A little of everything

I gave in and had to reinstate time-outs. The kids have spent lots of time with their arms folded and their eyes closed and their heads bowed. The first few days were quite shocking for them- especially when Noah found himself sitting there more than he thought he probably deserved- and boy did he deserve it!! I haven't yelled nearly as much and the kids are starting to really hate time-out which means they aren't sitting there as often!! Yes! I also pulled out the incentive chart again. It took a nice little rest. We needed something to keep the peace good in our home. The kids are now working hard for the new rage- A Khung Fu Zhu Zhu Pet. It is working!! We dragged the kids around with us as we did our bi-weekly shopping. I told Daniel we would be going shopping and he looked at me and said, "Mom, I really hate shopping." I know it is really hard for him so I told him he could earn 5 stickers for his chart if I didn't have to yell at him at the stores. He followed directions so good. He started to get antsy at the end. I took one sticker away. He didn't throw a fit- he even said he agreed that he didn't deserve all 5. This from my emotionally charged kid. I was so impressed and so happy for him. He was so good! I am reading the first harry Potter to Daniel. We read a chapter and then watch that part in the movie. Noah keeps trying to listen in on the book and the movie. Daniel won't let him. Daniel says it is just Mommy and his time.
Jodi is leaving her little toddler ways behind her. I am so sad. I mentioned in a previous blog how her voice changed timbre. Well, the family will be sad to hear that she doesn't say "Waa" for "Yes" any more. It is still funny because she says, "Whep" instead!! She cracks me up. SHe told Daddy the other day that he wasn't good at the Wii. I told her she was getting so big. Jodi lifted her pant leg and said, "My legs are so wong!" She has such spunk. She loves riding her bike- even in the heat.
Noah is having a fun summer. He got his swimming legs back and has been having a blast going down the twisty water slide at the public pool. He has been having fun creating Hogwarts train tracks and Hogsmeade villages with ALL of his toys. We are reading the 3rd Harry Potter together. He was showing a little too much enthusiasm for the movie instead of the book so I told him he can't watch the movie until we have finished reading the book. He was sad, but he loves the book. In fact, he told a lie to us last night so for punishment I took away our night's reading. He was so upset. He said we could read double today. I told him nope- he lost out because he told the lie. I don't think he will be doing that again!
We are enjoying our home and Apache Junction. There are a lot of things I want to do with the kids here. There are a number of archeological trails and sites to see. I want to take them on a 2 hour scenic drive, but will wait when it gets cooler! We are counting down the days for our camping trip in CO! Can't wait!

Settling In

Wow, where did the time go? I can not believe it has now been a month since we packed up and moved. Honestly- time has just simply flown by. We are now settling into the home quite nicely. In fact- it feels like home, at last. we never felt completely at home in the apartments. Coming "home" now truly feels like it. We love the home and while there will always be things we wish were different, I wouldn't trade this home for anything.

We have unpacked pretty much everything now. We have pictures on the wall. We hit an awesome 50% off sale at Hobby Lobby and got some really nice artwork that we never had room for before. I love it when I can score on big deals like that. It was a fluke too that we even went in, but I am so glad that we did. With the pictures up, everything feels so homey and peaceful. I love it. I think the house decorating turned out well for now. Now all we need is a porch, a working sprinkler system, and grass in the backyard. Right now the yard is still a baren pit. Let Daniel out for 5 minutes and it suddenly becomes a barren MUD pit. Mud everywhere. That boy loves the mud. They have had tons of fun digging, throwing dirt clods, building mud castles, making mud soup, driving the R/C cars. I just wish they had some shade in the back- next summer it will be done and ready for them to enjoy.

We are really liking our little neighborhood. It is a mile round subdivision. It is small and very quiet- at least our street. I have heard that there are some ruffians on some of the other streets, but ours is very peaceful. Our boys have made friends with some other boys 2 houses down. They are the very same age as Noah and Daniel. They have been riding bikes, playing Transformers, playing with the chalk, and the WII together. The neighbor boys are super-well behaved. They listen and play very well with our boys. Their parents are very nice. The husband is our UPS delivery guy. I really like the wife. She has kept her boys close to her wing as well and it shows in how well her kids behave. They are so nice. They gave us use of their summer movie tickets. They scheduled swimming lessons the same time and can't use them for a few weeks, so they are letting us take their place. They are a very nice couple and know that they will become great friends.

So, this move has been everything we ever dreamed and prayed it could be. We love it out here and don't mind the extra commute time a bit. I love the Superstition Mountains behind us. They are beautiful in the spring and it makes me feel closer to Colorado in a way. Life is good. Oh yes, life is very good.


Our tribute to "Harry Potter" wall. We love the train station clock. Below is a picture my dad took on one of his European trips. It is from a station that has "Platform 9 3/4" on it.


We finally have a "game" table. We can all reach the game and the table is very sturdy. Plus extra storage for remotes and Wii stuff, and Jodi's breathing machine.



I love having a comfortable place to sit while helping Noah with his practicing. Dustin has begun taking naps in the rocker as I play the piano. I like playing for him. It's nice that he appreciates me enough to sit and listen- no matter how many clunkers I make!





The best room of all- my bedroom!! I love this room. I love having all my books in one place! My room has become a place of peace and tranquility. Dustin and I enjoy the room- he watches "his" movies on the big screen and I read "my" books. It is a match made in heaven!