Finally Five

Aislin spent all of her pre-K school year watching her friends turn five. On August 3rd, the wait finally ended!

Happy Birthday, my restless, weird, witty, outspoken, strong-willed, protective, thoughtful, adventurous little girl. We love you and all of your countless eccentricities :)

Who doesn't love Brave??

 Thank you, Dairy Queen!

The big finale to her birthday was taking her to her very first movie - Despicable Me 2! She had a blast. I loved hearing her burst out laughing during those hilarious scenes :)

All Settled In

From a boxes-unpacked-and-pictures-on-the-walls perspective, we've been settled in for a while now...but from a broader perspective, you'd know we're settled in because a) Tim and I both got callings at church, and b) we've committed to a few new projects.

I think Tim may have beat our ward's record for shortest calling when he was sustained as a ward missionary before being released - two days later - and called as Elder's Quorum First Counselor! He would have been a fantastic ward missionary, but his current calling seems...right :) He may have felt a little nervous or even confused as we left the Stake President's office, but I know that with his willingness to serve and help others, he'll do a wonderful job :)
I've been called as a Cub Scout Den Leader for the Bears. I know - whoa! I was a deer in headlights in my first couple of weeks, but thankfully I work with a sister who has years of experience and volumes of scouting knowledge. I may have been a little nervous at first, and felt out of place at the first few meetings, but now that summer's over and den meetings have started up again, I've been able to get to know my own den and steadily know the pack. Every week has been a fun experience, and this week was my first time to lead an activity. It went well, and I was grateful for that time getting to know the boys :)

As for those new projects I mentioned...they include me joining a gym and hiring a personal trainer, Tim buying a weight-lifting set and starting a powerlifting regimen, Tim starting his own business called Ornery Development, and me joining the PTO at Aislin's school, volunteering as a Parent Helper in her classroom, and taking violin lessons (again).

We're definitely settled in, and busy!

Reunited

(Note: this post is completely out of order and should have preceded the post "Why Arizona?" I thought I had posted it but given the chaos of this summer, one of the most important events had been left out. So without further adieu...)
Back in May, just days before we left Washington, Tim's Aunt Betty and Grandma Annabelle (his dad's sister and mom) came to visit...after over a decade of separation. They had found each other on facebook after his dad passed away and kept in touch every since. We certainly didn't mean to move just hours after taking them to the airport, but it was still such a blessing to have them visit...and their help during the move was paramount!

The kids may never have met them before their visit, but they took to them right away as if they'd known them since they were born. Desmond had formed a bond with his great grandma, and Aislin took to Aunt Betty so well that she couldn't stop from crying when she and Tim left the airport. 

We love those two ladies so much and are grateful to have finally met them!

The amazing quilts that Aunt Betty made for the kids!!

Told ya she loves this lady :)

The kids with Great Grandma

This was our last visit with my family and the first time they had ever met (in person) anyone from Tim's family. It was a very special day, indeed :)

Our Very FIRST Family Vacation

San Diego, California...
...is a 5 hour drive from Chandler, Arizona
...has SeaWorld
...has the San Diego Zoo
...has this castle-like temple:

...and is a part of Tim's history. 

So we went there and had a wonderful, memorable family vacation :)

Day 1, July 4th:

We checked in at our hotel on Shelter Island where our room was just across the street from the bay. Afterwards, we headed straight over to the San Diego Zoo!

Notice the hotel pass on the dashboard :P Since it was the 4th of July, parking was expected to be filled hours before the fireworks were scheduled to go off. So, in anticipation of the madness, Shelter Island warned everyone that the road would close at a certain time...so Best Western gave passes to all of its guests just so we could get back on the island!

 This guy was so passed out against that rock that he just couldn't keep all of his legs on the ground!

The star attraction :) His face is almost as priceless as the one below it...

I can't remember what anymore, but the kids even named their pandas hahaha!

The hotel was a fun place to eat...

 And later that night, the show!

Day 2, July 5th:

Sea World!

I had never been to SeaWorld before and was therefore ignorant of the awesomeness of Shamu. When this first whale jumped up like that, though...I was just like one of those kids with their noses up against the tank wall! Glad it wasn't or else I might have missed this awesome moment :)

Yes, Aislin was with me on this ride, and yes, it was a bad idea. As her mom, I knew better than to let her get on this ride, but the kid in me who was on vacation thought otherwise... 

I looked at her tiny frame in that adult-sized seat and worried she'd fall right out. I kept thinking, where's the 5-point harness?! Alas, my arm would have to do.

Favorite picture. Ever.

Fun never fails to wear kids out!

Later that evening, we went down to Tim's old neighborhood! It seemed like most of it hadn't changed because he still remembered where everything was - the alley where he used to play, the small grocery store he used to walk to, and the building that had once been a video arcade. It was a surreal experience for me, having never seen the places he grew up, and probably just as surreal for him, too! I'm grateful for this part of our vacation...

Tim's old school!

Just beyond that gate is the house he and his mom had lived in :)

Day 3, July 6th

We headed out to the San Diego Temple, and the whole time we were there Tim and I kept thinking, Next time we come here, we need to travel with another family...so that they can watch our kids while we're in the temple and vice versa!

~Families are Forever~

We had the rest of the day to do whatever we wanted, so we went to a beach (of course)!

Coronado Beach...

Thank you, San Diego. It was a much needed vacation after the events of the last couple of months, and a welcome reprieve from the Arizona heat! We'll have to do this again. 

Love, the Sweets

The 3-year-old

If there are the "terrible twos," then there should be an adjective just as menacing for the threes! It's funny how, on the day of Desmond's birthday, he always seems to know that something is about to change... When he turned two, his quiet and sweet demeanor went a little south; and then when he turned three, he just went crazy.
Still, we love this middle child! Des is quirky and comical in his own subtle way, he loves to learn new things and be included in whatever his big sister is learning, he's moody and sometimes very serious, but he still has that good-natured and agreeable side to him.
On his birthday, he didn't care for streamers, treats or party favors, and he never asked for nor expected a gift; but he knew that, on May 31st, it was his special day just because we sang to him, told him "happy birthday," and celebrated him :)

We love you, Des!