Why I hate rock landscaping April 23, 2009

Lots (even possibly most) homes in Arizona have partial, if not full, rock landscaping.  A lot of people do it because it can get so hot here.  (although, honestly, I dont think it gets that much hotter in Northern AZ than in most parts of TX, and you hardly ever see rockscaping in TX) Some people do it for water conservation.  To each his own.  When we first moved out here, I said when we bought a house, it needed trees and grass!  So one of the first landscaping projects we did in our old house was installing about 2500 square feet of turf.  It was luxurious!  I LOVED it.  We were one of two houses on our street with grass.  We got a lot of comments on it.  Mostly good, but a few negative….mostl along the lines of how having so much grass was a terrible waste of water……and to those people I say, first of all, you’re not making that comment to hte neighbor down the street who has a huge (non vegetable) garden….secondly, we do get monsoon season here and Im sure not using any water during those months!  And thirdly, and most importantly….mind your own business!  I pay my own water bill and I can spend my money as I see fit.  If the town of Prescott is worried about conserving water, then maybe they should raise the price of water…those that use an “excessive” amount can pay more….my grass was important to me, darn it!  That being said, and that rant set aside, we have sold that house and have since moved to a house with NO GRASS!!!  GASP!!!!!  I miss my grass.  I cant wait to put grass into this yard.  We currently have rock in the front and back yards.  And while we probably wont grass the whole thing, we will do the back yard for sure.  Not this year though…..the yucky economy has forced us to make choices, and we decided that the privacy fence was higher on our list than grass…..   Im sure we picked the right order in which to do things, but I sure do miss my grass.  When we do eventually put it in, once again, we will only be the second house on our street with grass. 

Reasons I hate Rock Landscaping

1.  It’s ugly and mean looking.  No rock front yard looks inviting.

2.  It HURTS to walk on barefoot.  Serious OUCHIES if I go get the mail without shoes on.

3.  Maggie Mae HATES it……she misses her grass.  You can tell she is mad at us that she doesnt have grass anymore.

4.  Poop Patrol is so much harder…and heavier.  Harder because the rocks get in the way and because it (the poop) tends to blend in with the rock…..and heavier because with every scoop I get about 5 rocks.  That being said, it IS helping in slowly removing the rock for future grass installation.

5.  Its no fun to play in a rock yard with the dog….its hard to run around in for people and doggies alike.  Also, I can get down and wrestle in the rock with Maggie Mae because OUCH!

6.  Did I mention I think it is ugly?

Those are my top six reasons……I am sure there are more.  I was just in Texas where everything was lush and green…I just wanted to scoop up some grass and bring it back with me.  There is such an abundance of it there!!!!! 

One day…..one day I will once again have my green yard……

Too Smart Too Soon April 19, 2009

I am amazed at how smart Lilly is at 2 1/2.  She is very logical.

 

Yesterday she asked for Crackers (quackers) with her dinner…mommy said no, she needed to eat her dinner first.  Lilly then rationalized and asked “How about just two crackers”? (no) she then tried “ok, how about just one cracker?’  The bargaining didnt work with mommy…..it would however probably worked with me because it was so darn cute…..although, lets be honest, the bargaining pobably wouldnt have come into play with Aunt Meg…I would have just given her the crackers when she asked!  Although, this week I have tried to be good about not giving in to her….I wanted her to keep her normal routine, which meant no cake for breakfast, etc.

Speaking of cake, the other night she wanted some, but she hadnt finished her dinner..she even tried to rationalize that she would eat dinner tomorrow if she could have cake today..so it was a no go on the cake.  She went to bed, and you would think she would have forgotten it, but the next morning she woke up and said “I can have cake for breakfast”

This evening, she was jumping around on the couch, a no no, and mommy told he to stop.  Lilly didnt want to and got threatened with a time out.  Lilly said, “mommy, you not happy with me” and mommy said No and then Lilly said “you can be happy tomorrow” and proceeded to slide off the side of the couch when she knew she wasnt supposed to.

She, and all the kids, and Steph, have been such a joy to be around this week.  Im really glad I got to spend this time with them.  I head back tomorrow, and while I am sad to leave, I am eager to get back to Rell, and Maggie Mae, and my bed and life.  I feel guilty having not been at work this week, and I dread the pile of work on my desk that awaits me!!

 

a few pics from the rest of our week:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lillyisms April 17, 2009

Some funny and some smart things Lilly has said this weekend:

Boo!!!  I’m just kidding around with you.

I have a baby in my Belly (we have explained to her that only mommies have babies in their bellies)

I can help you (but asking permission…and she says this when you are doing anything!)

That’s Macks (pointing to a bottle of diet coke I had “stolen” from my parents house….yes indeed, it was Macks! but she didnt see me take it…guess Mack drinks a lot of diet coke in bottles!)

Those are Robert’s.  (pointing to my shoes…I said WHO?  Thinking she meant her daddy…she’s not supposed to call him Robert….but no, she meant Robert Hyde, who had come over the night before, wearing his tennis shoes….so I guess my shoes look like boy shoes!)

 

I call her Lilly Bug sometimes…lately, she has started saying “I not Lilly Bug, I Lilly Brooks!”  But she likes it when I call Ava AvaBeans, and she will call her Avabeans sometimes if she has just heard me use the term.

On Wednesday, when we went up to the shop for lunch with Tickie and Mack, I told Lilly we were going to see them.  When we pulled up she said “This not Tickie Mack House, this is WORK!”

For being 2 1/2, this kid is pretty scary smart.  I wish I had been writing down all the great things that she has been saying all week……..She’s made me laugh, A LOT!

This week has gone by pretty fast.  I cant believe it is Friday already.  I don’t know how Stephanie does it.  I am EXHAUSTED! 

 

It’s pouring rain here this  morning, which stinks, because it means I cant take the girls to do anything fun like go to the park or go shopping (one of Lillys favorites)  Maybe it will clear up…the park will be ruled out..too wet….but maybe we can do a little shopping.

If Lilly doesnt want to take her nap, I’ll take it! April 16, 2009

I can’t stop eating Easter candy (yes, in my parents house we still get Easter baskets and I still believe in the Easter Bunny)  My body is going to turn against me after this week…..the food, the caffeine, the humidity…every part of my body, from my waistline to my hair is turning against me this week!!!  Normally we cook pretty low fat in the Salome house….but I know when your cooking for kiddos it is not a good idea to use fat free spray butter when you’re making mac and cheese for toddlers…..

No school for Lilly today, so we met Mack and Tickie up at the shop and had a “business” lunch.  They leave for DC today, so it was my last chance to see them while I was here….that is, until I come back in a month!  Lilly did get her afternoon nap in today because she fell asleep in the car on the way home, but like with any kiddo I am sure, if you tell her it is time to nap, she’ll fight you!

Here are some pictures from the day and our all important business meeting lunch with Mack and Tickie!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**I had to wait almost 20 minutes in the drive thru at Starbucks today……tomorrow, maybe I’ll Just get a diet coke!

Venti Latte Please! April 15, 2009

Day TWO

Today was fun….not quite as high energy as yesterday because three of the four had school for most of the day!!
Got up this morning around 6:30, which is 4:30 AZ time, and although I have been here for two days, I still count time in AZ time….sounds pretty horrible when you equate my wake up time to AZ time, but then I guess you have to take into account that I went to bed at like 9pm AZ time too!

Breakfast…..a french braid for Payton……then out the door to get the big kids to school.  Ava and Lilly stayed with mommy.  All in all pretty easy!  After dropping the big kids off, I headed straight to Starbucks for my Venti Skinny Vanilla Latte….caffine was needed!!! Once home, we loaded Ava, Lilly and Truck (that’s what we’re gonna call Baby Robert) into the car to drop Lilly off at school and take Ava and Truck to the doctor.  Truck is back up to his birth weight, plus an ounce!  Yay Truck!

Back to the house where we ate lunch and played!  I tried to get a little work done, but no one would return my calls….oh well.  Went to pick up Lilly at her school.  Ava and I got to her classroom and Lilly was waiting by the door.  I had to sign her out and the woman was all ready to let her leave with me, but then remembered to ask me for my ID to make sure this child belonged to me.  I gave her my ID, bc Steph told me I would need it, but that she had added me to the list as OK to pick up.  The woman looked at my ID and then realized that my last name wasnt Brooks, because she asked who I was.  Resisting the urge to comment on the fact that she almost let me walk away with this child without checking my ID at all, I said I was Lilly’s Aunt…..she looked at me strange and I said “her daddy’s sister” …..like this woman didnt know what an Aunt was!  Apparently my name hadn’t made it from the list of OK in the office to the list of OK in the classroom…….however, this woman still let Lilly go with me…..maybe because Lilly kept saying over and over “hi Meg, we go play now” or perhaps because I was holding Lilly’s mini me in my arms, and hey, if I had one of them in my arms, might as well send the other one with me….or perhaps she just sent her with me because apparently Lilly forgets to use her inside voice when she is at school….either way, concerning!!!!!!

Today, I did get peed on by Truck, was THIS CLOSE to getting pooped on by Ava (like literally THIS CLOSE), and somehow stained part of my left foot blue…..I have no clue how!

Tomorrow, errands and lunch at the shop with Mack and Tickie!!!!!!! (and of course, another Venti Latte)

Pics from today:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ava likes this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And if Ava likes it, then of course, Lilly wants to do it too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Doesn't quite have the skills of little Ava!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lilly loves the chair I painted her!

Get me some Mom jeans, stat! April 14, 2009

I now understand the what Mom jeans are, and why moms NEED them!!  I learned this while at the Zoo today as I bent down over and over and over and OVER to pick up and put down and lift up and lift over Ava and Lilly……mostly Lilly!!  While my jeans hit my waist in just the right spot at the start of the day, all the bending aided in the stretching of the waistline, and about an hour into the zoo, I found myself hiking my jeans up after ever pick up or put down!!  And I found myself wishing for a nice paid of high waisted jeans!

Our day was fun!  I woke up early and grabbed some donuts and chocolate milk.  Then I took the 4 kiddos to the zoo. The Waco zoo is actually pretty cool. I was impressed.  Lilly wasn’t all that into the animals.  I thought she would be more excited.  She was more into walking on her own (rather than riding in the stroller with baby Ava) and in the cheetos we bought for a snack while we were there.  She thought the fish were cool…I thought she would get more excited about the BIG animals.  Ava was jsut happy to be along.  She fell asleep about halfway through the outing.  Brady and Payton had fun….they had been a couple of times so they knew where everything was and what was coming up next! 

Then we headed to lunch at Chik Fil A……OH MY GOSH!  I have NEVER seen a fast food restaurant so crowded….there were NO parking spots!  So, we opted for the drive thru….smart move!  The kiddos were hungry and we got to spread out on the kitchen table.    The afternoon brought some relaxing and some playtime out on the trampoline.  it did not, however, bring naps!  I guess I should have known better after all the sugar adn excitement…I’ll try to do better with that one tomorrow!

Here are some pictures from our day.  Tomorrow, and the rest of the week should be more low key…the kids have school and activities and homework, etc!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introducing…… April 10, 2009

Robert William Brooks II

Weighing in at 6 lbs 9 oz.  Nobody told me how tall (ok, long) the boy was!  But he is a cutie!  Looks a lot like his sister Lilly. 

My sister in law, Stephanie, was supposed to be induced this morning at 5:30am.  Apparently, baby wasn’t interested in that, because this is how last night went down, according to the timeline on my phone:

about 7:40 Missed a call from my mom

About 8:40 got a text from my mom saying that she had called earlier to tell me Steph had gone into Labor.  She also attached this picture of Lilly eagerly awainting the arrival of her baby brother

8:50 I sent Stephanie a text saying that I heard she was in labor, and good luck!

8:56 I got THIS text from my brother:

Boy 6.9

 

 

WOW!  Mama Stephanie is quick!  I guess it all went down in about 2 hours.  Baby and Mommy are doing great!  He is a small one!  Two weeks ago the doctors said he was already 7 1/2 lbs…..guess they were wrong!

I’m so happy that he decided to come when he did.  Below are a few more pictures of the cutie…and one of Ava with Mack not looking so thrilled to be meeting her baby brother.  I’ve got to get back to work now….trying to wrap things up in preparation for my week long “vacation” with the Brooks family. 

Countdown April 4, 2009

ONE WEEK!! ONE WEEK UNTIL I GO TO TEXAS!!  Where I will spend a fabulous week with the Brooks clan.  Hopefully the newest member, Baby Boy Brooks will have made his way into the world already. 

Not sure what I am going to do there for a whole week….hang out with the kids, hopefully reclaiming my title of Aunt Favorite…..sometimes, if Melissa has seen the kids more recently than I have, she stakes claim to the title!  I am figuring if I can sufficiently brainwash them enough while I am there, then there is a chance it will stick until both Melissa and I return in May!

Daylight savings time was a while ago….and I go through this every year…I am so frustrated with the state of Arizona for not changing time.  This means 1/2 of the year I am only an hour time different from texas…the other part of the year I am TWO hours different…..which makes no sense to me….or to my mother who can never remember if I am one or two hours apart from her.  I don’t understand why Arizona thinks that they don’t have to subscribe to the same rules as everyone else!

Book club is this week.  I always look forward to it.  We meet about once every 6 weeks or so.  We’ve been going strong for probably almost two years now.  This club meeting is on a book called The Sparrow by Mary Dorsia Russel (I may have spelled her name wrong)  Not my fav…but always interesting to read new books.

The best news – The NEW fence went up in the back yard!!!  Woohoo!!  Those of you (all three of you) that read this and that are also on FB have heard this story already……we had a chainlink fence in the backyard….I HATE chainlink.  HATE HATE HATE!  So, we decided that we would replace the chainlink with a nice wood privacy fence.  We went to the POA, applied for a permit to do so, were told we didnt need one because we were jsut replacing an existing fence, and we contracted to have a new fence put in.  Day one, they came in, tore down the old fence and put in the galvanized poles for the new fence.  Day Two, they come back and start to put up the planks.  I was actually at the house when the workers arrived and left just as they finished the part of the fence that faced the street and started the part that faced our neighbors house.  I headed into work…a full 4 minute drive.  I got to work and settled at my desk….probably 10 minutes later there was a call asking for Margaret…which usually means a solicitor.  I answered anyways….good thing I did…it was the POA asking me if I had filed a permit for my fence…good thing the POA lady I was talking to had a good memory…I reminded her that the POA said we didnt need one because we were jsut replacing an existing fence.  Thank goodness she remembered this!  She told me that she had just gotten a call from our neighbors complaining about the fence…..not that it was going up or anything….they were complaining because the “ugly” side of the fence…the side with the poles…faced their yard.  First of all, they must have been staring out their window at the workers, because of the time lapse, they had to have called the HOA the minute the first panel was put up….Secondly, isnt anything better than chainlink…and finally, you know what, once THEY pay for the luxury of a privacy fence they can put whatever side they want facing their yard!!  I mean, these people are retired, about 80 years old, walk their cat in their yard on a string and probably have nothing better to do, so I guess I could cut them some slack……but no, I don’t think I will…beacuse over the past few days I keep trying to wave to them when I go grab the mail (while they are walking their cat in their yard on a string) and they continue to ignore me……so the old people next door can shove it.  I LOVE my new fence!!!!!  It’s so pretty!  It’s so private!!!  It’s so NOT chainlink!!! 

That’s about all that is going on in the life of this Salome for now……next week will be a busy one (but busy with boring stuff) as I prepare for my trip.  Being away from rell, work, and the house for a whole week requires a LOT of prep!!!  I hope to take a bunch of pictures while I am in Texas…..will post later!