Adventures in Arizona

And just like that we are down to three and a half days left in Arizona! Sure, the trip has been filled with driving kids around and 111* weather. HOT HOT HOT! Although it does not feel as hot as even 85* is in Washington. We have been in the pool ALMOST everyday and have had lots of adventures.

Olivia LOVES the horses. She enjoys watching the girls ride, petting the horse's noses, and she even got to sit on one! It is a good thing that grandma Sheila owns horses :-) Olivia is also very close to saying 'horse' properly. Even as I sit here and type this, she is pointing at the screen saying, "ahthorse! ahthorse!" (Mulan is on in the background and she would rather look at the pictures!) I definitely see riding in the not so distant future. And think about all the skills and lessons she will learn working in a barn! Grandma Sheila, she is all yours :-)

"Look mom! A horse!"

 I love this girl so much <3

This is Allie... the horse :)

Like I said, we have been in the pool almost everyday. With the weather getting as hot as it has, that is really the only thing to do. The other day we had a scare with Olivia. That night we went out and bought a life jacket. She did not like the one we had last summer (it was big on her) so I was not sure how she would respond to this one. She has done okay! I told her it was a coat and was able to get it on her the last two times we have gone in  the pool. I have been trying to get her to float on her back, she doesn't like it at all. Since she likes to pretend to sleep and snore at home, I told her that is what she is doing. Nope! Didn't buy that for a moment. It is not a surprise at all seeing as she does not like to lay back in the bath to get the shampoo out of her hair.

Without a doubt, we need to get Olivia into swim lessons this summer. If you know me, I am not a water person at all. Since being down here, I am trying to push myself yo at least pretend to enjoy it. There have even been a couple of times where I hopped in the pool while she was sleeping to do some "laps". Water safety is so important! Just because Olivia loves the water so much, I need to make sure I am prepared to jump in if needed.

She threw a fit because I told her she had to put on her bathing suit and sunscreen if she wanted to go in the pool. Then it was time out.

You want me to take a nice picture?? Take that mom!

Another case of not wanting to put on her bathing suit

 

Uh oh! Look at those cheeks! :-O

I am learning lots of lessons for later on. I have dealt with a kid getting bit by a dog, a knee injury, a kid getting stung by a bee, and preteen drama/attitude (although this one was not very bad at all). I tend to worry a lot about things. I tried very hard to not freak out, but these are not my children and it may have taken a while to get a hold of the parents if something more serious had happened. Side note, when watching children while their parents are out of town, make sure you are authorized to talk to their doctor! I had called about the dog bite and found out I was not authorized.... thankfully their mom was able to call the next day and get it straightened out. Check to see if the animal bite broke skin. Ibuprofen and ice packs for the knee. Watch the area where the bee sting occurred. Send kids to room who cannot get along. Reward good behavior with treats.... These four kids really are great. They are well behaved and hold each other accountable. I have been very blessed.

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Olivia had her first movie theater experience! We went and saw The Angry Birds Movie. Although I did not think the movie was all that great, she did really well. Since she is so young, I did not have to buy a ticket for her. At this theater it was recliner chairs and reserved seating. I strategically picked three seats next to each other starting with an aisle seat. Then there was an empty seat followed by other seats that were taken.

aisle <--- XX X __ X X X X X X X

I figured that the odds of someone taking a single seat like that was low. And I was right! It was great because it gave Olivia her own seat and we didn't have to pay for it :-) We ate dinner at In-N-Out Burger right before heading to the theater. I figured we would not have buy as many treats. I cannot believe how much popcorn this girl scarfed down! Thankfully my soda was on the other side but she got to my licorice too! I didn't think she had the room for it in her little belly.  She sat still for most of the movie. But like her mom, when she's done, she is done and it is time to go. She got out of her seat, walked to the top of the aisles (one or two more rows up) and tried to walk behind everyone. I picked her up and we walked out of the movie. We ran down the hall, went to the bathroom, then walked around a little more before making it back to our seats to get the other two kids.

I want to take her to see Finding Dory that comes out this month. I know I know.... she isn't even two yet! But she loves to watch Finding Nemo at home so she knows the characters. Yes, I have always been one to say, "why not wait until your kid is old enough to ACTUALLY REMEMBER the experience? Don't waste your money!" And that is for anything. But I love to watch her reactions. And I want to see the movie too! If I do not have to pay for a seat and she sits still, why not?

We have had a couple of adventures at the park and shopping. We even found a Dutch Bros! If I was house sitting, I would probably be there everyday. We are having a blast! And that must be why I can hardly believe that our two weeks are almost up :-( I really do think that we are both going to miss it down here. I believe that I have been bitten by the travel bug! It is a shame that Olivia turns two soon and that I would have to pay for a seat for her :/

What was I Thinking!?

On Thursday, May 26th, Olivia and I boarded a plane for a two week adventure in Arizona! That's right.... TWO WEEKS, IN THE SUN! Oh yeah, and our purpose for being here is to babysit, EEEKK! I have never been to Arizona and I am excited to explore and soak in the sun.

     Security                Waiting at the gate        On the plane

 

Let me back track. While I was at Whitworth University, I was introduced to this wonderful family and was blessed to be their babysitter up until I was 8 months pregnant and they moved to Arizona. It broke my heart! Even though I knew I probably would not have continued to babysit, they meant the world to me. Last summer, they were back in Spokane for a visit and invited me over so that they could meet Olivia. While we were visiting, the mother asked, "so, what are the odds that we could fly you and Olivia down to watch the kids for two weeks while we go to South Africa?" 'Yes! That should not even be a question!' I had made up my mind, I was going. I was moving to the west side and had no plans to get a job at the time.

It wasn't until last week when it really hit me what I was getting myself into. Five kids. That's right, five. Olivia (1 yr 9mo), Henry (6), Rita (9), Anna (12), Shelby (14). Oh man, oh man. Going from being a fairly new mom to a mom of 5, one of whom is a teen, is quite interesting. There are also two dogs, a poodle and a purebred Great Dane (who is 2). And two horses. I sure do have my hands full! But these kids are great. Actually, they are the best. It will be a challenge but I am hoping to come away with Olivia knowing how to share and talking some more.

As you might imagine, I had to give myself a pep talk before coming down here. I told myself to not let anything happen because I am not able to pick up the phone call the parents. What do I do? When I got home yesterday from dropping them off at the airport, I broke one of the drawers in the kitchen... -_- Yeah, I will be calling the landlord on Tuesday to find out what I should do. Then today, one of the girls informed me that she tweaked her knee and that she was in pain. Great! I am trying not to panic but I know that knee injuries are nothing to mess with. The dogs caught and killed a large lizard. The girls were worried that it may be a poisonous lizard, so of course I had to dispose of it. I went and got a plastic Then Olivia broke the cute little bowl they bought for her :(

On a happier note: Olivia was a trooper on the plane! She was squirmy but not loud at all. She has pooped already! YAY FOR NO CONSTIPATION! And she LOVED being in the pool today. Pretty sure it is going to be hard to keep Olivia away from the pool. Look at this cute swimsuit they had waiting for her! <3 I would love to get Olivia into swim classes this summer. I should probably learn how to swim myself :/

Well, it is getting late and I need to head to bed. Here is a good night shot from Arizona. I want to find a place were I can get a really good shot before we leave.

Rookie Mistakes

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all the moms out there!!

My Mother's Day did not go as planned. I found myself making some rookie mistakes. Yes, this is my first child so technically I am still a rookie at many things... but these mistakes could have been avoided.

My whole purpose for going to Spokane last weekend was so that I could attend the graduation of some of the first Act Six Scholars I had the privilege of training. I had made a promise when they were in training and again when I told them I was leaving that I would be there at graduation. They will always hold a special place in my heart. I never actually go to graduation, unless it is family. Three hours of boring speeches and names called? No thank you. It just makes more sense to show up at the end to congratulate them. One: they will not know if I am in the stands or not. Two: they probably do not really care that I am there. So the plan was to show up at the end to see them. It has been customary for the cadre to meet up after the ceremony for a photo.

That morning Olivia and I took our time getting ready for the day. We made our way downtown not long after the graduation started (9:30 am). Olivia had not been sleeping well and I was hoping that I was going to time things properly. We got downtown, took our time finding parking, and then made our way into River Front Park. It really is a beautiful park. The clock tower never gets old to look at. 

We stopped at a park to play, took our time looking at the river, and then made our way to the Arena. Yeah, we were really early. Thankfully I had the stroller and had lathered her up with sunscreen. I decided that it may be smart to see if I could get her to sleep. We took a walk around the neighborhood. Success! She fell asleep! It was then that it hit me that I had not eaten yet. I had to pull a u-turn and walk the four blocks back to the corner store for a drink and something to eat. 

She probably could have stood there all day <3

When we finally made it back to the Arena, I found a bench to sit on. Of course it was not in the shade so I had to flip the stroller around to make sure baby girl did not get burned. 

Rookie Mistake #1: You know how they tell you to never wake a sleeping baby? Yup.... NEVER wake a sleeping baby. I knew this one! And somehow I managed to do it -_- I knew that she had not slept long enough. BUT, she slept enough that she was not going to go back to sleep. UGH! We still had a while to go before the graduation was over. So I had to find a way to entertain her. Hmmmm... "Wee wee???" Olivia lingo for movie. A move it was! Well, it did not last long. The service wasn't great and it was so bright, even in the shade, that she could hardly see anything. 

Rookie Mistake #2: "Eee? Eee?" (While pressing her little fingers together and back and forth from her mouth). Oh no!!! EAT!? UGH! I had only gotten a muffin for myself, forgot her apple in the car, and she dumped her other snack all over the sidewalk in the park. I tried my best to distract her. 'Please baby girl, just a little bit longer'. Nope... it was not going to happen :( I was heartbroken but with her going into cranky mode, I had to make the decision to put Olivia first and leave. As I was walking away from the Arena, Olivia was screaming as I passed this lady and she said, "Ooohhh, she says, 'that's a lot to ask of me mom!'" and then chuckles as I force a smile and walk away. I know she meant know harm and probably could relate, however, I was not in the mood for her comment. No, I did not make my child sit and suffer through a three hour graduation. I probably should have though with how hot it was. 

Each day is filled with teaching moments and learning opportunities.

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I apologize in advance to anyone who may take offense to this next part, but as a stressed mom of a very active almost 2 year old, I need to share.

When we visit people, it is not a time or place where we want to have teaching time with our child. Please, do not be shocked by her tantrums or offended if we do not deal with them the way that you would. If you invite us over, please pick up and move anything that you do not want to be broken. She is not looking to destroy things, but she is curious and loves to explore. Please do not parent my child. She already has two parents who are constantly getting on her, she does not need more voices telling her what she cannot do. Please do not be shocked at the amount of "tv/movie" time we let her have, especially when visiting. It really is one of the few things that will get her sit still. We get it - it is your house and your belongings. We are just asking that you have some understanding, grace, and patience. If not, we will see you in a few years when she is better behaved (Lord willing) :-) 

I have read quite a few articles about moms being judged for the way that they parent and treat their child. At one point I was the same way. Now that I am walking the path of motherhood, I get it. There is no room to judge how someone parents (unless of course abuse is involved). I think it is a blessing that Mike and I had the first baby on either side of the family. I can be very quick to judge and think that I am right and Mike has little to no patience and is working on his understanding. Well now I am constantly concerned with what others are thinking of us and our parenting. Mike has had to learn patience with Olivia, and me, and has seen what a blessing it is to have others around to help. I love to help people and know that I will be there for my family as friends as they have kids. I am pretty confident in saying that if others had kids before us, Mike would complain about the amount of time and energy I give to helping them out. I have a new found respect for all parents and the struggles they go through on a daily basis.