Roughin It

We know how to rough it! And this proves it. Fisher and the girls are enjoying the last night of spring break camped out in our tent... in our back yard. Looks cozy, doesn't it?

Could it get any better?

We have been blessed to have a plethora of visitors this winter - I guess that is the advantage of living somewhere with 70 degree winters and constant sunshine. Right after my parents were here, Fisher's sister Ba and hubby Ry came to visit with their little girl LE. We were excited to host them on their first visit to Arizona. Unfortunately we couldn't fit 8 people in our 5 seater car, so we didn't show them much of Phoenix AND it rained for the first time in months, but we did have a lot of fun enjoying the other few days of beautiful weather - park playing, bike rides, basking in the sun, and hiking. They took lots of great pictures that I can not find on my computer for some reason - so I will post them when I get new copies. I remembered to take a few pictures.

Cousin LE "playing" with Bubba

Uncle Ry tying Lou up - not sure why but maybe we should try that more often...

We celebrated two Birthdays while they were here. Ry's birthday and mine! We made a fancy dinner for Ry's birthday and he and Ba went out for an afternoon bike ride. On my birthday - we tried to go hiking, but we were rained out. In the evening, Ba and Ry watched the girls while Fisher and I were at a fun and fancy gourmet dinner group with friends. We also had the traditional birthday treasure hunt (pictured below). We are grateful that Ba, Ry, and LE took the time and made the effort to come visit us!
Thanks you three!

That was several weeks ago and life has not slowed down to give me a minute to blog. I have had so many funny parenting moments that I wanted to post... but didn't and now have forgotten. Here are a few events that were camera worthy...

Curly and her friend apparently borrowed the camera and took portraits of their doll in various poses. I think its a little creepy.

Curly had a rodeo day at school. She and Lou re-enacted it and pretended to be cowgirls for the rest of the day.

I found a cool, but very beat up antique dresser at a yard sale - It was a fun family project to clean it up and repaint it. It now graces our front entry.

Lou continues to be a night owl. This particular evening she kept herself busy putting on layer after layer of clothing - including a swimsuit as an outer layer.

We celebrated Fisher's birthday with a special request dinner (Gypsy Chicken Schnitzel and Spaetzle), a birthday treasure hunt, and yummy lemon cake. I tried to surprise him with a new baseball cap to replace his ragged Boston Redsox cap. I was so sneaky to measure his old cap and match to a size for the new one - and it still didn't fit :(

Curly's kindergarten hosted "Donuts with Dad." Curly was so excited to have Fisher come to school. They enjoyed tin can stilts, tie decorating, football passing, and of course donuts.

My parents came to visit a few weeks ago. We were all very excited to see them and lucky to have them here for eight days! But as always, the time flew by too quickly. That always happens when you are busy. What were we busy with?...

Well, the first few days my parents had a meeting/reunion in Gilbert with all of my dad's siblings.

The rest of the time we crafted...

Played games...

Enjoyed the beautiful weather...

And went to Disneyland!By we, I mean, my parents, Fisher and I, Curly, Lou, and Bubba AND Grandpa and Grandma Woodbury, AND Uncles and Aunts Dave, Kathleen, Dixon, Susan, Paul, and Michelle, AND don't forget my cousins Cayenne, Mark, Rick and Elyse and their children Chugsworth, Peep, Atkin and Nels! Phew! It was a party!

And we have a plethora of pictures from the party... I had to narrow it down from 500 to these few..

Curly exploring in California Adventure.

A Green Army man outside of Toy Story Mania.

Lou and Fisher getting ready to ram Curly and I

Grandpa and Grandma riding the Bug's Life Chew Chew with Lou
Grandma Woodbury with Bubba

Curly, Lou and cousin Peep - Princesses on Parade

Lou has grown a lot since last year and was barely big enough (with her shoes one) to ride Grizzly River Rapids - It was cold and wet. Not her favorite ride.

Grandpa and Grandma Woodbury waiting to watch "World of Color" in their sweet rides.

The gang after World of Color

Day 2 - Entering Disneyland and on our way to meet the princesses

A Disneyland Classic - It's a Small World

Last year Lou pouted while the rest of us rode "Thundermountain Railroad." Thanks to her growth spurt, she joined the fun this year!

Tower or Terror - It was a scream! Curly was not a big fan and did not come with us the second time.

Grandparents make great pillows when you are too worn out to keep your eyes open.

Grandma W getting a quick hair trim in her condo bathroom
Who needs roller coasters when you can ride with Grandma?
Curly and Chugsworth enjoying an early morning power walk and chat

Master Disney vacation planner Pika with her adoring fan club

The whole group

My cousin Elsie and I with our babies (just one week apart)

Day 3
This is my memory of my childhood visit to Disneyland - My dad spinning us on the teacups until my sister was sick!
Goodbye Disneyland!

We were sad to leave, especially knowing that my parents would return to Idaho soon after. We are grateful for their chauffeuring us to and from Disneyland and putting up with our crazy girls day and night! It was a fun and memorable trip to be there with so many members of our family... But now as you can see, we are bored...

I sound much worse than I feel, but my friend was persistent that I send Lou down to play so that I could take a nap. So off Lou went and I laid down thinking, "I don't know if I will be able to fall asleep this early in the day..." An hour and a half later, I was waking up.

I love my friend. Since moving here we have realized that while there are many things we don't love about Arizona - living in a wonderful neighborhood with good friends makes it all worth it.


Stay tuned for some serious blogging... family visits, Disneyland, and my birthday.

Baby Bubba

It's cliche, but I really can not believe how fast time flies and how quickly this sweet little thing is growing! Bubba (as her sisters call her) is three months old. She is all smiles and burbles and sweetness.
She has the cutest toes and has discovered her hands and is often clasping them in contemplation of some grand event.
And she only has eyes for this fuzzy bear mobile. Diaper changing time is happy time for Bubba. The moment you plop her on the change table she sees that bear and starts smiling and talking.