Dreams Eventually Come True

Ever since Frankie, Cana and I took our lovely trip to AZ right after Christmas, I've been longing for a house. I guess staying with my parents for a week in a home big enough to put Cana to bed and not have to whisper when in the living room did me in. Not to mention, our humble apartment is on the third floor, Cana is starting to get more mobile and is running into tables and couches constantly, and we don't have any sort of yard to enjoy the (few) nice and sunny days in. 

However, because buying a house isn't yet in the cards for us, I've been spending my days looking at homes for sale in the areas I'd love to raise a family in. And in turn, I've been day dreaming about what the future of our family might look like. 

(Frankie putting a BBQ together between the wall and out dining room table because, where else?)

Now of course, God has His own plan for our future, and maybe this has nothing to do with His plan, but when I think of our little family five or ten years down the road this is what I see:

-A modest house just outside the city limits, big enough to house all our kiddos (so like five bedrooms with a bunch of bunk beds in them ;)).

-A huge yard where we can watch the kids play from the front porch. In a rocking chair. With sweet tea in hand. (Ok maybe I need to move south.... Lol)

-Our kids are cloth diapered (until potty trained, not forever lol).

-I'd love to make most of the clothes our kids wear, but I kinda suck at sewing so I'll settle for secondhand. 

-We don't own any battery operated toys that light up and make noise. I'd like that now, actually.

-We homeschool all of our kids with a great Catholic Classical curriculum and have tons of friends who do the same that we can go on field trips with. 

-There's a little farmers market down the road.

-The Pioneer Woman and I are best friends and I can cook like her without being super fat. ;)

-There's a 24 hour adoration chapel within walking distance (yes, out in the country!)

-The center of our home is a big open kitchen with a island in the middle.

-Our furniture matches. 

-And last but not least, we are happy, healthy and madly in love with being together! 

Like I said, maybe (probably) this isn't what God desires for us. And I sound so little house on the prairie! But maybe we'll live in the center of the city, send our kids to public schools, and our couches never match each other. It'll still be a great life. Because honestly, how could life with my amazing husband and daughter not be?! 

Here's to dreaming, though. 

This Cross

Last night, I stood in our kitchen, before putting Cana to bed, and prayed over my husband. He prayed over me and together we laid our hands in our squirming girl and asked God to bless her sleep. 

Frankie was finishing dishes. Cana was starving. And I was ready to relax. But we made time. Everything stopped for a minute so we could pray together as a family. Ideally, we would sit in a space designated for prayer, all distractions would be gone, and it would last more than a few minutes. But last night, that sole minute of quick prayer in the kitchen before bed was enough. It is exactly what our family needed. 

Since we got married, we've strived to incorporate praying together into our daily life. Honestly though, we've failed quite often. But we aren't prefect, so it's ok. As long as we continuously try, right? And that's the beauty of Lent. 

Lent gives us a chance to restart. To change. To convert. To pick up our cross, again, continue walking toward Christ. Just as Christ calls us to do in today's Gospel reading (Luke 9:22-25). 

I'm so glad I've been graced with a husband who is always there to help me carry my cross. When I fall, he helps me up. When I stray, he points me in the right direction. Our family is better because of him and his unending desire for Heaven. 

Arizona Vacation

I was blessed to live in various places while growing up because my dad was in the Army, but it made the question, "where are you from?" difficult to answer. Now though, I simply say "Arizona." The Phoenix Valley was the only place I lived more than a few years and so it has earned the title of "childhood home." 

I won't say I miss living in Arizona on the daily. In fact, I don't miss it pretty much ever. Well... Unless it's blizzarding outside and I have errands to run. Then I miss the dry, brown landscape of the Sanoran Desert! Buuuut, I must admit, I do love a good AZ vacation. Why you ask? 

Answer: free housing. Free food. Free access to a car. Pool in the backyard. Time with my parents. Catching up with friends. In n Out (duh). Ability to see palm trees. No snow. And In n Out once more for good measure (double duh). Among other things.

Frankie and I always seem to find some creative adventures to go on while we are in town as well as some not so creative ones. We like our lame traditions and we are not ashamed! So what if we go to Target a million times, eat our weight in burgers from In n Out and walk aimlessly around Tempe Marketplace every other day?! It's what you do in the Valley! But at least we make up for it by going on some fun trips to the mountains and stuff. Woooo!

Ultimately though, the best part of our AZ vacations is relaxing at my parents house with, you guessed it, my parents. It was hard to realize until I moved away to CO, but I've got some pretty rad parents. And the fact that my husband gets along with them so perfectly makes them even cooler. There's nothing better than seeing your spouse joke around with your father like they're long lost buds. 

Now that we have Cana, I was so excited to vacation in AZ this Christmas! We got to escape the frozen tundra of Denver and relax with some very excited grandparents. I honestly don't think I've ever seen my parents so enamored. They love our girl to the moon and back. And they love Frankie and me so well too! It was such a blessing to have a constant helping hand and endless offers to watch Cana while we relaxed, showered or even SLEPT!!! 

It was so sad to pack up and leave, but absence makes the heart grow founder, right? I suppose. 

Now, enjoy these photos as I begin planning our month long summer Vacation road trip to the Big AZ! 

First flight... Let's not talk about the amount of screaming....

They don't like her at all. What a shame.

The best babysitter ever: the toy dangler. 

The sink was made for baby baths apparently! 

Party hard. Til 7:30pm.

We took a drive to Tortilla Flats (population 6) and Cana demanded to try on this cowboy hat. 

She devoured this bottle for a good twenty minutes.

We took the light rail downtown for dinner and didn't anticipate the cold, so Cana got to wear this tiny hat of hers. 

In n Out. Nough said.

We got to go on a date! Four Peaks for dinner and Hunger Games afterwards!