"One for the blog"

What a day we had yesterday! I will definitely post pictures of our morning activities but for now, a story:

A week ago, Ben and I were doing our weekly scheduling and I noticed on the calendar it said, "Wendy's Birthday Massage" and so I asked him what that was. And sure enough, he had scheduled a massage for me. I was so excited! On Friday things were a little crazy because we went to an activity at the park but I made it to the massage just in time. I tried out a new type, an Asiatsu Bar Therapy Massage--you know, the ones you see in the movies, where someone stands on you. It was pretty darn cool--I highly recommend it. After that, Ben had arranged for a family dinner and then we were going to drop the kiddos off at my friend Joy's while we went and saw the new movie Eagle Eye in the IMAX theater. I think the fact that BEN planned everything was the best part. As soon as we were ready we headed off to a restaurant we've never been to (the Cheesecake Factory). About half way there, Xander started to cry that his tummy hurt. But he thought he was hungry. We got to the restaurant and there was no wait--score! As they were walking us to our seats though, Xander's "hunger" pains revealed themselves. No, he was not hungry. He lost it all over me (I was carrying him) and the floor--right next to a couple who was having what I am sure was a nice romantic dinner! I tried to remain calm and apologized as much as I could. They said, "Don't worry, we have one who does that all the time" It did not aleve my embarressment but I ran to the bathroom--people helped open the doors and we got Xander all cleaned up. Xander has never had the flu so throwing up like that was kind of scary for him. Once he was cleaned up, we excused ourselves from the restaurant and drove home. We called and canceled with Joy and I, fighting back tears, tried to think of someone who wouldn't mind coming and sitting at our house with sick kids AND who was home on a Friday night. So many people wished they could help but after a bunch of calls, Ellen, a girl from YW (good thing I'm in YW now and kinda know the girls better) came over to tend our sleeping kids. We drove as fast as we could to the theater--grabbed some fast food since neither of us had eaten, and made it into our seats with about 8 minutes to spare. The movie was ok...the screen was awesome...but it was nice to be able to watch a whole movie from start to finish and not fall asleep because I was not in my house. :) As we were driving home, we stopped to get cash for the babysitter (we hadn't planned on paying Joy--we were kid swapping) and we grabbed a milkshake from Jack in the Box. As we were sitting in a fast food line that took 10 minutes we both laughed and said, "so, how will we write about this on the blog?" ...

So, to my dear husband who tried to hard to plan a fantastic birthday date...thank you. I appreciate the effort more than the actual date. I know you love me, I know you tried and I know you care. Thank you...I love you!

PS. Xander is absolutely fine this morning...he never had a fever or anything. I am wondering if maybe it was more of a heat reaction to being at the park in the morning than anything else??

LalaGlendooza 2008

We had a blast today with the Giauque's and the Smiths! We went to the annual LalaGlendooza at Sahuaro Ranch Park! It was as hot as Hades (as you can see by the sweat dripping around Xander's hair line) here so we made the trip short BUT the kids loved riding on the tractors (big & small), playing games, winning the cupcake walk (go Xander!), making animal masks and petting farm animals. Eliza felt a little left out because she was the only girl of 4 boys (Ella, what are you waiting for?? Your due date?? :) and because she was stuck in the stroller--but she was a good sport and hung in until we went home.

Donuts or Doughnuts?

It's D-Week right now and I was starting to feel like I was slacking (I know, it's only the 4th week but it gets kinda hard to think of activities every day that starts with one letter)...SO I renewed my commitment to doing really cool things for each letter AND we made homemade donuts. They tasted more like scones but they were a yummy treat. :) What fun!

My Adorable Kids

This is how you'll find Xander most days right now...in his engineer hat and sunglasses. But he decided to practice sharing the other day and Eliza was the guinea pig. So cute! Is it sad though that I wince just a little when he says, "Mommy, look I shared with Eliza!"

Other Xander-isms of the week:

During FHE, Ben was talking about the miracle of the loaves & fishes and he finished by asking Xander, "What is a miracle in your life, Xander?" And Xander said, "Mommy." (Melt my heart!)

Since nap time seems to have ended, Xander has "quiet time". The other day during "quiet time" I found him with his diaper off rubbing his bottom. I knew that it had been sore recently but didn't understand what he was doing until he handed me what looked like diaper rash cream and said he was making his bottom better. I turned over the bottle and it was acne cream!

"I'm the lobo grande e malo and I blew your house down. Cry mommy" (yes, we speak Spanglish when he reads The 3 Little Pigs)

And my favorite: we brought home the movie 'Curious George goes to the Hospital'. So when Xander fell down this week he said, "Mommy, I broke my leg and need to go the doctor and get a band-aid and a chair like Grumpy." (My dad, Grumpy, has a wheelchair)

R.A.D

I just completed my first RAD class. Yes, I graduated today!! RAD stands for "Rape Aggression Defense"--the class is a basic self defense class. It was held over 2 weeks, was 4 3-hour classes long and ended tonight doing scenarios and actually hitting and kicking grown men. I would absolutely recommend taking this course. It is usually a free course offered by police stations. I learned so much!! The most important thing being that I can hit, and I can kick or knee or elbow someone because they showed me how to do those things in the most effective way. I feel so empowered. I have never been attacked nor have I ever had to hit someone in self defense. Playful fighting with siblings, yes, but not because I was being or felt threatened. And even though these were only scenarios tonight, they felt real. I was so nervous during the first one that I just stared the guy in the face. I froze. I did not know what to do. And then it kicked in and I started pounding away. Afterward the police officer asked if I was left handed. Apparently, I hit and kicked left handed--even though I was trained to hit and kick with my right. Hmmm...he said they were good hits so not to worry about it, it just surprised him. :) Anyways, this course if offered all over the US and Canada and will soon be available in parts of South America...so take advantage of it. OH! And they also do one for kids and it is suppose to be VERY successful! I can't wait until Xander is 4!!

Missionaries for Dinner

We had the missionaries for dinner a couple weeks ago and I've been meaning to put this on the blog but it takes me awhile to upload pictures. Anyways, we love having the missionaries over for dinner (& since every ward we've been in since being married, & before, has called Ben to be involved in the ward mission, it's a good thing)--Xander especially loves it--I think it is because they remind him of one of his favorite people--Uncle Jake. So it wasn't out of the ordinary or anything BUT when I was cleaning up after dinner I found this under my trivet...and just thought it was the cutest thing! It's made out of 3x5 index card!! (I wonder if they teach this at the MTC??) Oh, and there was a thank you note on the back!! Very clever Elders!

My First E-Bay Purchase

It wasn't the first time I'd bid on E-Bay but it was definitely the first time I won...and boy did I score! I'm totally in love with the Fisher Price Little People stuff...used to play with it when I was little. Well, one of the homes we stayed in this summer had a TON of it and Xander fell in love with it too. Here's what I won:The Zoo, the Zoo Train, the Amusement Park Ferris Wheel & Airplane Ride and all sorts of little people & animals. All for the price of $10 + Shipping & Handling. It was so great and we have so much fun setting up and playing for hours on end! Can't wait to start doing the Christmas shopping!!

A, B, C's

A is for Apples!

B is for Baseball!

Since Xander is growing up so quickly, and will be entering Sunbeams (an older age group at Church where he will actually have a Sunday School lesson etc) in January, I have decided it is time to work with him on his learning/applying skills. My sister Emily (the El-Ed major) did a really cool thing with her kids and did a letter a week and then made a scrapbook out of the kids interacting with that letter. So, I'm being a copy-cat. We've had a lot of fun though coming up with things to do related to the "letter of the week" and it is SO exhilarating to be in public and Xander realize that "that word starts with B mom!" I mean, he knew his letters before but now he KNOWS his letters. It's so fun to help him feel SO smart!

4 Years Ago Today: The Engagement

Saturday, September 11, 2004. I woke up that morning and dragged my sister, Tara, to a Bridal Fair at Provo High. We weren't 'engaged' or anything BUT since Ben had taken me to register for a Wedding Registry 2 weeks prior, and had asked me to call the Oakland Temple to make reservations "just in case", I figured I should probably at least get my brain in the right direction and start thinking "wedding." The bridal fair was ok...not as spectacular as the one I'd gone to with my older sister but I got a couple free things. (That's why we go anyways right?) After a trip to the mall to get our nails done, I went home to study. Ben had asked if we could go on a real date that night--I said "I'll check my planner." Just kidding, I said "Of Course!". I dressed really nice for our date (ok, think summer cute) and Ben picked me up and we drove to dinner at Carraba's. It was really good. We took our time and enjoyed relaxing and eating. After dinner Ben asked me what we should do and I said in that Beatles/vulture voice from the Jungle Book, "I don't know, what you wanna do?" :) He said he'd like to go explore the Springville canyon that we'd gone up to the night before with his ward. I thought that sounded great so off we went. Well, just as we got into Springville, Ben turned white as a ghost and said he needed to use the restroom. Yep, you guess it, he got totally sick. So, he ran into the Blockbuster (sorry guys) and got sick in there. I sat in the car...for 10 minutes. I twiddled my thumbs and tried to relax and not think he'd run out on me. :) When he got back, we continued up into the mountains--even though I told Ben we could go home. He said he was fine and so we kept going. We found a great little place to explore and be alone in the beautiful mountains. And then we found a log that we could sit and talk on. We were chatting away when Ben asked me if I would like him to sing. I LOVE Ben's voice so of course I said yes. So, he stands up and goes to the car (my car mind you) and pulls out a guitar from the trunk! (Don't know how that got there). Now, if it had been a bass or a piano, we could understand (those are the instruments I play) but to have a guitar in my car was an amazing feat. But Ben was beaming so I let him alone. Well, he sat down next to me and asked if I had any requests. Since he wouldn’t play “I’m a Barbie Girl” I let him croon, “The Dance” by Garth Brooks. After he finished, he asked me if that was the first song that he’d sung to me on our first date. (Yah’ he wanted me bad that first night). I told him that it was but that he had also sung the song that he wrote for his sister’s wedding. He said, yah, I like to write songs. Hey, do you want to hear the new one I wrote? And I was like, Sure! (That’s when the butterflies started to break from their cocoons). So, he pulled out a piece of paper and said that he’d sing it but that I had to keep my eyes shut. I consented and he got himself all prepped. Then he started to sing this cute little song about how he couldn’t remember life before me (who couldn’t??) and how he couldn’t imagine the rest of it without me (poor soul). And then, at the end, he sang “So, I’m asking you, Wendy Elizabeth, will you marry me?” Through the tears (yes I finally shed some) I opened my eyes and saw that he was on his knee, Wal-Mart ring in hand (after dinner he couldn’t afford much else--$6.88 was a steal!) But I said yes (thank heavens for family jewelers!). And then—we kissed.

Cerreta Candy Company Factory Tour

YUM!







Our first Thunderkids activity this year was to a candy making factory that is a Glendale, AZ specialty. The tour was really boring--we stood in the same place the whole time. The kids entertained themselves with the free samples (worth the trip in my mind) and hiding under the tables. We had a great turnout though and are excited for upcoming activities and new friends!

Our little Harry Potter

Before & During

Our poor little Eliza has been, well, constipated, as we've been adding new foods to her diet. She loves them all but, her system isn't handling it so well. She's had one of those "devil's horns" or whatever you call them since birth but it has been disappearing until recently. As you can see...her pushing really does bring it out...

Good-Bye Neighbors!!

Well, it is official. We are all alone in the back of our complex now. A year ago, we moved in and had 2 Thunderbird/LDS families and a 3rd moved in in January. We've all been slowing moving on from school and we certainly miss everyone but since the Bellows had Boston, who is Xander age, their move has been really sad. They also had little Aiden who is Eliza's age and they were just getting to the age where they could "play." Ahhh, such is life and we are so glad that they both got a job. But even more fun, they invited us to Chuck E' Cheeses to celebrate last week and Xander & Boston had a fantastic time! So, to our neighbors, the Nielsons & the Bellows, we love ya guys...good luck with everything and to the KAchers---hurry home! :) We're lonely back here!!

National Teddy Bear Day

Who knew that National Teddy Bear Day was Sept 6th? I certainly did not. But it gave us an excuse to go do something as a family because Downtown Glendale knew and put together a day of activities for the family. We did not get there in time to do much (or at least any of the free activities) but we still had fun meandering the streets and seeing a part of Glendale we have never seen before. Xander brought his friend Kaleb with us and they did win a prize and decorate a chocolate teddy bear. So it was worth it. I do have to give Glendale some credit--when it comes to planning activities for families--they are really on top of things--they have lots of activities throughout the year that are really enjoyable. Go Glendale!

New Decorations

Ben loves art. He could look at art for hours in a gallery. He always talks about owning original artwork. So, for Ben's first Father day, and his birthday (they are very near each other), we splurged and bought him a beautiful piece of art. The cool part about the splurge is that Costco just happened to be having a knock-off art sale. They were selling large canvas paintings, framed or un-framed, starting really low. After a lot of looking, we finally chose an oil on canvas picture of Venice. We got it back to Grandma's house and put it in storage. A month or so later, our good friends, the Rambos were looking to fill some wall space...we told them about our painting and they gladly stored it on their wall for us. When we got ready to move last year, they gave it back to us only so that we could put it in storage again. Well, since we had a mini van and a little extra space, Ben and his dad rigged the painting up with rope and the handgrips and we were able to bring the painting back with us to Arizona. It is now up on OUR wall and Ben gets to enjoy it everyday!

Transitions

Well, this week has been full of re-adjusting and transitioning in preparation for our last year at Thunderbird. Or as I like to say, "We have 9 months. That's only one pregnancy. I can do that." As soon as we got back, Ben got to work on the crib so we could transition Eliza to the crib--in Xander's room. The kids have been sleeping in the same room for a couple of weeks (since we moved into G.G Bonnie's house) but not for naps or any other time of the day. Since we don't have any other options though, it was time. The first few days were really hard for Eliza--she did NOT like the crib and would scream, furiously, until we'd come comfort her. She's a pro now--and loves her crib. We've even been able to have the kids do naps together a couple of times! My favorite was this morning though. I was kind of in and out, I did not know what time it was, but Xander came in my room and said, "Mommy, Eliza is awake and I'm talking to her." I was really worried that it was the middle of the night and she had woken him up but I then caught a glimpse of the clock--it was 7:15 AM!!!! They had both slept through the night! So, I took Xander back to get Eliza and he was so proud that he had taken her fire (pacifier) and put it away--just like we do to him--and had come and got me. He is such a great big brother! They are just so fun to watch!! I'm so glad that I never had to "transition" Xander from anything else and I feel bad that Eliza had to sleep in a port-a-crib for so long hopefully future children will not bear the same fate. But the whole "transition" thing was really hard--I have the hardest time when my children cry. I would rather just fix the problem. But I also believe we have to let them learn to fall asleep on their one. Oh the quandaries of life. :)