Oh, Is It Really Almost MARCH Already!?! {mobile monday}

So YES, I'm a slacker!!! I can't believe it's nearly March and I haven't shared anything of this year yet.  We've had A LOT going on... and I've more pictures to share, but for now - mobile phone pics will have to do as I haven't much time to spare lately.  I'll squeeze some more sharing in over the next couple of weeks... just know we are LOVING our beautiful sunny and warm Arizona winter, and enjoying every moment we get to share here.
Later,
Jess xo

* Sahuarita NJROTC whooped some butt at Moon Valley HS in Phoenix at the Valley of the Sun meet in January - took first in state, and secured their invitation to regional competition at Camp Pendleton in February!
* It's been very, very warm here and we've enjoyed soaking up the sunshine - including making 'snow angels' in the sand on New Year's Day.
* Buggy and BFF Hannah have been faithful in their stake dance attendance, haha!  Their favorites have been the 50's Night here in Sahuarita and the Valentine's Sweetheart dance in Rincon.
* Jess had a nice break from working and mom-duties painting for dear friend Cindy & Ken's upcoming wedding mural wall of canvases... it was fun, and therapeutic, I'd forgot how much I enjoyed painting.
* Freckle Face finally got in to the Tucson Orthopedic Institute for evaluation and has begun physical therapy in Green Valley (thankfully - because it's much closer to home than traveling to mid-town Tucson twice a week).
* Sahuarita NJROTC drill teams ranked second at their competition last weekend, which Buggy says was just a 'dress rehearsal' for this week's California trip.  Everyone is excited and nervous - counting down the days!!!
* Oh, and mom found a new favorite Saturday morning recipe to spoil the kids and their friends with: Homemade Nutella Poptarts... simply delicious!

Our Cr-Azy Fun Fall Break {mobile monday}

Ok... so I guess it's safe to say that 2015 is NOT going to be a big blogging year for me.  It's October for crying out loud - Fall Break, even.  The time has passed us by and I've not kept up with sharing all of our busy Brunette happenings like I used to.  Here's a quick run down of what's been going on via mobile phone pics.  I'll get back to regular posting - I just can't make any promises for the near future.

* We've had a great time this season sharing the bleachers with family and friends cheering on Sahuarita Mustangs Varsity football.  The biggest celebration game was the SHS vs. WGHS - our small town's only two high schools on one field, we had friends on both sides ...it was quite a fun night!

* Buggy took off with her BFF Hannah to the Gulf of Mexico over the fall break week.  A week of camping on the beach... swimming in the ocean, building sand castles, roasting s'mores in the campfire, watching fireworks, collecting sea shells and dodging sting rays.  She came back home with sand in every-single-thing she took with her, a rat's nest hair-do and a perfectly bronzed tan.

* She also left me a large note on the fridge reminding me to PLEASE REMEMBER to feed her frog and fish while she was away.  This comes after the small panic attack I had when she was gone to Utah for three weeks this summer and I completely FORGOT about feeding the frog.  Poor little guy was so happy to see her when she got home... oops!  I can't believe he was still alive, but I'm very thankful he was okay and lived to see me feed him this vacation time.

* Freckle Face's BFF Lauren (and her twin sister Maddie) came down from Montana to stay with us for the whole week.  It was a joyous reunion.  I didn't see much of them unless they needed a ride somewhere, ha ha!  They spent a lot of time chatting, swimming, playing games, hanging out at the mall, and all that other fun teenage stuff.

* Monkey Boy enjoyed some time playing basketball and video games with Chris and Caitlyn, playing street hockey and making meals with Nick, going to the movies and visiting the Reid Park Zoo with the Facklers... and so much more.

*  He also enjoyed his first temple trip to Mesa with a few of the youth from our ward.  He was recently called as Deacon's Quorum president and has been prayerfully weighing his options for who to call as his counselors.

*  The kids finished out the first quarter with all A's and a couple of B's on their report cards.  They're doing very well in school and their teachers all had really great (and sweet) things to say about them at parent-teacher conferences.  I'm so proud of them... they're such great kiddos and I'm always glad to hear they're working hard and doing their best. 

Camping Over Labor Day Weekend

Buggy's Surprise Birthday Party!

Super sweet BFF Hannah came to me with an extraordinary idea for a surprise party for Bug's 14th birthday and of course I couldn't say no.  She planned the whole thing and rounded up some very cute friends to surprise Bug and later welcome her along to her first Stake Dance (at the Tucson East Stake).  It was a memorable day and I am thankful Buggy has such amazing and thoughtful friends to enjoy her teenage years with.

Weekend Activities

Weekends take on a whole different meaning once school starts back up.  We definitely enjoy that break away from school and work and try to relax and enjoy the little things in life.  Like sleepovers, football games, and making meals together.  Buggy has taken to the kitchen lately - her surprise schedule meant a reluctant culinary class, but I really think she's going to enjoy it.  She made everyone omelets this weekend - it was great!

- Jess

Camping + Learning How to Drive Manual {mobile monday}

Our Summer, Week 5 {mobile monday}

I've gotten a bit out of order here... so for today's pics we're backing up to a month ago - Monkey Boy spent a week at Camp Lawton with his Scout Troop.  They had a lot of fun and didn't mind escaping the desert summer heat for the much cooler temps atop Mount Lemmon.

And while their little brother was away the girls enjoyed some relaxing afternoons with their friends.  Summer flew by so fast... the kids just returned from two weeks in Utah and now school officially starts in just two more very short, action-packed weeks!!!

Happy Monday!
xoxo - Jess

Our Summer, Week 4 {mobile monday}

The girls spent an amazing week at Camp Zion on Mount Lemmon with our Stake, hiking, crafting, sharing, growing, and working on their community service projects.  This snapshot is of the girls and their beloved youth leaders from our ward.  They came home dirty, tired and full of the spirit.

Meanwhile, Monkey Boy and I spent the week watching Ancient Aliens and Star Wars, playing video games and staying out of the dreaded Arizona summer heat.  We took him and best bud Christopher to Rocks + Ropes, an indoor rock climbing adventure in Tucson... wore them right out!

- Jess

California Gulch + a bit of Monsoon Season

Summer has been very low key around our place the last three weeks. Freckle Face started her first job working with the city through the art program at the district to create a mural for part of the underground crossing between north and south Sahuarita Road. She has enjoyed working on the project, although I suspect she is relieved to know that it doesn't go on all summer - she's realizing it's just as much work as getting up for school, if not more being up and ready super early in the morning and staying on your feet working all day measuring and cutting tiles, drawing and laying out plans, painting, etc. it really is WORK, lol!

We make a Jeep trip with the Bishops out past Arivaca to the California Gulch area near Ruby, AZ and Pena Blanca Lake. It was HOT and dusty... like really really dusty. We missed the area we were shooting for but found it on our way back from the trail. Well at least we know how to find it, so we
can go back and have a look around another time - maybe after it has rained sometime so we don't
have to breathe hot, dry desert clay-dust. It was still nice to finally get out and enjoy a little Jeep adventure, even if we couldn't find the right trail and landmarks.

Other than that, things have been fairly quiet around here. Buggy has decided she would like to follow her big sister's footsteps and join the NJROTC this coming school year... which had lead to her deciding she better start practicing her physical training NOW so that she's a little more prepared for the end of summer Hell Week that hits everyone like a ton of bricks if they're enjoying the lazy summer a little too much. She and I have started a walk-to-run program, running at 5am three days a week. It has been rough some mornings, but it feels good to get back into a routine that resembles some more of our family normalcy after the crazy year that we've already had.

Monsoon season has officially begun... temps have already reached 110 *F and we've had a few short bursts of rain. I love this time of year, even though it's insanely hot - the storms are phenomenal and there's really no words for the brilliant sunsets monsoon season brings... I can't wait to capture some this summer.

Hope you're all enjoying your summer too!
XO - Jess

Monkey Boy's Big Birthday

Monkey Boy turned 12 last week... he's been such a joy having around, keeping us smiling and moving in the right direction.  His special day [finally] came and he was sustained and ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood by his dad and advance to the office of Deacon on Mother's Day.  He was able to pass the sacrament for the first time the following Sunday, which he was so excited about. 

xo - Jess

Red Nose Day 2015 {mobile monday}

We didn't prepare to fundraiser for Comic Relief this year as we were in new territory struggling to find some normalcy... but we just couldn't break tradition. So we threw on our noses for a quick mobile phone snapshot of our tenth year celebrating Red Nose Day.

Cheers!
- Jess

Eva Visits Us in Oklahoma

Eva came to visit us in Oklahoma, and although weather prevented us from doing much else from staying in, it was wonderful to have her come stay for a few days and spoil everyone.

- Jess

Our Time in Ardmore, Oklahoma {mobile monday}

Our Big Halloween Bash

October Wrap Up {mobile monday}

End of the month wrap up for on-the-go pics from my sweet phone:
* Pep Rally and Spirit Week
* Fun Family Home Evenings
* EYO Scout Camp-out in the Santa Ritas
* Ward Trunk-or-Treat
* Freckle Face's new braces
* Busy photography schedule
* YW's Evening in Excellence, both girls completed values in Personal Progress
* All three kids made the Principal's Honor Roll for 3.5+ GPA
* Monkey Boy's Student of the Week for outstanding character
* Halloween - whoot, whoot!!
* Football and basketball games
* White Elephant Parade - 50th Anniversary
* More parties and gathering of family and friends - we are blessed!

I could've have made it through this crazy and wild ride of a month without some very wonderful and helpful family and friends - both near and far.  I am a lucky girl to have such an amazing support system!  XO - Jess

October Catch Up {mobile monday}

We're staying busy as ever... here's some snapshots from the iphone from a few of our October happenings.  Enjoy!
* Fiesta Sahuarita - our town celebrated 20 years with a big party - everyone had a great time
* Halloween preparation of festivities commenced and thanks to Grandma Brunette, our house is full of all kinds of creatures to startle MOM and keep the dogs cowering in the corners
* Both Buggy and Monkey Boy were invited as special guests to participate in the SIS Pep Rally, they enjoyed seeing some of their old teachers
* I don't have any pics just yet, but we also had a great fall break in the middle of all the craziness - Buggy even made another amazing trip with friends to Mexico

I {heart} the Aquabats - Celebrating 20 Years!!