Twirly Skirt

I made Elizabeth a twirly skirt over the weekend. She LOVES skirts so I thought I would try my hand at making one. I think it turned out pretty cute. The kids and I went to church by ourselves in Casa Grande today. Jeremy had church responsibilities down in Bisbee. Andrew and Elizabeth were very good for me. They sat through Sacrament meeting without having to get up once. I was very pleased with them. When it was time to go home Elizabeth didn't want to leave her class. She loves everything about nursery. Andrew is still going through the attachment phase, so he isn't as big of a fan. We are hoping he gets over it soon.

Life Lesson

Andrew taught me a life lesson today at the park. I was watching Andrew walk along some concrete curbing that was about 6 inches wide and 3 inches off the ground. He was walking on it like you would a balance beam. He would take five or six steps and then have a miss step and slip off. Sometimes he would keep his balance and keep going and other times he would fall, but he always picked himself up and kept going. He did this for 30 minutes straight. Sometimes he would get distracted by another kid in the playground, but always went back to walking along that curb. Unlike his sister, Andrew has an amazing ability to focus.

As I was watching him play I was thinking about the paths we take. I know there will be trials and missed steps along the way, but our path is clearly outlined. I hope that we have enough focus to stay on the right path that leads us back to our goal of being an eternal family.

Basket

Tool Belt

Grandma Olsen gave Andrew a tool set for Christmas. He loves it. He is always fixing or tightening something for me. All of the wheels on the tricycles and screws in the chair have been checked by Andrew. Today I decided to make him a little tool belt. I think it turned out pretty cute.

Quartzsite

We took a trip out to Quartzsite to visit my Grandma and family. It was a really great trip, and we had a good time. My Aunt Lou from Spokane flew in from Spokane, and my Uncle William and Aunt Susan were visiting from Kansas.

Here is our updated four generations picture.
Elizabeth's absolute favorite thing at the Quartzsite park is the merry-go-round. She loved taking turns riding it and pushing Andrew and I.

Andrew loved hanging out with Papa. Nothing like sitting outside with a cold drink in your hand.

We were a little nervous about how the kids would do sleeping in the motorhome. Elizabeth refused to sleep with us until we told her we would have a pajama party. Then she was all about it. The second night we were there Andrew decided it was much better to hoot with the owls than sleep. He did not want to settle down and close his eyes. He would stay in his bed, but entertained himself by singing twinkle twinkle little star and other songs he knew.

Elizabeth made herself a little garden out of some of the fake flowers Grandma Ross had in her shed. The little green sign says "pray for rain."

It was wonderful to spend time with my family. My parents are headed back to Idaho next week. It is sad to have them so far away again, but we are already counting on a trip to Idaho during the summer.

Digging

Our backyard is one big rock pile. The weather has been beautiful this week, so the kids have spent most of their days in the backyard digging. Elizabeth came in and told me that she had made a sand castle out of rocks. Sounds great to me.

Now, if I could get them interested in pulling weeds we'd be set.

Happy Valentine's Day

Daddy gave the kids valentines with candy inside. They loved it.

Daddy gave Mommy red lipstick for Valentine's Day, which Mommy and Elizabeth had to try. It's fun to give kisses with red lipstick. Daddy and Drew were patient victims.

Daddy's Apartment a.k.a. The Cabin

For the past year Jeremy has been working down in Bisbee AZ and living in this apartment during the week and traveling home for the weekends. During the hottest part of the summer we lived with him full time in his one bedroom apartment because it is so much cooler in Bisbee. Andrew took his first steps here and both kids learned how to sleep in the same room. We hope Jeremy is blessed with a new job, closer to home soon so we can put this chapter of our lives in the history books. But, for now, we enjoy being together when we can.

This is the view looking into the apartment from the front door. Behind the t.v. is the bedroom which will only fit one twin size bed and a pack-n-play. Notice the radiator. It comes on from 4-6 in the morning and 6-8 at night. It can get quite cold in there during the day. The building is made of concrete, so if it is cold outside it is cold inside as well.

This is the view looking back at the door to the apartment.

This is the view looking from the bedroom door into the living space and then on into the kitchen. The bathroom door is on the right.

Here's the kitchen. Look at all that counter space!

Jeremy's lovely table and chairs.
In this experience we have really learned that you can do a lot with a little. When we are there, the kids spend each afternoon at the park with Daddy. I know Andrew's balance and agility comes from navigating up and down the play structure at the park. They also visit some goats and chickens that are in someones yard.

It doesn't matter where you live, as long as you make the most of it.