watch out dizzy there's a new cat in town

Mimi borrowed this trumpet from Uncle Paul via Grandma Thomas.

She is only allowed to play it in one room.

She only gets it for one week.  (Okay, I may change my mind.  Her playing doesn't bother me at all.)

She loves it.

So does Quinny.

It makes me laugh.

And for your entertainment, check this out - Dizzy on The Muppet Show = sweet!

don't let the heat stop you

I was a little worried when we moved that our kids would complain about the heat.  I mean really complain - to the tune of whining, 

"Mom, it's hot out here.  Why did we move to the heat?  The seats are burning me.  It's hot.  I'm sweaty.  It's hot.  It feels like a dryer.  I'm melting.  It's hot."  - and so on.

So far, however, I haven't heard too much.  Actually, I can only think of one, "The seatbelt is too hot to use," and one, "Mom, I'm sweating."  Quinny told me she was sweating once when were walking out of the store.  She said it with such surprise that it made me laugh a little.

Last night we were taking Haley to the park for a little church activity.  I thought my Ohio friends would love this.  They planned to play volleyball.  The picture above was the temperature at the time of the activity - yes, it had cooled off to 108 degrees!  In Ohio they would have cancelled EVERYTHING because of a heat wave if that had been the temp.  That is not the case in AZ.  While at the park I noticed there was a soccer team having practice.

 I loved that Q didn't complain at all about the heat.  She just took off her shoes and started playing like she was born here in good ol' AZ.  Way to go Q.  Soon she will be running from patch of grass to patch of grass and drinking water from the hose like the best of us!

I have to admit that the heat is draining me a little.  I am missing the cooler temps of the midwest.  I just have to remember that these are the hard months.  Just like I had to endure the harsh winter months, I now have to make it through the summers to get to the nice mild winters.

colorful AZ

The colors don't like to smack you in the face like they do in Ohio, but they are there, and they are beautiful in their subtle way.  You just have to look around a little.  I found all of these flowers by our home.  I have no idea what this first crazy flower is.  It was hiding around the corner from our house.  It kind of said, "Hey, look at me.  I'm weird and fantastic."

Here's the best flower of them all!

canal(ing)

canal  (kəˈnæl)
— n
1.	an artificial waterway constructed for navigation, irrigation,water power, etc

The other day Mimi was in the car and said to Robert, "Dad, are we going to go canaling?"  After looking up the word, I found out that there is indeed a word canaling, but that is not what she meant.  I do not believe Mia was going:

— vb  , -nals , -nalling , -nalled , -nals , -naling , -naled
5.	to dig a canal through -or-
6.	to provide with a canal or canals

What she intended to do was to walk by the canal and skip stones.  Actually, what she thought she was going to do was get in an inner tube and take a ride down the canal, but we set her straight and now her definition of canaling is walking along the canal and throwing rocks, etc.  I like her new word, and I now use it.

Here she is walking in a true sassy-pants style.  She told me this morning that her new way of walking is with her arms up halfway swaying from side to side.

sometimes all you need is a timeout...

...for some bowling.

All I had was my phone to take pictures, so this is how a lot of them looked.  Nice legs, Robynie!

Thanks, Haley, for playing with Q and Allison on the bumper lane.  You were a good sport.

wrapped like a cocoon

me: Quinn, what are you doing?

Q:  I'm wrapping myself in the tape.

me:  Why?

Q:  Because I like to wrap myself in the tape.

me:  Do you have to do that?

Q:  Yes.

When she was all done,

Q:  Now I am going to break out of my cocoon!

a princess playing with play-doh

It has been a little bit like Christmas morning around here for several days.  Quinny has been opening boxes to find her old loves - play-doh, dress-ups, books, dolls, etc.  Life for her has been pretty good.  Not only that, she has a new best friend, her cousin Allison.  They are like Frick and Frack.  Here they are as babies.  They are still as cute and smiley as ever!

incognito

amid the boxes

 I was up before six this morning waiting for the movers to arrive.

Once they got here, I methodically started working on unpacking 

box 

after 

box 

after 

box.

Slow and steady wins the race, right?

Around 1pm Haley asked me, "Mom, you having a nice day so far?"

"Humph."

AZ

In the last two weeks we:

*packed up a house (OK - that took more than two weeks)

*spent more money than a small country - ouch!

*cleaned and cleaned and cleaned and cleaned a house

*sold a house (that was very sad)

*sent four kids on an airplane by themselves (I was so nervous I almost couldn't make it to the airport - nausea kicks in when I get anxious)

*celebrated Robert's 40th birthday - yay!

*celebrated Mimi's 7th birthday - yay!

*experienced severe toddler constipation (sorry Quinny - it does hurt you more than us)

*eaten more fast food than I would care to admit

*said goodbye to dear friends

*said hello to long-time friends and loved ones

*bid OH a fond farewell

*drove thirty hours to greet the desert (we've come full circle - this is where we started)

*got to our new home to start the cleaning all over again - yipee!

mimi's b-day

 Mimi spent the entire day with her best buddy Sienna.  They got pedicures and had lunch at Red Robin.  Are they in their 30s already?  They picked matching nail polish, yellow.

OH - MY - FROSTING!

last day of 5th grade

This was Eric's last day of 5th grade.  Fairfield has a tradition of letting the 5th graders out of class a few minutes early on the last day.  The rest of the student body lines the hallways and the parents stand outside.  As the 5th graders exit the school the other students, staff, and parents clap for them.  It is really a fun and exciting thing for everyone.  This was actually the very last 5th grade class that Fairfield will ever have.  Because of budget restrictions, they are closing one of the grade schools and splitting up grades and having them attend other schools.  Fairfield is now only going to have K-3rd grade.  This was also very poignant not only because it was our last day we would ever have kids at Fairfield, but because Eric's teacher (and formerly Robyn's) was retiring after many years.  The teachers in our town have been outstanding!  Our new city has some very big shoes to fill.

creamy mimi

sassy

squishy

silky skin

sunny

sporty

smart

sweet

She's seven!!

book club

To My Dear Book Club,

Hello ladies!  Last night was my final evening to enjoy our lovely book club.  I can't tell you how much you have meant to me over the years.  In the past when I have been asked about book club, I have always said with great pride that I had found a book club with the most wonderful group of women.  It has such a beautiful variety of women with different life experiences, knowledge,  talents, and opinions.

As I have gotten to know all of you more over the years, I realize now just how lucky I am to count myself as a member of this group.  We have shared so much of our lives in these few hours a month that we meet. We have rejoiced with each other over new babies and cried with one another over the more difficult times.  We have advised, consoled, discussed, debated, agreed to disagree, and above all we have laughed!  As I think back to all the times we have spent together in each of our homes, I can picture each of you laughing.  Not just small smiles - I mean real, starting-from-your-toes laughter.  There is no better therapy to lift the spirit than the love and laughter shared with friends.

So, I say thank you.  Thank you for stretching me intellectually.  I have read books (and enjoyed them) that I would have never picked up because of you!  Thank you for all of the food!!  Ah, the delightful food!  Thank you for opening your homes, especially at times when it was not the most convenient to do so.  Thank you for extending friendship to me.  I will miss you all dearly and I will cherish these memories.  You have enriched my time here far more than you can imagine.

Instead of good-bye (because ugh!), I will say, so long, see you later, until next time, ta-ta!

Kim

schools

Baylor & Sienna - Mimi & Quinn - Malynn is in the stroller.

There are so many things I have loved about living here, but the schools have always been at the top of the list!  From kindergarten on up they are fantastic!  They have great academics, activities, and especially teachers and staff!  Here are a couple of my kids enjoying their free ice cream with our neighbors at the annual elementary school picnic.  Can life get any better?  I can't even begin to list all of the amazing family activities the school/town offers.  All I can say is that I will miss it - a lot.  This is a great place to live!!

it's the big 4-0!

Happy 40th Birthday!!!!!

How does it feel to be fabulous at forty?

let summer vacation commence

 Here's Addi-Q on a happier day.  Last night she started her summer with a fever and the throw ups.  Since I had gotten rid of the lamp in her room, I was having her sleep on the floor in my room (so I could help her in the light, if I needed to).  I think she was having some type of hallucination last night.  She woke up around 10:30pm FREAKING OUT about a mouse under the bed.  I came in the room to investigate.  Soon the mouse turned into a cat, a brown cat.  Even after I turned on the lights and made her look under the bed to see for herself that there was no cat under the bed, there was no convincing her that no cat (or dog by this time) was under there.  Under NO circumstances was she going to sleep on the floor next to the cat.  She wouldn't even come near that side of the bed again.  She would, however, sleep in the bed with me.  I am really lucky all of the medication I gave her worked and there was no more vomit.  I really didn't want any in my bed!  Now I am just hoping I don't get what she had!  She was nice enough to wake up this morning at 5:54am.  So much for turning off my alarm clock....

I don't know what possessed Haley the other day, but while at the park, she decided to roll down the hill while holding Quinny.  Needless to say, Q didn't like it.  They made one full revolution before Q got off that wild ride!

cedar point

Robyn went to Cedar Point today armed with some anti-nausea medication.  For those who are not midwesterners, you may not know it's the "roller coaster capital of the world".  I'm really hoping she fares better than Haley did on her 8th grade Cedar Point trip - she came home with a lap full of vomit.  I am confident, however, that Robyn is having the time of her life!! 

So long middle school!

Well heeelllooooo high school!!

how can i do it? by mia

How can I do it?

How?

How can I do it

When I do not know how?

Please!

Please!

Just tell me how!

It matters!

It matters!

I really want to know.

NOW!

Before and After The White House

Well, things have been changing a little around here, so I thought I'd include some before and afters. It's hard to believe what a little (or lot) of paint will do. Two big checks and one trailer later, my friend Francisco Buendia has transformed the place. I'm so excited for you all to see it! I'll try to post these in some semblance of order, but you know I can't edit them once I have uploaded them and this crazy blog puts them where and it what order it wants to. I can't wait to see you all in just a few days!!