All About October

Geeze October just flew by! And I am pretty sure I will be saying the same thing about November soon. Here is a little bit of what we have been up to:

We visited the happiest place on earth!

And hung out with lots of friends....

.....got rained on....

and went to the beach.

We dressed up...

And trick -or-treated

We made messes (which we are getting really good at)....

And learned to climb....(boy are we proud of ourselves)



I guess you could say we wore ourselves out!!!



I swear this picture is not staged. She truly fell asleep at the table doing a puzzle. Whats funnier is that I was sitting at the table with her. I just realized that she was quiet and I looked up from what I was doing and ran for the camera.

Boxes and Bare Walls

I feel like this has been my life for the past few weeks. Moving is a lot of work! In our case its been a little bit weird since I kind of had to decide what I "needed" and what I could "store" for a while.

We have been in the Condo for a week now and things are calming down. We had a few "bumps"the first week. First our phone got wired to the wrong condo so for a few days the guy upstairs was getting our calls. Then our fridge broke, but luckily our maintenance guy responds quicker than cox does.

There are definite ups and downs to "condo" living that I have realized over the last week.

A few of the ups include:

*the whole place takes about a fourth of the time to clean as the house did

*Courtney lives around the corner

*all the bills are cheaper (this was our #1 reason for going this route)

A few of the downs

* walking from the car to the condo with groceries and two kids

* walking to and from the car with laundry (I still have to do it at the house)

* super small kitchen with no counter space

* I could go on but I have promised Vaughn that I will try to be more positive about the situation :)

Its going to be fine. We have been talking a lot this week about how it feels a little bit simpler here. Kind of just "back to basics". You don't really realize how much stuff you acquire over time and how much of it you can really live without until you are forced to go through it. I am sure a lot of you can relate, with all the moving that has been going on lately.

So we are here for at least six months and then it just depends on how fast we find a house. I am still doing my preschool from the house and I think it should work out just fine. Macie and Ren have adjusted really well and for that I am truly grateful.

Toddler or Spider Monkey....you decide

So the other day I was down the hall and I hear Ren yelling in his "help me" voice. This is pretty common lately since this kid has no fear and has developed a love for getting himself into or onto things that he cannot get out of.

I round the corner and this is what I see....

So of course I ran to get the camera. He is always so proud of himself ,with the big "look at me smile", that I just have to laugh.

I don't even know how he got the stool over behind the couch. I am guessing he had some help from a certain big sister but she says "I didn't even do it mom".

Kathleen is full of stories about Vaughn climbing all kinds of things. They including a street light pole and the refrigerator, just to name a couple. So I guess this is just a case of "like father like son".

(I am not looking forward to the first run to the emergency room....but I can see it coming.)

Anyone for a trade??

So here is the deal. Ren has made the turn into full toddler mode and that causes a bit of a problem for me and my preschool.

I am looking for someone who would be interested in a "trade". Her child gets to come to preschool and she would take Ren away from the preschool. I would really like someone who has another young child at home so that Ren has someone to play with. It would be Tuesday and Thursday from 9am till noon starting in August. So if any of you ladies out there know of someone who you trust that maybe would like to have her 2 1/2 - 4 year old in preschool but maybe cant really afford it, would you please send her my way.

I added a link to my preschool blog on my sidebar incase you want to know more.

Thanks!!

The Seven Year Itch

I have this vivid memory of going visiting teaching with this lady from the first ward that Vaughn and i were in right after we got married. We had probably been married for about six months and I thought things were going great. I was telling this woman how great things were and I remember that she seemed really surprised to hear that. Then she went on to tell me how I should enjoy it while it lasts cuz it was only a matter of time before the fun wore off. She went in to this long story about how once you throw a couple of kids and a mortgage into the mix then I would know what real life was like and it would not be pretty. She kept saying things like "give it seven years" and "year seven is when it started for me". The conversation totally freaked me out back then and its kind of always been with me. Then Vaughn was talking to some girls at his office a few weeks ago about our upcoming anniversary and he was super surprised to find out that three of the girls he works with were divorced or separated during year seven of their marriage.

I am really lucky and blessed to be able to say that i feel like Vaughn and I kind of breezed through our first few years of married life. I will admit that the last couple of years we have had our fair share of challenges. But i feel like we have made the best of the hand we have been dealt and we have done our best to get through our challenges together and not against each other.

So it has been a little bit of a joke with us lately that our luck is about to run out and we must be in for a rocky year. I guess that's why we decided to get in a little "us time". We bought annual passes to Disneyland this year because we went earlier in the year with Vaughn's sister Eliza and her family and plan on going later in the year with some of my family. So we figured why not try to sneak in one more weekend since we already had the tickets.

It was great!! No strollers, no tired whining kids. We got to walk around holding hands and actually rode rides together instead of taking turns staying with the kids. The best part was eating at the restaurant in the pirates ride (I cant think of the name). I have always wanted to eat there!!! Vaughn would want me to add that the other best part was sleeping in till 9am because neither one of us can remember the last time we did that.

I will admit that I am a wimp and every little while I would sigh and say "Macie would love this" or "Ren would love this". Vaughn would roll his eyes and say "whatever....they can come next time" but I know he missed them a few times too. We had a really great time and are glad to have the chance to reconnect and be ready for another great year and hopefully seven more great years.

BBQ for the Birthday Boy

My little man is ONE!!! We had a BBQ with some family and friends to celebrate. I like to do first birthdays kind of on the big side. I feel like its a celebration for the parents just as much as the kid. Its a "we made it through the first year" party. My very favorite part is the cake. I don't no why I just really think it is the cutest thing to watch. And since Ren eats like he has a hollow leg, I knew he would love this tradition. Courtney and I worked really hard on this cake and I think it turned out pretty darn good. (Its a basketball in case you cant tell.) A couple weeks ago I asked Macie what kind of birthday Ren should have and she said a" boy basketball one" with out hesitating, so thats what we went with. She is kind of obsessed with birthdays right now. So she was super excited to have a party for Ren. It turned out to be a really nice day for June which I was really grateful for because the only place big enough for all the people we invited was the back yard. And I was really worried about everyone sweating their brains out and having no fun. But it turned out to be really great.

Four Year old Favorite's

Q and A with Macie Hazel Wright:

What is your favorite thing to do at school?

Play and snack

Who is your favorite teacher? Miss Kindra

Why? cuz that's you mom, your my teacher too

Who is your best friend? My best friend Natalie

Why? Courtney always brings her to play at my room

What is your favorite food? Peanut Butter

What is your favorite book? the one that ren is silly

What is your favorite treat? lollipops

What do you like to do? family walks with Jojo and Grannie

Where do you like to go? Courtney's house to swim

Who is your favorite animal? lamb and scat

What do you like to wear? Ballerina swimming suits

Who do you love?

my mommy ...and i love to hug my baby brother

Where does dad work? At KB home and at the airport

What does he do there? I always watch movies there and say hi to his friends

What do you like about grandmas house?

It looks fantastic

What games do you like?

play tug of war with Jojo

Whats your favorite color? brown..... like chocolate mmmm yummy

Whats your favorite movie? Scary movies

Why? cuz they are so scary that I don't like them I just like lamb movies

This little girl sure is hilarious and I love her TONS! She is turning into such a little lady and a definite girly girl but I wouldn't have it any other way.

All Dressed Up For Easter

Macie is such a Girlie Girl right now. She refuses to wear anything but dresses. She wants to be a princess all the time so for Easter I couldn't resist making her happy.

And my Renzo is just such a cutie! I just love his little personality. I really got lucky with this little guy!

These two are getting to be such good little friends! I really love to see them play together.

Feeling Down....and Up

I have been feeling really down lately. It just seems like life is really hard right now. Everyone is going through something and in most cases more than one something. I am not sure if this is mostly due to the state of the world in general or if its just part of growing up and dealing with grown-up things. But its hard and its just been really getting to me. This is mostly because I tend to worry about things and people that I have absolutely no control over. But I cant help it. I just want everyone to be healthy, happy and have no problems. I mean is that really so much to ask? :)

So......I was really excited when my sister Breanna came up with a plan that involved both of my sisters, a weekend visit to see my best friend from high school and a session of conference. A full weekend of girl talk, giggling and reminiscing. We had tons of fun! It was great to see Aimee and meet her two little cuties! And Conference was....well...AMAZING. I really needed a lift and it provided exactly that. We were able to attend the second session on Saturday so we were there for all the sustaining. There was something truly amazing about being able to raise my arm and show my love for our prophet while he sat only feet away.

I got one more boost tonight as we were able to attend a double convert baptism in our ward. A few weeks ago we were able to have these to sweet young ladies in our home while they were taught by the Missionaries and that was truly a treat. Its been years since I have been able to sit in on a discussion and I forgot what an amazing spirit the Elders carry with them. Its been a blessing to get to know Jocelyn and Becky and be a part of their journey and new life. There was such an amazing spirit there with us tonight. It has made me excited to look for someone else to listen to the missionaries just so that we could have them in our home again.

I am grateful for this last week and the ups I have experienced. The downs are easier to handle when I know there are ups just around the corner. I am also grateful to be part of a church that has so many ups around every corner. They are always there for the taking if we just choose to partake.

Thing 1 & Thing 2

Vaughn went to Orlando on business earlier this week and he just couldn't resist bringing these back for the kids. After baths last night Macie wanted to have a photo shoot. She is really into taking pictures lately but will only let me take them if she can take some too. She cracks me up up because she totally imitates what I do. She was saying "Hold still"...."Smile, smile"...."Say cheese"...."Ren, look at Macie"...it was adorable!







Here are some of the ones she took:

Scat and Freinds

Macie was never a blankie girl. She has always wanted "someone" to sleep with but most of the time any of her dolls or animals would do. She will go through phases and love one more than the others for a week or so but never really much longer than that. That is ...until Scat the cat.

A year and a half ago Courtney gave Macie a bag full of her old Beanie Babies and from that moment on they were all her favorites and all equals. She has barely touched a baby doll since then. She definitely prefers animals and of course small, soft, cuddly ones are best. Then a few weeks ago Courtney let her choose another Beanie from the bin. (Courtney was quite the collector way back when.) Macie looked through all of them and fell in love with Scat. This Kitty has not left her side in two months except for when she goes to church and school. I would catch her rubbing noses and talking in whispers to Scat. She even started talking in a weird little voice that was supposed to be Scat. It was absolutely hilarious!

Well....last Sunday we lost Scat. We took her to Grandma's house but didn't make it home with her. For the first time in her little life Macie had a meltdown at bedtime because she didn't want to sleep without Scat. We have searched everywhere and still no Scat but Macie is handling it well. I am actually really proud of her because after the first night there were no more tears over it.

The other night Macie was at Courtneys house and she was telling Courtney about how Scat was gone so Courtney (being the awesome aunt that she is)let her pick an animal from the bin to replace Scat. She picked a cute little deer. I was a little worried about her getting to attached to the deer and having this whole ordeal over again in a few weeks.

But last night we were at the Hospital visiting Grannie and when we were about to leave, Macie did something so sweet. She said that the deer wanted to stay and cuddle with Grannie and keep her happy. So she tucked the little deer into the covers in Gannie's arm and kissed the deer and kissed Grannie good night. I was really proud of her for realizing that the deer makes her happy so maybe it would make Grannie happy too. I wonder what she thinks about this whole situation but at least she is warming up to Grannie being in the hospital bed and I know that means a lot to Kathleen.

Also, I think from now on we will have a rule about sleeping with different animals so that she doesn't get overly attached to any one animal.



P.S. Macie took these pictures of Scat a few weeks ago cuz she really did love her sooo much.

A loss for words....

I have been avoiding the whole blogging scene for the past few weeks because I am at a loss for words. And I suppose also because I was afraid of the words. I knew that so many of you would be posting beautiful thoughts about Kathleen and the truth is I didn't want to deal with the emotions. I can be strong if I have to be for a while but I have to be strict with where I let my mind go. And the hard thing about this situation is that there are so many unknowns, what ifs and wait and sees, that its hard to not let your mind wonder.

I have spent the last hour reading and crying. I am jealous of how beautifully you all are able express your thoughts and feelings. But I would like to add a few simple thoughts of my own.

When I tell people that I live with my in-laws the response is almost always the same. There is a slight tilt of the head and an "ooh" with a hint of pity in the voice. Followed by "how does that work?". And the truth is it works well. I don't think many people could have our situation and be able to say that, so i am grateful. Most people would think that living with their in-laws was a burden but I think of it as a blessing. I have been able to get to know Lo and Kathleen on a level that would not have been possible under other circumstances.

And now as we sit and worry and wait I am especially grateful for every conversation that I have been able to have with Kathleen over the last year and a half. She is truly an amazing women. I have enjoyed listening to her stories of motherhood, wife hood, and sisterhood and I have come to look to her as an example of what I would like to be one day.

I have also been very touched by what I have seen in the love that exists between Kathleen and Lo. Very often they go to bed much earlier than we do and most of the time all we hear is the buzz of the T.V. in the hours that follow. Every once in a while though HUGE bursts of laughter will come from the room. Sometimes Kathleen will come out to tell us how hilarious she thinks Lo is but most of the time we just here them both laughing. I find it to be absolutely adorable that after all these years they still are happiest just sitting and talking with each other. So many couples grow apart through the years of raising kids that it so refreshing to see a couple so in love with each other even after all the hard years. They give me hope.

I have said to Vaughn many times in the past seven years that I feel like I married up. I feel lucky and blessed everyday that I was a able to join a family as amazing as this one.



We love you Grannie!! Hope you are home with us soon!!

The Microphone

Macie was ready to be out of Nursery about six months ago and so she transitioned beautifully into going to primary. She has absolutely loved it! She loves being a big kid and she especially loves going to the same place as Grannie for singing time. It was kind of a weird feeling for me to have her go to primary. It just kind of made it real that she is a kid now and not a toddler. When Vaughn and I were talking about this a few weeks ago I mentioned that it would be really exciting and also weird when she gets asked to give a talk or something in primary. Vaughn said he could hardly wait. Well....on Sunday we picked Macie up from her class and she had this big sticker on her front announcing that she had been assigned to give the scripture the following week. PROBLEM....We will be in Disneyland. So I grab her teacher and tell her that Macie wont be able to do it next week. So the teacher rips the sticker off Macie to keep as a reminder. And Macie lost it! She was yelling "no, no, that's so I can talk at the microphone". We tried telling her that we were gong to Disneyland but at that point she was willing to give up Mickey and the Princesses and everything for that chance to talk into the microphone. It was sooo cute! Hopefully its not to long before she gets the chance again to "talk in the microphone".

Tagged

Ive been tagged. answer with one word...ready...set ..go!

1. Where is your phone? diaper-bag
2. Where is your significant other? work
3.Your hair color? brown
4. Your Mother? kind
5. Your Father? mechanic
6. Your favorite thing? kids
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your dream/goal? school
9. The room you're in? front
10. Your hobby? scrapbook
11. Your fear? loss
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? secure
13. Where were you last night? restaurant
14. What you're not? loud
15. One of your wish-list items? swing-set
16. Love Someone? many
17. The last thing you ate? granola
18. What are you wearing? sweats
19. Your TV? off
20. Your pet? jojo
21. Your computer? annoying
22. Your mood? content
23. Missing someone? yup
24. Your car? messy
25. Something you're not wearing? shoes
26. Favorite store? HobbyLobby
27. Your Summer? busy
28. Where did you grow up? mesa
29. Your favorite color? blue
30. When was the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? December
32. Something you crave? cookies
33. Why you blog? family


Now I tag......Nancy and Aimee

Renzo is 7 Months Old

I think that this is one of my favorite times in the having a baby timeline. Of course there is nothing sweeter than holding your newborn in your arms, but those days are full of a fair amount of hardships too. This time right now when babies are super interactive and playful but are not quite mobile enough to leave a path of disaster is definitely a great time.



Ren wants to crawl so bad! And I am sad to report that he is about there. He has already discovered the belly scoot and is crossing rooms that way but the past few days he is also figuring out the right hand leg motion combination on his knees that move him forward. He can only repeat it two or three times before falling on his belly but I am sure he will have it down within another week or so. And then its all over and he wont be my baby for much longer. :(



This kids favorite thing to do it eat!! Seriously...he is an eating machine. If he sees someone else eating he will start what I call "yelling" until he gets something that he can eat too. This has proven to be very annoying at restaurants. But he must have been blessed with Vaughns metabolism cuz he isn't really chubby anymore. (I really love this weird little food net thing he is chewing on. I put fruit or whatever in it and then he just goes to town chewing and sucking on it to get stuff out. Its great cuz he thinks he is big enough to eat big people stuff but he cant get enough out of it to choke.)




Ren has cut four teeth. The two on the bottom came first and then the top. We are calling him a vampire baby right now because it looks like he has fangs on top. (We probably just have to much Twilight on the brain.) He is trying really hard to cut the middle top two. His gums are swollen and his sleep pattern is bad again so I am really hoping they come soon!



It has been a really great seven months and I am really enjoying watching his little personality start to form. Every time I cuddle him I just try to take it all in and enjoy every minute. He is such a mommas boy! Sometimes I feel like it makes Vaughn sad and so I don't like that but I really do like it all the other times. There is nothing better than being a Mom and I love my kids more than I can put into words.