Check out my Slide Show!

Dust Devils

Today we went into Tucson to get John Russel's allergy shot. We go this back way that takes you through the outskirts of town. On the way home we saw two very large dust devils. We have seen them before, but these were very tall and thin and the clear sunny day set them off against the blue sky. They were tight and seemed to be spinning pretty fast. The second one even had that eerie curve to it that tornadoes get. I've read that they aren't usually dangerous, but on rare occasions they can get rather large and spin pretty fast which can in turn cause damage. What an interesting natural phenomenon to see. They say they even have them on Mars! There is nothing like a spinning dust cloud to set this Tennessee girl on edge.

As we traveled down the road I kept expecting to either run into them or pass them on the side of the road. They were further away than they looked and were very tall. As we finally did pass them you could see the dirt and the few pieces of debris that had gotten caught up in the rotation spinning high in the air. The second one seemed to be spinning so fast that it got this shiny transparent look to it as it bent and twisted in the sky. As we rode on towards home these strange devils seemed to dissipate as fast as they began, leaving a huge dust cloud in the sky. I also read that they last only a minute or so. What an interesting thing to observe. How powerful and remarkable nature can be.

We all enjoyed the performance the dust devils put on for us today. I'm sure we will see many more while we are here. Isn't it interesting that something that some people see quite frequently can be so fascinating to others. I guess that's God once again telling me to slow down, open my eyes and look at this amazing show He is putting on for us!

*This picture is from the internet of a dust devil in Iraq. I wanted to post it so you could see what I was talking about.

One of Those Days

Today has been one of those days. I know that you all have had them and know exactly what I'm talking about. You know, the kind where nothing, and I mean nothing seems to go right. It all started with our morning swim lessons. We were greeted by strong winds at the pool which made for crazy hair and freezing children exiting the water. Nobody was happy about that. With wind whipping my hair I tried to warm the two older kids just as Will decided that he wanted to go swimming. He proceeded to sit down on the wet concrete, with his clothes on mind you, and tried scooting into the pool. Thank goodness I caught him in time, but that meant I had to drop the towel I was trying to cover Mae with. Oh, we were not happy campers.

Then I had the bright idea that we would go to Target. My friend Carrie said she wanted to go too. So we thought we would leave after I got the kids changed. No problem, right? Wrong! When we got home I instructed the children to go upstairs change out of their wet bathing suits and into dry clothes and then bring their wet "stuff" down to the laundry room. As I packed a few essentials in the diaper bag, Mae came down naked with a purple shirt and purple non-matching shorts. So, I took her back upstairs and pulled out a very nice appropriate dress. She had a fit! "No, I don't want to wear that!" she cried. After convincing her of how pretty she looked and reminding her that her cousins loved to wear dresses she relented. Then came the hair brushing. You would have thought I was scalping them both. Finally, after the biggest to do in the world we were out the door and in the car on our way to Target.

When we arrived at Target they were so excited. We were going to have lunch in the little cafe in the store. When we walked in they started running this way and that. Then they climbed on the bar stools and said, "We're going to sit here, Mama. Is that OK, Mama. We like these chairs, Mama." They must have thought I was at the back of the store because they were screaming this as loud as they could. After finally figuring out what everyone wanted to eat and drink I had to change the order because someone wanted an icee instead of a coke. The girl behind the counter gave me the cups to fix the drinks while she prepared the food. I started getting the drinks fending off Will's little hands trying to grab every drink I filled. Finally everyone (except Me) had their drinks. I sat Will at a table and then went to get the food. I gave Mae and Will their hot dogs and John Russel his chicken nuggets. Then I turned to get ketchup and I heard a scream. I turned to see Mae's purple icee covering the floor and one of her legs. I wanted to cry. After cleaning her up as best I could and moving them to my table we started to eat. Mae kept looking at me like, "How could you have done this to me?"

It was now time to shop. With chicken salad stuck in my throat I cleaned the table. We then proceeded to the dollar section. The kids asked for every little thing. "Mama, I really need this American flag hat!" Now, I can't blame them. Target has a way of making you think you really need all this stuff. I have the same problem. We were able to escape this section of the store with a pack of three little American Flags. (Hey, we really will need these come July 4th)

We then made our way around the store to the toys. I decided to let Will down to play. I wanted to see what he might be interested in because his birthday is coming up. That's when I realized that I'd been running over my big toe with the cart. Ouch! I didn't notice at first, and it wasn't that it was a big deal. It just started hurting because I kept doing it over and over. I don't even know how or why it happened. Just chalk it up to going to Target with kids. As we looked at all the toys I thought, "Eww what's that smell?" Then I quickly realized that Will had pooped. My friend Carrie watched the two olders while I went to change Will. If only I could find the bathroom. I asked a lady in red and she directed me to the front. Well I went to the front but it was the wrong side of the store, so I walked to the other side carrying Will the entire time. (I didn't want to make a bigger mess!) Now, my back was killing me. Thank goodness the bathroom was nice and clean.

Will was changed and fresh and it was time to move on from the toys. This was amazingly done with ease, but them we entered the little gardening area with the kids gardening stuff. Oh my, it was like the dollar section all over again. I did, however, find some great Father's day gifts. So, after making our way around I remembered that I needed ice trays. Well, I couldn't find them anywhere in the kitchen stuff. After asking another lady in red she informed me that they were located on the other side of the store. Maybe another day I thought.

It was time to go. Everyone had had enough. We made it through the check out with only two incidents of asking for gum and three for hotwheels cars. Pretty impressive. The children must have been tired. We arrived at the car and the olders climbed in as I pushed the cart over to the little receptacle running over my toe one last time for good measure. I then put Will in the car. I think he actually fell asleep before I had his car seat buckled.

People tell me that I'll miss my children being little , and that I'll get bored when they are older. I know this will be true someday. Probably sooner than I would like, but please don't tell me that today.

Now, I think I'll go soak my big toe!

My Patio

As we have settled in to our summer routine I find myself longing for the shade of our back patio. It gives such a nice break from the sun. In the morning the bright sun shines in and brightens every inch of it, but by 10:30 it is almost covered in shade. Only the edges where I keep my plants get sun. Then by the afternoon the sun doesn't even touch these areas. I love to sit and look at my flowers and little trees that we've planted. I also love to let my eyes drift out towards the pecan groves and even further to the mountains in the distance. I always secretly hope to catch some desert wildlife, but the only thing that seems to pass by are people walking on the trails or a few birds. We do have lots of lizards that like to sun themselves on our walls. Now, they are fun to watch. They do this little up and down thing that we like to call their morning push-ups. I'm not sure what the purpose of this is. We, however, find it hilarious.

Just yesterday I was sitting out back and I said to myself, "What is that sweet smell?" I looked over and realized it was Mae's lemon tree! It was full of blooms. It almost smelled like honeysuckle. How marvelous! I got up and admired the little tree and all it's new blooms and I noticed many more buds getting ready to blossom. Soon, if we're lucky, we may have a tree full of lemons!

I love my flowers I have planted. The periwinkles and lantana I've planted remind me of home. They love their new residence on my patio and seem to be getting plenty of morning sun. I like to think they are doing so well because they like my company. I can go to my patio and be delighted by the sights and smells of my beautiful little "garden". With the new fragrance of my lemon tree and the gorgeous colors of the blooms I now have even more to enjoy on my back patio. Soon I hope to sit back and admire my patio with a tall glass of lemonade!

Ups and Downs

There is no better scent in the world than my children's heads. I know this sounds crazy, but I love to smell their sweet hair. When they climb in the bed with me in the morning there is nothing better to lay there and drink in their precious perfume. It must be something primal to it. Something left over from a distant ancestor. Maybe it is like how mother animals differentiate their young. I'm not sure the reason for it. All I know is how much I love it. We were watching a movie last night and Mae was snuggled up with me on the couch. I kept leaning down to smell her head. Oh, I could have stayed that way all night. They always seem so sweet and small. It reminds me of when they were tiny infants and I would get up in the night to feed them. Their sweet smell seemed to fill the room. I love to bond with them in this way. All three of them have their own special scent. I think if I were blindfolded I could recognize them just by smell.

I wish I could keep them this way. I love it when they snuggle and act so sweet. Then they will do something only a 6,5, or 2 year old will do, and I wonder, "What?" How could something so sweet do something so vile! Like when I'm talking with a friend and Mae constantly interrupts me to tattle on a friend, or how John Russel told me he doesn't have to go to the bathroom because he went in the pool, or (my personal favorite) how Will can throw a huge temper tantrum in Blockbuster because I won't let him rip all the movies off the shelves. When I say huge I mean monster huge complete with deep screaming and laying on the floor like I'm killing him. He does this favorite new act quite frequently now.

Parenting is so interesting. Thank goodness God gives us this unconditional love to deal with situations such as these. I don't think without Him we could have these night and day feelings about our offspring. One minute I could tear their little heads off, and then with the same breath hug them and never want to let go. It's amazing the emotions we as parents experience as well.

So if your children are way passed these little stages or if you've never had the chance to experience emotions such is these, I ask you to remember me and say a little prayer that I will never forget how precious these little beings are that God has entrusted me with. One whiff of their sweet little noggins should do!

Summer

John Russel and Mae have started swimming lessons this week. We get up and go to the pool for their 30 minute lessons. The lifeguards at the pool are teaching them, and there are several classes going on at once. They are in different classes, which are small. It is fun to watch and see all that they are learning. It's always amazing to see how much more they learn from someone else. Mae is learning the freestyle and John Russel has mastered diving and is working on some other strokes. They love to swim.

After their lesson we either all swim at the pool or come home and rest a bit before lunch. They are always starving after swimming. I can remember this from my childhood. Now, I can see where their hunger comes from just by watching them move in the water. They use every single muscle they have. So, lunchtime is filled with "I want more raisins." " Can I have more juice?" and my favorite, "What's for dessert?" At this rate I'm going to have to make another grocery trip before the week is over.

This summer has started off on a great note. Even though the hot weather has been here awhile, the lazy summer break has finally started. We can hang out, play all day, and enjoy each other without a lot of obligations. This is what Summer is all about. Although we have plans to play soccer on Saturdays, the games will be very close to home. I know we will enjoy going to John Russel and Mae's games especially because they are early in the morning. This not only means a break from the heat, but it offers precious time to spend the rest of the afternoon with each other doing whatever we want.

So, as we look forward to our summer "vacation" we will try and give ourselves the much needed break from all of our normal obligations. We will try and enjoy each other and all that our family has to offer.

Happy Summer!

Family Visits

Well, we have had a fast and furious whirlwind visit with our family. On Saturday we went to our clubhouse pool and had a blast. No one got sunburned, but me, of course. I guess I was too busy applying sunscreen to everyone else. Then yesterday we went to Mt. Lemon. What a glorious experience. It doesn't matter how many times I go, it is breathtaking every time. We had a picnic lunch, "rock-climbed" over to some cliffs for a fabulous view of Tucson and the surrounding mountains. We all were mesmerized by the beautiful scenery. We then went up to the top and took the ski lift to the top of the mountain. Of course there is no snow, but the green grass, tall pine trees, and 74 degree weather made it all worthwhile. We then had cookies and drinks at a little restaurant.

Unfortunately, our trip down was delayed due to a deranged man on a shooting rampage! I know can you believe it! They caught him at the base of the mountain. The investigation caused the closure of the mountain. No one in or out. We were in a safe place, and really it wasn't so bad. We just sat on the patio of the little restaurant. We ate cookies and let the children play. Thank goodness the weather was nice! The trip back down was just as exciting and beautiful to see.

I think the children all had a blast with all the fun planned activities, and I know they were excited to see all the different things Arizona has to offer. But, I think the most fun they had was playing with each other, sleeping in the playroom, and eating whatever they wanted. Children are amazing creatures. Jesus was right when He reminds us to be like them. We all need to enjoy and take pleasure in the simple things in life. So, as I remember this little visit and all the fun stuff we did, I will also be reminded to relax and have fun. No matter what.