It's not you, it's me.

The passion is gone. The romance is dead.

I think we just need some alone time. A weekend getaway, maybe? I wish. My weekends are jam-packed until almost the end of August.

Excuses. Excuses.

I have faith that those old sparks will reignite this old flame once again that is my blog!

"Dear blog, I still love you...but am not in love with you."

All relationships have their ups and downs right?

*cue the sad EMO music*

Thank you Monsoon.

Last week it rained here in Kingman, and it rained hard! I love the rain and so I particularly enjoy Monsoon season here in Arizona. One day it rained pretty good on our way home from the gym and Gracey begged to play in the rain when we got home. From my perspective, this was not a good idea. The girls had bathed that same morning and we were only hours away from jumping in the car and heading to St. George. Of course, my first instinct was to reply with a quick "no". As quickly as I almost responded, that little voice in my head that so often makes me feel guilty said "Let them be little!" So I put away my weird, clean-freak tendencies and told the girls that they could play in the rain.

By the time we got home, the pouring rain turned into a slight sprinkle, so I knew our time was limited. We rushed inside, put the girls in their bathing suits, and ran outside to go look for rain puddles. We walked halfway around the block before spotting the perfect one.

This was no easy thing for me. I was biting my tongue with every dirty splash. When they had the fun idea of sitting (SITTING!!) in the puddle, that nearly put me over the edge. I was having an internal panic attack. However, I let them do it and they LOVED it.



I wish I would heed that laid back, inner-voice that is trapped in my head more often. The girls had a great time and I really enjoyed watching them.

On our walk back home, you can see the sun is shining and the roads are nearly dry. Gracey and Emily were playing this silly game where Gracey would be far away, turn around, then run towards Emily saying "I missed you!" They kept this up until we were all the way home. It was so cute!!!

Snowflake, Trailer rides, and Spook. Fruit Loops and Porch Swings. Grandma, Old Grandma, and old jewelery.

A few weeks ago we went to Snowflake, AZ to visit Corky's mother and grandmother. We hadn't been since last spring and so we went for a quick trip. I will admit, Snowflake wasn't the most fun place to go before having kids. We have always enjoyed visits with his family, but unless all the cousins were there as well, there wasn't much entertainment value to it. Then the kiddos came along and it is one of the most fun places to be. Corky took the girls on countless 4-wheeler rides. They loved sitting in the back of the trailer and riding the streets of Snowflake. Of course, the dogs were tagging along. Either the little (big) pup Rascal, or the beefy Spook. Where ever the girls were, the dogs weren't too far behind....even if it meant sitting in the trailer with them.

This is Spook. This old dog is one of the most mild-mannered dogs you will meet. The poor guy fell out of the back of the moving pick-up a few years ago and so his mouth is a little droopy....but he is a sweetie.

This picture of Emily in the sprinkler, you may think it is nothing out of the ordinary, but it cracks me up! Emily is our less outgoing child and so when Corky and I peeked from Old Grandma's back porch and saw her getting wet on purpose, we not only had a proud moment, we got a good laugh!

That afternoon, we had a late lunch of Old Grandma's famous beans with homemade tortillas. (Only the Gibson cousins know the wonderfulness (is that a word?) that are those beans!) Since we had a late lunch and since they are at Grandma's, they had a dinner of Fruit Loops and watermelon!!

Old Grandma Ruby has all sorts of treasures in her guestrooms. She has old letters that were written between her and Granddad, letters to old friends, letters from old friends, old trinkets, and some old jewelery that Corky let Emily wear for a minute.

So as you can see, we had a great time in Snowflake. We loved visiting Grandma Jean (Corky's mom) and Old Grandma Ruby (Corky's grandma).

Greetings World! We finally emerge once again.

I am pretty sure this has been the longest hiatus from the blog that I have taken. Partly intentional, partly because things are crazy! Should I just plan on summers being incredibly busy for the rest of my life? We have put miles and miles on the car and we aren't even done yet. We still have a trip to Phoenix, trip to St. George, and a trip to Snowflake....all in the next 3 weeks!! Let that not come off though as a complaint. We are having a blast and basking in the joys of summer, parenthood, families, and life!

Over the next few days, I am hoping to catch up on what has happened in the last month. Starting with these little gems that had me cracking up when I uploaded them to my computer.

A few weeks ago, Gracey was webcamming with my mom. We don't do it all the time, but when they webcam, it is like having a babysitter. I can get whatever it is done that I need to. For example: cook dinner, vacuum, and catch up on dvr'd show. Kidding, mostly. Apparently Gracey wanted to document the occasion!