Casa Moore de Tucson

Kids Lately

2011-10-29T19:14:00.002-07:00

We've been crazy-busy lately with school, after-school activities, PTA and baby business. Not many pics posted lately ~ sorry!

Em playing with Daddy's Mountain Dew

The M&Ms with their favorite sleeping guys.

I Don't Need A Nap

2011-08-20T16:35:00.002-07:00

Came into the TV room the other day to find this, who had just a half hour before told me "No, Mom, I'm not tired. I don't need a nap!"

First Day of School for the Big M's 2011

2011-08-20T16:29:00.003-07:00

We just finished the first week of school here and the M&Ms had a great one. Both of them took right to it, running off to the playground and left me to lock up the bikes in front of school without a single look back. No crying (by Mommy either) and no drama (other than having to do homework again) so far. :)

This One's For Steff

2011-08-20T16:19:00.003-07:00

5 years ago, my dear friend Steff knit a summer sweater for Miss M. Hand-made hand-me-downs are the best! Now Miss Em's a cutie-patootie in her Katya sweater!

Big Girl Bath Time

2011-08-20T16:08:00.004-07:00

Miss Em had her fist big girl bath in the tub recently and loved it.

What's all this bubbly stuff, Mom? Em spent the first several minutes trying to figure out what she was sitting in...

But then she decided "I like it!"

Big brother and big sister couldn't resist and just had to be in there with her.

Surprise, Mommy!

2011-08-01T14:34:00.002-07:00

Laid Miss Em down on her play mats this afternoon (Yes, we have two and we love them. Thank you, Teena!) and five minutes later, came in to check on her. Guess who sat herself up?!? She was QUITE pleased with herself.

Summer's Here!

2011-07-15T15:21:00.003-07:00

Seems like the kids have a swimsuit on every day for one reason or another lately... this was just before we went to Jonas's house for a swim date in his teeny patio pool (which the kids loved!).

Give me a kiss, Miss M!

Why Do We Even Bother...

2011-07-02T14:15:00.003-07:00

Sometimes I wonder if we even need toys...we do fine with just the boxes that bring stuff in and out of our house! This time, it was diaper boxes that provided unending entertainment one afternoon at our house last month.

Who could be in there?

Surprise! It's some M & M's!

Don't I have a picture just like this one from 4 years ago?

Also, a rare shot of me with the baby...I'm usually behind the camera!

Baby Love

2011-07-02T14:05:00.002-07:00

Miss Em is getting so big! She's starting to reach for things, and is trying to grab everything within reach...including her feet. She's really loving her play mat with everything hanging above her to be grabbed and chewed on. It's been a time full of smiles and baby laughs lately.

Kicking on the play mat

Give me that camera!

Mmmmm...baby toes!

Looks like she's not going to stay blue-eyed...this seems to be the beginning of hazel eyes like her big brother, big sister and dad!

Biker Grrls

2011-05-20T08:57:00.002-07:00

Miss M got a bike for her birthday and we've been riding back and forth to Michael's school each day now that she's out of preschool. Yesterday she really got going down a long, straight street and I could hear her hooting and hollering as she went. "OH YEAH! WOO HOO! YEAH BABY! YEE HA!" She was having so much fun!

Also had Miss Em bundled up since it was a little chilly. These are the sunglasses that Jen Payne sent for Miranda 5 years ago, and miraculously they survived to be used on another kid.

Eat. Poop. Read.

2011-04-29T18:59:00.003-07:00

This is a onesie that Steff bought Miranda 5 years ago and I laugh every time it catches my eye. And I love this hat. I can't decide if it's more like the hat Madonna wore in the Borderline video or like something Lucille Ball wore but I love it.

Zoo Too

2011-04-23T15:46:00.004-07:00

Took the kids to ride the zoo train today (day 3 of 5-day-weekend and needed. to. get. out. of. the. house.) and they talked me into going into the zoo as well to see the animals we didn't see on Day 1 of Spring Break's 5-day weekend. We had a ball!

Waiting for the zoo train

(Ballet class this morning, hence the leotard!)

In front of the zoo entrance

These are the goofy faces I get when I say "Smile!"

Silly faces at lunch before seeing animals.

We went through the South American part of the zoo first, which has some of my favorites.

New basilisk lizard on display. The kids learned all about him on a Wild Kratts episode, and love the fact that he can run on water!

Military macaw

The anteater, the Reid Park Zoo's mascot

Up on a termite mound

The Motmot, my favorite bird at the zoo.

The capybara, who I came to love because of the Bill Peet book, Capyboppy.

The tapir

Gratuitous baby shot

A gibbon, checking us out

Makena, our new female otter right before I told off some dumb-ass mom who thought it was no big deal to throw the otters goldfish crackers because she "just wanted them to come over so her daughter could see them better".

Peacock showing off

The back view is just as beautiful

It was very close to giraffe lunch time, so they were very close to where the people were.

Miranda's elephant, Double Half (don't ask, I can't explain the name) found a friend

Finally got some pictures of the M&Ms with nice smiles instead of grimaces!

New Sheets!

2011-04-21T11:58:00.003-07:00

When Miss Em was born, my sister hand made new sheets and a blanket for the crib. They're gorgeous!

Washcloth

2011-04-21T11:55:00.003-07:00

Miss Em is starting to put everything she can randomly grab into her mouth. I turned around the other day to find she'd grabbed her washcloth and was gleefully cramming it in! She was so pleased with herself and I had to take a pic.

ET

2011-04-21T11:17:00.004-07:00

We had to pull all of Miss M's guys off her bed today to change her sheets, so we set them all up and then sat little Miss Em in them. Miss M just *had* to be a part of it!

Smile, Emily!

2011-04-15T11:56:00.003-07:00

The kids are quite interested in making Miss Em smile these days, which is happening more and more. Miss M particularly wants to be the reason her little sister smiles, which in the past few days has resulted in hands-squishing-face "I'm helping her smile, Mom!".

The fairly benign "help"...

The "help" that has to be moderated by Mom a little bit ("No honey, you can't squeeze her face until she smiles.")

All in all, the big M's are really loving their baby sister who is doing more and more each day, and reacting more to them in ways they can understand. It's so much fun!

(Look at those lovely, fat thigh rolls! ♥ them!)

Tennis Kids

2011-04-02T17:31:00.002-07:00

Michael has been intent on tennis lately, so Dan got his rackets down from the storage in our garage and they have been whacking tennis balls against the back wall outside. They're so pumped about tennis summer camp this June!

Miranda in her ballet gear from earlier in the day...

Michael trying to balance a ball, although he doesn't believe his dad that it is a skill builder.

Dan had mad tennis skills back in the day!

Zoe in the hole she dug in my flower bed. This is her favorite cool spot in the yard.

Max!

E. Rose

2011-03-25T17:47:00.003-07:00

I love Emily in clothes with roses...almost like they were made just for her!
This is a pic my friend Teena took at Beyond Bread the other day.

This Is How She Likes To Nap

2011-03-22T10:12:00.001-07:00

I swear, she likes to nap with the blanket ON her face.

(By the way, this is a little handmade blanket that we just love!)

Bed Time!

2011-03-22T10:09:00.002-07:00

I came in the other night to tuck in the kids after Dan had gotten everyone loaded in to their own beds, and this was what I found.

Close your eyes, Emily! Everyone is supposed to be asleep!

Baby Burrito!

2011-03-19T10:36:00.003-07:00

At Em's 2 month well-baby check-up yesterday, she had to get 3 shots. :( After we got home, she couldn't settle down to nap until I turned her into a baby burrito. After that she slept for 6 hours straight!

Park Day

2011-03-19T09:13:00.002-07:00

Dan took the kids last month to burn off extra energy and snapped a couple shots with his iPhone.

Mr. "No-don't-take-my-picture!"

Dan got a really nice one of Miranda.

Snuggly

2011-03-19T09:04:00.002-07:00

The M&Ms really love having a baby sister and always want to snuggle! Here's some morning shots as everyone was waking up this morning.

Baby Camo!!

2011-03-18T18:55:00.003-07:00

This is my favorite nightie of Miss Em's right now, I think she's just so pretty in this rose print. My cousins Doug & Karel sent this as a gift when she was born and I love it! Where's the baby, can you see her?

Smiling Baby!

2011-03-18T15:24:00.002-07:00

I l♥ve it when a new baby starts smiling for me, and Miss Em is no exception.

And here are her big brother and big sister's early smile pictures. :)

Proof

2011-03-18T15:20:00.002-07:00

Often lately Dan leaves for work before the kids are up, and doesn't get home until after they're all in bed. I think this is particularly hard for him with Miss Em because she's so new and he hasn't spent as much time with her as he'd like. He asked me to take a picture the other day to prove that he *had* actually held her and snuggled with her.

Family Walk

2010-12-14T08:49:00.002-07:00

The weather's been gorgeous here lately and we've had lots of outdoor time. This was right before a family walk through the neighborhood recently! Miranda was very deliberate in what she needed to have on to be "ready".

Sofa Dog

2010-12-14T08:41:00.002-07:00

Ever since Zoe was little, she's loved to sleep in a huge pile of pillows like a little diva. The kids think it's hysterical!

Birthday Boy!

2010-09-20T09:24:00.004-07:00

A few quick posts from Michael's birthday last month. Grandpa Gayle came out for Michael's birthday and brought a VERY exciting present ~

a new big boy bike!

Miranda also got a present sent from Grandma Gayle, the blanket that she made me when I became a big sister back in 1979. (Dude, is my little sister that old now?)

We put it on her bed that night and she won't sleep without it now. :)

We invited a few boys over from Michael's kindergarten class and the E&E cousins came down from Gilbert for a small all-boy party, so Grandpa got to spend a lot of time with Miranda that Saturday.

Grandpa was such a good sport to let Miranda bury him and then jump on him!

Meditation

2010-09-18T18:26:00.002-07:00

Michael has a special spot that he likes to run ahead and sit at, and then meditate until Miranda and I catch up with him on our way home from the Rec Center. He's really quite cute about it. The spot is actually a cement access panel on top of a storm drain just across the street from our house, and it's surrounded by eucalyptus tree limbs hanging down all around. It's always shady there, and always a nice spot for him to relax at for 30 seconds or so, even in the heat of summer.

And here are both of the M&Ms in the tree behind Michael's spot. Technically in our neighbor's yard but I took the picture real quick and we got out of their yard before they probably even knew we were there!

First Day!

2010-08-17T09:01:00.002-07:00

Had our first day of school yesterday and it went really well! Michael started first grade (gulp!) and Miranda started preschool. No crying occurred (well Mommy did a little bit) and everyone reported a good first day once they were home. Success!

(Note Michael's IBM lunch bag ~ we couldn't find his Lightning McQueen bag from last year so he was THRILLED to get to use Dan's IBM bag!)

Tadpoles!

2010-07-28T12:53:00.003-07:00

We started swim lessons last week and the kids are having a blast. By the second lesson Michael is jumping in on his own and "swimming" (thrashing, really) over to the steps on his own, totally unafraid of dunking his head under the water. This is the kid who used to scream at getting his face wet in the tub. :) Miranda is a little more reluctant but by the end of each sessions she's in and doesn't want to leave. It's been super fun to watch them love this!

This is the kiddie pool that they can splash in all they want after their lesson. I have to drag them away every day!

Downtown Adventure

2010-06-19T13:16:00.001-07:00

Went this week with the M&Ms and JT to the downtown library, and then wandered around the downtown area afterwards. It was hot but a lovely day, especially in the shade!

Picacho Peak

2010-05-25T14:01:00.002-07:00

We had our first camping experiment with the M&Ms earlier this month, and we had a blast. We went for one night to the Picacho Peak State Park near Tucson, just in case we had to pack it up and head home in the face of disaster or little kids who couldn't handle it. I must admit it couldn't have been much better, and much fun was had by all (although I could have done with the swarms of gnats, but what can you do?).

Daddy setting up the tent! (I-10 and the train in the background)

A campsite visitor

Boulder-whacking behind our campsite

The beautiful sky

Camp dinner ~ hamburgers and hotdogs

Camper Daddy starting the fire

The palo verdes were in full bloom, and you could hear the buzzing of busy bees everywhere

Early the next morning, we hiked the Children's Cave trail. It had little postings all along the trail narrated by a javalina, who talked about his friends and how they eke a living out in the desert.

Daddy and the M&Ms in the Children's Cave

With Mommy too!

Dia de las Madres

2010-05-09T14:47:00.002-07:00

We decided to get out of the house in the morning on Mother's Day and I headed over to Sabino Canyon with the kids for a hike! We made it about a half mile up and decided to turn off on the Bluff Trail, only to discover the Sabino dam, and Sabino Lake! The kids delighted in the off-road hiking and I learned the hard way what "Let's just get our feet wet, Mom" really means. :)

A snack before we took our shoes off

Michael came back from "just getting my feet wet, I promise, Mom" with his entire left side soaked!

Miranda found a little island

The dam had some great flow!

Michael tried and tried to find a spot to slide

Lots of squealing from Miranda

On the path back from the dam

The view of the dam from the trail we took back

Every prickly pear had one or two flowers open, and they're about ready to open 30-40 more each! Spring in the desert can be so lush!

Folk Festival Part 2

2010-05-03T09:28:00.003-07:00

Our friend Bill snapped some nice pics of us at the Folk Festival that I thought would be fun to share! (Hope he doesn't mind me putting them up!)

Dancing with a festival wreath, her first ever!

Michael, who is "hiding"

Always with my mouth open!

Being sneaky with Bill's backpack

Tucson Folk Festival

2010-05-01T20:06:00.002-07:00

Went to the Tucson Folk Festival today and had so much fun! (I really loved their poster this year.)

Not much is better than freshly popped kettle corn (yum) and grilled hot dogs (sauerkraut on Mom's, thank you) in the sun. The music was great too as was the company, because our pal Bill Ogroski surprised us and met us there. The kid's folk music was so-so but still fun.

Michael and Bill

Anti-camera Miranda

Michael and Bill playing around

Finally got a smile out of her...

The kids at the end of some neat architecture

Spring Training!

2010-03-23T09:16:00.003-07:00

Went to a Diamondbacks/Dodgers spring training game here this month and had a ball. The Dodgers played with a split squad that day, and it turned out Manny played in the other game up in Phoenix. Bummer. However, this is the Diamondback's last season for spring training here, and there are lots of Dodger fans in Arizona so the game was sold out and the people watching was great. The kids made it through 5 innings, which wouldn't have happened if they didn't have the promise of jumping castles for good behavior. Whatever works!

Latest Looks

2010-03-19T07:21:00.002-07:00

Miss M is big on dress-up lately and it's just about the only time I can get her to smile for the camera. The kids have been very anti-camera lately, much to my dismay!

We also buzzed Michael's hair recently, he wanted to match Daddy.

Before

After

Kid Pics Again!

2010-03-10T10:33:00.003-07:00

The M&M's cousin left his camera here the last time he visited, and we took a bunch of surprise pictures for Rulon to find when we sent the camera back. Sadly he deleted everything on the camera so he could record himself singing (he's 4, he thinks the singing is great and I suspect his mom disagrees) but luckily I copied them to our computer before I sent the camera back to the Land of Enchantment. Here's a sampling!

Michael on Christmas Day

Mom & Dad on Christmas Day

Smiley Girl

Miranda up on top of the bunk bed

Never a normal smile for Mom, always something goofy.

Fishy Portraits

Little Pip (who's no longer with us)

Big Pip (also no longer with us)

Sushi, currently enjoying the tank on his own

Butterfly Magic

2010-01-06T09:10:00.002-07:00

Right before 2009 ended, we went to the Tucson Botanical Gardens for their Butterfly Magic exhibit. Their indoor greenhouse is a butterfly haven during the cooler Tucson months. This was our second visit and it was just as awesome as the first time we went last year!

M&M's with a fun terracotta man in front of the gardens

The docents bring out the "newborn" butterflies all day, and they let visitors help take them out of the transport box.

Michael's first butterfly liked his face better than his finger!

Miranda kept giggling about the legs being tickly.

Michael's second butterfly was very calm. I love how if Michael is pointing one finger, he has to point his finger on the other hand too. :)

We met up with Isaac, Leah, Andre, Corissa, and Corissa's sister Shante, Teena and Jonas just as the M&M's were ready to be done with butterflies, so we hung out near the little train village and the zen garden while they did their butterfly thing.

This is next to the "Sound Garden" where they have a copper fountain with lots of drippy water to listen to.

Watching the train go by!

There it goes!

Michael is tucked in the bushes in the back here.

Sitting with Jonas, my little babysitting guy

Michael did a butterfly play for me here, where he wriggled in the dirt pretending to be a caterpillar, then he lay like a lump in the dirt for a while being in his chrysalis, and then he ran behind the butterfly wings and pretended to stretch out into a beautiful butterfly! He was very serious about it and was quite proud of himself.

First Day for Miranda!

2010-01-04T09:35:00.002-07:00

Today is Miranda's first day of preschool at St. Mark's Preschool in the older 3's room, the Wild Things! She's been very excited, marching around the house for weeks with her snack bag and asking every day in December if *today* was the day she was going to start school. She had her whole outfit picked out last night, and was up bright and early today to get going!

Our standard first day of school shot on the front porch. Imagine what this will look like 15 years from now when she's starting her senior year of high school!

Michael patiently waiting by the car for Mommy to be done with her silly sentimental stuff...

When we get to school, first we take Michael to his kindergarten to drop off his snack (notice his new, hand knit vest from Mommy!)...

...and then we drop Miranda off at her class for a day of Wild Things!

Fall In Arizona

2009-12-22T09:13:00.002-07:00

We've had lots going on! In November we were in Green Valley for the day, golfing with Dan's Grandpa Moore and taking the requisite neighborhood ride in his golf cart after the round. This is perhaps Michael's favorite part of visiting down there.

Also, Michael lost his first tooth in November! The tooth fairy was not prepared, because just 24 hours after it started getting wobbly, he had it out.

Cute shot of the kids all ready for bed.

Action shot of Michael in his Ducks jersey!

Miranda's new sparkly holiday shoes.

Fall-ing Behind!

2009-12-16T10:50:00.002-07:00

We haven't updated the blog much lately...gotta get back on that. Here is a quick catch-up from Fall.

For Halloween, Michael wanted to be a bat and Miranda wanted to be a black cat. Easy-peasy.

We went to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese and even though it's a c-r-a-z-y place that drives Dan and me a little over the edge, we all had a lot of fun. Not so sure Miranda has figured out skee ball though...

(Maybe she's going to be a fast-pitch softball player?)

Michael and Daddy playing air hockey.

Miranda has been taking Ballet/Creative Dance at the rec center and she loves it. She runs a constant narrative for us about tea cup hands and ballet jumps and all the little things she's learning. This January she's starting Ballet For Beginners and I think she's going to enjoy herself. This picture is from their final class last session, where they got to dress up in tutus.

Dinner Out

2009-11-30T10:15:00.003-07:00

Out at dinner at the Texas Road House ~ too much food but we had lots of fun!

Daddy and Miranda

Mommy and Michael (look at the camera, Michael!)

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2009-10-06T16:20:00.002-07:00

Today is Dan's birthday, and so the kids and I made him golf cakes. :)

Two-layer chocolate fudge cake with cherry pie filling, chocolate and green icing, edible boulders and Golfer Dan on top. Cupcakes are chocolate fudge with a spoonful of cherry filling inside and a wee golf ball on top!

The cupcakes are for work tomorrow!

Fish!

2009-09-01T18:37:00.003-07:00

Dan and I gave Michael fish for his birthday, which has been a big hit. We waited until Grandpa Mike was here to get all set up, since Grandpa is the family fish expert (with Daddy equally into them). It was so fun! Michael has since stopped sticking stuff into the tank (to "help" the fish) and everyone is doing quite nicely. Three goldfish for now, maybe more to add later.

Miranda and Grandpa Mike checking them out (Grandpa was taking some pics for Grandma to see later)

Michael is very proud of his fish!

First Day of Kindergarten!

2009-08-31T08:42:00.002-07:00

Michael started kindergarten this month and it's been (SHH! Don't tell say it out loud or you'll jinx it!) going fairly well. Other than not wanting to wear his nice, new clothes for his first day, it all went well.

Times Square Has Got Nothin' On Me!

2009-07-22T12:04:00.003-07:00

We had a naked cowboy running around the other day. There's a busker in Times Square who's known as The Naked Cowboy but our own was much cuter!

Spring Things

2009-05-04T21:40:00.003-07:00

This spring we've been up to lots of things. Nothing too exciting has been going on, but life has been good and the kids continue to delight and surprise us.

Miranda has recently become very excited that her shadow goes with her everywhere ("Mommy, my shadow is here too!") so we took pictures of them one day after we had ridden the bus home from preschool.

Obligatory tub shot ~ they're starting to fill the tub up, and occasionally have nights where they don't want to be in there together. I know we can't make them take baths together forever, but it's so much easier this way!

Michael was very quiet one afternoon, and when I went hunting for what he was getting into, I found he had gotten his hands on a sheet of stickers and had covered himself with them! He was very proud of himself. :)

This next one was taken shortly after Michael tried to convince me that he didn't need a nap, didn't ever want to take a nap again, wasn't ever going to do it because he was too big to take naps, Mom!

And lastly, the never-ending racing continues in the house. Lots of variations on the theme, but it's an every day occurrence.

Starbucks Run

2009-04-13T08:32:00.003-07:00

You know you've driven through Starbucks too much when one of the first things your son can say in a sentence (2 years ago or so) is "Are you getting a chai tea latte?"

We drove through again this morning (Mommy's Monday hail mary) and while we were waiting I caught the kids with my camera. Miranda's wearing a pretty new pink sweater that her Great Grandma Gilb sent for her birthday ~ it has a huge pink bow on the front that is covered by her seatbelt but it's very cute and I wish I had a Heather-sized one. I got Michael to smile for once, but only if he could cover it. Silly.

Tinkerbell Party

2009-04-05T18:24:00.002-07:00

Miranda's 3rd birthday party was today and it was a success! All our Moores of Arizona were present as was Grandpa Mike, and Miranda had a really special day. These photos are courtesy of Miranda's cousin, Eli, who manned the kid's digital camera today.

Opening presents with her brother "helping".

Reading a birthday card with Mommy and Grandpa Mike.

Auntie Mona!

Uncle Jeff!

Cuckoo cousin Ethan!

Snacktime for Michael

What did Miranda love most out of all the cool stuff she opened today? The itty-bitty Tinkerbell off her birthday cake!

Carousels and Things

2009-03-30T17:01:00.003-07:00

The end of this winter has held lots of fun rides for the kids. Our local Kmart has a cheap carousel outside that I let the kids ride if they can behave in the store ~ bribery for fifty cents! Since they're mostly anti-camera these days, this was a great chance to get some shots of Miranda wearing her new poncho made by Grandma Gayle.

While we were visiting Grandma and Grandpa Moore in Prescott Valley a few weeks ago, we stopped at a parking lot street fair (you know, the kind that get driven in on trucks in the lot of a grocery store and look like they could fly apart at any moment?) and the kids got to ride a proper carousel and a little Jeep ride that spun them in circles. They loved it and escaped unscathed, much to their mom's disbelief. I was sure no good could come of riding on those less-than-sturdy-looking rides!

Miranda is the orange blur and Michael is the blue blur whizzing by. They were screaming with glee!

Miranda on the carousel with Grandpa Moore hanging on to her

Looks like they're going to take after their mom and love roller coasters. I promised them both that when they were big enough, I would take them on the Zipper!

Butterfly Magic

2009-01-24T14:13:00.005-07:00

I took the kids to a live butterfly exhibit today, and it was awesome! I didn't really know what to expect ~ this is Tucson, where everything is pretty laid-back and so I wasn't expecting anything too extravagant. The exhibit is at our Botanical Gardens, which are a small (but beautiful) facility. They've converted their green house into the butterfly garden and when we walked in, it really was magical!

There were easily 50 butterflies fluttering overhead the entire time, trays of fruit everywhere with butterflies sipping, flowers with butterflies all over them ~ it was amazing. Michael was in heaven because their "star actor" right now is the Blue Morpho Butterfly, which he knows all about from the TV show Go, Diego, Go. Michael amazed one of the docents when he started spouting off about how they hide from predators, what they eat, and what temperatures they prefer. He got to hold one and for the first time in as long as I can remember he stood in one spot without moving until the butterfly decided to fly away.

Another docent brought out a box of newly hatched butterflies (she was very excited that it was their birth day) and she sat Miranda down and let her hold a very rare butterfly, the Pearlescent Queen.

(Miranda is not very thrilled about strangers lately, but she endured the docent holding her hand for this. Hence the funny look on her face.)

It flew off her hand onto my forehead, but after it settled there, the docent put it back on Miranda's hand, where it stayed for about 20 minutes.

Miranda walked with her little hand held out in front of her the whole time, just talking to the butterfly and showing it around. They had a very nice little chit-chat!

They had told us when we came in that they didn't have any giant moths, but the kids and I found one ~ they were very excited to see they had an atlas moth after all! I really loved how the wing's tips look like snake heads.

They had magnifying glasses for the kids, and Miranda found a yellow butterfly with a little bit of wing damage that she was able to get a good long look at. She declared it her favorite even though she didn't get to hold it.

If you live in Tucson or are visiting anytime soon, you should make a point to go see this exhibit. It's really something else!

p.s. Miranda is wearing a yellow sweater that was mine when I was little ~ something I love very dearly about having a little girl of my own.

Rain, Rain Go Away!

2009-01-12T12:15:00.002-07:00

Just shortly before Christmas we had a really great rainy spell in Tucson and the kids discovered the joys of umbrellas. Miranda mucked around outside for almost two hours one day, filling the umbrella up with rain, dumping it out, listening to how the rain sounded when she was under the umbrella ~ all the fun stuff that you forget about when you're running from the parked car to the store trying not to get wet. It really was fun to watch them play, even though they were popsicles by the end and took lots of work to get warm again!

Miranda was totally soaked by the end of playing, but she loved it!

(Jen, recognize that umbrella? I still have it!)

Arrrrr! Meow!

2009-01-03T09:24:00.002-07:00

We recently went to a pirate/dinosaur/matchbox car/pizza birthday party, and both of the kids elected to be pirates. Captain Michael and First Mate Miranda looked pretty fierce if I do say so!

Here they are telling me what pirates say..."Arrrrrr!"

Miranda later had her face painted to be a kitty cat at the party.

El Tour

2008-11-22T14:38:00.002-07:00

Grandpa Mike came this weekend to ride El Tour de Tucson, a 109 mile bicycle ride around Tucson. I took the M&M's out to meet up with Grandpa and to cheer for him, and it was great! They were a little shy about it at first (my kids shy? yep!) but warmed up when they got to ring their cow bells for him down the road a way.

Michael tried on Grandpa's riding sleeves, jacket and gloves after we had finished cheering. I think there's a little room to grow...

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T15:58:00.002-07:00

We had a great Halloween night. The M&M's had friends over and we all went through the neighborhood together. This was the first time we had taken our kids out trick-or-treating and I think they had a lot of fun.

Abby Caddaby from Sesame Street

Lightning McQueen's Pit Crew (complete with socket wrench that is NOT for whacking your sister on the head!)

Curly Cutie

2008-10-04T21:08:00.002-07:00

Miranda's hair is getting longer and staying curly. My hair is, well, not, so I'm trying to figure out how to keep the curly q's since they're so darn cute! She woke up from a sweaty nap the other day with the best ringlets...

Lately they've been racing every day, up and down the length of the house about a billion times! I can't believe how many times I've said "Ready, set, go!" over the past two years or so.

Notice the new shoes! She's very excited about them and will hardly take them off for bath time at night. :O)

For some reason Michael really wanted me to take a photo of his feet

Miranda's hair is getting fun, lots of pig tails and curly fun!

In Which We Pause Our Regularly Scheduled Program...

2008-09-24T15:26:00.002-07:00

I just participated in my first knitting swap and wanted to give a shout-out to my team! It was the Dish Rag Tag, a relay race of sorts where we received a ball of yarn, a pattern and a washcloth knit by the gal before us, had to knit a new washcloth with the yarn, and then send a new ball, the newly knit cloth and pattern on to the next gal on our team, all the while hoping to get lucky with the post office and beat all other teams in returning our "baton" to the start. We didn't win but it sure was fun! Here's the box as I received it (stuffed with goodies! Lucky me!)

Washcloth for me, stamped cards made by Christy (they are awesome! I'm a scrapbooker, and these are right up my alley!), yummy tea, tootsie rolls and green yarn to knit a washcloth with (yes, I had already cast on when I took this picture ~ I could hardly wait to get started).

This was SO MUCH FUN and I can hardly wait to do it again next year. :O))))) I don't know what was the funnest part: waiting to get the box from my teammate in Nebraska and wondering about the treats she was including for me, getting the box and knitting as furiously as I could to try and get the box back out the same day (didn't happen but it sure was fun trying!) or putting together a new box for the next gal on my team and being excited to send surprises on to another knitter! I just don't know, all of it was a blast and I loved being a part of it. We were team Dishin' It Out and we'll probably come in somewhere in the middle of the teams but man, I feel like a winner. :D

End o' Summer

2008-09-17T12:31:00.003-07:00

The end of summer is almost here and it can't come any sooner if you ask me. It will be nice to get out more ~ right now it's "Have some water, put on your sunscreen and bug spray, more water, snacks because heat makes us tired more quickly, more water and hats for everyone, please keep your hat on honey and here, drink some more water...wait, where's your hat? Way back there? Here, drink more water while I go back and get it." Fall is so nice in Tucson ~ can you tell I'm ready for the cooler weather?

We've been having fun indoors though and venturing out in the early evening to enjoy the yard and fresh air. Gosh, I make it sound like we stay shut up inside all summer...well, it feels like that. Anyway, there has been lots of cuteness lately...

Rowing in the row boat

Michael in a rare alone moment in the tub

(not many heinie pictures lately! their little butts are so cute!)

Michael in his "catchers mask" while playing baseball with Daddy (Really? You're playing baseball inside? In front of the huge TV? Did Mommy know about this?)

(does anyone agree that he looks like a much cuter, wholesome version of the Mouth of Sauron?)

Pigtails!

Make a silly face!

Riding on the big wheel out back (They're very particular about the set-up ~ Miranda has to be facing one way, and her little feet have to be crossed before the riding can begin!)

Wheeeeee!

Dog pile!

Casa de Jardin

2008-09-08T17:25:00.002-07:00

One of my favorite things about starting a garden for the first time was the thought that the kids would be able to explore a new side of being outdoors. New bugs, growing plants, picking produce ~ it all sounded like so much fun with them and I was right! I have enjoyed showing the kids neat, new things out there just as much as I have enjoyed growing and tending the garden.

Today Miranda and I picked three whopper tomato worms off a chile plant. The little buggers have eaten almost all the leaves off it, and that wasn't enough because then the three of them ate 4 or 5 red chiles and 2 or 3 baby green chiles. Blargh! When I picked the last tomato worm off the plant, he spit red juice on me and man, his tummy must have been burning because it smelled spicy! That's the guy Miranda is holding here...

Then we found monarch butterfly caterpillars (at least I think so!) on the chives and lavendar...

(Mirand's trying to feed him a stick)

We picked two peppers that are a little green but not eaten by cardinals, which turns out to be a problem in our garden. The cardinals are great ~ fun to watch and beautiful to look at, but it turns out that our cardinals like tomatoes, peppers and tomato worms!

Plan B

2008-08-28T15:41:00.002-07:00

We tried to go to the splash playground on an early Saturday morning only to find after a major monsoon that it had broken and wasn't open. Bummer. The kids were really sad, so we walked around the rest of the largely new-to-us Brandi Fenton Memorial Park and found a really cool, fun playground to try out. I attempted to also catch some fun playground pictures, only to find that neither of the M & M's were willing to cooperate. What follows are the best shots I got (some actually pretty good!) as I tried to trick them, surprise them and catch them unawares. :O)

These pipes play like a xylophone when you bang on them hard enough!

A great shot of the Lightning McQueen shoes that Mom loathes (Dan claims they're just as ugly as my Crocs but I think they're worse!) but Michael adores them so what can I say? Someday they'll die, right?

Let's try it out together! That always makes things simpler!

King of the rock climbing wall

Not so sure about where she's gotten herself...

Maybe my favorite shot from the day

Trying to hide from Mommy's camera ~ but I found you!

RU-U-U-U-U-U-U-UNNNNNN!

Miranda was *very* interested in some tweeny girls who were braiding each other's hair, and she watched them from this perch for a long time.

A look of concern for a little boy who was very dramatic

And can I just close by saying that today I was *that mom* who wore her shirt inside out without knowing it to the grocery store because she was trying to do too much stuff on the way out the door and never noticed? My goodness!

Cousin's Birthday!

2008-08-26T07:31:00.003-07:00

Last June we went to Albuquerque to celebrate Rulon's third birthday ~ cousins should be together as much as possible! I left my camera in ABQ there so these pictures are a little late.

The birthday boy and Miranda getting in on the balloon action

Michael with his own balloon

Michael and Grandma Gayle

Uncle B, Michael "helping" and the birthday boy

Cutie pie with his train cakes (did Mommy match his shirt on purpose?)

Miss Mimi loves her some cake!

Three cousins in a row

Get Ready to Race!

2008-08-19T08:52:00.002-07:00

Racing is a MAJOR theme in our kid's every day lives ~ Miranda has picked it up because her big brother is always racing something or somewhere and now they race together. It's been so awesome to watch them start to play together and on their own. The other day we conducted races up and down the length of the house and I caught a couple starting line shots...

Getting ready

Start your engines!

(that's Michael's racing face!)

Everyone's Getting In On the Fun!

2008-08-19T08:22:00.003-07:00

The kid's camera is always around somewhere and often easier to grab than our "real" digital cameras that's put away from little hands. Everyone has been getting in on the fun with Michael's camera lately!

Arrrr!

Miranda takes a turn catching her brother on screen

Late night silliness

First Day!

2008-08-12T16:06:00.002-07:00

Michael had his first day of school yesterday!

It went great for him ~ all but the dropping off part that Mom was a part of. I stayed too long (wanted to watch him walk into his classroom with all the kids) and he was already not sure about it all and it was all too much. They say he calmed down pretty quickly once I was gone and by his account he had a lot of fun but Mom cried the whole time he was gone and in general was a wreak the whole day. Less so once he was home, but it was still a fragile-Mommy day. I'm doing much better now, thanks for asking, and hopefully tomorrow will be way better!

You can see from his first day pictures that he was already not sure about this big idea Mom and Dad had cooked up for him (he's wanted to go to school badly for months now and all of a sudden it was here and we weren't going to be there with him? No, no, not a good idea any more!) and a little annoyed that we kept insisting he go.

Classic First Day Photo (I can just imagine one every year for the next 13 years!)

New shirt for the big day!

Unsure little guy

Enough pictures already, NO I WON'T SMILE!

We go back tomorrow although we're not talking about it very much so he won't get nervous again, and so Mom doesn't get upset either (because we're all being honest here, right?).

Michael's Shiner

2008-08-12T15:41:00.002-07:00

This is just a one-shot post ~ it warrants it's own spot on the blog if you ask me! Michael fell in grand style on Sunday and gave himself the best shiner he's had so far in his long life. Of course it was just in time for starting school the next day. Yesterday was his first day at St. Mark's Preschool ~ more posts on that later...

Home Lately

2008-07-29T14:17:00.003-07:00

We've been spending lots of time at home lately but have been doing lots of exciting stuff regardless of not getting out much! Miranda has recently been practicing "going to work" ~ she comes to announce to me that she's leaving, goodbye mommy and then she marches all over the house with the stuff she's taking to work that day. Here's the latest get-up...

Michael has discovered that he loves showers, perhaps because he is fascinated by Daddy taking them. Here he is one night after his shower (quite proud of his towel!)

Our garden has picked up again after it got used to the crazy heat and everything is growing and blooming and producing more fruit or veggies. Our tomato bushes have tomato worms which the kids love holding and examining and I don't mind if they get squished by little fingers holding on tight

More Michael Pics

2008-07-01T10:08:00.002-07:00

The digital camera that Great Aunt Denice gave Michael last year has turned into the gift that endures! Not only can we believe it has survived all the dropping and throwing and rough-housing that two toddlers can dish out, but both kids still love it and want to be the one playing with it almost every day. The pictures it takes are so-so (Is that the user or the camera? We might never know!) but unless they're all black (camera pressed up against the thing being photographed) or all white (photos of the sun almost never work out) they come out alright.

Daddy in a rare Tucson snow storm

Mommy and Miranda

Daddy after work

Peace out

Monkey boy

Say 'Cheese' Mommy and Daddy!

Auntie Amy in Arcadia

Mommy and Grandma Gayle in Arcadia

Sitting in his Elmo chair

With Daddy's recuperating lag

(love that curly hair but we had to cut it, he was getting shaggy!)

No pants (s-o-m-e-d-a-y he'll be potty trained, right? Please?)

Mommy knitting yesterday

Puerto Rico!

2008-06-13T17:46:00.002-07:00

The Girl Camp Girls ~ Jess, Helen, me, Camilla, Debbie & Jen at El Yunque

Real quick, I am back from Puerto Rico and it was amazing! I haven't had time to post pics anywhere but on my Facebook account. Here's a quick link to check out the highlights:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=25474&l=f6514&id=749919789

Zoo Day!

2008-05-15T11:37:00.002-07:00

I'm off from babysitting today, so the kids and I made an early run to the zoo before it got hot or there were too many people. The kids did great, although I think I've said "Michael, stay where you can see me!" about a thousand times today already. The polar bears were swimming laps, the monkeys were swinging and whooping and the tortoises were all out walking so there was lots to see. Miranda particularly loved the tortoises today, while Michael just wanted to stomp in every puddle and make footprints.

No More Basketball For Dan!

2008-05-07T20:30:00.002-07:00

So the big goings-on here at CasaMoore is the rupturing of Dan's achilles tendon last week at his Monday night basketball league. He had surgery the Friday of that week and he's doing much better now that we've got him on a pain killer that doesn't make him super sick to his stomach.

The kids have been really good about it all. We were worried about their inability to keep from climbing on Daddy like he is a jungle gym. Michael keeps coming in every morning to tell Dan "Don't worry, Daddy. It will get better soon, I promise." Miranda points out Daddy's "boo boo" every time she sees it, and they both keep giving his leg kisses to help it feel better.

Dan is going to be in this cast for four weeks minimum and then a walking cast for minimum four weeks after that. This sure has started out as an interesting adventure!!!

Through Michael's Eyes

2008-05-01T13:45:00.002-07:00

Michael was given a great little digital camera for Christmas and he continues to try to take shots of the things he sees at home. For every good picture we delete about 15 shots of bright white light or blackness but he has actually captured some good ones!

His sister

Daddy

Mommy

We turned the camera on him this afternoon and caught one of his recent "Smile" face!

Birthday Pics!

2008-04-07T16:52:00.004-07:00

Why, oh why, did I think it would be a good idea to take studio pictures at the end of a busy two-toddler trip-to-the-zoo-then-short-nap birthday? We went on Miranda's second birthday to take pictures and it was quite a fiasco, this photo shoot. Even though she just turned two, Miranda is well into the terrible tantrums and this day was no exception! We finally brought out some balloons and then toy cars and we were able to start getting some good shots. It all turned out well, I have smiley kids ~ they just took a little coaxing.

Probably the best shot of them together

This is Miranda's special birthday dress, made for her by Grandma Gayle

We changed clothes and brought out the beloved race cars from home, and luckily were able to coax a few more good shots out of them before they totally lost their minds and wouldn't smile anymore!

Miranda was just about done with this photographer lady

We asked them to make silly faces in hopes of catching a laugh

Good single shots

My favorite of Michael

Grumpy Miranda

My favorite of Miranda

The pictures are posted online for 90 days and you can order copies if you would like. Email me directly if you want the website access information!

Easter Tidings

2008-03-31T10:52:00.002-07:00

Another Easter has come and gone, and we wish you the best for spring and this time of new growth and renewal. We went to California for a family gathering and had a lovely time of it. We stayed at the beach, spent lots of kid-time in the water, and had a really great Easter brunch and Sunday at my grandparents.

Here is Michael, proudly displaying his little race cars

It was March, so I didn't even consider bringing bathing suits. Apparently I should have since the temperature was in the 80's every day! We just put the kids on the beach hillbilly style and they couldn't have cared less!

Perhaps my favorite picture from the weekend

Amy and Rulon snuggling

All of us spent Easter day at my grandparent's house along with both my Aunt Valerie and Aunt Denice. The kids had an egg hunt on the front lawn, and they had so much fun!

Michael with Auntie Valerie

Miranda hunting for eggs

Rulon

Michael in what he called "the jungle"!

What did you find there, buddy?

Fun with eggs!

Growing, Growing, Growing

2008-03-12T11:05:00.002-07:00

The kids are getting bigger all the time - funny how they do that, eh? I always smile when I think that every mom has wondered at the miracle of every kid growing up but it's still new for each mom each time, and I'm no exception. Growing out of new clothes, longer hair, wider smiles, more teeth ~ it's fun to take it all in.

Miranda finally grew out of these overalls this winter.

Michael used to be so little in the tub and now he's a big boy making silly faces!

Here's a picture from 2005..

Here are both kids in the tub ~ lately it's been an interesting exercise in sharing space and toys when they're in together.

(Love that baby heinie!)

Miranda has some beautiful curls after bath every night, and Daddy is the best at making them fluffy!

Race Cars at Casa Moore

2008-03-02T16:07:00.002-07:00

We're deep in the throes of potty training ~ right now it's a "you win some, you lose some" situation. We've discovered that the movie Cars is Michael's ultimate motivator, much to Mommy's advantage. :D

The side effect of watching this movie a-l-m-o-s-t e-v-e-r-y s-i-n-g-l-e d-a-y is that we've become a home obsessed with racing! The weather is so great lately that we've spent a lot of time out back, riding everything with wheels.

Here we have team racing, which requires a bit of monitoring (My sister just went spinning off the back while I was going too fast? Great!!!).

Miranda does pretty well on her own, although she doesn't have pedals down too well yet (short legs, you know)

Even Daddy likes to get in on the action

Michael's becoming such a big boy, it's so exciting to watch him grow and explore and have more fun every day.

Rainy Day Driving

2008-02-16T12:43:00.002-07:00

It rained for a good 24 hours here yesterday and last night, so we've spent a lot of time indoors waiting for everything to dry out. Today the kids decided to spend the morning driving! Miranda has discovered the joy of her big brother's helmet and marched around with it on all morning regardless of what we were doing - potty training, watching cartoons, laundry, breakfast, lunch.

Michael has claimed the pink motorcycle as his own...

Daddy's pushing "Mimi" around on the Dora cycle

We have worked on teaching Michael that when Mommy and Daddy drive, they go around the other cars instead of ramming into them head on, but he thinks this is more fun ~ pushing his sister around backwards!

And since there hasn't been one in a while, here's the obligatory pic of Mom and Dad :O)

Kitty Cat!

2008-02-07T14:56:00.001-07:00

The kids and I take walks through the neighborhood occasionally and there is a friendly kitty that lives down the street. There's a little area with benches and a table two blocks down and the cat almost always comes out to see us. Miranda L-O-V-E-S that cat! Michael calls him Hopscotch (there are flagstones around the benches and he thinks it's a hopscotch game) but his real name is George. He puts up with anything Miranda does to him ~ she lays on him and puts dirt on him and gives him the toddler equivalent of a deep tissue massage and he loves it!

Walking down our street to see the kitty

Here comes Hopscotch!

Miranda always shouts some form of "Kitty Cat!" when she sees him

We also got a package from Grandma Gayle today and it had a new sweater for Miss Miranda, so these pics are for my mom to see how it looks (totally cute if you ask me!)

Thanksgiving Flashback

2008-01-24T13:10:00.001-07:00

We had a really great Thanksgiving at the end of last year. We spent the day at Jeff and Mona's with all of the Arizona Moores. Dan's Grandpa Moore drove up with us and Dan's parents came down from Prescott Valley and we all had a ball. The kids ran around all day like crazy monkeys together and we had a fun, fun day.

Miranda on the slide

She decided head first was the way to go, which caused her some problems later in the day!

Eli outside

Michael playing before we ate

We tried to get a photo of all the kids after we had eaten, and no one except Ethan would cooperate.

M & M would not cooperate even with me and Dan holding them so Dan did a little flippy-do!

Bob and Roberta

Jeff and Mona live near a fantastic park and we walked over in the late afternoon to play.

Three Moores - Jeff, Dan and Grandpa Moore

Ethan on the left, Miranda in the center. This is where the head-first philosophy didn't work out so well for Miranda!

We had a super fun holiday and it was a highlight of the whole year. :O)))

Michael's Video

2008-01-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

Michael was given a digital camera for Christmas (which he L-O-V-E-S!!!) and this is his first video. Don't worry, it's a smaller file than the last one!

Bathtime Conversation

2008-01-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

Last night Miranda had a conversation with herself for about 15 minutes. Considering she felt the need to stand up and gesture the entire time, perhaps she was delivering a monologue or lecturing us on some important topic - we'll never know. It was in that adorable babble that toddlers have before they truly start talking. I was able to walk out of the bathroom, get the camera, come back and film some and she never stopped! Here it is for your pleasure.

Congratulations, Laurie & Scott!

2008-01-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

Early in December the kids and I drove out to California for my cousin's wedding and a long weekend of visiting with family. It was such an awesome weekend!

Michael on the morning of the wedding

Miss Miranda in her party dress at the church

You may kiss the bride

Mr. and Mrs. Lucas!

Scott's son toasting the newlyweds

My cousin Doug brought his two youngest sons, Gregory and Stephen

Laurie and Scott's first dance, to Silent Lucidity by Queensryche. This is my favorite picture from their wedding!

Dancing with Aunt Dorothy

Cutting the cake

Laurie with Aunt Dorothy after she changed out of her poufy white dress

When they weren't eating M&M's or cake, Michael and Miranda played with Stephen and Gregory every chance they got!

Michael decided that Stephen is his new best friend, and he still asks me when he's going to get to see his "new brother" again!

I saw two of my cousins for the first time in 21 years - Deann on the left and Patrick in the center.

And just for kicks, I drove by my old house, which was surprisingly teeny-tiny. I remember it being such a big house when we were little!

Happy New Year to You!

2008-01-01T11:07:00.001-07:00

Here at Casa Moore we hope you had a lovely New Year's Eve and that the beginning of 2008 has been good so far.

Hope your night last night was fun, whatever you did...

and that you're recovering however you might need to be...

As for us, we had a normal, laid-back evening with a later bedtime than usual for Mr. Michael (he made it to 9) ~ Miranda had a crummy nap so she had an early down-time. We watched The Incredibles (Michael LOVED the superheroes!) and it was lights out around 11 for Mom and Dad.

Hope your 2008 is filled with fun and friendship and all things good!

Oh yeah, and may your 2008 start out squeaky clean!

Out and About

2007-12-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

The kids and I have been trying to get out lots these days ~ the weather is so lovely now...not scorching H-O-T! Can you tell I'm happy that this summer ended? Anyway, where was I? We've been busy, especially running to Himmel library and the playground behind it lots. We also took a long weekend trip to California for a wedding which was so fun!

This first pic is Michael's hand on our way to California. The kids were a little stir crazy in the car, and even though it was cold and we were going 85 MPH they wanted the windows down. What did it hurt? Nothing and they had so much fun for 45 minutes! I thought I was being so artistic taking this shot. :D

This is Miranda on the swings at our favorite little playground behind Himmel Library. We snapped this and the next pic for Dan one day when he was at work and couldn't come play with us.

Sunday Snaps

2007-12-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

One Sunday earlier this month while Miranda was napping we got the camera out and Michael practiced taking and posing for pictures (Mom was trying to get him ready for Christmas card pictures - which did not work!). However, we got some cute pictures anyway.

Beautiful Brown Eyes!

Practice smiling!

Then we let Michael try taking a few photos on his own - how do you think they turned out?

R-O-A-R!!

2007-11-26T08:47:00.000-07:00

We couldn't get the kids to cooperate on Halloween. Neither Michael nor Miranda wanted anything to do with costumes *on* Halloween so we didn't push it, and so no fun pictures that day. However, earlier last week both of them wanted to be bears, so out we got the hand-me-downs from Leah and I caught some cute pictures!

Miranda as Bedtime Bear

Michael as Cheer Bear ~ R-O-A-R!!

Fun Care Bear facts for the other 30-somethings out there who had the originals!

Care Bears celebrated their 25th anniversary in 2007
There were originally 10 Care Bears: Bedtime, Birthday, Cheer, Friend, Funshine, Good Luck, Grumpy, Love-A-Lot, Tenderheart and Wish Bear
The Care Bear's main job was to monitor the Caring Meter and go on missions to create more caring in the world, so the meter would point at the rainbow on one end, and not the rain clouds on the other.
Some elements of the Care Bears franchise pay homage to the legend of King Arthur. For example, the name of the main characters' residence, Care-a-lot, is a play on King Arthur's legendary Camelot castle. The Care Bear Family sits around a heart-shaped table, similar to the Round Table used by Arthur and his knights. In addition, Sir Lancelot's name inspired that of Love-A-Lot Bear.

Fall In the Jardin

2007-11-17T15:02:00.000-07:00

Fall is finally here ~ not just in name like all of October and most of November! We're starting to break out the long sleeves and put away the shorts. Here are a few last warm weather pics before we get into cold weather (ha ha, cold for Tucson that is) soon.

Snuggling with Daddy

With the changing of the seasons, we got out all the baby clothing in storage and pulled out hand-me-downs that Miranda could wear, put away all the warm weather stuff, and cleaned out closets for the new clothes that will be coming in as the days cool down. Miranda is wearing Michael's overalls while she can, they're too cute to pass up!

Miranda's hair is A-L-M-O-S-T long enough to pull up into pig tails - Mommy can barely stand the waiting!

One of our favorite snacks around here - bananas! One last shot of Michael in a great shirt that he was given when Miranda was born.

Mastering the Tricycle!

2007-10-27T16:51:00.000-07:00

Recently Michael has mastered his tricycle! Grandma Gayle and Grandpa Mike gave it to him for his 2nd birthday, but it took a year and Miranda wanting to ride it before he got interested enough to figure it all out himself. I caught him on video today riding in circles on the putting green ~ his favorite is to ride up the small hill at the far end of the green and then come back down it quickly. :O)))

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What Are Brothers Good For?

2007-10-13T20:37:00.001-07:00

Apparently they are good for teaching little sisters how to be a whirling dervish! We had a fun ~ and dizzy ~ afternoon of "round and round" today.

A Little More Every Day!

2007-10-12T13:42:00.001-07:00

Lots of fun stuff going on with the kids these days! Michael loves putting on capes and pretending to be a super hero, as you can see in this first picture. He was being a super hero in a race car this day, and Miranda was his super sidekick.

Miranda finally has enough hair for some sort of pony tail! Those of you who know me well know I am **DYING** to put pig tails, braids and pony tails in that girl's hair!

Miranda wants to be everywhere Michael is, and she wants to be right next to him ~ something he's learning how to handle better because he's not too fond of his sister when she's hugged up right next to him! He'll tell me he loves to be a big brother, but I suspect he doesn't love it so much when she's all up in his business. :O)

Miranda also loves typing, probably because she also wants to do what she sees Mommy doing so much. It's cute, but we're always a little nervous about what she could accidentally do to the computer!

Robot Baby!

2007-10-09T16:20:00.001-07:00

The kid's favorite toys these days always seem to be the ones that were free. Wood blocks from outside, rocks to throw in the fountain, boxes that came in the mail. Here's Miranda with her current favorite!

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Last of the Snaps

2007-10-05T16:23:00.000-07:00

Here are the last of my cell phone snaps from the past year or so!

Dan and the two kiddos ~ this is my cell phone wallpaper

Michael at Dr. Dean's, one of our favorite doctors! (the other favorite doctor lives in Maine)

Miranda at the same doctor visit, for her 18 month checkup

In the car on the way to California last month

Miranda found a new way to play with the backpack on the way home

Annies Apples!

2007-09-23T13:29:00.000-07:00

We went yesterday to Apple Annie's Farm in Willcox, Arizona to pick apples and see what a farm was all about! Michael was so excited, and we had a ball. They were still serving pancake breakfast with apple syrup and sausage when we got there, so we started with that (yum!). We walked all through the orchard, with the smell of rotten apples and cider all around, and tried to figure out what kind of apples we were looking at - Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Fuji, Rome, Granny Smith all together in the part we were walking though. We picked about 7 pounds of apples, trying to figure out which trees looked best and what kind we wanted. We ended up with Granny Smith and Rome apples. We paid for our produce, put the stroller in the car and went back to ride the tractor-pulled wagon around the farm. It was a bunch of fun, and Michael and Miranda really enjoyed themselves!

Picking Granny Smith apples

Riding on the wagon around the farm

Snaps Part 3

2007-09-16T19:48:00.000-07:00

Auntie Amy's sister-in-law, Jennifer, gave the kids cool sunglasses for Easter this year. Michael wore his until they fell apart!

For a while, Michael had the typical two-year old's "Smile!" face - eyes closed!

Naptime in Mom's taxi while we were waiting for the store to open

While Miranda was napping in the car and we were waiting for the store to open, Michael got to crawl all through the car and play a bit

Michael at the playground near our favorite library

Miranda at the same playground, when she was a new walker

Cell Phone Snaps Part 2

2007-09-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

Miranda in the (at the time) new house

Just after Michael's second birthday, when we buzzed his hair for the first time ever

Michael at Applebee's - he was very excited about the balloon animal guy!

Little chub-a-rub before we went into the zoo

Sleeping on the way home from the zoo

Learning how to stick ouot her tongue!

In the parking lot at Costco (always exciting!)

Happy girl (one of her first days of smiling)

Inside a big egg in the bird atrium at the zoo

We go to the zoo a lot, it's about 5 minutes away from our house, and a great way to spend a quick hour or two when we need to get out of the house without committing to some major outing.

Stay tuned, there are more to come!

Cell Phone Snaps

2007-09-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

I've accumulated a bunch of pictures on my cell phone that I haven't shared with anyone besides Dan and the occasional grandparent, but are too cute to keep off the blog! This first group is mostly Michael because Miranda was still a little lump.

Michael at the old house, pretending to be laundry

Macaroni and cheese dinner, the second favorite meal! (First is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches of course)

When asked "What hat do you want to wear to the zoo, Michael?" he picked this one!

At Chuck E. Cheese with his best little buddy, Davis

Mommie's sunglasses

After we had moved out of the old house, we went back with Davis and his mommy to clean and let the kids play in the empty house. We came into the kitchen and found the boys in here!

This last picture is really special to me ~ it was one of the first pictures we took of Miranda. I'm not sure why but I smile every time I see it.

60th Anniversary Weekend in Cali

2007-09-11T21:58:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my Grandma and Grandpa Gilb celebrated their 60th anniversary!! What an amazing and inspiring milestone. My aunts and dad pulled together a surprise dinner party for them and 50 of their closest friends (and let me tell you, that is actually a pretty intimate group for them). It was a great weekend. We stayed at the beach with my parents and my sister and her family and got a lot of time in the water, outside and with family. It was a really wonderful trip ~ one of the last we're going to be taking for a while ~ and it was pretty lovely every moment (except for when Rulon whacked his head and had to go to the ER to get checked out...but I'll tell you about that a little farther down the page).

Valerie came over the first afternoon we were there, and made fast friends with Michael when she offered to take him out onto the beach in front of the beach house.

Shortly after my parents and Amy, Brian and Rulon arrived, Rulon fell in front of the fire place, whacked his head really hard and gave himself the biggest goose egg I've ever seen. They took him to the ER to make sure he didn't have a concussion, which he didn't, but he was left with a huge bruise on his noggin!

Auntie Amy on the patio

Dan, Valerie and my mom sitting on the sea wall

Michael is trying to tell me he found a starfish!!

At my grandparent's surprise dinner, we had beef and fish. The kids had chicken nuggets and french fries and were so happy! Miranda loves ketchup!

The kids all ate dinner later than they were used to, and were up later than usual, so they were a little fried, but there were lots of up moments in between the meltdowns.

We all were given little boxes of Sees chocolate as parting gifts, and the kids got Sees suckers. Michael thinks it should be licked like an ice cream cone!

The third day we were there we took the kids out to the ocean. Here's Rulon and Brian.

Here we are all heading down to the water's edge

Here are the kids after the first wave, deciding they're a little freaked out!

If you look closely, Miranda has decided she wants nothing to do with that madness - get her outta there!!! She wouldn't go back to the water for the rest of the outing.

Michael, however, was a different story. It took him a little bit to get used to the crashing waves, but then he was entranced. He wanted someone with him the whole time, but he loved it! Here he is with Grandma Gayle, getting ready to get wet.

Wheeeee!

Where's Michael? Under that big wave!

Getting warm with Grandma after a big wave

Rulon, Amy and Brian walking on the beach

We stayed one night longer than everyone else, and had a quiet evening to ourselves once the kids went to sleep. I love Newport Beach and Balboa Island!

Miranda Takes A Stroll

2007-08-23T19:33:00.000-07:00

Miranda is walking like a champ now, even trying to run and keep up in races with her brother! Today she walked back and forth in the house over and over with her little hat and shoes on. Cutie pa-tootie!