Increments.....

Pirate themed camp

So much has transpired I feel like it's sometimes not worth going back and catching up, but for memory sake I'll start with June and move forward from there. June kicked off with one of several camps for our household. Cub scout camp lasted 3 days from 3-10pm. The boys absolutely loved it. Luckily the weather was still abnormally cool making the daytime activities a little more bearable. Yes, I learned how to shoot my first bow and arrow. I just wish someone would have told me the bruise you would get from the rubberband. Ouch!

I did shoot a red, maybe next time I will get a bulls eye!

Father's Day seemed to be the biggest hit for June (at least for Doug) I racked my brain as to what to get him other than the normal tie, shirt or shoes. I woke up extra early since our church is 8:30) to make his favorite cinnamon cake before we had to leave. I also ventured out by doing tons of research for his gift. not to mention had to find a place to hide it! To throw him off I shocked him with a wake board.

Love that cinnamon cake!

No, we don't have a boat, but hope to someday get one. In the meantime it makes a pretty piece of furniture in our room. This looks like a staged surprised photo, but truth be known that was a serious surprised face!

June is also the beginning of soon to be the start of several birthdays. After several years of Luke begging for a party I decided to have a "friend" party this year. He chose to have an army themed party which was so much fun! We painted faces, ate donuts from a string, and had water balloon fights. Happy 6th Birthday Luke!

The last week of June I was privileged into being invited as the girls camp photographer. Never being to girls camp I wasn't too sure what to expect. It ended up being so much fun! I would most definitely go again next year or as long as they would have me. It was also great to be up there at the same time with Taylor since this was her first year as well!

Due to being the camp photographer there was just 2 photos of me out of over 800, but here is proof I was there with my friend Kati on one of the last mornings of camp. Still to come a trip to Utah seeing old, dear friends, surprise weekend for Taylor, Wicked and end of summer stuff!

7 Day Whirlwind

As I sit here eating my comfort food (d.c. * m&m's) it dawned on me how fast things change in just a short amount of time. A week ago we were packing our life into a 26 ft truck and leaving part of our life behind in exchange for a new future and place to settle. I think the "forever" still freaks me out more than anything. In passing Doug made the comment, "what if we don't like it here in a few years?" I sorta chuckled and said, um it's a little too late for that. We are here to stay for the long haul. The long term goals set a merely 13 years ago has come to pass. Welcome to the real world. It's a bit like your oldest child once a infant and in the blink of an eye they are all "grown up". Strange really. However, despite my heart feeling ripped out and leaving some of the people who are closest and dearest to me, Arizona seems to be feel right. It's not quite got that "glove" feeling yet, but I know in due time it will. I hate to leave any details slide over the past week, so I have broken them into days.

Day 1


Moving out day. The big yellow beast arrived at our house. We were also a bit concerned that it wouldn't all fit. Luckily Doug, the master packer pulled it off with literally a 1/2 inch to spare.

We had an amazing crew come out and help our family, which made the packing go pretty quick. (2 hours) In fact, it chokes me up to see the love and support of ward members and friends we had their on our last day.

My relief society president/friend (Diane) was even mopping my floors on her hands and knees (along with Sister Cunningham). With the busyness of moving and getting things organized my sadness was being disguised. Right after the truck was completely loaded Doug and I went in one last time. That was when I lost it, memories and emotions immediately flooded back. The family laughter, friends gathering in our home, kids playing. Our first home together of 6 years.

Angie had taken my kids for the afternoon and had planned a going away dinner for us (Rudy's BBQ). The gifts and generosity were seriously endless. She had also taken Taylor since Sunday evening. I honestly don't think Taylor would have minded if we left her behind. Thank goodness for cell phones and email chatting!

One last chick fila lunch together

The Wirthlin's just arrived back from Hawaii/Washingtonvacation hours prior to our move. Tuesday evening seriously wasn't long enough, it never is when you are around your favorite people. (I think Ellice missed the black/khaki memo--ha!)

Since Luke's birthday was the 26th, we decided to celebrate it with his San Antonio buddies. He also opened his Ninento DS....the best money I spent for our trip! He was glued the entire day.

Day 2

Doug wanted an early start so the alarm was set for 5:30am. We rolled out of San Antonio around 6 am. It was one of the hardest things. As you can see from the photo I was a crying mess. Taylor and the little boys drove with me in the van and Jared and the dog rode in the Penske.

As if the move itself wasn't stressful enough Weston decided to have an asthma flare up the day prior. Luckily I was able to get him in to the pediatrician one last time. The bummer part was he needed breathing treatments every so many hours. Not having a plug outlet in my car we had to resort to gas station outlets. Nice huh?

Another minor few occurrences was a miscommunication between Taylor and I resulting in her locking the keys in the van $%^*!. Did I mention that Doug was 25 miles ahead of us on the freeway. I was also pulled over by a police officer for going 3 miles over the speed limit! Luckily, he only gave me a warning, but seriously speeding??? When we hit Tucson approximately 1.5 hours away from home we ran into a terrible thunder storm. Needless to say I was having a panic attack, couldn't see the road due to heavy rain and semi's were passing me like no tomorrow. You can imagine the relief I had when we arrived to Doug's parent house (9:30pm that evening) for a total of 18 hours on the road.

Day 3

Luke turns 5

Happy Birthday Luke! It wouldn't be a birthday unless Grandma Dorothy made the cake. Mom C. is always so willing to make the kids a cake and always does a fabulous job, so really why intervene a good thing? My kids were reunited with their cousins and were already planning a sleep over.

We signed our closing papers on our new house bright and early Thursday morning in hopes that we could have our keys early Friday. We spent most of the day getting the run around from the bank and title company. It was nerve racking.

Day 4

Doug spent much of the morning getting stuff prepared for his new office. He was able to set up business accounts and other unfinished paper work (which is never ending). We got a call around noon saying that our loan had funded and the keys were officially ours. For the past week we have also had a difficult time figuring out what ward we were in. After Doug's mom made several phone calls we FINALLY were able to pin point our bishop and new ward. We started unloading the truck around 3pm(and it was HOT!) We had some help from family members and then our new Bishop and his ENTIRE family showed up to unload and welcome us. (I wish I would have documented with photos).

Days 5 & 6

With Doug only having a window of time (the weekend) before heading back to San Antonio we worked like mad to get the house in order. Hence why we were out of boxes so quickly. We also ran tons of errands trying to get things set up for the house, Jared a new bed (he never had his own), new bank accounts, new tags for my car (they give you 15 days here) etc. Sunday we met with our new ward. Everyone was extremely nice and friendly., in fact I went to high school with two people there. Weird. We were even greeted with a plate of cookies right after church! I was beyond relieved to hear the verdict from my children. They all thought it was "awesome" I think the biggest blessing is how many kids there are. They have 2 classes for each age group in primary. We also have 34 young women. Coming from San Antonio that is HUGE. I know it will still take some getting used to, as it always does in a new environment.

The boys began their first taste of AZ swimming lessons. I was really afraid Luke would freak out, but surprisingly they both did really well. I thought that the name of their group was very appropriate :)

This day was just SAD, SAD, SAD. The realization of Doug having to finish up for a month just set in and really stinks. He had one "last" In & Out fix before getting on the plane. We will miss our daddy for sure!

Day 7


Courtney offered to come and help with some last minute things today. She was a big help, we were able to tackle the basement books and office. Thanks Court! We ended the day at Cafe Rio. Yum!


I couldn't help but notice the SP challenge this week was elements of summer. With today being the element "sun" how much more appropriate can you get than moving to the valley of the sun. It was definitely a scorcher today, here I am sitting at Hamilton pool, trying to cool off in the 110 degree weather!

Even though 7 days have gone by, it really seems like months for all that has taken place. So many of my friends have requested a tour of the house. It still doesn't feel like we own this beautiful home. Most of it will remain empty for sometime, which is just fine.

Front entryway

Our family room--dining room is adjacent



The office aka blogging area

kitchen 1 angle

kitchen 2 angle
(can you tell we have been swimming)

Walking down to the basement........

stairs

great room/wet bar angle 1

angle 2

Jared's room

Going from our old house to this one is 3 times the size we are used to. It will definitely take time to fill up the things I want...baby steps for sure. I think that makes it somewhat more fun buying things along the way and saving for things I KNOW I want to buy. I hope you enjoyed the tour!

Luke Makes 4!

4 years ago before going to the hospital I looked like this (yikes!) Luke was our first Texas born. He definitely brings much joy into our home. Luke was the only one delivered by his dad. I often say he is the comic relief of all our kids. He has a mind of his own and if it isn't his way, it's the highway! He is our authoritarian and makes sure we all are following the rules. Nothing gets past that kid! Here are some fun photos I have found and love about Luke.......

He loves to play with his daddy.

He loves adventure and to be outdoors.

He wanted to be buzz when he was 2 years old and still LOVES buzz.
I guess somethings never change.

He's good at this......

And this.

He is our camera ham and loves to pose for photos.

He loves to build with anything, legos, lincoln logs and dominoes.

He is the middle one with spunk!
And really looks up to his older siblings.

He doesn't like loud noises (or fireworks)

His brother and him are somedays best buds and others not.
They are only 21 months apart.

He loves cars and will play them for hours.

At school he told everyone he wants to be a firefighter when he grows up.

He has a birthmark on his head, it's a blonde patch.
Many think he has a bald spot or I colored his hair.

He was our earliest to be potty trained 2 years 3 months.......come on Weston :)

His best girl is Maryn

He has a "devil" smile with great dimples.

He loves to give Weston zurburts on his tummy

It never fails each night before bed, he has to read a story, have his flashlight
and he wants you to rub his back "this many times" with his hands up.

This is the blanket I made him when he was born.
I think it has gotten a lot of love. He has to sleep with it EVERY night.

His favorite color is green (and apparently likes to wear it)

He is always the first one to fall asleep.
And is so good about staying in bed when he is told.


Yesterday he was 3, and now he is 4! We love you Luke and especially the personality and life you bring into our home. Happy 4th Birthday Lukie!

This has been Luke's song since he was a few days old.
We replaced the lyrics from Superman to "Luke Ryan"