Trip to Illinois

Okay, so I know that I have been back to AZ for almost two weeks now...so this post is a bit late...but better late than never, right? Right.

Bobby and I flew to IL a couple weeks ago and had about five days with family and friends and it was wonderful. It was a huge treat to walk off the plane and be greeted by Mom, Nikki, Kiara and Vera. There is almost nothing better than seeing them all waiting there and having Kiara run at top speed into my arms. It was awesome. The only thing better that I have ever had like that is when Bobby and I used to fly back and forth...and seeing his face after a long flying day. Now, he never ran up and jumped into my arms like Kiara did...but still sweet just the same. =)

We had lots of time with Kiara and Vera and my sister, and Mom and Dad of course too. It's so nice to just "be around" and have time with everyone. We had several afternoons that Nikki had the girls over at Mom and Dad's and just hung out in the living room. That was so nice to have and appreciate her carting around the girls back and forth from Morton to make it easier for us. Bobby and Dad got to try out Dad's new guns (yes guns). Bobby and him went shooting a couple times and really enjoyed all that boy stuff together. We also timed the trip just right, as my cousins little girls were having a birthday party one night that we were home. Lexi and Brooke turned 3 and 1 respectively. That day was filled with lots of family on both my Mom and Dad's side. My Grandpa Bud, who is an amazing duck carver, blessed Bobby and I with our own set of ducks to take back with us...and we even got them back to AZ alive, so to speak (no damage!). Kiara also had a performance for her singing/dancing group...so not only did I get to go to that and watch the performance, but we even got a dress rehearsal the day before at Mom's house (video below). We also got to see Vera's somersault in person too (video below)! The weather was a bit chilly to swim, but we did get to swim a little with Kiara in the new salt water pool at my parent's house.

Also, I was FINALLY able to meet little Alex...my best friend Jen's baby. Since moving across the country, the things like this - having a baby and being there - aren't as easy anymore. These are the things I truly miss living so far away...but the wait was well worth it. He is the most adorable little guy in the whole world! He is a great mix of Brad (her hubby) and her side of the family...I see both sides in his little face. Also, Jen has been raising a strong little boy (he's only three months!) as he is already rolling over - both ways! And...as you hold him up, he is using his legs to walk too! Probably not so much fun for Jen in a few more months when Alex is getting everywhere on his own! I went over one afternoon and got to meet him for the first time, go on a walk with them, and just catch up with Jen...and then Bobby and I hung out one night too so he could meet the little guy. He was putting on a pretty good show for us being a great baby...all smiles and contentment. I think he is a weeeee bit naughtier on a regular basis. =)

Again, Bobby and I had so much fun on this trip. My parents, as usual, are just amazing to be around and talk with. Bobby and I love them so much and appreciate everything they've done for us...as well as the wonderful example they continue to set for us.

These pictures are in opposite order...so our final day in IL is first and first day is last...Blogspot is not easy to manipulate and will have to remember next time to upload them in the opposite order! Also, a bunch more pictures at the link below too from my Facebook page.

www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=85110&id=511058149&l=60406b5586

They were so cute playing together at my parents' pool our last day in IL

Sweet thing!

Wet girl!

Vera loved this!

Kiara the cutie

Liking the pool a little more all the time

Birthday girls and sisters, Lexi and Brooke - cake time!

Mom and I at the party

Erica (cousin) and Lexi and Brooke - present time!

Kiara - thoroughly enjoying the yummy chocoloate covered strawberries!

Bobby getting a little Vera lovin!

Vera and I - I think I just fed her chocoloate and whipped cream!

Baby Alex - how cute is he?

Sister love

Kiara performing and singing her heart out

Vera needed another hug from big sis in between songs

So cute - watching her sister perform

Kiara singing a solo

She's just so darn cute

Alex and me - he's so sweet

Jen and her little guy

Kiara acting a little crazy

I love this picture!

Vera wanted in on the action

There she is - little miss performer!

Playing at the park, or posing at the park...not sure which one!

Love her!

Tough guys - his little side kick throughout our time in IL

So precious!


Kiara's dress rehearsal and such a good big sister! She is so loving and kind to her little sister. It can't be easy sharing the spotlight now when she is used to not sharing the spotlight!

Somersault time!

Headed back to Illinois!

Bobby and I are headed to Illinois tomorrow...we are excited to have about five days back with family and friends. Phoenix temps are always about 100 degrees nowadays, so the IL forecast says highs of 75-ish...so we are excited about that! We are hoping to catch as many family and friends as we can while we are home and am SUPER excited to see my best friend, Jen's baby Alex. So excited! He's three months old and haven't been able to meet him yet! And, of course, our two nieces will hopefully be around us for the majority of our time too. Can't ever get enough of them! I guess my sister trusts me to cut Kiara's bangs, so say a little prayer for me and I will try to have pictures of my masterpiece up after we are back to AZ. It's only a trim, so let's pray it's as easy as it sounds!

Hopefully we will see you all when we are in IL!

Promotion, Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon

First of all, Kyndall was promoted from 8th grade to high school a week and a half ago. I know, promoted sounds weird, but it's not "graduated" here in Phoenix...it's promoted. Anyway, we are so proud of her and had such a good time celebrating with her. She has a good friend whose mother rented a NICE limo after the graduation, I mean promotion ceremony. All the kids and parents ate dinner together and then off they went for a couple hours. We were happy to know that a couple mom's hung around for the ride too! That's right...I am officially a mom to a high schooler now....crrrrazy!

Daddy and his little girl before the ceremony

Kyndall and her principal, getting her certfiicate

All of us, after the ceremony

Bobby's brother and family all came for the event too - left to right - Brenda, Ray, Keely, Kyndall, Jenni, Nate, Stefan, Tyler

The limo - pretty sweet ride- they had a blast

Just this past weekend we had three of Ray and Brenda's kids for the weekend. Unfortunately, Brenda's grandpa passed away and Ray and her went to Pennsylvania for the memorial service. We took care of Stefan, Nate and Keely. A while back, once we knew that they would be staying with us, Bobby and I decided that we should head north for a night to Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon. We found a house to rent in Flagstaff and headed up mid-day last Friday. We got there in the early afternoon and enjoyed the COOL temperatures. The house was perfect for a us...had a trampoline, outside deck, basketball hoop, and even a Wii. We all hung around and enjoyed the house and nice weather and then had a little cook out too. After that, we found out that in downtown Flagstaff they have a movie every Friday night in the square. It was fun to go down there and just walk around, grabbed a coffee at a cute shop and waited for the movie to start in the square. We actually didn't stay long at all once the movie started - too cold for us Phoenicians! Regardless, it was fun to spend a little time out and about in Flagstaff.

The next day, we went got up, I went on a walk with a wonderful view and awesome temperature outside...then we packed up and headed further north another hour and a half to the Grand Canyon. It looked stormy on the drive up, and once we got to the park entrance, it looked a little better. But...it figured, once we drove all the way to the rim, it was raining big time. We had packed a lunch, so we had a closterphobic lunch in the car with seven people...not exactly the picnic at the Grand Canyon we envisioned, but we tried to kill a little time and hoped that it would clear up by the time we were done. After it didn't...we decided to brave it and just go in the rain. It was freezing - I think the temp was in low 40's and rainy, of course. The view wasn't the best with all the foggy/cloudiness, but it is still the Grand Canyon and pretty amazing! I still can't believe I have one of the seven wonders of world practically in my backyard! At one point, Stefan was making fun of Megan's hair because it was frizzy from the rain and some pieces were standing straight up...and that made something click in Bobby's head (yeah, not mine...I still can't believe it didn't click with me!)..if Megan's hair is standing up...there is definitely some electricity in the air...and we need to get away from the rim and openess and get back to the car PRONTO. So we did...nothing hurt...and didn't really think about it again until we were leaving the park and I started reading this newsletter that the Grand Canyon people put out and give to you when you enter the park. In the middle of the paper was a warning to visitors that with stormy seasons in May and June, watch for anyone's hair that is standing up due to lightning around. And it said, if that happens it means that a lightning strike is highly possible and everyone should quickly get away from the rim and get into a house or car! Yikes!

We took a few pictures and admired the canyon a bit more and then we were too chilly and it just kept raining and raining....so we decided to head home. We made the 3.5 hour trek back to Phoenix, travelling through horrible torrential rains the first 2 hours. Finally, as we headed back down into the valley, the skies miraculously cleared and we were back to the sunshine and warmth that we know and love in the valley. The temperature outside literally went from 41 degrees up at the Grand Canyon to 95 degrees once we were back home.

Today we got up and Stefan and I went on a walk...then we all went to church, swam in our pool a bit, and then Kyndall and Stefan went to youth group. All in all, this weekend has been wonderful. Our nephews and niece are kids that you love to have around. I can't believe there have been five kids with us since Thursday, because it doesn't feel like that at all! Seriously, Ray and Brenda's kids have been such a treat to have....Stefan has even willingly been my exercise partner a couple of the days, which is cool because it's a great chance to talk and hear about what a sophomore/junior in high school is doing and thinking. All three of them are the kind of kids that just make everything more fun - and they thoroughly enjoy themselves with everything we have done...and appreciate it all too. I can't tell you how many times they have said thank you or that they have had so much fun with us this weekend and/or the best weekend of their lives (wow!) - and without Bobby or I prompting them to say anything at all! We will miss them when they leave tomorrow, but luckily they only live 20-30 minutes from us!

Here are a few pictures of the weekend, and then a link to my Facebook page with more pictures and even a video.

Bobby and the house we stayed in in Flagstaff. He's so cute. =)

Nate and Keely on the trampoline - Keely loved that thing!

The neighborhood view at the house we were at

How cute are they? Stefan, Nate, Keely, Kyndall and Megan at the coffee shop in downtown Flagstaff

The clan again on our walk back to the car - acting a little crazy
One good shot of the Grand Canyon - many of the pics were foggy - this was the best one!

All of us freezing our butts off! =)

Click on the links below to see more pictures and also a video of the kids.

www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=81252&id=511058149&l=5cc2aaaf2b

Family Trip Post - LONG Overdue!!!!

Okay, so this post is soooo long overdue...but better late than never, right?! Right. The entire family came the last week of April. I met them at the airport and got to see them all get off the plane...I hadn't seen my sister and family in a long time! Kiara gave me a big hug and I picked her up and twirled her around a bit. She's so cute. Vera did good on the plane...so, it all started off pretty well! We drove to their house that they rented for the week and then Bobby met us there and we ate dinner together. The next day was filled with pool time at our house. My friend Jen and her hubby and kids came over too. Lots of swimming and fun. Overall a great day. The next day, since it wasn't a weekend we had Kyndall and Megan, we asked to have them for the day, so they got to go to church with us and then hang out for the day. Another day of swimming and fun!

The next few days were filled with Cubs games (yes, my family schedules trips to see us when the Cubbies are playing the D-backs!), horse riding (Kiara got to ride her white horse - by herself!), mini-golf, hiking, shopping and more swimming. Lots of great restaurants too...since Central Illinois doesn't have the widest selection of restaurants, it's always an opportunity to catch some good meals here. Pei Wei was a new one - the more casual version of PF Changs. And it's pronounced Pay Way, not Pee Wee, by the way Ryan! =)

My sister and family left the next Friday and my parents stuck around for another weekend. It was great to have them here for a little extra time - plus the girls were with us for the weekend, so it was great for them too....especially since Kyndall and Megan scored a little shopping time with Mom! =)

This is a extremely shortened version of everything that happened, but I think I waited way too long to write I guess! There are several pictures below...the entire set is on my Facebook page...the link is below. Even if you don't have a Facebook account, you will still be able to view them, by the way.

www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=76879&id=511058149&l=40675557a6

I love this picture...the next one is from a year and a half ago...my other favorite picture of them!

How they've changed since 2007!

Vera eating her noodles at Pei Wei...she even ate some edamame!

This was exactly what Kiara looked like for most of the trip!

What a great picture - Bobby and I's little buddy!

Family Pic!



My awesome parents at dinner one night

Cutie! Can't handle how amazing her eyes are!

The night of the Cubbies game - she's my little twin!

Kiara and Addie - my friend Jens little girl. So cute!

I love this picture...she was definitely Bobby's little sidekick on this trip!

Kitchen is Finished...Check It Out!

I have A LOT to blog about...the whole family was just here for a week. When they were here, my dad and Bobby finished the mosaic tile backsplash in the kitchen and we finally got our countertops too! We couldn't wait to post a before and after picture side by side to see the huge difference with all we've done to the kitchen! Below is the before and after pictures side by side...and then I added a few more with different angles. Enjoy! I will be adding another blog either today or tomorrow with ALL the pics from the family vacation here...I've got some good ones!



Before and After

Before and After

Another view of the kitchen - dine-in area

The gorgeous mosaic tile and countertops!

There are many more pictures at the link below. I tried to take pictures of the whole process to really see the slow progress along the way!

www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=76124&id=511058149&l=4cd58d0c45

My Family is a Comin'!

Just a quick post to say how esctatic I am that my family is coming tomorrow! We are getting the new house as put away, clean and ready as possible! The pool is up to 83 degrees...yee haw!!!I will have a ton of pictures to post and blog about in a week. My sister, Ryan, Kiara and Vera will be here as well as my parents. They are staying in a rental house for the week...but hopefully up at our new place at the pool for a lot of the time! My parents stay for a few more days at the end of the week, which is awesome. We have the girls that weekend, so they will get some 1-on-1 time. We also have them on Sunday (special request) since all the family is here...and a few days during the week...so there should be plenty of time with them anyway...it's the first time that Kyndall and Megan will meet Vera! I'm excited for that, and also to see her again - and see her walk! And then of course, Kiara...she's just a cutie period...and is very excited to come. She will be going to ride a horse during the week here...somehow that was promised for this trip by her dad, I think. She can't stop talking about that! And the Cubs game we are going to on Monday night (my family plans trips to see us based on when the Cubbies are playing the D-Backs in AZ!).

Everyone pray for a safe flight tomorrow for them all...and a great week! I'll leave you with a few pictures of the cuties I get to play with all week! =)

New House Pictures!

Okay, so I know it's been FOREVER since my last blog...but I promise I had a good reason! My mom came about two weeks ago and stayed for about five days to help us get a jump start on all the cleaning, painting, and remodeling that we planned doing to the new house. We are now well on our way to being in the house permanently - finally! We plan on being all the way in by this weekend...so we have been sooooo super busy split between two houses for the last 2-3 weeks...and now have another few crazy days ahead, but with a definite light at the end of the tunnel! Whew! I guess all the work and busyness got to us because the girls came down with a nasty bug on Sunday and started puking their guts out (literally...it wasn't pretty...Kyndall slept on the bathroom floor with a comforter and a pillow!). Bobby got a version of the bug by Monday morning, and so the three of them were down and out the whole day yesterday. I felt a little funky...but no where near the puking (and other stuff!) that they were all doing. Luckily, it was a quick recovery...they all feel almost 100% normal...girls back to school and Bobby and I back to packing and working on the new house.

My Dad has been asking for pictures of all the updates for a while now (sorry Dad!) since he didn't get to make the trip out with Mom. She, by the way, was a rock star and helped us out soooo much with cleaning and painting! We couldn't be where we are without her help! Thanks Mom! Anyway...thought it would be fun to post a few before and after pictures...mostly of the kitchen and few rooms that now have paint. The kitchen is our big project. Bobby and I decided to paint the cabinets black and add silver/nickel hardware...change out the countertop (not done yet) and then also add a mosaic tile backsplash above the countertops (not done yet either). The cabinets have been a HUGE project...all done by Bobby. He worked his butt off on these and all his worked paid off big time...they look AMAZING! I was the painting foreman...and took care of all the painting projects (with a lot of help from the girls and Mom!). It's amazing how different the kitchen and family area look already with a change of cabinets and paint color! We are so happy with it so far. I can't wait for the countertops to come in and then lastly the mosaic tile! These last two things should be done by the end of April.

The theme of the kitchen, by the way, is a classic black with an accent of kiwi/lime green. No idea where the idea came from, I just started running with it at some point and bought green slip chair covers for the eat-in kitchen area, which will just make the kitchen so amazing (on top of the hot cabinets, countertops, and mosaic tile!). We are so pleased with everything so far...and also so impatient for it all to finally come together like we have been imagining in our heads for months now!

Here are some before and after pics...then also follow the link to all the house pictures that are on my Facebook page.

Kitchen - Before

Kitchen - After - AMAZING!

Close up of the corner cabinets - love it!

Our inspiration - green and black

Finished paint and lighting in the kitchen. Imagine the picture below with a round glass table and four of the green covered chairs!

Finished colors in the family room (and cleaned carpets!) - open from the kitchen

Bobby and I's room - Posh Red (love this color). Also, this is Bobby's new desk for work that we got off of Craigslist...cute eh?

Lots more pictures here -

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=70309&id=511058149&l=19a16c5d91

We also just went to a fiesta birthday party for my good friend, Jen's kids - Addie and Abe. Addie turned 3 and Abe will be 1 soon! It was so much fun packed with everything a fiesta should have - sombreros, Mexican food, pinata...and even mustaches! It was so fun...we each got a fun mustache and sombrero to fully embody the fiesta spirit! There are a few pics below and then several more linked below them too.

The Marins living up to their Spanish name!

Birthday girl Addie - loving the icing on her sombrero hat birthday cake!

Jen and her birthday boy Abe - he's so stinkin' cute!

Birthday girl looking stylish

Jen and I and our sombreros

The HOT Mexican Man - the girls and I LOVE this picture and Bobby hates that I am posting this...I think there will be payback for this at some point!

Could these two be any cuter?

A few more party pics here -

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=70308&id=511058149&l=72eaa17bf9