21 July 2013

It was a quiet week so this will probably be short!  I worked quite a bit of overtime this week to use for our upcoming vacation instead of using my PTO.  I was also very diligent this week in getting my exercise in.  I swam on Monday and Wednesday, over a mile each day, and I ran 7 miles.  It paid off too, I lost 5.2 pounds and according to my BMI I am no longer obese, just overweight.  I’ll take it! 

Jeff has one week left of summer classes and is preparing for his final which will be on Tuesday.   Thursday evening we had dinner out with my family and a family friend who I hadn’t seen in person for quite some time.  We went to Pinnacle Peak and had a great time.  The kids really enjoy it there.  Jeff didn’t make it because of class.  Felicity stayed the night with Nana and Papa on Wednesday and Thursday night, so Friday afternoon Jeff and I ventured out with just Helen and Arlo.  We went to the thrift and I got two blouses, two pairs of shoes, and some running pants for less than $20.  We went into Trader Joe’s and also the Pet Store to kill time while we were in Tucson.  We also made a stop at Wal-Mart to buy the girls' school supplies.  Crayons, glue, paper, etc. When we got home I ordered them each a pair of sneakers online since we couldn't find any for Helen in the stores.  She regrettably has wide feet and there's only one brand we've found that carries wide selections in toddler shoes.  With that done, I think we're ready for the new school year!  We had the Sister Missionaries over for dinner in the evening and that was very nice.

Here's a picture I took of sweet Arlo this week.  He's the only baby I've had that sucked their thumb, and he's the only one to have an attachment to a blanket.  I think what I love most is he picked the blanket I made him; the blue blanket I crocheted before we even knew he was a boy.

 Jeff worked again on Saturday for the estate sale company and I stayed home with the kiddos and properly cleaned the house.  I’ve been rather apathetic toward the state of the house the last few weeks, letting Jeff try to keep up with it while he’s home, but I really couldn’t take it any longer.  The downstairs got a good scrubbing.  We had pizza for dinner and movie night. 

Sunday was lovely. Jeff helped get the kids ready for church so I had some extra time to spend on myself.  Both girls had a lot to say about what they learned in Primary.  Felicity especially enjoyed her lesson on listening to and acting upon promptings.  After dinner we all went for a walk to enjoy the nice monsoon weather.  We saw lots of bunnies and quail and lizards.

The family playing Rock Band at Nana's

We did hear about our foster license this week, it’s in the hands of a state case worker and they needed some further information from our agency, so we continue to wait.  I don’t mind though, I’m sure the timing will end up working perfectly.  Faith and patience have been the lesson around this house lately and I’m trying to do my best to have both. 

14 July 2013

I really don’t much care for humidity and it’s been humid around here.  The weather has been hot and muggy and I’m grateful to have a house with a good air conditioner and an office that is comfortable.  My grass and garden have really appreciated the extra moisture and some things are thriving again.  New in the garden this week is the addition of 4-5 watermelons.  We did manage to have a nice week despite not wanting to spend exorbitant amounts of time outside.

Helen got to spend a couple of nights with Nana this week which was a treat, and I always love my short work weeks.  Jeff had an exam on Thursday and is winding down his summer class.  We headed out Friday morning to do some school clothes shopping and to get a few last things for our upcoming vacation.  I sorted through the school clothes at home and got rid of everything stained and worn.  I assessed what I had for each girl, and then we all headed into Tucson to get the things we still needed.  I love that the kids wear uniforms, although it is an added expense to contribute further to their already extensive wardrobe.   With Helen starting kindergarten, we did need quite a few things.  We hit up the thrift for a couple of uniform jumpers, and several pair of pants and jeans.  We went to Target and Wal-Mart for new socks for both girls and polo shirts for Helen.  They each two pairs of leggings, but we didn’t find shoes yet, so the hunt will continue.  I still need to get supplies; paper, pencils, etc., but otherwise I think we’re set on clothes.

We also got snorkels for Jeff and I, and I bought a cute pair of water shoes for the beach.  I’m really looking forward to a relaxing week of vacation as summeritis as set in at work.  Jeff worked at the estate sale on Saturday and I helped Jan teach a canning class at church.  We made peach jam and it was pretty tasty.  When Jeff got home from work, he took us out for dinner which was nice and we finished the night up with family movie night.  Felicity picked “Up” and we had popcorn and twizzlers.  I love nights like that.  We were all on the loveseat, Jeff and I, all three kids, random pillows and blankies, and an occasional kitty on top.

I really enjoyed my Sunday meetings and after church I met with the Bishop.  What was supposed to be a quick chat ended up being an hour long visit, but I walked away feeling supported and positive.  I’ve been struggling the past few weeks with a family setback and am so grateful for all the love and support that I have.  When I went to the temple a couple of weeks ago to find a quiet refuge to ponder upon the situation and pray for guidance I received a clear indication as to how to proceed; however, have been struggling to be courageous and continue on in faith while doing what I feel is right.  This struggle has caused a lot of unrest and unhappiness within me and I appreciate the trusted friends that have been my arm to lean on.  Mid week I watched this talk entitled Continue in Patience given by Elder Uchtdorf and found an immense amount of peace and purpose from it.  That coupled with my conversation with the Bishop and a lot of fervent prayers have allowed me to unload that burden and move forward with faith and hope.  That’s probably a little deeper than anyone wanted to go, but I think perhaps I would be remiss in not mentioning it.

After I returned from my meeting the whole family went over to Nana and Papa’s for dinner.  We had a good time and I’m grateful we live so close and get to see them so often.  I hope that everyone is enjoying the end of the summer and is preparing for the soon-to-be upon us school year despite the heat.  We’re hoping for some good summer monsoon storms in the coming week and lots of happiness and love.

07 July 2013

This week was a nice change from the monotony of the usual schedule.  I worked from home on Monday, and in the evening went shopping for some necessities for our upcoming vacation.  I was in need of a bathing suit, as was Jeff.  I was able to find one that was modest, fit appropriately, and hid at least my most egregious wobbly bits.  Unfortunately, it was to the tune of $49.99! 

Felicity and Arlo had a well child check up and both are healthy.  Arlo is in the 87th percentile for height and 75th percentile for weight.  She recommended Arlo have a hearing screen and start speech therapy since he is not verbally communicating at a level that is appropriate for his age.  We specifically asked if Felicity still needed to be in a booster seat with a five point harness, or if using a booster with an adult seat belt was ok.  I recently, while trying to find videos of crash test dummies to show Helen (she’s had this nasty little habit of unbuckling herself while we’re driving), came across a video a family had made in memory of their child who was killed in a relatively low-impact accident, while sitting in a booster seat with an adult seatbelt.  The force of the impact coupled with the fact that small children’s bones are not a strong and resilient as those of an adult, who the belts are designed for, caused the little girl’s organs to be crushed by the belt and she bled internally.  Long story short, the pediatrician said that if we had a seat with a five point harness that was designed for a child over 40 lbs she would be safest in that; however, if not, she’s big enough that the booster with seatbelt combination should be fine.  It is food for thought, check the recommendations on height/weight appropriate child restraints to make sure you’re children are as safe as they can be.

I enjoyed swimming laps at the aquatic center on Wednesday.  I swam for 50 min and it was quite a work out!  I also ran a few time this week as well, and did good on the scale!

I had Thursday off from work for the holiday, and took Friday off to make for a nice long weekend.  The girls spent the 4th of July holiday at a pool party with Nana and Papa, so Jeff and Arlo and I went out and about.  We picked the girls up in the evening, they were so tired, they fell asleep before any fireworks happened.  We instead had a nice quiet evening in.  We spent time around the house on Friday, although we did venture out to do some grocery shopping and I bought a cap and goggles for the pool and some things for our upcoming trip.

We had a very nice Sunday, the kids and I went to church, Jeff went to a baby blessing in Safford.  It was nice and overcast all afternoon.  Back to work tomorrow, it'll be hard after a four day weekend.  I wanted to share this video too, its helped me feel some peace this week about a challenge I'm facing; thought maybe it would be helpful to someone else too.

30 June 2013

I did much better with my health goals this week.  I'm down four pounds and back on track to hit my ultimate goal.   I've been yoyo-ing for months now, losing and gaining the same ten pounds over and over again.  I set a mini goal to get back on track with my original goal in 8 weeks.  Every time I hit the weekly target, I promised myself a special treat.  So far I've gotten a mani-pedi, bought a new bra, and this week I got to buy some jewelry.  I guess that is the upside to being the bread winner in the house, I don't feel any guilt about spending some money on myself when I deserve it!  I got a really nasty blister a few weeks ago on a long run (my heels have always been really sensitive and blister easily) and that is still healing, so I wasn't able to put any serious miles on my sneakers this week.  Instead I rode my bike, did an hour of Just Dance Disney with the kids, and lots of yoga. 

It was my off Friday, and since I was really in need of some solace and guidance, I went to the temple in the morning.  I left at 4:30AM and after getting gas and stopping to put air in the tires, I arrived a little after 7:00 AM.  I had a great experience and received the answers and comfort I was looking for.  The great thing about going at 4:30 in the morning was I was home again by 11:30 with my whole day in front of me.  We took the kids to see Monsters University and then took a trip into Tucson.  We had lunch and then went to Toys R Us as it is the only place I can find the sippy cups that I like.  While we were there we noticed they were giving a free lunch box with every backpack purchase.  The prices on the backpacks were comparable to those at WalMart, so we let the girls each pick out a backpack and a free lunch box.  We wandered the Tucson mall and had a nice evening.

We went to the Reid Park zoo on Saturday morning after doing some cleaning.  It was hot, but we still had a nice time.  The kids enjoyed the little splash area, although I was relatively unimpressed.  There was no where for them to change into a bathing suit, so they got wet in their clothes; next time I'll have them wear their suits under their clothes.  I really love having the zoo membership so that we always have a "free" activity to do when the opportunity arises.  It's also nice to not feel pressured to "see and do it all" and "get our money's worth".  If the kids are crabby or it gets too hot, we leave and know we can come back another day.  I recommend getting a zoo membership at the Phoenix zoo, it's almost the same price as the Reid Park zoo membership, but gets you into both zoos free along with either free admittance or discounted tickets to other zoos nation wide.  They also give you free guest passes and $10 worth of tickets to zoo attractions.

We had a very nice Sunday, and especially enjoyed our first monsoon storm of the summer.  Jeff had to get on the roof and nail down the shingles that came up in the last wind storm.  I have been bugging him to do it for weeks, so it was his own fault he had to do it in the rain.  We sat on the porch swing watching the lightening until the wind really picked up and it started pouring.  It was so nice to smell the creosote and feel like the desert was fresh and clean again.