New Adventures

It is official that we will be moving to this place at the end of the week.

I couldn't have asked for a better birthday gift and Christmas gift.

Fall Photo Sneek Peak

UPDATED: Check out more photo's here.

Survival

The last 3 months my little family has been in survival mode. We have been trying to survive while Mike is gone all week. It comes with its challenges and its blessings but mostly challenges. I have gained a GREATER respect for single parents.

When Friday hits I have usually had enough and can't wait until Mike comes home. Some days are much harder than others but we seem to survive and make it through. There are days that I just want to go somewhere without my kids or run errands without my kids. However, they are quickly learning that they get to come with me everywhere. For the most part they are pretty good troupers.

I barely have time to get the basic cleaning done: bathrooms, dishes, kitchen, beds made, laundry, and some times vacuuming. A lot of times Mike comes home and he gets to vacuum and mop the floors. I don't think that is what my husband is looking forward to after being away all week. Oh well it is what it is.

I have been trying to run errands during Lincoln's morning nap which in turn throws off the rest of the day. But I think now I have found my sanity (I know it is about time). The last few days I have been trying to run errands before Lincoln's morning nap. That means I need to get out of the house by about 8 or 8:30. That also means that I need to stop working by 7:30 so I can get the kids ready to leave the house and hopefully have the beds made before we leave. So far it has been working out really well.

Today we had a great day. We left the house just before nine because the kids slept in a little bit and ran to the post office and then off to the park for 45 min. Lincoln did fall asleep on the way home but only for a few minutes. The day went a lot smoother and we were even able to go for a walk this afternoon since the boys woke up about the same time.

I am hoping that we now have it figured out; well for the most part. (But in thinking about it what am I going to do when I have to run errands to a store that doesn't open that early. Let's not get to ahead of ourself because I might just revert back to my survival mode.)

Growing Up

Lincoln is growing up and I can't believe that he is SIX MONTHS. We love him so much and Grant loves him a lot too. Linc is a very very happy baby and pretty mild. He loves to play with his toys and is loving baby food.






He is a super loud baby. He squeals when he is happy and sometimes your aren't sure if he is crying or not. Linc is also sitting up by himself now and of course still has moments where he falls over.

He is a thumb sucker just like his older brother. Hopefully it won't be too bad of a habit to break when he get a little older.

Grant loves Lincoln so much and is always worried about him and frequently asks me, "Where Lincoln?" Grant can't leave his hands off of Lincoln and I am constantly telling him to give Lincoln space. Poor Lincoln will have just woken up from a nap and Grant is down in his face saying, "Linc you waked up. Hi, Lincoln, hi, Lincoln."

We had Lincoln's well check up this past week and here is how is is measuring:
Weight: 20 lbs 7 oz = 95%
Height: 28" long = 95%

Here is where Grant was at 6 months:
Weight: 21 lbs 4 oz = 97%
Height: 28 1/2" long = 95%

It looks they are keeping pretty close to each other.

Trick or Treat

We had a great Halloween. Our Halloween was celebrated on Saturday. It started out with a trip up to Cottonwood to carve pumpkins and bob for apples.

We ended the night with the Trunk or Treat in Mesa. Grant got a enough candy that a 2 year old needs. He of course wanted to eat every piece of candy right on the spot. He was pretty hyped up on sugar but he loved every minute of it.

Grant was a little ghost and Lincoln was a cute little penguin. Mike even had blue hair which Grant thought was pretty cool.



Grant bobbing for apples and boy does he know how to get the job done.


We even made it to the pumpkin patch a couple of days before Halloween. Grant got to see 11 new piglets that were less than 24 hours old. They were super cute.
Grant did NOT like sitting on the poky hay and complained the whole time I was taking pictures.

San Francisco

A couple of weeks ago Mike and I went to San Francisco with several of my co-workers for the weekend. We had such a blast and it was great to actually get away from real life for a little while.



We rented bikes at Pier 39 and rode across the Golden Gate bridge. It started out to be a beautiful over cast morning.



Along our ride we got to see these amazing little house that face the bay. I thought they were beautiful and added such character to the street. Most of the houses had big front windows and they all seemed to have a beautiful center piece sitting on a table in front of the window for everybody to see.

(I had to try to take the picture while I was riding my bike. I think the runners that kept running past thought I was crazy. I am surprised I didn't crash.)






We made it across the bridge and it started to rain when we were about half way across. We finally made it to Sausalito where we took a break for a late lunch. Thankfully we had planned on riding ferry back across the bay to San Francisco.




On Sunday we went to the Aquarium while we waited for our boat to Alcatraz. It was pretty cool to see all the great things they had at the Aquarium.



Sunday was a rainy rainy day. As you can see Mike is loving the weather on Alcatraz. You would never have thought we had spent most of the morning inside with how wet we were by the time we got to Alcatraz. Thankfully the Alcatraz tour was mostly inside.


(The MediServe crew)

We did get a reprieve from the rain late afternoon on Sunday. Of course by the time we made it back to our hotel we were wet and cold and ready for a warm shower. However, the hotel had lost power and had no idea when the power would be back up and running. The power in the hotel didn't come back on until Monday morning. Poor Mike had to pack in the dark and take a cold shower on Monday morning to catch a flight back to Phoenix.

We did have a blast though and loved having a weekend away.

River Days

A couple of weeks ago we spent the weekend in Cottonwood so we could go to Verde River Days. It was a great time with the family and Grant loved ALL of it.

He got to fish with his dad.


He even got to put the bait on. Yummy worms.



Fishing really isn't that exciting well maybe for a little boy it is.



He got his face painted.


Oh he loves those butterflies.



And more could two boys ask for to end the day with a ride on the river.

Bachelor PAD

I have had several people ask where Mike is living these days. And I thought we would share the Bachelor Pad with everybody else.

Mike's apartment. I know it looks super nice.


Well too bad it isn't the main house.


I think Mike forgot to tell me something.


Oh wait, there comes Grant down the stairs.

Mike's apartment is two bedrooms and works perfect for when the boys and I come for a visit. Grant now refers to it as Daddy's apartment.

Risky Business

5 Months

Lincoln is now 5 months old. He is growing so fast. He is such a sweet baby and loves for you to talk to him. He is so giggly and Grant can get him laughing pretty hard. Tonight I had both boys in the bathtub and Grant was talking to Linc and Lincoln was just a giggling it was so cute.

Linc can officially roll over from front to back and back to front. Now hopefully we can get him moving in the next few weeks.

Linc is also getting very very heavy. At his 4 month appointment he was in the 90% and weighted just over 17 pounds. However, that was a pound less than Grant when he was that age. We will have to see at his 6 month appointment to see how much he has grown.


Two boys hanging out at Mike's apartment


Don't you just love that smile

Disaster of Being on Vacation

The first of the month of September the boys and I spent about 10 days in Utah enjoying the cooler weather and spending time with family. However, I did spend a lot of time canning and I came back with a loaded car full of bottles.

As we arrived home my house suddenly became a disaster zone and I really didn't care.

After I arrived home and the mess I created:

(Grant showing off his breakfast spill on the carpet and I really didn't care)

And Finally the finished product after a few hours:



(Just a box of peaches remaining to give to my brother and the cute little boy that kept saying 'picture of me')



What does your house look like after you come home from vacation? (Probably not as bad as mine).

Saving Summer

As a child I grew up with a mom and Grandma that canned and canned. I HATED it and would usually try to get out of it with every possible excuse. However, I loved it when we had peaches and corn in the middle of winter but I hated the whole process of peeling, cutting, and jarring the fruit and vegetables. Now as an adult I love it because I know the outcome is going to be great. (Maybe I won't love it anymore once I have done all the work, but thankfully there is a whole year until I need to do it again so maybe I will forget the work that I put in).

Arizona has a totally different growing season than what I grew up with in Utah. So I have already canned stewed tomatoes and froze spaghetti sauce and I even made a special trip to Utah to can peaches, green beans, salsa, and freeze corn. Thankfully I have great family members that grow great gardens.

Just thinking about those yummy peaches and sweet corn is making me hungry. Hopefully I will be enjoying the fruits of my labor all winter (if I can only keep Mikey's hands off the peaches).

Who needs a HUSBAND?

This was our first week without Mike and we seemed to survive just fine. Grant and Lincoln were so great this week. Lincoln survived by playing on his play mat (lion blanket) for hours on end. He would talk and coo to his toys. Lincoln did great during the evening which is usually his fussy time. Grant started out the week asking for 'dad' but I told him he was at work in Cottonwood. He got to talk on the phone to Mike a couple of times which was good. On Friday night when Mike walked through the door Grant busted into tear telling Mike "Luke pushed me." Grant was super tired from playing at his cousin Luke's house most of the day and I am pretty sure he was glad to see his dad so he just thought of the first thing that came into his mind. Most of the time he tells me "Preston bite me" and it will have been days since he has even been to Preston's house.

The boys went to the sitter's house two days this week when I need to work in the office. Thankfully I have a great sitter that LOVES Lincoln and pretty much holds him most of the day. Grant loves to go to the sitter's house because she has a son, Preston, that is just a few months older than Grant. Grant usually yells "hooray Preston's house" when I tell him we are going or when we pull up to the house. I think maybe he likes it there despite the biting.

I kept the house clean, the kids clean and fed and worked 30 hours. So it was pretty much a great week.

Don't get me wrong I do love my husband and there will be times that I will desperately need him and he won't be here, but I know that I can survive without him if I have to (well at least for a week).

Change

"Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights." ~Pauline R. Kezer

Change is a funny thing. We all seem to like it but hate it at the same time. Why is that?

Well as changes enters my life over the next few months I have mixed emotions and I hope I am able to let myself stretch and grow to reach new heights.

We will be MOVING to a small town just north of Phoenix named Cottonwood (it is near Sedona). The population is just over 11,000 people. As you drive through Old Town Cottonwood you feel like you just stepped into the movie "Cars". It seems like a great little town but the word 'little' scares me slightly.

Picture of Old Town Cottonwood

The move seems to be happening so quickly. Mike had the interview on a Friday got offered the job on Monday and was scheduled to start basically two weeks later which just happens to be tomorrow. He is so excited about the opportunity and can't wait to get started.


(Where Mike will be working.)

For the next few months I will basically be a single parent while Mike is working in Cottonwood during the week and I will be living in Mesa taking care of the kiddos and working pretty much full time. We are trying to get a lay of the land before we move the whole family up. Hopefully we will be able to find something.

Three Months

Time is flying and Lincoln is now three months old. He is turning into such a sweet boy and we love him so much. Lincoln is such a smiley boy (well except for pictures because I don't think he felt very well when we took these photos). Lincoln has also been mysteriously rolling over at night. The past two nights he has rolled over and we aren't sure how because we haven't seen him even come close to it during the day.

First Haircut

Lincoln was born with a full head of black hair. It was super long and needed to be cut but I just couldn't bring myself to cut it. Mike really wanted to buzz it and kept asking me if he could buzz it off. I told him we could cut it after we blessed him. I don't think that day came soon enough. Poor Lincoln looked like a little Lincoln just had patches of hair remaining.

BEFORE




AFTER

(Doesn't he looks so much better. Now we aren't sure what color is hair is going to be.)

Grant of course had to rub that bald head.

Blessing Day

We blessed Lincoln last Sunday. Mike did such a great job and Lincoln was so sweet. He was kind of fussy before the blessing and I was out in the foyer with him. When I brought him in and gave him to Mike, he didn't make a peep until it was all over.





Such sweet boys and I love them so much.