Innes

Sharing Girl Things

2012-01-26T12:38:00.000-08:00

Ok... so part of this post might be a little too much information, but it's so funny, I have to share... even at the expense of my pride.

Dom is 3 years old, almost 4... and after a bit of a speech delay, I am finally now able to enjoy all the funny things that kids say when they are younger because he is finally using great sentences. I am laughing at his funny quotes all day long.

So, a few days ago I was combing Dominic's hair on my bathroom countertop as we were getting him ready for school. He noticed a package of pantyliners I had just bought, sitting on top of the countertop.

Dom: Mom, what are those?

Me: Oh, those are called pantyliners.

Dom: Why they for?

Me: Well, they help Mommy so she doesn't pee her pants. (Okay, that's the embarassing part... this is my 3rd pregnancy and... oh gosh, I pee. When I cough, laugh, jump, run, etc. So let's move on...)

Dom: Ohhhhhh. (said in a very thoughtful-enlightened tone) I want one!

Me: Nope, sorry. They're just for girls.

Dom: Awwwww!

Me: Sorry.

15 seconds later...

Dom: Mo-ooom, I want one.

Me: Sorry Dom, they're just for girls. Look, they're wrapped in PINK... pink is for girls. (Just my way of explaining it to a 3-year old. Nothing against boys and pink.)

Dom: Awwwwwww!

Me: Sorry, bud.

Then, having perfected his combover... I hefted him off the countertop. He looked at me, then at the package of coveted pantyliners... and then he snatched two of them out of the pack and ran like the wind away from me and out of the bathroom with the stolen goods.

I heard his little footsteps tear across the living room and head down the stairs, so I followed him at a distance, to see what he would do with his loot. I made it 1/2 way down the stairs when I heard him talking, breathlessly, to Damon who was playing downstairs with the train table.

Dom: Here you go, Dame! It's kinda like a diaper. It helps you so you don't pee your pants. Here... hold it on your pe*is, like this.

Dame: Uh-kay Dom. Here... hole it on yah pe*is, yike isss!

(Oh-that's a little embarassing too... my boys use the anatomically correct name for their parts. I accidently told Dom what it was once when he was really little and not really committing much to memory... he asked me what it was and I was caught off guard at his directness...and, well... he totally committed it to memory. So there you have it. When I try and tell Damon it's his "private part", Dom promptly corrects me. Whatever.)

At this point, I'm like, "Okay, I've got to see this." So I walk around the corner, laughing, and reveal myself. Dominic and Damon are playing trains with one hand, and both of them are holding a fully wrapped pantyliner to their crotch on the outside of their pants in the other hand. Business as usual.

Me: Dominic! What are you guys doing?

Dominic: (Giving me a stern look and talking to me in a disapproving tone...) Mom, you have to SHARE girl things! We don't want to pee our pants either!

The Art of Having Fun

2012-01-25T06:17:00.001-08:00

The last time I painted ceramics was 11 years ago. My roomates at college and I held Wednesday nights sacred (we were seriously not even the artsy type either) and never planned any dates or other activities on that night so that we could all drive an hour up to Elk Ridge to some lady's basement-transformed-workshop and paint ceramics together. I mentioned that we weren't, any of us, particularly talented in the art/painting arena... but for some reason, it was soooo much fun and I looked forward to it every week.

So jump forward 11 years and deja-vu... except with my totally amazing sisters-and-mother-in-law. This is what us gals did on New Years Eve...

It was a little stressful getting started... there were so many options and so many ways of doing things. And we were already behind schedule after having been late to (a fabulous) lunch and chatting it up while our hubbies braved all of the kiddies at Nana's house.

But I finally settled on a "Birthday Plate" for my kids. And tried not to pay attention to what Angela was up to... she's artsy... and reeeally talented. Psshh.

Here are said amazing sisters-in-law...

Angela and Leslie

Me and Amy

Miss Amber, and my beautiful MIL - JoAnn.

We painted and talked...

...and painted

...and talked and talked.

And after... like, 4 hours...

We finished!They still needed to be fired... which will darken them and ton (the blue on my plate is actually dark blue) and make them glossy and shiny. They all look pastel here. And I wish I could show you my finished product (after the firing) but I had to return back to AZ before we could pick them up... so I am awaiting Miss Amy's visit to AZ - she'll come bearing a "birthday plate".

Thanks girls!!! I had so much fun with all of you and I'm more than a little jealous that you all live so close to each other. :(

So what's on the agenda for next time... BINGO?

A Very "Innes" Christmas... and a Happy New Year!

2012-01-06T09:36:00.000-08:00

Old news, I know... it's mid-January. And I'm just posting our Christmas trip to Utah. My lack of time to do anything besides barely hold myself together as I try to get back into real-life and off vacation-mode is the culprit. Man, I am reeeaally scared to have 3 kids. I am barely functioning as it is! My blog has necessarily taken a back seat... until today! :) Here are some pictures of our annual trip to Utah for Christmas...

..."Bumpa" spent some time outside outside with Dom practicing throwing, catching, and kicking the soccer ball.

So cute.This picture makes my heart happy. Dom will love this one when he gets older.Here is a picture of the Innes family's stocking assortment. There are a couple of stockings hidden behind others because there are so many of us now...it's hard to fit them all in! We are the toy soldiers. :)

...watching our traditional "Mr. Magoo's Christmas" on Christmas Eve.

...making gingerbread houses (and picking our nose, I guess). Thanks Mom and Dad, for supplying all the goods!

The finished product... Dominic did all the little balls on the windows and door. He was really into decorating the house this year.

A few nights later, I let the boys binge on the houses. Dominic polished off our house...

...and Damon made off with someone else's.

...scrumptious.

It's always great to get the boys reaquainted with their aunts, uncles, and cousins. It's really hard to live so far away from all our family. Damon really warmed up to Aunt Amber.

You can't really tell... but there are about 5 or 6 kids under all those blankets. The boys had so much fun with their cousins.

Nana and Bumpa bought all the grandkids monkey pajamas. This isn't nearly the entire brood, we didn't even attempt a cousin-shot this year...too many wiggly ones. But you get the picture.The guys all played their usual "Age of Empires"......and the girls went out to lunch on New Year's Eve, and then we went to a fun little ceramic shop and painted ceramics while the men stayed home with all the kiddoes. It was so fun. I'll detail that little outing next post.

Our kiddoes almost made it 'til New Year's. But their mean Mama made them go to bed at 10 so she could salvage any sanity left in her weary body.

Our drive home went pretty smoothly, thanks to our new double DVD player and headphones... h-h-h-heaven! (Unless you count the instances where Dominic is threatened within one inch of his life because he is asked to use a public restroom.) I think they watched the Polar Express, like, 4 times.

Whew! Finally, done with Christmas until next year. Man, I need to stop taking so many flippin' pictures. ;)

Happy Christmas!

2012-01-03T11:35:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a Happy Christmas!

This year was really fun (and of course, really, really hectic! What am I going to do with 3 of these little boys!?!?). Dom and Dame were so stinking excited that Santa had come. The bikes and scooter (above) were actually hidden outside on the front porch until after all the presents were opened. Here's what our morning looked like...

My mama and her sweet hubby joined us Christmas morning (our Christmas morning, the 23rd... we drove to Utah later that day. Did I say it was hectic?) for stockings, presents, and a HUGE (seriously, we overdid it!) Christmas breakfast.

Ha- I love that Dom was so excited about new jeans. Check out his happy little face.

Rich got some under armour for his early morning bike rides...

I scored a Sonicare toothbrush... hopefully this will help our dental bill. :) Man, I am definitely pregnant... check out those cheeks!

We finally bought our kids coats! We were just going to borrow some for our Utah trip, but we found a killer deal aaannnd it was FREEZING in Arizona the whole week or two before we left. So guess what the temperature was our first day back... like, 80! So much for the coats. Maybe it will cool down again so they'll get to wear them a bit?

Dom and his super-cool cordless keyboard that hooks up to the TV. Nevermind that it is pink... it was a steal and it was the last one left. I'm sure all 3 of my boys will (eventually) enjoy it... despite it's femininity. ;)

Damon and his beloved Thomas the Train set. We should've saved this gift for last... sparked a meltdown, and a fight, and we had to beg/bribe/force them to open up the rest of their gifts so we could finish packing and hit the road!

This is really cute... Dominic went "shopping" at school with his preschool class. I sent him with money and he picked out presents for the family. He got Daddy a screwdriver, Damon a coloring book, and he got me a little snow globe (which Damon promptly shattered, giving himself a nice slice on the top of his foot... totally hectic morning). He helped wrap each gift with Rich and my help and excitedly watched us open them up.

When my Dad passed, we got a bit of money. I used some of it to buy some meaningful pieces for our home that I thought my Dad would approve of. It was fun to be able to write, "Love, Dad Olson" and "Love, Poppie" on the packages. It was another little way to remember him and include his memory in our Christmas celebration. So, "my dad" got this for the family...

...and this for Dom and Dame's room. :) I told Dom that Poppie sent us a present from Heaven, and he was so excited.

After opening gifts, the boys played with their toys (and fought over the train set and threw tantrums) while my mom and I finished breakfast.

Rich went outside to discover his new beach cruiser...

...and the boys went outside to discover these!

Damon doesn't quite grasp it yet... but he's making it work.

Dominic was excited about his new bike and scooter... but not excited enough to ride them in the "freezing" cold (it was in the 40s... my boys are truly AZ kids).

Hope you and yours had a magical holiday this year! Merry Christmas!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

2012-01-03T08:56:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve Dinner

The Elves left some Christmas pajamas on the doorstep for the little men... they were so excited! Dominic even ran out into our front yard after the Elves flew away and pointed to the sky, claiming he saw Santa's sleigh. So much fun. :)

Papa and Mamie were able to have dinner with us and enjoy the Christmas Eve excitement.

Two Happy Little Boys...

We read The Night Before Christmas and The Christmas Story. I played Silent Night on my "new" piano... which is something that as a young girl, I always imagined doing with my family when I became a mother. :) Silent Night makes me think of my sweet Dad, and I felt like he was listening to us as we sang.
Next, we made cookies for Santa! The boys were all too eager to help.
While the cookies baked, we watched the Polar Express and licked the bowl clean. :)After the movie, we poured milk for the Big Guy...

...and set some cookies out on a plate for him, just in case he needed a little snack along his world-wide journey.

We helped ourselves to a few morsels too.

Preschool Christmas Program

2011-12-22T11:35:00.000-08:00

Today we went to Dom's preschool for their Christmas Program and Party.

Dominic and some of his classmates before their performance...

Here they all are, singing (or not) Christmas songs and ringing bells...

Top Row: Ricky, Dominic, Raquel, and Tyler

Bottom Row: Luke, Lizzy, Soloman, and Gracie

Hiss little class, singing "Must be Santa"...

Last year the program was in the library and it was combined with all the other preschool classes. As soon as they started singing, all the parents stood up and started taking pictures with their flashes on. Dominic freaked. He started bawling. Miss Julie had to carry him offstage. Haha! He held his composure this year. They just performed with their own class in their own room. Dom just stood there, stone-faced, still as a statue... but he didn't break down. Hooray! He is growing up. ;)

A congratulatory hug from Daddy after the performance...

Cookies and Punch...

Miss Julie (Dom's teacher), Dominic, and Miss Kim (Dom's Aide)

Typical Family Picture...

And a video for your viewing pleasure...

Merry Christmas!

Baby it's Cold Outside

2011-12-17T14:14:00.000-08:00

Seriously, so cold for Arizona! I am looooving it! Except for the part where Rich insists on the ceiling fan still at night and he keeps turning the heat down. Geez! But the weather outside lately sure makes it seem a little bit more like the holidays around here. (Just think rain instead of snow.)

Here's wishing you happy holidays, delightful decorations, perfect parties, heavenly hot chocolate, crying-through Christmas stories, driving through dazzling-lighted neighborhoods, fun with family, and a very, very Merry Christmas!

A Belated Thanksgiving Post...

2011-12-17T12:50:00.000-08:00

The Table...

The Cooks...

The Food...

This is the first year I actually made a
real turkey instead of being a cheater-pants and buying a
"Turkey-in-a-Bag." I must say... it was definitely gross to prepare (although delicious to eat) and I was really sorry that I didn't research how to cook a turkey
before the day before because I only bought it the day before and didn't know that it had to unthaw for... like... 4 days in the fridge! So... I had an early Thanksgiving morning date... me and turkey... in the kitchen sink... unthawing in water that I had to change every 30 minutes. Ugh. But the week of delicious leftovers that made fabulous tukey sandwiches smothered with mustard and mayo (my favorite perk about Thanksgiving) was soooo worth it. ;)

The Eaters...

I do look a bit tired...

The End.
:)

TWO!!!

2011-12-11T15:40:00.000-08:00

Guess who is another year older? (plus a few weeks... I'm always behind.)

This little man.

We went to the boys favorite birthday place for the 2nd time this year. I feel a bit like a slacker because I planned absolutely nothing... but Damon was in heaven all the same and that's what matters.Dominic refuses to ride the carosel horses... just loves the bench.

The ferris wheel is always a favorite...

This picture makes me laugh out loud.

One happy little guy.

And the best ride of all... the train.

Dame is so excited right here... he's saying "Ta-dah!"

We took a little cruise on the coin operated equipment before we headed out...

Damon had a Thomas the Train cake, just like Dominic. These boys and their trains...

Here's the birthday boy... I love this picture. He's so thrilled about his cake. Cake is his favorite thing...ever.

Please excuse the dirty face... we just finished dinner.

Damon's attempt to blow out his candles. He tried so hard and didn't even make them flicker!So Daddy helped...He's saying "Cheese" but he looks a little annoyed that I interrupted his cake-fest.
This boy can do some serious damage to a birthday cake.
Last, it was time for presents!

...Dom helped out a bit too.

Damon got a count-n-learn cookie jar, a vacuum, a firetruck (thanks Nana and Bumpa), a book and a cute puzzle book (thanks Mamie and Papa), and a brand new slide!!!

He loves it.

The only problem is, it sits in the playroom right between their bedrooms... we're having a rough time at night trying to pry them off it to get into bed!

Happy, Happy Birthday Sweet Boy! I can't believe you are 2!

Oh Baby! It's a.....

2011-12-05T10:38:00.000-08:00

....boy!!!Ultrasound Pictures...

Oh my... another little man! We are so excited and feel so very blessed to be welcoming this sweet boy to our family. Dominic and Damon are going to be soooo excited! Dominic hasn't wavered... I ask him every day, and for the past 3 months the answer has been "It's a boy, Mama." I'm picking him up from preschool in a few minutes and then Damon from a friends house and letting them open a similar gift package with blue balloons in it together. Fun, fun, fun!

Now... what to name him. Any ideas???

She's a Beaut!

2011-11-13T15:31:00.000-08:00

I have been searching, in vain, for two years to find an antique upright grand piano that was a: affordable and b: wasn't falling apart. It pays to be patient!!! We snagged this ol' girl off craigslist a little over a week ago. She's beautiful! The hand-carved scrolling is amazing. Aaaaannnd, she's in good shape! A quick visit from a technician later (to ensure the soundboard and pinblock were in good shape) and I forked over the cash and sent to movers to transport her to my garage. THEN... my work began. Here are some before pictures. Sadly, I didn't think to get any pictures before I took all the panels off (i'm such a nerd!) but you can get the general idea... she was VERY yellow.

The original paintjob was still intact. In it's time, I'm sure it was stunning. An ivory paint with dark gold antiquing and even little gold flecks dispersed throughout... but back then (our technician thinks 1900ish) they used polyurethane as a finish coat and over the years, the gorgeous paintjob turned a nasty yellow. But despite the overall appearance, the sound is amazing. So full and beautiful. As soon as the movers pulled out of my driveway, I began to play. I would be lying if I told you I didn't cry a little bit, as cheesy as that may sound. I haven't had a piano to play for 11 years.

I really did hate to sand off the beautiful original paint job... but it would have looked terrible in my house. And so I began...

I followed a tutorial from this blogpost here to guide me along... http://www.allthingsthrifty.com/2010/08/piano-refinishing-complete.html

I took all the panels off, then I removed all of the keys.

It was NASTY under there... I found a couple of hidden treasures:

old twinkies wrapper, featuring "Twinkie the Kid"...

... and an old clipping from a vintage magazine. :)

Then I covered the action and the back with brown paper and painter's tape. Next, I sanded the ENTIRE thing down until all the polyeurothane finish was off. Then I strapped on a gas mask (literally, I used a gas mask, trying to keep the bebe safe you know. AND I opened the garage door all the way, duh.) and applied the primer.

Then I sanded AGAIN! The particular primer the tutorial called for has to be sanded after application. Oh my gosh, I can't tell you how much I hated this particular part of the process. Ugh.

Next, came the easy part. The actual painting. I applied a few coats and let it dry overnight.

And last, but not least, I antiqued it with faux glaze mixed with black paint. This took me forever too because I kept messing up and wiping it all off and starting over. And over. And over. But... it was so worth it. And all the hard work and late nights I put into it make it even that much more dear to my heart. I love this piano!!!

Here's a close-up so you can see what the antiquing looks like. I wanted it to be subtle.
Center of the front panel:
And guess who else is in love with this ol' girl? Yup. The little men.
This makes me so happy.
It warms my heart to think of teaching my children to play piano and having one in our home to practice on is priceless.

This piano was purchased from some funds I received from my late Dad. :) He has wanted to buy me a piano ever since I moved out of my childhood home and was almost apologetic every time he handed me a gift for my birthday or Christmas... always prefacing it with, "Well Honey, it's not a piano, but...". (Poor guy, I really did love all of his sweet, thoughtful presents anyway, and never felt like he should buy me a piano.) So thanks, Daddy. I will cherish it as long as I live. :)

Movie Night at the 'Tope

2011-11-09T00:26:00.000-08:00

I love our neighborhood. Love the homes, love our neighbors, love feeling like I'm living in the 50's as I pedal my beach cruiser up and down our tree-lined streets... and I love the fun community events held here: kids triathalons, golf cart parades, and movie night on the football field. This is so fun for the little guys. It's not just movie night... it's mini-carnival-dinner-treats-movie night.

Here's my brave little man, waiting in line to jump on the bungee trampoline... I thought the safety harness would freak him out, but he loved every minute of it.

Dom had a panic attack last year when I put him in the bounce house. I remember having to crawl in after him because he was screaming and frozen with fear, and when I tried to grab him to pull him to safety, he freaked out, and I think I got a black eye, a gut-punch, and a fist-full of hair yanked out of my head. He was that terrified. He keeps surprising me with how far he has come in this last year. Something like this would definitely have been sensory overload for him previously... but this year, I couldn't get him out of the bounce houses!

Damon got stuck going up the ladder and the worker had to climb in and save him. He looks a little unsure about the slide... but he was grinning after he got to the bottom.

Unfortunately, Dominic missed the minimum height limit for the climbing wall by 2 inches. He was so excited to have a go at it. Something to look forward to next year...
Damon, enjoying the bubble machine while we waited in line to get our faces painted by "Bubbles the Clown". He ate that bag of Doritos for dinner... oh, and also his weight in candy.

After it got dark, we spread out our big quilt and our camp chairs and settled in with the rest of the neighborhood for a showing of "Rio". Cute movie. The boys loved it...what they saw of it. We took them home about 1/2 way through when they started getting restless, but they did pretty darn good at sitting quietly on our laps. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
Agritopia, we la-la-love you!

Down on the Farm...

2011-11-04T16:05:00.001-07:00

We are beginning to have a few traditions in our little growing family.

Schnepf is one of them. This place is a working farm. During special times of the year, they open up for various festivals. This was their fall festival.

We came at night last year. It was sooooo crowded! The boys had fun... but we had to wait 45 minutes in line for each of the rides. No fun. So this year, we got there right after they opened. What a world of difference! We walked right on to all the rides. The boys loved it!

Dominic actually grasped the concept of the lever on the airplane this year and achieved lift-off! ;)

This was Dom's favorite. He and Daddy are the 4th row back. Dom loves rollercoasters.

At all of the rides, the kiddies got to trick or treat.

Damon liked the bee ride.

So much fun!!!

Then we headed over to the Road Rally. It's a little bike/gator that the two back people have to pedal. This was actually one of the boys' favorites. They made us go on it 3 times and begged for more. I sent Rich alone on the last round. I was pooped!

Here are the little guys headed up the "mountain". This is what was on the other side...

A giant slide! Dom was so excited. No trepidation here.

Dame was a little more cautious. He enlisted Daddy's help. :)

Next, the haybale maze... last year it was too overwhelming for Dom and we left with him crying. Maybe that's because it was dark. This year, he loved it!

One of the boys' favorites (and one of my least) is the petting farm. Damon loved those stinky goats. Ugh.

Yes... he really gave it a kiss. I caught this right before contact without time to stop him. Oh......

Here's the big fat hog...

The cow had had enough visitors for the day... he completely snubbed us.

The sheep smelled wonderful.

And the donkey. He looked all friendly...

...but then he sneezed nastiness and snot right into Damon's face.

We didn't do the cornmaze last year for fear we'd get lost in the dark with two tired kids. But we braved it this year...

...and made it out alive!

The boys got their faces painted...

And then, we headed over to the "pumpkin patch" so the boys could pick out their pumpkins. Obviously, this post was supposed to come before our Halloween post... but we had to get those costume pictures out!

Damon's final pick...

Dominic's winner.

Before we headed home, we had to take a ride on the haunted train.

We got a nice seat right near the front... so we could breath in all the fumes. :)

Dominic lives for train rides.

Damon, while he adores trains, was fighting to keep his eyes open.

Here's Dom in the tunnel...mesmerized.

We are so grateful to have so many family-oriented activities so close to where we live! It's awesome to begin forming our own Innes family traditions. :) Schnepf, we love you!

This is Halloween...

2011-11-01T12:07:00.001-07:00

OK... here are the much anticipated Halloween costume pictures. I posted them first because my Mama was chomping at the bit to see these two little shmucks in their get-up. :)

Sorry for the poor quality shots... it took me forever to even get some as decent as these are. These little guys didn't have time for pictures last night... they just wanted to get going on candy collection/consumption.

Now we'll rewind a bit to this afternoon. Dominic was delighted to be able to be a super-hero all day long because they had a Halloween party at preschool yesterday morning and we went straight to speech therapy after that... so he felt pretty special. He only took it off for about an hour and a half so we could carve pumpkins. And even then, he donned a Superman t-shirt. Super-cool.
Dom was all excited to carve pumpkins until he saw the "whispers" (Dom lingo for "yuckies") inside the pumpkin. He was pretty disgusted by it all... but showed a little renewed interest after Mom and Dad cleaned all the whispers out and began the actual carving...

Rich looks a little too excited, holding that knife.

Dom, helping me finish the mouth on Damon's pumpkin...
Damon thinks pumpkin carving is for the birds. He decided it would be more fun to race his Tonka truck all over the back yard...
...and so he did.

Here's Dom and his pumpkin... and not his pants.

Dom's

Dame's. He even has a matching gap. ;)

After we finished the pumpkins, Dominic helped me bake pumpkin seeds.

Mmmmmmm! We salted and buttered them before baking, and when they were finished, we sprinkled just a tad of sugar on top (think kettle-corn taste). They are delicious.

We left a bowl full of candy on our porch for all the little trick-or-treaters. If you click on the photo, it will enlarge.

And then we headed over to Virginia Street (the street directly behind our house) for our annual Halloween potluck block party. There were different kinds of chili, homemade macaroni and cheese, BBQ beef brisket sandwiches, soups, lil' smokies, and lots of deserts. I love our neighborhood!

The boys had a great time trick-or-treating. Ahem... after we worked out a few kinks/had a few tantrums. I just about threw in the towel. Both of them were freakin' their chicken because they wanted to eat the stinkin' candy at every single house instead of putting it in their pumpkins. Finally, when we were nearing the end of our rapidly fraying rope... I had an epiphany. Suckers were stuck into one sticky little hand, pumpkins were stuck in the other... and this was how we rolled. Thank heavens for Dum-dums.

When we got back home, I was surprised to still see a few bits of candy left over in our bowl. People are more honest that I give them credit for, I guess.

Hope your Halloween was happy!

Apple Pie, Cousins and Weddings- Oh My!

2011-10-29T14:33:00.000-07:00

This is part two of our Utah-Idaho trip. After visiting Grandma Arlene in Idaho, we came home with two boxes brimming with fresh orchard apples. Uncle Ross decided to show the kiddies how to make fresh apple pie from scratch! What an awesome Uncle. And an awesome cook!

...kiddies adding more flour to the sticky rolling pin.

Flour hands!

Dom and his Ali... they like each other. Mmmmmm!
Next, we went to visit Auntie Kara. Addie brought a pumpkin home from school and gave it to Dom. Aunt Kara got out the paints and the kiddies went to town. :)

This is Kara's Jett. Isn't he the most beautiful baby you've seen!? I love his hair. Jett and Dame are only a few weeks apart. Hopefully they'll be buds (albeit long-distance ones) for life, just like their mommies.
Me and Kara
After the littles napped, we hitched up the wagon...

...revved up the four-wheeler...
...and mounted bicycles...

...and rode down to feed the horses carrots!

Then the kiddies went on a "bug hunt".

Addie introduced Dom to the fascinating world of "Rolly-polys".
Dominic loves Addie.
And he loves Addie's pink corvette Barbie car. Don't doubt the speed of a child's toy. I couldn't even catch him as he Evel Knievel'd it off a little embankment in Kara's backyard and into the playground. Little stinker. You should've seen the look in his eyes. Pure, thrilling, naughtiness.
Thanks Miss Addie for allowing Dom the joy-ride. And thanks Auntie Kara, for such a wonderful fun-filled day!!!
OK... now for the REASON we made the trip...

...bowties.

...uh, i mean, the wedding!

But seriously!? Let's just talk about bowties for a second.

Actually, there are no words. These picture actually hurt me.

Here's Me and Rich and "Belly" while we waited for Amy and Jake to come out of the temple after the ceremony. I'm 9 weeks here? Maybe 10? I forget.

Salt Lake Temple. Same temple Rich and I got married in.

And here are the new Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Sasser! (Or Sasser-frass... as I call them.)

Rich's sisters are all gorgeous... and Mimi is no exception. Beautiful.

The reception was so pretty! It was held at a little place called Wadley Farms.

Amy's decor was shabby chic/vintage. It fit her perfectly.

The crepe bar was one of the highlights of my night. Oh my! If I hadn't been chasing after Stinkweeds, I may have cleaned out the entire inventory. That's how delicious they were.

Thankfully, there were plenty of windy sidewalks for the littles to run around on outside.

More bowtie pictures... I just can't help myself.

Look at this amazing cake.

All the excited girls, vying for the boquet. Amy threw it down from the balcony.

Mimi and her sweet dad (I guess he's my sweet dad too).

The Mr. and Mrs.
When Amy and Jake left, everyone lined the walkway and let off balloons. And then Damon cried all the way home because Dominic stole his balloon and released it into the sky.

We left early the next morning, and made it through another loooooong car drive home. We had such a great time breathing in the cold, crisp fall air (did you know that cold actually has a smell? I really think it does) and seeing all our friends and family. I keep begging everyone to move to AZ... but if they really did, well we would reeeaaally miss our trips to Utah.

Thanks to everyone who housed us, fed us, put up with our sleep deprived kids, played with us, and loved on us while we were there! Congratulations Amy and Jake!

A Trip to Grandma's House

2011-10-26T15:50:00.000-07:00

So... a few weeks ago (I'm always behind!) we took a little (terribly looooong) drive up to Utah/Idaho. Rich's baby sister was getting married (next post) and we were anticipating a visit to see Grandma Arlene (my Dad's wife) in Idaho since we had already come 12 1/2 hours... what's another 3 (ahem...turned 4 1/2)???
We haven't been out to my Daddy's home since he passed in December. Turns out... it was just exactly what I needed.
So good for my heart! We had a wonderful-underful time. :) There are so many pictures... the boys are always in heaven at my Dad's house because they are free to roam around outside and the property is huge and fenced in.

Dominic and Grandma went straight to the garden to dig up some fresh vegetables for dinner. Oh my - I've never had such delicious carrots! I don't even particularly like carrots. These were like candy and we ate them cooked without anything on them even! I wish I had a garden.

Next... delish tomatoes.
...and we always stop and smell the flowers.
Dame loved the porch swing.
And oh boy... there were lots and lots of rocks to throw! He seriously did this for 15 mintues.

Who knew jumping off the pavers onto a wood board could be so thrilling. This little activity lasted a good ten minutes. Haha! I think they were just loooooving the cool, crisp weather.

My Dad made this bench. :)

The next few pictures are just of my Daddy's property. I love this place. I woke up early enough to snap some early morning pictures just as the sun was rising. So peaceful... it felt so wonderful to be at my sweet Dad's house!

My Dad was converting the hayshed into a little barn. He only got one side done. So there it sits... half way done. Pretty though, isn't it?

There is a beautiful little apple orchard in the back yard. We had such a great time filling up boxes of apples to take home!

Can you tell how much fun he's having?

We brought some home to eat (and Grandma gave us a whole case of homeade applesauce too) and we used the rest to make delicious apple pies at Nana and Bumpa's house in Utah!
The next morning, on our way back to Utah, we stopped to snap a picture of my Dad's beloved Sugar Factory. I love the way this place smells on cold mornings. Just like my Dad smelled. :)
And, of course... we stopped by my Daddy's resting place and left him a rose.
Dominic was pretty disappointed he didn't get to see "Poppie". He doesn't really get it yet. Although he says "Poppie lives in Heaven". He tried talking to him through the grass. :) Soo stinkin' cute and innocent. I love that boy.
And I loved this perfect (minus the long car ride) trip. Totally worth the drive.

On a more embarassing note: On our way home, we stopped in Tremonton to see my brother and his family. Here's my nephew, Trevor, entertaining Dom.

Our boys were so incredibly rotten I almost broke down bawling in the Arctic Circle. (Actually... I almost left them at the Arctic Circle. On purpose.) Vacation is NOT vacation with these two little stinkweeds. They were sooooo naughty! (Here's my big brother, Jarrod.)
At least we got to see our sweet family (this is my sis-in-law, Jen)... not sure if they're really that glad they got to endure seeing us?

Breath of Fresh Air

2011-09-14T15:21:00.000-07:00

I love the mountains. So does Dom. We made the mistake of telling him we were going to the mountains for labor day 4 whole days before we actually went. Oh.... man. He didn't want to go to preschool, on playdates, the store... anywhere after that, unless it was the mountains. Note to self: 3-year-olds have no concept of "this weekend"... never unveil until the last minute.

We had so much fun. It smelled great, the weather was sooooo much cooler... I think it was, like, 75 up there. We headed up to one of our favorite spots in Arizona... the Mogollon Rim. Woods Canyon Lake to be specific. Love that place.

The boys ran, and ran, and ran some more. Poor Damon wore new shoes (didn't think that one through) and he came home with two HUGE blisters on the backs of his heels that are STILL bleeding every day because he refuses to wear bandaids.

We pretty much just followed them around until they were exhausted. It took a long time... but it happened.

You can see the lake there, in the background. We are renting paddle boats next time.

Tah-dahhhh!

Stopping to smell the flowers. An obsession owned by the both of them. (And me.)

Overlooking the Rim.

Innes Family August 2011

The rest of our break was spent swimming/eating/playing with the wonderful Mr. and Mrs. Robinson. "Hey, hey, hey!" (Nate and Amber, that is. And their cute kiddies! That's Adelin in the middle.)

We had a little BBQ in our back yard.

Dom and Jens have the same exact birthday. How cool is that!? They were destined to be friends.
Little Derek and his pink cheeks.

Dame with his ginormous grin...love that gap in his teeth.
Cheeeeese-erific Dom.

Hope your Labor Day was awesome!

My Little Preschooler

2011-09-02T08:08:00.000-07:00

Oh man, Dom has 3 weeks of preschool down this year and I'm barely getting to "first day" pictures!

Dominic love, love, loves preschool.

He had such a great experience this year. We were lucky enough to get his beloved Miss Julie and Miss Colleen again this year... probably had something to do with Dom's walking into the classroom like he owned the place on the first morning. He walked right in, hung up his backpack, moved his picture to the "I'm here" section, gave me a "kiss, hug, and a high-five", sat down at a table next to a friend with a grin and started working the play-pegs.

He had a wonderful first day. But all good things must come to an end... and preschool did. He was fine enough leaving class... but this kid, who is soooo enamoured with school buses and who holds a very special place in his heart for "Mr. David" (last year's school bus driver, who let Dom get on the bus every.single.day. to give him a high-five and walk around a bit before the other kids got on) ... this little boy had a veeeeerrrrry hard time when he realized that...

A. Mr. David was no longer the bus driver. (I am so sad about this myself.)

B. The new bus driver doesn't let kids on the bus who don't actually ride the bus. Not that I asked... but I could just tell she wasn't the type by the way she half-heartedly waved at my boy.

Dom has his routines... and this was one HIGHLY ANTICIPATED one. My heart broke for him when he realized he couldn't get on. And my nose almost broke while he repeatedly struck me in the face while he flailed, kicked and tantrumed his way all the way back to the car. I had to trust poor Damon to run behind us amidst all the parent-pick-up traffic. Luckily we made it to the car somewhat unscathed, and Dominic cried all the way to McDonald's. It took a week or so after that of crying after school before Dominic understood about the bus and Mr. David. He's doing beautifully now... and I'm actually grateful to not have to spend an extra 10 minutes at the bus in the heat every day after school like I used to. Now if only I could get Damon to stop throwing tantrums every time we leave the classroom... I might be able to shake the anxiety that I get every time we drop off Dom. Damon reeeeeaaally thinks he belongs in preschool too.

Sometimes the hard things in life make us grow, sweet boy. Dominic, Mommy is proud of the big boy you are becoming and so proud of the way you are learning to deal with changes. (NOT proud of the embarassing tantrum that took place in front of the entire world-it seemed- that morning.) But so very, very proud to call you my son. And so happy you're becoming such an independent, fun, smart little man! I thank Heavenly Father for sending you to me every day.

Last Vacay Post, I Swear! Utah...

2011-08-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

My last vacay post of the summer. Hello Utah! Hello cooler weather. Hello family, cousins, playmates, friends! Hello late nights playing board games and talking. And goodbye to the last few breaths of summer. (Er... summer vacations, that is. Summer is still very much in full-swing down here in the desert, unfortunately.)

Here's what we did...

Parades

Dom even got a kiss from a QUEEN!

Oh look! It's Aunt Mimi!

Our best 4th of July-Family-Picture-Attempt...

Fireworks
... at Nana and Papa's house.

New Bebes
Introducing all our new little cousins... from a few days old up to 8ish months!

This is little Benjamin. He's very fresh.

And little Mateo... still pretty darn fresh.

And Olivia... so pretty.

And little Elizabeth. Check out that grin. What a cutie!

Family

We attempted a cousins photo.

Dame was just fine before all of us mommies started clapping and waving and shouting in order to get smiles... or even glances in our general direction.

We scared the poo out of him.

...he never recovered.

Dom and Ali. They still LOVE each other... even though they hardly ever get to be together. Here, they enjoy a nice spot of tea.

Dom and Donnie... little tow-heads.

Beautiful Weather

My little men were in heaven. They could run and play outside without

running the risk of their face melting off. How refreshing!

B-Ball
The boys had their annual ball game...

Dream Team.

Friends
I was able to spend much-needed time with my best friend and her adorable offspring. :)

Lagoon
Oh this was so much more fun than I thought it was going to be! We took the boys to Lagoon. They had the time of their lives. So.much.fun.

Dom was quite daring. He surprises me. For being so cautious about life in general... when it comes to rides and rollercoasters... completely uninhibited. Love it.

Dame was not a fan of the airplanes.

He crashed in his stroller for a couple of hours after this one...

Dominic loved the log ride. Seriously... he kept on surprising us.

His favorite ride... I don't have a picture of. It was a fast roller coaster called BomBora. He asked to go on it over and over again. We must've hit it 6 or 7 times.

Train ride...

Idaho
Me and the boys took a day-trip to Idaho while Rich worked from home ( UVU campus) in Utah. About 10 miles out from Burley, I was pulled over in a construction zone. On our drive to Lagoon, our car alarm kept going off randomly while we were driving so we had taken out our owner's manual and brought it into the house to read up on what could be the problem.

We never put it back in the car.

My proof of insurance was tucked inside it.

The policeman saw all my flowers in the car and asked where I was going. I told him, through my tears (but only because I was really embarrassed that I'd been speeding... for some reason that is humiliating to me and makes me bawl) that I was headed to the cemetary in Burley to put flowers on my Dad's grave.

He said he was sorry, headed back to his car... and came back after a few minutes, slip in hand.

I got a big 'ole ticket for speeding in a construction zone... and another one for no proof of insurance. Nice.

I drove the the cemetary 5 miles under the speed limit the whole way and then bawled to my Dad for 10 minutes about the cop's lack of compassion... and then I cried about more obvious things too. It was good though. It added a little more closure to see his headstone. The last time I was here was the funeral. His casket wasn't even buried.

I think his headstone looks beautiful.

The ground hasn't filled in yet... can still see the rectangle.

I borrowed someone else's headstone for this timer-pic... hope they didn't mind. ;)

Dom and Dame graciously emptied out the contents of their water bottles so that we could leave the vases filled to the brim.

Poppie's little men... they've got the ears to prove it.

My Roots

While I was in Burley, I met up with my Mama at my childhood home. I remember making these hand and foot impressions with my Dad like it was yesterday.

Everything is pretty delapidated and run-down now. But still pretty in a way. My Daddy built that barn with his own two hands. By himself. Our land stretched back past those trees. I had lots of room to roam as a little girl. Lots of memories in that barn. Loved to feed the horses from the hayloft with my Dad... and love to watch him shoe his horses in those stalls. Loved to eat handfulls of oats from the barrels in the tack room. Loved the smell of leather and manure. Love making forts in the hayloft. Loved hearing the rain fall on the tin roof. Thanks Daddy. :)

This is a huge white birch tree in our front yard. I've got a lot of childhood pictures taken sitting on these branches. So I did a little photoshoot with the men...

My Sweet Mama bought us lunch and ice cream before we headed back home. It was a wonderful trip. :) Love you Mom!

My Seester and the Cherub. Aaaand another long vacation post.

2011-08-14T16:27:00.000-07:00

And here he is. Just looking at him makes my heart hurt. I need another baby. This is William. My sister's sweet boy. He's about 8 weeks in this picture. Love that baby.

Amongst this summer's vacations was this trip to Louisiana to visit my sister and meet this sweet little man. Can I tell you how exhausted I was after catching two flights... one being 4 hours, the other being 3... and trying to keep my two little stinkweeds quiet/entertained/fed/pottied/rested... while fighting off clausterphobia in our 2 foot by 3 foot space on the plane, all while Damon sat on my lap!? Oh my. Robyn, you KNOW I love you. It was not a fun ride, but we made up for it as soon as we met up with the cousins!

Item #1 on the agenda? Play in the pool. Check.

Alice, Ella, Dom, Dame

"One, two, threeeee..."

"...SPLASH!"

Slippin' and Slidin'

The Back Yard

Robyn's yard literally backs up to forest. So beautiful. And so fun because her girl's have an awesome playhouse/swingset/slide built just for them. Lucky ducks. Dom and Dame were in HEAVEN...

Allie-Boo

Shoot. If that ain't a back woods boy... I don't know what is.

Dame

My sister is an amazing cook...

this is the beginnings of red beans and rice.

And this is a house out of Gone With the Wind.

Not really. But it could be. So gorgeous out there.

And so gorgeous right here. :) Look at this beautiful little man. Oh my... I need another one of these...

We stopped at a neighborhood park to let the kids play for a bit. This park was so pretty. Here's the neighborhood lake - which is right by the park, there was a plethora of canoes just piled up on the right (just out of the picture) that the residents just leave there for easy access to a quick skim on the water. I wish.

Here's a bunch of pictures of the kiddies having fun...

Dom's favorite was the tire swing.

I love Alice's hair in this picture... and Dom's face.

So much fun, those cousins.

Sliding...
Cheesin'...

Playin'...

and climbing...

One of the super-fun things that we did was go to a "Safari"! It was so awesome. And so, so hot. Check out those pink cheeks!

Here's all (almost) the kiddies before the safari started... sitting in the "covered wagon".

...the other kiddie was plum pooped.
Ugh, my poor sister wore him in that sticky, unforgiving heat.

Dominic and his cup of feed for the animals...

Damon, going in for another handful. I wasn't thinking when I handed him his own big cup of feed that he would see it as a tasty treat. He successfully shoveled an entire handful of pellets into his little mouth and was pretty much finished swallowing the last remnants before I could pry his mouth open to try and dig them out. Then he threw a huge tantrum because he couldn't have more. He kept saying, "Mmmmmm, Mum!" and then crying.

Allie-boo and her feed.

Me and the boys.

The animals flocked to our safari train like flies on poop!

Dom and the camel.

I LOVE this picture. So fun. My boys were mesmerized.

Damon even mustered up the courage to offer a tasty (beloved) pellet to his camel friend...

Happy camel... even cheesed for my picture.

William slept through most of the action...

And then there were giraffes... my favorite.

I was surprised at how uninhibited Dom was. He usually plays it on the safe side, but he loved feeding all the animals.

Dom and the Llama. I think it's a llama?

The zebra, giving the boys a staredown.

The only animals you were not allowed to feed. They bite, those zebras.

This, is a Texas Long-Horn.

Did you know they're really not from Texas at all? Spain.

He's like... "Get in my belly!"

The Safari was a blast... but the best part of this whole trip was seeing how much the kids loved each other. Dominic was in heaven.

LOVE.

This little lake is on the other side of the road from my sister's house. The owners let them go fishing here whenever they like. Allie-boo caught her first fish.

It would be so good for my soul to live here. Green everywhere you look... and tall trees... that kind of stuff makes me come alive! But then the humidity would just suck the life right back outta me, soooo...

Alice and her nasty little friend. That girl is a tom-boy.

Cori and his Mini-Me.

Awww...cute little Mini-Me.
Another awesome (and refreshingly INDOOR) place we took the kids was the"Louisiana Children's Discovery Center".

Of course, the first stop was the beloved train table.

Here's the boys, riding bareback.

Dame, his cup runneth o'er...

Man, this boy was in la-la-love... check it out:

Alice, Dom, and Dame... somersault-ers extraordinaire.

Alice

Dame

Ella

Dom

The tunnels...

... the puzzles.

And while we were there, we saw some super-cute construction guys...

...and also a couple of veterenarians.

...who take pride in their work and really love the animals they care for...

"Yup... compacted bowel. Just as I suspected."

Then we saw some Emergence Medical Technicians...

As well as some skilled surgeons, who knew how to keep their cool on the operation table...

...even when they sometimes messed up...

There were also jolly farmers...

Who know how to use a wheelbarrow...

...and aren't afraid to milk a cow.

We saw a couple of grocery Store Clerks, checking the produce for quality control...

...and running a mean cash register.

Concert pianists...

And world-class actors...

...who, by the way, put on an amazingly entertaining show.

...seriously, check it out:

The kids LOVED the bubble section.

This pully surrounds you in a ginormous bubble as you pull the rope down and the metal ring rises up...

...and the car racing section...

...such a fun day!

And one of the most awesome parts about this trip was not only that I got to meet my sweet little William, but I was able to be there for his Blessing! :) Doesn't he look so handsome in his blessing outfit? I love him.

I had every intention of making him a quilt and bringing it with me on this trip. Who was I trying to kid? I barely have enough time and energy to brush my teeth on a daily basis... let alone make a quilt. And I only have two kids! Anyway... I got him his blessing outfit instead. Still sentimental... but a lot less work. :) (Although he would have been worth every stitch and every needle prick.)

Handsome.

Little.

Devil.

Look at that face. Dome says he wants a baby "Wee-yum".
Welllll.....

I think he just wants me to have another baby so he can watch me pump. Because that boy rarely missed a pumping session.

Sorry Aunt Robyn! It was just so mind blowing. He couldn't help himself...

Ella proved to be quite the little Mother Hen. I'm jealous that Robyn will have a built-in babysitter in just a few short years. I cannot believe she'll be 8 in October. Her days were full of organizing fun games for everyone to play. Such a sweet, tenderheart this one is. Love her.

In our down time, we made some fun little books for the girls like the one Dominic has. I got the idea from my friend Amy's cute blog, here! (about 1/2 way down the page) So easy. So cheap. So nice for church, airplane rides, car trips, doctor's offices, etc. Just need a folder with brads... or a ringed binder, sheet protectors, a cheap workbook, an old sock for erasing, and dry erase markers... we added a zippered pencil pouch to keep the markers and sock in.

Dominic learned how to shake his groove thing (kinda) with Ella and Alice...

We had so much fun, it flew by and we were left feeling totally un-finished! I will remember next time to plan on at least a week and a half or maybe two. One doesn't cut it. I love this sweet family so much. I wish they were closer. I wish. I wish. I wish.

Here is our sad (but crazy-silly... so it didn't get too sad) trip back accross the lake to the airport in New Orleans.

This bridge crosses the Lake Pontchartrain from Madisonville to New Orleans. It is the world's longest "double-span" bridge. I think it's 21 miles long.

Robyn, thank you sooooo much for always showing us an absolutely amazing, fun-packed, wonderful time! I love you with all my heart, sweet sister! Next time... you guys. Arizona. Start saving.

It'll Be Just You and Me and the Moonlight Dancin' on the Sea to the Spanish Guitar Melody of a Mariachi Band...

2011-08-04T08:55:00.000-07:00

It seems like it didn't even happen. That's how awesome it was. JUST what we needed. This is Mexico trip #4... but the first one since the cherubs have come to live with us. And the first trip anywhere without the cherubs (thank you sooooo much Mom and Dad Innes). And the first trip in which we didn't do any excursions. Nope... nada. Puuuuure relaxation on the beach... or in a hammock... or by the pool... just listening to the ocean. Ahhh-mazing. I just wish it was the first trip we didn't get an embarassing/painful sunburn... accompanied by a nasty fever blister that lasted for almost two weeks afterward. And that was after multiple doses of sunblock. For real. Why does my skin hate the sun!?

Yeeeouch!

But it was a small price to pay for the sheer awesomeness that was our vacation. Get ready for too many pictures...

Riu Palace Mexico

On our flight , the pilot brought all the first class passengers one by one to see the cockpit. Have you ever been in a cockpit before? It was pretty cool. And lest you think I'm bragging about being a first class passenger... we NEVER would have sat in first class if it weren't for Rich's "gold status" from all those Malaysia trips so.... there.

Flying into Cancun... after landing, we travel south by taxi for about an hour until we get to Playa Del Carmen. Love this place. With all my heart.

Our room... complete with cheesy towel animals. :)

Our hotel. I'm so excited.

The beach was amazing.

And so was my husband. It's really funny... how much we've "missed" each other over the past 4 years. Don't read too much into that statement... I LOVE our life. We really have such a wonderful marriage. It's just that after you become moms and dads, you learn to love a different aspect of your "lover" than you did before you had kids. It was nice to have our stress-free... carefree selves back for a while. :)

I was like, "Oh, Rich is so funny! He's so charming!" We held hands everywhere we went. We laughed at each other's lame jokes. We wore perma-grins. It was like we were dating all over again. And awesome to know that, yes... even though real life right now is hectic and the kids pretty much squelch any alone time or romanticism the moment we even think about it... we are still compatible... still best friends... still a perfect match.

(Okay, you can sigh... or puke... whichever you'd like.)

Here's said charming husband.

... and here's the lovely Mayan Riviera.

Some obligatory beach photos...

Rich and the "Great White". *sigh*

If only there were a pill that you could take...

We passed by some little ruins on our way to "5th Avenue".

Fifth Avenue. We would jog there through the streets of Playacar and then take our shoes off after spending a few hours there and jog along the beach back to our hotel.

Rich on 5th.

I love 5th Avenue.

Here is a little 360 video view of 5th ...

We love this little restraunt. We met Mandarina when we first came to Playa Del
Carmen on our "honeymoon". That was almost 10 years ago... and it wasn't as nice then as it is now. Anyway, we thought we'd take a picture for old time sake. :)

It was rainy and overcast the first day we were there... but still beautiful.

And the water was still super warm. So that was nice.

Me and Rich on the pier before our jog back to our hotel.

The hotel in the background is the Grand Porto Real.

We stayed there on our honeymoon.

The ferry that goes to Cozumel.

Rich at dinner with a fake/annoyed smile on his face. It was so beautiful at our hotel. Balmy and warm, and it smelled like the ocean. It was so refreshing to not have to hoover our meals before the kiddies start throwing their food.

R+C=TLA

...some of the nightly entertainment. Lots of Mexican dancing going on, and then on this particular night they were doing dances from around the world. We basically drank our weight in pina coladas and margaritas (they can basically make every kind of specialty drink without alcohol - yay for us.) and watched the performers each night after dinner.

It really wasn't as cheesy as it looks...

...okay, maybe it was. But it was still entertaining.

Part of the beach was equipped with hammocks... perfect for reading books...

...posing for cheesy photos...

...taking more pictures of our feet...

...people watching...

...checking your work email... WHAT!? What a nerd.

...and taking a well-deserved nap.

Rich and his Bahama Mama.

... a little more of Playa and 5th Avenue. Love the color.

Rich tried (unsucessfully) to teach me how to swim. Well, I know how to swim... I just can't swim. Are you confused???

Rich's perfect underwater handstand.

My not-so-perfect underwater handstand...

...because it is one-handed.

Because my other hand is busy.

Because it is plugging my nose.

Because I'm 3.

Don't make fun.

Yes, I needed to post a picture of the pretty carved melons. Just be grateful I didn't post all of the pretty melons I took pictures of. :)

Frizzy hair and shiny faces. Love that balmy air.

Balmy sounds more vacation-y than "sticky", "humid", "suffocating". But really, I actually didn't mind it here because I didn't have any need to do my hair... or my make up.

In fact, it was liberating. :)

"Cheers!"

Okay... I must tell you of my two favorite moments while here. I love mariachi bands. It has always been a dream of mine to be sereneded by a mariachi band. At dinner, the night before we left... the ONLY 2-hour span I did not bring my camera, my wish came true. We were stuffing our faces full of sopas and tamales and fresh tortilla chips when we were greeted by four fancily clad amigos, instruments in hand. They asked me what my favorite Mexican song was... to which I excitedly (understatement) replied... "That Ay-ay-aye-ay one!!!" And with that, they raised their instruments and played "Cielito Lindo" to me while I stupidly swayed back and forth and grinned from ear to ear... while getting all misty-eyed (seriously) and singing along in my best Spanglish. Ole!

While the following mariachi band is not the same one that sereneded me... they do have something to do with my 2nd favorite moment...

It had just finished raining and the ground was all sparkling in the courtyard outside our hotel. We had just finished dinner and a mariachi band (that night's entertainment) was playing on the gazebo. It was balmy and warm and the ocean-air had me smiling from ear to ear already. And then, and then my romantic little husband (with absolutely no prodding on my part... yeah, and I'm tan) took me out on the couryard and slowdanced with me. All. by. ourselves. To make it even more wonderful. It started to rain again. (Don't worry that the band was playing a comical Mexican version of "...I say my dar-ying, you looh won-nerful tonighhh".) It was STILL romantic. Don't roll your eyes.

Here's some more beachy pics... seriously, this post is really more for me than anyone else. I know you can't possibly want to see every flippin' picture from our trip. But I want to remember it here. So... more beachy pics.

The cute little book I enjoyed while sipping my pina colada.

Our last day...

Don't let those smiles fool you. We are heartbroken to have to leave.

We are such Lucky Duckies to have such awesome parents. Our boys are hard to keep up with... they really don't sit still for more than a minute. I think Rich's mom was a wee bit heart-broken when she discovered they don't really ever sit to watch a cartoon. I hearby award them the most-energetic grandparents ever! My little stinkers got spoiled. While we were living life in lap of luxury, they were going to parades, petting farms, Thanksgiving Point, the museum, they even went to meet Cosmo! They had so much fun.

Coming home was like a big 'ol slap in the face. We went into Dame's room to get him up the morning after we got back and he was a little panicked because while he could hear us and feel our faces, he couldn't see us. He kept raising his eyebrows in an effort to pry open his lids and desperately shaking his head from side to side trying to somehow catch a glimpse of his long lost parents. It took some skilled work with a wet washcloth and about 15 minutes for us to get his eyes open.

Pinkeye is for the birds.

And punishing your parents with over the top tantrums and suction-cup-shaming cling-on skills for 2 weeks because they left you for 5 days is just rude... but I'll take the punishment if that's the payment for bliss. Soooo worth it. Viva Mexico!

My First Father's Day without my Dad

2011-06-19T16:24:00.000-07:00

Today has been a rollercoaster of emotion for me. Wading through grief with a heart overflowing with thankfulness for the time we had, and the memories that I'll always have.

I am not writing this for pity. Don't want you to feel sorry for me. Not sure if anyone really reads it much anyway... just writing because I'm aching to do something for my Daddy and hating the fact that there is nothing I can give him on this special day... save a little tribute on my blog, and a Father's Day card addressed to "Heaven." I miss him so much sometimes it takes my breath away. He is such and amazing man and it really hurts that my little boys will have to take my word for it. At least I have pictures. :) If this isn't just the most adoring "Poppie" there ever was...

I'm sure this year will be chock-full of "firsts" without my sweet Dad. My first birthday without him, his first birthday without us, the first 4th of July without visiting him, first Thanksgiving... don't even want to think about Christmas. But today I'm going to try and remember all my "firsts" that I was blessed to have him by my side through... first horse rides, first loves, break-ups, graduations, engagement, marriage, babies, homes... so many "firsts" that he was able to share with me. I am so grateful.

And it gives me a little consolation, especially because of how freshly I am missing him today... that he gets to spend his first Father's Day in a loooong time with his Dad. It's been over 30 years. I'm sure they're having a wonderful time together, and I'm very happy for them... very grateful that families are forever.

And also very grateful to this man...

... what an amazing, sweet, gentle, and fun Daddy he is. Couldn't have dreamed up a better husband. Happy Father's Day!

P.S. If you are fortunate enough to have your Dad still with you here on Earth... make sure you tell them what they mean to you, how they've helped shape your life, how much you love them. Every day, certainly not just today. And give them a big, loooonnng hug, for me. ;) Because what I'd give to be able to do that again right now.

It's a.... BABY!

2011-05-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not pregnant. Tee, hee, hee... fooled ya. But my sister is... was. Last night I talked to my sis, Robyn, the one just a couple of years older than me... as she was preparing and anticipating her induction this morning at... wait for it... 2a.m.!? (Seriously, why on Earth!?) Anyway, we were talking about baby names... William for a boy... Lucy or Mayra for a girl... bubbling over with excitement. Robyn and Cori (her hubby) are one of the few who opted for a surprise on the delivery room table. They have two beautiful little girls, Ella and Alice. And the thought of another little beauty was on all of our minds. Don't you think "Ella, Alice, and Lucy" sound perfect together? And if it's a boy? William is such a classic name. I love that name. Anyway... I had her text me when she got to the point that she needed her epidural at the hospital (4-something a.m. here in Arizona... 6-something a.m. in Lousisiana, where she lives)... and after I got that text there was NO WAY I was able to get any more sleep.

Here is my sis, getting checked in at 2ish this morning... with her big belly and tiny little body. Pregnant women don't get much cuter than that, right?

She promised to have her hubby put the phone on speaker when the pushing began (we are fast pushers in my family... I knew it would be short) so that I could hear my sweet little niece/nephew come into this world. I was in the room when Ella was born and that is an amazing story for another day. I was unfortunately getting a root canal when Alice was born and I knew the whole time I heard my phone ringing beside the dentist chair that it was her and that I was missing the birth... that was a long root canal (when is it ever not a long root canal, let's be honest). And, Robyn was able to be on speaker phone with me when both Dominic and Damon were born. Maybe a little bit over-the-top... but we're sentimental saps like that. It's really unfair that we live so far away from each other.

I actually called her at about 6:10a.m. (8:10 her time) and talked with her for a second before her in-laws arrived. She was feeling no pain and had already dilated from a 2 1/2 to a 4 in an hour. And that was an hour ago... then she told me her contractions looked like they were about a minute apart on the monitor.

"Um... you might be complete if they're coming that fast." says me.

"Yeah... I'll have them check me when they come back." says she.

And then she had to go so she could say hello to Cori's parents who had just come into the room. I only made it out of bed, to the potty, and downstairs before my phone rang again. It was Cori.

"She's complete and starting to push!" says he.

I ran back upstairs as fast as my little legs would carry me so I could enjoy this moment from my comfy bed (and so I wouldn't wake Dominic with the whooping and hollering that was sure to follow) and put my phone on speaker... just giddy with anticipation.

Birth is amazing to me. I don't think I can ever get used to it. The miracle of it all. One moment, they're inside you and the next... they're a human being. Living. By themselves. You made them. (with a little help, of course.) Wow. Still hard to wrap my brain around that if I really think about it.

So there I sat. Grinning from ear to ear. Listening. I felt like I should have some popcorn and a soda or something. I heard the nurse counting...

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7...."

I heard muffled voices. I heard them ask her if she wanted a mirror. Then I was startled to hear Rich's phone beside me ring. I answered it. Now I had a phone on both sides of my head.

It was my mom.

She had flown out to Louisiana from Idaho for the birth. The problem??? This hospital only allowed 2 people in the room and Robyn had been promising Cori's sister that she could stay for months now because she'd never seen a birth before and was really excited to witness this little miracle. So my mom bowed out and waited anxiously in the hall with Cori's parents, while Cori and Carrie stayed in to man the camera and camcorder.

And to witness the birth of ???? Dum, dum, dum.......the surprise baby.

I had a brilliant idea just as Robyn was pushing through her 3rd contraction. I put Rich's phone up to my phone as my mom was trying to explain to me why she wasn't in the room. And just then I heard Cori's sister (I think) excitedly yell...

"Oh my gosh! I've never seen this before!!!!" says she.

"Oooohhhhh!" says Robyn.

(Actually it was a little more like, "Oooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!")

And then? While I, my mama, and Cori's parents eagerly awaited those scratchy, squeaky little baby cries... (I can just see them all huddled around the cell-phone via cell-phone birth broadcast from the hall in the hospital) ...I thought I heard a muffled "...little boy" from the doctor.

"Mom! Did you hear that!? Did he say boy!? I think it's a boy!" says me.

"Do you have a name?" says Doctor.

"William!" says a crying, proud Mama. (Followed by that squeaky, scratchy little cry I had been waiting for.)

"Oh my gosh, he DID say boy!!!! Whooooooo-hooooooo!" says I.

(Followed by a good cry.)

You see, we were ALL, every one of us, secretly (or not so secretly) hoping, that, well.... it would be a boy. And here he is...

Little William James Card Powell

8:17 a.m. 7 lbs 8 ounces 19 inches long... and dark curly hair!

The "Card" part is my Dad's mother's maiden name. He would've liked that. And the best part is that my sweet Dad was probably just with him moments before... sending him off on his life-long journey. That's awesome. :) And awesome is what my day is today. I have an adorable new little nephew to love! I'm so thankful I was able to hear his first little cries. What a blessing he is.

Here's the girls with their new baby brother. Do you think they're happy? I think maybe.

Like... the Best Day, Ever.

2011-05-16T15:37:00.000-07:00

Dominic has many loves in life... garage doors, manhole covers, vents. holes, and rectangles (see below)... the list could go on and on. But ever since he started preschool, one love has trumped the others... (except for the garage doors... but a post on garage doors isn't nearly as cute as this one)... his current object of obsession, er... affection?

The Schoolbus. (angelic choir)

Every day after preschool, we have this ritual... goes a little something like this:

1. Say "Bye" to Miss Julie.

2. Stomp on the "holes" in the sidewalk (don't ask) and determine whether they are open or closed... broken or not broken.

3. Walk on the rectangles (the green plastic covers for the sprinkler system that are imbedded into the grass on the school lawn).

4. And then... we make a dash for the schoolbus, ahem... "Sthoow-buth".

Mr. David (or as Dom says, "Mr. Dayffffffff-id") is the bus driver. This guy is great.

He loves my little, quirky man-child. After seeing my little guy salivating and spazzing over the school bus during the first 3 days of school, Mr. David suggested Dominic climb aboard and explore... and THAT my friends, is history. Now every stinkin' day, Dom gets on that bus, gives Mr. David a high-five... and then says "Hi" to all his little friends while they get buckled in. Then we get off the bus and Dominic "spazzes" out while Mr. David opens and shuts the bus doors about 7 or 8 times, honks the horn once or twice, and slowly drives out of site. Literally... we MUST stand there until we cannot see the bus anymore, because if we don't???... well, life may end. So this takes a while... and a lot of paitence on my part, but I try to remember... this IS the highlight of his day. After the bus finally disappears behind the trees, the ritual continues...

5. Re-walk on the rectangles.

6. Do the "holes" thing again.

7. Go in the "tunnel" (the roof that extends over the school's... patio?).

8. Do the "holes" thing at the other door of the school.

9. Walk on the other rectangles.

10. And then finally, finally... we slllllooooowwwlly get into the car after much coaxing and sometimes...more often than not... a threat.

Anyway... I digress...

Mr. Dayfffffff-id decided that he wanted to let Eager-Beaver ride the bus home. So last Thursday, I brought our address and a little map on a piece of paper, and my camera... and Dominic got to RIDE THE BUS! I thought his little heart would burst with excitement. He talked about it the night before with anticipation... and all.the.way. to school that morning... and apparently all throughout his school day because Miss Julie was already very aware that he was going to be riding the bus after school and even asked if she could tag along to see him in all his glory.

So here... after that incredibly long explanation and a lot of suspense (but hey, I want to remember all of those little details because someday when I'm not feeling impatient, sleep deprived and a little bit crazy... someday, I'm going to want to remember those kinds of things)... here is the documentation of Dominic's FIRST EVER STHOOW-BUTH RIDE.......

Look at his face... he is so excited. Mr. David is leaning over the driver seat, explaining to him what will happen on the bus.

The smile never left his face... perma-grin.

I love the 2nd picture here. Makes me laugh every time I see it. He's so pumped. Sitting next to him is his little bus-friend, Silas.

I followed the bus all the way home, just in case Dom freaked out. Psshhht! I don't know what I was worried about... he was in la-la-loooove!

...still following...and taking weird, stalker-ish pictures of the bus...

When we got to the last light before our house, I cruised in front of the bus so I could hop out of the car at home... just in time to capture this:

What a dream come true! He won't always be this easy to please, I'm sure. But let me just say, today made my DAY. It's the little things in life that matter most. And seeing his whole face light up today as one of his biggest wishes came true? Priceless.

Here's to all awesome school employees, like Mr. Day-ffffffid, who go the extra mile to make a kid smile. What a kind-hearted man. :)