Last Night's Scare

So, I know I haven't posted in a while, and I have a lot to update when our computer is up and working again, but I have to mention the incident that happened last night. It was about 8'oclock in the evening when this all happened. Taylor had gone over to the "barn" (which is our separate guest house) to play video games. I had put the kids to bed and was watching a movie in the family room. All the lights in the house were off. Suddenly, I see a light turn on behind me- I could see the reflection in the window next to the tv. There was a man standing there in our hallway. I jumped off the couch, turned around and started asking "who's there? what are you doing in here?" He flipped the light back off and ran back to the other side of the house (of course the side where my kids were sleeping) I ran to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, then the phone and dialed for Taylor- he came as fast as he could and ran straight for where I had seen him. We have a door that leads to the back patio from our master bedroom- it was unlocked! So Taylor grabbed the gun and went to the backyard while I checked on the kids and called 911. They were at our house so fast, and made us get the kids and get out of the house. Luckily we have great neighbors and we stayed with them while the cops did their thing- there were so many cops, there were dogs, csi, everything! Of course they didn't find the guy, but the scary thing is that we never-ever use that door, but earlier that day we had a dish network guy putting up our dish, and he used that door. I don't know if it was him, or if he left it unlocked on purpose, or if it was just coincidence that it was unlocked for someone else to get in- all I know is that it terrified me to know that someone was in our house. I took the kids and slept at my parents house. I am just so grateful that my children and my family were not hurt and everything turned out ok. The guy didn't even grab the new wii that was sitting in that same hallway!

Baby Jersey

Taylor's cousin Chris Anderson and his wife Heidi had a baby girl, Jersey, on November 25, 2008.  She was born with no pulmonary valve and a hole in her heart.  On December 2 she underwent surgery to repair her heart and put in a donor pulmonary valve.  Currently, she is in critical condition.  They have a blog that they update frequently (you can find the link under "Andersons" in my list).  If anyone is able to donate to help out this sweet family, just click the button at the top of my sidebar.  They are in need of all the help they can get.  Please keep them in your prayers!

Thanksgiving at the Dunes

It is becoming a tradition in our family to spend Thanksgiving at the dunes.  We can't get enough of that sand!!

Here is Taylor enjoying our traditional turkey feast

My boys loved riding on the new Razr with their dad

Talmage has gotten really good at riding the little 50 quad.  They have a kids track that he liked to ride around.  He gets very serious when he sports all the gear!

New Family Pictures

My mom thought it would be cute to have our family pictures taken at the dunes, so she was the designated photographer, and I must say she did a marvelous job- we love how they turned out!  Here are a few more of our favorites.  Thanks Mom! 

I've Been Tagged

Rules: People who are tagged need to post these rules and 8 random quirks, habits or facts about themselves.  Choose 8 more people to tag.

1.  I talk to myself.  I have daily, double-sided conversations with myself OUT LOUD!  Talmage has asked me before who I was talking to, and I've had to respond "myself".  

2.  Talmage, who is almost 4, sleeps with us every night- and I love it!!!  He usually crawls into our bed at about 2 a.m., and I can't sleep well without him snuggled next to me!

3.  I hate food with any kind of saucy substance.  I'll eat a hamburger as long as there's nothing on it, I'll eat a salad, but I hate dressing, etc.  (I even struggle with butter on toast and syrup on pancakes)

4.  I am addicted to Diet Coke.  Not any diet coke, but Sonic diet coke.  Their drive-thru line is a daily ritual.   Its just not quite the same if it doesn't come from Sonic.    

5.  I'm obsessed with crafts....need I say more!

6.  I hate to cook.  The thought of having to cook depresses me.  Not only do I hate it, I'm horrible at it.  So I have an extremely short list of meals that I am willing to prepare, and my family gets those same meals cooked over and over. (poor dudes!)

7.  I rearrange furniture and decor in my house all the time (once a week, at least).  I am never satisfied with the way things look, so I move it again, and again, and again.  Most of the time, after a few months, it ends up back in its original position- its a vicious cycle!!

8.  I love just watching my kids.  I love to watch how they eat, how they run, what they play.  I love to listen to them laugh, and the funny things they say.  I just absolutely love my kids!

ok, I tag:   Sarah, Natalie, Jackie, Tawna, and anyone else who wants to share their "quirkyness" with everyone! 

Halloween Pictures, of course!

This year for Halloween we decided to have our boys be their "grandpas" (as a joke and a compliment to them).  Talmage dressed up like my dad, and Barrett dressed up like Taylor's dad.  It was so hilarious!  But the most amazing thing was how much Talmage really looked like my dad!!  It was almost scary!  I didn't get a pic of both of them, but if I track one down I'll post it.  

This first picture is from today when Pappa (Taylor's dad) came over.  And yes, Talmage and Barrett both wore their costumes again. 
We did have to shave Talmage's head (so sad!) I spent almost an hour gluing a bald cap over his hair, but after I was finished he tore it off because "it was itchy", so we resorted to the clippers.
This is Talmage at his Halloween Parade for school.  He wanted to be a pirate in the parade, not Grandpa, so he had a pirate costume too!

Bargain Shoppers

Yes, me and my mother were in the Arizona Republic newspaper yesterday.  The article was called "Bargains: Always in Style" on the front page of the business section.  Aren't we big time celebs now?!  But if you read the article, it is 100% us-  we are definitely bargain shoppers!  This picture was taken the last time we went to Last Chance- one of our favorite stores!!  They had interviewed us, and taken our picture- but it was more than a month ago, so we had forgotten all about it, until Taylor gets a call from his brother, saying "Did you know your wife is in the paper?"  We all had a good laugh over it!

Strawberry Hill

We had our Candland Family Vacation this weekend up in Strawberry.  The kids had such a blast!!!!  Each family had their own cozy cabin, and the common area had a fire pit, ping pong table, basketball court, and playground.  Taylor's parents are amazing.  They always put so much effort and time into planning our annual trips to make them so fun, especially for the kids.  I just want to thank them so much, we had the best time this weekend!

This is Talmage having fun on the bounce house.

Aunt Chris had the best idea-  she took nylons and filled them with flour, and everyone had a "snowball fight" 

This is Barrett at the goat and llama farm.  He loves petting the animals!  Talmage wouldn't touch them (I don't blame him!)
Grandma and Pappa treated everyone to Out of Africa.  We had never been before, and the boys loved the tiger show!  

...and feeding the giraffe!

This is me and Talmage hiking at Rainbow Bridge.  Talmage only made it halfway down, but the view from the top was beautiful!

Talmage and his bff (cousin Eva) painting snakes back at the cabins.
more fun on the bounce house!

The Mess I Made

So this is what I get for allowing my child to pick a fudgesicle instead of a candy.  Talmage is my son that teaches me patience (EVERYDAY).   Every time we go to the grocery store I want to rip my hair out.  So, being the horrible mother that I am, I bribe him.  If he is a good boy, then he can pick a treat at the end.  His teeth will probably rot, but it is worth my sanity!! And even though Barrett is 16 months old, I still forget that if I say "yes" to Talmage, then it means "yes" for Barrett too.  Today Talmage eyed one of those small freezers near the checkout counter and immediately wanted an ice cream, and to avoid a meltdown I said yes right away, not even thinking of the consequences of this.  And this is the mess I got to clean up when I got home.   So while I was wiping away (thanks to clorox wipes), I wondered if it was worth the mess to not have Talmage throw a tantrum in the store..... I'm not quite sure yet.

Bike Ride

Taylor went to the doctor the other day, and the doc told him he HAD to lose weight- for medical reasons (which is definitely a good thing because he does have some serious health issues!)  So he bought a new bike, and took Talmage on his first "bike ride" around the neighborhood.  Talmage was just loving it!  They even had matching helmets!
There they go!!!
Poor Barrett felt left out.  He stood there like this and watched them go!

The "Alien"

About 6 months ago my parents came home with this "thing" for my boys.  They begged me to take it to our house, but of course I refused!  Who would want that?  Well, we of course moved in with them a few months later, and when we moved into our new house a few weeks ago, it MAGICALLY made it into one of our boxes and ended up at our house.  

Talmage has been a little scared since we have been in our house, which is quite understandable.  He tells me he is scared of monsters.  So the other night I'm trying to show him there are no monsters in his closets or under his bed.  But there was no comforting him.  I was about at my witts end, when he asks if the "alien" could sleep with him.  WHAT??!!  My child, who is afraid of monsters, wants to sleep with the "alien"?  So I get the alien, and Talmage settles right down into bed.  He has slept with the thing every night since then.  If it were me, I'd be afraid of the "alien" sleeping next to me, not imaginary monsters!!!!! Kids do the funniest things!

Weekend in Sedona

I have never been to Sedona before, so we took the boys for the weekend.  I had always heard Sedona is kind of an "old person" place (no offense grandma and grandpa!)  But it was fantastic!  The boys absolutely loved it up there!  We went to Slide Rock, but the water was so cold nobody would get in, and then we rented a jeep and went off roading!  It was so nice having it be just the four of us.  With all of our amazing family around we don't go on trips with "just us" very often.  We had a great time and it is so beautiful up there!



Both of our boys fell asleep on the jeep ride, but Taylor was having a blast driving!

Our Life Back on Track!

We are officially moved in to our new house (finally!)  There were definitely some problems when we moved in.  Because it had been empty for awhile the yard was a disaster.  Plus, there are three ac units for the house, and we had problems with two of them, including an air handler that leaked through the roof.  But we've managed to get everything under control, and the kids have settled in quickly!  The only thing I think my family will struggle with are the scorpions!!  We have gotten so many in the house and they freak me out!!!!  Taylor thinks I'm paranoid and OCD because every night I take a black light to our room and our boy's rooms to make sure there are no scorpions anywhere near that could attack us in our sleep!!  

Talmage started preschool with Mrs. McClure and is absolutely loving it.  I don't know what it is, but for some reason he is such a happier little boy when he is in school.  Maybe its because it adds more structure to his daily routine, maybe its because I feel more sane, I don't know!  All I know is that I finally feel like my life is back to normal again.  Taylor and I even managed to sneak away for a quick trip to Vegas without the kiddos (thanks to Taylor's amazing parents!)

Camping Trip

Here are a few pictures from our camping trip a few weeks ago.  We went up to the white mountains for a few days with my parents and my sister and her family.

So, it has been awhile since my last post- this summer has just been crazy! We are still living with my parents, but we are supposed to be closing on our house this week. My sister Sarah was in town for about a month so it was a full house, but I taught her how to sew and we worked on all sorts of projects- while our kids drew on the walls (among other naughty things!)
Also, my brother Daniel came home from his mission last week. He was sick for three years before his mission, and miraculously got well enough to leave, but was only able to serve for 10 months before he got sick again. We are hoping we will find a way to get him better so he can return, but we are grateful he was able to serve as long as he did. He has such a good attitude and outlook on things, and we are loving having him home!

Ok, we had such a blast on our trip to Yellowstone. It was so beautiful, and my kids absolutely loved it. Right before we left, I was really dreading it- I kept thinking "what have I got myself into" It was a long drive in the motor home. Plus, we were in the rental car all day while we were in Yellowstone. But, I was pleasantly suprised at how great my kids were. We saw so many animals and the weather was amazing. We had to follow a herd of buffalo for about a mile on the road before they ventured off into the trees. Talmage was freaking out having those buffalo right in front of us. My parents are great people, and we are so glad we got to spend our vacation with them also. We also stopped in Idaho Falls for a few days to visit some old friends, the Pentelutes. It was fun to see them, and Talmage became best buds with one of their little boys, Bostin.
But as fun as this summer has been, I am excited for Talmage to start preschool, and to move into our new house so I can finally feel like my life is normal and in order again!

Rainbow Bridge

The Falls

Taylor getting dangerously close to a black bear- the ranger yelled at him!

The Geysers

We're Moving!

Ok, Taylor and I have been married for almost six years, and we are moving for the fourth time!! It really stinks. Taylor likes to call it our "two year plan"-whatever that means!!! I am devastated to have to leave our home and neighborhood, I have made great friends here that I am going to miss, and we have just loved it so much. And it has been a whirlwind weekend. We put an offer on a home in Mesa, so we have had our house up for rent. We signed a contract on Saturday at 2:00 and the people needed in by the 12th of July. Well, normally two weeks is enough time to get moved out, but we have had a trip planned to Yellowstone for almost a year, and we leave THURDSAY!!! So we spent all day Sunday packing boxes, and then decided the best way to move would be to pay someone to do it for us- so that is what we did. As expensive as it was, it was sooooo worth it! But to add to that, nothing has been finalized with the house we put our offer on, we aren't even in escrow yet, so we are going to live with my parents until then. It will be a little crazy, but we are so fortunate to have amazing parents who not only let us live with them (two kids and all) but welcome us with open arms!!! Thanks Mom and Dad- We love you!! So it is back to Mesa for now, who knows where we will be in another two years!

Trip to Florida

This past week I went to Florida to visit my sister and see her new baby, and to help her out a little while she adjusts to having two children.  We didn't do a whole lot, we got some shopping in, but we had such a blast.  She has been my best friend since we were little, and I have missed her so much since she moved to Florida, so it was great just to spend time with her- without my own kids (luckily I have an awesome husband who watched them while I was gone)!  Anyways, I was sad to leave, but I missed my kids more being there than any other trip I've taken without them.  I think maybe because I was there with Sarah's kids, rather than on a cruise where there's no kids around!  But Sarah and her family are coming to AZ in July for a few weeks, so it will be fun to see her again so soon!  I can't wait!

Barrett turns 1

Barrett had his first birthday this week.  I cannot believe how fast this past year has gone.  I don't know if it is a second child thing, but the first year of Talmage's life seemed to last forever!  So it is just crazy for me to think that Barrett is already 1!  We had a good time singing birthday songs and eating cake.  Barrett, being the little oinker that he is, had to eat every last crum of cake off of his high chair.  When I started to wipe up he just shrieked!  I have never seen a one year old so interested in actually eating the entire piece of cake!!!

Graduation Party

Talmage and I participated in a Joyschool this year, and he had his graduation party yesterday. The party was such a blast! We have had so much fun this year, and Talmage is going to miss seeing all of his friends.  Thanks to all you moms, everyone did such a good job!
 

the Slip & Slide is always a big hit!
 

Even Barrett had a good time!