Big Swimming!

Mikel and off this weekend, so we got to enjoy an afternoon in the pool!  I've been wanting to capture Nolan's pool antics before the summer wraps up, and seeing as I obviously can't film this solo, here was our chance.  

Please note:  You may wish to watch this on "mute" to avoid the obnoxious frequency with which we say the phrase "Good Job".  I had no idea we were saturating (pun!) his efforts with this word, but I guess there are worse things.  What else do you say a sub-2-year-old?!  

Also, if you're receiving this by email, visit the blog to watch the video.  http://hubankshappenings.blogspot.com

I can't help it:  Good Job, Nolan, you big swimmer man!  

We will continue attending lessons through the off season to keep him comfortable in the water, and I'm betting by next summer, he will really be off and away.  It's crazy how fast they learn!

AZ Restaurant Week

Oh muh goodness.  I wish every week was AZ Restaurant Week.  Thank goodness Mikel somehow stumbled on this gem of a fact before our date night last weekend, because we were able to visit an incredible restaurant for literally half the price it would have normally been.  Like I said - Oh muh goodness.

So, restaurant week.  What is it?  For 1 week in September, 178 restaurants all over the valley offer limited selection 3-course menus for anywhere from $30-$44 (most places that's per person, though a handful have it per couple... and some even include wine in that price).  

Mikel has worked like a dog the last 3 weeks -- with 2 back to back weekends on super busy call -- and we were IN NEED of a night out together.  Our dear babysitter Taylor was available, so off we went.  He surprised me with a restaurant selection/reservation, and he did a great job with The House Brasserie in old town Scottsdale!  Found in the 2nd oldest home in Scottsdale, it has been completely renovated and is absolutely vintage-chic beautiful.  There is a seriously massive pine tree in the backyard of the house (how tall is that thing, Mikel?  50 feet?  more??), which our waitress informed us was the original owners' Christmas tree in the 1940's.  The house was a bakery before the current owners bought it 2 years ago and turned it into the delightful place it is now.  Super quaint but upscale.  Intimate but hopping.  So fun.

And the food.  Ermegersh.  While $44/person is indeed a splurge on a night out, I had the scallops and happened to note on the menu they alone normally run for $35, soooooo that means this 3-course + cocktails meal was a treat as well as a steal!  Like I said, I wish every week was Restaurant Week...

Here are a handful of shots we snagged from our evening.  We opted to sit on the patio.  When we arrived at 6:15, we were the only people seated out there and we were wondering if we had turned into old fogey grandparents overnight --- but within half an hour, it had filled up and we were glad for our reservation!

Appy.  I could have eaten 4 of these.

 

 We love food!

My dismantled cheesecake.  Yum.

My photo didn't really turn out, but the patio lit up beautifully after sunset. 

After dinner, we took a nice stroll through the arts district in Old Town.

...where our window-looking scored us a sighting of this:  a $3,600 collection of pear blocks.  What in the world??

It was a lovely evening.  We kicked around going to see a movie...... then remembered we are fogeys and really prefer to watch a Redbox on the sofa in our PJ's.  So that's what we did.  :)

And we loved it!

Thankful for a date night : a chance to connect and relax.  Thankful for you, Mikel.

Adventures with Bella & Jacob

The last 36 hours were scary for our friends the Gutierrez fam.

You've seen my friend Krista on this blog a bunch in the last year.

Krista and I texted a bit yesterday morning - a totally normal day - then at about 1pm came this out-of-nowhere message: "At the ER with Ellie.  Had an allergic reaction.  Had to give her the EpiPen, firefighters swarmed Costco, a ride in the ambulance.  Albert joining us at the ER. I need to vomit. Her entire body is covered in hives."

Super Yikes.

As it turns out, poor tree-nut-allergic Ellie (4yo) was accidentally exposed to cashews and thereby earned herself an overnight in the hospital for antihistamine and steroid injections + some seriously close monitoring.

Very shortly -- much sooner than expected -- Nolan woke up from his nap, and I texted Krista to ask if I could nab Jacob and Bella from the ER?  Krista replied, "Yes please!" so off we went.

And despite the very tense situation ensuing with Ellie... we had a downright ball hanging out with J&B, so I thought I would plop some of the photos I snapped here.

*****

We arrived at the ER curb at about 3pm, and these 2 hadn't yet had lunch.  Poor things!  On our way out the door, I threw a ziplock of freshly made choc chip cookies in my bag, intended to pass them to Krista until I remembered I put pecans in them (doh!)... That meant they got handed to the back seat for the trek home!  Bella, being the super polite and overly mature 10 year old miniature grown woman she is, only partook of 1, while Jacob later confessed to scarfing 4.  This explained why he didn't want the PBJ I tried to serve him when we arrived home.  Hilarious!

When you are full to the brim of cookies and distracted by some good old P-I-G, you are more inclined to believe that your baby sister will be A-okay.

Bella came from behind for the win!

 After we relaxed on the couch in front of some Tom & Jerry, everyone voted to go swimming.  I had a swimsuit that mostly fit Bella, but for Jacob we had to get creative....  After some brainstorming, I pulled out some of my old mesh shorts and rubber banded the slack so they would stay up.

Get a load of this fashion statement:

This made me feel really svelte, let me tell you.

Nolan showed his best swimming moves to Jacob and Bella --- including Running and Jumping Into the Pool When Your Mom Isn't Ready, Such That She Has to Drop Her Towel and Phone and Jump in After You.  That was really fun.

Fearless Stinker!  (but oh so cute)

 

  

One of the many contests they invented

Post-swimming showers

As you can see, Jacob's weren't the only shorts that were struggling!

Mikel arrived home in time to put Nolan to bed and join the rest of us for dinner.  These kids are great eaters -- and suuuuper polite!

Krista, proof that I fed your kids more than cookies.  We even had healthy noodles!

 *****

First thing this morning, I messaged Krista right away to see what the d/c plans were looking like and if J&B would care to hang out again (I was imagining them sitting bored in a hospital room while Nolan and I do nothing in particular).  Krista alluded to the likelihood that they would probably rather stay close by now that Ellie was feeling better..... but then she texted, "Okay, well, the kids say they want to hang out with you."

Yessss!!

So I got Nolan up and we swung by the hospital once again.  From there, it was The Good Egg - one of our favorite breakfast stops.

 Our original plan to head to the trampoline park was thwarted when we found it to be closed until noon.  Drat.  In the words of Jacob: "I guess we can just go home and watch cartoons and take naps.  I don't mind."  :) Love that kid.

So home we went --- where they first crushed the cans we had been saving for such a time as this.

Then came a little more TV lounging and basketball playing while I got Nolan his lunch and down for nap. 

(Side Note: Have you even known 2 kids to debate all on their own whether to watch 'Tom and Jerry' or 'Little House on the Prairie'?? That's because you don't know any kids as cool as these.)

Once Nolan was down, we had lunch -- and then headed out back for a little DIY project: spray painting the fireplace grate.

Our home sellers left this grate, but the iron against the dark background means you really can't see it at all.  

See?  Invisible.

I've been wanting to paint it white for a while, and this was the perfect chance ---- Plus, it was a great kid project!

Removing the mesh backing.

 

"Now for the fun part!" - Jacob

(PS, Doing this, I totally gave a little nod to my wonderful Granddad Bill who allllways did projects with us and never stepped in to take over or interfere.  I told Bella about him and how he used to build us birdhouses to paint.  A sweet memory, and this reminded me of him!)

 Finishing touches

And now. Looks good! (crummy iphone photo, but you get it.)

Thanks for helping me with this, guys!

*****

We had a great time, despite the circumstances, and it just reinforced that the Gutierrez family is our kind of people.  Maybe it's the Rochester home base?  Or the loving Jesus thing?  I don't know, but we are thankful to have them.

Most importantly, Ellie is good as new and home where she belongs.  Darn cashews.

We were super thankful for this opportunity to truly live in community - pitching in where our friends might need a hand, and enjoying ourselves in doing it!  Guti kids, you are welcome at the Hubanks' house any old time.  Oh, you too, Guti parents. ;)

Super Rainy Day

We woke up this morning to RAIN!  -- and rain and more rain.

This is big news here in the Valley...  So far it's the highest recorded single-day rainfall at the airport in history, and the meteorologists are saying it may end up being the most valley-wide in 100 years.  (Their phrase, which kind of made me laugh: "This may be the 100 year flood.")

Most of the public school systems were cancelled today (on account of buses' inability to get to the kids, I can only presume).  The news is full of flash flood warnings, images of highways with submerged cars, glowing radar scans and super excited weatherpeople.  Facebook is scrolling photos of scantily clad kiddos splashing in these rarely sighted things called "puddles".  The attention and hype have me nostalgic for those MN winter storms.... except I'm not cold or having to snowblow sooooooo.

Mr. Crabby-Pants (only literally - not figuratively)  :)

"Splashing!" in our second swimming pool.

Thankfully our house seems to do fine in these rainstorms, though our back patio drain gets overwhelmed quickly.  We have several friends who experience indoor flooding on a regular basis, and I suspect today's storm was a nightmare for them.

Practicing jumping (which is really just fast squats)

This little area is where the water gets closest to the house.  I don't know why I feel the need to put a towel down.... It just makes me feel better.

The mountains looked lovely peeking out from under the clouds. 

 Pups held it until 9:30!  Good pups.

To no one's surprise, I'm sure, this backyard water play venture ended up with both of us in the pool. (Only 1 of us was naked, don't worry.  The other one had on her lulu pants.  That's called poor planning...)

This face is the result of having a mom who is unwilling to get ALL THE WAY in the (now super duper high) pool for a full blast swimming session in her clothes.

And now this is the scene as I type.  A graham cracker snack and a Thomas the Train break. 

...Khaki wound up with the graham cracker.

Happy Monday to you!