and then she knew that you could become homesick for people too (8/2017)

These ladies right here! They were my saving grace during my young mother years.  They taught me how to mother, how to thrive in an otherwise flawed environment, and how to giggle through it all!   We've all left Laveen and life moves on without them- and often without noticing- that is, until we gather again.  I'm so grateful for my party planning friends who insisted we meet up for 4 days on Catalina Island.  We toured the island on golf carts, dabbled in snorkeling, held karaoke and dance parties, and laughed for days.   It wasn't until i left them (with tears in my eyes) that I realized that I'd been homesick for them!  I'd missed Tamra's candid conversing; I'd miss Jill's talent for fun; I'd missed Holly's left-brained flexibility; I'd missed Amanda's sheer goofiness; i'd missed Julie's quiet determination; and I'd missed Katie's psychoanalytic prowess.  So lucky to have these ladies right here!

bring on middle school (7/2017)

kindin started middle school this year!  She loves EVERYTHING about it - except an earlier start time.  she carpools with her two good friends and is the proud owner of a phone. (i very, strongly, unhappily, reluctantly agreed because school tests are administered through personal devices and she has a regular babysitting gig but for the record, I'm not happy about it.)  she has also seen the inside of detention already- i giggled uncontrollably when my responsible, overly anxious child earned herself a few minutes after misplacing an assignment.

These two, my first and fourth graders, have a new sort of camaraderie.  jack relishes in the opportunity to be THE big sibling and they now walk home with smiles rather than with arguments.

dalia felt a little panicked at the beginning of the year because her teacher talked so quietly (she doesn't but in contrast to her teacher last year, she sure does).  she is finding that she can read much bigger words than her classmates and has correctly realized it is from reading the scriptures every morning.  she is excited to add an extracurricular activity to her routine and loves tap class!

this year is a big homework year for jack and he spends lots of time plowing through it every day with mom. (writing is his very least favorite!)  but he often does so with a smile and it's kind of become a special bonding time for mom and jack.

chicaga! (6/2017)

when my overly generous parents offered to take us on an eichmann reunion, i pushed hard for the windy city.  (and am so happy my vote won!)  while there, we immersed ourselves in the best tourist traps: navy pier, lou malnati's pizza, the bean, millenium park, sue at the natural history museum, the museum of science and industry, the sears tower (sans heights-haters), the franklin lloyd wright house, portillo chicago dogs, and a new favorite - the sunset architecture boat tour with Garrett's chicago mix in hand.

what was particularly enjoyable was goofing off with my brothers.  the kids ALWAYS get to play but it can be rare that the adults have carefree moments together.   

all because these reunion-centered spendthrifts made it possible!

lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer (9/2017)

Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer...  

very late nights, water balloon babies, parades, dad's frisbee championship, college for kids, a couple of glorious lake days, loads of ice cream, and free bowling.  

...you'll wish that summer could always be here!

the NOT lake powell trip (8/2017)

while most parents dream of disney excitement for their children, we've dreamed instead about the magic of lake powell on their cute, little faces! and 2017 was finally going to deliver! ... until, that is, the day before departure. with one dumb storm and a broken houseboat - accompanied with loads of desperate scrambling - lake powell was cancelled!  we still gathered for the family reunion, spouting affirmations like, "It was really about being together, right?"  (bless grandpa and omi who secured a cabin on the outskirts of yellowstone for us with only 12 hours notice.)  at the risk of being the spoiled brat i surely sound like, i'm afraid our fabulous trip to yellowstone-  complete with a close moose and buffalo encounter, plenty of time on the skiboat, loads of fun with cousins, henna and facepaint for days - will collectively be remembered as... the year we were supposed to go to lake powell.  rather, the NOT lake powell trip.  let me submit evidence, on behalf of 20 bratty family reunion members, that we did indeed still have fun:

... but it was NOT lake powell

mom's break from busy season (7/2017)

dave has a busy season (it's called 'april 15th' & september 15th and sometimes an elusive october 15 date that i still can't quite figure out).  mom has a busy season also and it's called summer.  summer, the time when life is put on hold in favor of an on-call schedule of kid carpools, swimming and social gatherings, and summer bucket lists.  lake lotowana comes right in the middle of 'busy season' giving relief and rejuvenation at just the right time. giggling & conversing with my truest confidantes, gorging on goodies, waking up to a calm lake, and wakeboarding til sundown are wonderful reprieves.  and much to the chagrin of the water police and mac's neighbors, us mommies savor every second of those 4 days away!

swim, swim and more swim (6/2017)

it's fair to say that the majority of our summers can be catagorized as swimming summers.  but 2017 topped the charts.  filled with angst that our youngest hasn't yet mastered independent swimming, we put our heart and soul (or shall i say wallet and savings?) into swim lessons for her.  we began early with a friend and eventually landed on an overpriced indoor swim school.  after having spent a few hundred dollars, we feel mostly confident in her abilities.

...and we're hoping she's ready to join these two for swim team next summer

"excuse us... 90's coming through" (6/2017)

dave and i don't subscribe to typical dating routines.  we started with date nights in when phoenix babysitters were sparse- preferring instead to sneak away for a motorcycle ride around the block.  now, with no motorcycle and kids staying up later, we're finding that we need date nights out. while there is a place for the occasional dinner and a movie date, we are usually looking for more original things to do.  recently, we found our old rollerblades...

...and  this is exactly us - dave is goofy and i laugh the entire time.  simply put, in our dating life, fun always replaces romance!

she's a dancing fool!? (5/2017)

when dancing classrooms ended, Kindin decided to try out for the competition team.  she was chosen as the foxtrot expert and competed with her team at the city level.  she and her partner danced well and were also required to participate in a hat drawing.  they excelled at that dance too, which ended up being the merengue, and her team WON!  it was both a delight and a surprise to watch.  dave and i both looked at eachother and said, "never once as a parent did i think that i'd be cheering on a child in a ballroom dance competition!"

pay with... a photo shoot (5/2017)

we have one of those popular family rules signs. (they used to be cute until walmart rolled them out and cheapened the decor of millions of homes in america.)  jack reads it religiously as he sits down for dinner and one of said 'rules' is 'pay with hugs and kisses'.  jack's closet love for affection won't allow him to subscribe to such nonsense.  but, brimming with excitement for his birthday party, he was happy to pay with... a photo shoot. (ah, truly the way to his mom's heart!)

a snapshot of this ninja warrior of mine...
- his love language is definitely touch though he'll deny it to his death.  (he actually sneaks it in with unexpected squeezes for his sisters.  with enough boisterous and random energy that he sometimes gets into trouble for it!)
- is not a fan of anything hygienic at the moment!
- is pokemon crazy
- can be heard breathing through his nose for the first time
- sometimes has a pity party about not having a brother
- loves patriotic songs
- has had his first exposure to bullying this year
- on a difficult family bike ride, he asked with exasperation, "Mom, how are you even doing this?"  It was the first time I realized that he's been ranking my physical prowess against his. (truthfully, he likely has me beat in most things - except endurance cycling)
- no one would know why - with that easy smile of his - but my mommy heart often worries about him. (will he tell me what's wrong or is he smiling through pain? will he lose his chill nature enough to land on something that truly motivates him?)
- his friends are mostly determined by convenience (i.e. who is in his class, who is on his sports team, who lives close by) but he IS choosy about avoiding those who don't show integrity.
- he acquired his father's naturally athleticism.  he loves participating in sports and loves spring and fall when he can get out and play all day in the fall.  because of his size, he is often underestimated but he completed the ninja course in half the time as his friends!