Light at the end of the tunnel

Finally, I see the light. After waiting 8 months for our new home to be started it finally has arrived. Ever since our house hunting trip we made back in February we decided to build a new home through D.R. Horton here in Buckeye, AZ. The market here in the Phoenix metroplex is nothing like I have ever seen. Believe it or not, this was the cheaper choice than buying an existing home. Nor, is the building out in the West Valley even crazier. Basically, we were told by our salesperson that they would finish building in Oct - Nov. then we could move in...not such the case. They started building in Oct- Nov. It's been a long summer and now we can actually see the house and it's expected to be done at the end of February - yeah! I can't wait to setup the girls room and my first scrap/sewing room. It's going to be a beautiful thing.

Stay tuned for more pics as the light at the end of the tunnel gets brighter.

NO clothes...Let's stay!

Well, at least for a few days. After meeting some friends at DFW airport during our layover back from Alabama - my sweet, sweet friend talked my husband into changing mine and the girls flight to stay in Dallas instead of continuing on to Phoenix. To both of our excitement, my wonderful husband John made a few calls and it was a done deal!

One pit stop to Chick-Fil-A in Grapevine, ended up being a three night stay with the Storch's - yahoo! With NO luggage except for a backpack stuffed with diapers and formula we were thrilled to be back in Dallas.

Now for the BIG plans while we were in town...the first stop, Hickory Creek WAL-MART - of course! (okay, so we needed some clothes!). Then we're off to, let's see awwww Chuck-E-Cheese in Denton. Next, El Chico and the soft play area at the mall (we needed some sort of Tex-Mex). Then, shopping at all the new stores on Loop 288! Our final stop was on Thursday to Alderbrook Drive where Jay and Mary so graciously opened their home for us at the last minute.

Finally, I wanted to say thanks to everyone who met us at CEC, and stopped by on Thursday to see us. We had so much fun seeing all of our old pals - ya'll mean so much to us. We sure miss Denton and all that is there, we can't wait to come back and visit again, hopefully with our clothes next time!

We Love You Angie!

Last Wednesday we received some scary news about my sister-in-law Angie. After performing a MRI the doctors found an Aneurysm behind her left eye. Since surgery was going to be scheduled soon John, I and the girls flew to Alabama the next day. We were somewhat relieved to find out that the surgery was canceled and that the doctors wanted to run some more tests. Currently, she is feeling a little better and is being referred to a doctor here in the Phoenix area. Even though this is not the conditions we would have like to gone and visit for, we had a great time seeing her and the rest of the family. Please pray for Angie that she will have a calm heart, her symptoms will go away and that the doctors have the knowledge and skills to do the right treatment.

"A" - we are so glad we got to come see you and we are praying for you everyday! We love you!

Trick or Treat - oh so sweet

Well, Halloween was a bang last night. Victoria was Strawberry Shortcake (even though she screamed and cried because she wanted her spots off her face). Claire was a sweet little flower. After cruising around Sundance with some friends of ours we got a little lost on the way home. But, one friendly family passing out candy gave us a little direction and we made it home. Also, lots of people went all out with decorations, music and costumes but no one had the smoke-filled garage with scary masks and fog horns like we had at our house last year. Maybe when we move in the new house we can start that tradition up again. Needless to say, we have lots of candy now and still no dentist!

Proud Parents

First, I claim "bragging rights" before you continue to read....this is something to definitely blog about. Victoria has learned her very first bible verse! Yes, we have been attending church since she was and itty bitty one and I never knew this day would come so soon when she could start Bible Memory. This is one of my fondest memories of church, was memorizing Bible verses when I was little (next to singing) of course. But, this is one of the most exciting things as a christian parent I think you get to witness. (The first best thing was when she did "praying hands" before lunch.)

Well, here is what she learned, "God...made the whole world." Acts 17:24. (She even knows the chapter and verse too). Yeah! I was so excited I almost cried. This week we are learning "God has made us what we are." Ephesians 2:10a. I am so thrilled to see our little angel start to grow spiritually. God is awesome!

Pumpkin Masters here I come

For those of you who do not know this...Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Why you ask? Carving pumpkins of course! Every year I try to pick out a unique pumpkin to carve. Just to give you some in past years were, the statue of liberty (picked due to 9/11), baby carriage (because we just had our first lil' one). Then, from that point on it has been all about Victoria.

Last year I did Dora the Explorer and this year's winner as you can see, drum roll please...the vintage Strawberry Shortcake! Victoria is dressing up as her for Halloween this year but she is going to be the comtemporary SSC. Therefore, I have made the decision to carve whatever character, animal, etc. she will be dressing up as.

Now I must admit, this is not one of my better carvings for two reasons. One, no one (on the planet) could provide a pattern for SSC and two, I made this pattern from scratch. That is...find a picture, print it, enlarge it, enlarge it again, Finally, try and figure out what the gray areas will be to carve without having the pumpkin cave in! This is very hard I might add. Needless to say, next year we will have a pattern for what ever costume Victoria chooses. Did I mention, I have a broken right index finger as well? Okay, nuf said...Halloween is still a favorite holiday. Smile

P.S. Anyone interested in carving pumpkins www.pumpkinmasters.com by far makes the best tools and patterns in the business.

Zoo in the Desert

Well last week we got together with a friend of mine and took the kids to the World Wildlife Zoo. It's only five miles from our house. This is the first time I have been to a zoo in Arizona and it was quite interesting. It was like walking through the desert and viewing animals in cages with only grass at their feet. Not so many trees but enough to make a little shade.

The coolest thing about this zoo was that you got to feed so many of the animals. (Note to self, bring more quarters next time!) Anyways, the coolest feedings were the birds and giraffes. When feeding the birds the zoo supplied apples and you got to go in their cage and let them fly on you to feed them. Then, to feed the giraffes we walked up a huge stairway (to the 'Giraffe Feeding Station') and got to feed them by hand.

This particular zoo had lots of animals (especially monkeys) but no elephants or bears. Hmmm, I guess it's either to hot here or there was not enough room. We also packed lunches and ate outside by a huge playground and petting zoo. Needless to say, it was really cool and Victoria and her friends had a blast!

Testing the upload

Okay, I have been trying to post picture(s) to my blog and I have failed miserably...let's try this again and see if I can get it to work.















Yes! For anyone else who is having problems make sure you turn off your pop-up blockers and choose the image size small - Bingo! Now I'll go ahead and upload a picture of princess #2...



Now that I have this down...more to come later.

Kids Say the Darndest Things!

Recently, since Claire has been a little more mobile - crawling around, climbing stairs, pulling herself up on everything, etc. Victoria has been a little bit jealous. This is because Mama has been all over Claire twenty-four seven - holding her so she doesn't crack her head open on the ceramic tile floor, picking her up, moving her, not to mention still feeding her bottles, changing diapers and rocking her to sleep.

So, with all the attention Claire is receiving right now Victoria has been showing a little resentment towards her baby sister. You know the usual sibling things, patting her too hard on the back, accidently pushing her into the floor (face first I might add) so Mama has been disciplining her quite a bit.

This weekend was like no other, Claire was getting attention, big sister pushed her, Mama punishes Victoria. I guess Victoria had enough and went downstairs to tell Daddy that, "she wants Claire to go back into Mommy's tummy"!

Can you believe it? I guess John and I will have to work on giving Victoria some "special attention" until we get through this jealousy phase. Who would of thought sibling rivalry started so young? And, I have a big hunch this is only the beginning. :)

Family Days

I love having family days when John, I and the girls just spend the entire day together. It started off with breakfast some mochas/lattes, then off to IKEA. This is my second official visit to the store and it was much better this time around. Victoria was finally tall enough to be in the children's play area and Claire was a gem. I am personally not a fan of the contemporary style of funiture/accessories they carry but I love all the gadgets, organizers, window treatments and of course of the kids department. After spending the morning there we headed off to Schnepf Farms Pumpkin and Chili Party in Queen Creek, AZ. Victoria got to enjoy her favorite ride of all time on their 1912 antique carousel. She also enjoyed riding on the John Deere tricycles through a hay maze! We played in the playground, rode rides, and ventured through a corn maze. Finally, we ate lunch got homemade lemonade, nuts, and kettle corn, then headed off to the patch to find our pumpkins. It was a wonderful day. As soon as we headed home the girls were passed out in the car. Family Day - mission accomplished!

The Web Got the Best of Me...

Okay, here it is...my first official blog! I've been fighting the "tech demons" inside me for far too long. After months of reading numerous friends blogs (and being the tech geek myself), I have finally decided to join the rest of you bloggers of the world. However, I do have a small disclaimer that I would like to mention once..."I will not guarantee posted thoughts on a daily basis. Nor, will I promise they will give you great insight." My only prayer is that this will be an exciting experience and that 'Thoughts with Theresa' will hopefully make you laugh from time to time! With that being said, let the journey begin...