TGIF

Cameron, Ed, Andrew, Pat, Caitlin, Kathleen, Dan, & Kori

Playing Dominoe's in our Dining Room

Dan, Dani, Pat, Ed, Cameron, & Caitlin

Pink Jeep Tour, Sedona, Arizona

Cameron & Caitlin

First Day of School in Front of our Home

Misty Lou Fay

aka Puppy Luppy

Since my last post on July 11th, a lot has happened around here. Just to name a few ... Dan and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary. We had visitors (Kathleen, Andrew, Kori, Ed, & Pat). We spent some time in Sedona with Ed & Pat. The dog is finally potty trained (for the most part). The kids started school. (Cameron is in 1st grade and Caitlin is in 2nd grade.) And, last but not least, football (and fantasy football) season is under way. Needless to say, we are finally getting into the swing of things. The kids activities are going to be starting up over the next couple of weeks - both kids will participate in soccer again and Caitlin has joined a new Girl Scout troop that starts next Wednesday. Before we know it, Dan will be entrenched in peak at Amazon. But before he is, we are hoping to enjoy the next month and a half or so before that comes to fruition. Off to visit my scrap room. Have a great day!

Fun in the Sun & Sunsets

Quick Update

The weather here has gotten hot (106-108) so it seems our life is adjusting with the temperatures somewhat. We have managed to carve out time to visit the clubhouse to do some swimming. The kids have also started swim lessons twice a week and are progressing wonderfully.

Kids Play Area within the Pool

Even though it is hot here, we have learned that the early mornings and late evenings are more tolerable. We have come to enjoy sitting on our back porch at the end of a long day to watch the sunset. The colors are just beautiful.

Sunset from our Back Porch

As mentioned, life here is all about the weather (and the puppy), so we are off to shop for ceiling fans!

Meet Misty

Just as we promised the kids, we have added a puppy to the family. Misty is a 3 month old lab mix that we rescued from the Humane Society. She's a ton of work and Motor is not loving the addition to the family but I think they'll come to tolerate each other over time. I guess I'd better go make sure she isn't chewing on anything or anyone!

Moving

My guys at Cameron's Kindergarten graduation.

My new kitchen (It doesn't look like this anymore, thank goodness!)

I guess it's time that I admit that blogging is not as easy as it seems. I mean ... Who has time? What do you say? and Is anyone even reading anyways? I guess we have had a few things on our plate with buying a home, moving a family, and everything else that comes along with that journey ... so I'll give myself a pass.

So, here's a few updates for you. Cameron graduated from kindergarten. Caitlin finished first grade. We moved to Arizona. Oh, and we bought a house.

We are in our new house and it is starting to feel like home. The cars are registered, the boxes are dwindling, the water softener is in, the blinds are being installed (tomorrow ... and we can't wait to sleep in past 5:30!!!), and the remaining estimates are almost in. Each of us is enjoying the extra space the house offers, the neighbors have all been welcoming, and the weather has been beautiful. All in all a good start (minus the scorpion - God rest his soul.)

Wish I had time to update more but, for now, this will have to suffice. Will post those photos you've been requesting when there's more time.

Please keep Hotel Fay in mind if you are visiting or traveling through. Now that we have a guest room again, we'd love to have it used ... regularly.

A Quick Update

I don't have much spare time on my hands but since I promised you an update when we returned, here's the abbreviated version.

Our last week-and-a-half has proven to be busy, productive, and even a little emotional. We spent our Easter weekend loading up Dan's necessities and traveling to Phoenix. On our way, we were fortunate enough to have time to take in the Hoover Dam. It was an amazing area. Photos really don't do it justice but here's a few for you anyways.

Dan & the kids at Hoover Dam

Dani & the kids at Hoover Dam

We arrived at Dan's apartment on the afternoon of Easter and enjoyed a relaxing dinner out before hitting the real estate market. We spent Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday house hunting. It was absolutely overwhelming how many houses we saw. (Never mind the condition of most of the houses!) Thursday proved to be our big day - the day that we made an offer on a house and had it accepted. If all goes according to plan, we will be able to move in at the end of May. It truly was a relief to have found something before the week was up!

Caitlin at one of the lakes in the development where we are hoping to purchase a home.

The front view of the home that we are hoping to purchase.

The kids and I flew back to Reno this past Saturday. Needless to say, NONE of us wanted to leave Dan behind but Caitlin took the first few days without Dad around pretty tough. Now that school is back in session and they are keeping busy with their respective activities, she is more distracted and therefore handling it a little bit better. Cameron, well ... nothing ever stops him! :-) Here's Caitlin's latest school project. A cow puppet for her school play later this month.

Caitlin & her Cow Puppet

"Dan Says"

Here's a photo from Danny Wanny's Farewell BBQ last weekend. The shirts say it all!

On the Move and Keeping it Normal. Well, Trying Anyways.

Even though Dan is on the move in just a couple of days, we have been trying hard to keep the kids schedules as normal as possible. That's not been the easiest of tasks considering that Caitlin was sick and out of school for four days. She's been back in action since last Friday and has been making the most of it. Cameron has gotten a mild case of it but, so far, it's not stopping him in the least. He just coughs his way through it all like a real trooper.

The move is coming along with all the major and minor details. From purging and donating all those unworn clothes, sorting through hundreds of photos and details of potential homes, scheduling movers, selecting temporary housing; the wheels are in motion. We will be spending a week in Phoenix looking at homes and hoping that we are able to fall in love with one and make an offer.

Along with all the prep comes all the goodbyes. Dan has one final day in the building here which is full of mixed emotions. Just this past Saturday, they held a Farewell BBQ for "Danny Wanny" which brought with it some inside jokes and custom made shirts for the occasion. If one goodbye in a weekend wasn't enough, we shared a final BBQ with the Loves - a wonderful family that we've become friends with in the short time that we've been here. Goodbyes are never easy but we are grateful to have met incredible people here in Nevada during our short stay here.

In the midst of all the move prep, we've been trying to keep up with the day-to-day schedules of the kids. This week, Caitlin's Girl Scout Troop had a Teddy Bear Tea where they went to Isabel's Bakery for finger sandwiches and pastries. They learned about proper dining etiquette and general manners. To add to the excitement, Cameron had his first T-Ball game. The weather turned on a dime and was BRUTAL (windy and very, very cold). After one inning (40 minutes), they called it a game. During the game, I attempted to take photos of Cam but he kept giving me the evil eye and whispering, "NO MOM, NO!!!". Note to self:  It's embarrassing for a 5-year-old boy to have their photo taken while trying to keep his head in the game. Oh well! Even if it's not appropriately captured on film, I can report that he is enjoying the sport and making new friends.

In our spare time, I squeezed in a moment to sit at my scrap space. I was asked to create a page for the school's upcoming Baskets & Bingo Night. Our theme was Family Fun. The pressure to create for other people was a new challenge but hopefully someone will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it. Colleen, I know you wanted to see the finished product so here it is... 

That's all for now but stay tuned since we hope to share some exciting updates on Dan's move and our house-hunting trip in the next blog.