Sedona

We went camping in Sedona last weekend with my brother Cole and his family. It was beautiful down there. Its the only place in Arizona that I have actually thought had beauty (sorry people, I dont like the desert much). We camped right next to a river. In the morning all the men, little men included, went to fish.Since no one had licenses they didnt think to bring their poles. While we were packing the car, Zach threw his little fishing pole and Tanner's into the van. It turned out to be a great thing since the fish were active and didnt care that the marshmallows we used as bait were attached to a Lightning McQueen pole. It was quite humorous seeing grown men using it too. In the end they did end up catching three trout.

It rained for about 3 hours in the night. It was thunder and lightning like you cant believe. Luckily our tent is a huge waterproof blessing. Everyone slept through it but me. I was paranoid about one of the kids waking up and leaving the tent in the night.(Recently a two year old left his tent in the night camping in Sedona. His remains were found over a week later.It was all over the news. It scared me to death!) I tossed and turned and jumped up in my sleep all night to count heads. I know, thus is a paranoid mother.
We ended our adventure with a little drive up to Flagstaff to eat a picnic lunch. Great times. We love camping!

Nothing like a hot dog on the fire. AAHHH! The life.

Watching movies to settle down for the evening.
Goodmorning. ok, maybe not.
Goodmorning sunshine!
Where are we headed this morning Zach ?
One, two, three, four, five. Once I caught a fish alive.
We caught it using this awesome kiddy fishing pole.
They must not want some people using the front door. It may reflect poorly on their business
Cute family
Playing pretend in the forest
I got a stick and I know how to use it!

Kiddos

Here are some pictures of my darling guys. I cant get enough. I think they are too cute.

Frosting anyone?


This is a hat, not a shirt, duh!

Tan the Man
Off to school on "brown day"

In lieu of the "first day" photo.

Isnt he so cute?

Cute kindergarten brothers. Its no

wonder their teachers love them already!

School Days

("RED DAY" on Monday this week)

Its offical! My babies have grown up.

Zach and Tanner started school last week. Kindergarten in our school district is full day. So from 7:40- 2:15 everyday, Im home with only, Asher. Can you believe that? I have never had just 1 child at home. Its very odd, but nice.

Tanner had strep throat on the first day of school so he couldnt go until the second day. And being the forgetful pregnant woman I am, I forgot to get a picture of him on his first day! Im a bad mom.

Zachary was so excited to go. He woke up at 6 am and wanted to eat and get dressed. I drove him to school and he gave me a hug and ran to meet new friends on the playground. When the bell rang he waved and that was that. He went to class without any fuss. I on the otherhand was teary thinking about this little boy growing up. Its another huge milestone in their lives. I was so proud.

Zach has loved school and his teacher. He and Tanner are in different classes and have each made their own set of friends and routines. Its fun to hear about Zach's class pet, Stu. A sonoran mud turtle that sometimes escapes his excersize tub. Zach loves to tell me about the fun things at school.

Tanner is also loving school and has been rewarded everyday for good behavior. He really likes his teacher and he is thriving. He does well with structure, so I knew school would be good for him. He is shy but seems to be reaching out to other kids with similar temperments. Its good for them to grow individually, and develop their own strengths without being bossed around by the other brother.

Zach on his first day

Things I've learned about Living in AZ

I've been trying my hardest to not say my true feelings to the natives about how I view Arizona.
People ask me the same question all the time. "How do you like it here so far?" I choke out something polite. Something quick. Something surfaced and non committal.

As you may have guessed from prior posts. I don't like living in the desert. Honestly, I can say, I imagined living here much differently. Im not sure why. I knew there wouldn't be snow, but I thought it would be much more like the WEST that I grew up in. After all, I lived in St. George, Utah for 8 years. How much different could it be?
COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!!!!

Here are just some of the strange things that have become apparent about living here.
1) No butter or chocolate can be left out for more than a few minutes. Unless you want it melted everywhere.
2) There is no such things as DOWN COMFORTERS in use here. At least not for 10 months of the year. And even then...not much.
3) Children do not were footy fleece pjs here, unless it reaches 70 degrees. WHAT??
4) For some reason, they start selling fall clothing here in August, like everywhere in the country that will actually get a change of season in the fall. You need school clothes like short sleeve shirts until November here, but they dont sell anything but fall things starting in August.- Idiots.
5) Halloween costumes must not be too hot for your kids. It was 80 degrees on Halloween day last year. And who the heck trick or treats in flip flops? (oh, just about everyone here!)
6) Cactus come in all shapes and sizes. Never mistake a flowering plant for a simple flower. They usually have prickles.
7) Spiders, especially black widows, love to hide in patio furniture. Especially futons.
8) When you hear people saying they live in "____ RESORT" it is always a trailer park, not a five star condo complex. Everyone here lives in a resort :)
9) People wear sweaters here to church. They even bring blankets to class. They say the building is too cold. The thermostat is set at 78.
10) A bag of ice will melt in 15 minutes in the trunk of your car in 113 degree weather.

Seriously, I think I am being tested. I must have to go through living here to prepare me for a mission to some tropical place in the world someday. OR maybe Im being shown what hell will be like, so I will live life better. Whatever the reason. This is never how I imagined life in Arizona.
Im pregnant which makes everything seem worse. The heat makes me sick. I've been ill everyday for 6 weeks. Nothing seems to help. Hopefully, I can make a list in a few months of things I actually like about Arizona. In the meantime pray for me. ...NO seriously, pray for me.

EL FIN

Could be that all these emotions are the product of horomones. Normally, Im a very optimistic person. Lately, I cant seem to find anything to smile about.- But there is more than just one reason for mymood swings.

Turns out God wanted me to have something positive in all the change and hardship.

Baby Number 4 is on the way. Yup, thats right, we are preggo!

How someone who is told they will never have children without medical intervention conceives on their own is amazing. We were surprised, but glad.

This is the last baby for us. We arent even praying for a girl. Just for a sweet baby to join our family healthy and uneventful.

YIPPEE!

Baby is due February 2011.

Mesa

Well, here we are sitting in Mesa, Arizona. Why?...well I ask myself this question daily.
As fortune would have it, we had to rent something instead of buying. The market had too many buyers and not enough properties. Its disappointing, but not much we could do. So, we stepped out of the market for now. Winter should prove to have more inventory.
So, in the meantime, we are an hour commute from Mikes work, and living in the third ring of hell, in my opinion. Its hot, there is nothing to do
(we have no pool, yuck), and there is nothing green for miles.
Am I happy here? Um, no.
Am I impressed? Absolutely not.
Why people live in the desert is beyond me. Im ready to move again.
If Im being honest, I think most of my disappointment is self induced. I think I thought there were so many better things in the west than the east. The grass seemed greener.
The reality is that things aren't. I feel a little cheated out of the beauty and experiences of the east coast. Now, I feel like Im back in the west, and everything is less than perceived.
The schools are worse, the housing market is just as bad just in a different way. The people are the same, just speak more Spanish. The weather is awful and there will be no snow to change it up....yup, just realizing more negatives than positives.-
Im hoping that silver lining is hiding until my attitude changes. Im praying I will find some normalcy and happiness here. For now, Im just sweating to death and miserable.

The past few weeks have been more than stressful for me. I have broken down many times in tears. I never thought this move would be difficult. This situation has ripped the reigns from my hands more than once along the way and takes me for a ride I had not intended.

We just found out our back up plan is gone. So, with 1 week until we need to move and the first day of school looming on Aug 9th, Im panicking.

The thought of my children being homeless or living in a van down by the river, is more than depressing. I feel like Im spinning in all directions with no where to go.

Im trying to hang on as we once again scramble for somewhere to live.

I went to a stake fireside to hear Jenny Oaks Baker play her violin. It was magnificent and powerful. I have thought of it many times these past few days. I have thought of the song that moved me to uncontrollable tears. "Be still , my soul".

I have always enjoyed the song, but never felt its power until that night.I was reading the words along to the sweet melody she played and instantly felt power in the first lines.

"Be still, my soul: the lord is on thy side;

with patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.

Leave to thy God, to order and provided;

in ev'ry change he faithful will remain."

I dont know if I am fully utilizing the message. I do have faith, but sometimes its hard to bear thy cross patiently.

Granted, this is trivial compared to many trials. Im just feeling so unsure about what to do and where to go.

"Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as he has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last"