AZ Trip: Part 9 (Friends and Family)

While it was nice to get away from the cold (and into 70 degree weather). And it was fun to eat out at our favorite restaurants. And it was fun to go on hikes, to parks, and the museum. None of those things are good enough reasons (in my mind anyway) to pack up six kids and drive almost 4,000 miles (round trip).

The real reason we went to Arizona is this... family and friends.

The Carlsons and Showns

When we left Arizona in the spring of 2000 my friend Cindy had just hit it off with "a cute guy that sung in the choir at church". When our house sold faster than we ever imagined (1 day on the market) we ended up storing the contents of our house in her garage and moving in with her. Single Cindy, Jerry, Shelly, and Roz. Ten years later, we are two happily married couples with TEN children between us! I'd say we took God's command to be fruitful and multiply quite seriously!

I already wrote a post about the big "reunion" with all our high school friends, but we also spent a morning just hanging out with the Barz family. Their house is a little boys dream! My boys are still talking about the trampoline, big car, and "roller coaster".

I had the privilege of meeting little Noah for the first time. The sweetest miracle baby ever! Noah's mom, Celeste, is a longtime friend of my sister. (Actually, I have met little Noah before... he came with his parents for a visit last year. I don't think he remembers much though since he was still in utero!) I don't care what his parents say, I don't think he has cried a minute in his little life! :) He was the happiest baby. I should have packed an extra matching shirt and snuck him home with me.

Justus and Grandpa Steve go way back!

All my family is back in Wisconsin now, but Jerry's family is still in Arizona. We have no desire to live in Arizona (we're not fooled by the lovely January weather!) but we sure do miss everyone. I'm not sure when we'll be brave enough to make the trip again... until then at least we have blogs and Facebook! :)

AZ Trip: Part 8 (Dirt Park)

Second to last AZ Trip post...
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The little town where Jerry's mom lives is mostly full of retirees. We set out one afternoon to take the non-napping boys to a park. The boys called this one "dirt park" and for a good reason.

There was not a blade of grass around. I'm not even sure you could call it dirt. Dirt implies something might grow in it and that definitely wasn't the case. See what I mean, not even a weed could grow here...

We decided to drive into "town" to find a better park. We found one but the boys weren't too impressed. They had more fun climbing the palm trees by the parking lot. Wesley called them "Florida stick trees" and he seemed surprised to find them in Arizona. :)

All kidding aside, I forgot how dusty it is in the desert. The boys managed to get plenty dirty each day. Good thing Grandma Joddy has a nice, big tub. The boys enjoyed their nightly bubble baths! We had a good system down before we left. Jerry washed, I dried and jammied, and Grandpa combed their hair.


We even washed the van once while we were down there. Ol' whitey served us well the whole trip!
The only time she complained was coming down the steep mountain roads, then she shook and rattled like she was going to come apart at the seams! I think the van will take snow and ice on flat roads over steep grades any day!

Twins!

We were shocked when we went into our routine 20 week ultrasound and found out we were having twins! I had already had an early ultrasound at which the OB told me we had only one healthy baby.

My OB did both ultrasounds himself. As soon as we started the second one I knew something was up. I have enough medical knowledge to make me dangerous and for a minute I thought something was wrong. Then with complete innocence (and slight confusion) the doc asked us a question that hit us like a smack in the face: "Did you know you were having twins?"

Later, Jerry said he has never been more shocked in his life! I couldn't stop laughing. When I mentioned that at my other ultrasound he only saw one, the doctor said he'd never missed twins before. Guess there's a first time for everything. I still remember when we walked out of the exam room he hollered to all the staff "We have surprise twins!" and all the office girls offered their congratulations.

We really had absolutely no clue I was pregnant with twins until that moment. I wasn't measuring big. I hadn't gained extra weight. I didn't feel any odd movements that would have suggested there were two sets of feet. In hindsight, the only clue was early in my pregnancy journal I wrote that the morning sickness seemed "twice as bad" this time. Twice as bad, indeed!

We had to go to Roz's parent teacher conferences directly from the ultrasound. Thank goodness Roz was a good student and we didn't really need to discuss anything because we were as out of it as we ever have been sitting there. We went home where Roz and my sister (who had just moved to town) were the first to hear the news. The next day I went to the library and checked out every single book about twins. Jerry said he hoped no one else was having twins and wanted a book because they were all at our house.

We don't usually find out the sex of our children but this was a special circumstance and we figured we'd had enough surprises! Since we ended up having several more ultrasounds we got to see "the boys" quite a few times before they arrived.

I guess finding out half way through a pregnancy is better than finding out in the delivery room. However, it seemed we had just barely gotten used to the idea and they were here. (To read their birth story click here.) In my mind, I had only been pregnant with twins for 10 short weeks.

Here's what they looked like six years ago:

Eli

Justus

And here they are now:
Twins, different down to their blood types and alike only in that they were born on the same day to the same parents! Together the biggest shock of our lives! Happy Birthday Eli and Justus! Our family (and the world) wouldn't be the same without you!!

AZ Trip: Part 7 (Creature Feature)

Sunday after the reunion we headed up to have lunch with Jerry's mom's side of the family at his Aunt Karen's house. While we were awaiting dessert the kids enjoyed a quick climb up the hill with Cousin Amy.

Then we ventured down the hill to go see some newly born baby goats. We had an extra bonus creature sighting while down by the goat pen. A pack of wild javelinas (aka peccaries) were attracted to some food left out for the goats.

I'd seen javelinas before but this pack was brave and didn't scare off easily. Which was really a surprise since they had babies with them. The boys would have run right up to them if it hadn't been for us adults shouting to stay back. The last thing we needed on vacation would have been to be attacked by wild pigs!
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AZ Trip: Part 6 (The "Reunion")

The highlight of the Arizona trip was a (mini) high school reunion hosted by good (but not old) friends. We don't get back to AZ very often but it has kind of become a tradition to have a get together with friends each time we do.

We've done a pretty good job of keeping in touch with our high school friends over the years despite the miles separating us. But this reunion was bigger, and better, than ever thanks to Facebook. Both Jerry and I have reconnected with old friends via the social networking site and this "reunion" just goes to show you that the internet can be used for good and not just evil.

Joe and Terri Barz hosted the party at their home (thanks guys!). There were about 50 people there including the kids! It was so fun to see everyone's kids all playing together. I know my boys had a blast. But what boy wouldn't have fun when there were over 20 other boys to play with? Can you believe that out of that huge group of children there were only two daughters present? (Roz and the Furedy's Julia) Crazy!

We had great (Mexican) food and visited while the kids bounced on the trampoline and in the bouncy house. We did stop chatting long enough to watch the kids smash a pinata. Terri found a pinata in the colors of our alma mater (yes, that would be purple and gold!) and filled it with all kinds of sugary goodness. I thought for sure someone was going to get whacked on the head in all the pinata craziness but no one was hurt until the candy fell and Hayden got pinned in the candy rush. He recovered quickly though and got a little extra candy for his pain and suffering. :)

Three of the couples there (including Jer and I) are happily married high school sweethearts. Pretty cool! We all gathered around the fire pit to retell a few stories from the good ol' days before it was getting late (for the kiddos anyway) and we had to pack up and head home.

We have been fortunate enough to have many of this group up in Wisconsin for one reason or another over the years, but I know there were a few people there that I haven't seen in person since we actually were IN high school. (Now that makes me feel old!) Consider this an open invitation if any of you are ever up this way! We have plenty of room and would love have you!

If you were there, thank you so much for coming. It was great to see each and every one of you! A million thanks to Joe and Terri for hosting!
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AZ Trip: Part 5 (A Walk in the Desert)

While down visiting Grandma Joddy and Grandpa Steve we headed out to "Scout Park" to take a walk in the desert. I think they actually called it "Girl Scout Park" but I suggested leaving the "girl" part off or my boys would probably complain they couldn't go to a park for girls!

It was another beautiful day. Sunny and warm with a nice breeze that, thankfully, kept us from getting too hot. We just walked around climbing rocks and admiring cactus. Grandpa brought his metal detector and a pocket full of coins that he discretely dropped for the boys to find. They all got a big kick out that. Justus actually found a bullet shell too. It's a new prized possession!

Speaking of Justus, when someone told him to keep away from holes in the ground because critters (like snakes) live in the holes he decided he'd "fix" that little problem. He spent a good portion of the walk stomping rocks into every hole he saw.

JD forgets he's only two and tries to do everything the big boys do. He seemed to really enjoy climbing on the rocks. All the boys are attracted to activities that include risk of injury! This little section of rock wasn't too big, but JD thought he was climbing a mountain!

Wesley took this shot for us. Pretty good shot, Wes! I just want to mention I'm wearing that extra shirt in an effort to hide from the sun NOT because I was cold. Within a few days of our arrival I started to have the same allergic-type skin reaction I did last summer when out in the sun. Last summer, I had the reaction mostly on my arms. Unfortunately, this time it was my face. Guess I'll be looking into brimmed hats in the months ahead before we're back outside in the sun.

Just a few more trip posts to share and then we'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming!

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Birth Control and Abortion

If you believe life begins at conception* and that abortion is wrong*, this is for you (from a post at Life in a Shoe)...

Our friends and family may not agree with us on whether to use birth control, but they need to know that certain methods do far more than simply prevent pregnancy. If our friends and family believe that life begins at conception, then they need to know that nearly all of the most popular, most effective methods have a Plan B: murder any unborn child that gets past Plan A. It's right there in the fine print that they'll find in the package.

The quotes below are from Drugs.com. You will find the same info on nearly any birth control you search except for a simple condom. All birth control pills work this way. IUDs work this way. Implants that gradually release hormones into the bloodstream work this way.

What is Yaz? Yaz prevents ovulation (the release of an egg from an ovary) and also cause changes in your cervical and uterine lining, making it harder for sperm to reach the uterus and harder for a fertilized egg to attach to the uterus...

What is Depo-Provera? Depo-Provera is a form of progesterone, a female hormone that prevents ovulation (the release of an egg from an ovary). Depo-Provera also causes changes in your cervical mucus and uterine lining, making it harder for sperm to reach the uterus and harder for a fertilized egg to attach to the uterus...

What is Mirena? Mirena is a plastic device containing the female hormone levonorgestrel. This hormone causes changes in your cervical mucus and uterine lining, making it harder for sperm to reach the uterus and harder for a fertilized egg to attach to the uterus...

This Friday marks the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. If you are interested, the annual March for Life will take place on Friday, Jan. 22, 6:30 to 7:30 pm, at Baird Place (Webster and Mason streets) in Green Bay. Parking is available east and south of the park. Bring a candle or flashlight. I believe this is being organized by the local Catholic diocese but, of course, anyone can go. If you don't go, please pray... babies are being killed both knowingly through abortion and unknowingly through the use of hormones.

*If you don't believe that life begins at conception and/or that abortion is wrong feel free to ignore this post.

Here is a link to a free resource if you want to learn more.

AZ Trip: Part 4

We kept plenty busy while in Mesa. We spent one morning at the Arizona Museum of Natural History (it will always be the Mesa Southwest Museum to me!). The boys really enjoyed all the dinosaur exhibits, especially the real flood. I must say, the museum has improved quite a bit over the years. And while the jail wasn't a big hit, panning for gold sure was!

What's vacation without special food? We ate at several of our favorite local spots while in town.

Wesley thought this sign at Pete's Fish and Chips was pretty funny:

We had to try out the newest transportation in town! The boys called it "the train" but the rest of the world knows it as the Valley Metro Light Rail. We didn't even go anywhere... we just rode for fun. We got to "meet" some of Phoenix's finest while taking our pleasure ride. We were pleased to (over)hear most of them "got off with just time served". That's what they said anyway!

We spent a little bit of time each afternoon taking it easy. What are we going to do when we don't have napping kids to blame for needing to rest?!?

And believe it or not we did get some sun down there! Too bad no one will see our farmer tans since they are now all covered up under layers of winter clothing.

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