Christmas

Merry Christmas to all of our friends out there. As usual the girls did quite nicely in the gift department.

From Winter 08/09

The big news out here is that we got snow today, December 26th! It is a rare thing so we are enjoying it while it lasts. It is a shame we didn't have this for Christmas...

From Winter 08/09

A Day On Mount Lemmon

We spent the other day on Mount Lemmon so that we could get a taste of winter. It was nice and chilly with temps in the low 40s. As we walked around it began snowing lightly, which was nice. We have been missing New Hampshire and the change of seasons a bit lately so seeing a little snow was perfect. We finished the day with some hot chocolate outside in Summerhaven at "The Cookie Cabin."

A couple of photos:

Rachel showing off a pair of pinecones

From Winter 08/09

Erin flashing her smile

From Winter 08/09

Killer Sunsets

For whatever reason we have been having spectacular sunsets. It is definitely one of the advantages to living in Arizona.

Here are some pics from our backyard:

From Winter 08/09

From Winter 08/09

From Winter 08/09

Christmas Newsletter Time

For those of you on the list, it is in the mail. For those of you not on the list, contact me and learn how to get on the list. And click below...

From Winter 08/09

and page 2

From Winter 08/09

More Photos From Our Trip

Rachel on the beach

From Fall 08

Erin playing in the sand

From Fall 08

The family sitting on a wall in the old port area overlooking the Sea of Cortez

From Fall 08

Bargaining with a fish monger

From Fall 08

Aunt Lu and the girls

From Fall 08

Aunt Lu and Tom

From Fall 08

Our Mexican Vacation

From Fall 08

We spent Thanksgiving in Mexico with my Aunt Lu and her boyfriend Tom and we had a great time! We spent a good deal of time haggling over junk in the shops and on the beach just having a good time. After a few drinks Lu and I began to bargain like there was no tomorrow, so bad that Tom even began tipping the salesmen after we would walk away!

It was great to have some family out for the holiday and even better to not have to cook!

Puerto Penasco (aka Rocky Point) has grown up quite a bit since we were last there. There are huge resorts where there used to be only sandy beaches (and people from AZ camping on said beaches) with bars and shops everywhere. We were a little sad to hear that the Mexican government has decided to make the town a cruise ship destination and is replacing the old port with a spanky new port that will be very nice but devoid of charm.

Considering the convenience and how cheap the trip was, we will have to start going regularly!

Do You Boys Like Mexico?

We are heading to Mexico for a little R&R this week. I will post pics when we return!

Art Day

Yesterday we had the opportunity to go to our good friend Elizabeth's art studio and do some painting. As Elizabeth stated, it was just "art happening". The girls were having fun, mixing paint, and just making their "masterworks" (as Rachel called them).

We definitely owe Elizabeth a big thanks and will look forward to the next time!

From Fall 08

Doing Great

Rachel received her progress report for the quarter and we are happy to say that she received "Exceeds Expectations" marks for her school work and "Consistently Excelling" marks for her behavior across the board.

We are so proud!

Meet the New Boss...

smaller than the old boss.

Don't let her looks fool you, this kid is bossy! Nobody escapes her pint-sized wrath these days, especially our dog Pete. Normally Erin is a sweet kid who loves to kiss (and make you kiss every stuffed animal in her arsenal) and snuggle, but when she gets in the mood watch out! Our favorite is when she yells at the dogs "Don't Poop!" or at her sister "Rachel, STOP!". Little kids make for good comedy.

I wish I had a video of her ordering everyone around, but instead I will reuse a pic from our pumpkin picking excursion...

From Fall 08

Halloween

The girls were black cats for Halloween and were, as always, cute. We didn't have a big candy haul as Rachel wanted to go home after we did our little neighborhood and could not go on. How a girl can have so much energy around the house but be unable to walk half a mile without complaining about being tired the entire time is beyond us.

And now, your photo goodness:

From Fall 08

The Thing?

From Fall 08

On the way home from our pumpkin picking excursion we decided to stop and see "The Thing? Mystery of the Desert". Let's just say that it is something everyone driving along I-10 should do, it is fun and campy and is well worth the buck it costs to see it.

And no, I won't tell you what it is nor will I post the pic!

Lance's note: Yes Bill there is a pic but it is top secret...

Pumpkin Picking

We went pumpkin picking with Rachel's kindergarten class last weekend and it was a fun day. It seems odd to me that you can go pick pumpkins out here in the desert and after spending the last few years in the northeast the temps (upper 80s) did not remind me of fall at all. Nevertheless we had a great time and we were able to get a ton of shots of the girls.

And here they are:

From Fall 08

From Fall 08

From Fall 08

From Fall 08

From Fall 08

MIA

So life has been insane since that post about Pete...

For one my job has kicked into gear and I have become somewhat busy at work. Additionally, a couple of members of our family (not any of us) have had issues that have taken much of our time and energy. I'll will likely begin posting again this week and catch things up...

The Newest Addition to the Family

Some time ago we decided that we needed to bring another dog into the family as Sam is terribly lonely for canine companionship and we wanted someone who could keep up with our high energy children. It just so happened someone at my work (Lance's) is friendly with a local small dog rescue and they just happened to have a Llhasa Apso for adoption. We picked him up on Saturday and felt he was just the doggie for us.

So everyone, meet Petey!

From Summer 08

School Portrait

Rachel's school portrait came back and it is cute, no surprises there!

From Summer 08

First Harvest

Rachel and I planted a habanero plant not long ago and we recently had our first harvest of the bright orange peppers. I have no idea what to do with these are they are too hot for the girls, maybe I'll try my hand at making hot sauce...

Fist Wildcats Game

We took the girls to their first U of A game last night and if we look like a bunch of drowned rats, well, that is because it began pouring right as the teams lined up for the opening kickoff. The stadium was evacuated and we took refuge beneath the bleachers for over an hour before we were allowed back in. It rained on and off for throughout the first half and when halftime began the rain began to really pick up again. It was at that point we decided to call it a night as, this being the desert, we did not have rain gear with us. Regardless, the U of A was crushing the poor Idaho Vandals 49-0 at that point and we felt pretty secure in our victory.

All in all it was a great evening, Rachel loved the game and all that went with it. Erin was a little more difficult to gauge as she really had no clue what was going on, but seemed to have a lot of fun nonetheless. I think we will have to make this a regular event.

My sister Sarah and our friends the Morrison's, Jim, Clair, Georgia, and Alexandra, joined us as well for the rain-soaked event.

Here comes the photo goodness

Rachel's First Report Card

Rachel received her first report card and we are happy to report that she received almost all E's as in excelling. The lone satisfactory came in the writing properly category (using capital and lower case letters and placing them on the lines properly), which isn't too shabby.

Rachel is on Blue

That title shouldn't make any sense to anyone who is without a child in kindergarten, but to us it is music to our ears. Basically Rachel's school uses a behavior scale where green = good, yellow = bad, red = principal's office and blue = outstanding behavior. Rachel has consistently been on green with the exception of 2 blue days, today being one of those.

So why am I posting this? Simple, it brings up a good story...

After a few weeks of school we were having a conversation (Mindy, Rachel and me) about the behavior chart. Rachel talked about all the levels and finished with blue stating something to the effect that "you have to be super good to be on blue and, well, I am never that good". It cracked us up.

Apparently Rachel is that good, even if it isn't for her parents...

More Potty Talk

Erin is still obsessed with the potty and loves to talk about poop ("yuck stinky poop" is her favorite phrase), which brings about a funny story.

The other day I was sitting at the counter, on a stool, when I felt Erin grabbing at my shirt. I was reading something and didn't pay much attention to it until I felt something cold and wet go down the back of my shorts. This caused me to turn around and what did I see? Erin holding a wipe and scrunching her nose! She looked at me and said "poop" so I felt I had to explain to her that Daddy goes poop on the potty and not to worry he will take care of things back there...

10 Years and Counting

Yesterday Min and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary. I dutifully sent flowers to Min's work and later that evening we went to dinner at the Grille at Hacienda Del Sol which was voted Tucson's most romantic restaurant (to my surprise Nico's didn't make the list!). It was a great place for a special occasion, with great food, an extensive wine list, and even better atmosphere. I highly recommend it to anyone celebrating a special occasion.

All in all the last 10 years have been great for both of us, Min even says so despite me dragging her off to law school for 3 years!

Erin and the Potty

Erin has become extremely interested in the potty these days and so we went out and purchased a training potty for her to practice on. And wouldn't you know it just the other day she successfully went pee! She likes to sit there, pants around her ankles but with her diaper on, and say poop (pronounced more like pope) for what seems like an hour at a time. We are not ready to call her potty trained yet but it wouldn't surprise me if we worked with her over the course of a couple weeks that she would train quickly.

In commemoration of that momentous event, here is a photo of Erin - with her diaper on and all - sitting on the potty having a good time. If only we could all be this entertained in the bathroom...

Old News

I have neglected to post this one for a month now...

Rachel learned to swim! In true Rachel fashion it involves much more noise than is necessary but she is doing a good job nonetheless! The vid was taken soon after her first solo swim and she has improved (noise level is still the same) significantly since then...

First Day of Kindergarten

I should have posted this earlier but Rachel started kindergarten on Monday (yes our district has year-round schooling) and it was quite overwhelming for us. Rachel handled it like a pro, as she always does, and loves every minute of school - even riding the school bus!

Here are some photos:

Rachel in front of her classroom on the first day;



at her desk;



lined up with her classmates;



waiving goodbye as they begin their march to class;



and finally leaving the classroom at the end of the first day!



So far they have read a number of stories and have sung a number of songs. Some of which were so silly, according to Rachel, that she didn't want to tell us about them! After a few minutes of intense interrogation, waterboarding excluded, she broke and sang these silly songs for us, they were quite cute.

All in all she loves school, which is great for us.

Lucille Creed 1924-2008

I learned today that my grandmother has passed away. It is particularly sad because she was a vulnerable person in her advanced years and certain family members saw this as an opportunity to steal from her. They isolated my grandmother from the rest of her family - so much so that they denied us contact with her for the past two years. Our Birthday and Christmas cards were returned with nasty messages scrawled on the envelopes and they would hang up the phone when one of us attempted to call her. My grandmother even told me once, right before she was finally sent away, that they went through her purse and threw away the brag book containing photos of Rachel that I had put together for her. I immediately replaced it despite knowing that it would just be thrown away again at some future date. Things got so out of hand that we took these other family members to court to try and save her from the abuse. Unfortunately the judge felt it was a family issue and as soon as she received a letter (after over a year of litigation and complete non-compliance on their part) stating that all money held by those two daughters was the result of voluntary gifts, she summarily dismissed our case. We couldn't afford to continue with an appeal at that point.

They successfully hid the fact that she had died from us for over a month.

I last saw my grandmother at Rachel's birthday party in 2006. We talked at length about what was going on. She seemed bewildered about what I was attempting to explain to her. At the time, unbeknownst to my grandmother, her home had just sold without while she was staying with one of the infamous family members who had conveniently become her power of attorney. She had no idea that all of her possessions were thrown in a dumpster, that her pets were cruelly put to death, and that her life as she knew it would never be the same.

The funny part is that, unbeknownst to me, my grandmother was being put on a plane two days later with a one-way ticket under the auspices of visiting one of her children (another Aunt) in Missouri. She had no idea that she wouldn't return. When I heard that news I realized that I would never see her again.

So it was then that I began my monthly Google searches for her name knowing that this day would come. It was all I had left as every other form of communication had been denied to me. I was sad to see that there wasn't even an obituary for her, only a death notice in the local paper. I was able to track down the funeral home's number and the lady on the other end of the phone was quite kind, but unfortunately she didn't have all that much information for me. She knew that Na Na (what I called her) died on June 3rd, which in an unfortunate coincidence is my Mother's birthday, and that she was cremated and her ashes were supposedly being taken back to New Jersey. Hopefully they will at least respect her wish to be placed next to my grandfather in death.

Telling my Mom and my Aunt the news was an awful experience. They both broke down on the phone and expressed their guilt. They lamented that had they been able to keep custody of her or if they had won in their civil suit she would still be alive. I didn't know what to say.

I grew up at my grandparent's house, quite literally. Many of my fondest childhood memories took place there, whether it was kicking the soccer ball with Pop Pop or watching the Incredible Hulk on their black and white television. I'll never forget my surprise when they bought a color TV! I learned how to ride a bike in their driveway. I remember shoveling snow off their front doorsteps during the blizzard of '78 despite being only 6 years old. I lived with them until just after my seventh birthday and again with Na Na (Pop Pop died in 1984) from the age of 12 until I was 17. My grandparents were unbelievably poor but they were always so good to me and they were the primary reason why I changed my name back from my stepfather's name, Brown, to my birth name, Creed. I was proud to be a part of their family. We are Creeds, for better or for worse, and I wanted my girls to know that fact.

Perhaps my fondest memory of Na Na is the one I once found the most horrifying. When I graduated 8th grade Na Na, all 4 feet 9 of her, rushed the recessional line as I was leaving the stage and clung to my thigh due to the pride she felt. Naturally being all of 14, I thought this was the most embarrassing moment in the history of embarrassing moments. Now I can look back and see the pride that she felt. To her graduating 8th grade was such an accomplishment as she did not make it past 2nd or 3rd grade from what I understand. I wish she could have been at my law school graduation.

I feel awful that she never even was allowed to see the photos of Erin that we sent, let alone see her in person.

I am going to write her obituary and place it in hometown paper. It is the least I can do.

It is Official

Our little Rachel is registered for kindergarten...

Happy 4th!

Unfortunately the golf course cancelled their fireworks display this year, which is a real downer and forced us to cancel our 4th of July celebration. The 4th is normally our big shin-dig and we truly love throwing a party for this holiday. So this year we will be celebrating the birth of our nation at our friends, the Morrisons, in Oro Valley to watch the fireworks put on by the nearby resort.

Here is a photo of the Jefferson Memorial taken last summer while we were living near DC. I felt it was appropriate given the man (Jefferson) was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence.

Rachel's Root Beer

For those of you who do not know, I brew beer as a hobby. Rachel is always curious as to what I am doing and always wants to help. So for the fun of it we decided to try out brewing some root beer for the family. We took the simple route by using a root beer extract that you can purchase at any home brewing store and are quite happy with the results.

First Monsoon

We received the first monsoon storm today and it was awesome! We were pounded by wind, rain, and hail for at least an hour and we loved every minute of it. The temperature dropped from about 103 to 64 in a matter of minutes which was a nice break from the summer heat. For those not in the know the monsoon as it is called is the annual summer storm weather pattern southern Arizona experiences. We receive about half of our annual rainfall during this season. Wikipedia has a decent explanation of the monsoon, feel free to check it out here.

After the rain we decided to take advantage of the suddenly cool weather and ate and played outside. The girls hopped in the jeep and cruised the backyard for a bit. Check out Erin's new bulldogish smile, what a character!

Dog Blogging

It isn't everyday that Sam gets mentioned on TFC but I thought I would post on his recent happenings. Specifically, I wanted to mention that he seems to have new life since we moved back to AZ. My sister Sarah is staying with us along with her dogs Daisy, Rusty, and Rex and Sam loves the company. We have long suspected that Sam needed a friend but due to various reasons (moving, et. al.) we refrained from adopting another dog. Now it is apparent that once Sarah takes her pack away we are going to have to adopt a friend for Sam. Nevertheless we are loving the new, or depending on your point of view old, Sam!

A Family Photo

Thought I would post a pic of the family taken in Boston Common right before we moved.

Changes Everywhere

It is surprising for us to be back in Vail and to see all of the changes that have happened while we were away. New roads and new schools are everywhere. Best change, in my opinion, is that now we have a Nico's Taco Shack which, for those who are not in the know is a local mexican food joint that has the greatest food. Vail even has a sit down restaurant, a Dairy Queen, and a Quiznos now! How our little suburb has grown!

Eagle Has Landed

We arrived in Tucson safe and sound a few days ago. We are staying with a friend as our renters were unable to move in to their new home until today (saturday) and we can't wait to get back in our home. So far we have been spending time with friends and family and, of course, today is Rachel's 5th 5th birthday party.

All in all the move went well and we are happy to move back into our home!

Travel Blogging - Part 2 Breakdown Boogaloo

Currently I am sitting in a Starbuck's in Aurora, Colorado waiting for a Penske repairman to come fix the truck. I thought I would take the time to gripe, not about the truck breaking down, about the number of tolls on e470 in Colorado. In the last 15 miles I have hit 3 toll booths each requiring me to pay $2. I think the state should post warning signs before you enter the roadway because "toll road" doesn't even begin to describe this one...

Penske said that my description usually means that the clamp for the turbo popped off, which is a relatively minor repair and that I should be back on the road soon after the repairman gets here. I hope that happens soon.

Otherwise, it was sad to leave the Laguzza's this morning and leave the girls behind. We had fun at their new condo and enjoyed our time in Omaha. Hopefully, if the truck gets fixed tonight, I will be able to see them tomorrow in Tucson. I will keep the interwebs posted if things are not fixed in a reasonable amount of time...

There, now I feel better about my predicament!

Travel Blogging

We are currently in Omaha with Mindy's mom and her husband Jim. For those who are out of the loop on the city, Omaha is pretty happening for a middle of nowhere type of town. Last night we celebrated Rachel's birthday (#4 for those who are counting) by going to the "old market" district and heading to a brewpub (my idea) for dinner, then having ice cream at Ted and Wally's (Omaha icon) and then having Rachel and the girls take the Cinderella carriage back to the condo.

Before we arrived in Omaha we spent a few days in Cincinnati and New Jersey. In New Jersey we visited with my family for a little while and packed up the moving truck. In Cincinnati (just outside actually) we visited with Mindy's aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was quite fun and we got to have a cookout, which is something that we always love to do.

Graduation Photos

Because I have to post photos at every opportunity, here is one of my family at graduation:



Left to Right: Brian (Sarah's husband), Mom (Stella), Lauren (sister), Erin, Lance, Rachel, Sarah (sister), Don (Step-father), and Mindy.

One of me with Aunt Lu, the girls, and Tom:



Me with Nick, Brandt, and Tony:



Here is another of the ol' alma mater:



And a candid of me on my way into the ceremony:

On the Road Again

We are currently in New Jersey on the first leg of our journey back to AZ. Tomorrow we leave for Ohio where we will visit with Mindy's extended family and then Friday we will head to Omaha to stay with Mindy's Mom and her husband Jim.

Mindy and the girls will fly out of Omaha to Tucson on Tuesday where they will meet me, my sister Sarah and her husband Brian. We will drive the last leg of the journey and will probably arrive on Tuesday as well.

Graduation!

Saturday was the day. I am still in shock, in part because it is all over and in part because I had to say goodbye to so many friends all at once. Nonetheless I am now Lance M. Creed J.D. so take that!

We are currently traveling to Arizona and I do not know where the camera is at the moment. If I find it anytime soon I will post a photo.

Busy Week

This is it - my graduation week. I don't know if I will get much chance to blog this week but I will give it the ole college try regardless of my time constraints. So sorry if I fall behind!

Here it goes executive summary style:

• Rachel has had her hair "fixed" but we (especially Mindy) are all sad that it is gone


• In other Rachel news she has decided to become my personal fashion consultant, but I think she needs some practice


• Erin has made the word "Daddy" sound oh so cute, she calls for me all the time... Now I have to get her saying Momma before I get in trouble with this!


• Rachel is tickled pink that I am wearing a dress to graduation (as in cap and gown)


• The first of Rachel's four (yes four!) scheduled birthday celebrations took place last Thursday at Chucky Cheeses in Manchvegas. I'll post on this one when we arrive in AZ and complete the quartet of celebrations


• Speaking of Arizona, we should arrive on the 27th of May


• I just scheduled my first lunch with friends and am excited to see their familiar faces


• I think we have picked out our new TV


• Did I mention I graduate on Saturday?


• Our law student yard sale rocked!


• We are going to North End Boston to eat at my absolute favorite Italian restaurant - Giacomo's - on Wednesday, you should be jealous... $50 says Tom S. utters the words "this is my best day ever" at some point during the meal... Just wait until we hit Mike's for dessert!

A Day That Will Live In Infamy

At least around here...

As some of you already know, Mindy cut her hair recently. In her own words the style is the "angle bob" or something like that and it looks really nice on her. So nice, in fact, that my sister Sarah was inspired to do the same.

Yesterday Rachel and I were watching a show on TLC and afterwards one of the numerous makeover shows came on. Surprisingly when I offered to change the channel to something else Rachel did not want me to do so. I didn't think anything of it nor did I think anything of her going to her room soon thereafter to play with her toys. Later, while I was washing dishes, I heard Mindy exclaim "Oh No!" and when I asked what was wrong Mindy told me that Rachel had cut her hair! It was nicely placed in a gladware bowl in her room. Needless to say a 4 (almost 5) year old cutting her own hair is not the best plan and this didn't go against the common wisdom on that one. Today I took her to a local hair cutter to get it fixed and she does look cute, but different.

There is no doubt that Mindy and I are the ones suffering the most. We are sad that she is never going to be the little girl with the long and beautiful (and as she would say "glamorous") hair anylonger. It is also sad because she looks so much more grown up with the shorter do. Rachel, on the other hand, loves it and asked me if she could "get it colored" now. I tell you she is too smart for her own good!

And of course here are some photos of the hairtastrophy:

Dinosaurs Live!

We went to "Walking with Dinosaurs" last night and I must say the show didn't disappoint. While there wasn't a whole lot of action in the show the true draw was just seeing the lifelike dinos walking and roaring. As always the most enjoyable part of the show was watching Rachel's expression as the dinos came out and did their thing. She especially enjoyed the brachiosaurus because "it is a leaf eater". I must say Rachel is a bit of a paradox as she wore earplugs and placed her hands over her ears the entire time because of the loud noises. This despite the fact that she is the single loudest person on earth!

Erin, on the other hand, loved the show despite the loud noises. She pointed to the dinos and said her all-purpose word (it sounds like "Cigar!") throughout the show.

We completely recommend the show, even if you do not have little kids. You can get more info at dinosaurlive.com.

Here is a little clip of the show via youtube:



And the obligatory photo of the girls at the show: