July 24, 2013

Rolin's actual birthday day was in the middle of the week, but we still celebrated a bit at home. 

We set up his gifts with a balloon the night before so there would be something new when he came downstairs on his birthday morning. 

He sat and looked at the set up for a few minutes before he went over to discover its mysteries. 

Then he didn't waste any time diving into the pile of gifts. He kind of had his mouth agape in wonder and awe the entire time he was with his pile of presents, with both Justin and I saying Oohh and Ahh as we marveled in his sweet face and wondered how on earth he was already a 1-year old little boy.

Look at his mouth -- he was like, whoa, all morning. 

After presents, we had pancakes and fruit for breakfast.

Later that day I staged his official birthday photo shoot...these do not get any easier. I have probably 100 pics of him in various positions, sneaking away with only one or two good pics. At least I got one :)

I'm not even sure how this scene unfolded...Rolin on the floor, Lenny falling off the chair.

Somehow he managed to grab my cellphone in the middle of the shoot. That always makes him happy for a minute or two. 

Yay, a good one! So cute!

After Justin was home from work we went on a picnic at Cannon Hill Park, our favorite park for walks and playing. It was a lovely evening, complete with Jimmy John's.

Rolin ate (spilled) peas.

 

He also ate (his dad's) keys. 

He wasn't happy with his own water, of course.

I really hope he thought it was a special day for him. His mom and dad sure thought it was! 

We love you so much, Rollybug. You make us proud every day!

Temporary Scottsdalians

We spent 30 days in a temp housing condo in Scottsdale. It was nice to be set up in something other than a hotel for this transition, especially with Rolin. It seemed like a 30 day whirlwind, with all our to dos, doctor appointments, mail chasing, no cell service, waiting for our car to arrive and house hunting, so the days flew by.

Our digs were pretty sweet; 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (one with a double sink!), fully furnished, large kitchen with nice appliances, washer/dryer, community pools, next to a park. It was no where near child proofed, so that made things interesting the first few days. We only broke three things total. Thank goodness for superglue.

Scottsdale itself is nothing to shake a stick at, either. Some areas are pretty swanky.

And the sunsets. THE SUNSETS!

The condo was in a community in the Scottsdale Ranch area, which is nestled around a man-made lake. We didn't have a lake view from our condo, but all we had to do is walk across the parking lot to enjoy the view.

There was also a fountain in the center of the community that Rolin really enjoyed watching. We made daily trips to the fountain (because he'd fall asleep on our walks, you see, so whether or not he seemed like he wanted to see the fountain, we went to see it anyway).

Fountain side re-hydrating with ice water. Sweet, sweet ice water.

We used the pool a couple times. There were two in the community, and they were almost always void of swimmers. Probably because it was too hot. Rolin loves the water, and loved sitting in his floatie near the pool's waterfall.

We would have gone more, but it was monsoon season while we were there, making for quite a few thunder storms and haboobs (sand/dust storms), not to mention excessive heat.

Nice to know this feature exists.

Visibility was down to 100 ft. in this sand/dust storm. Can you see the house in that pic?

Rollin' rollin' rollin'

The Thompsons came down the first week we were in Scottsdale to help watch Rolin while we went house hunting with a rental rep. They stayed for a few days, you know, just long enough to start to get used to the heat.

 Grandpa Lee soaking up some patio heat with Rolin.

We went to the aquarium later in the month to kill some time. Rolin seemed to enjoy it more than I expected he would. He seemed entertained the entire time and didn't cry once.

Gazing up at the fish from inside the under-tank bubble.

Jellyfish.

I couldn't help it.

No idea what this is. But it is interesting!

We got two stuffed manta ray toys at the aquarium, one for Rolin and one for a friend, as a memento. We had Rolin choose between blue and green mantas; he chose the green one twice...I thought it was so cute when he made his selection between the two. Now that we've moved into our new place I can't find the damn blue manta ray for his friend anywhere...it's making me feel crazy. I'll probably find it when we move out of this house. The dangers of moving...

Overall, Rolin did the best he could to entertain himself with the limited amount of toys we brought for our temp stay. He played peekaboo a lot and chased his red bouncy ball around the house.

He did end up playing with an empty beer box for a long time one night, so the next day we went and got him a truck he can sit on or push.

We realized too late that he doesn't quite yet understand the concept of hanging on to the truck when you go too fast when parents push you too fast. Sorry, baby!

The truck entertained him for a day or two, then he resorted to batting a stacking cup around as entertainment.

We also practiced speaking names of our loved ones, such as Aunt Brianna and Uncle Joe:

He really did enjoy going outside though, no matter how hot it was. He would get so sweaty and pink-cheeked, but he LOVED being outside. I'd have to drag him back inside kicking and screaming....at least he doesn't hate the heat, right?

Now we're busy getting settled in at our new house. We've had a crazy time since moving in too, as we were in WA for a week for Nanny's funeral, came back to AZ with house guests, and Rolin pushed through 3-4 teeth, had diarrhea and a terrible head cold. Needless to say, we're grateful for a low-key weekend.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Rolin's 1st Birthday

We changed the location of Rolin's 1st birthday party at least three times.

Plan A: Have the party at my parents' house and invite the universe.

Plan B: Have the party at our new place in Spokane (and con a comparatively smaller group of invitees to carry in and/or unpack a box during their stay). Invites went out with this plan.

Plan C: Have the party at a generous friend's house in Spokane (and con an even smaller group of people -- who still actually were ok with me changing their weekend plans around AGAIN -- to periodically remind me to take a deep breath in the midst of all the craziness).

Plan D: Have it at my parents' house after tacky-fully sending out late-night text invitations a day and a half before the party (and con people into actually coming so my kid will see pics of people at his 1st birthday celebration).

We executed plan D and had the party at my parents' house. I unpacked boxes of birthday decorations that I'd packed to move up the hill, revised the menu a bit, threw everything in the car and we drove to Grandview on Friday, also known as our fifth wedding anniversary.

Justin's parents arrived that night, too, and mom prepared a nice surf & turf anniversary dinner for everyone. We thought it was fun to celebrate our fifth anniversary in the same place where we married -- we even went out to the site of the ceremony for pictures.

This is the spot where were were married exactly five years before. (They still host weddings in the yard, hence the backdrop set up).

Rolin didn't care to listen to wedding tales of old. "I'm outta here," he said. 

The next day was a scramble to get everything together. Everyone jumped in to help hang up signs, make dishes and entertain Rolin. Thank goodness my parents had actually purchased hot dogs and buns. They also let me raid their cupboards for random condiments, decorations and other tidbits.

The party "theme" was Hot Dog Smorgasbord, similar to the S'mores Smorgasbord I did for Justin's 30th birthday. I created different themed hot dogs with matching toppings, my favorite being the Californian. I also used a lot of light/sky blue, yellow and red. A sort of picnic-esque look, you could say.

 

The "outtakes." Because of the small crowd and limited time (caramelized onions...what was I thinking?), we cut out a few choices. 

   

Some of the goodies, plus a few of Rolin's baby books for people to peruse. 

The hot dog bar.

Because we're still managing Rolin's cow's milk protein allergy, I made him a watermelon cake. It's a cake made of...wait for it...watermelon. Thank you, Pinterest! The coconut cream I chilled and whipped worked pretty well for the frosting.

Mom also made cupcakes, which we arranged in the shape of a number one. I made a last-minute mini happy birthday banner to stick in the cupcakes to add a little decor to their presentation.

Watermelon cake!

I've thought about his birthday since he was born, of course, but with all the last minute changes to the party plans (not to mention our lives) most of this was done on the fly. I think we did pretty well and it all came together nicely, thanks to everyone pitching in to help.

Yay! We survived one year as a family of three! 

As you can tell by the smirk on his face in the following pic, Rolin had no problem being the center of attention.

Birthday lovin' from Uncle Joe and Aunt Brianna.

 Time for presents!

A little croquet with Uncle Joe & Aunt Brianna.

Playing ladder golf with Grandparents Thompson.

The next day we headed back to Spokane, but not before stopping for brunch with everyone in Tri-Cities. And also not before finding a cowboy hat to complete Rolin's awesome cowboy ensemble. 

YeeHaw!

Brunch with the fam-bam.

Nanny

My grandma hasn't been doing well for a few weeks, and the time came last night when she was able to let go and be at peace. To be rid of her pain.

This lovely lady, who I called Nanny, was 93 years old. She had a happy spirit, a knack for making scrambled eggs, red hair up until about six months ago, a cast-iron stomach and, when possible, a spring in her step. Even when her arthritis ached.

Today, Rolin and I are having raspberries for breakfast in her honor. If it wasn't supposed to be 103F at 8 p.m. tonight, I would consider making Nanny's sour cream potatoes for dinner.

I have many memories of Nanny, and I know some of you do too. You can share them in the comments, if you'd like :). One that is coming to mind for me know is when I helped Nanny get rid of the stray cat that was camping out at her house. We put the cat in a box (picture that, if you will: me, a tolerater of animals, and Nanny, with her arthritic hands, also a tolerater of animals) and took it down to a park far away from her house. In the end, we felt bad about doing so, but were proud of our accomplishment. However, if I'm not mistaken, the cat found its way back to her house!

I also hope to never forget the excited way she'd say, "Chris! How are you!?" when I'd call, and the particular way she said, "Bye bye" when we'd end our convo.

Meeting little Rollybug.

Old hands, new hands.

While Justin was snapping picture after picture, we pretended to be hair models here by whipping our hair back and forth. Nanny really got into it!

A final note here: The Evans clan experienced two losses this week. One expected, and another completely unexpected. The latter was a cousin's (a second cousin of sorts) son who has gone too soon. As a momma my heart breaks, and as a sister my heart aches as I know all too well the pain they feel. Please say a prayer for them to feel the peace of God who will help carry them through this.

He goes before us, He stands behind us

Several friends and family have asked how I've been doing with the move, broken leases, Rolin's birthday, temp housing and other life events. Overall, I'm doing well. We made it to Phoenix; we're still all relatively sane. I'd call that a win for Team Thompson!

While I believe my body still managed to host a physical reaction to stress (more on that later), I believe I did mentally ok with this move. Especially compared to when we first moved to California.

Besides forgetting Rolin's swim trunks for swimming lessons, and, I'm sure, overlooking someone's birthday (sorry if it was yours!), I don't think I experienced too much scatterbrain-ness or overreacting. Well, except for the day the new pediatrician in Spokane (yes, I finally found a new one) told me that there was no way I could bring Rolin in until August 6. We still didn't have a firm date as to when we would leave town, you see, and I wasn't sure if we'd still be in town on August 6.

Hearing that I may not be able to get him in for his 1-year well baby check was apparently a trigger for me; I experienced a breakdown not unlike a breakdown a brand new mom may have during the first two or so weeks of a new baby's life. My crazy-mom hormones kicked in and I was irrationally convinced that if I didn't get Rolin his 1-year vaccinations before we left for Phoenix, he would surely perish or spontaneously combust the moment he saw his first cactus.

Good news: We made it to his August 6th appointment.

This time around, I am 100% certain that my (overall) sanity is owed to a higher level of faith and reliance on God. I mostly trusted with the last moves, but in the past I would let doubt and crazy brain get the better of me. I would allow evil to instill fear in my world. I'd feared things would not work out smoothly, that we wouldn't make enough money to eat in California, that I wouldn't find a job, that we'd never ever find any friends.

Every single time, those doubts have been proved wrong. The Lord does provide.

Doubt and fear are silent, deadly enemies, my friends.

Understanding and remembering that our Heavenly Father goes before us and stands behind us (Deut. 31:8) is a sure comfort. This is a promise I was reminded of through a song the day after learning of our Phoenix assignment, and also by a friend the night before we left Spokane. I'm not saying this adventure was worry-free, but reminding myself that our story is part of his plan, taking a deep breath from time to time and telling myself I do not have to take action or control in every little thing really brought a new sense of peace to this transition.

Some tasks are meant for others to handle, and the best way for me to help is to take a step back and trust. Also known as mind my own business.

There are things I've struggled with in my life -- worry, jealousy, bossiness, biting my nails, hypersensitivity to others words/actions, judging, nosiness (for lack of a a better word that describes getting involved in situations where I don't belong), to name a few -- all things that have been helped through prayer and conversation with Jesus. That's not to say I don't still struggle with these, but I'm getting better.

Worry, for example...well, let's call it irrational fear...

I once saw someone touch raw pork and then reach into a large package of wonton wrappers (we were making dumplings), therefore possibly contaminating the remaining wonton wrappers in the package. Another person took the rest of the wonton wrappers home to use at a later date. I couldn't sleep for two nights out of fear that if I didn't tell them I'd witnessed a possible (and after further review, unlikely) contamination of the remaining wonton wrappers, that this person's family would die from trichinosis.

Another time I hunted down newlyweds in a crowd of people to tell them to please remove the blue crepe paper from their getaway car before they parked at the airport, out of fear that the paper would not only stain their car, but that they'd be super pissed at the bridal party for eternity and never talk to us again. They looked at me as if I was the stupidest person on the block and that of course they already planned on removing the blue crepe paper. They were adults, after all. With brains of their own and everything!

But still, these are the things that haunt my thoughts and dreams.

Also, involving myself where I don't belong. While I 'd like to think of it as being vigilant, others probably find it to be more along the lines of meddling, "oldest child syndrome," being bossy, nosy or a busybody...

I still have a very prominent memory of being called out after whisking away a spoon from a cousin's toddling child. The child's parents were right there, present and watching, but I still intervened thinking I knew best. The parents were actually kind in the way they called me out, considering my actions were unnecessary and they were now dealing with a screaming, confused toddler -- but I think it was the look on everyone's faces that was like someone smacking me upside the head and saying you don't always need to do something about everything.

After that, while I was visiting home for the weekend, I actually told my mom I was disinclined to acquiesce to her request to I make sure my adult-aged brother was out of bed in time for church, that his khakis were ironed and he was wearing a belt (because he hadn't yet responded to her previous (and multiple) requests, you see). This waking-my-brother business was a frequent assignment of my youth, and it'd almost always lead to some sort of outrageous Sunday-morning throwdown between me and said brother.

You know why? Because I made it my business, my job, my duty, and I was determined to be successful. I wouldn't simply stick my head in his room and tell him to get up. Ohhh, no. I'd stick my whole person in his room and start waving my arms around and stomping my feet, demanding he get up. I'd say he was making mom mad, that I didn't understand why he just wouldn't do what mom said, that he knew better, that he was being ridiculous jerkface and he knew it, that he really, really, really needed to get up!!! And don't forget your damn belt!!!

This would cause undo stress, anger, semi-hatred, upset stomachs and unnecessary nail biting for everyone. It could have all easily been avoided.

This particular time, when assigned the task of waking brother, I told mom I'd tell him once, but I'd leave it at that. Guess what? He eventually woke, dressed, ate and got in the car...all...by...himself! There was no screaming, calling of names, hitting or gnashing of teeth. I think that Sunday we actually all walked into church with smiles on our faces. He may have even been wearing a belt!

Sometimes we got along.

Learning to let go, learning to hand over the reigns, learning to pass on taking the reigns in the first place, learning to trust with the faith that all things will work together is a lesson I need tattooed on my forehead. It is (obviously) definitely not my first thought or reaction in most situations. But I am learning.

With this move I really focused on trusting and not working myself into a wobbly, worried, doubtful, control-freak mess. There were groups of people working on logistics and details so we didn't have to, and I just let them do it. Yes, I still had moments of panic, anger, worry, bickering and tears, but a keeping my focus on God's faithfulness and control served as a reminder that eventually things will be back to normal, that He will take care of us. It helped me see God moving in the present.

Perhaps this time it won't take me almost three years to look back and say, "Ohhh, I see what you did there. You're sneaky. Thank you!"