Snips and Snails

I feel guilty when Aaron's outside on Saturdays working in the middle of the heat. So when he went out front to mow the lawn, the boys and I followed. It was the only way I knew how to show my support without actually mowing the lawn myself. While I was melting on the porch, Parker was exploring under the rocks and aloe vera plants near our front windows. He found a tiny baby snail and brought it over for Dallin and I to look at. It was so tiny and cute, I have to admit. Then he went back and found a whole family of snails. They weren't as cute.


Parker loved looking at the snail from all different angles. At first I didn't think the snail was actually alive, but it came out after a little while.


The Snail Family


As the snails started to come out of their shells, they started moving toward the edge of the bricks. Parker was worried about them falling and put his hands out to catch his little friends. He has a sensitive side, but he's definitely all boy.

Bath on Demand

The boys have taken advantage of the heat and dirt outside to hop in the bath whenever they feel so inclined. These pictures were taken last Saturday around lunchtime when McKay suddenly decided that he needed to take a bath. He loves laying on his back and "floating" in the water.


I told McKay that since he was in the bath he needed to wash his hair. Parker and Dallin would have said okay, waited for me to leave, then kept playing. But McKay did exactly as he was told. One of the great things I love about his age! (The downside: he has to do everything himself.)



McKay has been wearing a piece of yarn around his neck for about two weeks now. When we put it on he said that it made him be Darth Vader. I guess he's been Darth Vader long enough now that we can cut it off. I just think it's kind of cute, all that power in one little string.

Another Healthy Breakfast

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
Jello
Sugary Cold Cereal

The breakfast of champions!

Grapes to Raisins

A couple weeks ago my mom brought over a gallon size ziploc bag filled with grapes from her grapevine. These grapes aren't like the giant ones you buy at the store, they're small, some are tiny. The kids weren't eating them very quickly and I didn't want to waste them so I decided to make them into raisins. It took about an hour to pick them off the stems and they filled my large colander about halfway. Then we got out the dehydrator (which still had tape on it from when we moved four years ago, you can tell it gets a lot of use) and spread the grapes on the trays. We let them sit there overnight and voila! Raisins! I had planned on putting the raisins in the kids' oatmeal the next morning, but they had other plans. As soon as the boys heard they were done, the raisins were inhaled in fifteen minutes flat.

How to Catch a Cat

Supplies:
box
cat food and milk
stick
rope
hiding place and lots of patience

Parker had this brilliant idea after trying to catch a stray cat at my mom's house. He gathered everything up and spent a whole day trying to catch a new pet. The trap made it's way to about three different locations around our house including: the middle of the backyard, the back porch, and the sidewalk in front of the house. He loves catching things and is always asking for some kind of new pet. Luckily, none of the stray cats took the bait. The hunt continues . . .

Kohl's Coupons

I have 15% off coupons for Kohl's if anyone is interested. They are good from August 8-10 and can be used on all merchandise (including clearance). Let me know if you'd like one. (If you live far away (Queen Creek and Maricopa :)) I can mail it to you.)

I've been wanting to get my hair cut for a while now. I'm just too cheap and too busy with kids to make an appointment. Well, Aaron called one day from work this week and said that they were doing a Locks of Love promotion at Lucy (workout wear store) and Evante Salon and Spa at San Tan Village. I thought that would be perfect. My hair was long enough (it had to be 10 inches) and the cut and style would be free. What could be better?

I was doing great when they were putting my hair in a ponytail. I was doing fine when they actually chopped all my hair off. I was even okay while I waited in the salon looking for a cute cut for my now chopped off locks. But sometime between the shampoo and cut, it hit me. What have I done??? Throughout the haircut I had to hold back the tears and when I left the salon I practically ran to my car because they were coming, and fast. I did make it to the car before I burst into tears and sobs, thank goodness. And luckily I made it to my moms house to pick up the boys without getting into an accident since I couldn't see the road half the time. I felt like Ronald McDonald minus the flaming red color. I called Aaron hoping for consoling, but I was crying so hard that he couldn't understand a word I was saying, so I just said bye and hung up. And to make me feel even better, I had to meet a couple girlfriends for lunch right after this had happened.

It turns out meeting friends for lunch was the best thing for me. Of course they said they loved it and it looked cute. I half believed them. Then we took the kids swimming and visited and all the drama was forgotten for a little while. At least until I got home and looked in the mirror at my now watered down Ronald McDonald hairdo. But at least I hadn't spent the rest of the day moping at home like I originally felt like doing.

So, when you see me next time (because I'm NOT posting a picture), have compassion on a poor girl who just has no sense when it comes to hair. At least I can feel good knowing that it will help a child who needs it more than I do. And if anything, it will grow back!!

Parker: Mom, did you see the pictures?

Me: No, what did you do? (thinking awful, messy thoughts)

Parker: They needed to be in alphabet order.

Me: Wow, great job! Now, don't touch those pictures again.


Thank goodness it wasn't a mess, just my precious child being smart.

Mad Scientist

Aaron took the boys to the library the other night and when they got out of the car Parker said that he wanted a science book. So as soon as they walked into the children's section, Parker walked right up to the librarian and asked if she could please show him where the science books were. I guess I've rubbed off on him! She then listed off several types of science books to see which kind he wanted. He must have known exactly what he wanted because when she got to science experiments he said "yes!" As soon as the librarian walked away Parker was grabbing books off the shelf as fast as he could. Luckily, Aaron limited him to four books. How many experiments do you think I want to do?


After listening to much begging and pleading, I gave in to the "volcano" experiment. We didn't follow the book exactly since we didn't make the clay mountain, but we still got the effect. Parker filled the glass jar with water and food coloring. Then we added six drops of liquid detergent and two tablespoons of baking soda. To make the volcano errupt, Parker poured in vinegar.



So many experiments, so little time.

Rain, Rain, Please Stay

Dallin had a ball playing in the rain on Sunday. Before he went out he made sure to grab "his" jacket. It actually ended up being McKay's jacket and it was way to small. Oh well, Dallin didn't care. I don't even know why he thought he needed a jacket. It was soaked by the time we went inside.


All the boys love running in the gutter when it's full of water. I've even caught them sitting in it before. It seems pretty gross to me, but I remember doing the same thing when I was little.


Dallin loves letting the water from the roof drip onto his head and then bending over and watching it drip onto the sidewalk. I love the little drop of water on his chin in this picture. (And no he doesn't have huge lips, he's sticking out his tongue.)

Before and After

Before

After

We loved our Nissan Frontier, power everything and a great view of the road. We did not love the high gas mileage (16 mpg is high to me, for a commuter car) or the car payment. We also weren't using the truck like we were when Aaron was a superintendent and hauling things around. So we went to Member's Auto Center at our bank, Arizona Federal Credit Union (Greenfield branch) to see how what they could do for us. We worked with Ryan (he's great! go see him if you need a new car) and told him what type of car we wanted and what we wanted our monthly payment to be. He got bids on how much he could get for our truck and started looking for a different car. We told him we wanted a Corolla, Civic, or Sentra, something with good gas mileage. We would have gotten a Prius if that was an option, but they're still too expensive. He called us about a couple cars he had found within the first week of our meeting, but they had too many miles on them. Then he called with a 2004 Honda Civic with 44,00 miles on it. We went to see it (he brought it to the bank for us to look at), took a test drive and decided that it would work great. They fully inspected and detailed the car before we signed all the paperwork. Ryan even arranged to have the windows tinted for us before we took it since that makes a huge difference in this heat. And the payments are lower, thanks to the tax refund money that we put toward the car. We had decided several months ago to make a change and we're so happy that we didn't have to go to a dealership and haggle and feel pressured to make a deal. We're glad it all worked out!


Before

After


We're down to three chickens. On Saturday this fellow, one of our egg layers, started crowing and we didn't want to risk bothering our neighbors, so he had to go. To the table that is. Luckily Aaron took care of everything while I was at work. Parker helped throughout the whole process and loved it. He's the same way when they go fishing. Dallin and McKay could care less. They were watching a movie while Aaron and Parker took care of the chicken.

Last night for dinner Aaron baked the chicken with some lemon and seasonings. It turned out very tasty. The only downside was that it was still so small. Luckily, the boys don't eat very much and there was enough to feed our family. We're hoping to get another egg layer to replace this guy. And I'm even looking forward to eating some more chicken down the road. As long as Aaron takes care of everything!

Kung Fu Fighting

On Friday we went and saw Kung Fu Panda with my sister Lara and my friend Tara and her family. The boys were so well behaved (thank goodness!) and they really liked the movie. Dallin was a little scared, but nothing a mom's lap couldn't make better. Afterwards Parker showed off his kung fu moves.


When we passed the ticket stand the ticket taker handed each of the boys a monkey mask to advertise the upcoming movie Space Chimps. McKay wore his mask almost the entire movie. It was so funny when he tried to take a drink the mask got in his way. He figured out how to make the straw go up under the bottom of his mask and still get his drink. The masks were a little creepy because they looked so realistic, that's probably why the boys loved them.

Contacts or Glasses?

Neither yet luckily! Parker had his first visit to the optometrist yesterday. I decided to take him in and get him checked out before school started. I was hoping that all would be well and they would send us on our way saying that he had perfect 20/20 vision. Well, not quite. The doctor said he is slightly near-sighted and also has a slight astigmatism (just like me). So they scheduled another appointment for us to come back in six months, just to double check whether he needs glasses or not.

I thought it was interesting that when I told my mom that I was taking Parker in she asked if something was wrong. I didn't realize that she never took any of us to the eye doctor until she noticed a problem (I was in fifth or sixth grade when I got glasses). I just assumed you take your child to the pediatrician and dentist for regular check-ups, why not the eye doctor? So, I was wondering, what are everyone else's thoughts on taking little kids to get their eyes checked?

Couch Anyone?

I decided to keep the blue couches. They just felt like they belonged (and I didn't have to spend money to keep them). So, if anyone would like the peach sectional please let me know by Saturday. It will need to have new foam inserts in the seat cushions. The fabric is very sturdy, just faded. If I don't hear from anyone by Saturday, you'll be able to buy it at DI.

Polka Dot Pancakes

For some reason I always feel good when I make my kids breakfast, even pancakes loaded with chocolate chips. It may not be any better for them than cold cereal, but it's made with love and it makes them feel special. Some of their other favorites are cinammon toast and scrambled eggs, french toast (cut in strips not squares), oatmeal with raisins, chocolate malt-o-meal (Dallin's favorite), and the occasional Eggo (it counts!).


The boys think that anything syrup goes on also needs peanut butter. The only downside to homemade breakfast is the clean-up. Syrup and globs of oatmeal are a pain to clean up!

It Didn't Take Long

I was able to convince Aaron that he really needed to just rent the trencher. I think it saved him (I didn't plan on digging anymore) at least two days of back breaking shovel time. He picked up the trencher on his way home from work and he was able to finish all the trenches in three hours. Luckily, none of our neighbors complained about us making so much noise since we worked until about 9:30pm. We had to get the trencher back by nine the next morning and weren't going to risk having to pay another four hour rental fee.


The machine worked really well for the most part. As long as Aaron went slow and steady it kept an even digging depth and made a great trench. The only frustrating part was that the trencher stopped when it hit a rock, which happened several times. Or when he hit a pipe or cable. Yeah, if anyone's phone isn't working, it's probably our fault. We hit an unidentified cable at the back of our yard and haven't been able to figure out what it is. Our phone and our neighbor's phones are still working (as far as we know). The machine was super heavy and Aaron had to call a neighbor to help him lift it out of the bed of our truck and put it back in when we were done. So he's a little sore still from pulling the machine around, but I don't think it's as bad as bending over a shovel for three hours. If you're going to do sprinklers, definitely rent the trencher!


A captive audience!


McKay sporting Parker's new goggles. Parker used his dollar from the tooth fairy to buy a goggle and snorkel set. They were falling apart by the time we got in the car (luckily we were able to fix them). You just can't expect much from a pair of goggles bought at the dollar store!

Redoing sprinklers in July . . .

is not a good idea! We decided to change the placement of our sprinklers for better coverage. Why did we decide to do it in the middle of the summer? I'm still not sure. But, we'll be glad when all our grass is getting watered the way it should be and we don't have dead spots. We also want to make a cement border along the tree line and put down gravel or wood chips under the citrus trees so the boys don't have such easy access to mud puddles. I'm sure they're not happy about this!


Aaron started digging mid-morning and I joined him after lunch. He was so shocked that I actually picked up the shovel that he took a picture from inside the house (that's why it isn't great quality). I'm not quite sure why it was such a big deal that I was helping him. It's not like I haven't helped him with projects before! I still think we need to go rent the trencher from Home Depot but Aaron's holding out on spending the money. We'll see how long it takes me to convince him it really is the way to go!





I'm hoping after the sprinkler project is completed we can get to work on the kitchen ceiling. We're going to take out the drop down ceiling (soffitt?) and put in recessed lighting and hopefully a small ceiling fan. I'm hoping it gets done by the end of the year (wishful thinking?).

July 4th Revisited

Here are some more pictures from our neighborhood parade.

Which couch?

When Aaron's grandma passed away we said we would take her couch. After two years of waiting, it finally made it to our house. Now I'm trying to decide if we're going to keep it or not. I'm not feeling very confident about making this decision and I need help!



The blue couches are comfortable but well worn and the fabric is dirty. They are also overstuffed and fill the room up quickly. I do like the way they are layed out, with the space to go through them at the corner by the hallway. The blue couches match the style of the rest of the house.

The peach couch would need to be recovered or slipcovered. Something that I'm not willing to do myself. I have no experience with it and I would be really upset if the job turned out less than perfect. So that means coming up with the money to pay for it. The peach couch is also a much smaller scale. You can tell by looking at the distance between the back of the couch and pictures on the wall. This is a good thing as far as room size goes. It makes the room feel bigger and there is more room behind the couch than before. (I don't think you can tell that very well from the pictures though.) The couch consists of four pieces plus a footstool. So it is also easy to move around and rearrange.




So, give me your thoughts. Should I slipcover the new couch? Rearrange it? Keep the dirty blue country couches? Do you know of a company that does reupholstery? I'll let you know how it turns out!

Happy 4th!

The boys participated in our neighborhood 4th of July parade and program this year. Dallin rode his bike (with training wheels) through the parade all by himself. We were really proud that he made it all the way because we've had a hard time getting him to switch from his tricycle. After the parade we gathered at the Harvey's for a short program. There was a flag ceremony and Parker and several other kids read a poem about America. And to top it all off we had doughnuts, otter pops, and lots of cold water. We were all a little wet by the time we got home!

Got Butter?