iPhone Photo Dump

From top left...
1.  Sunday I made good use of some VERY ripe bananas...the muffins were gone by Monday morning!
2.  I had the funnest time grocery shopping with my Cookie Monster.  She only ran over my heels two times!
3.  Monday morning park date!!
4.  A little time-out for hitting his sister with the bat (don't worry it was a plastic bat).
5.  Tatum has been throwing some epic fits lately...I have been trying to catch one on camera, but I think she knows what a camera is...she turns her head if she sees it.
6.  Lunch time is my favorite time of day...Tatum goes down for her nap and the other two eat lunch in the basement...PEACE AND QUIET FOR ME for at least 15min everyday!!
7.  Found a new park...it might be our new favorite!!
8.  These stars might be the only ones we see on the 4th of July...FIRES everywhere have caused most firework shows to be canceled...BOO!
9.  My craft room/guest room...needs some SERIOUS attention.  Two weeks before our first guests arrive!!

The First Step

Admitting you have a problem...

 I admit today that I visit one, two or all three of these stores multiple times a week.  What am I looking for, you ask??  The perfect TREASURE of course!!  I aspire to be like my mom and turn trash into treasure.  Most occasions though, I walk out with very little, for myself that is.  I have managed to score some good finds for the kids.  The last few trips I have found a set of golf clubs (bag included) for Thomas, multiple books for both Thomas and Taylor, some super cute shirts for both of the girls and kids hangers (which I never seem to have enough of).  

Let's be honest though...I am admitting I have a thrift store addiction, but I am not sure I have hit rock bottom yet.  As I type this post I am thinking about traveling a little further tomorrow to find some new stores.

Am I the only one out there with this problem??  Besides my mom??  ;)

Missing THIS

Tomorrow we will officially have been here for three weeks.  There are moments when it feels like it's been much longer, but there seem to be just as many moments where I feel like I left yesterday.  However, the sadness is usually drown out by two kids that can't seem to get along for anything and a third that we've nicknamed TROUBLE because that's pretty much what she's getting into these days. I thought I would be bored out of my mind with no family or friends around...and sometimes I am (reluctantly I admit I have watched quite a bit of HGTV lately)...but I think I am pretty much as busy as I was before.

WHY...

Well... because when you have three kids and a hubby that works A LOT...you are naturally going to be busy.  It's just the way it is.  If you don't know this...kids DO NOT stop just because you demand ask politely.  Mine are no exception...if anything they are worse...probably not, but I like to think so.

I am sure I had a point to all of this rambling, but with the music blaring in the background and three kids yelling over it, I have completely forgotten it.  So rather than try to remember what it was I will just show you just some of what I am missing today!!

 

iPhone Photo Dump

We might not have our friends and family with us in CO, but we are managing to find and have fun as a little family of five!!

From top left:

1.  Taylor's facial expression speaks volumes to her personality!
2.  This ride was hilarious...a kid ride going so fast it forced Taylor into Thomas' lap...at least they laughed the whole time.
3.  She can be quite helpful when she wants to be.
4.  Sometimes the drive-thru is a whole lot easier than getting three kids in and out of the car.
5.  Found a Salvation Army and scored a set of new clubs for Thomas...turned out it was two sets...BONUS!!
6.  Tatum loved this little tunnel at the park...it is so fun to see her explore the park for the first time.
7.  It isn't quite an AZ pool, but it cooled us off...Sand turtle turned kid pool!
8.  Drinking from the hose...cold and refreshing!!  It was a first for my kids!!
9.  Tatum took a turn and loved it!!

Happy Summer Solstice!!

Skipping Ahead

I still haven't posted all of the pics from our last days in AZ, but I am going to skip ahead anyway.  Don't worry I will post them...just not today!

For all the reasons I would love to be back in AZ...the 100+ degree temps are not one of them.  In AZ going to the park ends in April and doesn't return until at least mid-September.  Not the case here!!  We can go to the park whenever we feel like it and we HAVE!!

So glad that this little one is able to join in on the fun!!  She isn't quite sure about the swing yet, but is starting to warm up to it.  Quite different from her brother and sister who absolutely LOVED the swing from the first time I put them in it.  Taylor still wants me to push her...but to be perfectly honest...I do not like pushing...SO SHE NEEDS TO LEARN TO PUMP HER LEGS!!!!  Tatum gets a pass for a while!!

Happy Father's Day

Tomorrow we all celebrate the important men in our lives!! 

The ones that without whom we would not be here...the ones that without whom our husbands would not be here...and the ones without whom our children would not be here!!

The dads!!

I am lucky enough to be able to say that I have an amazing relationship with my dad.  My hubby has an amazing relationship with his dad and once was lucky enough to have an amazing relationship with his step-dad.  And as if all that isn't enough...I have three munchkins that think their dad is pretty darn cool too!!

Happy Father's Day to my dad...

Happy Father's Day to my FIL...

Happy Father's Day to my hubby!!!

And Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!!!

Our First Week

I can't believe we have already been in CO for over a week.  Life resumed its normalcy on Monday when my hubby went back to work.  Just me and the munchkins left to explore our new home and all that it has to offer.

So rather than rambling on I will show you with a little iPhone Photo Dump!!

1.  Can you see the sadness on her face??  There were no other little kids at the park we found!!  Let's hope that was a fluke!
2.  I perused the community website and found some rather interesting classes.  Jedi Masters??  I'm not sure this was quite what I was looking for.
3.  I drug the kids out looking for thrift stores and UN-lucky for them...I FOUND THEM!!  (Goodwill not pictured)
4.  We found the absolute BEST Doughnut Shop... Lamar's...and right next door...the largest Starbucks I have ever been in.  As my mom would say..."That's a TWO-fer!"
5.  Tatum loves a good doughnut!
6.  Our new home is bunny central!!  We have two bunnies that are in our front yard every evening around 8!  They are pretty stinkin' cute!!  The kids love them.
7.  The kids and I made a batch of brownies and after shutting the oven door too hard...the salt shaker spilled all over the pan!!  Yes...we still ate them!
8.  Against pediatrician advice...Tatum had her first peanut butter sandwich!!  She devoured it!
9.  Sisters sharing a Costco smoothie...pretty sweet!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Volcanoes

As promised...

Better late than never!!

Thomas and his buddy Jack had an excellent baseball season this year!!  There was a lot more hitting, catching and throwing this season and a lot less chewing on their gloves and rolling around in the grass.  That is a big win for these two!!

Next year they will move up from Coach Pitch, but sadly they will be doing so 900 miles away from each other. 

Remember back in May??

I have to say...the last two months have been somewhat of a blur.  After my hubby left me for Colorado I was a single mom of three and most nights found myself literally falling into bed.  I have a whole new respect for moms that actually ARE single doing it on their own. 

Anyhoo...Thankfully...I always had my camera with me.  Subconsciously I must have known I couldn't rely on memory alone.  My hubby spoiled my mom, my sister and myself with a few hours away the weekend before Mother's Day for pedicures and my mom treated us to a delicious lunch at Postino.   It was a wonderful PRE-Mother's Day gift, so on the actual day I spent it with the three little munchkins that call me mom.

I think I am pretty lucky myself to have the mom I do...I can only hope my kids feel the same!!!  Maybe in the future because they tell me I am mean A LOT!! 

Heavy Heart

Well...

If you didn't hear, The Moore's have moved to Colorado.  Since the end of April life has been 100% crazy.  Tom headed to Colorado at the end of April and I stayed behind so the kids could finish school and we could say our good-byes.

Let me start by saying that no matter how much time you do or do not have to prepare for a "Good-bye" ...it will never be enough.  I cried more times than I could count and may even be crying by the time I finish this post.

Those that know me know how close I am with my family.  My parents and my sister are three of THE most important people in my life.  I truly can not imagine life without them, yet here I sit...900 miles away from them.  Moving away was always a possibility and if you had asked me even minutes before I found out I was ACTUALLY going to have to move I would have told you "Yea, I can handle moving away!"  But I was wrong!  I am happy to report I cry a little less each day and that gives me hope.  I actually put my contacts in today because I was pretty confident I could make it through the day.

My mom and I made the jump today from texting to actually talking on the phone.  I think we might have both been confident we could make it through a call without crying...and we did!!!

I am thankful for technology and can't wait until they all come to visit!!

Here is little collage from our drive!!

1.  After their tears had stopped they were ready for a movie.
2.  Riley was probably the best passenger...she laid down the entire drive.
3.  Tatum stayed up for the movie while Thomas and Taylor took a little nap.
4.  Some of the beautiful landscape along our way...New Mexico to be exact!
5.  She finally took a little snooze...lasting about an hour!  That is all she slept all day!
6.  Two of my three munchkins under the sign.  I have always wanted to have a pic like this...just not under these circumstances.
7.  Colorado is a BEAUTIFUL state.
8.  Our new house!!
9.  Tatum took a little fall while we were unpacking!

I have lots that happened before all of this...I promise I will catch up this week!!