Halloween, Our Little Flower

Well, I know that it is almost a month past Halloween but I wanted to share costume pictures with you. On Halloween, we went to a festival at our church. They gave each child a good sized bag of candy and then had a lot of games and activities for them to do. Amelia had a great time even if she didn't understand that you are supposed to toss the balls in from a distance instead of just walking up to the game and putting them in the hole.

After that we came home and went trick-or-treating at a few houses in our neighborhood. After about three houses, we stopped and talked with some neighbors for a while. They happen to have a 3-year-old daughter so she and Amelia played together for a while. The only problem was that after we were done talking, Amelia didn't want to trick-or-treat anymore she just wanted to go back inside and play. So that was the end to our trick-or-treating and the end to a fun Halloween.

More Visitors

Last week, Rod's sister, Janna, and our nephew, Matthew came to visit us. It was great to have them here and Amelia loved having someone to play with. Matthew is 4-1/2 so he is very entertaining to her.

Last Sunday after church we went to Sutherland Farms which is a local farm and pumpkin patch. The weather here has been very nice lately, unseasonable warm actually, but on that day it was sunny, cold and windy. The kids loved seeing the animals, playing in the corn pit and taking the hayride. We got them each their own little pumpkin, as y0u can see in the picture. Between getting up early for church, the activity and the cold, Amelia was pooped by the middle of the afternoon.

The rest of the week was spent doing simple things: going to the mall, the park and the children's museum. It was so great to see both of them since we had not seen them since May. I will try to post some Halloween pictures in a few days.

Life

It's amazing how busy we can get with life. No one thing makes it so crazy just the combination of things. I started this blog to keep everyone updated on Amelia and our family and then I don't post very often or put up pictures of the little one. Sorry!

Anyway, Rod's parents were here for a visit over the weekend. They just finished a long trip through the Great Lakes. This picture is her hugging the pig they sent her during the trip. It was good to have them here and so nice for me to have a little break. Rod and I spent the day on Saturday driving up to Silverton, CO to hang out in the town and see the fall colors. It was very pretty and fun.

Amelia continues to grow and develop and truly amaze us with all of her changes. She is definitely trying to say more words but they are still mostly limited to hi, by, mommy & daddy. I think dog is in there somewhere too since Sadie and the chihuahua across the street are her favorite playmates. The fall is finally here and it is nice to be able to play outside in the afternoon. Amelia loves being outside but gets frustrated when Sadie takes her(Sadie's) toys away. Amelia will pick up Sadie's rope or ball and wave it in front of Sadie. Then she gets mad when Sadie comes over and takes it out of her hand.

Off to San Diego

Since the summer is over, we decided that it was safe to travel again without the risk of being stuck again since we're flying stand-by. This last weekend (Sat.-Tues.), the three of us flew out to San Diego to see both my parents. Thankfully all our flights went smoothly. It is always good to be able to visit with family.

On Sunday we went to the Padres game since a trip to San Diego without seeing a Pads game is torture to me. They have a great grassy park area in center field where we ate our lunch and let Amelia run around for about an hour. It worked out really well because then by the time the game started she was full and tired. She slept for at least 3-4 innings only stirring when the Pads made a good play and everyone cheered. Plus the Padres won!

Here's a side note to anyone with toddlers that likes to eat at Claim Jumper. We went there for dinner after the game and without asking they brought out a toddler plate for Amelia very soon after we were seated. It had cinnamon applesauce, mandarin oranges, turkey and cheese. We didn't have to order anything for her and she had food ASAP so she didn't get fussy. Claim Jumper gets four stars in my book for this idea. All in all it was a fun trip!

My First Harvest

Only 5 weeks after planting my garden I already have produce! I was able to pick a zucchini this week and was amazing at how big it grew so quickly. I'd heard that zucchinis are quite prolific growers but now I understand what they mean. At least I can freeze it, bake with it or cook it (a lot!).

I finally showed Amelia my garden this week. Obviously she could always see it since it's in the backyard but I had never really pointed it out to her. She got so excited as I showed her the zucchinis and the squashes growing and let her reach down and touch them. Last night when we went outside she started pointing to the garden and wanted to go look at everything again. She even started showing Daddy where the vegetables were on the plants. Next year she and I will have to plant some radishes especially for her to watch grow.

A Getaway

Last week, Rod's parents were here for a few days. So we took the opportunity to get away up to Durango for a night. We went for a hike when we got up there last Sunday and by chance happened to pick a hike that followed a beautiful creek and waterfall. I love having a digital camera so you can take tons of pictures and not waste film. We wanted to share some of the pictures with you. If you have never been to Durango, Colorado it is a trip you must plan on taking. There a tons of fun things to do and the scenery is awesome.

We stayed the night at our favorite B & B, the Apple Orchard Inn. It is just a little north of Durango in the Animas Valley and each morning and evening you can hear the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad go by (another thing to check out if you come). Most of you know that we lived here for a year about four years ago. We keep asking each other why we left and are hoping that God will allow us to move back someday.

Our Day at the Fair

Since we didn't make it back home this summer to go the the Del Mar Fair (aka. the San Diego County Fair), I wanted to make sure that we made it to our local fair. The San Juan County Fair only runs for 6 days and is billed as the largest county fair in New Mexico. I love the Del Mar Fair and was hoping for something similar but this is New Mexico and I didn't want to get my hopes up. Surprisingly, I was not disappointed. We went to the fair yesterday, spent most of the day there and were very entertained.

As soon as we got there we headed straight for all the animal barns because we knew Amelia would like seeing the animals. We saw every pig, cow, goat, sheep, bird and rabbit being shown in San Juan County and Amelia loved it. One lady even took her duck out of it's cage and let Amelia pet it. We also saw a dog show (which Amelia slept through) and all of the crafting exhibits. It was a mini version of the Del Mar Fair and we had a lot of fun. Amelia only had a 30 minute nap all day so I'm hoping she'll sleep most of this afternoon. We'll see!

Visiting Williams

Last week Amelia and I went to visit Rod's parents, Richard and Connie (otherwise known as Nana & Papa), at their place in Williams, Arizona. Williams is about 30 minutes west of Flagstaff and 50 miles south of the Grand Canyon. It's great to relax and enjoy the great views from their place. We took Amelia into the community pool and, again, she loved the water. She also loved the big yellow tomcat that they feed when they're there. One night for dinner we had corn on the cob and for the first time we offered Amelia the cob. As you can see she loved it and had no trouble eating it.

Now speaking of trouble, that came on our way home. Since Rod works for Mesa Airlines, we get to fly free on any US Airways flight or their affiliates. Before we left to head into Flagstaff on Friday I called to check the availability on the flights we were taking. At that time there were 6 seats left on the flight from Phoenix to Farmington. I know that doesn't sound like very many but the plane only seats 19 people so 6 seats is almost 1/3 of the plane. Well to make a long story short (or shorter), the flight was full when we got into Phoenix so we had to stay in a hotel for the night and then our flight out the next day was delayed. So finally we left Phoenix at 2:45pm on Saturday. Amelia was so tired on Sunday that she slept in until 9am and then took 2 naps! I know we should almost expect that to happen since we fly stand-by but you always hope it won't.

The Yard

Sorry it has been a while since I posted anything. We had one fairly uneventful week and then Amelia and I were gone for a few days. But as always we have been busy outside! The last week of July I finally got my vegetable garden planted in the backyard. I know it is just a bit late to plant vegetables but maybe, just maybe, I'll get something from them before the end of the season. I got a little ambitious and bought way too much for the small space I have. I planted watermelon, crookneck squash, zucchini, two kinds of tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, pumpkins and bell peppers. Hopefully later in the season I can show you a picture of how much they've all grown.


Our other yard item last week was our first grass-cutting. This is probably not exciting to most people but not only is this the first lawnmower we've owned but it is also the first time we have lived anywhere with grass to mow. We spent most of last Monday afternoon lawnmower shopping around Farmington. Amelia was not having a lot of fun and a huge thunderstorm moved in just before we were finished. Then when we got home Sadie was a muddy mess because the storm had freaked her out. Luckily, Tuesday was a pretty day and we finally had the smell of fresh-cut grass in our own backyard. Yeah!

Pool Party

Last night our church had a pool party for families at the new Aquatics Center here in Bloomfield. The aquatics center is really nice and includes a zero-entry kiddie pool with fun water features, two water slides, an indoor and outdoor pool. Amelia loves the water (as you can see) and she wanted to play in the kiddie pool but since the water recycles through the water features it's not very warm. The outdoor pool was much warmer and she enjoyed floating in her blow-up turtle.

They served ice cream bars about halfway through the evening. It was a nice distraction for Amelia and a good snack for Rod & I since we hadn't had dinner yet. Amelia was starting to get tired about 7:30 so we were just about to get out of the pool when everyone had to get out because of lightning. We could see big thunderclouds to the east so we figured it was inevitable. All in all it was a fun night and Amelia was ready for her bed when we got home!

Church Picnic

Rod and I have always liked the idea of living in a small community. Bloomfield has a population of about 7,000 people but it is close enough to Farmington (pop. 40,000) that everything we need is still nearby. Last night our church, First Baptist of Bloomfield, had a church picnic & missions night. The church provided BBQ beef sandwiches and beans and everyone else signed up to bring one of five things: onions, pickles, watermelon, chips or dessert. We got a kick out of how specific they were. Regardless, it was a neat dinner with everyone bringing their chairs and eating on the grass behind the church. People loved watching Amelia run around and she loved the open space.

After dessert, everyone moved inside for a presentation by a missionary couple serving in Slovenia. It was great to hear what God is doing in other parts of the world. They also had a picture presentation and we never knew what a beautiful country Slovenia is. Lucky for us, they also provided childcare because otherwise one of us would not have been able to focus on their presentation.

Checkup in Durango

Yesterday we spent the afternoon in Durango. Amelia's pediatrician is up there and it was time for her 18-month well check. The doctor said she is doing great and she came in at 20 lbs. 9 oz. and 31 1/2 inches. She likes to stick right at the bottom of the curve in her weight but then look at me. We have to go to Durango to go to the doctor because our insurance does not have any pediatricians in-network anywhere in Farmington. Because we love going up there, we don't mind so much. After her appointment we went to Santa Rita Park which has a great playground and is right next to the Animas River. So she had a great time stretching her legs and then we put her in the stroller and went for a nice long walk along the river. The temperature was perfect, maybe 80 degrees, which was a nice change from the near 100's we've been having in Bloomfield.

This picture is a from a few weeks ago but I just had to share it!

At the Lake

We went up to Navajo Lake for a dinner barbeque on Tuesday and I got this cute picture of Rod & Amelia. Thought you might like to see them!

Sadie

Sadie is going nuts!! Our dog, Sadie, is a Border Collie mix that is approximately 7 years old. About a week ago her behavior all of the sudden changed. She is usually very calm, rarely barks, doesn't dig or chew. Then people started setting off fireworks a few days before the 4th and that really freaked her out. She started wanting in all the time and scratching on the back door. She hasn't eaten much in the past few days either. Then when I got home from church this morning, I discovered that she had destroyed a brand new hose in the back yard.

We can't figure out if she is just bored because our yard is smaller than before (although we've been here now for over 6 months). We are really baffled. I've been trying to take her on a walk a few times a week to get her out of the backyard and we let her out into the front yard when we're out there but it hasn't seemed to make much of a difference. Anyone have any suggestions?

We have grass!

On Tuesday, we got up early (like 6:30am & this is our weekend), drove into Farmington to pick up a flatbed trailer and then drove up to Durango to pick up our sod. Our friends, Nate & Erin, from Durango came down to help us with the process and we are so thankful for their help. It was after 1:00pm by the time Rod & Nate started putting the grass down and they finished it all by about 7:30pm. The tricky part was our truck could only haul about half of the sod we needed. (Altogether it was about 7500 lbs. of grass.) So as they began to lay the first load, Erin stayed with Amelia and I drove our truck pulling a 16 foot trailer back up to Durango for the second load. I remember when we first got the truck (a Ford F-150) I was nervous to drive it because it was "so big". Now I'm pulling trailers.

Well, needless to say the whole family is already loving the grass. Rod & I love how it makes the backyard look and it makes it a lot cooler. Amelia loves to sit in the grass and play with the sprinklers. Sadie is just happy to have a comfortable place to lay and roll around. As a bonus, there was some leftover rolls when the backyard was finished so the front yard now has a little bit of grass. Our neighbors are probably wondering why there is only a small patch in the front when we still have open trenches. But that's a project for another week(s). Hope everyone had a good 4th!

eBaying

I have been selling things on eBay since we moved here in January because it's fun and earns us a little extra money. Rod's sister, Janna, gave us the idea of selling baby/kids clothes because she had done it herself with her kids' clothes. So I started out selling things from around the house that we decided not to keep after we moved. However, after those things were gone I didn't have much to sell. Our idea had been to search garage sales and clearance racks for good deals and then resell them. Well, Rod works on the weekends and taking Amelia around to garage sales is just not very fun for either of us.

I had actually been praying about a few different opportunities that I had to make some extra money. I was trying to decide which would be the best to put my efforts into. Rod kept saying that we needed a "supplier". By that he meant a company that we would buy overstock from to then resell on eBay. Of course we have no idea how to find a supplier nor the money it would probably take to buy in that sort of bulk. Enter God's timing and providence! Janna had been saving up all of her kids' clothes to sell on eBay but was not finding the time to do so. It was starting to pile up and kind of stress her out. So, long story short, I am now selling all of the clothes she had accumulated. We both win!

During Amelia's nap time, I make and post my listings. Right now I am working on selling a bunch of baby boy clothes from birth through 12 months. There should be quite a bit I'll be listing in the next week. If you or anyone you know needs some baby clothes, go on eBay and search for my listings under airbeck714.

Digging Trenches

Since Rod's days off are Monday & Tuesday, we spent the last two days working in the backyard evening and cleaning out the trenches we dug last week. We now have all the pipes, connectors and sprinklers we will need for the back. We have already ordered the sod and are planning to put it in next week. It will be so nice to finally have grass. Both Amelia and Sadie won't know what to do without having a yard full of dirt.

I sure am tired though. It was about 95 degrees both days and my shoulders are killing me from all the digging. I can't believe that we thought at first that we could dig all the trenches by hand. Hint to anyone putting in a sprinkler system: Rent a trencher! Whatever the cost is - it's worth the money. Amelia is such a trooper through it all. She is happy with a bucket of water and is constantly trying to "brush" Sadie. She gets herself soaking wet and full of dirt so a bath is must when we come in. I will post another picture next week when the sod's in!

What We're Up To

For those of you who have no idea what we've been up to and where we are now, here's a summary: At the beginning of this year we moved from Apple Valley, CA to Bloomfield, NM. Rod is working as an instructor pilot with Mesa Pilot Development in Farmington (northwest corner of NM, near Four Corners). We were finally able to buy a house (not a reality for us in Southern California) and are working on getting it landscaped. I am able to be a stay-at-home mom to Amelia who is now 17 months old and practically running everywhere. I do some selling on eBay for fun and to help pay a few bills.

We like the area and being away from the hustle-bustle of So. Cal. It is a little hotter here than we thought it would be but not as hot as the High Desert so I really shouldn't be complaining. We are only about 45 minutes from Durango, CO where we love to go when we have extra time. I know that New Mexico doesn't sound very exciting but there is really a lot to do within an hour of here. If you are ever through this area, we'd love to have you visit. We even have a guest room!

Getting Started

So here is our first attempt at blogging. It feels a little weird but since we're not near most of our friends and family, I thought you might like to know what we're up to. I'll try to use this blog to let you know what's keeping us busy, what Ameila's doing and to post pictures. The blog will only be available to people we know. However we have to have their e-mail address for them to have access, so feel free to tell people we know to e-mail us and I will add them to the list. Please give us your comments or even ask questions and I will attempt to address them in upcoming posts. Here it goes!!