Look Who's Here!

Maw-Maw and Paw-Paw are visiting from Georgia! We love having them and are so grateful that they are a part of our lives.

Mollie is enchanted with Paw-Paw's voice.


Devin is enchanted with Maw-Maw's lap.

Oh the Glory of Freshly Mopped Floors

I mop the floors every Monday. I missed last week and today is Tuesday. My rules aren't very rigid.

I know the clean feeling won't last long, because this girl is officially on solid foods.

Sparks Will Fly

It seems like Sam defies death every other day.

This morning I was preparing to put something in the blender and turned around when I heard him unplugging the baby monitor. What I saw was Sam sticking a fork into the electrical outlet. I immediately screamed, "DON'T TOUCH!!!" but before I could make it to him sparks had already started flying. Sam's hand got shocked a little, but other than that he was just scared (as was I).





We'll see what the rest of the day holds!

They're Not Coming Back

This was Sam's hair back in August:


This is Sam's hair now:



His curls are officially gone.

Walking Group

You are officially a woman when you are part of a walking group. Notice I said walking not running. Becky, Leigh ann and me go walking once or twice a week, complete with strollers and a dog. We are taking new recruits if you are interested.

6 Month Video

So Fast! So Cool!

Yesterday we went to the air show at Luke Air Force Base. We met Leigh Ann + family there and Mindy and Ryan also came. Sam was in heaven.

watching the planes go by as we were standing in line to be chartered to the air force base

This is the line we had to stand in to be loaded onto school buses and then taken to the air force base. I thought this was very weird and funny that they took people in by the bus load.

Wow this is a horrible picture. I didn't have time to blow-dry my hair before we left. This is the result. And Leigh Ann, your neck does not look like this in real life! haha

I couldn't believe Ethan slept through all the loud jets. So did Mollie, for a little while...
the bag of kettle corn that had about 50 different hands in it. gross.
Mindy brought these awesome headphones to save the kids' ears from the noisy jets
Sam enjoyed them.

The whole 1/2 hour drive home, Sam was repeating, "So Fast! So cool!" about the airplanes. Devin now wants to take him every year.


In other news, Mollie is 6 months old today! Her video is in the making and will debut soon. Let me just tell you that it features an original song created by me. Like I sing it. Oh man it is funny. I recorded it on Friday night using Garage Band and sang my little heart out. I kept checking the couch in the family room to make sure Devin was fast asleep in front of the TV so he couldn't hear me.

The Blur

This is what Sam looks like running around our house. He is a boy on the go, constantly running, jumping, and chasing Dixie.

This morning I tried to slow him down and make a craft with him (Cheerio's necklaces).


He was more interested in eating them. I ended up making the necklace while he sat and watched while popping Cheerio's in his mouth.

I didn't mind that he ate my amazingly cool craft. It makes me so happy to see him eating semi-healthy things.

Treadmill

My parents got me a treadmill!

My dad is now in the "staging" business. What is staging, you ask? It's where a decorator comes in and arranges all your stuff to make your house look awesome. Some friends from work asked my dad to stage a house that they were selling. It had been on the market for a while and hadn't gotten any offers. My dad came in, painted, decorated, and made it look like a model home. 3 weeks later, the house got an offer.

The owners of the house had an old treadmill that they weren't using, so my dad offered to take it off their hands and give it to me!
I kind of fear for my life when I'm on it* (I think the belt needs to be tightened), but it feels so good to walk on it. Back in college, I walked everyday for 30 minutes on the treadmill and was in the best shape of my life. I am excited for a reliable means of exercise!


Selena & Me in our apartment workout room back in 2006


*A few years ago I was walking on the treadmill at my parents' house. I was going at a pretty good rate, getting my arms all into it (old lady style), and moving to the music I had playing. My sister and her friend Leah walked in the room and startled me. I was so surprised that I fell off the treadmill and grabbed the blinds on the way down. I think this is still one of Whitney's favorite memories.

Date Night

Last night my mom watched Mollie and Sam for us (again!) so that Devin and I could go out on a much needed date night. When you have little kids, dates are few and far between. We were both looking forward to it all week. I told Devin I wanted dirty, greasy Mexican food. We went to Top Shelf and I got my wish. Man that chimichanga was good. I am still going strong on the Maker's Diet so real food is very exciting to me.

Do you like Devin's manly beard? I'm still making up my mind about it.


We walked around the movie theater for a while waiting for our movie, Red Riding Hood, to start. One sure sign that you are a parent is when you get excited over movie posters for Cars 2 and Puss and Boots.


Dates are fun.

So Happy Together

Sam and Devin today at Hospice of Arizona's annual family picnic.

Sam loves his daddy.

4 Years

Me, the missionaries, and wet dog hair.

4 Years ago I was baptized as a Mormon. The Kings were saddened and the Barrys were rejoicing. What a strange feeling to have every important person in your life gathered in a room, and to have some so disappointed and some so proud. The good thing is that it didn't matter what any of those people thought, because it wasn't about any of them. What mattered is that I asked my Heavenly Father a question, and he answered it for me. Was the LDS church real or is it all based on lies? The answer is that it is real. It is true. That crazy Joseph Smith story really happened. 4 years later, I am still a TRUE BLUE believer. I love the LDS church and I am so grateful that I let down my barriers and allowed the Holy Ghost to speak to me.

Puffy Cheeks

Puffy Cheeks. That's what Devin calls Mollie.






They are quite puffy. I just love them.

Good Job, Sam!

Sam has been doing great with his "Good Boy" chart. I decided to use the chart strictly for the good things he does, and to punish him for his crimes solely with time-out. Because, let's face it. If I were to take away a sticker every time Sam needed time-out, the poor guy would never get any rewards. Today Sam earned a new toy from Saver's. He picked out this great dinosaur toy and was roaring at the top of his lungs while we were still in the store. Good Job, Sam Sam!

Glasses

Sam has been enthralled with glasses lately. Every morning he reaches for my glasses and hands them to me. "Gwasses?" he says. It's funny how he knows that I wear my glasses in the mornings before I put in my contacts.

For his birthday, my mom got Sam a Mr. Potato Head that came with accessories, including a pair of glasses.

Last week I saw that Sam was playing with Mollie and got very happy. I left the room for a second, then came back to find Mollie sporting a new look:

It's a Miracle!

Yesterday Devin was contacted by the family that took Dixie for us when we moved to Flagstaff. As it turns out, Dixie and the dog they already owned were fighting like crazy. The owners had heard that we were back in town, called Devin to see if we wanted her back, and within 2 hours we had her back with us!


I see this as nothing short of a miracle. Since being back in Phoenix, I have been reminded of Dixie constantly. Just last week I hiked Thunderbird mountain and was sad as I remembered how I used to hike that same trail with Dixie.

I know that we have a Heavenly Father that looks out for us and wants us to be happy. Even though Dixie is just a dog, she is important to us. Now we feel like we have a piece of home back with us amidst constant changes.

Super Sam

Everyday, Sam asks me, "Watch Sam?" which means he wants to watch movies of himself on the computer. Well, I am getting downright sick of all our videos, so I am trying to make many many more. Here is the one we made yesterday, inspired by Leigh Ann's birthday capes!




Let me know if you have any video ideas.