Everyday Miracles

Bella and Gabe's wishes are coming true  // after watching their sister do it for years, they are finally getting to learn how to ride a horse.

I had a sign made for Jake's detached home office // now he's officiall.

Traded in my colorful rug for this neutral beauty // craving simplicity.

Leave it to me to cry at a rodeo // that flag ceremony was so touching my heart almost burst.

Ari didn't do the chicken chase with her siblings and friends, but did she ever love watching!

On the days we don't want to put on socks and shoes and fully commit to playing outside, we swing indoors.

Added to my ever-growing list of things that are always totally worth the effort: 1) Having friends over for dinner and 2) Baking pie... even lattice crust.

Bella's Christmas list this year: 1. Lego friends 2. Makeup set 3. Giant stuffed animal peacock 4. Care dog (seizure dog for her sister, Ari), 5. Pet fish 6. Real professional sports bra (size 11?) // Quite a bit more attainable than the one from 2013: A real cat, to be able to fly, an iPad, hundreds of roses // still is true to form Bella.

He can drive me crazy, but I'm still crazy about him.

Cuddle bunnies.

Gabe decided it would be fun to reenact one of my childhood memories by getting his tongue stuck on something frozen // he and his cousins ended up with bloody and raw tongues just in time for thanksgiving dinner.

Ari crawled across the floor to cuddle up with her favorite cousin, Trevor.

The big kids went to see ancient Anasazi petroglyphs at the sink holes today and made awesome memories.

Sink hole adventures included finding pottery pieces, eagle feathers, ancient petroglyphs, Gabe getting trapped between rocks, a close call with the Ranger and more.

Second day apple pie, vanilla bean ice cream, and caramel sauce on my plate.

Drinking hot cocoa on this chilly morning with Grammy.

Everyday Miracles

Jumping bean.

Yesterday, I told Bella she couldn't pluck the roses off the bush. As much as I hated to cut them off and throw them in a basket, I hated it way more that I said 'no' to her innocent request // so this is my redemption.

First swimming independently and now "showering" independently? You two are growing up way too fast.

Moms and Sons movie night at Carlson Elementary // saw 'Earth to Echo' on piles of blankets and pillows under the stars with my little man // he even held my hand.

Making lemonade for our friends // fresh picked from the tree.

Firing up the Egg tonight for Sunday dinner.

We're at it again // yay... // when will it not be caterpillar season?

Enjoying our autumn nights with good friends // kids running amok and eating way too many cookies // just the way we like it.

My big girl riding her favorite four legged animal, Pace // pronounced (by Ari) "Payee".

Our first fall garden harvest is here // Bok choy and cilantro // I am making steamed red snapper with bok choy and red chili garlic sauce for din din.

A little mid-week ferris wheel // Veteran's Day

Grateful for the tender mercies that keep allowing us to catch Ari's seizures and stop them long before they stop her // grateful to be her mama // grateful that she has a daddy who loves her beyond measure.

Getting into watercolor painting to give my kitchen some color on the wall // I decided the theme would be “fruit we grow” // grapefruit, watermelon, peach, apple.

Everyday Miracles

Catching up on documenting our October moments…

 

The kids caught their first lizard and passed it around in a jar // my first feeling was relief that they won’t be deprived of this childhood experience.

Holidays call for baked desserts // Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for the win // Happy Halloween!

Third time in costume this season, but definitely not the last // Trunk or Treat

Popping giant bubbles in the sky.

Class parties are like snow days, only better because all of your friends are there.

It's November, which means he looks all rugged handsome and skips the shave // I'm not complaining.

Today is beautiful.

New pillows for my breakfast nook make everything look cheery.

Lunch box notes // every day // the kids act as though we forgot to pack them a lunch when we forget their notes // Jake writes the best ones.

The lineup: peacock, stealth ninja, knight in shining armor, and pretty witch.

Skillet apple pie as the closer for Sunday dinner.

He fell in and couldn't get up // tempting as it was to keep him in a few minutes, I did help him get out // he then proceeded to unfold the folded laundry.

I can't wait to eat it all // hurry up and grow!

They are proud of their daddy and all the other soldiers who served our country // Veterans Day

Honoring our vets past and present with our own little flag ceremony.

Bella (6 y.o.) drew this for her daddy before we woke up this morning // I love how she projected her feelings of war onto the soldier with tears.

Sedona Getaway

In July, Jake and I took our first mini-vacay without our kids, and do you know what?  It was awesome.  In October, we had the opportunity to do it again when a couple of our dearest friends tied the knot in Sedona at L’Auberge.  And although we may have had literally only a couple of hours to burn for ourselves, you would be amazed at what a couple of hours feels like when you’re in an autumnal utopia and the only noise that surrounds you is soft babbling of the creek, the chirping of the birds, and the wind rustling through the trees.

We went for a hike fairly close to the famed West Fork Trail, which is known for its vibrant colored autumn leaves.  It was spectacular even though it was early in the season, and the leaves had just begun to change color.

 

Sunlight through trees is my second favorite kind of light with moonlight still holding on to the position of first favorite light.  But, it just makes you sigh so hard doesn’t it?

 

Some professional landscape photographers were nice enough to take our picture for us and teach me how to photograph a waterfall and capture that milky water effect that you sometimes see in the magazines (see below). 

Everyday Miracles

We went to a wicked Halloween party.  I had nothing to wear, but I can throw scary together quite well.

Toasted marshmallow pumpkin pie with graham cracker crust.

The best things in life are free.... love, family, nature... & mall ring cleanings.

My giant, odd-ball pumpkin.

And what a date night it was // Moore wedding in Sedona.

We can't say no to bubbles.  We have four kids ...

My sister from another mister tied the knot yesterday in the most beautiful wedding. We were so happy to be a part of this amazing night and to witness this milestone in their love story.

A weekend with my love.

My happy place.

This is Arizona, folks. // Just one of it's many beautiful faces.

This was today.  Rolling creeks and colorful leaves in forests of towering trees // feeling grateful for this.

I'm not big on Halloween decor, but I love these painted pumpkins made by my kids and their cool aunties who watched them this weekend.

Bella's new baby // When we told her we think it's a moth and not a butterfly, she said calmly and lovingly "It doesn't matter.  I'll call her Buttercup.”  She already has a mama's heart.  We later found out that it was indeed a Giant Swallowtail Butterfly.

Thank goodness for ibuprofen or we might actually have to spend our sick days in bed.  Riding bikes is so much better.

Her excitement is contagious. // Carlson Elementary Boo Bash.

Picnic lunch and library movies. // Trying my best to make the most of a sick day. // On the upside, the kids noticed some spider webs in the pavilion rafters and got excited because "they're free Halloween decorations!" // Real life my friends.

Everyday Miracles

I’m so behind on posting our everyday miracles that I contemplated retiring it for a while, but it matters so much to me that I’ll give it my best shot at catching up…

A bunch of married thirty-something year old moms head out on the town for Sheena's bachelorette party.  And yet, I think we held our own.

Glitterifying with Bella on one of her birthday crafts

The turtles liked Ari.

As did the goats.  Like a Disney princess, animals follow her wherever she goes.  They pushed her around the petting zoo, and she loved the ride.

Paddle boating with Grammy and Papa next to the pelicans.

Ocean princess and her loyal subject.  They play so well together… sometimes.

Cousins + grandparents + fall = joyous chaos.

Normal Arizona sunset.  The sky is on fire.

Now that's what I call a family dinner.  Big trees, little lights, long tables, & huge love.

The world is their stage.  Huge tree stumps are no exception.

Liam has been showing signs of his budding independent spirit.  A sky high slide and a knack for escaping are just two things in his bag of tricks.

Best friends on swings never gets old.

We are in second summer // one of my favorite Arizona seasons.

Pavers down!  I am officially changing it's name from "picnic area" to "party pavilion".

Fundraiser for GaitWay in hopes that we will be able to open up a year round facility for Ari's Conductive Ed. // If you'd like to donate to a good cause, I have one for you!

Pretty decent school pictures for 1st and 2nd grade. Apparently it's baby Jennifer Lawrence & Theo James.

Halloween Two Thousand Fourteen

Halloween isn’t my absolute favorite holiday.  I find costumes to be stressful, because they are cumbersome to put on, usually uncomfortable to keep on, and all those accessories wind up lost by the end of the night.  It’s a lot of rushing around at night, fast eating, sugar, and whining.  But that is not how my littles see it, and for that reason, I make the effort.  I baked with pumpkin at least three times in the month of October.  I volunteered at all of their school Halloween parties.  I put up Halloween decorations, and have promised them that I’d buy at least two new decorations each year… so by the time they graduate, I’ll have amassed a whole haunted house to pass down to them.  And we celebrated the heck out of this holiday… we went to four costumed events this year.  I try.  I really do.

For them, of course, it’s sheer amazingness.  They get to be something imaginary and awesome.  They begin planning it as soon as the Halloween costume catalogs start piling up on the kitchen counter.  For Bella and Ari, this involved glamour and makeup and hairspray and tulle and feathers and shimmeryness.  For Gabe and even Liam, it involved some pretend violence and fake weaponry.  For them it rocks, because they get to run around with their friends with a very scant amount of supervision, have twenty seven desserts in lieu of eating dinner, and beg for candy for like… hours. 

Of course by the time Halloween night rolls around, we’ve done this so many times that I feel like we’re old pros at it, and I could tie Gabe’s ninja mask on with my eyes closed and my hands tied behind my back.  Practice makes progress!

Bella was a peacock.  Liam was a knight in shining armor.  Gabe was a stealth ninja.  Ari was a pretty witch (she boycotted the hat).

             

We had way more fun in their classrooms than the picture below portrays.  Bella won’t give me a natural smile unless I make a fool of myself or talk bathroom humor. 

  

We went trick-or-treating in the cousins’ neighborhood this year, because we wanted to be with the buddies and attend their awesome driveway party.  I didn’t see Gabe almost the whole night, because he took off with Vance and the other big kids from the neighborhood.  I can’t believe he’s already at that age.  First independent trick-or-treat.  It’s strange… and a little sad… but so cool for him. 

The younger ones stayed with us, and we somehow covered a lot of ground.  Even Liam and Lucas were totally into it.  Ari had, by this time, perfected her Halloween vocabulary on her talker and could basically do the whole trick-or-treating thing without us if only we had a van that would transport her power chair.  She said “trick-or-treat” and “thank you” right on time at every house, and picked just one piece of candy from the bowl to put in her candy bucket each time.  She loved telling people she was a “witch” and wishing them “Happy Halloween!” when they asked her/said Happy Halloween to her.  She would even try to scare us by saying “Boo” on her talker, which was amusing, because the tone of voice on the talker did not deliver the emphasis that I think she intended.  That said, she did a great job, and I was so proud of her.  Clearly, extreme repetition and high motivation pay off when it comes to language acquisition for Ari.

 

It was a super fun night, everyone including me had a blast, and now I’m so glad we have a whole year before we have to do it all again ;).