Christmas Fun

So we finally broke down and set up the tree today! Yeay...

Photos here of tree

Mike went up to the superstitions to hike Flatiron with his friend Brian and his boys. It was a tough hike , but he made it. He came home and took a little nap.

Photos here of hike

I finished up a little bit of baking and then we headed out to our new mall up the street to go see Santa. The kids had written up their lists to give to him. You can see Niko's in his hand in the photo.

Today Mike and the kids had a very busy day while I was at work. Mike got up in the wee hours of the morning to work and get stuff done for today with his job. I got Matthew off to daycare on my way to work.

After a 9:00 am standard conference call with his boss, he was off to the school to do jingle-jog (click for photos) with Bethany at the school. Then he had a Christmas lunch with her. It was an early out day for them so Mike and the kids spent the afternoon watching Christmas movies and Niko got out some of his birthday toys to play with. It was a relaxing afternoon for them.

Work was painfully slow again. Everyone had seemed to go home by lunch time and there was not a whole lot for us to do. Monday should be joy of joys as the anticipation is that it will be even quieter-ahh...

After the kids went to bed, I headed out to do some mid-night shopping. Amazing that you can still manage to stand in line for 45 minutes at 11:45 at night!

Anyhow. Looking forward to this weekend.

Niko's 7!!

So Niko turned 7 today. WOW....Mike had the day off to spend it with him. HE picked him up from school about 11:00 so that he could celebrate with his classmates and do his star of the week stuff. Then they went out to lunch at In and Out and then went to go see a movie. They saw Bee Movie and really liked it. Mike made Niko's cake for tonight...Yep, you heard me right...Mike made Niko's cake today. It turned out AWESOME too. He did a great job.

I got home in the evening, then Nana and Popo came over to do cake and presents. Niko had a lot of fun and a great birthday.

I had my Christmas potluck at work today. I'm feeling very bloated and unattractive at the moment- just kidding (but not kidding about the bloated part-hehe) Good times!

Mike's 33!!

Mike turned 33 today. I think he had a good birthday. They give him his birthday off as one of his paid holiday's at work, but he was able to switch that day to tomorrow so he can spend Niko's birthday with him and they can celebrate together. So he did end up working today. It's all good.

So, he took the kids to McDonald's for ice cream after he picked them up from school and they celebrated together that way. I got home at my usual time, we ate dinner and then the boys and I ran to Wally-World to get cupcakes for Niko's class tomorrow. He is going in to celebrate with them tomorrow morning and then Mike will pick him up before lunch. Anyhow, It was a busy night again, as usual. But fun, as always.

Extra Photos

Family Photo Shot

Here's our goofy family today

Star of the Week

Niko is star of the week this week in his class. So he gets to share this poster with his class today and then throughout the week has special assignments that he gets to do in the class that make him feel special and important. Fun times.

Let it Snow!

Today after church, we headed up to Flagstaff to play in the snow. After countless repetitions of the question, "Are we there yet?" we finally got to the good "fluffy" stuff. We had some good snow ball fights, built a snowman, made snow angles....(Matthew learned how to make 'yellow snow') :)...and played around until we froze. We all had a blast.

We changed into dry warm clothes and headed home. It was a fabulous day. Beautiful weather, everyone was in a great mood, we were happy and made some awesome memories. After such a busy week with work and school schedules, the time on the weekends becomes more and more precious as we reconnect as a family unit and refocus.

Here are some photos and a video

Birthday Date Night

Tonight we (meaning Mike and I) celebrated Mike's birthday. We got a sitter and went out on the town....Kind of...

We went to Carrabas Italian Grill and each got a bowl of soup to go with our free bread-hehe. It was so yummy and I think the waitress was a bit disappointed in our choice, but we made her happy with the tip so it's all good ;)...

After that we went and got a couple Christmas gifts for the kids and spent some time together...Now we're home and grateful that we got to spend some nice time together.

Seussical

Bethany went on her class field trip today to see Seussical at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. They all had a real good time. I'm sure it was alot of fun to take a break away from the typical school day as well.

Christmas Caroling

Tonight Bethany and Niko went with a group of kids and parents to go caroling through a neighborhood. We'd knock on doors and just start singing when the door was answered. It was a lot of fun and cool to see the faces of everyone behind the doors. There were teenagers literally running down the stairs to get to the door to hear and see the singing; people ran and got their cameras to take pictures of us; Kids, dogs, grandparents, all sorts of people with smiling faces, blessed by the kids singing. It was really cool and a lot of fun for everyone.

I brought the camera, but forgot the memory card. Oh well...

The past couple of days Mike has been working at home because Matthew hasn't been feeling to well. He's on the up road now though, so that's good.

Miracles - Jesus Commercial

Jury Duty

I got a summons for jury duty and was called to report on Monday. I was over-confident that I would not get picked because of my job mostly. So, wouldn't you know, i got picked to be a part of this jury. I am actually honored and feel kind of privileged to get picked. It just would be nice if I wasn't having to miss work because of it.

This trial should take me through tomorrow afternoon. Then I can tell you all about it. I served on a trial in Idaho a number of years ago. I was surprised that here in Arizona, the jurors are allowed to ask the witnesses questions, as long as they are approved of by the attorneys and the judge. I don't remember that option in Idaho....

It's been nice to get back to the family earlier in the evening, being that the court is on this side of town.

I have enjoyed my time with the kids this week. Matthew has been doing so well in daycare and adjusting well to that. Bethany is working on a penguin project in class and reading a ton of books. Niko went to the zoo a little bit ago on a field trip. I don't think we mentioned that on the blog here. He had a great time and it was special to be able to go with his friends from school.

All the kids really are doing well. They are growing up so fast as this school year flies by. They all have their beautiful and extraordinary gifts. And I just love them more and appreciate them more each day. It truly is amazing what wonderful gifts they continue to prove to be. It's easy to see that as you hold them in your arms as babies, but sometimes I miss it the older they get just how much of a blessing each of them are to us and how awesome they are, no matter what they do or how they behave.

If you watch the video Mike posted on sending the kids away, it is meant to be funny. Our sensitive and empathetic Mister Niko was appalled that we were laughing at such a thought and kept saying that it was NOT funny. So don't y'all dare to tell him that we posted it out here for you all to laugh at. I don't think he'd appreciate that.

Anyhow, hopefully I'll get back in the swing of things updating you all more often. It's time to get into a better routine.

Our Weekend Get-a-Way

This weekend Mike and I had an opportunity to get away for an overnight trip without the kiddos. My mom and Dave came down and stayed with them while we headed down to Bisbee.

Mike and I had been to Tombstone when Bethany was a baby, but we had never made it all the way down to Bisbee. We went down with no hotel reservations and so checked out all the hotels once we arrived there. We decided on the Copper Queen Hotel because of the character and quaintness of the hotel and also because of the claw footed tub in the bathroom :) (the discount made it enticing, as well)...

It was cold, windy, rainy, and blustery, so we spent the afternoon looking through antique shops and sipping freshly roasted coffee from the Bisbee Coffee Co. We were on a mission for a couple of things. One was a big popcorn popping pot, which we were unable to find. However, I found one of the things I was looking for at the first store we went into. The item was actually a portion of Mike's anniversary gift from me. It was a wooden shaving soap container. This one happened to be made in Denmark around 1920. Here is the container in the complete set in this picture:

Anyhow, after taking pictures and seeing the sights of the town and exploring some of the history that surrounded us and climbing countless stairs, 'just because'...we ate dinner and enjoyed our hotel, playing cards and reading...

We got an early start out on Sunday morning. Our plan was to go over Mount Lemon and on through Florence to home. But upon arriving at the top of Mount Lemon (9150 ft in elevation), we discovered that the road was closed at the top because of the snow that had dumped over the weekend. So, it was back down the mountain we went, back through Tuscon, and on up the I-10. It was fun nonetheless and we were able to see a lot of beautiful sights that we had never seen before.

We had a very relaxing weekend and appreciate the time we got to spend with one another.

Bisbee Trip

Adriana and I had the opportunity to visit Bisbee Arizona this weekend for our 10 year anniversary. More on this soon………….

View the Pictures
Drive: To Bisbee
Drive: To Home
View the Area Map
Learn More About Bisbee

Report: Many U.S. Parents Outsourcing Child Care Overseas

Due to rising domestic wages, many American parents are saving money by using unregulated overseas workers.



Report: Many U.S. Parents Outsourcing Child Care Overseas

AlbuquerqueTurkey Song

Here is Matthew serenading us with the Albuquerque Turkey song...Turn your speakers up, he's kind of hard to hear...

Here are the actual lyrics:

Albuquerque Turkey
(sung to the tune of "Clementine")

Albuquerque is a turkey
And he's feathered and he's fine
And he wobbles and he gobbles
and he's absolutely mine.

He's the best pet that you can get..
Better than a dog or cat.
He's my Albuquerque turkey
And I'm awfully proud of that.

He once told me, very frankly
he preferred to be my pet,
not the main course at my dinner,
and I told him not to fret.

And my Albuquerque turkey
is so happy in his bed,
'Cause for our Thanksgiving dinner...
We had egg foo yong instead.

Thanksgiving Day

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving by heading out to Mike's dad's house. We were running late and got there just in time to eat--oops. It was such a beautiful dinner and everything was absolutely YUMMY! Especially the yams. Mike even ate them and he does not usually look at the things...the turkey was moist, the deserts were perfect. Everything was great!

We also all got to meet little Aidan, Jennifer and Brian's new little one. We can't believe that he is almost a month old already. He slept most of the time and was just as precious as can be. He is a beautiful baby and the kids were really excited to meet him too. Bethany had to keep her distance though, because she has a cough. But she'll get to hold him and love on him soon enough...

Here are some photos from today too

Our Decade Anniversary

Us on our honeymoon ten years ago...

Fast forward to now...

Not only is today Thanksgiving Day, but we have extra to be thankful for today in the fact that Mike and I are hitting the 10 year mark in our marriage AND that we are more in love with each other each day and we are more excited to be looking forward to the rest of our life together than we were ten years ago.

We have truly been blessed with a best friend in each other. Over the past ten years we have seen each other succeed, sharing and celebrating in the excitement of that. We have shared in the excitement and joys of becoming parents together to three beautiful, smart, extraordinary children. We have had a blast helping each other set and reach goals- personal goals, family goals, professional goals. We have experienced loss and grieved with each other, supporting each other through those times. We have seen each other fail and often failed one another and we have been there to help each other up and heal and continue on. We have learned together and shared in the frustration of that. We have grown up and matured in many areas together and in ways that would have been impossible if we didn't show commitment, patience and grace to each other through the years. We have dreamed together and shared in the excitement and hope of that. We have learned so much about life, the world, and our God through one another and thorough the act truly giving of ourselves so that we can see the other succeed and grow.

We are so much looking forward to the decades to come as we continue to dream and plan, learn and grow, share and experience life together, as we attempt to be a blessing to one another and together are a blessing to others around us.

Photos of my roses :)

Mike's grandmother decided to get a stint put in that should help prolong her life for about a month, give or take. Mike is still going to head out there on Friday.

Grandpa and Grandma Biddle

On Monday afternoon my Dad and Kristi got in. They are spending the week in LA, so they took a quick hop over here to see us. I was able to take Tuesday off of work and the kids stayed home from school, so we were able to spend some good time with them. We went to the park and had fun there. We visited and when Mike came home we went to the park right down the street and played ball, came back and played some games and visited some more. It was nice. Wednesday morning Miek and I went to work and My dad and Kristi took the older two kids in to school and got to meet their teachers and see the school. After that they were off to the airport and headed back to LA to meet up with everyone over there for Thanksgiving and more good family time...

The kids were in charge of the camera at the park. Here is an album of the photos they took...

The weekend

We all had quite a busy weekend. Niko's weekend began on Friday afternoon when my mom came by to pick him up for the weekend. And he was off to Prescott. They had a great time together.
Saturday morning the other two kiddos spent the morning with Nana and Popo while Mike and I went to a seminar. That pretty much consumed the morning. Then I did our grocery shopping and we picked up the house a bit...Sunday we got everything ready for the week and then headed out to pick up Niko in Anthem. It was nice to get out...So that was pretty much our weekend. Busy, but busy doing just typical things.
We also got word this weekend that Mike's Grandmother is not doing too well at all. Mike will definitly be headed over there on Friday evening to try to see her. She hasn't been eating or drinking and it looks like her liver is failing.

Veteran's Day

Today the kids and I had the day off together. Mike had to go into work, although he got off at 2:00.

We spent the morning cleaning the house and relaxing and then the kids and I took our lunch ala fresco. We checked out a newer park up the street that we haven't been to yet. We had fun playing baseball, climbing on the rock structures on the playground, checking out the ponds, and volleyball courts (which, by the way are cleverly cooled with misters that you push a button to activate)...It was nice to get out and enjoy the beautiful day. It was up in the 80's again. Fall will be here someday...Maybe by the time Spring comes?

Anyhow, it was nice to reconnect with the kids. Matthew refused to get down on his own from the climbing rock structure at the park. I didn't want to just lift him off of it. I wanted to walk him through getting down on his own. He stood up there, stuck for a bit, while the wheels in hi head turned...Then all of a sudden, he took a flying leap off the rock and grabbed a hold of me like a monkey....Yep, that's our Matthew- unconventional, challenging, independent and stubborn...Silly boy.

Here's some photos from today

We got an email form Mike's aunt today regarding his grandmother who was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Things don't look to well for her. Hopefully Mike will be able to make it out there before things get worse to see her.

Also, last night, we got confirmation that my dad and Kristi will be passing through next week, so we're looking forward to visiting with them for a couple days.

Photo of the Day-11-12-2007

Family: Sunday

Well Sunday was nice.  I got up a little early, and then went for a run in the morning.  Note I have not been running for a little bit so it felt good to get out there and run.   After my run I noticed in the backyard that there are dead bugs all over the place.  So my spraying did help.  I was happy to see this!

Then we went to church, church was great because it was about the power of words.   I can see how this is true and there are some things that I want to change that I say about myself, my wife and my children.  So I am going to work on this.

After church I wanted to watch some Football.  So I watched the Kansas Chiefs & The Denver Broncos which Denver won, and the AZ Cardinals and the Lions.  Looks like the Az is going to win.  We will see I am at the 3rd period, Az 17 and Det 7 right now.  Our Football team is doing pretty good.

During Football, I have been working out.  Doing my chest exercises, which is various types of pushups, and also doing my ab routine, which is 365 ab exercises.

We are going to eat dinner, but before this going to get some exercise at the park.  Matthew took a nap so did Adriana.  The other kids went playing outside.  It was such a nice day today around the high 80's.  

Well Adriana is staying home with the kids on Veteran's Day.  I have to work.  I am sure Adriana is going to do something with the kids.  I will report my day on Monday.  Thanks for reading this blog.

Work: Week 2

Well work week 2 was a little bit more involved then last week.  First off we are using this technology for our web site, called WebGUI.  We are waiting for the next version of the technology to be updated.   Many of the service tickets were updated and some of them resolved which was really good.  Also, the last two days of this week was more or less orientation, and this was great because each department explained what they do, which allowed me to get a better idea of what this organization is all about.

Family: Our Day Saturday

Well Saturday was pretty nice, it was actually my first official weekend of freedom, since working at Southwest Ambulance.   I actually had a nice day.   We pretty much hanged out and watched alot of TV.  We watched How did they do it, How it is Made on the Science Channel.  The kids and I learned a lot of there little shows.  We watched Killer Waves etc.  My morning started kind of bad, we had scheduled a bug guy to show up and do some pest control, but he never showed, not surprised I guess.  Adriana and I woke up to a scorpion on our bedroom ceiling.  Let me tell you that did not start our morning off very well.

Both Adriana and I sprayed the little critter he fell off the ceiling and then crashed on the ground kind of limping.  So any who, we had an eventful morning for sure.   Then I did some stuff around the house, trimmed my front tree, racked the front yard, and washed the Durango and the pick up Truck.   

Finally, washed the front yard off, then decided that I needed to spray the house myself.  So I went to HomeDepot and sprayed.  And we will see how it works for the morning.  Um, hopefully it works, I would hate to just spend money on nothing.  

Otherwise it was a nice evening......I had some nice time with the kids.

Starting my new job

Wow today was an awesome day for my new job. I had such a great day. First off, Adriana and I got to carpool to work. It was nice we are starting to listen to a Spanish Learning Audiobook. It was pretty cool, Adriana picked up the language pretty quick I was struggling with the words etc. Getting to work does not seem to be that big of a challenge, not alot of traffic with the fact that we can take the carpool lane. We got to the downtown area pretty fast.

At work, I was early about 15 mins, early, but it was nice. Went through my benefits; which are night a day compared to the benefits that I had at Southwest Ambulance. I was amazed, at how giving the company is with their holidays, etc.

Then after my orientation with HR, I went ahead and had some conversation with my new boss about the application we are using for the web site. Worked on some tickets, got my loaner laptop figured out and headed home to pick up the kids from daycare and from school.

Overall it was an awesome day.

The Weekend

Last night was the end of a good week. The kids did pretty well at school this week. Bethany did awesome on her spelling test on Friday. We are proud of her improvement in that this week.

Yesterday in my training we got to tour the 4th Ave Jail. We were all the way up in high security, on down to minimum security pods, over to where they intake them, over to where they put the 'special cases' that they need to separate for their own protection within the jail, homosexuals and crimes such as sexual assaults...We saw the underground tunnel system that connects all the court buildings to the jail so that the inmates never have to walk out on the streets and come into contact with the public...And yes, their were several inmates that we passed in the halls while we were touring everything, who were being escorted to transfer jails or to court or where ever they were going. As we toured the cells, they were obviously out and about and going about their routine, but we were on one side, they were on the other...It was pretty interesting...Oh, and, yes, in case you're wondering, we saw all the infamous pink undies and now they have pink handcuffs too-that is Sheriff Joe Arpaio's signature in there.

Today Mike has a 2hr training class for the volunteer work he does on the Phoenix FD CR van. So, he'll be gone from about 9:30-12:30. This will give me a chance to catch up on a few things around here, although Mike's contributions around here this week has minimized what I need to do...

Our new mall just about a mile away, San Tan Village, opened last night. We may check that out this weekend. Tonight the grocery store has a scavenger hunt thing that we may go to also...Mostly just hanging around the house this weekend though, playing around here.

Mommy's Week

Wow...Looks like Mike gave you an awesome overview of the craziness of our week...He has been doing a great job at holding down the fort during this transition. Next week will be even more fun when he begins his new job also...Times are a-changing...

We DID have a great weekend. The mountains covered in fall colors were beautiful! As you saw in the photos. The weather was gorgeous.

The job is awesome! I haven't officially started doing THE job, as I have been in training all week. I get my desk in my little cubical on Friday afternoon. So I don't even have a workstation as of yet...But I find all the stuff from training absolutely fascinating to learn about; how the justice system works from the time of arrest, to sentencing, and post sentencing...We have sat in on all types of hearings this week- Initial Appearance Hearings (within 24 hours of arrest), Sentence hearings, and some other ones also. Seen a ton of interesting stuff already...We will tour the jail on Friday...Fun stuff....The office staff is so fun and it is just a really positive place to work. Very welcoming and real. Although, I know that they do have their flaws and moments, I just haven't encountered them yet...And the commute isn't too bad either. Yeah, there's traffic, but when you expect it and allow time for it and just figure it into your day, it's really not so bad. It is what it is. I put on the radio or enjoy the quiet and make the best of my time. On the way home, I mostly talk to Mike about the day or whatever, so that's a nice way to pass the time as well...

Mike's been doing great with helping out with dinner, too. Monday he bbq'd Pork chops that were ready when I walked in the door. Yesterday was Frozen Pizza night, because of Literacy night, so he prepared that....And then this morning I threw together a Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken Crock pot meal and so, on my way home, Mike started the fixings to go with it and wah-lah-instant dinner...He's such a big help...

So, with this working full time thing, it's really forced me to prepare ahead of time. Things run so much smoother when clothes are laid out the night before, lunches are made, snacks are put together, shoes are where they need to be...so many little things that just make everything run so much smoother and uncomplicated....

Niko told me he missed me in class today. That made me sad. However, before the end of the school year (in six months) I'll be able to switch to a flex schedule and have a day off every other week. So I'll be back to help out in the classrooms 2x's a month, soon enough....

Well, I better go spend some time with my husband. The kids are all off to bed...The nights go by so fast now...

This week so far

Hi gang:  Adriana has been really busy so I am taking over this week for the blog.   Hopefully you can follow along.  I do not know if you know what is going on but Adriana started a new job at the County.  She is now full-time, has awesome benefits and this week and next week is orientation.  

Our Sunday was nice, it was the last day of rest before Adriana started her new job.  So we went to church in the morning, and then afterwards decided to go on a little Hike.   So that is what we did.  We went on a Hike in the Rim County called See Canyon.  We did not complete the whole loop but we did go for about 2 or 3 miles.  The kids had fun with the hike also, and the fall colors were sure coming out during this time.  The leaves were all kinds of different colors.  You can view the gallery of this hike.

Monday started the rat race of Adriana's full time job.    So our typical day this week has been the following.  Adriana and I get up really early, I help with what I can to get Adriana ready for the day, then I send her off, I check the Internet traffic on Microsoft Local Live, and update her on how to get to work and if there is an accident or slow downs on traffic.  Then by 7am the kids would get up.   I help them get ready for school, get the kids breakfast, dressed and pressed and ready to go, and then take the 2 older kids to school, make sure they got off ok, then take Matthew home and get him ready on the bus.  

On Monday Matthew had school so he took the bus.  I had to run around and get some errands done like, you know getting paperwork and payments made for the other 2 older kids childcare, etc etc.   So I took care of all these things on Monday.

Tuesday, Matthew does not have any school so I took him to the YMCA and I worked out.  It was a very good workout.  Got alot accomplished and worked out for almost and hour and a half.  I got to spend some quality time with Matthew that day so that was good.

Today Wednesday, Matthew had school but I had to take him and the other 2 into school late because they missed the bus this morning.  After getting both of them in, I went to the YMCA and did my Aqua Aerobics class.   Got a good workout.  Kind of tired today for some reason, went grocery shopping (just picked up a few items) and then went home.  By the time I went home Matthew was on his way home on the bus.

Throughout the day I have been working out, doing some workouts, stretches etc while I have been watching TV.  Mostly been running around during the day.  But most of the time keeping pretty busy.   

Tuesday evening was the kids Literacy Night, they had a good time with that.   The kids dressed up as their favorite characters from Literacy Night.  Bethany was Molly from the American Girl Collection, and Niko was a Ninja from Night of the Ninja's which is a Magic Treehouse book.   It was neat each classroom had an activity, that was related to reading etc.   I got to spend some one on one time with Bethany walking around with her to the classes.   Adriana got to spend some time with the boys.  You can see the from Literacy night gallery here.

When the kids get home from school, I start working with them on homework.  I have not really had an opportunity to help them with their homework so it has been fun to do this.  With Niko I work with his reading, he reads only a couple of pages a day but he is doing a really good job.  I worked with him also on his spelling and writing.   Bethany I have been working with her on her Math and her Spelling tests also.  Our kids are pretty smart.  It is amazing to watch them learn and grow.  It has been a time that I really look forward to is working with them on their homework.

After the hustle and bustle of the day Adriana has to fight traffic on the way home.  It is crazy, and again I get on the computer and let her know what is going on with traffic.  By the time she gets home I have dinner pretty much done, the house clean, and the laundry mostly done.  I guess you can call me Mr. Mom right now for this week.

Tonight I do not think we have anything going so I am going to veg.   That is for sure what I am going to do.

I will post again on Thursday and let you know how this day is going.  Till then I have to go.

Friday Finale

Ahh...so it's Friday...

Weather-wise, it was a gorgeous day today. Maintaining the average of this week, the high was 91 and the low was 59...sunny and beautiful...

The kids had a good week back at school. Bethany was one of two third graders that got to share their 'Continent Reports' to the combined third grade classes today. So she presented all the interesting things she had found out about South America. (Note these Photos of the Day)

Matthew is excited about his 'homework' this weekend. It's just fliers for the parents to look at regarding school stuff, but he insists that it is his homework and is writing all types of pictures on them...

Tomorrow we have a b-day party to go to, but other than that, our weekend will be spent relaxing and playing together before our routine changes dramatically on Monday when I start work full-time.

"Cactus Hotel"

"Three Yahoos"

Photo from Last week's Adventures

"Papa and Nana"

Wednesday- Mike's going to hawaii

Mike was pretty much up ALL night last night, so basically for the entire 20 hours-ugh...

I helped in Niko's class for the last time in a while this morning. It was fun, as always. Hopefully I'll be able to resume before the end of the year if I'm able to get on a flex day with my work schedule...

The afternoon was spent figuring out child care and transportation and all. I think we have it all ironed out....at least for the moment, who knows how it will change in the next week-haha...

So, it's Wednesday and it looks as if Mike will be using his ticket to go to Maui with us all in January. He never got his call from Phoenix. It was made really clear how political this whole hiring process is, this time around. This next year, he will have the freedom, financially, to be more involved with his volunteer shifts and being active with the Union as well. He needs to get his face and name and reputation out there for the department to see. With Southwest, he interacts with other departments all the time (Gilbert, Chandler, etc) but Phoenix has their own ambos and rarely does he run into them and work with them on scene or whatever. The volunteering stuff will allow him to build and cultivate a more solid reputation and relationship within the Phoenix Fire Department. He's got a lot to offer, and a lot to still learn. He'll be an awesome FF, he just needs to show them that he will be.

Tuesday

Mike started on his new ride today that he'll be working a total of 4 times. So far they haven[t had a break since he got there at 10 am....It's going to be a LONG shift...

Matthew and I went out shopping today. Used a gift card I had and got some pants for work. While we were at the mall, we HAD to visit the $5000 puppies. Matthew loved that.

When the kids got home today, we sewed up and filled 20 bean bags for Niko's class. Our neighbor friend, Anaheim, came over for the first time since 'the incident' and ended up helping us too. She's doing well. They got another dog already. It's good to see that things are on the mend and all...Still feel bad about the whole thing though.

Kids had Karate and Cheer tonight. The boys earned stripe on their belts.

Monday

It was back to the grind today...Mike accepted his offer from Food for the Hungry. Now we're working on start dates and schedules...Phone calls from Phoenix are to be made today and tomorrow...So we're waiting....and waiting....

He was off to work an overtime shift at noon today and he'll get off at ten.

It was pretty much back to the good ol' schedule today. I finally finished this transcribing CD I've been working on since eternity began! over 150 hours invested in that one CD-insanity! But, ahh, relieved it's done...

Sunday

We all slept in this morning...can you guess why? :)

The last day of Fall Break 2007...

After we got our butts in gear, we headed out, with a picnic in hand, to the Superstitions for a hike. The kids all did so well. On the way back down, every one of them had a turn at falling and skinning up their knees (not the photo of all the war wounds) Mike's heel got blistered up pretty bad, too. But even with all that considered, there were minimal tears and everyone was in good spirits...We had our picnic and then went straight from there to the YMCA to go swimming...

Then we came home and got ready for the week ahead...

Picture Album here...the first ten photos are NOT from today, nor are they taken by us or our camera ;)

Saturday

We had a yummy breakfast this morning! yumm-yumm...eggs, sausage, doughnuts, fruit, yogurt, mmmmm.....

Had a nice morning...Sad to see Pam and Lorey off, though. It was a great visit, though, with tons of great memories and times for all...

This afternoon was Mike's Stepsister's baby shower. She's getting close, just about 4 weeks away or less...It was nice to see everyone together celebrating this little one's arrival. And I just can never help from feeling joyful at the sight of a beautiful and precious baby belly...We got to visit with Mike's family that was out from California, too...

Here's a link with some of the photos from this week with our visitors...Just click here...

Friday

Today, after such a busy day yesterday, we attempted to relax a bit. We all headed to the YMCA for Water Aerobics at 9:00. Bethany and Matthew went swimming while we did our class and Niko played in the childwatch and Papa got it all on film...

So, we got home packed up some food, ran by and got some 'El Taquito' burritos and tacos and headed to the park. We spent three hours relaxing, feeding the ducks, riding the train, playing on the playground, throwing the Frisbee, climbing trees, and enjoying the beautiful weather and day...

Mike BBQed dinner later and then the gals went out to the store for a bit. Then it was kids bedtime and the grown ups then played an entire game of Phase 10. Needless to say, it was a late night, but SO much fun. Good times, good times

Phone call for Phoenix are being made sometime next week, by the way. And Mike got a job offer from Food For the Hungry today. The income will definitely help our financial situation, no matter when Mike gets an offer from a department. They are a very family friendly workplace too and are open to telecommuting. There are people who work with their babies alongside their desks there. Very flexible company that values family...We're considering it, more on the side of accepting the offer than not. Stay tuned...

Thursday

Mike's mom and Stepdad got in safe and sound last night and of coarse we stayed up visiting for a while :)...

At dinner, Matthew made everyone say what their favorite part of the day was...Here's what we all had to chose from-

This morning we relaxed out front while the kids road their bikes up and down the street (what Niko refers to "bike-training")...And then we took a walk over to the dog park (without the dog) and the kids played for a while and the big kids played Frisbee...

Then came Papa's "favorite part"....we went to McDonald's for lunch. It was a treat for everyone, considering it's not a place any of us frequent. AND the kids all got Happy Meals and they were happy...

Then we headed over to Bass Pro Shop and browsed the boats and other attractions. Fun stuff- I think that was Niko's "favorite part"

Then we headed to the hotel from there to go swimming. This was Matthew's "favorite part". It was a lot of fun and relaxing, going back and forth from the pool to the hot tub.

Then we came home and had dinner and hung out and relaxed after such a BUSY day!!!

Fall Break is Half Over and just getting started

So Wednesday is the hump day of our Fall Break. We went swimming today and got the housework caught up before Nana and Papa come in tonight for a visit from Idaho.

Mike had another interview with Food For the Hungry this morning, as well. Seems like it may be a good "in the meantime" job, whether he starts a fire academy in January or next year or 5 years from now. So, we'll see what all happens with everything

Phoenix Interview Day

Tuesday, October 9th, 2007...Good day...

This morning was spent just doing piddly things around the house, me working, the kids playing games and such...

This afternoon at 1:30 Mike had his second interview with Phoenix FD. He feels he did very well, but well be hearing by the end of the week just HOW well he did ;)

When he got home, we worked with Niko more with his bike (see photos) and he's pretty much got it own to a T now....

Now we're about to eat dinner and get on with our evening.

Niko's getting the hang of the bike thing...

Riding Bike-Niko

Daddy and Matthew- The plumbers

Today started out a beautiful morning, great weather, again

We went to meet a lady that will most likely be watching Matthew on Tuesday and Fridays. She has two girls of her own and watch two other girls. So Matthew will be the only boy in the house :)...They have a huge backyard with great areas to play and the house is set up really great with a playroom and all. Everything was extremely clean and well-kept and seemed peaceful. (Our concern is how Matthew is going to disrupt that-hehe)

This afternoon Mike tried to take the kids swimming, but they switched the open swim hours without telling us-ugh. So they all had to come all the way back home.

So, Mike and I worked on his interviews this afternoon and now we're BBQ'ing dinner. And Mike just burned his finger, "It's all black and charred", he says...(No worries, i saw it, he'll get over it ;)...But still painful, nonetheless

Tomorrow is the HUGE day! Mike has his second interview with Phoenix Fire. We should know by the end of the week if he'll be starting the January academy. They are hiring 50-60 guys, the grant or whatever just passed a couple weeks ago, so now he has a 1 in 2 chance! Pretty encouraging...so, we'll update as soon as we hear.

Now to go tend to Mike and dinner...

Saturday 6th

Today was the first day of Mike's vacation. He'll be off for the next week, as well.

The mornings have been cooling off greatly. We've been in the 50's and 60's- SOOO nice...

Mike fixed the garbage disposal with Matthew this morning...

And then Mike and the kids washed the vehicles and everything seemed to be honky dory with life. Then our day turned horrible...

Bethany and her friend, Anaheim, down the street have been taking him for a walk the past few weeks. It has been the both of them to tend to the one dog. It has been going well. So, today Mike was out washing the truck with the kids. I was in working. Bethany comes in, getting the leash, "Anaheim and I are going to take Yogi and her dog for a walk"...Her friend has a chiawahwah. Knowing how Yogi reacts with cats, something in me said, no...I say, "not sure that's a good idea" As she's going out the door. I follow out the door not a minute later and Bethany is running after Yogi down the street, trying to grab his leash. Meanwhile, Niko runs down the street to help his sister grab the dog. So they're a good distance down there (about 200-300 yrds?) and Bethany finally grabs the leash just as her friend is catching up to them with her little dog. Yogi spots her dog and immediately charges it and then we have Discovery Channel right before our eyes! The next few seconds so much happened...Mike takes off down the street, the neighbors on that end of the street come rushing out of their houses, probably because they hear the three kids SCREAMING hysterically as our dog has the little dog in his mouth thrashing it around like it's nothing. Somehow the dogs separate as I am running down the street too. My concern was to get the kids out of there so they didn't have to see what was left of the dog. So I'm yelling for the kids to come here, Bethany somehow has our dog now by the leash and I tell her to get him home and lock him in the back yard (mind you he is totally compliant now and stupid dog is wagging his freaking tail and all happy-stupid looking) I escort the hysterical children back to the house and get Anaheim home so she can get her parents...Anyhow...Mike ended up taking the dad and the dog to the vet and 400 bucks later the dog is put down because the spine is completely severed...AHHHHH-how does this stuff happen?!!

So now we are faced with a dog that crossed a line, killing another dog, our neighbor's dog at that. We don't feel safe around him. And frankly, we can't afford for him to cross a line like that again, whether it be with another animal or a human. He's already snapped at Matthew before. So this week we get to say goodbye to him, too...It's just all so disheartening and horrible.

I am most angry that the kids had to see such an awful thing and that Anaheim had to see her dog killed like that.

Anyhow, that really put a somber mood on our week.

Wed the 3rd...and the rest of the week

Last week was pretty busy, pretty busy...On Wednesday, i heard back from the job I interviewed for on the 1st. I was offered the position and the manager requested I take until the end of the week to discuss it wit family, think about it and come to a decision. So, Mike and i got busy figuring out how all this was going to work with our family. Everything fell into place nearly perfectly. Mike got on the phone with work and it just so happened that there was an opening on an ambulance right up the street for Tuesdays and Fridays only, 10 am to 6 am. This shift will allow the kids to only need after school care those two afternoons a week. And Matthew will only need care on those two days as well. That was the primary concern and I don't think it could have worked out better. Mike will be able to fill in my spot helping in the kids classrooms on Wednesday mornings and still be involved that way. For this huge change in our family life, this will make the transition a bit easier. With that major concern figured out, on Thursday afternoon, i accepted the job. I will be starting on October 22nd.

The kids know about it, and like with most things in their life, they take it all in graceful stride. Thankful we have adaptable kids, although we know there will still be some transition issues. but they are excited about the changes thus far.

THAT was the big news of last week, although there was also big news with the kids too. They finished out the quarter and we had parent/teacher conferences on Thursday morning. Bethany is doing well academically, but socially is struggling...Gosh, where have we heard that before?...Not in the area of making friends and whatnot, just keeping her mouth shut and focusing in on her work. Her teacher said that she's even been stopped in the grocery store by substitute teachers and been told, My gosh, that Bethany talks a lot...(I guess all the reports in this blog can't be great, but they are truthful). The teacher said if she could get that under wraps, she would have straight A's across the board. She is such a smart and bright little girl, with so much to share. She is an excellent writer with a great imagination. She also got mentioned in the school newsletter 3 different times for displaying different character traits around campus- respect, fairness, and helpfulness

Niko's teacher had good things to say too. He is a wizard at math. Very quick and process that all very well. His reading is improving as well as his writing. They have been writing in their journals and I got to peak at what he's been writing about- mostly dinosaurs, ninjas, and MOMMY! :) ...His teacher said he is a very sweet boy and doesn't give her much trouble for the most part.

So they had half days at school on Thursday and Friday and now they are out for a week for Fall Break.

Photo Of the Day

Well, another insanely busy week, hence the lack of posts...I have been consumed by a particular recording for work and not really available for a whole lot of anything else...Mike and I are still doing our running though. Mike has actually been running 2 times a day. He's a stud for sure....

This weekend we went swimming a couple times at the YMCA. We had a birthday party on Sunday that we went to. Mike took a written test for the City of Mesa's fire department. Mike received his letter for Phoenix ( I can't remember if I've posted that here or not yet) His second interview is scheduled for October 9th in the afternoon. So that's next week! He'll find out if he'll be going to the January academy or not by the end of that week. Fun, fun...

I had an interview on Monday morning downtown for a full time position with the county. My supervisor sat in on the interview and said later that I did very well and that the hiring supervisor "really liked me" So we'll see. I went to another meeting downtown this morning with the other transcriptionist and there was talk of trying to have full-time available for what I do now, from home. that would be an awesome opportunity too. Although, changes like that with the county could take years to go through and be implemented...Anyhow....

The kids have been having a good week at school, although it's only Tuesday. We have Parent/Teacher conferences on Thursday and Friday this week and then we're off next week for Fall Break.

Bethany turned in her first big report today. It was on South America. She had fun doing it and put it together well. (note the Photo of the Day)

Note-
Random Quote has changed
Previously...
"Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true."

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This week has been a good week. Planning a busy week for next week :)...

Yesterday, was the typical Tuesday. Mike and I went for our run in the morning, then worked out at home a bit, then he got ready for work, went to work, Matthew and I paled around in the afternoon-I worked, he played---Gotta love routine, but it sure does sound copy/pasted when you write it out each day...In the evening, the kids had their activities-karate and cheer. The boys practiced their 'stranger danger' stuff. Bethany worked on her routine for this semester. She'll be performing in a couple parades this fall too. So, we'll keep you posted on that stuff too. Both classes are doing a raffle fundraiser thing where they get credit dollar for dollar to get a lot of cool gear for their classes, like poms, uniforms, blockers, and things. And then the raffle itself has a ton of cool prizes as well...They have plenty of tickets for sale for a dollar each (wink, wink)...

Today I helped out in Niko's class this morning with reading and then had some extra time to help with centers. Then came home and Matthew and I again, paled around, until I got a phone call at 1:00 saying the kids were waiting for me in the office. It was early release today (as is EVERY last Wednesday of the month) I knew this in the morning, for some reason it just slipped my mind when it came time to pick them up. Some day we'll get it together...Anyhow, because they got out early, we went to the YMCA and went swimming for a little while. Then I snuck in the gym for about an hour and worked out so the kids could play in child watch...We went by the store on the way home and then came home and Bethany and her neighbor friend took Yogi for a walk around the block and that was pretty much our day...

Matthew Explaining His Picture

Kind of worried me when he got a whiteboard out and started explaining things and drawing things I didn't understand...Hmmm, wonder what worried me about that...Anyhow, if you watch until the end, finally figured out that he wasn't saying 'Sicily' he was saying "Justice League"

Today was 68 degrees when i took the kids to school this morning at 8:00- woo-hoo...Gotta love it when the heat starts letting up....

Today was picture day at school. Although we all were crawling this morning after all the excitement from yesterday (notice the sarcasm bleeding through the words) Seriously though, no one wanted to get up this morning. So Picture Day morning, we're all running around like psycho's trying to get ready and out the door. Well, we made it to school on time, barely.

Mike got a lot done this morning, went for a run, washed the vehicles, bbq'd his dinner. While he was doing all that, I went in for my background interview at Gilbert Police Department. That was interesting to say the least. Augh! Anyhow, we shall see what happens with all that.

Also, I have an interview next Monday for a full time position downtown with the County (where I work now, part-time from home)

Mike should also be hearing pretty soon about his Phoenix Interview. Second interviews are scheduled the week of the 10th, so those letters should be coming soon.

This afternoon, Mike works, I work, and pretty much use the evening to get this week off to a good start.

This Past Weekend

Well, it was a busy one...again.

Friday, my mom picked Bethany up for the weekend. And the boys and I just hung out at home until Mike got home from work. That evening a storm started coming through that kind of hung out through Saturday too, but didn't do a whole lot of anything, except block the sun and blow some wind...It was saving itself for Prescott. My mom and Dave said they got quite a bit of rain on Saturday. My mom, Dave, Dave's mom and Bethany all went to see Annie at the local Elks theater. It was a children's theater production so Bethany was very into that.

Back here, our Saturday was pretty busy too. Mike helped Jennifer (step-sister) and her husband move into their new home. Then the boys and I went to the twins 4th birthday party (the twins I used to watch when they were 2). They had a blast with water slides and jump tents. I'll post photos soon...Then after the party, we changed and met Nana and Popo for dinner. It was nice to visit with them and see them. Things have been in a whirlwind for everybody lately and so it's been a while.

On Sunday we went to church in the morning then at 1:00 headed up to meet Bethany at Cordes Junction (the H-69 turn off from Interstate 17 that goes out to Prescott) And so began our 8.5 hour adventure! Open this map in another tab, type in Arizona, zoom in until you see the highways and follow us on our adventure around Arizona...We got to the junction with no problem. However, the 17 was closed going South pretty much at Anthem and was a parking lot all the way up to the platoe pretty much (Just north of Black Canyon City, so about 20-25 miles). So after getting Bethany (and an ice cream :)) we headed a bit further up the 17 to Verde Valley and cut across (east) on the 260 and met up with the 87 (South). Then headed down through Payson. We got just outside of Payson (so it should've been about an hour until we got home) but then got diverted off the 87 and onto the 188 because there was a tanker truck fire that closed Highway 87. So, now we are on our way to Globe (along with EVERYONE else trying to get back to the Valley on a Sunday afternoon/evening) We pass by Lake Roosevelt and then head up to the 60 junction in Globe/Miami and it is at a complete standstill. At this point, there didn't even need to be an accident to explain it. It was just the hoards of cars trying to squeeze their way down a two lane highway. We all had to go to the bathroom so we pulled into a gas station in Miami. Mike started talking to some guys that had just come up into town from Superior and they said it was pretty much crawling the entire way (looking at 3-4 hours more). So we decided to go back up through Globe and take the 77 down to Hayden, connect up with the 177 and take that back up to the 60 at Superior. Once we did that, we were sailing just fine. Not many cars out there on that road. We have no idea what was out in the darkness beyond the road off the 77, But given the 8-10% grades we were flying down, we imagine it was pretty scenic. YES, you read right- I had no idea 10% grades existed until last night. And driving down them, I have no idea how one is to maintain a speed limit of 45 without burning their brakes out...But we ended up getting back up to the 60 and traffic moved really well from then on out. We got home at about 9:30...Pretty fun stuff...

So that was our Sunday. It was an adventure and at least we were all together and in a good mood. Good family times for sure.

Today Mike and I had a awesome run! He had Matthew on his back in the backpack (about 50 lbs) so it simulated the weight he would be carrying if he was wearing his turnout gear and SCBA. Pretty good training for the academy. The weather is finally starting to cool off, so it is SO bearable to get out there at 10 and not die of heat stroke...

Mike also did more mock interviews with his buddy whose Phoenix interview is tomorrow. He has his material very well together and is pretty much prepared for an awesome interview also...

Mike is off to work this afternoon/evening. They are doing an out-of-town transport to Globe this evening, so he's happy about that.

I got a call from the Gilbert Police Department today. I had applied and interviewed for a Records Clerk position a while back. I turned in my background information and then shortly after received a letter stating that I was no longer being considered for the position. Well, the background investigator called today to schedule my background interview for this position. Confused, I explained to her the letter I had received. She looked up my information and said I was still a go for the position. So, surprise, surprise...I have my background interview scheduled for Monday morning. I have no idea what to expect, but we'll see what becomes of it.

Wednesday- Big Day

Today was a good day. being that it was Wednesday, I helped out in Niko's class this morning with the reading groups. I met Niko's best friend, Samantha. They are so funny. They sit next to each other during calendar, line up next to each other on the way out to recess, and play with each other at recess, share snacks (even though they're not supposed to), and they're asking for a play day together. Niko says she's a good friend because she likes to play Power Rangers with him. Funny, funny...

And...Mike had his interview today! He feels that he did exceptionally well. He was very prepared and ready to answer the questions they gave him. We will let you all know as soon as he gets the official letter regarding a second interview or not...It will be so extremely awesome if his dream is achieved in the next few months and he can begin his career and doing the job he has a passion for!

We did find out that this academy begins January 14th. We have tickets for Maui for January 12th through the 19th. Go figure! My sister, Amber, nailed it as Murphy's Law. Here he's been working at this for 4 years and it will be the exact week we are planning a HUGE deal family trip that he gets hired on...It's all good though. Being that this is our 10th anniversary, we'll probably get Mike's ticket changed to a different date and just the two of us go back to celebrate that, just having to pay for one ticket?...Or one of my siblings can get it transferred in their name if it saves them money :)...Whatever happens, it will all work out for the best...

Being that Mike had the day off today, we were able to have dinner together as a family and enjoy the evening together...It was great.

Well, yesterday morning we had Matthew's speech meeting. It went well and it's good to have some new goals for him. The rest of the day was pretty typical. Mike worked on mock interviews with a buddy before work, then went to work. The kids had a good day at school. Then we just kind of hung out in the evening. I got a phone call back on the district job and they have hired another candidate. Oh well, something needs to happen soon, but in the meantime, I'll just keep applying and doing whatever.

Today was Mike's last day to work on mock interviews. The big day is TOMORROW. He is so ready for this....While he was working on interviews, I did my run. Then we took Mike to work. Whoo-hoo- what an exciting morning....The boys had karate this evening. Bethany's class was canceled because the school was locked up and they couldn't get into the facility to do the class-Argh. If we have to find a positive in it, at least we got home at 7 instead of 8:30...

That pretty much wraps up our Monday and Tuesday.

Getting Caught Up

Missed a couple days here, so I'm going to start by going back to Friday.

On Friday, Mike got to do a transport to Show Low, AZ. That's up over the rim, way northeast. It pretty much consumed his entire shift, but he and his partner love to do out of town transports, so it was all good. Friday was grocery shopping day for me and the kids, nothing too exciting about that...Friday afternoon, I laid down for a couple minutes towards the end of Matthew's nap. He got up and saw that I was napping too. It was so sweet, he patted my forehead and asked, You take a nap too? I said, for a little bit. And so he said, Goodnight, mom, and went back to his bed for a little while. I got up about 45 min later and he was just laying on his bed with his knees up, chilling out. When he saw me, he said, you have a good sleep mom? You happy I let you sleep?...I thought it was so sweet that he was being so considerate and abnormally NOT demanding as soon as he got up...And that he sat there for 45 minutes so that I could rest...Anyhow, I guess there's hope.

Saturday, Mike took the kids swimming, while I tried to get caught up on some work. I had a test in the morning. While I was gone, the kids and Mike cleaned the truck inside and out, also. AND they cleaned the house. They're so awesome! Then in the evening, Mike and I left the kids with a sitter and went over to our friend's, Matt and Glynka, house for dinner and games. It was a blast. We had grilled portabelo sandwiches with avocado, cheese and red pepper hummus on them. They were SO yummy. Dessert was grilled raspberry chocolate burritos with homemade vanilla ice cream. Yep, we were spoiled with some spectacular food! We played a Who? What? Where?...Very fun group game.

Sunday, Mike picked up a shift and we just kind of chilled out at home...listened to a Horrible Harry book on CD. Nothing too exciting...

So, now it's Monday morning and this evening I'll update as to what's going on today.

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Today was even HOTTER! It was 111 when I picked the kids up from school this afternoon. Ah, the glamor of the dessert.

More interview practice for Mike this morning before jetting to work...And work could be better. Mike wants to be done with this and just be a FIREFIGHTER. It's brewing....Alas, it will happen sooner than we think and in the meantime, this funk shall pass (but maybe he'll get hired before it needs to)

I should hear about the school job tomorrow. I also applied for a position with the County today and I think my boss is doing the hiring for it. Hm...we'll see what becomes of that. The job posting is for internal candidates only and closes tomorrow. And she said I should go for it. So we shall see, and we will let you know.

Niko finally got his, "best friend in the whole wide world"'s phone number today. They were actually in the same preschool classes many years ago. But he is dying to call him to set up a playday.

The kids had Breakout at church tonight. they eat dinner and then break into classes and have fun and exciting Bible lessons. I am actually teaching the Preschool-Kindergarten class this time around. I am excited about next time when I will be a bit more prepared than tonight. Matthew is in my class, which proves to be a challenge, however, it was a lot of fun. The kids had a great time.

Today was HOT...

Anyhow, Mike worked out this morning while I headed over to the school to help out in Niko's classroom. It was so much fun. I got to do several reading activities in small groups of 4-6 students. It was great! Can't wait until next week.

This afternoon, I had an interview with the district office at the school for a registrar position. It was a board of all the 'Big-Wigs' and I felt a bit intimidated, but we'll find out by the end of the week how it went.

Kids did well today at school. Bethany had a substitute teacher that was actually a Spanish teacher, so he taught her class some vocabulary. Fun, fun. Matthew did well today too.

Good day for all. Now just waiting for Mike to get home from work so we can call it a day.

9/11/2007- Photo of the Day

These were the Thunderheads that were coming in from the east as the sun was setting in the west. Loved the contrast of them.

Happy Adoption Day Anniversary for Yogi

By the way, Five years ago today, September, 11, 2002, we adopted our dog, Yogi. He was 8 when we adopted him. He had come to visit a few times before and it was on the 11th that his foster mom brought him over and left him. We kind of had that same feeling after bringing your firstborn child home from the hospital, "Okay, this is fun, now what?...hm...need your diaper changed?....hm...want to try your crib out....hm....what now?"...Our new dog is sitting in the living room, foster mom has left, "Soooo....we have a dog now....hm....now what?" (Dog looking up, smiling at you, wagging his tail) "you want to go for a walk?...play fetch?...hm..." Anyhow, he has been a great dog and despite all the grief he's caused us over the years, he is a good dog and we love him to death.

These two pictures were the only ones I could find that were close to the time we adopted him. They were taken sometime in Sept/Oct of 2002. Can you believe that's Niko? He was about 22 mos or so. He was our baby at the time.

A Sad Day

Tuesday
106° / 80°
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This morning we woke up and could've sworn it was fall. For some reason, despite it being 91 by 8:00 this morning, the breeze and the sun, just gave it a fall feel...

Well, we came home from the gym this morning and I got new that a friend of mine that I know, mainly from my Bunko group but I see her often through a mutual friend of ours as well, she and her husband were killed on Sunday in a head on collision. This is the news write up on it here and here...It's just amazing how suddenly things can happen. They had a 16 year old daughter and a married son, and baby grandson. I'm just so sad right now and speechless.

So, that all kind of put a weird mood to the day and week ahead.

Tonight, we're off to start Cheerleading and Karate, again, after the little break we just had. Matthew will be joining Niko in his class. We're 'trying' it tonight to see how it goes and if it will work out to have him there with Niko, if he's ready. We'll update to let you know how it goes.

UPDATE- Matthew did great in class. Probably better than Niko (shh, don't tell Niko I said that) Matthew was just very focused on what he was doing. Niko was busy making friends...Bethany did well in her class too. She actually got promoted two levels, into All-Stars-Go Bethany!

Here's video of the boys. They have their backs to the camera and Matthew is in the red shirt and Niko has the yellow belt on next to him.

9/10/2007- Photo of the Day

Evening Walk

Monday-A Day for Running

Monday
106° / 81°
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This morning, I joined Mike at the track and began my running routine with him (note this article "Couch to 5K") I was not able to complete day 1/week 1 so I will continue to stay on that until I can successfully complete that. Mike is just working at improving his time for the mile run and then he just keeps going as I do my thing...

So after our track time, we 'ran' over to the Y and hit the Aqua Aerobics class, which is always more fun than anything.

Then after that, we 'ran' home, changed, then 'ran' to pick up Matthew from school. I got to meet his real teacher, finally. He has had a substitute since the beginning of the year, while his permanent teacher was at another school waiting for the new teacher to come there to replace her. Anyhow, she seems really nice. Hopefully it will prove to be a good transition. Matthew's speech therapist also met with me to schedule a meeting to start setting goals for Matthew's fluency (aka 'stuttering/stammering') issues. So we will meet next Monday to go over the new goals. They've been addressing in indirectly, as they normally do in preschool because it is a typical problem. However, we are moving to more direct methods because he has been struggling for so long now and it doesn't seem to be improving. I am excited about learning what the plan is.

So then, after picking up Matthew, we 'ran' downtown to drop off an application for Mike with Phoenix Fire doing a part-time gig. So we'll see what happens with that. Hopefully he wont need to worry about it ;)...Yogi, enjoyed the trip with us too.

Then, we 'ran' home and Mike met with his buddy to work on interviews and I cleaned the house. Then, later, I 'ran' to go get the other two from school and then it was the afternoon of homework, making dinner, and such.

After all that, we took an evening walk to the dog park that recently just opened after a deep cleaning. It was very busy, but that was all the more fun for Yogi. He has a blast. (see video below) And then he could barely get his butt home. His poor back legs were soo tiered. Poor doggie is getting so old. Now, he's laying on the floor, still panting away, while Mike is watching the football game.

Well, tomorrow, Mike is back to work. It's been a nice couple days to have him home....We had forgotten what a 'weekend' was.