Long Live (in) Arizona!

We have now officially lived in Arizona for longer than we have lived any where in our married lives. We really like where we live and have been very happy here. Here's a list of some of the reasons we like it here:

• Weather! (We don't like cold)
• Wide freeways
• Pool in the backyard
• Great area
• Great friends
• Great ward
• Palm trees
• Synchro
• Desert in bloom is beautiful
• Brandon's job
• All day kindergarten
• Flancer's (my favorite lunch place--Prickly Pear Chicken-yum!)
• No shoveling snow
• Playing outside on Christmas Day
• Not having to bundle up to Trick or Treat (Julia was a hula dancer one year-swimsuit and grass skirt only)
• My beautiful new kitchen
• Excellent schools with great teachers

There are probably a ton more reasons that we are glad we live here. Here's to a long and happy life in beautiful Arizona!

P.S. You all are welcome to come and visit!!!

Women As Explained By Engineers

WOMEN AS EXPLAINED BY ENGINEERS

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

IT'S DONE!

Yippee! The kitchen is done (well, almost...we are still waiting for 3 cabinet doors that had to be reordered). I used the stove for the first time this morning--scrambled eggs. I love the gas! I missed having it and it's so nice to have it again. We'll have to try out the oven tomorrow...if I remember how to cook! It all turned out beautiful and I love it. Here are some pictures.

Before. Ick.

Swim Like a Mermaid

Because I'm a mean mom, our kids only get a birthday party when they turn 5, 8 and 12. So this year was Julia's year. She wanted to have a swimming party, and mermaids are a big hit lately (she likes the Nick show H2O in addition to the Little Mermaid). So, we invited all her little girl friends (no boys at the mermaid party!) She was so excited! Unfortunately, lots of people were on vacation or just didn't show up, so she ended up with only 2 friends to swim. How sad for Julia. She actually had a great time until it was all over, and then she realized that no one else was coming. She cried and didn't understand why they didn't come. So, I think we'll have to have a "make-up" party and have a few of them over to swim when more of them are around. I'm also happy to say that she was in a much better mood for the party day than she was on her actual birthday!

?Happy? Birthday

My baby turned five this morning. She was so sweet, calm and beautiful, and then she woke up. She has spent the day yelling, sassing, crying, getting into things she knows she's not supposed to, yelling, rearranging the living room (to make a new room for herself, right in the middle of the house), eating popsicles (when she's been told no more), yelling, making faces, yelling, raiding my purse, whining, yelling and some more yelling. I think I might be permanently deaf in one ear now. So, I guess it's happy birthday to Julia. I can't wait until next year.

Hercules Routine at Nationals

Here is a video of Olivia's team routine at Nationals. She is the first one out, the smallest one on the team.

Tile Backsplash

Today they are starting our tile backsplash. Of course, because this is our kitchen, nothing can go right. They were actually supposed to start yesterday, but because of miscommunication, today is the day. Once they got here, they discovered that the backsplash pattern that was designed and drawn won't work. Most of the outlets are in the wrong place and the design won't be centered above both the sink and the stove. So, after much discussion, we have changed the layout. I hope that it looks good when it is done. I am so ready for this all to be over.

Carpet Re-tack

They finally came yesterday and re-tacked our carpet next to all the new tile. Now that the extra carpet is cut away, we can finally see what the transition from kitchen to family room looks like. It wasn't exactly how I wanted it, but it's all right. Here's a picture. The table is acutally pushed way further toward the family room than it will be because they are working today.

Toothless

Sam has had a loose tooth for quite awhile. He was always a little hesitant to have me wiggle it (I think he was afraid I would pull it out). While we were in Utah, he was wrestling with Dan (surprise) and he bumped it. Even though it was really loose, it still took awhile to come out. He was afraid the dentist would pull it at our appointments on Tuesday, but he didn't. On Wednesday, it finally came out while he was eating and the swallowed it! He was so worried that the tooth fairy wouldn't leave him any money, that he drew her a picture so she would know what happened to the tooth. What a cute, toothless grin he has!

Stowell Family Photos

Photos taken at the Stowell family BBQ on the 5th of July.

The grandkids lined up by age. Interesting, isn't it?

Ekberg family photos

Photos taken at the Ekberg family BBQ on the 4th of July.

Countertops!

We got countertops yesterday! Yeah! It's starting to look like a real kitchen again. This weekend, Brandon will install the appliances, they will finish the electrical stuff, put the doors on the pantry, and some other miscellaneous stuff. After that, we will have the tile backsplash installed next week, and the cabinet issues taken care of and then it's all done! I can't wait.

Pictures from Nationals

I finally feel like I have recovered from a couple of very busy weeks. Here are some pictures of Olivia and her team at Nationals in New York. We stayed at this really cool house--four stories, seven bedrooms, four bathrooms, and lots of room to spread out in. It was great!

Kitchen Progress

I was only home for a day before Olivia and I flew to Salt Lake to be with the rest of the family, but here is a photo of the current state of the kitchen. I'll post some more pictures next week when we get home.

Nationals

Olivia and her team competed in Age Group Nationals in Binghamton NY last week. After a nightmare trip getting there including five different flights, five different states, three rental cars and almost 24 hours, we finally made it! The girls swam their hearts out and finished the semi-finals in 10th place out of 43! We then went on to the finals, where the girls swam figures (Olivia finished 107 out of 118, but she was swimming against 13-15 year olds. She was the youngest competitor there in that age group, and she totally held her own). After finals, we were still in 10th place, but we were thrilled with that! Their coaches were actually hoping for a top 25 finish, so top 10 was way above their expectations. Congratulations Arizona Desert Dolphins!