Five things that happened in August

1. Troy finished the wall. Yay!!!!


2. The fake grass arrived and it took a couple of guys to move the 700+ pound grass to the back yard. More pictures coming of the installation. We are SOOOO happy to have grass, especially Erica. She loves to run around on it barefoot. Can't blame her - it is better than rocks.


3. Troy took a much needed break and went to California for the weekend to surf with his brother. While he was gone, Erica and I visited my brother's family and their new home in Surprise. We had a wonderful time and we are glad they are so close.

4. While in the Phoenix area, we visited the Rainforest Cafe. Erica LOVED her cousin Lincoln and the restaurant. We still talk about all the animals.


5. Also in Phoenix, Erica had her first professional haircut. It was badly needed. I was very worried about how she would do, but it went okay. We talked about it A LOT before hand, they let her sit in an airplane, she got to watch Nemo and they gave her a sucker. Who wouldn't love it? I wish they had a place like this in Tucson.

Wise Beyond Her Time

"I realized that if I remained in the White House all the time I would lose touch with the rest of the world...I would begin to think that my life in Washington was representative of the rest of the country and that is a dangerous point of view." Eleanor Roosevelt

Used Car

Our 1995 green Saturn is finally dying. We lost the air conditioning yesterday and I told Troy I refuse to drive it anymore in Arizona. At least until the weather drops below 80 degrees.


We've started discussing the possibility of getting another car. What do you think of this:


Yeah, right!! I would rather have food on the table for the next few years. Instead, we are looking at used small cars or minivans. I'm a little overwhelmed at trying to decide what in the world to buy. Anyone want to sell us their car? Really though, what kind of car do you recommend?

The Bar...Before, During and After

I've been putting off this post so long it has become ridiculous. It made it easier to include things before and after so it wouldn't be so terribly boring to write. Now, hopefully, I can get on with blogging.

The Before
The week before the bar was one of my hardest weeks. Erica came down with what we later discovered was Roseola. She had a high fever, she wouldn't eat, she was in a terrible mood, a major rash broke out (see picture) and we had no idea what was wrong with her. On top of her being sick, I was sick too. On top of all of that, I realized I only had a week left to cram and I was not even close to being ready. I was VERY stressed out. Thanks to family and friends offering to take Erica, grocery shop or whatever, we made it through. Thanks to all who helped or even offered to help. It meant a lot.


My parents happened to be in town for a few days at this time to help my brother move to Phoenix. They came down for a few days and watched Erica so I could study. They brought Erica's cousin, Lincoln, with them. She was happy to have a playmate.


The During
I have no pictures of the bar. I don't want to remember it. It was 2 days, 6 hours each day. One day was 12 essays on Arizona law. We had a half hour to read each question and type an answer. The next day was 200 multiple choice questions. It was awful. I am so glad to be done. As soon as I turned my test in I got a massive headache. I'm glad it waited until the test was over. I got In-n-Out on the way home to make me feel better. It helped.

Troy's mom and sister, Sonja came to town during the week of the bar to watch Erica while I was taking my test. It was so nice to leave her with family and not have to worry about her during the test.


The After
Once the test was over, it was so fun to play with family and not have to worry about studying. Erica was feeling better too. We ended up going boating. Erica usually gets a good 15 minute nap on the boat.


Troy getting some air. That means I am driving the boat. I'm very proud to have learned how to do this during my married life. Never thought I would be able to.


Troy's mom even helped with finishing the retaining wall. I will put up a few completed pictures once I download them off the camera.


Erica showing off some bling. She LOVES jewelry, make-up, dresses, etc. I don't know where she gets it.

Quiz

Question: What do you do when your two-year old child farts louder than you thought humanly possible in the middle of church? (Keep in mind that you are sitting on hard chairs that enhance the sound, you are sitting in the gym that makes everything echo because you were late, and all kids for at least the next 3 rows up turn around to see who did it.)

Answers:

A. Stare straight ahead, stone faced, as though you heard nothing.

B. Start laughing even more uncontrollably than all the kids for at least the next 3 rows up.

C. Calmly pick your child up, slowly walk out of church, and never come back again.

D. Try to outdo her.

We opted for B. I think we got that one right.

Putting off the Post About the Bar

I'm still not ready to write or even think about the bar yet. Instead, I will share some pictures with you from July.

This is the size of bugs we are finding around our house this year. Yuck!!!


Erica and Troy getting wet in the monsoon storm.

Um, I don't know what to say about this one.

Erica and me doing an ab workout.

Four Letter Words

We've been working on our four letter "F" words. I think she's got it down pretty good, don't you?