Arizona

Things I am going to miss about you...

Friends, friends, friends. Mine, Nathaniel's and the kids'. We have loved our friends here. It has made all of the difference in the world. Which leads into the next thing...

Running buddies, the track, and good weather to run in most of the year. I never saw myself as a runner, but thanks to Megan I gave it a try and have discovered that I actually enjoy it. Megan and Lori I'll miss you! I'll miss our early mornings, late nights, venting to each other while we pounded pavement, and pushing each other to do more. It meant a lot to have your help. I probably never would have done it without you guys. I love that track. I have so many fond memories that came from it. Reaching goals, laughing, building friendships, and so much more.

Beautiful winters full of outings to the park, not scraping windows, warming up the car, or bundling up the kids.

My playgroup. I loved our ongoing Tuesday gatherings. I loved how you could relate to the other moms and realize you are normal and so are your kids...for the most part.

Game nights and Girls nights. We had some fun groups we did games with and although they weren't often enough, I loved our girls nights and how we always brought games and never opened them because we were always talking and laughing together.

Michael P., our honest mechanic. I guess they do exist. (He's even come to our house twice to fix our car. Gotta love that!)

Our ward(s). We have been in 3 since we have been here since they changed the boundaries. I love getting settled into a ward and knowing faces and names. I'll miss the history I have here. This is the longest we have ever been in one ward. (Meaning this is the longest I have been with a majority of my ward. There were a lot of us that shifted together.)

Being within 5 miles of just about everything I need: walmart, target, home depot, libraries, the track, church, school, entertainment, and most of our friends. That'll be a bit of a change when the nearest walmart is 2 -3 hours away.

The lack of spiders I have seen since I have been here. I have really only seen 3 or so that were bigger than a pencil eraser.

Living close to Nathaniel's side of the family. We go over to Yuma about every other month or so. That has been really fun.

Our neighbor Lilian. She is the sweetest thing and my kids really love her. Every time they see her they have to wave and say "hi" at least 30 times each.

Monsoons. I love the thunder, lightning and downpouring rain. I could sit outside and listen all evening.

Mt. Lemmon and Sabino Canyon. We didn't go much but the couple of times we did we loved them.

Winterhaven. During Christmastime this is my favorite thing in Tucson. The weather is great, the lights are so amazing and we always go with friends which makes it so fun. I will really miss this.

Our house. It may not be really fancy, new, or big, but I have loved a place of our own without neighbors above or below us. I love our garage. We don't park in it because it is at an awkward angle, but we use it for storage, projects, and even play. I will miss that much extra space.

The Whole Foods Market. It has made being GF here easy. I love that Fry's and Albertson's and the Yuma Walmart carry so many GF things.

The Splash Park. What a fun free thing to do with the kids. For that matter, I'll miss all of the other parks here. Since the weather is nice for most of the year, there are so many fun parks to go to. I also loved the zoo here. It was the perfect size and was so easy to do by myself.

Things I won't miss about you...

COCKROACHES!!! And other nasty bugs like palo verde beetles.

Summer heat (and therefore immodesty- is it possible to wear less?) and the humidity that comes in July and August. There is something wrong with seeing 114 as you drive past the bank.

Being so far from my family.

My electricity bill in the summer (you'd think with the house at 80 it wouldn't be that high-wrong!).

Crime. Not a fan. I don't like the helicopters that fly overhead with spotlights, the cop cars at our neighbors, the rapist around the corner, the bank that was robbed 1/2 mile away, the guy that was shot at the car wash around the other corner, and the fact that many of my friends houses have been broken into. I don't like having to check and double check our doors at night to be sure it will only be us in our home.

Living "in town". I don't like living in a place with about a million other people. It's not enough space for me.

The school system. I am so glad to NOT be sending my kid to public school here. They have closed so many schools here this last year due to budget cuts I think kindergarten classrooms are about 30 kids (a lot of which don't speak english well). I think Eliza is ready for a little more than that. Ely's 12-15 kids per class suits me just fine. They also have uniforms. I am glad to be moving somewhere that doesn't have uniforms. Much easier on the budget.

One Week

In one week THE BAR WILL BE OVER!

In one week life can move on. We will be able to push forward with packing and finding a place to live in Ely (because apparently a month is too far in advance to look for rentals).

In one week we'll be closer to Nathaniel's family reunion and getting all together for Matthew's wedding and seeing siblings we haven't seen for a long time.

In one week I'll be able to take a nap.

In one week our house will still be on the market, but at least we will only have to deal with the stresses of keeping it extra clean for another month.

In one week we'll be able to do something together as a family.

In one week we'll be able to rent a movie or watch TV without the guilt of wasting precious study time.

One week from now is one less week to spend in the Arizona heat!

But then...

In one week my family will all be sitting up at my uncle's cabin at Lake Coeur d'Alene all sunblocked, but still sunburning, and I will be missing it for the 5th (but final, I hope) year.

One week from now means one less week with friends (and kindred spirits!) here in Tucson.

In one week Eliza will be that much closer to going to kindergarten and I'll have to work around someone else's schedule (besides the fact that I'll miss my little girl when she goes into the big world...or the little world of Ely for that matter)

In one week, Tanner will be one week older and he's already growing up so fast, so although I can't wait for one week to be over, I'll miss out on stuff if I don't just enjoy every day I have. I don't want to be wishing time away too quickly. "Come what may and love it!", right? That's the way I want to live my life!

Birthdays

Eliza had a birthday on the 4th of June and Nathaniel on the 15th of June. Unfortunately, we have been a little busy and didn't do too much. I still thought it would be fun to post the pictures though. I can't believe Eliza is 5! She starts kindergarten next month. Where has the time gone?
This is Nathaniel's birthday brownies instead of a cake. He told me that after a certain point you stop using the actual number of candles. It took us forever to light them all. They were half melted all over the brownies by the time we were done. I think he's right. We'll have to pass on that for my birthday before we burn down the house.
He did however blow every one of them out in one try. He can't be too old yet if he can still do that.
Pictures are in backwards order for Eliza's birthday. Daddy helping Eliza with the cake.
Eliza cutting her cake. This was my super easy approach to making a cake. I asked her what she wanted for a cake and she said a princess castle and I was dreading it, but then she changed her mind to a rainbow and I was thrilled. That is super easy to make. What a good kid. Super easy to please. She loved it.

I love the look on her face as she blows out her candles. You can almost see how much she wants her wish to come true.
What a beautiful girl and growing up too fast.

New Looks and Happenings

Tanner has started eating solid foods. We've only tried a handful of times. Some days he hates it but one time he couldn't get enough of it. We aren't in too big of a hurry to start into that mess. We already have two kids that are horribly messy eaters.

Tanner has rolled over twice, but hasn't been consistent about it. He doesn't seem to be able to control is very well yet so I haven't counted it really. He is so close. He'll get 90% of the way over and then flip back over.
So much for getting a cute family picture. The kids wouldn't hold still for me to get a picture of the four of them together. I thought this one was a pretty typical picture of my kids. Kate and Nathan tend to have a love/hate relationship (yes, she is trying to punch him in the back), Nathan can't hold still for a minute, hence the reason he is bailing off the couch and Liza can't stop smothering her adorable baby brother.
Tanner loves to suck on his hands. Not just one hand, but both at the same time. He is a double fister. It is so funny because sometimes he gags himself while doing it.

Kate fell asleep under Tanner's crib. He isn't even sleeping in their room right now, but the crib is still in there. Katelyn hardly ever even takes naps anymore, but on this day, she crawled under the crib and fell asleep. I was completely baffled when I went to check on her and couldn't find her. I couldn't figure out where she would have gone. Funny girl.
Eliza had strep throat and was such a trooper about it. She loved all of the movies she was allowed to watch ALL DAY LONG.
Nathan and Tanner have had a few encounters that have actually ended without Tanner crying. Yay!!! Nathan just loves this little guy, he's just a little rough with him.
Daddy did Nathan's hair and I LOVED IT! How studly is he! He kept walking around with his hand up telling us not to touch it (in his own mumbled way of course).
Eliza had a bad reaction to amoxicillin. She broke out in hives all over her legs and parts of her arms. Her knee got it the worst. This is after two days off of the amoxicillin or "moxi" as Liza nicknamed it. Who nicknames medicines? She is extremely creative. She was on three different prescriptions this week and once again has been such a trooper.
Nathaniel is letting his beard grow out until he takes the bar. It is his bar beard. He is going to get a haircut and shave the day before he takes the bar. Tanner loves to grab at it. It is so cute when he sits there and plays with it. I had to get a picture of him doing it.

Warned But Not Prepared

I knew this was coming from the start and yet I was not ready this. Our house has been on the market for two and a half months and we have had no offers. We knew the market was flooded and it would take a little time to sell, but I am exhausted trying to keep up a house with my four little rugrats. Overall the house is clean, but it is draining to never get a chance to relax without feeling guilty for not doing more. There is always something more to be done. More scrubbing, dusting, mopping, washing dishes, etc. A dishwasher would help to at least hide the unwashed dishes. One time when someone came to look at the house it was on a day that I had decided I would relax a little and not worry about the house being perfect. Well, sure enough, I got a call and they wanted to be there in 20 minutes and I had just finished washing Nathan up from lunch and the kitchen/dining room was a mess. I ended up loading my dirty dishes in a garbage bag and putting it in my van so I didn't have to worry about washing them. I focused instead on wiping counters and mopping. So much for the one hour courtesy call...that NEVER happens. The calls usually go something like this, "Oh, I just noticed I was supposed to call you beforehand. We are just turning onto your street, is now a good time?" Ummm, I have four kids that I'm still trying to allow to be kids and so they do tend to make messes. Although I mop at least once a day, it is still not enough, especially if you have met Nathan. And Kate is going through this paper tearing phase which is loads of fun. "Rest time" usually consists of the girls going into their room to stay out of my way while I run around the house sweeping, mopping, doing dishes, wiping counters, laundry, bathrooms, garbages, etc. And before you thing ill of my husband for not helping me more, realize that the bar is the end of this month and that his life is devoted to passing it. As it should be. This is important for the whole family. His job is studying and mine is the house. As long as we can get through this month we will be able to breath again.
Another fun obstacle is the joyous Arizona summer heat. I was driving to the chiropractor at 5:20 the other day and it was 114 degrees outside. On Friday on my way home from running it was 6:42 a.m. and 90 degrees already. That is just ridiculous! It makes it unbearable to go out and play anywhere without dying. So there isn't any escape from my house. Like I said, I knew all of this was coming. Summer always comes after Spring, no surprise there. I've survived other Arizona summers. Granted I had fewer kids and it was easier to get out and about. I knew when we moved to Arizona that we would be moving the summer of 2010 and here we are. I had never sold a home before though and we had no idea that the market was going to crash and that we would lose money on our house. Such is life. People had warned us that when you are studying for the bar you get so stressed out you become a different person. What I didn't realize was how hard it would be for the wife of the person studying for the bar. He is trying so hard to fulfill all of his obligations to his calling, his family, and his studies. He is doing great and hardly complains a bit, but I know it is wearing on him. Soon enough this will all be over...at least that's what I keep telling myself. I recall a few months ago Laurel said something like, "I dread the next few months for you. I'm stressed out and it's not even me that has to deal with it." I said, "Oh it'll be fine. We'll just take it one day at a time." What I didn't realize was that sometimes it isn't even a day at a time, it is an hour at a time. Either way, it has to come to an end, right? Please tell me there is an end...

This is Real Life...

Just in fast forward today. We had one heck of a day! Our A/C was having problems yesterday so we had to shut it off. The house was at 86 last night, 84 degrees this morning when we got up (before 6 a.m., it's not like it was 10 a.m.). My stomach wasn't feeling great and Eliza was up crying half of the night because her throat has been really sore for a day or two, mostly only at night though. Well this morning her voice was different because her tonsils were so swollen she sounded like she had a bubble in her throat she couldn't get out. We took Nathaniel to school and when we got home I called the guy that put in our A/C. To make a long story shorter I ended up really frustrated with him because he said that it wasn't under warranty because I had another contractor work on it since he put it in. What made me so mad is that he had told me to call the other guys to begin with. He told me that it was the contractor's (Scott's) problem and that he should take care of it. So since I had Scott come out and fix it he said that his warranty was now void. I got really mad and gave him a piece of my mind to say the least. I have never yelled at anyone like that over the phone. I was able to say everything I wanted to and don't regret a word of it. Strangely enough, my stomach started feeling much better after that. (I swear I am going to get an ulcer, if I don't have one already, from all of this stress in our life right now.) I got in touch with Scott and he said he would come out between 12 and 2. Well, Eliza was quickly getting worse so I called the doctor and got a 3 o'clock appointment for her. By 1:30 I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be able to do both the doctor and be here for the A/C repair so I had to call Nathaniel out of his studying to come and be here at the house. I sat in the waiting room for 1 1/2 hours with Eliza (thankfully just her) and as we sat her fever started to get really bad. I was trying to be patient because there was some kind of emergency at the office, but I hadn't brought medicine since I didn't think we were going to be there that long. I asked the receptionist if they had any samples I could have for Liza and she said no but that she would have a nurse come and take her temp. The nurse came out and took her temp...104.6! Surprisingly enough, medicine came from somewhere in the back! I called Nathaniel and the A/C guy still hadn't shown up yet. It was 4:30. No big deal. It was just 90 and rising. (I get really cranky at anything above 83 just for the record. I was proud of myself for being bearable today. I carried around a spray bottle and kept the kids wet so they could at least keep cooler with the breeze of the fans.)
Liza and I finally get back to a room and she wants to lay down on the bed so I give her my hooter hider to use as a pillow. The nurse gave her a paper-type blanket and Eliza lights up and says, "This is the best day EVER!" I started laughing so hard. Here she is sicker than a dog, with a crazy high fever, she's been sitting in a furnace all day, and then she has just been stuck in the waiting room forever, but somehow today made it to the top of her list. Not my favorite day by ANY means, but hey, give a kid a giant paper towel and you've made their day! It turns out she does have strep and the doctor told me not to let her have any solid foods until the swelling in her tonsils goes down. She gets to have things like pudding, jello, yogurt, applesauce, etc. She thinks that is so great.
We start heading home since it will take a good 2 hours for her prescription to be filled at Walmart. We get home and the A/C guys still haven't shown up and the house is at 93. I have documentation below to prove it. Tanner was starving so I run to put something away in my room before I feed him. As I walk past the girls bedroom I see Nathan and Kate playing together with the tea set. They are both soaked and so are the bedroom, hall, and bathroom floors. I called Nathaniel to have him help me and then I look to see Nathan go to the bathroom for a refill...FROM THE TOILET!!! So not only was it soaked, but everything needed to be sanitized. Nathaniel took over that project while I fed the baby. It was frustrating and yet humorous and the same time. It would have just been hilarious if it was someone else's kids. I guess strep isn't the only thing I have to worry about the kids getting now. Lucky me! Then, since the kids were naked I told Kate to go get dressed. I was going to get clothes for Nathan in a few minutes, but he came out holding a pink shirt. He got it on all by himself and was so proud. Kate says to him, "Nathan, let me show you where my pants are." He came out wearing the outfit below. I thought it was SO funny. Nathaniel not so much. The A/C guy of course, showed up before we could change him and Nathaniel was very embarrassed. The problem with the A/C was so frustrating. They had come 2 weeks ago and put freon in since it was low. Well, he put in too much and that was the problem today. So, they took out 1/2 a pound and now I get to call and talk to Scott tomorrow about that issue.
Later, Kate, Tanner, and I went to Walmart to pick up the prescription and before we had even pulled out of the driveway Kate says, "Mom, can you get me a blanket?" Seriously?!? It is blazin' hot in the house, outside, and even worse in the car (for the first few minutes anyway). What a joke!
I had put Eliza in the recliner in the family room by herself with the gate up so the other kids couldn't join her. I want to keep this as contained as possible. I told Nathan and Kate that Eliza needs to be alone until she is better. Eliza says, "This is the best weekday ever! I get to be all by myself!" It was so funny because when we showed up at the doctor's office Eliza said, "Mommy, I miss Daddy and Nathan. It's not the same without them. I like it better when they are here instead of just you and me." I told her I like it when we all get to be together too. That's why it is so great that Daddy and I got married in the temple so we can be together forever and that makes me happy. So even though it was a hard, HOT day, there were still a few highlights I enjoyed. He's going to hate me for this when he's older. Like I said, he needs his baby brother to grow up and bail him out of the dress up and girly things.
Breezer and Matt, this picture is for you. Doesn't it just make you sick?

Stronger

Last night I was talking to Nathaniel about what next month's goal should be for me. This month my goal is to get in 50 miles. I have 3 miles left. I know it isn't much, but it's a start and you have to start somewhere. I really want to get into good exercise habits so I figured this goal would get me out there and doing something in the right direction. It has. Nancy and I ran together 4 days while I was in Yuma. I have been running at 6 a.m. with a friend or two every Mon, Wed, and Fri for the past couple of weeks here.
So, back to last night. I was debating between my goal being 55 or 60 miles. Then I thought I shouldn't do a total mileage goal but an endurance goal. I decided that I wanted to get back up to 6 miles by July 16th. I was going to try to push myself to 4 miles starting today.
This morning as I was getting my shoes on I got a text from my friend saying she wasn't going to be able to run with me. I have always loved running with friends because I enjoy it so much more and I don't get bored as quickly. It makes jogging more than exercise, it becomes a social and emotional outlet. We talk and laugh and vent to each other and walk away feeling physically and emotionally refreshed. It's a fantastic way to spend time together. Very productive. I decided I was still going running, of course, and that I would still try to go for 4 miles rather than the 3 I normally do. I started running with only one earbud in so that I would be able to hear things going on around me (you know, safety first). It was really killing my run though. I happened to be listening to the song "Stronger" by Brittney Spears (laugh all you want ladies, I know I'm not the only one out there to listen to that song while working out!). As soon as I put the other earbud in I felt this surge of energy. I was now in "the zone" and I thought, I can do this today! I could do 6 miles. I feel it. And I did! Looks like I need a different goal for next month.