Beta Gamma Sigma

CONGRATULATIONS DADDY!

As things are winding down around here we are proud to announce that Ben was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma--the honor society for business students. Thanks to all his hard work, we enjoyed a fabulous night out and enjoyed some good food and a really great, thought provoking speech. Maybe all that time away was worth it?? Never! But we are still proud of you. Only one more test to go and it's all over--keep it up!!

Our Direct Communicator

Eliza is fast becoming very much like her father. She is a direct communicator. If she wants something, she will let you know what it is and expect that you will do what ever or get what ever it is. It's quite different from our Xander who never told us when something was wrong, when he was hungry or tired--he just waited until you took care of him. Here is an example:

This means: I want to go swimming!!

While Daddy slept...

Yesterday, after lunch, Daddy wanted to take a nap. So he and Xander went and laid down (we were hoping Xander would fall asleep). Well, it was SUPER quiet in the bedroom and I didn't want to disturb anyone, so I assumed they'd both fallen asleep. When Eliza woke up, we sneaked outside and went for a walk. We returned about 30 minutes later and my little boy came running out at me, braying like a horse. He said, "Look mommy! I'm a horse!"
I don't quite see the horse buddy but those are really good lines. And where was Daddy?? Still asleep until I yelped thinking that it was my make-up he'd gotten in to. Have no fear, it was just marker and we were able to clean it off--eventually.

Egg Dyeing

We celebrated spring this week (no, not Easter, Spring) by decorating eggs this past Sunday. We had attempted to do this the week prior, even borrowed vinegar on Sunday so we wouldn't have to run to the store (thanks Angi!) but alas, we didn't get around to it until yesterday. It didn't seem to bother Xander at all though--in fact, since Colton got to come over, I bet he enjoyed it more! They each got 2 eggs and got to pick 1 color. Next year though, I will definitely read the directions before making the 'solution'. :) Oh well, it was fun!

Easter 2009

We had a very low key Easter this year but we did snag our neighbor to take a family picture of us all in our Easter blues. Thanks Abby! Sorry about the boring background everyone, but we wanted a shot of our apartment for family history purposes. Happy Easter!

Temple Easter Pageant

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, that live near the Mesa Temple, perform an Easter pageant every year and, although we would have all liked to go, it ended up as a girls night out--the daddy's stayed home with the kiddos! I was able to go with Kayley & Kelly and two friends: Paola and Daniella (both from Chile). It was quite a spectacular event. We met up with the Kellers & Austins once we got there and enjoyed relatively good seats. The pageant, "Jesus the Christ" depicted the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ, through words & songs and was beautifully done. Daniella & Paula were both very grateful that they had headphones for translation and I think they were really excited when we ran into a Chilean sister missionary. (I figured out she was from Chile because she said, "Yo soy de Chile" and I don't speak much Spanish but I knew what that meant!! Anyways, they chatted about 'stuff' for awhile...I just stood there and smiled) And of course, we ended the night by introducing them to Bahama Bucks--an amazing shaved ice restaurant that I will dearly miss when we are gone!! It is like nothing you've ever had--and is something to definitely taste if you are near one.

Easter Egg Hunt #1

The Thunderkids hosted our first Easter Egg Hunt this year! It was so much fun! (if I can say that, I was kind of in charge??) But it really was--we all made Easter Egg baskets from milk cartons, hunted for over 200 eggs and made Easter cookies! We had a blast. Xander knew what to do--he's a pro now (didn't you know that??) and it didn't take Eliza long before she knew what she wanted! (such a girl!) Xander had lots of fun with all his friends--he's pictured here with Sangu (sp?), his new friend from Mongolia. We had a picture perfect day and certainly enjoyed ourselves--to say the least! Thank you Kelly & Aunt Kayley for your extra hands!!

Aunt Kayley!!!!

Hurray for our first Carter visitor (ok Grumpy was here for less than 24 hours--he doesn't count!)!!!! Thank you Uncle John for having classes here so that Aunt Kayley and Lainey and Kelly could come and visit! We had so much fun! The kids miss you guys so much! Poor Kayley and Kelly though--they came during a busy week for us with baby showers, potlucks, egg hunts and Easter pageants! But we still loved having you in our home and dragging you around! (And Kayley, I can't believe we didn't get any pics of YOU!!!)

First shot is Janae--another good thing about Aunt Kayley is that it forced her friend Janae to come and visit! YEAH! Janae visited us last year but has since graduated from the Scottsdale Culinary Institute--and she shared her talent with some yummy crepes and lemon/grapefruit curd. They were mmmm...mmmm delicious. Second shot is Kelly--Kayley's sister in law who came and was so much fun to hang out with! Kelly made me feel really good by borrowing and fitting in my pants--they were much cuter on her so she kept them but it still made me feel good. :)

Thanks for the visit ladies!!! We love you and hope you'll come again!! (Well, after we move)
P.S Kayley--Xander still sings "I Like to Move it, I like to shake it..." You'd be so proud. But the best part is--Eliza sings now too: "Shake it, Shake it" ...It's hilarious.

The Culture Pass

The "Culture Pass" is the coolest thing ever! Every city in America should have them. They just started here and will be around for the next 2 years--I really wish they had these the whole time we were here but at least we have had them for a couple of months. So, what are they? The library system down here put them together to encourage people to go to the museums. They worked with 10 different museums to create a way for people to get in for free. Each library branch has 4 tickets for each of the 10 different museums. And so, we as library patrons, get to check them out! It's way cool!

Anyways, we went to the A.M.Y first and had a blast! A free museum, a picnic in the park and friends a plenty--it was a great day! Here are some fun shots of us with our good friends:

Our Future (well, the next few years)

Ben was offered a full-time position with INTEL and it is official--we're going to OREGON! Ben's start date will be July 6th. Any suggestions or recommendations are welcome--we're hoping to rent for a short time and then become true Americans and buy our first home! :)

A Christ Centered Easter

My friend Beth and I have had so much fun this year preparing for Easter. We had both picked up a copy of the book, "Christ Centered Easter" and decided that it would be more fun to do the work together. We also spread out our Holy week to 6 weeks and have done one lesson at a time. I can't believe how excited I am for Easter this year. We have had such a good time. We made palm leaves and talked about Palm Sunday, taught the kids how to say Hosanna etc. We made our very own Passover dinner, the kids made the unleavened bread!! Talked about the last supper and enjoyed foods that were available in Jesus' time. It has been so much fun and so great for the kids. Xander gets excited every time he sees palm leaves! Its fantastic! I just love friends!!