Disneyland!

May 15, 2014May 15, 20141 Comment

This picture sums up our whole trip. We were in line at the gates when the park opened Friday morning and were on the first ride of the day on the Astro Blaster. And this was our girl’s face waiting in line. It was all I needed to know that she was over the moon that we were finally in Disneyland!

Man. Not sure if my look could scream “I’m a MOM ON VACATION!!” any louder. Oh wait, I was carrying the camera that Peter was using…

If Autopia is any representation of how Baylor will drive at 16, we are in serious, serious trouble.

Brave B rode the Matterhorn and then we ventured to Pixie Hollow for some face painting

Since the day Baylor was born, all Mamie could talk about was taking her to ride the Tea Cups. So we saved a seat for her.

On a recommendation, we hit the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique. Thankfully part of the recommendation was to bring our own dress. She came in looking like Baylor and went out looking like Cinderella!

Before….

And After!

How cute are the clips?

So the thing I didn’t know about Disneyland is that the characters don’t really walk around any more. You have to go to them and visit. Which is guess is nice because you know you’ll get to see them…but the fact you wait in line for an hour+ is not so fun.

Finally, Minnie herself!

(Side note – B is a little bit terrified of the characters with costume heads. Good to know when you’ve just paid several hundred dollars to see CHARACTERS WITH COSTUME HEADS)

And because we couldn’t get enough waiting in line, we saw Mickey too

Thankfully the wait to see Tinkerbell was much shorter. And honestly more fun because Tinkerbell talks unlike Mickey and Minnie. Which was Baylor’s immediate response after meeting Minnie. We were really dumb kids and that thought never really occured to me. PW and I were tap dancing for answers…we landed on the fact that she’s a cartoon and can only talk on TV. The look on her face said she wasn’t buying it, but she stopped asking – phew.

She is so our daughter. 10 seconds after these two girls sat down, she was in the middle of them introducing herself.

By dumb luck, we caught Cinderella walking towards her castle!

The new and improved Mickey Mouse Ears.

Until next time Disneyland! And by next time I mean like 3+ years from now!

Super Hero Afternoon

April 30, 2014Leave a comment

We are busy lately. Like 4 events each weekend day, tball, swim, school, birthday parties, weddings, baby showers, rehearsal dinners, brunches, end of school parties – you name it, we’re doing it. And usually all in the same day. But once in awhile we get an afternoon where everyone has napped and is happy AND we don’t have any plans. I got to watch Baylor’s imagination stretch out and she decided she needed to be a super hero. She dug into the dress up basket and came up with a cape and mask – and a cape for Mac. It was fun to watch her stomp around looking for bad guys – and to have her want projects. I cried and said that some bad guy had pulled all the shoes off the shelf in the closet and I desperately needed someone to organize them…I really wish she wanted to be a super hero everyday.

This guy was his own kind of super hero. Of course at Halloween he refused to wear this helmet but now…NOW it’s awesome! He walked around and says “wooowooo! woooo!” – his version of a siren.

Ham it Up

April 28, 2014Leave a comment

This guy? Is a ham. Like ham sandwich hammy. I think he’s learning how cute he is and is thinking it will get him out of trouble – and he’s probably right.

Take for instance his impromptu photo shoot on Easter:

Ham

Hammier

Hammiest!

Cousins? Just a good excuse for some hamminess

Maybe he gets it from these knuckleheads…

Eggs-selent Hunt

April 25, 2014Leave a comment

Trying to get the three of them to A. Look B. Smile and C. Do them at the same time just doesn’t happen!

Some people take their hunts seriously….very seriously

Others…not so seriously

Good thing there’s a Grandma to help!

Such a pretty day

Jake Early Art

April 11, 20141 Comment

During a rare weekday breakfast date at Orange Table, PW and I spotted a picture of Camelback Mountain hanging on the wall. I realized it was the same artist that had just had an installation in the Belle Tower. A quick email to the artist later, we were arranging when he could drop off the print to us.

Much to my and the artist’s surprise – we knew each other! Auggie and his twin boys have been swimming together for the last few months. Phoenix is still a small town after all.

After looking at our beautiful new picture for a few days, we decided that we couldn’t pass up the other two prints of Papago Mountain and of Piestewa (Squaw) Peak. Jake is working on a print of South Mountain and we’ll add that to the set later this summer. I love that we’re going to have the #2 prints of each of these limited editions. Our art collection may be small, but it’s beginning to build with some really amazing pieces – almost all by local artists we have met!

Check out (and pick up!) Jake’s work at www.jakeearlyart.com

Here’s a look at our new pieces:

Ben’s Bells

April 2, 2014Leave a comment

I was so thrilled when a college friend posted to her FaceBook about spearheading a Phoenix chapter of Ben’s Bells. It’s an adorably simple concept: hang bells around town for people to find. Ask them to take the bell home and remember to practice kindness when they hear it ring.

The charity’s namesake, Ben, was a precious three year old living in Tucson. He awoke with croup like symptoms but seemed to be feeling ok. Like every mom would, his parents waited and watched his condition. In a flash, his airway swelled shut and they were unable to get him the help he needed in time. His parents began Ben’s Bells as a coping strategy that has blossomed into a beautiful tribute to his memory. And it has touched the lives of other tragedy victims including those in New Town Connecticut.

We were gifted 7 bells to distribute around town. We took them to our regular haunts and waited ~~patiently~~ for them to be discovered and taken home. We realized later that people were a little confused as to whether they were supposed to take the bell, leave it for someone else or take it and then put it back out to be found by someone else. So after a few educational conversations with friends and aqaintences, all of our bells were found. We asked the friends that we knew to spread the word about the project. We’ve since bought a few more from the website as gifts and a few to leave for others to find too.

They make the cutest gifts for any occasion so order some up for you, friends and strangers: https://bensbells.org/shop

Leaving one at swim lessons – someone was not pleased about posing…

I couldn’t tell that sweet little face that we weren’t allowed to “find” one, so it is hanging outside their bedroom door

Run Team Olivia!

March 12, 2014Leave a comment

This past Saturday marked our second run as part of Team Olivia in the Children’s Cancer Network’s Run to Fight Children’s Cancer. I’m always excited to sign up, but the morning of the run Peter and I say to each other at least three times “let’s not do this next year” as we try to wake, feed, dress and load the kids by 6am along with their snacks, waters, joggers, sweatshirt and contingency gear.

But once we get there, we realize why we go. After the run, there is a survivor walk. As we followed our friends, the B family, I realized how amazing it must feel to know that just a few years ago, they were pulling sweet Olivia in a wagon because she was too weak to make the quarter mile walk. And this year, she was the horn blower to start the walk and then ran the entire track.

It’s hard not to get teary as you walk and realize how amazingly lucky and blessed we are to have two healthy kiddos. And for those that aren’t healthy, it’s worth the effort to run for them.

Team Wand ran the 5k in 33 minutes trading off pushing a 100 lbs jogger. Not to shabby. BTW, check out how much this team has grown since last year!

B got in on the running action

Post run celebration Auggie was slightly less enthused about the whole thing. We also learned he is terrified of mascots. The Sun’s Gorilla, Howler the Coyote and the Grand Canyon University Antelope all scared the bejesus out of him. Note to self.

Buddies ready to take on the obstical course

There was tons of media coverage – I love how easy the Team Olivia shirts are to see! Check out the honoree herself getting caped up for the survivor walk.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/story/24923482/2014/03/08/run-to-fight-cancer-child-survivors-given-cancer-fighting-capes

T Time

March 11, 2014Leave a comment

On a warm Saturday morning, I had one of those fabulous “this is so much fun” parenting moments.

I was standing on a baseball field in the hot sun, watching friends pull into parking spaces. Each of them had the windows down and the Frozen soundtrack turned up. Little hands reached out of windows waving. Little hands waved back from the field. Suddenly the bleacher bench was filled with smiling faces and little legs clad in baseball pants. There were matching pink helmets, pink bat bags, pink and black gloves. Water bottles were compared and shared. Dads shook hands, took roll and divided into groups. And we were off! T-ball season has begun! And I think we’re off on the road of many years of practices, games, heartbreak and fun. Bring it on, we’re ready.

Do you love these guys?!

Thank you Diamondbacks for the great uniforms! Yea White Diamondbacks! (slight issue when you donate the uniforms to the entire league an every team is the same mascot…hopefully there will be enough colors to make it less confusing….)

This guy? Is having the time of his life. And thank goodness, because the other dads are terrified of taking the girls from the team. There was honest panic in their voices when he was in Montana. Herding cats would be far, far easier.

This guy kills me. His only goal during practice is to get on the field. He generally settles for sitting on the bench. I can’t take the cuteness.

~~Yelling at~~ Cheering on his sister

February in a Nutshell

March 4, 2014Leave a comment

When we did get out in February, we had a great time. Here’s what we’ve been up to:

We saw the Pony Express ride into town. These gentlemen ride from Prescott to Scottsdale and deliver letters from a school there to a school here. It’s neat to see the tradition live on. And hilarious to see traffic stopped for 40 horses.

Getting out as far as she could without actually being in the street

Pop and Auggie getting very excited

And here they come!

Next was the Waste Management Open. I vowed long ago that I would not go back until I could be up in a sky box and away from the drunken masses. Thankfully for me, one of Peter’s clients got sick so I got to go on Sunday morning!

Auggie got a new tooth. And everyone knows about it because he looked like this for pretty much the entire month. He’s crying in this picture because I wouldn’t let him play with the straightener.

We waited patiently to see Peter in the Parada Del Sol. Sadly, the Scottsdale 20/30 Men were “excused” from the parade. I’ve heard various excuses and explaination. I buy none of them.

Baylor made me an amazing bracelet for Valentine’s Day. She put two B’s – one for her and one for me.

And the absolute most fun part of February – Baylor started t-ball! We have been having such a good time – can’t wait for some actual games. And thanks to the Diamondbacks for the awesome uniforms! The fact that every team in the league are the Diamondbacks is a touch confusing…but making them different colors helps!

Go Red Diamondbacks!

It’s a little tough to know who likes t-ball more – Peter or Bay. And God love him, he’s the only dad brave enough to coach the girls from the team and make them behave!

Task Master

January 27, 2014Leave a comment

My lovely little lady is what I would call a dawdler. When given a list of tasks to complete, rather than doing them, she meanders around, get distracted or downright ignores them. It gets a bit frustrating – especially when we’re trying to get out the door.

I went online to find a cute chore chart that I could tailor to our schedule. I found these adorable and really reasonably priced magnets. I made up a little white board with WET Erase (genius. They don’t rub off!) notes and now when I need her to get it together to get to school, get ready to nap, get ready for bed, whatever – I simply ask her to help me find the magnets. We load up the board and she dashes off to finish her tasks and move the magnets. It’s amazing. There’s dramatically less arguing about getting down for a nap and we don’t forget things when we leave because we’re not in a rush.

I know it could use some creative touches…but it’s getting the job done for the moment!

Cute pictures and words

I bought the stars too for a reward. I haven’t decided yet what the stars are for or how many she gets until she gets something…but she is thrilled to get them and gets very serious when they get taken away so I’m sticking with this for now!

I bought these cuties from Cucumber Lime on Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/transaction/155939903?). They were a great price, nice quality and came super fast!

The Goon Room

A little of everything and nothing, all in one blog

Tag: pictures