Christmas Morn

While it means showing the random junk lying around the house, I'm thrilled to show you the first Christmas morning pics of the kids. By the way, Jamison had a...(shhh)...accident...hence in the mismatched p.j.'s.




And then the girls reaction to knowing somehow, someway they might shoot an eye out...


but the most important gift to any good Santa....


(that would be Starbucks for anyone wearing glasses...)

Then ME getting wonderful hand painted pottery from each child-and my hubby!



There were presents with a lot of heart....


...and far searched gifts too!



Then the special suprises of Christmas morn...

'lest we forget in all the hoopla...

Happy Birthday Baby boy! You have helped make this year bearable and exhausting all at once...but without a doubt, I'm so glad we planned you!!!!!

All is well

D@mn computer...

First, laptop having issues....and...so is the home PC. Therefore, no pictures, but...if somehow, you are the only person I haven't called, emailed or screamed from the top of the mountain to....

Tim made it home safe and sound Sunday evening. I can't begin to tell you the emotion that wells up inside of you as you see not only your loved one, but the husbands and wives of all your friends parading in. Knowing that the worst is over...that they made it home safe and sound...that "life" can begin again...it's too overwhelming to describe.

None the less, our Christmas is beyond blessed this year, and we will never forget those that paid the ultimate sacrifice...

More proof of the cheezzzzzzzeeeee monster

The older they get....

the harder it is to get a picture.

So, yeah, this is my only Halloween night picture. That night my brother was here, SarahBeth went with her friend(and mom) to trick or treat in another neighborhood, LeighAnne went with a friend AND NO PARENTS half way down the street and Jamison had 5 other friends meet up here to trick or treat with. I put a bowl of candy out and headed on with the younger crowd. None the less, lots and lots of candy accompanied our snowy Halloween. The temps were in the low 30's...which, ya'll know, is a downright heatwave for us.

The little girl in the picture is Brooke-my "if" I had baby #4. She's a darling devilish angel...and cured any lingering baby lust. She also has an amazing ability to hop in front of a camera and yell "CHEESE" at the last moment.

Anyhoo, Jamison went as Thomas to Preschool but decided on being a buh-noo(blue) Power Ranger for Halloween night.

SarahBeth went as Aries, "GOD OF WAR". Yeah, I know. It was a school project that easily(and wonderfully) moved into a Halloween costume.

So there ya go. Halloween in a nut shell.

The yin and yang of SarahBeth

SarahBeth's class had to do a mask that best represented themselves. Funny how a parents vision of a project versus a kids can be so different. I guess, if you will, the yin and yang of parenthood. None the less, when I asked SarahBeth what she wanted to do-how she wanted to represent herself; she talked about her good vs. evil, grumpy vs. happy, mean vs. sweet...."ya know moma, like the yin and yang of myself"....

Of course, my sweet baby bear....of course.....

Thomas

Have I mentioned that I'm can no longer fight the battle of cutting J's hair and have decided to save that excitement for his daddy? None the less, here's my little train boy

To bring you up to date...

alright. Since the beginning of September, I have:

*had 2 SLUMBER birthday parties

*started my littlest in preschool

*passed the 365 day mark

*watched a 20 month old starting at 6 AM(!!!) every morning while her parents were in between babysitters

*hosted a few meetings and a couple of non-kid parties

*made an Ares(greek god of war) costume

*found, bought, and accepted into my home-AND priced over 12(BIG)boxes of
"merchandise" for the Spouses Club

*ordered yet another set of flowers for a young boy's funeral

*bought(and returned) a new kitchen table

*killed and jump started batteries in 2 different vehicles (in the same day mind you)

*drove-in blinding snow-in OCTOBER to get a "playdate"

*spent more money than any normal person should on food from Costco-with 4 kids in tow

not to mention taking out the trash, laundry, dishes, bills, homework, cleaning toilets and scooping poop(my personal favorite!)

I don't make many statements like this, but...if anyone asks your opinion-ever...
15 months is damn near intolerable...12 is ok, but 12 1/2 starts to get under your skin...

Looks like it will be by Jamison b-day...barely...but the good news is, I got the kiddos to agree-pizza and ice cream for Thanksgiving dinner...no 3 days of thawing out a 20 pound turkey for the masses this year!!!!!

Yeah, I know...boo hoo me...my family is healthy and safe and my home isn't in danger of catching on fire anytime soon...

Gotta keep a little perspective, huh?

:)

First Day of Puh-rees-koooh

Alright, after a bit of wait listing and dragging of feet, Jamison began his first day of preschool today. He goes Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-12. Living in our small community he already knows many of his classmates from the neighborhood or from my gym. He even invited two new friends to his "birfday pawty".

Your turn Tinkerbell-

Happy Belated Birthday, baby girl...


I'm so glad I chose to have you!!!

Happy Birthday, Baby Bear

I'm so glad I had you!

Sighhhhhh

I can't wait for Tim to get home.....

First Day (again)

Without much fanfare the girls started a new year of school on August 22nd. LeighAnne has a couple good friends in her new class. SarahBeth came home her first day in her new school and proclaimed she could have her birthday party as scheduled because she has at least two new friends she can invite. Overall, no complaints...which means a happy moma!

I measured....

And this Momma moose and her 2 babies are just over 12 feet from my back door. I took this picture safely behind closed doors....'round here, momma moose and her babies are more dangerous than a random curious bear.

It's moments like these that I can forgive the NEGATIVE TWENTY DEGREES!!!!!

No Soccer Mom Jokes...Please...

I wish I had more to tell you, but so far, the last few weeks have been the usual busy, but blissfully quiet...if you don't count the seemingly non-stop construction going on around us. We did do a tiny bit of early school shopping today and I got to pick up some shorts and swimsuits on clearance in preparation for our (hopefully) winter Hawaiian vacation.

The girls even finished up their soccer season. While one practice and one game a week (AND NO WEEKENDS) was nice, when you double that, there were a few scheduling conflicts that made Tuesdays a little rough. Over all, the girls found a new sport they enjoy and I learned the ins and outs of being a team mom...plus Jamison learned some foot work for his soccer debut next year.

Here's SB enjoying some last game treats and LA with her hard earned medal.

Quick question

I'm testing out the new poll feature. Check it out and please vote. Or comment. Or both.------------------->------------->------------->-------------->-->--->---->-->-->-->-->
Really. I'm bored. :D

July Highlights

Here's my beautiful girls wearing a daddy birthday present. Jamison got one too, but, well, if you haven't figured out by now, my boy Jamison marches to his own drum beat and rest assured it will ALWAYS be a different beat than anyone else when it comes to picture taking.....ANYWAY....

The t-shirts (I got one too!) were gifts from Grammy and Poppy. They made their pilgrimage to the 49th state earlier this month. We tried to make sure they were cold and busy and sleep deprived from the extra sunlight. I think we succeeded.

We so got it!

At exactly 1:00 AM the girls received the newest Harry Potter Book. And then drove through Taco Bell for a little late night snack. Good times, but we are all feeling it today.

Speaking of kickin' bad guy butt....

...this video is amazing. Hint: don't stop watching, the baby walks away...honest.


Lions and Crocs and Buffalo, oh my!

Army Guys are Cool!

Here's a link to a little piece on CNN. LT Sheftic(Matt!) and his wife are my friends. They even endured their first Thanksgiving here with us.


Troop Surge in Iraq


Go boys! Kick Bad Guy Butt!!!

June....hmmm...where to begin...

Well, first off, I was busy busy just hanging out with Momma. There was a little "drama" but I'll get to that later. Anyway, on Father's Day, I packed up my little girls and sent them 45 minutes down the road for a week of overnight camp. They spent 5 nights in Wasilla at Camp Purple. This camp is graciously provided to military children of deployed parents for free by the National Military Family Association.

Below is a picture LA, unpleasantly surprised by my boarding the bus to get a goodbye picture.



Then, we were asked to come to the camp on the last day and pick up the kids. Now, they had an exceptionally warm week (mid 70's to low 80's), BUT, it is still Alaska. Not that cold water stopped my girls from swimming in this lake (yes, that's SNOW on the mountains behind SB)...of course, one would think leeches would dissuade them too. It's a shame we had overcast weather for this picture-the mountains go on forever beyond the one you see



Finally, I should add, before I even sent the girls off to camp, we made sure momma got to head home with a special and expensive Alaskan souvenir. A steel rod in her lower leg. I think most of you know the details, but what you don't know is how much it upset Kenai. She was beside herself knowing that momma was sick AND the sisters were gone. But she was a great nursemaid and honestly, a source of comfort for me when I had to leave mom home alone-after all, Kenai can dial 911!

New Kid on the Block

Sasha just entered the neighborhood a couple of weeks ago. I'm thrilled that it's owners (family with 3 kids) were willing to let Kenai and Sasha be properly introduced...Kenai just loves her and is willing to settle down and creep over to her just to convince her to play. It's so cute to see. I should add that Kenai weighs 75 pounds to Sasha's 3!

All we are saying....

is set Maggie free...



Maggie is the one and only elephant here in Alaska. There is A LOT of controversy surrounding her Arctic existence. Jamison's little friend Abe (pictured above) adores her and they make frequent trips to the zoo just to see her. Poor Abe had no idea that we spent part of our Memorial Day weekend at a small rally to encourage the zoo to send her to a sanctuary somewhere outside of Alaska.

Ok, ok...truth be told..we-my brood(to include Kenai), Abe, his mom Jodi and little brother Dallion-we were more than partly drawn by the idea of something as bizarrely Alaskan as an elephant protest. Oh, did I mention her treadmill?

YeeHaw!!

The 2nd and 3rd graders did a little country hoedown with great music and some serious square dancing. I have to admit, while the parents were told not to go out and buy things for the event, I couldn't resist the red boots. AND if you could have seen her when they were told to swing their hips....she had her back to us and even LeighAnne commented on her little booty.

First rule of fight club is...

you don't talk about fight club.

How High Can You Fly

The girls participated in a Jump for Heart jump-rope-a-thon. It was a wonderful Alaskan spring afternoon and they were worn out by the end.

If we are lucky, they will be able to have their choir concert outdoors next week...watch for those pictures coming soon

The $1,000,000 playground

Seriously.

Nanah nanah boo boo

This post is 100% for Brandon.

I told you so, I told you so, I told you so....

Sister secrets

You know, the girls fight-A LOT. But, they get along like the best of friends, too. Which I love-because, let's face it, when you are an Army Brat, sometimes the only friend you have is your sibling...and when you have a crazy evil moma, a sister is an important ally.

Here's a glimpse at some sisters plotting their moma's demise.

Train boy rides the short bus

Here's my train boy. He found a Thomas bike helmet at Walmart. Best $21.68 I ever spent. He wore it non-stop the first 48 hours. To the grocery, my friend's house, picking up the sisters from school, TO BED!!! He got a big ol' headache the 2nd day and I convinced him not to wear it 24/7. Whew.

All my April Fools

Should you be living under a rock and somehow missed this little news clip, then you might be wondering...and the answer is yes, we are affected by it, yes, we are disappointed that our "half way mark" was pushed back, but yes, we are fine....

However, our month has be riddled by other issues...like, strep throat....
...which is why we missed our 2nd Easter Sunday service in a row.....


and, my personal favorite....


CHICKEN POX!!!

Yes...he's got the chicken pox shot...I don't know...my wonderful doctor neighbor came over and had a look and verified...and told me now Jamison was doubly immune. I'm just hoping and praying that the girls don't get it. They don't need to miss any more school.

Speakig of school, the girls are doing great. I had parent/teacher conferences on Thursday, and I tell you, I've always known my girls were pretty special, but to have 2 teachers in a row tell you how wonderful they are...well, I guess my fears of raising ax murders...or worse-mini-Paris Hilton's...are put to rest. I do have to give a lot of acknowledgement to the incredible teachers they have-teachers that really "get" my girls.

Well, that's been our April in a nutshell. Hopefully illnesses and extra sunshine won't keep me from posting regularly.