Should We Stay or Should We Go?

We love living in Phoenix. We love our home, especially. We love our friends and assignments at church. We love being so close to downtown, shopping, hiking, to the park and the library. We don't love our water bill, not having access to a pool, and we don't like commutes. That is why, when our landlord called us today and said that she will NOT renew our lease and that she is moving back into the house, we are torn. So I have two questions:

1. Should we try to find a home in central Phoenix (close to school) until next May or look in Peoria (close to work) where Aaron will be interning for the rest of our time here?

2. Should we try to find another home, or look for a townhome or apartment so we can have access to a pool and possibly save money?

Help!

The kids and I playing with the water table/pool beyond that background fence

May has been an interesting month. I was wondering when 100 degrees would hit and so far so good. It got here a couple of days ago and its not so bad in the shade. But still that pool next door on the other side of that fence looks more and more tempting everyday. Our neighbors, in Michigan most of the year, never use it - it's just there, just out of reach, taunting us...

Last fall, on the three nights of the week that Aaron was at class, the kids and I started making ice cream cones and sitting outside to watch the sunset and the planes fly by. We live not too far from the Phoenix Airport. Noel, who could hardly speak then, would point up into the sky and say, "air-pay-muh". He could spot them so well. We'd devour our ice cream cones and then go inside for bath-time and bedtime. Ice cream was almost part of the routine.

This week I was supposed to have surgery to fix a problem that has arisen from a surgery I had last year. My thirties have not been treating me so well. To add the the problems, three weeks ago I started feeling sick - really sick - and I'd felt that something was wrong for a while, but I couldn't put my finger on it. After seeing doctors and lots of icky lab tests, we have come to the conclusion that I am lactose intolerant. Me - Miss Ice Cream Addict - am lactose intolerant!

So far, I am doing well. There is Almond milk, which is really yummy and coconut ice cream is pretty good too. But I didn't think about cheese, butter, yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk, all the other things that we have been eating in our meals my whole life! And, since I just found out, my fridge and freezer are full of products like these (Blue Bell ice cream was buy one get one free just last week and I caved)... just sitting there... taunting me...

So - if you have one, what is your favorite dairy free meal - or dairy substitute?

Happy Anniversary

(Thanks to Somone Johnson for the photo)

See? The first two weeks of May are busy for us! We have had a lot of fun. It's so nice to have a special occasion to celebrate and a good excuse to find a babysitter. Since we've had kids, we've been super poor - a product of always being in school or in a bad job. Anyway, paying for a babysitter is a big deal for us. We are glad to have met some good friends who have exchanged services with us! But Sometimes it's nice to be able to go on a date without the obligation to babysit in return.

Last night we found a nice girl to come over and watch the kids and we went to the temple to do sealings. (For those of you unfamiliar with some of these terms, I'd be happy to explain anytime, just let me know.) It was an experience we haven't had together since our wedding and it was really special. The Mesa temple is so big, and busy, and isn't that just wonderful!? I kind of felt like we were kind of shirking our duty a little bit by not attending an endowment session, but we just went down to the sealing office and they got us right in. I guess on a Friday night it's expected that people will want to "reinact" their wedding and be reminded of the blessings associated with a temple marriage. They keep the sealing office prepared for people like us (and for people who want to actually get married too or be sealed, of course) and there were two other couples with us that wanted to participate also. It was a relaxed, warm, peaceful, and lovely experience, looking at each other while kneeling across from each other and hearing the same words we heard the evening we were married six years ago.

After wards, we went out to eat and we got to talking about the last 6 years and if we had a favorite year over another. We both agreed that the Texas years were definitely the hardest. Aaron especially disliked them. But we went through Claire's toddler years there, Noel was born there, and we learned some good lessons. We missed Lansing and our friends and taking that econ class at MSU together when I was morning sick while pregnant with Claire. We lived in an old 700 sq. feet apartment with no amenities, with a nosy landlord, and we never thought that we would miss it, but we do.

Our sixth year was so fun, we both have enjoyed the move to Arizona - well the actual move itself was horrible, but once we got here and settled, things have been great. We are excited for the new opportunities and possibilities ahead for our family. I am so glad that we have each other to go through all that is coming. I love my husband and I'm so glad that I said yes!

TV Tunes?

So, the other night Aaron and I got a babysitter and went to see a movie - Clash of the Titans... it was all right... Anyhoo - one of the previews was for the new A-Team movie. That's right the B.A. Baracus, Hannibal, Murdoch, and Face... A-Team. So, we started talking about the best 80's theme song... Personally, I like Bosom Buddies' and Real American Hero's. What is your favorite?

Happy Mother's Day

I received this today after church from the nursery workers. One thing that has really been hard since we moved to Arizona has been Noel's transition into the nursery program. He usually screams and screams and nobody can get him to calm down and they usually bring him to me and I spend the rest of church either running after him in the gym or in the nursery with him. But look how happy he is now! They have gotten a new nursery leader and started having regular music time and lessons and he is really enjoying it. He still cries when we leave him, but he calms down in minutes.

This and hearing the bishop say, "Holy Schnykies" today were definitely the best gifts I got this year.

Happy Mother's Day.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today my husband turns 30. May is always such a hectic month since we've been together. Finals weeks, anniversaries, Mother's Days... Aaron's birthday usually gets put on the low priority list. He is such a good sport about it. He, in fact, says his birthday is not a big deal to him. But I say, it is a big deal to me. I am very glad that he was born. He is the love of my life and I don't know what I would do or be without him.

Edumacation

Easter Sunday I found out that I was accepted into a program at ASU to get my Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education. It's exciting, yet scary. I won't be starting until the Fall and I'll be going full-time. Luckily, the coursework is mostly online. And with Aaron's fellowship, my classes are free just like his. It is such a fabulous opportunity! So, this fall we will have two full-time students in the house. Am I crazy?

When we were getting ready to move to Arizona, I had all these ideas in my head about how I could make extra money to put Aaron through graduate school. I knew an awesome lady at church who had opened a preschool in her home and was having success. She said she never needed to advertise - just spread the word at church... I went to visit her in her home and her set up was so cute, so organized, and her program was just what I was looking for. I wanted to do that! Morning hours only, four days a week... making some money, while engaging my daughter in play and learning.

So, we move to Arizona and things weren't working out, school had already started - it starts so early here! Then, we had two girls Claire's age in our ward at church - TWO as opposed to the twenty something that we had grown accustomed to back in Texas. We had no money for the set up or learning materials that I would need. Gradually, I accepted the idea to do daycare instead. I'm now watching a little boy, he's two years old, four days a week and I'm mostly very happy with that situation.

But, I'm back to investigating preschools for Claire for this fall and I can't help dreaming about my own little preschool, with lots of music time, a little flower garden, and happy little three and four year olds, holding hands, singing and dancing around the 'mulberry bush'. So I'm back on track to my goal of preschool owner/teacher. Gradually, I've been testing lessons and activities out on the three children I watch everyday and using the money I've made from babysitting to purchase some materials.

But this fall - I'm anxious... How will I keep the house clean, the lawn picked up, my own children out of trouble, watch day care kids, do all the shopping, and the cooking, fulfill my church assignments and go to school full-time? I am crazy... I knew it.