Happy Halloween

Wow, so I think the boys are finally in bed. Talk about Sugar Rush!!!! We had a great night. Our night started when our friends Matt and Diane came over with their boys to go Trick-or-Treating around our neighborhood. It was good and the boys had a fun time. We saw lots of other of our neighbors dressed up and Trick-or-Treating.

Joel was our "Bob the Builder". We didn't get the 'real'
costume so Nama and Pa helped us get Joel this tool belt
and overalls. He was so proud of himself and his tools-
not so fond of the hard hat.


Vance was our Little Monkey. Nama saw this
costume when we were at the store and we
decided Vance NEEDED it. Perfect costume for Vance.
He had such a fun time and loved saying,
"Twick a trwee". He is such a talker!!!

Then we went and saw Nama and Pa. Of course the boys were SO excited to see Pa since he had been gone all week. Nama and Pa then went with us as we went Trick-or-Treating to some of their neighbors. Of course all the neighbors thought the boys were super cute. It was such a fun night as a family. After the Trick-or-Treating festivities we came back to the house and had soup with Nama and Pa.

The boys with Pa.

The loot. Joel and Vance enjoying their candy.

I worked a half day today. We all got dressed up and our department had a lunch. While I am a bit stressed trying to wind down some of my projects before my final day next week- it was a fun day. It's not very often that I make an appearance on this blog but here's my friend Ingry and I dressed up at work.

Hubby Tag.

Where did you meet your husband?
I met Tj at church. He worked with my roommate. She asked me to feed him and his roommates. I agreed. After several random encounters we started dating.

2. How long did you date before you got married?
Well we met in May and got married in December so we call it about seven months.

3. How long have you been married? December will be 7 years.

4. What does he do that surprises you?
He constantly surprises me. Sometimes I'll come home and he'll have cleaned the house and have dinner ready. He surprises me a lot with his choice in gifts (for birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries, etc) but in a good way.

5. What is your favorite feature of his?
I'd say his eyes.

6. What is his best quality?
Wow, I don't think I could pick one. Really. He's really smart, he's able to keep his cool in stressful situations, he is unbelievably logical, he can make me laugh even when I don't want to, I could go on and on.

7. Does he have a nickname for you?
He doesn't really have one beyond the generic.

8. What is his favorite food?
Steak and Potatoes or beef stroganoff.

9. What is his favorite sport?
Uh, just about anything on ESPN.

10. When and where did you first kiss?
Summer 2001 in his roommate Rob's car.


11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?
Ummmm. : ) Just kidding. We like to go on road trips, date nights, camping and window shopping.

12. Do you have any children?
Two boys.

13. Does he have any hidden talents?
He really does. He's a really good artist (although he will deny this). He's really funny. He's really intelligent in that he will come up with a really good solution to a seemingly impossible situation. He is a good singer and also played the cello for awhile.


14. How old is he?
29

15. Who said 'I love you' first? He did, only because I knew better than to rush him. So while I knew I was in love first I waited for him to say it first.

16. What is his favorite music?
He likes a lot of different types of music. I think one of his favorite groups is Collective Soul. But he also like to "rock out" too.

17. What do you admire most about him?
Really?! There's way to many things I admire about him to choose one. I admire his intelligence, his humor, and the way that he makes me feel so safe.

18. What is his favorite color?
Dark blue.

19. Will he read this?
Probably.


20. Who do you tag?
I tag anyone who reads this.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Okay, so I just have to share. Now anyone who knows me knows that I am NOT a baker. But I found this recipe for Chocolate chip cookies. These are seriously THE BEST cookies- and SO easy. They're crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. So I'm sharing the recipe. Try it out and let me know if they're not delicious. (Plus they're so easy Joel LOVES to help make them with me.)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Cook Time
  15 min

• Level
  Easy

• Yield
  30 cookies

Close

Times:

Prep

20 min

Inactive Prep

30 min

Cook

15 min

Total:

1 hr 5 min

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 (12-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips, or chunks
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine salt

Directions

Evenly position 2 racks in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. (on convection setting if you have it.) Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone sheets. (If you only have 1 baking sheet, let it cool completely between batches.)

Put the butter in a microwave safe bowl, cover and microwave on medium power until melted. (Alternatively melt in a small saucepan.) Cool slightly. Whisk the sugars, eggs, butter and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth.

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in another bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a wooden spoon; take care not to over mix. Stir in the chocolate chips or chunks.

Scoop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared pans. Wet hands slightly and roll the dough into balls. Space the cookies about 2-inches apart on the pans. Bake, until golden, but still soft in the center, 12 to 16 minutes, depending on how chewy or crunchy you like your cookies. Transfer hot cookies with a spatula to a rack to cool. Serve.

Store cookies in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

Photo Tagged

So this tag is that you have to post the 5th folder, 5th picture on your computer and then blog about it. This picture was taken December 2006. In Florida we go camping in December because that's the only time it's bearable. Joel was about 6 1/2 months old. It was actually pretty cold that night. We had just gotten done having foil dinners- the best meal that I had eaten in weeks I remember thinking. (Only a few weeks later when the pregnancy test showed positive did I realize why the foil dinners and oatmeal the next morning tasted SO good. Am I the only one who thinks food never tastes as good or as bad as when you're pregnant?!) Anyhow, this was Joel's first camping trip. We had a great time!

I tag: Tj, Kimberlee N., Diane, Rachel, Ashley.

ETA: My Aunt Linda had already done it. Oops! So Ashley I'm tagging you!

Joel!!!!

So Joel is going through quite a phase lately. Mostly it's this whole switch thing. I swear it's going to drive me batty. He's obsessed with switching switches "on". Of course he's not tall enough to turn them off. So I'm constantly walking into empty rooms with lights, fans, and random switches (the ones that who knows what they actually "go" to but are there just the same) turned on. So I'm getting ready to go to bed and I go into check on the boys (sorry for the messy room shot) and the light is on bright as day and both boys are completely out! I don't know why I found this so funny (maybe I'm overtired?). But it was humorous to me just the same.

The other part of Joel's latest stage isn't so funny. Well I guess not to me- right now. He is SO freakin' bossy! The worst is that he's a back seat driver---- at TWO!!! Seriously, I'm driving around with him and Vance in their car seats and he starts telling me, "Mommy, no. Not this way. Stop mommy, not this way!" Who is this child?! I'm reminded of a magnet that my mom had for years on her fridge (it may still be there) that said something to the effect of, "Kids, are you tired of being harassed by your parents? Hurry move out now while you still know all the answers." I think I have a long parenting road ahead of me. lol

October?!

So while much of our family is celebrating fall with sweaters, mittens, changing fall leaves and even snow we have been celebrating much differently. More specifically the boys enjoyed a nice day at the beach---- in October! The boys went to play over at Nama and Pa's house on Wednesday while I was at work. Of course they had a blast! Here are a few pictures from their trip to the beach.

Joel loves the beach! He is going to be our little cliff jumper. He loves having the run of the beach. Nama and Pa love taking the boys to the beach (the beach bum is genetic from Nama and Daddy). Can you tell that Joel is having the time of his life?! Nothings better than a day at the beach for Joel- especially with Nama and Pa spoiling him the whole day. : )

Vance enjoys the beach too. He likes the beach but could live with or without it. I was told that he had fun, although you couldn't tell from this picture. lol

The boys continue to grow and do funny silly things all the time.

Vance is 14 months old. (It's crazy to think that when Joel was this age I was about ready to have Vance. Crazy what a year will do.) He is quite the talker. He has always wanted to communicate with us. His vocabulary seems to grow everyday. It includes: Dadda (of course), momma, up, down, more, please, hot dog, milk, drink, banana, cracker, and cookie. He is such a mischievous kid. When we feed him in his high chair if he likes it, he'll chow down. If he doesn't he hides it behind him in his seat- or throw it off his tray. Punk! lol He loves hotdogs, crackers, bananas and milk. That is all he would eat if we'd let him. He doesn't like cheese very well though. Anything else depends on his mood. He's now loving to climb right along side Joel. He loves to do whatever Joel is doing and loves his brother. He's getting so big- the other day he even tackled Joel to the floor. I guess turn about is fair game.

Speaking of Joel. He is such a character. He's loves to sing, his current favorite song is "How Much is that Doggie in the Window?" He is a little chatterbox. Anytime we're driving it's a non-stop commentary. He chatters and talks and asks questions. He is such a great boy. He is constantly saying thank you (even if we haven't done anything) and I love you. It's such a great feeling. I always tell him that he's a sweet boy. So now he says "Joel's a sweet boy and Mommy's a lady." Sometimes daddy is a shirt and sometimes he's a lady and sometimes (rarely!!!) he says, "Daddy's a man!" Joel is also quite mischievous. One afternoon Joel decided he wanted to take a nap with Vance in his crib. Silly mommy gave him the chance. Ever since Joel tries (and often succeeds) to climb across the dresser and jumps into Vance's crib. Unfortunately this means that Joel often keeps Vance awake and/or wakes him up. We've started moving Vance's crib away from the edge of the dresser. Needless to say we'll have a different furniture placement in the new house.

Shout Out.

Okay so this post has nothing to do with the boys. Sorry!
When I first got this blog up I think I had about 3 people reading it and 1 of them was Tj and 1 was his mom. Then a lot of my family and friends got blogs or I found out about their blogs and so that was fun. Now I just wanted to acknowledge all the new readers. I'd love to take credit for this but since Tj's gotten his blog up and running and found the blogs of some of his friends we've seen a lot of you coming to visit lil ol' me (okay I know that realistically most of you just want to see what cute/funny things the boys are saying or doing but let me have my delusions okay?! It is my blog after all- humor me lol). So I just wanted to say hi. Please leave a comment or two. And if you prefer to stalk that's okay too. (I'm a habitual blog stalker in my free time too!)
Oh, and don't forget to check out Tj's blog (just click on the "My hot hubby" link on the sidebar). He's a lot funnier than I am and more entertaining.

It's Official.

So I guess we've hit the point of no return. This last weekend we went to Naples with the boys and Tj's parents. We visited the area and found places for us to live. (Yes, Tj's *parents are moving to Naples "with" us.) It was a fun trip. The boys are really good travelers and of course it's always fun for them to spend so much time with Nama and Pa who spoil them rotten. : )

Here are pictures from our trip.

The trip down


Joel slept, Vance played.


Dinner at PF Changs.

The boys are big fans of Won Ton soup!


Friday Night Out

Tj's parents watched the boys and we went out with an old classmate of Tj's. It was nice night and a nice break (and of course the boys had a blast eating KFC and watching Wall-E with Nama and Pa).

At the Pier

Joel posing at the pier. The boys looking at the ocean.


Sharing ice cream with Nama.

Vance playing at the play area at the mall.

*My perfectionist husband thought that I should add the word parent to this sentence. I told him that I thought the intelligent readers of my blog would be able to assume that he would be going with us as would his parents. He insisted and so the post was edited. Just to clarify- both Tj AND his parents will be moving down to Naples with me and the boys in November.

Funnies.

So yet another reason we need to visit out West ASAP. Joel continues to crack us up with his words and sentences. This is the conversation we have on a regular basis:

As we're driving over an overpass-

Joel: Mommy, mountain!
Me: Where?
Joel: There
Me: The overpass?
Joel: Yes, mommy- mountain.

I don't even know where he got that. I really want him to see a REAL mountain- I want to see a real mountain!


The Three Pigs-

I was telling Joel the story of the three pigs before his nap. I got to the part where the wolf was at the last piggie's house.

Mommy: Little pig, little pig let me in. Joel, what do you think the piggies said?
Joel: oink oink oink.

I laughed so hard! Of course that's what they said.

Manda's Monday Musings

So I guess it's been another week. Where the time goes I have no idea. But I have decided to get better about posting and I guess weekly is good enough right?!

So I'll start with the current status of our family and then get on to the good stuff. For those of you who didn't know (because we didn't make a big deal out of it) the company that Tj was flying for filed for bankruptcy in July. This left Tj without a job and playing Mr. Mom. The boys have been loving it! However, we are happy to say that we have accepted a new job. Tj did a much better job of describing it here. So in a nutshell we are moving to the other side of FL. I have learned a very important lesson regarding prayer in all of this. You see for the last 6 years I have been praying that the way would be made for us to move West. Well apparently I wasn't specific enough because while we are moving West (approximately 280 miles West) it was not exactly what I meant. I will now be providing map coordinates in my prayers to move West. (lol kind of). But really this is a great career opportunity for Tj and we really do feel like it was an answer to many prayers. This also means that I will be retiring from Gambro where I've been employed for the last 6 years and will try my hand at being a full time SAHM.
In the meantime that means we're now looking at quite the list of "To Do's" before December 1st (Tj's official hire date). Included in that is finding a renter for our current house, finding a new place on the other coast of FL, packing and moving, and getting ready for the holidays (including hopefully at least one trip out "West" to see family and friends). It will be an exciting time for us! We're very fortunate to have Tj's parents and they will be making this adventure (and move) with us! So we will at least know two people when we move. It'll be good.

So on to the part that you've all been waiting for- Joel and Vance updates.

So you would think that in a week there wouldn't be THAT much to update but there is. These boys are so funny. I think kids in general are funny but when you're around them 24/7 and are constantly exposed to their antics you start to think that maybe just maybe your kids are the funniest kids.

Anyhow, Vance is a full fledged swimmer. I swear this kid is going to drown himself. In the bath tub he throws himself back in the water and starts kicking his feet and splashing his hands (see photos below). There is no stopping him. He has also figured out the door handles (stupid lever handles!!) although he hasn't quite figured out how to push or pull when twisting the handle (until next week). He continues to add words to his vocabulary and has added nodding his head when you ask him a question he is answering yes to. He also loves to wave bye bye. He continues to be our shoe-a-holic which normally wouldn't be a bad thing except he insists on eating shoes. It really grosses me out. For being such a picky eater he will put just about anything in his mouth. He continues to get more teeth and currently has four top front teeth, 3 1/2 bottom front teeth, and two top molars. He is such an easy teether though. He constantly makes us laugh and LOVES to be the center of attention.

Covered in bubbles! Bath time is his favorite time of day.

Swimmin'


Mean momma making him sit up.


Reaching the front door handle.

Joel is our laid back child. He makes me smile every day. He likes to get into "Love you" wars where he'll tell you "Love you" and then I'll tell him "Love You!" and we go back and forth. He loves "Dino Bites" and cheese. He continues to love trains and Thomas and Friends. Luckily he also is starting to like Bob the Builder and Curious Buddies. Thank goodness for variety! He loves music and is starting to get his own taste in music. He loves playing Nama's piano and singing Primary songs. He is constantly singing and loves when I introduce a new silly song. He loves keys and loves figuring out how to lock and unlock things with keys. He also continues to be my number one helper- especially when it comes to running the electric sweeper. He loves that! He's so easy to please. One of his favorite "treats" are MM's (that is what he calls them- skips the &) and using "Mommy's blankie" (a NAP blanket from Brookstone). Potty training continues. He does really well at home and at Nama's house. Anywhere else it's hit and miss (literally). He's really starting to love trucks and Pa bought him a new remote control dump trunk last weekend. He is really enjoying playing with it! We also had a friend whose son had outgrown a Thomas the Train fold out couch so they gave it to Joel. He LOVES it. Anyhow I think this pictures explains Joel to a "T".

Joel Hanging Out.

And what about Tj and me?! I've started trying Birkham Yoga. I guess I'm going back to my AZ roots. Hanging out in a 100 degree room attempting to contort my body while finding my inner zen. Really though there was a good introductory rate and so my MIL Cindy and I are trying it together. (Although at the end of the trial month I think I'm going to retire from Yoga.) Tj is also trying out new hobbies and is blogging and becoming quite the cook. Tonight he made us White Chili. It was really good. I'm hoping that his interest in cooking dinner continues. : )

Update- with pictures.

So life is getting back to "normal" at least for the time being. The boys continue to make us laugh and keep us entertained.

Even grocery shopping is fun with the boys!

Vance is finally deciding that he will permit us to serve him "regular" food. He is so picky! Joel would eat just about anything we gave him. Vance will put just about anything we give him in his mouth. Then proceed to take it out and fling it across the dining room. Heaven help me. He is getting better though. And when he is in one of his "particular" moods we have an extra set of hands that are willing to help.

Chowing down on spaghetti.

"More!"
(Note to self, remember to put a bib on whenserving spaghetti to the boys.)

Joel feeding Vance.
This is a true win win. Joel loves feeding Vance (it was his idea.)
And Vance will eat things for Joel that he won't for us.
Pure genius!

Joel is just beginning the stages of potty training. (Much to my dismay. I wanted to wait and potty train Joel and Vance at the same time!) Anyhow, it's a work in progress. We wait for him to show interest. We did buy him new underpants. Of course with his new obsession he was thrilled with the Thomas the Train pants. What is it with kids that they just instinctively put underwear on their heads?! Literally I took them out of the package and that is the first thing he did. Crazy kid. At least they were clean, right?!

Our underpants genius.

So proud of those new underwear!

Potty training is fun!
This is not a typical PT session.

Vance is my mischievous little guy. He has no fear and is just so inquisitive. When he empties the box of wipes for the 4th time in 4 boxes of wipes I don't quite appreciate the inquisitiveness of it all. (I know I should just put the wipes away but sometimes I just forget. Pathetic excuse, I know.)

Testing mommy's sanity.

Vance vs the bubbles.
He's just so funny that you've got to love his mischievous streak.

Quick Blog Blurb

So it's been a couple of weeks without a blog post. I know this because every time I stalk, I mean visit my friends' and families' blogs I see on their tickers how long it's been since I've posted. And since I have a guilt complex anyhow well......

So in other news things here have been pretty hectic. Well not so much for me but in general. We were minimally affected by Fay. Mostly just rain and a little wind. So far Ike doesn't appear to be a problem but really I haven't been paying a lot of attention.

I am actually on my way to go pick Tj up from the airport. Long story short he is returning from flying a plane down to Africa. He left last Wednesday and yeah is now getting back. Maybe he'll do a guest post about his trip. So it's been an exciting week for us. I got to take a week off from work to hang out with the boys. Tj's parents were celebrating their 30th anniversary on a cruise, Tj was flying around the world and I got to hang out with the boys. Somehow I feel I got a little cheated on the travel portion of that deal but it was a fun week just me and my boys.

The boys are just getting hysterical. I have a feeling we're going to be investing in bandaides and wrestling mats. Joel's favorite thing right now (in addition to Thomas & friends trains and trains in general) is to race. We had a playdate last week and had about 5 little boys racing down a pretty narrow hall. Of course there were tears involved but it was fun while it lasted. He also likes to climb onto things (chairs, toys, couches, beds) and jump off of them. I see skydiving and cliff jumping in his future. Heaven help me. Vance's favorite thing right now is whatever he should not be getting into. Wipes, toilet paper, anything on top of the dresser, toilet, garbage, sinks, dishwasher- well really the list is endless. He is just so mischievous! The other night I was cooking dinner and Vance had locked himself in his room (via the babygate). After I put dinner in the oven I went to check on him. I found him on Joel's bed and attempting to climb onto the dresser. He is just so adventurous. Joel and Vance are like ying and yang. I have a feeling the next 18 years are going to be quite the ride.

PS. You will notice that there are no pictures with this post. That is because as a spectator I am able to take pictures. As the referee not so much. Hopefully new pictures will come soon.

Some photos of the boys.

What's this, another post by Manda?! I know it's hard to believe.

The boys are staying active. They are getting to spend a lot of time with Tj lately and we are all enjoying it. We all went to the Sugar Mill Garden and had a good day. It would have been better had we had bug spray. There was a cat there and Joel was very interested in it.

Joel and Vance are still the best of friends. Joel constantly makes me laugh. He is very good about sharing and making sure that Vance gets a turn with whatever he's doing. They love to play together and wrestle around. In all honestly it makes me a little nervous but Tj makes sure to referee.

Joel is our little songbird. He LOVES to sing! He loves to sing "Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam", "The ABC Song", "I am a Child of God", "Once there was a Snowman" (Yeah talk about ironic. The boy has never seen snow but loves to sing about snowmen.), the "Monkey" songs (monkeys jumping on beds and teasing the alligator), and all the other songs that are played on his and Vance's toys. His vocabulary continues to increase. Our favorite words lately are "Thank You" and "You're Welcome". He thanks us probably 75 times a day. For everything from getting him food to sending him to timeout. He's so funny! Hopefully he'll always be so polite.

Vance is our entertainer. He is always doing things to make us laugh. His latest thing is that he loves to stick out his tongue. He loves to empty my cupboards and "help" me empty the dishwasher. He is still my little mommas boy. Sometimes it's fun but other times it's frustrating. Vance also LOVES to dance. His little boogying cracks me up. But I love that he loves to move and groove. Vance is also trying very dilligently to keep up with Joel's vocabulary. He's always trying to mimic our words including: down, done, up, dada, and ah. He will also sign "More".

Other than that we're just continuing on with life. We're a little sick of all the rain we're getting courtesy of Fay. Although, we do need the rain and we have been blessed with safety. We have also been enjoying the Olympics. Our favorites (swimming and gymnastics) are now over but we're still enjoying watching the volleyball and track events. So that's what's going on here.

Happy Birthday Vance!

So Saturday was Vance's first birthday. What an incredible year this has been. We had a little party for him. He's our little monkey so that was the theme for his party. We had little monkey cupcakes and my friend Lindsey made a banana cake for Vance. We had a little barbecue and the boys played at the playground. Vance got lots of presents from family and friends. And of course he loved being able to dig into his cake. Surprising enough he hated getting cleaned up. It was a fun afternoon. We love our little Vance!

A Family Reunion of Sorts

So my cool cousin Xela (shay-lah) stopped by to see me today. Now that may not mean a lot to most people but she is a world traveler currently residing in AZ. She was out here visiting some friends and stopped by. It was so great to see her! She is such an amazing person. She has lived in SO many places and had so many experiences that I cannot even fathom. Her most recent job was helping at-risk youth in an outward bound type program. She is now getting ready to start her masters program in social work. Her goal- start a home in Guatemala for at risk youth there. (I may not be completely accurate on all that but it's the general gist.) Truly she is an amazing woman!
I have to say that I love my cousin Xela. I'm not sure she could be very much different from me than she already is. She is so tough, adventurous and intelligent. But she also has such a kind heart and such strength. I have so many memories of growing up and spending time with her that I won't even attempt to start sharing stories. She definitely has an adventurous streak to her. My life was more well-rounded for the time I spent with her- and maybe I'm a little tougher for it too. : )
So Xela thanks for stopping by!


PS for all my other relatives: If you come out and visit us you'll get a blog post with nice things about you too. (lol) : )

Busy Summer

So this summer has been a pretty busy one for us. It started with not one but two trips out to Arizona (at least for me- one with the boys one without), trips to the zoo, trips to the library, swimming with friends, a trip to Miami, watching fireworks, and a trip to the train show. That not even mentioning work, keeping up with the house, Scout camps for Tj, and trying to keep up with two very active boys. I know it's so obvious but Joel and Vance are so distinctively different people. I love my boys. They both have their strong points and challenges. But they constantly keep me busy and often times entertained (if not a little crazy).

I love how they constantly surprise me. Lately everything has become a cape for Joel. I love that he is getting into the whole pretend stage. The other day he was running around holding a dish towel around his neck. Of course Vance wanted to play to. So a couple of hair clips and another dish towel later and they were super heroes.

Joel's latest obsession has been with trains. He LOVES trains. He has a couple of trains at our house and Nama's house. He loves watching the Thomas & Friend's series and reading the books. He has bathtub toy trains and if all else fails just about any toy can substitute as a train. We saw an add on the TV the other day for a train expo in Orlando. We knew we had to take Joel. He had a blast- even if he was feeling a little under the weather.

Vance is just trying to keep up with Joel. He's so determined. In some ways that is great. He refuses to crawl and LOVES to walk and run around with Joel. He also wants to eat whatever is on Joel's tray and play with whatever Joel is playing with. It becomes quite the challenge keeping him occupied with more age appropriate food, toys, etc.

I am so fortunate that they are such good boys. Joel is so good at sharing- including with Vance and me. Vance just loves Joel and wants to be with him. They play together so well. I love watching them and playing with them. I know I was a little hesitant when I first found out we were expecting Vance. But I am so grateful that he's part of our family. Even on the days where I feel like I may just go crazy and I want to lock myself in my shower (the only place the boys haven't figured out how to get into) I feel so blessed to be a mom and wife. No matter where our family ends up or what the circumstances are once we're there we're a family and we'll be together. That is such a happy thought.

Arizona Trip

So I haven't gotten to post about our trip back in May. It was such a fun time. The kids all had a great time either playing together or driving each other crazy.

We traveled most of the day on Tuesday with the help of some very kind Samaritans who helped get us through the airports. We got in very late and spent the night at Brody and Sandy's house.

Wednesday we hung out with Sandy and Emma. We went to a play date at the park. The kids all had a pretty good time. Later we picked up Matthew from school and met Brody for dinner. Once the kids were put down to bed Sandy and I stayed up way to late chatting.

Thursday was quite the adventure. We picked up Aunty Ra Ra (RiKenna) from the airport and met Grandma Mony. Then we all headed down to Safford. After quickly catching up with Aunty Jay Jay (Jaron). We ate dinner and then headed to Jay Jay's graduation. Considering the late night the boys did fairly well at the graduation but were ready to go to bed as soon as it was over. So unfortunately I had to race home and put them to bed.

Friday was another traveling day. We headed back to Phoenix. We went straight to the Mesa Temple to go through with Brody and Sandy for the first time. Ra Ra and Jay Jay took care of the kids for us. It was great to be there with Brody and Sandy- not to mention all of my cousins and Aunts and Uncles. Then it was off to a buffet for dinner with lots of our family. It was such a good time. Joel LOVED it! He got to eat macaroni and cheese, ice cream and more ice cream. Then we went to the hotel and swam.

Saturday we got up and headed back to the Mesa temple for Brody and Sandy's sealing. Again we got to see lots of cousins and Aunts and Uncles. Angela was there and I got to spend some time with her. We had some good times. Again more ice cream for Joel. He loves spending time with family that is very liberal with the ice cream. lol Then we said good-bye to Grandma Mony, Pa Pa, Jay Jay and Ra Ra and went home with Brody and Sandy.

Sunday we went to church with Brody and Sandy. Then we headed over to my cousin Kim's house for dinner. It was great fun. My Aunt Sheri and Uncle Brent were there and all their children except my cousin Matthew. Even my cousin Jason was there with his daughter. We ate biscuits with chocolate gravy (sounds strange but is actually quite tasty) as well as sausage gravy (but NOT together). The kids played and we all caught up. It was a fun night.

The rest of the week ran together in a blur. There was more swimming and barbecue at Cousin Kim's house. Playing in the sprinklers at Brody and Sandy's. A trip to the Urgent Care for Joel (tonsillitis). And lots of playing with Emma and Matthew. Joel and Emma were either best friends getting into "trouble" together or arch-enemies. They did have a good time though. Emma was such a good little cousin to Vance. She was just so sweet with him. When we drove around with him next to her she would hold his little hand. It was really cute. Matthew was of course a great cousin too. One night Joel was having a hard time going to sleep. So Matthew went in and read to him. It was so nice of him. He's such a great kid and SO smart too.

We were sad to leave. We had so much fun spending time with Sandy and Brody and their family and of course were sad that we didn't get to spend nearly enough time with Grandma Mony and Papa and Jay Jay and Ra Ra and everyone else. But we did appreciate the time we did get to spend with everyone. We love our family!

Quick Update!

So I've been really bad about posting. But here's a quick update about the boys and some pictures. We've gotten to take several trips as a family. We took the boys to the local Zoo and they had a good time. Then we went down to Miami so Tee could renew his passport and we could enjoy some family time. Then we took the boys to the city firework display. It was such a good time. Vance LOVED the fireworks- light and sounds. Joel wasn't so enthusiastic- he was intrigued by the lights but DID NOT like the noise. The next day Pa took everyone to see Wall-E. Vance was a little young Joel LOVED the movie. He kept saying- "One Mo". Anyhow, I guess things are slowing down for us- well relatively speaking.

Joel: Joel is officially a two-year-old. For better or worse. He never fails to make us laugh. He loves music and singing. His newest favorite songs include: Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam (aka Beam!), The Alphabet Songs (aka ABCs), Daddy's Homecoming, oh and did I mention ABCs?! He also LOVES watching "So You Think You Can Dance", "Backyardagains" and "Thomas & Friends" and "Pinky Dinky Doo". He is always coming up with the funniest things. He is the little boss. He will watch what Vance is doing and then tell him, "No, No, Bance. No No" even if Vance is only playing with a toy Joel wants. He also is continually picking up new words and trying new words. It's late so I'm having a hard time remembering everything I wanted to write. So that's it.

Vance: Vance is growing up SO fast. Our biggest announcement with Vance is that he is walking. Yes, at 9 1/2 months he started walking and has never looked back. He also has 4 teeth and is working on a fifth. He has found his voice and loves to practice raising it. That whole cause and effect thing is hilarious to him. He loves feeding himself and is a huge fan of Puffs and Cheerios. He also loves to clap, wave and blow kisses. He is SO sweet. He is still our little cuddler and sweetie. He has no fear and loves to do whatever Joel is doing.

Joel's Second Birthday

So Joel had his 2nd Birthday on the 22nd. I can't believe how big he is getting. He is such a good kid, but we are definitely entering the "two's". We were in AZ for his birthday so before we left we had a family birthday party with Nan and Pa and daddy. Joel helped me make and decorate his birthday cake, Nan made his favorite foods for dinner (mac and cheese, chicken, fruit, bread and of course cake), we had decorations and of course presents. He got a Mr. Potato Head, some puzzles, and some craft supplies from mom and dad. Nan and Pa bought him shoes and a new bike! It was a great day and he loved it! Luckily we celebrated his birthday before we left because our trip to AZ ended up being a whirlwind especially on Joel's birthday. Anyhow, here are pictures from Joel's birthday celebration.

A Day At The Firehouse.

On May 16th one of Joel's friends had a birthday party. His mom had the coolest idea and arranged for us all to go to the firehouse. It was really fun.