Kiddos Catchup

How is it that once again I've failed to update my blog in almost a month?!? Again?!?! I swear I always set out to do better with this thing but I always seem to fail. And I don't want to give up on it because I do like looking back on our lives. But despite Brandon being leave for a few weeks, life has just been crazy, busy. Between PWOC, MOPS, Speech Therapy, preschool, school drop off & pick up, park days, lunch dates, Girl Scouts and play dates, life is just getting the better of us :) And for now its good... it suits our family. So for the next few months, I might just be doing up dates on all the little and big things are family has been up to. But for now, here is a little post on the munchkins.

• Peighton turned SEVEN a few weeks ago! Wow, how time is flown by :) She is getting so old and growing up too fast! We celebrated the day off with taking her to Peter Piper Pizza (her choice of course) for dinner that night. The kids love all the arcade games they have and the food isn't too bad either. That weekend we took the kids and P's friend Zoe to the zoo in Tucson. It was a nice day for it and the kids always love checking out the animals. After that we ate at Chick Fil A (of course!). So yummy and a perfect ending to a trip to Tucson :)

• Scott had his first trip to the ER a week or so ago. Yep, good times here :/ We were eating lunch at Chipotle and he fell off the bar stool and gashed his head in on the backside. We took him to the ER and he had to get two staples to close it up. I was very impressed with the hospital and remained calm during the whole ordeal. Scott was super brave and did so good during the experience. He didn't even cry during the procedure... he was a champ! Thankfully, a week later the boo boo had healed and we had the staples removed. And again, he did so good!

• Henry turned FOUR last week! My boy is growing up again way too fast and he is getting so tall! He is going to be a giant when he grows up :) Unfortunately, he had a fever on his birthday and had a very uneventful day at home. We took him to Peter Piper Pizza the next night (his choice) to celebrate and took them out for ice cream as well. He loved it! Today, we took them all out to Tombstone and made a day out of it. The kids seemed to enjoy it and the weather was perfect. 

• For both P and Henry's birthdays, we purchased them new bikes. P got a 16" bike that is pink & white and Henry picked out a blue 12" bike. He learned to ride without training wheels and is doing so good! Him having a balance bike for a while really helped make the transition easy for him :) The weather out here has been wonderful and all the kids enjoy spending much of the day outside. 

• I finally took Scott for his 2 YO check up a week ago and he is growing just fine. He was all up to date on his shots so we did not have to worry about that department. He is now 34.5 inches tall and weighs 29 pounds. Scott is in the 60% for his weight and 30% for his height. Thankful for a healthy, little boy :)

Catch Up Randoms

These past few weeks have been a whirlwind! How is it that next weekend starts the month of February?!?! Seriously... time is just flying these days. And I see time not stopping any time soon. Life is just busy these days; and some days I love it and some days I want to freeze time. There are plenty of weeks where we have just a few activities that week and other weeks where it seems there is something scheduled every day that week. Its the circle of life when you have five people in the house all with their own schedules and activities. Nonetheless, here is what we've been up to the past few weeks.

• We successfully moved into our new house! And its absolute bliss :) I am loving all the space... who knew 2000+ square feet is what this family needed. We have worked our fannies off the past two weeks to get everything unpacked, put in its place and settled. And it paid off.. it was worth the long nights and the days of no sitting because our house feels like home and every room is organized and done. I can't say it enough how nice it is to have room.. plenty of space to spread out. I tell Brandon all the time we finally have a "grown up" home. We have the house to entertain in and have people over. It just feels good... it feels right for us. And it will definitely make the next two years here seem so much better knowing that we have a home that is perfect for us!

• My bible study group I am a part of known as PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel) kicked off its Spring Semester last week. I am leading/teaching a bible study this semester and I am so excited! This is the second bible study that I have led and I love it. I have a great Co Teacher as my right hand lady and I am just very excited to see what God has in store for all of this semester. I truly love this organization and have loved being a part of it since we were at Fort Irwin back in 2007. Its an amazing ministry and I am so happy to be a part of a great group here in AZ. 

• Brandon graduated the MI Captain's Career Course yesterday. What a huge accomplishment for him!!! He graduated #5 in the class and even made a perfect score on the final exam :) I knew he was a smart man! So proud of him!! Can't believe six months have flown by that fast! We are ready for a break though and he will have a few weeks off between assignments. Looking forward to the next chapter here!! 

So that about sums it up! The next few weeks are going to be equally exciting as well. P turns 7 next week and Henry's birthday is not too far off either. So many fun days ahead for this family :)

We Are Moving

Big news for this family and a great way to kick off a new year... we are moving! No, not location but houses. We are simply moving off Post to a house in town. However, we are SO excited!! I am anxious and stressed already but know it will all be worth it in the end! This will be our fourth cross town move that we've done on our own. It is especially not my favorite task but at least I know how to handle it. We made this decision in a haste as is our typical fashion. But it has all worked out in then so we know we made a good decision. We were blessed to have a house on Post but even in the beginning I never really liked it and it's never felt like a home. It did seem big when we initially moved in but of course at that point in time we had spent the past two weeks either living in a hotel room or our pop up camper. So anything felt bigger than our previous living situations! Our house on Post is a duplex and after spending four years in your own home, sharing walls and a driveway isn't ideal. And though the house had four bedrooms, they are all on top of each other and there's no space to spread out. After getting orders for staying here, we sought out housing to "upgrade" to a better house/neighborhood. At first, it seemed like an easy transition but a few months later when we checked to see how far we had moved up the list, our hopes dropped. We had gone from 5th on the list down further to number 8. There were no four bedrooms on post available and there were seven families in front of us seeking the same thing. Housing had not even received any vacancy notices for a four bedroom in over 30 days. Meaning we would be lucky to get anything, any time soon. Plus, housing considers us to have an "adequate" house so as long as there is a new family moving here they will always get the next available four bedroom. We knew we could not stay here at Mott Circle for too much longer so we began housing hunting. We found a few we liked but when we called about them they were either unavailable or would not be available for several more months. Finally we found one we loved that was still available. When we went to walk through the house, I didn't want to leave. I knew it was the one. It felt like home! Thankfully everything worked out and we move in on Friday!! Yay :) I am so excited to get into it and start moving our stuff and unpacking. We did all the paperwork last week so I simply have to stop by the rental office and pick up the keys that morning. Our house is huge... over 2000 square feet. So much more room for our family of five! And a huge bonus is that it has a three car garage so we can finally put our camper back into a garage. In our new house, we get an office space, a playroom, a family room, a living room with a fire place, and I finally get a soaking tub :) So, so happy to be moving into this house!

Our new casa here in Arizona! 

San Diego Trip 2013

We ended the year on a good note by taking a mini vacation to San Diego. It was gorgeous! The weather was fantastic our whole stay :) A few months ago, we discussed going somewhere during Christmas vacation especially since we weren't going home and knew two weeks in the desert just the five of us might be too much, ha! We decided on San Diego because it was budget friendly, not too long of a drive and knew it wouldn't be overly crowded. It was a great choice and the change of scenery & pace was definitely needed. I always love vacation because its a break from the normal... there are no meals to cook, no chores to do and new places to discover & explore. We found a Holiday Inn that was located on the bay side. It had these kid rooms that had a little alcove in the room that contained bunk beds, their own little TV and desk. It was perfect for our little family! P and Henry loved the bunk beds and took turns sleeping on the top bunk :)

Thursday morning Brandon took Gizmo to the pet hotel while I got everyone ready and then we loaded up and headed on our way. It was the most boring drive ever! There was nothing between Tucson and Yuma which is about 3 hours apart so we ate a late lunch in Yuma. We did see some pretty neat sand dunes along the way though. We arrived at our hotel by 4 that afternoon. We got settled and unpacked and unloaded the car. There was a neat pizza place within walking distance so we went there for dinner. It was delicious! We then walked up and down the docks looking at all the boats. Friday we spent the entire day at Sea World. So much fun! The kids loved it!! We saw a few shows, rode rides, played carnival games and ate :) There was so much walking that day that all five of us were fast asleep that night. It was worth it though! Saturday was our sigh seeing day. We found a little muffin shop by the hotel for breakfast then went and explore Old Town. It was a very neat place with lots of things to see and had a huge courtyard area with grass that the kids loved running around. We ate lunch at a yummy local Mexican place then went and found the Pacific Ocean. It was so beautiful! We walked the big pier and I took lots of pictures :) Next stop was the Cabrillo National Monument. That was pretty neat as well. For dinner that night, we went to the Corvette Diner. It was such a fun place. The food was yummy and the atmosphere was just fun. They had a balloon artist and all 3 kids took home one. We all share a huge banana split for dessert before heading off to the game room where we played lots of arcade games. P and Henry loved it and both ended up with a prize. Sunday was the Zoo day and Balboa park. The San Diego Zoo was fabulous! They had lots of animals and lots of walking trails. It was a huge place! We walked down to Balboa park and checked out the Model Train Museum. That was a neat place. They had so many model trains displayed and running. Henry was in love! Scott loved the little play room that had several train tables set up to play with. We even rode the little train around the park afterwards. That afternoon/evening we explored the Seaport Village area and had some yummy seafood for dinner.

Our five days there were amazing! We saw new places, had fun and made some memories. All in all, it was a success! Such a needed break :)

Disclaimer

Life is messy and ours is no exception. I tend to blog only about the good but that doesn't mean we don't have our fair share of moments, days or even weeks. We are blessed as a family not because our life is perfect but because God is good. I don't blog about the bad because I don't want to remember those times. They are not shinning examples that I want to look back on fondly years from now. But those moments still happen. Believe me, there are plenty of not so great around here. I say the wrong thing, I yell, the kids are crazy, my nerves are shot, temper tantrums ... those moments do occur. Life happens. I am not a perfect mother or wife or person but every day is a new day and I am thankful that God's grace allows me to live to His standard and not to the world's standard. This house is filled with five imperfect human beings trying to survive the day. My kids are not perfect and neither am I. But we love each other and strive to do better the next day. One of new favorite quotes is from Paul David Tripp where he states that "In all of this I tend to forget that God is not focused on the "success" of my day but the godliness of my character." This statement gives me so much hope not only as a parent but as a person. Oh, what a beautiful mess I live!

2013 Recap

Can't believe this year is over!! Heck, this decade is almost half way over and it only just began a few years ago. Time really is flying! :) This past year was another good one for the books. It was filled with lots of highs and some lows but we made a lot of memories and embarked on some great adventures! Again, we were blessed beyond measure this year and couldn't ask for more in the upcoming year. All in all, I'd say it was a win and I truly look forward to all that is in store for us in 2014!! :) So without further a due, here are a few highlights of 2013...

• Peighton turned 6, Henry turned 3 and Scott turned 2. We no longer have any "babies" in the house. It's been a different stage of life and I kind of like it. Our days seem much easier and although the kiddos can be a handful at time, this really is a fun age group!

• We adopted another dog. Gizmo is a chocolate lab with a huge heart and a lot of energy. The kids love her and she puts up with Scott so I foresee her staying in our family for awhile :)

• We put our house up for sale and watched it sit for several months with any bites. It tested my patience but in the end it all worked out and we have fantastic tenants occupying the home. 

• We left Fort Campbell and our Rakkasan family. It was tough and I had lots of mixed emotions. That was our home for four years. We survived our first deployment there as well as both boys were born there. We grew as a family and I grew as a person. I will always have fond memories of that duty station and the wonderful, amazing people we met there. We were truly blessed by our time there!

• We purchased a pop up camper and made the well over week journey out here to Fort Huachuca, Arizona. It was not an easy journey but we not only survived it but thrived :) We had a lot of fun along the way and saw so many parts of the country. It was an awesome adventure that I am so glad we got to experience. 

• We moved to the desert and made a home and a life here. A few months in, we received orders to stay here for 2+ more years. We had mixed feelings about this but so fortunate that we had settled here and made this place our home. God has a plan for us here and I can't wait to see it unfold in this next year. 

• And to close out the year, we traveled to beautiful San Diego, California for a few days. We had a great vacation and loved getting to see such a pretty city. We even saw the Pacific Ocean :) So blessed and fortunate that the army provides these types of experiences for our family to partake in. We are truly blessed by all the places we have been able to travel!

What a great year! So glad to be ringing in the new year with a family of five! May love, laughter and happiness abound in the next year! Happy New Year's indeed :)

Christmas 2013

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

- Luke 2:11

We had a nice, quiet Christmas this year! It was a bit different not having any family with us but were blessed to be able to talk and Face Time with them. Santa Claus was very good to the kiddos and they loved opening and checking out their new toys. I cooked a delicious cinnamon roll casserole for breakfast. We had our Christmas dinner the night before on Christmas Eve so I just made a few snacks/appetizers to add to the mix of leftovers and we enjoyed munching on those for lunch and dinner. The weather was gorgeous outside so the kids had plenty of outdoor time breaking in their new toys! I packed us all up for our impending trip to San Diego. Most of the day was spent just hanging out and taking it easy. I don't even think we changed out of our PJ's till after nap time :) All in all, it was a joyous holiday and we are once again blessed as a family. 

Francis Scott turned 2!

Can't believe two years has gone by this fast!?! Yesterday, two years ago Scott was born. He came four days past his due date and we almost didn't have a Christmas baby. But oh was he worth the wait!! Scott has turned into quite the little scooter! He is adventurous, polite, loving, funny and his smile is contagious :) I love him oh so much! And I am so thankful God chose me to be his mommy. He keeps me on my toes and I love it!

Yesterday we unfortunately didn't do much celebrating. Our house has been hit with the stomach bug :( Scott started it first on Friday afternoon and yesterday it was my turn. Brandon was a saint and took all 3 kids to get their haircut and to lunch so I can rest up some. We let Scott open up his birthday presents yesterday afternoon after his nap. He enjoyed that. P and Brandon got the stomach bug last night so hopefully we are all on the mend and will be feeling back to normal by Christmas.

Here are some stats on how Scott is growing...

Weight and Height: unknown (we go for his 2 YO check up next month)

Diaper Size: 5

Pants Size: 18 months still. He can wear some 24 months but typically they are too big and long.

Shirt Size: 2T or 24 months

Shoe Size: 7

PJ's Size: 2T

Sleeping Habits:  He sleeps about 11 hours at night and still takes 2 hour nap after lunch.

Words: He is learning new words all the time and is starting to put two words together.

Activities: He loves to play outside still. It's probably his favorite activity. He also loves to
read books and do puzzles. He also is starting to like coloring and doing sticker art.

Foods: Overall he is still the best eater. He has his days but for the most part he will eat just about anything I give him.

Christmas Quiz

Woohoo for only one week till Christmas!!! :) I found this cute quiz on a blog that I follow and thought it was too fun not to do!

1. How do you wrap your gifts?
I like for my wrapping paper to match and I also like to have a kid friendly wrapping paper design as well. This year we have a mix of brown butcher paper and vintage Mickey. I used washi tape and stamps to decorate those presents wrapped in butcher paper and just fun labels for the others.
*On a side note, I am just about finished with all my wrapping. I have a few big items left that are in our storage unit that will have to wait till Christmas Eve.

2. How do you eat a candy cane?
I'm not a huge fan of them. Typically any that we have in the house are on the tree and the kids get one as a treat every couple of days are so. But if I do have one, I usually eat it bottom first or break it up.

3. How many trees do you put up?
We have 3 up this year. Our big one in the living room, a smaller one in P's bedroom, and another big one outside.

4. If you could only listen to one Christmas song per year, what would it be?
I am loving the WOW Christmas CD from this year. The boys and I jam to it almost everyday in the car. I love The Christmas Song and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. But I am also a fan of The Christmas Bells and Do You Hear What I Hear.

5. Who is the hardest to buy for?
I'd say the hubs is pretty hard to buy for. It takes some serious brainstorming to come up with something that wows and surprises him. P is also getting trickier to buy for as well.

6. What's your favorite Christmas movie?
We have lots in this house. I love Christmas Vacation and Deck the Halls. And for a non traditional choice I love The Family Stone.

7. What's your favorite tradition?
We as a family try to have a few traditions each year that we participate in, but overall I love listening to Christmas music in the car and driving around through the neighborhoods looking at Christmas lights. All three kids love it and seeing their reactions and excitement when we find a greatly decorated house is priceless.

8. What time of ornament do you prefer?
Our tree has a hodge podge from matching themed ornaments to family ornaments over the years to ornaments we've been given as gifts to our Disney ornaments. Its fun to see the whole mix of them on the tree.

9. What do you eat for Christmas dinner?
Typically we eat ham with lots of sides. We try to change it up a little from our Thanksgiving menu but usually its the more traditional dinner.

10. If you could invite one person to your Christmas, who would it be?
This year I'd say our family :) Being 2000+ miles from them all will be tough this year. Thankful for modern technology like Face Time!

11. What do you do with the Christmas cards you receive?
I tape them to the inside of our front door. It is something my mom always did growing up and so that tradition just sort of stuck with me.

Countdown to Christmas Continues

Well folks we are now under 15 days until Christmas... SO exciting!! I love all the wonder that comes with this time of year. And it is finally feeling like winter time around here. Of course, it will probably be in the high 60's the week of Christmas, ha! But on the bright side, at least then the kids can enjoy all their outdoor toys that Santa will be bringing them :)

Today I am sharing some our families traditions when it comes to Christmas. Being in the military, every year seems to throw a different wrench in our plans for Christmas. Some years we have spent it in our own home and some years we have spent it at my parents house in SC. Some years Brandon has been there for all the festivities, some years he has flown in just for a few weeks from wherever he was training, and one year we didn't have him at all. But nonetheless we try to adopt some traditions to call our own and try to keep up with them.

One of my favorite traditions is that we do not put any of the presents out until Christmas morning. I feel it helps keep the spirit of Santa Claus alive. I am so happy that all the kiddos believe even P. I know there isn't too many years left that she will continue to believe. There is just something special about no presents under the tree and then suddenly on Christmas morning everything is out. So much fun!!! It never fails in our house with three kiddos that it always looks like Christmas exploded under the tree :) I love it though... I love seeing their faces when they walk into the living room and see Santa has come!

I love giving gifts. It is one of my love languages. I love how a gift can make a person feel. I love seeing the kids' faces when they open up a gift and its what they have been asking for. Brandon and I had so much fun on a date night back in October picking out the kids' Christmas presents. We spent hours there and it was a blast. I love buying the kids stuff and Christmastime is no exception. I enjoy picking out Brandon's presents too! Some years we haven't done presents for each other so I always try to come up with something great the years we do. I like to up the surprise factor and give gifts he wouldn't think of for himself. I even like picking out the wrapping paper each year and sitting down and wrapping all the presents. It's just fun to me :)

We love decorating for Christmas. Brandon's domain is outside and he always goes above & beyond each year. He is like a kid :) That is the fun part of being in the military, every couple of years we have a new house to decorate. All of us love seeing Christmas lights and other houses decorated. We drive around other neighborhoods with Christmas music playing in the car and look at all the decorated houses. The kids love seeing all the different lights and decorations. Its so much fun!

Everyone in our family likes to read and we have a whole collection of Christmas books that I will get out and we will read a few each night. We have the classics but have added some fun ones to the mix like A Soldier's Night Before Christmas, Mickey Saves Santa and Elmo's 12 Days of Christmas. I also enjoy reading The Christmas Story and The Animals' Christmas Eve. It's important for us all to remember that Christmas is also about the birth of Jesus. We also love watching all the Christmas shows and movies. We look forward to ABC's Family Countdown to Christmas. They show all the favorites over and over again :) We love watching the Christmas classics and of course Charlie Brown.

One of favorite new traditions that we have just started in the past few years is Santa's elves leave all of us new PJ's under the tree on Christmas Eve. We usually go driving around the neighborhood and look at lights and then when we come back the elves have visited and left the PJ's behind. It's so fun and it keeps the spirit alive. It also reminds the kiddos that Santa will be coming soon too!

Love celebrating the Christmas season and partaking in so many fun, joyous celebrations!!!

Meun Plan Monday

Monday: Sonoran Hot Dogs

Tuesday: Spaghetti with salad

Wednesday: Eat out/Fast Food

Thursday: Dirty Rice with Sausage & Lima Beans

Friday: Italian Chicken Bake

Saturday: Eat out

Sunday: Breakfast

On the agenda this week:

PWOC/Bible Study

Preschool

Library Visit

Speech Therapy

Tree Lighting at Post Chapel

Sierra Vista Town Christmas Parade

Happy 1st Week of December!! 

Countdown to Christmas

Hello December!!! Thanksgiving has come and gone. The tree is up and the outside is decked out in lights and decorations galore. I love this time of year! It's just filled with so much joy, wonder and happiness. I am looking forward to all that this month holds! We have so many fun activities coming up that are sure to keep us in the Christmas spirit :) And with only 24 days till Christmas, the days are already flying by!

I feel blessed to have Brandon home with us again this year. This will be the third Christmas in a row that he is home to celebrate with us. And in the ARMY, that is just unheard of. My heart goes to all the families that will be missing their loved one this year. Its incredibly hard any other time of the year, but during the holiday season it is down right rough. I am sad that although we will have our little family complete this holiday season we will be spending it without our extended family. We will miss our South Carolina family and dear friends terribly. Thank goodness for Face Time so Mimi & Papa can "watch" the kiddos open their presents :)

I also can't believe that in just a few short weeks by baby boy will be turning 2!! How did this happen?!?! How did two years fly by this fast already?!?! Cannot wait to celebrate the big day and my sweet little Francis Scott :)

Our big family present this year is to take the kids to San Diego! I am so excited for our family to spend a week there. We have lots planned while we are there including a trip to the San Diego Zoo, Sea World, Balboa Park and of course checking out lots of yummy restaurants and fun, unique shops! It will be a nice break from the desert :) And the best part is that the kids do not know. Its a total surprise. I think we are going to break the news to them on Christmas Eve. So fun!!

I hope to continue a few more of these posts as we continue to countdown to Christmas and share some of my favorite things about this season. I'd like to share our traditions as well. As Henry likes to say, "Is is Christmas time yet?"

Enjoy the season!!!

Happy Thanksgiving 2013

1. "Gratitude can transform common days into Thanksgiving, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings." William Arthur Ward.

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!!

Everyone is up in this house ready to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade :)

Brandon and I are getting ready to prep the turkey.

Life is good!

We miss our family and friends but thankful we have our family of 5 complete today.

The Lord has blessed us and we have much to be thankful for!

Ready for some football, family and lots & lots of yummy food :)

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

Psalm 100:4

Turkey Day Menu

I love the Thanksgiving holiday! I love that it is all about being thankful, being together as a family, and the delicious food. Oh how I love all the food!! I love to cook up a huge meal even when its just our little family. I like having lots of leftovers to eat for days. And I love that the hubs gets in the kitchen and helps me. We typically start in the morning with the plan to eat our meal mid afternoon/supper time. I can just smell all the yumminess now :)

Appetizers:

Since we are eating a latter meal I am going to prep ahead some appetizers the night before so we have lots of snacks to munch on while we await for our meal.

Cream Cheese Sausage Balls

Little BBQ Smoakies

Deviled Eggs

Homemade Dip

Main Course:

This years our menu is a little different. Nothing changes up things more than your husband recently being diagnosed with Celiac's Disease. And since he is my main meal eater this Thanksgiving our menu is completely Gluten Free. It was not an easy task to find GF recipes so I had to substitute a lot of our usual favorite casseroles for some new healthier sides. 

Oven Roasted Turkey

Mashed Potatoes

Stuffing

Sweet Potato Casserole

Crock Pot Carrots

Green Beans

Cornbread Corn Casserole

Pumpkin, Caramel & Pecan Cheesecake

Thankful.

"Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Ephesians 5:20

November has always been a month about being thankful, but truly we should be thankful every month and every day for the big and little things in our lives. God has truly blessed me with more than I could have ever thought possible. I am grateful for so much...

I am thankful for a God who is gracious and that my hope rests in Him. 

I am thankful that because of Him I can live to a standard of GRACE and not perfection.

I am thankful for my parents. They truly are the best I could have ever asked for. 

I am thankful that those said parents turned into the best Mimi and Papa for my kiddos. 

I am thankful for a brother that loves me and will always be there for me.

I am thankful for my husband. God knew what He was doing 12 years ago when we were first introduced. 

I am thankful to be a Mom. I am truly blessed to have 3 precious kids to call my own. 

I am thankful for P because she made me a mom first and taught me what it means to love someone so much.

I am thankful for Henry because he is the perfect mama's boy. 

I am thankful for Scott because he completes our family and showed me that my heart could have so much love. 

I am thankful for the Army. It provides so much for our family beyond just a job for my husband.

I am thankful to be a stay at home mom. It has its moments but I couldn't imagine spending my days any other way. 

I am thankful for friends near and far. They make the days and the memories so much sweeter. 

I am thankful for PWOC. It has been such a blessing to me. I love diving into God's word with my sisters in Christ. I love the sweet time of fellowship. I look forward to it every week. 

I am thankful for MOPS. It is another blessing. The time spent with other mommies is just bliss. We have so much fun together whether we are learning about something or making a craft.

I am thankful for the sweet caregivers that watch the boys at both of these programs. These ladies are such a blessing. Having those few hours to enjoy something that is just for me is a treasure!

I am thankful to have a house on Post. Never thought I would say that but it has been so nice here in AZ. We love all the parks and the community feel and the minutes it takes to get anywhere. 

I am thankful for TriCare. Having great health insurance is not just a blessing but a relief. It has truly covered every penny of all our medical needs. 

I am thankful for Speech Therapy and Henry's therapist. She is patient and calm with him. And I love that she gets him and changes up the lesson to fit his mood that afternoon. 

I am thankful for the many teaches that cross my children's lives. It takes a special person to teach our young people. I am so grateful that my kids have some of the best teachers out there. 

I am thankful for the gift of education. It is a precious commodity that not all get to experience. I am grateful that my kids love to go to school and love to learn. I pray that passion stays with them all their years to come. 

I am thankful my family. I do not have a big family but there is still a whole lot of love there. I am blessed to have wonderful group of people that love me unconditionally. 

I am thankful for my "married" family. They have always made me feel like one of their own from day one. They are another group of amazing people that I feel privileged to be apart of. 

I am thankful to be a runner. I do not do it often enough and no where near being fast or going the distance. But I love that I have the ability. It is blessing each time I can get out there and focus only on my feet hitting the pavement. It has become not only a exercise for the body but for the mind.

I am thankful for books and the gift of reading. Every day I read and its a hobby I have always treasured. I am grateful that P has my gift for reading. 

I am thankful for modern technology. I am grateful for text messages, email and Face Time. It helps the thousands of miles apart from family & friends seem bearable. 

I am thankful for social media. I love that I can keep up with friends and family over Facebook. And I love that I can share and find all kinds of ideas over Pinterest. 

There really is so much more to be thankful for than just this list. I am truly blessed beyond measure! Life and everything in it really is a precious gift that should not be taken for granted :)

Veteran's Day 2013

Happy Veteran's Day!

To the brave men and women who serve our great nation, thank you will never be enough!

So thankful for all our service men and women for their selfless sacrifice!

I am honored to be the wife of a soldier and to have ARMY brats as kids. 

This morning, P and I were privileged to walk in the town's Veteran's Day Parade with the Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona. It was such a humble experience and I loved seeing all the people line the streets in order to support and honor our nation's finest heroes. Brandon and the boys came out to see the parade and was able to take lots of pictures for me. What a great way to start the morning :)

"How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!" -Maya Angelou

A Day at the Zoo

Today, we headed north to Tucson and visited the zoo. We had been just a couple of weeks ago when we participated in their Halloween festival there. But since it was at nighttime, there were no animals out. We knew we wanted to take them back when we could see the animals :) Today was the perfect day! The weather was nice and sunny and a little warm. We all had on shorts which I think it just funny considering we are only a few weeks away from celebrating Thanksgiving. Only in Arizona I say, ha!

We ended up getting a year long membership to the zoo. They give a 20% military discount so we were able to get the membership for a great deal! It only takes around an hour to get there and was well worth the drive. The kiddos loved it! All the animals were out and active. We did one of the big loops and then stopped at the cafe for lunch. Another perk having the membership is you also receive 10% off your purchase at the cafe and at the gift shop. After lunch, we finished up the trail and saw so many animals! Our favorites were the giraffes and the elephants. The giraffes were definitely the most active and friendliest. I was able to catch some great pictures of them. The zoo had a whole herd of elephants and they were very active as well :)

We loved seeing all the animals and will definitely be back soon! It made for a great family fun day :)

The Month of October in Pictures.

Henry as Frankenstein

Boo at the Zoo in Tucson

Henry's class performing their fall songs.

P as a Kitty Cat and Scott as Cat in the Hat. 

At the pumpkin patch in Marana.  

Henry with our Jack O Lantern. 

Riding the Tractor Ride at the pumpkin patch.

Henry decorating his pumpkin at preschool.

Ready for some treats at Boo at the Zoo in Tucson.

Our House decorated for Halloween!

At the pumpkin patch!

What A Fun October!

Wow, the month of October just flew by! We had so much fun! I love this time of year even if it didn't always feel like fall outside :) We soaked up the family time and made lots of memories this month.

• On Columbus day, since P was out of school and Brandon had no work, we went to a fun pumpkin patch outside of Tucson. It was well worth the drive and there was lots for the kiddos to do! We even were able to take a hayride out to the pumpkin patch and select our own pumpkins. We all got to ride the train and Brandon & the kids rode the tractor ride. We saw pig races and played on the playground. We even ate dinner there. It was lots of fun and we all had a blast!

• Brandon went all out again this year with decorating the house for Halloween! :) It looks so good. He is such a creative person and can make idea he has come together. All the neighborhoods were in competition for best decorated house. I might be biased but I feel our house is the best!! Always look forward to next year and seeing what new ideas Brandon comes up with. Its such a fun part of this time of year!

• The MWR here on Post hosted a Haunted Hay Ride & Haunted House along with kid activities and we decided to try it out. We tagged along with friends and let the kiddos dress up in their costumes. For free, it was an alright event. Not too many kid activities and we were not even going to attempt the hayride with them. Brandon & Henry did the Haunted House. I was shocked but Henry was brave and survived it :) They had a kid friendly Halloween movie playing on the jumbo screen which was neat. All in all, not a bad activity. 

• Another night we headed up to the Tucson Zoo for its Halloween event. It was fun! And all the treat stations were a different theme. The line was a little congested but the kids enjoyed it and liked getting candy at each of the stops. The zoo was all lit up with lights and inflatables and music. Once we got through all the treat stations, we ate dinner at their cafe before heading back home. I would love to take them back to the zoo during normal operating hours so we could see all the animals. 

• Henry started his speech therapy this month. He had his initial evaluation at the beginning of the month. It went very well and eased this mama heart. His auditory comprehension and cognition scores were average. The problems he does have with his speech were on the mild to moderate scale. He will be attending therapy once a week for the next several months. Praying for good results!

• Brandon turned the big 3-0 this month!!! We celebrated his birthday with dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings :) And for his present, he picked out a chiminea. We have already used it several times since then! The kids loving roasting marshmallows :)

• We celebrated Halloween with back to back celebrations. The night before Halloween, we attended a Trunk or Treat on Post. It was chilly but the kids loved it and received a ton of candy. Plus, there was a bounce house :) And of course on Halloween night, we trick or treated around our neighborhood. We just did our street and still received more than enough candy! This house has candy galore! ;)

• Henry's class did a Fall Sing-a-long and pumpkin decorating the day of Halloween. It was such a nice treat and we enjoyed getting to see Henry sing with his fellow classmates. It was such a treat! :)

This was such a fun month with lots of family fun activities and precious memories!!! Looking forward to all what it is in store for this family next month!!! 

31 Random Facts About Me

I have never done one of these posts so I thought it would be fun! And since there are 31 days this month, I figured 31 would be a good number to start with. Perhaps, I will do more of these in the future :)

1. I am the youngest of 2. I have a brother who is 3 years older than me.

2. I seriously have the best parents! They have been married for almost 35 years! What an inspiration.

3. We didn't move much when I was a kid but I still ended up going to 4 different elementary schools.

4. I graduated in the top 5% of my high school class and had 10 college credits before I even started college.

5. I had my first job at 15. I worked there for 2 years.

6. I am a Believer. I accepted Jesus as my savior when I was 13 at a Chrysalis Retreat.

7. Growing up I wanted to be a doctor. My dad even nicknamed me "Doc."

8. I've always loved kids. I started babysitting when I was 11.

9. In fact, my second job was a child care giver at a local church daycare/preschool. I worked there for over 2 years.

10. I met my husband when I was 15 but we didn't start dating until after I turned 16.

11. I have an impeccable memory! I can remember events like they were yesterday. I can even remember my dreams. My dad says that Ellis' and elephants don't forget! And its very true.

12. I got my permit when I was 15 and my restricted license just 3 months later. My first car was my dad's Doge Dakota truck.

13. I even had a parking spot my sophomore year of high school :)

14. I had a pet bird named Bob when I was a little girl.

15. I've always loved to read. I cannot not remember reading.

16. For our first dating anniversary, Brandon gave me a promise ring and I bought us two tickets to an Atlanta Braves game.

17. My favorite drink is sweet tea. I could drink it all day long.

18. I also really wanted to be a teacher when I a kid. I played school all the time growing up.

19. I love to shop at Target!

20. My favorite all time show is Gilmore Girls. I own all seven seasons on DVD.

21. Brandon left for Basic Training less than 3 weeks after we got married. We still have the letters we wrote to each other during those months.

22. Our favorite vacation spot is Disney World. I am blessed to have been there 4 times in 3 years. We just love it there!

23. I could eat out every day and night. It can be a bad habit but it just makes me happy.

24. I do love to cook but often find myself in a rut when it comes to meal planning.

25. We have had four different dogs since we have been married.

26. We have also had ten different cars between us plus a motorcycle since our 8+ years of marriage.

27. I love coffee but I do not like to drink it hot even on cold days. I prefer mine iced.

28. I use to take piano lessons. I wish I would have stuck with it.

29. I battled both anorexia and bulimia in my teen years. I prefer never go back to those days.

30. I love to run because I also love to eat :)

31. I have always wanted to be have kids and be a stay at home mom!