Sunday, July 18, 2010

What a weekend!

Whew, the weekend both went by quick and took forever to get through all at the same time. We had the priviledge of taking care of our friend's little 6 year old boy (whom I've known since his birth!) and who just so happens to be our little boy's best friend. They have grown up together and are 5 weeks apart in age, so to say the least, they behave quite a bit like 6 year old brothers. :)

We picked him up on Thursday night, and the boys enjoyed their dinner and movie time. They played for a bit and then off to bed they went. Friday morning, I took all four boys to the theatres and we watched Planet 51. They all loved it!!! Friday night we took the boys to eat some pizza, played games at Chuck E. Cheese then took them to see Despicable Me. I still can't believe how cute that movie was! Saturday morning I surprised the boys with pancakes and they stuffed their cute little faces. Saturday evening, we invited our sister-in-law and our 2-year-old niece over for some water play outside and dinner. Our friend's little boy decided to have spaghetti (he picked our dinner out) and so along with that, we had cobb salad and garlic bread. De-lish-ous!!!

This morning, I surprised the boys with pancakes again, this time chocolate chip! They loved them, of course. :) They had some amazing playtime and watched a couple of movies. As our friend was getting to the airport from out of town, I took our Standard Poodle Nola to the groomers to get all beautified. Our friend picked up son, I picked Nola back up from the groomers and our family had some tasty chinese food for dinner.

We had a very busy, but fun weekend. Can't wait to see what's in store for the week!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

I know, I know....

I skipped yesterday. Go ahead, let me have it...

Wait a minute, I have an excuse! I was busy? You know, 'cause I'm a mom and all? No? Nothing? Not even a little sympathy? Alright, well, it was worth a shot anyway...




Now that that's over...how was your hump day? Mine was pretty good thanks! I made a yummy breakfast for the family. Eggs, toast, tomatoes, olives and some fresh strawberries for after. My son can eat an entire container of strawberries and let me tell you, he did. There are no more left, thank goodness they were on sale for $.79! Now I can go back tomorrow and get some more!

I cleaned my ratties cage out from top to bottom, literally. I also gave them baths which made holding them so much nicer and less nose-wrenching. They have some new toys in their cage to play with, and I think they had a relaxing day today after their baths. I wish I could have a spa day...

There were no signs of dead birds or anything that looked like dead birds today, so that was a bonus! I'm glad to not have a murderous Poodle. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, read the post below. :)

Dinner was quite yums also. We had spaghetti, cobb salad, grilled veggies and lemon pepper potatoes. We were going to eat some organic vanilla bean ice cream, but we were too full. We settled for a few dark chocolate covered acai berries. Delish!

On an interesting note today, I told my husband how I would love to have some chickens to raise just for eggs. No meat chicken raising in this household, thank you very much! To my genuine surprise, he didn't shoot that idea out the window. We talked about the startup cost, maintenance cost and it's not too bad in the end!

Also, the Rattery (www.aristoratsaz.com) where I got my rattie babies from just had their litter born today that I was waiting on! Congrats to Captain Jack and Princess Belle on their beautiful little rattie litter! What? You don't like rats? That's cool...more for me.
:)

Monday, July 12, 2010

Hello Monday!

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening! How was your day today? Good? Fantastic! Mine was fun and it started out quite interesting to say the least. Firstly, after I let my dogs out this morning for some relief, I came back inside and started getting the house ready for the day. As I looked out the window to check on my furry beasts, I see them both chillaxin' on our outdoor carpet. I smile and think to myself what a lucky lady I am to have such sweet, mellow dogs. Then I look closer and to my utter horror, it appears as though my Poodle has decided to snack on what looks like a deceased little bird. :(
I open the back door and call them inside, making sure not to let my murderous Poodle touch me with her germ ridden mouth. She looks quite pleased with herself as she walks in and I send her to her crate so that she can't lick anything including myself or the munchkins until the "germs" have gone away. I take another quick look out of the window (but not too close) and I can't bear the thought of going outside and picking up this poor dead little bird. So of course I do what any wife would do, I wait for my husband to come home to pick it up!

Another fun part of my day was looking at some horses that are up for adoption through different horse rescues in Arizona. I fell in love right away with about 15 of them. Now just to get the room....
I haven't ridden since last summer, and before that it was probably a couple years since my tushie had last seen a saddle. As I'm browsing and checking out different ads for boarding (just looking!), I happen to come across an ad for horseback riding lessons. So naturally, I clicked on it.

*innocent doe eyes*

I happen to come across an ad that I had seen last year that I ended up losing the number to. It's for a couple who run a ranch and board horses, train horses and offer lessons. They're in the affordable range so I shoot my husband the info through an email.

My poor hubby. He came home and immediately went to the kitchen and grabbed some Pepto Bismol. He was not feeling well at all. I had him go and lay down, and of course, he wanted to go and play basketball. I put my foot down and said the players and the court at the gym didn't need any vomity decorations today, and he didn't need to have his face meet the hardwood floor if he passed out. He conceded, and went to bed. I made him some lovely tea, and then began to make dinner. Cause I rock like that. Just occasionally though...

Anyhow, he slept for a bit, I made dinner and called everyone to the table. I gently and ever so lovingly woke my husband up and asked if he wanted to eat. He said yes and when he came out, he said he felt much better. I then proceeded to inform him of the little bird that was outside that Nola had been munching on. Before eating, he went outside to take care of it. As I'm grimacing in the kitchen, I peek my head out to ask him if its super grody, and he says, "So where's the bird?" I look outside and he says, "Their chew bone is out here, but I don't see a bird." I then realize that yesterday, I had given the dogs some chew hooves and marrow bones. I also then realize that I never picked them up yesterday from the yard. I sheepishly look at my husband and without saying anything he just picks them up and I can see the little grin on his face. What a hubs. :)

We sit down to dinner and the boys are watching G-Force, so I take the opportunity to ask my husband if he wouldn't mind me showing him something. He's still not feeling 100% so he agrees. I tell him about the riding lessons and he agrees that it would be fun for my 6 1/2 year old and I to go together. You can't even begin to imagine how excited I am to go at all, let alone with my little guy! I also show him some of the rescue horses that I'm head over heels for, and he agrees that quite a few of them are lookers. I'm quite pleased at how agreeable he is with me at the moment. I mean, I'm sure most of it is the Pepto talking, but I'll take what I can get!

After dinner, I start putting my running shoes on, and my son asks where I'm going. I tell him I'm getting ready to walk the furballs and ask if he wants to go with. Mind you, I had just put "Zathura" on so I figured he would rather stay home. To my great joy and surprise, he asks if he can tag along! Hurrah! My little man actually wants to voluntarily remove himself from in front of the TV to play outside. We had a lovely stroll, me with the pups and he with his scooter.

Monday turned out to be quite a fun day all in all. I ended up not having a murderous Poodle, no animals were killed in the making of today, I signed myself and my son up for riding lessons, we had a lovely walk, and while my husband is not completely well, he feels a little better. I look forward to more Mondays just like this!

Sunday, July 11, 2010

I'm Back!

Wow! I have really neglected my blog. Like, a lot. Life just got in the way a little bit, you know? Oh well, no worries. I'm back now! And this time, I'm going to make it a point to post every day. Even if it's just, "Hai! How are yooz doing?"
It's been over 2 months since I last posted and quite a bit has gone on. First, we celebrated Mother's Day and that was such a beautiful day. Then, on May 17, my youngest sister turned 17. Ugh, she's getting closer to being "legal" and growing up which means she's no longer an actual child. Which, in turn, means that my babies are getting older, which means they will soon be adults, which turns into finding someone to marry and spend the rest of their life with, then having kids which means I turn into a grandma, and then the grandkids grow up, and it's all just happening too fast!

*SLAP*

Get ahold of yourself woman!

Sorry, my imagination ran away for a minute there. Won't happen again. At least, not in this post.

Anyhow.

So my husband and I celebrated 10 years of blissful (yes, truly blissful) marriage to each other on May 26. We had an absolutely beautiful vow renewal in Flagstaff, Az and it just so happened to be with the priest that married us 10 years ago. It was lovely and dinner at Pasto was fabulous. The food was delectable and the cake was out of this world! For being a chain, Bashas bakery department actually did a great job on our custom cake. Thanks again Bashas!

10 days later, on June 6, I turned 29! For the first time ever in my life, I was utterly and completely sick to my stomach on my birthday. And no, it wasn't because I was in my last year of my 20's. I actually got really, really sick. We did have an amazing dinner planned at one of the most yummy restaurants, but then my stomach decided I'd had enough fun for one day (at noon, mind you) and called it quits for me. I tried to bear through it, but my tums was NOT having it. So no birthday celebration for me. I even had this sweet dress that I purchased specifically for my birthday. It's hot pink on top, and black tulle-type material on the bottom. Very 80's. Sadly, I have not yet rescheduled my birthday dinner, and I'm not quite sure when I'll get around to it...

Next item on the list, Father's Day! That was a pretty good day and I think my husband thoroughly enjoyed himself, and our boys were quite sweet to him that day. He got a few new DVD's and he was quite pleased.

We also went to Tempe Improv and got to see one of my favorite comedians/actors - Michael McDonald from Mad TV! He was HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!

We also booked our trip to Vegas! We are especially excited, for, you see, we have not had hubs/wife time for over a year. Prior to March 2009, we had hubs/wife time (sans kiddos) at least 6-8 times a year. You can't even begin to imagine how exited we are for this! We love our kiddos, and to continue to be good parents and role models, we need to recharge ourselves. So to do that, we go and throw money away at impossible games, watch ridiculously expensive shows, and eat tons of delicious, never-ending buffet food at low prices. Food prices make up for the money everyone's lost. They figure if they take everyone's money, they should at least price some buffets so people can afford to eat. :)

Well, I think that's about it. I've caught you all up on my life the last two months or so. I mean, I didn't tell you everthing that happened, but then, where would the mystery be?

Oh! I almost forgot! My bestest friend in the entire wide world (the other half of my brain, really) graduated from ASU and is now certified to teach your youngsters! She is going to make an amazing teacher and whichever school ends up hiring her will have gotten themselves a gem.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Where has the time gone?!

Wow, I can't believe I last posted almost two weeks ago! We have had a crazy and busy couple of weeks here! A lot has gone on, that's for sure! We had a blast at Warrior Dash, and thankfully, it wasn't as hard as the website said it would be. It was pretty fun though, and I would definitely enjoy doing it again. We had some friends join us, which of course, made it even MORE fun! Here are the pics of proof:



This guy had just finished as we were walking up to go and get ready!



My oldest boy and I!



Our dear friends J & L!



And we're off! There I am in the hot pink bandana!







Me, in all my muddy, finishing glory.



One of our friends finishing the race...



Yes, people did in fact wear elaborate costumes to run in the race. He obviously hadn't started his race yet, just look at how pristine his leg feather do-diddies look!



And this guy happened to be the "Dorito Warrior".



And our other friend finishing with great time also!



All of us afterwards, some muddier than others.



This was the view I received after my best friend turned around. Apparently, a girl behind her tripped in the mud pit and landed on a soft spot. I mean, those are big handprints, don't you think? I'm pretty sure I saw a girl behind her...anyhow.



I felt this was possibly the funniest and best picture I took all weekend. Please note I think this is only because my best friend snuck in at the last moment without my knowledge.



All in all, we all had a good and muddy weekend. Quite refreshing, if I do have to say so myself!


Also in news!

Our youngest was baptized! Woohoo! He seemed to take it all in stride and didn't seem to mind the large amount of people doting on him throughout the day.







Big Brother!




My beautiful little family!





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Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Is that?!?!

So, the other day I was eating some fantastic cookies from Paradise Bakery. Don't you think their cookies are delectable? I do! Anyhow, I was eating one of their Chocolate Chip cookies, and then remembered I hadn't fed the furries their dinner. Being the responsible pet owner that I am, I headed over to the laundry room to begin to dish dinner out. Pups all suddenly awakened and stayed put (albeit excitedly) on their cots while I finished scooping kibble into each bowl.

Mind you, during this scooping of kibble, I'm still happily munching away on my cookie.

My husband just so happened to come in at a certain point in time while I'm scooping and munching. The following is the conversation that took place:

Him: What are you doing?!

Me: Uh, getting the dogs dinner ready. Why?

Him: (With a look of complete and utter disgust on his face) Well, what did you just put in your mouth?

Me: (Quickly realising what he must have witnessed at the precise moment he walked through the door) Oh! Hahahaha! That was some of my cookie!

Him: (Disturbed look on his face) Are you sure? That looked like you just ate some dog food...

Me: (Beginning to laugh nervously for unknown reasons) Yes! I promise I wasn't eating dog food! One of the chocolate chips fell onto my leg while I was scooping the food with the other hand, and I picked up the chocolate chip and ate it! I swear! Here! Look, the cookie still has some chocolate chips in it! (Showed him the cookie)

Him: (Looking cookie over, seeing chocolate chips still inside) Okay, well, I really thought you just ate dog food. That was gross.

Me: Ewww! No way! I promise it was just the chocolate chip!

Him: (While exiting room) Okay, I really hope it wasn't dog food...

I took a pic of a different chocolate chip for comparison, and unless you look up close (like the pic shows), you really wouldn't be able to tell the difference from the distance he was at.



The chocolate chip is the one on the left.

I think...



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Thursday, April 8, 2010

A Little Bit of Everything

Well, it's finally a week later and my voice has decided to come out of hiding. I'm ecstatic!!! Especially as how I'm leaving tomorrow morning for California for an awesome event called Warrior Dash! Ya, that's right, I'm going to be doing it. I'm super duper excited, and just a teeny bit nervous about going through the pitch black tunnels and going through the water while crossing over/around logs. There, I've said it. I'm a grown woman and I'm scared of the dark and water. Go ahead and laugh, I know it's silly to be scared of those things, but I is, I tell ya! If you don't know what Warrior Dash is, google it. It's an event filled with viking type stuff and awesomeness.

Also, I'd like to wish everyone a belated Happy Easter. Ours was pretty fun, took the kids easter egg hunting on Saturday instead of Sunday. The quick-beating heart part was when I thought my 6-year-old was trampled by other bigger, taller kids in the rush to get to the eggs! It didn't help that he just so happened to be wearing the same colored shirt as all of the volunteers (child and adult alike) for the event. I don't think I've gotten quite so worked up about his safety in quite some time. I finally found him in the mass of children, basket filled with eggs and a big smile on his face. Whew. Littlest guy didn't have it any easier though. You would think that having a completely separate area for toddlers to collect their eggs would mean that parents are watching where they step, seeing as how most of the participants are all of two feet tall and under. Nope, he was almost squashed by a lady backing up into him. Thank goodness for my husband being with our 2-year-old and paying attention. They both collected a decent amount of eggs though, and seemed quite happy afterwards.

Here they are doing the "carry the egg on the spoon, but don't drop it because everyone is scrutinizing your form" activity...





Here is the giant field of eggs for the older kids:



Here's my youngest excited to start grabbing those eggs!



Sadly, the older kids were supposed to wait their turn so the toddlers could get their eggs, and then the older kiddos, but as soon as they heard them yell go for the little ones, they all took off. I wasn't able to get a picture of my boy getting his eggs, and just began have a mini stroke for fear he was going to get trampled. He didn't, and here is the first shot of him after finally spotting him in the crowd.



Anyhow, after getting my heartrate to go back to a normal bpm, he decided he wanted to go on one of the inflatable climbers. This was quite cute as it was a dinosaur/alligator thing and you had to climb up through the mouth. Like so...



Wait, you want me to go down his throat and get swallowed?!



I better get something really great out of this...



And this, ladies and gentlemen, is my view from the back of the inflatable climber:



And he's out!



It wasn't until I pointed it out to him exactly where he had come out of that he realized and got ever so slightly embarassed. :)

Hee hee, it makes me giggle as I think about it now.

On Easter Sunday, we took the monkeys to the zoo. Seemed fitting.

They enjoyed it quite a bit, and we surprised them with the very special treat of hand feeding the giraffes. We all took tremendous joy in that!

No pictures please!















Thanks for the treats!





Our female Standard Poodle sleeps just like the lioness!













If you look closely, these two form a lovely heart with their mohawk heads.



One of the coolest looking plants I've seen in a while...



And some smooches from our little monkey to end a fantastical trip to the zoo!





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