cold snap

Earlier this month, Phoenix endured a mini freeze. It wasn't anything worth bragging about to someone from, say, Minnesota. But for Phoenix, it was pretty severe. Night after night, the temperatures dipped into the 20's. It was the longest stretch of consecutive nights with below freezing temperatures Phoenix had seen in 40 years. 

We were advised to cover our plants and external water returns. We emptied our linen closet into the yards, covering everything we could including the pool equipment. We left the yard lights on all night to offer a little more of a warmth buffer. We saw people all over the place doing the same. Some brought back out Christmas lights to put in the blankets with their plants. It was all to little avail. We thought we would come off on top, and after the first few days it looked like all our efforts were paying off. But the days ticked by- 4, 5, 6... It was just too much.

It makes me really sad. February is the start of Springtime in Phoenix. About this time last year, our backyard was 50 shades of green and full of flowers. It will take us through the summer to recoup our losses, I think. It has been a couple of weeks since the big freeze and we are still waiting to see what will live and what will need to be replaced. Little shoots of green are emerging through the frost-fried parts of most plants. Very encouraging. I think all the big trees are going to be fine. The jury is still out on the mango tree. :(

 The mango tree in front of one of three frost bitten hibiscus bushes.

 The Valentine bushes were completely unaffected and are blooming like crazy right on schedule.

 Though most of the bigger sisu trees look dead, they all have little shoots of green in their bows. A good sign!

the new year

We got home on New Year's Eve and pretty much spent the evening unloading the trailer and playing with toys. On the way home, Cori and I got struck by a fancy of making our own sushi and stopped at the store on our way into town to pick up provisions. That night, the children went to bed around 9 and Cori and I stayed up with a Redbox selection. Rebels!

The sushi factory has been cranking it out ever since - though, our last batch saw the end of the sushi rice, so we've had a few days off. :) I'm really good at prepping the ingredients, and Cori is really good at making the rolls. The kids don't care for it at all which works out well for me and Cori. We have a bunch of legit materials for sushi construction that we got from Sara when she was in Hawaii years ago.  It has been fun to finally put it all to use.

The rest of Grace and Grant's break from school was quite nice. I'm lucky that they play well together (for the most part). And not until the very last day of break was I looking forward to the return of the school schedule. I gradually got Christmas packed up and the kids kept each other busy. Grace is always ready for a project, and Grant enjoys them too as long as someone is doing whateveritis with him. 

They got to choose their clothes and their hairstyles everyday. This was a big deal. We made only one outing. It was to the library. And Gracie would sit and read to Grant and Eden for as long as they would listen. 

In the course of putting Christmas decorations and acquisitions away, we seized the opportunity to do some cleaning out. We cleaned out the guest room closet which had become a bit of a junk dumping ground. Then we cleaned out the loft where we have all the toys, games and movies. Then we set our sites on the closet that is underneath the stairs. At the very back of this closet were two large dish pack boxes which we have moved around with us and never unpacked since we first got married. These boxes contained my Grandma W*'s hand painted china set she got in Japan when she, my grandpa and my dad lived there as part of my grandpa's military service. It is an enormous set - service for 12 including full tea service, 3 sizes of plates, 2 sizes of bowls and an assortment of serving platters and bowls. I was very grateful to inherit it and have never unpacked it because 1) I was terrified of breaking anything and 2) I had no idea where to store it all. I reorganized some of our kitchen cabinets to make room and then spent nearly two hours unpacking the boxes. It makes me happy to open those cabinet doors and see the neat piles of dishes that were so special to her. 

All the cleaning out of that week put a little bee in my bonnet and I've tried to keep the energy going, deep cleaning something here and cleaning out something there. Usually, we have had a move by now that has forced this kind of thing on me. It is nice to face the task with some internal motivation instead.

2012 in review

Here is a little overview of our 2012:

January
*We rang in the new year in Utah with Cori's family.
*I ran a half marathon with Sara to celebrate her 30th birthday.
*Trips to the zoo
*A visit to the Phoenix Temple as construction began

February
*A ski trip to Tahoe
*President's Day free of work spent playing at the park in Anthem and shopping for Ragnar gear.
*I ran Ragnar Del Sol (here in Phoenix) with a group of friends from Church.

March
*Cori and I spent a few days sans kids at Kohl's Ranch.
*Eden started going to nursery.
*We took an impromptu trip to California to see our Australian loved ones, the Websters. The morning we were to meet them at Disneyland we discovered our car had been broken into. Good times...
*We spent Spring break in Utah with Grandma Sandy and Papa Ray. As part of that trip we were able to visit Super Gma Venna and Super Gpa Larry in Iona.

April
*We enjoyed the 4th annual L* family Jerusalem dinner al fresco as part of our Easter celebration.
*Girls camp prep went into full swing for me, and we got TP'd by the YCLs.
*We started swimming, our yard went into full bloom and our garden started producing.

May
*Grant was busy with his second season of soccer.
*More trips to the splash pads at the zoo (pictured above).
*Cori and I toured Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West to celebrate our 8th anniversary.
*Grant finished his first year of preschool and Grace graduated from kindergarten.
*Cori and I spent a lot of time running, running, running, running - wrapping up training for the Wasatch Back (the Ragnar that goes from Ogden to Park City UT).

June
*Gracie had her first dance recital and was in heaven on stage.
*We had a quick visit from Grammie Marla and Papa Jeff.
*Cori and I had a super fun weekend running the Wasatch Back Ragnar with his family and friends.
*We spent a week on Lanai, and a week at Disneyland with my parents.

July
*We loved our rainy 4th of July celebration at home with Tiff and Brett
*We finished Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and celebrated with a special dinner and movie viewing.
*We spent evening after evening watching the Summer Olympic Games (yay London!) and tracking Team USA's medals on our charts.
*I turned 32 whilst we were camping with almost all of Cori's family at Panguitch Lake (above).

August
*Our fun Summer break of traveling and lounging in our swim suits came to an end with the commencement of the school year.
*Gracie missed the first week of first grade so we could enjoy a week long reunion with my family in San Clemente.
*I took myself on a date to the Phoenix Art Museum and In n Out. Definitely worth mentioning.
*Eden turned two.

September
*We spent Labor Day weekend with Grandma Sandy and Papa Ray at their condo in St. George. They took us to see Alladin at Tuachan!
*I installed a tile backsplash in our kitchen.
*Grandpa Randy and his partner, Mondo, came to town and we got to visit. They brought the 'bonies' for everyone's birthdays which are still the favorite pajamas of this crowd.
*Grant turned 5.

October
*Cori turned 35.
*Grace turned 7. (!!!)
*Cori spent a weekend in Chicago with his buddies to catch a Cougar football game - a new tradition they hope to carry into the next life.
*I spent a weekend with Sara doing happy prep things for her wedding.
*We had a Bumble bee, a Merida, a Captain America, and a Napoleon Dynamite for Halloween.
*Morning sickness was in full swing. Hurray! Blah! Hurray! Blah!

November
*We spent a night at the Mesa Temple doing yard work.
*Sara and Kevin were married! We spent a quick weekend in Nevada celebrating.
*We had a fun Thanksgiving with Cori's family in Elk Ridge.

December
*Santa and Mrs. Claus came to our block party.
*We met Tiff and Brett at the Mesa Temple to enjoy the Christmas lights.
*Grant was the donkey in our ward nativity.
*We spent a lovely white Christmas break with my family in Nevada.

It was a banner year. 2013, your work is cut out for you!

other things we did whilst in nevada

We went up the mountain for a half day at Heavenly. Reservations for ski school have to be made in person if it is short notice. This isn't such a problem when we are staying at the condo. It is a little less convenient when we are down the hill. We took our chances and tried to get them in the day we went. The resort was p-a-c-k-e-d and ski school was full. I don't know who was more disappointed, the Gs or the adults. But the afternoon ended up being perfect for us. Jared worked at Heavenly and is a trained ski instructor himself. Grace got to spend the most time with him and pretty much had a private session. Awesome! We traded off skiing the with the littles and skiing other parts of the mountain. It ended up being just the right amount of skiing for most of us. (I think Grace could have kept skiing...)

I was relieved that I could still get my ski pants and coat (most of the way) zipped up.

Grace is up and on her own without any problems. She can get off the lift solo and was zooming down the green circle hill with ease. By the end of the day Grant was doing much of the same, but was still happiest on the bunny hill with the magic carpet.

Uncle Jared and Papa Jeff built up a little sledding hill into the garden. We spent a while playing on it one morning after a night of snowfall.

So beautiful!

Peter is just about the most perfect dog that has ever lived. He is the stuff of books and legends.

The snow that fell that night was the perfect kind of snow for making a snowman. It was easily packed and sticky.

A short while and a few snow angels later, he was complete - lemon eyed, mulch mouthed, and wrapped in a scarf. The next day, it warmed up a little and the uneveness of our pack became problematic. Mr. Snowman spent the rest of our visit lying on his back, 'taking a nap' in the front yard.

Pretty, pretty sister.

The sisters and I had a mani/pedi night. I brought some Jamberry Nails sheets I had ordered and we went to town. I selected a nice Burberry plaid. I'm happy to report that they are still holding fast. It is the longest lasting pedicure I've ever had! (Thanks, Minds!)

Papa Jeff took us up for a flight in the Musketeer. These experiences are always part awe, part terror for me. I do enjoy watching my dad do his thing in the plane, and the bird's eye view of the valley never disappoints.

Prepping for take off.

Taxiing... taxiing...

My babes with the ground thousands of feet below them. Grace was in love with speaking into the headsets. We had to explain to her many times that she needed to zip it when Papa was talking with the other pilots in the air. She just couldn't help herself!

Dad flew us over Kingsbury Grade to get a view of the Lake. I was sad the sun wasn't out to let her show off her colors. But even with grey skies, it is beautiful up there.

Grammie had a stock pile of projects in her sewing room and could often be found there with Grace and Grant.

We got to spend lots of time with Super Grandma Bettie.

Someone would not stay out of mommy's purse. Grrrrr. At least she knows how things should be used. Theoretically. Not pictured is a trip we made to the swim center. Eden is so fearless in the water. Being there with her reminded me of a trip to the same swim center a few years ago with the Gs. Grace and Grant wouldn't even wander around the kiddie pool without a grown up in hand. What a difference living in Phoenix has made.

Departure day is always sad. But we were grateful for a nice long visit. Thanks, Grammie and Papa, for a perfect and white Christmas break!