InstaFriday - Unexpected Loss

Ok, so Friday's are usually my favorite day - I have been neglecting my blog don't I know it, but Friday is the one day that I always come back and reflect on our week (thanks to my iphone and instagram, you can follow me at jenni_roseland if you want to) and it is always so much fun to look back and see what we have been busy doing.  

I can honestly say, we really had a great week up until last night.  You know real life got in the way, well death actually (no, it isn't all roses around here, but I don't tend to blog about that stuff, just the good stuff, the stories that my kids and their kids are going to want to read about someday).   Last night our dog Fletcher passed away very unexpectedly.  We had just been given a report by the vet a week ago (see the pictures below) that he was one healthy, just very old dog!  So when I went outside to call my dad and saw Fletcher just lying there, barely able to breath, I knew it wasn't going to be long before he passed.  My mom talked to me the whole way to the animal hospital, but it was too late when I got there, he died in my car on the way over.  I knew it and was able to say goodbye before I brought him inside the hospital.  I really did think Fletcher was going to live forever.  The kids are very sad and we told a lot of Fletcher stories last night.  They also talked about how he is with Delilah now and they are buddies once again.  He really will be missed BIG.

That being said, here was the rest of our week:

 I tried another crock pot recipe, Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches!  They were a hit once again (even though the bread I bought was way to big)!  I did a little 4th of July decorating and hung my favorite decoration up, my paint chip banner!  It fills the frame perfectly  And like I said earlier, we took Fletcher to the vet last week and he was given a great bill of health!  I am so glad we took him though, I got that sweet picture of him with the kids and also of just him.  Kyan has a picture collage in his room and one of the pictures is of our late dog Delilah, so he asked if he could add Fletcher's picture to it.  And no, those toes aren't Lola's.  Kyan thought it would be cool to have his painted black, however, as soon as I finished, he started scraping them off!

 Took my walk early Saturday morning and it was hottttt!  I decided that I like my evening walks better.  Also, my knee has been killing lately.  Two knee surgeries in high school and I will never be right I swear.  I have never been a runner, but I long to run.  I like my walks, don't get me wrong and I have loved every second of this challenge, but I want to run and it just doesn't happen for me.  Any runners out there with tips?  Or other ACL surgery patients that put something on their knee while walking/running.  I got my planner in from Much Ado About You and I LOVE it!  If you are a paper planner, you need to check out her shop!  Went to my nephew's birthday party and I showcased how I do cards, with paint chips.  They are my answer for everything!  And night swims, they are the kids favorite!  When I asked them to pose, this is what happened all on their own!  Love them.

Cleaned the pool Sunday trying to get it ready for two parties coming up this next week!  New boots found by my parents at an antique store!  Yippee, that means they will be nice and worn in already for me, keeping fingers crossed they fit!  Went on my walk with crazy hair!

 Went on the hunt for tile that matched existing tile and struck out big time the first trip out.  Way too light.  I got pretty dang close round two!  Lola has been dying to do her "painting project" as she calls it, so we busted it out and she went to town (I did too, it was fun).  She is still working on it!  Hoping to put it in their playroom when she is all done!  Made chicken salad sandwiches for dinner!  Yum.  I wanted to make tuna, but we were out and only had canned chicken, so I improvised!  Added green apples, red onions and mayo to the canned chicken.  Topped it with sprout and raddishes!  So delicious!  Lola even loved it!  I made her a special version the next day, onion free!  Excited that she has moved on to bigger and better things than just peanut butter sandwiches!

 See that sunscreen?  Yeah, that will last about a week at my house.  Love it when she is sleeping.  So peaceful.  Updated the bathroom towels, slowly but surely my house will look nice.

 Wednesday the kids woke up and did chores.  No arguing, no fighting.  Just teamwork!  It was awesome!  Then we headed to Target, Kyan had a gift card burning a hole in his pocket and he wanted a new Skylander guy!  It was over his price range, but I told him I would help him out, since he did such an awesome job with the chores!  Hoping that it would help in the chore department later on!  Lola got new goggles and a hula hoop, which really is shared between the both of them!  I need to get Kyan his own!  They both love it!  Had to go to the dentist to get a few fillings after Target, for me, not my kids!  They were very excited to go with me though, they love my dentist, he plays movies for them!  Good thing too, I need to go back and next week for more!  Ugh.  After the dentist and having half of my face numb, I took Chad's car to the dealership for service.  That was awesome, being able to talk out of half my mouth.  I forgot to eat breakfast and my appointment was at eleven, so I figured I would eat after...forgetting that I would be numb and not able to eat for hours afterwards.  So while at the dealership, I used the good half of my face to eat those funyuns!  Favorite chip, hands down!  What is yours?  Took everything out of one room and spread it all over the rest of my house.  Picked up the tile from Home Depot, those aren't pizza boxes (I wish)!  They were so heavy and it took almost 30 minutes to get help, but there was no way I could lift twelve 80lb boxes on my own!

Bright and early the tile man came and got busy!  He worked up until about 6:30 last night, right about the time our world was rocked.  During the day, Fletcher needed to be kenneled, so he would get in the way and before Lola took her nap, she could hula hoop or read a book, she chose to read to Fletcher.  This picture melts my heart.  She sat there for about 15 minutes reading to him the story of Jesus' birth.  Since we stayed home all day, I was able to get several projects done!  We were supposed to go see a movie with friends in the late afternoon, but we weren't able to make it.  The kids understood and instead watched "Big Miracle" together!  They really are the best.  Hoping to catch the movie "Brave" soon!

Linking up with Jeannett this week.  Thank goodness for my iPhone and life's little captures! Those little moments are so BIG to me.

Looking forward to seeing my family very soon.

InstaFriday - Today is a Special Day!

First things first.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beautiful mama today!  

We really BIG love you and can't wait to see you at the end of the month!

Now, onto our week...

 Try as I might to set the calendar on my phone, I just need to see it on paper.  Enter Much Ado About You!  Emmy and her crew have the cutest planners around town and the LOU will be mine soon!  Can't wait to get it in the mail sometime this week!  Kyan was illin' on Friday.  Throat felt funny, white as a ghost in the face, legs were weak, thought he was going to puke.  Poor boy.  I rushed him to the doctor thinking he had strep (he always has strep, I swear), but turns out, he just needed to eat.  That dang expander in his mouth was hard getting used to.  He finally has it down, but didn't really eat for two days and of course his body was acting crazy!  By lunchtime, he was a whole new kid!  He is eating food quite nicely now, we are just getting used to the slurping sound 'round these parts!  Lola wanted to go with me on one of my walks, so I pushed her in her stroller that was too small for her and the miles we took on!  But, she was so much fun to have tag along and sang to the ipod or talked to me the entire time!

 Before we walked though, we were able to eat a yummy dinner!  Tex-Mex Chicken Tacos, Cilantro-Lime Rice (that tastes exactly like Chipotle) and Watermelon!  So delicious and another crock pot success!  Quick question for my birthday mama...why did we never cook using one of these growing up (but I still love you)?!

 Saturday I was crock pot cookin' again!  This time around it was Brown Sugar & Balsamic Vinegar Glazed Pork Loin, Baked Hasselback Potatoes, and Asparagus.  Kyan loved this and gobbled it up!  He even asked if we could have it again, you know it is really good when that happens!  While the crock pot was doin' its thing, Lola and I went to get manicures and pedicures!  Not before she ran around the house being SpideyGirl of course!

 Again, while dinner was cooking away, the kids enjoyed bowling at a friends birthday party!

 Sunday we celebrated Father's Day the best way we knew how, out by the pool!  But first daddy had to get his workout in, you know, bench pressing the kids after they gave him his present!  We enjoyed dinner over at Rae Lynn's house with the rest of the family to celebrate all of the boys!  And just in case you were wondering what we are eating for our summer supper club, you can get a sneak peek up there in the corner!  It is going to be yummy!

 Lola has been money this summer taking naps, I just think I need to get her maybe one more stuffed animal to sleep with, don't you?!  While walking Monday night, I saw a beautiful sunset over the White Tank Mountains!  Then I came home to those two in the middle!  Bwah!  Lola was giving Kyan a back massage using a Hello Kitty pencil she got from a birthday goody bag!  So thankful my kids get along like they do!

 Tuesday I woke up the kids at the butt-crack of dawn to go visit Grandpa and Grandma Shipe over in the east valley.  They have treasures over there and a hunting we did go!  I came home with that cabinet in the corner and a love seat that is out of this world (although Chad might beg to differ)!  I joined in on Lola's nap, we were wiped after our super early morning out and about!  We make a special spot on the couch and take naps there most days!  I walked by myself and figured out a way to keep my water cold, although carrying that big old pink bottle is heavy at the beginning, it is worth it at the end when I have something to drink that isn't 80 degrees!  I need to invest in a camelback, as I am going to continue to walk this summer in 110 degree (give or take a few degrees) heat!

 While I swore I wasn't going to do turquoise, I ended up with that very shade (although it is much lighter than I usually go).  Krylon's Ocean Breeze just tugged at all of my heart strings and felt like the right one.  Wednesday was a day for spraying and spraying and spraying!  I think I got 5 good layers on the piece of furniture and a ton on my feet (never fails) and up my nose (TMI, but all of my nose hairs and boogers were Ocean Breeze that day)!  I cleaned up alright though and snapped a picture with my hubby, love him.  He actually smiled too, on the first try, no silly faces!  Shocker!

As if I wasn't taking on a big enough project with the refinishing of the furniture, I made a new wreath for my door, in preparation for summer supper club coming up next weekend, A Paper Umbrella Wreath!  I saw it on pinterest and knew I had to make it for the party, as it went perfectly with our Caribbean theme!  If I am being perfectly honest though, I was avoiding sanding that sucker down and needed a quick distraction.  After an house I was done with the wreath (Lola helped me) and got down to business.

 While the furniture looked good a solid Ocean Breeze, I knew it was going in the kids play room and it was going to get dinged up over the years, so I had to help that process along.  I sanded it by hand and you'll have to either follow me on instagram to see how it turns out (jenni_roseland) or stay tuned until next Friday, where I am sure I will have it revealed, final touches are going to happen today!  I took a challenge to run/jog/walk/crawl (ok, not really crawl) 40 miles in June and I made it last night!  Way earlier than expected!  I am going to do a post on the challenge by itself, as it was a lot more for me than just reaching that number (although it was so exciting last night)!  Looking forward to seeing how many miles over I can get before the end of the month!  To celebrate, took my girl to a new yogurt place (Yogurtini) that opened down the street.  She ate yogurt, while I ate subway!  I did try a few bites of the yogurt and it was delicious!  We will be going back there for sure!

Happy Weekend Y'all!  

Linking up with Jeannett, because she has the coolest party in town!

One more week until I see my long, lost brother!  I miss you Joel!

My Baby Daddy

He sure is a good one (and strong too)!!!  

The kids got a kick out of him when he benched pressed them this morning!!!

Lots and lots of giggling going on today!

 Kids were excited to give him his present (to be used by the pool) and picture (to put up his desk at work)!

 A closer look at daddy facts (what was in the picture frame they gave him)!  They weren't sure about some of the answers, but when it came time for the question about what daddy likes to do for fun, they were for sure!!!
*In case you were wondering, I made the daddy facts using the picmonkey program.  So easy.

 

We spent the afternoon by the pool, just hanging out as a family.  It was the perfect kinda day!  One of the kids' favorite thing to do with Chad is to snorkel around the water with him.

Happy Father's Day to my baby daddy.  Love you.

InstaFriday - Lovin' Summer!

Hey y'all, haapy Friday!!! 

Summer is flying by and we are keeping busy as ever!

 Last week, at D'Backs Baseball Camp, Kyan came in 4th place in the skills challenge for the week!  He was the youngest in his age division to win!  Friday evening we got an unexpected phone call from our friend, Brooks, asking if we wanted tickets to see Cirque?  Ummmmm, yeah!  It was premiere night to top it off, so popcorn and soda were free, along with champagne and cupcakes at intermission!  We only had to pay for parking, it was awesome!  The girls who were over at my house crafting away said that they would stay to watch the kids if I went to buy them stuff to make cake pops!  Ok, sold!  It was an awesome evening!

 Saturday we woke up and went to our friend's son baseball game.  Lola was sporting her headband that the babysitting girls made her the night before and is always wanting to take pictures!  After the game we went to a new Indian Frybread place (Chad's favorite, not so much mine) and both the kids found one they liked and then really enjoyed the dessert, especially Kyan, he is always happiest eating dessert!  Saturday evening, after my walk, I sat down and planned our Summer Supper Club Menu.  Our turn to host and the menu we came up with sounds delicious if I don't say so myself!

 Sunday was a lazy day, I woke up early and read for four hours in bed.  If you haven't read Fifty Shades of Grey yet, read it!  So good!  It will suck you in and make you forget that you are supposed to be cleaning the house or doing laundry!  I did manage to get my behind out of bed to do a little bit of shopping and purchased the Oh, Lola! perfume, by Marc Jacobs.  Can you guess why?

 Monday I was without my walking partner, so I talked Kyan into going for a bike ride with me.  We took the route that I usually walk (3.9 miles) and he made it the whole way without complaining!  Since then, he has asked to go again and I plan on taking him soon!

 Tuesday was a picture heavy day (I don't really realize this until I go back and do these posts)!  We were jam packed full of fun!  First stop was the dentist!  I haven't been in years (ashamed to say it, but true) and I will be paying the price for the next couple of weeks!  I also found out that I grind my teeth and will need to be fitted with for a mouth guard when I sleep at night.  Oh boy, that should be comfortable...NOT!  But, I would like to keep my teeth looking nice and neat from now on, so I already booked my 6 month check-up!  We went to Joann's for a few quick craft supplies and the kids found those cute little hats to wear around.  They wanted them so bad, but after walking around for about 10 minutes in them, they lost they appeal and they went for a treat at the checkout lane!  We had a crafty day when we got home, Lola chose to paint (her favorite) and Kyan wanted to learn how to make friendship bracelets (I wanted to pluck out my eyeballs trying to teach him...so hard)!  I made a few new slipcovers for pillows in the playroom!  I went for my nightly walk and reached 21.1 miles for my June goal - to run/job/walk/crawl 40 miles by months end!  Safe to say I think I am going to make it (Currently I am at exactly 25, only 15 more to go and over half the month left)!  I feel good and now just need to figure out a way to keep my water cold - walking in 106 degree weather is tricky!

Wednesday was Kyan's turn at the dentist.  He got his expander in and lemme tell you it is NO FUN.  Not because it is hurting him, but because the poor kid is struggling to eat.  His favorite things he gets stuck between the expander and the roof of his mouth and it is a weird feeling that is going to have to take some getting used to.  Joyfolie finally has a woman's line and I couldn't resist these babies!  Worth every penny!

Thursday woke up and made Auntie Heidi's Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies (have never tried a better recipe than hers and she shared her secret with me and I shared it here!).  Went with some friends to check out Uptown Alley!  Kyan's first time playing Laser Tag and he loved it!  We will be back!  Before we left, he tried winning his sister a prize!  Had a photo shoot at sunset, who knew that the park closed then?!  Whoopsie!  Got locked in and scolded by the park ranger!  After apologizing a million times about not reading the sign with all the rules on it, he let us out!  Which made me late meeting up with Camille and Candis for a few drinks, but I made it!  So nice getting in a little bit of girl time with the two of them!

Hope everyone had a great week!  

Linking up with Jeannett once again over at Life Rearranged!  You should too, 'cause life in phone pictures is rad!

InstaFriday - Summertime Funtime!!!

Even though it is summertime, Friday is still my favorite day of the week.  The day this blog gets brushed off and a post is...well, POSTED!  My poor blog.  I have tons to add to it, but have been soaking up the sun and having a blast with the kids, that I don't want to be near a computer!  But, I still love Fridays {of course for the obvious InstaFriday update, as Instagram is my favorite thing of all time - jenni_roseland is how you can find me if you aren't already), as I get to reflect on everything we do for the week.  Can't believe it sometimes, how do we fit it all in?

Friday I spent working, only it didn't feel like work at all!  It was so much fun {and that is how work should be right?}!!!  Spent the day working in my new classroom and getting it set up as much as I could before I turned in my keys and then went home and worked on a photo shoot that I did the day before so that their pictures could be ready for a retirement party the following day!  This was one of my favorite pictures of the family from the day!

 Saturday morning I went with my parents to Sun City to shop estate sales!  First one we went to we found the best deal and got two very old wooden rocking chairs that I planned to take to my new classroom after I spruced them up, but my kids have fallen in love with them and I don't think they will be going there any time soon!  We headed to my parents place later that evening and I rode in the back so Kyan could ride shotgun.  Never again.  Too hot!  My car might be small, but the air circulation is horrible {probably had something to do with the fact that we were in triple digits too}!  Once we got there, Lola napped.  Girlfriend can seriously sleep anywhere!  And she looks so sweet doing so I might add!  After she woke up, the kids found one of the best $5 Walgreens toys my dad could have ever found, this rocket shooter.  Kids step on an end and it sends a foaming rocket into the air!  They were mesmorized.  Lots and lots of giggles came from playing with it.  And I learned one of the reasons why my kids are always wanting to stay at their grandparents and never come home with me: looks like my mama can give one heck of a good leg rub!  I am glad that they love staying there with them!  They have their own rooms and everything!  Each always goes to their own space, although Lola has been know to crawl into bed with everyone at the house!

 Sunday I went with my mama to get my nails and toes done.  So nice.  When I got home, there was Lola, sleeping again!  This time on daddy!  When she woke up, we headed out to the pool, the only way to beat this Arizona heat I tell ya!  I started reading Fifty Shades of Grey, knowing full well what I was getting myself into!  Oh man!  Finished it and already onto book two!  It sucks you in.  We sad goodbye to grandpa and grandma later that evening.  We are always sad to see them go, but Lola always wants to see them off.  As soon as we started to drive away, Justing Beiber blasting on the radio, trying to distract her, I hear her crying.  When I asked her what was wrong {I already knew the answer}, she told me her heart was breaking.  She cried her self to sleep poor girl.  We miss you Grandparents Nebraska!!!

 Monday was spent at the Diamondbacks Baseball Camp, {M-F, 8-11}!  We signed up last second and so glad we did, Kyan has been going all week and been learning a ton!  We will definitely be back next year!  As soon as camp gets over each day, we head to the pool!  It is hot out there!  Lola has not only learned to swim without her floaties, but has now mastered jumping off the waterfall!  She is brave!  After swimming, my kids jumped on their quad that just got its wheel fixed!  They were riding around, no big deal, and then, all of a sudden, like in slow motion, I am watching them roll it over {Kyan was driving, Lola was riding on the back} onto the hot rocks.  They got pretty banged up, Kyan getting the worst of it, but Lola was waaaaaaaay more dramatic about it!  The only way I could get her to breathe and settle down was to bandage her up and as you can see, she had plenty!  After the incident, the kids settled down for popcorn and a movie on the couch!

 Tuesday I got smart and packed some of Lola's toys, so she could play while we watched Kyan at camp.  Pay close attention to where she put the stick on her pony?  Bwahahahahaha!  Cooked a meal for the first time ever in a crock pot.  I was so nervous.  But, wouldn't you know, the pulled pork turned out amazing.  I pinned a super easy recipe and it was delicious!  Only four ingredients total.  You must try it {click here}.  The only thing that I did differntly is I used pork tenderlion instead of pork butt because the grocery store I went to was out.  Still delicious as ever.  I topped it with a mango salsa.  Who knew?!  Mango salsa on a pulled pork sandwhich, yummmmmm.  And no, can't say that I came up with that on my own, I got it from pinterest as well.  This time only needs three ingredients {click here to see how to make it, again, just used the mango salso recipe from the post, not the pork recipe - although it looks delicious as well}.  And I finally got around to buying some fresh flowers to place in my crates I purchased from the Junk in the Trunk market!  I put the mason jars from Thanksgiving inside to hold the flowers.  Love.

 Wednesday was very rare.  I decided that I should make my bed!?  Doesn't happen every day folks, so I made sure to capture it.  Man, do I love my room when the bed is made!  We had some new friends over to swim {yes, I admit it, this may have had something to do with a made bed, even if they never stepped foot upstairs} so I tried out a new recipe {Pinterest inspired of course}!  Another success!!!  This time around, Black Bean Salad with Corn, Red Peppers, Avocado & Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette.  Oh my, YUM!  You know you wanna try it {click here}.

 Love that girl!  She will always pose for a picture!  Her headband makes that one extra cute!  Went to H&M, havint been in forerever, it is so far from my house, but worth the drive and I found the kids so many cute tank tops!  Oh, and undies!  I love their undies/chonies!  Kyan was so excited for the pink pair that when I asked him if he wanted to put on shorts, he happily replied no thanks!  Walked about 4 miles with my girlfriend Meghan.  Makes walking so much easier and entertaining when you have a partner to do it with.  Beats working out on the treadmill for sure {and no mama, you may not have that back yet, I am still using it too}!

I'd say we had an awesome week!  Looking forward to seeing what next week brings!

Linking up with Jeannett! 

 Life in phone pictures is awesome {especially when they have such cool filters/apps to play with your pictures in -- my favorite, hands down is picfx}!  

InstaFriday - Hello Summer!

 Last week, we ended the school year on a very different note.  I walked with the kids to school and that NEVER happens, but it is going to be happening every single day next year!  Oh yeah!  I am going to be teaching 2nd grade next year and a walking we will go {or bike riding}!  Lola brought her teachers one last gift that day too, Starbucks gift cards on a cute printable from the girls over at eighteen25!  Sunday we had a BBQ and welcomed summer!  It was so much fun!  On Sunday, after church, Chad watched the kids so I could spend the day with my parents!  Aren't they so cute?  We went to the outlet mall in Anthem and then headed to Cave Creek for a late lunch!  When we got home, the boys headed to the golf course, and so did the girls actually...but when my mom and Linda discovered that the bar was closed, we headed back to the house and enjoyed a glass of wine by the pool.  Oh, and dancing.  Lots of dancing.  They were adorable and could really shake it!  Monday we headed to my parents place out at Estrella for their annual swim party and BBQ!  The Big Dipper was a hit, along with the slides as usual!

 And this is my happy little family!  Typically one worries about what the kids faces look like in pictures, but not me!  I have to worry about what my husband is up to at all times!  Despite how annoyed his look is, there is something about this picture that I love!  Pretty much sums us up!

 But you know who LOVES taking pictures?!  My Lola girl!  She would take a million with me!  We were practicing making the same faces!  Not bad huh?!  She really is my mini me!

 When we went shopping at the outlet mall, my mom got a new Coach purse, which meant that I got her old one {which isn't really that old}!  Crazy 8's and War - Kyan is obsessed with playing them after grandpa taught him how Monday night!  What is funny is I remember playing both of these games with my grandma when I was little and I LOVED it!  Went to the ortho this week and had to have spacers put in, got away with having to only to one!  Back again next week to get a mold of his teeth!  Lola, love how she can just fall asleep anywhere, including on a booster seat on the wood floors!  Got back on the treadmill this week.  It has been waaaaaaaaay to long.  Feels good.  Went to my classroom this week to start decorating.  Turquoise is my new favorite color currently!  The kids loved helping!  Had a going away party for one of my coworkers who is heading to China to teach and enjoyed a blue hawaiian {or two}.  This is one drink from our supper club menus that has been remade several times over!  Always a hit!  Kyan is his father and loves his computer gaming!  He beat a new level tonight and it was hilarious when he was talking to himself while doing so!  Had the honor of shooting a USAF pilot's final flight.  Incredible experience.

First week of summer fun, check!  Many more to come!

Linking up with Jeannett!