The Staycation

Our Labor Day Weekend was spent right here in Phoenix (I stole the word staycation from another blog... please forgive me)! We took the opportunity to *study* LOTS, well Ben took that opportunity, which I'm sure is paying off. However, he did take some breaks with us to provide a little time out in the desert. We were lucky to have a "monsoon" on Friday and Saturday that really provided moisture (not sure how much) and cloud cover on Saturday. So, I received free passes (how can you argue with free?) to the Desert Botanical Gardens (reg. price $15/adult!) and we took advantage Sat. afternoon. It was strange to be outside without the SUN beating down on us the entire time. In fact, Saturday was the first day since we have been here that the high was below 100! WE soaked. it. up! The Botanical Gardens actually turned out to be awesome and we would HIGHLY recommend going- *next* time we go, I think we'll go after dark when all the cool desert flowers are in bloom- they have lots of cool lighting set up. THAT would be an experience:)

(L) Jamie, Ike and baby checking out some huge Organ Pipe Cacti- Notice- Ike wore his rainboots so he could stop any potential puddle- gotta give him that opportunity whenever it comes around- which is exactly twice a year:)

(R) A "jumping Cholla" jumped right onto Ike's hat- no one was injured, but it was a close call! Ike got a little too close and they sense movement and drop their ends at the slightest movement-LUCKILY- right on Ikie's hat and not his head! Needless to say, he became more careful after that!

Cool butterfly pic Ben captured on some desert plant- any botanist wanna help me with that one?

Ike and Daddy in front of some more crazy Cacti fields- don't wanna go stomping through those too badly...

In other news, as you can see, Ike has perfected his FAVORITE sleeping position. He likes to be "Cold," as he puts it which means he wants his pillows cold, etc. So, we often find him with limbs hanging out of the bed in an effort to keep them their COLDEST:) Funny little boy. He will not accept a pillowcase that is anything but cotton and would never sleep with a fleece blanket- too warm.

Ben and I both received callings last week as well. We feel like our ward will be a great place for us to learn and grow. It is huge! We have over 200 sisters in Relief Society (not all there every Sunday, of course), but that gives you an idea. Ben is an 11 year old Scout leader (he moved up a year from Laramie)! He is excited to be working in boy scouts and to help them through this "critical" scouting time (apparently 11 years old is a fundamental foundational year to help them earn some stuff they need to achieve their biggie goals like Eagle Scout (I can hear Ben cringing in his sleep as I, of all people, try to explain the scouting program- not my forte) Sorry.

I was, coincidentally, called as the 11 year old primary teacher (again, cringing from lack of terminology). They have two classes of 11 year olds and both are only boys- there are no girls this age! So, I teach a group of about 6 kiddos. Should be fun. They are a fun bunch of boys. I am a little stressed about not having any primary experience, other than mine growing up. Let me tell you, growing up in a small branch with maybe 10 kids tops, is a lot different than having Junior/Sr. Primary both packed full of kiddos! It will take some getting used to, but like I said, I am happy to have the experience;) I trust that this is where the Lord needs us to be!

Ike loves going to church and to nursery especially. He is in the older nursery class (only a few months left untils Sunbeams) and in his class, there are no toys or playtime besides books and puzzles. I think this is great! Their lessons are longer and they are learning more songs too. Cute times. He has a great teacher and there are a few more boys than girls, so he's in HEAVEN! I think he's going through major withdrawls from all his girl cousins and friends that are girls back in Wyoming! He hasn't seen a GIRL TOY in a month!

This is a funny pic we took the other night. I decided to put Zach in Ikie's bed while Ike was still in the bath. I teased him and told him Zachy was going to sleep with him that night. Anyway, he went along with it and was SO EXCITED for a bunkmate! They laid together for quite awhile smiling and Ike was singing to him while we made faces at them and chatted. Ike BEGGED to let him stay- "I won't squish him!" "He won't fall out!" Empty little promises:) Someday he'll be begging for his own room, but not today!

Also, as you can see, Ike has finally graduated to a toddler bed! He could climb out of his crib, but never did, so we left it a crib until the big move. He LOVES being in a big boy bed and is still so good about staying in it, though he sometimes decides just to sleep on the floor (coldness factor). He also loves coming in when he wakes up to "surprise" me every morning. Luckily, he is going to bed around 9 now and waking at 7:30 or 8. What a great kiddo!

First Week of School!

It's official. I am a widow to dental school! Things have gone very well, so far! Ben is doing as he should and studying his lights out. Luckily, he feels a need to be at home too and so is trying to devote at least a couple of hours each night to coming home, eating dinner and playing with the kiddos. I think this will prove very healthy for him. He has a lovely little office in the back of our house that we can close off and he can study. I plan to equip it with everything I can to entice him to stay at home to study whenever possible... Something about knowing he is right there makes a big difference:) His first exam is Tuesday, so we will find out if he's doing an effective job soon enough. I really do think that our *years* of waiting to be accepted have actually help us appreciate any amount of hard work, long hours, boring biochemistry, etc that comes our way. We really and truly are just happy to be here! So, let me remind myself of that in a few months when the newness wears off... This time has been our goal officially for five. long. years. We really are just so excited to be going down this path!

This picture is of his first day of school... What proud wife wouldn't want to capture this moment forever? He was embarassed at the time and I'm sure would be embarassed if he could ever find and read our blog that I'm posting it of him, but I'm also sure that his mom will love to see it:) Our little Binkham (as Isaac calls him when he can't get his attention- just as his mom did) all grown up:) He gets to alternate between scrubs and business casual everyday (the only school on campus to require business attire at all times... he's not thrilled about saying adios to his tshirt collection- I told you, growing up...) So, these days, the clothes are a little more dressy than the first day... too bad, poor Ben! Ok, I must admit I'm not too sad to see the tshirt days come to an end- shh, don't tell him- I should be "mourning" with him!

Funny Random

So, I'm going to try and blog more often, now that I have the big painful one out of the way (I hate when I get so far behind and then just feel like I'm playing "catch up" in my entries). So, the weekend my dad went home (a couple of weeks ago), I, of course was feeling a little blue... Like thinking to myself, "Why oh why did anyone think to settle here ON the sun?" Anyway, we spent Saturday trying to do fun things and find positive things about Phoenix (by the way, we found lots of good things and are really trying to find a niche... but, as you can imagine, it was a tough day). Ben must've felt bad for me because he even agreed to a trip to Ikea! After our most of the day excursion to Ikea, we decided to drive the 45 minutes back home a different way and see a different (mostly ghetto) part of the city. For some reason, I just have a need to see every "area" of the city to feel comfortable (maybe Clay would suggest that it's because of my innate google mapping ability... I'm getting there Clay!)
Just as we're driving out of the ghetto area, we spot a ghetto grocery store! Ben's favorite! It was called something like grocery discount and we both thought maybe we could get some good deals on essentials... like green beans, Ike and my favorite veggie. So, we park in this ghetto lot and get a ghetto cart. The grocery finds were not great (we came out with some bilingual mango- guava poptarts, the best find). However, as we are looking at the ghetto yogurt, someone comes up to us and says, "Did you guys just move here from Laramie?" Hmm. Ben and I look at each other.. "How did he know?" We look for any sign of Wyoming apparel on us. none. Then we realize, he looks a ton like Adam Erickson. Ah! And there is his wife and two boys. It registers. (Thanks Jeffi) We have heard all about this little family of Ericksons! They just moved from Laramie too and are going to the same school as Ben. Weirdest place ever to meet up b/c it is really far from our house and we'll probably never ever go back, but it was the brightest ray of hope for my sad Saturday. Some Laramie friends. Yeah! I hope they don't think we were too weird, just so excited to talk to someone from home. Someone who can relate to their skin feeling like it'll crisp right off their bodies b/c our mountain skin just wasn't made this tough! Someone to complain about Wyoming sports with. Someone. These guys seem great. Now, one problem... can't seem to locate their contact info. Ughh!

We're here!

Our new house! We're so excited about it:) You can't see the tops, but the tallest trees are palm trees (Ike calls them pineapple trees)

Outlook over Phoenix-- hot hot hot! The entire expanse is city as far as you can see in any direction and still there is more city beyond that. Whoa.

Ike and Zach at the Science center (Ike is a Knight... because it was the only shiny costume not princess related)!

Cool spot along the way

I'm sure you've all heard by now that we've safely and happily made it to Arizona. I'm not sure how many hours were spent in the car... We left Laramie Friday afternoon- a very bizarre feeling knowing that this is no longer a hub central to your life and you may never travel that awful I-80 corridor to return to your own home... weird after 8 years (of course we'll still visit, but it won't be "home"). Saturday morning we took a little "time out" and drove from Salt Lake to Logan to attend Ben's cousin's wedding- what a beautiful experience! Attending the temple is always such a great "time out" to realize what is really important and help you remember your family and the bonds we have there.

Beautiful Wedding.

We were lucky to get to see a good part of Ben's family too and spend a couple of hours with them before our long journey. Ike suggested we eat at Wendys (a Pieper favorite-- I think it made his Grandpa proud!) So, we did that too! Saying goodbye has been really really tough for us and this one was no exception. We have been blessed to see Grandma and Grandpa Pieper and the animals more often this year than ever before... it will be a strange concept to not be able to see them as often!

Anyway, late afternoon we finally pulled it all together and took off again on the open road. I should mention that my dad did take the "opportunity" to drive down with us (what a HUGE HUGE blessing). While we went to the wedding, he took our Penske (Pinksy as Isaac refers to it...) down the road to Cedar City, where we met up Saturday night and then switched off driving with both of us the rest of the way. Sunday morning we all went to church and then packed back up for another "adventure" through the mountain passes from Cedar City to Kanab, UT and then to Flagstaff, AZ. What beautiful country! Beautiful mountain passes! Slow, slow Pinksy!! The mountain climbs and curves made it very interesting for a 22 foot truck pulling our Honda, but Ben was a master driver and everything went really well! We stopped in Kanab for lunch/dinner and ate at a place called Denny's Wigwam... food was average, but the atmosphere was really cool- much like an "old west" village with lots of quaint little features- I highly recommend it, if for some unknown reason you ever find yourself in Kanab! Then we also stopped at Glenn Canyon Dam. Beautiful! When we got out of the car it was finally HOT and we were WORRIED! I think it was around 90 or so and I kept telling myself, "Oh, this isn't so bad..." Feeling the heat and seeing a very different climate has been my biggest fear... strange, I know.

We pulled into Flagstaff that night around 8pm for one last night in the mountains before our descent into, well... Phoenix. The air was nice and cool. Flagstaff has about the same weather as Laramie, as far as we can tell. It will be our mountain home away from home when we need a "quick fix." We made it to Phoenix by 3pm Monday afternoon. The boys were so so good on the trip, well at least the little boys were! Ben and my dad were SO SICK for driving the "Pinksy" and I was sick of following it! Though, we did average over 40 mpg with the Accord following them at 65 mph and under (sometimes 40 going up mountain passes)!

Our move in went very smoothly! As we were pulling into the valley my dad says "So, are you worried that your house may not be what you are expecting?" Umm, not until then... So, it was an even bigger relief to get here, see it and know that it will work out just perfectly for us. The house itself is in great shape and the room sizes are perfect. There are so many little things that I never knew I was missing until now (like the ability to do laundry at whatever time of the day or night... or wash dishes, for that matter! I also love having a yard (even if it is too hot most of the time to play in right now) and a double car garage! We have never been so happy to be able to purchase groceries and carry them directly inside without a huge exhaustive trip up to the third floor with two sleepy kids and arms loaded (the week before we left, I made 6 trips up and down the stairs carrying in groceries and kiddos- whew!) Anyway, all of our kitchen stuff is in the kitchen (no food storage in our bedroom closet anymore). Crazy.

Cool Splash Pad Near Our House

Now we are adjusting well. Ike still makes a crazy whiny noise everytime we step out into the direct sunlight (which is all the time) and REFUSES to go anywhere without his ball cap and sunglasses (not sure what we'll do if he ever loses either... must purchase a backup soon! On the other hand, if Zach is at all fussy in the store, he immediately quits as soon as we step into the 110 degree heat! He LOVES the HOT HOT HOT car and just basks in it! Too funny. Ben also makes that whiny noise (ha!) and even plans his clothing so as to attract the least amount of sunlight... I have determined that any temperature outside above 95 registers with my body as way hot... there's no difference between 95 and 115 (both of which I have felt down here)! I do, however, love that it's 90-100 at 8 or 9pm when we are swimming outside.. you don't even get cold when you get out of the pool! Speaking of pools, we have been going across the street to swim about 5 nights of the week and Ike is becoming quite the swimmer... he is independent now with his "lifejacket style" suit, but of course, we still watch him like a hawk and are ALWAYS right there with him (this is one of my biggest fears).

So, yes, life has certainly changed for us! We have been so lucky to have Ben home with us for a few days before school started. I wish we could live the life of unemployment forever... ok, not really... but, we have really been able to enjoy each other and explore the city (el cheapo style). Monday starts the school phase for us, but we are geared up and more than ready (we've had 3 years to prepare)! We just feel really blessed to be here, even if it means we're living on the sun and far away from family and friends (missing everyone desperately)!

Why not another road trip?

A cool old train in North Platte (I highly recommend checking it out if you're ever in the neighborhood)!! It's free to tour and we really liked it!

Inside the engine:)

Jamie, Zach, Ike, Gramps, and My Grandma (Dee)-- we had a great time with her in Kansas... and I'm pretty sure she likes these great grandkids a lot!! (Note Ike's shirt says "potty like a rockstar")

Zach in Kansas sporting a Kansas City Royals outfit... too bad they're doing so poorly!

My Grandma Leafty, Mom, Zach, Jamie, and Ike-- 4 generations on both sides:)

North Platte train museum-- also a very cool place to visit

Macy and Ike at my "birthday party" apparently her cake and ice cream taste better than his!

Ike, Jamie, Alonit (or Isaac calls her Illinois) and Jamie at breakfast... will be sad to not be so close!

Gramps and Ike looking at the Elk in Estes Park

We have been very blessed the past couple of weeks with so many friends and family assisting us in the packing process! I know we couldn't have done it without you all, even if it was just keeping the kiddos happy so I could stuff things in boxes! Whew! I am happy to say, we are closer than I expected to be at this point (don't get me wrong, I would still love to be farther!).

Anyway, the past couple of weeks have been filled with visitors and visits as we prepare for the big change. My mom came to stay with us for a couple of days and help pack. What a huge help! The boys just love her and I am so thankful for the special bond she has with them. I know it will serve them all well in the future. Anyway, on Wednesday, we decided to load up and head to North Platte for a day before driving on to Kansas to visit grandparents and relatives one more time before the big move. I know, you must be thinking "this girl is crazy... 10 unnecessary hours one waybefore the 18 hour car ride?!" Yep, that's me... crazy! I decided it was more of an experimental trip... the calm before the storm... a definite walk on the wild side! Lucky for me, I had my parents with me. What a great time! The kids were so good, relatively speaking and we had a great time with everyone we were able to see... Just wish we would've had more time so we could've seen everyone we wanted to see!

We headed back to North Platte on Saturday and then back to Laramie on Sunday afternoon, just the boys and I for four HEAVENLY hours in the car. Zach was soo good... he slept the whole return trip... couldn't ask for more... Ike and I just kept driving keeping our fingers crossed and it worked! Well, I should rephrase... my fingers were crossed or for the last 20 minutes of the drive, my fingers were holding a binky in Zach's mouth trying to keep Isaac's fingers from their incessant need to touch Zach... only a real problem when the latter is asleep in the car. Ike's favorite thing to say is "I'm not buggin' him... I'm touching him nicely!" Nicely or not buddy, after that many hours in the car, a successful sleeper is the only thing I care about! Ike also found a new love in cinema... Charlotte's Web. He isn't such a fan of cartoons, so the real animals held his attention much better. When he and my uncle, Rock, were walking around a pond at my grandma's place, he saw a spiderweb at the bridge and told him... "look, a spiderweb, just like on my piggy movie!" cute.

Well, you would think that adventure would cure me for two weeks and the inevitable 18 hour car ride, but alas... I'm no quick learner. I guess first we spent the week packing and then Joni, Macy and Emry came to town to play with us. We had a blast and played in style! Nothing like two more kiddos to really crank up the fun! I think one of the most difficult things about leaving is leaving my kids' favorite playmates. Macy is definitely one of the best. Isaac and Macy are polar opposites, but best friends. They love each other like siblings. and they disagree like siblings too! It's great though and I'm so glad. Emry and Zach are only 6 weeks apart, so someday maybe they'll be like siblings too. Right now they're more like "Queen Kong" and "A tiny little squirrel" or something... Too cute.

After the Kennington posse had enough of us, we packed some more, courtesy of the Loveland helpers... and then Friday afternoon loaded back up for one last weekend getaway to Denver! Crazy!?! Yep. I loaded up all by myself (a real feat!) and picked up Ben at 5 so that we could make Dtown by 8pm for the dinner theatre. Jamie (not my alter ego, but the real other Jamie- Ike's nickname for her) and later Ben, have been to this dinner theatre for the past nine years now (wow!). It's the funnest little comedy, musical place... Our favorite is a series they have been writing since 1998 about a group of teenagers from the 60s 70s and 80s that dress up and sing like all the famous groups of the time. Every summer they write a new show and every summer, Jamie and I (and now Ben and now Ike and Zach...) make our way to see it. Again, crazy to take children on Friday night after a long day of packing... I know. BUT, they did SO WELL! Could've been a total disaster, but IT WASN'T! Yeah! In fact, Ike loved singing along, in his own special way... and everytime the music started, he couldn't help moving to the rhythm! HA! He must be his daddy's boy b/c he has rhythm:)

Saturday we met with some special friends for breakfast to, once again, say goodbye... I'm getting better at goodbyes, but still not great. I am very excited for this new chapter in life, but smushy, nonetheless! So, while at breakfast, my parents called and suggested we meet them in Estes Park... Yep, we ARE crazy!! So, we hopped in the car and drove (again)! We had a blast taking it easy and enjoying the cool mountain air and being with family. It's hard to think we won't be able to spend much time with them for the next 4 years!
Sunday we were back home (finally) and once again had to say goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa.. I really think Isaac is starting to understand that G &G won't be able to see him much and "they are sad b/c they won't miss me" (ok, he's a little mixed up, but close)! He had a funny little saying today... I heard him say something to my mom that didn't sound very polite so I said "Isaac are you being snotty?" He replied, "No, I'm not being naughty." I said "Well then what are you being?" He replied, "I'm being a stinker!" HA! At least he knows!

Another cute Isaac-ism and then I'll quit for today... I don't think I've posted this in the past, but we received a forward several weeks ago about McDonald's in an effort to recession proof the company, they have decided to buy Mexican beef rather than American. So, as a joke, we told Ike we couldn't eat at McDonalds anymore (not that we really ever did, mostly, I just watched SuperSize Me) Anyway, now if we say "Hey Ike, wanna eat at McDonalds?" He replies "No, because they have Mex-i-can Beef!" Too cute.

Zachary's 2 month Stats...

We took a trip to the doc yesterday... a little sad, but just when the shots came around, otherwise he was very happy to have all the attention and really showed off his cooing and arm/leg flailing! Anyway, he is 9'6" and 23" long... Basically, long and skinny! Why can't I have that problem? He's as healthy as can be and we feel blessed!

Dear Baby

**Disclaimer** I am sorry for the emotional posts... I am not sure what is going on; July 26th marks some emotional times for me of which I am grateful and needed to document before I become too decrepit to remember:)

Dear Baby,

Today also marks what would have been your fifth birthday. I cannot believe I would have a five year old! Is it strange that I miss you even though we never met? I long for that day!
I think losing you was the most painful experience of my life and though I would never wish that experience on another soul, I can see now that through our loss, I truly gained so much in experience and perspective and knowledge.
I know now what it feels like to have someone totally and completely dependent on you and to feel like you have failed them to the point of death. I know the feeling of loss, disappointment and grief that accompanied our experience and the despair I was left with in the aftermath. Even though you were only here in my thoughts for 20 weeks before you left us, we will miss you our whole lives and always remember. I know there have been dozens of times already where I have been able to truly empathize because of the sorrow and loss I have felt from losing you.
The perspective I have gained is one of eternity when I think hardest about it. I know that we have the opportunity to know you someday and have you as part of our family. What a wonderful time that will be. I know our sorrow will pass. It already seems like that time in our life was so short, even though at the time, I didn't' know if I could keep breathing for another minute.
I have also learned so much about who I am as a mother and what my ultimate goals in life are to be. I'm not sure I would've been able to make the decisions I have regarding our family, had it not been for you. I always knew that I wanted to have children and the whole time I was pregnant with you, I knew I wanted you... but I was scared to death at the thought of being a mommy so soon and not sure how I was going to fit in all my goals (law school, mommy, wife, etc.). After losing you, everything became so clear so fast. Because of that experience, I knew EXACTLY what I wanted and what I was meant to do. The irony is that I had to WAIT 2 1/2 more years before I truly could experience motherhood! What a journey it has been!
I know I would not be me without you and the short experience you had with us. I remember being so sick I couldn't move, so tired I couldn't keep my eyes open and so desperate I had to rely on others around me... all for you. It was all worth it, and I wouldn't have it any other way because I could've never appreciated life, and especially you, the way I do now.
I love you child of mine and cherish the day we finally meet!
Love,
Mommy

**PS- if any of you have an experience you would like to share and how it impacted you, please leave me a message... I would love to hear yours too!