Off to Omaha

Mario left this morning for Omaha. I am trying to think of all the positives but it's hard to think of many. In fact, I can only think of two. I can now have tacos as many times a week as I want and I don't have to share the garage with his vehicle. But obviously I'd give up both of those to keep him here. I am grateful that they allowed him to stay an extra month in Tucson. I am grateful for his new (old) car that he loves and hopefully will be a lot safer and more enjoyable to drive than his Ranger. He new the moment he saw this car that he wanted it. It is a 2004 Acura MDX with only 50K miles and driven by an older couple. So it is in really good condition and drives like a dream. I am hoping I can drive it a lot if he buys a truck in Omaha.

Perfect Teeth

Guess who got her braces off today? They look beautiful but she's not loving the retainers.


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Meanest Parents Ever

Early last summer, when she was 11, Erin gave me this list of all the things that she wishes she could do, but Mario and I won't let her. There are several things on there that she has since done, but there are some that Mario and I won't budge on like sleepovers, walking to school alone, and getting online when we aren't home. I'm sure she is glad she didn't quit piano since now she loves it. Plus she got a bird and I added texting to her phone. Other things she exaggerated like watching PG-13 movies, we allow that as long as they are on Clearplay.

Early last summer, when she was 11, Erin gave me this list of all the things that she wishes she could do, but Mario and I won't let her. There are several things on there that she has since done, but there are some that Mario and I won't budge on like sleepovers, walking to school alone, and getting online when we aren't home. I'm sure she is glad she didn't quit piano since now she loves it. Plus she got a bird and I added texting to her phone. Other things she exaggerated like watching PG-13 movies, we allow that as long as they are on Clearplay.

City of Rocks and White Sands

We always make a mad dash to see whatever we need to right before we PCS. We had been invited on a couple camping trips to City of Rocks in New Mexico but were never able to go. So we decided to take a couple days and see the state park and also the White Sands National Park. The kids loved climbing all over the rocks and then sledding down the white sand dunes. Nathan was the bravest of all the kids because he was the first to go down the dunes standing up on the sled. He even chose the largest dune he could find to go down. So we are going to try to get him into snowboarding (if they have that in Nebraska). My kids enjoyed the White Sands much more than the Grand Canyon. They were ready to leave after 5 minutes at the Canyon and they spent 2 half days at the White Sands. It was beautiful.

De-sanding

Eagle Court of Honor

Last night, Eric's YM President surprised him with an Eagle Court of Honor at a Boy Scout camp-out at Parker Canyon Lake. It is a beautiful campground overlooking a lake. Unfortunately, it was an hour and a half away so we didn't get to invite many people. But Aero Ala, Eric's scoutmaster during his Eagle project, and Hank Tolman, Eric's EYO scout leader in Monterey, were both able to attend. Eric was completely surprised. We appreciate Hank's work in getting Eric within 2 months of the rank of Star while Eric was 11 years old. I think that was key in Eric getting Eagle. Then Aero helped Eric finish it all off. Many thanks to Uncle Charlie who designed the programs.

Nathan Horseback Riding

We have noticed that Nathan is starting to enjoy activities that just a year or two ago, he was to scared to try. One example is horseback riding. He and Mario went on an almost 2 hour ride last night. I'm so proud of Nate.

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Snow in Late March

We have been lucky to live in a nice, warm place. Even luckier than that, we live within an hour's drive of Mount Lemmon that has skiing and sledding. The kids, neighbor Emma, and I ventured up yesterday for one last time before we move. The kids froze and didn't last more than an hour but had a lot of fun. We definitely must buy good snow boots and gloves in Nebraska.




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Zach's Cooking

I have been lazy over this Spring Break. I try to sleep in and once I do wake up, I like to stay in bed as long as I can. Zach got impatient with me and decided to take matters into his own hands. He made pancakes on Monday, muffins on Tuesday, and biscuits on Wednesday. He is taking after Erin, cooking really well. Eric is excited that he has two siblings to cook for him now.



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Tucson Zoo

The boys have been begging to go to the zoo. This will be our last time in Tucson. I will miss the snack bar because hotdogs and chips only cost a dollar each. It's conveniently located right at the end. So when I get tired of walking, I remind the boys of the lunch awaiting them. That always gets them moving faster.


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Ford Ranger

Mario is mourning the loss of his beloved Ranger. He had to sell it yesterday. I have been begging him to sell it for years because it is so small, but he loved his truck and wouldn't dream of parting with it. The plan was for it to eventually become Eric's truck.

But, with upcoming move in a couple weeks to Omaha, Mario thought about trading it in for a 4x4 SUV. But he just couldn't do it. It would need some maintenance before the long road trip. But after taking it to the shop and finding that it would cost more to fix then it was worth, he felt he had no choice but to say goodbye. He sold it to the twin's basketball coach who plans to auction it off. It was a difficult day for Mario and he isn't sure how he's going to live without a truck now. Eric may be getting his first truck within a few months of moving to Omaha. Then Mario will always have one that he can borrow. I think that will be a good solution. Eric will just have to wait a few months before he gets his learner's permit to drive it.

Newspaper From the Past

We just happened to be visiting a toy store in O'Fallon when the newspaper was doing an article on the small business. They asked if Nate and Zach could be in the newspaper.

Dear Tooth Fairy

I was going through all my files (can you tell it is time to move again?) and I came across this adorable note from Erin to the Tooth Fairy from 2006. She was almost 7. Unfortunately it was written in pencil so it is hard to read. It says, "Dear tooth fairy I am sorry I Lost the tooth I know that I have lost three But they are so little Erin"