The latest (or the late...est post)

Shawn had Martin Luther King Jr. day off from work, so we decided to head to downtown Phoenix. We ended up at the Downtown Civic Space Park..(what a name, huh?) It's also known as...


That place with the weird jellyfish looking thing hovering over it. It was actually a great space - clean, with green grass, big buildings towering over you, very few people...we had a great time. There's no playground, but the kids 'balanced' on the barriers and ran around on the grass. We also shook some trees to get their leaves to fall. FUN!

For lunch, we walked down to The Hero Factory and walked back for a sweet picnic. (If you like sandwiches, I highly recommend going The Hero Factory!)

Then we rode the train all the way to ASU in Tempe. Why? Because we could. Jeremiah loved it!

At ASU, where we let the kids run around before getting back on the train to downtown. Just before this hug, Jeremiah told me: "I've never had a baby Sarah before! I love her so much." Silly boy.

That evening we FINALLY convinced Jeremiah to let Shawn cut his hair. It just was so crazy every morning!

Why is he drooling? I don't know! But this is the after picture. I don't know, I kind of liked his long crazy hair. Short it cute too though.

Uncle Steve!

My younger (I really cannot say 'little' anymore!) brother came to visit us as well as run the PF Changs Marathon. He's a runner, and just ran a marathon in October back in Wisconsin. We were so excited just to have him visiting, though!


Seriously, Jeremiah was stuck to his side right away!


During Wall-E, he just had to 'rest' on Uncle Steve.


Sarah was a big fan, too!


Race Day! We were ready with our signs...


We don't see him yet, we're just pretending!


See the big guy, with the sunglasses? That's him!

Sadly, after he reached us he told us he wouldn't be able to continue the race. He has asthma and it started acting up really badly, to the point where he lost circulation in his feet. His feet 'fell asleep' around mile 3 and he kept running until mile 8, where we were! FIVE MILES he ran, in pain! I was so proud of him, I nearly cried. I'm still so proud of him, no matter how far he ran. (I mean look at him, it's pretty obvious he's in good shape!)

So, we took him out to breakfast at the Farm at South Mountain to celebrate.

While waiting for our table, Jeremiah happily jumped from hay bale to hay bale.


Sarah and her favorite Uncle! (She was actually saying 'uncle' by the time he left! what a talker!)


She really loves him!


My 'little' brother and I!


Mom and her two grown up kiddos.

PS Go Pack Go!

Jeremiah

Photo by Andrea Whittle

I tell ya, this kid just keeps growing! What's up with that?!? He's in such a strange phase right now - one moment still clinging to babyhood, the next, trying so hard to grow up. I don't get it. I'm going through the same thing though - when he's acting like a baby, ("I can't do it!"), I want him to grow up a little. And when he acts like a big boy (refusing kisses and hugs), I want him to act a little more babyish. It's such a struggle!

He is such a sweet boy. At three and a half, he can do so much himself.

He likes to get cereal ready for himself and Sarah, he can completely dress himself (although some mornings he prefers my help), he can turn on the TV, change the channel, and choose what he wants on our instant Netflix. (Like when he chose to watch "Food Inc" - not exactly a kid movie, ha ha.) He has strong opinions and is afraid of the dark - he sleeps with two bright nightlights on - you could read a book in his room. Not that I'm complaining - I love that I can peek in on him and see his sweet sleeping face.

He is a wild man at the park. He wants to be Iron Man when he grows up. He loves his dogs, his mommy and daddy, his sister. He loves the song "I'm in the Lords Army" and picks up on words in songs so quickly. He loves olives and any type of food that's terrible for you. He fights when it's dinner time, especially when it's something he doesn't like. He helps me clean. He loves to read books but also loves to watch anything that's on TV. Right now, his favorite movie is Wall-E.

When he loves something, you know it. When he's tired of something, you really know it! (See the first photo?) He loves his friends and loves praying for them. His imagination is incredible and I'm learning as I grow up with my kids that it's okay to have fun and not care what people think. Dancing through the grocery store is normal and fine. Smiling at strangers and saying 'hi' is not creepy or weird. Giving hugs spontaneously can make a stinky morning so much better. Saying "I love you" is not just a daily thing, but an hourly thing. Sometimes Jeremiah will tell me he loves me and then say: "It's been a really long time since I told you that!" (It hasn't, but maybe to him it feels that way.)

I'm learning that even though I'm supposed to be teaching Jeremiah things, he's teaching me so much about living life and embracing every moment. It sounds so cliche, but it's absolutely true!

Monkey see, monkey do

I know this picture is a little blurry, but it illustrates how much Sarah wants to be like her big brother. He fell and really cut his chin, so we put a band-aid over it to keep it from getting messed with. Sarah followed me around pointing to her chin until she got one, too.

Everything Jeremiah does, she wants to do. And for the most part, Jeremiah tolerates her very well. They've been playing together so nicely, and it's great. Although, sometimes, they don't play so nicely. The other day, Jeremiah came to me and said: "Mommy, Sarah's in my room and I want her to leave!" Already?!?!

It makes parenting a little difficult sometimes. If J gets a regular cup, Sarah wants one too. I have to decide if I want to clean up after her and risk a broken cup (we don't use plastic cups except for sippy cups), or have her whine about wanting one.

The kids are so fun right now, and I'm so happy to see them growing up together! If only they'd stay so close forever.

Grandpa Dan

Shawn's Dad, AKA Grandpa Dan, came to visit us from California over New Years weekend. Unfortunately, it was not only the coldest weekend I can remember here in Phoenix, Sarah was diagnosed with pneumonia the same day he got to town. Due to the illness and the cold, we had to lay low (normally when visitors come we do a lot outside since the weather's so much nicer than most of the country during the winter).

Sarah loved him. Jeremiah's always loved Grandpa Dan, too, but Sarah took to him so quickly I was suprised. Get this - she even wanted me to put her down so he could pick her up! What?!? Crazy talk.


J's in this whole "don't take a picture of me, I'll whine like a toddler" phase...it's fun.


See...she loved him!


Sarah loves this tutu. This is at Joe's Diner in Phoenix. If you haven't been there, please GO! NOW! There are certificates on restaurants.com but we won't buy them because we love the place so much we want them to get all our money. The pancakes are AMAZING. Like, you don't need syrup amazing.


Showing Grandpa love...


Jeremiah finally got a few minutes with Grandpa when Sarah was sleeping.

We loved having you visit, Grandpa Dan! Come back and see us soon...the kids miss you.