Mother Natures Pumpkin Patch!

We went to a pumpkin patch this week and we had so much fun. We went and picked out and decorated pumpkins, we did a corn maze and went on a hay ride. We went with our friends to explore the pumpkin fields. Good ole Halloween fun!

The REAL Snow White!

Here are some darling pictures of Lorelei in her Halloween costume. She wanted to be Snow White this year, which is interesting because she has never seen the movie "Snow White." I guess I still need to wait a couple more years until it comes out again. My scanner is broken, so I won't be able to show you the outcome of what we chose, but here she is, adorable as ever. So weird to see her in a black wig! Here are a couple pics before the photo shoot. Check out the website below to see more of her pictures.

Lorelei's First Day of School!

September 5, 2007

Lorelei on her first day at Preschool. She goes to Miss Christi's Preschool in Mesa. This is her second year and she loves it. Here she is before the big day. She knows her letters, numbers, how to write her name, and they are working on sounds now. Today at church, she read her first words(besides her name), MOM and DAD and I didn't help her at all. I love that she is learning so much and that she is like a little sponge ready to learn the next thing. In January, she will start Chinese preschool too.

I Heart Haunted Houses!

I finally got to go to a Haunted House with my friend Amy. I love haunted houses and the thrill of being scared. I love horror movies too. I maybe a little demented, but I still enjoy it. We went to a place called, "The Nest." Supposedly, it is one of the top 10 haunted houses in the nation. It is all based on a true events about an Arizona serial killer named Jacob Kell, who murdered 35 people in 1945, before he was found and killed. It was pretty psycho. I got a few pictures of us before we entered the haunted house. It was too dark, so here are just a few. Too bad I couldn't take the camera in. It was wicked cool. Two thumbs up for "The Nest!"

Speaking of Mexico!

Here are some pictures from our recent trip to Rocky Point, Mexico. We went in September with our friends Jeremy, Jolie and their daughter Taylor. Our hotel was right on the beach. We had so much fun going swimming in the ocean, building sandcastles, collecting shells (we even found a hermit crab with our shell collection when we got home), going horseback riding, and ATVing. It was so awesome and a much needed vacation for all of us.

Come listen to the Prophets voice!

As we were listening to conference this past weekend, we were so excited to know that Lorelei was also tuned in. When Gordon B. Hinkley was naming all the countries that the gospel has reached and finally got to the country Mexico, Lorelei says, "Hey, I was in Mexico." Just when you think they aren't listening, they put two and two together. We were so proud and especially because she really was "Listening to the Prophets voice."

Where does money come from?

So this week Lorelei has been turning on and turning off lights around the house. First she turns them all on and then a little while later goes and turns them all off. Finally last night, she starts flipping the switch in the family room. I said, "Lorelei, please stop switching the light on and off, you are wasting electricty and it costs a lot of money," (Like she really is going to understand the meaning of that.) Then she asks, "Mom, can I come with you." I say, "Where are we going?" She says "To the store to get some more money." We all had a good laugh about that one. Apparently, she thinks we get everything at the store.

ARIZONA IS STILL HOT!

Here it is the beginning of October and it is still hot outside. We are still in the mid-90s and that is SOOOO NICE compared to the crazy HOT summers here. How many of your kids can still run around in a bathing suit in October? So this is where I get to brag! While you are all stuck at home for the winter months I will be enjoying them, outside on a lawn chair, sipping lemonade and laying out in the sun. You can make fun of me all summer long, but this is my time to enjoy my ONE season. Here is Lorelei and her friend Allison playing in the spray park at the zoo. How would it be to be a kid again?

Mommy and Me Time!

This week I have decided to start a Mommy and me calendar. Each week we pick out a daily activity to do together. It gives Lorelei that one on one time with mommy. I guess, Leilei turning 4 years old has really hit me hard. I feel sad that I have missed out on so many opportunities to just sit down and play with her. Many of you know I have OCD, so I constantly have to be doing something. Most the time I neglect Lorelei while I try to get through my To-Do List for that day. So, now we have come up with a great solution to spend time together. Our list goes like this: Zoo, playdate, crafts, games, cooking, play-doh, swimming, park, walks, movies, fly kites, piano etc. So far this week, we have gone to the zoo, movies, games, crafts and here we are making cookies together. This week we will plan for some more fun.

Disney on Tour!

We skipped school on Wednesday to go to the Disney Playhouse on tour. We went with Tammy, Ashley and baby Victoria. Lorelei was so excited. We got to see Mickey and friends, Handy Manny, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger and Lorelei's favorite, Little Einsteins. Here we are before the show. I kept it a secret until the show started. Lorelei loves surprises, just like her mommy.

"I pledge a KA llegiance!"

While giving Lorelei a bath, I hear her reciting the pledge of allegiance. I was so proud of her. I had to record the experience. Her lispe is so cute. I can't believe how well she knows it. This is what she learns at Preschool. I love it!!!

LORELEI TURNED 4 YEARS OLD!

On September 12, 2003 a perfect little angel was cut out of my belly to join the Graham family. Her name would be known as Lorelei Kaleah Graham. It is now 4 years ago, that I look back and think where did my baby go and how I wish I can turn back the clock to be able to relive those memories over again. I miss my baby. Here she is 4 years later as my little girl and watching her grow up is hard to handle, especially because there is no other baby to love at this time. What can I say about Lorelei? She is the reason I get up in the morning, although I do love to sleep, she is my angel, my little miracle, my smiles, my laughs, my everything. I just love my Lorelei more than anything and am so thankful that she came into my life. The joy she brings is so subtle and so sweet that if I don't stop to think about it fast enough it flashes before my eyes and I miss it. Everyday I can find something to smile about with her and she definitely can make me laugh. If she didn't have the cutest lisp or the off key voice as she tries to sing songs, I don't know how I would get through my days. It is hilarious and so endearing. I just love my little girl.

This is what Lorelei is up to these days. Lorelei is in her second year of preschool. She is attending Miss Christi's Preschool, she goes 3 days a week M, W, F. On top of that she is involved with Ballet/Tap, Tumbling and Cheerleading classes. She loves to be active. During the summer she learned to swim which is crucial for me, because we own a swimming pool and that scares me to death, so since she is now swimming, I feel much more relieved. She has always been my little fish, she thinks she's a mermaid. Which fits her perfectly, since in Germany there is a legend about the mermaid Lorelei. That's where I was born and thus my middle name came to be. So mermaid Lorelei it is. While we were in Disneyworld this summer, she chose to go back to the hotel to go swimming instead of being at Disneyworld. What is wrong with this picture? She has a love for water and at every opportunity wants to be in it, including the bath. She loves to dress up, every day last month, she was in a ballet costume and/or a princess costume, she would change her outfit 10x a day. I'm glad school is back in session, because now I actually see her in normal clothes again. She loves to play with barbies and has all the Disney princesses, she also loves polly pockets and my little ponies too. She is all girl, but then is she! She also loves horses and she rode her first horse in Mexico this month. She loved playing in the sand at the beach too. She wrestles and beats up on her Uncle Steve, and she loves to climb on everything to the highest point she can reach. (This scares most people when we are out in public and I get a lot of stares. It doesn't phase me anymore, but alot of parents try to control or stop her from her risky behavior). We have a front yard tree and she has discovered that climbing trees are fun. We went hiking in Sedona and she loves to hike and says she wants to climb the highest mountains ever! She also loves trains and we got to take a Thomas the train ride up in Williams, AZ. So I have a little daredevil and a little princess all in one, just depends on her mood. Lorelei keeps her mommy busy, I swear she never takes a break. She wants to be doing something all the time, therefore I have her in so many activities to get her energy out. We are constantly busy with something. Her latest thing is she wants to be having a tea party everday. She gets her dolls out, sets up the tea set for everyone and gets a tea bag out and makes tea. Instead of cookies she usually uses a nutrigrain bar that she breaks up and puts on everyones plate (recently she has moved to marshmallows which is easier clean up for mommy) and she has a tea party for everyone. This at least fills you in with some of the things Lorelei is doing.

Chad turning 30! We went to Boston to see Chad's mom run in the Boston marathon. Here we are visiting my Boston Family. I lived with them for a year as I nannied for their three children. It has been 10 years since I've seen them and the youngest girl is now 17. A very happy reunion to see them again. Our trip was cut short as I had another family incident with You-Know-who and flew home early, therefore my two week trip was cut short. That's a long story. Well back to Chad. Chad is busy and I mean busy. He gets up every morning before the sun is up to go work out. He then heads into Phoenix about a 40 min commute to work at Littler Mendelson law firm. He practices Corporate Migration, basically helping corporate clients bring bright and intelligent people from all over the world to come and take our perfectly good U.S. jobs. So he helps them get work visas, green cards, etc. He then gets home from work about 7:00. Chad was called to be the 1st Counselor in the Bishopric in January, so after he gets home he then goes to church to do many other things. So needless to say, we don't see Chad as much as we would like to. If you think we have him on the weekends, think again. What month is it? Oh, September. Which means it's football season and don't forget baseball is still on, too. And on top of that, Who in the Hell introduced him to Halo? So if you ask me what Chad is doing for the next 5 months, you will already know I don't want to talk about it! If anything changes I'll let you know.

Who says you have to turn 30? I will stay 29 as long as I can keep counting in months. This is me trying to wish it all away, but I can't stop time from ticking. So far, this year has been uneventful for me. However, I am the mom, the wife, the cook, the laundress, the chauffer, the maid, the accountant and whatever needs to be done. If it weren't for me, life wouldn't go on in the Graham household. So as I see it, I don't have time for anything else. I do live for the times we get to travel though. This year we have already been to Boston, Disney World, Mexico, Utah 2x, and some camping. I am currently working on my house and trying to get it painted and put back together, I guess that takes a lot of time. I also was in charge of girls camp this year and now involved with the Laurels in church. Other than that, I'm all about Lorelei and what she wants to do for the day. This is my so called LIFE!

Starting a Blog

Most of you may be thinking, "why is Teresa creating a blog?" "She never checks her email enough, she never sends me pictures and I don't think she will be able to keep up with the demands of a Blog anyway." Well, I might be crazy trying this out, but I'm here and I've made it to this point so I guess I will actually try this blog thing out. FINALLY!!!!
I hope this is the way I will be able to keep up with all of you and to let you know what's been going on in our lives. I also think this will be an easier way to journal what has been going on instead of trying to fit 6 months at a time in one journal entry and possibly forgetting the day to day things that make life real. So here I am, ready or not. I'm just going to start. Don't Laugh!