The Best {Extended} Weekend EVERRRR: Part 2

To continue on the greatness of last weekend, it turned out that Pete didn't have school or work for a few days the next week! So we decided to pack up and head to my parents' cabin, woohoo! We just love heading up there whenever we get a chance. It's so great to be free of distractions and just be able to focus on family time! What a treat! These are some of the activities that commenced:



Some silly time on the porch

Hikes through the wilderness

Big stick finding (a classic pastime)

Mud playing (also a classic pastime)

Jack's first ATV ride.  Don't worry, I'm an old pro.
And some trailer rides (my bum is still sore)

Trip to the local country market for some frozen treats

And of course some s'mores around the campfire.  Which, by the way, it was my first time trying it made with a reece's pb cup in place of a plain ol' Hershey's bar... simply divine. 

 No Jack, this one is mine.  I don't care how longingly you stare, waving your chunky little arms at me...

Oh fine!  Have a bite, you big food bully.

We all had a great time and the weather was fantastic!  Big storms at night and overcast cloudy skies during the day - such a nice escape from this painful valley heat!  Blaughk.  We were so grateful for our time away!  Thanks good ol' cabin-o!

The BEST {Extended} Weekend EVERRRR: Part 1

Last Friday Pete and I had an ENTIRE day to ourselves.  For reals.  No kids, no obligations, no meetings, nada.  Just he and I, mano e mano.  Awesome.  What did we do with all that time you ask???  Well, I thought you'd never ask...

9am - Big sister Chelsea came to our house and took over parental responsibilities for the day (heaven bless you madam)

9:30am - Off to use our gift certificates for Hot Stone Massages... amazing!  The whole time we were checking in we were just giggling like kids, well, mainly me.  I guess I'm not very good at being serious.  But the 55 minute massage = delightful!

10:50am - Rushed to Joe's Farm Grill before it closed it's breakfast menu!  Phew, we made it.  I ordered the Summer Vegetable Omelet (delicious!) and Pete got the Breakfast Tacos (equally delicious!).  Totally rockin'.  Oh, and to polish it off we thought we should get a Banana Cream Pie Milkshake (Pete) and a Lemon Cupcake (Me) from The Coffee Shop next store.  Let me just say that I will forever be ending all brunches with a lemon cupcake.  Oh yeah.

11:20am - Had some time to kill, so decided to head to the theatre to see if anything was playing (because when you have no kids, you can totally go see a movie in the middle of the day without any plans whatsoever!  Did you know that people actually do this?!?!?)  We got there at 11:30, the new Captain America is playing at... 11:30.  Like they had it planned out just for us.  Perfecto!  Buy tickets, get good seats.  Deal.  Oh and the movie???  Not to shabby.

1:45pm - Walked out into the BLINDING AZ sun and think, hmmmm... What should we do now?  Well I just happened to get a smokin' deal at a hotel for the day.  So we headed on over, checked in, walked quickly to the room in sweet anticipation of what lied ahead, shut the windows, dimmed the lights, and yes, did exactly what you think we would do... napped.  During the day, without interruptions of "I need a snack!" or "Calvin wiped his booger on me!" or "Waaaaaa! Waaaaaa!"  Nope, just sweet silence, soft blankets, and happy napping.  So wrong, yet soooooo right.

4:30pm - Headed out to a little place we had heard about: The Queen Creek Olive Mill.  We have some of their Roasted Garlic Olive Oil and it is pure magic.  We heard that they have a little deli there opened during the day so we thought we should give it a go.  We got to this big shed out in the middle of no where, thought it a little strange and underwhelming, and then... we walked into an olive oil wonderland.  So cool!  We checked out the menu and ordered some bruchetta's, sandwiches, prickly pear lemonade, and a couple of cannoli's for good measure.  It was YUMMY!  Going to an olive mill to eat... check!

6pm - Made a pit stop at home to check in on the kiddos and put Jack to bed (he still nurses to bed. I know, I know, wean the kid already.  I'm working on it.)  Come to discover that Paige's little bottom tooth was super loose!  First loose tooth for the Forbis Family = super big deal!!!  Pete gave it a little tug and out it came!  Weee!  So neat little Paigey- Pie!  Got Jack to bed and turned the kids back over to Chel for the remainder of the night so we could be on our next venture...

7:30pm - SUNSPLASH!!!  That's right, you read correctly, we went to Sunsplash for the night swim from 7 - 11pm, along with every other tween in the valley, and it was incredible.  Packed beyond belief, but worth every second of waiting for the water rides of a lifetime!  Slides with single tubes, double tubes, quadruple tubes, no tubes, lazy river, wave pool! You name it, Sunsplash had it, and we did it my friends.  Seriously, probably the most fun we have had as a couple maybe since we've had kids.  Maybe?  No, definitely.  Needless to furtherly explain, it was raaaaaaad.

11:25pm - Stopped at Nielsen's Frozen Custard on the way back to our hotel for a little concrete treat.  And when I say little I mean a colossal cup of creamy frozen custard blended with oreo's and raspberries (if you're Pete) or hot fudge and reece's cups (if you're me. yah, I'm a light dessert eater).  Heaven!  I just loved strolling into the joint soaked with wet swim suits and the smell of chlorine, only to be surrounded by every other couple dressed to their finest on a night out.  Classy. 

11:50pm - Even though we just had our dessert, all the running around at Sunsplash had worked us up quite the appetite.  So we did the only thing you're supposed to do when you're hungry late at night in AZ, we hit up Filiberto's for some carne asada burritos to take back to the hotel and chow on as we watched some late night TV in our swimsuits.  It was completely irresponsible to our stomach's and our much needed rest, but it was so worth it. 

Later and into the next day... Had a magnificent rest without kids in and out of our bed all night and it was just fan-freakin-tastic.  However, still woke up at the crack of dawn looking for a child to soothe.  So we headed home at about 8am to happily resume our parental duties. You can take the mama out of  motherhood, but you can't take the motherhood out of the mama.  Yah, you can quote me on that.

The Cone

Jack was blessed to experience his first ice cream cone yesterday via Auntie Chelsea via Chick-Fil-A.  This is how it went:

 "Hmmm, what is this little grapple that's been placed in my hands?  I better put my mouth all over it to see what it holds in store for me."

 *Eyes wide and maddening with realization*  "OH MY WORD THIS IS THE BEST THING THAT HAS EVER LAYED UPON MY MORTAL TASTE BUDS!  OH SWEETNESS, OH GLORY!  I MUST SHOVE IN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!"

 "Ohhhh, half way done and it's still just as good as the first taste.  Bliss."

 "How dare you!  How DARE you, Mother!  And to think, you say that you love me and then take such a form of perfection away from me!  Oh misery, oh death, take me soon if I can not be forever linked with my one true love..."

And the rest of the company either stared in shock and wonderment, or looked away in embarassment.

Well played you three.  Well played.

And just so you know Jack, your other two siblings hardly got a lick of sugar before their first birthday.  So you just buck up and realize your luckiness of being number three.  I am WAY more layed back on so many levels; if you only knew my child!  So many rules that once stood have been thrown right out the window.  Soooooo many... 

The Reward

We've been doing sticker charts for Paige and Cal this summer (thank you Mom, for the many many many summers of this) to give them something to do.  Oh, and to stop the "I'm Bored!" disease.  It seems to run rampant in our home...

Anyways, they had earned enough to have their date with Mom and Dad, so we went today!  It was so much fun!  I'm pretty sure I was looking forward to it more than they.  A sticker or two may have found it's way on to their charts when it may or may not have been officially earned... it's just excess love, that's it, excess love.

Jack stayed home with a sitter so it was just us and the big kids.  Fun!  We started off with a fantastic lunch at the ever-so-delightful Cheesecake Factory (I will NEVER get sick of that place, Thai Lettuce Wraps anyone???  They will change your life).  And of course, we ended that portion with the new GIANT Reece's PB Cup cheesecake.  INSANE people, it was insane on the delicious meter.  My tummy is still sighing of delight...

Then we went and saw the new Winnie the Pooh movie all together.  It really was so cute, despite the grumpy faces posing for this picture that was suposedly the happiest day of the summer.  But I agree, it is hard to pose happy in 110 degree weather.  A for effort kiddos.

But yes, sticker charts = success! 

The Update

There's much to say and much to do, but instead of digging up all the past, I'm just gonna dive right on in to our current status and go from there.  Much easier.

Well, we are a family of five now and life is NUTS and FUN and sometimes I'm not sure I'll make it through another day... but somehow I do, phew! 

We're still in good ol' Arizonia and right about now is when I start cursing the sun.  It is SCORCHING!  But, we love our home, our neighbors, our friends, our family, and we feel pretty darn blessed to have all of the above.  Here's the news on our fam:

Paige is 5.  Seriously.  And is counting down the 13 days until she (GULP) starts Kindergarten.  Seriously.  I die.  She's crazy, goofy, and dramalicious.  She does her best to keep up the little girl steroetype with princesses and playing pretend.  Success!

Calvin is now 3.  He's our own personal little Jekyl and Hyde... one minute he is the sweetest, cutest, kindest, gentlest little kiddo that you ever did lay your eyes on and it makes you want to just squeeze him forever with endless kisses and hugs... and then, in a split second, he is the absolute definition of The Hulk.  Throwing everything in a mad rage, screaming at the top of his lungs at anything moving in sight, scratching, hitting, biting, smashing, brutal destruction of all things living or non-living.  For reals.  Life with Calvin, well, it's a learning process.  But as is life, eh?

Jack Attack is almost 10 months!!  Whaaaaa???  How did that happen?  Where did that little infant I was just rocking yesterday go???  Oh yah, that's him, the 27 pounder crawling everywhere, wearing 24-month clothing and putting everything possible in his chubby little mouth.  He is hilarious!  I just love that goofy little goober!  He is for sure our family heart-throb.

Peter-Patrick is still da bomb.  Work, school, play with the kiddos, kickin it with me, read any comic/teen fiction book in sight, and repeat.  Keepin' it real.

As for myself, I have one word.  Crazaziness.  Yup.  Oh, and a whole lotta good times thrown in with it.  You know, that's just how I roll.  Crazy life, crazy fun.  Lovin' it!

So that's us as of Summer of 2011.  Now let's see if we can keep this blog thing goin' on...

Back in The Saddle

Forbis Fever is under construction and will be back from its two year hiatus shortly.

Be excited.