Summer Fun

School starts in only a week. I thought I would do a run down of all the fun we enjoyed this summer. Most of it occurred in a week time span with our big camping reunion trip in Colorado.

The Pool: The public pool was a hot spot. Pool trips almost everyday. Noah and Daniel remembered how to swim. It took them a little time, but they were off swimming on their own soon enough. The public pool has a little lazy river with a current that takes you around and around. It was really fun. The pool also has a couple of the big twisty water slides. By the end of the summer both boys were going down both the uncovered and covered slides. Noah was getting good enough to go off the diving board. He was such a little stick on the board; his jump barely made the board move. It was a riot to watch.

Reading: The kids completed the summer reading program within a couple of weeks. Among the best books we read were, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (to Daniel); H.P. and the Prisoner of Azkaban (to Noah), The Candy Shop War (to Noah). We checked out tons of books from the library and had fun going there often and reading in the huge castle.

4th of July: We had a blast participating in 2 nights of celebrating the country's birth in Mesa. We ate lots of watermelon, went down the big blow-up slides, played at little carnival booths, ate scrumptious caramel apples, heard and saw Governor Brewer speak, watched lots of fireworks. It was loads of fun!

The Trip: We took off for Colorado in July. We spent a couple days driving up to the mountains. Colorado could not have been more beautiful. It was like a fairy world. Everything was so green and smelled so good. The temperature was awesome during the day. We froze at night while we camped. Temperatures droppped into the upper 30's. From AZ, we felt like we were getting frostbit on our toes!! The camping trip was so fun. The planning and food shopping was a little stressful, but it was worth the stress. I loved seeing my brother, Derrick and his wife Jenn. We don't hear from them very often- he is the complete opposite of me. I can talk about anything and share my life with anyone- I am definitely an open book. derrick is not. Trying to get details about his life is like reading a locked book. So, I was super happy to be able to at least the man and his wife. I miss them so much. It was also awesome seeing my little sister Juliann and her husband Ross from Texas. It has been way too long without her. We were very close to each other, especially the last couple of years before I left for college. It was fun giggling and talking with Julio. I loved seeing my older sister, Elisa and her husband Tom from Colorado. My kids had fun playing with their kids. I hope Gavin and Rianne had has much fun with their cousins as Noah, Daniel, and Jodi did. They wandered all over the campground. It was fun seeing them all play together. Dustin let Daniel and Noah loose with a hatchet. It was hilarious watching the grandparents and aunts and uncles wince as my kids came chopping along. I am happy to report that not one child lost a finger or even got cut. Phew!!! We had a blast with Lief and his girlfriend Amy. Jodi has a new gal pal. She was practically attached to Amy's side, tent, space. Wherever Amy was, Jodi was close behind. It was great seeing my parents as well. They spoiled the grandkids of course. My kids love Grandma and Grandpa so much. They always leave the grandparents with a new best animal or toy. These toys become sacred to them, just because they were from Grandma and Grandpa.

Customize a collage

The Birthday Girl: We celebrated Jodi's birthday while in Colorado. Many of her aunts and uncles were there to celebrate with her. She was one spoiled 4 year old. She got pretty much everything she wanted. A Barbie Guitar- the best gift ever (for her!), a Lego set (no more fighting over Noah's), a new babydoll, and best of all a mail box- no wait it was a dressup set. But Jodi's first comment was, "Oh wow a mailbox!" It was truly priceless. A day playing dress up with her aunts was the best gift ever. We also went to the lake near my home town and the kids road in their first ever boat ride. My mom has a little fishing boat that she used to take out when she was a girl. It still works and it was loads of fun taking the kids out on the lake. They saw a deer on the shore. The splash in their faces was so fun. The water was FREEZING, but it didn't matter.

The Utah Field House and Dinosaur Museum and Arches National Park: When we vacation, we go all out. We went to Vernal, UT and had a great time at the awesome Dinosaur museum with a little less family. Each destination one of my siblings had to leave for their homes. We had a great time seeing the skeletons of Dilopicus. Man that Dinosaur was long. Anything about dinosaurs is the most awesome thing in the world for my kids. They were in heaven.

On our way back to AZ, we spent time at Arches National Park. We had to drive through Moab any way and thought the kids were old enough to take the tour. We had tons of fun hiking around and up to the different arches. Our favorite was Double arch. It was really awesome. It was a very hot day, but so beautiful. The deep blue sky with the red arches was very picturesque. We got tons of photos and even a poster because we loved it so much. We hiked through a very powdery sand. It was so pretty.

Flash: I promised the kids a dog when we moved, then when we got back from our trip. It was time to pay up. We now have a little puppy peeing and pooping on my carpets, yipping at night, and being super soft and cuddly. He is a chihuahua and dachsund mix. He looks more like the doxie than anything. He has a doxie body on chihuahua legs!! He is super fun and the kids love him to death.

Summer turned out to be tons of fun. We love our home. We love our family. So now we begin a new school year. Daniel starts all day Kindergarten, Noah will be in 2nd grade. They have all their school supplies and are looking forward to meet the teacher night on the 9th and then school begins on the 11th. Jodi and I will be so lonely without the boys.

New Addition!!

I'm going to do this report first before I post our Colorado adventures. We have a new addition to the Frier household as of 3 hours ago. We promised the kids we would get them a puppy when we moved into the house. I kept putting it off. Then, I promised them a puppy when we got back from our Colorado trip. I knew we needed to get the puppy before school started so they would be able to focus on homework and piano lessons after school and not a new puppy. We went to Pet Smart today- every Saturday they have dogs available from shelters. I fell in love with the chi/doxie mix puppy. He is only 6 weeks old and stole my heart. He is too sweet and the kids love him. So, now I am the proud mom of a new puppy- like I didn't have enough to do!!! Happy Birthday to Dustin- he gets to teach the kids how to pick up after the puppy!!

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!

We Moved!!!

I can not believe we have been in our new home for almost 2 weeks already. It has flown by. I am down to the last few boxes of unpacking, but my house still feels like a disaster zone. I took some pictures of our home and was debating on posting them or not. It looks so messy, but here they are. I will take more pics as we keep improving the home. There isn't much to do to it besides the decorating- pictures, curtains, cleaning, etc...

We are absolutely loving it here. The kids have so much space to run and play in. I can not believe how couped up we had been in the apartment. It surely was time to move! The kids love going out and making mud castles and lakes and rivers in our dirt backyard. Sometime this summer we will get a porch built and grass and flowers planted- but in the mean time it is a muddy mess. The kids have been so happy- and therefore so have I!!!

So, enjoy the messy pictures and check back in a feew weeks for more.

New Ward

I am going to miss our Adobe Ward SOOOOOO much- more than I imagined a week ago. We went to our new ward (church) today. I totally forgot how small the Apache Junction wards are compared to the Mesa wards. It was so small!!! The Primary is all one- there are no Junior or Senior primary groups. The bishop told us that our moving into the ward increased their Primary by half- I thought he was exaggerating. He wasn't. There really were barely any kids there. Luckily, there are some kids and boys around Daniel's and Noah's ages. The ward is getting smaller and smaller as well because all the Snowbirds are going back to their summer homes. We really are needed in this small part of the church. We are really eager to serve and to build friendships with our new neighbors-

Speaking of new neighbors. We went to the Adult session of the Mountain View Stake Conference- our last time participating with our old ward and friends. The message came through loud and clear about loving one another and extending the hand of friendship to our nonmember neighbors. It was the perfect theme for Dustin and I as we are beginning again. We will have the opportunity right from the start to be brave and meet the people around us. The Stake meeting was probably the very best meeting I have been to- including General Conference. The message of Love struck me to the center of my soul and I felt the need to be so much more than what I am. I felt the need to put aside my selfishness and really stretch forth my hand in love to those I meet and know. I am excited to get this move going. I am excited to meet our new neighbors.

As Dustin and I looked for a home, we prayed often that we would find a place where our family was needed, as well as a place for our children to play with the kids in the neighborhood. We discovered today that our street has a few LDS families on it- 2 right across the street from us! That will be so awesome for our children. They need that socialization so badly- especially our Daniel. He is so special to me and I have felt that he has gotten the short end of the stick lately. We pulled him out of preschool a month ago because we thought we were moving earlier. He REALLY misses school and friends. I am excited to get to know these neighbors so our children can play together over the summer.

The one thing I will miss so very much are my wonderful Visiting Teachers, Jenni Caddy and Debbie Douglas. They have become such wonderful friends and a support to me over the last 3 years. They have been so diligent in visiting me. I am one of those ladies that just really need the monthly sit-down-together visit. They have been friends that I could call when my fibro flared so bad that I couldn't move. They were always willing to put aside their lives to care for my children when I was literally unable to do so. I love these 2 women so very much and will really miss them. The Relief Society in our new ward is very small. It is harder to find really good visiting teachers in smaller wards- the activity level of ward members is never as strong or as numerous. I also know that given time, I will come to love our new ward family as much as we love the Adobe Ward family.

Timeline

We heard today from our loan guy. Here is our moving timeline- for any who care.

April 18- church in our new ward.
April 21 (or 22) Dustin and I sign the papers!!
April 26- we get the keys to our new HOUSE!!! We are going to "camp out" in our home after moving in what we can fit in the van that day.
May 1- Moving day- all our big stuff will be moved!

I can not believe how fast it is coming. I am packing up all my bookshelves and under the beds this week, as well as the non-essential kitchen stuff. I have been very good at keeping things well organized and contained already for the last 4 years. It won't take much to pack it all up.

2 weeks. Amazing! 14 days left until we can have a blissfully quiet ceiling forever more!!!