duh, da, dada, dada, dah, dah, dah, da

the parrys love a good circus. it was a yearly tradition for me as a child and i remember the thrill of the acrobats.  (incidentally, i also remember the light-up faux rose purchase made almost every single year there.)  we try to get the kids there every year and this year was another hit.  kindin's favorite was the clown routine; jack was excited about the bmx stuntmen and the motorcyclists; and dalia spent half of the evening dancing to the duh, da, dada, dada, dah dah dah da music.

 

 

that sold as is house

our house in phoenix sold.  the unique stresses of a crazy housing market made for some very mixed feelings about that home.  overall, we were grateful to begin putting the house behind us but as we sat with the notary, i couldn't help fight back tears while signing the papers.    
that sold as is house was so overwhelmingly good TO us.  it was a nice, cozy place to start our family.  it was situated in a ward full of lifelong friends who have shaped our lives for good.  and it was a unique experience in the desert that we'll always treasure. and that sold as is house was so overwhelmingly good FOR us.  it sat in an area with never-ending opportunities to appreciate and enjoy missionary work.  far away from family, we better discovered the blessings of relying on eachother as a couple. and the difficulties of the housing crisis will forever play a part in broadening our perspective. 
with teary eyes, i searched through almost 6 years of photos and found one of our first and one of our last pictures of our sold as is house: 



 

  

iphone and extras

dave has done more camera snapping with his iphone lately than with the camera.  i understand that it's readily available but sometimes i get annoyed that cherished memories are compromised with a device so casual.  i've verbalized my desire that he instead reach for the real camera- especially when trying to edit iphone photos.  but truth be told, he has captured many gems that would've been lost to visual memory otherwise.  so thank you to my dear david for his unedited, quality-compromised photos.  in no specific order, here is a random collection of my faves!

the girls out delivering valentines
 

their first exposure to hunting
 

a much braver soul than her mother ever was when it comes to creatures
 

friendly neighbors
 

jack got his entire body stuck in this drum hole at the park but his screams were too muffled to be heard

 

this discovery made me giggle.  one word = DAD

riding bulls at the block party

always has and always will be our little cuddle bug
 

scary monster faces

rediscovering the magic of lazer tag

kindin teaching family home evening

trying out jack's new bike

the omaha zoo is the best!
 

halloween-- isn't this exactly what it's all about?

at the kids' favorite park

parent schemes for a little extra shut eye on saturday morning

always in competition!

dress up like a teacher day

can i be like elise when i grow up?

feeding the birds with omi

all boy with his snot bubble and discolored front tooth
 

love these kids!

enjoying a little dance party during dinner prep
 

and some extra nonthematic tidbits- a few silly sayings from the kids lately:

jack singing 'awkward ever awkward' after primary the other day.
kindin lamenting about being short and being called 'tiny' by her peers asked, 'mom are we short because we don't play volleyball?'
jack asking if we can go to 'red robinhood' to eat soon

the stylish sneezer

if jack were given a superhero name, it would be 'the stylish sneezer'! (which he may need when he grows up as his only current ambition is to in fact be a superhero!)
stylish because jack has become incredibly interested in having good hair.  it began with him asking mom to style it like a 'rockstar' or 'moviestar' whenever we left the house.  he then began practicing himself and it has grown into a checking and rechecking at least 4-5 times a day currently.  just yesterday, he came out of the bathroom huffing and puffing- 'hummmph... i just can't get the right style i want!'  let it be known, he likes having cool hair. 
sneezer because, without fail and like clockwork, jack breaks into a series of at least 4 and sometimes as many as 12 consecutive sneezes at the breakfast table.  with it comes cereal bits spewing everywhere.  it frustrates him with every clean-up but it has become legendary comedy every morning.

a scooting girl

at not yet 2, dalia knows how to operate her scooter and chants 'whooo' over and over to cheer herself on.  and you can often find her begging at the basement door to go ride her scooter.

a caretaking 'kinni'

dolly lets kindin do a lot of caretaking for her- and kindin is very good at it! when they color together, kindin bends to every marker whim she has.  when they play house together, kindin lets dolly almost exclusively play the coveted role of baby.  when they bathe together, kindin gives her a good shampoo.  and when mom's lap is busy, kindin's is not.  dalia is so lucky to have such a reliable second choice in caretaking and kindin is such a sweetheart for almost always obliging!

those old familiar feelings

the closer kindergarten gets for jack, i'm reminded of those old familiar feelings.  the yucky 'i don't want this little one to leave my nest' feelings.  i had an equally hard time letting kindin go and there's no fooling myself that it was only a first child phenomenon.  when i think about jack starting school too, i get myself in tears.  it seems he and i are just beginning to understand eachother now that he's mature enough to: express his feelings, help around the house, and invent fun games with his sister.  in this moment, i pushed back those old familiar feelings and instead ran for the camera because i know in 6 short months, there will be much less time for fixing the vacuum.

 

when super bowl becomes snow bowl

superbowl day was a gorgeous 40 degree day with fresh snow slowly melting.  it was a perfect day for activities that don't involve a tv or couch. 

it was a perfect day for snowball. 

and a perfect day for a snowman named frostina.

 

 

 

and the super bowl wasn't entirely forgotten!