Christmas Wish List

The countdown is on... 75 days until Christmas!! So close but so far away :) I like to think of it in these terms... only 5 more paydays to go, haha!! Thankfully, we knocked out most of the kiddos Christmas this past weekend. Hooray for us! :) We just need to pick up some stocking stuffers and still decide on a birthday present for Scott. But this post is about my wish list, hehe! I am hoping Santa thinks I've been extra good this year and will have these presents waiting for me under the tree ;)

i love me some running shoes!
 i have logged many of miles on my old pair and could use a new pair.
asics  are my favorite.
they hold up well and fit my feet good. they are pricey but you get what you pay for. 

i think this is just too cute and needs to join my closet.
i love this! perfect for a stay at home mommy like me :)

i desperately need a new case for my iPad mini.
i have heard good things about this apple smart cover.

Catch All Update

Life here has been flying by! Can't believe we've already been here in AZ for two months now! I feel like its been longer just because we've dived in and made our niche here. Everyone is involved and has activities. It makes life better when you have the sense of belonging and that this place feels like our home. Which I guess is a good thing because this family of 5 will be spending much more time here at Fort Huachuca than expected. The slate for jobs & schooling after the MICCC is over in January was published earlier this week and we will be staying here! We both have mixed feelings about it. This place is providing a great career opportunity for Brandon. He will be an instructor for one of the schools here as well as get a Command with one of the MI companies. There's a lot of pluses here and at least we wont have to uproot our lives here and start again (not yet anyways!). It just stinks being so far away from home. We hate living so far away from our family and great friends! It seems like the Army loves having us out on the west coast. Thankfully it is just a 2-3 year assignment with his school time counting. Onward & upward, good news is we do like it here and we will make the best of it!

Peighton is doing well in school and really likes it! Just this past week, she received a "blue ticket" from school meaning she got caught doing something good. Brandon got to go have a special lunch at school with her on Friday. And then she also got Star of the Week for her class! :) Also, she received a free Pizza Hut dinner for reading so many books so far this year. Score for P! She still loves to read and is reading a chapter book every few days. She has passed all her spelling tests for far this year. And she is doing well in math. Over all, this school is year has been great! P has also gotten involved in the local Girl Scouts. She is in the Daisy group and they meed right here on Post twice a month. She is loving it! It's nice for her to have her own activity outside of school :)

Henry started the Part Day Preschool here on Post a few weeks ago! He goes Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. His class is small with only about 10 kids so that's nice. And so far he likes it! They have centers and circle time and they get to play outside each time. It is a good introduction to school and next year he will go more frequently to prepare for Kindergarten. Also, at this doctor visit last month, she recommended speech therapy and TriCare approved his evaluation and his therapy sessions. We got this coming week for his evaluation. I know Henry could use a little help in that department. He does talk and although I understand most of what he says, I also spend everyday with him. So I pray that goes well!

For myself, I am loving being involved in a great bible study through PWOC at the Main Post Chapel. I enjoy the fellowship and they provide watch care for both boys. It is just a wonderful program and we look forward to Tuesdays! I also am involved a local MOPS group (Mothers of Preschoolers) that is at a church in town. We meet twice a month and I enjoy that time as well :)  The boys and I spend the week visiting the local library, playing & eating lunch at McDonald's and of course many park visits. It's been nice making a routine and a niche for ourselves. Although I am an introvert at heart, I still love me some fellowship and the boys just love our park days!

All in all, life is good here. We have our moments even our days. But we are making the best of it all!

Friday's Thoughts...

Life around here has been a blur lately. These past few weeks have been stressful, anxious, sad and tiring. So today instead of dwelling on those feelings, this post is going to be happy and positive and just down right fun. Maybe next week I will post an update on all that has been going on in the Doggette household but for now here are some randoms.

1. October is just a few days away but here in the desert you wouldn't necessarily know it. The day temps still creep into the 80's and when you are 4000 feet above sea level that sun can be brutal but thankfully the nights are getting cooler and as the sun sets you can feel a break in the temperature. And its been windy so even even the 80 degrees is tolerable. I hear it does cool down around Halloween so here is hoping!

2. Speaking of Halloween, this house is in full decorate mode. Its been a good distraction for the hubs to start brainstorming his theme this year and start decorating little by little. We love LOVE the holidays. This is my favorite time of the year.. these next three months are just plain fun and exciting! The kiddos are already for Halloween as well. My aunt bought them adorable costumes from Pottery Barn Kids. They are so stinkin' cute! P is going to be a Kitty Cat, Henry will be Frankenstein and Scott is going to be Cat in the Hat. They will be the best dressed kids in the neighborhood.

3. We have a special "field trip" planned next week with a friend and her little boy to visit a local pumpkin patch. 2 adults + 3 boys + a farm should equal lots of fun. We are making the hour and a half drive to go but it will be worth it! :) Help kick off this month in the right direction.

4. The hubs and I have a date night planned for next weekend. So grateful we found a great babysitter that we trust and that the kids love! She is awesome and make life much easier knowing we have her when we need a break. We are heading to Tuscon which is a little over an hour away but its a huge city with lots of shopping. Our goal that night is to knock out most of our Christmas shopping for the kids. Yes its early but with 3 of them and all 3 of them also having their birthdays around the same time, it makes life easier to stay ahead of the game.

5. I am happy that the fall season has started and all our favorite shows are back on! Helps the week go by when you have good shows to tune into and escape reality ;) We are currently obsessed with the new Fox show Sleepy Hollow. It reminds me a lot of Grimm which is another favorite of ours. We are also hooked on NBC's Revolution and Parenthood, ABC's Castle and Modern Family and of course CBS's CSI. We also routinely watch Duck Dynasty and American Pickers. With 3 kids and a busy schedule, evenings are the only time we really watch TV. Its a nice break for this mama!

6. Football season is in full swing and in this house we love us some football. We love college football and the NFL. Our favorite is South Caroline Gamecocks and we love the SEC. We are big fans of Peyton Manning and thus follow the Denver Broncos. Weekends are so much more fun when there is great football on!

Well that about sums it up for now. Hopefully I will be able to update next week and share some good news as well!

Remembering Grandaddy

On Sunday morning, Heaven gained another angel and we lost a very loved man here on Earth. Grandaddy passed away. We knew this was coming but it does not make the hurt any less painful. We take peace in knowing that he truly is in a better place and he is no longer in any type of pain and he is free of illness. I look forward to the day when I will see him again! Grandaddy was such a sweet, wonderful person. He always made me feel like a part of the family since the first day I met him. I am grateful for the 12 plus years he was in my life. He was very much like my own grandfather. I am thankful that he was such a driving force in my husband's life and honestly made him the man he is today. Grandaddy has always been there for us through our dating years into our married life. He loved us and he loved our kids. I have so many fond memories of him being on the floor playing with each of them and plenty of memories of him holding them. He loved his kids, his grand kids and his great grand kids; and I always knew that about him. He will be greatly missed and it will be tough not having him here with us!

 

And here is his obituary. Grandaddy was a truly blessed man who was loved very much!

Clatis Doggette SUMMERVILLE - Clatis Doggette, 77, of Summerville, husband of Judie Doggette, passed away Sunday, September 22, 2013, at The Village at Summerville. Family and friends are invited to attend his visitation this evening from 6 to 8 o'clock at James A. Dyal Funeral Home. Funeral service will be held Tuesday, September 24, 2013 at 10 o'clock at Deer Park Baptist Church, 8875 University Blvd., North Charleston, SC 29406. Entombment will follow at Carolina Memorial Park, 7113 Rivers Avenue, North Charleston, SC 29406. Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to The Village at Summerville, 201 W. 9th North Street, Summerville, SC 29483. Mr. Doggette was born November 6, 1935 in Silas, AL, son of the late Robert Clyde Doggette and Catherine E. Doggette. He retired after twenty one years of service in the United States Air Force. He also retired from DuPont as a Mechanical Technician after twenty years of service. He was an active member of Deer Park Baptist Church. Survivors include his wife Judie; one son and one daughter, Lance Doggette (Christine) of Hillsville, VA and Brenda Greene (Anthony) of Summerville; five grandchildren, Natasha Foster (Donnie) of Goose Creek, Brandon Doggette (Meredith) of Arizona, Rachel Doggette of Warrenton, NC, Wesley Greene (Angela) of Adams Run and Wade Greene (Leslie Wiseman) of Moncks Corner; ten great-grandchildren, Lana Foster, Jena Foster, Peighton Doggette, Henry Doggette, Scott Doggette, Vaiden Poythress, Lyndian Poythress, Seabrook Greene, AJ Rehberg and Savannah Rehberg; and one sister and one brother, Carolyn Dawsey of Mt. Pleasant, and Winston Doggette of Georgetown. 

Kiddos Update

Yesterday, all 3 kids had a physical/well check up. CYSS here at Fort Huachuca requires them when you register your children. When I called and scheduled the appointments, there were available appointments back to back so I took it. Not sure if taking all 3 at the same time was a wise decision but we survived it! All 3 had to get one shot each :/ Thankfully, they all took it well. P is all up to date on shots until she is 11. Unfortunately, Henry will have to get all his booster shots for school at his 4 year old check up in February. And Scott received his second dose of Hep A so he is all up to date for awhile as well. Here are their current stats.

Peighton:

weight = 45 pounds (32%)
height= 44 3/4 inches (14%)

Henry:

weight= 40 pounds (90%)
height= 42.5 inches (99%)

Scott:

weight= 28.9 pounds (74%)
heights= 33.5 inches (40%)
head= 19 1/4 inches (67%)

We will be going back in January and February for P's 7 YO check up and Henry's 4 YO. Thankful for healthy, thriving, growing kiddos! One lucky mama here :)

Words

Labor Day Weekend

We spent the unofficial last weekend of summer doing what we have enjoyed most this summer... CAMPING!! :) We traveled about 30 miles up the road to Kartchner Caverns in Benson, AZ. This place was amazing!! Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any pictures inside the cave but take my word for it that it was a very neat experience. I highly recommend checking it out if you are ever in these parts of the country. All the kids enjoyed it! Scott had a rough time not being able to touch anything :/ The weather during the day was very hot but luckily once the sun started setting, it cooled off some and there always seemed to be a breeze. We headed up there on Friday afternoon after school and work. Saturday morning we had our scheduled cave tour. We did lots of exploring around the campsite and at the discovery center. We had lunch on Saturday at the local cafe. It was very yummy! The rhubarb pie was delicious :) Sunday morning we broke down camp and headed back home. The rest of our weekend was nice and quiet and Monday we spent the day off accomplishing errands and enjoying the time together! Now only if the unofficial end of summer meant cooler temperatures, ha! :)