I really am alive!

It has pretty easily been 600 bajillion years since I've posted. I get that. In the moment, I think "I can't wait to blog that!" Then when I actually get in front of the computer I decide it wasn't really that funny/important/interesting/whatever. Here is a brief run-down of some (maybe) funny/important/interesting/whatever moments in no particular order:
1. We have wonderful children!
Cute l'il Elisabeth is 3 months old! I can't believe how fast time has gone--I feel equal parts that she has been part of our family forever and it was just yesterday that we brought her home. She's growing out of clothes and getting all smiley and is pretty much just a lovely love. Whom we love. har har. Her blessing was a couple of weeks ago and it was wonderful, albeit short since she was crying the whole time. (When the girl is hungry, she's not playing around!!) We had a great afternoon afterwards with friends and family and we are just so grateful to those who came to see us! She still pukes like crazy, though we've tried everything imaginable to stop it namely, Prevacid, obscenely expensive formula, fancy bottles...voo doo is next. Or exorcism since I'm fairly certain she has a demon. Okay, maybe the last 2 are a little extreme, but hey--you never know. ;o) Jack is still everything charming and adorable. My gosh we love that boy. He just CRACKS US UP with the funny things he says. My favorite to date is that one day he told me that when he grows up, he's going to make people poop. I was a little confused but who am I to crush his dream, right? He went on to explain that he's going to "be the guy who makes the magazines." HA! Oh my freaking heck did I laugh my fool head off when he said that. Clearly, Monsieur spends too much time observing his father. ;o)
2. We went to Idaho to visit my family
My family had yet to meet Miss Elisabeth so we journeyed to the land of my inheritance. Kuna, Idaho. (Scott says that's not much of an inheritance) These trips are so hard because in essence, we have 3 families to visit whenever we go home plus friends. We left on a Thursday and stopped at the new temple in Twin Falls for a picnic lunch on the grounds of the stake center next to the temple. It was hot, but so pretty and fun. I kept thinking that it was so fun being on the temple grounds with my family, how fun will it be to be INSIDE the temple with my family when that time comes for our children? I can't wait. Thursday night we took my Grandma Z out for dinner for her birthday--good times, gross Chinese food. Friday we hung out and Friday night we had a BBQ with the Pond Family. These people have seen me grow up and while we're not TECHNICALLY family, I'm just as close to them as I am to my family to which I'm related by blood. We had fun passing Lizzy around and Jack got to play in the hottub with the "cousins." Saturday morning Scott and I got a morning alone to go into downtown Boise for the Farmers Market. It was so fantastic!! I LOVED it. (Well, I mostly loved that Ryan and Kristin told us about a french bakery that has a stand down there.) I got REAL pain au chocolat made by a REAL Francaise. Hallelujah! It was great to walk around down there and to just soak up the great atmosphere. Loved it. After that, we headed out to my grandma's farm. My uncle and his family came down from Washington and Jack had so much fun playing with even more cousins! We brought our tent and camped out on Grandma's lawn--we ate well and played hard. Good times. Saturday night we left Lizzy with the family and took Jack to the races to watch my little brother race his sprint car. He ended up crashing (and it looked from the stands like he was on the bottom of a pile of racecars! I didn't breathe until I saw him get out of his car and then I started crying!) and then later jumped a tire and was out of the Main Event just as he was moving into 3rd place. There were no post-race celebrations--the Z family is famous for our bad tempers and my dad was furious that Phyl broke the spindle on his car and Phyl was mad that Dad was mad because these things happen. We went home before Jack became too familiar with the "F" Bomb that was continuously being dropped. Sunday we had a big breakfast before heading out. Lunch with Phyl and then we were on our way home.
3. I bought mascara from a transvestite
So I have a wonderful friend named Micaela. You might remember her from her blog I have listed to the left "29 Year Old Toddler." I was reading the aforementioned blog one day and saw this post I thought to myself, "You know, it IS hard to make the transition to one income and I remember the days before I figured out that getting cash back at the grocery store gives me some wiggle room for "emergency purchases" how hard it was to get used to living on a budget. So I decided to purchase her coveted Trish McEvoy mascara for her for her birthday. Everyone needs something ridiculously overpriced every now and again, especially if they don't pay for it themselves, yes? ("Yes" is the correct answer to that question!) I called the Nordstrom to make sure they had it and spoke to a lovely woman named Micaela. Pure Providence, right? FOR Micaela FROM Micaela! For some reason, I was confused and thought I was at Walmart where the cashiers either A. Want to hear your life story or B. Want to tell you their's. I began to explain to Nordstrom Micaela that my friend recently became a stay-at-home mom and just can't afford things like this these days so I'm getting it for her for her birthday. Nordstrom Micaela said she knew EXACTLY how Friend Micaela felt--she's been there before! And makeup is her weakness so it's sooooo thoughful of me to do this for my friend. She personally is SO grateful for good friends who did things like that for her when she needed it. I'm feeling pretty warm and fuzzy at this point. I head out for the Nordstrom and asked for Micaela when I got there. Sadly, she was at lunch but so was I so I said I'd go grab a bite to eat (a "real Belgian waffle." It was authentic but they fly the dough over from Brussels so it wasn't as wonderful as the place downtown. I'd give it a 6. But I ride bikes..). When I got back I asked for Micaela again and they said, "she's right there with her back to us ringing up a customer." I went around to the cash register and what do I see? Micaela. Who I am 110% sure used to be Michael. Now, I like to think I'm pretty non-judgemental but holy cow I nearly fell over. I think mostly because I was in no way expecting Nordstrom Micaela who so easily commiserated with Friend Micaela to be a dude. To have been a dude. Whatever. Wow. Gender reassignment aside, I still got the mascara and Friend Micaela loves it even more knowing I bought it to spoil her and that I bought it from a sweet tranny who shares her name. Love all around.
4. We have been to hell and back
This was just this last weekend--we went to Arizona for Lisa's wedding. Now, I've made my feelings about this wedding pretty clear but I must say that I had come to the conclusion that she is one of my best friends and I will love her and support her no matter what. That is what you do when you love your friends. Sadly, her mother had not the same epiphany. She has pretty much lost her mind over this whole ordeal. It's not been pretty. She's done some pretty messed up stuff from telling Lisa she's not going to pay for a single thing for the wedding to even telling Lisa's dad she wanted him to contest the wedding the actual day of. (Did I mention she told me Lisa was possessed and so she cast Satan out from Idaho but would Scott mind doing the same here?) Her dad was an absolute champ but I can't say a single nice thing about the rest of her immediate family. She had some extended family who came and were wonderful but her immediate family--sigh. I guess I can't judge too harshly since I have not always been so excited about the idea but honestly..there was just nothing even REMOTELY loving or Christ-like about their behavior. I don't understand only treating your children well when they're doing what you want them to do and I'm so grateful that's not how our Heavenly Father treats us! However, Lisa was BEAUTIFUL and she was happy and that's what counts. It wasn't so fun being in what we referred to the whole weekend as the "Seventh Circle of Hell" (my GOSH it was hot and it didn't help that locals kept saying, "it's not as bad as it usually is!") but we got to hang out with our friends Sam and Sara, that was fun. Jack was up camping with Scott's brother and sister and Lizzy stayed home with Nana and the dog. It was SO hard to leave Lizzy on Friday! I cried all the way to the airport!! It was great to come home and love and squeeze her, though.
Okay, that's about it. I'm sure there's more but this post is so dang long I'm afraid I've lost half of you already. Thanks to those of you who've stuck around. That's true friendship right there!