Dallas To Phoenix

The Melker family ventured away from home for 11 days to visit grandparents in Phoenix and Denver and spend some time on the slopes. Keith had to be in Phoenix for work so we planned around that and Spring Break. We booked the trip just a few weeks prior and off we went!

I have a lot of tricks for keeping preschoolers happy in the airport and on the plane but it pretty much comes down to Apple products, a new small toy and lollipops!

We took three flights over the course of our trip and Keith and Payson sat together on the first flight. Payson was content to watch shows and play games on the iPad so Keith got to enjoy some quiet reading time. I, on the other hand, had my hands a bit more full as I was sandwiched in between the girls.

Here's proof that I was on the trip!

Once we arrived at Grandpa Bob and Grandma Roxie's (Keith's maternal grandparents), the kids got busy in the backyard. They were immediately drawn to the fountain as they were the first time we visited when they were just 17-months-old. But, this time, instead of playing in the fountain, they played with the fountain.

Bob and Roxie have half a dozen orange and grapefruit trees in their backyard and the scent of the orange blossoms surrounding us was wonderful. We spent hours and hours outside each day and the kids just played, explored and picked fruit until the sun went down! 

Instead of grass, they have rocks in their backyard and the kids dug, moved, organized and played with the rocks and their various sculptures for hours. It was a dream come true for three imaginative preschoolers.

Payson and Hayden were on the hunt for the biggest oranges they could find. They wanted to pick them all!

Here is a video of the kids in action as they picked fruit and played in the backyard:

There's nothing like picking fresh fruit from the trees and eating them right then and there. I still dream of our apple picking days while living in New England. Delicious! 

We also got the juicer going so we could enjoy some freshly grown and squeezed grapefruit juice. YUM!

We ate most of our meals outside on the patio. For this particular meal we were celebrating Bob and Roxie's anniversary. And Grammy was in town to join in the fun as well!

When Keith wasn't working he was able to spend some good quality time with the kids. They sure are smitten with their Daddy!

By chance, we got to attend a spring training game in Peoria: Texas Rangers vs. Seattle Mariners. Payson was already excited for his T-ball season to start, and now he can hardly wait!

At the stadium we walked passed this rare find and the kids stopped to ask, "Mommy, what is this thing?" When I told them it was a pay phone they had all sorts of questions like why was there a phone there, what the cord was for, who needed to use it and why you had to put coins in it. I'm sure if we stood there long enough they would have asked why there wasn't a touch screen on it!

Thanks to 80-degree weather and a heated pool in the grandparent's retirement community, we got to enjoy a short swim. Here's Grandma Roxie and Madison enjoying their dip in the pool.

The kids were smiling and squealing with delight for half an hour as they bounced around and played in the water. But, eventually they got the shivers and it was time to head home.

On our last night there we taught the kids how to play Mexican Train. With a little assistance from the grown ups, they got it and we had ourselves a fun little game night!

Payson and Grandpa Bob formed quite a bond. Payson would ask how many days we had left and when it was down to one he said, "Awww, but I want to stay." He told Grandpa Bob several times that he would come back and asked him if he would come visit us in Texas. Later, after we left, we were looking at pictures from our trip and Payson pointed to Grandpa Bob and said, "He's my buddy."

Keith and I also enjoyed a date night out at Dominick's Steakhouse in Scottsdale where Keith's Aunt Joi is a Manager. Now, I have enjoyed a lot of fantastic steaks in my lifetime, but their Bone in Filet Mignon was the best steak I have ever had. In my dream world I would get to eat their steak alongside one from Nick & Sam's and Bob's Steak & Chop House - now that would be a showdown!

Just look at this place! Poolside dining, retractable roof, live music. Dreamy!

And the bar, crystal chandeliers and the detail from floor to ceiling are truly amazing. Definitely worth the splurge!

Goodbye Phoenix, Hello Beaver Creek! More fun is still to come!

Just Like You

Hayden. This girl is turning into quite the young lady. When she was age 3, she would tell people that she was 4. Now that she's 4 she tells everyone she is 5. She asks to wear my make-up and lip gloss every single day, she carries around a purse with a phone, wears jewelry and says she wants to get her ears pierced when she's 5. She likes to wear her dress-up shoes and cowgirl boots because they make the same sounds on the hard floor that my stilettos and boots do. And she BEGS to go with me to my ladies bible study, mom's night out or other grown-up events. 

Here she is all dressed up, clip-on earrings, sunglasses and all, when it was time for me to leave for a baby shower. After this photo was taken, I soon walked out the door. She was devastated that she couldn't come with me.

Hayden also rushes to join daddy in heading out for work most mornings that he is home. She sees him gather his things and she runs to grab her computer and put her shoes and jacket on so she can go to work with him. He tells her that he wishes she could come too and how much he loves her. She cries. He leaves. She cries some more. Little does she know all of the benefits of being age 4 rather than 31!

Payson. This boy cracks me up. He wore his three pairs of sunglasses like this for a FULL day! Yes, into the gym, school and various stores as we ran errands. I'm still not sure why but he liked it but it was cute. Self expression maybe. But probably just a boy being a boy.

We hosted some friends for dinner and the kids and their friend Charlotte made up a hula hoop train game of going round and round the house. They were laughing so hard until the fun ended, as most preschool games do, with one child getting "hurt." 

My college roommate and bridesmaid, Katie, is having her first baby and I got to celebrate with her while she was in town for a baby shower. Can't wait to meet Baby M!

There has been hardly any proof at all for the triplets that there is a season called winter. That's right, win·ter. /ˈwintər/. Nope, they didn't believe it. They just kept asking when it was going to snow. Poor Texas children.

But, as Keith and I dined for Valentine's Day, two days early, we looked out of the restaurant windows and saw snow fall (albeit wet snow). Miracles do happen. Upon arriving home we woke up the kids (oh, yes we did) to peek out the window to take a look. Fifteen magical minutes and now they believe.

So, what's new with Mom you ask? An iPhone. Yep, I finally did it. My previous phone, with which I could only make calls and send texts, completely broke down. I had resisted a smart phone because I didn't want it to cut into my time with the kids but it was getting ridiculous, I must admit, when I was having to call Keith during the day to look something up online! It is fabulous, of course, and I. Love. It! Especially how it magically syncs with everything from my Mac. Beautiful.

Dippin' on Valentine's Day

Keith and I went on a date over the weekend so the evening of Valentine's Day was a family celebration. The grande finale was homemade chocolate fondu with homemade pound cake, strawberries, bananas, marshmallows and cinnamon marshmallows for dipping.

This was Hayden, Payson and Madison's first fondu experience and it was definitely a big hit! 

1, 2, 3, GO! 

Pretty much every bite Hayden took looked like this. She. Loved. It!

Daddy had arrived home with roses in hand for all of his girls.

These girls will always know how they should be treated because their Daddy has been teaching them since birth.

Payson delivered a single rose to each of his sisters, his Mommy and Grandma. His smile was even bigger than the recipients' smiles - he was so happy to be the loving gift-giver. Such a young gentleman already!

A few nights earlier we had surprised the kids with a horse-drawn carriage ride.

Hayden and Payson snuggled in the back...

...while Madison rode up front with the George the driver.

 

Mommy and Daddy snuggled on the ride too!

Here are the Valentines that the kids delivered to their friends at school. They picked their designs, I helped them print and cut them and the kids finished up by decorating and assembling them.

Craft time at school!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

with love,

THE MELKERS

Ice Skating and Celebrating

Cousin Avery had her 7th birthday party at the ice skating rink so Hayden, Payson and Madison got to hit the ice for their first time. Nunie helped Hayden lace up!

They started the afternoon hardly able to walk in their ice skates and ended the day walking on the ground well and skating with confidence around the wall by themselves.

Of course Keith and I took them for a few spins around the ice and they improved more and more each time around.

They all enjoyed it but Hayden was the most giddy about the whole experience.
(l-r: Cousin Addison, Madison and Hayden)

The following weekend we celebrated Grandpa Irv's 90th birthday along with my mom's birthday. We are thrilled that he made the trip down so we could celebrate with him! A memory to treasure forever.

I treated Grandma to one of her favorite indulgences: Strawberry Pretzel Salad. YUM!

"Happy Birthday to you... Happy Birthday dear Grandpa..."

"Happy Birthday to you... Happy Birthday dear Grandma..."

Madison snuggled with her Great-Grandpa while we watched a slide show of his life in photographs.

The cousins had a wonderful time together, as always, and I was amazed to see them playing so calmly and quietly together... for once.

Of course that didn't last long. Before we knew it, their 4 1/2-year-old cousin had painted Madison and Hayden's nails (and the fingers and toes that go along with them) and the girls' had done their own make-up. Bath time!

Here's a cute shot of the kids with some of their friends at lunch after a playdate.

And I also enjoyed my own mom's night out with my special triplet and quad mommas! Thanks dads for putting our 40 kids to bed so we could have a night out!

A Jog Through January