Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to AZ we go!

The kids and I hit the road tomorrow to spend a week and a half in AZ!!! Matt will join us at the end of the trip. Just didn't want anyone to think I fell off the face of the earth because I wasn't blogging several times a day! ;)

Why do these things happen???? House update

I'll just say it first thing- we're backing out of our house. Yes, again, although this time it's not our fault. Explanation to follow:

The first house, we just signed too early, therefore it was going to be completed way before we moved back to AZ. This time, it's about the funding. Many people probably are wondering how we could afford to build a house while we're still in grad school. We're living on student loans and the mortgage on this house is really not that much more than what we are already paying per month for our stinkin' little apartment here in CA. BUT, since we technically don't have an "income," there was only one loan we could qualify for, one where you don't have to prove income. Matt and I both have decent credit so we were able to qualify. About a week and a half ago, we get a call from our loan officer saying that the loan that we have to have in order to get the house is no longer in existence. WHAT?!? Well, basically, there are so many foreclosures and other garbage going on that the mortgage market has gone down. So, we could go for another loan and have to put 10% down- not an option, we don't have $20,000 just lying around- or we could co-sign with someone and then deal with taking them off later- uh, not gonna happen. If we can't do this on our own, we're not doing it. So we basically told our sales lady that we're backing out. We lose all our earnest deposit ($6500) because we signed saying that if for any reason we don't close on this house, the money is nonrefundable. We thought it wouldn't be a problem since they so graciously allowed us to transfer our earnest deposit from the first house to the second house. We didn't know that the loan we needed would evaporate into thin air just two and a half months before we're moving back to AZ. I'm just tired of this up and down emotional rollercoaster!!! I'm a woman! I get emotionally attached to these houses!! I want a house! But it looks like we get to live in ANOTHER apartment for ANOTHER year or so. Last night I made Matt promise me that after all we've been through with houses these past 8 months that he'll give me a castle. LOL!

Also, to add to my hopes being dashed, a potential job offer that Matt had been pursuing for the last 9 months is gone. The OD sold his practice to someone else.

Six months ago, I was thinking that everything was falling into place for us and now I feel like everything is falling apart. A lot of this played into my anxiety blog entry last week, but I just couldn't reveal the info quite yet because we weren't sure on either account. There has to be something bigger and better out there for us. There just HAS to!! I can't handle another disappointment! Like what I said before, I just have to exercise faith and know that the Lord has a plan for us. I feel a lot more at peace with all these trials since Matt and I fasted and prayed about where the future is leading us. But it still scares me that we're back to square one in so many ways! Just breathe..... One foot in front of the other.

Powerless

Today our power was turned off for four hours so an electric company could replace the transformers that provide our apartment complex with electricity. I wasn't too excited about that since it's been quite warm here for the past couple weeks! So as the temps were creeping into the upper 80's with the humidity at 50% (yes, I know that's cool in AZ standards!), it was pretty much an oven in our house! I did the dishes and tidied up the kids' room and I lasted about 1 hour without any fans or air conditioning. I sunscreened up the kiddos and out to the pool we went! We spent a good almost two hours out there, trying to prolong the inevitable of returning back into the inferno. I was really afraid to even lay Gavin down for his nap because it's hot enough in their room while the ceiling fan AND oscillating fan are on! Poor kid wakes up drenched in his own sweat every day! I fed the kids lunch real quick and put Gav down. The rest of us lounged in our swimsuits to keep cool. Brooklyn and Blake enjoyed a popsicle on the porch and not too much later, they turned the power back on!! Yay! That teeny, tiny air conditioner we have in the family room went right on! One thing I can't stand is being uncomfortable temp-wise in my own home! Spoiled I tell ya!

Cheap entertainment!
Blakey and Gav watching the mini-crane lower the transformer into the ground right in front of our apartment. Blake had his Bob the Builder vehicles lined up on the window sill! :)My sunbathing beauties! ;) Gotta love Blake's goggles!Brooklyn working on her synchronized swimming moves!

Movie & Munchies

Tonight Matt returned our most current movie rentals, Premonition and The Last Mimzy, and rented Disturbia. K, what does that movie title say to you? YEAH!!!!!! First of all, I was like, "Why the HECK did you rent THAT movie???? Sounds pleasant!" (said with heavy sarcasm) He said it was the only good one to rent. Define good!! Now, I *used* to be a fan of scary movies, but once I saw The Ring, that was IT for me!! Of course this movie Matt rented is in the horror genre. Thanks honey! I get the chills just thinking about a scary movie!!! I can't even watch previews or movie trailers for horror flicks without getting scared! But, being the good sport that I am, I agreed to sit down and watch it with him. My body was tense the ENTIRE movie, just waiting for something to happen! It was a little intense in parts, but I did survive. And of course I know I'm not going to make it through the night without having some sort of nightmare!!!

Matt's ONLY redeeming grace is that he brought me home an Icee! Oooooooohhhhhh do I love Icees!! :) And it's just been so blasted hot in our apartment that I needed something to cool me down and this hit the spot! Yum! Now, it wasn't my first choice of white cherry because Matt drove around to two different AM PMs and the best he could do was blue raspberry. Not as good as the norm, but it did the job! He also brought home some other goodies which I have resisted so far! I don't know how long I'll be able to hold out though!

Twilight, New Moon & Eclipse

I had never heard of these books until I entered the blogging world. I was blog hopping and saw these books mentioned several times. At first, I was like, vampires???? Weird! How can these be SOOOOOOOO good??? Since I love to read, I thought, 'Why not give them a shot?' and I ordered the first two from Amazon. Instantly, I was hooked!!! I don't know what it is about these books, but I just flew through them; they are so captivating! Maybe it's the hopeless romantic in me! ;) I picked up my copy of Eclipse at Deseret Book the day after it was released (a week ago) and I just finished it tonight. And now I have to wait a whole YEAR for the fourth and final book to come out?!? Grrr! It's like Harry Potter all over again! ;) Don't worry, I've picked up a few more books to keep me busy in the mean time!

Yummy rolls and Gavin's new wheels

Today I decided that I wanted to have homemade rolls with our dinner. I'm a little intimidated by making bread products because they never seem to turn out right for me. I think the biggest culprit is my crazy oven, honestly. I'm not just saying that either!! These were super easy to make and turned out delicious! Mmmmm!

I've been checking Craiglist religiously, trying to find a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe for Gavin. I've always wanted one of these for my kids, but I didn't want to pay full price, nor did I want to have two of these things around because of the twins. I finally caught one before it was actually taken, so I picked up up today! :) Gavin loves his new ride..... just as long as someone is pushing him! ;)

Beep, beep! Here I come!

Gettin' pushes from big brother

See ya!

Gavin's 18 month well check

Actually, it's more like 19 month check now! And it kinda turned into a sick visit since Gavin hasn't been able to shake this cough that started off with his croup episodes over the weekend. Gav was a little wary about the exam room this time. He wanted me to hold him practically the whole time, but I just sat with him on the table instead. When the pediatrician got out his light thingie to check Gav's eyes, nose and throat, that was it - he freaked! I think the eye exam from last week traumatized him!! LOL! Gavin wasn't happy again until the exam was over. The ped diagnosed Gavin with bronchitis and prescribed Zithromax for him. Hopefully the meds will fix him up real quick! Poor guy has been so sad lately! :( THEN, Gavin had to get two shots. He was real overjoyed about that, let me tell you!! It's so pathetic that after being a parent for 4.5 years and witnessing umpteen vaccinations administered to my children, that I still can hardly keep myself from tearing up when I hear that scream! It's like they are saying, "Mommy, why are you letting them hurt me??" :( Gavin recovered quickly, thanks to that thumb!

STATS-

Weight: 23 lbs. 8 oz. (25th %ile)
Height: 33 1/2 in. (75th %ile)
Head Circ: 19 1/2 in. (90th %ile)

So, he's my long and lean boy with a big noggin!!

Day at the Museum

This week's Tuesday adventure location was the local children's museum! It's been a looooooooong time since we've been there! Brooklyn & Blake had a great time, constantly moving about, playing and exploring. Gavin's a bit sick still, so while he had fun, he stayed pretty close to me and sucked his thumb almost the ENTIRE time! I think the favorites were the miniature carousel for Gavin and the bubble exhibit for the twins. The pictures tell it all!

Blake climbing up through the tree house

Blake dressed up in a way huge, real fireman suit!

My little rockstar!!
I told her to sing something into the microphone
so she sung "I Am a Child of God!!"Blake filling up the car with gasGavin digging for fossilsBrooklyn and Blake as co-pilots of the busGavin and this rooster have the same hairdo!!
I don't know what gang sign he's flashing.... This is really cool! Blake lifts the rope to make a "sheet" of bubble.
Then he blows on the sheet to make a bubble through the other side!
I'm standing on the opposite side of Blake, looking through the sheet.Brooklyn making a huge bubble!Blake stepping into a dinosaur footprintThis is just hilarious!! Brooklyn and Blake after I've clearly asked them
one too many times to look at mommy and smile!! LOL!

One down, three to go!

Well, Matt finished his first rotation on Saturday!!!!!! I'm SO glad that he'll be close to home for his next rotation, here at the school. He does have some really late nights, though, so I don't know if it'll be much better.... But, we're happy to have the Barneys back in town! Yay! :) I can't believe that we're flying through the fourth year already! In 2 1/2 months we'll be heading back to AZ for GOOD! Matt's last two rotations are in Sacaton and Casa Grande.

Confession time: I'm having a bit of anxiety and mixed feelings about the whole thing, actually. Up until now, I've been super excited to get back to Arizona, to be near our families and to have some sense of normalcy in our lives again. I was having a conversation with someone the other day and that person asked if I was happy to be moving home, and while my mouth said, "Yes," for the first time ever, my heart was saying, "I don't really know." For the past three years, California has been our "home." We've made life-long friendships with people that have become our "family" while we've been here at school. We've become really comfortable here and have always known what is going to happen next, what to expect. At this point, there are so many unknowns out there. The lack of control of the future really freaks me out!! Matt and I had a long talk (and I had a good cry) last night after we got in bed (there's that pillow talk!) and I felt so much better this morning, so much happier, just by talking about my worries with my husband. I truly believe that the Lord is aware of me and my family and will guide us with His hand through what lies ahead. I just have to put my trust and faith in Him that everything will work out the way it's supposed to. *sigh*

Laundry Day!!

My two cute boydles!!

We are officially pet owners!!

And apparently not very good ones at that! Monday night, we got a small aquarium and some goldfish and two other black fish (don't know the name) for the kids. Two fish have already died!! Oops! Brooklyn and Blake love to watch the fish and feed them, of course. Gavin points and says, "Sishie! Sishie!" :) Matt really wants a dog, but this is all I can handle right now! LOL!

Is there a seal in the kids' bedroom?

Nope, that's my poor Gavi-boy, barking like a seal! :( He just woke up from his nap all croupy, which means we're in for a fun night, let me tell you!!! I don't know what it is with my kids and croup, but it seems like we can't go more than 6 months without one of them getting it! Not too thrilling listening to your child struggle to breathe and emit a noise that sounds like it just plain hurts! I'm thinking Matt may be staying home from church tomorrow with Gavin. Praying for an easy night!

Show me those pearly whites!

Brooklyn and Blake had their dental appointments today! The pediatric dental office that we go to is very kid-oriented, with a HUGE projection screen movie theater set up in the waiting area. We saw parts of Happy Feet, Monsters Inc. and Cars while we were there today. There are little tvs on the wall in front of each chair where the kids sit for teeth cleanings. The kids get stickers and cheapy toys (my favorite! LOL!) when they are done. It's kinda in a ghetto area, though. We were the only white people there!

Brooklyn - No cavities for the third time in a row!!! HOORAY!!!! :) She did great for her x-rays and teeth cleaning!

Blake - I guess Blake was a little uncooperative for x-rays as they only got the front teeth. The dentist came to check Blake's teeth and said he had one cavity in his left back molar! :( Then, the dental assistant used mint flavored stuff for his teeth cleaning and Blake hates anything minty! He was whining, saying, "It's hot! It's hot!" He wouldn't open his mouth for her to finish until I came to stand by him. We went ahead and had his cavity filled today. Parents are not allowed in the back with the kids while the procedures are happening, so I sat with Brooklyn out in the waiting area. I was a little bit worried about how he'd do because he's rather sensitive (read: wimpy!) and doesn't tolerate pain well. It took about 30 minutes and then out walks Blake with gauze stuffed in his mouth! They told me to keep him biting down on it for 1-2 hours. WHAT?!? Are you serious? It came out as soon as we got in the car! I asked Blake how it went and he said, "Bad." I asked why and he said, "The doctor hurt my teeth!" Awhhhhh! Poor Blakey! That made me sad! :( He had a super healthy lunch of jello and yogurt! LOL!

Hopefully this is our last cavity for awhile and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Blake didn't inherit Matt's teeth! I don't have one single cavity in my mouth and I think Matt has had more than he can count! We're going to be more diligent with teeth brushing now (twice daily instead of just once before bed) and start flossing daily as well. Keep those bacterias away!!!

Then end of an era

Today marks three days since I stopped nursing Gavin. I really don't even know if there was/is much of anything left, but he was content to nurse on both sides every morning!

Just three months ago, Gavin was still nursing several times a day. When we went to Utah back in May to visit family, I used that as an opportunity to start cutting back on nursing sessions. He seemed most stuck on the morning feeding, so that's the one I kept. It was our morning ritual when he awoke for him to come in bed with me and nurse until he fell back to sleep or was ready to get up for the day. It gave me a few extra minutes to lie in bed before having to get up. This morning, he woke up earlier than I would have liked him to, so I tried to bring him back to my bed and of course he starts saying, "Eat, please?" and I had to tell him no. So heartbreaking! :(

I really enjoy breastfeeding my babies and am always sad to see the end each time. Almost 19 months for Gavin! (With Brooklyn and Blake it was 18 months. They also received bottles w/ formula, every other feeding, up until 1 year, then I continued to b/f them until 18 months.) I'm proud to say that Gavin was exclusively breastfed, never once received a drop of formula. Quite an accomplishment! :) Nothing against those who formula-feed, of course! Until next time....

Talk about a door jam!

The most bizarre thing happened tonight! Matt was on his way to taking the trash out (good boy!) and when he got to the door, it wouldn't open!! It was stuck shut! He tried locking and unlocking the door, just to make sure we weren't confused and just trying to open a locked door. ;) He took the doorknob out and the little thingie that goes into the wall was stuck! You know, the part that is supposed to go in the door when you turn the handle to open the door? Matt tried and tried to mess around with it, to see if it would come out, but to no avail. Finally, he got frustrated and just took a hammer to it! Yikes! This was the end result:

Peeping Matt - Peek a Boo!

Good thing we have one of those big, black security doors on the outside to keep us safe from the Boogie Man tonight!!!

***Disclaimer: (Added by Matt) The frustration came after I had to escape out the window to inform the landlord of our predicament. I busted out the hammer when she said that she would get to it sometime tomorrow! Imagine trying to climb over Blake's bed to sneak out the window with all my equipment at the crack of dawn! Plus the cold steel of the hammer felt great in my hand!!!!!

Look into my eyes!

The week of appointments has begun! Brooklyn, Blake and Gavin all had eye exams this morning administered by Matt's classmates! :) I stayed with Gavin while Matt hopped back and forth between Brooklyn and Blake.

Brooklyn did really well! She has a bit of an increase in her prescription (farsighted) and I guess her eyes are still working extra hard to focus up close. Matt mentioned something about possibly needing bifocals in the future??!? Wah! :(

Blake's eyes were good, but need to be watched to make sure he doesn't go the same route as Brooklyn. He's a little farsighted, but nothing serious enough to worry about right now.

Gavin- oh Gavin!!! I know that it's not easy to get a 19 month old to cooperate for an eye exam. The girl doing his exam did a wonderful job (in my opinion) of being patient and trying over and over again to accomplish her tasks. When it came time to dilate his eyes, I laid him back, she got one drop in his eye (the anesthetic) and he started saying, "Owie, eye!" The next time she attempted to put drops in his eye, oh boy!!! Screaming and crying and clamping his eyes shut as tight as he could!! We practically had to PRY his eyelids open- THREE more times!!!!! Not fun, I tell ya! He did pretty good after that, although he was a little emotional and kept saying, "Go! Go!" Haha! Good thing he won't remember this! His eyes are just where they should be, but of course he'll have regular eye exams as well to check for any change as he gets older.

We purchased a new pair of glasses for Brooklyn since her other two pairs are two years old. I'm amazed we made it this long without breaking or losing a pair! Brooklyn was upset that we were leaving her purple glasses at Daddy's eye school, but we told her they had to put "glass" in them. Blake quickly corrected me, saying, "Mommy, they are LENSES!" Well excuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me, Mr. Know-it-All!!! ;)

Next up, B&B's teeth cleaning on Friday! Hoping for no cavities three times in a row!

Back to the Beach

It's Tuesday so Trenda and I hit the beach again this week! :) Of course we all had a good time. And we even found free parking this time! I'm really, REALLY going to miss having the beach so close. My kids could seriously live at the beach; they'd play in the ocean and the sand all day!

And something funny- Two weeks ago when we were at the beach, a guy came up to Trenda and asked if he could use some sunscreen. Today, another guy came up to me and asked if he could use some sunscreen! What is it with us and attracting men that need sunscreen?!?!? At least they don't ask us to rub it on them! LOL!

Although I have hundreds of beach pictures, I couldn't resist at least bringing my camera, just in case there was a good photo op. I *almost* made it without taking any pictures, but alas, I couldn't help myself!

Boys being boys! Blake and Cade

Blake warming up by lying on the sand, under a towel

Brooklyn wrapped in her towel after Trenda took her out in the oceanNakey Gavin bum!.

Barber Shop a la Mommy

All THREE boys got haircuts today!! Yes, I said THREE. Gavin finally got his first haircut at almost 19 months old!!! I had been a little reluctant to cut Gavi's hair because I KNOW that first haircut makes little boys look like big boys. Plus, I love (or should I say loved) those curls at the back of Gavin's head! :( We put Cars on and Gavin was very good to sit still while I cut his hair. I just did scissors all over.

All suited up and ready to go!

The first snipBye-bye curls! *sniff*Happy with my very first sucker!All cleaned up, sportin' my new do!Whaddaya think?

I think he already looks like a 2 year old now! Waaaaaaaaaahhhhh! :( I decided to try the mowhawk with Gavin because Blake only wants his hair "like a head, not spicy." LOL! It's gonna take some getting used to not seeing that sweet little duck tail on the back of Gav's head. And check out those ears!!!!! They seem a bit more floppy now that the hair is out of the way! But his hair already looks so much more thick now that it's cut! I like it! :)

Worth the effort!

I FINALLY finished the invitations for my younger sister's baby shower!!!! They turned out most adorable, if I do say so myself, and just the way I imagined them! :) They are completely made by hand, every piece cut out by me. 50 of these beauties!!!!!! Sound like I'm tooting my own horn? Well, I am! ;) TOOT! TOOT! My fingers are killing me because my rectangle hole punch broke and I had to keep piecing it back together every two punches! And I'm having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that these will end up the in the trash after all my hard work! Ah, well! I'll survive!

Address and phone number have been blocked out for privacy reasons.
There aren't really big blank spots on the real invitations!

Toilet paper and gum

Q: What do these two products have in common in our household??????

A: They both disappear at an alarming rate!!

Toilet paper - I guess my twinners have nothing better to do when they use the bathroom than to empty the entire roll of toilet paper into the toilet??? Excuse me, but I *thought* my twins were 4.5 years old, not 2 years old. What is the novelty?? Blake dipped the ENTIRE roll of toilet paper into the toilet this afternoon! GRRRR! I'm not joking, we're going through a ROLL of TP a DAY!!! And this is the plush, Charmin Ultra stuff, not cheapy, generic, sandpapery stuff!! That's literally $$ down the toilet! Aside from accompanying each child to the bathroom and sign out the toilet paper for each potty trip, I'm not sure how to remedy this problem!!

Gum - Why my 18 month old has an obsession with gum, I know not. Brooklyn just about always asks for gum when we leave the house and she is very good to keep it in her mouth. Blake can take it or leave it. Gavin seriously searches out my purse, takes it with him under the table and sees how many pieces of gum he can down before he gets caught! If you don't know where Gavin is or my purse is MIA, the first place to check is under the table!! We found FOUR empty gum wrappers along with an empty gum package under the table this morning! I swear, the poor kid's stomach is going to be one big ball of sticky gloop!!! I really need to get in the habit of putting my purse up HIGH, out of reach from a certain little monster's hands!

SQUEEZE!!!!

Or "skeez" as Gavin would say! ;) First, Gavin had to SQUEEZE Brooklyn, then Blake, then me. Then it was Daddy's turn for SQUEEZES! The kids thought this was so hilarious that Matt was SQUEEZING them all at the same time! We heard plenty of great giggles as a result of this SQUEEZE!
Gavin LOVES my cell phone! Sometimes he calls it a "mote," as in remote. Gavin seems to find my phone, where ever I leave it! I usually just lock the keypad and let him walk around with it til he loses interest. Sometimes that's easier than dealing with the tantrum that can ensue if you take the phone away! We've talked to Aunt Brittney and Grandma Hamilton in the past two days. I don't think he quite understands where the voice is coming from, though. He just points to the phone and says, "Mitney! Mitney! Mitney!" or "Gamma! Gamma! Gamma!" over and over and over again with a HUGE smile on his face! So cute though! :)

Hmmm, who can I text? HELLO??!?!

And just for the heck of it - my BLUE eyed boy -
with a chocolate face from the cookies I made for dessert!

Pillow talk

This is kind of a random blog entry. It seems like lately, no matter what time we get in bed at night, I get super chatty. It's funny, really! Matt and I have had some of our best conversations and (*AHEM*) "discussions" after we get into bed for the night. I don't know if other couples do the same thing? It's not every single night, because there are definitely nights I can't WAIT to pass out in bed! But it seems like there are a gazillion thoughts swimming around in my head and they just come spilling out as soon as my head hits the pillow! I'm weird, I know.

Dressing up is fun to do, fun to do, to do, to do!

We have acquired a bunch of dress up clothes over the past couple years. Every Disney Princess dress under the sun with their accompanying crowns and shoes, various Pixar characters, cowboy, policeman, etc., etc., etc. The kids love to dress up and prance around in the designated getup for the day. Today, Brooklyn and Blake decided to be Buzz and Woody. What a pair! Gavin got in on the action too, as a generic cowboy! :)

You've Got a Friend in Me!!

And Gavi-bean, my thumb-sucking cowboy!!