Weekend at the Ranch

The last weekend in January we made a trip up to the ranch. We had some amazing family bonding time as is always to be found when you're up there. The weather was cold and nearly perfect. Chilly enough (okay downright cold enough) to have a fire going at night and warm enough in the sun to not need a coat. The new fence looks great 2D Ranch, I think it has a certain cowboy appeal....!

Grandpa James was working at a ranch down the road, Rose Creek. So, he and Grandma were able to come up and spend a couple nights with us and we were able to go down and visit Saturday for a nature walk and a fabulous picnic by the creek! The kids and grown-ups all had a great time! Russell Maynard even made the cut and got to come along. He was exhausted, as you can see....squeezed out like a piece of toothpaste across the top of the carseats.

George Edward Walker 1927-2009

Walker, George
http://www.legacy.com/azcentral/Guestbook.asp?Page=GuestBook&PersonID=122897725
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Walker, George

81 of Phoenix, Arizona, passed away peacefully at his home on January 6, 2009. He was born in Newark, New Jersey and moved to Arizona in 1960. He was a master wood worker and able to fix anything that was broken. George is survived by his loving wife of 56 years Marie; sons James and George; daughters-in-law Trisha and Paula; 4 grandchildren; 6 great grandchildren; sister Marion; and brother Raymond. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions in his name to Hospice of the Valley, 1510 E. Flower St. Phoenix, Az 85014. Arrangements entrusted to Green Acres Glendale Mortuary.
Published in The Arizona Republic on 1/16/2009

My Grandpa.

Santa Claus has Come to Town!

I couldn't ask for more! A Christmas morning in Phoenix that ACTUALLY feels like Christmas!! I know there are plenty of warm-blooded nay-sayers out there, but I just LOVED it. I am always saying the weather is great and all, but really, just 2 days out of the whole year should theorectically be cold and wintery....Thanksgiving and Christmas. Finally got what I asked for! Now there is certainly a flip side to this, the kids counldn't go outside to play with their newfound treasures because it was 40 degrees and raining, but it was Christmas-y for sure.

We had a great Christmas. The kids got to unwrap Santa's gifts and play for a bit then we went to Bill & Bette's to unwrap family gifts then off to Erin's to eat (a delicious meal) and finally home to meet my parents, whew!

Grandma & Grandpa B&B go above and beyond the call of grandparent duty. I think it's absolutely fabulous, what more could a kid ask for on Christmas than someone who goes overboard! It is incredibly generous of them though and we are incredibly thankful for it! This year they did not disappoint...the kids all got exactly what they wanted (and a few they didn't). Billy is such a boy, I remember Hayden going through this phase too though....."socks, really?" Travis & I have no excuse left in the book to not be the pictures of fitness. Between the gym memberships we recently acquired and a Wii with Fit for Christmas I might have to consider toning down the amout of salted cured meats we eat around here, gasp! Emily got a stereo with a CD player for her room from Grandma & Papa. Could be payback, not sure yet.... She thinks she is all that and a bag of chips now, I'm done for. Billy and his sweet "little" legs got a bike he can actually reach the pedals on, full speed ahead! I see accidents galore just waiting to happen. Ramps in the backyard and spent rubber on the driveway. Abi got jellybeans for Christmas...really. I'm sure she thought the whole productions was great and all, but she would have been just as happy without all the fuss and just her box of jellybellies. The pictures are less than terrific because I gave everyone a cold for Christmas....HA, jokes on you!

I think there's going to be a full MOON in 2009....LOL!

~*~ Christmas Eve 2008 ~*~

Christmas Eve 2008, I just love this time of year! As is the tradition we spent a perfect cold, blustery Christmas Eve at the Deatsch's drinking merriment and stuffing ourselves as if we weren't going to be able to eat at all in '09. For the record we had a delicious dinner and appertizers consisting of: gumbo, rice, french bread, crudites, tater tots & chicken for the littlin's, shrimp and my personal favorite (made it twice since) pimento cheese and crackers. You must be careful around me...I will steal your recipes without even a second thought! Bette always has the best ones too. Anyhow, I digress. Christmas Eve was great fun for all. The annual (if not potentially aggressive) gift exchange was as always very exciting. The hit this year was a small dutch oven Bill threw in, darn those Cavness's. The Hyde family made it down, which in turn made Emily's night. She LOVES being around the "big girls." Billy fell asleep in the car on the way there and took his time coming back around to his usual happy self (Thomas the Train helped) and Squish, well what can you say....She is so cute!

So excited for bed!! Merry Christmas.....

Billy "Boy Genius" Deatsch Turns 3!

I can hardly believe it, but Billy D. is offically 3! It kinda feels like he's been 3 for something like ever now, but he is actually only 3 now. I guess because Squish came along and stole all his baby thunder or maybe because he is so completely one hundred percent immersed in his own world one hundred percent of the time that it feels that way....a long time comin'. So I hope that doesn't mean he'll grow-up too fast. I absolutely LOVE his little world. I wish I could see it from his level, he just has fun almost all the time. You can see it in his big blue eyes, mischief brewing. I think 3 is the age he was meant to be. You know how some people just never progress beyond a certain time in their lives? I think Billy is going to be eternally 3 years old. Hey, is could very well be eternally the size of a three year old too! Birthday wishes.....taller, taller, taller...

Well here are some long overdue photos of the big event. He had a Buzz & Woody Birthday with a Monsters, Inc. cake. His two favorite movies at the time. I sorta flaked on the Monsters, Inc. cake though...It was actually a CARS cupcake cake because despite my half-hearted efforts to find a place that would make me a Monsters, Inc. cake there were none to be found. A real mom would have whipped out the Betty Crocker and got to work, but not me! CARS it was and he was just as happy. It did however, take him about an hour in the store looking at all the pages in the cake book 3 times to pick something. All in all he had a great Birthday party at home with his Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. Just the fam makes quite a party!

A Christmas Photo Shoot

Now we all know how easy these things are. You get all the kids dressed just so, then you realize while you were working on the hair assembly line someone has laid down on the couch and gotten comfy with all the pillows or decided this would be a great time for a quick round of WWF Smackdown. They never go according to plan. My orginal plan was to take them down to the beach in the beautiful dresses for a barefoot Christmas...If you read the previous post you are laughing out loud right now at the thought of my distress over everyone soaking wet in their gorgeous silk dresses! As you can imagine even without the threat of saltwater things were still impossible stacked against me!

I'm spent!

Cold & Wet

The Friday after Thanksgiving, while the rest of the world was getting up at 4am to go shopping we were loading the kids in the car for a family bonding roadtrip. Bagels and coffee at 5:30, the sun at 6:30, gas at 7:30, one last stop for lunch around 10 and we're there! Carlsbad. Ahh the beach.




We had a great weekend, legoland, visiting with the neighbors, the beach. Good friends, good times! The place looks nearly unrecognizable since the transformation Bill & Bette have put it through. Looks fab, I must say! The kids crack me up, it was cold and overcast and who would want to get wet in those conditions? So, genious that I am...not a towel or change of clothes or anything redeeming at all. I never thought they would want to get wet. I thought we would walk on the beach while it was quiet and how quaint would that have been. Then I was rudely awakened from my idyillic family dream only to realize they are all now soaking wet and poeple are wondering what kind of incompetent mother I must be. No worries, there's towels and blankets in the car, hmm what's that you say? Oh, that's right....NO there isn't! Pleasant ride back to the house for those salty babes. Fortunately it's just around the bend....