zoo day.

it's been HOT here. over 100 mostly the last week or so. that's hot for us utahns who expect lovely weather in may! last week when the weather forecast was predicting low 90s for saturday, we knew we had to take advantage of the decent weather. so we went to the phoenix zoo! lemme just say. the phoenix zoo is awesome. i've always enjoyed the hogle zoo, but now it just pales in comparison.

 fun little treehouse.

 the monkey exhibit was so fun! you get to go into the exhibit and the monkeys are all over the place right in front of you. so cool.

  harper living it up in the wagon. she pretty much downed that whole fountain drink.

 the petting zoo, which really should have been called the goat petting zoo. because there were no other animals. just goats. but it was fun, and serena especially loved it. she is a little animal lover.

it was lots of fun, and very beautiful. i didn't even feel sorry for the animals. the giraffe exhibit was great- unlike the warehouse and dirt patch at hogle zoo! and they have camel rides! serena has been dying to do that ever since she saw a picture of her cousins riding the camel. but she chickened out, saying "i'll go on it next time", so i guess we'll definitely visit again in the fall.

sunday conversation.

[driving in the car]

serena: Harper, did you know that Jesus died?

harper: Jesus died?

serena: Yeah, He died. But now He's alive again.

harper: Right there? (pointing at the window)

serena: In my window? No, Jesus died in Utah.

me: Jesus died in Calvary.

serena: Is Calbury far away?

me: Yes, it is.

serena: Is He still there?

me: No, he is up in heaven now.

serena: Up there? (pointing to the sky)

me: Yeah, up there.

serena: In that cloud?

me: Well, heaven is far away and we can't see it from here.

serena: Is it a house?

me: ...

serena: Can the fairies go up there?

me: ...

serena: Is it all filled up with stars?

me: ... Um, yes. (Sure.... ??)

happy mother's day.

 these two cuties make me one happy mama.



happy birthday, serena!

well we are here in arizona. finally somewhat settled. and yesterday we celebrated serena's 4th birthday!

before we left utah, serena went to the birthday part of a little friend in our ward and it was all she could talk about for a week before and a week after. when we would talk about her upcoming birthday, she would say, "I want to have a birthday party and invite Isaac and Kelty and Teagan. And I want to have my party at the clubhouse." it kind of broke our hearts to have to tell her that we wouldn't be in utah anymore, and her friends and cousins wouldn't be able to come to a party. but she surprised us, and seemed to have a happy birthday in spite of that. her grandparents, aunts, uncles & cousins all sent cards and gifts and she was able to talk to many of them on the phone, so she was a happy camper.

the day included bike rides, playing with new toys, birthday cake, and a trip to the funniest dollar theater in tempe. just the four of us. and it was a good day.

life with these two.

 

our little family of four was supposed to be together in Arizona by now. but instead, we are still waiting. the three of us in Utah, husband down there. house number 1 fell through. house number 2 closes next week. and the waiting will FINALLY be over. i really reallyreally can't wait!! waiting is hard. but it HAS made me warm up to the idea of moving to Arizona. i think i'd up and move just about anywhere if it meant we could be together as a family again! we miss sean lots and lots.

sledding.

 

sean took serena sledding a few weeks ago and she loooooved it. her cousins came, too, and they went to the most fantastic sledding hill. we've been trying to make sure that the girls get their fill of fun in the snow before the big move to arizona! here are some pics from sean & stephanie's phones.

we're moving... and new year's resolutions.

at the end of december, sean accepted a full-time position with one of the clients he's been working for remotely for the last few years. in mesa, az. he has already started work down there and we're in the process of finding and buying a house. initially i was completely devastated. it makes me so sad that we'll be away from our families, especially for our girls to be away from grandparents and cousins. i will miss our ward and our friends. i will miss winter and snow. and grass. and autumn. {seasons in general.} and then i started getting over the devastation and started getting excited. excited for a HOUSE. excited for a piano {sean promised!}. excited for the adventure. excited to meet new people and see new things. and now i'm excited, sad, nervous AND impatient! i can't wait to find a house and be settled in. can we please skip the packing, moving, unpacking part? i'm in denial that we have to do all of that. bleh. BUT i can't wait for us to all be down there together. so that's our update. sean is in arizona. we are here. and we hope this time apart is short. with all of this change happening in our family, we {i} decided on a family theme for 2013.

Be strong and of a good courage;

be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed:

for the Lord thy God is with thee

whithersoever thou goest.

-Joshua 1:9

 

and with this scripture in mind, sean and i decided to jump right into this adventure. be brave, and know that the Lord is with us. our goal is to be social in our new neighborhood. don't wait for others to talk to us-- introduce ourselves. find friends that our kids can play with. it's easier said than done. especially for us. {we're kind of anti-social.}

 

resolutions for 2013: {gotta put it in writing or it's not gonna happen.}

 

- be friendly

- smile more.

- get to know our new ward. don't wait for people to talk to me.

- be consistent with family home evening.

- family prayers every night.

- get in front of the camera with my kids.

- read the whole ensign each month.

- practice the piano.

- find somewhere to sing.

- be active. winter in az is perfect for getting outside and active! so no excuses!

- eat more fruits & veggies.