A Subtle Reminder

I was driving Ben to school this morning, after having dropped off Mitchell and Claire at Suzi's house, and he reminded me of something.

I was frustrated already, because in my rush to get out the door this morning I had forgotten the diaper bag, so I had to make an extra trip to Suzi's house. I was driving on a road that had a speed limit of 45, and the person in front of me was driving at 35 MPH, much to my agitation. I did what I usually do in that situation- talked to myself (since the driver of the other car can't hear me), and said, "The speed limit is FORTY FIVE. FORTY FIVE people. Come ON!!!"

Ben, from the far back seat of the car, very quietly said, "Mom, you don't have to get mad."
Me: "What did you say buddy?"
Ben: "You don't have to get mad. It doesn't matter."
Me: "I know, but it's really frustrating."
Ben: "Mom, it doesn't matter if you're driving, it doesn't matter if you have enough money or not, it doesn't matter if you have a house or not, what matters is that you have a family. What matters is if your family is good or not."

My frustration immediately died.

Ben is spot on. Nothing that frustrates us in a given day really matters, unless we lose sight of what's really important in our lives. I thank my Heavenly Father for the real blessings in my life- my husband, my children, all of our extended family, and friends who give us such support and love.

Don't sweat the small stuff.

Two observations tonight. First, I have extremely intelligent children- almost too smart for their own good sometimes! Second, that they are also very strong willed sales people.

One example: a conversation that I had with Claire tonight. She had been using potty words (like poo), and I had to put a little hot sauce on her tongue to remind her that was not acceptable. After this, she cried and screamed ( despite the drink of milk and piece of bread to put out the imagined flames). Later in the evening, I had to remind her once again the consequences of using that type of language. She responded, "Mom, time out is worse than hot sauce. Really. I scream and cry every time! You should put me in time out instead." This clued me in to the fact that I truly had found the right thing to persuade her to behave.

Ben is the same way! He has been grounded from chewing gum until June, because he's taken to spitting it out in odd places, like the bathroom floor, or the back seat of the car. When I reminded him of the fact that he was grounded, he said, "Mom, you seriously think you'll remember that for that long? I'm only six, and I can't even remember what happened last month. What happens if you forget?"

I love it when I get to hear their minds working. :)

Welcome to 2012!

A few days before Christmas, our family was watching Elf, and Ben's wheels started turning at the part where Santa tells Buddy that some people don't believe in Santa, and that "There's a rumor going around that it's the parents."

Buddy: "That's impossible- parents couldn't do all that in one night!"

Shortly after, he said, "Mom, is it really the parents?"
I asked, "Well, do YOU think Dad and I could do all that in one night?"
Ben's response was, "No. I think Santa really is real." And that was the end of the conversation.

Last week, Ben lost a tooth. I told him that if his tooth wasn't under his pillow, the Tooth Fairy couldn't come and give him money for it.

Ben: "Mom, are you the tooth fairy?"
Me: "Ben, why would I want your lost teeth?"
Ben: "Well, it just doesn't make sense. How does she get under my pillow?"
Me: (thinking fast) "She has a force field. That way she doesn't get squished!"

Ben caught Josh in a secret yesterday, after the Easter Bunny came.

Josh: "Wow, these are really great squirt guns!! Daddy did a good job. . . I mean, the Easter Bunny did a good job on them, didn't he?"

Ben: "I caught you, Dad! You just told the secret!"

Then, this morning, Claire asked if she could go see the Easter Bunny. I told her she could when she is ten. Ben got all sorts of excited, and asked if he could meet the Easter Bunny too, and Santa too, when he is ten. . . It makes me a little sad that Ben's already starting to question things like this. The good thing is he's got a very active imagination, and he's sharp as a tack!

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Claire's animals have started marrying each other. And she's pretty worried about who she's going to marry, too.

Claire: "Mom, my Dottie is a boy, and Ben's Blackie is a girl, and they are married. And my Cookie is a girl, and my Tiger (side note: Tiger is actually a lion) is a girl, and they are married."

Claire: "Mom, I'm gonna marry Dad when I get big."
Me: "I already married Dad, so you'll have to find someone like Dad instead." :)

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Mitchell has learned to use leverage to get himself where he wants to be. Whether it's a fist full of carpet and a push from his foot, or grabbing the couch or laundry basket that's close by to pull him around- he is now officially mobile! And so stinkin' cute, I just can't stand it!!

Leapin Lizards!

Yesterday Ben, Claire and I all went swimming. This is one of the things we love to do, especially in summertime when the park is just too darn hot- cool off in the pool and play! While we were swimming around, I noticed a little lizard hanging out on one of our pool noodles. This year, we've had a couple of lizards drown in the pool, unfortunately. For fear that this would turn into one of those situations I got hold of the noodle and let the lizard go free on the cement walk surrounding our pool.

He sat there for a few minutes, so we all gathered round to watch what the little lizard would do. He was so cute and tiny, and his tail matched the sky perfectly. Much to our surprise, he turned around and leaped back into the pool! He started swimming toward Ben, who got a little nervous because he's split-- he likes the lizards, but doesn't exactly want them touching him. I quickly grabbed another pool noodle, and the lizard climbed back on. The lizard just hung out on the noodle, watching us.

Torn at what to do, we put a half inch of water and a couple of larger flat rocks into a bucket, and put the lizard (quickly dubbed "Little Blue Tail") into it so we could finish our swim and not have to worry about saving any more animal lives. Ben even gave him a leaf, which he figured was Blue's favorite toy. The kids would swim for a few minutes, then they'd have to get out and check that Blue was doing okay.

The kids got infatuated with the idea of keeping the little lizard for a pet. It took a lot of talking in the afternoon and evening hours to help them realize that Little Blue Tail wouldn't be happy with us, he'd miss all his lizard friends (we must have 10 or more lizards living in our yard right now- no complaints!), and he couldn't be happy in a bucket with nothing to do but sit on a rock or swim. Plus we didn't have any lizard food, and Blue would die, and that would be too sad.

Outside we quickly went to free our Little Blue Tail. He climbed up on a rock, so I reached in and pulled out the rock he was sitting on, and put it on the ground. He sat there for a minute while the kidlets said their goodbyes to Little Blue Tail (no tears, thankfully). Then when I opened the door to go inside, Blue bolted towards the door!! I got the kids inside before Blue could reach the door (man, those lizards can RUN!!!), and closed it, hoping that Blue would go find his family, and maybe some bugs to eat.

I've never seen a lizard like him before! I almost wanted a pet lizard myself. . . . Almost, but not quite. :)

School Years- Day 1

Today Ben started his first day of Kindergarten!! I still can’t believe it. I’m missing my little guy today.

Ben cracked me up yesterday (Sunday) by being highly animated while telling a friend that he has to stay at school ALL DAY, as he heaved an enormous sigh. Wow, he’s starting the dislike of school a little early! Hopefully it changes to like quickly. He did love preschool, after all!

This morning, at 0-dark-thirty, I took extra time and made breakfast that I thought Ben would really eat well, some good food to feed his brain for the day. Fifteen minutes after putting it on the table in front of him, he came and said he was all finished- and I found his food in the garbage can! What followed was a discussion about not throwing food away until he’s consulted me first. New job title: Mom, the food consultant. Who at the school is going to play that role?!? Yikes.

After he was dressed, backpack packed, and Claire and I were also ready for the fray, the three of us left home early to get Ben to school. I’d had a lot of warnings that getting to Ben’s school in time for drop-off is a very lengthy and terrifying process. You may be waiting in line for 15-30 minutes on the main road through the neighborhood, trying in vain to find a parking space that just isn’t, while other vicious parents waiting to drop their kids off wind up turning in to monsters with glowing red eyes and pointy teeth, showing no mercy to any average human in their path . . . It all sounded like a horror movie to me. I literally had formulated three plans to navigate through the neighborhood and find a parking spot so I could get Ben in on time. Which of those plans did I use? None of them. Why? Because when I pulled up to the school, I found a parking spot right away, walked Ben in, and was back out to the car in 15 minutes.

The only hitch I ran into was Claire, who is desperate to be in school just like Ben. She’s used to being part of a pair. She didn’t want to leave the classroom (“Can I go to school too, Mom?”). She wanted to stay with Ben (“Where is Ben going?”). She didn’t want to leave the playground (“Can I play at the park?”). We got on the road to go to the sitter’s and she repeatedly asked, “Mom, where’s Ben?”. Then, when her question was answered as many times as needed to cement that response, she started a different barrage of questions that I still wonder why on earth they pop up at 9:00AM. And yet, often in the morning I hear: “Mom? Can I have a popsicle? Mom? Can I have a cookie? Mom? Can I have a candy?” Nothing seemed too terribly new except the feeling that something was different when I dropped her off at the sitter’s today, alone.

Here’s hoping that Ben’s school day finishes the way it started—easily, and with fairly good results, and that Claire can adjust to being on her own. Hopefully her independent spirit resurfaces quickly!

Ben, All Ready to go! (Really glad I got a smile out of him today!)

Claire had to have a picture too!

Ben - Music style!!

I have noticed that since birth, Ben has grown up loving music. From the time he was just a little guy, he's always loved dancing around, and finding a new song with a new beat! Looking back to the start of all of this coolness, I decided to create a Ben chronology of music. Enjoy!

* Sublime- Why can't we be friends

* Michael Jackson- Thriller

* Gwen Stefani- Sweet Escape

* Panic at the Disco- Nine in the Afternoon

* MIKA- Lollipop

* Black Eyed Peas- I Gotta Feeling

* Taylor Swift- Love Story

* Black Eyed Peas- Dirty Bit (Time of my Life)

* La Roux- Bulletproof

* Rednex- Cotton Eye Joe

* Selena Gomez- Who Says

* Robyn- Call Your Girlfriend

On any day, at any time-- Ben loves to listen and dance to the music! I love my little guy- a mover and a shaker. :)

Summertime!!

Just wanted to drop a few lines today, since we have enjoyed our summer so much! There are only a few weeks left before "Summer" is done, at least by the local School Districts' standards. That's not to say that the temperatures will decrease any come school time! Amazing, but Ben starts Kindergarten in only three weeks!!

We have been able to do a bit of traveling this summer, which has been fun. In June we went to the Oregon coast with most of Emily's brothers and sisters and their families (we really missed you, Lynn and Nathan!!). It was SO FUN! We enjoyed the beach, an awesome dune buggy ride, whale watching, the aquarium, tide pools, and Josh loved the seafood! It was great to see everybody, and for Ben and Claire to spend time with their cousins! We played some games, chatted a LOT, and just had a blast! By the end of the week, Josh and I were ready to come back home to the heat- 107 when we left Phoenix airport, and when we arrived in Portland it was only 57 degrees and rainy, and stayed around that same temperature all week. I suppose we've grown accustomed to having the "cold" water tap run lukewarm water over the past year!

A couple of weeks after that, we went to Utah for a week. We enjoyed Riverton's parade, carnival, fireworks, etc. with Josh's family! Had a barbeque with Emily's family, a baby shower for Josh's sister Amanda St. Clair, went to Lagoon, and just had another good relaxing week!

Back in Phoenix now, not to leave for a while, we're enjoying the use of the pool a LOT. It feels so good on the days when we've worked so hard and are hot and tired to go jump in and cool off! Ben and Claire are getting better at swimming all the time, thanks to Lacey being willing to help them with their swimming skills. :) Lacey rode home with us from Utah, and we've loved having her here to visit!

I've definitely enjoyed watching Ben and Claire grow this summer. They are so funny! Claire is my little music lover. She's always humming, or dancing, or singing a song! Her favorite thing is to turn on music and put on a "princess" dress and dance away! We've put her in a dance class starting this fall, and she could not be more excited about it! She talks about it every day. Ben is my little smarty pants! ("Mom, I'm SO smart, my teacher's going to say, "Why are you in Kindergarten? You're so smart!") He's SO excited to start school that he can hardly wait for the next three weeks to pass! He loves to do math, he likes to spell things and sound out words. He's also asked to start Karate, since Soccer is not his passion, and we're pretty excited about that!

The kids can't wait for their new baby brother to arrive. They ask every week how much longer till he comes! Ben and Claire both love to feel him kicking around in Mom's tummy (Claire loves to "hear" him kick and put her cheek on my belly). We're all excited!! Only 10 more weeks. . .

Josh and Emily have been fighting a battle in the yard with the weeds, and hopefully will win soon! It brings to mind a quote from the movie Megamind, if you've seen it-- "He would win some, I would almost win others. . . " That's how I feel our weeds are! Every week new ones spring up. We've pulled, raked, sprayed, repeated, and done all we could think of. So far the only good news is that they're growing slower each week. Josh is so good to take care of our yard, keep the garage clean so we can park in there, and help with the housework! Emily does the best she can, but can definitely feel her energy draining faster than before.

To finish off, we have had such a great summer! We're reluctant for it to end, and yet with the end of summer brings some new beginnings for our family, and the only thing to do is look to the future and get excited!!

New Home Pics!

Hello everyone! I finally made some time to take pictures of our new house! I'm doing my best to arrange them as though you were walking through. No guarantees, and please excuse the presence of the last few boxes, and lack of furniture/decorating-- it's all part of getting settled. We love our new home, and wanted you to see it! :)

Welcome to our humble abode!

We have two of these (the other one looks the other way)- they are our door guardians.

This is our front porch. You can't really see it from the front, it's behind that big bush that is soon to be trimmed.

This is our front entry, after you walk in the door. On the left is a living room that is yet unfurnished (and so is not pictured).

If you continue on the tile through the entry, you'll come to our kitchen, which I really love! The island in the middle has the sink and dishwasher, and to the right of that is our kitchen table, right next to two windows that look out on the back porch. Also not pictured, sorry!

Here is part 1 of our back yard-- the swimming pool! We've got it cleaned out, and we're ready for the water to warm up so it's comfortable to swim! The shed was already here, which is nice. The back porch (I'm standing on it, so you can't really see it) is completely covered from one end of the house to the other, and the arbor (is that what it's called?) was built just a foot or so away from the roof of the porch.

Here is back yard part 2-- as you can see, there is no grass. That we hope to change soon! Zero-scaping is great, but the kids need somewhere to play too!

Here is our living room- on the left is the sliding glass door to go to the back yard. On the right, there's a built-in desk (love it!!) with the same counter tops as the kitchen has. You can see, just past the desk there's a little hallway- that goes to the downstairs bathroom (below), the laundry, and the garage door. There's also a little close that we like to call the "Harry Potter room" because it's a cupboard under the stairs.

This is the bathroom that's down the hallway by the living room-- I LOVE the old-fashioned sink!

Moving back toward the front of the house, this little nook by the staircase is yet to be used-- we're debating between a reading nook and a music nook- a place for my piano, music books, etc. It would be pretty neat acoustically I think.

Foot of the stairs-- going up!

There's a little landing at the top of these stairs. Straight ahead is the kids' bathroom (below), first door on the right is Claire's bedroom, and second door on the right is Ben's bedroom.

The sinks are separate, and in their own part of the bathroom. If I were to turn around, you'd see a door behind which is the tub/shower and toilet room. Yay for being able to multi-task, even in the bathroom!

Claire's room!

Ben's room!

If you turn left on the landing (see the rail at the left, that looks down on our to-be-determined nook), you'll run into our master bedroom. I didn't think I would, but I like the double-doors!

If you turn left before my dresser, you'll go into our master bathroom.

Our bathroom has a lovely, deep tub, and the toilet is in it's own room to the right after you enter. On the left is the walk-in closet.

If you exit the master bedroom, there is a hallway on the right- that rail at the end of the hall overlooks our front entry. :) Love it!!

At the end of that hall, to the right-- a linen closet, and the guest bedroom/office.

Aforementioned guest bedroom/office.

This is the guest bathroom-- its just to the left of that railing that overlooks the front entry.

Sorry for the skewed picture, but this is the last bedroom, to the right of the guest bathroom. It's the biggest, other than the master. The windows look out over the front of the house. It's open!!

So, now that you've all seen it, come have a visit! As you can see, we've got space for you! And now you also know what a terrible photographer I am, hee hee! Guess it's time to take a class- I'm confident that the house wasn't given it's due by my pictures. :)

To Life!!!

My kids just put such a smile on my face!!

Today, Claire was being particularly stubborn. I had pretty much given up on the fight, but instead of letting it go, Ben took matters into his own hands. He went to Claire and talked to her quietly for a few minutes, and in just a short time the two of them had finished what I asked them to do!

It's little things like this that remind me just how precious my children are. The lessons that I learn from them every day are just amazing! I cannot believe sometimes how much I love them. They remind me that the little things in life are important, too. Some of the best moments with my kids are when I stop what I'm doing, and go to them to do something as simple as fix a toy that fell apart, help them win a game, build a paper airplane, talk them out of a stressful situation, or take them on a bike ride.

It's such a simple little thing to me, but to them it's an important moment in time when they got help from someone who loves them. I hope these moments never end- they're what makes my world go round!!

To life!!

Pictures!

Hi Everyone! I know it's been ages since I've posted pictures of the kiddos, so now that I've finally got them downloaded to my computer, I thought it was time to share some! Enjoy! :)

Ben just chillin'- after his bath/shower, he really likes to keep his head warm. This particular day it was in the 90's outside. :) (Sorry that it's sideways-- I didn't catch that until it was too late. . .)

Claire learned how to drive Ben's tractor! She looks quite at home on it.

Ben and Claire made a hut out of Ben's bunk bed! They had fun with this for hours!

Ben and his good friend Sariah, at their pre-school Christmas trip to the rest home.

Ben and Claire's Halloween costumes-- again, it was in the upper 90's this day, Claire was ROASTING, but still refused to take off her hat.

Claire wants to be just like Ben! She thought wearing his tie might help.

Ben taped "rockets" on his shirt, so that he could run even faster than normal!

Ben and Hunter LOVED the splash park in El Mirage! Claire did too, but she was running so fast I couldn't catch a picture of her. :)

These are the moments that make being a parent really worth while-- I love that Ben and Claire love each other.

Funny stuff!

Had to share a converstion that Josh and I had with Ben last night. He wanted to tell Josh and I the things he'd like hidden in his Easter eggs this year, for our own small easter egg hunt around the house.

Josh: "But Ben, I thought the things inside Easter eggs were supposed to be a surprise!"
Ben: "I'll plug my ears while I tell you, and then try to forget."

I held in my laughter as Ben covered his ears, and pressed hard with his hands so he couldn't hear what he was saying. He listed off a number of different candies and toys.

When he finished, Josh said, "Boy, that was a lot of things. Do you think you can forget them all?"
Ben: "I'm doing my very best. I'll try to forget."

Oh, he makes me laugh. :)

It's life, Jim, but not as we know it!

Hello again everyone!

Time for an update!! :) It's been a few months, but much has happened. We've put an offer in on a house, and currently are just waiting for final approval on our loan. Pray for us!! We're so excited about this house, it's amazing, and has space enough for many visitors (hint, hint!!).

In case you missed the big announcement, Josh and I are expecting another baby! He or she is due September 28th, and everyone in our house is excited! Ben especially so, as he asks during every prayer to keep the baby healthy, and that if the baby comes out that it won't die. Sweet and macabre at the same time, I know. :) We find out if it's a girl or a boy at my next appointment in May! I went to the doctor today, and got to hear the baby's heartbeat again, which always makes me feel better during these first few months. I always wonder if the baby's doing okay in there, because I can't feel anything, but hearing that sweet, steady pulse from my belly (yes, it's officially a belly at this point) reassures me that everything's okay.

Ben is so funny! He's got the wildest imagination. He's currently obsessed about volcanoes. Luckily, our house and our car have Volcano-proof buttons! Hee hee! It reminds me a little bit about the time that he was afraid of skunks taking over the world. He can tell the best stories! He keeps me very busy, which I don't mind. At the park he loves to dig for buried treasure (is it wrong that I don't have the heart to tell him he probably won't find anything?). And he really is a good big brother, which makes me happy.

Claire is just amazing. She's become a mini-me a little, telling Ben just what he needs to be doing. She makes me laugh too- she's always asking if the baby's still in my tummy, and then she says that we need to get it out! She loves coloring, painting, drawing, and is still SO excited to go to school! Potty training is going better and better, just waiting for the day when she's finished! She loves Ben, and wants to do the same things he does all the time, which is cute! She loves riding her tricycle, but is rapidly outgrowing it! She loves to tell jokes, even if they don't make much sense. She's much easier occupied than Ben is, but definitely not any less busy!

Josh is all that I could possibly ask for in a husband, and I love him so much! He's been such a huge help every day, and he works so hard. He makes me laugh, and the kids are always so excited when Dad's home! Ben and Claire can't get enough of rough-housing with Dad.

We're all still getting used to this warm Arizona weather. Being able to swim in March is a little weird, but good! I can tell that Spring has sprung here, because the bunnies and the lizards are back, along with the birds that wake me promptly at 5:30 AM by singing right outside our window. The bugs are back, too, which I'm not so excited about, but can handle. And I really can't complain about being able to take my kiddos outside every day- we love to ride bikes (well, they ride and we walk), go to the park, and just enjoy the sunny weather we've been having.

We really enjoyed General Conference last weekend- there were so many things that made my spirits lift! I love hearing from our Prophet and Apostles, and all the leaders of our church. What a wonderful blessing it is to learn and grow in the gospel! And my kids listened too, I don't know if they paid attention, but that will come later. I always hope that I'm getting enough good habits installed before they go out in the world and pick up the not-so-good ones.

Until next time! :)

Thinker

I’ve been reflecting today on the past year. . . Okay, I reflect a lot. And project a lot (probably too much, Josh would say, ha ha!). But this month particularly, I’ve realized just how quickly this year has passed. We’ve gone through trials, and learned so much as a family. We’ve adapted, changed, and learned to love others in a whole new way. It’s been a fresh year, full of new challenges and lessons. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the journey, and eye the years to come with anticipation!

My children are growing up! I love watching them together, listening to them chatter and play, tell each other jokes, finish each others’ nursery rhymes, and sing songs together. I love talking to them, getting to know each of them, and learning how they work things out in their minds. I love putting them to bed at night, feeling their arms squeezed tight around my neck, and knowing that no matter how good or bad the day was, tomorrow is a new one and I get to spend it with them. I love how Ben has taken it upon himself to be Claire’s teacher! It’s so cute the way he explains to her how to use the bigger words in his vocabulary (usually the ones he just learned yesterday). And Claire just drinks it in- she loves playing with Ben. They’ve both become independent, strong-willed little people. They are tender hearted, and make me smile so much! I am amazed- Ben is turning 5 in a couple of weeks, and Claire will be 3 a few days later. It seems like only yesterday they were brand new babies, and I was holding them for the first time.

I get to share these two sweet kidlets with Josh, who I love so much. He is such a good person! He is grounding force when I need to be grounded, he is so smart, and he keeps me in good humor. I love telling him about the funny things that happened during the day, and also the not-so-funny things, which he always helps me through. He’s my best friend, my confidant, my companion, my love.

I’ve also realized that I’m getting old. Granted, I’m not terribly old, but I’m nearing middle-age. It’s strange that I can look back to just a few years ago, with an ever-so-slightly more wizened eye upon the things that I’ve said or done. It’s true what they say: hindsight really IS 20/20. Thinking over the past has driven me to a decision: I am giving up regret. It’s such a useless, wasteful emotion. There are things I’ve said and done that I really wish I hadn’t, but looking back and feeling bad about it doesn’t help at all. Instead, it makes the present seem lack-luster. When filled with regret, rather than drink in the moments that are happening now with vigor, I become robotic, and surge through the present while dwelling unhappily on past things unchangeable. And so, after 27 years, I bid regret farewell, and guilt adieu! I’m moving on, and determined to enjoy precious time!

Sorry so serious-- I'll dig up my sense of humor for my next post. . . :)

Poltergeist!

Last Tuesday, I made the kids' beds and got out their clothes for the day. Shortly thereafter, I was mystified by something.

I called Ben upstairs and asked him to get dressed. After that, I went downstairs, caught Claire (yes, I had to catch her), and brought her upstairs to get her dressed as well. I walked into her room and was completely taken by surprise! Her bed looked like someone (or some-THING) had crawled into it from the bottom, pushed all of the blankets up to the top, and left! I was puzzled for half a second, until I realized. . . I live with Ben!!

Just a subtle reminder of what a bored 4-year-old boy can do with a space of a minute and a half! I got a good laugh at that.

Actually, I believe we have TWO poltergeists in our house. I walked into our bedroom about a month ago, and found that every handle on every piece of bedroom furniture was pointing up, rather than down. Kind of freaky. . .

I didn't find out what happened until a few days later when I caught Claire in our bedroom, "fixing" the handles on our furniture, as she put it.

Shortly after I caught her "fixing" them, she gave a little nod, and said "PER-fect." And then she marched out. Too funny! Ah, the kidlets make me laugh.

Happy Halloween everyone!!

A few of our Favorite Things- Mark II

It's been a while since I posted, and thought that today I could post some of the things my family loves! I haven't done this in a while, but I love doing this because it reminds me of the best things in life! :) Here goes. . .

BEN:
* Ben loves animals! Dogs in particular.
* Ben loves school, and adores his teacher!
* Ben loves music! I love it. He makes up his own songs, he sings songs he knows. . . Awesome.
* Ben loves to talk to people. He's a great story teller!
* Ben loves to draw, write, paint, glue, cut, and do anything art! He also fancies himself as a photographer. I often come across my camera with several new photos that I had no idea about. Hee hee!
* Ben loves laundry baskets, totes, bins and boxes. He likes to sit in them, put his favorite items (silky blankets, stuffed animals, treasure box, etc) in them and haul them around.

BEN & CLAIRE:
* Ben and Claire love rhyming! I started playing a nursery rhyme game, and it's caught like wildfire!
* Ben and Claire like to play in the water- swimming, running through the sprinklers, anything involving water.
* Claire and Ben love to read the scriptures! We have such good reminders from our little ones of the most important things.
* Claire and Ben love to do puzzles.
* Ben and Claire like Chicken Nuggets, still.

CLAIRE:
* Claire loves to say prayers. She even offers to help others say theirs. :) Pretty funny sometimes!
* Claire loves to dance. I'm hoping to get her into a class next year- I couldn't find any classes for children under 3. . . She'll be great!
* Claire loves to sing- she is very good at singing many Primary songs! I think she'll fit right in with the sunbeams next year.
* Claire loves boots!
* Claire likes hats.
* Claire loves to eat fruit and vegetables- she's our little rabbit!

JOSH:
* Josh loves to make the kids laugh!
* Josh loves rough-housing with the kids.
* Josh loves yummy food.
* Josh likes to golf!
* Josh loves Emily's long hair :) (It's the longest she's ever grown it!)
* Josh loves subwoofers
* Josh LOVES shorts & flip-flops
* Josh loves beaches and the Ocean (really excited for a vacation to Oregon, planned for next year, and also hopefully a vacation to San Diego)

EMILY:
* Emily loves to cook. (Too bad the mess doesn't clean itself up though. :)
* Emily loves to read to the kids.
* Emily likes to read to herself too! (Not out loud though. That would just be weird. . . :)
* Emily loves living close to Jarred and Amanda and family!
* Emily loves working part-time- SO much more time with the kids!
* Emily really likes Blogging!
* Emily likes her Yukon a LOT
* Emily loves to go to Relief Society functions, and really enjoys her friends in the ward!
* Emily loves to go barefoot.

JOSH & EMILY:
* Josh and Emily like to watch Top Gear on BBC America.
* Josh and Emily like teaching Primary.
* Josh and Emily like to go out together when they can
* Josh and Emily love each other!
* Are enjoying General Conference!

We really are glad for anyone who might happen to read our blog! It makes us happy that we can keep up with our friends and family this way, especially since we don't live as close to most of you as we used to be. . . WE LOVE VISITORS TOO!!! :)

The Dog Days of Summer

Hi Everyone! Yes, we've been in the dog days of summer here in Phoenix for quite some time now. All things considered, I think we're adjusting at least fairly well. Claire has had probably the hardest time of all. Each time we step outside on days when the temps reach 105 or above, she whines, "It's too hot, Mom!" I know what she means, though.

Here are some of the highlights from June, July and August:

*Emily is now working part time from home! WAHOO!!! We love having her home with the kids so much more often. It has been such a blessing for our family!

*Claire is talking so well! She's also grown so much. A lot less tripping when she runs (WHEW!! I was really afraid after she hit her front tooth for the fourth time that we'd have a major issue on our hands. . .) I was asked earlier this summer if she and Ben are twins. :D Her newest thing is that she's a robot princess. She starts talking in a monotone robot voice, and then announces that she is a princess. We love it! She asks every single day if she can go to school. She's so eager to learn!

*We went to Fairview, UT for the 24th of July weekend. The fireworks were awesome this year, as was the rodeo (the rodeo was much improved over the last couple of years), and the derby! Ben and Claire really got a kick out of it. It's a gathering of some of Josh's extended family, which is really fun! Ben quote of the weekend: "Mom, Uncle Russ looks just like dad, only without the big belly." Bwa ha ha ha! We went to visit Grandma and Grandpa Bartlett, too! Uncle Rulon was there, and really enjoyed watching the kids have fun on the playground. A few of Emily's brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews came too- on their way to a backpacking trip to Twin Lakes with Emily's Dad. After that, we went to East Canyon for a week of fun! We had a blast on our vacation, and were ready to come home when the week was done.

*Ben has started pre-school again, and loves it! Today was his first day back, and he came out of his bedroom at 7:45 dressed and ready to go. Now, his clothes weren't matching (Blue and orange plaid shorts with a red and blue plaid shirt, ha ha), and he then put on his Sunday shoes with it... "Mom, I know that if I wear these shoes, Miss Candace (his teacher) will say, 'I love your shoes Ben! I want some just like them!' " Oh, the laughter! He so wants to make an impression. Little does he know that he leaves a pretty lasting impression on most folks, without going out of his way to do it. He's so funny!

*We've loved getting to know the Primary kids in our ward. They are so funny! We teach the 4-turning-5 year olds (Class B, Ben's in Class A), and we love them for all their quirkiness.

We love our new home, but there are some things we'd like to trade. . . The heat, the great distance between us and most of our family, the heat, the beautiful mountains, and the heat just to name a few. . .

Heavenly Father's given us so much, and every day we're grateful for our friends (old and new), our family, and the fullness of life we enjoy!

Happy Memorial Day!

Hi Everyone!! It's been a very eventful couple of weeks, and we've had some fun that I wanted to share with you all!

I have observed something that I find very interesting. Phoenix, while being in the middle of a desert, is actually very heavily farmed. There are many different crops being grown here. The fields that I drive past each day have cabbage and corn. When we first moved here, the cabbage was being harvested, and the corn fields were just being ploughed. I've watched these corn stalks grow from just seeds, to being nearly 3 feet tall in the short couple of months that we've lived here, and I feel like we've grown as a family, just like those seeds.

We've all had to step out of our normal "boxes" to make this new place feel like home, but I think we've reached that point. Ben and Claire have been doing well, learning so many new skills and things that they never knew how. Ben grew from not swimming at all, to jumping into the pool by himself! Claire has begun talking more and more each day. Sometimes she talks so well that I mistake her talking to me for Ben talking to me. Josh and I have both had to make new friends, and get out of our comfort zones that we've been so securely tucked into for so long. It's really paying off, though- we love our ward, and our neighbors. We've been planted, and are starting to take root!

For the holiday today, we decided to take a drive and see some parts of Arizona that we hadn't seen before. To my Dad, Val-- you would really have been proud. We found such a "gold mine" of fun waiting for us at the other end!

Final decision: we drove to Payson. We didn't really know what we were going to do there, we just were going to see the forest, and hopefully cool down a little bit. It was a couple of hours' drive from Surprise.

When we got there, we ate at a little mom-and-pop Cafe(mmmmm), and found out that only 10 miles from where we were there was a state park, Tonto Natural Bridge! So, we went there, not knowing what we'd find. There are pictures below, but again due to my ignorance of how to properly post pictures(some day I'll figure it out, I promise), they are all at the bottom of this post again.

We first hiked to a small waterfall, which was so neat! It wasn't very big at all, but it was beautiful. I forgot my camera, so we didn't get pictures of that, but once we came up I grabbed it out of the car, and we went out to the first viewpoint of the actual natural bridge. (Picture 1 below)You may not be able to tell from the picture, but there are people standing underneath the Natural bridge. We decided to find the trail, and hike down.

The hike was difficult- steep, and a lot of rock-hopping to get to the bridge. Ben loved it! He hiked up to a cave with Daddy (see pictures 2 and 3 below), and decided he's a natural-born mountain climber.

We also encountered a few of my favorite friends here in Arizona-- little teeny lizards!!! Not only are they so cute, they also eat the bugs that I so detest. (picture 4)

We hiked as close to the natural bridge as we could with small children, and Daddy went to see it up close. There is a waterfall that comes down the other side of the bridge itself, and it was beautiful! Sorry, no pictures of that one. However, while Daddy was gone, the kids decided to have some fun, and throw rocks into the stream. (picture 5) I found out later that there is a rule of the park that no rock should be thrown anywhere. . . The final picture (picture 6) is Mommy, Ben and Claire when we got as close as we could to the natural bridge. Ben and Claire were pretty tired! We all had so much fun together! We can't wait to go back again!

Finally, Happy Memorial Day!! I'm feeling sentimental today. We're usually with Mom and Dad Evans out in Tridell, visiting with Grandma and Grandpa Bartlett, but due to the recent move we were unable to be there this year. I have always enjoyed going to the Tridell Cemetery for the 21 gun salute in the morning. To anyone who reads this blog and is currently, or has been in the past a member of the U.S. Military, any branch at all, we want to say thank you. Nobody can say that enough! Thank you for defending our country. We love you, we pray for you, and we thank you!!

Adventures begin!

Hello again! I'm writing tonight to tell you a few of the happenings that have occurred since we moved to Phoenix.

Before we moved to Phoenix, I was warned to watch out for spiders, cockroaches, snakes, and scorpions. All of these particular pests are my worst enemies- I have never been able to look at them or even think about them without shuddering! So far, we've not had a real problem with any of them. We've only encountered two scorpions, one was dead and one was dead after Josh took care of it! See the picture below, courtesy of my niece Makayla who tried (and failed) to get me to come out on the back porch to see it (*shudder*).

We enrolled Ben in pre-school where he apparently learned to drive. (Who knew?) We were driving to Jarred and Amanda's one day, and a car stopped in front of us for the red light. When the light finally turned green, this car remained stopped for about 15 seconds (a frustrating amount of time for any driver behind it), during which I honked about three times. Ben said, "WHAT was that guy THINKING? Does he think that a GREEN light means STOP? Everyone knows that green means GO." (Hee hee)He's also found some new expressive words ("TO-tally", with emphasis and everything), and decided that he's a super hero. I've also attached a picture of something that he's very proud of- his first plant ever! When he waters it in the morning, he says, "You're such a good boy, plant! Keep growing!" He makes me smile!

Claire is learning and growing so much! She amazes me every day. She has so much energy, I can't believe it sometimes- she jumps or runs almost everywhere she goes! And she has this funny little run-- it's almost like she's prancing on her toes. . . She is still so dramatic, too. Tonight she stood up on one of our kitchen chairs, and it tipped over. Forty five minutes later (the tears had stopped for quite a while by then) she started sniffing and whimpering again. I asked, "Claire, what's wrong?" "*sniff, sniff* I fall down," she whispered. She's also very stubborn. When she gets mad and hits me, sometimes it would be easier to pull one of her teeth than to get her to say she's sorry!

Josh had more training for work this week. This time, rather than going to Cincinnati, they took him to somewhere quite exotic-- Salt Lake City!! Ha ha. Josh is coming home tomorrow, and we're so excited- the kids have been asking for him all week! We've missed him so much. Josh had a hard time getting his drivers license changed to Arizona. Apparently a social security card isn't enough, and we ended up having to send off for a new birth certificate for him to prove that he's a citizen of the United States! When I went to get my drivers license, I really couldn't figure out when the picture taker was going to take the picture (most people have the courtesy of giving you a 1, 2, 3, but apparently not so in the AZ MVD), so I've got this strange look on my face like, "Are you gonna take it now? No? How bout now? No? Now?"

Well, that's it for now- here are a couple pics!