The Arnold Posse

Well, here we are, nearly three years later and I am finally getting our blog updated, ha.  We are back in Texas Y'all!  After over a decade with his last company, Steve was laid off a little over a year ago.  Our lease was up on our house in Woodstock and we decided to take a leap of faith and move down here while Steve was still looking for a job.  My parents were gracious enough to let us invade their home.  Luckily, it was only for a few months.  Steve began working for KPMG back in August of last year and we were lucky enough to buy a home shortly after that.  It really couldn't have worked out better for us and we feel very blessed.  We are within 5 minutes drive from two of my siblings and their families and about 15 minutes from my parents!  So far, we have enjoyed being in Fort Worth.  Zoe went to 1st grade at the local elementary school here and we've been able to get settled into a new ward.
For those of you who may not know, we ended up homeschooling Zoe her kindergarten year and fell in love with all that homeschooling offers families.  Because of the move and not knowing the area as well, etc., we opted to send her to public school last year but have really felt the pull to go back to homeschooling so we begin our adventures this coming week and couldn't be more excited!
I am toying with the idea of blogging our many homeschool adventures but am a little hesitant since, as you can tell, I am not the most consistent blogger on the planet, lol.
The thing is, I have noticed that there aren't many resources out there for LDS homeschoolers.  There are a few, but not a ton, and I think it would be benificial for other families who may be just starting out to know they are not alone and to have someone that they could reach out to with questions or support.  That is what I wish I could have.  SOOOOO, we shall see....
In the mean time, here's some updated pictures of my crazy kiddos and family:

Well, the title says it all.  I have good intentions, people, I promise;-)  It's been a few years.  We've had a baby, lost two, moved a few times and gained a few more gray hairs since my last post.  That about sums it up!
Here's a few family pictures that we had done back in the fall:





And a quick update on the whole gang:

Mindy:  Keeping busy managing two high energy kiddos at home while serving as 2nd counselor in our Ward Relief Society Presidency.

Steve: Still at Publicise groupe, just back in Chicago!  He works hard to balance work and home life while teaching the teenagers in Sunday School at church.

Zoe: Turns 5 next week! (What?!?) Is VERY social and loves preschool, play time, being outside, and making messes.  One of the most energetic and enthusiastic kids Mommy has ever known (and she was a teacher so she's known a few!) Is looking forward to going to dual language kindergarten next year. Loves the color pink and her stuffed animals. She has definitely inherited the Arnold determination aka as stubborn as a donkey! (See gray hairs above;-))

Zander: Is a 19 month old cuddle bug who loves to smile and laugh.  Some of his favorite things right now are helping Mommy dust and "clean" things with a cloth, reading stories, singing "Old McDonald" and "Wheels on the Bus", eating bananas, yogurt, ice cream and anything chocolate. He's still a great napper, much to Mommy's delight and relief.

Hope: Is 8 1/2 years old and going strong. Still doesn't care for kids. Loves her daddy and barking at ANYTHING that is unfamiliar and moves.

Monty:  We had to make a tough decision to re-home our Monty boy this past year.  We tried having him live with Steve's brother and sister in law but he does not like to compete for attention.  I was having such a hard time with letting him go but Russ and Mary found an older widow who lost her dog last year and he is now being happily spoiled rotten.  It has worked out great and I am so happy that he is so happy.

Kiki: We added a new furry member to our family last year.  Our almost 2 year old Russian Blue mix kitty named Kiki.  She has been a perfect addition to our home.  She is SO patient with the kids, loves to be petted and is a social, loving sweetheart.  We specifically got her breed because of Steve's allergies and so far, so good!

That's about all folks...hopefully I will update this on a more frequent basis.  No promises but I will try!

Well, we are nearly a week into 2012 and I'm already feeling better:-)  Steve and I have decided to revamp our eating habits and we already have an appointment set up with the Reproductive Endocrinologist with the hope that baby #2 is in the near future for us.  Our friends recommended reading the book "In Defense of Food" by Micheal Pollan and we are trying to follow his food guidlines, eating mostly organic, whole foods and staying away from processed foods.  I'm already feeling more energetic!  I eat less because the food I am eating is better quality.  I liked his ideas because it still allows you to eat yummy food.  You don't have to go weeks on nasty fat free products or items resembling food that taste more like sand paper.  Anyway, so far so good.  I will keep updating as the year goes on to see how it goes for the long hull.  I honestly feel like we'll be able to stick to this one, permanently...as long as we can afford it cause it is a bit pricey switching to all organic.  You just have to keep telling yourself that your health is worth the extra premium you pay for better products.
On an entirely different note, Zoe has officially reached her "terrible twos" stage...5 months early.  Yay for me!!! :-/  She is a bundle of ENERGY and is constantly go go go.  This isn't a problem in and of itself.  It's just that she's become increasingly whiny on top of it.  Whither I am with her playing or trying to clean or taking her out somewhere, she spends about 3/4 of our day whining.  It's those sweet little moments in between when she curls up in my lap for stories or gives me a hug unexpectedly that keeps me from going batty.  I'm convinced that this was the way God intended it to be...pushing mothers to the brink of insanity before throwing them a glimmer of hope.  I love my baby to pieces but I certainly do not enjoy this stage.  I'm hoping this means she's going through the stage early and she'll be done with it by the time she's actually 2....I know, I know....but ya gotta have dreams, don't ya??? :-)  I'm just lucky that the weather has been nice enough that we've been able to enjoy being outside.  She LOVES running around outside exploring.  Her favorite thing at the park are the slides but, even more than that, she just loves running around in the grass picking up sticks and acorns and whatever else she can find.  She'll fill her fists full of them and than get upset when there's no room for some new treasure she's found.  I love watching her enjoy being outside in nature.  It gives a Mom a sense of calm and peace to see her child explore the simple pleasures of life.  Makes all those crazy moments of whining all worth it in the end.  It's also nice to get away from all the technology that bombards us every day.  One of my personal goals I've decided to focus on is to limit my use of the computer and cell phones, etc., etc.  I've noticed, just in these last few months, just how much time I waist sitting on my phone waiting for updates on Facebook or e-mail and I realized that I was loosing that precious time that I have with my daughter during these early years of her life.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of technology and I'm so grateful that we have the means to communicate so speedily.  I just want to spend more of my time interacting with REAL people in REAL conversation.  It's sad to me that we can go an entire day without actually speaking face to face with another human being, even if we are "talking" to them through computers or phones or whatever.  Anyway, I know that I need to make an effort to get off my phone or computer or TV and start living.  After all, life is pretty good and I've been blessed.  I want to take advantage of those blessings:-)  

OK, so I'm not a blogger...eventually I DO actually get around to updating this site, just not often:-)  So, here we are, December 2011!  We want to wish you all a very Happy Holidays and hope that you are happy and doing well.  Zoe continues to grow like a weed.  When we broke out the Christmas decor, we had a picture of her with Santa from last year among our things.  At first, I just looked at it stunned that she had grown that much in just one year.  She is no longer my baby but my sweet little girl!  Zoe is VERY excited about Christmas this year.  We went to the library to pick out stories last week and got a few Christmas ones.  All she wants to do is read them over and over.  Of course, being a toddler, the tree and decorations are also irresistible to her.  Our tree is now surrounded by baby gate.  It doesn't help that our 9 month old Yorkie, Monty, also likes to take things off the tree and chew them to pieces.  Looks like we'll be getting some new decorations after the distructo phase of our family journey is over with.  Until then, we accept the fact that our house is just going to be in constant upheaval....and, yes, I am crazy cause I want another one:-)  As some of you may know, I was diagnosed with a condition called Poly cystic Ovarian Syndrome back when we were trying to get pregnant with Zoe.  This made it very difficult to get pregnant and I was also "high risk" during my pregnancy.  Now that Zoe is hurtling toward age 2, Steve and I have decided it's time for us to try for another.  It's always an emotional topic for me because it took SO much out of me the first time around.  Our lives have been so blessed by Zoe and we love her so much.  We feel very strongly that there's another little person waiting to join our family so, despite the emotional and physical stress, we are going to begin fertility treatments again in January with the hopes that we will be successful again.  Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that it will be but we will leave the details up to God and do what we can from where we're standing:-)  As part of this whole process, I am going to start a diet program that will help minimize the symptoms of the syndrome and, hopefully, also aid in helping us get pregnant.  I'm a little skeptical about the whole thing.  I've tried SO many diets and exercise programs throughout my lifetime that I've lost count.  This one is specifically geared toward people who have insulane resistance, which is one of the major symptoms of PCOS.  It's also more of a lifestyle change and less of a diet so I'm hoping that I find more success with this one.  Women who have PCOS have a very difficult time loosing weight so I'm hoping that following a program that's designed toward my issues will help me with this.  I am most concerned with staying and being healthy.  SO...here is to a very HAPPY and SUCCESSFUL 2012 for all of us!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!  Well, we've had our new puppy, Monty, for a few weeks now and he seems to be settling in nicely.  Hope isn't so sure about him but occasionally she will dean to play with him.  Zoe absolutely adores him and I think he likes her too.  We are trying to teach her to be gentle with him and for the most part, she is doing well.
The house breaking, while trying at times, is going pretty good.  We've pretty much decided to keep him in the kitchen or a playpen we bought him.  We are hoping that we won't have to replace carpets before we move out of our rental...let's cross our fingers!
We are getting excited about buying our home (hopefully) by the end of the lease in November.  Hopefully mortgage rates and the housing market don't get too crazy before that time.

OK, enough of the family update.  I have been thinking a lot about things that I can do to feel more fulfilled while I am in the middle of raising a family.  It's funny that I thought I would have absolutely no problems transitioning into the role of motherhood.  While I think that I have had it easier than some, I still find that I sometimes get a little overwhelmed, or maybe underwhelmed, with the life that I am currently leading.  I LOVE being a mom and I know that home with my baby is where I am supposed to be.  I do, however, sometimes feel that my mind goes numb from the monotony of my life as a SAHM.  I need brain stimulation which, let's face it, does NOT come from changing diapers and making sure my kid doesn't pull the lamp on top of her in the living room all day long.  Anyway, you get my point.
I'd really like to take some art and cooking classes once my kids are in school.  Until than, I'm just not sure what would help me.  Any suggestions?

My sweet Zoe turned one year old on Saturday and we threw a family party for her!  She has been the light of our lives since her arrival just one year ago...I can't believe how fast that year has come and gone!  We decided to do a "Wild about 1" theme.  Of course, there were a MILLION decoration options for the princess theme but I figured that we'd have PLENTY of those parties in the future, if she's anything like I was when I was little.  I made the flag banner for her and we pretty much just bought a few balloons and some streamers and called it a day for decorations.  I found very quickly how crazy you can get with the decorations but we weren't really budgeting for hundreds of dollars.  After all, it's not like she's going to remember most of it anyway.
My sister has been begging me to make Zoe a tutu so I decided to make her a birthday tutu with the theme colors.  I must admit, she looked darn cute in it although the poor thing couldn't really crawl around much in it so we put it on for pictures and then let her free.  We'll use it for professional pictures once she is walking anyway.  They are pretty easy to make it turns out!

Here it is.....the completed cake!  All in it's fondant glory:-)  My sister in law, Erin, is AMAZING and has taught herself how to put these puppies together.  She helped me with the decorating of the cake.  We almost had a disaster on our hands when we were trying to get the Zebra stripes to stick onto the white part.  It was making the fondant weaker and kept tearing apart every time we attempted to pick it up.  Erin managed to save it however and I think it turned out great, all things considered.  I think that next year, I'd like to learn how to use icing tips and decorate that way.  Fondant is a bit tricky.  It looks amazing but it doesn't taste all that great.  It was a fun experiment though and I enjoyed trying something new.

Zoe got way spoiled with presents this year.  Of course, her favorite things were tearing the wrapping paper and playing with the bows.  All in all, I think she had fun!  I know the adults certainly did:-)