Happened, not happend

I just realized that I misspell the word happened. I always spelled it like "happend". Thank goodness for spell check!

Arizona trip wrapped up

One of the many things I love about the houses in Arizona is that they are all built with solid fences behind them. Audrey and Brighton were pretty much fighting on and off the whole time we were there. One night, they were being really loud, so we told them they could play outside. At first, the loved the idea...and then two minutes of being outside changed their minds.

A lot more happened in Arizona than I have pictures for.

We were in the mall with the plan of going to the Kids Club, me and Audrey used to go to it. Unfortunately we were too late, it had already ended. As we were walking around we walked past the Santa in the mall. Audrey got so excited! She was obsessed with Santa this year, but we hadn't taken her to see one because I was always under the impression that you would have to pay for the over priced pictures that came along with your visit. So we kept walking by. Audrey tried desperately to pull me and Travis back to Santa..."He wants to hold me!" she yelled. She was so passionate about it that I went up and looked at the prices of the pictures...they were way to much for what they were. Then I asked the girl working there (she was NOT wearing an elf costume) if we had to get pictures taken. Much to my surprise she said "No, you can come through the line as many times as you want!". So Travis stood in line with Audrey and Brighton to see Santa. When their turn came up Audrey ran out and jumped on Santa's lap. He had just been holding a screaming toddler, so this was probably a bit of a shock to him. Brighton was a bit more apprehensive, but he joined Audrey and Santa. This Santa was the best one I have ever seen...he had a REAL beard! I am really glad that Audrey could see Santa this year.

A few days before we went to Arizona I checked in with our good friends, Chris and Laura. They live in Canada, so we basically get to see them...never. It just so happened that they were going to be in Phoenix for business the exact same week we were visiting. How is that for coincidence? So we got to go out for dinner and play a game of Settlers with them. It was so fun to see them.

Travis's Mom had a lot of things planned out for us the kids when we were there, and one of them was to do a Nativity scene starring Brighton as Joseph, Audrey as Mary, and Phoenix as baby Jesus. It was a lot of fun, the kids were adorable and we all got to wear costumes.

I also got to visit with my best girlfriend from Mesa, Tatum. It was so much fun catching up with her and her adorable daughters. Tatum just bought a new house and it is decorated so well, she is amazing!

As you can tell, we had an awesome time visiting Arizona.

Temple Lights

One of the benefits of visiting a Mormon Temple during Christmas time is the elaborate Christmas lights they have decorating the Temple grounds. We went to go see the lights at the Mesa, AZ temple. I realized just now that we didn't get many pictures of the lights themselves, but we did take pictures of the event.

Science Museum

We took a trip to the science museum in downtown Phoenix. We rode a train/metro into the city, the kids loved it!

The monkey leashes were an obvious must have...

This contraption was a contest of who could relax the most. Travis was undeafeted (no surprise there), when we hooked Brighton and Audrey up to it the ball didn't move...I am not really sure what that meant.

Look at those guns!

Boat ride

It had been well over a year since we had been to Arizona, but the first thing Audrey says when we mention her Grandpa in Arizona is his boat. So, of course we had to take advantage of the opportunity to go for a boat ride while we were there. As you can see, we had a great time. Audrey and Brighton took turns driving the boat, they were both very proud of that.

Visit to the big A-Z

We went to Arizona last week to visit with Trav's family. We had a fabulous time. I am not sure if you can actually have a soul mate in a place to live....would you call it a "soul home"? It must be possible because Phoenix is definitely my soul-home...I miss it so much. Blue skies, sunshine, warmer temperatures, dry air, the landscape (palm trees, cacti, mountains), the layout of the city...some one stop me! I am thinking we might just have to move back, I don't think I can resist! It will be a few years until we can even think of moving though. Patience is a virtue, right?

More to come from our trip, it is too late to do it all tonight.

Pictures from my birthday

Here are a few pictures from my birthday dinner. We ate at Olive Garden...

We always get a plate full of parmasean cheese for Audrey, she loves it. Can you see it on her lips?

What can I say? I adore this picture!

Me, with my favorite soup!

The big 2-5

Yesterday was my 25th birthday...it was a rough day.

Travis promised me that I would be able to sleep in, but the truck froze and he had to fix that and clean out the tank, so I got up earlier than planned to feed Phoenix. I didn't mind too much because I love that little fella. Then I spent at least an hour calling up customers for the next week, probably one of my least favorite things to do in the world. Audrey was difficult all day (she has been for the last two weeks), and Phoenix decided to take 2 20 minute naps instead of his regular 4 2 hour naps...which lead to a fussy baby. Then we had to get ready for our family pictures (it was the only day we could do it). Travis was late getting back from running some errands, and that meant me getting myself and both kids ready...and we got caught in traffic, so we were 1/2 hour late for our appointment. For the pictures Audrey refused to smile, and Phoenix finally fell asleep half way through (so he is absent in a lot of the pictures). Then we went to pick up some cupcakes from my favorite place, The Cupcake Shoppe , they are supposed to close at 8, but when we got there at 6 they were closed. I must admit, that was a real downer. I should also mention that Phoenix was crying for the whole car ride. Then we went to Olive Garden for dinner. Travis was absent for 15 minutes or so because he was putting Phoenix to sleep. But when he came back with a sleeping baby it was a huge relief. There was a large server who was over some tables close to us. The first time he walked by us Audrey said "Mommy, he is fat right?" I immediatley told her not to say that. The guy seemed really nice. After that every time he walked by Audrey said "He is really big" and I couldn't get her to stop saying that. On the bright side, the food was good.

Then we got home. Both kids were being difficult...again. As Travis put it "You can't change your kids. But you can change their diapers." That made me laugh. I gave Phoenix a bath and then put him down, and he actually stayed alseep. Travis was really trying to make things go well throughout the day, and that definately made things easier. Then I opened my presents. Travis worked out a deal with one of our customers that owns a spa that he would give them the rest of the year for free if I got the same value at their spa. That was by far the best present ever!!!! I love stuff like that, and the fact that he got a great deal on it made it even better. I also got a pink snuggie (both Travis and Audrey are jealous), and some perfume I really wanted. When I first put the snuggie on Audrey said "Mommy, you like Jesus!" I may be wrong in this, but I am pretty sure Jesus did not have a snuggie..but I guess that is a question we can ask once we are in heaven. We ended the festivities cuddling on the couch (me, Trav, and Audrey) all sharing my snuggie. There was definately a lot of stress throughout the day, but the end of the day was nice and relaxing. And I got to spend it with my wonderful family, and I wouldn't have it any other way (crying kids and all).

On my mind

• For my birthday: Should I get cowgirl boots which I desperately want, or a new pair of glasses, which I desperately need? (I was wearing my glasses last week and Phoenix was starring at me like I was a mad scientist).
• I was at the WIC office the other day and the girl typing on the computer had acrylic nails, and the sound of her nails clicking away made me want fake nails so bad. I am not sure if I can resist...
• I want to see New Moon again, who doesn't?
• I can't figure out what to wear for our family pictures which we will get taken on Monday, it always takes me weeks to pick something out for everyone in the family. I was so desperate to find something that would coordinate with a sweater that Audrey has that I ventured out of the clearance section...for the first time in my life! Gasp! And I still didn't find anything.
• I was so happy this morning when I walked downstairs and the kitchen was totally clean! Thanks to my hott husby!
• I really want to play this game for the Wii...it is a sing along with the Jo Bros, Taylor Swift, Miley Cryus, and Demi Lovato...this game has me (and my sister Jo) written all over it! (Jo, ask Santa to bring you this game so next time I come up we can play it!)

Binky Rewind

Since Audrey has stopped using her binky (at least two months ago) her overbite has gone down to a normal level (she can actually bite things with her front teeth now), and the gap in her front teeth has all but dissappeared. When Janae was over, Audrey was telling her that Addison has Spongebob teeth as well, and then Janae looked at Audrey's teeth and said something like "you don't really have Spongebob teeth anymore". Audrey was offended and responded "I do have Spongebob teeth!" You see, Spongebob teeth are very special and they are only for the elite and beautiful crowd (which perfectly describes Audrey and Addison).

So we have seen this huge improvement in Audrey's teeth, and a few days ago Travis wanted to see how Audrey would react if she saw one of her old binky's, so he got one from my hiding place (I don't have the heart to throw them away yet) and he put it on the floor in front of Audrey. I should mention that I objected to this little experiment. When Audrey saw her binky she screamed with delight and immediately put it in her mouth...only it didn't fit like it used to. Travis tried to take it from her right away, but I let her suck on it for 5 minutes (his way was cruel). Then Travis took it away after the 5 minutes and hid it again. For the rest of the day she asked for her binky, and after that she forgot about it again, thankfully.

Dear Neighbor...

Dear Neighbor,

The loud mexican music that you blast through your open garage door makes it difficult for my babies to sleep. Would you mind turning it down? I can "feel the beat" through the floors of my house...even when I am upstairs.

I know that we haven't always been the best of neighbors. Remember the two times in the summer when the horn in our dang Galant went off at 3 am, and we couldn't hear it because we had our fan and A/C unit going...and you had to pound on our front door to wake us up? We are sorry about that...

I am not saying don't play your music, just please turn it down a little bit.

Merry Christmas,

Rachel

Biscuits: Take #20

Before:

After:

After countless attempts (and failures) of trying to make fluffy, and light biscuits I have finally succeeded. The relief society in my ward offered a class on biscuit making, and I was all over that. I learned that it is not so much the recipe as the technique you use to mix the ingredients. If you want a lesson, next time you see me ask me to show you (it would be difficult to try to describe how to mix the dough properly). Oh, and I also made some strawberry jam...which goes perfectly with the biscuits. To quote Rachael Ray, "yumm-o"!

Thanksgiving Recap

Yes, I know, the pictures I (or Travis) got are not great, but they are better than nothing. For Thanksgiving Janae and her family came over to eat dinner (and play games) with us. The food was delish (the ham was waay over done, but the turkey was perfect, compliments to Trav). Audrey and Brighton shared a room at night for the first time ever (now they can have sleepovers!). We noticed that Phoenix is only a few inches shorter than Addison (she is over a year old!).

Go Audrey Go!

This morning Audrey was playing on our little ironing board (pretending it was a sled) and I helped her out with something on it.

Audrey: Thank you Mommy! Gracias!

Me: Did you just say gracias?

Audrey: Yes, thank you!

Later on today I was playing with her and her favorite bear. Her bear "asked" her what Phoenix likes.

Audrey: Phoenix drinks milk. He drink formeela milk.

Bear (aka me): Formula?

Audrey: Yeah, formeela!

I am always surprised at the things she picks up. Audrey keeps things interesting.

Alarm clock

This morning I had the please of waking up to the sounds of a cooing baby...
I can't complain!

Withdrawals

Those of you who know Travis know that he has a great love for pizza, Little Caesars Pizza to be exact. Even I can admit that the $5 hot + ready is hard to beat in both price and convenience, and as far as chain pizza goes, Little Caesars is far from the worst. That being said, it is still a national chain and by default that means that it aint that good. I grew up in a city (or town rather) that had a large variety of local pizza places that were delish...in fact the pizza is probably the thing I miss most about NY...other than friends and family of course. So, when we go up to NY, I eat as much pizza as I can get my hands on, and so does Travis. A few months ago he told me his favorite places to get pizza were Tony's(NY), Nirchis(NY), New York Pizza (NC), and Little Caesars. One of those things is not like the others...

After having Little Caesars about once a week for at least the last year I needed a break. So we haven't gotten it for a while (I should input here that Travis bought 2 Little Caesars pizzas while I was in NY, and he ate them for dinner, breakfast, lunch, and dinner the next day). So basically every night when we are trying to decide what to have for dinner Travis has one suggestion...any guesses of what it is? The other night we decided to make fried chicken, and then Travis discovered that the dishes in the dishwasher were dirty. "That's it, we are having Little Caesars tonight!" was his response. I reminded him that we could wash the dishes that we needed by hand (it only took a minute). Then today, he has a pest control class and they are serving food there. Before he left he told me that he would be so happy if they had Little Caesars there. It is just funny how much he likes Little Caesar's, it is part of his charm. I think I am going to have to bend soon, for his sake.

Dr's Visit

Phoenix had his 4 month check up today, and we decided it would be a good time to get Audrey her flu vaccinations. The last time we went to the Dr's, Audrey was still using her binky. Her Doctor took it away from her and said that she shouldn't use it anymore. The whole thing was a bit traumatizing for her. After she got off her binky I told her that the next time she sees her doctor she can tell him that she doesn't use her binky anymore. I should also mention that playing "doctor" is one of Audrey's favorite games. Phoenix will be our patient and Audrey pats on his stomach, shines Trav's flashlight all over Phoenix, and she will give him medicine if she deems it neccesary. He loves it.

So we were in the check-up room, and in walks the doctor...

Audrey: HI DOCTOR!!! I DON'T USE A BINKY ANYMORE! (I used caps because she was talking so loudly, and excitedly), playing "doctor" has really gotten Audrey excited about the whole thing.

The doctor congratulated her and told her that she was a big girl. Then after a few minutes he asked her what she wants to be when she grows up.

Audrey: Phoenix is getting two shots today

Doctor: What do you want to be when you grow up (he had to repeat his question because she obviously did not answer it the first time he asked)?

Audrey: Oh! A Chicken!

Audrey really likes chickens....

Jill's Wedding

The reason that we went to NY was for Jill's wedding. I met Jill when I was in 2nd grade I think...it was a loong time ago. Her husby, Sev, I met when I was a senior. The first time I met them as a couple I knew that they were perfect for each other. I am so glad that they have each other.

The ceremony was beautiful. Jill looked gorgeous! There were several musical numbers and they were amazing. The Pastur kept saying "Jev" when he was trying to say "Jill and Sev". It was funny.

Audrey was the flower girl. Her dress was perfect, and her and the ring bearer were instant friends. It was adorable to see. How did they do walking down the aisle you ask? Well at the rehearsal they sprinted down the aisle. For the actual wedding James (the ring bearer) walked a little faster than Audrey and she didn't throw down any flowers until the very end...and she stood in the same spot for over a minute! Luckily Travis was there to help coach her.

The reception was a blast! We danced a lot!!

Poor Audrey was soo tired! When we got into the car after the reception she was alseep in about 2 minutes.

Everything about the day was great. It was so much fun to see Jill and our other friends. It was an honor to be in her wedding.

Smore Fun

Visiting the Cider Mill was a must when I was in NY. They are only open during the fall, which means I haven't been there for years. We got some delish donuts, and some freshly made cider. Audrey loved it!

Don't I look flabulous?

Good ole Arnold Park.

Hall-O-ween

We were in NY for Halloween this year. It was fun to take Audrey trick-or-treating in the same neighborhoods that I went in when I was younger. Me, Trav, and my sister Jessie took Audrey trick or treating. I must say that I really loved the 3 adults to 1 kid ratio.



I really don't think she will ever get tired of this chicken costume!

Audrey is showing grandpa (aka my Dad) her princess necklace that she had to wear with her chicken outfit.

Before Halloween we drove by this house a few times...and Audrey was very excited to see the spider up close. But, when it came down to it she was content to stand at a comfortable distance.

Phoenix really didn't like his chicken costume...so sad, I know.

Aaaudrey

Audrey has been doing really cute things lately. It seems like overnight she went from a toddler to a little girl that can carry on full conversations.

Today Travis was watching news (what a surprise) and Obama came on. Then Audrey said "Mommy, I see Michael Jackson!" I was somewhat taken aback...how many 3 year olds know Michael Jackson? I can definately say for sure that I never told Audrey who he was. And it is funny that she thought Obama was Michael Jackson...because they do not look alike at all!

Then later today Travis got a new phone in the mail (he has been using the same one for almost 4 years...and it was used when he got it!). For some reason Audrey is obsessed with the user guide books that come with phones. So, while Travis was working I skimmed through his book to check it out. Then Audrey brought her pumpkin full of Halloween candy over to me and said "Here, you can have this." As soon as I accepted the candy (no, I did not eat it) she took the user guide book and said "I can have this". So, in her mind she made a fair trade. Unfortunately I couldn't let her play with the book, so I gave her Halloween candy back.

This is my favorite stage so far. Audrey is so much fun.

studalicious

I can't resist him...he is too cute!

aqua-rium

Last week my sista, Leah, was in town...so we visited the aquarium near Wilmington. It was a lot of fun.

Carrots are good for your eyes...

at least that is what I have been told. If that is true, Audrey will have really good vision. She loves eating carrots! The other day I was working on paperwork upstairs and when I came down Audrey was eating a carrot and she put these red sweatpants on. She literally tries everything on that we get for Phoenix, and 99% of the time the things are way too small for her...the red pants were the one exception. I don't think he minds sharing with her.

Rachel Needs...

• a new pair of glasses...the ones I currently have have been broken and bent so many times that there is no hope for them. The prescription is 5 years old, and they are embarressingly crooked. Every time I look down they fall off. Sometimes I throw them in the hopes that they will break beyond repair. A few days ago I left them on the floor in a high traffic area hoping that someone would step on them...it didn't work.


• a little more patience...but who doesn't? I am working on it!


• a good biscuit recipe...I have tried at least 5 different recipes and all of my biscuits come out flat, and hard as a board. I have considered getting a job at KFC in order to figure out how they get the biscuits so light and fluffy.
• a fence in the backyard...we will hopefully (cross your fingers) be getting one in soon!

Audrey's Talent

I decided to have a girls night out last night, just me and Audrey. We went shopping (of course). Audrey had been playing with a stuffed dog all day, so of course she brought it with her shopping. When we were in Old Navy she was making barking sounds (loudly). As long as she is staying close to me I don't care how loud she is (unless it's screaming and crying). A lady came towards us and when she saw Audrey she said "Wow, your daughter really sounds like a dog!" then she turned around to her kids and said "it is a little girl making the noise!" As soon as that lady walked away, another lady came towards us and when she saw Audrey she said "I thought there was a real dog in here!" and then she turned around to her people and said "it's a girl, not a dog!"

I never realized that Audrey had such a convincing bark. What a useful skill to have!