Life is good.

Why?  Because I get to wake up to this face everyday.  

I'm the luckiest mom in the whole world.

and

I have the most amazing husband ever.  

I'm the luckiest wife in the whole world.  

And some random thoughts for the day...

1.  I'm a disgruntled American.  Another stimulus package and now the newspapers are asking for a bailout?  If I remember correctly, none of this has proved to be effective.  Come on, folks.  And...I feel like I'm the only one in the world that isn't ecstatic that Obama is now our president or enamored by all his fluffy speech.  He doesn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy (or inspired, I might add) inside like I'm reading and hearing everywhere I turn.  Sigh.  

2.  How much easier is life once your kid can sit up on her own?  Seriously, this has changed my life.  Thank you, sit-up gods for making grocery shopping that much less painful.

3.  Where's Al Gore and all his Global Warming posse these days with all these arctic ice blasts hitting the country?  Seems they've been very quiet lately.  I wonder why?!? Because all that stuff Al Gore won a Nobel Peace Prize (good grief) for is a total farce!  It's what we call cyclical climate patterns that repeat through the centuries.  I'm all about taking care of our earth, but come on...  ***I heard that Al Gore was supposed to testify on the Hill about global warming  a few days ago, but ironically got grounded for days in NYC because of severe ice storms.  Hi-larious.  Now that's some good irony, eh?

4.  I love sunshine and the warmth.  Anyone who says they'd rather be holed up for months because of cold weather (which you can't really go out in) as opposed to hot weather (which you can go out in) are crazy!  I will thankfully take three months of 100 degree weather (and nine months of glorious) over -20 degree freezing-cold weather any day.  Any opposition?  Let's hear it.  In the meantime, I'm enjoying sunny, clear skies at a nice temperature between 65-72 degrees.  I'm in heaven.

5.  I got a tetanus shot on Monday and my arm is killing me.  I have this huge lump around the injection site (which my doctor husband says isn't serious.)  I haven't been able to sleep on my right side for two days now because it hurts so badly!  Bottom line?  I'm glad I don't have to get another one of those for ten more years.  

6.  Speaking of sleep...I've apparently contracted insomnia the last couple of nights.  Is it just inherent that once you're a mother, you can't sleep as well?  Monday night, I couldn't fall asleep until around 10:30, then woke up at 1am and basically couldn't fall asleep for the rest of the night.  I ended up on the couch (after much tossing and turning) to watch some TV, switching between Food Network and the Fashion Police on E! channel.  I finally fell asleep around 4:30am and was soon woken up by Lois at 5:45.  Jason was kind enough to get up with her, but that's all she wrote. No sleepy for Lili - I couldn't fall back asleep.  I still wake up every night between one and three in the morning, I'm sure a lasting result from the hardcore mother training I went though in the first few months of Lois' birth.  Even though Lois sleeps through the night, I'm still waking up.  I guess my body is still on Lois time...from like three months ago. 

7.  Why is it that when I actually have a sleeping baby and time to get ready in the morning I don't want to?  When I put her down for a morning nap, I just want to vegetate, sleep, eat breakfast, blog, write emails...anything but get ready.  Why is that?  Then I hear that little squeal that Lois is awake and the first thing that comes to my mind is, CRAP.  Needless to say, this means I usually don't get ready until about noon.  Same goes for sleep.  If I'm SO tired in the morning, she'll go down for her morning nap and I'll take some time (like 15 minutes) to watch some morning news, check my email, etc.  As soon as I get nestled back into my bed, Lois wakes up.  And it always happens on the days when I am most tired.  Does she has a little devil baby sitting on her shoulder waking her up at the perfect time to push pure exhaustion onto her mother?  I wonder...

8.  I came down with one nasty sinus infection starting Wednesday night of last week.  Thursday it hit me really hard and Friday and Saturday were PURE misery.  Jason was at the hospital overnight from Friday to Saturday (of course those days being the worst of my sickness...) so I was left to take care of Lois and myself - all by myself.   I learned firsthand how hard that is and also gained about a million times more respect for my dear mother doing that with FIVE kids.  At one point on Friday I put Lois on the ground with some toys to play with while I was laying on the couch (she was right in front of me).  Consequently, I fell asleep for probably 30 minutes and woke up to Lois with a mouthful of paper.  She had pulled a file folder out from the lower shelf of our coffee table and was tearing through it like a mad woman.  She was pretty upset when I emptied her mouth of the paper and she found that her unbridled freedom was cut short.  All in all, Lois is the best baby and was very low maintenance so I am grateful for that.  I'm all better now but I don't want to go through that again for a long, long time.  

9.  And the best for last?  Lois is about to turn eight months old on February 5th.  Today, January 27th, Lois cut her FIRST TWO TEETH!  No crawling or anything even close to it (which I'm kind of grateful for) but she's growing up so fast.  As soon as I can actually get a shot of the pearly whites, I'll post pictures!  (How long does it take the teeth to grow up once they have broken through the gums?)  I'm glad all that chewing, biting and slobbering wasn't for nothin'!

'Nuf said.

Thanks for reading and have a fantastic day!  

Biosphere 2

Our latest adventure was to go visit the Biosphere which is about 30 miles from us.  It was pretty interesting to see this place.  In the early 90's six people lived inside the original biosphere for two whole years, growing all their own food and collecting all their own water, etc.  In my opinion, these people were crazy, but it's pretty amazing what they did!  Over the years, the biosphere has been under different leadership and funding, so it has been added onto,  changed and the purpose for its existence has evolved throughout the years.  Today, it's utilized for environmental/ecological research and the University of Arizona maintains it.  

Outside one of the areas of the biosphere

 

This is the "ocean" inside of the biosphere - apparently it goes down two acres and the sand for the beach was brought in from the Caribbean. 

Here we are going through the desert portion of the biosphere.  Inside, they have all different ecological systems - from the humid rainforest to the arid Sahara Desert.

Lois loved being on her dad's shoulders.

Here's one of the long underground tunnels that we went though during our tour.  

The rainforest portion of the biosphere - it was hot and very humid in there!  We were reminded how much we dislike the humidity when Jason's hair got all fluffy, my hair got all flat and Lois' hair was sticking to her forehead.  Yuck.  

This place is HUGE.

Trying to be excited for the 1.5 hour tour...I'm not convinced.  How about you?

Lois ready to rock n' roll in daddy's sunglasses.  Rock on, Lois.  Rock on.

This is what happens when you have a baby that likes to scoot herself to the top of her crib...some serious bed head.

Sweet middle part, Lois.  We love it.

"Ummm, excuse me...."

"What are these things?"

The story of Lois and her first haircut...

Courtesy of MOM

BEFORE:  Random long strands all over her head, hair in her eyes and hair overgrowing her ears...not a pretty sight!

AFTER:  A happy girl striking a pose...

Bye, bye hair!!

No more random long strands...looking more like a real haircut instead of an old man comb-over.  Thank goodness!

THE END.

"The Town too tOUGh to Die..."

On Monday, we visited Tombstone, Arizona.  After that, we drove a little more south and checked out Fort Huachuca and Sierra Vista.  Driving home, we took the more scenic route and it was fun to see some more of the Arizona countryside.  

Our next stop?  Nogales. Stay tuned...

 

These signs were everywhere.  I don't know if this was supposed to be a joke or if we were parking with the knowledge that we were in the most unruly town in Arizona?  Hmm...  Unruly?  Lawless?  I don't think so.  I think we'll take our chances, thanks.

A perfect photo opportunity in the buggy.  I think Lois likes it!

We were pretending to be in a high-speed chase here - Lois was pretty excited about it.

After I took this picture, Jason said, "that's my tough look."  Don't mess with him. 'Nuf said.  

Nothing like a moustache on a madame.

Seriously?  Big Nose Kate??  Couldn't they have picked a better nickname for this poor lady?  I mean, I saw her picture.  She didn't have an overly big nose.  Mary Katherine Horony was Doc Holliday's wife - forever remembered in history as Big Nose Kate.  I wonder what she'll have to say about this in the next life...

A lawless crowd in the street...

(Cue cowboy music ... wowowowo, dun, dun, dun....)

(Cue tumbleweed...)

They obviously don't want Mormons to patron their restaurant.   

Jason and Lois after the reenactment of the gunfight showdown in front of the OK Corral  between the Earps and the Clantons.  The first thing I'd like to say is that the fake "shots" didn't even phase Lois.  I'm pretty sure she's not deaf and it was pretty loud.  We thought that was pretty funny, actually.  I must be a really loud mother.

 And secondly, this historic showdown happened on my birthday, October 26, 1881 - exactly 100 years before I was born.  

 They look pretty dead, don't they?  Don't worry, it's just some excellent actin'.

Lois admiring this beautiful buggy

It's a terrible picture, I know.  But doesn't it remind you of a scrunchy face that you've seen recently?  This is known as the "bitter beer face" and when Lois first made that face, it's what first came to my mind.

I was also just reminded by my cousin Camille that I used to make the same face as Lois when I was little.  I think she's right.  I remember my mom saying, "you look so much prettier when you smile."  Needless to say, I went around for days showing all my teeth because - goodness, I was pretty and I was going to show everyone!  I think I'm in for it...

"White Dove of the Desert"

On Saturday we decided to go visit the San Xavier del Bac Mission which is about eight miles southwest of Tucson. Jason and I had both seen it from I-19, but had never been out to visit it. The mission is located on the Tohono O'odham Indian reservation and is often referred to as the White Dove of the Desert by the Native Americans and it is way, way...well, OLD. 

Some history: Way back in 1692 (um...that's forever ago!) a Jesuit missionary named Father Kino (recognize that name, Tucsonans?) visited this site and declared the area for a mission. In 1767 the Jesuits were driven off the land and the Franciscans assumed power of the mission. The present church that is standing was built between 1783 - 1797 by the Franciscan Fathers Juan Bautista Velderrain and Juan Bautista Llorenz. The exterior is that of the classic Spanish Mission -inspired architecture but the inside has a whole array of styles - much of it inspired by the native people - complete with thousands of intricate carvings. 

I wish I could have gotten a better picture of the inside, but I didn't want to interrupt those that were there for worshipping purposes. The mission is still a fully operational Roman Catholic church and holds services and confessional daily.   Oh yeah, and there were lots and lots and lots and lots of candles.  Everywhere.

This is the front of the mission. From researching a little more, I found out that they intended to build another dome on the right side (from early drawings) but it never happened and history has no record of why it was never built.

This is me trying to be "artistic."  I thought it was pretty cool - especially with the Saguaro in the corner.  Lois (below) is beside herself at the beautiful architecture.  What a little smarty pants - already knows how to enjoy the humanities...We're so proud.  That - or maybe she's just slipping out of her stroller.  Hmmm...

Proof that there is the color green here in Tucson.  

Here's a picture of the mission from the little hill to the east of it.  On that hill (pictured below behind Jason), there is a monument erected there because there was believed to be a few apparitions of the mother Mary.  

Jason saying "Ooooo...." and Lois saying "Ahhhhhhh...." 

Just outside the entrance.  I was there, I promise.  

Who do you think was taking all the photos?  I rest my case.

a NeW LOoK and some NaTUre!

Jason got off early (this is a miracle, really) on Saturday, so we decided to get out of the house and enjoy the beautiful Tucson weather!  We decided to take the tram up to the top of Sabino Canyon and it was fantastic.  I highly recommend doing this at some point if you visit or live in Tucson.  There really is beautiful scenery here in this mountainous desert.

In other news, Lois has been making the funniest scrunchy face lately.  Especially this day up Sabino Canyon, she did it about every five minutes and we couldn't stop laughing.  When we did the same face back at her she would start laughing so hard.  It was great entertainment!

The look.

The beautiful stream that runs down Sabino Canyon - proof that there is water here.  This water comes solely from the snow and rain off of Mount Lemmon.

Oh!  There it is again...

Some more beautiful scenery...

The handsome hubby - I love my sweet family.  :-)

Scrunchy face in all its glory...

...and again...

This was mid-scrunch...looking pretty ticked off, actually.

I'd like a smirk with some squinty eyes on the side, please. 

....and again...

...and again...

The top of Sabino Canyon road - you can hike even higher.  We love the desert.

The tram - our driver was awesome and told us all about plants and history of the canyon.

It was a great activity.  Thanks for getting off early, babe.  Maybe he should try to do that more often?  I think so.