New parks, new friends, new valentines

Friday we checked out both a new park and a new homeschool group. I was nervous, Spencer wasn't sure if he wanted to go, and we nearly backed out at the last minute. I'm so glad we didn't!

The park is right down the street, and it is a GREAT park. The boys made instant best friends, as they usually do, and were quickly wrapped up in games of tag and hide-and-go-seek. I wasn't sure if it was the right group for me at first - and quite honestly I'm still not - but the boys loved it and made a unanimous decision that they wanted to go back. We signed up for both the group and for their Valentine's Party for this Friday. It's a very active group, with lots of families and lots of activities, so I'm sure it will give us more than enough opportunities to keep ourselves busy this spring.

Recent Developments

Very often I'm thinking of interesting or cute or funny things that the boys have been doing, and mentally preparing in my head how I'll share about them. Then a day will pass, then another, then another.... then the moment has passed. And it occurred to me that one of the reasons while the little things never get around to the point of sharing is that I like to share them accompanied by pictures. I do take pictures nearly daily, but actually putting them on a blog means hooking up the camera, downloading, transferring, etc, etc, etc. And that's more work than a few quickly typed sentences. So, in a flash of brilliance, I reminded myself that YES, I can actually post a blog without pictures every once in awhile, if it means another blog gets posted that otherwise never would have come to be.

Now, after that lengthy introduction -

Spencer and Paxton have both been learning about atoms and molecules. They've been playing with marbles, measuring and estimating and calculating. Paxton has been playing with a game maker program on the computer, and he's learning how to use my Paint Shop program. And Everett... Everett is just busy making me laugh.

Tomorrow, weather and health permitting, we're checking out a new homeschool group. The season for hanging out at home seems to be coming to an end.

Who says it doesn't snow in Phoenix?

This weekend we went on our second off-roading adventure of the year, this time to Four Peaks. It was a beautiful, all-day ride, and the boys were thrilled to discover snow in the higher altitudes. We stopped to stomp in it, throw snowballs, and even made a baby snowman.

Yesterday was an inpromptu trip to the zoo, where we rode the train for the first time, spent a long time with the lion, brushed the goats, and enjoyed some icecream in the children's area. I forgot that there was a fee to pet the stingrays, so we're saving that for next time, along with the monkey village. We love the zoo.

Visit my Photobucket for all of January's pictures :)

Lazy days and grasshoppers

January is more than half over, and we're still easing into the New Year. The homeschool group started back up with park days and activities, but the boys have unanimously decided that they aren't interested for now. They'd rather stay home. It has been a great thing for all of us, and we're all thoroughly enjoying getting back into old hobbies and starting new ones. We've spent a lot of long, lazy days playing with pattern blocks, reading Magic School Bus books, playing with the toy money and cash register, and working on new projects. As I write, the three boys are working together, building with their Marble Works set.

Today Paxton asked me how far grasshoppers could jump (20 times the length of their body, in case you were wondering) We read about grasshoppers, got out the tape measure, had our own long-jump contests, and measured random things around the house. We watched a hummingbird today too, the first to visit my new feeder.

This is as simple as it should be.

Tie-dye boys

Check out their work! They each chose a different technique, and came out with 3 awesome, unique shirts.

Happy New Year 2007

What a strange and happy and sad New Year's Eve we had yesterday. We spent a good part of the day off-roading in Scottsdale. It was an amazing time, and the perfect way to cap off the year. We came home, prepared to just pick up a couple of things and head out again, only to find that Lilly - the rat - had died while we were gone. She had been fine the day before, hadn't been acting too well in the morning, and was gone just like that. The boys have dealt with the death of a pet before, but a fish is very different than a playful and cuddly rat... a rat that was cared for and loved dearly. We were all teary as we said our goodbyes and buried her in the backyard.

We spent the rest of the day out, getting special drinks at Starbucks, picking up more munchies for our New Year's Eve party, and browsing through Office Max. We came home to cook a grand feast, and enjoyed it while we watched Napolean Dynamite and Fever Pitch. Everett konked out at around 9:30, Paxton at 10:30, and Spencer made it till nearly 11:30.

Finally, I had a conversation with Paxton yesterday that I have to share. We don't talk about school all that often, but occasionally one of the kids will bring it up. A lot of people ask me if I'd ever send them to school if they wanted to go, and while I certainly would if that's what they want to do, I don't see it as an imminent possibility. Yesterday on the way home from off-roading, we passed a school, and we were talking about the playground. Then we had the following - brief - conversation.

Paxton: I don't ever want to go to school. I don't like school.
Me: How do you know you don't like it? You've never been.
Paxton: Well they'd teach me things I already know.
Me: You're right about that.
Paxton: What else would they teach me?
Me: Whatever the school decides it's time to teach. You'd be in first grade, so you'd be taught things that someone decided first graders should learn.
Paxton: Oh.....
I need to cut my fingernails.

The end.

Here's my final batch of pictures from 2006. First, the boys' latest projects of tie-dyed shirts, and Spencer's brick house (in progress), followed by pictures from our off-roading adventure yesterday.

Wishing you all a safe, happy, and blessed 2007.


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In with the new

Despite the lingering sniffles and coughs (which the boys graciously shared with their cousins) we had another wonderful Christmas. We were up by seven, and the presents were unwrapped in mere minutes. There were a few blips this year.... the remote control garbage truck that Mike had to tinker with for an hour just to get it to work; the new PS2 game that wouldn't play; the hockey game that lost a stick after just two days of use. In the end though, none of that mattered. The garbage truck works fine now, we have a call in to get a new Playstation, and are ordering a replacement player for the hockey game. There are plenty of other things to keep the boys busy in the meantime. And keeping busy they are!! On Christmas Day, Sandi and Mitch came over with the kids, and we spent the day visiting, playing with kids' new toys and games, and laughing. Lots of laughing. Spencer and Paxton occasionally disappeared, and spied on us using their new periscopes. We played outside with the new sand table. Played swingball. Broke in the new sidewalk chalk. Played Spencer's new card game, Qwitch. Watched Elf. Made creations with Playdough. It was a good day, and it was just like I remembered from my own childhood.

Mike had the day after Christmas off, and the play continued. The hockey game got lots of use (until it broke), the boys tried out their new pottery wheel, and we built and created and colored and chatted. We played with the pattern blocks (one of my favorites), and did project after project with the new electronics lab. Yesterday Spencer and I made a shirt with his new tie-dye kit, and today he plans to start building a model house.

The house is a complete mess at the moment, but it's a joyful mess. Joyful messes are good.

Santa Claus

Santa is currently over Kasakhstan. http://www.noradsanta.com/en/map/index.php We'll track him all day, while we play and watch movies and get ready for tomorrow. No one is 100%, but fevers are gone, spirits are high, and everyone is looking forward to tomorrow morning.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!

5 days till Christmas

5 days till Christmas and all through the house
No one is healthy, not even a mouse

Actually that's not true. I'm pretty healthy, and the rats are pretty healthy. But Everett is still congested, Spencer is a sneezy mess, and Paxton is couch bound, feeling lousy with a fever and cough. Ah, cold and flu season. My main goal (my only goal) for the week is to rest, play, and get these kids healthy in time for Christmas.

Last week was another visit that passed all too quickly, and was enjoyed by everyone, even my poor sick kids. I had grand plans to chronicle the week in detail, but alas it's not to be, at least right now. Instead, the pictures! Hopefully they'll speak for themselves. God bless Rockyou.


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Winter Wonderland

Mom and Dad have safely returned back to New Hampshire, and the visit was quick and memorable. We had a big holiday feast on the patio, we walked around the zoo in short sleeves, we went hiking in the desert, and the only snow the kids played in was of the imported variety. Still, it feels like winter. It feels like a holiday.

Saturday, they came down to visit and see the house for the first time. The boys were happy to give them a tour, and we spent the afternoon visiting and catching up. Sunday we had a huge Thanksgiving/Christmas feast, complete with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, wine, pies, and all the trimmings. After we ate, we followed our annual post-Thanksgiving tradition of going for a walk, this time in a nearby desert park. The kids unwrapped Christmas presents when we returned, and it was a fun end to a great day.

Monday we went up to Mom and Dad's new house for the afternoon, for lunch, hanging out, and playing pool in the clubhouse. Tuesday was a trip to the zoo. One of my favorite things about the zoo is that no two visits are ever alike. This time our first stop was the new stingray exhibit, where we got to pet, and feed, a huge pool of stingrays. VERY cool!! We stopped at the flamingoes (Isaac's favorite), the zebras (Paxton's favorite) ,rode the carousel, and spent the rest of our stay watching the squirrel monkeys.

Wednesday was the first day of our cabinet re-facing, so we spent the day out, visiting at Sandi's house. The kids all had colds - and still have colds - but still enjoyed the swingset and sandbox as much as always. We went with them to the community center while Anabelle had her gymnastics class, and played foosball, pool, and air hockey while we waited. Spencer and Paxton both made an instant friend, who joined them in their games.

Thursday we stayed home while the cabinets were completed. On Friday, Mom and Dad came down again, and we went shopping, went out for lunch, and spent the afternoon playing water balloons with the kids.

This past Saturday, their last day in AZ, was arguably the best day yet, at least for the kids. We went to a winter carnival, complete with snow for them to play in, bouncy houses and slides, pony rides, and cotton candy. They had a great time, and it was a fun way to cap off the week.

Mom and Dad are already planning their next trip out for March, and we're counting down the days.

Here are some pictures from the week!


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A night of rest

Tonight is the first night in a LONG time that we haven't had a project going... no painting, no hanging blinds, no unpacking, no setting up tv stands. Mike and the boys are relaxing with PS2, and in a little while we'll all retire to the other room to catch up on Survivor. We have been working like crazy people on the house, but it is finally, blissfully, almost done. Tonight Mom and Dad arrived from NH to visit for a week, and tomorrow we'll all get together for a big fancy Thanksgiving/Christmas feast.

Some worth-mentioning notes about the kids:

The other day Spencer asked me what hip-hop music was, so I found a random hip-hop band on MySpace, and they danced and danced until they collapsed with exhaustion. They've all been learning lots of Spanish, and Spencer surprised me the other day while I was coloring with Everett - he knows almost every color in Espanol. Everett has been showing an interest in shapes lately, and was naming some of them off to me while we looked at a book. He came to a heart, and called it a "kiss", which I thought was one of the sweetest things I've ever heard. Paxton and I have made about a million snowflakes for the Salvation Army at this site http://www.popularfront.com/snowdays and I'm sure will make a million more. Tuesday night we all watched Charlie Brown Christmas. It's been awhile since I've seen it, and I so loved getting to enjoy it with the kids. They loved it, and were especially in awe of the fact that it was made before Mike and I were even born.

Christmas pictures

Every year, we send photo Christmas cards with pictures of the boys. For Spencer's first few Christmases, I made a major production of this, buying him fancy new clothes, staging the perfect background, and generally making everyone miserable in the process.

Things evolve.

This year, the kids wore old shorts and t-shirts (except for Everett, who was wearing a t-shirt and Paxton's Spongebob boxers) Paxton had his rat Miley on his shoulder. They were laughing and being themselves and goofing off in the front of the Christmas tree. It was the easiest, and happiest, photo session yet.

Home, Sweet Home

This weekend we returned home, and we're ready for things to get back to normal. The problem is, we're all still trying to figure out what 'normal' is! We moved in, started to get unpacked, promptly went to California for a week, and are now back in the midst of more unpacking, house renovations, holiday preparations, and company coming in two weeks.

Some highlights from the trip to CA:

Mike had to go to a 4 day training for work, so the boys and I tagged along. We stayed at a hotel right by a friend's house in the Bay area, while Mike went further north to his own hotel for his meetings. It was great to visit with friends, see a new part of the country, and take a little break from the headaches with the house for awhile!

The area was hilly, green, and a beautiful change of pace. The boys collected fall leaves, HUGE ones, from a supermarket parking lot. They were gorgeous leaves, and the biggest ones I've ever seen. A nice treat for Arizonians :)

On Tuesday, we went to visit my friend's husband at work. He works at EA games (and has Paxton's dream job as a video game designer) We got a tour of the facility, had lunch, visited the store... and the kids even got to test out a game that's not ready to hit the shelves for another year. Cool!! It was an impressive place, and we learned a lot about the behind-the-scenes of the gaming industry.

The rest of the week, we visited! Visited, hung out, and played. The big boys played playstation for hours and hours, while Everett enjoyed the company of his fellow two year old buddy.

Mike met us back at their house on Thursday, and we headed home. The ride went very smoothly, both ways, even with staying up all night. The boys slept through most of it (as was the plan) but they cheerfully woke for breaks and snacks and to appreciate the lights of the cities we passed through. They especially loved any bridges we went over. We're planning a vacation out to Disney next spring, and now I am even more excited about it!

Fall/Halloween pictures

Create Your Own!

Math books? We don't need no stinkin' math books!

We went out to find our new library today. It was closer than our last one, and it took all of 5 minutes to get there. I'd forgotten to look at my watch when we left, so I asked the kids how long we'd been driving. Paxton told me it was about 3 minutes, "or 180 seconds. If it had been 4 minutes, it would have been 240 seconds." Pause. "5 would be be 300 seconds." He stopped at 7.

Their picks from the library? Books on rats, horses, squid, zebras, and constuction vehicles.

Fall in AZ

It's fall in Arizona, and I've decided it's arguably the most perfect weather I've ever experienced. It's still usually warm enough to wear shorts if you're so inclined, but not too hot for jeans if they're your preference. It's warm and sunny and breezy and dry.

We went to the Fall Harvest Party with the homeschool group last week, and the kids had a good time painting pumpkins, dipping their apples, eating lots of sugar, and just running themselves ragged at the park. Spencer made another new friend, Paxton spent a long time walking the balance beam on the playground, and Everett didn't want to leave the swings. On Saturday, we officially moved to the new house, and last night was our first ever Halloween - and trick-or-treating - in the new neighborhood. Mike was late getting out of work, so we headed straight out when he got home. Spencer and Paxton had been excited about it for weeks, and even Everett got really into it this year. We didn't know what to expect, but it turned out to be a wonderful area for trick-or-treating. The neighborhood was friendly and festive and filled with kids. We actually hadn't gone for a couple of years, but the boys knew the ropes. They had no problem ringing doorbells, saying "trick or treat" or wishing everyone a Happy Halloween. Everett started to complain that his feet were hurting at one point, and we carried him from house to house. His bucket was getting so heavy that he was literally grunting at its weight, but all offers of helping him carry it were met with a resounding "NO, Ebbet carry it." It was a fun night, and the kids came home with a year's worth of candy. After trick-or-tricking we headed to Panda Express (Mike and the kids' new favorite) for dinner, and to Home Depot for an emergency part to fix a leaky valve in the kitchen. The boys had fun seeing all the people who were out and about with costumes on, and were tired and happy when we finally got home.

Pictures coming soon!

Moving, Monopoly, and scorpion-colored lizards

The day after tomorrow, all this back-and-forthing will finally end, and we will officially move into the new house. The renovations are far from being finished, but given the choice of a house under construction and a house overrun with scorpions, we'll take the construction any day of the week.

The boys are alternating between enthusiastically helping with packing and moving and, well, being boys! They have been on a Monopoly kick lately, especially Paxton, and we've played many hours-long games over the course of the past several days. Tuesday we went to quarry where our countertops are being made, and got a tour of the facility. They really enjoyed seeing behind-the-scenes, and asked a lot of questions. Spencer was particularly in awe of the forklifts moving the giant slabs of granite. Tomorrow we're headed to a homeschool harvest party, and they're looking forward to painting pumpkins, and dipping their own caramel apples. And on Saturday, we MOVE! I think we'll all be relieved to settle in at the house and adjust to a new sense of normal.... hopefully a normal that does NOT include scorpions!!! Saturday night I looked out at the patio of the new house and saw what looked to me like a gigantic bark scorpion scurrying along the wall. I was ready to put the house on the market, and move to.... I don't even know where. Somewhere else. But it turned out to be just a lizard, and was soon joined by two of its lizard friends. The kids thought they were really cool, but I couldn't shake the resemblance - even if just from a quick glance - to the straw colored scorpions that have plagued us for the past several months.

In other news, Paxton is very proud (and excited and freaked out and anxious) about his very first loose tooth.

Miley, meet Lilly

All our research on rats led us to the conclusion that Miley needed a cagemate. Rats are extremely social animals, and do the best in pairs. So Sunday night we were off to PetSmart yet again, this time to pick our second rat... an adorable tan and white one we named Lilly. We all spent close to two hours shut into our spare bedroom so they could play and get re-acquainted. They'd been cagemates at the store though, so they took to each other right away. It was the first time we really let them climb all over us, and it was as important for us as it was for them. The two of them have so far proven to be wonderful pets, and a great distraction from everything else that is going on.

The constant back and forth from this house to the new house has everyone tired, and it's beginning to show. The boys have been incredible troopers though, and they always bounce back after a few hours of R & R. Saturday night we watched a marathon session of Property Ladder together, and it amused me to note that the kids already know more about house flipping than some of the people on the show.

We started choosing paint colors this weekend, and it took a lot of brainstorming for everyone to come to a conclusion on the boys' rooms. There are only 3 bedrooms - one for us, and two to split up among the 3 boys. One is right by the master, and the other is clear on the other side of the house. Spencer and Paxton finally decided that they'd each choose the color for, and decorate, their own rooms.. but that for now they'd sleep together in the room closest to us.

This morning was the first showing of this house to a potential renter. The boys and I (and the rats) took off for an hour, grabbed a couple donuts and drinks, and had ourselves a little tail-gate picnic in the parking lot. It was a fun excursion, and a completely gorgeous fall day.

Congratulations, it's a girl!

Meet the newest member of the McGrail household! This is Miley (named after Miley Cyrus, AKA Hannah Montana), a 5 month old Fancy Rat.

Paxton wanted a hamster for his birthday, but ended up deciding at the last minute that he'd rather have a bike right now, and hamster for Christmas. We got the bike, he rode it a few times.... then decided it was a little too tall for him, and gave it to Spencer. He was completely fine and happy with his decision, but I wanted him to have another present. So we looked into the hamster. We read all the websites, and researched all the small pets.... and found that rats make even better pets. They're highly social, intelligent, and friendly (and as a bonus, live much longer than hamsters too) Paxton was very certain that a rat was his choice, and couldn't wait to get one.

We were going to wait until we were in the new house, but we're not always good with waiting, especially when Mom (aka Me) is excited about something. :-) Everything's been so crazy and busy lately, with packing and cleaning and going back and forth to the new house. I was really wanting a distraction, for the boys and for me. Plus, I just wanted to do something fun with them, completely unrelated to moving or renovations. We had to have the carpets cleaned on Wednesday, which meant spending the afternoon out while they dried. We hit Barnes and Noble first, to browse and play with the trains, and then headed to PetSmart. We found a great, knowledgeable salesclerk who helped us pick out everything we needed to get started, and finally picked the rat herself. Paxton chose a black and white one, and she was hands-down the cutest one there.

We set up her cage together, and have been focusing on her helping her get settled and acclimated to her new home. I never thought I would be a rat owner, but she is a wonderful pet!! She is curious and sweet, and she keeps us all laughing. The boys spent the first day running up and down the stairs every fifteen minutes to check on her, so the second day we brought her down to her new home on my desk. We're still researching like crazy, and both boys are scouring the internet - both with me, and on their own - for info, photos, tips, and ideas for food, toys, and games. They are so excited about her they can barely sleep.

She was exactly what we needed, exactly when we needed it.

Work and Play

Everything has shifted into over-drive lately, as we work to get the new house re-modeled, our rental house packed up, and try to keep some semblance of life as we know it. Friday we went up to spend the weekend at the house again. Dinner was fast-food, and the boys toasted marshmellows over a candle for dessert. We worked most of the morning on Saturday, pausing only to play army guys and Fusion Crew with the kids. We shopped all afternoon, and decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner out - nicer than fast food anyway, which has become a little too common-place for our weekend meals lately. We found a nearby Applebees, and had such a good time that we decided we needed to do it more often.

Sunday morning we spent an inordinate amount of time at Home Depot, finalizing and paying for our granite selection. The boys made friends with some other kids in the kitchen section, and kept themselves busy while they waited. Next, it was up to Anthem for Anabelle's birthday party. We enjoyed lunch, cake, and presents, and the boys spent hours outside on the swingset. It felt good to visit, play, and relax for the afternoon.

Monday morning was a meeting with our contractor, and back to Tempe in time to be home for the bug guy. Yesterday was packing, and today was babysitting. In between, the kids have played with their friends, learned about electricity, played at new math and geography websites, and re-discovered old toys and games before they packed up them up for the journey up to Phoenix.