Valley of the Sun

(I think the photo has been photoshopped--it's not really this green.)

We are moving to Phoenix.

Ryan has been wanting to make the move to the city of his company's headquarters for at least a year. He hasn't pressured me to go and we aren't being "forced" to go. Our last trip to Phoenix as a family was sort of a "scope it out trip." I feel like if we are going to end up moving to Phoenix eventually, why not go before the kids start school and our lives enter whole new stage.

I don't love Phoenix. But, I don't hate it either. I just never imagined I'd ever live in the desert. It's so...brown. Not what I'm used to out here in green Sacramento. But, I'm excited for a change and even more excited to be able to give my kids more of a traditional home setting (i.e., a backyard, a driveway, and a street to ride their bikes up and down.) I like the idea of watching my kids play in the backyard while I make dinner.

I'm not that excited about the heat, but I'll survive. I'll miss my pretty winter coats and living in my cozy Uggs for almost five months, but I suppose being able to play outside nine months out of the year will make up for it.

Taxes are lower. Homes are less expensive, Gas is cheaper. Highlights and haircuts don't cost as much!

But it's not California. With the exception of Provo, I've always lived in California. I'm a Californian. But whatever, I'll get over it.

My sister, Shannon, lives there. That is a nice thing.

It is almost April. We are planning on moving between June 15th and July 15th--the exact time of the year that EVERYONE says NOT to move to Phoenix. They say, "Whatever yo do, don't move to Phoenix in July." Hmmm.

It's real. We are moving.

Well, shoot. Social media is such a time-sucking nuisance. In my opinion at least. My head starts to spin when I think about tweeting, checking Facebook, posting to Instagram, and well, just keeping up with normal texts and emails. I miss the old days when the phone would ring at home and we'd yell, "Mom! Phone's for you!" That was all there was. The home phone and the vcr.

We are still here. I'm still here. Caleb turned three this past Monday. What?! When did that happen? It's such a gross cliche, and one I thought I would never understand, but it's just going way too fast. They need to stop growing this instant. Lilly's little body is morphing into something long and lean--more of a kid and less of a mushy toddler. I don't know if I like it. Sometimes I stare at her and can't believe how pretty she is. Her perfect skin, her little trail of freckles that crosses her nose, and her long hair with the perfect bang swoop. Caleb is also no longer a baby. He is still wearing diapers and sucking on a binky, but whatever--I promise that as soon as I can get the nerve up to break his little heart, I will take his binkies away. The potty training issue is just me being lazy. And scared. I hate potty training more than anything. Really.

I turned a really old age this past January too. This birthday hit me hard--harder than any birthday up to this point. I think it's because I remember my mom being this age and thinking she was such a grown-up, a mom, a parent. Basically, I thought she was old. Not like wrinkly skin and using a walker old, but just old.

I'm pretty sure I'm a broken record when it comes to this stuff, but still.

(from our recent trip to Miami. Her shirt is inside out...)

I ran Ryan's skateboard over with my car a few months ago. It was an accident, but I feel really bad about it. I liked watching him ride it around the neighborhood. And, I was excited for him to teach Caleb how to ride. I tried to get him another one, but there are all kinds of specs I don't know about when it comes to skateboards. And most of them have to do with what kind you rode when you were a kid. So, he'll have to buy his own. Nothing like sending your 37 year old husband out to replace his skateboard. Ha. Maybe he'll wear a suit to do it. Before we were married, he used to ride his skateboard to work. In a suit. To the Capitol building. To work for the Speaker of the Assembly. So great.

Lilly starts Kindergarten next Fall. I won't go into details about my obsession with which school she will go to, but know that it's intense and involves a pretty detailed spread sheet in Excel. We should have it all settled by the end of March. And then I can start figuring out what to do about where we will live for the next 20 years. It's a process--stay with me.

Summer 2011

Whoa. It's been so long since I've posted that Blogger has done a major revamp of their website and now I can't figure anything out. Awesome.


Our summer has been divine. I'd do it over again if I could. Maybe next year? Lilly starts school on Monday--preschool--so, things will be getting back to normal for us.


My man on Tahoe. With our friends, Julia and Danny.

And all of the sudden, she's 15...

I don't know when it happened, but Lilly has turned a corner. She is no longer a toddler--she is a total kid. Like knows all the words to Katy Perry's "Firework," and plays board games, and helps her brother down from the table kid. She has a great imagination and is always coming up with great make believe games for us to play. And last week, she tried a carrot. Her first vegetable since I was feeding her purees. That's a sure sign of being a big kid.

Don't call it a comeback...

I can't promise I won't post this little tidbit and then not post again for two months. I'm just warning all my loyal readers...

Like most four year old little girls, Lilly is enthralled with ballerinas. She has been talking about ballet class for months now and I keep dragging my feet to get her signed up. Mostly because of budget constraints, but also because I have to wrangle her little brother while she's prancing around in her tutu for 45 minutes. But when I heard her little friend Macy was taking a class right down the street from us, I hightailed it right over to the Capezio store, got the girl some proper ballet gear AND the necessary tap shoes, and got her signed up.

Ok. The Capezio store. I mean, if you are going to be a ballerina, the Capezio store is where it's at. The real deal in there for sure.

She DID NOT sleep last night. I'm serious. She was so excited, she slept her pink leotard. She wanted to also sleep in her tights, but I put the brakes on that. She woke up more than once asking if it was time to go to ballet class yet. No, not at 2am, and not at 4am either. Good thing it was a 9am class...I'm not sure I would have made it through the day with her anticipation.

The whole scene was super cute. Just what it should have been. She was beaming the entire time and totally in her element. Her teacher, Miss April, is so great and obviously knows how to teach the little girls. I was so impressed and now I'm convinced that maybe, just maybe, Lilly has a chance at being a "real" ballerina. Maybe.

Right.

But it was still really cute and I'm excited to take her every week. I love that the class has a dress code--only ballet pink and black. And hair must be in a bun. So proper.

Ballet class. Check.

He turned 2 February 20th...

My little boy turned 2 years old a few weeks ago. But, because I'm such a lazy blogger, I didn't get a chance to tell the blogging world what a perfect child he is. He really is a joy. He sleeps, he eats, and he loves his mama. What more can I want? He is going through a bit of a tough time regarding sharing, but I'm hoping it passes soon. Lilly is such a good big sister and usually just gives up and lets him have what he wants.

We spent his day doing the things he likes to do: eating pancakes, playing at the park, and playing with balls. We got him the Little Tikes basketball hoop--it was the perfect thing for him. He is slightly obsessed with all things round. His favorite thing to do at the gym is run straight to the basketball courts. He takes his little basketball in and jumps and runs and tries to throw it in the general direction of the basket. I could watch him do it all day--he's the cutest.

He loves to snuggle. He loves his blue blanket, but has now also started carrying his white blanket around too. He's a tickler. He likes to tickle his nose with his blanket and just the other day, I caught him tickling his feet with it. And sometimes he will come to me with not only his two blankets, but a handful of binkies too. More than once a day he will say, "C'mon," and direct me to the chair so we can cuddle for a bit. I'd do it all day long if I could.

He walks around the house all day saying, "Mama!" His animal sounds are awesome--I like it when he says, "meow" the best. Whenever he sees a skull and bones, he says, "ARRRGH." And, he has the best little run. He sort runs and skips at the same time. He gives the best kisses and puts his hands on my cheeks sometimes. And when he hugs, he puts his arms around my neck and squeezes.

He has a total sweet tooth. Unlike his sister, he is up for trying any and all sweets. He has his first dum-dum a few weeks ago and finished it in seconds! I guess I know what to use when he starts potty training.

I sorta wish he would stay like this forever.

Infirmary...

I have bronchitis. I'm irritable and tired. It's been almost two weeks. I finally got some meds today.