Monster Jam Baby

Brody loves monster trucks. Eric loves monster trucks. If we're being honest here, Delaney and I love them too. When Monster Jam is on TV, we watch it as a family.... forget movies ;) Well, I am happy to tell y'all that if you live in Tucson, Monster Jam is coming back- soon!! We have been before and absolutely loved it! We loved the monster trucks as well as the motorcycles that fly through the air. It's just a great time for all!

Last year at Monster Jam!

MONSTER JAM REVS UP WITH ANOTHER ROCKIN’ LINE-UP

OF MONSTER TRUCK ACTION AT THE TUCSON ARENA 

FEBRUARY 27 – MARCH 1

Tucson motor sports fans are getting revved up to be part of the world’s best monster

trucks battling it out in the ultimate event of intense speed, racing and destruction as 

Monster Jam® returns with eight massive trucks to be part of the dirt-flying, car-

crushin’ action at the Tucson Arena. This year’s truck lineup includes the Tucson 

debut truck appearances of Scooby-DooTM, Menace, Freedom Keeper and Obsessed 

along with the return of fan-favorites El Diablo, McGruff, Felon and Obsession! 

**truck line-up subject to change

Due to popular demand, in addition to the world-class racing and freestyle competition 

action, die-hard fans can come to the stadium early on either Saturday or Sunday 

to enjoy the Party in the Pits pre-show experience – which gives fans unparalleled 

access to view their favorite trucks up-close, meet the star drivers for autographs and 

take photos! Party in the Pits is only open for ticketholders of the Saturday and Sunday 2PM 

events – Pit Pass required for entry and can be purchased for $10 each.

One of the most popular touring family entertainment sporting events in the world, 

Monster Jam is a high-flying, car-crushing explosive event of demolition, speed, 

power and unbelievable stunts with the world’s best monster trucks and drivers whose 

skills provide an awesome spectacle of “rock-and-roar” that will bring fans to their feet 

cheering for more!

WHERE:
Tucson Arena (at the Tucson Convention Center)

260 S. Church Street, Tucson AZ 85701

COUPON CODE:

$5 flat kids ticket – code 2MOM5.

Valid on all shows.  Not Valid on Front Row or VIP Seats. Not good Day Of Show

For more information and updates go to www.MonsterJam.com.

For specific Tucson event information, please visit: http://www.monsterjam.com/Events/2015/02/27/

Tucson,_AZ/

8 Things We Don't Do Anymore (I didn't even really realize)

We're getting ready to have a garage sale this coming Saturday and nothing is safe. The kids are a little frightened that anything left out will get thrown in the selling box.  As I was going through the piles of clothes and toys, I found a Mickey doll- it was Delaney's favorite thing in the world. I sat there for a minute reliving those sweet moments of her with her Mickey obsession and I realized there are a lot of things that we don't do anymore and I didn't even notice.

 Here are 8 things that I thought of that we don't do anymore:

1. We don't watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Bubble Guppies or Special Agent Oso. We are now watching Jessie and Kickin' It. As much as I didn't necessarily enjoy the cartoons, it kinda hit me hard when I realized we just don't watch them anymore.

Delaney kicking back watching Mickey

Brody man comfy on Nana's couch watching Mickey.

2. We don't leave the house armed with sippy cups and extra clothes. That was so automatic for so long that now when I think about it, I'm not sure how long ago that was when we stopped.

3. We don't sit in the bathroom and give them a bath or shower. Again, I'm not exactly sure when we crossed over into the "Take your plate to the sink and go turn on the shower" phase but we are there.

4. We don't turn on the TV and get them situated on the couch to watch a show. They turn it on, pull Netflix up and turn on the show they want.

5. We don't get them snacks. They do it themselves for cryin' out loud. They even pour their own water. 

6. We don't buckle them in the car anymore. They get in and get buckled. Just like little people:)

My chunky-monkey in his seat

7. We don't get them out of their rooms in the morning. This one makes my heart hurt a little bit. I used to love going into their rooms (which were usually gated) and having them hold up their arms wanting me to get them out of their cribs or hanging onto the gate waiting to be let out! Now on school days I wake them up and they stumble out to the kitchen,but on weekends, they come into our room to get me up! 

8. We don't have our old nightly routine that consisted of showers, milk, a story and watching Caillou on the couch. I'm not sure when that stopped, but I remembered it today as I found a Caillou book in our to sell pile.Now it's just whatever we have time for.... no set routine.


So I guess this means that they are growing up and are able to do things on their own. And I am okay with that. We must be doing something right. Just crazy how times changed and flow right into another phase that we will look back on soon and say... man, remember when......?

This One Time...

After my semi-depressing post the the night I thought that maybe I should pop in and redeem myself. I realize that Valentine's Day is in a few days,  but I wanted to share with you all about this one time....

SO, this one time......

did you instantly finish that sentence with "at band camp"? Well, you would be wrong. Although I have the unique privilege of being someone who can actually say, "This one time, at band camp..." and I am proud of it. Yes, I was in the band. Not only was I in the band, but I was drum major for two years (for those that know-the drum majors are the ones that are conducting the band, not playing the drums). That's just a fun fact. This has absolutely nothing to do with what this post is about.

So, this other one time, at Christmas, we went to the North Pole. Seriously, we did. The obsession with going started about 2 years ago. I had seen the North Pole Experience ad on FB and liked their page and totally wanted to go. Well, this past year, the time was right. We decided that we wouldn't tell the kids for two reasons: 1. I didn't want them getting all excited at school just to have someone tell them that they were crazy for believing and 2. We have never really surprised them and I knew they would be so excited! We decided that our elf, Chippy, would bring them the surprise. He wrote them a letter telling them what they were about to do, brought them 2 new movies for the ride as well as some new Christmas jammies. Needless to say, they were super excited and were ready to load into the car and get the show on the road. So that's what we did. We loaded up and headed about 4 hours north to Flagstaff.

Once we arrived we checked into our hotel which was only about a 1/2 mile away from the Little America Hotel which is where the magical trolley departs to take you to the North Pole. Now, the entire way up there, I was arguing with myself about whether or not the kiddos were going to wear their jammies. I knew it would be cold so they would be wearing jackets so you wouldn't really see the jammies anyway, but they would look so cute...it was quite a battle going on in my head. Turns out the no jammies argument won and we all got dresses in our regular clothes. We had dinner at Cracker Barrel with a gorgeous, huge wood burning fireplace in the background and amazing windows that completely showcased the woods that sat on the other side of the highway. It was cozy. Turns out the kids don't care so much about cozy and were begging to go. So off we went. The drive into the hotel parking is nothing short of magnificent. There are countless trees lit with the most amazing, brightly colored Christmas lights. The kids were awestruck and we hadn't even gotten to Santa's workshop yet!

Once in the hotel the magical feeling continues once you enter into the lobby of Little America. There is another awesome fireplace with two perfectly decorated Christmas tress on either side with big puffy couches all over. We were about 45 minutes early so we spent some quality time in the gift shop as well as had a mini lesson in telling time so that the kids would stop asking when it was our turn. I have to admit that the majority of the kids were wearing jammies and a handful of adults were rocking the onesies. I was kicking myself at this point....

A little blurry, but proof that I was there.

Brody's faces crack me up.

On the trolley!

Finally the elf called our time and we were loading into the magic trolley (aka stylin travel bus). Once we were on the bus, the kids were flipping out! They were so excited! Once we were on the road, the elf was teaching us the all important chant that we had to sing in order for the magical portal to open and allow us through to get to Santa's workshop. After about 10 minutes, it's time to chant... lucky for us, we rocked it and the portal opened and suddenly we were at the North Pole!! I would be lying if I said that all four of us weren't excited;) Once off the bus, we all gather outside the front door. It was cold. Like 35* or something like that. So maybe that's not so cold for some of you, but when you grow up in southern Arizona.... anything below 50* and we are busting out the snow gear. I was secretly high fiving myself at this point since the jackets were necessary and you couldn't see any one's jammies. Once they open the doors, you find yourself in the Toy Maker's Hall of Fame which is a collection of new and old toys. Totally cool. In this room, we get to hear all of the rooms that we will be visiting as well as hear the rules. I'm pretty sure at this point we started melting and stripping off layers like onions. It got toasty.

Excuse the butts...I was trying to get a picture of the kiddos at the front door.

The elf asking if we were ready to go in. I was. I was cold.

Showing us their tickets. You get tickets before you get on and you can have all the elves sing it!

We got to visit all the rooms in the workshop. We went to the toy making room where the kids got to help an elf make a toy and then they got to have a Nerf gun fight with the elves! 

Making a toy!

Jacket's gone....

Next we went into the wrapping room which was beautiful!From there, we visited Mrs. Claus' kitchen and had milk and hot cocoa then we went to Elf University, and finally got to go to the mail room where the kids were able to write a letter to Santa. After the letter was done, we got to wait in the sleigh room and see how Santa finds his way around the world. The best part is definitely saved for the end. Your family gets to visit with Santa alone! You can chat with him without all the pressure of having to hurry because a million families are giving you the stink eye. Tip: bring a ornament or book for Santa to sign. It will be with you forever!

Wrapping room

They were in awe

Hot cocoa and cookies anyone? Notice the scarf is gone now. It was hot. 

These pictures are my favorite.... they are writing their letters to Santa. They used their best handwriting and thought and thought about what to write. Such innocence. Be still my heart.

The entire magical trip lasts about 2 hours. I am pretty sure that they were in awe the entire time and watching them experience this was priceless. I live for making memories and I am confidant that we made some for a lifetime this trip.

PS... my tip: don't wear a coat. And have the kids wear jammies. Just sayin.

Reality Bites

Maybe this isn't the best post to make my comeback with. Or maybe it is. I'm not quite sure. What I am sure about is that this whole motherhood thing is way harder than it looks. I'm not going to lie... when my kids were little I thought about how much easier it would be "when they're older". The long nights of no sleep and the longer days that followed seem so long ago. So much so that I often find myself  closing my eyes tightly trying so hard to remember all the details of those exhausting days that I was desperately trying to just make it through. It's scary how fast memories can fade. SO join me now, won't you, down a quick and random stroll down memory lane.

My brother and me- preggers with Delaney

My baby girl. Who hated sleeping.

9 month birthday. One week before I found out I was pregnant with Brody.

BOOM...just like we were in the hospital and the little man was born

The little yellow man. So jaundiced.

I'm pretty sure this was the moment where reality hit. That face with her little arm up and Brody crying... yep. Life became blurry right about here. 

My chubby man

Whomp there it is.... what became my new normal. 

Memories. 

This was the Halloween that he had double ear infections. And at this time in his life. He loved chips. Tortilla chips. Couldn't get enough of them.

Now that they are older, things are not easier. They are so much harder in so many ways. School. Who knew that school would be so stressful? I sure didn't. I thought that I would be thrilled when they started school- you know like in the movies when the parents are shoving their kids in the front door (Sixteen Candles is playing in my head right now... not the best movie to base parenting off of I guess) and then celebrating. That wasn't me. Not last year. Not this year. This year is a little different since I am at the school with the kids day in and day out. I am 'with' them a lot more which is both good and bad. I have a small control issue (I'm sure you are all surprised by that admission;) and when I see the kids doing things that they shouldn't be doing, I have to stop myself from stomping over like Harry from Harry and the Hendersons and take care of it. They have their teachers. I have to let it go. Which is hard to do.  

Delaney and her buddy, Claire at her preschool graduation

Do you ever sit back and think "This is not how I thought my life would be"? Don't answer that. Let me back up a bit. I LOVE my family. I love Eric with all my heart. He knows how to calm me down when I am freaking out (which is no easy feat) and the man can make me laugh. Like really laugh- like ugly laugh. I LOVE my kids. They are my life and watching them grow is both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. My family and friends are incredible too. My statement of 'this is not how I thought my life would be' is more to the tune of "I'm not who I thought I would be".  Even when I was pregnant with Delaney I imagined how I would be as a mother and wife very differently than what the reality has become. I saw myself as a Carol Brady meets Jennie McCarthy mixed in with some Danny Tanner (such an awesome combo). I imagined being able to perfectly execute my day while still maintaining all the crap around the house as well as the laundry. Oh the laundry. Why does it hate me so much? Why? Why is is so annoying and never ending? Moving on....

I'm not that. Not even a little. I am tired. I am stressed. I am overwhelmed. I am growing- in width. So why? Why is it all so hard to do? Right now, I am working full time again- essentially starting over with teaching. It's not easy. Not even a little bit.  I am bummed at the mom I have become. I sit in bed at night and reflect on the day and am usually cringing. I never thought I would be like I am. Same with teaching. Same with being a wife. I feel like I am the opposite of what I imagined. Is that a coincidence? Is that God's plan? Or have I just made poor, impulsive decisions that have led me to who I am today? So my question that I am sending out into the blogosphere is... can I change? I think I can. *Happy dance*

I love being a mom. I love being married to Eric. I love sweatpants and chocolate milk. I think now I just need to get out of my own way... and be the person I thought I was going to be.
*annnnndddd scene*

Grace & Gratitude

Grace and Gratitude. I'd like to think that these two words are often practiced in my house, but deep down (well maybe not so deep down) I know that's not always the case. Maybe that's why I felt the need to blog again. Putting moments into words for people to read may in fact remind me of those two little, but important words. It's been almost a year since my last blog post.... way too long really (said in a British accent due to the fact that we are watching Sophia Grace and Rosie's Royal Adventure right now). New Year's Eve seemed like a fitting day to blog.... 2014 has been a whirlwind. So crazy I didn't have time to blog. At all. Terrible. In lieu of making this the longest post in blogging history, I will very, very quickly hit some highlights and then go into more detail at a later time. You're welcome. Here we go....  when we started 2014, I was teaching for an online school from home. It was tough. Not going to lie. But an opportunity came along that I couldn't pass up. A kindergarten position was opening up at my kid's school (the school that I went to as a kid) and I jumped at it. So I was set to teach kinder in the fall. In May, Brody graduated from preschool and Delaney was finished with kindergarten.

Brody's birthday party at Pump it Up.

Delaney's 7th birthday party with the Frozen sisters

Swimming at Nana's.... they are awesome swimmers now!

Our summer was spent in my new classroom trying to make it my own. Brody swam all summer without floaties, my grandma from Colorado (Nanny) moved here, and in August Brody, Delaney and I all had our first day of school. Since that first day, I have been taking a crash course in "How to be a working mom and not suck". Right now, at midterms, my grades are not so great, but I am really hoping that I will be graded on a curve in the future. :) Insert holidays here and there and boom- we're current.

We may be a little obsessed with the Griswalds.... 

Today I took all the Christmas decorations- except the tree. Maybe I'm strange but I always get really sad when I take down Christmas- especially the tree. I think about the fact that the littles will never be 7 & 5 again at Christmas.  I wonder if all three dogs will be here next year to see the tree. I think about the magic and anticipation of Christmas being shoved in a box and I just get sad. Boy, I am sure that you are so excited that I started blogging again, huh? Just wait- I have a point, I promise. While yes, I get sad.... I also get really excited for the new year. I am all about the cliche "New Year, New You". I have high hopes for 2015. Of course by the end of  2015 I will be 20 pounds lighter, I will be totally organized, have a perfectly balanced budget and will make the best dinners every night. But, if those by some chance don't happen, I will be just fine with being present with my family, living each day the best I can and making sure to show some grace and gratitude along the way (hence the name of the blog.... see what I did there?). Happy New Year!

Christmas Eve with the fam.... with Brody's funny face and all:)