Two Peas In A Pod...Again :)

After not seeing Sabella for months (they moved, we moved) it was about time we had a park day with our Bella! We picked her up yesterday and found the "shady park" where the slides were still cool. They played so well together. Jacob told me later how fun it was, and how nice it was to talk with her and understand her better (apparently he'd been hoping for that, too). These two are growing up too fast for me!

It began as a princess in her carriage, but then (true to Jacob fashion) some bad guys attacked and he had to become an intergalactic soldier to protect her. :) And Sabella insisted on driving - which worked out well because Jacob was busy keeping them from being blasted.

It was really hot yesterday - almost 90 (okay...so I am a wimp - I love my Colorado climate!), and they soon discovered the cool sand in the shade.

After we realized we were about to melt, we high-tailed it to get ice cream. Somehow all of us ended up sticky, but very happy with ourselves. :)

Jacob mentioned later how happy he was to get to have "big brother practice"...and I have to say, so am I.

Time To Get Going Again

Hi there. Yes, it really is me. I can't believe that more than a year has gone by since I posted here - my apologies. I started this blog to keep track of our family life, of our story. I got behind, moved, had all those life "things" happen, moved again...

I'm excited to begin again. I've decided to get caught up little by little - but mainly try to keep up with life now. So you may see older posts pop up, I post them by the date they happen - not when I got around to it (usually, haha).

So...I'm back blog world - its going to be a fun adventure!

Ruth

Favorite Jacob Phrases 2010

"Mom, this cheese is SO good! See mom, it has all this grrrreattttnesss in it!"

"Daddy, I have a surprise for you. Now...open up your arm pits!"

"Mom, the bird says no." (With a pirate face to go with it!)

"When I grow up, after my mission I am going to be an Amy guy and get all those wicked bad guys!"

"Daddy sure has great camouflage!"

"My ladybug is named Ja-toad-a-mus! I'm great at taking care of bugs."

"They swim fast and use their camouflage to disappoint their predators!"

"Desert cows!"

"Ties are really rock and roll, mom."

"Trust me. I'll protect you."

"Rebel troops do NOT go to restaurants."

"I'm a bad cook, but I'm okay." (Tried to quote Star Wars "I'm a bit cooked, but I'm okay".)

"One thing is for sure, you guys get the stinky side!"

"Mommy! Mommy! Its night time but it didn't get dark! Jesus is born! Can you believe it? Jesus is born tonight!"

"Jellyfish don't have anything to think of. They don't have brains!"

"It's just some of mommy's gear."

"Mom, can you screw this up for me please?" (trying to put the lid back on a bottle of water)

"That's the first flight I've ever had, with style!"

"Whoa, Mom! Did you know you have pokie skin on your legs?! I don't really want to feel that."

"I learned it at summer-salt class."

(While playing pretend family)"Sabella and I are married. She is over 14 and I am over 50. That's why I'm so much taller."

"Hi Mom! It's me, Jacob. Daddy and I are stuck in traffic. We are stuck in a BIG blister!" (meant to say blizzard)

"This is the best Christmas, ever! I'm looking around, and there are so many fun things to do...I don't even know what to pick!"

"This is my pet dragon. He is different from other dragons because he can't eat the food we eat. Every day, all he eats is treats and candy. Our healthy food makes him sick.

(later that day) Mom, can I have some candy to feed my dragon?

(later that day) Oh, his mouth was tired and his tummy was sick, so I had to eat his M&M's, mom."

Now That's Something You Don't See Everyday...

We had my mother-in-law over for dinner tonight. Great food and conversation. The evening was going great - then Jacob invited everyone to play on the Wii...and the night got even better! I have to say that I never thought I would see my mom and my mother-in-law playing tennis on the Wii together. So I knew I needed evidence for future generations:The game was intense...with laughter!
I don't even remember who won. :)

Lovely Afternoon

Living with Grandma and Grandpa has some great perks - we get to see them more often! The kids wanted to play outside, and so we all ventured out on one of the first nice--sunny-but-not-too-chilly days. Papa was showing Sabella the plants just barely started to peek through the dirt.Who says you can't plant a garden outside in the winter?
I just wanted to include this because its so sweet.
Jacob was excited to plant his first "crop" of the season - I think I honestly heard him say that they might turn into "ninja-chucks"...hahaha!
Voila! And you know you have awesome grandparents when they leave your creation there on display :).

A Gentlemanly Chef

Boy, was I spoiled today. Jacob decided that he wanted to make me lunch today - and even had me rest while he made it (in between the helping out, that is). He made us some vegetable soup!

Well, as the main course, that is. We began with fresh pineapple, then moved on to crackers...

Then, the star of the meal made its appearance!I must say, it was very healthy. Radishes, celery, carrots, salt and pepper, water and pasta (uncooked). Jacob took one bite and then smiled and said:

"Mom, this doesn't taste very good, so I'm done. Be sure to eat all your healthy food I made for you!"

I have no idea where he got that... ;)

Memories of Safford...

This post is especially for my siblings, who will be familiar with these places...

After the funeral my mom, Jacob and I decided to drive around Safford and see all the places I remember from visiting as a child. My Grandparent's home was right next to the cotton fields my Grandfather farmed, along with the cotton gin and storage area. We used to play ball as kids with our cousins in this field...

The front of my Grandparents house. It was really sad to see how poorly the house has been cared for the last several years, especially since my Grandma passed away and my Grandpa's health became worse. My Grandparents had such a fun house when I was a kid. There was a hallway that had shelves along it, and there was a bunch of toys to play with - the same toys my dad and his siblings played with. Big trucks and tractors (the heavy metal kind that was built to last), dolls, and one of my favorites...a big box of old sewing spools that we played with like blocks. I think all of my siblings have great memories of those. I wish we could have gone inside.

I have memories of tables filled with home made food, kids running around and picking the pecans from the tall trees that are standing tall over the rooftop. The field is on the other side of the half wall. We didn't get to visit family here too often growing up, so it always felt like a huge celebration just being able to be here.
After seeing the house we went to see the little donkeys my Grandpa loved to visit for the last few months of his life. He became quite ill, and my sweet Aunt Sherrie would come and take him for rides. They would always come see these little guys. Sherrie said that she would load a bale of hay onto the wheelchair lift on the back of his car and haul it over with them. Grandpa was very weak at that point, so she would park close to the fence and bring Grandpa hay to toss over the fence for the donkeys. It was something Grandpa looked forward to. It had been about a year since I had seen my Grandpa when he passed away, and I wanted to feel a connection with him. Jacob loved the little donkeys!
Grandpa raised and trained horses for years, and I can see why this was something he enjoyed. I'm so happy that I could share that with Jacob too. Sherrie and Grandpa named the dark gray one Shrek. :)
We stayed and fed them for a little while. Jacob was fascinated with the "horses that are just my size!" It was fun to watch him. He kept running around looking for things to feed them. I didn't have a place to haul a bale of hay ;).

Sorry for the blurry picture...this is the liquor store where my dad played a prank as a teenager. My family all knows the "white lightening" story...this is the place!

My dad was on a group date with friends in High School, and they came here to the drive up and my dad ordered "white lightening" and 6 cups. One for each of them.

The store employee handed him a long paper bag with a bottle in it, and the cups, and they drove off. The girls in the car were furious and demanded they take them home. They drove off a ways and told them they had to drink some before they would take them home...and my dad pulled it out of the bag...and it was a quart of milk. :) .

This was the beautiful sky over Mount Grahm there in Safford. It was even better in person!

Tractors and Horses and My Little Farmer

My Uncle Danny took us out to the farm to see the horses and ride in some of his tractors! The horses were beautiful, and Jacob loved them. They were very sweet, gentle horses. Sherri told Jacob so many things about horses that I never knew - she is so much fun!
Jacob heading out from the lot in the tractor! Danny plowed a few rows with him. Jacob was so happy and excited to "farm with Uncle Danny".
Danny, Thad and Jacob in the big red tractor. They had a blast in this one - it also has radio, and Jacob told me they listened to "cool rock n'roll" while they worked :).They also had a little grumpy goat there. It was trying to ram into just about anything, and Jacob didn't like that very much. It took a few minutes before he would pet it...and a quick touch with one finger was quite enough for him, haha.
Thad is my cousin Aurie's little boy. He is the same age as Jacob and they had such a blast playing together on our trip. They still ask us if they can play together - its hard to explain a 700 mile distance to a kid. Hopefully we will get to see them soon!
King of the hay!
The boys took off together exploring and having fun...and of course - getting incredibly dirty! :)
After the farm, we drove over to see the new LDS temple they are building in Gilbert, about 10 minutes from where my Dad grew up. Its wonderful to see a temple there!
After all the fun, it was time for dinner and a bath. Jacob sure loves Arizona! :)

Great Grandpa's Barn

After a lazy morning we went to see my Grandpa's barn and some of his fields. My great aunt lives across the street from them, so we got to see her as well. She had this crazy collection of deer antlers that soon turned into swords and blasters. :)
Jacob has never been to a real farmers barn and field before. He was so excited! He ran all around checking everything out. My grandpa farmed mostly cotton, and there was plenty of machinery to play with.
Uncle Joseph explaining how all the strange looking machines work. I'm so glad he was there, I would have had no clue what most of them were for.
He almost jumped into the silo...but there were some little critters in the bottom that soon ended his curiosity.
My grandpa's fields and Mount Gram in the background - beautiful! Its strange to think that yards from here there are also palm trees.
Purple cotton seeds. :) Jacob thought they were cool.Tractor inspection #1...
Inspection #2...
And the winner is...good 'ol John Deer! :)
My great aunt has huge pecan trees around her home that have not been harvested. She gave Jacob a big stick and told us to whack off the pecans and take them home...we gladly obliged!

Arizona

My wonderful Grandfather, Walter Elijah Clifford passed away March 28th, 2010.

He was my only living grandparent. He left a wonderful legacy of service and love.

We miss you Grandpa!

Jacob and I packed up and headed to Safford Arizona for the funeral. Jacob and I love road trips...and it was a lot of fun! My mom rode with us, and we followed my dad and 2 brothers in another car. When we got there we were stir crazy and hungry, so we headed to a small local Mexican restaurant Casa for some dinner. After running into several relatives we have not seen in years (its a small town - only 2 hotels, so its pretty easy to run into people) we made it back to the hotel for some sleep.

I think Jacob was sleep deprived all weekend, but with a 12/13 hour drive home, I hoped he would make up for it...and besides, we were having too much fun!

The next morning Jacob had his first Denny's breakfast: a pancake "bigger than my whole head!" We ran into more relatives there and had a great time talking.

We had some time, so we went back to the hotel for some swimming! Uncle Joseph was a ton of fun! It was freezing back home, so it was so nice to be in the sunshine and cool water!

Jacob loved seeing the palm trees. He thought we were in Florida for the first few hours. :)

Did Someone Say Chipotle?

Things have been really stressful for Michael with work and school, so we surprised him with a dinner out to one of our favorite places, Chipotle! Jacob decided to try the kids taco kit for the first time. He was very serious about the endeavor.

Success! :)
Michael LOVES pico de gallo, especially Chipotle's pico. We learned that the tomato didn't fall far from the vine ;). Jacob picked up the little cup of pico, and ate the whole thing with his fork - no rice, beans, just the pico.
Jacob and Michael have so many things in common. Its so fun to watch them grow closer and closer as they spend time together each day. I'm so thankful for my two men, they are so sweet to me. It was a great night out together.

If Frosty Had a "Mini Me"...

It might look a bit like this:We were so excited today to have snow and sunshine to make a snowman taller than a few inches! We rolled the snow around and started building. It was a lot of fun! Jacob decided that he needed to check out "some suspicious noises from the tree" and we ended up on a hunt for Lamanites waiting to take our snowman. :)
He's a cute little guy, and happy too. Jacob insisted that he have a tie on like Michael wears to church...hence the small pine branch sticking out of the neck "area". :)
After getting inside, Sabella woke up and we played and laughed as we pretended to be snowmen and watched from time to time out the window as our little snowman melted.