Odds and Ends

These pictures didn't seem to fit anywhere so I termed them odds and ends.

This is me standing on holy ground...

Just kidding.  This is an acreage in Queen Creek we're gonna keep in our back pockets for a while.  We haven't bought it but we'd sure like to.  Those mountains in the back are part of a mountain preserve so no one would could ever build or develop past us.  Someday....   sigh

This was the cactus bloom that I was standing beside.. isn't it brilliant!

Jayden's first ride on a carosel.  They just laughed and squeeled the whole time..  I stood with Jasper and held onto him for dear life.  Because Jasper sensed I was freaked out, he started freaking out so Dan said let go right now, and I said- he'll fall!  Then Dan stood in the middle and  held both their backs so they wouldn't fall.  Thats when Jasper decided he was excited too.  I'm just not good with spinny rides...

Dan and I were invited to a Phoenix Suns game with Nova Home Loans box.  Free gourmet meal and great seats.  I enjoyed every second.  It was a super super fun date.  Love Dan's connections these days!                                                                            

 The girls figured out a way they could share the swing set with the boys.  I'm thinking we just need to get another swing set to accomodate our oversized family...........

The car wash is a nice break on a boring midweek day.  While your car is being washed and scrubbed and vaccuumed inside and out you get to come in and let the kids romp around the climbing wall and gym.  Sierra can do a handspring when we come here because of the pads.  I won't let her do it at home...

NOT FAIR... I bought this cowgirl hat for me after I finished watching all the episodes of Heartland on netflix.  Guess who looks better in it....

 We love IKEA...  We go on a boring saturday when we have nothing else to do.  Where else can you get 25 cent hot dogs and 50 cent icecream.  Always see many friendly people at Ikea, they always want to stop and talk to the twins.

 I love this picture for many reasons.  This picture was taken while I was at early morning Sunday meetings.  Dan gets all the kids ready for church himself and has them there sitting in the pews a half hr early every week.  He is amazing and supportive and I love him for that.  I love that he is adamant they wear their white shirts and ties every week even though I have bought colored shirts for them.  No there is nothing wrong with colored shirts, but preparing for the priesthood and missions is so incredibly important to him. I love that he makes sure they are well fed before church, even though when we come home I have to clean glued on cereal off the floor... I love how this angle of the picture makes my boys look exactly like my dad when he was their age.   They are just all Zobell no Brinton.  I just love this picture!

Here is Jayden and Sierra enyoying the 100 degree weather in April with the sprinkler on the tramp.  They jumped forever..!  Jasper didn't want anything to do with it.

Ok, once in a while these reminder pictures pop up on facebook.  A reminder of why we left Edmonton 5 years ago.  A reminder of why snowstorms in April and a 300 car pile up is NOT OK!  I miss my family treacherously, but for heavens sakes, I will NEVER miss the snow and ice!

Charlotte's visit...!

So happy my sister came to visit for a short week.  Wish she could have stayed waaaaay longer.  We went to the lake, a resort and spent much time swimming, shopping and suntanning.  She has lived in England for the past 4 years so she wanted to soak as much sun into her bones as humanly possible.

We went to the Point Hilton Squaw peak Resort in Scottsdale.  It was like a  breath of sunshine and peace.  Because we went midweek, there was nobody there, which makes it even more peaceful.

                                             Charlotte says she was sleeping in this picture...

 We ate at Ricos in Scottsdale on the patio.  This picture does NO justice to how fantastic the moon was that night.  Charlotte was sitting there right in front of it in the even 72 degree weather, 9pm.

They upgraded us to a bilevel casita for free!  It even had a kitchen, which we did not use...

                           
Have I posted enough pictures of me in a lazy tube yet?  Heres another one, just in case.

 Well, our day at the lake turned into a flop.  We were backing the boat into the water and Maysa had this look of pure joy on her face.  Alas... 15 minutes later we were backing it right back onto the trailer because the dang thing wouldn't start.  Maysa then had the look of pure dejection.  She was crushed!  I think we all were, including the twins, as it was going to be their very first boat ride!  So we made the most of it and hung out on the shore in the sand.  The girls took the tube out and pretended it was a boat for a while.  Charlotte tried desperately to soak up some rays, even though it was a cloudy-ish day.  The boys were having a great old time poking sticks in the sand and finding people's leftover garbage.  Everything was going great until Jayden brought Dan a large chunk of dog crap.  Which at that point, Dan had had enough and ordered its time to go!!  He was quite upset the boat didn't start so it wasn't the best of times for him that day.

THis is a picture of Charlotte and my dad in front of the London temple.  I never did get a chance to go to England and visit her there, but I sure wanted to.  I am grateful that she came to visit me in Arizona though and now that she is living back in Canada, I sure hope to see her waaaaaaay more!

Dan's birthday

Dan thinks he's 40.  He tells everyone he's 40.  I'm actually not even sure how old he is because he's got me so confused about it all.  He says 40 is when life really begins.  I haven't a clue in heck what that actually means, so don't ask...   Ok... but I'm pretty sure he's not 40 yet.  For his birthday he wanted black forest cake.  So I trifled black forest cake because A) I don't have time to make a real black forest cake.. and B) Trifle is easier and I think its better. 
 He loved it, to say the least.  That entire pot of cake you see right there was devoured by early the next morning.  The kids and I may have helped out with that... just a tad.  He wanted butterscoth, vanilla,  and chocolate pudding, lots of cherries and heath bar.  With LOADS of whip cream.  I think I'll be making this again sometime... You know... for his next 40th birthday.  :)

 Lucky us.. Dan's annual Frito Lay party at the Grand Resort happened to be on the same weekend as his birthday.  I LOVE the Grand Resort with a capital L.  It is so beautiful and fun and luxourius.  This is the last year we get to go because Dan resigned from Frito Lay right after.  Now that he owns two businesses he is leaving the trucking life behind for good.  And hopefully never turning back.

Love the scenery and greenery here.  What little Arizona has to offer, you can find most of it here.

I could float along a lazy river all the day long.  Sometimes a mother of 5 deserves to be slothful...!

I got Dan some housebuilding books for his gift because he is starting two huge projects in Queen Creek this month.  Wish him luck, because these will be his first new builds.  I'm excited about it, house flipping may be a thing of the past, we'll see!

Easter..

The Easter bunny still comes to our house every year.  I keep telling him not to, but somehow he shows up anyway.  This year he hid lots and lots of eggs all over the house.  The kids sure enjoyed looking and searching.  Its a month later and I am still finding eggs once and a while in little nooks and crannies.  The twins sure caught on fast to this finding candy business.  

Dan made a ride for the twins out of diaper boxes.You would think all the toddler cars and 4wheelers and tricycles and ride on toys lined up all over our living room would be sufficient...  Cheap thrills I suppose.