Summer Break? (Yeah, right)

Time is just slipping away from me! Gosh the past week just seemed to fly by. I have been hanging with my little boy, swimming, cooking, grocery shopping, working, baking, going to school, putting together a presentation & speech for school, saw Toy Story 3, trying to get my dog to stop jumping our 6 foot block wall to visit the neighbors, enduring the 110+ degree heat, trying to get rid of Mt. Laundry, sneaking in time to read and not getting enough sleep! My husband also got transferred to a new store, and the stress that comes with that was to topping to this hectic time.

It has really been a full past week for us and it doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon…But, I did get some photos taken to document the craziness. Hopefully I can get some time to get some of them up here!

I also just set up a family photo shoot with an awesome photographer, Rhonda Lewis, for the middle of July. She is offering an awesome summer special for those of us crazy enough to go outside in the summer to get photos. I will post some up when I get them back. She is an amazing photographer and is one of the few who still shoots in film…a true artist!

I can’t help but ask isn’t summer supposed to be the time to get a break and slow everything down? I sure hope that we can get a little break soon…’cause if not I just might lose my mind!!

Hot, sweltering heat

In the summer it gets so hot in the desert that most things in our yards turn all brown and start to wither up and die. I just wanted to pay respects to this wonderful vine, the pink bellflower, it stays green and flowers all summer long and I just love it! So, thank you beautiful green flowering vine...you help to keep my yard beautiful all year 'round!

Nervous

I am finishing up my very last class...it is one that I have been putting off for approximately 15 years. The dreaded Public Speaking class...or known in college circles as COM 225.

I have signed up for this class at least 5 times over the years that I have been going to college and this is the first time that I have actually had the guts to even step inside the classroom.

Today I am supposed to give a short 30-45 second memorization speech. I am not looking forward to it.

Really not looking forward to it.

Public. Speaking. Totally. Sucks. ...and that is putting it mildly.

Now that I have ranted about this, I will get back to biting my nails and imagining myself passing out when I get up to the front of the class.
The end.

It's here again...

Photo courtesy of Thinkstock Photos

Baby fever...

I don’t know about other mom’s, but every now and then I get the itch to have another baby...or two...or three. And, right now is one of those times...I’m itchin’ like crazy.

My hubby and I had decided even before having our son, that we only wanted one child. When our one child was born with a birth defect it solidified our decision since our chances of having another baby with a birth defect was now increased.

But, I LOVE the smell of a new baby. The soft skin, the coos, the smiles and all of the firsts. The first word, the first step, the first time they roll over. Being able to hear them say, “I love you” for the first time. UGH...

But, at the same time, I don’t know if I want to go through all of the baby stuff again. The diapers, strollers, lugging around carseats and hauling the stroller in and out of the car. The projectile vomiting and getting peed on. The middle of the night feeding and the crying. And we already sold ALL of Caleb’s old baby stuff.

But, today I looked at a friend’s wedding photo and she had all four of her siblings in the photo and it made me realize that Caleb would not have any siblings. He would never get to share a room with his brother and he would never get to pick on his little sister. He wouldn’t have a built-in best friend, someone that would always be there for him, someone to complain to about how mean mom and dad are being, nor would he have a brother or sister to be in his wedding.

But, while I do have a brother (actually 2) we are not close. My hubby has 2 siblings and he is only close to one of them. There is no guarantee that if we did have another baby that Caleb would like them or that they would get along as adults and be friends.

But, I love our life right now. I really, really love where we are. It’s so easy with just one child and we can give him more than we had as children.

But, I LOVE babies...

I really hope that I get over this fever soon...’cause if not, my hubby’s not gonna like the conversation that I might bring up at the dinner table.

Photo courtesy of Thinkstock Photos

The master and his apprentice

My hubby and son are like two peas in a pod when it comes to how they view our backyard pool and swimming in it. Mostly they think that the point of the pool is seeing how big of a splash that they can make each and every time they enter the pool.

And let me tell you, my hubby takes this splash-making very seriously. Look here, he is giving our son some pointers on the best way to enter the pool, and how best to plan your cannonball attack. (Note the matching swim trunks.)


Look at the way that my son looks at his daddy...he is in complete awe in his splash-making abilities.


And boy, are they both pretty good at it!

Dinosaurs, Gold Panning & Good Friends

Caleb & Hayden outside of the Arizona Natural History Museum

One of my best friend in the whole wide world and her family came to visit me and mine a couple of weeks ago. For the most part we just lounged around the house and spent many hours languishing in the sun and playing in the pool. It was wonderful...I LOVE staycations. Just getting to take a week off of work and relaxing while getting to spend time with people that I love...it doesn't get any better than that!

We did manage to get out of the house and go on a few little excursions. One of which was visiting the Arizona Natural History Museum in Mesa, Arizona. Or better known in our house as "The Dinosaur Museum." Caleb, just like every other little boy, loves dinosaurs and we try to go to "The Dinosaur Museum" about 3 or 4 times a year. And he thought that it would be fun to introduce his new best friend Hayden to his favorite place.

A dinosaur in the lobby of the museum

An animatronic T-Rex

Caleb thought this was really cool! He was able to compare the size of his foot to that of a dinosaur!

Hmmm...which one is bigger?

There was a really cool exhibit at the museum about being able to see in the dark. Caleb and Hayden had so much fun with these cool light boards that you could "write" on. They also thought it was pretty cool how the white on their shirts looked under the black light.

Caleb using the "glow-pen" at the museum

There is also an exhibit dedicated to all of the movies that have been filmed in Arizona. Some of the most famous are Star Wars, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Raising Arizona, Jerry Maguire, Can't Buy Me Love, and at the Old Tucson Studios just about any western that you can think of!!

A stagecoach used in many westerns filmed Arizona.

The last exhibition that we visited at "The Dinosaur Museum" was the very popular gold panning area. This is always one of my favorite parts of the visit, but it is usually packed to the gills with kiddos trying to squeeze in and get some "gold." Not for our visit...probably because it was 110 degrees outside and everyone with some sense was inside the air conditioned safety of the museum. The kids (and Brian) didn't seem to mind the heat at all. They took their little plastic bags and filled them up with their gold.

Brian, Caleb & Hayden panning for gold

I really love taking my little one to this place. He always has such a good time and it's a great way to get out of the house when it is too hot to go anywhere else!

To the Campbells...Thanks for coming to visit! We had such a wonderful time. You are always welcome in our home!

Yet Another List

So, as you can probably tell from previous posts, I like making lists. I make lists for everything. And, I mean EVERYTHING. I start my day with a to do list, I make a cleaning list each weekend, I make lists for goals, I make lists for groceries, I make wish lists, you name it, I have probably made a list about it.

Today, I starting thinking about what my favorite children's movies of all time were and I came up with, yep, you guessed it, another list. While, this list may not be all inclusive, 'cause baby I LOVE movies, it is a listing of some of my most favorite and most cherished movies from my childhood (and beyond).

The Phantom Tollbooth


The Last Unicorn


The Little Mermaid


Beauty & The Beast


Toy Story


The Incredibles


Mary Poppins


The Wizard of Oz


The Neverending Story


The Goonies


The Princess Bride


Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory

Each and every one of these movies has a memory attached to it. I love each of them for different reasons. Some just because they are classic (Wizard of Oz & Mary Poppins), some because they are great fairy tales written just for little girls (Beauty & The Beast & The Little Mermaid), some for the fun stories (The Goonies & The Neverending Story), some because they are a little weird and explain a lot about my weirdness (The Last Unicorn, The Phantom Tollbooth), some that I have come to love through watching with my son (The Incredibles & Toy Story) and some are just amazing all time favorites (The Princess Bride & Willy Wonka). But no matter what the reason, I love them!

New Family Member

Ever since my husband and I were married, we knew that we eventually would want to get a dog for our family. But, we also knew that it wasn’t going to be just any old dog...we both really wanted to get a boxer. My hubby’s dad & stepmom had always had boxers when he was growing up and he just fell in love with them...and then quickly after I started dating Chris I fell in love with them also!

Our new girl is a beautiful fawn boxer named Nina. She is about 2 years old and super sweet! She is on the small size for a boxer but has beautiful markings and a great personality.

We’ve been told that she knows quite a few commands, but so far we have only tried sit, stay and up and she knows all of them.

She is also so good with Caleb and they are best friends already! He can’t wait until she can sleep on his bed with him...

If anyone in the Phoenix area is looking for a new dog to add to their family please think about adopting a dog either through a shelter or a rescue. And, if you are into boxers (I don’t know how anyone can’t be though!!!), please check out www.boxerluv.org. They currently have approximately 70 boxers looking for new families and homes to go home to. (Warning: If you look you will probably fall in love and have to bring one home!)

So give a big welcome to our new little girl!

Many faces

Last week we visited San Tan Flats out in Queen Creek for the first time. It's a fun "old west" restaurant. You sit at picnic tables outside, order your food at the walk-up bar and enjoy some music while drinking cheap beer (really, seriously cheap...only $2 each!) and enjoying good company!!!


I brought along my camera and found myself taking photos of my adorable little boy most of the evening. In the short time that we were there my little Caleb showed me so many different faces...and I love every single one of them!!!

Here are the many "faces" of Caleb:


The "no pictures mommy!" face

The "something smells stinky" face

The "hey, what's going on over there?" face

The "smile at the camera" face
The "WEEEEE!!!" face


The "WHOAAAA!" face
The "grumpy" face

I just LOVE this kid!