This is why we live in Arizona

Our weather has been INCREDIBLE this week! We have spent so much time outside...I love it. Yesterday I took my kids to the park and we were so hot! I need to post this because come July I will wonder...why do we live here? I love Arizona and I never want to move especially this time of year! My kids eat lunch outside almost every single day either at the park or in our backyard than they play outside for hours..which is good because in about 2 months we are in hibernation! They are even in shorts and flip flops today...gotta love it!

Sammy and Ben digging a hole at the "big park" in our neighbor hood

Nathan swinging...he loves it!

Ben riding his bike at the park across from our house.

Maya and Ben at the park yesterday (don't you think Ben looks like Nathan in this picture?)

Sammy and Ben eating lunch today in our backyard...notice the flip-flops and shorts!

Aunt Jawsy and the lost dog!

A couple of weeks ago Ben told me that he had a dog and it ran away. She is white and her name is Maddie with "real" teeth. She's Very big and nice and she is lost. She ran away to a mean persons house and he is insisting that I go and find the dog....we have never had a dog!

Ben told his preschool class that his dog is missing and I had to explain to the teacher when she ask about our dog that the dog is imaginary.

Then he let me know that the dog was fine and will be staying with "Aunt Jawsy". I ask him who is Aunt Jawsy? He told me that it is his aunt and she has crazy hair and yellow eyes (obviously). He told me that Aunt Jawsy lives on a farm and Maddie (the dog) will be staying with her for a while (that's a relief...I don't even want to take care of an imaginary dog). For the past couple of weeks Ben will give us updates on the dog and Aunt Jawsy..for instance the other day Ben and Aunt Jawsy painted my van red (it was already red...but he was super excited to show me and luckily he didn't really paint it).

Last night at dinner I was trying to get Ben to eat some meat (Ben only eats cereal, fruit, and any type of dessert) and he, as always, refused. I then told him that it was a cow from Aunt Jawsy's farm and that she killed the cow just for him and that she really wanted him to eat it (do I sound desperate?). AND the vegetables were from the farm too...so he had to eat those. I than "called" Aunt Jawsy and confirmed that she wanted him to eat his dinner. Ben ate every bite after that...I think we will keep Aunt Jawsy around for a while!!

"Splendid" time with Grammie!

This weekend, Benson's Grammie came to visit us from Cody, Wyoming. Donna's (Benson's mom) brother Ken and his wife Jill were coming for a visit and were able to bring Grammie with them. She is 90 years old and hasn't been to Arizona for several years because she doesn't travel too well anymore. We visited her in Wyoming this summer for her 90th Birthday Party and my kids (especially Sammy) loved her so much.
Sammy has talked about her several times since then and since she doesn't come here and I am not taking the 20 hour drive again anytime soon...I kind of thought we would never be able to see her again. In fact on Tuesday (before I knew Grammie was coming for a visit) out of no where Sammy said "Mom I really miss Grammie I wish I could see her" and I said "we probably won't see her again in this life" and Sammy says "I bet I will". Than 2 days later I find out Grammie is coming. I swear, Sammy is so in tune with the spirit it is crazy. She is such a spiritual little girl..I can't even explain it..if you know her you know what I am talking about. She has always just kind of known things..
Grammie is such a sweet and nice lady. She is always saying how "splendid" and "lovely" things are. She commented on how "lovely" EVERY thing in my house was and ask me several times how I came up with the design of the house. I kept telling her that we didn't design it that we just bought it...but I guess she didn't like that answer because she kept asking.
We are so happy that we could have Grammie come and spend the weekend with us! I'll have to ask Sammy if she will be able to visit again ;D


I thought this picture was so sweet of Grammie reading with Ben.

Grammie has a charm bracelet with all the names and birthdays of all her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Sammy and Ben had a "lovely" time looking for their names and their daddys name.

Sammy, Grammie, and Ben
(notice Sammy's bows...I made a TON on Friday. I am pretty proud maybe I will post them all...)

Benson, Nathan (doesn't he look happy?), and Grammie

For dinner we went to Joes BBQ in Gilbert with all the Bashfords that live here. This picture is Sammy and Pyper (Bensons sisters little girl). Pyper is only a month younger than Sammy and they LOVE to play together.

Great deals...don't miss out!

Okay you can't miss this so you have to go TODAY! Golden Spoon on Signal Butte and Baseline is giving away FREE smalls today (and yesterday..sorry). If you don't know what Golden Spoon is its frozen yogurt and its delicious! Don't worry we have already gone 3 times (I am putting them in my freezer) and we will probably go again...so see you there!
ALSO, Desert Surf Company in Chandler (right by the Chandler Mall) has all their flip flops for 60% off. I got Ben and Sammy some cute Reefs for $3 and $4 and I bought myself some Roxy flipflops for $5 and Billabongs for $4....you can't beat that. I went last night and they had a TON of stuff still. So go check that out too! I ended up buying 6 pairs of flipflops and only spent $25!!

The Intruder...

I couldn't find a good before shot of the trees I will look some more and post one if I find it...but this is the after. Our trees were so full and obviously was over the fence and he cut down half of it!!! My Wisteria Lane neighbor Ashley (crazy neighbor lives behind me and across the street from her) got these shots of the man hiding the branches in his trunk...We think he was hiding the evidence of his trespassing! HA..we have proof!

This is how it all played out....

Sammy had a half day and I took the kids to the library on my way home I was talking to my friend Sarah on the cellphone. I walk in and from my garage door I can see out to my backyard and I say "there is a man in my backyard" he was in the tree so my first thought was "Benson must have hired landscapers" but as I thought for a second I realize that he probably would have mentioned that and there was no truck or anything out front...I am still on the phone with my friend (I had more courage being on the phone feeling like Sarah could call 911 if I got hurt or something) and I open my sliding glass door....heres the conversation

Me: Excuse me?

Crazy Neighbor (imagine super thick Indian accent): I am so sick of your leaves I have to cut your tree...

Me: (noticing crazy neighbor has a machetti like weapon) you can't just come in my backyard and cut down my tree...you have to leave right now!

Crazy neighbor: I have to because I call the police and they tell me to cut it down

Me: the police told you to come in my backyard and cut my tree down?

Crazy neighbor: No, I call the Home Owners Association I call the police I don't know what to do because your leaves are all over my yard.

Me: So the police did or did not tell you to come into your neighbors yard with a weapon and hack up their tree?

Crazy neighbor: I called the police..

Me: I get that...what did they tell you to do? (at this point I am trying to catch him in a lie) Look, I am going to call the police because you need to get out of here!

Crazy neighbor: I don't want to fight with my neighbor.

Me: Well you should have thought about that before you came into my backyard when I wasn't home and hacked my tree.

Crazy Neighbor: I knocked on your door first and you were not home.

Me: That doesn't mean you get to come in my backyard...you need to leave RIGHT NOW! And like I would have opened the door to a man I didn't know with a sword!

Crazy Neighbor: Okay, Okay I will leave.

He than hops over the back fence where he came from. Mind you he was wearing No shoes (weird) and I had never seen this guy before in my life!! Who does that kind of thing???

SO I talked to my cousin Meredith (also the previous owner of my home) and she convinced me to call the police. SO I called and the dispatcher informed me that my crazy neighbor had just called and some officers would be out...WHAT IN THE HECK DID HE CALL THE POLICE ON ME FOR???? I informed her of my side of the story and she laughed when I ask her why he had called the police on me and told me because of the leaves...LOOK AROUND...I don't know about your neighborhood but in mine there are leaves everywhere. This guy is NUTS!

Anyway, when Benson got home he gave the guy a piece of his mind and defended our trees honor...poor tree. AND the crazy man had the audasity to get mad at Benson because he had scratches all over his arm from our tree...DUH thats what you get when you cut down a tree with a machetti! Thats when Benson lost it a little but again only to defend the honor of our tree..very important!

The police told us we could file a civil suit but other than that they couldn't do anything. I think we could push the issue if we want because I can't imagine that going into someones backyard and cutting up their tree is legal.

And just so you know, these were really awesome trees (he cut 2 trees) they were sooo full and beautiful and provided so much shade for our yard. We loved them and our neighbor DESTROYED them with his sword (can you believe he used a machetti?) ! Such a crazy day!

Tagged!

My friend Shelly tagged me so here it goes...
1. The very first time I ever moved was when I got married. I lived in the same house my whole life. Since I have been married I have moved 6 times!
2. I love to bake. I love to find new recipes and try them out! Benson says I "make the worlds best cookies" and when I make them he gets upset with me if I share! So, if you have any good recipes...pass them to me, please.
3. I have never seen snow fall. I really want to...but it just has never worked out for me.
4. I love to clean cuts..even my own. I seriously love hydrogen peroxide...I love the bubbles and sting. One time Benson fell off his bike and had some pretty bad cuts, I felt bad for him, but I was so excited to clean them! I used to work at a bagel shop and when people would slice their hands with the knife I would beg them to let me clean it for them...I know I'm weird. If I get a cut I just pour on the peroxide..I love the bubbles!
5. I have TONS of embarrasing moments...I seem to do crazy stuff a lot. But I think the most embarrasing is when I was in High School I was in the play Fiddler on the Roof and in the middle of the performance my skirt fell down. I was sitting down and needed to stand up to say my line and my friend had her foot on the bottom of my skirt so when I stood up...my skirt didn't come with me. It was really embarrasing!
6. The first time Benson ask me out I said no (not flat out..but I made up an excuse). Lucky for me, he didn't take no for an answer. I thought he was cocky and I wasn't interested at all. Now its funny to me that I thought that about him because he so isn't cocky!
7. I love to "crunch" numbers. I think it is because I love to save money. I am always calculating our budget and savings account balance and what our savings will be 6 months from now. I have always been a saver when I was little my sisters would always "borrow" money from me because I would never spend it. I am just not a big spender.
Okay so I tag...Deanna, Melanie, Melody, Kim, Anne, Sara, and Krista...okay I pretty much tag anyone who wants to do it because I think its kind of fun!

FUN at FREESTONE!

On Monday night we went to Freestone park with our good friends, the LeSueurs, to feed the ducks and have a picnic. We always love to get together with them because we all get along so great. Sammy wants to marry Nixon (seriously!) and Nathan and Ben think Nixon and Cotton are like rock stars! We brought a whole loaf of bread and they went through it so fast...I couldn't believe it. So after we fed the ducks they rode scooters down the big hills...with only a few crashes!

Ben and Cotton feeding the ducks

Sammy and Nixon

Nate, Brooke and baby Gus

Looking for an FHE idea??

On Saturday night Benson and I went to the Reflections Of Christ display at the Mesa Temle Visitors center. Its a series of photgraphs by Mark Mabry about the life of Christ. The pictures are amazing and I can't tell you how much you need to go and check out this display. At the end of the display you can watch a documentary about how the project was put together. After we watched the documentary Benson and I looked at each other and said "lets look at the pictures again" So we went through it twice and I want to go back and bring my kids. Seriously, life changing. I've heard that its busy on Monday nights so maybe go on another night...but either way you should go! This morning I took my kids to Superstition mall because they are doing free carousel rides all day. They are going to close the ride and re-do it to make it a double decker carousel (above picture). I am actually not happy about that because you know they are going to raise the price AND my kids are happy with a one level carousel...oh well. Anyway, we rode the carousel twice and they had free muffins, donuts, and juice. And they were giving away goodie bags with coupons for a free Panda Express kids meal, color sheets, balls, etc.

If you are looking for something to do for Family Night I would definetly recommend one of these activities....I am not sure how long the Reflections of Christ display will last (I assume at least until Easter..maybe longer) but the FREE carousel rides are just for today...so maybe you can try to hit both!

Lions and Tigers and Bears...

Benson and I decided to take advantage of the great weather and take our kids to the zoo this morning... We had a great time! I have taken the kids to the zoo a bunch of times but this is the first time Benson has come along with us. Ben's favorite is the tigers and lions and he stands there forever trying to get them to roar...he says "scare me tiger..roar..just scare me!" One time the lion did roar (not today) and it was SOOO loud. If you look closely in this picture you can see the tiger is in the tree (kind of center). The kids loved watching the tiger climb! This is the amazing sting ray and shark exhibit...can I just say that I think the Phoenix Zoo is awesome! Come on...STING RAYS!

I love that Sammy and Ben are such good friends...this was them at the sting ray exhibit.

Oh, another good thing about the zoo is KETTLE CORN...here is a picture of Nathan enjoying it!

Sammy and Ben LOVE to go to the petting zoo. I guess they are redoing it and it has been closed but we were (un)LUCKY that it was open today.

Another favorite exhibit is the wallaby's...I am telling you I love the Phoenix Zoo.

Am I the only one that can't stop thinking about "Diego" while I am at the zoo?? I kept saying to the kids "Scarlet McCaw (or whatever other Diego espisode)..say it with me...Scarlet McCaw..say it louder..Scarlet McCaw..everybody SCREAM!" I think I have seen WAY too many Go,Diego, Go episodes! :)

Valentines Day!

Sammy and Ben were so excited this morning to get Valentines from Dad and Mom! I first helped in Ben's class...we decorated cookies and made these cute "love bug" hats!

Than I went to Sammy's class where a couple of my friends and I were "in charge" of the party. We played Valentines Bingo, played a hot potato game (with a pink flower), decorated cookies, and read Valentines stories... it was a lot of fun.

This afternoon the kids and I made LOTS of valentines! The kids thought it was super fun!

Than we "heart attacked" the front door for Daddy to see when he came home from work. He disappointed us when he didn't notice and came through the garage. So we made him go out and come back in through the front...than we were all happy again!

Love is in the air...

Me and my valentine...he's the best! We've been together
for 9 years and I am still madly in love with him! This is what I woke up to this morning...what a great way to start the day!

Happy Valentines Day! I have a crazy day today...but it should be lots of fun!

Good news & Bad news

The bad news is my little Nathan has had a super bad cold :( He has had a nasty cough, a yucky nose, and a fever. I guess he had too much fun in the snow! Luckily, it seems like he's gotten through the worst of it!

The good news is that since I have been stuck at home with a sick kid I have cleaned my house top to bottom! We are always so busy that I just stick with the basics in cleaning lately...but I have had time to go through closets, organize my bookshelf, weed through the toy room, clean walls, doors, and baseboard...It feels so good! I seriously think I am a little OCD about a clean house!

In other good news I found a great vaporizer for colds (above picture)...I never knew about this and I would like to thank Britany for introducing me to it...I think it really works! Oh, and a little Childrens Nyquil (another thing I didn't know existed) doesn't hurt either :)!

SNOW TRIP!

Climbing up the hill...to sled down!Ready, set, go...

Benson and Kyle

Nathan LOVED sledding (can you tell?)

Ben getting ready to sled down the hill!

Sammy sledding

Maya, Sammy, Sparkles (what Sammy named the snowman), Benson, Ben, and Nathan

Nathan looks cold (and cute)!

Wanna have a snowball fight?

Benson building a "daddy snoman" with the kids!

This weekend we took a trek to my parents cabin to play in the snow. My kids have been begging us to take them since we started decorating for Christmas (which Ben refused to take part in because it "wasn't even snowing yet"). So Christmas has come and gone and my kids couldn't figure out why they hadn't seen snow...so this weekend was a great opportunity to take them since it had just snowed in the mountains. We had such a great time and our friends (Jeremy, Britany, Maya, and Kenyon) came along which added more fun to the party!

So just a side not to the trip...not only were the kids super excited but so was I...I am a true Arizona girl and this is the most snow I have ever been in. I have only been in the snow 3 times in my whole life and one of those times I was like 5 years old. I have no memory of ever being in the snow as it is falling...I am truly deprived :) SO needless to say I was praying that it would snow while we were there...but no luck! This was also the first time that I had ever been sledding...It was SUPER fun!

Anyway, we went sledding (Nathans favorite), had snow ball fights (Ben's favorite), and built 4 snowmen (Sammy's favorite). The only bad part was that Nathan got really sick and had a hard time sleeping...so sad!

Daddys Boys!

Today I was playing blocks with my boys when Ben says to me "I fink I will be a builder when I get bigger". I think to my self "he is so much like his daddy". Not 2 seconds later...Ben is coming at his tower at full speed with his dump truck and completly demos it..."yep definetly like his daddy"! (Benson works for a demolition company)


Ben building

Ben destroying
Nathan building