Stormy Sunset

The other night, we had another storm coming in over Yuma. It's sometimes locally, and weather can change very fast here, so you never know what you will get when there is storm warning. It can be everything from severe thunderstorms, hail, heavy rain fall, sandstorm or nothing at all...many times the storm just pass us by.

But, Wednesday night, it was a beautiful sunset looking out over our patio, but when I walked to the front of the house to see what was coming, as I saw storm warnings on the phone, plus that Chris texted that there was a storm coming, and he was on base, and in town they sometimes get different weather than we here closer to the mountains. 

The pictures below doesn't at tell it right, as the sky was every color in the scale from violet, dark purple, close to dark blue/gray turning to a smoky gray with light orange sun on the clouds higher in the sky. With or without flash, it's not easy to catch these very special cloud settings on picture. Still, when the sky turned dark, the lightening and thunder came on strong and heavy rain followed. Like turning on the hose, it was pouring....which makes it even more dangerous, as the water doesn't sink in very fast here in the sand, and the streets flood right away from water that doesn't have anywhere to go, plus drifting sand...

When the rain started in the front of the house, I walked back inside, and snapped these two pictures below facing the sunset, where there were no rain in sight....Crazy weather for sure. I hope that this monsoon season doesn't have any more dangerous storms in store for us. 

Picture Day!

Yesterday was Picture Day in school. This years only pictures I guess, as there isn't a clear class anymore, but only individual pictures which also will be used for the yearbook. How would it be possible to choose one or two pictures from Cassie, when I love them all? It's clear that I love to take pictures, and Cassie is such an easy model, as all her pictures come out great. Like I've said many times before, she is a natural in front of the camera!

Picture Day also means waking up a little bit earlier, as she loves to have her hair curled and who can blame her, she has beautiful hair and it turns out great the way she pins it up. Sweet girl, so grown up already!

The light inside in her room early morning wasn't the best, so as the "crazy mom" I am, I "needed" to get a few pics of her outside too, before she left for the bus. 

My gorgeous 6th Grader!!

My lovely sweetie- mommy's "little" model!!!

Cassie's friend Gracie came to pick her up as we finished up, and I was able to get a picture of the two friends, and her mom was very happy to get a picture sent over the phone, as she was already at work this morning. I hope that the pictures will come out nice, Cassie knows how to look her best, but she was a bit upset when she came home as the photographer had told her to tilt her head "the wrong way" and that she felt like he kept saying up with your chin more and more and she said that she thought that the smile grew fake on her face in the process...Well, if they don't turn out nice, there is always a retake, but I doubt that we will need one...:)

Toddler Time & Kids Computer

After Toddler time last Friday, the kids were very excited to see that the library has set up a kid computer with just learning games for younger kids! Perfect and a lot of fun...as long as  you can share that is. But, amazingly enough, this first time at the computer, none of them had a clue on what they were doing, so they tried to help each other out. The computer even had touch screen, so it didn't really matter if they didn't know how to use the mouse properly, it's not easy for little hands to press and move a mouse at the same time, especially if they haven't practiced this before.

I know that this will be a great tool for them to play and learn while here at the library! Here are the pictures of that visit:

Ring around the rosies...

Ben-I didn't fall down Mommy!

Concentration is high!!

Lets pop those ballons!

Car racing with numbers..

More counting and number recognition!

Isabella's Outing With Mommy

Like I mentioned in the previous post, I took Isabella with me to the Physical Therapist, and she loved coming along. It's not very often that I get to take only one child with me, and focus just on one and it's so nice, and we were talking, singing along in the car to the music on the radio and just giggling about this and that.

She had packed her little backpack and this backpack brings back so many memories to me! This backpack was Cassie's first backpack for her ballerina outfit, ballerina shoes and drink bottle when she was 3 years old and living in Sweden. She used to wear this backpack going to the weekly dance lesson and she'd wear it with such a pride, and now I see Isabella wearing the same one. Same age, different girls but still so similar in many ways. I wish that I'd have a picture of that image somewhere, I might have to look for one as they are not in the computer. Unfortunately these were the days long before I owned a digital camera...

Isabella's backpack wasn't packed with ballerina stuff, but with a barbie, a book, a drink and a few snacks.

Hanging out with mommy while mommy is laying on ice and having "electricity patches" on my hips and lower back for about 15 minutes in the very end. The animal printed pockets are ice for my hips.

I wanted to put Isabella "on top of the world" as this stone decoration is supposed to be the world, but there is a big fat sign telling everyone NOT to touch the globe, and there were so many people around us, so I didn't want to put her on.

Before we took off home, we stopped by Sam's Club, that is on the way home, and coming out from there, it was still very sunny and warm. Not did I know that a huge Sandstorm was on it's way, plus that I had not checked my phone for weather alerts either. Well, not even half way home, we were stuck in the Sandstorm. If you missed that entry, HERE you can read more!

But with or without Sandstorm, I had a great time with just Isabella, and I will try to keep doing these things here and there with just one, for some quality time with just one child! And Isabella, enjoyed her "adventure with mommy" very much! "We even got stuck in a storm!!" She told everyone..:)

Play Date And Dinner With Friends

Last Thursday, when we had the Sandstorm, we had Calvin here over the day to play while his parents were checking out of the hotel, getting a little organized in the house and running some errands. It went so well! The kids played nice and had so much fun!! Calvin like Ben likes "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" and they played for a long time with Bucky the ship and the pirates. A lot of play with some small cars and even if Isabella didn't get any "girl toys" out, she enjoyed playing only with the boys and with the stuff that they were playing with.

Normally here at home, they combine their games quite well, Ben pulls out all his knights and pirates, and Isabella her princesses and then they play all kind of stories. It was fun to see that she too got involved with the cars etc.

After a lot of play in Ben's room, Isabella wanted to draw and it turned into that we pulled out stickers and markers for the kids to decorate cards and their own spyglass. There were many stickers to choose from, and they played with this for some time while I was getting lunch ready.

As the table was overflowing with stickers, the kids were allowed to sit by the coffee table and eat and also to watch a movie! Ben let Calvin use his chair and as Isabella has a second little chair, she used that one and Ben could use Isabella's. One would think that this wouldn't be a problem...Well, lets say this, it's pink and has princesses on it, and my little boy did NOT want to sit on that chair. Luckily, he was very much pleased when I put his blue bath towel with stars on it, to make it a "boy chair".

Lunch and a movie!

Soon after this, Pamela and Bill came over to pick him up, as I had an appintment with my Physical Therapist in the afternoon, but as Chris was back home from golf, he said that Calvin could stay and they would be able to get more shopping done. Said and done, they left and I had to go aswell, just before I left, I asked Isabella if she wanted to come along, as the opportunity was there to take just one child with me, having Chris at home. Plus that Ben could get some alone time with his new friend. And yes, she wanted to! She was so sweet, got her backpack and sunglasses and was ready. More in another entry, as I have cute pictures of her that I want to share!

Driving back, you already have read about the Sandstorm, but when we were finally safe and sound at home, we grilled hamburgers and had a good dinner together.

Hamburgers for dinner - grilled in the garage, as the rain was still pouring down...

And look what beautiful flowers I was spoiled with!! I'm not used to get flowers, and I loved the sweet gesture and the wonderful bouquet that I received from Pamela and Bill! Thank you so much again!! Writing this now, almost a week later, they are still just as pretty, I have cut fresh cuts on the stems a few times, and changed the water, but that's all. Really nice to be able to enjoy them longer, as sometimes flowers like this live short lives...

Such a pretty close up that I already posted on Instagram.

Anniversary!

Happy 7th Anniversary Alskling!

There isn't so much to say about this day, that I haven't already said many times before..If you have missed our wedding and want to read up on it, please go in under my category wedding, and you'll find several posts there. 

Something that says it all though, is a video clip of the song that we chose to have in the chapel during our wedding, sung right after the exchanging of the rings and the vows. The words were very true already then, and even if not all days in these seven years have been sweet, nothing has changed what comes to those feelings. 

"Come What May"

From the movie "Moulin Rouge"

performed by Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman.

 

"In good times and in bad times"...Chris - I will love you, until my dying day!