The Results...

Woo Hoo!!

Way to go Jaxon.

You are such a fabulous son...we're so proud of you!

Don't Be A Sucker...

Vote For Jaxon!

Today Jaxon is running for Biz Town Mayor at school.

It's part of the Junior Achievment program.

He wrote a hilarious and smart speech...

entirely on his own.

He's sporting his 'power suit' as Kade calls it.

We assembled these cute bribes handouts

for the voters.

The chances are slim.

His running mate is a sixth grader...

so are 60 of the 72 voters!

No matter how it turns out,

I'm super proud of him.

My A.I. Predictions

It was the summer of 2002

It was hot...

very hot...

115 degrees hot.

I was pregnant with a 10 pounder!!

American Idol - Season 1

saved me.

It gave me something to do,

something to look forward to

and most of all helped me

forget about my swollen feet for 60 minutes.

I can't say I've been a loyal viewer every season,

but I'm on board this year.

Is anyone else watching?

If so, what are you predicting

and who is your favorite past winner?

My favorite Idol is hands down Carrie Underwood. 

{nipple chaffing}...hiking with a 7 year old!

things one hears when hiking with kade...

the famous "freedom" cry learned from uncle jeff

taunts that he's a fierce competitor...

a warrior 

 a champion.

ear piercing shouts "i'm the king of the world!" 

snack inquiries 

and

my personal favorite...

endless talk of nipple chaffing

gets me laughing every.single.time.

The Silver Lining

The rain has been crazy this spring, (not the kind of crazy you're thinking of but for AZ standards it's a lot). I'm not complaining...I love it! We went on our 2nd hike and toughed it out in the rain, but had to cancel today's hike...it was just a little too wet. Instead, Kade and I are going on a date to see Diary Of A Wimpy Kid. We had another picnic scheduled for tonight, but it too will have to wait. It's so nice to get a dose of cooler weather before summer hits.

The other day just the boys and I went hiking. It was invasion of the senior citizens. Seriously, there were like 40 of them at the top. They use walking poles and go really slow and take lots of breaks. Being in the midst of that many elderly is like getting a GIANT hug from your favorite grandma. They were so dang cute...discussing fiber and such. Kade referred to them as 'cheek pinchers', he and Jax had me laughing my guts out! I love that my boys are old enough to do fun things with, I'd rather hang out with them than anyone.

Spring break has been fabulous. Having Jaxon around 24/7 has been so fun. The boys are bonding like the good old days and I am cherishing every second of it. They had their first flag football games of the season. Kade's team got creamed and he couldn't have cared less, Jaxon's team lost by one point and he was devastated. It's funny how different their personalities are and yet they get along so good.

I've been listening to The Secret a lot lately. I'm totally convinced our mind is a powerful thing. We can either choose to think positive and feel good, or think negative and slip into a funk...needless to say, I've decided to snap out of my 3 year funk!

We are very excited about our new property. For a few years we will be down sizing, then we'll build on it.

I'm anxious to move even though it's to a smaller home...sometimes less is more.

Dancing With The Stars is back, Celebrity Apprentice is back, the sun is rising earlier...life is good!

Book Review & A Hike

 

A few days ago we took the boys on a 3.2 mile hike at Usery Park.

It was a gorgeous day, we had a fabulous time.

The desert landscape was breath taking,

I couldn't help but stop often to catch my breath take it all in.

I almost broke my neck a few times trying to hike and take pictures at the same time.

Jaxon was the navigator,

Kimball was of course the jester,

I was the 'friendly hiker'

 and Kade was quite the trooper; he did awesome!

Looks like I've found another hobby...

can't wait to go again.

Arizona is the place to be for spring break!

I finished reading Anna Karenina.

I'm still not sure what I thought of it...

I liked it and couldn't put it down

and yet got so annoyed with it at times

 I had to.

I'm not convinced it's the "best love story of all time" (as many call it),

but I am convinced if I ever thought of cheating

I won't now!

It was a little agonizing to read,

kind of made me want to pull my hair out.

I love a good romance novel but this felt like a Kevin Costner movie...

about 400 pages an hour too long!

I'd love to hear what you thought of the book. Anyone?

I'm now reading Uncle Tom's Cabin,

a classic I've been putting off because I knew it would be a downer.

So far it's gripping but definitely sad.

Intervention?

At some point I should probably intervene,

 but it is spring break

and you're only a kid once.

They'll eventually need food,

and water,

and sleep.

Spring Break Baby!!

We are gearing up for spring break around here. We don't have any big plans, just playing outside, reading lots of great books and being lazy. We'll most likely make more trips to the zoo and definitely do some park hopping. I'd also like to go on a few hikes. The weather isn't cooperating so far, hopefully by next week we'll have sunny skies. For now, it's rain and clouds. I'm not complaining though, it's been rather nice having a rainy March. However, we also have football and swim starting so some warmer temps would be good.

Kade is so excited for Jaxon to be home and luckily our spring break is 2 weeks long. He's been a little lonely homeschooling by himself. I'm not sure what we'll do next year. Either Jax will have to home school OR Kade will go back to school. Kade is doing very well with his school work. He finished reading Farmer Boy and is now reading Charlotte's Web. Together we finished The Wind In The Willows and are now reading Understood Betsy. He's still listening to The Merry Adventure's Of Robin Hood on CD during quiet time. As for math, he's doing awesome and is ready for Saxon's Level 3 (I actually should have purchased it rather than level 2, he's rather bored). He's a natural at grammar, though he claims to hate it.

We went to Jaxon's school last week and saw him perform in his play. He was quite silly but did great. He loved having all eyes on him...how he's my child I do.not.know. :)

The great books I've currently got my nose in are Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and The Bible In 90 Days (though it's looking more like 180 days). I am also determined to set aside some time to learn how to use my new camera.

What are you all planning for spring break? I'd love to hear.

Fun Friday's

Why they love Friday's...

games

picnics

library books

46 to be exact

Lord Of The Rings

popcorn

and staying up way too late!