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Trip to Utah

 The last weekend in April we drove up to Utah to be with family for some fun events.

Wednesday:  Packed the car and picked up Brandon from work around 5pm and drove all night.  The kids were so good and slept just fine.  I helped drive for only a few hours - after 10/11p, I'm not helpful, so I got some good sleep in the passenger seat for the last few hours.  Arrived around 3:30am (Utah time = lose an hour).  It was FREEZING to us.

Thursday:  I went running to see how the elevation would affect my running, and I did ok - I should be ok at Ragnar, I think?  I also had a hair appointment and that night we had a Easter Egg Hunt at Hale's.  I should have taken more pictures, but I was too busy visiting and having fun.  Our only warm jammies that fit Andrew are Santa ones (sorry, buddy!) but I love the photo of them I got together with their Easter baskets and Drew looking like it's Christmastime.

Friday:  Woke up to snow.  Seriously?  I can honestly say that I think I prefer the weather in Arizona - at least it's somewhat consistent.  It's just hot for 9 months out of the year - no guessing game or unpredictability - just wear as little clothing as possible.  Rachel was thrilled for the snow and she and Brandon made a snowman.  For dinner we went to Golden Corral with the Thompson family to celebrate their actual 50th Anniversary.  Then we said goodbye to Grandma & Grandpy who were headed to Rome and Jordan and Israel on vacation.

Saturday:  Brunch with the Worthen's and Shumway's - too fun to chat about Chicago times and find out what everyone is up to now.  And their daughters are just too cute (Lily, Paisley & Ella).  Then I went to help set up for the parties.  We surprised Grandma & Grandpa Thompson with a 50th Anniversary party and then later that night Lauren & Pako had their engagement party.  Lauren's family (my mom's sister) live in Australia, so they are getting married there May 21.  My mom's sister, Sherri, was able to come to America for the parties and visit for a few weeks.  Rachel sung a solo at Grandma's 50th, "Teach Me to Walk in the Light" and it was last minute notice (Grandma's request).  I bribed her with gum and she did great - it was a little too silly I thought, but there were a lot of people there, so I was impressed at how brave she was.

Sunday:  The kids woke up sick (thank you, Utah - it's just part of the package, we get sick everytime) so we skipped out on church and relaxed a little bit.  We had brunch to celebrate Chad's birthday and hung out with the family.  We went to dinner at Chris & Kacie's and I got some pictures of Brandon with his siblings for something I was doing for Nancy for Mother's Day.

Monday:  My mom took Rachel to the Tulip Festival and other errands for a lot of the day.  All Rachel told me was that they saw lots of flowers and had good peanut butter cookies (nutter butters).  I also ran some errands to my favorite stores - Tai Pan & Rod Works.  We packed up the car and were on the road at 4pm.  The kids did great again and we had only one scary part where we had to swerve around a deer (my least favorite part of driving at night is worrying about deer).  Brandon was at work first thing the next morning.

It was a pretty short trip, but we'll be going back in June for a few weeks.

ROADTRIP!

Classic Andrew face & Classic Rachel picking her nose - gotta love these kids!

Flying a kite with Daddy

Rachel with cousin, Kennedy

Rachel loves to swim in Grandma's hot tub

End of April and it snowed just for Rachel!

An inside joke for the Hale Family

Rachel, Brandon & Chris

My cousin, Lauren & her fiance, Pako at their Engagement Party

Latest House Project

Since we've moved into our house, I've wanted to make an addition to our kitchen cupboards.  There was a blank wall above the sink that desperately needed cupboards to make it look complete.  Well, the stars aligned and a year and a half later they are in.  Not only are they in, but Brandon painted them for me on Saturday for Mother's Day!!  He worked so hard to get all the uppers painted beautifully and I LOVE THEM!!  I am a happy girl.  Maybe now that I love my kitchen more, I won't ever leave dishes in the sink and I'll make a hot meal every night ... um, we all know that's not gonna happen!  :)

Kitchen cupboards BEFORE the addition

DURING the construction phase (the two tone look was nice, and quite honestly I thought I was going to be looking at them for a long time unpainted)

AFTER the cupboards addition and PAINTED and hardware added ... TA DA!

(Along the left cupboard, you'll notice we're missing a piece of crown molding - unfortunately, the installer didn't come with enough and he's coming back to add it on soon)

My first handmade Mother's Day present that Rachel made in nursery!

Faye & Albert Thompson's 50th Anniversary

My grandparents celebrated their 50th Anniversary in April and all their children helped plan a surprise party for them.  We headed up to Utah for the big celebration and had a blast hanging out with family.  I was in charge of the invitation and the slideshow.  It was a TON of work, but so worth it for this amazing couple.  I also took photos to document the party for my grandparents.  I took loads of shots - nothing amazing since it was indoor and the lighting was not ideal so I was just shooting in auto.  But I included some of my favorites.

A cute story about Grandma & Grandpa:
Will & Kate's Royal Wedding was on the morning of their Anniversary.  They watched it together and wanted to sit right next to each other.  Then when Will & Kate did their big kiss on the balcony, Grandma & Grandpa gave each other a kiss too.  So precious.

 Click HERE to watch the slideshow on YouTube.

Andrew & daddy matching in their blue striped shirts (and the sweater vest looked SO cute even though his facial expression does not look quite as cute)

Chad (my brother), Cindy & Logan

Cade (age 16) & Kyle (age almost 22)

The happy couple and we actually pulled off the surprise!

Rachel with Grandma Parker

PAPA!

Here are the grandkids that were in attendance:  me, Alicia, Kyle, Chad, Lauren, Ambrey, Ryan, Christy, Breanna & Cade 

The Thompson Originals:  Sherri, Elaine, Scott, Jamie & Paula pictured with Grandma & Grandpa

Turtle Bob and Springtime

We got together with the Smart's & Johnson's for Easter Dinner and I was so glad, because the day wasn't feeling complete without some sort of "family" party.  I am so grateful for my Mesa "family"!  We had an Easter Egg Hunt and ate ham and potatoes - all the usual.  Except that the Johnson's found their outdoor desert turtle (an Easter Miracle!), Turtle Bob, after he had been lost/hiding in their backyard for 3+ months and they had not seen him.  (They have no idea where he's been, maybe hibernating?  Do turtles hibernate?)

Rachel LOVES creepy, crawly animals - especially lizards, snakes, bugs, all the gross stuff, all thanks to my mother!  She was enthralled with Turtle Bob and they became fast friends.  While we finished eating, Rachel asked us if she could go outside with Turtle Bob and Brandon's instructions were, "Yes, but please don't touch the turtle."  You know where this is going, right?  A few minutes later, Rachel screamed and was crying and came to the sliding glass door and this is what I saw:  Rachel in her cute little Easter Dress with her finger held up and Turtle Bob hanging on to her finger for dear life.  Brandon saved the day and yanked him off and LUCKLY he didn't break the skin - not one mark - I am so so so grateful.  It quickly became funny (since she wasn't hurt) and I think she learned a good lesson and she even still likes turtles.  

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Springtime in Arizona this year and I feel like we've really enjoyed being outside.  Since I'm training for Ragnar, I try to run with the kids in my double jogger about 3-4 times during the week.  Our typical run is about 3 miles - sometimes a little more.  We go first thing in the morning and they are really good.  During some afternoons, we'll meet our friends at the park or we've even gone swimming a few times.  Many evenings, we end up hanging out in the backyard with daddy before the kids go to bed.  My front yard flowers are now small bushes and I am so proud that I didn't kill the flowers my mom planted last fall (I'm sorry to make a big deal about flowers, but for Arizona, these flowers are impressive and I've got lots of compliments from the neighbors). 

Other tidbits that I don't want to forget:

- Andrew weighs over 23 pounds at 7 months and has the chubbiest, sweetest smile ever!  He brightens my day!  He now has four teeth and still loves to eat, jump in his bouncer, but mostly he loves to watch his big sister and he belly laughs at almost anything silly she does.  On Easter, he had a small tumble and I felt like the worst mom ever.  Of course he's fine, I cried longer than he did about it.  I'm just thinking, how am I ever going to be able to make it through him playing sports?  I'll probably be a basket case.

- Rachel is into any and everything lately.  She has multiple outfit changes a day (per her request) and loves wearing all types of shoes - particularly her pink rainboots, cowgirl (Jesse) boots, princess dress-up high heels, flip flops, etc.  She's loves watching movies, playing with her little figurines and pet shop guys, and she really enjoys flipping through books and making up stories to go along with the pictures.  She still loves to dance and sing and talk - she is quite the conversationalist.  

- I've been thinking a lot lately about the PHASES that my kids go through.  They come and they go, and I seem to have no control over them as hard as I try.  I drive myself crazy coming up with tactics to help change whatever phase we're in, but to no avail - it must just be a test of my patience.  Some phases seem to last for just a few days and others tend to last weeks on end.  It's bizarre, but I'm trying to be consistent and patient.  For example, remember when I complained about Rachel biting her nails?  I was sure, she was going to be doing that forever - nope, just a really long phase.  She doesn't do it much anymore (knock on wood).  Now she just picks her nose - not sure which is worse, but hoping that's just a phase too.  And remember the time I thought that I could get Rachel to sleep in if I turned off her nightlight - nope that only lasted a few nights.  Anyhow, the girl is in some interesting phases right now (please be just a phase, oh pretty please).  After a few months of very few potty accidents, we now celebrate a full day of her keeping her panties dry.  She only gets them a little wet, but it drives me absolutely crazy because I feel like nothing I'm doing is working well.  I think she just gets too busy and the newness/excitement of going potty has really worn off.  Another phase she's in has to do with her sleep habits.  She wakes up early - even if we let her stay up late, she wakes up at the same time every morning.  Ugh!  If it's bad, I try to compensate with a nap, which she only takes about 2 per week.  It's all very unpredictable and I find myself getting frustrated with her since I have no control over when she wakes up or what days she'll take a nap.  Since her and I both need a break in the afternoon, she usually has quiet time in her room for about 45 minutes where she quietly reads books by herself.  And if she stays in her room until the timer rings, then she can watch a movie.   

Not a great picture, but it's the crew all sugared up after the hunt:  Macie, Rachel, Asher, Rex, Dalan & Jett

 

My cute kiddos dressed up for Easter Sunday

Sunday Nap with Dad

My springtime flowers!  Look, mom, I'm so proud I haven't killed them yet!!

Roomies

I feel lucky to have had such great college roommates and I will always consider them to be close friends.  (We missed you at our lunch date, Suz & Shan!) 

 

Sarah holding Avery, Kasey with Cole & Cooper, Me with Rachel & Drew, Natalie holding Grace