Monday, December 21, 2009

hangin' at the palms

after the tpsc messiah concert on saturday night, we headed out to the royal palms resort- one of our favorite places in years past when we rehearsed farther north than now. we were thrilled to get such a large group together, and to be able to sit outside by the fireplace for some fabulous conversation. we covered quite the gamut- babies, yo gabba gabba, planes, spouses, jobs, music, old stories, blogs, facebook, etc, etc, etc. it all got in there at some point. we enjoyed breaking in a few new friends to the fold- including me and anne's boys, jon and mo. plue, none other than the maestro himself! tee hee hee!

i love my tpsc friends- they bring smiles to my face, warmth to my heart, and the inexplicable joy of creating music together!



me and sweet anne...............................................love the boys in the back squishing into the shot!




the whole gang- thanks for a fun night out!

ccc holiday blessings concerts


my junior choir of the chandler children's choir did an amazing job in their concerts last weekend! they worked so hard all semester, had lots of fun and learned a few things along the way! don't they all look just so precious? the advanced choir did great also- aimee and i both adore all the kids and take our responsibility for their musical education and experience very seriously. we want to share with them how incredible music can be in their lives- and give them an appreciation for the thrill that comes after working hard and a job well done.
we look forward to next semester-- get ready for classics and creatures!!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Sunday, November 29, 2009

christmas decorations!

yay! i was very excited to decorate our new house for christmas this year. so, we borrowed my dad's truck, and loaded both it and my van to the hilt full of ornaments, wreaths, 2 trees!, village pieces, and 3 tables to put the village on!
the 2 trees is a dream i've had for a long time. i love having a "fancy tree". one that has very beautiful ornaments all in one color scheme (this year is maroon, black, silver, and white). it is in the formal living room and until this year, was the only tree we would have.
which brings me to tree number 2. i also equally love what my mother calls an "eclectic tree". this is beautiful in a very different way- it's where all the ornament that the kids make in school and church, etc can hang and be proud of their sometimes funkiness. there are also some nice ornaments that were gifts, or that i got along the way, but didn't match the fancy tree. toby and i made the tree skirt out of a cheapo walmart felt tree skirt and some cut out gingerbread themed cupcake papers we cut out the bottoms. i bought some adorable jelly bean garland (plastic!) and hope to find a multi-color lighted tree when they go on sale the day after christmas. the one we used this year for the kid tree is seriously busted- about 8 limbs are gingerly resting on top of the branches below them because they have become unattached to the trunk, and one set of lights doesn't work, look closely at the picture to find it.
then there's the village. we love our village. it started with a gift someone sent me when matthew and i were first married. now, every year, we add 2-3 pieces. although for a couple years there were 8 bought! so, it's steadily growing, just like our family, and our marriage!
fancy, eh?
do you see the stripe of unlighted tree???

our village! fyi- all of it is from the st. nicholas square collection at kohl's.

thanksgiving

so, i love fall. and thanksgiving is one of my favorite things in fall. last year we all volunteered together, but i couldn't make it this year with the baby and all. we were planning to host our families for dinner, but couldn't in the end. i was disappointed, but we wanted to still have a great thanksgiving, and we did!

matthew and toby volunteered at the salvation army in the morning, while i stayed home with miller and cook for my family gathering.

the salvation army dining room
my turkey- the brine really works, the whole bird was super yummy and moist!
miller with nana and bumpa- my folks- cute old people, eh?
i love catching my mom in pictures- she's always very reluctant to have her picture taken, so it's great to capture such a fun one!

it can't be november!

that happened way too fast.....here are some pics from our fantastic fall festivities!
miller eats




miller plays

miller sleeps
repeat cycle perpetually......................................



Wednesday, October 14, 2009

by the way......(2)

we had our baby. miller dylan coates. 09-09-09. 7:31 am. 6 lbs 12 oz. 18". super beautiful, if i say so myself. take a look......



sweet daddy, proud big brother

precious boy!

Friday, July 31, 2009

first day of school!

july 27th- first day of school in chandler. i know, it's sooo early, but, it's too hot to play outside, so you might as well be in an air conditioned classroom and be done while it's still nice in may!
so, we got to set up some traditions. we measured toby against the wall in our kitchen- i think the first day of school each year will be a good benchmark for this. then, matthew took pictures of him outside our house- which will change in a few weeks, but, nonetheless.....


can't you just hear him thinking, "it's too bright out here, daddy!"

then, another picture outside his classroom.......
and sitting at his desk......

he's already done his usual "limit testing" of the rules, but hasn't done anything too bad. just normal kindergarten rules adjustment stuff (leaving the line, being too loud in the classroom, etc).
i'm so very proud of my sweet boy- and surprised how much energy he is still coming home with. he's very excited about school (especially the turtles in the aquarium in his room) and has already brought home some great papers he's done.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

a couple things ironed

from the last post:

1. we have an approval! this means that the bank accepts our price and we have a real contract- and escrow can begin. hopefully all will go smoothly and we can close on (or before) august 24. then get the couple things changed and move before the end of august.

2. baby is now on 7 weeks away!

3. toby is now registered at tarwater elementary. mrs. lyle's class, room 4. and my sister is gonna help me do the school shopping tomorrow.

4. same sentiments as before....

5. still a little concerned about toby dealing with all the changes. and i know i will miss him like crazy for the first month of school- until my time gets wrapped up in baby. 6 hours is a long time without my sweet little boy!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

i should be more stressed

so, i have been living my little life, knowing all of these things were happening. but recently realized that they will all be aligning in the most inopportune way.

1. still have no official word on our short sale offer. once that comes in, 30 days to close, then a few changes must be made, like a pool fence and countertops. which could take a week or two. then we'll move in. now looking like it'll be right when the baby comes....

2. baby is coming. soon. 8 weeks from tomorrow. 5 am. need somewhere to let toby sleep until he can come to the hospital around 8 (all the grandparents want to be at the hospital, so our usual options are out).

3. toby needs to start kindergarten. which school? see #1. when? on the 27th. how? i'll get to drive him to our (hopefully) new neighborhood every morning. with what? i have no idea- haven't bought a thing!

4. moving? in august/september? 9 months pregnant? what the heck?

5. inherent amounts of stress- new school, schedule, house, and baby? i hope we all survive, especially toby- that's a lot of stress for a 5 year old.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

swimming

so, we went swimming at a public place yesterday. the desert oasis aquatic center. it is half a mile from our house, which we've lived in for 8.5 years, and this was our first time there! ridiculous, i know. it was super fun-a big 3 foot deep area with various water spraying things, lots of regular deep water area, and a couple slides.....................

we had a very fun time, as you can tell by the sad face when it was time to go.....


and one quick and rare picture of pregnant me!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

last week of school and graduation

so the last week of school was 2 weeks ago- close enough! one day i'll start posting closer to the event, but it is getting better.
all year, every time we go get toby's hair cut, he wants to buy the little sample size tubes of colored hair gel they have up at the counter. and all year, i have answered, "we'll get it when it's crazy hair day at school". he'd be fine with that answer. so, the schedule for all the end of year special day stuff came out, and, wacky hair day would land on a tuesday- toby doesn't go to school on tuesday. what would i do? i talked to his teachers, got the okay to visit class for 20 minutes on that tuesday and here is the wacky green creation we made out of his hair. fyi- this stuff was evil to get out in the tub that night. 3 shampoos, and i still found a couple gummy spots the next day!
then pre-k graduation happened on may 21st. they sang and signed about 5 different kid church songs, like "this little light of mine", etc. i tried uploading a video, but an error keeps coming up.
the big diploma moment (well, being smart preschool workers, it's just a rolled up paper- we got the real one in an envelope later).

so proud!

Monday, May 11, 2009

field trip

a while back, on april 29th, toby and i went with his pre-k class on a tour of chase field. he had a blast. after the tour, we had lunch at the tgi friday's overlooking the field, then went to the children's museum of phx. wow, that place is amazing!!!
but here is my sweet boy on one of his very first (but probably not last, as he'll of course be a pro baseball player someday) trips to a major league dugout..................

Saturday, April 18, 2009

boys are fun!

i knew he wanted to play in the mud, even shared how i used to enjoy a good mudpie making session. told him to take off his shirt, even though it already had grape jam on it from the earlier sandwich making fun. checked once, doing well, hands and feet are nicely coated in mud. the next time i checked.........
lets play i spy- i see a shoe, green shorts, a yellow striped shirt, aaaannnndddd see there in the shadow? the little red thing with the white band- yep, little dude underwear!
followed by a well used mud/water hole

then, at last, the swamp thing made his appearance.
notice the delicacy of the pictures, and what is and isn't shown. ALL was muddy, and was followed with a hose spray down, full of giggles. boys are so much fun, especially this one, in my opinion!

Saturday, April 11, 2009

yay, a video to make you smile, unless you're dead inside!

truly great- don't give up, it gets bigger at 1:45, and funky at 2:15, and the ending is fun!

Friday, April 3, 2009

chandler children's choir

yesterday, i got to help out a friend by doing something i love. the best of both worlds! i filled in for mrs. aimee stewart with her chandler children's choir.
it was very fun. we had a few squirrely kids (i love eli- he is sooooo toby!) and a few really great participators, and some super helpful parents.
we got through almost everything i had planned, and made some good progress on several songs. and i'm sure aimee is loving her special time away with her hubby and friends!
glad i could be of service. i wish i could help out more next year.........maybe after baby...........

Thursday, March 26, 2009

san diego!




pictures. lots of pictures. we had a blast. from legoland to sea world, seaport village, and mission beach. here's all the proof of a super fun family spring break. (my first real one, by the way. my family never went anywhere for spring break growing up. it was always my birthday week.)
mini-new york was incredible


when you lay in the sand, you get sand stuck on you. until at least two baths later!


he conked out on the way home.......(so did i!)