Monster Jam

Ricky, Lincoln and I had a special night out.  We went to dinner at BJ's and Monster Jam Phoenix at Chase Field.  It was really fun for several reasons.

1. We got to have a night with just Lincoln. We've only been able to do that once or twice before so it's extra special when we can go and do big boy things.  He had been looking forward to it all week! I thought it would hold his attention longer but toward the end he was so tired he got really fidgety. 
2. We had never been to Chase Field before.  We were impressed!  It's smack in the middle of downtown, which I thought was really pretty, but the stadium itself is really nice.  I think it's the largest stadium I've been in and it was enclosed which was even better, considering it's been freezing here.
3. We saw Monster trucks! In a lot of ways it's a pretty cheesy show but Ricky and I have gone for years and have always enjoyed it.  This year they had Supercross Freestyle Competition and quad racing in between the monster truck races.  I think my favorite part was the Supercross riders.  They never cease to amaze me.  They are crazy and wild...probably even slightly insane but awesome entertainment. 

It was a fun and memorable night.  Thanks Tutu's for the birthday tickets!

 Before the event

 During the qualifying races.

 We had really good seats.  First row on the balcony made it easy to see everything and we didn't have to be in the nose bleed sections.

 We were right above the stage.  This rookie, Blue Thunder, won the races. 

 They had 12 trucks there that lined the back wall and they all did freestyle.

 Lincoln liked the freestyle part.

Madusa was the only girl driver so of course I routed for her!

 These pictures don't do justice so I was glad to capture the jumbo tron too. 

 There were some good crashes.  This was the first one to flip over...

 and this was the second one.  

 The popular Grave Digger.  Lincoln liked him because he has a little grave digger truck. 

It was about 10:00 pm when it was done. We thought Lincoln would sleep in the car but of course we were wrong.  He was so excited about everything he was awake the entire ride home.

Five Guys

My boys are on a Five Guys hamburger kick. Ever since Ricky realized that there are Five Guys Hamburger joints around the Phoenix area he has been craving them.  Now Lincoln is on the bandwagon too!  It takes us about 30 minutes to get to the closest one so we make a family night of it when we go.

The other day Rick asked him what he wanted for dinner. He said that he wanted to go to Five Guys Hamburgers, eat it all gone and then go to the ice cream shop and get ice cream with sprinkles.  We were pretty impressed with his memory. There is a Yogurtini frozen yogurt shop next to Five Guys that we took him to once after dinner.  He now thinks all Five Guys have "ice cream" shops next to them and that if he eats his dinner we will automatically take him there.  I don't know if that makes him spoiled or smart. Either way, it's become a fun outing for our family.

This is from the first time that we went to our Five Guys.  Aunt Natalee and Dennis went with us. 

Self serve frozen yogurt - how can you go wrong!?!?  Lincoln likes cookies-n-cream and vanilla with chocolate and rainbow sprinkles. 

Music

I'm so blessed to have two little boys who LOVE music.  Ricky loves classical and soundtracks and I love everything else!  We gave Lincoln my old iphone to use as an Ipod touch.  It's come in handy for waiting rooms, restaurants, car rides, etc.  He plays games and listens to his music. Thankfully, his music is actually my music.  He loves hip-hop and country!  Don't get me wrong, they love their nursery rhymes and primary music but they love what's on the radio. 

 It used to be Sugarland, Stuck Like Glue that we heard over and over. He knows the words and sings along.  He also likes, "All I Want to Do."

The last couple of weeks he's moved on to Black Eyed Peas.  Yes, my 3 year old loves them.  His two favorites are "Imma Be" (Lincoln says "I'mba be") and "I Got a Feeling" (Lincoln calls it "Goodnight.") 

The last two days he's been all about Miley Cyrus, "Party in the USA."  I think we've heard it a hundred times in the last two days. 

Every so often he turns on a few other songs to mix it up.  The best part is that both he and Logan often bust out into dance as soon as the music turns on.  It is adorable.  They both have great rhythm and awesome dance moves.  Logan is into spinning.  Logan already knows how to use the iphone so it will be just a matter of time before he will want his own.  Luckily for him, the iphone 5 will be out soon and daddy wants an upgrade! 

Logan Got a Haircut

We decided that Logan needed a haircut....a short one.  Ricky convinced me that we should shave Logan's head.  He's had a haircut previously but it was starting to get out of control again - especially on the top.  I didn't like the super short look at first but it's grown on me.  I don't think we'll keep it like this forever but I like it for now.  We paid a lot of money, and he suffered through months in a helmet, to get a nicely shaped head so I guess this cut will show it off!

 Before

After

He looks more like a little toddler now than a baby. 

Lanee's Legacy

I had the opportunity to participate in a charity event a couple weeks ago.  It was hosted by Lanee's Legacy.   Their primary objective is to ensure that every family that looses a child at birth receives a box that has served its purpose of capturing and preserving vital memories. They will also be provided with tangible items within the box that comfort and assist mourning families through the grieving process.
We've had several friends recently that have lost their full term babies at birth.  I really didn't think that happened anymore these days with all of the modern technology and medicine available. I've since learned, and have been shocked by the staggering numbers, that it still happens all to often. 
We gathered to hear the stories of mother's who've lost a baby and then we assembled 40 boxes to be donated to local hospitals. I was so touched by what this non-profit group does.  The boxes that they make have blessed so many families.  It's based out of Arizona but they've gotten so many inquiries from out of state they may try to expand. I will be looking for ways to help them and to donate to the cause.  I've included the link to their blog and would urge anyone to help that can.


www.laneeslegacy.blogspot.com

It's a little blurry but these are the little boy boxes we made.

Happy Birthday to Me!

This year my actual birthday day was pretty low key.  Rick and I had really celebrated with our weekend in San Francisco.  Quick run down of the day: I worked,  Ricky picked up Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner,  I went to Zumba, and we shared a cute (but not so tasty) cupcake!  Ricky picked the cupcake from Sweet Daddy Cupcakes in our mall.  They went on cupcake wars (it aired later in the month) and they lost miserably.  My birthday was exactly as I planned it to be and I had an enjoyable day!

Lincoln helped me blow out the candle. 

Snow Day

This happened a while ago but I forgot to post about it.  It snowed here in Phoenix.  Yes. Snow.  In the desert.  It happened on December 30th.   I was actually working at the banking center a few minutes from our house.  The branch manager came running back and said, "quick run out front, it's snowing!"  So I grabbed my phone and ran out front with most of the employees and customers in the bank.  Sure enough it was snowing!  You would've thought none of us had seen snow fall before.  Everyone got out their cameras to take pictures and called people to tell them about this crazy moment we were all experiencing  I called Ricky to take the boys outside.  At first he didn't believe me and then looked outside and he saw the snow.  It only lasted about 10 -15 minutes (and the snow didn't even pile up - it melted immediately) but it sure was a fun for the moment.

 So it's not the best picture but it was all I could get. 

Our neighbor brought snow back from up north so Lincoln was excited to bring a snow ball home from his walk with Tutu's. (I have no idea why he wanted to lay on our driveway.  He just did.)

Visit from Family

The first of the year brought us some visitors!  Tutu's, Aunt Natalee (and her friend Dennis) along with Troy, Nancee and their girls all stopped by for a visit.  It's always fun to visit and play games and Lincoln just loves playing with his cousins. We rang in the New Year (New York time!) by playing a new game called Spinners with Tutu's, snacking on way to many yummy things and watching the ball drop.

Erica and Lincoln

 Monkeys jumping on the bed =)

 Sadie is so tiny. It was fun to hold her because she is so light compared to Logan.

 This is how Sadie and Logan play together.  They knew the other was there but not sure how to interact quite yet. 

Papa Tutu and Logan