Sunday, July 25, 2010

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.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

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!!"

Thursday, July 8, 2010

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.