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!!

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!

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!

Super Model

I can honestly say, I had no hand in the posing of these photos.
They're ALL James.

I just sat down and snapped the pictures.He's cute. But this kid swings like a door.

And is by far the most stubborn person I know.

It's genetic, I'm stubborn and bull-headed as well. But he beats me every time.

It's definitely typical 3 year old stuff. He absolutely does not want to do anything we ask him to.

Reverse psychology works on some occasions, and is actually a lot of fun.

Other times, he's just plain crabby, won't talk, just whines, screams, kicks...

...yep, good times.

I've tried the Love and Logic approach. Not getting upset, putting him in his room for time out, with the door shut usually. But he will scream for HOURS. At some point we need to move on with our lives.

I didn't mention the back talk!

He mimics while we're talking, or will yell our words back at us.

Uh-huh. I've reverted to soap in the mouth. He's not a fan of that.

He's gotten in trouble at daycare/preschool for talking back and not listening.

And recently gave his Grandma a hard time when visiting for the weekend.

So, I've tried time out, Love and Logic (works great on miles), even spanked him under more extreme circumstances (not a favorite).

Any advice??? I'm open for opinions!

I have noticed a little difference since I've been making time to give him a couple hours of 1-on-1 time each week. We've had some wonderful days!

This kid can be tough, but he's also pretty awesome. I respect his stubbornness, to a degree. It's important to have an opinion and strong feelings, but really?! Why is it a surprise EVERY morning that you have to get dressed?!?

Where've ya been??

So much has happened since February.

My camera had broken and it was going to cost more than its' worth to fix. And prior to that our laptop had hit the dust, so I was using my work laptop to continue blogging when I had time at home. My job at the time was sucking the life out of me. Seriously. I was working almost 50 hours/week, and it was stressful work. I was loosing weight (not the right way), having a ton of stomach pain, sleeping whenever I could and not eating. Ended up with ulcers. We decided my job was not worth the stress and strain on my health. I interviewed and was offered a position at the clinic in town with the OB/GYN. I had to take a huge pay cut, but my health and sanity were well worth it. I was so excited to get back to OB! Lovely clinic hours, plus I have Monday mornings and Friday afternoons off, very nice. Of course I then had no computer at home.

Our other stressor at the time was selling our house back in Blue Earth. We had been trying to sell it for almost 2 years, and were living and paying rent in another town. Things had a wonderful way of working out, because within 2 weeks of my new job we got an offer on our house! And have sold it!! WAHOO!!

So since then, I've been enjoying my family, friends, health, and my new job.

Time certainly doesn't stand still.

Miles turned 5 in August. We decided to wait 1 more year until kindergarten. But he's already started reading Bob Books, and loves math. He thought he was pretty hot stuff when he realized 1 plus any number equals the next number. He is a very sweet and helpful boy. And getting tall!

James turned 3 in March, and I'm telling you, age 2 has nothing on 3! This kid has inherited his mother's stubbornness on top of it. Don't get me wrong, he is VERY charming. Quite a ladies man. Really, he was hitting on teenage girls at the pool this summer. But we have had quite the battles lately. More on that at another time. I'm sure I'll be asking for advice.

Ben and I have had some wonderful weekends away. I am blessed to have a husband that likes to shop. We've been working on the yard and house. And he is very supportive in my newest endeavor, to be announced in a month. So excited. I am REALLY bad at keeping secrets, so if I can manage not to spill the beans early I think there will be a lot of amazed people.

WHOA! I can't believe I almost forgot to tell you!

I got a new camera!! A beautiful Canon Rebel T1i, with a Tamron lens. I'm still learning about it, and need to learn more on editing. But it is really, well, it makes me tear up with happiness.

I'm Baaack!

Wow!

It's been a while! But I'm back!

I have tons of photos, lots of news and a new little adventure! So stay tuned!

For today I'll keep it short and sweet.

I'll be updating the blog in the coming week.

SO EXCITED!!

Village People

We're hosting tryouts for a new Village People Band.

Snow!

We are in the middle of a blizzard. More snow!! It has been so unbelievably cold here in MN, -25 air temperature last Saturday, the boys have been stuck in the house until tonight.

Miles got to work shoveling off the deck!

And James ate some bird seed. (he also attempted to climb a massive pile of snow a few times.

After hanging out in the house for 3 days, we've all managed to catch a cold. Miles just has a stuffy nose at night (I swear that kids immune system has super powers!), James has his ever persistent runny nose and cough, while Ben and I have sore throats and stuffy noses. Tis' the season I guess. Great day to be home sick though!