Winter, spring, and the light at the end of the tunnel

Living in Arizona is great.  We love to brag about our heat while the rest of you poor saps are out there shivering in your snowdrifts.    The downside is that we too sometimes get our days of cruel weather and we just can't handle it.  Like the aliens who died when exposed to our viruses in that horrible movie Dave talked me into watching with him, we can't handle the cold.  We haven't been exposed to it.  People down here call it "your blood getting thin", and it leads to ridicule and a general lack of sympathy when we phone our family and friends in colder places to complain that "it got down to 30* last night, and the high today is only 55*."  Hey, that's heavy-coat weather in my book.   We did get snow the other day, a very rare thing for where we are.  My Facebook feed was abuzz with pictures of our skiff- it made me laugh because my family in Utah wouldn't have even noticed this "snowstorm."   Anyway, I'm happy to report we all survived this cold snap and have the pictures to prove it!

We are almost to planting weather here.  I have been on a major gardening spree lately and can't wait to get my pepper, tomato, spaghetti squash, zucchini, and pumpkin starts out into my garden.  I talked Dave into making a new garden bed that I filled already with strawberry and blackberry plants, and I built a grape arbor and planted two grape plants back by our pool.  (sadly it will need redone- I should have used wooden posts- my metal stakes are too bendy.  Too bad they are cemented in two feet of cement.  That will be fun to dig out!)  We also put in a pomegranate tree in addition to the orange and apple we already have. I have two big buckets of potato plants that are already up a couple inches- that will be a fun experiment!  Are you people who are still shoveling yourselves out jealous yet?  :) Unfortunately I am running out of room in our little backyard.  Dave uses this as further proof that we need to move somewhere with more land!  

So light at the end of the tunnel.  There's been no denying that it's been a couple of crazy years.  Having all three of my littles being within 16 months of each other has made for many tough days. One toddler is a challenge for any mom, three is often overwhelming.  Although we get out to the park, the library, and even the grocery store, I am wary of taking them to more adventurous places by myself just because if even one is tired, has an accident, is in a bad mood, or doesn't want to listen our little outings can go south quickly. 

The light comes as the kids are getting a little older.   Dave was gone with the Scouts on Saturday, so I ventured out with all the kids on my own to our community Rodeo Roundup. I was kind of shocked at the end- we actually had a good time!  Even me!  You have to understand, most of our outings end with me growling to Dave "Why do we bother!?"  For us to all have a fun time without any problems from anyone made me ridiculously happy.  Just because it means that things won't always be so challenging.  Until they become teenagers...all of them simultaneously...

Ye haw!