basketball

We went to see the Phoenix Suns play some basketball with the Boley's. It was surreal being so close to the court and seeing how gigantic those men are! The lights, music and action made it really fun.


Our own little baller, Wesley also finished playing basketball this season. He only touched the ball once or twice per game, so hopefully he will learn to be more aggressive as he gets older. The best part of the season (besides the snacks after games) was receiving the trophy. He ran home to wash it with soap and water (one of his and Austin's favorite things to do to favorite toys), and took it with him around the house. Austin even took it to show and tell, very proud of his brother.
Wesley loves sports; whatever the season is, he dedicates himself to doing his best. I love watching his excitement and look forward to being his, "soccer mom" year round.

Ulta

There's something about walking into Ulta that gets me excited. I love seeing the new products, fresh make up, feeling super feminine and getting "ready" for the day doesn't seem like such a task anymore. Do you think the employees there feel pressure to look like movie stars everyday for work? Hair and make up done is a must! It was buy 2 get one free. How could I resist the temptation? Every girl deserves a bit o' pampering.



It all started with a new haircut. I now have long layers and "side swept bangs." I am still trying to figure out how to style them the way I like it.

I found out that the worst thing you can do for your hair is, "use a cheap plastic brush." I read about a boar hairbrush:

"The purpose of a boar bristle brush is not to detangle hair. In fact, these brushes should never be used on knotty hair. Because of the density of the bristles, tangles will get caught in the brush. Excessive use in tangly hair will result in considerable unnecessary breakage.Instead, boar bristle brushes are designed to clean, polish and condition hair. The densely-packed, fibrous bristles attract dust and dirt, brushing them out of the hair."

"The bristles also catch hold of sebum, the oily substance produced by the scalp. Left to itself, sebum tends to clump near the roots of hairs, clogging pores and giving hair a greasy, unwashed look. A boar bristle brush spreads the sebum from the root down the length of the hair shaft, allowing it to do its job of coating and protecting the hair. Sebum is the natural hair conditioner, and repeated application helps hair to stay moisturised and shiny."

I am encouraged to BRUSH 100 times a day...just like Marcia did in the Brady Brunch. The natural oils from my head will be spread around with the bristles, leaving my hair healthier and shiny. I tried it out in the store and all it left me was STATIC. But, over the next few weeks, the hair should adjust. I am excited b/c my hair is very brittle and damaged from plastic brushes. I have been brushing away, although the bristles are super thick and it's kinda hard to get to my scalp with my thick hair.

I left Ulta spending on more than I wanted, for example: my heated eyelash curler! (only $4). Battery operated, this thing supposedly sets my lashes with the heat for the whole day. My lashes are thick and straight, so I need extra help. Who knew it existed? I hope it works. I dream of curled lashes, where I don't have to curl them after using mascara and rip them off of my curler.

RedKen Extreme shampoo and conditioner. "Repair for distressed hair. For hair that is up to 4 times stronger. Extreme strengthens and resurfaces chemically and mechanically distressed hair." I love the marketing for that product, I just hope it works. I only flat iron and wash my hair twice a week, plus coloring it every 3 months. Does that make it "distressed?" I guess so.

RedKen flat iron heat protector. Better keep my split ends from breaking in two. " Iron silk 07 strengthens and protects as you flat iron in ultra-straight styles with zero frizz. Dual action formula works with yet protects from heat leaving a weightless shiny finish with a natural and touchable feel." SOLD!

Youtube.com has been a great resource for me to learn "how to" do things. I am learning how to style my "side swept bangs," put up my "pony with poof," and "how to do a messy bun." There are a lot of expert and talented young ladies out there showing the world 'how to' do hair and make up. Impressive to say the least. They must have a natural talent for that sort of stuff and how nice of them to share it with me.

So, I splurged. I used my "secret" money that I had hiding in my purse for just an occasion. Girls just wanna have fun sometimes...and primp...and feel pretty...and wash their hair!

Update 3-22-10
Shampoo and Conditioner is AMAZING. My hair feels completely different, soft, smooth and healthy. Will buy again. The eyelash curler was a flop, didn't keep the lashes curled any better than a regular curler. I was also not impressed with the heat protector, my hair felt extra stiff.

Spring Break

The house is very quiet. No balls are being thrown in the house, no whining about toys being stolen, no slamming of the toilet seats, no begging for gum or candy, no rush to get to school on time, no drops of milk from breakfast on the table, no one to clean up the messy toy room after Isaac has been there, and no homework to be done.

It is Spring Break...and I am down to just Isaac, Jared and me! Wesley is spending the week with his primos in Nogales, and Austin went up to Eager with his grandma and prima Kacie. They are elated and in heaven. Austin just called this morning telling me about all of the snow on the ground, "no estoy jugando."

I miss them like C.R.A.Z.Y. Thank heaven I still have one little tike to take care of. His pitter patter on the tile, grunts in the carseat, sticking out his tongue, shaking his head when he's done eating, slobbery kisses, fat cheeks and dirty diapers keep me happy. We made chimichangas last night and I was sad to not share the aceitunas (olives) with Austin. I didn't want to make any dessert b/c I knew my boys weren't around to eat it. We went for a walk at a school where there were dads playing catch and b-ball with their sons. My heart ached for Wesley to be around asking to play with Jared. That boy loves sports and is aspiring to be an athlete already.

I can tell Isaac lonely though without his brothers around to follow. It reminds me so much of when we just had Wesley. Babies are more whiny when they are alone! No "mean mom" came out last night b/c of bedtime routines going sour, and I didn't have cuddles and kisses in my bed at 5am from sleep walkers.

How do empty nesters do this? What will Jared and I do when we are all alone? How will I not get lonely? Will we drive each other crazy? Jared said that we just have to keep having babies so that we will have a full schedule of traveling around for visits. We also want to serve missions together. It still is so weird to think about...my life is my children right now. I like it that way.

If we had some fun cruise, road trip or event to attend this week, I am sure I wouldn't feel so odd. But, with no plans to go anywhere (Jared has some obligations he has to attend to this week), I guess it'll be a week full of movies, going for walks, and playing with Izzy on the floor. I am even off of the week from work!

I just hope to get a few things done: bathrooms, floors, swapping out baby clothing (Isaac is in a 18-24month now at 14 months old), maybe starting up another blurb book, and reading.

Update: 3-20-10

We found some fun things to do:
Spring Training game: Chicago cubs vs. LA Dodgers (Dodgers won, and Jared won the bet!) Isaac was excited about the popcorn, but pretty high maintenance while crawling through garbage in between the stands. Our friends Trisha and Chris Mariner invited us.






We took a short morning hike to the White ("Green" this time of year) Mountains up the street from our house. The trail was packed with kids, strollers, dogs and old people. The weather was gorgeous and Isaac even kept his hat on.




We are dog sitting for Rudy, but she is such great company that we asked to keep her longer. She loves jumping on our trampoline by herself and is so low key and friendly with Wrangler. We love Rudy.


Cut those bangs! Isaac is puckering up for a kiss, or a giggle. He is squishy.

Timelines

Waiting for answers

Waiting for guidance

Waiting for direction on our lives

Career?

Children?

We know what WE want, but when will we know what HE wants.

It's exhausting. It's frustrating. It's so hard to be patient.

When will we know what to do with our lives!!!

Monster Truck Madness

Jared took the boys to the Monster Truck Madness show in Phoenix, AZ.

Earplugs, McD's, huge trucks, and testosterone made the evening enjoyable.

Austin came down with a high fever and raspy cough, so he was uncomfortable. But, overall I think the boys loved being with papa and friends.

Boys love to see large trucks crash and burn, but give me a chick flick or pedicure and that makes me happy!

Fieldtrip for Farm Day

Wesley was the "pig" for the Farm Day program. Front row!





Wesley had a "Farm Day" at Paradise Elementary. I volunteered to help with the Duck Feet station (not the favorite one for the kids b/c they couldn't walk very well and got bored easily). But, I was happy to be able to see my country bumpkin' running around with the animals, churning butter, mounting a horse, going on a hay ride, and square dancing. It was a lot of prep for the teachers, but I think all the kids had a great time. He'll be doing a Farm Day program at school in a few weeks.






My Blurb.com Argentina 2009 book arrived in the mail! I was thrilled and relieved that it didn't get erased (again) so that I can finally put it up on my shelf and start on another project. I love editing the books and I love seeing the pictures come together on the pages. When my boys get married, I want to be able to give them copies of these books as keepsakes of their childhood. I get the best of both worlds; journaling and digital pictures in a hardbound book. I have 3 total.