Fun Times

Life is busy. Life is fun. I have been trying to get our family pictures done for months but it hasn't been high enough on the priority list to happen. A couple weeks ago I made it the priority. We set up the background in the studio and Rick did a little mini session with each of the boys first. Then, using his remote, we took some family shots. The boys were so enthralled with the remote, Ricky let them use the remote to capture some shots of themselves. They posed themselves, made silly, nice or tough faces and pushed the button. They definitely have some artsy sides to them. I'm excited to see what the finished products looks like but this is a sneak peek I captured of Logan.

 For family night activity this week was frozen yogurt and picking paint colors at Lowe's for their rooms. Logan stuck with vanilla and a ton of toppings. Lincoln was adventurous and got coconut, strawberry colada and mint. 

 Logan's kindergarten class had their last field trip of the year. They went to the children's museum in downtown Phoenix. He had a great time but he's hard to see in the picture. Middle on the far right. He's on his knees so you can just see the top of his head.

Team Tennis

I have been on a team in some form or fashion with most of these ladies for the last four years. They are some of my closest friends, the best entertainment, the nicest ladies and also a little crazy.  We have lost of fun memories and winning records together. Ricky offered (I sort of volunteered him) to come to the courts to take a team picture. Some girls are missing but this is the 3.5 and 4.0 teams. There are quite a few ladies who play on both teams. The 3.5 team is going to sectionals this year and I'm bummed I can't go since I'm on the 4.0 team.  I'm sure they'll do great an hopefully the 4.0 team will get there too!

 Back row L-R: Stacey, Kristy, Roz, Eden, Kathy, Naomi, Susan, Theresa, Joann, Ming
Front row L-R: Steph, Sherry, Char, Lisa, Debbie, Bam Bam, Kareth, Kelly

Camping Trip to Flagstaff

Last month sometime I brought up the idea of camping and the boys were over the moon excited. They wanted to go that weekend and talked about all the things they wanted to take with them. Luckily, Ricky found a KOA campsite in Flagstaff so we booked it on Wednesday for a Friday arrival. We left after the boys got out of school and headed straight there. It took a couple of hours and we stopped for dinner on the way. I can't believe how much work it takes to pack everything for camping and we were only going for two nights. We knew it was going to be really cold so we packed a bunch of extra blankets. We set up camp in the dark the first night and pretty much went straight to bed.

The first night was so incredibly windy and cold. It was about 35 degrees that night. The wind howled all night and shook our tent around pretty good. It made for a very difficult night of little sleep. I had grand plans of fun activities to do around camp on Saturday but unfortunately, the wind was still very strong and a it was quite cold. We had some breakfast at camp, the boys played on the playground for a while and Lincoln and I braved a few games at the campsite table. Eventually we had to move into the tent to get out of the cold and wind. Logan joined us for Rumikub and Uno while Ricky went around the camp looking for picture opportunities. After playing games it was time for mommy to have a nap while the boys had some quiet time on their iPads. We planned to have lunch at camp but it would have been impossible to have the peaceful relaxing lunch in the sun that I had imagined because the cold gusty winds would blow everything away. We had to make the most of it so we made sandwiches, with chips and veggies on the side, and ate inside the tent.

We decided to take a break from the chilly weather and head into town to see a movie. We went to the only theater in town and saw the Huntsman. It was entertaining and the boys and I really liked it. After the movie it was still cold and windy and we weren't quite ready for dinner so we headed to a mall (it was a pretty pathetic mall but it was inside) to see what fun things we could find. Logan loved playing in the play area and mommy got a little shopping done. After that the boys begged for McDonald's happy meals so we stopped and got them those on the way to the restaurant that Ricky and I were going to eat at. I wanted to be brave and adventures by trying somewhere local. We found a little hole in the wall Mexican place that had some good reviews. It was definitely somewhere we wouldn't normally eat but we tried it. Turned out to be okay.  It was warm food and a nice change from cereal and sandwiches so we happy.

After returning to camp we started a fire so we could make s'mores. The boys were more interested in just eating the chocolate but they both roasted marshmallows and ate their s'mores. Thankfully the wind had died down, although the temperature had also dropped. It was supposed to be 28 degrees that night. We huddled up in the tent and had a much more peaceful night than the one previous. We all got to sleep fairly early and slept well.

Sunday morning we got up, ate breakfast and broke down camp before heading home via the scenic route through Sedona. We stopped at a church we had never seen before that was on top of a hill, overlooking the valley. It was a beautiful location. After that stop, and a stop at another hole in the wall Mexican place for lunch, we finally made it back home. It was definitely a lot of work, especially for Ricky, and the weather could have been better, but we made it work and we made fun memories. I hope that we can go camping at least once a year as a family tradition.

 Lincoln the first night all ready for bed. 

 Ricky at breakfast

 I was worried if we didn't go in April that it would be too hot. Apparently, not in the mountains. 

 Lincoln beat me on the first game with his very first hand. I didn't even get a chance to have a turn. He was so impressed with himself he ran to tell his dad that "he beat me like a boss."

This little guy was in his element. He loves to be outside all day every day. 

 Keeping warm and playing games. 

You wouldn't know that they had been freezing all day but once they warmed up in the tent they got comfy for quiet time after lunch. 

 This little squirrel made the day for the boys. He came earlier while Lincoln's cereal bowl was on the table and he ate the rest of the Cinnamon Toast Crunch out of the bowl and drank the milk. He tipped the bowl over at one point so he was drinking the milk off the table in this picture. The boys thought it was so hilarious. It was good entertainment for 20 minutes or so. 

 Mexican lunch 

 Logan is missing one of his front teeth so it made eating s'mores a little more challenging.

 View from the Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona

 Only family picture of the trip. Considering we were completely wind beat, and grungy, I'm impressed with how well we look in the picture. 

  I love these little guys so much. They are a challenge, they test my patience, they can be naughty but they are the loves of my life and bring us so much purpose and joy. 

 Ricky's dream house is in the background of this picture. It's only $29 million. 

Inside the chapel. 

View of the front of the chapel. 

Celebrating Debbie

We have been celebrating Fab 5 birthdays for while now but we've decided to do more fun and adventurous things, instead of just going to dinner. This time we were celebrating Debbie. We surprised her with a dinner cruise on Lake Pleasant. It hadn't rained for over two months when we booked the cruise but of course the day of the cruise it rained all day. Luckily for us it cleared up by the time we drove to the lake and we were able to have a lovely evening, although it was chilly. I am so thankful to have fun, loving, thoughtful friends who I can vent to, laugh at/with, celebrate with and  lean on. We had a very fun and memorable evening. I'm also thankful that Ricky is supportive of me taking time to be with my friends and have that time away.

It's Not a Tumor

It's not a tumor but it is a nodule on my thyroid that had us all worried for a while. I've had some symptoms consistent with thyroid issues so my doctor ordered an ultrasound. What they found in the ultrasound were four nodules. One of those was significant in size so I was sent to an Endocrinologist for further testing. After several rounds of blood work, lots of worrying, and a VERY painful biopsy of the nodule, I just got results back that it's not cancer! Yay! It was very good news but the doctor wants to continue to watch it so I will have an ultrasound and blood work done again in six months. The doctor did find that my vitamin D levels were extremely low. I was 18 - the range is supposed to be 30-100. So, that means I've been deficient for a long time and I am not taking 50,000 milligrams of vitamin D three times a week for the next six months. The deficiency is what the doctor believes is causing me to be so incredibly tired.  Good new is that we have some answers, even if it was what they thought was the cause in the first place.

April Happenings

It is definitely starting to heat up around here and I can feel summer creeping in. The boys only have six weeks of school left. I can hardly believe it. With that, this time of year brings extra end of the year school activities in addition to our normal routines, fun outings and work. Here are a few things going on this month. 

 Logan working on his homework at the restaurant. 

 Logan did a project on scorpions. This is the report and he had to give his first ever presentation to his class on this material. He did such a great job coming up with the ideas of what to draw and memorizing it so that he could present. 

 This big guy lost a tooth and the other top front tooth is about on its way out too.

 The boys and I had a date day where we went bowling and to the movies. We saw the movie Miracles from Heaven. I thought it was a good movie but I was more impressed with how into it the boys were. It's a pretty mature message in the end and both boys followed it and said they enjoyed it. I love date days with these cuties!

 Because I have awesome kids, they somehow always end up with free stuff. This time one of the employees at the bowling alley gave them this bowling pin. They were thrilled. They kept taking turns holding it while the other bowled. It was pretty cute how something so simple can mean so much to them. 

 Lincoln is awesome and got recognized at his school assembly for an Academic Excellence Award. This is the for receiving all A's last quarter. 

 Funny things happen when you least expect it. I would not normally post a picture of my toes but there's a fun story to share. For years I went to a specific nail salon in Surprise. One day I walked in and the owners had changed and Annie and Peter were gone. I couldn't get any info on where they went. Fast forward two years later and I decide I need a pedicure. Since I am now working in the office a few days a week, I decide I will try the place across the street on my lunch break. I walk in and it's Annie and Peter. I couldn't believe it. We had a great time catching up and they filled me in on why they moved, etc. I am just happy that I found a good place to go now.  I guess that is the silver lining in having to go to the office. 

Why post pictures of cake? Because sometimes life is just better with cake so I stopped in Nothing Bundt Cakes to bring home a little treat for the boys. Now they can't say I never did anything nice for them.