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