Jaden Turns 4

I can't believe it!! My baby turned 4 this week!
Where has the time gone? He is such a joy!
He keeps us all laughing! We Love you JJ!
Happy Birthday!!

Thankful

As I drove to work this morning at six (I
was trying to beat the Holiday traffic...
I failed!) I tried to think about all the things
I am thankful for instead of how much dang
traffic there is on the road!! Here's what I
came up with-

My Husband.

Chloe, Jaxon and Jaden....How lucky I am to have the
greatest kids!!

Bility kisses!

The Best Parents!! (who are in Detroit this
week to watch the Packers play the Lions
without me- and to see my Aunt Gena
and Uncle Ned!) Go Packers!!!

My Sister- I miss her so much!

My Nieces- I miss them more!!

A grandma who is the BEST friend, listener, confindant, etc...Ever!

Great Friends- We have made some Great friends
along the way. I miss them all. Especiall during the
Holiday Season. We are always so far from family
that we usually spend Thanksgiving with friends. We
decided to spend this Thanksgiving as a family
because David is leaving for the desert in a few
weeks . I'm glad, but still missing good friends! I am also missing
my bestest and my sister. This week was ours to share.
Black Friday and Twilight just aren't the same without ya!
(although Dee Dee and I will be rocking Toys R Us at midnight!)

Fantasy Football- Football is so much more fun
when you can share it (and trash talk) with family.

Disney channel

Watching my kids grow up. I looked over at Chloe last
night and noticed how much she has changed even in the
last month. I noticed that her face is starting to thin out, she
is getting so tall, and that the little girl part of her is disappearing.

days without accidents- potty or otherwise!

Employment and Paychecks!- Great jobs and great friends.

An education. Can't even tell u how grateful I am for this one!!

A beautiful home

an awsome washer and dryer!!- I should use them
more often!!

and last but not least- My Savior, the Gospel
that keeps me centered, and the eternal blessings
of the Temple.

I thought of a million more, but I should do some work today!
Hope you all have a Wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

How You Know....

Last weekend we met David at the base park for
Lunch. He was working. As I sat on the park bench
watching the kids play, I was also watching two moms
who each had a small child. The two moms (both first
time moms) were so amusing! First was the conversation
which consisted of each childs wt and ht measurements,
bowel movements, diapers and food preferences. They
were hovering over thier every move and inspecting each
piece of play equiptment for safety. (my kids were hanging
upside down from the monkey bars and jumping off the
slides....) I chuckled and vividly remembered those
days with Chloe. The thought also crossed my
mind.... those poor women! That was when I knew-
It was over. Having baby's that is. We knew Jaden
was going to be our last long ago, but mentally I don't think
I knew it until that day. When instead of "oh, aren't those
girls cute" it was "I am so glad that's not me!" I am loving
that my kids are more independent! They are so fun! As my
baby turns 4 and my oldest turns 8 I am feeling older, but
so glad to be where I am in life! I have the best kids!!!

Halloween 09

Trunk or Treat


Squadron Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween!!

This year the kids got in 3 Trick/Trunk or Treats!!

The festivities started on Wed. at the Squadron.

The guys did a great job of decorating thier offices.

One office even had a full Haunted House!

On Friday night we did Trunk or Treat with

our ward and Sanford Ward. I reluctantly dressed

up this year. Dave loaned me a Polish flight suit he brought

back from the desert. He also had an old flight helmet...

I looked HOT! Dave went as a Cowboy, Chloe as a

Vampire, Jaxon as the White Ninja from GI Joe, and
Jaden was our TMNT! Finally, and already enough candy

to kill someone, we made it to the actual Holiday. On

Haloween night David took the kids around the neighborhood

for some more fun! Or neighbors were great to get into

the spirit! The kids made out great in the candy department!!

We kindly sorted all of it...for safety of course!

Hope you all had a safe and fun Halloween!

Caught Red Handed

We have been having trouble with

Jaden sneaking stuff out of the fridge.

Gotcha!

Jaxon's Hand

On Tuesday night while Dave was at

YM, the kids hung out in the church

nursery. Apparently there was no

supervision. Jaxon got his hand

slammed in the hinge of the cabinet door

by none other than his crazy little brother.

Jaxon was more traumatized that he had

to go to the ER than anything.

He got his a soft cast to wear for a few days.

He was excited about that.

Gross Farms

the big bouncy thing!

This last weekend while I was in

Denver, Dave's squadron had a

Fall party at Gross Farms.

The kids had a great time doing the

big bouncy thing and exploring the Farm.

The Many Faces of Chloe

Chloe found my phone and decided

to show us her more reserved side! :>

This is what happens.....

When you work for WIC!!!!

(and your boss doesn't tell you it's

office picture day..this is a Friday

our down day...need I say more?!)

Back row: Susana P., me, Deena, Ava.

Front Row: Lauren F. (Fletch), The Boss- Monica,

Angela, Lauren C.

The Flu!

Our sick week came early this year.
We have spent the last week getting
over and sharing N1H1 at our house!!
Thanks to my fabulous job at the
Health Department I brought home
more than a paycheck last week!!
Let me just say that it was awful!!
Chloe is still really sick. And thanks
to fabulous military medicine (can
you hear the sarcasm) we are having
trouble even getting her in to see a doc!
Please keep her in your prayers! I
hope all of you don't get it! (thanks
for letting me vent!)

Good things

Since my last post left me (and probably you)
feeling bummed out, I thought I had better
blog about all the things that make me happy.
Someday when I'm old and reading this
I can remember that good came with
the bad.....

Things I love-
Good kids!! Despite me, my kids are AWSOME!
David- that he keeps me sain and reminds
me to breathe.
Family who loves me no matter what!
A Grandma who is the greatest listener!
A Mom to tell me it's going to be OK
The World's Best Kindergarten Teacher-My sister!!!
New Rob Thomas songs
XM Satelite Radio
Boomerang (the cartoon channel)
Fantastic bosses who get it!!
My iphone
Being an Air Force Wife
The Gospel- that keeps me centered
Saturday mornings-SLEEP!
Eddy's Chocolate Ice Cream
Miss Amy's cookie recipe!
Playhouse Disney
Coworkers who make me laugh!
Great Friends!

Bad Karma!

You ever have one of those weeks where no matter
what you do to avoid disaster, either Karma or
bad luck are going to catch up with you?? Well, It's
one of those weeks!!! I even gave blood this week
(which also turned out to be a disaster) and accepted
a calling as the ward Primary Chorister! what's the deal!
I guess it all started with Ovaltine!!
Here are the events of yesterday(not enough time to blog
about the whole weeks drama)....
First, I put Jaxon on the bus yesterday morning for his
first day of Kindergarten! He was so excited! He was so
dang cute about the whole thing! I would have taken pics
but David has the camera, and still no phone! However,
While we were waiting for the bus some of the moms told
me that thier kids had been sent home on the wrong bus and
were riding around alone for hours. NICE! so far not loving NC
schools! The school changed our bus # and failed to let all the
teachers know! One kid even tried to tell them that his bro and
sis were on the other bus, but noone would listen. He finally turned
back up at the school @ 4:30 yesterday. SCARY! I had this strange
feeling Jaxon would get put on the wrong bus! nonetheless,I went to work
only to find that the clerks had double booked my schedule! My life
is about to suck and I still had that funny feeling that Jaxon was
going to get sent home on the wrong bus. I called the school
to make sure they had the right bus #. They didn't!!!!!! After
continuing to worry about it, I cancelled all my appointments for
the late afternoon and drove home to meet the bus. He got off!
Thank Heaven!.... We headed for Raleigh and the Apple store...
Life is about to get worse! I lost everything....data that is.
The really nice man at the Apple store informed
me that try as he may my data was gone forever!!
Then he proceeded to tell me that the extra
protection we bought on our phones didn't cover dropping
it in large amounts of Ovaltine! I very reluctantly
handed over my credit card for the purchase of a
new iphone. OUCH! Following my trajedy in the Apple store,
I went out to my car, got in, and the stupid thing wouldn't
start!! wouldn't even turn over!!!!!! I am an hour and a half
from the nearest person I know, David's gone, my AAA
membership just expired and I don't pay for towing on my
insurance coverage. Just as I was about to pick up the phone
and call Tim and Casey to come rescue me (again!!) the man
who owned the car in front of me came back to his car.
He graciously looked it over and gave me a jump start!
Now I get to buy a new battery for my car! Wonderful!
(It's about to get worse!) Then I got on the freeway going
the wrong way. I did make it home 2.5 hours later (I only live
an hour and a half away!) only to open Jaxon's backpack
with a note to me from his teacher. I was about
to get my mom voice out when after having read
the letter realized it was meant to politely chastize me not J!
I sent Jaxon on the wrong day for his first day of school.
They kindly informed me I didn't need to send him
tomorrow and to send him back on Thursday. I could blame
it on not having a calender (in my phone), but I think we
should just go with World's Worst Mom Award!!!!!
All that having been said, noone was hurt and we
survived! Life is still good, just stinks a lot this week!
Let's hope next week is better!

First Day(s) of School

Yeah!! School finally started this week!
the kids are so excited! Chloe started
Yesterday. I asked her how her day
was. She said her teacher yelled a lot.
Here's how our conversation continued-
K- Why did she yell a lot?
C- She just did!
K- Was there a lot of talking going on?
C- yeah, the kids were being noisy.
K-and were you one of those kids?
C- No
K- Were you quiet when she asked
you to be?
C- I only talked for a second after
she told us to be quiet.....
(any questions?!!!!)
She also got to ride the bus for the first
time!! We only live right down the street
from the school, but it is across a major
road so they bus our kids. The bus was
a half hour late picking them up and
an hour and a half late dropping them
off yesterday... still she was
thrilled! Mom wasn't so happpy!!
Jaxon doesn't start Kinder officially
until next Tuesday....he is having a
hard time being patient!! I am having
issues with waiting that extra week
as well. I am having a few issues with
the school systems here period! None
the less, Jax went in for his testing session
on Wednesday. David got to take him so
I am reporting second hand. Apparently
He is a math wiz, but when it came time to
say (not sing) his letters he got to H and
told his teacher he was done! She asked
him if those were all the lettters he knew
and this was his reply..."no, I know them
all, I just don't want to tell you any more
letters!" NICE!
That was pretty much how the rest of his
testing went!!
Do any of you ever feel like you are raising
a mini version of you or your spouse? Well
I got one...Mini David!!
Mrs Rosenthal was super patient with him.
Thank Heaven for good Kindergarten Teachers!!
The jury is still out on Chloe's teacher.....only
time will tell!
Also...I would post pics from Chloe's first day,
but I had a small mishap with my iphone this
morning.....I dropped it into my Ovaltine!!
Goodbye sweet iphone!!! I am praying that
the AT&T store can recover all my pics and
data!! If so, I'll post pics later!

The Candle

Last week I was in Cracker Barrell
picking up some super yummy biscuits
for a bkfst thing at work...first of all
I was shocked when I walked in and
saw half the store decked out for
Christmas!! Holy Crap (i said to myself)
it's only August! Then the smells of
the Holidays overtook me! I am now
drooling at the thought of pie and
mashed potatoes and gravy. Thinking
of how excited I am for the weather to
get colder and the leaves to change, I
was suckered into thier whole
marketing scheme.. I caved and bought
a Harvest Yankee Candle (not a scentsy,
I know), but one of my favorites!! Then,I
told myself I wouldn't burn it till Oct.- that
lasted about 8 hours, long enough to get
me home! My house smells divine and
Marketing works....what can I say!

North Carolina

We made it!! Finallly! oK, so we actually made it
here a month ago, but who has time to blog when
you're trying to establish a new household?!!
(I'm blogging on my lunch break while I eat
a chicken mcnugget!! YUM!) The kids are
doing great and have made the adjustment
well! We have fabulous next door neighbors
who have kids about the same ages as mine. What
a huge blessing it has been!! (did I mention they
happen to be LDS too!! what are the odds?) We
have already managed to make time to hit the Beach!!,
the boys loved the ocean, Chloe was less amused and
more worried about the sand in her suit. We also
made a trip up to Winston-Salem to see our great
friends the Vanbuskirks!! It was soooo... good to see
them! We had a blast! (thanks again tim and casey for
having us!!) It has been really hot so the kids are
going a little stir crazy from being in the house all day!
School starts next week!!! Halelujah!!
Dave is loving his new, much smaller squadron!!
He was also just made the YM President in our
ward. He will be busy!! I am loving NC! We have
a great ward and I really like my new jobwith WIC! The heat
is getting old, but Fall is just around the corner and
I know it will be spectacular with all these trees!!
I will post pics of the house when it's put together!

Freedom

God Bless America

If you want to be free, there is but one way;

it is to guarantee an equally full measure of liberty

to all your neighbors. There is no other.
-Carl Shurz

Cheer Camp 09

Thanks Whit! We had a blast!! Go Bears!

Park City 2009

A picture is worth a thousand words!!

Preping for the climb...

She rocked!

Jaxon was a trooper and made it
halfway up!

Jaden didn't really need help, he

just wanted his daddy to stand by him!

The Man! (Chloe still beat him though!)

Does this pic really need a caption!?

Nice Uncle Peeps!

Chloe lines up the putt.....It's a hole in 1 (ok maybe 5 or 6)

I thought the fatter you were the faster you went!!

(Dave still beat me!)

The Alpine Coaster (we rode it at least 10 times!)

Before the Alpine Slide......

After the Alpine Slide- OUCH!

Dave claims he saved Jaden from falling out, we

all know he was just a crappy driver!!!

"First I'm gonna throw up, then I'm gonna die!"

SO cute!

Madalyn was giving digging instructions!

Jaxon was really serious about his digging!

Isn't he Adorable!

Everybody needs a litte Captain!

The Tickle Monster!

Bubble Mania 2009! Hope the Marriott didn't

mind all the sticky bubbles in the hall!

Gma, Gpa and Chloe getting some R&R

Jaxon, Jaden and Aunt Chand were plum

tuckered out!

Opa showing us his muscles!

Every year in June we get to spend a week

in Park City with my Family. We always look

forward to it and are sad when it's over!

Thanks mom and dad for such a great time

and such a great place for us to be together!