Thank You Brooke, Peter, and Benson!

Lets play the game "what's missing in the picture" I'll cheat and tell you, its the PB&B family that's missing. That's Peter, Brooke & Benson to you. Shaun's brother is stationed in Germany with his lovely wife and adorable son, and it stood to reason that they couldn't make to Washington for Christmas. So they did something absolutely wonderful and sent all the nieces and nephews their annual Christmas PJ. Which I so love that they do. Its secretly something that I look forward to every Christmas. So here's to Brooke, Peter, and Benson a Merry Christmas, and wishing you are near to us.

Thank you and Love you

My Family is Awesome

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Sometimes my family takes me by surprised with how cool they can be.

This stars my oldest brother, Jeremy, and his wife. ZuZu is played by his 2nd eldest daughter, and Clarence is played by his wife's dad.

Christmas Giveaway Portrait by mer mag

Who doesn't love a free Giveaway?! What's even cooler about this particular one is it's a Christmas Giveaway Portrait by a fabulous artist. Check out her blog: mer mag for details and see for yourself how fantastic her art is.

Happy Holiday Ecards

Mindy, one of my friends, had this on her blog and I just busted up laughing! Loved it so much I had to do it for mine. Problem is I couldn't decided which one I liked better, so enjoy both and tell me which one you liked. Thanks Mindy!

Hey Baby, Happy Holiday

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Yip Yip Happy Holiday

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Little White House

There was a State Park next to Calloway Gardens that I have been wanting to explore called F.D. Roosevelt Park. Well, along with the park information there was something called the Little White House. I've seen signs posted here and there and was always a little curious about it, but didn't think much of it. So on one of Shaun's cycle breaks we decided to go check it out. Guess what?! It was amazingly informative and pretty cool. I enjoyed it immensely. For those who don't know their history very well, F.D.R was diagnosed with polio in his later years. He founded a retreat in Warm Springs, GA, which is 30 minutes from Columbus, GA. It was finished in 1932 and dubbed the nickname, Little White House. He visited it often for therapeutic purposes, and established a resort, Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation. He used the mineral pool to ease his pains as well as encouraging research into the polio disease at the institute.
The Little White House itself was on 1700 acres of land that was turned over to the state at his death. It was also the last place that F.D.R. was alive, for he passed away while having his portrait drawn. The Unfinished Portrait is still there now. We toured the museum, took a walk around the grounds, and then visited the White House itself. It had me in awe knowing that I walked through rooms that a respectable president of the United States walked through. It was a very neat experience.

This car was made especially for F.D.R. It is completely operated by hand. You don't need to drive with your foot in this one. A very genius idea!Here is the Little White House itself. A VERY modest dwelling for someone as vastly important as the President of the U.S.They didn't allow flash in the building itself, so the picture is horrible, but this is F.D.R. private room, and the room he passed away in.This a statue of F.D.R. overlooking a gorgeous valley! It was written on a plaque that he enjoyed this place so much that he had a permanent BBQ pit put in with some tables so he could eat and enjoy the view often.Here is the beautiful view. You could see forever and not see any towns, or city.

Just beautiful, wish you were here.

4th, in the 4th

I've been tagged to put up the 4th picture in the 4th folder on my computer. Thanks goodness it wasn't something, um....., lets use the word silly. Its just my little boy Ian putting something, as always, in his mouth.

Big Dog

Last week while I was training my students some urban ops and building clearing stuff, the guys from Boston Dynamics and DARPA were using our mock village to show off their Big Dog pack mule prototype to some military VIP's. Check out the Big Dog website or see it on YouTube.

Shaun's B-Day

For his birthday Shaun wanted to go to a State Park that he heard about from some guy at work. After some research we thought it would be another excellent adventure for us to go on. Boy, was it fun. We climbed and explored everywhere! There was a huge variety of soil of many colors and different textures. You had to be there, it was pretty cool. Shaun of course had us going through forbidden areas, trying to be like Lewis and Clark and going where no man has gone before, even though the signs said 'stay on the trail'. I was just as curious as Shaun was, so I didn't heed the warning either. I also loved how Isabel kept copying her daddy by kicking down rock formations, or throwing things down the hill. The video and last couple of pictures is Shaun being a father who likes to teach his kids how to really get to know your outdoors.

Love the way he fell asleep on the way home holding his toes.

(here is some information about Providence Canyon: Providence Canyon, which is sometimes called Georgia's "Little Grand Canyon", is considered to be one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia. Providence Canyon actually is not a purely natural feature — the massive gullies (the deepest being 150 feet) were caused by erosion due to poor farming in the 1800s.)

Couldn't Resist

If you have an older child who is a girl then you might understand.

Redrum, Redrum

I had Ian wear Isabel's old costume, and bought wings for Isabel to be a butterfly. She loved it and had so much fun. She kept giggling when we went out trick-or-treating. Then we all watched the Corpse Bride movie. It was a nice Halloween over all. Loved seeing everyone else's blog with their Halloween pictures. You all looked so great!

I & I

When I was pregnant with Ian one of my concerns was how Isabel and Ian would get along. I worried that Isabel might try to push Ian away and never bond with him. I feel in awe of my children that they have not only proved me wrong, but proved just how wonderful sibling bonds are. Since day one Isabel has loved Ian, watched over him, and even helps him when he is hurt. Ian will reciprocate with the biggest hugs. Just simply seeing Izzy gets him all happy and excited that he immediately runs over and gives her a great big hug. I just love them so much and I am glad I can just throw away my fears of my two only children not forming a close bond.

Our Snazzy Ride

It's been a few months, I know, but the post is finally here on our new snazzy ride. We had to buy it sooner than we wanted to, but the negligent drive that crashed into Shaun bumped us up earlier on our schedule. We had actually planned on buying a Mini Cooper at the beginning of the summer. We just wanted to save up for it, sell the motorcycle, and pay off a bank loan we have. No such luck. Oh, well. We are however thoroughly enjoying this sweet ride. It, for lack of a better phrase, "drives like a dream". I seriously want to pull on my gloves and helmet and drive this baby in the NASCAR races. If you can't tell in the picture this particular Mini is actually a Mini Cooper CLUBMAN S. Think of the old station wagon. That's pretty much the English version of this car. It has a whole extra foot of space then the original Mini, which is plenty of room for my two kids, the groceries, and another person. We love it.

Our New Dog "Sushi" !

"Thou shalt not get run over". The one rule that Chico broke; ultimately banishing him to canine purgatory. Through much study of the occult and scrutiny of the dark arts, Liz and I found a way to bring Chico back to the land of the living. In hindsight, it would have been better if we left him there, for I nearly lost Liz to insanity during the perilous ordeal. His coat is much darker from all the burning ash and whatnot. Also, he seems to have lost his masculinity and is now a girl dog. "Sushi" is the name for which she shall be known.
For reals though, we agreed that it was best for the kids to get another dog since Isabel still talks about Chico. I could have waited a little longer myself. It is a coincidence that our new dog looks like a darker, more sinister version of our old compadre. We support the "Dog Rescue" cause, rather it supports our stance on not wanting to spend a lot of money on an animal. So far, Sushi is great with the kids. Both Isabel and Ian have enjoyed their new friend.

Our Orange Orbs

Figured if everyone else was doing their pumpkin pictures I might as well. We drove up to Calloway Gardens and checked out their pumpkin patch. It was nice, but still missing a key element, which was the cold weather. If I am going to enjoy some fall festivities I'd like to have a brisk breeze blowing to let me know that summer is over. No luck here in the south. That's not to say that we didn't fully enjoy the nice warm weather though.



Here is us enjoying the warm weather. We sat on the beach after pumpkin looking and enjoyed the sun, water, and sand. Ian couldn't resist the water so he walked right in, clothes and all. Shaun figured since he was already wet he'll just swish him around a bit. Ian certainly loved it. It was a very nice evening.

USA Halloween Teaser

I really liked Brooke's idea of doing a Halloween teaser, because how often can a Mom get away with dressing up their kids in the cutest costumes ever!? I am pro video footage lately. I have been feeling like pictures just don't justify enough how cute I think my kids can be.

Clap if you believe..

If you have seen the preview already then you will already have marked October 28th as the day to get your very own copy of Tinkerbell. Izzy and I are super excited to watch it. We even have our own fairies that we made with a little pixie dust. If you don't have a daughter to share in the excitment, I'm sure the boys can be just as excited (somewhat). Regardless, I AM SO EXCITED!

Combatives

This last week, I was a participant in the Army Combatives Level 1 Course that is required for us Cadre. I delayed entry so that my back and neck could heal from the motorcycle accident that I was in a while back.
Most of the week was focused on learning the moves and then practicing them on fellow Cadre. To certify though, we all had to go through the "Punch Drill".
Rules:
1. They punched me in the face and body as hard as they could while I tried to close the gap and achieve the clinch (head buried in the chest with the arms around the body and hands in an opposing thumbless grip).
2. The instructors wore boxing gloves while we got to wear mouthguards. Fair enough.
3. I had to do it four times to certify.
4. I was not allowed to fight back at all. If I fell down, they could keep punching me while on the ground until I got up.

My first time through the drill, I was hit so hard on the side of my face that pain shot from my neck down to my shoulderblade. I took quite a few more punches everywhere else so that I could even out the pain. Instructors rotated punching so that they would be freshly rested before each round. By the time I got to round three, I was losing the battle to a bad headache and could barely face left or right without grimacing. This time I attempted a different approach; rush in and take one or two punches to achieve the clinch sooner instead of trying any kind of strategy. That didn't work at all. I was punched in the face so hard that both feet left the ground and I landed on my back. Everyone was silent. I could see him coming at me to feed me my teeth, I wasn't hungry. I staggered my way back onto my feet. The ref tried to pull me to the side but I refused and insisted that I continue. Everyone then began to cheer me on as I went in for some more. Punch after punch after punch. I was determined. I closed the gap and grabbed him while taking a couple more jabs to the ribs. CLINCH ! I left the mat to a well entertained crowd. High fives. One more round to go. My last bout was against a very tall guy who outweighed me by at least seventy or eighty pounds. That guy could punch.
Tales of my triumph spread amongst fellow Cadre. Now everyone knows that I took the hardest punch, got up for some more, and went on to victory. I am still sore everywhere, but at least I know that the next time I run into someone in a dark alleyway who is wearing boxing gloves and for some reason I only have a mouthguard, I can achieve the clinch.

Looking Old, but Feeling Young

Last Sunday as I was doing my hair I noticed something shiny and white. I was in serious denial and figured it was lint or something. After getting over the initial shock, I looked closer to see my first, not one, but TWO white hairs. I felt so OLD! I had to call Shaun to the bathroom just to verify that I wasn't losing my eyesight as well. He confirmed it. So along with the new wrinkles I've noticed next to my eyes, I have the white hairs to go with them. I am so sad that at 29 I am starting show signs of aging. Oh well.

What a day, and night...

Monday started off normal, but not later. Shaun had the day off and was helping with the kids while I was still trying to shake off this flu I've been having for over a week. We decided to do some errands at Ft. Benning and get Shaun some new sandals. We got home about 6:00, and I was feeling really crummy. Isabel had also been throwing tantrums all day. I laid down to recoup for a little bit, when Shaun came in to tell me that Isabel had told him that she wanted to lay down and as she did she projected vomit all over herself and the bed. He cleaned her off and put her next to me. I myself was feeling nauseated and having hide myself in the bathroom as well. That's when we came to the conclusion that the mac & cheese that Izzy and I had Sunday must have gotten contaminated from sitting out too long. We suspected Food Poisoning. So after throwing up continuously Shaun wrapped us all up and hauled us to the emergency room. They ended up putting an IV in both Izzy and I. Isabel was so brave and did really well. Ian was a riot. He was going nonstop playing and making the cutest noises. Poor Shaun was exhausted. Finally, after the third IV they let us go home at about 2:30 in the morning. We won't know for sure what was going on until I bring a sample back to the lab. We're okay, still sore and hurting, but recuperating nicely.

I love Sundays after church, when we all just relax and be together as a family. The video is just a classic example of what our Sundays are like. There is no sound because the mic on the camera is broken, but as you can see you have Ian sitting all snuggled up with Shaun and Izzy being her silly self, with both of them watching Shaun play a video game, all while I cook the Sunday Spaghetti dinner. It makes me feel all warm and peaceful inside seeing my family together, and really blessed to have them as my own. I just love them so much!

Time for Something Different

As I update myself on other people's blogs, I realize that a lot of you will post ones that have no pictures and just a few paragraphs describing an event or a thought. I really would like to do that more, something that's different and hopefully inspiring to read.
Okay, here's the thing, my life mostly composes around my two kids. So, where do I find the time for some personal reflection? Not very often. Once the kids are in bed Shaun and I sit down for some couple time, watching a movie, or playing a game together on the Xbox. Then, if I don't get to bed right away I'll suffer for it the next day with a headache when the kids are up and need me roaring to go.
I would love to go back to school and relearn all that my little brain has forgotten over the years. Lately my brain feels like mush, I feel like I have a brain of a teenager, like, for real!
Any suggestions on what would be a good course of action on the path to enlightenment? I know that someday I would like to go back to work when the kids are older. I'd like to do something that has the exact same hours and holidays as the kids would have. Something in the Education department, maybe. My dream would be to become a librarian, but we all know how impossible that is nowadays with the way the world is becoming more computerized and less book wise. I heard the librarian and the Physical education departments are one of the first to go if the school is tight on funds. That would be my other dream is to be a PT teacher. Weird I know, unrealistic I know. So that's why I thought of the possibility of being a Speech pathologist. They are in high demand, and I have the years of background experience to relate to the kids.
What are everyone else's thoughts?

Tattoo'd Swine

I am totally putting tattoos on our next dog so his legacy can live on when I frame his hide.

Isabel's Gym Coach

This is Isabel's gymnastic coach. Seriously, the guy is almost a spitting image of James McAvoy with the hot body of a gymnast. I am also not the only one who thinks he is cute. On the way home from her class today I asked Izzy if she liked her coach, just to make sure she was happy.

Her response, "Yes. He is really handsome!"

She said it with such a cute expression on her face, it made me realize how much she has grown up. It could also explain why she does everything he tells her to do, when in the pass she has always been known to do her own thing just like her father.

Washington Trip

I love visiting Washington. I had the fabulous opportunity, courtesy of my Mom, to visit Washington for nearly a month. All the things I wanted to do there I got to do, like Ocean Shores, Seattle, and just hanging out with family. An added bonus was my brother Jacob, and his family coming up for a week as well. Isabel had an absolute blast hanging out with her cousins. She played nonstop every single day! Bedtime had never been easier. She started asking me if it was bedtime yet, she was so tired from playing so hard. I was torn between letting her play to her heart content or holding her back for a bit, especially when she was getting dark circles under her eyes.

Now I don't have all the pictures that I would like to have, for example when I was in Utah for a few weeks, and when I visited the Elton's. My camera finger kept forgetting to take pictures during those times. So what I do have here are just a few of the many other photos that I managed to take during my trip.

Can't be in Washington without enjoying the rain, right?
One of Izzy's cousin Hailey, who she played with, nonstop.

We went to Titlow Beach for a day. It was super hot! Really unusual for Washington. Ian loved the salty taste of the rocks so much, I couldn't keep them out of his mouth.
Grandma Martha loved helping the grand kids dig up the little cute crabs.
We had a BBQ at my sister Sarah's house. This is Emma and Tucker.
I think every single one of Izzy's cousins where like BFF to her.
Isn't Ethan (Sarah's boy) just adorable?

Of course we all got to try out Sarah and Joel's Wii Rockband game. I didn't think I would like it 'cause I wasn't to excited about Guitar Hero (sorry Eric), but I really liked the jammin and feeling like I was in a band.
ROCK ON!
Grandma Martha had a bathtub that was fabulous to take a bath in. Just huge!
Ian's 1st birthday was August 6th, so of course we celebrated with all the family.
We actually combined Ian and Ethan's birthday together since they are only a week apart from each other. I thought it would be so cute to coordinate their outfits, with matching cups, hats, all that fun stuff. I have to say they where so adorable!!




Okay, Mom and I saw these hats and just about died! They where so CUTE! We had to get them, though years from now they will probably think to themselves, "What was Mom and Grandma thinking?"

Ever since our stay in El Paso I just don't feel right doing a birthday party without a pinata. Love them. Sorry, I just do, I mean who doesn't like gathering up lots of candy after the pinata breaks. Oh, and the kids loved it too.
The fabulous trio.
You can't visit Seattle without checking out the Seattle Space Center. Here we are at the Children's museum.

Another gorgeous hot day in Washington. We had to take advantage of it and have a beautiful picnic out by the fountain.

Then it was off to the Dinosaur and Science Center.

Towards the end of the day we relaxed on a ferry ride and then finished off with dinner at Ivar's and the Ole Curiosity Shop.

I loved my trip to Ocean Shores. It was misty, windy and freezing cold! It warmed up after an hour or so. Izzy refused to get in the water. It was way to cold for my little girl who has been in the hot desert for most her life. Ian was another story. He could not get enough of the sand. Every minute I turned around he would grab a handful and shove it in his mouth. I would tell him not to do that and he would just grin, and laugh at me. Poor baby had a poopy diaper the next day and it was mostly sand, his little bum was so red.


Amy, my sister-in-law was chasing her little boy who was running toward me cause he was so cold and sandy.

Izzy got a little bored after a while so I dug out some car seats for her and gave her a "wheel" so she and Emma could pretend to drive. They were in that thing forever. So that's all. I had many more fun and fabulous memories of my trip but not the pictures. But the ones I do have sure help bring back a lot of the great times I had with my family. Thank you all for hanging out with me. It was a blast.