Lesson #99

I learn so much from my kids!

In our family, we joke that anytime someone is grumpy, it's due to a lack of sleep or food.
Case in point: a late night last night= a morning melt down by Bella caused by her bed sheets not cooperating while she was making her bed (no joke). I "consoled" and hugged her and left her room to finish the laundry. I came back to find this:

She put in her lullaby cd (that she falls asleep to every night) and promptly fell asleep before lunch time.
Lesson from a child: Learn to recognize my body's cues and needs, and take care of myself when needed!

Milestones

Our little princess is growing up way too fast! She is already 4 1/2 months old. She is such a happy little one- anything and everything makes her laugh and smile- her silly sisters, a bath, a lick from Lucy (our Bulldog), even a diaper change brings a big smile!

She rolled over for the first time yesterday- in front of both Chet and me. It was so funny seeing the look on her face when she finally rolled over successfully.

"Hey, how did I do that?"

She can also sit in the highchair now. Even though she is not yet eating, its nice to have her join us during mealtime (and I finally get to eat with 2 hands!).

Her highchair toys to help with her chewing needs.

Forget the fancy new toys! Her hands still do the job.

Family getaway

THE GANG
(minus Nanny and Papa)

To escape this extreme heat (115!) and to spend some quality family time, we headed up to Flagstaff last week. Chet's parents rented a cabin for all of us and it was a great time! I love seeing all the cousins run around together and actually play outside without limitations. They played outside from the moment they got up until it was so dark outside that you couldn't see a thing. I worry that my kids spend too much time playing inside- it's either too hot or I get caught up in cleanliness, a semi-scheduled day, or concerns about playing in the street, etc. Watching the girls play to the heart's content reminded me of what childhood should be and what real playing should look like.

It was a nice break for the adults too and we spent a lot of time "playing" too! It's no secret that I love playing games and we always ended the night playing Wii or Scene It (my all time favorite game!).

Julia, Taylor and Madison spent a lot of time playing and just talking. They would sit in their rooms talking about what only 5-7 yrs olds can (I really don't have a clue). Anytime I would pop my head in just to check on them, I would get a look from all them as if saying "Yes?".

Bella and Brennan (aka The Wonder Twins) would spend ALL day collecting bugs. Brennan was the mastermind and the owner of the bug collector conatiner. Bella was the bug catcher and would catch anything that caught Brennan's eye. :) It was so funny to watch.

Jackie and Steve- thanks for a fun week!

Bella, Brennan and Madison

*Camille and Papa

*Hiking 1.5 miles down to see the ruins. The adults had a hard time on the way back up while the kids zoomed past!

Taylor and Julia (they are a few months apart)

*More bug collecting. Notice that Bella isn't even out of her pajamas!

The Power of One

I am so proud of this girl. Julia decided (on her own) to give half of her allowance to charity. Over the last few months, I have suggested a few organizations to be recipients of her money but nothing stood out to her. I recently heard about a water bottle drive through the City of Chandler- trying to get bottles of water for our homeless population during this extreme heat. She chose to use all of her money to buy 150 bottles! I overheard her telling her grandma over the phone that "now 150 people won't be thirsty."

I couldn't be prouder.....

Our trip to Colorado Springs

We recently spent a week in Colorado Springs and had the best time! We would love to move there someday and this trip sealed that dream of ours. It was just the 5 of us- and it was great! There weren't any concrete plans or places to be- just freedom to roam around.

Colorado Springs is one of the most versatile and fun cities we have ever visited. It has SO much to do- but nothing too touristy. Within city limits, there are some neat places to hike (Garden of the Gods), awesome scenic drives (up to Pike's Peak), and occasional waterfalls.

We also got to see my sister and her family (who we haven't seen since Christmas). They were in Denver for a family wedding. It was so good to see them (and the rest of the extended Buchanan bunch) and let all the cousins run around! Our last day in Denver couldn't have been planned- it just turned out so well. We walked along 16th street (a neat street in downtown Denver, followed by a stop at the park and a tour of the Coors Brewing Company. I know- probably not your typical family destination but it was actually fun for all!

We also got to visit with some friends of ours- who used to live in AZ but now reside in Colorado Springs. Bella and Bennett (their son) are good buddies- Jennifer (his mom) and I hope that we can be mother-in-laws someday! :) For some reason, I didn't take any pictures of Bennett and his sister Jillian.

*Our trips to Garden of the Gods. This was one our favorite places to visit!

No fear!

We weren't expecting to stop at the Garden of Gods this day- hence the pretty "hiking" dresses.

*The drive up to Pike's Peak- elevation 14,000 feet!



Visiting with the Buchanan family!
Braden, Julia, Elise, Bella and Will

I love this picture! Will is probably thinking "Who is the big guy and his even bigger baby?" :)

They all get along SO well! I hope Camille can fit right in next year.

"If only they made them this size!"

We found this waterfall on the last night- it had been raining and we weren't dressed to explore the area. It was beautiful though!

We'll be back....