A Day at the Zoo

Today Clara and I spent the day at the zoo. It was a magical day spent between mother and daughter. It was fun and sweet and busy and totally enjoyable! We headed out this morning and arrived about 10:30. After walking around until nearly noon, we decided to grab some lunch. So we had hot dogs and corn dogs and a giant pretzel and then walked around some more making sure to re visit some of the animals that had been sleeping the first time we went through. We managed to see almost everything except the tapir, which did not seem to be home. Clara earned this trip to the zoo by getting marbles in her jar. It takes 50 marbles to earn a reward. Most often it is the reward of the child's choice. Both of our boys recently worked toward a visit to Starbuck's. Clara wanted the zoo. And so off to the zoo we went! And a wonderful day indeed it was! I know that for this next round of marbles, Max is working toward guitar lessons and Ben would like to work toward a guitar. We're gonna have to talk that one over....but it sure is nice to see our children working so hard on their manners and household responsibilities...and all for a little glass marble! Anyway...a marvelous day!

Relaxation

Chris has been taking a few days off and it has been so wonderful to have him around! He took off both Thursday and Friday and then Monday is a holiday for him since it is President's day! On Thursday he spent the day sleeping in just a little, paying taxes, catching up on naps and just relaxing a bit. Then on Friday, after we took Clara to ballet, Chris and I picked up some sandwiches at this swanky little grocery and headed off on this amazing hike up Finger Rock (hence the self portrait of us!). We spent the whole rest of the day just hiking and being together. The first part of the hike was just magical. I kept calling it the secret garden because it was just so cooland different. Then suddenly the secret garden part ended and a VERY grueling climb began! We climbed pretty sraight up vertical for just over an hour. It was SO hard and SO awesome. My butt was on fire, my thighs were screaming in pain, but with each step the view was just so awesome. It even rained on our hike...which is amazing in and of itself because it has not rained for 120 out of 122 days here in the desert! It was a fabulous day with good food and great company and wonderful scenery and even brutal exercise! Hard to beat a day like that! Then we came home and cooked out with our good friends...the ones who are separating. That day is coming closer and closer and with it is coming many changes. My best friend has gone back to work part time and is unavailable the first part of each day. She has had to make child care arrangements and leap back into the corporate world....and it's been hard to watch her struggle with all this is bringing. They have not told their girls yet and my heart breaks for them as I think of how they will face this new information. Her husband will be moving out very close to their youngest daughters 5th birthday....what a memory to deal with on your special day. I have been praying for this couple daily but I don't know if they are going to make it. I think it less and less likely each day.

There is not too much happening here. Max is as distracted as ever. We started a star system where chores or jobs are written on wooden stars and attached to magnets. Each child has a dry erase magnetic board where their stars are located. As they complete each task they are to move their star from the TO DO side to the DONE side. There is a reward for completing each segment of stars. So far, the system is working pretty well. Max is at least able to get a visual cue to help him complete his BASIC tasks like getting his teeth brushed each morning and combing his hair, etc. It's helped....some. Ben is great. On task as always...a bit devious as always. And as for Miss Clara....we are in a pretty good place with her. She is quite sweet and cooperative....still strong willed, but seeming to bend a little these days. I'm sure it won't last, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts! Overall, life is quite good in the desert!

Thankful

Chris and I are feeling ever so thankful for each other these days. Our close friends are seperating right now and it has been a difficult process to watch. They have small children very close in age to ours. This couple has been married almost as long as we have, though their road has been quite different than ours. Chris and I both know that we could have gone down that very same road.....so it is especially tough for us to watch another couple whom we love so much go down that path. I am so thankful that Chris loves me the way that he does and that he thinks that I am smart and beautiful. I cherish the fact that he sees me as his friend and would rather spend time with me than doing so many other things. I am thankful that he stood by me and was committed enough to make our marriage work and pull it out of the ruins and rebuild it into something amazing and so special. He is my gift from God. Delivered to me when I asked for him....each and every specification I requested filled. I marvel at times at just how good God can be and how he truly is able and willing to give us our hearts desire when we ask according to His will for us. One day soon, I hope and pray that God will reveal to our friends just how special and amazing they are to one another. My prayer is that He will rekindle in them a love and desire for one another and that he will place their feet back on the path that He would have them to walk....together. In the meantime, I am just so thankful for the partner that I have in my life, on the path.....together.

New at Our House

Both boys have recently received a new pet of their very own. Ben was the first to get a hamster. A little guy he named S'more. He's a long haired hamster and a real sweetheart, though he has managed to escape 3 different times now, so I have taken to calling him Houdini. Max also received a hamster as a reward for working to bring up one of his grades significantly in school. Max named his little guy Einstein DaVinci Roberts. He's also very sweet, but very lazy and more than a little bit fat. He uses his exercise wheel to sleep....never to run. I have taken to calling him Fat Boy as he is such a pudgy little guy. That, added to the fact that whenever you put food in his bowl, he immediately shoves every piece of it in his mouth and takes off to hide it somewhere! His cheeks are HUGE with food when he does that and I have wondered if he'll be able to fit into his tubes with all of that food swelling his face so. Anyway....both little furry friends have found their way into our hearts and it has been nice having them around!

The Middle of Nowhere

Our family recently went on another camping trip here in the great state of Arizona. These trips have been a great source of surprise and enjoyment for me as we have explored and discovered the many awesome attributes of this state. Every place that we have been has been amazing and beautiful and I have loved each place and been thrilled and dazzled by the beauty of it all. Until this last trip. We recently camped at Agua Caliente in Ocotillo, California. It was a place that Chris found on the web and it looked amazing and beautiful in all the pictures. We were so excited and so over Christmas break we packed up the car with all of our gear and headed out. Prior to this trip all of our camping excursions have been to the north and to the east. And they have been delightful and scenic and awesome. Aqua Caliente was our first.....and last trip into southwestern Arizona. We drove for what seemed like forever and ended up smack in the middle of nowhere. If you have ever thought that you were in the middle of nowhere....I assure you that you weren't....unless you were in this place! I have never seen anything so remote or so desolate or so colorless and bleak. This was not a place that you would just happen upon. Oh no....you'd DEFINITELY have to be going there. But we had arrived at this place....and desolate as it was, we made camp. We pitched our tent and cooked our dinner and built our little campfire and bedded down for the night. I wish I could say that we all slept all nice and cozy...but alas....it was not to be. Chris had heartburn and couldn't seem to be still. Every time he moved, it created a very cold pocket of air in the sleeping bags that we had zipped together. I was FREEZING. Then Ben started with a tummy ache and we had to listen to him moan and sigh for a good two hours. No sooner did he begin to settle, then Clara had to go potty. By the time we all settled back down, the sun was coming up and there was no hope for the occupants of our tent to doze back off. So we started the day a little on the sleepy side! After breakfast, we decided to head off into the great wilderness for a hike. So we packed our waters and gear and headed out. We had a nice hike and then got back and decided to get showers and head into the nearest town (25 miles away) and get some supplies since the store that was supposedly supposed to be open and well stocked was not open at all. So we showered and loaded up the kids and had just BARELY pulled out of the campground when HUGE winds starting gusting all around us. The whole car was shaking the wind was blowing so hard. So we turned around and headed back to our campsite to make sure our tent was secure and had not blown away. We inquired about the weather and the ranger said it was supposed to be only 5 m.p.h. winds during the day, increasing to 15 m.p.h. in the night. Well, early in the day they were already WELL over 5 m.p.h. and we knew that as they continued to increase we would not be able to have our campfire (so no heat) or our tent canopy to help hold in the heat. We made the split second decision to break camp and call the trip a wash. We started packing as hard as we could go and I nearly had the tent empty when a HUGE gust of wind literally came up under the tent, ripping the stakes out of the ground and tried to take me and tent with it! Luckily, I'm a fluffy sort of girl and I was able to hold my own...though just barely! When we finally got packed up we sighed a huge sigh of relief and gladly began the journey home. We were never so glad to get home to our own beds! I can say this for sure....Aqua Caliente is NOT a place I ever wish to visit again. In the future, I think that we will stick to the north and eastern sides of this great state! Life is good in the desert.....better on my side!

God's Beauty

I have been a resident of Arizona for nearly 11 months now....and I am still amazed at how beautiful and magnificent the mountains here can be. It's like God just relishes the opportunity to paint them a different color each day....each minute even. Today was cloudy with promises and teases of rain. The skies were thick with rolling clouds....but mostly they just rolled on by. But as the sun set this evening...it was awesome. The mountains turn pink nearly every night and it is always beautiful and always short. The majesty of the color change only lasts a few brief minutes. But tonight....tonight was amazing. Tonight the sky was full of dark rolling clouds just hanging suspended over the tops of the mountain. And then the sun started to set and the mountains turned the DEEPEST shade of red....at first even being a deep, bright orange shade. I pointed it out to Jackie and we both exclaimed how pretty and different it was tonight. Then I stepped outside to call in the boys to dinner and I was struck speechless with the beauty I beheld before me. The orange was deepening to red...a fiery, deep, gorgeous red and then rising up into purple sky. It was hard to tell where the mountain stopped and the sky started. It was breathtaking. Jackie popped outside right about that time and all I could do was point. The scene had the same effect on her and the two of us, along with Jackie's neighbor just stood outside there on the corner, drinking in the most beautiful and amazing sight that I have ever seen. God painted one incredible and beautiful picture for us tonight. It was a treat to be sure and a vision I will treasure till my dying day. These mountains are magic. They are beautiful and sometimes I think they are just speaking to me. I see God's hand when I look at them...and I am humbled by the strength and artistry of my God. It is wonderful to have such beauty right here before me each and every day. A great priviledge to live here among it all. Life is good here in the desert....so very beautiful and so very good.

Time Marches On

The more time goes by, the happier I find myself here in Arizona. I am reminded daily of how fortunate I am to have ended up here in this amazing part of the country. I have been so richly blessed with an amazing group of friends...special, special ladies who hold such a near and dear place in my heart. I feel like I belong with them...that I am a part of a group. My phone rings again and I have lots of opportunities for coffee dates and play dates and lunches and camping trips and ladies weekends away. I just love it here and I love the people God has placed in my life. My friend Mary dropped by tonight. I had picked up her mail for her while she was out of town...she had forgotten to stop it and called from her trip and asked if I would mind. She just lives a minute up the road from me, so it was absolutely no problem. Not a big deal at all. I was thrilled to do it for them. She came by this evening to pick it up and brought me the most beautiful little candle. A thank you for picking up our mail gesture. I couldn't believe it. My heart was just gushing. It was just so sweet of her to think of me on her trip and to pick out something just for me....well, I will treasure it always. Grabbing her mail was no big deal at all...And she certainly did not need to do that. But it touched my heart deeply and as I sit here hours later, I still have a big smile on my face. Mary has quickly become one of my very most favorite people in this great state. We just seem to click. She is a very, very real person. She laughs easily and cries openly and hugs quickly. She is one of the strongest people I have ever met and faces life's challenges with such grace. It has been an honor to know her and I am thankful each day that God placed her in my life. Knowing her has just been a blessing and a treat.

We are all great here in the desert right now. The upcoming weekend holds a typically packed schedule with both boys having ball games in the morning....two different places of course. We haven't made it to church in a month as we have been out of town and doing various things. But I think we are going to plan to attend this weekend and get some things done in the yard as well. The weather has cooled down significantly and it is quite nice to spend time outside again. The kids go back to school on Monday and I head off to get the car in for it's first scheduled maintenance check up. Hooray! Busy, busy! Mom and Dad come to visit in two weeks. The kids are very excited. They get in on Halloween night. Will be here for a week. Oh....Max made the honor roll at school...all that worry! Ben had amazingly good grades as well. I just hope they can keep it up. Seems like they expect so much from these little guys this year. Must they grow up SO fast? Sometimes I just want them to stay little and sweet just a while longer. Instead they are growing so fast and learning so much and being handed so much responsibility. It is hard to believe the changes I see before me almost daily. Children are such a treasure. And they just don't stay little for long! Life is very good for us here in the desert!

Friends

I marvel at how my mighty God answers prayers so perfectly. It was not too terribly long ago when I was feeling rather displaced and lonely in this new state we are calling home now. Even though I have a lovely home here, and our children go to a wonderful school and are making friends, somehow, I have just felt so lonely. I have truly missed my life in Florida and mostly, my friends. I missed having someone to pick up the phone and just say HI to. There was noone here like that. Not that I had not met some really nice people....I have. But I had not really met anyone that I clicked with so to say. And as a result I just felt quite lost and quite alone and quite miserable. I had quite a pitty party for myself, really. And then, as I so often do when I just don't know what else to do...I prayed. I prayed fervently and whole heartedly for friends. I wanted someone to call up and say howdy to and someone to have coffee with and someone to laugh with and complain about husbands to. So I prayed for it with all my heart...that God would just send me a couple of friends. And would you believe...within days...they were there. Friends just started coming out of the woodwork. We started getting invitations to play and invitations for coffee and invitations to just hang out and go camping and all sorts of things. And I stood back the other day and surveyed this amazing group of women that God has placed in my life. There is a third grade teacher (Max's teacher from last year) who is kind and sweet and has a child just like mine, and there is an engineer, turned mom who has spent the last year watching her 9 year old daughter battle cancer, an amazing woman to be sure. Then there is my friend who was so excited about the article on nuclear fusion that she cut it out and keeps it in her purse. I have an ex-hippy turned pastry chef turned single mom in the corporate world friend. I have a friend who makes me beautiful baubles and is so sweet and down to earth and real you can't help but love her and her faith is just beautiful. And I just met another fantastic lady and though I don't know why....somehow I just know that she and I will be fast friends. Yes...God is so good. And as I stand back and survey these wonderful gifts, I can't wait to see what God is going to do with them and how we will be used in each other's lives. Each one of these ladies thus far has been like a beacon in the darkness for me. They have each already touched my life and filled needs for me like I never imagined. I think of them daily and I am just excited to see how our relationships will grow. I am so thankful for these ladies...each so different and yet, not so much so. I am thankful for a loving God that hears me and knows my needs and provides for me in such loving ways. I know that each of these women was handpicked for me. I cherish each and every one of their amazing selves. They have much to teach me, I know. And I am so excited about the journey and paths our lives will cross over the next few years. Thank you God for prayers heard....and answered. Life is good in the desert.

This was some of the scenery in the area we were camping...the red rock was so amazing...beautiful country here in Arizona! 

This was taken from our campsite....it was SOOOO beautiful here at Cave Springs. 

Chris and Tonya enjoy the view and the rest along the hiking trail. 

Outdoor Adventures

My family went camping this past weekend. We had the time of our lives. We were originally heading for Dead Horse Ranch State Park which is about 3 hours to 3 1/2 hours north of us. However, once we arrived there we found the place to be a bit disappointing. There was NO shade whatsoever and the scenery left a lot to be desired. So we struck out for destinations unknown at that point to see what we might find. We ended up between Sedona and Flagstaff at Cave Springs in the Coconino National Forest and it was SOOOO beautiful! It was paradise there. The scenery was breathtaking and the temperature was DREAMY!!!! We actually FROZE the first night as we had prepared for weather about 15 degrees warmer (at our original destination). However, after that first night we made a quick run to the Flagstaff Target and bought some long undies and we were in business, all warm and cozy and happy again. We enjoyed hot sausages and fried eggs with cheese danish for breakfast Saturday morning and then headed off for a rather difficult and definitely vertical hike! We climbed forever it seemed and the scenery was breathtaking. But Clara is weighing in several pounds heavier this year than she was last year and the hike was rather challenging....even if you were NOT carrying Clara. So we never made it up to the top....but I think we were probably close. But we had had enough and the boys were really tired. So we headed home and showered up (that was PURE HEAVEN!!!) and started slow roasting a pork loin for dinner. After that we shared hot roasted marshmallows and the heat of the fire before 3 kids were begging to go to bed. That is the greatest thing about camping. The kids are just exhausted from all the fresh air and playing all day. Once the little darlings were all tucked in Chris and I put our feet up by the fire and cozied up a bit. We got real sleepy REAL quick, so Chris headed out for the restroom while I stayed and watched the fire. While he was away I kind of gazed at the fire and got lost in it for a good few minutes. Then out of the corner of my eye I glimpsed a quick movement quite close to my chair and it was then that I realized that I had a SKUNK right at my feet and under my chair! YIKES! I sat very still and was not really worried about him. I knew that if I stayed still and quiet I would not have too much trouble. But right about that time that I became aware of mister skunk, Chris came stomping back from the restroom. I was trying to quietly and calmly get his attention so that he would kindly not startle the creature under my chair and get me sprayed with lovely eau d'skunk....he was heading my way quickly. But I did manage to call it to his attention and he was kind enough to get the lantern on for me and identify the location of our little visitor, who had moved by that time juswt behind my chair. AFter he moved just a bit more I was able to slowly move away and join Chris across the camp AWAY from the smelly little critter. That was my first up close and personal encounter with a skunk. I've never seen one before that wasn't roadkill. So that was kind of cool. The rest of our trip was great. We were much warmer the second night and all seemed to sleep a little better. We took our time getting home and are looking forward to our camping trip coming up this next weekend! Wish us luck! Life is good here in the desert!

My baby ballerina...how quickly they grow up! 

Ballerina Girl 

Going, Going, Gone

I was sitting outside with my children tonight enjoying the cool evening air when Benjamin came and sat down on my lap. It has been quite a long time since my baby boy climbed up on my lap as he is nearly 8 years old now. I was struck by how huge he is now and noticed that he is too big now to be able to comfortably snuggle into me. As a matter of fact he really didn't seem to be able to get comfortable on my lap at all. And so as I sat thinking and pondering on that thought I walked down memory lane a bit and remembered how easily he used to fit there and how snuggly he used to be. And I tried to remember the last time I scooped him up in my arms and carried him with me or held him or just snuggled with him like that. And I couldn't remember when it was....which tells me that it was quite a long time ago. And then I looked at little Clara. She is already three and growing like a weed. I had just remarked to Jackie at how much she had grown in the very short time since she and I had purchased the little dress she was wearing today. It is already getting short on her and is now well above her little knees....when I bought it she had PLENTY of growing room in it...but now she doesn't! She is already quite heavy to carry and I find myself telling her no when she asks to be picked up or carried. And I found myself wondering when the last time will be with Clara. When will be my last scooping her up to snuggle or when will I last carry her to the car or her little warm, sleeping body to her bed? And will I know that it is my last time? Or will the last time come and go unnoticed and unacknowledged until way down the line when I one day look at her when she is nearly eight and I wonder how in the world that happened? I am trying so hard to cherish these days and hold them a little longer and snuggle them a little closer because I KNOW that these days are short and nearly gone. Sometimes I am SO frustrated with the phases and attitudes of childhood. But at other times I am struck absolutely and totally with a love and wonder for them that I NEVER in a million years could have imagined. The spectrum of feelings involved with child rearing is truly mind boggling. I carried my baby girl upstairs tonight after her bath. And I snuggled into her and inhaled the fresh, clean scent of freshly bathed baby...and it was heaven. And I enjoyed every single step up those stairs and every single breath that I inhaled. Because I know that ALL TOO SOON, the night will come when my 8 year old daughter tries to sit on my lap and finds it all too uncomfortable and I will think back on the days when she was my baby girl of three and smelled like Mango Paradise bubble bath and always wanted to sit on my lap and be carried. You see...these are the days to cherish...the ones when they are still little and sweet and though, not always angels...always our babies! Time is marching on and is taking our babies with him! And even as I type this tonight they are going, going, going. Life is good in the desert. I am so blessed to have 3 beautiful and healthy children. And my heart is lighter and I know without a doubt that when Clara asks me tomorrow, "Can you carry this baby girl, Mommy?", that my answer will be "Absolutely!"

Bounce, Bounce

Okay...so the whole eight pound loss is not exactly sticking so to speak. I am bouncing all around...though still a lot lower than when I started. I bounce up today and then the next day I am down a little bit...then back up...then down a little. One of these days it WILL stick! I know it! I'm not too worried about it. I feel pretty good these days and know that it will take a good bit of time....that whole lifestyle change thing! They say that Rome wasn't built in a week. Well, neither was my big butt...and so it shall not be destroyed in a week either!

On a more fun note...Clara started pre-school today! She had her little backpack on her back and was all smiles as we headed off for her first day. I expected tears or stress as we parted ways...but when the time came for me to slip out she was waving wildly and saying "Bye, Mom!". She obviously was not experiencing the anxiety that I was so worried about. So now my baby girl is a school girl! She had the time of her life. She painted and colored and sang songs and had snacks and played on the playground and read 2 stories and played with Playdoh. I guess in the life of a three year old, it just doesn't get too much better than that, huh? She can hardly wait for Tuesday when she gets to go back! I am relieved to know that she had such a good time.

We met Ben's teacher tonight and I can honestly say that I really adored her! Super nice, really energetic and totally fun. Ben SOOO needed to have a great and fun year this year. She seems like a really fantastic teacher and I am really thrilled and excited for him and he seems to be really happy as well. Not really sure about Max's teacher yet. She seems really nice I guess. But I haven't really decided what I feel about her. Max seems to like her well enough, but only time will tell. Granted, 4th grade is a whole lot tougher than 3rd, and more is expected and the day to day stuff is more serious...I still just don't know about Max's teacher. His teacher from last year told me that I would just love his new teacher. But she did not place her own children there with this teacher and I wonder why not. If she is so great and all that. Only time will tell. I have no complaints at this point with any of my kids teachers. All is well in the land of back to school! Life is very good in the desert!

I'm Down 8!

So I am officially down eight pounds now in this calorie counting adventure. I would think that I would be overjoyed and feeling like such a hottie. But the thing is...I'm just not there. Now granted...things are looking a lot better now...MUCH better now. The scale is terribly kind to me each day and my clothes fit better. Do I think that they fit fantastic? No...but definitely better. It's just that I still see so much that can go. I don't think that I will hit any plateau soon...I just have too much to spare! I am not frustrated by the calorie counting at all...it isn't hard by any means and I am not feeling deprived in any way. I just thought that by the time I saw these weights on the scale it would all look a lot better in the mirror. I know I can go more...not one person, shy of Chris has even noticed any weight drop at all....which means that I have not lost enough to make any real difference. NOw granted, I will be able to breathe in most of my jeans this winter at this pace....but still...I was thinking that I would really see the results by this point. I guess I just have farther to go than I thought that I did! That's okay. I'm enjoying myself and making slow, but sure progress!

The kids are back in school now and Clara starts preschool on Thursday. She is very excited about that and can hardly wait to get there on Thursday. The boys both seem excited about the school year and seem to be making good friends all around. I just hope things go as well for Clara! Speaking of Clara. I got her little earring all turned around and fixed so that the back is in the back and the front is in the front again. It was no problem at all when I tried to do it this last time. I guess the few extra days really helped it stay open better. Now she is all fronts forward and ready for action. She looks SO pretty!

We are off to the gym tomorrow for the Get Ripped class and boxercise. Tomorrow's exercise burns about 800 calories for me! Hooray! Jackie is going with me and we are going to just tear it up tomorrow! Wish us luck! Life is good in the desert!

Backwards!

So, I mentioned previously that Clara had her ears pierced. It has been a week and 3 days since that momentous event. Well, last night when Clara took her shirt off one of the earrings got hung on her shirt and came out with her shirt. We heard this little tiny clink on the tile in the bathroom and I looked down and there it was. This is not supposed to happen at all. The earrings are supposed to be locking and should be quite difficult to remove. However, apparently Clara has a pair that is not so tight locking. It did not seem to hurt at all, but it did strike a chord of panic in our household. In a new piercing, if the earring is removed, the hole will close fairly immediately. And so we quickly tried to reinsert the earring into the hole...to NO AVAIL! It could not be done. So i was very disappointed and worried all night long about it. Clara was SO very excited about her earrings. So was mommy! And I was so disappointed in the setback. I imagined that we would have to let the hole heal over and that Clara would just have to wear one earring for 6 weeks or so and then get that one repierced. But when I called the ear place this morning I found that not to be the case at all. The girl there asked if I had tried to put the earring back in and I told her that I had tried. Then she asked me if I tried putting it in through the back instead of the front and I said no. So I tried that and guess what....it worked! Hooray. I was supposed to put it in through the back and then pull it out and put it in through the front...but I never could get it to work that way. So I finally just put it in from the back and slapped the back on the front. Then I called the girl at the piercing place and she said that if I bring her in in a few days she will help me turn it around the right way. That is a relief and we will have another week under our belt to heal a little more. But for now...her one earring is backward, but is thankfully in place and doing it's job. I imagine that there is no real harm in just leaving it in backward for the next 5 weeks....it works both ways! But I hate seeing her look so funny and I really miss seeing those tiny little blue studs at her earlobes. I see that on one side, and then a big gold back on the other! So in another week we will pursue having it fixed! Until then! We are backwards in the desert!

Dieting Diva!

Okay....so I have been having this horrific battle with a really nasty little 6 pounds for over a month now. I'm not talking about monthly bloating where the scale swings heavy for two or three days and then is back to normal. Things have definitely been sticking to the heavier side of the scale. No doubt about it. So I made sure that I was getting good workouts and lifting weights....still the scale is stuck and my shorts are tight. I got frustrated and picked up the Atkins diet again and lasted like a whole 2 days on it...I just CANNOT do that one. It makes me SOOOO unbelievably cranky. So then I just went back to the good old fashioned way of counting calories. I made it a point to write down every single bite and morsel that crossed these lips....every single one. And then after just a couple of days...guess what....results!!!! I am really into it now and it helps me SOOO much to see what my daily calories are at and to have to stop and think how a seemingly harmless "little" snack might impact my daily picture. Chris downloaded this really cool Calorie King calorie counter program for my computer. It gives you a two week trial period to use it for free...then if you keep it is costs you 30 bucks. It is an awesome program to be sure and I want to keep it forever. It has a huge bank of foods listed so all you have to do is click on them and add them to either your breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack list. Or, if a food you eat isn't on the list, it lets you add it and then it is there on your list for future reference. It keeps a chart for you of your weight and your measurements. It tallys your calories, takes into account your exercise (which you enter) and adjusts your calorie allowance accordingly. It also has a place to journal if you like to write about your eating and the feelings that go along with it. A really, really cool program. It is SUCH a help! I still have about 3 pounds to go and they are going to be tough ones I think. But I am VERY motivated and ready to be comfortable in my clothes. I DO NOT want to have to get into my jeans right now the way I am. I can get into them....but it ain't pretty....not to mention the fact that I really do need to be able to breathe in my jeans and right now that is not a realistic option! I do believe the summer has made me stagnant and bored. Too much time in the house...too much boredom. I confess....I find myself eating out of boredom. So.....I am very thankful for my calorie king counter which is keeping me SO in line right now and SO on target!

Not much else happening. We went to church today and our Sunday school class, or ABF as they call it here (adult bible fellowship)had everyone divide into "committees", so to speak. You went to the area that you were most interested in working with, whether that was social, or service, or teaching or connecting new members, etc. I went to connecting new members, mostly because I still am not feeling connected. I told them all about our Round Table class in Florida. Half of them were very interested and totally recognized the value of the circle and being connected with a stationary group for a period of time. Then others, mostly the ones that have been there for a long time and are connected to everyone...they did not like the idea of having to sit in an "assigned seat". Wouldn't ya know it....the very ones who need it the least just don't get it. They think that just being greeted at the door is sufficient....never mind that noone may speak to that couple at all once they get past that greeter. Of course...people here do things really differently than people in the south. Sometimes I miss southerners SOOO much. Not always and not even terribly often. But when it comes to dealing with making people feel welcome...there is no place like the south. I guess that's about it. So I have a couple of weeks to come up with some ideas about how we can improve the way or class helps newcomers get connected. I am hoping to get a bit more connected as well in the process. People really do seem friendly enough here...but it seems to run only so deep and there are many more cliques than I imagined. There were a few back in Pensacola as well....but it seems even more so here. Anyway...

After church we came home and had lunch, put Clara down for a nap....spent a little "quality adult time" and just hung out at home. Then this evening we headed to Target, where I finally bought the jog bra that we actually went out to buy yesterday, but instead came home with a new car...which, incidentally, I love! I have to say that after having a minivan for the past 9 years....I SO love the feel of the SUV. I felt like a regular hot mama! It's just an awesome feeling. After the Target trip we came home and grilled out, the kids swam, we all ate outside and enjoyed the evening, Then it was baths and stories and bed for all the wee ones. I am reading the new Harry Potter to the boys. They love it and are heart broken if we don't have reading time. School starts Thursday...HOORAY!!!! I guess that is all for now. My ear is itchy. Doesn't that mean something in superstition land? Hmmmm? Life is good here in the desert...darned good!

New Wheels

We bought a new car today. We have been talking about doing it for a while now and had planned to do it this upcoming spring. The only problem is that we were not sure what vehicle we wanted. I did not especially want another mini-van...though with 3 children, there is something nice to be said about having more seats than one has children. With 7 passenger seating we are able to keep at least one seat between all the kiddos...hence, less physical contact, hence more peace. However. There are not many SUV's out there that will accomodate a family wishing to have that extra seating...save for a Suburban. We had talked a lot about and researched online the Toyota Sequoia...which is a really lovely vehicle....but REALLY expensive. I mean, like crazy expensive. None of the other Toyotas were really practical for us...but as Chris pointed out....the Sequoia cost just slightly more than half of what we paid for our first home! Ouch! So we decided to think about it some and continued to drive on down dealership alley, when we came upon the Ford dealership. Now, we always said that we would not drive a Ford...but while we were vacationing in Montana the past couple of years we rented the Explorers with the 7 passenger seating and we really liked them and said that we would consider one of those when the time came. So today we considered it. Ford has the "employee discount" promotional going on right now and there happened to be a rebate on the Explorers as well. When we started running the numbers we just decided to do it now, rather than wait. So we are now the proud owners of a cool blueish with tan trim Eddie Bauer Ford Explorer with just about all of the options available. I have to take it back next week to have the DVD system installed....but it's a great car. The two best things about it are 1. It is not a minivan and 2. We will be able to tow a small camper which we are planning to purchase in the spring. That was another huge factor in our search. We knew that if we bought a minivan the camper idea would be out...so we had to havve a vehicle with enough tow power. The Explorer just worked out nicely for us. As part of the deal we got 2 season tickets to the Arizona Cardinals football games. They play in Phoenix. I doubt that we will go, but we know that we should be able to give them away easily enough! All in all it was a busy day....an unexpected surprise to come home with a new car. When we set out this afternoon, the only thing I had really hoped and expected to come home with was a jog bra. I still did not get that....but the car is great!

Clara continues to be so sassy. I am having to really crack down on her hard with her sassy mouth and rude actions. She seems really aggressive with the boys...especially when she does not get her way. Rudeness in children is not a big favorite of mine...so we are really coming down hard on her. It seems to be getting her attention....we aren't over the hump yet....but we definitely have her attention. The boys go back to school on Thursday and I really feel like if I don't have them around then she will get better on her own. They seemed to genuinely miss each other after long school days last year...and they are definitely NOT missing each other right about now! They all need some much needed time apart. Only 5 more days!

No other news right now. We had lots of good rain tonight. I suppose that is pretty good news! It rarely rains here and when it does it is usually just a lightish sprinkle. But it really rained and stormed tonight. Gotta love that! Life is good here in the desert!