Fix-it Men

Alexander is the ultimate recycle-r. If he sees any random thing I've thrown away, he insists that it is a treasure that needs to be salvaged for some important purpose. He was thrilled when Darren agreed to let him have any old car parts. So here it is-- the Indiana Jones whip, recycled from the broken car belt. (For the last hour he's been perfecting his skill out in the driveway). Our VentureVan died this week. Darren hasn't had a spare minute to look at it, between work, coaching basketball & church obligations. A bolt is sheared off inside our engine and a belt broke somewhere. He is amazing, though, and is working on it in 100 degree weather. What a man!

First Piano Lesson

Courtney (I mean Tinkerbell) amazed me today by asking if she could take piano lessons. I've never started a 4-year-old before, but she's definitely ready!

Sunshine & Citrus

The year before last we had a really harsh winter (for AZ) that froze all of our plants and trees. This year was marvelous, and our vegetation is doing well! Our first lemons! We have about 24 on the tree and can't wait to make some fresh squeezed lemonade!
Isn't this little orange so cute?

Snow Shoveling in July?

Have you Moms heard the quote, "Cleaning the house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling snow while it's still snowing?" Today was one of those days. I am so glad the kids were having fun and actually getting along, though. They combined forces and made a fort. This fort is deluxe, complete with stuffed animals, fold-down nap pillows, light sabers (in case of intruders), music, paper chain decor, trophies, a night light... you name it, this fort has it all! All this was accomplished while I was scrubbing the bathrooms, vacuuming, dusting and changing linens.
Not ten minutes later, they'd decided to make the kitchen into a literal battlefield. I think there were at least 110 army guys all over the floor.

Next, I asked the kids to throw their laundry downstairs. and they thought it would be funny to throw down half the contents of their rooms as well. The neat freak in me just couldn't take a picture.

When Darren comes home from work, I'm sure he'll ask, "And what did YOU do today?"

Adios, Santo Niño de Atocha!

The houses here have these random little alcoves built into the walls. Ours was no exception. I wondered what I could do with it, and then Darren suggested we to go to Mexico and buy a statue and some votive candles to display in it:) We have called it the Santo Niño de Atocha ever since. It was mainly a catchall for our junk.

My Mom came to visit and suggested that we make it into a little library for the kids. A trip to Home Depot later, viola! I LOVE it! Darren did a great job. Now I need to cut a thought provoking quote out of vinyl to put above it...

Kung Fu Pandas

We took the cousins to Kung Fu Panda and they all loved it. These ingenious kids made a new use of beach balls later that day-- a Kung Fu belly! Alexander & Nathan always have a great time together. They take bowing to their sense so seriously.
Abby & Courtney practicing their fancy Kung Fu belly bump move. It was cute when they were bumping each other, but then Courtney started doing it to random party guests and knocking them over.

Two @ Two

Our darling little twin nieces, Caty and Maddy, turned 2 while we were up visiting. Finally on the last day we were there, we saw them smile for the first time! We have the cutest little nieces & nephews!Here's Tyler, lovin' the yumm-o food @ the party.
Darren's sister, Cami and her daughter, sweet little Alyssa.
It was quiet. We hadn't seen Courtney & Abby for awhile. We knew something was up. They were hiding behind a pine tree, where they had discovered MUD!!! We promptly hosed them off. Abby loved it, but Courtney (true AZ style) was FREEZING!
Melisa usually dresses Caty in pink and Maddy in purple, so Aunt Natalie had to make them tutus in "their" colors.

Fat Birds

Grandma Kathie took the kids to the bread store to get a few choice loaves for the birds around the greenbelt of Idaho Falls.
It turns out that these birds are really well fed. They weren't even remotely interested in the tasty morsels we had brought for them.
Here's where most of Alexander's bread went...
Courtney was having a great time, but every picture I have of her looks like she's crying.
Darren finally decided to try a new tactic. If the birds don't eat, wad the bread up into ammunition and try to hit seagulls out of the sky. (No birds were harmed in the making of this blog).

The 4th in Idaho

Around the 4th of July, there is a field in Idaho Falls where they place 1776 flags. It is amazing and humbling to stand in the midst of them.
This year we noticed that the yellow ribbons were attached to a flag in honor of a fallen soldier from Idaho. Each had a picture and a simple tribute to each.
Admiration I loved the simplicity of what this flag said...

(and no, Alexander doesn't have a mullet-- it must be somethng in the background:)

Kid Lyrics

Our kids seem to have gotten their Mother's gift for singing incorrect lyrics to songs... Here are some of our favorites:

"It's too late to call the judge."
(It's too late to apologize)

"For your Super Bowl, yeah!"
(Pour some sugar on me)

"Busted the snowman"
(Frosty the Snowman)

"One more soakin' sleigh"
(One horse open sleigh)

What a Riot!

Knockout! Every time we go to Idaho, the Rooses want to go to a place in Rigby called "Riot Zone." I've always managed to get out of it, but this time, Darren insisted that I come along. The kids had fun (minus a few scrapes & bruises) on all the inflatable games.
Courtney is the next American Gladiator!

How do you do that?

So many people ask how I get Courtney's hair so curly. (When it is super poofy, Alexander calls her "Napoleon Dynamite.")

Here's the big secret: FOAM curlers. Since she's been little she's tolerated them nearly every Saturday night, in preparation for looking beautimus for church on Sunday. I used to put them in when her hair was wet, but now that it's longer, I have to wait until it's dry.
The little ol' lady cap is the only way the curlers will stay in her hair all night. She didn't want to wear it at first, but I told her she'd look just like Strawberry Shortcake if she wore it. Now every time I put it over her curlers, we have to sing, "Straw-Straw-Straw-Straw-berry, Strawberry Shortcake."

The Big OUCH (not for a weak stomach)

On May 22, I received a call from Alexander's school. It was the school nurse, telling me that Alexander had fallen on the rocks and they needed me to come there. I drove Courtney to PreSchool, then headed over, not expecting much. The nurse met me out in the parking lot and told me, "Just to warn you... it's really bad."

AND IT WAS!! Holy cow, I've never seen such a terrible wound! He says he was just running and fell down really hard on some rocks. We went to the hospital, where he had to have it irrigated, the gravel scrubbed out of it, and stitches. It was very jagged and to the bone, so it was tough for the doctor to get it all put back together.
The outcome: A knee immobilizer, crutches, and dressing changes 2x a day. It was quite the ordeal for our brave little man! Alexander has borne it well, considering how much he loves sports and playing outside. In no time at all, he was getting around just as well as before his accident.

I took a picture of it today, and it is truly amazing how well its healed up! The doctor just gave him the "OK" on resuming all normal activities!

Happy Father's Day!

The kids and I love you to pieces, Darren, and are so glad to have you in our lives. Happy Father's Day!

It was quite the Sunday . The day started off with breakfast burritos & gifts, then it was off to Stake Conference. At the end of the conference, they announced that we would be part of the new Maricopa 7th Ward. The growth here is unbelievable. It will be exciting to be in a new ward, but, we'll miss our friends, too! Keep in touch!

What a Pain in the Neck!

Last Friday, I had to go have a thyroid biopsy at the hospital. It was super scary! They take these big huge needles & get some samples of your thyroid. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a major wimp when it comes to doctors/hospitals/sharp pointy objects. I got the test results back today, though, and it is benign! Whew! What a blessing. Just have to do it all again in another 6 months.... My neck is still sore, though, thus the pain in the neck!

Twirling Princesses

Here are some pics of Courtney's 2nd dance recital. The girls were absolutely darling, and enjoyed the "princess theme." Courtney really loves her friends & her teacher, Miss Ashley.

Tapping tondue!
Working her magic with a bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!

Huntington Beach

Oooh! That water's cold!!! The Pacific Ocean waves are much bigger than the Atlantic Ocean waves we're used to. Woo! We kept getting knocked over.
Check out this cool cave Xanderman dug out of the sand! He worked at it for at least an hour.

It was the perfect day for relaxing at the beach. We sure do miss being close to the ocean. Darren found another great way to recycle an empty lunchables box!

Courtney loved the beach and kept discovering shells and running back and forth to add them to her collection. The last summer she spent at the beach (in Maine) was when she was just one year old, so this will most likely be her first memory of the ocean.

Here is our attempt at a sand sculpture (it's a turtle).

Disneyland!

Our little family had a marvelous time in Disneyland. Darren thought the vintage Mickey t-shirts were a bit much, but I thought they were cute, don't you agree? (Yes, I am a match freak, I know)

Darth Maul is so creepy... but he's Alexander's fav Star Wars character. Xander gets excited when he's sleep-deprived because his red eyes lead him to believe that he's turning into Darth Maul-boy. Defeat him, you must!

Ho....Pah.... he is quite intimidating...

At the Jedi training.... Alexander was thrilled when he finally got picked to become a Padwan. He was so serious and paid attention like his life depended on it. Courtney, from the sidelines, gave him some sound advice: "Xander, use the FOREST!"

Courtney was all smiles when she got to meet other REAL princesses. Cinderella was thrilled that Courtney was dressed just like her (minus the pink cowgirl boots). They practiced some princess twirls together.

It was a bit of a let-down meeting Prince Phillip. She was expecting Sleeping Beauty and instead some weird guy in tights shows up and tells us that Sleeping Beauty was... still sleeping.

Little Miss Courtney tells everyone she meets, "Did you know that I am a REAL princess?" (Just FYI)

Pee Wee's Big Adventure--Flashback!!

Do y'all remember that movie hit of the 80's.... Pee Wee Herman? Well, on our way to LA we drove past these very random dinosaurs & I knew them from somewhere in my childhood. On our way back to Phoenix, we saw them again and drove 15 minutes to the next exit just to go back and see them. Sure enough, when I asked the lady there if these were, indeed, the famous dinosaurs, she said yes! They are actually opening a museum there... apparently a big part of Holywood history, LOL! This is where Pee Wee notices his wallet is gone and has to work off his meal at the diner. A waitress, Simonne, befriends him and they watch the sunrise from the inside of this T-Rex's mouth. She is making excuses why she hasn't gone to Paris and Pee Wee says"Everyone I know has got a big BUT..." ring any bells? (To get an idea of this dino's size, look close and you will see Alexander standing on its right foot.)