Amanda's Family

Other People's Blogs

2011-09-29T22:07:00.002-07:00

I noticed that I had two different friends start blogs today. Cora started a cute blog with an initial post on a how to project and Julie started one about taking a break from Facebook. Then looking at the comments from Julie's I find that my pastor and my friend Jill also started blogs recently.

It is starting to make me feel like there is a resurgence in the blogging community and I would gladly welcome that. Blogs to me seem to promote much more self expression than the more prevalent realms of social media (i.e. facebook, twitter... ect.). Everything is interchangeable, from the backgrounds used to decorate to the type face and placing. It really lets you see what the person is all about. Plus blogs let authors get much more in depth with the content that is provided.

I personally follow many blogs on a variety of subjects like couponing, photography, and digital scrapbooking just to name a few.

All this talk about blogs is making me think I should update my own, but what to write about?

Home Movies

2011-09-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

Just to let you know I still keep an assortment of updated videos at the bottom of this blog. The latest is the kids splashing in a puddle area.

Who likes humming birds?

2011-08-26T04:27:00.001-07:00

Ever since I found out about the hummingbird banding that they do by the San Pedro House I've been itching to go, but the days that they do it and my little calender did not seem to mix. That is until the banding yesterday.

For those of you who don't know banding is when they capture a bird, take all it's measurements, write down lots of data on it, then give it a little anklette and then let it go. For hummingbird banding the letting it go is the fun part.

After all the weights and measures, they let the hummingbird have a snack from the feeder and then place it into someone's hand. That person get's just hold the hummingbird until it is ready to fly off and that person can be anyone who happens to show up to the banding. I showed up to the banding. I also happened to have brought Mara and my dad with me. It was a blast and we will defiantly do it again.

Tim says the next time we should put Mara in her Snow White costume.

Monument Fire (and Garden Fire)

2011-07-01T10:22:00.000-07:00

Well the fire is mostly contained now but I did want to share a bit of news... On one of the days when the post wanted to make some fire lines without doing any back burning decided to bulldoze some fire lines. Well when bulldozers hit a certain type of rock they cause sparks and since they were clearing dry brush away it caught on fire quickly and sparked a totally different fire. The Garden fire. I just thought my brothers would like to see how close it came to Mom's house

Day 1/365 Grateful

2011-05-13T13:32:00.000-07:00

The other day I ran across this article with a video about this photographer who decided to do a 365 project about being grateful. I thought that was neat so I think I will do the same. I hope you enjoy.

This is some coffee my friend Amy got me when we went walking together. I always enjoy spending some time with her and I thought it was sweet of her to get me a coffee too.

Hormel Compleats Kids Meals a Review

2011-04-14T18:14:00.002-07:00

Through SheSpeaks Hormel asked that I try the Compleats Kids Meals and then write a review. (Actually in the program survey to see if you qualify it asked specifically if you had a blog and if so would you be willing to write a review... I clicked Yes)

Anyways in the mail today came a package of four different meals to try (1) Spaghetti and Meatballs, (2) Pasta and Chicken, (3) Beef Ravioli, and (4) Macaroni and Beef. They looked kinda neat... like T.V. dinners for small people. They all had the same directions. Poke it, throw in the micro for 45 secs and then let chill for a min.

Well with all this variety I let the kids pick out their own meals. Mara picked out the Spaghetti and Meatballs. When asked what she thought she said she like it and ate it all gone.

Theresa picked the Ravioli. When asked if she liked it she said she was being careful and would not burn herself. Then she continued to eat. I thought that was a yes. She ate 3/4 of her bowl

Timmy picked a box and started eating it. It was the Pasta and Chicken box. When I actually made it he seemed to like it. I didn't get any pictures of him though because I was feeding him. It's hard to do both at the same time. He ate it all gone.

Overall the kids liked it, and it was fast and convenient. On the inside of the box it had some games to play as a family and each kiddo got a sticker. They really liked those. I'm on the fence as to whether to buy them or not. I'm not a real big micro dinner girl but maybe when we have a sitter cause Tim and I are going out. I'll have to check what the price is. We'll see.

Hormel Foods provided samples ofHormel® Compleats® Kids Microwave Meals for me and my family to try. No payment was given and as always, all opinions given here are fully my own.

church without walls

2011-03-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

Church is not a place of four walls that people meet in on Sunday but a community of believers that stretches back through time to the Church of Acts and far into the future. It encompasses all believers and should stretch out it's hand to the community surrounding it. To celebrate we had Church Without Walls this last Sunday at the Park. Fun times

Later that day I went to my mom's house and took some pictures of her flowers. I hope you like.

Car Wash

2011-03-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

I went and took pictures of the car wash my church was hosting. It was kinda fun. Here are the best ones.

Marching Along

2011-03-19T07:39:00.000-07:00

Well so far March is going along well. I got a new camera as a tax return present and so there will be many pictures to come. The kids had a fun birthday party, Timmy turned 1 and Mara turned 6. We celebrated at the park with some good friends and family. Christen (my sis-in-law) made the cakes again. She did an awesome job doing a Noah's ark cake for Timmy and a Castle Cake for Mara. (I helped with the castle cake).

After the party we went up to my parents new house in Pinetop. The kids had a blast hiking all around. While there we saw Elk, Squirrels, a Skunk, Crawdad. Plus we saw a Coyote on the way back. Although the kids favorite part was going to the park and sliding on the slide. Plus we got to eat at Charlie Clark's, supper yummy. Mara wants to go back again.

This month, so far

2011-01-22T18:40:00.000-07:00

We started this month with my dad's birthday. Then I went to Mrs. William's Christmas Party. A cool train playdate. Bunco with the girls (Lori stole my camera for part of it). Then a 6 year old's birthday party. Just in case your wondering what all the pictures are. Oh, I also got the girls a cardboard castle.

hello 2011

2011-01-19T00:23:00.000-07:00

Well another year has started and it seems that normally it is accompanied by sets of new resolutions to do or not do something in particular. Well why not jump in on the band wagon and make a list of stuff to do this year. I don't know how resolved I really am at these items but I do plan on doing them for at least a month or two.

1. Well I do not plan on taking more pictures this year. But I do plan on taking more purposeful photos this year. To have more planning and forethought go into them before I push the shutter button. To consider light and background. Not that I won't take lots of pictures this year, but I want to take better pictures this year. (F.Y.I. I ended up shooting 3,401 pictures this last year)

2. Couponing seems to be a popular trend that I'm going to get back into and currently seem to be doing alright. If I get any supper stellar deals I'll try and let you know.

3. I plan on getting more sleep. A well rested Mom is a happier more productive Mom. In fact why don't I get to that right now. There are some more things to add but why don't I end here for now and I'll get back to it another day.

Besides, I'm kinda wondering who besides my Mom and Sis-in-law happen to read this. Leave a comment to let me know.

So Far...

2010-12-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

So far this December has been fun. We have already helped put up many decorations around at family members houses but still need to put up our own. The kids all love to dress up in their winter clothes (Resa calls her's a costume) but we are still awaiting the elusive snow in the mountains. We may have to wait awhile still because it is suppose to be 75 today. We had fun at the Christmas parade this year and made quick friends with the family that was sitting next to us. I hope everyone is enjoying the pictures posted and I promise more are to come.

Hi

2010-11-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

So I decked out the blog a bit early for Christmas this year but just to let you know I did the background and banner myself! I got all the elements from some great folks online that offer free digital scrap booking supplies. A good supply if your looking for one is http://www.digiscrapdepot.com/.

The Nutcracker

2010-11-20T23:09:00.000-07:00

Mara was in the Nutcracker

Act I: she is a pretty little girl at a party

Act II: she is a clown

She had a blast

the Wedding

2010-11-02T16:46:00.003-07:00

Congrats to Billy and Laura. You guys are awesome.

Quick updates

2010-10-08T18:56:00.009-07:00

Let's see here...

Theresa had a birthday. She really likes trains if you don't know.

I had a birthday. Nana made me a cake. you know your jealous.

Mara had her first field trip. It was to a pumpkin patch to get pumpkins.

Timmy learned to crawl and does so on a regular basis.

more updates to come at a later date

The First Day

2010-08-04T19:45:00.002-07:00

Well the morning seemed to start out like any other. The girls woke up early and were playing in the living room. Then some fun conversation was had over their morning cereal. But it was not any other morning. All the members of the household had to get out of our P.J.s and into some real clothes much sooner than was the normal routine. But then this now would be the new normal routine.

Theresa picked out one of her yellow dresses from one of the drawers. I think it was the one on top. Mara however did not pick out her dress from one of her drawers. Although her drawers did have a variety of sun-dresses to choose from, those sun-dresses are not in compliance with the school district's dress code (for they do not have sleeves). The dress Mara desired to wear for this special day would come from inside her closet. This dress had been hanging inside Mara's closet for over a week, staring at her. Just waiting to be worn and danced around in. In fact Mara had been begging to wear it, every day, ever since it had first appeared. This was her Special School Dress. That is the dress that Mara got to wear today.

After Mara put on this dress there was immediate singing and dancing involved. "It's my special day today, I get to go to school..." Soon after, the bag were packed and we were almost ready to be off. The children only showed slight impatience at having to wait for their mother to check the camera battery and then take pictures of everybody. Then we began our walk there.

Although the school is in sight of our house the walk seemed long to the smallest walker in our group. Maybe though it was just the sun beating down upon us. Mara looked up at our clear blue skies and wished it would just rain to cool us off a little. Soon after we were there.

It seemed like we had gotten there early and with many swings available both girls were soon well occupied. I personally used this opportunity to photograph this once in a lifetime event. Soon the playground was filled with these little students all laughing a playing. Some of them even hugging and talking about how it had been so long since they had seen one another. Then there was bells ringing, and lines being formed. Teachers were then marching students into various classrooms. One of these students being my little girl. I stayed for a quick peek. To look at Mara in her classroom with all her new school friends. But then it was time to leave.

The walk back home was nice. Theresa and I talked about the flowers and the cloudless sky. And also about her big sister. Who we would not see again until the 1:45 pickup.

Some Updates

2010-08-02T21:37:00.003-07:00

Well after hearing some comments about my last post I realized something. My main followers don't just stop at the top to look at all the updated pictures. They scroll down and read all the wordy bits too. That calls for an actual update.

Mara will be starting full time kindergarten in Mrs. Vick's class this Wednesday. I got to talk with her extensively during the 'Jump Start' and I feel very confident that Mara will love it there and will be coming home with a large amount of fridge art on a daily basis. Plenty to share with all the grandparents. Mara will also be in ballet for another season so there will be a nutcracker performance come the Christmas time.

Theresa's only major milestone right now is that she had her first bloody nose today. Poor thing, she face planted right into the asphalt. I told her when she was all better she could have some chocolate milk. She seemed to recover fairly quickly. I'm looking forward to hanging out with her on a more one-on-one basis when Mara's in school.

Timmy is just cute. He smiles, giggles, rolls over and sucks his thumb.

Well that's all the words I can think of for now. I'll try to post more often since I now know that people pay attention to it. Oh, and I got my shirt.

Random Shirt

2010-07-18T07:01:00.002-07:00

Lets see if anyone reads these blogs or if the couple of grandparents that look at this thing ever get past the picture slide show at the top. I like following the shirt contests over at shirt.woot.com. Sometime I even enter the contests but I haven't won yet. Well every once in a while they offer random shirts for sale. It's a really nice discount and we've gotten some real neat ones. It's kinda like gambling but with clothes. Well the other day when I ordered a few it culminated in some interesting correspondence with the customer service person named Riley.

Sent: Friday, July 09, 2010 4:00 PM
To: Woot : Service
Subject: ORDER #30548808

Dear Shirt.Woot.com Person

My random Shirts Came Early. YAY!!

Wait. There were only two of them when I ordered three. BOO!

I received two male 2xl shirts (for my husband). I am still currently missing the WXL shirt (MINE!).

Please send me something cute soon. I still really love you guys but I don't have a shirt to wear and I think I'm not suppose to leave the house topless.

Thank You For Fixing This Really Really Fast.

Amanda

On Fri, Jul 9, 2010 at 2:15 PM, Woot : Service <service@woot.com> wrote:

Hi Amanda,

The order looks like it has two tracking numbers associated with it so it’s likely yours is shipping on it’s own because it’s too cool to be seen with your husband’s shirts. The tracking number is below but it may take 2-3 business days for it to update with valid information. If you don’t see an update to it by Wednesday, please let us know.

http://www.fedex.com/Tracking?tracknumbers=02185456301073786433

Riley

Sent: 07/16/2010
To: Service; service@woot.com; Woot Member Services
Subject: Re: ORDER #30548808, case # W-606406-88OL

Riley (or what ever woot staff person gets this)

well I really didn't see an update on Wednesday, or Thursday, or today (Friday) for that matter. Has my shirt been sent? Is it invisible? Even if it is part of the Emperors New Clothes line the tracking number should works still, right? I recently checked and it is still illegal for me to walk around topless so I could really use my shirt. Unless of course you are willing to pay my legal bill.

Amanda

Amanda,
Sorry that your shirt tracking data has not yet updated. I contacted the shirts department who stated "We make shirts?" to which I rolled my eyes and explained that it's a form of clothing people tend to wear. Of course I was laughed at afterwards and swore I'd get revenge with the help of my two trusty sidekicks, Pinky and the Brain, but that's beside the point.
Basically, the shirts department did say the shirts shipped out later than expected and the last of them did not go out until yesterday. The tracking number should still update within the next few days but if you don't see an update by Tuesday, please let us know. I know that's asking a lot to go an entire weekend without the shirt since there are laws and such...but sadly I'm not able to get the Huffy out of the garage and convince them I can bike the distance before then.
Anyway, if you can just bare with us - oh dear, not exactly the right words - um, if you can just sort of give us a little more time, we'll get a shirt to you shortly!
Riley

2010-05-06T18:11:00.001-07:00

My mom has some really pretty wild flowers in her backyard. She wanted me to show them off.

Park Playdate

2010-05-06T14:26:00.004-07:00

We had a fun park play date with some other moms today. It turned into a very eventful day because Mara has learned how to swing by herself. (There is a video at the bottom of the page.) She enjoyed the thrill of going higher and higher all by herself. Theresa liked swinging for awhile but then she discovered a couple trees that she could climb. The kids didn't play too much with the others today but that's O.K.

2010-04-22T13:21:00.004-07:00

I love spring time in Arizona. On Tim's days off we have been enjoying the beautiful weather outside. Our latest exploits have had us going up to the Coronado National Memorial. The kids really like the cave trail.

Climbing a tree

2010-04-15T12:40:00.002-07:00

We have some new neighbors and he was showing Mara how to climb a tree.

Easter

2010-04-04T19:35:00.001-07:00

I had a fun easter with my family. Enjoy the new slideshow.

Grass

2010-03-27T12:16:00.002-07:00

I have grass growing inside my house. I took a picture.

A busy Saturday

2010-03-15T20:16:00.004-07:00

Mara's Birthday Party was this Saturday. It was a fun little gathering at the park. The kids got to play on the slide and run around. Friends and Family came and my sister-in-law made an awesome birthday cake. I was asked by several people if she made cakes for a living. Mara really enjoyed it and all in all felt like it was a very special day just for her.

Well at the end of it Tim and I went off to the hospital and welcomed a new member into our family. Timothy Grant Bethard Jr. was welcomed into this world at 2:39 p.m. on Saturday March the 13th. He weighed in at 8 lbs. 14 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long.

So i am lame, Merry Christmas

2009-12-26T15:02:00.002-07:00

So I haven't updated the blog in a good 3 months. But hey, at least the pictures in the slideshow are current. I hope you all had a merry Christmas. I know we all did. If you want to download any photos just click on the slide show.

3 month break

2009-09-30T09:33:00.009-07:00

So I haven't been blogging in a good 3 months. I normally remember to put something up on here when some of my other lazy blogger buddies put something up (in a kinda keeping up with the Jone's sorta way) but everyone seems to be in lazy summer mode. Although now it seems to be fall and I feel obligated to do a quick recap of what has been going on in our lives.

We are now in S.V. Tim has started his new job that he seems to love and I have my own little part time position. I sell hot dogs in front of home depot. :) The girls are loving it down here but seem to miss there old friends but they have already started to make new friends at church.

Resa had her 2nd birthday and we had a small little party to celebrate. It was a fun celebration with pizza and cake at the park. She really liked the cake her Aunt Christen made her. It was the shape of a car. Theresa loves cars. That kid will sit and watch NASCAR all day if we let her.

Enjoy the slide show and I'll try to post more often.

cornhole

2009-06-03T16:37:00.002-07:00

So the other day Tim, the girls and I went to a church bbq/cornhole tournament. if you don't know what a cornhole tournament is then you are not alone. We only learned of it the weekend before. It is played kinda like horse shoes, but instead of horseshoes there is a bean bag (or filled with dried corn). and instead of a stick in the ground there is a slanted board with a hole in it. People take turns throwing bean bags onto the board and hopefully into the hole. if the bags get into the hole it is 3 points and on the board is 1 point. every round is net scoring and the first team to 21 wins. this game is apparently popular in the Midwest (where they grow corn).

Tim and I practiced right before hand. we NEEDED it. much fun was had and the kids enjoyed running around with all the other kids there. then it came time for the tournament to start. it started kinda late and the kids had had a long day. when it was our turn the kids decided that they wanted to be attached to us. Tim was holding Mara and I had Resa so we were throwing bean bags with one hand and had a kid in the other. apparently as parents our balance has shifted so much while holding children that we need to hold them in order to throw properly. we so rocked that round. somehow we kicked butt against two guys that play this game on a weekly basis. then in the next round (it was bracketed because there were 30 or so teams) the kids were playing happily. we were not holding them. we did not do good. it was very bad. and kinda funny. we left in defeat after that. it was a couple hours after the kids bedtime anyways. :)

culture pass

2009-05-17T09:56:00.000-07:00

We got a culture pass this week so we were able to go to the Phoenix Art Museum for free. It was a fun family trip and I think the kids liked the train ride to get there the best.

If you happen to live in the Phoenix Metro Area then I highly recomend that you go and check out your local library. Right now they are offering Culture passes to go to local museums and science centers, the zoo and botanical gardens for free. They are limited in supply and go extremely fast but are renewed weekly. We always bring our books inside to return them instead of doing one of the outside drive by drops so I can see if there are any Passes available.

As a side note. I'm just going to put the t-shirt designs on the right side of the blog. Since this is primarily a personal blog I figure no one really wants t-shirt designs taking over the content area.

how we have been spending our time

2009-05-09T00:40:00.003-07:00

So instead of spending my free time on the computer blogging away and making sure that the pictures are updated, I picked up a new hobby and then got my luvin' hubby is into it as well. We have been designing stuff to throw onto t-shirts for competitions like the one over at woot. This weeks theme is air and so we did a dragon in a hot air balloon. We have some others in the works but this is the only one submitted right now. I figured I should up-date the post while I thought of it. I'll also put some new photos in the slide show so all the grandma's are happy. :)

if you want you can vote on the shirt here. thanks.

Back to the PhotoChallenge

2009-04-17T16:12:00.005-07:00

I decided that I should go back to the photo challenge because it gives me something to blog about daily. Today, for the 107th day of the year, the photo challenge was gardens. Well, I live in

Arizona. If you don't know, it's a desert. Then of course I have an apartment in the city. I have no lawn for a garden. But fortunately I had a play date scheduled for the zoo today.

They have lots of fun little gardens. This little rose garden is nestled right by the warty pigs. It's a really pretty area. Mara and Resa had fun with their friends and it was pretty cool because we all had strollers and for the most part the kids didn't really want to ride in them. We had lunch, played in the new play area and then left. But not before stopping at the splash park.

it's been a month I need to get on this already

2009-04-16T08:12:00.003-07:00

So I keep meaning to post about what has gone on and what is going on but then It's been so hectic, frantic, and then I feel obligated to go into detail about all the stuff going on and that has gone on since my last post. Well, let's be honest people, that is just not going to happen. It's been a month. Let's talk about today.

Today I'm enjoying some time out with the kids. Currently. I'm at the most awesome Chick-fil-A ever. It has free wi-fi. It has a play area. It has free refills on my cherry coke. I sitting down blogging while my kids are having fun playing on a slide and climbing through inner tubes. As a bonus, I have figured out how to automate the slide show so I don't even have to do anything and pictures will go up directly from my camera. If some are a bit sideways, sorry. Also if any pictures show up that you want down (because your in them) just let me know. I know some of you are paranoid. I'm doing it this way new pictures can just show up and you don't have to wait for me to update all the time.

Tim comes home tonight. That means I need to clean today. I let things slide a bit without him. Mom comes up Saturday. We get to all look at houses together, except of course for the kiddos. They get to play at church with some of the most awesome children's ministry people of Praxis church. I LOVE parent's day out. :)

That's what's up with me. If you could leave me a comment when you read this so I know I'm not doing this all in vain.

Mara's birthday

2009-03-16T15:12:00.002-07:00

We celebrated Mara's birthday this Saturday with friends, family, cake, and some other random encounters. It was a fun day at the park and Mara decapitated the pinata. Pictures soon to follow.

My little helpers

2009-03-08T16:04:00.001-07:00

So the kids are cleaning my bathroom right now.

Keepin' Up with the Ratliffs

2009-03-03T18:16:00.000-07:00

So, it has been awhile since my last post but with my sister-in-laws recent post I feel like I must try to keep up.

The family has been having tons of fun outside lately. The weather has been in the Mid 80's this week and who can help but go to the park or zoo to play. We even took the kids 'hiking' up to hole in the rock.

Mara is having her 4th birthday this month. Our little leprechaun was born on St. Patricks Day but we will be celebrating a bit early. The event will be just a simple park, pizza, and cake affair and all are welcome to come. Just e-mail me for the info.

We will be moving at the end of the month to our new place in Mesa. We are really excited. It is a four bedroom two bath HOUSE. It has a backyard and fruit trees. We are really excited. More on the move soon and if you feel like helping out there should be doughnuts provided.

a cool contest

2009-02-25T15:11:00.003-07:00

Bible Study Magazine and Mars Hill are giving away 20 copies of Mark Driscoll’s new book, Vintage Church. Not only that, but they are also giving away five subscriptions to Bible Study Magazine and a copy of their Bible Study Library software! Enter to win on the Bible Study Magazine Mark Driscoll page, then take a look at all the cool tools they have to take your Bible study to the next level!

valentines

2009-02-14T11:47:00.004-07:00

Happy Valentine's Day.

I got to sleep in, eat breakfast in bed, and have roses in my bedroom and tulips in the kitchen. So far my day is going good. Later today the most awesome folks at Praxis church will be taking our kids for a few hours while Tim and I have a little date. The plan right now is to picnic in the park. :)

I also wish to say Happy Anniversary to my mom and dad. They celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary yesterday. From what I understand, they had a really good time at Texas Roadhouse.

good bye uncle ed

2009-02-11T16:47:00.003-07:00

My uncle Ed passed away on Monday. He was loved and I will miss him very much. If I close my eyes I can still see him playing the harmonica.

What's been happening

2009-02-08T08:23:00.002-07:00

So, it has been awhile since I have posted anything. Not much has happened since I last posted, except a wedding, birthday party, a broken car, a long bus ride, a train ride, and an unfortunate incident with scissors. More info on past events to come soon. :)

So, another Saturday

2009-01-17T16:45:00.006-07:00

Another Saturday is here and it has been quite fun thus far. I am currently not at home and do not have children with me. :) This is a strange concept because, although it is a Saturday, it is not the weekend. Those come on Mondays and Tuesdays. But it is the monthly parent's night out hosted by the wonderful people of Praxis church. The children's ministry staff there ROCKS!!! Because right now I am at a Starbucks drinking a frappicino and enjoying the music from my sister-in-law's blog.

So this week has been fun. Lot's of trips to the park in the most awesome weather. Theresa is starting to get real brave with the slide and Mara has started to like to play with more playground equipment than just the swing.

The photo challenge was stymied due to an iffy wi-fi conection. While at home the stolen wi-fi has been on the fritz and I can't do anything about that. Then while out with the kids, I'm too busy doing stuff to care about uploading some photos. But I have mostly been keeping up with it. Today is Electronics so I just took a picture of my laptop. :)

As a side note. While I am writing this there is a guy sitting on the street asking for change. He left his laptop, cell phone, and ipod in Starbucks.

Minimalism

2009-01-12T17:51:00.007-07:00

So today was a fun day. I got to hang out at Ikea with my friends Rachel and Katie today while at Ikea. This was special because 1) we had been trying to get together for a couple of weeks now 2) Rachel will soon be moving to a strange far away place, hardly ever to be seen again (the west valley). Mara was sooo excited. She is tall enough and potty trained so she gets to play in Smalland downstairs while the mommys roam the store wild. I got to see many an amazing bed and table in that furniture store while catching up on all the fun events and activities of my friends. After my 90 min of freedom were up, we went and had a fun lunch with the kiddos upstairs. Mara enjoyed her macaroni and cheese very much while watching a movie in her special eating area. Then it was goodbyes and so longs and maybe I'll see Rachel again sometime for a kids birthday or too.

Where was Theresa you may ask during this very fun escapade. She was at home with my most awesome husband. Monday is the new Saturday, don't you know.

After some fun family time and a few chores I have the luxury of going off on my own to check e-mail and whatnot outside in downtown Tempe. I know it is not all that exciting but it is free wi-fi out here. Plus it is

day 12 of the photo challenge. Today's subject: minimalism. Ok, going for most of the day without knowing the subject matter to shoot is difficult but when you know at the last minute it can still work out ok. Maybe I'll try and escape earlier tomorrow to see what it is.

Oh, for most of you that don't know, I started a photo challenge project. They list a new project for me to take a picture of and post that day. It presents a challenge when I can't get online till dusk to find out what I'm suppose to shoot that day, but it does get me to blog daily so you get very recent updates. I don't know if my life is all that interesting to be blogging about daily but at least I won't hear griping about how I need to update more often. :)

Sunday

2009-01-11T18:07:00.002-07:00

We had a fun Sunday. We started the day by going to church this morning. It was our turn to set up the nursery and my turn to run media shout. On days that we volunteer we always seem to have a better time then when we just go. Plus Mara really likes to help vacuum up. After church it was lunch and family nap time. Then before Tim went off to work I took the girls on a long stroller ride with my laptop. It is really fun being able to check my e-mail while watching the girls play in the grass. Plus the wi-fi conection I steal from my neighbor isn't all that reliable and I haven't been able to get on-line in a couple days. I found out that today's photochallenge subject is landscape. Luckily I shot this earlier just because it was pretty. :)

I hope all of you are enjoying your daily updates. I'm going to try and keep them coming all year long.

Saturday

2009-01-11T17:39:00.005-07:00

So it was a fun Saturday. We started the day by going to my friend Allison's house and eating some yummy bannana bread. I think I should visit her house more often. She is so fun with kids and always has stuff for them to do.

Then I got to hang out at Target and try on some nifty clothes. Target is always a fun adventure and I left with some really cute tutus for the girls.

After Target I just hung out at home till Tim had to go to work and then I took off to find my photochallenge subject. It was hard trying to find a moving target but then my kids are always moving. I played with some of the features of my new camera at a waterfountain I found. Then on the way home there was a nifty fire engine as well that I just managed to capture.

2009-01-09T12:44:00.001-07:00

I left the door open to the bedroom and she just crawled in and fell asleep next to Tim. :)

signage

2009-01-09T11:20:00.009-07:00

So today is Day nine of the photo challenge and today's topic was signage. As a fun adventure I took Mara out to go take pictures of signs.

She really liked the idea because she got to ride her trike the whole time. We went exploring all around our neighborhood and even to theCircle K down the street. She was pointing out different signs and she even got to get some bug juice.

Theses photo challenges are fun to do with the kids and it gives me an excuse to update this blog a little more often than I have previously. Plus I got to look at alot of fun and interesting signs today.

photo challenge

2009-01-08T15:23:00.004-07:00

So while I was exploring random blogs I came across many that were dedicated to taking a new photo everyday. The idea slightly intrigued me and then I found www.photochallenge.org. It presents a new photo concept to take a picture of everyday. Seeing some of the previous picture ideas (chair, bread...ect.) I decided to give it a go today and see what I could do over a year. Today's topic was entropy. As is defined by them as:

A measure of the disorder or randomness in a closed system.
The tendency for all matter and energy in the universe to evolve toward a state of inert uniformity.
Inevitable and steady deterioration of a system or society.
Devolution

So on the way to take Tim's bike into the shop (the spokes popped) I snapped this real quick. :)

Happy New Year

2009-01-04T12:13:00.002-07:00

so there have been a lack of post lately. I'm blaming it on the hectic holiday season and now I just want to wish everyone a happy new year. Also with the new year comes a new camera. I hope you all enjoy the pictures. :)

:)

2008-11-28T23:40:00.002-07:00

One of the things that I love about coming down to visit family is that fact that they only want me now for my children. I know my place. I am their chauffeur. I bring them and they could care less if I accompany them or not. They take them and it doesn't matter if I stay or if I go. Hello Date Night!!!

pie

2008-11-27T20:51:00.001-07:00

I like pie. This thanksgiving I had the pleasure of eating many different kinds. I like pie.

Turkey Tacos !?!

2008-11-23T22:39:00.002-07:00

so we have a taco themed pot luck tomorrow and I was thinking that since we have a bunch of leftover turkey that I could just shred it up and we can bring it for some shredded taco fun. Tim looked at me and called me weird. Do you think I'm weird?

Turkey dinner

2008-11-23T21:17:00.002-07:00

Thanksgiving can be really crazy sometimes going from one family to the next so I decided to have a little turkey dinner on Saturday. Since it wasn't actually Thanksgiving I decided to get a little creative with the turkey. I make a really great chicken in a crock pot and I decided to try cooking a turkey in there. Well, I got the smallest most pathetic turkey I could find, then I put it in there and the lid didn't go on to good. But after about 15 min. of persuasion it agreed that it really did fit into the crock pot and it would be ok if I cooked it there.

Then after a very hectic day with the kids (some days the kids can be little angels and help not hinder plans and tasks that need to be accomplished, not one of those days) that involved a trip to the zoo I came home, through some stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy together and called it dinner. (We will not mention the biscuits and green beans that I meant to cook and didn't remember until we were seated. I didn't mention them then so why would I now.) A dinner that was a success with very happily mashed potatoed children. There was much bath time after dinner let me tell you.

After dinner I had planed on having some individual pumpkin pies for dessert but they didn't get made (I did mention that the hectic day involved a zoo trip and did not involve spending a day in the kitchen). So our family went to Coldstone for some yummy dessert (Bubba I loved the birthday gift) followed by trip to the bookstore.

All and all a very fun and successful event within our little household and I'm thinking that it should become our new family tradition. We'll call it the PreThanksgiving Turkey Dinner.

The curse of the Potty Trained

2008-11-13T22:24:00.002-07:00

Ok, so now that Mara uses the potty she knows that she can get up in the middle of the night to go on the potty. She gets up so she can just sing on the toilet for awhile. Two to three times a night.

Anniversary

2008-11-06T10:24:00.002-07:00

Our anniversary was yesturday. :)

this picture is from my birthday party.

Once again, Long time and no posts

2008-10-29T21:26:00.003-07:00

So, all you wonderful people that come and check on my blog have been disappointed to find no new posts as of late. There is no real excuse and I am sorry.

Well, on to some updates. Mara is now potty trained and has flooded the bathroom only once with her overzealous use of toilet paper. Now because she uses the potty and is over 37 inches tall she can play in the IKEA ball pit while Resa and I go about the store. Theresa likes to just go. And then go. And she keeps on going. She climbs on everything but has some issues with getting down. Both children are very pleased with the new posters on the wall from the Dairy Council of Arizona and I look forward to playing with the food cards they sent. (Who new that they gave away free milk propaganda to small children in the state?)

This Friday I plan on taking the kids "Trunk or Treating" at the church down the street. Mara is going to be a cat and Theresa will be a bear. This is subject to change.

As for me, I lost my camera recently on a trip to the zoo. I had an extra child with me that day and was trying to take pictures. I put the camera in my pocket but it must have fallen out when I picked up one of the kiddos. So no new pictures for a while folks.

Fall is here

2008-10-11T10:16:00.002-07:00

I left the house in a sweater today. It's starting to get cold. :)

A week at mom's

2008-10-06T09:46:00.002-07:00

I heard Aunt Barb and Uncle Ed were going to come to town so I popped in for a visit. It was fun hanging out with the family down here. Got to go to the mountains and play in a creek with the girls plus I went to Art in the Park. Plus I had a little birthday dinner at Chili's last night.

Through this all, I FORGOT MY CAMERA.

Luckily I got some pictures with my Uncle's camera and Tim brought the camera down when he came to pick me up. So I only have limited pictures.

Happy Birthday Casey

2008-10-03T19:34:00.004-07:00

It's my brother's birthday. :)

Birthday Party

2008-09-27T17:08:00.002-07:00

Resa's birthday party was today. It was really fun and I'm really glad to have Mara back. Plus I must give major props to Rachel for the awesome birthday cake. She always does a really good job. Here's some pictures:

I miss her

2008-09-26T14:49:00.003-07:00

Mara is with silly gramma. It is just so quiet at the house without her, but I know she is having fun and I get her back tomorrow.

Theresa's birthday was yesterday. It corresponded to the word's biggest Ice cream social hosted by coldstone. We had a day of loving on Resa and ended with some yummy ice-cream. :)

New slide show

2008-09-22T15:33:00.002-07:00

So I finally got some new pictures up. Most of these are from August but some might be from July. I had some really neat pictures of storm damage that was about a month ago.

It's been awile

2008-09-21T07:27:00.003-07:00

I think the person I was stealing wi-fi from has moved. Hehe.

So nothing much has been happening. Mara still sings and dances around the house pretending she is a butterfly, or a cat, or a kangaroo...etc. Theresa is using her new found ambulatory ability to exasperate me. The other day I taught Mara how to climb a tree while Theresa ate it. Life is good. They just opened up a new splash park cave at the zoo. Going inside it reminded me of visiting Karchner Caverns a few years back.

Right now I am getting prepared for Theresa's first birthday. She is already a year old, that just went so fast. I don't have to do much because it is going to be at a pizza place and they tend to do all the work. I've just have to tell them accurate numbers so that I we will have enough tables reserved but no one really has responded to the e-vite. Oh well.

Mara is leaving me on Wednesday, she gets to go and spend a few days with "Silly Grama". I'm going to miss her but I know she will have a blast with Grama, as always. The thing is, what am I going to do with just one kid?!? Weird.

Grr...

2008-08-01T08:36:00.004-07:00

I forgot the phone when I came to get the air fixed on the car. Grrr... I just had the air fixed a month and a half ago. They just said that it was a couple of 'O' rings that blew off and all the freon leaked out. Tim's staying up and watching the kids right now so I don't have them here. grr... It's suppose to be 114 today and 111 tomorrow. What the hell am I going to do with no air in the car and two kids. So far they haven't quoted me a price. The check is free since they just did it and they are hoping that it was just a bad part. Grr...

Ok, so every thing is the same stuff that I already had done so no charge. :) On a brighter note how about a picture of ME and the kids. Since I take all the pictures I seem to be rarely in them. This one was taken while on the Carousel at the zoo by the lady running it. She must have thought I needed help when I was trying to take a picture of both girls while be right next to them at the same time.

Happy Birthday Mark!

2008-07-26T18:49:00.003-07:00

It's my Brother Mark's Birthday :)

Normal Day

2008-07-24T14:11:00.002-07:00

So today has been very musical thus far. Mara has discovered a recorder and is playing along with the radio with occasional singing mixed in. Resa has abandoned her favorite hobby, trying to eat the toys Mara is currently playing with, and decided to take everything off the bookshelf and put it in the middle of the hallway. Resa seems to be getting around on just two feet more and more these days. She's not walking yet but she will lean on the wall to go down the hallway if she doesn't want to hold onto the book shelf.

Week in review

2008-07-19T18:20:00.003-07:00

So, I haven't updated in awhile but I've been lazy. But you only show up to the blog for pictures and videos anyways.

SATURDAY:

What's been happening with me you may ask. Well nothing really. But my cousin on the other hand, she just got her Doctorate. (Now that was a fun party and how many people can say that they have a doctor in their family) My brother Casey flew into town for the graduation and that was cool because I haven't seen him for so long. During the whole weekend I almost always saw him holding on to someone's baby. It was kinda cute.

SUNDAY:

The day after the graduation I took Mara to the zoo. (I know what your thinking...'Again') It was really fun because it was just me and her for a couple of hours with Theresa sleeping at home with Tim. I decided to get a 'Wild Pass' for me and her. It was so cool because it gives us unlimited train, camel, and carousel rides. Since it was just me and Mara, we actually got to ride the camel. (Resa is not old enough.) Later in the day when Tim was out with his friends I took the kids back to the zoo and went on the train ride and it was pretty cool and informative. I'd never done that before. And naturally we ended the day with the carousel. Mara got really excited that we were going to go on it. She had never gotten to go on the zoo one before. And after that was all done she was really happy. Then we got on again. Pure joy is visited upon the 3 year old. Theresa just loved it to. She wasn't too sure about it but when it started she just held onto the pole for dear life. All told we went around on four different trips around.

After that was all done we had good naps and Mara woke up around the time that it started raining. It was pouring down so hard that our yard flooded and the street we live on turned into a mini river. We made cardboard boats and sent them sailing down the street. (I got the idea when I saw a pink laundry basket go floating by.) Mara also got to put on her rain boots and splash in all the puddles on the way to church and back. It had been so windy just before that a tree had fallen onto the sidewalk. (It was a small tree.)

THE REST OF THE WEEK:

All normal adventures involving the various indoor play areas.

SATURDAY:

Rachel had her birthday party at a little gym. She turned 3. There was a lot of tumbling, jumping, and balancing to be had. Pictures and video soon to follow. After a very active time I have brought both kids to parent's night offered by my church. As of writing this I am without children and so I am writing about them.

Events over the Past week or so

2008-06-23T11:21:00.009-07:00

Phx ConGames: I lost Tim to non-stop battle tech games for about a day and a half. I enjoyed several different card and board games. Plus there was this awesome bug tiddly wink type of game called X-Bugs. The kids really enjoyed the children's area. They had these Giant Foam Blocks that built up stuff really high but were highly unstable. Resa sat still for awhile and some older kids in the area tried to build a wall around her. I think it got three bricks high before she crawled through. Mara liked running in and out of an inflated Castle.

Father's Day: It kinda ran into the ConGames but there was special painted cards and what not.

Tim's Birthday: He's now 29. We celebrated the day by just hanging out as a family together like he wanted.

Christen's Wedding: CONGRATS!!! Mark and Christen are now married. It was a fun wedding with alot of folks I haven't seen in awhile and some new family. The only issue is now the kids have 3 uncle Marks. :)

Visit down to S.V. : Just some nice chillin' time with my mom and dad. We roasted hot dogs over an open flame and had some smores a little bit later. Plus Tim got to hang out with his brother some and that doesn't happen all that often.

Well that happens to be the bare bones of what has been going on with us. More pictures and videos to come soon.

Photoshop

2008-06-05T22:27:00.004-07:00

If there was any person who happened to not know, I like to go to the zoo. I like to go to the zoo alot. It is a fun place where the kids get to see fun animals and run around all over the place. I also get to learn new and interesting facts every time I visit and I get to take lots of pictures. Many, many pictures. Well what to do with them all? I have been making little scrapbooks with them but I now am rediscovering the joys of Photoshop. Expect to see some interesting things. This current composite involves a spotted bear and Mara.

Some notes on this bear. The spotted bear at the Phoenix zoo is almost always hiding. You have to know where to look. (Behind the bamboo in this one spot you can usually see them but is makes a horrible picture.) To get there you have to go through this one dirt trail that, although it is not the most difficult, it is a little extra work. The trail goes all the way around the bears little love nest (the zoo is breeding them) with some good spots to see the bears all the way through. It's a little bit of a hike for hardly any bear but there is some good birds and fish along the way so it is kinda worth it. But to gear my self up I always tell Mara that we are going on a 'bear hunt'. Well this last time I was really ready to hike this thing because I was going to get a good shot of that bear if it killed me. So we go in and the first spot to see is that stupid bear. Right there. Out in the open. No hunting required. But all that matters is that I got my shot.

You Tube

2008-05-27T16:14:00.002-07:00

After much contemplation and alone time with me and the computer I was able to discover the wonders of putting all the videos into one nice clean location. Located at the bottom of this website is a new player that plays all my youtube videos. There is a really long good one of Resa crawling around. I hope you enjoy.

Slideshow

2008-05-26T11:09:00.003-07:00

I figured out the slide show. Took me some time but HA HA HA. I am smarter than the technology.

The Weather

2008-05-25T15:42:00.007-07:00

Ok, so I come back home and start on my new revised summer routine for the girls. This will involve many trips to the mall play area. We have a blast while we are there and I join the kids to the kid's club that meets once every other week. I would have taken pictures of the actual club thing but Mara is apparently afraid of people dressed up as cartoon characters. (Who knew?) But the slide and the lizard are always a big hit.

But then I saw the weather report over the next few days. It involved clouds, wind, rain, and a 20 degree temperature drop. I don't know about other places but for the end of May in Phoenix that means some fun times outdoors. So we have been spending some awesome times outside. We have gone to the zoo, the park, long walks, and just hanging outside for no other reason than we could. It is not every day we get weather this nice.

The picture of Theresa was taken in the farm area at the zoo. That is an actual tractor tire. Mara is on a stone frog that is outside the path that leads to the bears love nest. Another highlight to the day was when the 400+ lb turtle went for a walk.

Some Updates

2008-05-19T09:30:00.002-07:00

I haven't updated in awhile because I've been busy working on some side projects.

Resa is crawling and can say Mama. Mara is loves to play and dance. And now she can climb the red ladder at the park

Nothing Much

2008-04-06T17:23:00.003-07:00

I haven't been doing much lately but just going out in my little yard and enjoying the wonderful weather we are having right now. At the time of posting it is currently 84 degrees and there is an expected overnight low of 59. I think we have eaten outside for the last 3 evenings or so. Here's another video of Theresa. Mara's feet make a cameo appearance in parts.

I'll be making a small trip down to Sierra Vista next weekend and another trip down to Tucson the one following. If anyone wants to see a picture of my brother bound in duct tape visit The Ratliff's link at the bottom of the page.

Toe Food

2008-04-04T22:40:00.003-07:00

I was with my friend Rachel at Cracker Barrel the other day. She asked if she could feed Theresa some mashed up carrots and I said, sure. Why not right. So here I am just eating my chicken and dumplings when Rachel gets tired of using the spoon.

The waitresses thought that this was so cute.

Fun Weekend

2008-03-30T15:14:00.008-07:00

So on Thursday I went to the zoo. Friday and Saturday I went to the Tempe Arts Festival. Today (Sunday) I went to church, and now I am staying home just hanging out.

The zoo was fun, especially because we went on a different route than normal. I always like just going and enjoying the animals. Mara really gets a kick out of some of the animals, especially if she has seen them in any of her cartoon movies. Plus there are different places all around the zoo where she can just play. After a while she even got to pet some sheep and play on the tractor. She really likes going up to ride it and she can get on and off all by herself. I put Theresa inside an egg while I was there. It's hard to take pictures of her while we are out without them all being her in the stroller. But fun was had by all.

The Tempe Festival of the Arts was fun. There are always fun paintings and whatnot to look at. Plus I love getting something from Shishkaberrie. (If you don't know it is chocolate covered strawberries on a stick.) They also have a free craft area for the kiddos. OK, so only Mara gets anything out of craft time right now but Theresa likes to look at the stuff and lunge for it like she is going to eat it.

That is all I really have right now. Feel free to comment so I know someone is looking at all this.

Let's try this out

2008-03-28T09:44:00.002-07:00

Just seeing if I can put a movie on this thing.

Out and About

2008-03-27T09:17:00.004-07:00

I'm just out and about today. The big Shopping center have a fountain where Mara can play. She likes to take Green Bear with her.

I'm here really early with Tim and the kiddos. It's funny because I guess I beat a group of Stroller Strides women. I don't think my children would let me exercise while watching me from thier strollers. Oh well. I get enough exercise chasing my three year old on her trike.

OK, Let's get serious

2008-03-26T20:09:00.000-07:00

Now I am going to get serious about this blog thing. I want to keep various people updated and into what is going on with me and my family. I want a place where people can hear about my child's first tooth. And I want to show off pictures of my kid on her trike to the whole world. She is that cute. So now, this blog. I may not have been diligent before now about updatining before, but I am now. This is mostly due to the fact that I now have a laptop and camera/camcorder and bug wireless off some neighbor. :) There will be many posts to come.

At my parents

2007-10-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

I'm at my parents right now. It's cold. I am wearing long sleeves. They have fast internet and a laptop for me to use. :)

Why

2007-10-18T10:44:00.000-07:00

I am starting a blog. I don't know why. Ok, I'm done.