23 June 2013

 It’s been a nice quiet week.  The Arizona summer heat is in full swing and we’re grateful for air conditioning!  My poor garden is straining under the soaring temperatures, but I’ve helped it limp along, monsoon season is only a couple of weeks away.  I harvested some of my beets and was amazed at the softball sized bulbs I pulled up.  I cut and cooked the first few and they were delicious!  It’s really too bad that Jeff doesn’t like beets.  I also harvested all of my onions as the tops had completely died.  I harvested 7 pounds of yellow onions and pearl onions.  I then spent the evening chopping and freezing the yellow onions and pickling the pearl onions.  Needless to say, my house was quite stinky when all was said and done.

The kids have enjoyed their summer vacation so far.  They’ve taken a few trips to the library for books and Felicity and I finished reading The Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls-Wilder.  We read ­The Little House in the Big Woods this spring and are now moving on to By the Banks of Plum Creek by the same author.  I love how Felicity reacts to the situations as the story progresses.  She’s also reading a couple of stories on her own.  She did take a step back and picked some Mo Willems books from the library and that was a treat.  Because she didn’t have to try so hard at reading those, she was able to read them with more expression and the appropriate pauses; it’s fun to watch her as her reading progresses.

Helen & Nana laughing at cat videos on the iPad

The kids and I have spent many a daddy-less evening cuddled on the couch watching a moving or playing BINGO.  I’m grateful that Jeff makes dinner before he leaves for school which makes things much easier on me, but I’ll be happy when he’s done with this class.  We did decide to take a short trip this summer after all, when Jeff is done with summer school.  We’ll be heading to the beach in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico at the end of July.  I still want to take a trip to Anaheim sometime before the year is out, but I really think the kids are going to love the beach in Mexico; the water is warm and clear.   This did mean that Jeff and I had to apply for passports.  We got those taken care of this week and we’re hoping they come back in a snappy time frame since we didn’t pay the extra to have them expedited.  It’s a lot to plan for in only a few weeks, but I’m excited.

My teeth are feeling less sore this week and I'm already starting to see progress.  All three kids had their dental cleanings on Friday and they went well, the girls were quite excited to go.  Arlo did well too, the hygienist brushed and counted his teeth.  Everyone got a bag of goodies and I'm grateful their teeth are healthy and strong.  After work on Friday, Helen, Arlo, Jeff and I drove to the Tucson mall.  I've been working hard to get myself back on track with my weight loss.  I decided on some rewards for reaching milestones and I had earned myself a purchase at the mall.  We had dinner and then had the Bryson's over for game night. 

 Felicity spent Thursday night and Friday night at Nana and Papa's house.  While at the the thrift store with Nana and Grandma Lo, Felicity found an American Girl doll in the bin of toys.  It is brand new and had a really cute outfit and shoes with it.  Felicity has asked for one for Christmas and her birthday the past year.  I've told her that I simply would not spend $100 on a toy, and certainly not on one she may or may not play with or take care of.  Well for $5 she got that doll and it hasn't left her side for the reminder of the week.  I must say that she's taken good care of it so far and combed it's hair Sunday morning before church, they even wore matching outfits. 

My mom has been watching my niece this week while her regular babysitter is on vacation.  She wanted to take the kids to the Tucson Children's Museum on Saturday, so we drove over there to pick them up around 10AM.  The museum was a lot of fun and we spent a couple of hours playing and exploring.  Arlo had a great time and the girls really enjoyed themselves too.  Afterward, we went to lunch and then back to Nana's house for swimming, playing, and dinner.  We watched a movie and the kids had a blast.  Helen got to spend the night, since it was now her turn, and the rest of us came home after the movie.  We had a nice quiet Sunday and I'm looking forward to a short week at work.

16 June 2013

Happy Father's Day!  I hope that all the fathers and potential fathers in the world enjoyed a day of appreciation and rest.  We had a lovely week at Casa de Davidson.  We have moved out of baseball season and I'm glad of it.  It was a great experience, but it has become far too hot to be taking the kids to practices and games.  They enjoyed it, Felicity especially, and I think we will perhaps try soccer when it gets cooler in the fall.

We had a pretty quiet week compared to the past few.  On Wednesday I went in for my second orthodontist appointment and they took out the spacers and fit my top teeth with braces.  He put in a pretty firm wire, unlike the customary flexible wire that usually goes on new brackets, but I don't think I have a lot of work to be done on the top, and they should move fairly well seeing as they've already been moved once.  That has made, however, for very soar teeth.  I'm still, five days into the treatment now, not able to eat some things and find chewing somewhat difficult and painful.  I will say, that the worse is behind me for now.  I will return in eight weeks, and he'll install the bottom set and we'll go from there.

Jeff had his first summer school exam on Thursday night and felt it went pretty well.  We stayed up late and slept in on Friday morning, since it was my off-Friday.  We went into Tucson in the morning for a photo shoot.  I wanted to get photos of Jeff and the kids for Father's day.  They turned out pretty well, although for some reason, Arlo was not smiling all day.  With my photo membership and a couple of coupons I got a lot of photo sheets and a cd of all the images for only $8.63.  After the photos, we went out to lunch and walked around the mall.  We did some shopping and Jeff got some new shorts and T-shirts and I got Felicity some boots.  We stopped by Nana and Papa's on the way home and swam in the pool and played.  In the evening, we had the sister missionaries over for pizza night.  It was enjoyable.  The kids went to bed fairly early and Jeff and I stayed up and watch a couple of movies.  I love off Fridays!

We spent just a little time in the morning cleaning up the house together and then played in the pool, had lunch, and went to the Tucson mall to walk about and window shop.  We had a great time and had dinner at Red Robin, one of my favorite restaurants.  In the evening Jeff and I attended the adult session of our Sahuarita Stake conference and left the kids, along with the Bryson's kids, with a babysitter.  We had a nice time, and it was a great change of pace to be able to listen intently to the speakers without having to interpret or struggle with my kids.  We were home again in a couple of hours and put the kids to bed for some grown up time.

We had the general session of stake conference on Sunday morning and Jeff ended up staying home with the kids since Arlo wasn't feeling well.  I went and enjoyed the the spiritual uplift from the speakers.  I also got to provide the ASL translation and that is a privilege.  We went to my parents for lunch and visiting to celebrate father's day.  We had a great time and the kids especially enjoyed the ice cream cake Nana had bought.  I'm so grateful for a day to honor the hard work and tireless efforts of devoted fathers.  I'm grateful for my own father's example and for the wonderful gift that Jeff has been as a companion in parenting.  He teaches me so much about patience and the importance of having fun and being flexible.  He is a tremendous father who is blessed with children who adore him.  Each night, for the past few weeks, after prayer and kisses, the girls ask me to please have Daddy come in and kiss them good night when he gets home.  He is their hero.  I'm grateful most of all for a loving Heavenly Father, who sent me here with every confidence that I could make good choices and one day return home to live with Him again. 

There were two videos that really touched me today so I suppose I'll share them both.  Again, Happy Father's day!
A Father Forever
Earthly Father, Heavenly Father

09 June 2013

I feel like this week was a little quieter than the past few.  For one, baseball practice was cancelled for one kiddo and we decided not to go to the practice for the other, seeing as it was 105° outside; another reason may have just been the fact that we’re settling into our new routine of having all the kids at home during the day and Jeff running off to class in the evening. 

At the dentist a couple of weeks ago, I got a referral for an orthodontist.  Many years ago, my parents paid a small fortune to straighten my teeth.  This treatment lasted from the age of 8 until I was about 14.  At the conclusion of my orthodontic treatment, the orthodontist asked if I would like him to file all my teeth evenly across the bottom, my 14 year old response was “no”.  That sounds painful, and he’s taken the braces off so I’m almost out of here.  Result, my teeth have ridges along the bottom and are not very evenly shaped.  Initially he told me to wear my retainer all the time, after several weeks it was only at night, several weeks later it was only as needed.  My 14 year old mind interpreted that as never, that thing is sort of annoying.  Result, my teeth are crooked again; not nearly as bad as they were, but certainly not straight.  With that preface, I went to the referred orthodontist on Tuesday.  I received x-rays and pictures and then an examination.  He said that there was plenty of room in my mouth for all my teeth and that with a year to a year and a half of treatment he could straighten them back out.  I went with the option for the traditional braces as oppose to the invisalign since they were a little less expensive and I’m not that concerned with the ascetics, after all, I think braces are kind of cute.  Luckily my insurance will cover 80% of the expense after a deductible, but it is still going to be somewhat expensive.  Now I really wish I had just worn that stupid retainer!  Anyway, I’m excited to fix my smile and hope that I can be a good example to Felicity, who as it appears so far, will also be needing braces!  After the consultation and working on the financial details, he fit me with spacers between my back teeth and I have an appointment to have the top set of braces installed next week.  The spacers were initially annoying (think large piece of meat stuck between four of your teeth constantly), but I’ve grown used to them.   

The highlight, of the week, if you can call it that, was our home inspection.  This is the last hoop we needed to jump through to get our foster care license.  We were told to be prepared, but to understand that people rarely pass the inspection the first time, which requires follow up visits.  I have been very stressed throughout this entire process and that was true for this last hurdle as well.  I stayed home from work on Wednesday and cleaned the house from top to bottom.  I organized all of our drawers and cupboards.  We made a new top for the swing set tree house since it was starting to look tattered.  We gathered all of our chemicals, cleaning supplies, glues, paints, pesticides, and medications and locked them up.  We hung our new carbon monoxide detectors, placed our new fire extinguishers, and Jeff drew an emergency escape diagram of the house with paths out of the house marked, the location of the fire extinguishers, and our meeting place.  I felt ready about an hour before the inspector came.  Jeff took the kids with him on his way to school and dropped them off at my parents house, so I was alone when the life safety inspector showed up.  She was very nice and it was a much more laid back experience than I had anticipated.  I was prepared for her to go through the house with a fine tooth comb, that is not, however what happened.  She tested the water temperature and the fridge temperature.  She tested all of the smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.  She checked the dryer hose and for the evacuation diagram.  We walked around the back yard briefly and in each room. She checked the bathtubs for non-skid surfaces.  She looked at the hot water heater in the garage and played with the cats.  In the end, we passed without any problems, in fact, she said most of what we had locked up didn’t need to be locked up, just out of reach.  Better to be over-prepared than under-prepared I suppose.  She said that she would mail in the appropriate forms to the licensing agency on Monday and then it was up to our licensing specialist to compile all of our documents and home study write up and submit it to the state.  When I messaged him to let him know we passed, he said he anticipated getting everything submitted to the state next week.  Then it may be a few weeks for the state to process everything and issue the license.  I’m excited and nervous.  We’ve been praying as a family for the little person(s) that will soon join our family, and we hope all our friends and family will too.  I am so grateful for more support than I expected!  I’ve had colleagues at work ask about how things are going and some great conversations with friends and family about it.  I’m sure that most of society would consider us crazy for wanting to add to our already larger-than-most family, but I see that if we can change the life of one little person, it will have been worth every sacrifice.

With the inspection behind us, I was able to really enjoy the remainder of the week.  On Wednesday after the inspector left I went to pick up the kids from my parents and enjoyed dinner and visiting with them.  On Thursday night, after getting home from work and having dinner and a quick trip to the store, all three kids and I snuggled on the couch and watched Wall-E.  On Friday, I decided on my way into work that it was time for Jeff and I to have a night out.  We have used all of our babysitting budget and favors for the past 6 months on our foster care classes, CPR classes, and a myriad of other things that were kid-free but not exactly a date.  We got a babysitter for the night and headed out on the town.  Jeff wanted to try something radically different for dinner, not the same old Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill.  So I perused the Groupons for dining suggestions and we went to Guatemalan restaurant on 4th ave. and oh my, was it delicious.  It was a tiny little place and we asked the waitress for her suggestions.  We had plantains with rellenos, fried and smothered in a chipotle sauce as an appetizer; it was spicy and flavorful.  I had a chicken and peppers dish in a cream sauce as my entree and it was fabulous.  It was so exciting and refreshing to try something new and broaden our horizons!  We went and see Iron Man 3 after dinner and enjoyed it, it did seem more violent than the previous two, but we had a great time and I even got popcorn.

Saturday morning when I woke up I told Jeff that it felt like an adventure sort of day.  The house was still clean from Wednesday, and it seemed far too hot to take the kids to mid-day baseball games.  We have a membership to the Phoenix zoo, so we headed to Tempe to visit the zoo.  We arrived around 11:30 and even though it was incredibly hot, we had the best time.  We visited the shady parts of the zoo and there were no people there, I've never seen it so deserted.  Felicity has been interested in photography lately, so I gave her some tips and let her shoot some animal photos(below is a collage of her work).  We let the kids play in the water park area and we bought snow cones.  It was great.  After a second romp in the sprinklers, we headed over to the indoor reptile exhibit and after several minutes were interrupted by zoo staff, letting us know the zoo had closed 45 minutes earlier!  I was a little embarrassed, but we were having such a great time and there were no people so we just hadn't noticed; that and the zoo closing at 2:00 was not on our minds!  We drove to the Arizona Mills mall and walked around and window shopped, played in the kids' area and cooled off in the AC.  Following the mall, we headed to our favorite restaurant in Mesa, Organ Stop Pizza.  It was not as crowded as it usually is either, and we got great seats in the loft.  The salad and pizza are so good, and the entertainment is like no where else.  The kids fell asleep on the way home and Jeff and popped into Cold Stone Creamery in Tucson for a treat.  It was the perfect end to an amazing day of spontaneity! 

After church on Sunday, we went to my brother's for my niece's first birthday and enjoyed spending time with family.  We then went to my parents for dinner and spending time with them.  The kids always have such a great time at Nana and Papa's.

I'm hoping that much of the stress associated with our licensing process is now behind us and I can again focus more clearly on my health goals that have seemed to fall to the way side the past few months.  I haven't decided if I'll be able to get up early enough to run before leaving for work when it's still "cool" out, or if I'll just resort to running on the treadmill.  Wish me luck!

02 June 2013

I can't believe yet another week has slipped by us.  We had a very eventful week and enjoyed it immensely, for the most part!

 Everyone was home for the Memorial Day holiday and we played in the pool and had a great time.  In the afternoon, we had the Bryson's over for a BBQ and game night.   It was a nice time and it was hard to see the weekend go.  I worked from home on Tuesday because the car tire needed to be replaced.  I was in on Wednesday, but was sick on Thursday.  I caught some sort of virus and couldn't keep anything down.  I went into the office for an hour because I needed to pack for our move (I changed buildings).  I pretty much spent the rest of the day on the couch.

On Friday morning we left the kids with a babysitter and headed toward Snowflake, Arizona to attend the sealing of a good friend in the Snowflake temple.  It took us about four and a half hours to get there, it seemed a little longer to me because I still wasn't feeling well.  It was a beautiful ceremony and we felt very blessed to have been invited.  We were the only non-family from the grooms side and it was such an honor to be there to share that moment.  Its customary after the ceremony for everyone to congratulate the couple.  When it was our turn I gave the groom a big hug which is normal for our friendship, he then introduced us to his bride.  Now, I may have been feverish or perhaps it was just hot in the room, but my palms were sweaty, so upon meeting the bride, for the first time mind you, I had to make a split second decision.  Would I shake her hand or hug her?  Quick decide!  Sweaty hands trumped the possibility she was not a hugger and I went in for the hug saying "I'm Heather, I'm a hugger" at which point, midway into my lunge, she put out her hand to shake mine, but it was too late, we were hugging.  Jeff said after we had left the room "you totally attack-hugged her"!  It was utterly embarrassing.  We waited for them to finish up their pictures as we planned to attend a luncheon after.  Well the luncheon ended up being in Pine Top, so we drove down there, but the food wasn't ready and after waiting for 45 minutes, we decided we needed to head home before it got too late.  It was a great day, we ended up getting home around 7:30.

We did baseball games and cleaning up on Saturday morning and then headed to the Tucson mall to wander.  Saturday evening Marjorie and Gabrielle came by to chat.  She let us know that they had plans to move to Georgia in the coming weeks.  I am excited for them and the new adventures and opportunities they  are going to have, but I'm sad to see them go.  I've babysat Gabrielle for the past four and half years, she's just like one of my own.  The kids certainly see her as one of their siblings.  She wanted to come with us to church on Sunday, so we picked her up on our way and she got to say goodbye to all her friends at church.

After church on Sunday we went to my parents house for dinner and to hear all about their trip to the east coast.  We had a very nice time.  We hope everyone is enjoying summer so far and enjoyed the holiday.