Vida. Risa. Amor.

Well Spring Break has already come and gone, and before I forget some of the fun things we've been up to, I thought I'd try and jot it all down. My mind seems to be stuck in "list-mode" so I guess I'll just list off the top 10 things that have happened for us in the past few weeks:
#10: Hikes. We hiked to the top of Usery Mountain with the boys. After many water breaks, an hour and a half later we made it to the top! Aydan out-hiked us all, and Rylan didn't like the idea of coming in as the "2nd" Palacios boy to make it to the top...they are both very competitive! (He prefers to be known as the "first" 3 year old Palacios boy who made it to the top, and also allowed us the privelage to carry him most of the way back down!) We also went on a little trip to Papago Park with Aunt Jen and cousins Micah and Maddie....the rocks there are a little too adventurous, but the weather is too beautiful not to get out and enjoy!
#9: Lanie went on a one week road trip with Grandma and Grandpa to New Mexico and Colorado Springs. She loved the aquarium, botanical garden, and zoo, and came back extremely educated on birds! She also visited with her cousins Kenzie and Hudson and loved helping Bets & Jon with projects around their house and watching movies with them. One week seemed long and we sure missed her!
#8: Josie went on a 3 day trip with her youth group from church to California to visit the beach and Knotts Berry Farm. She had a blast, though she is still devastated to have lost her favorite unicorn.
#7: Our church is celebrating it's grand opening! We have been attending Mission Community Church for almost 7 years now, and have been there when they originally met in a high school...today the attendance has now more than quadrupled in size, and huge renovations have been made. I have come to love their "mission statement" taken from Micah 6:8...To act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. In the goal to keep God glorified in all our church does, 5 years of clean water has been donated to a community who had no access to it. Evidently more people die each year of water contamination diseases than from any war or other illness....and the majority of those people are children. I love to be a part of a community that cares to make a difference and I hope to find more opportunities to give back.
#6: Teeth & dental issues. Aydan had to have a cavity filled and bit on his lip while he was still numb so his face swelled up for 4 days. Rylan also had to have a cavity filled and after he was sedated, the dentist found out the damage was worse so they ended up putting a silver cap over the whole thing....he thinks he's got cool teeth like his Dad now. Josie finally gets braces!!...only 18 months to go!
#5: The girls had their birthday pictures taken with the coolest photographer in Arizona! Aunt Jen caught some amazing pictures of them and we can't wait to get them framed soon.
#4: We tried out the local YMCA. It was a free week trial and since it was just me and the boys most of the days, it seemed like a genius plan. There's a rock wall, a small square pool, and child care & plenty of treadmills. In my opinion it wasn't worth continuing for the price they were asking and I'd rather pay the extra $$ to get the benefits at Lifetime for a couple months during the summer...I actually miss the total body conditioning classes there....I think it shows too...I think I'd better hurry up and run another 8 miles soon.
#3: House projects. We had our house painted and it looks awesome. I love the way a new coat of paint makes everything look clean and fresh. I also fixed up a few room decorations I've had issues with....sometimes it just takes a while to notice things are lame until you finally see that a big blue painted square in your front room really isn't that cool anymore. We also bought another Ikea daybed to replace the Ikea loft bed we just got rid of. It only took us 4 hours to put together and it's always fun when you miss a step and have to undo a dozen screws to start again....but atleast it was on clearance. I also spent a morning rearranging the furniture in the boys bedroom...it seems to be some kind of an addictive thrill for me to find a new way to create more space in a small area.
#2: Sports. Aydan started up his flag-football season with the Cardinal's and had his first game today. Josie's Barca soccer team has had tournaments for the past 3 weekends and played 11 games and won all 11! Since they are the Open Cup champions, their next tournament could be in Oregon in June. Lanie is taking a break from softball until fall but has an upcoming overnight trip with her girl scout troop soon.
And the #1 thing we've been up to is................Life!
From cleaning, coupon organizing, yard-work, laundry, groceries, practices, homework, church, school, friends, vacuuming, van maintenance, blogging, cooking, and as usual....much much more.
Life is full, we all have our health, and the weather is perfect for opening windows and letting in fresh air.
Spring has never looked better.