22 Months

 * He'll rat you out when you fart in public. * Has a lot of new words. Some we understand and some we don't. A few include stop, mean, nice. He once told me "you mean. be nice." I almost died. * Has been introduced to dipping sauces. Ranch, ketchup, bbq sauce. He loves them all! * Has a new froggy potty & Elmo potty book. We've been talking about going toliet on the potty to get him used to the idea. * We sold his high chair at our garage sale so we could buy a booster seat, although he's been eating at the kitchen table and sitting on the bar stools just fine. * Has been hanging out with the Kieta's this month while we are at work. He gets to play with Lucy and Alice and he is learning how to be soft and gentle with baby Maggie around. Next month he'll start going to Aunty Megan's house.* I've pinpointed that TT (Tristen) is his favorite cousin. I'll often ask him who he is excited to see and then I'll go through a list of his cousins names. Everyone gets a no except TT. She is always the first one to get a hug. *

 It started out by trying to do a simple task, but ended up more like an America's Funniest Home Video. I was trying to lift this little tv back onto our tall dresser. One little misstep and I found myself on the ground with the tv in my arms. The tv was fine as I broke it's fall, but my knee didn't make it out so lucky. As I sat on the ground laughing at myself, I couldn't help but notice the coffee table in our room that would have been a lot easier to put the tv on. I think winning the $100,000 grand prize would have made me feel a bit better about the situation.

 

The boys loved rolling down the hill with Mimi.

We had a picnic at the park today with Mimi, Megan, and the boys. The boys loved rolling down the hill with Mimi, flying kites, blowing bubbles, eating corn (especially Tage), kicking the soccer ball around, and playing together at the playground. I love that they are so close in age and that we live right down the street from each other again.

My work had a team outing to the Diamondbacks vs White Sox spring training game. We left work at noon and headed to the game at Salt River Fields. It was a hot day, but it was great to get out of the office for some fun. 

If I Only...

...liked sports. I would be in heaven at work today. Maybe I can request they play some musicals?

We don't have to go far to watch 3D movies anymore.

Aloha Festival

That's a size 10 XL. I'm so happy I didn't get this side of the gene pool.

His new "cheese" face.

I look forward to the Arizona Aloha Festival each year. It is a chance for me to connect to my Polynesian culture. The dancing, the food, the people watching. It's wonderful. 

Concert at the Park

Since we moved to Gilbert, I've been looking up fun, family events in our new city. I was surprised to see how many free events there are. There is a free concert series in the park each month and we were able to attend with our good friends, the Kietas. We hit wing night at Native New Yorker and then headed to the park to hear the Midnight Confessions. They played songs from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Zander got to show off his moves. We all enjoyed the beautiful spring weather and enjoyed listening to music under the stars.

Bubbles

One of the many perks of our new house is the small side yard for Zander to play in. We let him play outside when we get home from work as we're making dinner. His new favorite thing is blowing bubbles although he doesn't quite know how to do it. He treats it more like a popsicle and puts it straight into his mouth.

Home is Where the Heart Is

Our new house in Gilbert

I've felt in limbo this last year not knowing if we were going to stay in our house or move. Like many Americans, our house is no longer worth the same value from when we bought it in 2006. After much thought, prayer, and emotions, we decided to try work with the bank on a modification and then short sale. Things did not work out like we hoped, but I'm glad that we finally have an end to the uncertainty. It was sad to pack up and move after 5 years in the home that we absolutely loved, but I've come to realize that it's just a house. It's the memories that I will cherish and remember. Home will be where ever we are as a family.