All Tuckered Out

A hard day's work (like putting toy animals in the toilet and running the monster trucks through the laundry detergent) seems to have worn these sleeping beauties out.

My Handy Man

When we first moved here four years ago, my neighbor, who was single at the time, asked me who we used for a handy-man. I responded with, "my husband."

Whether he likes it or not, Tom is the appointed handy-man around here. When he came home last week, I didn't really have much on the "honey-do" list, so he invented some of his own.

It started when he found out some people from the ward wanted to come over to work on their Pine Wood Derby cars. Embarrassed that his work bench was a mess, he started cleaning there, and continued on for the next two days. He even put up new hooks to get the extension cords off of the ground. Now we have one very organized garage. He didn't stop there either. He scalped the grass in the backyard and planted new Bermuda. If only I could get him excited about helping me paint our bedroom!

Glasses

Well, it looks like Sam will turn out as blind as me someday. All of Jen's in-law kids (with the exception of Matt, lucky guy) wear contacts/glasses-Cindi, Karyn, Ann, Jen, Clint, and myself.
Aren't we a lucky bunch?

Anyway, I've been dragging my feet for the past month about getting Sam into the eye doctor (you know, if I ignore it, it just might go away!). I was hoping she would have Tom's good vision and not have to wear glasses in the 2nd grade. But with continued (nagging, actually) complaints about not seeing the chalkboard clearly and watching her squint at the TV, I finally made the call and got her in.

While the right eye is perfect, the left isn't as lucky, so she'll be sporting a new pair of Hannah Montana glasses next Friday (don't worry Grandma, there aren't any pictures of Hannah Montana visible anywhere!). I'm hoping that at age 10 she'll be responsible enough for contacts. Here's hoping, but time will tell . . .

He Made a "Haul"

Tommy may be a baby of few words (actually he's getting more talkative), but his little mind is constantly working.

I wondered why he wanted me to open Sam's little container full of bracelets, and I quickly discovered why. He's always doing funny little things like this--like taking his pretzels and putting them in the back of his trucks or sticking them through the side window of his cars. Why would he want to eat them? Playing with them is apparently much more entertaining.

Happy Birthday Papa!!

Today is Tom's dad's birthday, and he is 52 (give or take 10 years!). I have only been in the family for the past 11 years, but I have gotten to know and love him like a father.

Here are some things we all know and love about Papa:

-He is a man of few words

-He likes shrimp and fish (yuck, yuck, and triple yuck)

-He likes to fly

-He likes to listen to the oldie's

-He likes to travel

-He loves his grandkids, especially the babies

-He doesn't like milk chocolate chips--thinks they're a waste of a good cookie

-He likes dogs

-He loves his "little woman," otherwise known as "my first wife"

-He is thoughtful, like when he brought Sammie back a pink pig from the John Deere store because it would match her room

-He is spoiled, spoiled, spoiled, and loves every minute of it

-He is a great example of hard work, dedication, and integrity to all of us

Happy Birthday!

P.S. The AZ bunch is waiting on you to come for a visit--better yet, why not move here?!

Happy Easter!

I haven't had much time to blog lately. Tom got back into town late Friday night, and it's been a whirlwind ever since. I did, however, manage to take these two pictures right before we headed out the door for church.

What Could Be More Fun?

Although I'm not the world's biggest fan of sleepovers (you know, the extra blankets, breakfast in the morning, etc.), what could be more fun for three little girls/cousins/best friends?

Yes, they're wiped out now, but a full day can do that to a girl (bike ride to the drive-in for lunch, an afternoon movie, swimming, a trip to gymnastics with Susie, a trip to the mall, and finally, the sleepover).

Ah, to be a kid again . . .

Spring Break

Sam was not very happy that Tom and I wouldn't buy her a ticket to Utah, but seems to be having fun nonetheless. (It also helps that Quincy is here to visit.)

Sam's a die-hard in the pool (even when the water's cold!). She's the first one in and the last one out.

Susie and Quincy on the trampoline.

Sam and Quincy in the pool.

Susie Q

Ty-ty small fry

The gang

A party's not a party unless someone gets naked, right?

Maybe clothes aren't so bad, after all.

Susie Q

Hip Hip Hooray!

Scottsdale it is for Clint and Lorena! One transition year in Spokane, and then they will make their home in the Valley of the Sun.

We can't wait. Way to go Clint!

"Tub" Time

Poor little Tommy is like me in the sense that he may be a little neurotic, but there's usually a method to his madness.

I no longer have to tell Tommy when it's time for a bath, because each night around 7:00, he gathers an arm full of toys, comes to find me, and says (sometimes yells) "tub, tub, tub!"


When he is finished, we have a clean boy, clean cars, clean semis, clean airplanes, and one very wet floor.

All Smiles

This morning was Sam's six-month checkup at the dentist. No cavities (yeah!), but he did discover a new chip from a recent wipe-out on roller blades (which she wasn't supposed to be on, and they have since been put in the trash!). Like Shari says, I'm lucky my accident-prone child has any teeth!

And then there's the joy of toting a two-year-old there with me. And go ahead, call DCFS, but if they had a muzzle for toddlers, I'd be the first to use it . . .

My Little Fish

Our next house has to have a pool--no ifs, ands or buts about it. Whether it is existing, or we have one put in, the pool is a must. Shari is only a mile away, and gracious enough to let us hop on in whenever we choose, but it would still be nice to have our own.

Sammie has already been swimming three times this week. We had a few straight days in the mid-80's, and with the solar heat and the pool cover on at night, the water was pretty warm. However, today has only been around 70 degrees, and she still was intent on jumping in this morning.

When she gives me all the boo-hooing about wanting to move back to Utah, I quickly remind her that she couldn't swim in the middle of March if we lived in Utah. However, my quick-witted (or smart-mouth) child reminded me that they do have indoor pools in Utah. Sorry Toots, still not gonna move!

"Only Child 1" and "Only Child 2"

I guess you could say Tom and I are not the typical LDS family living in Mesa, in the sense that we only have two children, and they are 6 1/2 years apart in age. While some may question our logic, it has worked for me. And considering that I nearly lost each baby at the end of both pregnancies, I consider it a miracle that I have two healthy children.

Nonetheless, with their gap in age, they have both experienced "only child syndrome." Sammie was the only child for six years before Tommy came along, and with Sammie now in school, piano, activity days, and busy with cousins and friends, it's just Tommy and me for a lot of the time.

Sammie was really good at entertaining herself, and little Bubba has figured out how to entertain himself as well. Pushing piggy around on his airplane has become a new favorite.

Yummy!

You never know what you'll find in your food overseas! Tom doesn't want me to name the country, but he had a nice surprise while eating his Chinese food (and he wasn't in China--just loves Chinese food).

In his sauce was a bitty baby cockroach. Needless to say, the pilots didn't have to pay for the meals, but I doubt they were very hungry at that point anyway. Muy Delicioso!

Gotta Love the Internet

Who knew a boy could get so excited to see his Daddy?! (Even if it is via the Internet. Poor kid!)

747 Pictures

This picture was taken in Lilongwe, Malawi (Africa) in front of one of the engines. Gives you an idea of the size of this bird (or beast).

This is damage to the flap from Tom's first 747 bird strike (obviously not on purpose). The plane is so big that they didn't even feel or see the bird on descent. The gash is about 6x12 inches. Good thing this wasn't the CRJ! (I told him maybe they'd been shot at, but the pilots seem to think it was a bird! I only say that half jokingly, as they now go into Iraq and Afghanistan--how comforting.)

Here is the same plane, before the bird strike, with a new paint job (only one week old).

Girls Night Out

Since Tom was out of town, and Matt happened to be out of town the same weekend, Shari and I thought it would be fun to have a "girls only" night. So we got a sitter for the boys, and off we went. First, a quick stop at Outback, then over to Harkins Theaters to see College Road Trip, and then a final stop for dessert.

All in all I think they had a fun night. (But considering they still argued occasionally, maybe next time it will be "adult girls only" night!)

Tom's Newest Creation

Tom and the Bird Dog, as photographed by Sam-I-Am

While I'll admit that he did spend ample quality time with the family on his last trip home, here is his newest "baby" that took up the other half of that time. I think he needs to start a support group called "Airplane Addicts Anonymous," and I could attend meetings with the wives of these addicts.

Abnormal Behavior?

Now I've heard of intoxicated teenagers dancing w/ lampshades on their heads, but is this normal for a 2 year old?! (He was probably just a little hyped up on chocolate pudding, a main staple in his diet.)

P.S. Disregard the boxes and clutter in the background. While I have convinced Tom for the most part that holding on to clutter is a waste of space, he can't seem to ditch the computer boxes. What would we do if the computer needed to be sent in for repair and we couldn't find any other box in the United States that would work the same! Can't imagine where he gets that from.

Life As Usual

I guess you could say life is back to usual--we've gotten past our "airport day," and the days continue to speed by. Nothing really exciting to blog about--just the same old. Sam keeps busy w/ school, piano, and cousins, Tommy acts like a little wild man, and I try to keep up with the kids, work, the house, the yard, and church.

As I was thinking that sometimes I have a pretty boring life (just me, not Tom; he's already been to Dubai and Johannesburg in just the past few days!), I was realizing that I should be grateful that my life is pretty uneventful. A church member in Jen's ward was recently diagnosed w/ Stage 4 brain cancer (and if you know anything about me, you know that I have an absolute PARANOIA of myself or someone else I love getting cancer!), and I immediately felt a number of emotions. Sadness, fear, empathy . . .

It also got me thinking about how I tend to take a lot of things in my life for granted. I need to learn to appreciate every day and the blessings that are in it. I have a wonderful husband (who is a GREAT father and works so hard for us), I have two healthy children, a house (it may not be fancy, but it's ours), and we have our health. We have also been blessed with a wonderful support system of family and friends, which I am lucky enough to talk to on a daily basis. Above all, I have the gospel, which comforts me and lets me know that I am in good hands.

So, after those deep thoughts, here's to taking time to smell the roses.

Another Airport Day

I decided that we have "airport days" around our household. There are two kinds--the happy kind, like when Tom returns from a 17 day trip. Then there's the depressing kind--like today, when Tom headed out for at least 17 days. I usually get back into the swing of single-motherhood after a day or two, but the first night is pretty depressing.

I nearly teared up when we drove away from the airport--my little rascal, with his thumb in his mouth and blankey in hand, said in a sweet little voice from the back seat, "Bye-bye Da-Da." At least a little retail therapy with Aunt Shari proved helpful!

What Better Way to Spend the Day?

Poor Tom. Today is his last day at home for a few weeks, and this is how he gets to spend it-digging up the side yard and front lawn to fix a new sprinkler leak. We hoped it was from the neighbors yard, but, as Murphy's Law would have it, it was from ours.

Now we get to top off the day by spending money (which we don't have!) on a new laptop, seeing as his other one is pretty much a goner. Since it's his only means of communications overseas, I guess we don't have much of a choice. For such is life . . .

Fun in the Sun

I love, love, love the weather in AZ this time of year (hey, we have to have some compensation for the months of h--- we endure during the summer). So, what better way to spend our time than playing on Uncle Denny's toys?!
I think Denny gets pretty spoiled when he comes to town (mainly by Shari), but we certainly benefit from the toys! Who else would pick up and take the girls to school in a Polaris Ranger?