109 Degrees: Good Thing We Have a Pool!

The dog days of summer have arrived in the Phoenix area (well, let's be honest .. it's been warm for months). Four months of non-stop 100+ degree weather. Before I moved here, I would always be shocked when I'd see the Phoenix summer temps on TV, but now that we live here, those high temps are just a way of life.

It's similar to a northern Midwest winter, just in the summer: you stay inside mostly and tolerate the extreme temperature for moments at a time, like from your air conditioned car to the air conditioned store, etc.

Today, our community's landscaping crew was outside and I watched them through my office window. The were all wearing hardhats and dark, long-sleeved shirts (why dark??). Those poor guys ... that is a miserable job to have in the summer.

As you can imagine, putting a pool in your backyard is very popular here in the Phoenix area ... so we had to join the bandwagon! :)

Okay, on a much smaller, cheaper level!

There's no way we'd get an in-ground pool. Our backyard is big enough, but wow ... what a liability! Each summer, there are reports on the TV about children drowning ... children who managed to get past the gate surrounding the pool. There is no way I'd ever have an in-ground pool in my backyard.

Besides, they are expensive and require lots of maintenance. And we're perfectly happy having a little pool that is just the right size for Christian (and our feet!).

Look at how happy this kiddo is!

Wordless Wednesday - June 23, 2010

Happy Father's Day, Papa!

Happy Father's Day to my Papa!

He's the best Papa in the whole entire world!

You know how some dads just sit back and let the Mommy do everthing? Not MY Papa!!

Here's what my Papa does for me:

• loves me


• plays with me


• feeds me


• gives me baths


• tickles me


• teaches me how to spell new words (did you know I can now spell "poo poo" all by myself?)


• puts me to bed


• reads to me


• prays with me


• Papa will even change my diaper, no matter how messy and stinky it might be


• My Papa can make a kite fly, even when there is no wind. He is amazing!
• Swings with me on the swing (and just taught me how to do it myself!), even though it makes him feel sick.

Sure, my Mommy does some of that, too. But today I am saluting my Papa because it is Father's Day!

My Papa even made my bedroom into a "big kid" room by putting up blinds/curtains, a cool ceiling fan, shelves, a little red table, and hooks for my backpacks:

Thanks for everything you do for me, Papa! I am very blessed that God chose you to be my Papa!

I love you!

Christian

Nohpt!

"Nohpt" is Christian's new word that he came up with tonight. It is apparently his new word for "No." He must have heard one of us say "Nope" with an emphasized "p" at the end and though he heard a "t."

Christian, do you want any more dinner? "Nohpt."

Do you want any more milk? "Nohpt."

Do you want to take a bath? "Nohpt."

Do you want to say "Nohpt"? "Nohpt ... ... ... YES" (giggle giggle) He realized we were trying to trick him. Clever kid!

And again this morning,

Christian, let's go to school! "Nohpt!"

Don't you want to go see Miss Tiffany? "Nohpt."

Let's get in the car now. "Nohpt."

He cracks me up!

Wordless Wednesday - June 16, 2010

Christianisms

Two year old are just so "magical"! Their wonder and awe are so adorable to observe. And their ability to expand their languge skills is amazing! Lately Christian has really been a little chatterbox ... here are some of the things he's saying:

• "I said please." Over the past few weeks, rather than simply saying please, he says, "I said please" when we prompt him to say the magic word.


• "No, thank you." This phrase might be among my favorites. He'll say it when he's in a good mood, and even when he's in a bad mood ... or is frustrated. "Christian, do you want some more milk?" "No, thank you." "Christian, let's go take a bath!!" "No, thank you."


• "I can't see." We're not too sure where he picked that one up ... but it is funny!


• "Did you hear ... that sound?" He said that one out of the blue yesterday when he heard a loud truck outside.


• "Water, sir." A little phrase Jonathan taught him at bathtime.


• "Cheers!" He likes to "tink" glasses with Jonthan and say "Cheers!"


• "Spell _______." Our little boy wonder is so amazing with words, letters, and numbers. Lately, he likes for us to spell words for him. Christian: "Spell diaper." Mommy: "Okay ... d - i - a - p - e = r." And he'll come up with several more words for me to spell. He'll also start trying to spell the word himself by coming up with various letters. Such a bright two year old!


• "Yes! I found bubbles." He cracked me up the other day with this one. The bubbles were up on the counter and he got on his tippy toes and could finally see them. "Yes! I found bubbles!"


• "Get some paper." Whenever even the smallest drop of liquid lands on Christian or is spilled elsewhere, Christian says, "Get some paper." We hand him a napkin or whatever, and he wipes up the liquid.


• "Oh no!" This phrase is so funny becuase he uses it with a variety of enthusiasm levels and moods. It could be a very happy, "Oh no!" or a very frustrated, "Oh no!" Makes me giggle inside every time.


• "Be nice!" Christian usually says this one when he's close to Bella, because he's heard us tell him many times, "Be nice to Bella!"


• "Don't sing." Christian has finally caught on that his mommy has a bad signing voice (no American Idol aspirations for me ...). So sometimes when I sing, he very bluntly tells me, "Don't sing" and uses his hand to close my mouth.


• "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ... dinosaur!" The "ohhhhhh" sound is like Darth Vader breathing in. When I'm holding Christian, he likes to have me open my mouth ... and then he makes the "ohhhh" sound and looks at my teeth and says, "Dinosaur!" I'm going to assume he gets that from a visitor they had at school who talked about dinosaurs ... maybe she showed them dinosaur teeth. Or maybe my teeth just look like dinosaurs to Chrsitian. Hard to say.
• "Ummmm .... hmmmm ... _______" Christian will say something like, "Let's go to ... ummmm .... hmmm ... the park." Like he's totally thinking about what he wants to say. He must have somehow picked it up from Jonathan and/or me. It makes us giggle every time he does it. It's such an adult thing to do!
• "One time!" As toddlers often do, Christian likes for us to read the same book to him over and over again (or, keeps bringing us books to read to delay his bedtime). So we'll say, "One time" when he brings us a book. And he now says it himself, with his index finger pointed upwards, "One time ..."


• "Mommy!!!" One of my favorite moments of the day is picking Christian up from school. He's always sitting down eating his lunch and he sees me approach the window that looks into his classroom. I hear him squeal, "Mommy!" (which often startles his teacher) and I walk into the room and he's still sqealing, "Mommy" as he points to me and looks at his teacher. I think one of the most heartwarming things a mom can experience is having her child be so delighted and excited to see her.

Of course, that list isn't exhaustive ... just a few examples I could think of to share today. :)

San Diego 2010

As you'll recall from this post, I selected the San Diego option for our five year anniversary trip. The trip was delayed for a few weeks, but it was good timing as temps in the Phoenix area had reached a steady 100+ degrees and we were longing for some cooler air.

The drive between our house and San Diego is about five hours. I was't too sure how our Boy Wonder would do, as it's been about a year since our last roadtrip, but he handled it like a trooper (sure, Mommy had to hop in the back seat and read the same book over and over and over again ... but, whatever it takes).

We stayed downtown at the Manchester Grand Hyatt which sits right on San Diego Bay and were blessed to have a suite (a must-have for young children, in my opinion) and get a free breakfast each morning (a mighty fine buffet that rivals the buffets in Las Vegas).

Our adventures included several trips to the nearby "Seaport Village", a tour of the famed U.S.S. Midway Aircraft Carrier, a day at Seaworld, and an cool afternoon at Coronado Beach.

Seaport Village was filled with lots of shops and restaurants, which is why we were there quite a bit. There's a nice pedestrian walkway that goes along the waters edge filled with people walking, running and biking. From there you can see all of the activity in the bay, includig the Naval Base across the bay. It's really amazing to see those huge vessels in the distance!

We took a tour of the U.S.S. Midway. We'd never been on an aircraft carrier and were amazed at the sheer size of the ship. Christian loved to see all of the aircraft on the top deck (okay, we did, too!). Most of the ship is opened to tours and we got to see quite a bit. However, when you have a toddler in tow, it just isn't possible to see everything in one visit. It would be nice to visit the Midway again in the future and see some more.

Seaworld was an interesting adventure! I had never been before and didn't realize it was an entire theme park (I had assumed it was just a whale show or two).

Christian enjoyed Seaworld until ... Cirque de la Mer. We were sitting in the stands waiting for the show to start when a couple of weird clowns came out to interact with the audience. Christian bolted and Jonathan went after him ... and they watched the show from the most remote location in the stadium. By the time I got to them after the show, Jonathan - who had been holding Christian in his lap - discovered that Christian's diaper had been leaking. So, I had two wet men on my hands. And I only had an extra shirt for Christian ... no extra shorts.

Lesson learned.

Fortuantely, there was a Sesame Street store nearby and we soon had Christian in new shorts ... and Jonathan just air dried.

After that ... we headed to the new Blue Horizons show. We arrived and the stadium was filling up quickly, so we were delighted to see there were a couple of seats still available right in front Boy, did we feel fortunate! Christian would have seats that were eye level with the tank (ahem ... remember, I had never been to Seaworld before and was unaware of what would happen in that front row).

We sat there waiting for a few minutes as the stands completely filled up. Vendors walked past us announcing towels and rain ponchos for sale. I thought to myself, "Geeze, everybody's gotta make a buck, I guess."

A voice came over the loud speakers, "The first 12 rows are the 'Splash Zone' and you WILL get wet." Jonathan and I both looked at each other. I said, "Well, if we're at the bottom of the first 12 rows, maybe the water will go OVER us and hit the rest of the rows."

*sigh*

Within minutes of the show starting, a nice little dolphin swam over to our section ... and right in front of us, lifted its tail and, "SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH!!!!" We were soaked and Christian was very unhappy. He tried to get down and leave, but we held onto him tightly, for getting up during the show was a no-no.

I had hoped it would be the one and only splash, but no such luck. We tried to keep Christain dry through the second wave that hit us a few minutes later, but it was hopeless. Christian was hating it. We had put his little windbreaker over his head to keep him dry ... and he kept that jacket over his head for the rest of the show. We tried talking to him with happy voices and taking the jacket off, but he'd have none of that. Well, at least he was able to create his own little "comfort zone."

Another lesson learned: sit higher in the stands for shows involving large swimming mammals.

There is just too much to see at Seaworld, and we missed out on the Shamu show and other shows. But there's always next time.

The trip was short ... we were only gone Thursday - Sunday. We were sad to leave the cooler temps of San Diego. As we left the shore and headed inland, Jonathan called out the temps as they got higher and higher. By the time we got home five hours later, it was a sizzling 109 in the Phoenix area.

Great time, fantastic memories and lots of pictures to show Christian when he gets older!

Enjoy some of the pics below.

Wordless Wednesday - June 2, 2010

Los Luceros Visit Wickenburg, Arizona

Today we took a drive to Wickenburg.

"Wickenburg? What and where it that?"

Thanks for asking!

Just 60 miles northwest of downtown Phoenix in the northern reaches of
the great Southwest's Sonoran Desert, Wickenburg is noted for its clean air,
good country living, western hospitality, and all-around high quality of
life.

So on a whim, we ventured out to Wickenburg. Although we only saw the "touristy" areas (and not all Wickenburg has to offer), we had a grand time! When you've got a two year old, you've got to do things quick!

Unfortunately, most of the shops were closed because of Memorial Day, so there wasn't much more to do than walk around and stop off for some lunch. There is a nice resort there (maybe next year, as it appears the resort closes for the hot summer months) and apparently plenty of "dude ranches." We think a dude ranch adventure would be great when Christian gets older.

Christian's First Week at "School"

Christian started a new "school" this week: The Goddard School. After over a year of being in Melissa's care, we moved Christian to this new school in our community, as making two long round-trip drives each day had become too difficult. We will be forever grateful to Melissa for the love and care she gave our little boy!

Jonathan and I were a bit nervous: how would he do in a brand new environment? How would he do with a lot of other kids in the room? How would he adjust to a new routine and a new adult in charge?

I am happy to report that Christian had a wonderful first week! YAY!

He did some things that he doesn't do (or won't do) at home:

1. Drank out of a "big boy cup"
2. Washed his hands with soap and water at the sink
3. Sat on the potty (more than once)!
4. Allowed sunscreen to be applied without having a meltdown

Each day, we get a report from his teacher on what he and his class did ... and a special note about something specific that Christian did. The first comment of the week on his sheet was that he sat very quietly for the library visitor and can speak very clearly.

This week at school was all about France (there is a different country each week throughout the summer. Next week is Ireland). The kiddos learned some key French words such as "Merci" and "Au Revoir." They read books on France, built an Eiffel Tower, ate French food, etc.

Both his teacher and the school's assistant director commented on his manners. We have spent a long time (since he could utter his first words) working on "please" and "thank you." And so it warmed my heart to know that he's using these words outside the home without Mommy or Daddy reminding him.

At the entrance of the school is a large monitor that shows various pics of the kiddos from that week. Christian was in a few and looks happy ... and that makes ME happy! What was interesting is that rather than being amused by his own photo on the monitor, he was excited to see his friend from class, Charlie. "Charlie ... Charlie!" he yelled out. Awww ... he has a friend!

I drop Christian off at 7:45am and pick him up at noon, just as he's finishing up his lunch. It's a different routine to get accustomed to: I used to take him to Melissa's and she's feed him breakfast and lunch. But now, I feed him breakfast before we leave for school, and I also pack him a lunch ... and hope that he'll be in the mood to eat what I've given him. So far, so good.

Next week ... Ireland! :)

Chistian with his Elmo "pack-ack" and his Cars lunch bag.

Wordless Wednesday - May 26, 2010

A Day in the Life of Jennifer - Straight from the Comics

Five Years and Counting

Today we celebrated our five year wedding anniverary!

Jonathan's amazing gift to me was my choice of vacations from "Christian's 5-Star American Travel Tours" (a spin-off from Christian's 5-Star Restaurant on Valentine's Day."

(Click on each of the two pages to view an enlarged size)

HOW CUTE!

So which did I choose? San Diego! I've never been to San Diego, and know Christian would just love endless sand on the beach. I'm not sure which weekend we'll go, but I'm really excited!

And a huge thanks to Jonathan for putting together such a nice travel brochure and for being my beloved husband for five years! :)

We Love Verrado!

New residents in our community get a "Welcome to the Neighborhood Apple Pie." How cute is that!

Ours arrived a few months late becuase our neighborhood within Verrado is new and we just got a "Block Captain" (and no, that Block Captain isn't me). Out of the blue, our new block captain showed up with a tasty pie ... how wonderful!


We absolutely love living here in Verrado. Here's some of the reasons why:

• PIE! :)
• "Meet and Greet" night for new residents
• Annual "Neighborhood Block Party" at the park across the street (talk about CONVENIENT!)
• Beautiful landscaping throught the community (and since we live across from one of the community's main parks, our park was green and beautifully maintained throughout the winter).
• A park and playground right outside our door.
• Lots of places to walk. We can take a walk in any direction and never get bored. We can walk up into the mountains that are just up the street, or through blocks of homes ... and some REALLY nice, expensive custom homes. We can walk to the grocery store, coffee shop, dentist (which I have already done), gym, pool, etc.
• Super friendly people
• Lots of kiddos
• Awesome views!

I could go on and on. I really could. No ... really ... I COULD!

Happy Birthday, Jonathan!

Happy Birthday! We love you!

Happy Easter!

This Easter marks Christian's first time to color Easter eggs and he had a great time!

It was also his first time to hunt for eggs. I wasn't sure he'd be too into it, but he was so delighted with each egg he found! We might need to do periodic "hunts" ... maybe we could hide his multitude of Thomas trains in the front yard and have him look for them. :)

Happy Easter to you all! Remember that while the eggs, chocolate bunnies and Peeps are great fun and mighty tasty, Easter is about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

He came, lived, died and rose again for you, for me ... for each one of us! His love is truly an amazing love.

More Visitors!

We just had another week of more visitors! What fun the Lucero family is having!

This time, our visitors were Jonathan's brother Eldon and our three nieces, Rebecca, Brianna and Kayla.

We loved having them here ... loved entertaining them (as best we could with both of us working) and loved feeding them! I'm not a very good cook, but it was fun and Becca was always lending me a hand.

Christian took a while to warm up to them, is now obsessed with saying, "Unco Eh-w-do, Becca, Brianna, Kay-wa!"

And I managed to get them hooked on "Twilight" and "New Moon." Becca and I can't decide if we are "Team Edward" or "Team Jacob." Maybe seeing the next movie, "Eclipse" in a couple of months will help us to decide.

Thanks for coming, everybody! We were sorry to see you go and can't wait until you visit next year! :)

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

SPRING TRAINING!

Today we took Christian to his very first baseball game. It's spring training here in the Phoenix area and the Colorado Rockies and Texas Rangers were playing.

Christian is much too entergetic and active to sit down for a baseball game, so we spent quite a bit of time just trying to keep him occupied. From the looks of things, he'll glow to really enjoy watching "the boys of summer." He can already throw a ball pretty good, too! :)

A home run ball was hit out to us in centerfield and his awesome Uncle Eldon caught the ball and gave it to Christian to commemorate his first game.

Nice catch, Uncle Eldon ... thanks! :)

Granny and Grandpa Come for a Visit!

While I was in New Orleans, Christian's Granny and Grandpa came for a visit to stay with him.

It meant a lot to all of us that Christian got to spend time with them for a few days. The song selection, "Legacy" by Nichole Nordeman is perfect. Christian is his grandparents' legacy. :)

A huge thanks from all of us for their visit!

(To view the video in full screen mode, run your cursor along the bottom of the video to see the viewing options)

A Morning at the Zoo

We were supposed to go to the zoo for an event that got canceled ... so we went anyway!

I thought Christian would be excited to see all the animals up close and in person. Nope. Know what he was most interested in? Dirt!

That's my boy!

Good thing his admission was free. Or we would have paid money to see and play with dirt.

New Orleans ... or "N'awlins" (as the Locals Say)

This week my company held a conference in downtown New Orleans. I had high hopes of getting out to see this city I'd never been to ... but no such luck. The most I got to see was our glorious hotel, and Bourbon Street.

Ever been to Bourbon Street? If not, let me tell you what you're missing: not much. It's just a long street with lots of bars and lots of drunkards roaming around .... highlighted with an occasional whiff of vomit. Not my kind of adventure.

The hotel, however, was a different story. It was the historic Roosevelt Hotel, and part of the Waldorf Astoria Collection (wow!). The hotel also houses the infamous "Blue Room" which hosted performers such as Louis Armstrong and Frank Sinatra "back in the day."

The food was FABULOUS! I tried food I'd never eaten before and absolutely loved most of it (except for the grilled oysters, which came highly recommended ... but just wasn't appealing to me).

And talk about "Southern Hospitality"! People in New Orleans are just so nice. Okay, okay ... so those people worked at a swanky hotel and get paid to be nice to guests. But there were times when I was able to visit with the ladies who came in to turn down my bed at night (talk about an odd luxury), or the guys who set up the buffet luncheon, etc. and I enjoyed their genuine kindness , warmth and passion for their town.

So here are a few random pics from the hotel. Okay, so it's weird to take a pic of the toilet paper roll ... but, well, I didn't get out much. :)

"Jesus!"

Christian has a double-sided easel in the living room. The whiteboard side has been up against the wall since we moved into the house in December.

The chalkboard side has become dull and the chalk doesn't write on it very well these days. So I turned the easel around so he could write on the white board side.

He squealed, "Jesus!!" and I wasn't sure why. He said it again, "Jesus!"

I was stumped. Until I looked at the white board:



He hadn't seen that word in months ... but knew it when he saw it. :)

Hospital de Los Luceros

Sickies Unite!

That is what I'm calling my boys - Jonathan and Christian - this week: sickies!

It all started earlier this week with Christian seemingly having allergies. But alas, there was a cough going around Christian's daycare and you guessed it ... he got it.

Then Jonathan got it and hasn't been feeling well all week (Jonathan even came home early and has been sleeping all afternoon). Both of my boys have been coughing and feverish at times. Unfortunately, there isn't much I can give my two year old. It is so awful to watch him go into coughing fits that upset him so much he's on the verge of crying. And it's heartbreaking to see him laying down on the couch, lacking all energy.

I'm convinced Motrin is a miracle drug. We've had to give Christian Motrin a couple of times this week to bring down his fever - and it works within minutes.

So far, I've remained healthy (depsite failing at teaching Christian how to cover his mouth when he coughs, which results in me getting coughed on way too many times) by:

1. Taking Airborne
2. Using Allergen Block
3. Using the neti pot my mother-in-law gave me (I get nasty allergies and she very kindly sent me a neti pot a while back. If you haven't tried using a neti pot, you should!)
4. Lots of hand sanitizer
5. Plenty of prayer between Jonathan and me asking God to let me stay healthy (because once Mommy gets sick ... that is bad news (as you mommies out there can attest to!).

To be honest, I feel "something" starting to come on. But I'm just too busy with work and taking care of my sick boys to get sick myself.

Better do another shot of "Airborne" ASAP!

Jennifer

Wordless Wednesday - February 24, 2010

Click image to enlarge ...

Cupcakes and Smoky Pizza

I so desperately want to be Martha Stewart - minus the snooty attitude, of course. I want to be creative in crafts, decorating, cooking and baking. I want my home to look like a model home and my yard to look like it belongs on the cover of Better Homes and Gardens.

And then there is reality.

1. I have a full-time job that occupies way too much of my time.
2. I am a very busy mommy
3. I can't decide on a decorating "style" I like and want to emulate.
4. We aren't made of money (and we refuse to live on credit cards)

I recently found this recipe in Woman's Day magazine. The cover photo of these beautiful cupcakes had fondant flowers and bees made of yellow peanut M&Ms and Tootise Rolls. I was instantly smitten and inspired! We were having guests in a few days and these cupcakes were to be the dessert.

I made everything from scratch - as the recipe instructed - with the exception of the fondant itself. However, I did color and cut the fondant. I made the little bees, too.

Dessert was preceded by a couple of take-and-bake pizzas from our local grocery store. We'd never cooked two at a time before and as I visited with our guests, I started to smell something burning. I openened the oven to find the pizza tray that came with the pizza (and yes, was supposed to go into the oven) was burning to a crisp - it was on the bottom rack and closest to the heating element. How embarassing!

I simply have no talent for preparing food for a group larger than my family of three - even if it's just putting a couple of pizzas in the oven. I want to be Martha Stewart, and it just isn't going to happen ... ever.

But the cupcakes came out cute! Not quite the high, fluffy frosting as the magazine showed (I'm certain there was some tricky photography there. Maybe there was a hidden cone in there that they covered with frosting?)

And by the way, the honey lemon frosting in this recipe is delicious!