Trip to Arizona and The New Arrival!

So we took a serious road trip to Arizona. Unfortunately, daddy didn't get to go, but we made the drive anyway. So being brave, Emily, Alma and I took the kids for the 12 hour drive down to see Terra and Tim. We left Tuesday night so that the kids could sleep while we drove. We took the 89 route. I tell you what, a WHOLE lot of NOTHING! Not to mention a whole lot of dead spots for phone coverage. Just a few small towns and all asleep and EVERYTHING closed even gas stations so that after like 10:30 pm maybe 11 pm NO POTTIES! So a little about our driving down adventure. So in one of the stretches of nothing, I saw a cat sitting on the side of the road. When I got closer, I realized it was a BIG cat. Prolly a cougar or mountain lion...one of those cats. I was glad I was in the car and it wasn't and that I was driving past it at 65 mph. We also went through a lightening storm. It was really cool. At first we saw it in front of us, then we went through it, and then we were able to watch it behind us. So we got to watch it for like 2 hours of the drive. At one point, Emily and I were talking and all the sudden Alma let out a huge snore. We both started laughing really hard. We arrived at like 4:30 in the morning. We had a great time. Here are a few highlights from the trip:

We got to spend Terra's birthday with her. It was great. We played games. Adam helped me make a cake and decorate it. We put M &Ms on it to decorate it, Adam helped me arrange them too. He was so excited.

We also went swimming everyday. The kids loved it. Even Sarah loves swimming. While we were down there, we found the kids some swim suits on clearance. Ari picked her and Sarah matching Disney Princess ones. Adam got some cool Hawaiian floral print ones. Adam can now swim under water. Ari is getting good at floating on her back with help. Sarah just loves being in the water. She was always trying to jump out of our arms as soon as we got there.

We also went t0 a really fun train park. Adam loved it! They had a miniature train you could ride on. He LOVED it and actually ended up riding it twice. We all went for the train ride together, and then Alma was a sport and took him again. Adam told me after that Alma thought the train was the coolest, apparently so did Adam. When we finished riding the train as a group, Adam said, "Mom, this is the coolest I hope I get to come here again to ride the train again." So needless to say we let him go again so that he would feel fulfilled. They also had a carousel. That was what ARi really wanted to ride. So we took her on it. We put Ari on a horse, then I put Sarah on another horse and held her. Part way through the ride, Sarah decided she didn't want to be on the horse anymore. So me being a genius, grabbed her off and mounted while it was going while holding Sarah and the diaper bag. Talk about talent!! Sign me up for the movies. :p Anyway, Sarah and I finished the ride on a horse together! After that we played at the little park they had. It had a Jail and a Wagon and stuff. The kids favorite was the Jail because it was shaded in there and they loved peeking out of the bars. They climbed on the wagon first, but it was REALLY hot...metal wagon +100+ degree weather=HOT!!! But it was fun to play.
This was at the Train Park, but we took this picture special. After dinner the night before, Adam had gone up to Terra and patted her tummy and said, "Gee Terra, you were really hungry!" We all got a pretty good kick out of it.
We were also there for the birth of Maylee Pearl Bowden. Terra and Tim are such good parents. She is so cute. Poor Terra was supposed to be induced Sunday night, but they didn't actually let her go in until Wednesday morning. But Terra did GREAT! She was awesome! Maylee made it here safe and sound! So announcing the newest member of the family: Maylee! The kids were SO excited to have her here. They loved seeing her and holding her. Sarah was so excited to see her too! (Despite the picture where they were both tired and hungry and we made them dress the same, she LOVED Maylee.)
We had a great trip and headed home a week and a half later...and drove through the night Friday to Saturday. Emily was a champ at keeping me awake. :) Thanks a million! The drive home was exciting because we lost power to the outlets with 8 hours still to go....so NO MP3 player, NO movie player for the kids....but we made it. Not to mention NO POTTIES after like 10:30 pm or 11 pm. All in all great fun! And Maylee was so cute!

Umm...Catch Up?

Hey so everyone, including me, is a little tired of the same post for the last several months. So here we go…I’ll try and recap.

So we moved to our new home. We love it! We have lots of space. We didn’t actually get to move in until the middle of May, but we are here now. During the interim we stayed with Jon’s parents. They were very gracious and the kids loved being with Grandma and Grandpa. In fact, Ari loved having someone to get her chocolate milk every morning as soon as she got up. She generally has to wait because I’m feeding Sarah, but she could go get Grandma or Grandpa and they would get it for her. Lucky girl. Now she has to wait again.

Since we moved in we have been working hard! Chris and Jon put in a home theater system in the basement. It is really fun. We have almost unpacked…the important boxes. Of course there is plenty to go through in the storage room, but we are almost back to everyday life. We are working on the yard too. We have the sprinkler system in and are working on leveling the yard back down. We also have a garden. It is looking good. We have corn, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, cantaloupe, zucchini, and pumpkins. It was kind of a requirement. When we were looking at houses Adam started making lists of what we needed… 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, music rooms, and a garden big enough for pumpkins and tomatoes for mommy. He even prayed for it, so we have a garden with pumpkins and tomatoes. It’s kind of funny because I like tomatoes, but I really don’t eat them all the time. He just thinks that if he gets pumpkins, mommy needs something too.

We have had fun too. So a few stories: Adam’s has figured out that Daddy won’t leave mommy. So when we are trying to leave and he isn’t ready he always checks where I am to make sure I haven’t left so he won’t be left. In fact, we were getting ready to leave my parents one evening and we asked him to go potty before we left. He looked at me and said, “Mommy, go inside.” Then he told everyone that “Daddies don’t leave mommies.” So he wanted me to go inside so that he wouldn’t be left. Funny kid, but smart kid.

Sarah is getting so big. She army crawls EVERYWHERE!! She also loves animal crackers. She will stick the whole cracker in her mouth and suck on it as it dissolves. She makes terrific messes with them.

Ari loves being a princess. Grandma Morgan set up a Princess Lemonade Tea Party with her and Isabel. They invited their other grandmas. Then we found out that Janel would be in town so we got to have her, Jenny and Adrienne and Kelli and Sam come along too. It was really fun for the girls. Ari however kept trying to escape to play with the boys. She enjoyed painting her nails, but then she was done and wanted to go with the boys. (They were playing with Alma downstairs and outside.) She was funny; I had to keep grabbing her to keep her with us.

So a little more about the tea party: we started with painting nails. Even Sarah’s nails got painted. Then we had a luncheon with fruit, sandwiches, and pink lemonade. Then Grandma Zelma read the girls a story. Then we all went downstairs and made hot pads. Then we let the kids all play. It was so fun, everyone had a great time!

Check out the gallery, I’m going to put some pictures there.

My MOST Embarrassing Moment Ever!

Okay so you know how much I love my kids, right? Well you also know that everyone tells you not to let what they do embarrass you? Usually I'm pretty good at that, I just try to laugh and say, "ah kids!" Well this time, NO CAN DO!
Sunday, Jon's dad was released as Stake President so we went up to the Stake Conference to be there for him. Adam was SO excited to go see Grandpa. The meeting went pretty well, I thought considering it is 2 hours...kind of long for little kids to sit through. But they did with minimal trips to the hall, drinking fountain, bathroom.... Afterward, Elder Hinckley and Elder Garff wanted to meet with the outgoing stake presidency and their families before we left. It was so cute, Elder Hinckley asked if everyone was there, Ari ran up jumped on Grandpa's lap and said "Yeah!" (That's not the embarrassing part.) Both Elder Hinckley and Elder Garn gave big thank yous to the outgoing stake presidencies and their families. It was very nice.
After we went up to meet them and shake their hands. Adam went up and jumped on Elder Hinckley. Jon and I gasped. But he didn't seem to mind, and shook his hand and then told him he had a mouse in his suit pocket. He then took his hand and ran it down his arm and up Adam's to his armpit and tickled him. Adam looked at him funny and said, "You don't really have a mouse, you were just pretending, huh?" Elder Hinckley looked at him and said, "I'm sorry, Yeah I really don't have a mouse." (Ok...now you may be wondering why this is SO embarrassing...it's not this...it get's better.)
We go to meet Elder Garff and shake his hand. We were then visiting a little and all the sudden Adam reaches into his pocket and extracts his keys! While doing this, all his change and contents of his suit coat pocket fall out. Adam bent down to pick up all the stuff and give it back to him. ( I am of course dying...my son just pick-pocketed Elder Garff!) So while Adam is picking everything up, Elder Garff asks if he wants a lucky quarter. Adam says yes and Elder Garff picks one to give to him. He told Adam it could go in his mission fund. Good idea! Then Grandma says yeah it's for when you get older. Adam stopped, dropped his shoulders and head and started to cry. Sort of freak out that he didn't want to die so he didn't want the quarter! If I wasn't embarrassed enough already, I really am now. Elder Garff is looking at him like what just happened. (I realized that he heard Grandma say it's for when you are old, and he thought...when I am old, I die. I don't want to die, I don't want to go on a mission, I don't want the quarter...So he had kind of a break down.) So I tried my best to calm him down, tell him he's not going to die, everythings is okay, etc. etc. And I quickly say good bye and we leave the room.
Yeah...I'll admit I was pretty embarrassed! So not only did my son pick-pocket the general authority, when he offered him a lucky quarter, he freaked out about it!
Ah kids! But what can you do about it. Love 'em anyway! At least I can laugh at it now!