Deep Thoughts

Well, as deep as I can get! I have been taking a Critical Reading class and our study manual is a book called Becoming A Critical Thinker. The first chapter went over the definition of a critical thinker("someone who uses specific criteria to evaluate reasoning, form positions, and make decisions"), the structure of argument, issue, conclusion, reasons, and decision making. It was a good chapter and I did well on the test.

We are now on chapter two, Values and Ethics, and I am just fascinated! It talks about how our values influence the decisions we make and how we can tell what other peoples values and priorities are through their actions and positions they take on certain issues. Being raised LDS I have always known that having good values and making good choices is important, but I am constantly trying to come up with ways to make sure I instill good values into my children and possibly preventing them from making painful mistakes. Vince and I are on the verge of having teenagers and it scares us to death, so we openly talk with them and let them know what we expect of them and more importantly what God expects.

In the book there is a conversation between Dr. Laura Schlessinger and a 21 year old woman, Stephanie. The woman is a virgin and planned to stay that way until married. She meets a hot guy and temptations start. She thought her values would automatically protect her, but found this was not so and was starting to doubt her decision about waiting. Dr. Laura had a lengthy conversation with this young lady and this is the part I loved: "Values only have the power you infuse into them with your respect for them and yourself, and your will. Values without temptations are merely lofty ideas. Expediting them is what makes you, and them, special." I love this! Until we are tested by temptations, our values are ideals. Once we have the chance to put these values into play, then these values turn into integrity, a very admirable quality. Overcoming temptation is not easy. It "requires grit, will, sacrifice, courage, and discomfort." Stephanie then asks, "what if I'm too weak?" Dr. Laura answered, "the road to unhappiness and low self-esteem is paved with victories of immediate gratification." I think Dr. Laura's advise was well put. If we could get our children to understand these concepts and be proud of who they are and what they stand for, even when everyone else is doing the cool thing, they will be in good shape in good shape!

Too Busy to Blog

The night before picture day.

Life has been happening too fast these days. I got used to the slow pace of summer and now feel like I'm moving in fast forward.

The kids have been doing well in school and recently had their school pictures taken. I will be posting those when we get them. Bailey has started taking viola lessons at school and plays so well that she has been bumped up to the second year class. She is very diligent about practicing daily. Todd is now a Bear Cub in Cub Scouts and is looking forward to doing all kinds of neat projects with his dad. He just finished reading Moby Dick and Treasure Island and is bugging me to buy him some more classics. He really loves to read! Lola is doing well in Kindergarten and is learning the sounds of each letter. She loves to write and do her homework. She can finish a months worth of homework in one afternoon and still wants more. Lets hope here enthusiasm continues throughout the rest of her school years.

I had my surgery on the 5th and was back to normal the next day with absolutely no pain. I went for my followup with the surgeon on Friday and everything is great! No cancer! That was great news. I go to school four days a week and have my share of homework, but I love it. I have tests in all classes this week so I've been studying like crazy. I keep asking Vinnie biology questions and then telling him the answers as a way of testing my knowledge. I'm sure he's pretty sick of it, but I have become obsessed with keeping my 4.00 GPA. I know, I'm a nerd!

Stormy Weather

Much has been going on lately, so it's been a while since my last update. I am back in school after a nice summer break and that's a major factor to the craziness around here. Bailey was sick with strep throat and was unable to give her speech for historian. We are still proud that she was willing to try. Maybe next year.

I have had many doctors appointments and after having a mammogram, ultrasound, and visit with a surgeon, I am scheduled to have surgery on September 5th. The surgeon doesn't seem to think it's cancer, but they are going to remove the lump and have it biopsied. With the amount of younger women having breast cancer these days you can never be to cautious. I'm sure everything will be fine.

We have been having some great rain with this monsoon season and above are some pictures of the kids jumping in the rain. Bailey and Todd had a blast and Lola just stayed under the patio and watched. She's not into geting wet. Last night we got about five inches of rain with tons of lightning strikes and strong winds. One article we read this morning said the winds in Phoenix were as strong as hurricane winds. I love the storms! We always like to open our bedroom blinds at night and watch to lightning.

Vote For Bailey

This school year Bailey decided to run for historian. Last week she collected the needed signatures and wrote a speech. Yesterday they were allowed to hang two 11"x17" posters anywhere in the school (above is one of her posters). Tomorrow Bailey will give her speech and afterward the kids will vote. Bailey is a little nervous but really wants to win. Good luck Bailey!

Happy Birthday Todd!!!

Today is Todd's 9th birthday. Last night he told us we couldn't say happy birthday to him until 7:55am, the time he was born. He's so funny! In this picture he is putting together his new Indiana Jones Lego set he bought with his b-day money. A couple of years ago we decided to let the kids choose between a birthday party or $100. The kids haven't figured out yet that we're getting off cheap since a party cost $300 to $400. They always choose the $100 and that's just fine with us...and them.

Happy Birthday Todd! We love you very much!

Doing Homework

Here are some pictures Vinnie took of the kids while they were doing their homework yesterday.

Bailey is reading Treasure Island.

Todd looks so serious while reading Huckleberry Finn, his favorite book.
Lola doesn't have homework yet.

Happy Birthday Linsdsay!!!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful sister Lindsay! I love you and hope you have a wonderful day. Maybe Mark could bathe the kids tonight and give you a well deserved break:)

First Day Of Shcool

Today was the first day of school for the kids and I am now sitting here all alone:( The school they are attending this year is brand new and we were able to tour the school and meet their teachers last Thursday. That was great because it made them less nervous about today. They road the bus and Vinnie and I met them at school to take pictures and make sure they got to their classes. Lola was excited to be in her new classroom and didn't even care about us leaving. She is such a big girl now and was totally ready for school! All the children have kids from church in their classes and are happy that they don't have to worry about making new friends. We'll see what they have to say about their day when they return home at 3:25.

My Table is Finished

Before

After

When I first started this blog I think I mentioned that I was in the process of refinishing our kitchen table. Well, it's finally done! Instead of buying a new table I thought I would save us some money by redoing our old one and I didn't think it would be to hard. Man, was I wrong! After sanding and de-glossing everything, it took 3-4 coats of stain to get it as dark as I wanted it. In the picture the table looks kind of black, but it's a very dark walnut. After all the staining, then I had to varnish every piece several times. Now I have to refinish my hutch to match. Next time I'm buying a new table!

Feeding Time

I know this is kind of gross, but our snake, Lickity Split, ate for us for the first time today. We have heard that Ball Pythons can sometimes be hard to feed and they need to be comfortable and happy with their surroundings before they will eat. Well, he must be happy because when I dangled the little mouse in front of him he didn't hesitate to snatch it right up. He was quick! I'm glad I had some distance from his mouth thanks to some tongs, or he could have accidentally grabbed my fingers. As you can see in the pictures he is in a plastic container and the reasoning for that is so he knows when he is in that container he will get food. This will help keep us from getting bit when we stick our hands into his terrarium. He won't mistake our hand for lunch.

Our New Pet

Here are some pictures of our new pet. He is a Ball Python and is about 23 inches long. Lola just loves him and named him "Lickity Split," because of his forked tongue. His full grown length will be about 48 inches, so not as big as some snakes get.

Sedona Trip

Weekend Getaway on a Whim

Yesterday around 10:00am we decided it would be fun to be spontaneous and do an overnight trip to somewhere. At first we wanted to drive down to Rockey Point, but all their hotel rooms were booked which was no big surprise being 4th of July weekend. Then we came up with taking a trip to Sedona and visiting the Out of Africa Wildlife Park. What a great choice! We had so much fun! Sedona was beautiful and the views from our balcony were spectacular! Lola didn't want to leave and asked if we could move into the hotel. We walked around in all the neat shops and had a good dinner before retiring for the night.

This morning we got ready early and checked out of our room and headed to the Out of Africa Wildlife Park. The park was amazing! We took a ride on this safari bus and were right next to the animals. We were able to feed the giraffes and a camel. The zebras were chasing our bus and there was an ostrich that would not leave us alone. We were able to see lions and tigers and bears. The only thing keeping them from eating us was a regular chain linked fence and the animals were literally one foot away from us. This place is unlike any zoo I have ever been to.

We were able to pet a huge python and a green anaconda. We also saw a show with the tigers call "Tiger Splash" where the tigers were playing with human trainers and jumping into a pool. We even got to hear the tigers roar at each other when they fought over some of the play toys. It was AWESOME!!! I definitely want to go back! We had a great weekend. I told Vinnie we should visit Tombstone next weekend, but I don't think he's going for it.

Out of Africa Wildlife Park

Out of all the pictures we took this weekend this is our favorite one.

Lola's WALL-E

Today we went to Sam's Club and Lola found this remote controlled WALL-E toy and had to have it. I figured it would be a good way to occupy some of her attention while the other kids are away.

Baby Blanket Resurrection

When I was growing up I had a blanket that was my absolute most favorite thing in the whole world! I had to sleep with it every night and could not live without it. I had this blanket up until my late teen years when an old boyfriend took it an decided not to give it back when we broke up. Since then I could not stop thinking of my blanket.

I started sewing blankets as a hobby and that's basically all I sew. I have made pajama pants and a dress but my main addiction is blankets with matching pillow cases. I have so many that I could probably start a business but I like to hoard them for myself and family. If there ever happens to be a freak blizzard in Arizona my family will be warm! All my family members know where to come if they need a special blanket or quilt made.

During this addiction of blanket making I became hooked on buying fabric on EBay. You get many more options for prints than in a fabric store. Then I noticed many listings were for vintage fabric and I started to think about my blanket again. Could I really find material just like my blanket? I searched through thousands of listings and came up empty. I did this for months until one day I found it! I was so excited! I placed my bid and waited. The fabric was less than a yard but I still wanted it! I thought for sure this fabric was mine until the very end I was outbid. I could not believe it! The fabric sold for $125.00. I cried and cried and cried.

After that experience I stopped my search for a while. Then one day I happened to try it again and there it was. The exact fabric only this time there were two yards of it. Wow, I could actually make something out of this fabric! So I cautiously waited to put in my bid. I waited until the end and was able to nab it for $28.00. What a steal!

So I've had the fabric for several years now and hadn't done anything to it but take it out and look at it once in a while. With Bailey and Todd visiting my family in California I thought it would be a good chance to do some of my projects and making my blanket was one of them. So here it is all finished. I'm happy to have my blanket back!

Salt Lake Temple

Home Again

We're back home now from our vacation and sad it all had to end. This is a picture of Lindsay and I taken at her house when we returned from Yellowstone. I wish I could have spent more time with her. We'll have to plan another trip to solely spend time with the Woolley Family.

Almost Back from Vacation

Well, our trip to Yellowstone is over and we are currently in Utah at Lindsay's house until tomorrow. We had a really good time and saw many amazing things and it was nice to see all of Vinnie's family who we don't get to see very often. Yellowstone was beautiful and the animals were not afraid to get right up next to you. I thought we would see more bears but we only saw one. On our way back to Utah we drove through the Grand Tetons and I would have to say that the views were more beautiful than Yellowstone. Less visible wildlife but was a lot greener.

Bailey and Todd's vacation doesn't stop here. They will be left here in Utah while Vinnie, Lola, and I travel back home. Lola was supposed to go with them but decided she wanted to go back home. Natalie and Jonh will arrive tomorrow to take them to California for a few weeks. They are so excited!!! We will miss them but we know they will have a fun filled time.

Yellowstone Trip

Camping Trip Countdown

This is the week! Vinnie has been wanting to visit Yellowstone for the past couple of years after watching so many documentaries and we are finally making it happen. This week has been very busy and dedicated to preparing for this trip. We bought a new tent and did a dry run yesterday of putting it up and taking it down. Vinnie informed me it was his first time ever putting up a tent. Thank goodness for girls camp where we had to set up our own tents. It all came back to me!

I also had to go shopping for long pants for the girls since I already chopped their old ones into shorts for the summer. It's hard to believe it will only reach the low 70s during the day and drop down to the 30s at night in Yellowstone when we've been 113-115 here in AZ. We are looking forward to the cooler days, but I don't know about those cold nights. Wish us luck and keep us in your prayers!

We are leaving on Friday and plan to be back on the 26th, so come back then to see photos of our trip. Vinnie got a new lens for Father's Day and is itching to use it!

Happy Fathers Day!

Thank you for all you do for our family. You are a wonderful husband, father, and a great example of what a man should be. We love you!

What Kind of Flower are You?

I am a Daffodil What Flower Are You?

So I saw this on Stacie's blog and thought I would find out what kind of flower I am. Here is what it read:

You have a sunny disposition and are normally one of the first to show up for the party. You don't need too much attention from the host once you get there as you are more than capable of making yourself seen and heard.

Well, I found it to be pretty true. I am always about 15 to 30 minutes early to all appointments and I definitely don't need any attention. I'm quite happy sitting by myself just watching what is going on around me. As for the part about making myself seen and heard, I don''t quite see that about myself, but Vinnie might think different.

Foundation

The foundation for the house is done! We were actually able to pull into our driveway and what will be the garage. It's funny how small the house seems walking on the foundation at this stage. It will feel bigger once the framing is done, which will be soon.

We Survived Day Camp

Well, I haven't written in a few days because Todd and I have been at Cub Scout Day Camp the past three days and I'm happy to say we're alive and unburned! Our sunscreen did its job and with one application if you could believe it. The boys had a blast and I hate to admit that I didn't have a horrible time either.

Todd learned how to work and shoot a BB gun and also did archery. The days were filled with fun activities including water balloon fights and spray bottle wars. We were kept wet all day by sprinklers and water hoses which made the Arizona heat bearable. We stayed hydrated inside and out! Even though we had so much fun I missed the girls and I'm glad to be done with camp.