Monday, June 29, 2015

Snapshots from Life

Things have been busy around here for a while, but I guess that's life with a one year old. We have been running around and traveling. Isn't that what summer is for? I cannot believe it's already almost July. This spring/summer has flown!

I have so many photos that I haven't shared on Facebook or Instagram.
Some go back to about April of this year,
and some are more current as well.
Here goes:

Chase turned 1 year old and had a wonderful birthday party!

He got some really fun toys... including a Thomas the Train!

We went to Washington for my cousin's college graduation... and visited Seattle.

Chase and Nicolette played near the Space Needle.

I forced my husband to drive us by the 10 Things I Hate About You house. :-)

We stayed at the Hotel Murano in Tacoma during our visit.

On Memorial Day, we attended a ceremony in downtown Gilbert.

We spent a morning exploring the Boyce Thompson Arboretum east of Phoenix.

Chase loves his car! We've been trying to stay cool in this Arizona heat.

What are your favorite things to do during summer?

Thursday, June 4, 2015

The Thrill of Flight

What is it with boys and airplanes? It's actually most things that move, but there's a special love for airplanes in our little man's heart. His father is a pilot, so I guess he comes by it honestly. I swear we aren't even brainwashing our guy to love airplanes. He just does. For many months now, he has pointed to every single plane he spots overhead. He doesn't even need to see them. Just the sound of jet engines triggers him to look skyward. It's a fun thing to see your little one drawn to something that catches their fancy. Airplanes it is!


There's something fascinating about watching a giant metal bird soar through the open blue sky! I love birds of a feather, and my husband and son gravitate towards the metal ones. I'm still working on teaching our one year old a love for feather birds too. I need a birdwatching sidekick, you know.


What is it about these man made metal birds that keeps us interested? They're piloted by humans. That's a start. Many people dream of flying an airplane but never do. Some, that would be me, prefer sitting in a seat while a trained pilot does the job. Then there are those who actually do fly these crazy contraptions that seem to defy gravity each time they take flight. There's also the people who are amazed/frightened by the fact that anyone would set foot aboard a plane let alone do it themselves. Airplanes are cool. Plain and simple.


Fighter jets are a whole different animal. They maneuver like nothing you've seen. I think they fly more like birds than many of the other planes out there. Up, down, breaking away, almost vertical climbs. If you've ever been to an airshow you might have seen something like that. One day I'm sure we'll take our little guy to an airshow. I hope he's still in love with airplanes then, because I can't wait to see him stare in amazement.


My grandpa, who Chase unfortunately never got to meet, had his private pilot's license before he could drive a car. Although there are many, it's one of my favorite stories about him. He knew everything there was to know about all the older airplanes out there. There were times when his memory would just blow you away. This airplane had a fill-in-the-blank horsepower engine. That airplane flew in this-or-that war. I hope to pass on some of my grandpa's stories to our son. Maybe one day he'll understand that kind of passion for flying.


I wonder what a one year old imagines when they see an airplane flying through the sky. One may never know, but it sure is fun to see a smiling face. After three trips by airplane, I'm sure our little guy won't remember a single one of them. We'll have pictures to prove it though. He shouted plenty of "wow's" and made lots of jet engine sounds while taking off down the runway. One day he'll understand the physics behind an airplane's flight, and I hope he'll still be amazed.


If it wasn't 100 degrees when we visited the airport, we might have stayed all day. All I know is that if our boy gets excited by spotting an airplane soaring above, then we'll have many more trips to the airport in our near future. Heck, we'll probably go watch planes even if our one year old tires of it.

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Get Cooking

There's nothing like a good home cooked meal to lift your spirits. Not that my spirits are in desperate need of lifting, but a tasty meal never hurts. I'm on a quest to find some good summer recipes to combat the Arizona heat. I just cooked some fantastic meatball-stuffed spaghetti squash, but let's be honest, having the oven on in 100 degree temperatures isn't the best of ideas.

If you're not hungry now,
you might be after looking at these images.

- - - - - - - - -

spaghetti squash stuffed with meatballs

sesame breaded chicken wraps with sriracha sauce

mexican soup with chicken topped with avocado

Let's be real here...
Soup isn't a great idea in the summer heat either.

Anyone have some good summer weather
recipes that they are willing to share?



Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Life with a One Year Old

I literally just sat down (butt just hit the chair) to work on a post after months of absence. Chase was (note the past tense) napping, and I figured I had a good 30 minutes to spill a few thoughts. Isn't that the struggle of a mom right there?

Finding time to complete the most simple of tasks like brushing teeth, getting dressed, doing the laundry, or writing a blog post isn't always the easiest thing. I'm not complaining. Just telling the truth. Every time I think to myself "oh, I have at least 30 minutes", life laughs in my face and our son cuts his nap short. Ha! Like I'm the one in control here. Life with a one year old. It's always an adventure. You never know what each hour, or even minute, is going to throw at you.

In the spirit of running out of time and trying to get to a waking baby before the screaming begins, here is a photo dump of our life lately.

overlooking downtown Phoenix atop South Mountain

"I'm 1 year old, and I'll throw my cup if I want to..."

Mother's Day

Mother's Day with my boys

this boy and his car.....

action shot... forget trying to get this boy to hold still for a second

I swear if I ever have a few minutes to spare, I'll share some deeper thoughts one of these days. Until then, I'll be picking up trucks and dishing out pieces of bananas and raisins for snacks.

Happy Tuesday!