Time Flies

Who would have thought that the second I start working my blog goes down the toilet...sorry to all for being completely uninvolved in blogging the past few months. I think my resolution this year is going to be "keep up with the blog".

Everyone is doing well here in the McMinn household. Kyle just finished his first semester of college and just turned 19, Jessi got her braces off just in time for her 14th birthday, Lauren just turned 3 (yikes) and Taylor is a chatty 1 1/2 year old. We have been to the dunes for our first trip there this season and Lauren had the shortest ride ever with Papa...she wasn't loving the quad at all. I practiced my riding skills a little bit at the dunes but am still far inferior to all the kids and cousins...With December being our busy month (three birthdays and Christmas), we have had about one cake per week. Here are some recent pictures of the crew...enjoy...

As you can see, the kids are all getting big. Wayne, Jessi and I have all decided to go green and we built a greenhouse that will hopefully yield many vegetables for us to enjoy.

Heres wishing you all a wonderful holiday and a happy new year! Cheers!!

Mommy Guilt

Anyone who is a mom, or dad for that matter knows about "mommy guilt". I unfortunately, have been riddled with it the past few weeks. You see, I have just gone back to work full time after being home with the girls for 2 1/2 years. I am fine with the fact that I decided to go back to work. I really am enjoying my job and I also enjoy the adult interaction and the challenge of a new job...but that doesn't make dropping the girls off in the morning any easier. Getting back to work meant learning about a morning routine...this means waking the girls up more often and trying to get them dressed and fed and out of the house in a reasonable amount of time. Because we have just started school, the girls have also been sick more than they have been well. This has caused great frustration but luckily Wayne has lots of sick time to be able to be home with them and to take them to the doctors. We have had just about everything...sinuses, strep throat, vomiting...ick. No fun whatsoever.

Kyle is leaving for school on Thursday...I am so excited for him knowing how much fun college was for me. It also brings some sadness, he'll miss out on so much time with us, and especially the girls but luckily for this blog, email and phone calls they'll be able to chat with him still. He is so ready. We were talking today and realized that this time next week, he'll have been there a couple of days, settled into the dorm, met his suitemates and begun his journey. I know he is looking forward to experiencing Colorado and getting out of doors! He has also begun looking into concerts at Red Rocks Amphitheater which is nearby (lucky).

Big news from my sister today, she elpoed and married her boyfriend of 10 years, Joe. She had told me this summer that she wanted to do it that way but deep down I didn't truly believe she would do it...I was wrong...Yesterday on 8-8-08, her and Joe, the JP, a photographer and their two PUH (personal umbrella holders, Jody's friend Paula and Paula's mom) went to Keyes beach and had a wedding. I can't wait to see the pictures of their union. Jody said that the weather and lighting were perfect for the photog...once the sprinkling stopped of course. Congratulations to them.

Camera woes...my camera screen broke..I am not sure what happened but I am now going to be in the market for a new small digital camera...Only half the screen shows up...URGH. I can still take pics but I just can't see them...

All right everyone, sorry I have been so MIA lately...I will try to schedule more blogging time to keep everyone up to date on the adventures of The McMinns...Enjoy the end of summer.

Vacation

OK, so we just are getting back to normal here at home after a long month of vacationing. It was great to spend time in Mexico and back home on Cape Cod. Our Mexico vacation started Memorial Day weekend and lasted a week. We went to Rosarito where my in laws have a time share. The weather was beautiful, we spent a lot of time down by the ocean although the water was way too cold for me or the babies to swim in. The bigger kids put on their wetsuits and boogie boarded until they were numb. Even some brave souls, (Rob, Glenn, Kyle and Trenton), went into the water sans wetsuits. Luckily our rooms were right next to the pool so we got our swim fix there. It was even heated! The week proved to fly by and before we knew it...it was time to go home.

Then on June 4, the babies and I headed East....Cape Cod bound we were. I was nervous about flying with the two girls by myself but they did a great job. We had a stop which allowed us to get off the plane, stretch our legs, change some diapers and get some snacks...then I had bought the portable DVD and had some movies at the ready. We had a little delay en route to Boston but besides that and Taylor getting a little restless, it was uneventful. Yippee.

Our time on the cape was full of activities...I went to my very good friend Jared's wedding...he married a wonderful and smart women named Haley who I just adore. It was such a fun night to celebrate their marriage. Plus, some great dancing to a kickass band. We spend many afternoons on the beach playing in the sand and in the water. Stopped for ice cream cones on many nights...Lauren and Taylor's first trip to Par Tee Freeze by the way. Spent time with the family...mom, dad, jody...Ian and his family came up from North Carolina so we actually had the whole family in one place...this never happens! Saw bunches of friends and their kids...camped in Uncle Toms trailer at Scusset beach with the college roomies Nicole, Michelle and her son Braedan and Tara and her two girls, Allison and Caitlyn...played with the twins out back of my parents house, Sarah and Shay (20 mos) who kindly allowed us free reign on their toys (thank you)...went to Melissa and Josh's house and hung out with Alexa and Michael whom Lauren adored, saw Stacey, Gary and their "kids"...their dogs...even got a chance to share a fried ice cream with Stace...our favorite...Lauren and Taylor spent many days in grammy's garden...planting and picking lettuce for us for dinner on many nights. We watched lots of tv, including the Celts finals (yippee) which brought me back to my youth...watching the Celtics and dad talking to the TV with a few curse words thrown in. Also attended Aimee's baby shower on our final day home...She looked absolutely adorable...can't wait for little Walter to arrive this September!

It was a wonderful trip home...you know the signs of good friendships are when you live 3000 miles away and when you see those who are closest to you it feels like you live right down the road still. It's like you never missed a beat. Thanks mom and dad for letting your hosue turn into a daycare for a few weeks...(toys everywhere). Thanks to everyone, friends and family alike for treking to see the babies and I during our time home...we had such a great time and look forward to next year already...

Mother's Day Hooray!

Hello everyone...

This Mother's Day will be span the whole weekend...We started out Friday night with a yummy stuffed shrimp and steak dinner with Wayne's parents joining us. Some wine, beers and conversation followed while Lauren and Taylor played around our feet at the table.

Today Wayne picked up a sauna...he has wanted one for a long time and saw a deal that was too good to pass up. Next time any of you visit, you can sit and enjoy some sauna time here...Tonight we'll be heading to Wayne's parents house for a cookout...on the menu deer and buffalo. I am sure Neil will bring some of his famous "critter dip", we're bringing shrimp cocktail and chips and salsa and we'll eat until we are beyond full...We are bringing all of the swim gear because I am sure the kids will be in the pool and if they are, Lauren and Taylor will want in as well.

Then tomorrow, just a casual day here...Kyle and Jessi are heading to their moms at some point so we'll do a big breakfast/brunch and just hang out and relax. It's a good weekend so far and it's been nice to be able to hang out, converse with my 2 1/2 year old and enjoy the perfect (although warm) weather.

Kyle has made his decision and is heading to Colorado for school next year. He will be at the Colorado School of Mines. It's just west of Denver, just south of Boulder in a little town called Golden. Yes beer drinkers, the same Golden that Coors is brewed in. The factory is right by campus. I will surely be touring this establishment at some point in the next few years. Kyle is excited about his next adventure and leaves August 15th...It's going to be hard adjusting to daily life without Kyle but my parents survived as did most of yours so chances are we'll survive too. It's a bit scary to think of me as a stepmom sending one off to college. My memories of my college years are still quite fresh which makes me shudder a little bit. Although, I keep telling Kyle that he is going to love it up there...and that he is going to have a ball. I know I did...I also keep telling him that he's going to make lifelong friends. I still talk to many of my best friends from college, thanks to email and blogs and facebook, on a fairly regularish basis.

You all will be happy to know that Taylor is almost walking...we are oh so close. She is pulling up and cruising around but has yet to take that solo step. I predict she'll be walking by Mexico when we celebrate her first birthday. Yes, her first birthday is almost here. What a year...it has gone by soooo fast.

Here is a group shot of all the cousins from our big picture session...

To all the mommy's...Have a great Mother's Day...

East Coast Bound

Hello Everyone

OK, the tickets are booked and the babies and I are coming back east this summer...I can't wait. We will be there from June 4-June 23. The best part is that not only will I have time to see everyone when I am there but I will be able to attend Jared's wedding and Aimee's baby shower!!! Plus, my parents are thrilled about seeing the babies for such a long period of time. Ian and his family will also be up for part of our trip too. It'll be the first time in a while that all my sibs are together in the same place.

I hope spring fever has hit everyone and that you are enjoying the beautiful weather. I know we are. I am just waiting until it gets too hot to tolerate. Luckily this summer, I'll get to spend a lot of that time "home" on the Cape.

I promise to get some pics up here soon. Gotta get Lauren back to bed and get ready for tomorrow (work).

Working Girl

It is now the end of the first real week of my part time work experience. It feels good to get back to work even if only temporarily. I am missing my girls on the days I am not with them and I hope that I get used to that part. The babysitter who is watching the girls is a gem. She is super sweet and has three kids of her own. Her oldest is a big second grader but the other two are 2 and 4. Lauren is having a good time over there and hasn't objected to going once. I am helping to collect data for a research study at ASU and that takes me to three different schools at the moment. My days are filled with video taping teachers and doing a range of assessments with some children and traveling from school to school. It's busy but that is a good thing. Time goes by fast that way.

I am having a difficult time getting everyone ready and out of the house in the mornings though. I know I have to set up routines and I have at least managed to pack lunches the night before to avoid that headache in the morning. It's a whole new ballgame getting myself ready and then get two babies ready at the same time. Not to mention reminding a teenager to brush teeth and get in the shower. It seems like I am literally running around in the morning and don't stop until everyone is dropped off...I have a few moments to zen in the car.

I know that women do this everyday all over the world so it's not like I am reinventing the wheel here but it's still a little tough to get used to. Thank goodness I am still home 4 days...until the new school year rolls around when I will most likely be full time again...will I even have time to blog about it???

Have a great weekend everyone!

April is here

Can we just take a moment to acknowledge that it is April already. How exactly did that happen?

Well, the weekend is done and I survived a dune trip with the two babies. To be honest, it's not the best place to go with two little ones. Taylor spent a lot of time inside or being held outside then when it began to get windy on Saturday, we all retreated inside the trailer. Our friend Fred let us hang out in his trailer and enjoy the AC during the warmest part of the day. Thanks to him!! The dune trips will get easier as the babies get older but it's still good to go and see how much fun Jessi, Kyle and Wayne have going on rides. Rob loves it as well and loves to take everyone out in his buggy. Lauren got her first quad ride in with Papa on Sunday too. They took a few laps around camp and Lauren seemed to enjoy the ride. OH, I can't forget to let you all know that the bathroom and shower were a big hit...Loving it!!

Wayne and Kyle got the news that they had gotten drawn for an elk hunt this October. Hopefully we'll have lots of yummy meat in our freezer after that hunt. This also means that this summer we'll be camping in the area of the hunt and it's just north of Payson so it's not as long of a ride as the White Mountains. Now that we have the two backpacks for the babies we'll be able to do some good hikes up there. Speaking of hunting, I thought you'd enjoy this picture of Lauren from when we got Jessi's hide back from when she got her elk. It's really soft and Lauren felt the need to wrap herself up in it.

I have also recently gotten back to work and so far it's going very well. It's just a part time gig, 2-3 days/week but I am helping with some testing and data collection for a preschool grant through the speech and language department at ASU. I am able to learn some new tests and meet some great folks and who knows, maybe even find a job for next year as well. It's that time where I am doing applications and getting prepped for interviews in hopes to find a good job for me.

Taylor's 5th tooth popped through yesterday and today Wayne went to get her from her crib and she was standing...yikes...She'll probably be walking by the time we are in Mexico for her first birthday at the end of May! I can't wait. Lauren is going to have a blast with her once she is a walking machine.

We are trying to brainwash Lauren into thinking that potty training is the best thing ever...she'll sit but hasn't really bought on to the whole idea of the potty. We tried bribing with M & M's but that hasn't really done anything for us. We'll keep trying but I'll listen to any ideas to make this whole process easier.

I hope everyone back east is enjoying the crocuses and daffodils...I just love the daffodils...Spring time here we come.

Lots of love from us out here...

Dune Weekend

We are finally getting ready for our first dune trip of 2008. This is the trip we were supposed to go on a few weeks back but had to cancel when Kyle mysteriously passed out in the bathroom and spent the night in the hospital. Now that that incident is just a memory, we are ready to try again. This week has been hectic to say the least. Wayne is finishing up our trailer...he installed a bathroom and shower and has been working on it every night until 10. I expect tonight to be a late one as well. Here is a very unfinished picture. The toilet is in and the shower fixture is mostly done. As you can see, there is still a little bit more to go. Mostly finishing up stuff.

Both babies came down with colds. Lauren has pretty much recovered but Taylor got hit hard today. She looked so sad with her runny nose and watery eyes. The poor girl couldn't sleep today but luckily fell asleep about 8 tonight...I have gone food shopping for camping and have been trying to get sort of packed and get all the wash done before we hit the road. This is our first trip with two active babies. The last camp trip, Taylor was maybe 4 mos. old. It'll be interesting to see how everything goes out there in the sand. Lauren has been talking about camping a lot lately so I know she is very excited about it. She loves campfires and you know grandma willl bring all the fixin's for s'mores.

We had a great Easter here. Lauren was fun to watch as she looked for eggs here and at grandma and papa's house. Taylor wouldn't even crawl on the grass, she just sat and looked at the egg in front of her and tried to lift her feet off the grass. Still so sweet though. Here are a few Easter pic's for you to enjoy.

What a day!

Well, today we officially started in on all the Easter festivities. It all started this morning when we went to Storytime at the library. The Easter Bunny arrived and led us all on an easter egg hunt. There were a lot of kids there, more than usual and luckily each child was only to find 2 eggs. That helped my little shy Lauren out. She never would have gotten an egg otherwise. We then went to the mall to get our picture with the EB himself. Today happened to be the grand opening of some double decker carousel so there were about a gazillion kids there. The line for the carousel alone was as long as the food court. It was rather ridiculous really. Luckily we got out of there in one piece and lived to tell the tale. Saturday morning there is an egg hunt put on by the parks and rec and I think I may just try to brave that as well.

Last night we were at Kyle's wrestling dinner/awards banquet. It was his last one and then it hit me. He graduates in two months. I suddenly feel old...I remember my high school graduation and it doesn't seem so far back but I guess it was...This year for him was not the best with his shoulder injury but overall he had a good run at it while he was in high school.

This past weekend we also had another "toddler funday" and although a smaller group of us showed up, we braved the same cold weather as last time. We had our jackets and hats on again and Katie brought Starbucks to keep us mommies warm. Katie has been dubbed our "mom by association-MBA" since she has no kids of her own, she is really an MBA to all our little ones. Rosemary brought this great big soft frisbee that Lauren and Anika were running after so hard that they were panting. It was a great time had by both little ones.

Blog, What Blog?

I know, you are probably thinking I had abandoned the whole blog thing but worry not...I had an extended blog vacation but am back to it. I hope everyone is doing well. We have been doing well here in the McMinn household. As many of you know, Kyle had a bit of an ordeal a few weeks ago...he is on the mend from his major concussion and seems to be his regular old self. Thank goodness...

Wayne is working on the bathroom in the trailer and it's giving him quite a hard time...he is frustrated but in the end it'll be worth it. Camping with four girls with no bathroom would be a bit much wouldn't you think?

We took the boat out last weekend and had a great time. We bought Lauren her new life jacket, gave Taylor Lauren's jacket from last year and we were good to go. Jessi had gone to a slumber party the night before so she had a post slumber party hangover...Lauren had a great time driving the boat with dad and eating the cookies we brought. Yummy. Kyle's GF Katy came with us as well and probably liked being out of the wintery Flagstaff snowy weather.

Taylor is officailly mobile. She is crawling and rolling around these days. She even just had her third tooth push through on Friday. I can't believe that she is 9 mos. already...I know everyone says it but they do grow up so fast. She is enjoying the variety of "real" foods in her diet, especially blueberries and veggie puffs. She just can't get enough.

Lauren is becoming little miss independent. She wants to do everything herself and when she can't, she gets extremely frustrated. It's really cute though to watch her play with Taylor and try to get Taylor to go where ever she goes by saying "C'mon, Tay, Tay."

We also had to bid farewell to Banshee, the little Boston Terrier, she died last week after 16 1/2 years. We'll miss her when we go to Grandma and Papa's house.

We would like to send big congratulations to Aimee (Doyle) Stock and her husband Walter...they are expecting their first baby in early September.

I promise to be a little better about this blogging business...really, I will. For those of you in Arizona, enjoy the beautiful weather...to those of you back east, I hope you come visit Arizona during the spring sometime. It's absolutely perfect.

All good things

This past weekend was the state tournament for wrestling. The short story is that Kyle won his first match, lost the second. Therefore, he pulled out. No need to permanantly damage the shoulder for 5th or 6th place. Last week started out with us looking feverishly for a shoulder brace for Kyle...the one place we talked to ordered it overnight for us...I called on Tuesday, not there, I called on Wednesday morning, not there. Keep in mind I was told it would be in Wednesday morning at the latest. After a few more phone calls and Wayne going directly there...it was back ordered. That is something that they could have told us on MONDAY. Jerks. Thursday morning rolls around, we had found a brace in Scottsdale that I was going to pick up on my way to the tournament. That was good. Small victory. I pack up all the baby stuff that you could think of, get the babies in the car, hit Starbucks (thanks Cari for the gift card) and off we went to pick up Wayne at work...this was 9am. Our day was a long one. We were in the gym watching wrestling, making friends with the people around us and eventually headed home. Long day but the babies were great. They just took it all in, hung out and were happy to be home doing nothing the following day.

We also found out this week that Kyle made it to next level for one of his scholarship applications...Yippee. That is great news. The scholarship is the Elks Lodge one and it goes from city, regional, state and then national. He is at the state level now...

Taylor is getting her first tooth!! I can feel it and see a little speck of white. Unfortunately, she is rather miserable right now. She has a cold with a cough combined with the teething pain...she is an unhappy girl. She has had a hard time sleeping but overall in an ok mood.

Went to Jessi's volleyball game last week. She served about 4-5 points for her team. The level of play is so much better than last year. She is on a team with mostly 8th graders and a few 7th graders. They actually volleyed the ball, it was great and fun to watch. We have two games this week and next then it's the playoffs...short season.

We are also looking forward to Uncle Tom, cousins Abbey and Kelsey coming for a visit on Saturday. They have never been to Arizona and will be making the trek up to the Grand Canyon. We'll take the boat out, do some hiking, enjoy the beautiful 70+ degree weather!! Can't wait.

Wayne has been working hard installing a bathroom/shower in our trailer. We hope to have most of it completed by our sand dune trip on the 29th...Why is he installing this you ask...the answer: 4 girls! We firured it was a must especially with two little ones who will be getting absolutely filthy on camp trips and will need to get cleaned up.

Lauren has reached a whole new level of "mine" these days. Everything is "mine", especially if it's something that Taylor is holding...I am trying to be patient but it's starting to drive me batty. If there were two words I would remove from the toddler vocabulary it would be "mine" and "no".

Ok folks, no pictures today but will put some on soon...hope everyone has a "love"ly Valentines Day...

I'm Back

I have to admit, I have been a bit busy and haven't gotten a post done in over a week...there has been a lot going on so I will get right to it...

My birthday came and went...the big 33 now and it was one of the rainiest days so my wish of going on a hike was not happening. Instead we had a relaxing day at home, made a yummy shrimp alfredo dinner and of course had cake for dessert.

Jessi has started her volleyball season and made it onto the "A" team which consists of mostly 8th graders and is considered the top team as opposed to the "B" and "C" teams. She was pretty jazzed about making it and we have the first game today. I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

This weekend was Divisionals for wrestling. Kyle, as most of you know, had shoulder surgery last spring and had gotten everything back in order for this season. Well, just before Christmas, his shoulder popped out during a match and he has been going to PT to get it ready for this past weekend...the had 3 matches, his shoulder popped out in the second match and he wanted to keep going, he won and then wrestled his third match and won that as well. This means that we are going to state. Today's job is for me to find a shoulder brace for him to wear at the state tournament which starts this Thursday. It's really scary to watch but he told Wayne that he really wanted to make a run at winning state and well, he is an 18 year old boy so we'll see what happens.

With the impending Valentine's Day holiday, Lauren got right to work on some Valentines. She was loving the glitter glue and all the fun things to glue on the cards. Taylor was watching and smiling away. The glitter glue was such a big hit. I highly recommend it to any toddler parent. By the way, the card kits came from Target in the dollar section if anyone else is interested.

Theres still more so stick with me...

Yesterday my friend Katie had set up what she called a "2024 Preunion" Toddler Party. You see, Katie has several friends who all have two year olds. The really weird part is of the 5 toddlers, 4 are born within about a week of each other in December and one was born just a few weeks later in January. Isn't that crazy. So anyway, we went to this really neat park in Chandler, brought snacks, drinks, hats and mittens because it was cold and had a really nice time playing yesterday morning. Jessi came along as well and had just as much fun as the little ones. Lauren made a new friend in Reagan. They are only 2 days apart in age. They were running around and playing a lot together. Well, a lot in toddler terms. They are pictured here in the motorcycle and sidecar.

Well, that pretty much sums it all up for now. It is raining again this morning...maybe because the Patriots didn't win. That, by the way, was a big bummer. During the game (yes, I watched), I was teaching Lauren to say "Patriots" and she would say "ball game on" after every commercial.

I hope everyone has a great February. We are having my Uncle Tom and cousins Abby and Kelsey in town in a few weeks and then we will be heading down to the sand dunes at the end of the month for my first camp trip in a while and for Taylor's first dune trip. Looking forward to that. Also looking forward to much more outdoor fun with the family here, hiking, camping and boating all to come.

Birthday Weekend

It started out as a regular weekend. Friday night, pizza with chocolate chip cookies afterwards then early to bed. Pretty normal for us. Then Saturday, it was hair cut day for me. It was way overdue and is now much easier to manage. I did go shorter and even went with a little bang-age. Saturday night was topped off with some "mommy time", a movie with Cari. 27 Dresses...cute, girlie, totally predictable but good none the less. We stopped and got some of the required movie candy. For me, Junior Mints...is there any better movie candy out there?



This weekend was also Waynes birthday...Yesterday actually. The great thing was that he had the day off and really, doesn't everyone deserve a day off on their birthday...I had picked up a new backpack carrier for Taylor in the morning so we could go on a short hike. We loaded up the babies, Jessi and various jackets, diaper bags, hats, waters and granola bars and were ready to go...Kyle unfortunately didn't make the trek due to wrestling practice and then physical therapy for his shoulder...We went out to First Water which is a short distance from our house in hopes that there was water running. I carried Taylor and Wayne had Lauren and we were on our way. It turned out to be a great little hike. The water was running in the stream and we stopped to play. Lauren had a hard time walking around all the rocks by the stream so we cleared out a place just for her. We have declared that we must hike more, especially since we live so close to so many beautiful hiking spots and since the winter weather is perfect for hiking. With the close of wrestling season upon us we are gearing up for more time for hikes and family outings of all sorts...plus, what better workout than hiking with a baby on your back.

After our hike, we returned home to make Waynes cake and get ready for his birthday. We ended up having everyone come over for cake because not only did we make a cake, but grandma made one too! Luckily everyone accomlished the task of making at least one cake disappear. It turned out to be a great day, spending some nice time together with family, getting out of doors and ending it all off with cake!!

The greatness of Storytime

As some of you know, Thursday mornings for us has consisted of going to storytime at the local library. I have really enjoyed this time with Lauren and now with both Lauren and Taylor. It's fun to watch all the little babies enjoying a book, doing fingerplays, dancing and bouncing along to a song. It is equally enjoyable to watch my girls react to the environment. Lauren is most definitely a watcher...she keeps an eye on everyone and everything that is happening and very rarely joins in to sing or dance, even to the songs she is familiar with. Instead, she saves it all for our drive home and then when we get home. It's like she keeps it all bottled up inside and then will chatter constantly as we make our way home. Taylor seems to get a kick out of seeing all the other children and is smiling and laughing away...she may be a little less of a watcher and a little more of a doer but it may be a little early to tell for sure.
Today, after choosing some books and making our way to the car...it was windy, very chilly and windy...I was carrying Taylor and Lauren was walking beside me, very slowly might I add and I was just waiting for the "up" to come out of her cold, shivering mouth...suddenly, this sweet "grandma" asks if she can help and carry Lauren to our car. I, of course responded with a thankful "yes". Instead of trekking to the car slowly, we were there much faster thanks to the kindness of a stranger...and I didn't have to try to carry two babies. That, my friends, is the greatness of storytime.

Rainy Day Thoughts

The Weather

What is it about a rainy day? Maybe it's because we rarely have them, I really don't know but it causes some little girls to become a bit crazy. There must be something in the air. This is a picture from our patio. For those of you who have been here, there should be a mountain right there but alas, it is covered with clouds. In a typical Arizona fashion, as I type, the sun is already starting to break through and the clouds on the mountain are beginning to disappear.

Sisterhood

Lauren and Taylor were playing the other day and Lauren really wanted to have Taylor in her lap. I was quick enough to capture the sweetness. As the days go on, Taylor is just getting to be such a big little girl and the two girls have begun to play together. It is at these times in particular that I am so happy to have the two of them. I think of all the times that they will have each other in life to lean on, laugh with, cry with...Yes, what I hope for these two is to grow up as sisters and as friends. It's in these early times that we are beginning to see that already. We see it when Lauren is bringing Taylor toys to play with or when Taylor tries to make Lauren laugh by making raspberries and getting spittle everywhere.

Politics

I have also been thinking about politics. Yes, I know there was probably a collective shudder but really now...the election is upon is, the NH Primary is here and we have a potential woman candidate for President. In this new time, shouldn't women be excited by the potential of having a women in the White House? I figure that men have run things and where some have done good job, others...well, not so much and maybe we should think about the real possibility for change in this country, not only just the change of a President but the change of the gender of the President. Women are half the population and shouldn't we be represented by a women? Isn't it time?

The clouds are back, maybe more rain...I hope your Monday is starting out to be a good one...hopefully those of you who made resolutions haven't broken them yet...for those who have kept them...one week down, keep up the good work.

A New Year Has Come

Hello one and all

With the new year, comes new hobbies and the beginnings of my blog. The Arizona Chronicles will keep you all up to date on all of the McMinn adventures. This is going to be a big year for us as Kyle will be graduating at the end of the school year and then heading off to college. It is strange to imagine him not here with us so often but we are proud of him and look forward celebrating his completion of high school. Also in the year to come is Jessi's volleyball season which should be starting the end of January as well as all things 13. Yes, our Jessi is officially a teen. There are going to be many firsts for the two babies, Lauren's potty training (hopefully sooner than later), and Taylors independence as a crawler (again, hopefully sooner than later). We will keep you in the loop by posting pictures of camp trips, boat trips, school events, hikes and everyday happenings. Hopefully for those of you who are far away, it will make you feel a little closer to us out here.

Until next time