Caden's 1st day of 1st Grade!

At home!

Waiting in his line, boy was it hot!

At his desk! He's so excited!

Daddy wore the wrong clothes ;-)

Waiting in the shade while Daddy got the car!

What a great send off Caden had today! We all went!! It was chaos trying to find where to go, didn't think to ask this at Meet the Teacher ;-) As soon as we found our right line, it was time to go in. Caden was adorable as always and did great. So proud of him! Riordan and Teagan are ready for school too, and keep asking when they start!!

Can't wait to see how Caden's 1st day went.

Our week ;-)

What a great and fun week we have had!

Caden got to meet his 1st grade teacher, he starts tomorrow!!!, Ms. Decker. She is so great! We love her and she is who we requested, so glad we got her! Her son and Caden were in the same Kindersteps class together and they are both at the same school now. She also was the Reading Specialist last year and just has a love of teaching. It was so apparent when we went into her class room last Thursday! Going to be a great year!

That same night I had a date with two friends to see Wicked! It was so absolutely incredible! If you like the Wizard of Oz at all, this is a don't miss event!! Run, don't walk, to see it if you can! I'm so glad to have found some girls to go to shows with! I miss doing this and haven't been since I lived back home....

Also earlier this week we had a 'Babes Night In'. It was a Pampered Chef demo and we all brought food to share. It was really neat, however I wasn't sold on all the neat gadgets. As much fun as they were, I really love what I do at home in the kitchen. If anything the meat grinder for the pan looked very helpful for browning ground meats. The rep we had was really cute and fun, and made a delicious salad for us to try. She's been doing it for 12 or so years, so she was really good and placement while she cooked ;)

Grammy and Papa came on Friday to stay the weekend! So great to see them again so close from the last visit! And they gifted us with a night away and watched the Zoo!

Mike and I went to stay at the The Princess, Fairmont in N. Scottsdale. We got some pool time, boy was it ever hot, a visit from my girl Rebecca and her daughter for a bit, and then two of his reps came up, husband and wife, and we had dinner and went to Keith Urban together. Keith Urban, once again, put on a mesmerizing, amazing show. He is so absolutely talented and so humble!! He thanked all the fans who had to choose to come because of financial difficulties and how much he appreciated them! Isn't that so sweet! Sold out show, the seats go all the way up so high, it was crazy and he thanked each level, each side! His opener was Sara Buxton and she is so cute and did a great job as well. She was a fill in, due to Sugarland's singer being ill! She really pumped up the crowd!

We came home today around noon, but not before stopping at Sprinkles as a treat for everyone! It was a hit, as always. ;-) We were going to go to the pool today, but just couldn't make it. Need to still cut Caden's hair and pack up snack and lunch for him tomorrow. First days are SO exciting!! He has to remember to call Grammy after his big day! They are still hear all week helping John and Amy with Maddy, while Amy's mom is on vacation. Hopefully we will see them next weekend before they leave!

Update to Caden's tooth

Turns out it fell out in the middle of the night, he didn't realize it when he woke up! An hour later he went hunting for it, he was in our bed of course ;-) and it was under Mike's pillow! He had been so nervous he was going to swallow it!

I just assumed he was awake when he said it fell out...

Caden's new smile, again ;-)

Caden lost his third tooth this morning!!

His first front tooth. Look at how his two adult teeth are all the way in!

He had been working on this tooth diligently since last Saturday. I wanted to pull it for him, but he would flip out, of course. It had been just hanging by a thread since Thursday and he was too scared to just pull it really fast, so he just would work on it pushing it and wiggling it.

This morning it just fell out on it's own ;-)

He had been scared he would swallow it in his sleep and if that happened he thought the tooth fairy wouldn't come. This was Friday night and he was crying about it. Had to convince him the tooth fairy knows, no matter where the tooth is. Imagine the conversation we had if he did swallow it! I will spare you, but the boys got a kick out it.

Yay, the tooth fairy will be here tonite!

Pics from AZ Grand

Just a few of the pictures ;-) Will upload the rest to Shutterfly later this week!

Today!

Is my birthday! I'm 36 and I don't feel like what I would think 36 to be! SO great! ;-)

I'm not really liking how long it takes me to post these days, but it's because I am working hard at my job. I'm the Director of Boot Camp Babes AZ, which is a fancy term for doing all the admin/data entry for the company. I love it! My brain feels challenged and I love the interaction with each individual client and employees. Andrea is just awesome to work with and today by the way is HER birthday as well! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREA!

AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my 'twin sister' DAWN!! We grew up together and it was so cool when we found out that we had the same birthday's and really cool when we found out that I was exactly 4 mins older than her! So that's why we are twins ;-)

ALSO HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OSCAR AND ELIZABETH!! They turn 7 today!! 7? Really?! It has gone by so fast! Hope you guys are having a blast at the beach!

Love all my fellow Birthday friends! XOXO

What we have been up to?!

Let's see, this past weekend we went for a staycation to the AZ Grand with 6 other families! It was the most relaxing and most wonderful vacation. We camped out in cabanas at the kiddie pool everyday and swam and ate for three days. Our running group, AZ Babes ;-), got up early Saturday morning and we did our first ever Mountain Run. Thanks to our girl Tracy for leading the way. It was the most difficult run of my life, 6 miles on rocky terrain. We did it in about an 1 and 1/2. It was by far the most rewarding run of my life too! We are going to do it every 4 weeks to train for the hills of San Fran. It was nice to shake it up a bit.

The weekend before, my mom was in town and we had the best visit! It was a short one, but we got a lot in. I think my favorite part was all of us going to the local pool and spending the afternoon there. Mike got to come too, so we had 3 to 4 with the zoo. Lots of hands. ;-) Fourth of July we had the Walshes over and Kelly's parents, who are Thompson's by the way. Trying to make our 'tree' connect! Mike grilled out burgers and dogs, and we just all sat around and talked the whole evening. Apparently Caden exclaimed, while shooting off bottle rockets, "This is the best 4th of July ever!" I didn't hear it, but thanks to Kelly I did hear about it!

Between the last posting and now, let's see:

Co-birthday dinner with Kristi, last Wednesday night, at Oregano's with the girls. So yummy and such a good time with good friends. I truly treasured that night. We do birthday cards, home made, now as gifts and it's by far the most endearing thing to receive. The time they all take to make them and the sweet words they write. Sigh......

We have two wonderful nights of girlfriends and children coming over and having dinner and playdates. I really like doing this. The night zooms by and everyone goes to bed without a fuss.

We finished our June session of Boot Camp so we are on a break this week. I have been running and elliptical and need to get some weights in probably tomorrow.

So that's about it, runs on Saturday morning for distance at 5:30 now on my calendar since I can handle distance again, but only on dirt.

Today we are off to a friends house for a MOMS Club event, Ice Cream Social! So yummy and the zoo is so excited! Ice cream on my birthday? Great idea!

Tonite Andrea and I are double dating for our Birthday's to Wildfish up in Scottsdale. The food is supposed to be fabulous, but we choose it for the dessert. My mouth is watering already! I so can't wait to celebrate with her!

Mike told me today too, that he has me set up at the spa tomorrow for facial and massage and surprises later today! I feel so blessed that he is making such a big deal about today. The zoo is singing me Happy Birthday at random moments and when they start to get cranky, I love that I can throw out, not today it's my special day ;-) Seems to be working! LOL

Can you believe?!

It's July 1st already??!!!

Crazy!!

Aislinn is 21 months! TWO in September??! HOW did it go so fast?? We are still working on potty training. She will now ask to go, but really doesn't go and loves loves loves to wear a pull up now. She is so funny and a ham!

So my latest adventure as a mom. A trip to our favorite home away from home. Chick Fil a. It's too hot to play outside and we have had cabin fever, cuz I can't go to the pool by myself.

Well let me back up. First I said we would go to McDonald's, they really love the play area. We get there, it's 10:10, and they aren't serving lunch!! I felt like the opposite in 'Big Daddy' anyone remember that scene of 'there not serving breakfast anymore'. Lunch isn't until 10:30!! I thought during the week it was 10 and weekends were 10:30!! They don't want breakfast, they want nuggets and cheeseburgers and they were HUNGRY! I wasn't going to wait there.

SOOOO I have to load them all back up and they are grumps, hungry disappointed grumps. I have to yell at Teagan as she's getting in the car at a turtle's pace and it's HOT and a guy walks by me and gives me a look. Lovely, I'm that mom now.

All loaded up and I say, guys we are going to Chick Fil a, which my ATL friends they serve lunch during breakfast out here! Not sure they adopted that back home yet. PLUS it's healthier and I can eat, because I am not going to enjoy my cheeseburger at McDonald's, just put it straight on my gut please! Any who ;-)

They finally agree and I bribe them with promised Milkshakes, because now they serve them in small servings. We get there and painlessly order food, they were so hungry. They didn't even want to play first. Aislinn starts being stinker bell. She wants to run the restaurant. This drives me loony. Why can't she just play inside the play area like all the other screaming pent up energized boys and girls in there?

So I'm like, it's Milkshake time!! She has no interest in it, won't even try it. Clue she still probably has an allergy to milk. Who doesn't like milkshakes?! However she went in the play area at this point as the Caden and Teagan. Riordan is digging his shake so we stay at the table. Sensory Processing Disorder kicked in on his tactile issues. He gave me that look. Crap!! I'm here by myself, I can't run him to the bathroom. Thank GOD I had saved all the kids bags from their meals. I rush to his side just in time, airsick bag!! But of course I pull away too soon too quickly at one point and he tagged himself. :(

Now this is where I get mad. He wants to wipe his mouth. I'm out of napkins. I have a mom with three boys two tables over and a dad with his little girl three tables over. They know what's going on, yet they just sit there. He's yelling for napkins and I'm telling him I'm sorry I don't have any. They just sit there. I use my hand, yes my hand, whatever I have to do to help him through his moment. I make eye contact with the mom, she looks away!! I wasn't wanting help with him throwing up! I can handle that, but a napkin? You can't get a napkin for us?!

So I clean him up once he's done. The bags are weak, so we used all four of them. I wipe everything up, the chair, the floor, the table, him.

I'm spent at this point. So I round up the zoo and as we are walking out Aislinn thinks it's funny to run away again. Steam is coming out of my ears at this point and I want to cry. I get her outside she won't hold my hand, she wants to step off the curb and she wants to get in the car herself.

I think to myself is it worth it getting out of the house at this point??!! I know it's yes, but it's constant work and you never know what's going to happen. If I just didn't move the bag on Riordan we could have stayed longer :(

Ready for this one? Another story!! YAY as if I could only handle one adventure a week!

We stayed home yesterday and had friends over for a play date! So fun! Caden and his friend Mike played the Wii and Mike's little brother was just so cute and cuddled with me, of course Aislinn was not happy about that ;-)

I didn't get a chance to workout during nap time, so Mike was coming home early and said I could go out for a run at the gym! I was pumped up and ready! I was ready to go when he pulled in the driveway and I scadaddled out of there. As I'm turning into the parking lot, I took the cut the corner too soon and POP went the tire on the curb. I knew right away. I was SO MAD at myself!!

I call Mike, but really why. No offense to him, but this is my department. I have changed many o'tires in my past. He says he's coming anyway, with all the kids. I start to unload all my essentials. Few people walk by, they say nothing. I even had a woman stare at me wanting to park next to me and she wondered why I wouldn't move? Hello, do you see what I'm doing??

I loosen the lug nuts, few more people walk by, nothing. By the way, it's 106 out and it's 4:10 pm. One of my lug nuts has a no grip on it and cute little flower etched in it. I think, hmmm maybe it's a fake one and it will just slide off with the tire, because I had no other tools in my box to go with it.

I jack up the car, and take off the four lug nuts. Nothing!! At this point I have had a few guys stop and ask if I need help? Really you think I'm in distress now that I have my car jacked up and lug nuts off? Be gone with yourselves! ;-) I did have one guy just walk on in my action and tell me, that I need a special key for the stupid lug nut. Now I'm remember Mike saying the key was in the glove box, but it wasn't!! He gets there just in time to root through his boy console full of wrappers and seeds and who know what else. Out he pulls this plastic bag with an attachment for the wrench to the lug nut!! HUH! Well I'll be! I never knew about this, because I never had a car that people would want to steal the tires off of ;-)

I let him finish the job, 40 mins in the sun and I was pooped. I could have done it though, if it weren't for the pretty lug nut.

Workout, can't do because I don't have the time to make it home, eat, shower, and go off to the movies with my girls to see "My Sisters Keeper". A MUST see movie and bring a BOX of tissue.

Oh and I must mention, we went to dinner with our friends Lisa and Dan this past Monday to Kona and they have changed their menu!!! Gone is our favorite Maui Onion soup, they said they never sold it! However their new items, incredible and I can't wait to go back!! AND they have new desserts, I love their new brownie! I hate nuts in my brownie, which they used to have. They have 1/2 portions now too, which is what I ordered and then Mike decided to share. It was a spoon war ;-) So go go go to Kona and see the new food. We had Ahi Wonton Apps, the Avocado app, our sushi, which our favorite is the Houston Roll. Okay, I'm hungry, let's go!

The boys new haircuts!

They are so adorable!! Caden has asked for 3 years for a mohawk. YES since he was 3. I wouldn't do it, I guess because I like the more traditional look on little boys. STUPID! It was in the past few weeks that I started to think, WHY NOT! I would rather him do it now with my support than him rebelling as a teenager trying to 'find' himself. And if he did it then, it would be okay to, of course. SO we made time this past Sunday night and did it! HE was so thrilled! Then Riordan all of a sudden wanted one too, when the whole time he was like, no way!!

Riordan has only worn it up once, that night and says he likes it down since then. So fun and a great summer hair cut, because it is H-O-T here now, definitely in the 100's and mornings and nights are pretty warm too from the radiation left overs of the sun.