Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Silent No Longer
Having lived in Ukraine for a year and a half and experienced the devastating effects of too much government involvement, I found this little image to be amusingly appropriate.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Busy February
Between parents visiting, applying and studying for the bar, watching kids and all the regular stuff, I just have not found time to do my blog posts. So, here is a random sampling of our February:
Erica cuddling on Kayla. Erica loves to give Kayla kisses too. I find it cute, although some (A.W.) may find it disgusting. (:
This was my surprise Valentine bag for Troy to open at work.
Troy has been working hard on our backyard. We got bids for having someone else complete it, but we could not bring ourselves to spend the money. So Troy is doing it himself. He will do a better job, it will just take a little longer. Right now he is working on the retaining wall.
I got to have a tea (hot chocolate) party with my friend Stephanie. She made delicious scones and it was nice to have some adult company.
For Valentine's, Troy and I went snowboarding in Tucson - home to America's southern-most ski resort. We had a great time. We also went to dinner with Erica. This was the best we could do for pictures.
Erica cuddling on Kayla. Erica loves to give Kayla kisses too. I find it cute, although some (A.W.) may find it disgusting. (:
This was my surprise Valentine bag for Troy to open at work.
Troy has been working hard on our backyard. We got bids for having someone else complete it, but we could not bring ourselves to spend the money. So Troy is doing it himself. He will do a better job, it will just take a little longer. Right now he is working on the retaining wall.
I got to have a tea (hot chocolate) party with my friend Stephanie. She made delicious scones and it was nice to have some adult company.
For Valentine's, Troy and I went snowboarding in Tucson - home to America's southern-most ski resort. We had a great time. We also went to dinner with Erica. This was the best we could do for pictures.
We spend most of our days on the trampoline. Erica is obsessed with our neighbor Sydney (whom she affectionately calls "ney-ney"). Erica asks for her at least 50 times a day. We are so glad Sydney likes to come play.
I also think Sydney's brother is enjoying the attention too.
I also think Sydney's brother is enjoying the attention too.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Snow...in Tucson??!!
This morning after Troy's alarm went off, he said, "It snowed!" I couldn't believe it. I moved to Arizona so I wouldn't have to live in the snow. It turned out okay, because by 9a.m. I was able to leave my home in sandals and not be cold. It's amazing how many people were playing outside at 7am just for a chance to be in the snow. Tons of people left late for work so they could build snowmen with their kids. All because of 1-3 inches of snow. Gotta love it!!
17 Months Old
Erica turned 17 months old today. We celebrated by doing pretty much the exact same thing we do everyday - eating, coloring, books, walks, movies, one nap for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, snacking, visiting with her favorite neighbor Sydney (ney-ney), playing with toys, talking to Grandpa Tutu on the computer, watching some other Internet videos (especially "kitty cat dance"), screaming like crazy while I washed her hair and then doing the same thing all over again about 20 times (minus the nap and bath).
A typical day would normally include a lot of jumping on the trampoline and swinging, but since it snowed in Tucson today, that changed our plans a little. I will be posting some pictures of that next.
Troy has church meetings tonight, so I won't get to see him until 9 p.m. Typically, on these long days, I'm tired and worn out from Erica by bedtime. However, I recently learned that one of my high school friends does not have much time to live due to cancer. She has two children. I thought of her and what she would give for a few more hours with her little ones. It made me just sit and cuddle Erica and, although reading the same book over and over, I really enjoyed my time. I hope to always keep this perspective.
Here are some shots of her over the last few weeks. Only one more month to go until nursery!!
Yes, Troy is doing Erica's hair. He is such a good dad. She is always so excited to play with him when he gets home. The first thing she says is, "dada". Then, she immediately starts signing swing. He must push her in the swing better than I do. I haven't figured out his trick, but I decided to let that be their special thing.
Peek-a-boo: Still one of her favorite games.
A typical day would normally include a lot of jumping on the trampoline and swinging, but since it snowed in Tucson today, that changed our plans a little. I will be posting some pictures of that next.
Troy has church meetings tonight, so I won't get to see him until 9 p.m. Typically, on these long days, I'm tired and worn out from Erica by bedtime. However, I recently learned that one of my high school friends does not have much time to live due to cancer. She has two children. I thought of her and what she would give for a few more hours with her little ones. It made me just sit and cuddle Erica and, although reading the same book over and over, I really enjoyed my time. I hope to always keep this perspective.
Here are some shots of her over the last few weeks. Only one more month to go until nursery!!
Yes, Troy is doing Erica's hair. He is such a good dad. She is always so excited to play with him when he gets home. The first thing she says is, "dada". Then, she immediately starts signing swing. He must push her in the swing better than I do. I haven't figured out his trick, but I decided to let that be their special thing.
Peek-a-boo: Still one of her favorite games.
We signed Erica up for a "gymnastics" class (i.e., crawling through tunnels, jumping on mini-trampolines, running around on mats). She loves it! It is a chance for her to run around without getting hurt. Plus, bubbles, balls and play cars are usually involved. How can you go wrong?
Erica is becoming so fun. We still have our fussy moments, but those are getting to be fewer. She loves to be outside and is very active. She has just taken a liking to Elmo. He is the one that taught her to blow kisses, after all. Kayla and she are getting along pretty good. Erica loves to give Kayla kisses and cuddle with her. I think Kayla tolerates it because Erica gives her food.
Erica also discovered coloring recently and always wants us to draw stars, bikes, cars and ovals. I can handle those, but I'm worried about when she starts requesting more difficult objects, like ducks, or pretty much anything else.
We love Erica and she is a joy to have in our lives. We worried about becoming parents, but we are so much happier than we have ever been. Although there are some tough times and a lot of things we are unsure about, we are so happy the Erica has been sent to us and that she is such a special girl.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Tutus Came "Tu" Visit
We were so lucky to have my parents come visit right after Troy's parents. It's been a really boring few days since all the visitors left. Originally, my parents planned to stay the weekend, but when they realized it was 9 degrees in Idaho and 79 degrees in Arizona, they decided to extend their stay. We were hoping this would happen.
Erica loved her Tutus and still mentions them everyday, especially if she sees anyone with white hair.
Not the best picture, but it was the only generational one we got.
While Troy and I were away for the weekend, my parents treated Erica to a few restaurants. She loved it. We also got treated upon our return and loved it even more than Erica.
Getting a bath from Grandma Tutu. Erica used to love her baths, but now she screams bloody murder like we are trying to kill her when we wash her hair. Help!!! Any suggestions?
Jumping on the trampoline. We do this a lot.
We miss having my parents around. They were a great help and it was so nice to spend time with them. We hope they come visit again soon.
Erica loved her Tutus and still mentions them everyday, especially if she sees anyone with white hair.
Not the best picture, but it was the only generational one we got.
While Troy and I were away for the weekend, my parents treated Erica to a few restaurants. She loved it. We also got treated upon our return and loved it even more than Erica.
Getting a bath from Grandma Tutu. Erica used to love her baths, but now she screams bloody murder like we are trying to kill her when we wash her hair. Help!!! Any suggestions?
Jumping on the trampoline. We do this a lot.
We miss having my parents around. They were a great help and it was so nice to spend time with them. We hope they come visit again soon.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Last Weekend was Awesome!!!
Even though we just had Troy's parents visit, we were lucky enough to have my parents come two days later. For Troy's birthday in September, my parents had promised to watch Erica for a weekend so we could get away and snowboard. That was supposed to happen at Christmas time, but we got sick and hardly left the house. So, we moved it to the last weekend in January.
My parents came to our house and we made the drive to the White Mountains in north-eastern Arizona. It was a beautiful 5-6 hour drive and without a baby, it was the easiest thing in the world. We left early Friday morning and snowboarded a half day on Friday afternoon. Then we snowboarded almost the entire day on Saturday. I wore out by the last hour, but Troy pushed through to the end. He knows these opportunities are few and far between since having Erica. We stayed the night, then left Sunday morning. It was seriously the greatest trip. The weather was beautiful, the snowboarding was fun and the baby-free weekend was wonderful.
This was the first time I have been away from Erica overnight. I was a little worried about how she would do, but she did fine. In fact, I think she was sad to see us come home after being spoiled by my parents. I did get to talk to her on the phone a couple times a day and I think that helped...me more than her. She learned that if she got my mom's cell phone and then signed/said "mama", then my mom would call me. What a smart baby!! (: More posts to come on my parents' visit.
My parents came to our house and we made the drive to the White Mountains in north-eastern Arizona. It was a beautiful 5-6 hour drive and without a baby, it was the easiest thing in the world. We left early Friday morning and snowboarded a half day on Friday afternoon. Then we snowboarded almost the entire day on Saturday. I wore out by the last hour, but Troy pushed through to the end. He knows these opportunities are few and far between since having Erica. We stayed the night, then left Sunday morning. It was seriously the greatest trip. The weather was beautiful, the snowboarding was fun and the baby-free weekend was wonderful.
This was the first time I have been away from Erica overnight. I was a little worried about how she would do, but she did fine. In fact, I think she was sad to see us come home after being spoiled by my parents. I did get to talk to her on the phone a couple times a day and I think that helped...me more than her. She learned that if she got my mom's cell phone and then signed/said "mama", then my mom would call me. What a smart baby!! (: More posts to come on my parents' visit.
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