Emma's Injury

On Monday night after Brayden's soccer practice, we went over to a friends house for FHE and pizza. I was just sitting back enjoying the evening, and the kids were on the trampoline laughing and having fun with each other. Suddenly Emma starting screaming. It was one of those cries where as a mom, you just know something is wrong. I ran out to get her and she kept saying, "My knee, my knee!" She didn't fall off or bounce into anyone, she just landed weird. After about an hour of her crying and refusing to straighten her leg, we decided to take her to the ER. Four hours later, we were told that nothing was broken, and were sent home with her in a brace. A couple days later, we took her into a children's orthopedic specialist who took more x-rays, and decide that she, in fact, had a minor fracture.

She hasn't been back to school, and won't be able to go back until she can walk on her own. She isn't walking yet, and tomorrow we are taking her back to be reevaluated and see if she needs to have a cast from her foot to above her hip. Crossing my fingers that she won't need one!

I'm so grateful to have healthy children. Bones and bumps and bruises heal, and this will all be behind us in the near future. This experience has really made me appreciate just how blessed I am that I've never had to deal with any major health crisis with my children.

Our visitor

Being on the edge of the wilderness here in Tucson, we see all sorts of wildlife right in our backyard. We usually have three or four bunnies sprawled out on our grass, lizards of varying sizes and colors perched on our fence, roadrunners darting through our yard. We hear Coyotes at night, and recently saw them and Javalina - wild, onery, skunk-pigs - in our neighborhood.

One morning Mike had just left to work when he called me from his cell phone. There was a bobcat walking up the street. He followed the animal through our neighborhood. I was really curious, and whether or not it was a good idea, I came outside to see it. I watched it walk across our neighbors front patio, and when it got to our house, it jumped the fence into our backyard. It walked a few feet from our backdoor and then over our fence into our neighbors backyard. Aw, life in the desert!

Visiting with the Skousens

I forgot to add to my post about Aspen Grove that we stopped to see the Kim and Dan Skousen and Co. when we were in Utah. I love the Skousens so much, and have missed them so since they moved in December. The Skousens are incredible people. They were actually loading up a moving van when we stopped by. They are moving to Florida. That is much too far away if you ask me! It was so fun to spend a few minutes with them again. I hope things are well for them in Florida.

I think Adam has passed up Ava in size.

Woot! The Emmas are together again!

Brayden and Nathan

Kim is such an amazing person.

First Day of School

I cannot believe summer is already over. What is even harder to believe is that my little Emma is old enough to be in Kindergarten, and that Brayden is already in second grade. The first day of school went well for both Brayden and Emma, with only a few minor hiccups. Brayden said that he was "lonely" during the first recess, but that he made a friend by the end of the day. Emma said that she got lost (how does a kindergartener get lost on the first day of school??) but that she asked the lunch lady for help and she took her to her classroom. I am thrilled with both Brayden and Emma's teachers. Emma's teacher is actually in our ward, and is wonderful. Brayden's teacher is so cute, and positive, and dedicated. Emma is such a smart little cookie, and works so hard to do well with her handwriting and coloring. Brayden is doing great as well, and has a good attitude about school. Both have made friends easily. I am just so proud of them and how well they have adjusted with this move.

Emma and her teacher, Mrs. Anway.

Emma's backpack is bigger than she is!

Supportive sister, Ava.

Ready for the first day of school!

Brayden and his teacher, Miss Luce. I think Brayden is going to really enjoy school this year.

Sugar Cube Temples

A few weeks ago, in Family Home Evening we talked about the Temple, and the kids made their own temples out of sugar cubes. I remember in a RS lesson when I first got married, a woman talked about making sugar cube temples with her family when she was little, and how that was a special memory for her. I've wanted to do it ever since. Emma took a more two-dimensional approach, and Brayden went for three dimensions. The kids ended up eating much of their temples, glue and all! What my kids will do for a little sugar!

Ava Walking

Ava has learned to walk this last week. Amazing how kids learn to do that! They never get discouraged despite how many times they fall, and keep trying and trying until they succeed. I could really take a lesson here.

Aspen Grove - June 2010

We went to the BYU Aspen Grove family camp in Provo with my family. I didn't know what to expect, other than we heard it was "great" and there was a two-year waiting list. My parents signed our family up for this some time ago, and we weren't disappointed. We spent the week, hiking, swimming, playing sports, relaxing, paintballing, playing games - you name it, we probably did it! The best part was the kids had their own camps with their cousins in their age group. Plus we didn't have to do any cooking!

Hiking. Probably my all-time favorite activity.
Mike doing the ropes course. I tried, but ended up chickening out.

The scenery was spectacular. It was seriously like the Swiss Alps.

Let see, our family won the walleyball tournament, the tennis tournament, the raquetball tournement, and the badminton tournament. I guess it doesn't hurt that my brother-in-law, Brian, is a nationally ranked raquetball player. The poor suckers didn't know what hit them.

Mike and Brian, the badminton champions. In frustration, their opponent threw his racket in the air and got it stuck in a tree, haha.

I got hit smack in the forehead with a paintball. I'd have to say it did sting a bit. But I hit my Dad and brothers WAY more than I got hit.

Brayden was in seventh heaven being able to spend an entire week with his cousins. Brayden and his cousins, Kendall and Dylan actually held hands as the walked to church together.
The whole fam damily. Not one missing.

Our View

One of my favorite things about our new home is the view. We took these photos from our deck. July is "Monsoon Season" in Tucson. They make a huge deal on the news of a few sprinkles - we've yet to see the downpours we've heard about - but what I love is the fireworks show that comes with it.

Although there are quite a few houses and stores between us and the mountains, we really cannot see anything but the beautiful landscape. It feels so private and peaceful. We hear coyote howls at night, and often have rabbits, lizards, and roadrunners in our yard.

This is another view from our deck. There are a lot of these Saguaro Cacti in our area. They are a bit alien-esque to me, especially in the barren desert landscape, but I am beginning to see their beauty.

House of Fingerprints

Now, everyone that knows me well, knows that I am not the most meticulous of housekeepers. I really have been trying to do better, but in our new house, it seems like there is a potential for fingerprints everywhere I turn. I love our hardwood floors, but they show every single footprint....from perfectly clean, perfectly dry feet. It's enough to drive a woman crazy. If I had spent nearly as much time on this blog as I have on my floors, my blog would be thoroughly updated.

This is a picture of our floor SECONDS after I cleaned them. Those are my footprints as I walked our chairs back to the table.

Our glass doors are magnets for sticky little handprints.
Yes, those are Emma's footprints on my fridge door.
The mirrored doors in the bedrooms get fingerprints much faster than I can shine them.

I am reminded of a quote my mom gave me a while back. I can't find it right now, but it says something like, "Remember that the fingerprints on your walls will appear higher and higher until one day they disappear." I need to remember that my kids' childhoods are fleeting. My focus needs to be on my wonderful kids and not the fingerprints they leave behind. Who knows, someday I may learn to treasure those little footprints on my gleaming hardwoods.

"NO WALKING ON THE FLOORS, KIDS!!"

Things I should have blogged.

Things I should have blogged....

Finding out I was pregnant (morning sickness is the reason I stopped blogging in the first place)

Halloween 08

Thanksgiving 08

Christmas 08

Finding out I was having a girl

Pregnancy complications

Getting ready for baby

Having Ava

Ava's NICU stay

Ava's blessing

Family visits to see Ava

Brayden's 6th and Emma's 4th birthdays

Trip to St. George, Utah

Halloween 09

Thanksgiving 09

Christmas 09

All of Ava's adorable milestones

Saying goodbye to friends

Finding out that we are moving

and much, much more.

Well, it has been nearly two years since I last blogged. I actually have a quiet moment because, ironically, Brayden and Emma are sick. They have the stomach flu and have passed out in front of the TV, and Ava is having her FIRST nap of the day, at 5 pm. I am sitting in my new home in Tucson, AZ thinking about all the blessing the last two years have brought. We had a few trials as well, but mostly tremendous blessings. Before we left Chico, I "vowed" that I would start up my blog after I moved to keep everyone up on my Arizona life, so here goes nothing.

I am now publishing a few posts that I wrote a long time ago. I was embarrassed to be so behind on my blog that I never published them at the time.