Life and TImes

So, I guess it's been a couple months since i updated, so i'll just ramble for a while and try to catch up. Later i might be able to throw a few pictures in. We celebrated Ben's 35th birthday at The Old Spaghetti Factory with Grandma and Bucka Gibson, Bucka Bucka (Bucka is Max's word for grandpa and Bucka Bucka is his great-grandpa) and MJ (Bucka Bucka's wife), Amber and Ryan, Josh, and Uncle Gary. It was tons of fun and Ben is pretty much the same with maybe a little tiny bit more gray hair. Just after that, in the middle of February, our already precarious financial situation took a turn for the worse, so we decided to do everything we could to make it through this downturn. Ben's company had bought a trailer in Buckeye about a year ago with the idea that they would move it to some land they have in Mesa and sell it. That plan was put on hold a while back, so we decided to find a renter for our house and move into the trailer. So...we found a guy to rent it and thought everything would be great, he is the president of his church and a really nice guy, etc... then we had Chet run his credit for us and it turned out that he had had two evictions and a couple of car repossessions in the last 5 years. Needless to say, he didn't get to rent our house, but the day i went to put the "For Rent" sign back up, a lady came up and said she was interested. It turns out that she has an assisted-living facility a couple doors down from us and wants to open another one. So, we have a renter and she's great and we'll have a ramp up to our front door and bars in the showers when it's all said and done. What more could you ask for. So, we moved into our little trailer in our gated Buena Vista trailer park on Feb 28th. For anywone not familiar with this neck of the woods, we moved 20 miles further west than we already were. We now are truly half-way to California (all the more reason to visit everyone that lives there). I still work one day a week in east Mesa and it's 55 miles away. The kids love our little house and are always trying to get back there whenever we go anywhere. They did have to go through all of their toys and decide which ones they would keep and which they would give to other kids cuz we don't have as much space. They did awesome, they're very generous. It's great, there was just enough room on the side of the house to wedge in the trampoline. The management has came over to inform us that someone had called to complain about our little boy was throwing rocks into the street (I'm thinking, well he didn't hit anyone did he?, but I didn't say it, just thought it). I wouldn't call it a super friendly neighborhood, but it's clean and quiet. The day we moved in, I was driving Ben's dually and parked across the street and the neighbor came home and said, "you almost hit my tree with your truck". I apologized and said, "I'm sorry, i don't usually drive this. Hi, my name is Rachelle, i'm moving in across the street." that threw her off for a second or two. she might be the one that called in on max and the rocks. so, I was telling our movers what she said and our friend Eddie, that helped us move, said, " well, i almost brought you cookies." so, we got all settled and I found out that a gym not too far away has reformers (Pilates equipment), so i applied for a job and got hired as a Pilates instructor and then made the director of their Pilates/yoga department. i've since gathered that it's the job no one wants, but that's okay, I do great at jobs that no one else wants. the one really nice thing is that i get two hours of child care per day for free and can work in that time. the only problem with that is that max bit a kid's hand has second day in there and got written up (three write-ups means suspension). When i asked him why he bit him, he said, "He wouldn't say that I was the boss". Scary, i know. so, he had a couple of great weeks and this last week bit a kid on the cheek. i'm hoping we don't get that third strike. so...we're learning to enjoy the simple things in life and go without. A little run-down of the things we've decided in the last year that we can do without:
Swim lessons, cable, downgraded internet and phone service, cell phone (i now have a pay-as-you-go phone and get 10 min/day), my Cadillac (I now drive a '94 gutless Cutlass supreme), Ben's truck (he drives an older company truck), the associated insurance, going out to eat (we do much less), medical insurance (the company dropped what we had and we picked up a private policy with a much smaller premium, higher deductible), our house, cut grocery budget by almost 1/2, preschool for Max, gym membership (although my new job provides me with a free membership), babysitters (using Amanda less). I think that's about it. It's been interesting, because not only are we surviving the changes, i think we're enjoying each other more and have learned an awful lot about wants/needs adn what those words really mean. we hope that we are learning all of the lessons we're supposed to and that we will never forget them and that our philosophy will never again be outearning our spending, but actually limiting our spending regardless of our income.

My sister Nicole sang the National Anthem at a Spring Training game on March 10th, I went with the kids and we hung out on the lawn until Bryn had tapped out all of the food possibilities that the spectators around us had to offer.
In the end of March, we went to Tucson for the Cystic Fibrosis Walk to support Dayson, our nephew and spent a couple of days with Erika and Chet. It was fantastic, we miss them and love them.
Being Easter Eve, I'll share a couple of the attempts I've made at helping Max understand religious events. we were in church one day and bryn and ben were home sick, so i could give max a little more attention while they were passing the sacrament around. we talked about how Jesus had died and that he had then come back to life. Without hesitation, Max said, "the animals come back to life every night". for anyone that hasn't seen Night at the Museum, that's the plot and so, that was the extent of Max's understanding of the Resurrection. It was really hard not to laugh. So, this week i decided to take a stab at teaching him about Easter and why we celebrate. He's convinced that Easter is a person, and so he said "Easter can kill the guys that killed Jesus". I'm not sure where the violent streak comes from, but i guess I'll just keep on trying:-).

Funny things they say

Relating to breastfeeding:
-Max one day said, "Nipples are kind of like straws".
-Bryn was holding Lu on her lap and kind of shifting her to try to feed her, while she attempted to pull her dress up and she looked at Lu and said, "Eat me! Eat me! You no wanna eat me?"
-Max also tried to feed Lu without his shirt on and i told him his nipples are too small, and he replied, "I don't have milk, I only have juice."

Nicole was cutting Max's hair and said, "Maximillion. Does anyone ever call you that?"
"No, that's not my name."
"What is your name?"
"Max Gibson Noble."
"What's Bryn's name?"
"Bryn Gibson Noble"
"What's your mom's name?"
"Mommy Gibson Noble"
"What's your dad's name?"
"Daddy Gibson"

One day Max came in distressed, holding his pull-up and said, "Look, I had a poop-toot" (we call it a shart).

On the way home from preschool, Max said, "I have the bleshews and the tireds " (sneezes and yawns).

Celery is okay to eat, because the Wonder Pets eat it. So, one day while we were eating salad, Max picked up a piece of lettuce and said, "Look, it's leaf celery".

Lu's Blessing

Ahh, look at the proud parents and the unhappy child.  Is this some indication of how her life will always be?  

That is a cute dad if I've ever seen one.

And a hot Momma.

In the back row, we have Bucka Gibson, Ryan and Amber Howard, Jana Noble,  Ben, Max, Ried, Chloe and Nicole Horton, Bucka Noble, Erika, Bree and Chet Judd, Courtney and Ryan Noble.  In the front we have Grandma Gibson, Anton Noble, Bryn, Kennedy Noble, Sophie Horton, Ellie Noble, Izzy Horton, Rachelle with Lu, Dayson Judd and Griffin Noble.

What a beautiful family! This is all the same people except Grandma Noble is in this one and Ryan Noble is taking it, so he's not.

Christmas 2008

This picture epitomizes Christmas 2008 for Baby Lu.

Max and his new remote-controlled truck (compliments of Savers)

Lip gloss for a 2-year old? Why not?

I think she ended up eating half and smearing the other half on the bathroom mirror.

Max seems like a tough guy, but underneath that hard, outer shell is a sucker for Barbie castles.

Really, we could have just gotten him the Ringpop and he might have thought it was the best Christmas ever.

So, in post-Christmas hindsight, Max isn't really ready for anything from which a battery can be removed.

They got some books and Bryn got a personal favorite, Peter Pan.

At the ripe old age of 2, it's really all about how small the pieces of wrapping paper are when you finish.

The threat of Santa not coming because of Max's behavior was probably emotional abuse for the month of December, but very effective, nonetheless.

Santa decided to bring Bryn a bike.  It might be a while before she knows how to ride it, but that's okay, it looks pretty and she looks good sitting on it.

Max's friend Wyatt came over and his mom, Jodie Stepp, had made ginger bread parts for houses.  They had so much fun decorating them.  Of course, Max didn't have enough suger from the candy for the houses, so a little sucker seemed like a totally reasonable request.

That's a cute kid.  Need I say more?

I think he's got a future either as an architect, a designer or someone that sticks candy to the outside of houses (I don't know what that's called).

Wyatt, hard at work.

He got his inspiration from the Red Door Spa, doesn't it look just like that?

Max took this picture and was not very concerned about the flash erupting right in Lu's eyes, so Bucka Noble had the presence of mind to protect her eyesight.

Here's the one that convinced us about the lack of concern for her eyes.

And Lu ended the holiday season just as she had started it.

Underballs, cont.

My little underwear model, i think he's got what it takes, especially the tucked-in look.
Uhhh...

And here they are, the world-famous underballs!!!

Bringing Lu Home

I've never seen a kid so soft and loving with his little sister. He loves to hold her and can't get enough.
She's had enough, though.

Bryn really loves Lu most of the time, we just have to keep a little closer eye on her, just to make sure.

Here's Grandma with her 3 grandkids, I think Max is working on Blue Steel.

Very ready to head home and have my backside covered up. It got more exposure there than it really needed.

Easter 2008-The missing archives!

There's not much that needs to be said about there pictures, they show the life and times of best friends and worst enemies-Max and Bryn.