So, it's October. And not only is it October, it is already the 6th of October. My favourite month of the year has arrived and it is speeding by, following suite with the rest of 2013. I am a little behind on life these days. My Halloween decorations just made it out of their boxes about an hour ago and in case you haven't noticed, I'm falling farther and farther behind on blogging. I've decided to set a goal for myself- by the end of this month, I will be back to posting in "real time", meaning, posting as things happen, not a month after the fact. Wish me luck. Did I mention that my October calendar is already jam packed? I foresee many late nights in my future!

In order to start catching up, I need to rewind back to the beginning of September, when the wee ones and I escaped the Phoenix heat and headed up to my friend Mike's house for Labour Day Weekend. Bruce was scheduled to work a majority of that weekend, so it was the perfect chance to run away for a few days and enjoy cooler temps, yummy food and the best part- fantastic company.

Mike is a friend I met through our statewide police wives support group. She is an awesome source of police wife wisdom, as well as an AMAZING chef. She blogs over at No Food Fights, which is one of my main go to's for all things cooking related. Mike also happens to live about three hours north of the Phoenix Valley, surrounded by pine trees and cooler weather. Visiting her is always a huge treat.

And this trip was no exception! We sampled a variety of delicious foods (the "letter soup" was a huge hit with my girls), the girls enjoyed some arts and crafts and we spent every moment possible outside, soaking up the smell of pine trees and fresh mountain air. Did you know that ponderosa pines smell like vanilla if you stick your nose in the furrows and take a big deep breath? We couldn't get enough of that delicious smell.

Man Cub was hilarious to watch at Mike's house. I am so grateful that she has a soft spot for my little guy, because he was all over the place. He thought playing with her back door was super fun, and his favourite place to sit was on the open door of the dishwasher. He and Jax, the Keeshond, became great friends while we were there.

Our little weekend getaway was the perfect start to the craziness of September. The relaxing calm before the crazy storm. Thanks for having us Mike! We had a fantastic time visiting you at the Rockin' W.

The drive north- we got so excited as the rain clouds gathered

This little guy couldn't get enough of being outside

He found playing with doors to be quite entertaining

Arts & Crafts time... Beebs in particular, still talks about this regularly. She loved painting ornaments for her dad.

A big toothy grin- 11 months old in this photo, and only missing 4 teeth!

Man Cub & Jax, doing dishes. I about died when I saw Man Cub sitting like this!

Jax, a Keeshond, not a lion Ü

Our view from the porch when sunny and bright...

... and just after a rain storm

 

Quite possibly my favourite picture from the trip... Man Cub looks like he is not too sure about the wagon style off roading he is embarking on Ü

The customary photo in front of the Rockin' W sign. Thanks for having us Mike & Bill! We had a blast.

Three

Three years ago today, this sweet lady passed away, leaving Bruce without his mother, my girls without a grandmother and me without my mother in law and one of my best friends.

The past three years have been hard. Whoever says "time heals all wounds" is a liar. Time does not heal the wounds of a loved one dying. Sure, as time goes on, life also goes on and each moment in life is no longer consumed by grief and sadness. But when the moments of grief and sadness do come, they hurt just as badly as they did that day. And sometimes, the pain is actually worse, like when I remember that Man Cub has never had the chance to be cuddled in Grandma's arms, that Beebs has never had a sleepover with Grandma and that Sunshine is slowly starting to forget this wonderful woman who was such an important part of her life for far too short a time.

Today has been hard. I have cried, I have been sad, I haven't been the most patient or loving mother as I dealt with the emotions of today, and I hope my children can forgive me for that. I have been hurting today, more than I thought I would.

I feel so blessed to have known her and to be a part of her family, now and forever. I am so grateful for the Plan of Salvation and my knowledge that this mortal life is just a small speck of time and that we will one day be reunited.

I know we will be together again.

But for now, I miss her.

Family Portraits, Or, The Crazy That is Claire

This past weekend, we took a little trip to San Diego. This trip was suppose to happen over the weekend of Bruce Wayne's 30th birthday, but circumstances prevented us from going then, so the trip was moved.

The main purpose of our trip was to go to Sea World with Bruce Wayne's dad, but while we were there, I decided I really wanted to finally make my dreams of a beach-scape family portrait come true. The catch- I was going to take the photos myself, instead of hiring a photographer. Eeek! I had been mentally preparing for this feat for months, when just days before our trip my photography mentor, Kristen Duke, posted a blog titled "How to Take Your Own Family Pictures". I took it as a sign that this was meant to be and that the photo session would be a success.

And it was. Depending on your definition of success! I was not the nicest person on the planet as I tried to pull this all together. I may have gotten snippy with my true love once or twice as we stood on the beach, waiting for the sun to drop to the appropriate level in the sky. I may have almost cried when the beach we decided on wasn't quite as picturesque as I had imagined when we first arrived. I may have tried to call the entire thing off due to my frustration... just minutes before the sun finally hit the perfect spot, and the lighting became breathtakingly beautiful and the beach that just moments before had seemed bleak and dull, morphed into the perfect backdrop for the photos I had been envisioning. I set up the tripod, adjusted some settings on the camera, got my family in position then had my father in law snap away.

If you define a successful photo shoot on how I act during said shoot... this was a disaster. But, if success is determined by the photos that result from the session, this was a smashing success. I already have a 20x30 of my favourite family pose edited, printed and hanging on my living room wall. And I have lost myself staring at it numerous times already.

I'm not ready to share that particular image on my blog just yet, as I imagine it will end up on our family Christmas card this year, but for now, here are a few other photos from our time on the beach, including one of the outtakes as we attempted that perfect family portrait. I love the attitude from Miss Beebs in that particular photo. She's a spicy little girl and I just love it! Now. Not so much when she wasn't cooperating during the actual picture taking. Ü

I sure do love my little family and I so appreciate them putting up with my crazy as we attempted the near impossible task of taking our own family portrait. I wish I hadn't been so nuts as we were taking them, but I am so, so pleased with the outcome.

Odds & Ends | Summer Roundup

A collection of photos from the summer that failed to make it into posts of their own...

Rare occurrence here...
I think this may have been the one and only time Man Cub has fallen asleep in his high chair

This boy is such a water baby! He couldn't get enough of the paddling pool during our 4th of July celebration

Beebs and cousin A also enjoyed the paddling pool that day

Bruce and I went shooting for our big monthly date in July. This was only my second time shooting and Bruce assures me that I did pretty good... the above alien was my shot gun target. 

And this was with the Glock. For the most part, I was hitting what I was aiming for!

I made the girls and I matching maxi skirts and they sure do love them! Especially when we all wear them on the same day. I hope they enjoy matching me for a long time to come.

We dog sat for our neighbors a handful of times over the summer and Man Cub thought the dog's water dish made a great paddling pool

While visiting my parents in Utah I got to hang out with my best friend's aunt, who happens to be one of my mum's best friends. 

While in Utah, I also fell in love with shaved ice... this one was peach-pomegranate with a "snow cap" (sweetened condensed milk drizzled over the top) 

Our family back to school night- special dinner, a Family Home Evening lesson presenting our family focus for the school year (being kind and treating everyone as Jesus would treat them) and then the back to school gifts. Hand sanitizer and a lunch bag for Sunshine and a new headband and hand sanitizer for Beebs.

Sunshine outside her  new classroom after Meet the Teacher... and the cute gift her teacher gave each student that night

Man Cub learned how to climb into this little rocking chair, which happened to be mine when I was little. It is his favourite place to sit.

We babysat for some friends from church and Sunshine couldn't get enough of their sweet new baby. She snuggled him and cared for him the entire time they were gone. She's becoming quite the little mommy. 

Happy 1st Birthday, Man Cub!

Oh Man Cub,

I cannot believe your first birthday has already arrived. Today you are one year old. It is hard to believe a year has passed already, but then, I cannot remember life without you in it. You are such an important part of our family. How did we ever manage without you!?

Since the day you were born, you have been such a sweet and peaceful presence in our home. You are so easy going and happy, other than when you are teething, but who can blame you for that!? You've decided that the best way to get your teeth is in groups of 4 or more, so we don't blame you one bit for being a little crabby as you cut 4-8 teeth at a time. 

You adore your big sisters and in an effort to be just like them, you decided to walk at 10.5 months, and attempted to run at 11 months. Needless to say, you can hold your own already. You have definitely brought a new dynamic to our home with your love of balls and cars, your ability to get into anything and everything and your obsession with dirt and rocks. Raising a little boy has already proven itself to be quite different from raising your sisters. Different, but oh-so fun.

Before you arrived, I wasn't sure if I would know what to do with a boy. Now, I don't know what I would do without one. We have bonded in a special way that words cannot describe and I am so, so grateful to have you in our family. 

Happy first birthday little man. I love you more than you will ever know!

Love,

Mommy

Tonight, We Celebrate

The sergeant exam is over and Bruce did great! Hopefully we'll know in the coming weeks what is in store for our family. But for tonight, we celebrated that the testing process is over and that no matter what is to come, Bruce ranked well. 

Just Look At Him...

I am still up, entirely too far past my bedtime, working on things for Man Cub's birthday party this coming weekend. My current task- putting together his first birthday slideshow. We do this for each of our children, on each of their birthdays. Basically, it is how I "scrapbook" the hundreds and thousands of pictures I take of them.

The thing about putting together these videos... it makes my heart ache! My babies are growing up entirely too fast. It is hard to believe that 51 weeks have passed since this little guy joined our family. Wasn't he just born yesterday? How did I blink, and suddenly he is about to turn one? He is walking, and trying to talk, and getting in to everything. How did time pass by so quickly!?

Just look at him... my sweet baby boy, when he was just hours old. And in 7 short days, he will turn one. My heart isn't ready for this.