Phoenix Weekend

Last weekend we took our first plane trip as a family of four.  The girls did great!  It's hard work, traveling with two small ones, but rewarding on the other side, and the memories are priceless.

Our destination was Phoenix, to visit our dear friends the Coyles.  Stacy and I, along with our friend Kim who also joined us for the trip, have been best friends since freshman year of college.  The three of us rarely get time together, or with each others' kiddos and spouses, so our long weekend was such a treat.  Stacy's parents (who are like surrogate parents to Kim and me) were also in town, so there was much catching up to do.

We trick-or-treated. We crafted. We cook and ate.  We talked.  We shopped.  We ate.  We played games.  We watched the kids play.  We laughed and reminisced and made new memories.

This was Tess's first flight where she was old enough to engage in the adventure and understand what it meant to fly.  At one point she looked out the plane window, across the clouds and mountain tops, and said, "Daddy, is that where God lives?"  It was precious.  Both girls were so well-behaved and had fun visiting our friends who are like family.  Truly, we are blessed beyond description, to have the time and capability and resources to take such a trip and make more family memories, and to have such wonderful friends to spend time with.

Boy Or Girl? Find Out Here!

Last weekend I flew to Phoenix for a quick overnight trip to see my best friend from college, Stacy (and her husband and kiddos).  We had the opportunity to make another wonderful memory together, as the purpose of the trip was to have her do my second trimester ultrasound and tell us whether baby is a boy or a girl.  I got to do this with Tess, and it was such a fun experience -- to have your best friend share that kind of special news with you, and give you a detailed tour of the baby growing inside you, is the ultimate of fun and memorable.  Stace took more than 100 pictures of our little bundle and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing and learning about all the different developing systems: heart, brain, kidneys, etc. and tiny but perfect hands and feet.

 

The BEST news of all, like the first time, is that baby is perfectly healthy.  This is a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, as I am sure any mom can relate to.  People were asking me if I wanted a boy or a girl, but in my heart I just wanted to know that we had a healthy baby on the way.  Even though I was somewhat intimidated by the thought of a boy....completely new territory, and LOTS of new (blue) stuff to be purchased.....I figured it ultimately would not matter to me!  But practical me was just itching to use all the pink baby stuff I've got stored away in the garage, and the bins and bins of adorable girl clothes.

 

So, practical me was thrilled to learn we are having another girl!  Chad was right -- he said he definitely felt like baby was a girl, and he has always pictured us with two girls.  It kinda makes sense, too, because his twin brother also has two girls. We quickly and joyfully settled into this news, as it helps give the little one a bit more identity than anonymity, and we have a clearer picture of what's ahead of us.  Now we are working on what we should name her, and hoping for divine inspiration like last time! 

Weekend Trip to Phoenix

February was a busy travel month for this Risk Manager Mommy! It started off with a weekend trip (just Tess and I) to visit our friends the Coyles in Phoenix. This was my first flight with Tess where she was mobile, so I wasn't sure how it would go -- plus, since she's under 2, I didn't have to buy a ticket, but that meant having her sit on my lap for almost 2 hours. I tried to plan ahead as much as possible -- picked flights that wouldn't interfere with nap times (I didn't want to fly with a cranky toddler who wouldn't sleep), paid more $ for a direct flight from Fresno, etc. We arrived at the Fresno airport with plenty of time to burn off energy before boarding the plane, and she did remarkably well on the way. We stayed very busy with snacks, stickers, and looking out the window. Toward the end of the flight she actually fell asleep on me, which was a nice reprieve!

 

When we arrived in Phoenix, Saturday afternoon, we hit the local park with Jason, Stacy, and their two boys Ethan (age 5) and Dominic (age 3). That afternoon we had a little celebration in honor of Dom's 3rd birthday, complete with a "Despicable Me" cake and ice cream. Sunday morning we went to church and had lunch at a fantastic local place, Joe's Farm Grill, where the kiddos played outside and we all enjoyed meals made from locally-owned, organic foods. Stace and I made eggplant parmesan for dinner, which was delicious. On Sunday we took the kids to the Sea Life aquarium/exhibit in nearby Tempe. It was a great indoor aquarium experience -- just enough to be interesting, but not overwhelming, and sheltered from the desert elements. We topped it off with lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, and headed home to pack up for our 5:00 flight back to Fresno.

 

The flight home was a little more challenging with Tess, probably because she hadn't had a proper nap that day due to all the activities. We arrived in Fresno with Grandma (Chad's mom) waiting to shuttle us home. All in all, it was a wonderful little getaway...and my, how our friendship has changed over the years! What a blessing to still be so connected after almost 18 years!

Weekend in Phoenix

While Daddy was away at the state speech and debate tournament (and getting a first place WIN by one of his students!), Mommy and Tess took off to Phoenix for the weekend.  One of my best friends lives there (Stacy, who did my ultrasound and was the first to tell us that Tess is a girl!) and I'd been looking for the right opportunity (and price) to make the trip.  Coincidentally, Chad's parents (Paul and Barbara) were also headed to Phoenix that week for the graduation festitivities of a close family friend.  So, we were able to get the same flight over and even spend a little time together while we were all there.  Stacy and I had a wonderful time, as usual, and did as much talking, shopping, and eating as ever ~ this time with an adorable baby girl (and sometimes her two adorable boys) in tow.  My how our lives have changed since we met the first day of college in 1995....but we still have as much fun as ever.  It's so great to be able to be part of each other's lives after so many years, have our husbands consider each other friends, and see our children playing together!

Frequent Flyer Baby!

That's right, little Miss Tess is definitely racking up the skymiles! (Well, not technically, since she has yet to have a real ticket!)  This past weekend we traveled to Phoenix together, and I was just amazed at how cooperative she is on the plane (so far) and how familiar it feels (already) to do our "airport routine" (getting checked in, going through security, boarding, etc.).  Thankfully we have yet to have any airplane disasters, although I am not naive enough to think that flying with her will ALWAYS be this easy.  Right now her extremely high cute factor really works in her favor; people don't have time to get irritated about the noises she makes because they all think she's so adorable.  Here's a summary of her travel so far this year....



Horizon Airlines ~ with "Auntie" Danielle, headed to Seattle....

Virgin America Airlines ~ checking out the in-flight entertainment on the way to Dallas...



US Airways ~ getting comfy in her very own seat!

Weekend Trip To Phoenix

I spent this past weekend visiting our dear Phoenix friends, Jason & Stacy, and their adorable little boys, Ethan and Dominic. Check out the baby pics below -- at 7 months, Dominic is one of the sweetest and snuggliest little guys I've ever met! Ethan turned 3 this week and is all about his Daddy; it's very cute. Stace and I had a great time catching up and doing what we do best: talking, shopping, eating, and pampering ourselves with pedicures. We also caught up with an old college friend and that was fun, too! I'm so grateful for the ability to travel to see out of state friends.

Visiting Friends In AZ

This past weekend we packed up and headed for a warmer climate in Arizona.... or what we thought would be warmer, but was unusually chilly & windy! (Chilly for me is below 70 degrees.) The purpose of the trip was to visit 2 sets of very dear friends -- Michael & Sara in Tucson, and Jason & Stacy in Phoenix. We had a GREAT time with all, and packed a lot of fun stuff into 4 days. It really felt like a mini vacation, which was much-needed. In Tucson we relaxed and read, had coffee, wine tasted, the girls shopped (while the guys had cigars), and went for a wonderful desert hike. In Phoenix we girls shopped & got pedicures (while the guys watched Avatar), visited Cornerstone church, enjoyed plenty of time outdoors, and spent time doting on our new "nephew" -- he arrived in February. We feel blessed to have such genuine and hospitable friends to open their homes to us. Thanks to the Eastons and the Coyles for such fun and memorable times together!

Out Of The Frying Pan...And A Whole Lotta Golf!

This past weekend Chad hit the road with his buddies for their annual guys' golf trip....I'm still not clear on where they went exactly, but they all came home with their waistlines a little bigger and definite farmer's tans! Sounds like it was a great weekend for them, as usual, with plenty of beer, meat, and all the golf they could fit in! Meanwhile, I decided to get out of the frying pan (Fresno) and into the fire with a visit to Phoenix. My best friend from college, Stacy (Becker) Coyle, lives there with her hubby (Jason) and their baby boy, Ethan...oh, and their 2 dogs, Reese and Ben. It was too hot (110?) to do much of anything, so Stace and I stayed indoors and pursued our usual agenda for when we're together: talk, shop, eat, repeat. On Saturday we went to a baby shower for one of Stacy's work friends and then hit up the outlet mall in Anthem, AZ. Sunday we skipped church to stay home with a sick kiddo, so we stayed in our jammies and watched movies until well after 1:00. It was great to be with friends where you can just relax and be content without anything formal planned. Some picture highlights are posted below! (Sorry, Jason didn't make the cut! :-)

'

Busiest Month Ever?

Hello family and friends..... Here we roll out a blog for you all to keep up with our lives, and now we haven't even updated it in like 30 days! What's up with that?!

The better question might be what HASN'T been up? January has felt like the busiest month we can ever remember. Life just doesn't slow down....and we don't even have kids! Thankfully it was busy but GOOD!

For Chad, January was busy with speech and debate tournaments. In addition to taking 2 van-fuls of kids up to the Logan Invitational on January 16-18, the kids competed at the Valley Championship tournament in Bakersfield on January 31st. One of his students took first place in Dramatic Interpretation, and he already has a handful of students who have qualified to the State Tournament in April. January is notorious for being the busiest month in the speech and debate world! In addition to all that, research papers got turned in and grades were due....

For Sarah, January was busy with studying for the SPHR exam. SPHR stands for "Senior Professional in Human Resources." This is the premier professional designation for HR professionals, and I began studying the big, ugly textbook in October. I wasn't sure I had studied enough, and so I hit the books REALLY hard in January. I even went up to the Logan Invitational with Chad and spent 2 full days in the hotel room, by myself, studying and taking practice exams. I was so excited when I PASSED on January 28th! This exam has only a 57% pass rate -- it's a 4-hour test, 225 multiple-choice questions, choose the "best" answer, all related to strategic human resource management. The "added bonus" for me is that I skipped over the PHR exam and went straight for the senior-level designation. I couldn't feel any more relieved or accomplished -- this is my greatest professional achievement to date. And it's OVER!

Another highlight in January was a weekend visit from my dear friend Stacy (Becker) Coyle and her little boy, Ethan. Stacy, Jason, and Ethan live in the Phoenix area. Jason was away for a ski trip so Stacy and "E" came to Fresno to see me and our other friend Kimberly. The 3 of us have been best friends since the first day of college at Fresno Pacific. It was a crazy weekend; between the 2 of them they have 3 boys, all ages 4 and under. We kept saying to ourselves, "We can't believe this is US after all these years! Times have really changed!" Okay so I am the last one to get on the baby bandwagon... but I get good practice being an "Auntie" to these adorable kiddos.

While January was heavy on activity, it was unfortunately light on pictures! The only pics I caught were of Ethan with my camera phone. I've attached a few cute ones -- he's about 15 months old. Stay tuned for February updates!