Whining Works

I just have a few words to say about the Suns vs. Spurs game last night. First of all, whining works. I never could understand why grown men who make millions of dollars every year, feel the need to fall on the floor flailing, and then proceed to cry to the officials that they were tripped, pushed, fouled, blah blah blah. Where is your dignity? The Spurs are the most childish team I have ever seen play. I couldn't believe the whining last night- after pretty much every call. Tim Duncan has got to be the biggest baby in the NBA. But you know why? It works for him. Because almost every time he gave a reaction prior to the call, the ref called it in his favor. My "favorite" was when he tripped over his own foot in the 4th quarter (shown clearly by a number of angles in the replay), and the call went on the Suns. Incredible! I guess dignity and honesty don't matter as long as you get your way. I seriously was shocked at the reffing, but most of all at the Spurs and the dirty way that they play ball. The poor Suns just took every call without whining, and their reward was more ridiculous calls on them. The Suns weren't going to win the playoffs anyway, but at least we could have had a fair game where we could actually play instead of watch theatrics and Shaq miss free throws.

Which brings me to my next gripe. I wish we had not traded for Shaq! He just does not allow us to play our game. The Suns are known for their fast game, but not anymore. Now, when Steve Nash gets a fast break, there is no one who can run down the court to help him. He either has to try and take a shot while being guarded by 2 or 3 guys, or wait for the rest of the team to mosey on down the court so they can set up their offense. Actually, the second scenario happens way more. Poor Nash just doesn't get much play now. Our team doesn't really play as a team as much- not like last season. Now it's the Shaq Free Throw Show. Why oh why did we trade for him? It gives other teams such an advantage. They can just keep putting new guys in to foul up Shaq. They know he can't shoot free throws for anything! Then our momentum gets stopped. Shaq can't make free throws, and lately, can't even make lay-ups. And I don't know why he tries to take that shot where he turns to hook it toward the basket, because he misses it every time. If I was D'Antoni, I wouldn't let him ever try for that shot. Pass it back out to Raja Bell or Nash. Shaq just overshadows the whole team, but isn't even worthy to deserve the attention! He should be used for rebounding and the occasional dunk, I say. Amare, who is awesome, isn't being utilized either, which kills me, because he is such a great player. Bad decision in my opinion.

So now the Suns are out of it, and I pretty much don't care who wins, as long as it's not the Spurs or the Lakers. And even though it sounds like I hate the Spurs because of this last game, I don't. I have never liked the Spurs and this current team just plays so dirty that unless you are from there or already are a die hard fan, it's just so hard to like a team that makes a mockery of a real game of ball.

Rash Face

Yesterday Jonah developed a pinkish rash only on his forearms. We thought that was a little weird. He hasn't had a fever or been complaining about the rash. We decided to research online what it might be instead of taking him into Urgent Care and spending the day there. We think he might have Fifth Disease, which isn't a big deal- just a viral infection. (But it can cause problems for pregnant ladies in their first trimester, so all you preggos, stay away!) Eden seems to have caught it too and has a worse rash than Jonah. They sometimes call it "slapped cheek disease" because of how the rash on the face can look. Eden's face and arms look just like the pictures we found online. So my kids have been drinking fluids and resting a little, but I don't think they have a clue that they are sick, because they are acting normal and screaming and fighting the usual amount. Yeah. Here are some pictures of Rash Face (aka Eden):

Funny, I didn't notice Levi in the background!

Animal Primary

Last night Jonah had all of his animals lined up on the table. Lately his imagination has been taking off and I find him talking for his animals or cars. I guess that last night, he had Primary on the brain because I think that the animals were having a primary class of their own. I just kept hearing Jonah saying a bunch of prayers, then when I went to look at what he was doing, I realized that each of the animals were taking turns saying a prayer in front of the "class". It was so funny, I had to tape some of it. I think he didn't understand why I was watching him; his look kind of says "go away!"



Pretty soon, they were singing "I am a Child of God" too.



Oh, yeah. About his prayers- he usually mixes it up and says lots of different things, but he always mentions school and going to play.

Just Some Funny Pictures of the Kids 2

Nice pose, Jonah!

Hanging out in their new shirts we got them in San Francisco

Levi loves crawling into his carseat!

There he goes!

Proof- 3 kids in diapers!

Such a happy baby!

I got this toy out of the closet for Levi, but I guess they all wanted to play with it!

Good News for Us, Random News for You

Our bishop announced today in Sacrament Meeting that the Church has officially announced two new temples to be built in Arizona. One will be in the Gilbert area, and one in the Gila Valley area, near Thatcher. I guess there had been some rumors floating around about it, but it is official! I am really excited, because this means that we might get to actually go once in a while! I know that the Mesa Temple is only maybe 30 minutes away, but it is really crowded, especially on weekends, which is when we are most available to go. There are just so many members here in the valley that another temple will be such a welcome sight!

We also got an unofficial "heads-up" from a counselor in the bishopric, that our ward will be split in October when the new building (just up the road from our current building!) is finished. We are still getting new families every week despite the drop in the real estate market. We currently have almost 700 people. So, we'll see how big our ward is after the split in October! I personally miss having a smaller ward like we did in Walnut Creek. There just seems like there is more to do and it's less easy to fall through the cracks. Either way, we'll probably need to split again soon!

Climbing Already!

I came down the stairs yesterday and found Levi doing this:

Little booger! He is already crawling and climbing up onto things! Now my real work begins. Jonah and Eden didn't even start crawling until about 9 months, and here is Levi, crawling AND climbing at 7! Things are going to get pretty hectic around here!

He is so proud of himself!

Allergies!

These past few months have been horrible! I usually do not get seasonal allergies. I am allergic to cats and rats, and I used to be allergic to potpourri. Now I know what it's like to be allergic to springtime! And I hate it! I have been sneezing constantly (I never sneeze 6 times in a row!) and I have itchy eyes, nose, and throat. I have been sniffling like crazy. I was taking Claritin for a while, but it seems to run out at the end of the day, even though it's supposedly 24 hours. I'm at my wits end! I can't believe that I'm saying I can't wait for summer to come! I can deal with the heat, but these allergies are killing me!

Rough Day for Jonah

Yesterday the kids were jumping on the couch in my room while I was sitting on the bed. All of a sudden, Jonah fell right off and hit his head on the corner of my nightstand before he even hit the floor. I wasn't watching and didn't see if Eden pushed him (definitely a possibility) or if he just lost his balance. Anyway, he started screaming like crazy, and when I got to him and picked him up, blood was gushing out of a cut on his forehead. So I laid him on the counter in our bathroom and put pressure on it with a wet washcloth. I called Peter with all three kids screaming in the background, and he came home. Jonah was trying to fall asleep while we waited for Peter, so I tried to keep him awake with songs and questions. He was pretty annoyed, but stayed awake. He didn't want me to take the washcloth off to look; he kept trying to hold it there. The cut wasn't very big lengthwise, but looked to be a little deep. I have little experience with emergency situations, coming from a house full of girls who have never broken a bone or had stitches. (That changed when my mom had Landon.)

Anyway, Peter assessed the cut and didn't think he would need stitches. (He has had a lot of experience with emergencies, having come from a house full of boys who were always in the ER.) The bleeding stopped eventually and we put a band aid on it and let him lay down and read a book. He has been fine since. He rested for a while yesterday, but was acting normal after a few hours. He has a new Backyardigans band aid on his head right now, and is on the mend!

How Cute Is This?

I heard Levi laughing and went into Jonah's room to find these two playing!

Yippee! Fair Time in Logandale

We had a blast this year at the fair and rodeo! The kids really enjoyed their time with their grandparents and aunts and uncles. This year was especially fun because we got to see Uncle Paul (my dad's brother) and Aunt Hazel, and Uncle Chris and Aunt Debbie (my mom's sister) and their kids. Also, Kira and her boyfriend, Sean, were able to come down from Orem. Here are Kira and Levi all ready to go to the fair! Levi just needs his hat!
It was so fun hanging out with everyone and getting to know Sean better. We had lots of late nights staying up talking and playing Guitar Hero. I am not that into video games, but that game is pretty fun. I would ALMOST consider buying a PlayStation just so I could play that game. Thanks for bringing it, Sean! It was tons of fun.

We made some time on Saturday to go slacklining at the park. (It's kind of like tight-rope walking, but the line is slack, not tight. It's an outdoorsy thing that Kira picked up in Utah.) Kira and Michaela have been doing it for a while now and are pretty good. Sean, Peter, and I tried to do it, and we realized that it's a lot harder than it looks! Everyone did a pretty good job, but we were so sore afterward! If you want to know what it is, click on my sister Kira's blog link to the right. She has a You Tube video of a couple of guys slacklining. Keep in mind that these guys are incredibly good!

Jonah is starting to get to the age where the fair can really be fun. Eden, not so much. She had a hard time a few of the days. I think she was mostly overstimulated and tired, and she ended up having a screaming tantrum. Thank goodness Grandma's house is just down the street!

Jonah liked pretty much everything!

The tractor display

The Small Animal Pavilion
And of course, the rides!
Here we are on the train that circles the fairgrounds:
Jonah and Eden especially loved the pony rides. They wanted to go on it over and over. Jonah just had this adorable smile on his face the entire time! He looked like such a natural cowboy! Well, besides the Vans!

It was a great weekend! My sisters and I even braved the Zipper a few times, which we haven't been on since high school. I lost my voice laughing and screaming. It was so much fun! I think I've eaten enough funnel cakes, crepes, and Dippin' Dots to last the whole year! Thanks, Mom and Dad for letting us come up!

San Francisco Sans Kids

I have procrastinated this post long enough! We were able to go up to my folks' house for General Conference weekend. It was a lot of fun to hang out with everyone. Of course, my kids love going to Grandpa and Grandma's house. Jonah had been asking for "Gwanpa" for a week! (He calls both Grandma and Grandpa "Gwanpa".) So it was nice to finally get up there.
On Monday morning, Peter and I were able to fly to San Francisco without the kids. I was a little worried because we have never taken a trip without them before, but we all did fine. Peter and I did a lot of the touristy stuff that we didn't get to do when we lived in Walnut Creek.

We stayed right in the middle of town near Union Square and had a great view from our hotel room.
We rode every kind of transportation possible- planes, cable cars, buses, taxis, ferries, and the BART (subway train). By the time our trip was over, it felt like my brain was swimming around in my head. At least I never got motion sick. It was a lot of fun seeing the area where we used to live.
We visited Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square, Lombard Street, Chinatown, Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge and did some shopping around. It was fun to be right there in Union Square where Peter used to work and I used to come down for lunch. Everything pretty much looked the same and it was so nice that we already knew the area and how to get around. We ate at some of our favorite old spots for lunch too. Here I am at Lombard Street (the crookedest street in the world).
These pictures are of Alcatraz. We went on the self-guided audio tour. It was really interesting and creepy. This is on the way up to the cell block.
This was a typical cell and the 3rd picture down is a cell in the solitary confinement area. They would be locked behind the bars and have that door shut too. There was nothing at all in that cell and it would be pitch black in there.

We sure look like geeks with those headphones on!

The highlight of our trip, though, was when we went out to Walnut Creek and got to meet up with our friends, Beau and Heather. It had been 3 years since we had seen them. They were nice enough to let us come over and visit and meet their adorable son. We really miss them and all of our friends that we left out there. A lot of them have left as well, but we were so happy that we got to see Beau and Heather! Thanks, guys!

Oh yeah, and if you noticed that Peter and I are wearing the same hoodies and scarves in all of the pictures, it is because we were freezing and didn't really prepare! We didn't have coats or anything. I guess we have become accustomed to the heat in Arizona, because both of us were freezing the whole trip! I think next time we'll go in the summer!

A HUGE thanks to my mom (and dad, Michaela, Tibi, and Landon) for watching the kids for a few days so we could go. It was nice to have a vacation without worrying about strollers and sippy cups!

Five Things I Can't Live Without

I've been tagged by my cousin, Karena! Okay, of course I could live without these, but you get the idea!

1. Target
I love to shop at our Super Target here. The prices for groceries are actually comparable, I know where everything is, and unlike some other discount chain stores *cough Walmart*, they actually stock their shelves, open more than 2 lanes and don't block aisles while stocking late at night. They have adorable clothes for kids and even adults, and I love their home decor. Yes, I love this place.
2. Fruit
I love all kinds of fruit, and have to eat some everyday. My favorite is cantaloupe, but I also love bananas, peaches, all berries, a good watermelon, pineapple, and clementines. I basically love all fruit. I don't think there is a fruit that I don't like.

3. Hot Showers
I know this sounds dumb, but I really love a good hot shower. I mean as hot as it can get without scalding me. I don't mind getting dirty- I love camping and outdoor activities. But afterward, the best thing in the world is a hot shower.
4. Cell Phone
I know that I really could live without it if I had to, but it sure would be an adjustment. It is so nice having one. Just thinking about the weekend we just had at the fair in Logandale- it would have been chaos without a cell phone. It's so nice to just be able to say "I'll call you" instead of I'll meet you on the left side of the Plaza Stage by the 3rd funnel cake booth at precisely 4:35, etc. Anyone who has a cell phone knows what I mean.
5. Good Books
I can live without TV, movies, etc. And I have. But I think I would go crazy if I didn't have some form of entertainment, and I think that I really do prefer reading to the rest. I still love movies and The Office, but if I had to give up books, I just couldn't do it.
I tag anyone who wants to post about this...