Happy Birthday Brody!

I can't believe we're here! I thought of this day once or twice and here it is! Brother, it's your Birthday! Not just any birthday but your 18th Birthday! Congratulations, you survived eighteen years of torture from me, your big sister. I know there were a couple times through out the years that I honestly tried to kill you. But I guess you grew on me because I love you more than you'll ever know!

Once upon a time you were short, loud and really obnoxious. Now you're tall, loud and still obnoxious. But don't let my choice of words fool you. I really do love you! Anyways, I'll avoid making this a long, sentimental, sappy, tear jerker of a blog (as much as I would LOVE to make it just that) and just say... Happy Birthday Brody. I'm Really Proud of You!

Love Always,
Your (little) Big Sister

Where is my Winter Wonderland?

What's this? What's this? I feel like I'm in Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas but instead of stumbling upon a Winter Wonderland, I'm smack dab in the middle of a dry, hot and snow less Christmas Season! What's this? a palm tree with lights? Where are the cute sweaters and adorable pea coats? What happened to snow boots sitting, dripping with water by the front door? What's this? Blow up lawn ornaments of Santa! Where are the children running, laughing and throwing snow balls? In their bulky coats and cute hats with warm mittens to match. What's this? Plastic Christmas Trees  lighting up dark windows that are outlined with fake frost.  What's this? Star Bucks Ornaments....?  Where are the snow flakes cut from paper made right at home and proudly displayed in those windows?

 It's already the Third of December and still there are only a handful of people who are getting into the spirit of Christmas. A few houses on each block have even bothered to celebrate the season with lights. Driving through the housing developments on base is boring. I figured everyone would be setting up lights right after Thanks Giving but I figured wrong and I'm disappointed!

I'm so ready for Christmas to be here, singing the silly songs we learned growing up like "Batman Jingle Bell" and of course the classics like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and I'll be Home for Christmas. I am so excited to walk through the 'man made forest' of the pine trees, searching for the tallest, roundest and fullest tree to take home and decorate! I want my home to smell of cold pine needles, freshly baked sugar cookies and the sweet aroma of hot cocoa. I can't wait to hang out stockings begging to be filled with goodies and surprises from Santa! So badly do I want to show Boston that the snow is white and cold, that you have to bundle up snugly before heading out for a few hours of sledding. He's going to go nuts for hot cocoa, such a warm sweet concoction of chocolaty goodness! Oh Utah, I miss you terribly. I can't wait to see your snow covered mountain tops.

Things I hate being responsible for

-Cleaning the adorable hand and finger prints from the mirror
-Cleaning the Explorer out
-Loading the dish washer
-Removing stains from the carpet (thanks a lot Travis!)
-Squishing spiders
-Saying No when Boston asks for cookies before dinner
-Diaper changing

-Grocery list making

-Head Honcho of on time bill payments
-Returning phone calls

Procrastinate- a

Shoulda.

Coulda.

Woulda...

I Didn't.

Now I Gotta.

"You might as well do it and get it done with because you'll just have to eventually do it anyway."

It's OK

It's ok to sneak a doughnut after your husband leaves for work.

It's ok to let your child cry while you finish folding the laundry.

It's ok to put things in your online shopping cart in hopes of buying it one day.

It's ok to sing "Yo Gaba Gaba" songs with/to your child and on occasion when your child is away, just as long as you are NOT in the company of another adult, esp. an adult who doesn't have any children. ;)

It's ok that you didn't start your 'daily' workout routine at five a.m and that you went in the exact opposite direction by having cake for breakfast.. plus that doughnut before the cake.. make sure you at least wash it down with some milk..

Finally!

8lbs 3oz - 19in long

Happy Birthday Marleigh!

Forever & Always

Life with You, is Heaven.

October 2nd 2009

Here's to the two years we looked forward to that are now behind us.

Here's to the moment we realize that we've put fifty years behind us 

& look forward to the next fifty.

Beauty of September

Today I welcomed with open arms the crisp cold morning of mid September and embraced Nostalgia. A green & yellow leafed tree against a gray sky, the breath of cold air that tickles your throat and floats through the bushes. Too quickly had I forgotten I was in California and not Utah.

Ten minutes later the sky opened up to a brilliant blue, the breeze quieted and suddenly it was 80+ degrees. Bringing me back to the crushing reality that I am not home.

Forever in my Heart

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. 

R.I.P Aunt Babies

Moments to Cherish

It's a quiet evening. The curtains have been drawn, laundry folded, Boston's toys put away and the dish washer is humming softly in the back ground. Boston is playing quietly and content, his tired eyes signaling me that it's almost time to lay him down for bed. Travis is home safe now, finally able to relax and enjoying a foreign film.

These are the moment's I cherish. Nothing out of the ordinary, but completely extraordinary. Funny how everything fits naturally right where it's at. This moment is perfect and I wouldn't change it for the world.

Things are looking Up

It's been a whole week & tomorrow evening, my darling husband will be back home. I plan on pampering the shit out of him. I've done a great job keeping the entire house spotless while he's been away, I've looked up and tested several new recipes that I can't wait to hear his opinion on but most importantly, I've shaved my legs! The rest of this week should be smooth.. like my legs.

Boston wasn't too pleased with one of my new recipes

Family Matters

This weekend, I was blessed with the opportunity to spend time with my husband's aunt, her children, and her grandchildren. It was nothing short of amazing! My newly discovered cousins are great! I only wish they lived closer because these people I would LOVE to spend more time with!

There's Me! Third from the right, holding my pregnant belly!

I can't really say much about them because there is still a lot that I don't know, but from what I experienced today they are so down to earth so funny and kind. I loved how they welcomed me as if I were an old friend & not as a stranger! They really made me feel comfortable in a situation that most people would find to be awkward. I had after all, gone to meet them by myself just me and my son. Unfortunately, as you could see from my previous posts Travis is out doing some training so he was not able to be here.

Good news is, they seemed to love me just as much as I love them. We've already started to make plans for a late Christmas celebration that is traditional for them, in January. I can't wait until Travis gets home so I can tell him all about this day.

My Darling son Boston.

Why do boys Love playing in the dirt?

Add caption

These were taken at the BBQ were we met extended family.

It's O.K

I don't like to focus on the negative, in fact, I'd much rather smile & make good things happen if they aren't happening on their own. But today, well, today is just one of those days. I'm about to vent a little bit, but please, don't take this the wrong way. I am in no way looking for sympathy, or looking for comments to try to fix my problems, I just.... Need to get it out.

Call me a cry baby if you want to. My husband is a U.S Marine, and while we've been married, he has not been deployed. He has however, spent countless hours training. These training exercises have taken him far from home on more than one occasion. Yes I am lucky, Yes I am blessed. I realize this, that our situation could be much, Much worse. But just because he is still within the United States doesn't mean that when he is away, that I don't miss him. He is my husband after all. My soul mate. My best friend. Yes, we knew what we were getting ourselves into when we got married. Yes, we knew what we 'signed up for' when we re-enlisted, but just because we knew what would happen, does that mean that I can not miss my husband when he is away?

It's not always hard. It's not always Lonely. Most days it's easy to be away from him. My son keeps me very busy. He makes me laugh, and smile. Giving me something to look forward to each day. When Travis is away, I'm not always down. That doesn't make me a bad spouse.

Am I happy that he is away? Sometimes, Yes. It's good to have time apart. It gives both of us a chance to truly appreciate one another. To miss each other and all those little things that would typically get on our nerves. I always feel closer to my husband once he gets back. Bottom line? I love my Husband.

Life Hands You Lemons,

Don't make Lemonade, make Southern Sweet Lemon Tea..


2 quarts cold water, divided
2 family size tea bags
1 cup sugar

Place one quart of water in a pan and bring to a boil. Add the tea bags, cover, remove from the heat and let it steep for 10-15 minutes. Remove the tea bags, while water is still hot/warm add the sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Add the additional quart of cold water and stir.Serve the tea over ice. Lemon and/or mint are optional.

While you're drinking your tea, don't think about your troubles, think instead of these quotes. What do they mean to you? How do they apply to your life? What can you take from them?

Oh, my friend, it's not what they take away from you that counts.  It's what you do with what you have left.  ~Hubert Humphrey

Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day.  ~Author Unknown
  
Happiness is an attitude.  We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong.  The amount of work is the same.  ~Francesca Reigler 

If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it.  ~Mary Engelbreit

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.  ~Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere's Fan, 1893

I don't think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.  ~Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl


  

Mmmm!

Tonight mommy insisted we go get kid's meals from Wendy's! I'm not complaining, I love eating apples slices & chicken nuggets, drinking apple juice from a box and I especially love getting new toys!

To Just Drive

Every Monday, when your alarm clock goes off, you open your tired eyes and immediately start praying for the weekend.  Monday goes by slow and so does Tuesday. Wednesday, you keep reminding your self, is hump day, your week is almost over. Thursday goes by even slower but Friday is the worst. Friday's clock seems to sit still. Torturing you, because it knows you have people to see, and lots of things to do. Then the hour comes when you're finally free.

Saturday & Sunday, the two days a week you live for! The two days where you get to do anything you want, when you want, How you want! Like dessert for breakfast, and dinner for lunch & breakfast for dinner!!! If you want to sit in your PJ's all day, that's okay, no one can tell you to go change! I wish I did that this weekend, but instead, we did something even better!


Our weekend started with a birthday dinner, that Friday night and if you have never been to Joe's Crab Shack, I strongly suggest you jump on google to find the closest location! Everything about Joe's is amazing! Something happens when you bring together good food & good friends. Laughter comes easily and smiles are contagious. From the moment you step inside you are plunged into the buzzing atmosphere. Every corner vibrates with energy as people all around chatter happily and eat their meals. To say the least, we really enjoyed our self and the company of our friends. The evening rounded off nicely & it was good to be back home to relax.


Lazy Saturday mornings are my favorite. I just love laying with my Love under the covers, hiding from the sun shine that starts peeking through the blinds. Rolling out of bed sometime after nine o'clock to start our day, we fed Boston cereal, and he fed his cereal to the floor. A decent wipe down of both child and tile (don't worry I didn't use the mop on both of them) and we headed up North to visit family. 


Sunday evening; just the three of us driving back home. We turn on our favorite radio stations to sing the songs we love, crack jokes & just talk. After everything is said and done, the sun sets and our conversation dies down. We are all together, but I'm left alone with my thoughts. This is my favorite part of our trip, I get to reflect on the past two days and thank The Lord for all that I have. That list includes, but is not limited to:  My wonderful husband, who loves spending time with me and our son, loves taking us to visit family, loves being a husband and father, and who works so very hard to give us the life we live. My adorable, healthy son Boston, who never stops making me smile with my eyes and laugh with my heart. My belly with such a precious gift growing, from the lord, always putting me in a daze and making me dream of all her potential. My family, whom love me for all my crazy just as much as I love them for all their crazy. 


I am truly Blessed. Tomorrow is a new day at the start of a new week, with a whole new set of adventures and blessings just waiting to be discovered.

Letter to Boston

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the Plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

My darling son,
I've loved you from the moment I discovered your existence, I love everything about you. I love you so much that I made a promise to you, to your father, myself and to the Lord: I promise I will always be here for you, to love and hold you, guide you and teach you right from wrong. I swear to you that I will support you in every decision you make, encourage you to be yourself and take risks.  I will show you how to love and how to forgive, how to be a team player and how to let go and live.  I can be here for you to fix your problems for now but I promise I will step aside to let you fix them yourself. I will always be here to offer my advice but I promise I will let you make mistakes so that you may learn for yourself the meanings behind them. There will be days when your life is dark and it may feel like no one is on your side, but I promise you son, I am on your side. I will celebrate with you all your accomplishments and great mile stones in life. I will grieve with you when you fall and I will always, always be here to lend you a hand and help you back up again. I Promise.


Forever & Always, 
Mom

Happy Birthday Jocelyn!

Happy Third Birthday Darling Jocelyn! 

You are Very Much Loved! & We are SO Happy to have gotten to spend this Special Day with You!!

Today we drove up North from Oceanside to spend some much needed quality time with our family and to attend our young cousin Jocelyn's Birthday Pool Party. As you can imagine, with all the young kids running around & splashing Travis & Josh played and splashed right along with them! As for Boston & I, we stayed as far away from the splashing as possible! Floating in his little boat, he watched the other kids scream and laugh. It seemed to me that he was just fine with the distance we kept but whenever a particularly large splash made it's way to us, Boston would squeal and reach out to me! 

After the fun and games in the pool, we watched Jocelyn open her presents. She got so many cool things and she was really excited about them all! I was excited about the Cake & Ice Cream, both were delicious by the way! We had a really great time with our family and new friends. I can't wait to see everyone next!

Foreign Language

 Today, Boston & I had a lot of mirror time fun, he was being such a goof! He has been babbling like crazy. I must have a little genius on my hands, apparently he speaks Japanese.
 
I'm so excited for the day he forms actual words & sentences, I can't wait to hear his view on the world and how he thinks things work!

Our Very First!

Family Hike!

Daddy & Boston
Excited for the trail ahead!

A Photo of our Trail
It's kind of a long one!

I found two small scorpions!
Can You Spot 'Em?

A pretty sight;

Clear & Smooth as Glass, if you looked closely you could see the gold flecks shimmering in the sun light!

Peace & Quiet, we stopped to relax in the cool shadow of a large tree. 

While Mommy feeds Bostons Strawberries...

Daddy Carves our Initials in a big Tree!

We had a great time walking on our hike, I can only hope that we get to do things like this more often. 

I love spending time with my little family!

Happy Birthday Travis!!

21!

Happy Birthday my Sweet Husband!

May 16th 2011
Happy Birthday!

Tonight I drove you and your best pal Trenton to Hooters where we had dinner and you two boys had a few drinks! (I'm pregnant with your second child so no drinking for me! besides, I'm the DD!) I know you guys had a lot of fun because you drank freely and laughed loudly! You even played Michael Jackson's Dance on the Wii with the Hooter's Girls!! It was a sight to see! I'm so happy you enjoyed yourself, and I only with that there was more I could have done for you to make this night even more memorable! Happy Birthday once again my love. I'm looking forward to growing older with you!

Weather Permitting

 The Weather had been Terrible for over a week and then Finally we got a break! Feeling restless, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful day & headed out to Old Town, Temecula, California.

We Loved stepping back through time, walking along the crowded street, checking out the little vendors and old time styled shoppes. Here are a few photos that we took of that wonderful day, I hope you enjoy them because we certainly did enjoy making the memories!

Beautifully Decorated!

Checking out all the flavors of Root Beer!

Enjoying my ice cold beverage! MMM!

Shady Cover