A nutshell:)

happy 31st babe... who made that deliciousness?!

Ike becoming quite the custom architect:) this I believe was a temple

Daddy's architecture

playing cowboy dressup

Astronauts preparing for takeoff in my closet

wild astronaut :0

Ike takes all of our old cords/electronic gear and uses it to build astronaut equipment.

the very hungry caterpillar

Just Sayin...

Tomorrow (in a few hours) is Ben's 31st Birthday! I really can't believe we are "old!" Sometimes I look at him and think, "how in the world did anybody allow us to have children?" "Are we really old enough for all of this?" We got married when Ben was 23 and I thought that was SOOO OLD and MATURE! I guess now we're geriatric:) Anyway, it's crazy how time flies and how much fun we have along the way...


    Since Ben never reads this, I think I'm safe in sharing this too... Ike and Zach both are so in to Daddy's Birthday! We've been talking about it for the last week... what kind of waffles and ice cream to have in the morning, what kind of decorations, what gifts to give... Well, we decided on hawaiian waffles with coconut buttermilk syrup and vanilla ice cream (bluebell or course), and blue and white decorations (b/c that's what I have on hand... and BUTLER plays for the championship later... two birds. one stone.) Anyway, I also got Ben a pair of shoes to wear with his scrubs when he starts clinics (who would trust a dentist wearing nikes?) Anyway, when we got home from DSW, the boys were soo excited, and I made sure to tell them, "now, don't tell daddy about his surprise!" So, guess what the first thing Zach says to him is... "Dada. PRIZE (means: surprise in his language). Shoes! Buh-thday." Well, the cat's out of the bag. Too cute anyway and I'm not sure Dada was quick enough to pick up all those words and put it all together:) Happy Birthday babe! We sure feel lucky to have you!

Reunited and it Feels So Good!!

Last year we had the PERFECT set up! Literally, I do not know how I could have adjusted so well to Arizona, having a new baby, no friends, no husband, etc. Without WONDERFUL friends! It just so happens that three of those wonderful families that we became so close to moved away last May/June. What kind of sick joke is that?! I guess it gives us the opportunity to have friends all over the country AND chance to get together, reunite and DOTE on each other:) We had two such opportunities this spring!
    Ike's best little friend who is a boy, was able to come visit (no pics, I know... lame). But, I didn't want the event to go unrecorded! Cohen and Isaac are great little playmates who spent an afternoon here in Phoenix going from one thing to the next to the next as they rekindled their friendship. I think they'll do the same every time we get together! It was so fun to see them fall back into their same little groove and get along as if nothing ever changed! They played farmer (and pulled some weeds, yay!), then they played fireman (and watered the weeds...) then onto trains, cars, astronauts, etc. We LOVE little Cohen, and of course, his sweet family! Please guys, come back and visit ANYTIME!! Maybe next time will have to be in Chicago...
     Our other reunion was with the Stumpe family. Chalece and I shared newborn baby/husband MIA/active 3 year old last year while Mike finished up Pharmacy school. We did almost everything together because, well, Chalece is just THAT enticing! We went on walks, worked out, let our kids play, made dinner, went on any random excursion, etc. together:) So, when the Stumpe's moved, they left a huge hole in our hearts. You can imagine our elation at the news that they were going to spend a week in Southern California during part of Ben's spring break! You guessed it, we jumped at the opportunity to hang out again!
     Since our budget didn't really allow, we didn't really tell Ike about Disneyland. We stayed at a hotel literally steps from disneyland and so he may have gotten the idea he went there... What he really did was spend a few days with the greatest friends chillin' in Orange County. What a Great time! Someday, we'll take him to the real disneyland, but for now, seeing these two reunited and spending time together with our "BFF's" and each other, THIS was the happiest place on earth!

chasing waves never gets old

LOVE:)

Yep, I could live here...

Mike and Ben on a romantic walk down the beach:)

Kyson and Jaylee LOVING the sand

Daddy and Zach catching the waves

Chalece's dream sandcastle... bucket list #47... check! :)

What California Dreamin is all about!

     Can't wait to reunite again:)

Spring! Here and Gone:)

Lunchtime Races... everyday. really.

This is to make you jealous... Spring training Rockies v. Padres. Suntans. Green Grass. March.

Ike the photographer. Finally someone in the family who might remember to take a pic!

Weird that the boys' fave place at the zoo is the farm. Ben just thinks that's ludicrous.

Yes, that's right! Ike is petting. Literally TOUCHING a live animal! AND SMILING!

We have spent the month of March LOVING life. The weather has been great (of course, we are well aware of what is to come...) we won't mention that... I made a goal to NOT turn on the AC until April and I am proud to say we are going to make it!! (Ben is NOT happy about that goal, but when he sees our electric bill, maybe he will... but probably not)! In fact, all he wants for his bday is to turn on the air! It actually has been SO NICE this past week though, we have spent every minute possible outside!
Here's a run down of March, just in case you were wondering...

   * several trips to the zoo, thanks to our pass (what a great idea)!
   * jogging- I LOVE this double jogger. LOVE!
   * Ike learned to ride his big boy bike (with training wheels)
   *Zach's physical therapy has turned into WALKING (when he wants to... grrr!) This started in February and now he can cross the whole room by himself, but ONLY when HE wants to:) I have to laugh. What kind of teenager is this going to be??
   *We are realizing how deep Zach's "mind of his own" runs. He is the sweetest baby EVER, but if he doesn't want to do it (walk) or if he KNOWS the word for strawberry is "blah blah" FORGET about teaching him otherwise! (Seriously, blah blahs are a real thing in our house now b/c he has taught the whole family that is the real name, not strawberries)!
   *Z is also speaking in 3-4 words at a time! His vocabulary is expanding daily and now he just repeats absolutely everything (which today included the word "bendadryl"!)
   * Ben started injecting his clinic partner with anesthesia and started coming home on Thursdays with numb jaws and not being able to open his mouth very far!
   * Watching March Madness- Ike has Butler in his final four again this year, so he is pleased, although we were all heartbroken to find out KU lost today... Now we're all rooting for Butler!!
   * Ike taught Zach (among other things) Rock Chalk Jayhawk! (I'm such a proud mama)!
   * Ike seems to be teaching Z more than I am... I'm pretty sure he had a hand in teaching him to count to 5 and all of his colors
   * Took in a couple spring training games (Go Royals and Rockies)!
   * Baked A TON of granola on the day it was below 70* (and the only day it rained all month)! That should keep us for a good part of the summer!
   * Weeded the yard a gillion times and played in the sand everyday
   * Toured all the parks in our area (there are a ton)! and played our little hearts out! Zach's favorite thing to do in the car is be on the lookout for parks. When he sees one, he yells "Tunnel!! Slide!!" over and over at the top of his lungs until you acknowledge it:)
   * Spring Cleaned!! Oh, come on, you know it's my favorite thing! :) Garage, deep cleaning carpets and grout, walls... ahhh! 
   * Ike started his second soccer season- so cute! He has some pretty good skills, we're relieved!
   *Ike also decided he is just like Jimmer:) Working pretty hard at those basketball skills (especially during commercial breaks during KU or Butler games)- he keeps singing "Teach me how to Jimmer"
   *Ben and I went to our second "Odontoblast" aka Dental Prom- so fun to get dressed up and out on the town.. Ok, and dancing wasn't so bad either:) Especially with Ben by my side!

    I guess that'll do for a March rundown. As I was jogging on Saturday with Zach and Ben was helping at Ike's soccer practice, it came to me how very blessed we have been. Life is so good to us. Even though there are struggles along the way everyday, and we are in no way even close to perfect, we are enjoying the journey. The kids are doing amazing things and I am just trying to hold on and remember all these little moments. They are so precious!

1/2 Marathon... check!

It's true! Can you believe it? I'm not sure I would, if I hadn't been there! These pics are post race too... can you believe we are still happy 13.1 miles later? (LOTS of hills too)! AND can you believe it is February in Phoenix? It felt like June in Laramie!
     I won't bore you with all the details, but I do have to express a little of WHY I have found LOVE in running. First off, I have found some AMAZING women to run with! These girls are so dedicated and caring. We had a wonderful time together sharing our lives over the past few weeks as we've prepared (4 saturdays worth of 2 hour runs)! We have all overcome some obstacles this time around from shin splints to Influenza A 3 days before the race to bum knees, asthma and who knows what else! It's like anything else worth doing... lots of obstacles in the way to make you really work for it (and to make it worth it).
     I truly feel like, though I'm not the fastest (and I also don't run my very hardest- I take after my momma- I talk my way through it... who knows, I MIGHT be Fast...) this is something I accomplished on my own. I didn't take any short cuts, I didn't have any advantages, other than GREAT friends and a LOVING husband who kept reassuring me when I was nervous the night before (it felt just like high school before a big basketball game or something)! Running is just me, my body, my running shoes and the road (and occasionally my friends and the jogging stroller). I guess what I'm saying is that it is easy for me to see accomplishments in Ben's life in school and my kiddos as they learn and grow. I LOVE seeing that! In my life, the accomplishments are usually about everyone else. I'm TOTALLY ok with that. So, I get up at the crack of dawn to run so I can accomplish something just mine... AND I get to drag my loving family all over tarnation to cheer me on and see that their momma is a "winner" or at least an accomplisher of healthy habits... Oh, and I get a free tshirt:) Ok, that's not my motivation, but you get the idea... SO, do I have any takers??? Oh, you didn't think I was going to quit now, did you??

Andy *hearts* (finally) Amber

Most of you know my brother, so I feel confident you will want to know he and Amber are getting MARRIED! yeah! We were lucky enough to have these two ridiculously cute chickadees come visit over new years. What a fun time! I totally wish we lived closer. I know we'd have way too much fun and spoil each other rotten, but seriously, someday, someday... We had such a blast staying up late talking and getting up early to run. We just love 'em to pieces and can't wait for Amber to officially be a part of the family:)
     It's really funny because in a lot of ways, Andy and Amber remind Ben and I so much of ourselves... It definitely takes us back *8 years* (whoa) ago when we were dating and considering marriage. What a crazy (yep, crazy is the best adjective I can come up with for exactly what I mean) time in our lives! I remember that time of engagement being exciting because I knew (with all of my heart) this was the man I wanted (and he equally wanted...) to spend the rest of my life with, but also anxious because it seemed like the rest of my life wasn't happening very fast! I so just wanted to be married and stop making wedding plans and getting frustrated with details of the plans and all the other dramas that come along with planning a wedding. Oh, how I'm glad that time is *well* behind us! *Side note: Secretly, or not so secretly, I think Ben is extremely thankful I had all those feelings because it made our wedding plans so much more simplistic than say other events I have since had my hand in... Ha! Lucky he asked me when he did! Don't get me wrong, I am glad we had that time in our lives and I thank the Lord every day that we are together forever, but that engagement time was not my favorite:) Amber, I wish you much luck on this journey. If you ever feel frustration or like no one else understands all the emotions you are feeling. I do. And I'm right here. A phone call away:) Andy, I'll listen to your whining, but in the end, I'll probably side with Amber:) Love you!!

Now that it's February, how about Christmas?

Santa found us!

Zachary and Ike in their new Christmas Jammies playing away

The Tunnels! Zach's new favorite word and a HUGE hit!

Best Friends, and funny kiddos:) Notice pants on backwards!

This was before Macy ran into a cactus on our hike- after that she kept saying

 "stay away cactus! I don't like you at all!"

Sunny AZ Decmeber 2010

Rainy day at the zoo- Giraffes were really close though, I guess it's worth it!

Lions!

Ike and Amber on the lightrail on our way to the Fiesta Bowl Parade

Andy and Macy on the lightrail- good times:)

sweet little family

Standing like this holding Zachary was fun for the first 10 minutes... 2 hours later, not so much:)

So, the second half of Christmas break was spent with Joni, Clay and the girls escaping the winter abyss for our little oasis of sun! We had such a great time with them! On Christmas Day, while poolside catching some rays and watching the kids splash around, we made an *extensive* list of all the things they wanted to do and see in Phoenix. Guess what?! I think we did it all! What a week! Our kiddos got pretty good at sleeping in the car, eating in the strollers and looking darn cute together! They were worn out every single night and never threw fits about going to sleep- does that say anything? Some of our favorite events: 1. sitting around talking and playing and being together Christmas Day 2. Showing off my cute nieces and even cuter preggo sister at church 3. going hiking to the petroglyphs and out through the sahuaros 4. watching Clay in Cabelas 5. Going to the Temple! 6. Zoo Day 7. Introducing the Kenningtons to IKEA:) 8. crisscrossing the valley for good eats and yummy frozen yogurt treats 9. fresh citrus 10. fiesta bowl parade 11. Andy and Amber driving all night to hang out 12. new years eve facials 13. late night talks and early morning jogs          I'm just sayin' I think I would almost be willing to commit to living in someplace like Pinedale to be closer to those guys! We love them and miss them dearly! Wait, the high there today was below zero... I may have to reconsider... P.S. Andy and Amber- you two rock and you deserve your own post:) I'll see what I can do...