so much, including my ever so needed girl time. And I truly have the best girlfirends in the whole wide world! The great thing is, they are married to great guys, so we have fun as couples too! This past weekend, we had an overnighter at Dawn's lake house where much fun was had by all. In fact, this much fun really should not be allowed! I won't bore you with extensive juicy details, but to summarize: it was non-stop eating, giggling, sunbathing, sleeping in, diet coke drinking, and talking. Did I mention eating?! So this picture is actually from Amy's 30th birthday back in February but Dawn really is the photographer and so I don't have the Lake House pics just yet (o.k. well I have one, but it just didn't fit right). I don't think crying and blogging should go together so I'll just briefly mention that Amy is moving to California in three weeks so there was also some suppression of tears going on this weekend as well, but let's not dwell on that. We all came home feeling like the best wives, mothers, friends, and let's not forget potential "Americas Next Top Models"! Isn't that what girlfriends are for?

BEFORE AND AFTER

2007-04-14T13:51:00.000-07:00

Erik and I grew up with completely opposite backgrounds when it comes to "The Purpose of a Garage". However, not having a garage for the first six years of our marriage helped us avoid this difference. Last summer, when Erik was introduced to the garage of Mr. Doug-everything labeled with a sharpie-Livingston, he caught the vision.

So, in an attempt to beat the heat and get this project done before we reach the 90's and 100's we worked tirelessly on "operation...park 2 cars in the garage". We cleaned it out, painted the floor, filled two trash cans full of "junk", bought some shelves, overhead storage, a storage closet, bins and containers and my favorite part...the Rubbermaid tracking system and well, waaalaaa! I L-O-V-E my garage!!!!

To Blog or Not To Blog

2007-04-13T13:39:00.000-07:00

So, how does one decide what to include in one's very first posting in a blog? Yikes, this is a big decision. I thought the monstrosity of this decision could take all blame for my late start on my New Year's Resolution "to blog".....but I think life's busyness played a bigger part. Regardless, being busy, sometimes TOO busy, was exactly the reason why I chose these pics for my first post. We are NEVER too busy to enjoy a nice day in AZ, blowing bubbles in the backyard.

You know when kids are first learning how to really blow bubbles? And for some reason they feel inclined to hold the wand compactly against their lips? Well, Deklan is no different and a genius at that! It's like he said to me, "Who needs the silly wand anyway?"