Desert Fun

We took off in search of warmer weather, and Arizona was perfect!!

Ben's parents are snowbirds, and surrounded by mountains, so we did some hiking.

And had a little fun with the cacti!

I made Ben a little nervous. He kept telling me to get down, he afraid of heights...

This Saguaro was quite a character!

On our last day, we took the boys hiking, or "mountain climbing" as they called it.

We were pretty impressed on how well they did. They went a lot further than we thought!

Miles taking a look around.

Me with the Superstition Mountains in the background.

Awwww...

Our wonderful guide, Bob (Ben's dad).

Miles REALLY close to the edge of a cliff, Ben would have had a heart attack if he hadn't been back in the car!

Crazy Miles and Crabby James.

We got a kick out of the Phoenix weather reports telling us a cool down was coming (a high of 74!)

More to come!!!

Time for a Change

We're tired of the cold and snow!

It's making us all a little crazy...

So we're off to find some warmth,

and sunshine!

Lots of changes, again! Itching for spring, and just a wee bit worried about the thaw (praying it's a slow one).

Lots of new posts soon!!

A Relaxing Holiday

Usually the holidays are are too busy. We're rushed, running around from celebration to celebration. This year was so relaxing!It helped that we spread the family get togethers out throughout the month. Lists were made, shopping started before Thanksgiving. It just felt sane.
We even managed pictures!

The it was a great family holiday, family month.

Come to think of it, why should any other month be different? I'm not saying the whole gift thing, more the relaxing family weekends.

Good food, games, playing. What were we doing before?

Here's to 2011, I'm calling it a year of family firsts. We have a lot we want to do!

Have a fabulous year!!

Holiday Fun!

I can't believe I've never made a Gingerbread house.

James made one at preschool yesterday. They used a milk carton underneath to shape it.Since he's such a huge candy lover, he would stop talking about eating it. He shared with his brother, they got to pick off 2 candies after supper. We'll definitely have to try this at home next year!

And last weekend, when we were supposed to be celebrating Christmas in St. Cloud with the Ben's family, we got snowed in at home. Quite the blizzard here. Miles, our snow lover, lasted 10 minutes before the wind got to him.

Ben's parents made it up just in time, so we had a little Christmas with them. It was kind of fun getting snowed in.

Another little Christmas with just us four this weekend, and then off to my parents next weekend.

I like spreading out the holiday!

Macy's

After Thanksgiving we went to Macy's to see, A Day In The Life Of An Elf, and of course, Santa!

The guys were in awe. Miles rushed through, pointing at EVERYTHING. He was in a rush to see Santa.

James was was amazed! There were a couple elves nearby and he was REALLY nervous to let go of my hand for this picture.

Miles decided to draw Santa a picture.

James was stressed trying to sign his name on his letter to Santa.

These doors and the many escalator rides were a HUGE highlight of downtown.

Happy Holidays!

Sledding

No more excuses! We have a new computer at home and internet!

So I WILL post regularly again!

We went out sledding for the first time this year. Definitely need new sleds, or at least one to fit an adult and child.
Miles had to walk up the hill himself this year, so he only went down a handful of times. Apparently it's a lot of work to climb the hill!

They also had a great time playing on the playground equipment. There was a thick coating of ice on the slides, so they flew down fast and landed in puffs of powdery snow.

Unfortunately, they both have low grade temps tonight, Miles has a headache, otherwise to other symptoms. Blah! They have a week to get better, then we're off to celebrate Christmas with Ben's family!

Finding Retro

I love finding cool retro/vintage goodies at thrift stores and garage sales. But you can only have so much in your house before it starts looking cluttered.

So, I decided to start my own etsy shop!

Introducing Finding Retro!I had been peeking around the vintage sections of etsy and I can find similar items for cheaper prices. I love shopping and finding these items and if I can make a few bucks while having fun, then GREAT!

I only have a few items listed as of today, but will be adding more throughout the week.

I will have housewares, home decor, jewelry, linens, fabric, anything that catches my eye.

Even if you aren't interested in buying, stop by the shop from time to time and take a walk down memory lane.

Or get a new idea for you old item!

That's it, that's the big surprise!

I'll occasionally post new items on the blog when there's something I think you need to see!

My Super Heroes

Miles has a great imagination.

A while back he created a super hero alter-ego, Super Volcano Boy.

(He watched a National Geographic show on volcanoes)

He has hot lava (or "laba" as he says it), fire, and sting powers.

For a while it was a secret we couldn't tell anyone about. But he decided to let the cat out of the bag for Halloween.I used my Red Riding hood cape from last year. Took off the hood, made some alterations, added the "V", and WALLA, a super hero cape!
Miles was made sure to let me know what colors volcanoes are. He was pretty excited!

James loves Superman, but we decided to make him his own super hero identity as well. He likes Superman's ability to blow cold air and freeze the bad guys, so we went with it.

Introducing, Super Cool Boy!

They look a little Super Goofy and Confused in this photo!

Ben and I went out Saturday. Lots of fun. I had a little trouble fitting through doorways with my giant wings though...

Due to a technical glitch I didn't post my little secret yesterday. I didn't forget! Check back this evening, and I'll finally be out with it!!

Funny Little People

The little people in my life have been extra funny lately.

James is obsessed with wearing, "man shirts." Those would be button down shirts in case you didn't know. We restrict him from wearing "man shirts" every day; preschool is a little messy. And if he's wearing a "man shirt," he would like me not to call him James, insists I call him a MAN!

These pictures speak for themselves...(that's a walnut)

Miles told James that he can swim underwater. James, "oh wow, how do you do that?" Miles, "well, I go in the water and try to swim, but I always sink to the bottom. So I swim under water." James, "oh..." And this is true, Miles is in swim lessons, and loves it, but the kid is solid and heavy and has to work extra hard to keep his head up.

I'm planning to FINALLY come out with my new little endeavor on November 1!

Eeeee!!! So excited! Til then mum's the word!

One Very Proud Mama

Miles wrote this during free time today at preschool.

See if you can figure out what it says.

I'll write the interpretation at the end of this posting.I'm pretty proud of him. I had a major; I have an exceptionally smart kid; moment when he brought it home yesterday. He's started reading too. All ready for kindergarten next year. He says he plans to help the teachers teach the other kids how to read.

Translation (as if you really need it) - Who's my best friend at my other preschool? Zac.

See?! Pretty great for preschool!