Our Time In Tucson Arizona

Summer Road Trip 2014

Woke up rested and a bit relieved to know that we didn't have to be back on the freeway for a couple of days. While we got ready Riley hung out with Peyton. You can't really see how chubby she is in this picture but you will. There's another picture of her coming up.
I took a shower and got ready. I had told the kids that the first thing I wanted to do in Tucson was to go have breakfast at Chick-fil-A. Neither OR or WA have any Chick-fil-A's. That's just plain wrong.

We fed Riley oatmeal at the grandparents house since we knew he wouldn't eat anything here, not even the hash browns. But he sure wont turn down chocolate milk. He drank that fast.

This. THIS is what I've been craving for almost two years. I love chicken minis! I've got to say that Chick-fil-A is the yummiest breakfast fast food to EVER have been invented. {along with the chicken biscuit}

After breakfast we went back to my in-laws house. The day was quickly warming up. In the meantime, Sydna hung out with several friends. One of her friends has her own car so they all hung out at the mall. Smart choice.
Riley was a bit obsessed with my in-laws recliner. He would pull the handle and then he would sit down. Or when Nathan was sitting down he would pull the handle then squeeze himself right next to him. Nathan sure does have a lot of patience with baby brother.

Grandpa being funny.

Jacob cannot go more than two days without doing some kind of workout so he got out grandpa's total gym. This thing will definitely make you break out in a sweat. After Jacob was done working out Nathan wanted to give it a try. He said it was a piece of cake. Psh! If I would have tried it I would probably hurt my shoulder and I most definitely wouldn't have been able to pull myself up, at least not on the highest setting.

Riley sure made himself at home at his grandparents house. He walked right in grandma's bedroom. He came out with several webkins. I hope he didn't just grabbed them without the ok from grandma.

Nathan also hung out with some friends. One of his friends planned a little get-together in Nathan's honor. They had hotdogs, chips and chocolate covered pretzels. That was very sweet of his friend to do. They splashed around in the pool for several hours. Nathan's little heart was very happy to have seen all his closest former classmates.

While the kids were visiting friends we went to have dinner at our favorite taco shop in Tucson, Juanitos. I got two carne asada tacos and two barbacoa tacos with pineapple water. So good.

Here's the picture of Peyton. Chubby right? Looks like she can barely lift herself up. However, my mother in law says that she does have Peyton on a diet and that she's already lost one pound. Geez, I hope so or else she will definitely not be able to move. But she's still sweet. She remembered us all. She loves to have her butt and back rubbed. I rubbed her while I had my sandals on.

At one point Riley was very hyper, running around the living room. He then slipped and hit his head on the corner of the china cabinet. Never fails. Tile floors are dangerous. Poor thing. So after this happened I remembered I had brought a bag full of toys and coloring books. From then on he kept himself busy with those. I remembered to get the crayons out of the truck before it got hot out. Didn't want to have a melted mess to have to clean up.

Tuesday, July 1st.
Tucson, day two.

Jacob made us his ever so yummy breakfast the following morning ... biscuits and gravy, eggs, hash browns and bacon with coffee. Telling you. Anyone can make eggs but not everyone knows how to make them to perfection. I like my scrambled eggs fluffy, my bacon crunchy but not burned, my hash browns not too crispy and the biscuits to be soft. And my husband makes sure that my breakfast turns out just the way I like it. My father in law can also make some good coffee too. Thank you.

On this second day I didn't leave the house AT ALL during the day. It got to 110 degrees the day before and this day was set to be 106 degrees. Can you say miserable?! Besides, because it was so darn hot my feet got swollen so I spent a good chunk of time on the recliner with my feet propped up and taking selfies with my little guy who was also a bit drained from the heat. Jacob and I were talking about the three years we lived here and we cannot believe we managed to live here that long. Jacob and I both agree that we could not live in the desert again, at least not by our own accord. Obviously, we would have no choice if Jacob's job wanted him back here or worse in Hawaii, Texas, Georgia, Florida or Virginia. I just cannot see ourselves living in the East coast. Now, why couldn't there be an office in Maine. I would LOVE to give Maine a try. It's such a pretty state.

Jacob strummed the guitar a bit. He played American Pie and a couple of hymns. Those songs got my father in law singing along too. It was neat to have witness this moment. Oh, and Peyton never moved even though the guitar was pressing on her gut, lol.

And this little guy fell asleep on my lap.

Sydna and Nathan went to Air Time {jump center} just before noon. They each hung out with their friends while they were there. Sydna said it was fun but later on that night her knees were killing her. Nathan got a rug burn on his face jumping on the trampoline. But they both enjoyed themselves a lot.


Jacob found a last minute marinade for chicken kabobs. Goodness, it was good. It was a new recipe he found online. My mother in law made a delicious salad to go with it. Great fresh light meal to have on a hot scorching day. This marinade recipe is definitely a keeper.

Their backyard is very nice and clean. Its also an oasis for birds. Riley was out there playing with rocks and not that long ago they had a rattlesnake in their backyard. It then went into their neighbors backyard. My father in law went to alert them of it and the man ended up killing it. Scary!

Trying to reach the wind-chime.

Once it cooled off a bit we left the house for some gelato. It was neat to drive past places we would frequent. We noticed a few changes and some roads had new pavement on them. And for some reason Mt. Lemmon didn't seem that tall to me anymore. Maybe because I'm also surrounded by mountains in Washington, not to mention Mt. Rainier.

We went to Frost for some gelato. This place closes at 10:00 pm that's awesome. It got pretty packed shortly after we got there.
We got Riley chocolate gelato. I got cappuccino and strawberry champagne. Its so good because you can really taste the champagne. Very refreshing.

Riley ended up eating some of my cappuccino gelato. I guess his was too rich.

We enjoyed our time at my in-laws even though it was very tough being out in the heat. Seriously, I don't understand when people say they like the heat. Its just incomprehensible to me.
It was a bit sad saying our goodbye's.

Thank you Gerry & Grace for having us. Hope you guys can make a trip up to see us in the near future. Love you guys.

My Husband the Cook

10.30.12

I have been forgetting to mention that Riley now sleeps through the night!!! has been for about a month and a half now ... pray Jesus! He wakes up around 4:30 am the same time Jacob has his alarm set. He gets him and brings him to bed with me where he'll typically wake up just before 7:00 am.
Gosh, it sure took him a long time to finally sleep through the night.

Also, we still don't know for certain if he'll definitely be a lefty as he continues to use both hands when we hand him a crayon or marker. If he does end up being a lefty he will be the first one in both our families. He does grab a fork or spoon with his right hand but that really isn't definitive.

 

My sister mailed us a box full of mexican candy last week, mostly tamarindo. It is a sweet and spicy candy.

 

 

This is actually the last picture I have of Peyton. She will not be making the move up to Washington with us. My in laws had taken care of her during our last trip to San Diego and my mother in law became attached to her in just a few short days so when we found out that we were moving I had Jacob ask her if she wanted Peyton. She was more than happy to have her. I'm glad it worked out for Peyton. She'll be with a family that will love her and take good care of her and give her the attention that dogs require. I'm sure Jacob and the kids will miss her but they'll be happy Peyton is with their Grandparents D.

I guess the nice part about her living with family is that they can email us pictures of her and that way the kids wont be sad or wonder how she's doing. I'm sure she'll get all fat and will need assistance climbing things because you know chihuahuas have short limbs and can't do much.

 

Jacob cooked several dishes last week. We always compile a menu every two weeks. We typically split up dishes that I cook and ones that Jacob cooks ... I guess it depends on what we're craving too. I was craving fish tacos so we bought tilapia. Jacobs fish tacos are super delicious.

 

 

I was browsing through one of our cooking magazines and I came across this dessert recipe and it calls for sparkling wine. Great GREAT reason to buy a bottle. This recipe sounds good too and the bread looks very moist.

 

 

One morning before Nathan left for school Riley walked up to him so big brother could read him a book but big brother was busy playing a game so Riley tried to move the iPad out of the way so big brother could stop and read to him. It was funny.

Oh that white thing on the floor is Jacobs foam roller that he uses to relieve muscle soreness along with aches and pains. It works!

 

 

Made a quick stop at Sprouts to pick up a baguet then we walked to Petsmart. Riley loved the fish while I thought this frog was cool looking.

 

 

He liked the dog too. He's totally an animal lover that's for sure.

 

 

Teaching him new words from his big halloween picture book ... and although some of the words he knows aren't quite clear when he says them you can definitely understand what he's trying to say. We were looking through a color book and he surprised me. I was not aware he knew five colors and you can definitely understand him. I got so excited and clapped after he said each color. Horray for Riley!

 

 

Well, this is one of those times where a child can cause a bit of stress. You know what I can't stand ... whining. My kids will get in trouble every time because it's simply annoying. Riley was upset because I obviously didn't allow him to do something so he layed on the dining room floor with his arms behind his head and would grunt whenever I would talk to him ... so I just left him alone until he was in better spirits. It took him a whole three minutes to snap out of it.

 

 

The second dish Jacob cooked last week was Cioppino. He typically uses tilapia, shrimp and scallops. We forgot to buy scallops this time ... Nooooooo! It was still just as delicious though. Ah, this seafood soup is the best I've ever had. And it goes great with crusty buttered bread.

 

 

I love our mellow time as much as our fun active time but when he's mellowed out that means rest for momma.

 

 

Friday was really not a good day. I was being irritable and short tempered. Probably pms'ing and I really didn't feel like chasing after Riley while Nathan had football practice so we stayed in the truck until Jacob showed up then I drove home. But I did try my best to keep this little guy entertained and happy. I sure love to see him smile and now that he's talking a lot, interacting with him keeps my mind occupied ... making me forget about my bad day.

Although Friday started out not so good and the not so good feeling lasted until the late afternoon, I still got to enjoy my evening ... and a cup of coffee always seems to brighten up my spirits.

 

 

 

Peyton Gets A Bath

Peyton is Jacobs and Nathans responsibility. I wanted to give her away about a year after she was given to us (6 years ago) because dogs are much more needy than cats and between tending to the kids, a husband, cooking and chores the last thing I want to do is to make sure the dog has everything it needs. Jacob didn't want me to give her away so the deal was that he would care for her ... well, it hasn't worked out that way. He never seems to remember to feed her so Nathan is now responsible about making sure she has food and water. Peyton also doesn't get her baths regularly and this is one of the reasons why she's also not allowed inside the house. A few months ago, when the day was nice and sunny Jacob gave her a much needed bath ... and although she hides in her house because she doesn't like cold baths you can tell that she appreciates it once she's nice and clean, dry and warm.

She has to be tied down so she wont run away.

You can tell she's cold ... but then again chihuahuas are always cold.

Getting shampooed ... lots of it.

She was very stinky.

One of the most beautiful felines I have ever seen in my life! ... my precious Libby.

She's a natural ... I don't even have to tell her to pose (lol).

Later on during the afternoon we had Jacob's parents over and guess who was able to come in? Peyton ... and boy did she like the attention.

Of course, Peyton loved to be petted by any and all willing hands.

She makes noise when she gets comfortable ... and she macks. The sound that comes out of her mouth is that of a banana being mashed, gross!

Riley likes to "pet" her but sometimes he gets super excited and ends up putting all his weight on her. So we have to always supervise the two of them. I wouldn't want her to snap at him and bite him.

By the look on Jacob's face I'm pretty sure a football game was on.

Peyton looking very comfortable where she is.

Make no mistake. She is cared for well and loved by most.

Although I'm not partial to dogs I do keep an eye out for her.

Riley and Peyton

Sometimes ... very rarely we let Peyton inside the house. I don't like her to be inside because she sheds alot more so than Libby. Peyton also always seems to get the urge to scratch herself whenever she's inside but doesn't scratch herself that much when she's outside. Another reason why I don't like her inside is because she makes an awful macking noise with her mouth like if she's eating peanut butter which grosses me out. She just irritates me. The few times that I do let her in Riley chases her throughout the family room and kitchen. Peyton always runs away from him unless we tell her to sit then she doesn't move ... and that's when Riley will try to pet her.

She is a sweet dog and lets Riley pet her all the while being cautious he wont do a bodyslam on her.