-super arizona

i went a little nuts on ebay last month and bought a bunch of super hero costumes.
they've looked so lonely hanging in the closet because a 2 year old REFUSES to wear them.
it was time to teach brooks what i'm made of.
i went into the garage dressed as mommy and came out dressed as a mommy trying to not vomit from the smell of the inside of the spiderman mask.
i don't think he's ever been so proud.
look at that face.

it was an action packed 43 minutes.
but baby brother can only take so many super chops to the thigh.

ps- hello jon manley. thanks for being patient while i write this post.
i owe you an evening of mexican coke, stories from the radio past and lots of inside jokeness.

-sweet smeeks

once again- darling neighbor audrey finds a great spot in central phoenix to spend a morning with the children (said in a mary poppins english accent).
because nothing's better than candy in the morning.

this was no ordinary candy store.
it's dripping with love for all things cheerful, bright and even nostalgic.
why smeeks for a name? because that's what the owner has been nicknamed by her father.
that sold me. i've always had my own secret dream of opening a studio named
"Da Bev's"
because that's what my dad calls me.

it really was a perfect way to spend an hour and watch our kids examine the walls in
an overexcited reverence.
go there. click here for info.

oh yeah- they have mexican bottled coke and dr pepper.

super.

-cuss cuss cuss words.

here's the scene:
car keys in hand, lip gloss on, tight jeans zipped, blood fueled with premium caffeine, 2 babysitters in position, hand on the door to the garage and......................................
2 little boys, with tears dripping off their chins, crying for their momma.

i had to cancel my amazing date with myself tonight because separation anxiety got the best of the Lewis babies. after my 2 week stint as a single parent with an overworked and stressed out spouse that finally took himself to mexico, i felt i looong deserved a night out alone.

all i need in life is 3 simple things:
1) a pedicure in dark gray
2) a baby free meal in a restaurant with an overly attentive waiter and
3) harry potter.

instead, i got:
1) an evening at costco with 2 crazy little men running up and down the canned tomato products aisle
2) a mediocre spinach salad with baby hands reaching in the bowl between each fork stab and
3) a toddler that refuses to go to bed and is currently laying on the office loveseat watching me type this at 11:11pm.

i'm frustruated. i'm tired. i'm really missing me. and i'm such a sucker for sobbing babies that look like their daddy.

i have to take it out on someone. i think i'm going to really stick it to mother nature. that's right. no recycling all tomorrow. that should make me feel better for a day.

there's always tomorrow. maybe the boys will get over it and realize mommy really needs time with herself before she starts pulling out her eyelashes one at a time. but probably not. i just noticed that brooks fell asleep on the couch and i've got exactly 8 hours to myself. i should probably sleep but i wonder if they notice if i snuck out for the midnight show?

here's some old pictures of me to keep this from being a pictureless post.
one is of me laughing at something. and the other is of me trying to look sexy.
both are of me looking retarded.
enjoy.

-hola amazing

pris: "how spontaneous are you?"
me: "i'm in"

2 days later i'm with the babies in a beachfront home with some of my favorite people on the planet. it was a week full of all of my wishes coming true. on the last day- i actually found a unicorn washing and packing my clothes. it was that good.

the only issue during the whole week was whether to bring my camera and attempt to capture some of the beautiful scenes or leaving it behind and not worrying about the distraction.
i mostly chose the latter. however, here are some shots i managed to steal.

teague. the happiest soul on earth.

a jaunt in the pink buggy usually did the trick for these boys.

colton. i'm renaming him "nonstop".

ok. i confess.
the whale bones on the beach are definitely the coolest thing i've ever witnessed.
and i've seen a lot.
this tops priscilla's naked dancing texts and watching brad beauchamp nail david bruce in the crotch with a water balloon during a pep rally in high school
something i didn't think could be beaten.

and when i thought it couldn't get any better, doug showed me this.
a decaying carcase.
i was a 7 year old boy in heaven.
poking it with a stick and smelling my fingers.

cheryl and doug.
the hosts with the mosts.
and some serious griddle skills.

i was hoping ade would take his first steps during our trip to disneyland.
i guess the beach in mexico during sunset will have to do.

my best friend and her daughter in law priscilla.

the ONLY thing that made leaving a little less painful was the fact that i'd be returning in about 7 weeks with a bunch of girls, an irresponsible amount of diet coke and zero babies.
i can hardly wait.

-aahhhhhh

reasons not to blog:
a) i kidnapped the boys and fled to mexico
b) i'm refilling my priscilla vat until it floweth over
c) i'm eating handmade tortillas/ lardtillas for every meal
d) i'm taking pictures of whale bones and sea vultures
e) all of the above

answer: e
see ya Sunday!

-hut 1, hut 2

i'm not really sure how to explain how this photo shoot happened.
and that's all i really have to say.
click here for more
(sorry to be so brief. there were just waaay too many jenna jokes)

-a little self indulgent

i've been spending a lot of time behind the camera lately.
there is one time each week where my hair, make up and outfit are baby-smudge-free.
it's sunday. always and only on sunday.
i made the family 10 minutes late for church by asking brandon to
take a moment and snap my picture.
hopefully these will be the images burned in their little minds.
looking the way i feel...... for the most part.
:)

-into the woods

we did it!
after nearly 11 years of marriage we finally went camping.
i thought when i married a utard our outdoor adventures would be endless.
i think i got the raw end of the deal when i married a clean, workaholic, city fella.
but now that we've realized trees, fire pits and s'more flames are only
2 hours north,
things are going to be different around here.
much more insect repellent scented and fatigued from up all night tent sleeping.
hopefully. :)

"see babies- these are the trees and this is what weather feels like under triple digits"


ROLL CALL:

hollywood jenna and 15 year old cutoffs (here!)

brother broadbent, esquire (here!)

playpen caged baby ader (here!)

dorito eating champion brooks (here!)

tipsy, stick slinging calvin (here!)
ok. now that we're all here. what's next........

s'mores are everything they're cracked up to be.
i surely know as i made 6 and ate 6 while waiting for brandon and jenna to return from operation "find cory". poor lawyer. can't get out of work until late but still found motivation to drive around a campsite looking for his friends and family in the pitch dark with little help from jenna's paper plate-tacked-to-the-trees directions.
but he found us by using his heart.
like the good earthworm he is.

jenna + s'mores + amazing stories of preteen awkwardness=
the greatest night of my life.

and finally, we had an official hot dog tasting contest.
the hot dog won.
because all hot dogs are amazing.