Ho, Ho... Snow!

We must have been feeling winter withdrawals after our move from Ohio to Arizona when we decided to take an impromptu trip to Utah for Christmas. We pulled the kids from their beds at 3:30 a.m. and loaded them in the car for what they believed would be a ski trip to the mountains. If you are familiar with our family, you may be wondering how our little chickadees did on the eleven hour drive and what we were daring enough to feed them on the way. To spare you the messy details, I will just say that the Hoover Dam and chocolate doughnuts do not go together. Thankfully, we stopped in St. George to visit friends and were able to give their new washer and dryer a run for its money.

With family parties and dinners, sleepovers and sledding, and a visit from Santa, there are many favorite moments from our Utah Christmas. But the highlight had to be the day we spent skiing and snowboarding at Snowbird. Since it had been over ten years since Ryan and I had skied, we decided to let the experts teach Braden and Emme while we fumbled on the slopes on our own. With a little pressure from Braden, Ryan decided to give snowboarding a go, while we girls would not succumb and were pleased to be on good old fashioned skis. By the end of the day I had not one fall to account for (which means I'm either an awesome skier or took far too few risks), while Ryan's arms would be sore for the next two days from pushing himself back up to his feet. Luckily, or unluckily, it was dumping inches of snow by the hour which provided plenty of powder for cushion. Meeting up with the kids on Chickadee at the end of the day brought back memories of skiing with my family from my childhood. Riding the lifts with the kids and making our way slowly down the slopes was definitely the highlight of the day!

Christmas was spent with family for the first time in five years, which made for tricky packing, but much more fun! Super Smash Brothers, Calico Critters, a whoopee cushion, Lava Lamp, model rocket, and the timeless Easy Bake Oven were among the spoils of the day.

Of coarse there always has to be something unexpected that happens to make a trip even more memorable. For us it was the flu that Chloe passed to Hadley, who then passed it to Grammy, who suffered from the symptoms all Christmas night. Grammy's washer and dryer also got a run for their money that week. We have heard of no other casualties within the extended family, though we're assuming some are too nice to come forward.

After a week of cold weather and constant snowfall, it was with a bit of sorrow we packed up and headed south. Somewhere before Cedar City the snow had melted from the car and the roads, and the only reminder we had of our visit were our memories...oh, and our salt laden car. Usually a car covered in salt feels dirty and unkempt, but for us it was a trophy of our first ski trip home to Utah. We soon found though, that it would be impossible to get too attached to Utah. Upon returning to Scottsdale we were awakened to a new love... December in the 70s!

There's No Place Like Home

We've moved... again. We're very good at it now, so it is with a bit of sorrow we throw away the boxes for good and settle into our home here in Scottsdale. While we don't miss the skunks and silver fish spiders of Ohio, North Scottsdale has its own wild life with which to contend. We've seen a bobcat, rattlesnake, scorpions, and the beloved garbage-dumping havalenas. Our first night in our home we woke to the cries of coyotes. If the saguaro cacti were not enough, these creatures are enough to convince us that we truly live in the desert.

There have been two things Braden was excited for upon our move. The first was a dog. He is our animal loving child (definitely not a trait acquired from his mom). He is still waiting for the dog. The second was the pool. Unfortunately we moved in the winter, though that was not what hindered him. His casted arm prolonged the plunge until December 3rd. The swim lasted only a minute, as even in Arizona it is not swimming weather in December.

The babies have acclimated about as well to the new house as Braden to the pool. Where the girls have always been wonderful sleepers, we now find them crawling out of bed seeking a better sleeping location. They'll initially climb in with each other or Emmry, but eventually insist on a nightly stroll into mom and dad's room. It only took a couple times pulling both two-year-olds into bed to realize that that was not a good solution. Our nightly visitors now have sleeping quarters on their parents' floor.

Ryan and I have acclimated quite well. The only thing we are missing here are our friends and family. If you find yourselves missing the sun, desiring a polar bear swim, or yearning to know what a havalena is, we would love to see more of you here!

The Big Reveal

Today the casts came off. Hadley has been talking about it for a week... I'm sure without a realization that it would ever actually occur. Braden also couldn't wait. The novelty for him wore off the first day when he was sent to the school office to read during recess. As the casts were coming off I feared what fun things we would find inside, but they were relatively content free. Hadley's had just a bit of sand and small rocks from the sand box visits we weren't supposed to make and Braden's held a small round plastic disk. I'm not sure about that one.

Our fame at the orthoped had not diminished in the five weeks we had been away. Our two broken arms still provided us notoriety in the office. Emmry, not wanting to feel slighted of her past fame, was compelled to tell the doctor that she and Chloe broke their arms at the same time last year. Initially I thought our move across country between our sets of broken arms benefited us, but in hindsight I think it makes Ryan and I look more guilty.

In the end, I'm not sure what the cost will be, but I like feel we got a two-for-one with Hadley. It seems that five weeks with a cast on has cured her of her arm sucking habit!

Joy in the Journey

Every day I try to take time out to enjoy my day. Not easy as it is full of making meals, cleaning up meals, preparing snacks, cleaning up snacks, taking out toys, cleaning up toys... and wiping bums, washing hands, making sack lunches, driving kids places, doing laundry...

And of coarse managing the teasing and fighting. Every once in a while there will be that time when I look at one of my kids and think, wow that was sweet. Like the time Braden volunteered to get Chloe the milk she was complaining for. I remember thinking as Braden handed her the cup, "That is a sweet boy I have." Then I saw Chloe's face. It seems my sweet Braden made a concoction of barbecue sauce, lemon juice, water, and Hershey's syrup, and gave it to his little sister.

I have no doubt that there is joy in the journey to be found no matter how burried it may seem. The key is making the effort to take the time to find it.

A Scary Weekend

The ghouls and goblins came out in a real way to our home Halloween weekend. Perhaps it was a hex, a jinx, or someone needled some Huffman voodoo dolls. We thankfully came through it relatively unscathed, and I use relatively very loosely.

It will not surprise anyone that the day before Halloween Braden fell while swinging from a tree. He landed on his outstretched hand and broke his left wrist. With a splint placed by urgent care the next day, we were waiting out the weekend to see the orthoped when Hadley tripped on the stairs and broke the tip of her radius and ulna. Hers was a visit to the emergency room. Monday morning when I called to make two appointments with the orthoped, I had the nurses betting on the cause of the injuries. They were disappointed to find that the incidents were totally unrelated.

There are only a few things that can't be spoiled by a broken arm, and Halloween is one of them. But this day proved to be full of "tricks" right from the beginning. Upon returning from my morning run, I found a tow truck in front of our house prepared to repossess Ryan's car. Ryan's attempts to convince the tow truck driver that there was a mistake turned out in vain. The car was taken right out of the garage. After a week the "trick" was finally over, the car was saved from the auction block, and it was returned it to its rightful owner.

I don't know that there is a Halloween trick that can beat the wrongful repossession of your car, yet we set out Halloween night just the same with quite a cast, including a storm trooper, vampire, and two Cinderellas. The weather was a pleasant 80 or so and we were delighted to not be wearing thermal underwear under costumes or coats over the top. With four trick-or-treaters this year, we definitely took in our fill of candy. The babies were spectacular, following the lead of their older siblings, standing at the doors side-by-side dressed as two adorable Cinderellas. What candy-basket-holding adult can resist dropping an extra treat in those bags?

Halloween brings with it wonderful memories and though we faced some frightening events this Halloween, the holiday will continue to hold a special place in our hearts. Ryan and I met on a blind date Halloween night fifteen years ago. Though there was nothing really memorable about what we did that night, it is thanks to that Halloween that we have had many memorable ones since.

Potty Training Lesson #3 Down the Toilet

Today I found my bowl full of fun.

To give the girls credit, they have great aim. A disposable fruit cup is not an easy target.

The greatest part, Ryan was actually the one to find it and my parents were in town to witness it!

Potty Training

This last month has been dedicated to potty training the twins. Sigh... I suppose I could share the highlights.

In the beginning we were working on the basics of understanding and accuracy. We wondered if they were grasping the concept when Chloe dumped poop out of her underwear onto a playground slide and on another occasion came, poop-in-hand, looking for a receptacle.

Potty training lesson #1: Understanding comes step-by-step.

Accuracy has also had its moments. For example, the time Hadley peed all over my legs and skirt at church.

Potty training lesson #2: Do not kneel in front of the toilet.

The girls love to tease me as they know they will receive my full attention. They like to find any receptacle, such as a kitchen bowl, and pretend they are going in it. They will grunt and say, "psssssss" just so I'll say "No, don't go..." They think it's funny, laugh, and do it again. I am sincerely surprised that I have not found a bowl full of fun yet.

Potty training lesson #3: Keep them laughing, or you might just find a bowl full of fun.

Public bathrooms are not my favorite place, but while potty training they simply can't be avoided. Unfortunately twins add an extra challenge. While one's on the potty, the other likes to explore. I find myself saying, "Don't touch that," a lot. My favorite "don't touch that" moment was when Chloe dropped a cracker on the bathroom floor and not only did she eat it, but she knelt on the ground and licked it up with her tongue.

Potty training lesson #4: Don't take food into the bathroom.

We have graduated the girls to day beds, which is just a fancy way of saying we took the side rails off their cribs. We contemplated the pros and cons of doing this, but we were put over the edge when Hadley made a makeshift potty on her crib mattress.

Potty training lesson #5: It is better that they can get out of bed than if they can't.

I'm a little worried about the girls' teeth after all the M&Ms and suckers they have been eating, so I asked the dentist if it was wrong to put potty training ahead of the health of their teeth. I must have found the right dentist, because she said no.

Potty training lesson #6: When you're at your wits end with twins and their poop, nothing takes precedence over potty training!

Emme's Very First Campout

Friday Ryan took Emme on her very first camp out.

She was thrilled to eat foil dinners, cook smores, and sleep in a sleeping bag in an actual tent.


All I can say is thank goodness for father daughter camp outs!

What was I doing while Dad and Emme were off playing in the great outdoors? I spent the evening at the Arizona Diamond Back's baseball game with Braden and the twins. I think I was actually the one roughing it.

Happy Birthday Emme!

Emmry has been talking about her 5th birthday party since September 16th of last year. From the theme to the cake, it was set in her mind just like her wedding is. Her plans were to invite all her friends to our house for a heart birthday party, play heart games, do a heart craft, and have a "ginormous" heart cake from Costco. So as the big day drew closer, I became more and more worried. The games, crafts, and cake I could do, producing the friends was a bit trickier. Thankfully one of the girls from her primary class was available and we invited her over for a heart themed playdate. Emmry has already made contingency plans for next year;s party in case she still only has one friend. Thankfully we have plenty of chocolate cake to spare and share. Maybe we'll make some friends yet!

An Amendment

After the past two days, I feel it necessary to amend my previous post that absolved Chloe of any blame in our current "phase." I wonder, what exactly is the predetermined time limit for a phase? When do you move onto a chapter or a period of life? This phase I've decided has unequivocally crossed over the time limit whatever it is. We are definitely ready to move on. I'm not sure how much longer we can bare the artwork covering the walls, doors, rungs of the cribs, bodies, toys, carpet, blankets and sheets. Today the only solice I have is thinking ahead to the day when I'm able to say, "I hope you have a kid just like you." And today Chloe, I really mean it.

POOP... a four letter word

I'm not sure what happens. I put my adorable little girls to bed. They are bathed and smell like soap. They look so cute in their ducked-taped-on pajamas. They insist on wearing their swimsuit cover-ups with the ruffle on the bottom and their sun hats. To complete the adorable factor they each are wearing one black Paten leather Sunday shoe. I cover them with their blankets, then uncover them and peel back the layers to find their cute, soft bellies which I must kiss before they happily go to sleep. I recover them, making sure their babies are also covered. Ryan brings them a drink of water and we turn off the light and shut the door with a big sigh and a silent Hallelujah.

The next morning I wake to find my girls completely undressed. Chloe still has her diaper and pajama bottoms on because without Hadley's help she can't remove the duct tape. Hadley is not only naked but has redecorated her crib in poop. There are not many four letter words we say in our home, in fact none. But when the words, "Oh poop!" come out of my mouth everyone knows to make themselves scarce. No one wants to do the cleaning up.

Aloha

Eight years ago Ryan and I made plans to travel to Hawaii with some friends. Unfortunately the trip took a back seat to what would consume us for nearly the next decade of our lives... Ryan's education. We promised ourselves when he completed his training we would take that trip. Amazingly, that time has finally come and we were able to fulfill that dream, though we did not invision doing it with our four children, my parents, and my six siblings and their families. Clearly, it was quite a celebration!

As it turns out, my family happened to plan a reunion in Hawaii this year and we were able to tag along. Our last beach trip being just last April, we felt completely prepared for the sand castles and forts, the wave jumping, the boggy and body boarding, the surfing and the jelly fish. Wait... not the jelly fish.

It seems the jelly fish loved the beach as much as we did and unfortunately Braden was their target. So we quickly became experts in treating jelly fish stings. Many of you may be thinking of "that Friends' episode" and yes that apparently will work, though we cannot comment on it from experience. Don't try bathing the area in fresh water. This may feel good initially, but it spreads the toxin and leads to a dire of complaints, i.e., "I want to die," "I never want to go to the beach again," "I want to go home right now." On the positive side, after Braden was stung on two separate occasions we gained sufficient knowledge to become the first aid house on the beach, lending assistance to other unfortunate vacationers.

One of the true highlights for Ryan and Braden was surf lessons. After a two hour lesson, they became pretty adept surfers. Braden particularly had a great time and continued to ask over and over throughout the trip when he could go again. Though I am sure they were as awesome as they say, I am only taking their word for it as I missed the whole thing. It seems the pineapple plantation was much too interesting and consumed the entire afternoon. Thankfully a few pictures were taken and Ryan came home with a souvenir to prove his manhood, a foot torn up by coral.

As it usually turns out, some of the unscheduled moments were the most memorable. Of our trip to Waikiki, it will not be the beach, aquarium, Pearl Harbor, or International Market Place that the kids will remember. No, what they will remember is a giant tree with hundreds of vines just begging for the inner Tarzan to be released. Many succumbed, but Braden and Ryan did it in style, ascending the tree and swinging down from its branches. As they prepared for their first swing, my sister leaned over and told me she came prepared with the location of the children's hospital. I leaned back and told her we'd have to make due with an anesthesiologist because we didn't have insurance for another week.

Thankfully Ryan's education was not put to the test on our little Tarzan, but his work on jelly fish stings and an out-of-joint elbow was well worth the years and money we put into his training.

The trip all in all was a wonderful one. It started off a bit rocky with Hadley throwing up once in the car on the ride to the Phoenix airport and then again on the shuttle bus (you should have seen how fast the woman next to us moved), and ended a bit the same with thankfully just one episode on the way to the Honolulu... But the middle part was all we had hoped for eight years ago.

Congratulations Ryan!

Happy Birthday Girls

It's hard to believe that it has been two years since the birth of our miracle twins. From the beginning I thought the first year was going to be the hardest, but we proudly sailed right on through it. The second year humbled us quite a bit and left us wondering... what were we thinking? We really hope it can't get any worse.
Perhaps the terrible twos times two will prove
itself to be just that, but today we throw all caution
into the Hawaiian wind as we celebrate Hadley and Chloe turning two. The girls are celebrating their birthdays in style in Hawaii with my parents, and my six siblings and their families. As it is Sunday, there is a limit to the entertainment we can provide them, but visiting the Hawaii temple, playing on its grass, and dipping into its fountains will be quite memorable for all of us.

Tonight we had a party unlike any we've had in a long time, with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins surrounding us. We sang, ate cake, and opened presents and truly felt blessed to be together. The girls are obsessed with everything baby, so it was fitting that they each received a baby doll with a stroller at home to match.
Clearly surviving a year of two gifted climbers, creative and resourceful artists, opportunistic sprinters, unrelenting hair pullers, jubilant water lovers, and incessant nudes deserves more than one night of celebration. Thankfully there is plenty of rich, chocolaty cake left over to get us through a few more nights. Maybe next year we'll only need a cake of the yellow variety. We can only hope!

Baby Dan's Wedding

This week, we traveled up to Utah for the wedding of my youngest brother Daniel. Having not flown for a year, Braden and Emmry were beside themselves with excitement. They had a wonderful time hiking, playing with cousins, dancing at the reception, and gourging on candy in the groom's room. By the end of the reception there was an all out party, with pajamaed kids line dancing with the adults. Ryan and I felt that we must truly be on the brink of middle age when the Electric Slide was not on the program.

The wedding itself was wonderful. Ryan and I felt extremely blessed to be together in the temple with all my siblings, their spouses and my parents. Though we cannot fully comprehend the blessings the Lord promises us when we are sealed in the temple, Thursday felt like a little glimpse of heaven.

So what could possibly spoil a trip back home for a wedding? Not the flight with both babies crying, "Mama," the squabling kids, or toothpaste smeared into Grammy's new rug. No, at this point we take all that in stride. Perhaps it was finding the freezer had been left open upon our return home.

First Week of School

Braden and Emme started school this week. Emmry missed the kindergarten deadline by a few weeks, so though she is already beginning to read and write, she is attending preschool again this year. She was a bit disappointed, but I on the other hand would not have survived a day without her and am therefore quite happy with the situation. Who else would I have to run and tell me that the babies are using the squirt bottle to drink water from the toilet?

Braden is not overly excited about school starting. He is thrilled to be finally meeting other kids, but he'd like it to begin and end in the same week. The one thing he is extremely excited about is band. Fourth graders have the opportunity to join either the band or orchestra. The instructor paraded himself through the classes to help drum up interest. It must have worked because Braden begged to join. His instrument of choice? It wouldn't be the flute or clarinet... something small and easy to carry back and forth from school. No, Braden wants to play the baritone. The baritone is a small tuba that is actually not so very small. In its case it must weigh at least 15 lbs. which kind of spoils my plan of having Braden ride his bike to school.

The babies and I are in another year of the School of Hard Knocks. They must think it entirely unfair because every time we drop Braden off at school they continuously and in unison chant, "Buba, Buba." When we're driving in the car during the day they continue to chant his name thinking that maybe we're going to pick him up. He has become quite the elusive favorite.

Things have begun to quiet down here a bit as we are beginning to settle into a routine. Of coarse, we wouldn't want life to get too mundane, so we've planned a trip to Utah and another to Hawaii within the first two weeks of school. That should help keep life exciting.

Purses

Today the babies brought me one of Emmry's purses that I noticed right away had a large wet mark on the outside and wanted me to look inside. It must be innate for little girls to carry around purses and fill them full of whatever they can find, because every little girl seems to do it. The babies love to swing their purses over their shoulders and say to me, "Bye, bye. Bye, bye" as if they are going out for the afternoon. Unfortunately I never know what I will find inside their purses and after the poop filled purse incident, I've been a bit leery. So it was a bit of apprehension that I opened Emmry's lavender purse that the babies handed me. At first glance, I thought I saw exactly what I feared. The contents were brown and mushy. "Oh, girls...." (I find myself saying that a lot lately). Upon further inspection though, to my relief, I found that my brown, mushy surprise was only an old banana. I can't tell you how happy I was to find a who-knows-how-many-day-old smashed up banana squished up in that purse. Perspective is everything.

Lost and Found

After surviving this past week in the Phoenix sun, we are convinced that daytime outdoor activities in the summer are not a good idea. I guess that makes us locals at last. For this reason, last night we decided to take a post dinner bike ride. With the babies strapped into their carriage and the rest of us on our bikes, we headed to the dirt trail near our house.

This was a big event for Emmry as most of her riding thus far has been done as a passenger on the back of my bike. Memories of a fall last fall that sent her to the ER also filled her head, so it was with a bit of trepidation that she mounted her bike. To our amazement she rode nearly two miles with no complaint. Braden on the other hand tried his best to be patient, but a nine-year-old can only hold back so long. We therefore soon found it necessary for the peace of the family to split up with Ryan, the babies, and Braden going on ahead.

When I arrived home with Emmry, Ryan and I discovered that Braden had not been with either of us. It was late and very dark and with Braden still unfamiliar with the area, we were worried. After twenty minutes of looking on our own, we called the community patrol who instructed us to also contact the police. Ryan always has to play the cool one in these situations as I am much better at the role of frantic parent.

Thankfully prayers are answered. As I drove around I plead for help, and somewhere out there in the dark Braden did the same. From this prayer I felt truly inspired to go to the neighbors for help. Our neighbor found Braden within ten minutes. He had been circling the same trail for an hour which crossed the street only once. We feel truly blessed that their paths crossed. When Braden saw the headlights coming he said he felt he should wait and see if the car would stop. And using his words, "It did."

And what does a nine-year-old boy say to his frantic Mom after being lost in the dark for an hour? "Mom, I would have found my way home by morning."

How grateful we are for a loving Heavenly Father who answers our prayers.

Ode to a Phoenix Summer

During the past few weeks we have been enjoying our 108 degree weather to its fullest. Most people in Phoenix tend to stay indoors. We can vouch for the fact that the parks are virtually empty and the movie theaters full. The few that venture outdoors not headed for a pool are definately not locals.

Last weekend Braden participated in his first biatholon. Thankfully the locals have experienced a few Phoenix summers and chose to hold the event in the 7 a.m. 85 degree weather. Eleven and unders were required to swim 200 meters of any stoke and run 1/2 mile. Braden, being very literal in everything he does, took that to heart and chose to swim a little of each stroke including a 25 meter butterfly! His 5th place was quite an accomplishment, and though it won him a ribbon, it did not earn him the morning off from his yard work.

This week we were able to enjoy our heat to its fullest as Braden's friend Brendan from Ohio came to stay with us. I was thrilled that he would help occupy Braden's time, though his visit did present one problem: boys like to be outside. No dress ups, doll houses, or making up "stories" in the comfort of an airconditioned house. No, instead we found ourselves sweating while biking, miniature golfing, riding go-carts and motoring around on boats in the 100 plus afternoons. One of the boys' most interesting idas of the week was an insistence to build a roller coaster. They began by doing some research on-line and then came asking for materials. When they couldn't find any around the house, they refused to give up. They are very resourceful and have been taught well by our public education system to be creative, reuse, and recycle. So they found the legs to the trampoline that is not set up and a bit of duct tape (of which I have plenty) to build their track. The coaster came with a bonus water feature, as it landed the rider directly into the swim pool. Unfortunately our backyard is a bit small and there were far too few trampoline pieces, otherwise I'm sure it would have been quite the ride. The two of them have grand plans to build a roller coaster theme park when they are older. They've already named it the Rocky Road Roller Coasters and even gave it a slogan: Ready to fly? Their most expansive project will be a coaster that can be used for state to state travel. Any takers?

Today Brendan's Dad took the two boys up to the Salt River to go tubing. He said they received quite an education from the abundant number college kids on the river but otherwise enjoyed their four hours of fun. I think one of Braden's favorite parts must have been that they were allowed to pee in the river because he must have told me a half dozen times that he took advantage of it at least ten times.

Tonight we were out "enjoying" the heat with a backyard, poolside barbeque. Looking over at the babies I have decided that they have had the right idea all along. Clothes in the middle of a Phoenix summer are entirely overrated!