This year's to do list...

Master's degree: Check, Find job: Check, Oldest off to college: Check, Youngest enrolled for Kindergarten: Check, Middle child attitude adjustment: Check, Hubby still around: Check, Pets alive and well: Check, House re-fi: Check, Suburban paid off: Check, Summer vacation planned: Check, Family is blessed: Check.

It's been a while

It has been quite a whirlwind since the last post. I started my internship on July 9th, and have been non-stop ever since! The boys started Pre-K, which has been a major adjustment. Bella started 1st grade, and my Jojo Beans is a senior...yep, a senior in high school!! Not to mention, my beloved hubby is now 'Mr. Mom'. He is in charge of taking and picking up all kids at all schools, everyday. My commute is about 40mins to and fro everyday, so he has had to tweek his work schedule a bit to make this happen. Perks of owning your own business, I suppose. So I am on fall break right now (year-round school schedule) for TWO weeks! What am I going to do with myself? I actually have a long list of things to get done in the next two weeks. My hubby also gets a little vacay, from carpool duty. Pretty sad when your kids have to tell you what the morning routine has been all year. :( I do, however, get to sleep in 'til 6:45 now. I'm pretty stoked about that! The boys turn five tomorrow, nothing big planned. I am bringing cupcakes to their class and we'll probably take them to dinner tomorrow night. We are thinking about heading up north for a small party this weekend, just the fam. It's not like me to not plan a huge shindig, especially for their fifth. I am just not feelin' it these days. I do not remember being this scatter-brained and anxious when I was a working mom, seven and a half years ago. It is absolutely killing me and my OCD!! Nothing gets done during the week, and I mean NOTHING! When I walk in the door, it's homework time, dinner time, bath time, and bedtime....no excuses, and no deviating from the plan! One night, Mike wanted to go to Native New Yorker for dinner. I reluctantly agreed...BIG MISTAKE! We were half-heartedly doing homework at the table, kids were late getting baths, and by the time we brushed teeth, read books, and laid down, it was almost 10 o'clock! I had to be up at 5:30am, which makes for a very cranky School Psychologist all day! As well, Mike tells me that the kids were difficult to get up in the morning. Won't be doing THAT again! I am going to park my butt and my laptop at Mike's office all week, to force myself to complete some much needed report writing. I have never been so happy to have a break from work, just to get caught up! I have been so overwhelmed in this new position, it's ridiculous! I am typically really organized, great at multi-tasking, and do fairly well under stress, but this internship is a whole new beast! I am already looking forward to the end of the year...ha! So off to Mike's office I go until 2:30 this afternoon, when the carpooling duty begins again! Be back at winter break.....

School is almost out...for everyone!!

School is almost out for the summer, for both the kids and myself. I have back to back MET meetings in the next few weeks at school, my intern interviews are done (phew), and all of my final practicum assigns are turned in. Bella has a lot of 'end of the year' stuff happening as well. Jorden just had her Junior Prom over the weekend (OMG!), and work is getting a little slow for Mike which usually happens this time of year. We are debating planning a summer trip this year, or just a few small endeavors to get out of the heat. I have to report to my school on July 9th since they are on a modified school schedule (yuck!), which doesn't leave much time for summer fun! To rewind a bit, I have accepted an Intern position with Florence Unified School District...yes Florence! It is about a 35min. drive from Tempe. Quite the commute for me, but my school is actually in Queen Creek so it is not as bad as it could be. Best perk is it's paid, can't go wrong there!

Mike and I have our work cut out for us this summer as we try and get the boys on an actual schedule to prepare them for Pre-K in the fall. Keeping everyone busy this summer will be another challenge. With a teenager and three kids six and under, it is hard to please everyone! Jorden has two camps this summer, but other than that she will be home and BORED! Hopefully we can do a lot of driving with her and persuade her to get her dang permit! What is wrong with kids these days? Absolutely no interest in driving?! The boys are pretty easily entertained, but Bella is another story. She has little "BFFs" now that she wants to have sleepovers with EVERY DAY!! It's so exhausting constantly explaining to her that she has her own house and they have their own houses, for a reason...ha! That's when we just get the blank stare, the silence, and then she asks when her next sleepover will be!! Oy vey!! Here are some recent pics, I'm a little behind...

Xmas at Grandma Neannie's (minus Jorden and Penelope)

Playing in the snow up north at our cabin

Valentine's father/daughter dance

Spring playdate with cousins Diego and Delaney

It's Easter!

Easter at Grandma and Grandpa Spiro's (minus Ayla)

Bella and said "BFFs" on their farm field trip

Jordie prom pics

I need to seriously go shopping for a new professional wardrobe, which I am dreading! I've been in jeans, a t-shirt, and flip-flops for six years now, and literally have no idea where to even begin! I'll update later as I "shop 'til I drop!"

Climb in your damn self!

Mike and I were discussing the other night how we cannot wait until our kids can feed themselves, dress themselves, clean up after themselves (yes, the eldest one included), and last but not least, climb in the car and buckle themselves in! We are tired of it! A ride to the nearest grocery store which is a whole three minutes away, takes about 15 to 20 minutes! We spend ten minutes buckling everyone in and five minutes to drive there (five as opposed to three because we try and drive super slow when the brood is onboard). This is ridiculous! You ask, "why not just leave the kids home, and one of you run to the store?" Well the answer is not that simple. We normally run to the store and then figure since we're all already in the car, we might as well run some much needed errands that would otherwise have been put off. Yes, we are that lazy! That, and the fact that my hubby just cannot stand going anywhere without me (or me leaving him home with the kids)...isn't he sweet? So needless to say, we are counting down the days until they are out of their car seats/booster seats, and can just jump in the car and buckle up. Heck, we just assume they drive themselves around while they're at it! Oh wait, we technically have a child old enough to do that...damn reverse psychology!!

Cooper as Spider-Man

Crew as Mickey Mouse

Bella as a 'Lil' Devil

Jorden as Nacho Libre

Jorden and Jacque all ready for Homecoming!

Just bragging...

I truly have THE best kids on this planet! I have been so stressed out these past few months between planning Jorden's Sweet 16 festivities (and trying to keep them secret), the boys turning four, planning our family vacay to Disneyland, trying to finish up the last of my graduate classes, and everything in-between! When I wake up every morning and get my "morning kisses" from my kids and look into their sweet faces, it makes life all the more worth living! Some people are stressed because of their kids (which does happen), but I must say, I relieve stress with my kids! They are my babies and I refuse to believe that Bella started Kindergarten and the boys are four...WOW! To top that, Jordie turning 16 AND dating!!?? Why???

I was blessed with four healthy children and I couldn't have asked for more sweet, loving, kind-spirited, honest, and BEAUTIFUL human beings! They are the joys of my life and as long as I have them to interact with each and every day, I can handle anything!! (oh yah, and my hubby ;)

P.S. Floyd turned seven on Halloween...even the dog's getting older! :(

Post-holiday accomplishments

Fun, loving Valentine's Day: check
Our awesome 6th year Anniversary overnighter: check
Uneventful St. Patrick's Day: check
Family trip to Sedona and Out of Africa (with two other families): check
Way too many Easter activities: check
Disney on Ice-Princess Classics with three small children: check
Shelly finished last Statistics class: check
Shelly completed first Assessment class: check
Jorden made Varsity cheer: check
Spring has come to a close: check

Summer activities/accomplishments to come....

MEN SUCK!

**Warning: Contains man bashing content**


Complaint #1: Why does it take men three times as long to do something than it does women? I can feed my children three meals plus snacks in-between (including preparing dinner), keep the house clean, fold laundry, and get myself ready for school...all in ONE DAY! I leave for school (3 1/2 hrs) and when I get home, the entire day's efforts have been trashed! Can he not learn to multi-task while watching "In The Wild"?

Complaint #2: This may be backwards in my family, but why is it every time my husband goes to the grocery store he comes back with useless junk for the kids? (i.e. water paint, bubbles, mylar balloons). The other day he came home with a Justin Bieber poster for Jorden, as if her wall isn't covered enough in posters! Last night he brings home water paint and bubbles! Really? Isn't Easter right around the corner? And guess who has to listen to the fighting all day over this useless junk? Better yet, who has to clean up the messes that this useless junk makes? Yep, THE WOMEN!

Complaint #3: What are "honey to do" lists really for anyway? I've been staring at the same list for over a year. One thing at a time gets done...at a snail's pace. If I had a weekend to myself, I could knock it all out (with the help of a few experienced people). But seriously, why must it take so long to do something? I guess women's brains are just wired to handle more than one thing at a time. Or is this just an excuse men use? After all, they are able to chew gum while throwing a baseball, right? Don't they drive AND listen to Sports Talk radio? They are able to pee and fart at the same time, right? Need I say more?

Complaint #4: Why do men get to be the "good guys" and women always look like the "bad guys" because we want a certain order to things? Again, maybe this is a little backwards in my house. Women need to have things planned, organized, and clean! So I always find myself yelling at the kids to keep things 'in order' and he just lets them do whatever they want because HE doesn't have to clean up the messes...and yet again, daddy = good guy. There you have it!

On a positive note, I will say that my husband does NOT leave the toilet seat up. He also does NOT leave his clothes on the floor, he actually puts them in the hamper and his shoes in the closet. He DOES work 60hrs a week to provide for his family and I am grateful, despite what this blog may sound like! ;) But don't the stay-at-home moms also work? This is the age old question! Even those moms who are employed, don't they really have two jobs? So if I am a stay-at-home mom who is also a full-time student, doesn't that also count as two jobs? Just sayin'...

Holidays, Family, and a Funeral

Well, the New Year has come once again and we are geared up and ready to begin 2011. The end of 2010 was bitter sweet. Holidays were enjoyable this year, not too much hustle and bustle. Thanksgiving was interesting, to say the least. Bella Rose (see side bar 'About Me' notes) earned the turkey day memento this year by breaking her arm. She managed a supracondylar fracture of the humerus within the first five minutes of us arriving at the in-law's house. We spent the rest of the afternoon in the Pediatric Urgent Care so we didn't make it out to my mom's this year. Me, Mike, and the kids celebrated the next weekend with a deep fried turkey and it was delish! We topped the night off at Zoolights.

Christmas festivities started the first week of December which included tamale making, bread and cookie baking, Andreas Xmas party, me, my mom and my sis took kids to Zoolights (again) and headed to Red Devil pizza afterward (tradition we started years ago). We went light-seeing all over town which is always fun for the little ones. Last but not least, I made grape leaves with my mother-in-law Xmas Eve in the A.M. Xmas Eve P.M. was spent with my mom and siblings, and included my grandparents and some out-of-town family members to make it complete! We had lots of fun, but we are definitely missing one family member this year. I have faith that he will pull himself out of the rut he has been in for a while and emerge next year a whole new person. We threw carrots on the roof for the reindeer and left cookies and a note for Santa. The little kids really got into it this year which was so cute! And Jorden helped "Santa" wrap presents until 2:30am, so "he" was very thankful for that! Mike spent that time putting in my new dishwasher and it has been pure bliss ever since!

Christmas morning was a blast and the kids were so excited. I made my traditional cinnamon rolls and they were yummy as always. Kids ripped through their gifts and started playing with them almost immediately. I snapped pics and Mike ran the video camera as usual. Can't wait to view all of those memories later on down the line. Kids are growing WAY too fast! *sniff sniff* After getting all cleaned up, we headed over the the Spiro's to celebrate with Mike's family and wish mom/grandma Spiro a Happy Birthday! Kids put together a gingerbread house and spent the rest of the night shooting each other with the Nerf guns Santa brought them (huge hit). I've really enjoyed my 3 1/2 week winter break from school, but that is coming to an end this week. This next year will be super duper crazy busy, but I am ready to go at it full force and get this darn graduate degree finished!! I always love the last two weeks of the year because the kids are out of school and Mike actually takes quite a few half days to get shopping done with me, etc. I will miss that as well.

We ended the year with more family celebrations, including a celebration of life for someone we lost. Very heart-breaking and many prayers have taken place for this family. He was loved and will always be in our hearts and memories. So as we close the chapter on 2010, let us all be thankful for our families, our health, and our happiness. "As we get we must continue to give, and as we learn we must continue to teach." God Bless and here's to a wonderful and prosperous 2011! Oh yah, and no more broken bones! :)

And it's official...

WINTER IS HERE!! Or what we like to call a "winter" in these parts. Man, time is flying by this year. I have taken six grad. classes already, only twelve more to go! The boys turned three in Sept. and we celebrated in San Diego. It was an awesome family trip and I have pics to prove it! ;)

Jorden just made cheer captain for the basketball season. All of my bossy, controlling, overachieving issues have finally been passed down. Oh, she makes me proud!

Bella turned five over the wknd and we had a really fun princess party for her. She had a few of her besties over an hour early and had a little tea party complete with lemonade, cookies, and Polite As A Princess story. It was super cute. Will post pics as well for that. Bella also had a Thanksgiving Feast at preschool today. The little school programs have begun all over again for me...and I reminded Mike that we still have a ways to go with two more kids coming down the pipeline!

Excited to spend the holidays with good friends and family. Kids are super excited this year for all the festivities and traditions. This is probably my second to last post for the year. Final updates to come...

I'm old!

Mommy celebrated another bday (don't ask), Jordie started tenth grade, Bella started Pre-K, and Cooper decided to jump on board with potty training. So soon enough, I'll have NO kids in diapers! Excited, yet depressing! Who am I kidding? I am stoked!! ha ha

Actually, I am facing the realization that I am old! You know the "old" we all thought our parents were when they were in their late 30's? Hilarious! But seriously, I am extra depressed because my husband will forever be 11mos. younger than me! Makes me sick, especially when he reminds me all the time! I warned him this year to sleep with one eye open! ;)

Did I ever tell you I hate the summertime???

Well I do! I am an AZ native and it never seems to get any easier...or cooler! Good thing we have a cabin up north to sneak away to, or I'd probably go insane. Between my four kids, two dogs, two cats (yes, we got a new kitten), one husband, and this blistering heat, I feel like I am going to go crazy most days! Luckily, school is right around the corner for me again. I'll be able to get away two nights a week and enjoy some "adult" time for a change. Unfortunately It will be to learn which isn't fun, but I'll take it!

So Jorden is officially a Sophomore now. Wow! She is taking summer school at my 'old stomping grounds' (THS)...it sure has changed since I was there (don't worry about how many years ago that was!). She seems to like it, definitely a change of pace for her. She finished out the year strong and will be adding two "A's" to that once she completes summer school. Bella will be starting swim lessons again in the intermediate class (Eels) and possibly in dance or tumbling after that if we can swing it this summer. She dances around the house all day long, so we feel it is our duty to get her started in something before this phase slips away. Boys will do a few rounds of swimming as well (Pikes) which is an upgrade from parent/tot classes, so we are excited to be able to hand them off to the teachers to listen to the screaming this year! Mike is embarking on a new adventure (more details later) so let's just keep our fingers crossed for the time being (biting nails).

We are now a family of ten!!! We have a new kitten named Canada. For those that don't know, we have another cat named America. This only made sense, right? She also goes by Candy (Bella) or Ninja (Jorden). She is cute. I'll post pics when I upload them. Frankie loves her, Floyd can't be bothered with her, and America won't even come inside anymore. We'll have to remedy this at some point, but for now it is as peaceful as a zoo can possibly be. :)

I got accepted to Ottawa's Master of Arts in Education program which starts in one week! Man, that break didn't last long. I am waiting to hear back from the director of NAU's Education program to verify that a School Psychology program is definitely coming to the valley next Spring. If so, I will be applying there this fall in hopes of transferring. I am starting at Ottawa instead of waiting because I will already be six classes down by the time NAU gets their program up and running, and I don't want to waste any time. I just need to make sure all the courses I am taking will actually transfer over or are equivalent to, which is why I am awaiting a phone call. SOONER than later, please!! So I will either be an Ottawa graduate or a Northern Arizona graduate in 2012. Either way, I am pretty stoked.

We are planning our first "real" family trip in September, to Colorado. It will be a blast and I am so excited to see where Mike grew up. We are also going to Elitch Gardens, Denver Zoo, Butterfly Pavilion, Estes Park, and a few other places Mike wants to show us. The boys won't remember the trip (yeah for cameras!), but the girls will and I am very happy to be able to share memories like this with them.

spring pics/events

Phx Children's Museum






Abigail's 6th bday

Family cabin in Overgaard






mama got a new 'do'


Bella slept in her new Xmas boots for weeks!


Shan and Hope-Ryan

time for big boy beds!


Bella just "hangin"

Jorden being Jorden
Wildlife Zoo

One Bachelor's down, one Master's to go....

I am officially done with school this week...FINALLY!!!!!! This last year flew by, but I don't recommend the 20yr graduation plan! Undergrad. was a piece of cake, however, it is a little daunting to think about the Master's program I will be starting in the fall. I get the summer off to apply to a few different schools before making my choice. I am leaning toward Ottawa and NAU's distance learning program. Heard exceptional things about both. ASU's School Psych. program is only a PhD. program, so that's a 'no-go' for me. I'm stopping at a Master's, thank you very much! I always desired to have a Master's but not so much a doctorate. I need to get school over with as soon as I can so I can start working and get on with the matters of life, which include raising these kids of mine...oh yah, and being a wife!

I am both nervous and excited to start grad. school, as it is a personal goal and accomplishment for me! For those that know why, you know what I mean. For those that don't, well let's just say "no matter what unexpected things life throws at you, you will eventually push past it all and see light at the end of the tunnel." We'll leave it at that. :)

As for some updates, Jorden made the JV cheer team for next year, and is ready to be done with freshman year (I don't blame her). Yes, I still remember those days. It hasn't been THAT long...ha!! Bella remains fairly "untamed" and can drive us all crazy on her best day! Crew is as handsome as ever and is talking so much (in his own language, that is). Cooper is just the cutest kid I've ever seen! He is talking up a storm as well and gives you this scrunched up face with a smile that will melt your heart. Mike has had a few half days recently, biz is a little slow. We will be heading up north a LOT this summer to escape this absurd heat!

More status to come on Grad. schools. Wish me luck!

Family Home Evening....

or the Spiro version of it anyway, took place Monday night. Jordie taught a sweet little lesson and afterward we asked Bella if Jesus loves her and she responds "yes he does." So we ask her if she loves Jesus, again responds with a "yes." We then ask her where Jesus is and she says he is in her heart, so I say "where else is he?" and she looks up. I ask if he is up in heaven and she says "no, he is way up high on top of the castle." Ummm, close enough!

Typical Sunday afternoon

My cousin and I decided to do lunch and pedis yesterday. While I'm sitting in the nail salon chair I receive a text from Mike that says:

Bella just pooped in her pants and I asked her why she didn't tell me she had to go potty and she said "Daddy I didn't mean to, the poop just fell right out of my butt!"

A day in the life....

Another year gone by...

While creating this year's Xmas card, Mike asks if I am doing another "update" letter (you know the annoying one I'm talking about) and to my surprise he was disappointed that I didn't write one this year. I told him to feel free to sit down and write one himself, as I was too busy with finals and research papers for the semester, to be bothered with this. He expectantly declined. Who ever said traditions have to be every year? I can start an "every-other-year update letter" tradition if I so please! He poked fun and went on his merry way. So be on the lookout next year! :)

The thing I didn't realize is that I will have to work twice as hard on the letter because I now have TWO years worth of info. to include. Not a good idea, right? I mean, I won't have to worry so much about updated sizes and all, as my kids are midgets and don't grow! However, I will have to update everyone on the cute, yet bratty things they've accomplished in not only one year, but two. I could just blog and Facebook a lot more on the 'off' years. This will allow me to leave more stuff out in the 'on' year's letter. Yah, that's what I'll do! (sounds more convincing when I write out my intentions)

This time next year I'll be sitting here wondering why I started this ridiculous tradition. Oh well, as parents we are supposed to do ridiculous things!

Been slackin' on pics...

The princess on her 4th bday!

Santa Monica Pier

at the Americana in Cali.

Halloween (J was with her dad, she was Sandra Dee! I'll get her pic on here)

pumpkin patch


my newest niece Hope-Ryan

Homecoming dance (yes, she wore a cardigan over the dress!)

Varsity "cancer awareness" game

why, why, why......

Bella has officially begun the "why" stage! We were eating lunch today and the conversation went something like this:

Me: "Bella, what would you like to eat for lunch?"

Bella: "Why do I have to eat lunch?"

Me: "Lunch is good for you, so you can grow big and strong!"

Bella: "No, thanks. I just want dinner."

Me: "Dinner is at nighttime, lunch is during the day."

Bella: "Why?"

Me: "'Cause that's just the way it is!"

Bella: "Why is that the way it is, mom?"

Me: "Stop asking me why and tell me what you want to eat!"

Bella: "Can we call daddy and ask him why?"

I think I almost peed my pants! :)

And then they turned two...

The twins turned two on Friday and we had a little Yo Gabba Gabba celebration (how we torture ourselves for our children) with the family. Kids had a great time, mommy made the cakes herself, one blue (chocolate)and one green (lemon). I didn't have any but heard they were good, so that's a plus! Our friend hooked us up with a water slide and it was a huge hit. Much nicer weather this year since we decided on an evening party. Don't get me wrong it was still hot, but not as hot as it would've been in the middle of the afternoon! Got some overdue pics of the nieces and nephews, who are all super cute! Boys got a new Yo Gabba Gabba tent from mommy and daddy, which is not going to last long from the looks of it. We got Bella a similar tent when she was younger and it lasted up until a few mos. ago. The boys are insisting on tipping the tent over and dragging it all around the house, making the plastic poles that hold it together snap off! Not sure why they can't be happy just sitting in it like normal children!! Who wanted boys anyway? They got tons of crap as usual, even when the guest total was a third of what it was last year! We are going to do what any normal, cruel, yet smart parents would do....box them up until Christmas!! ESPECIALLY the 500 piece foam block set from Nate and Celeste!! Oh how we will seek retribution at their next birthday party! :)

Good times had by all and just a heads up, Bella's bday will be at Chuck E. Cheese's with just the grandparents! We are shooting for an all time low attendance (ha!), so we'll see how it goes.