Christmas 2008

Wii Rock

We love Guitar Hero.

Double Digits

WOOO HOOOO! We are down to double digits.Check out the countdown.

We can dance!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Thanks Rebecca!

Concert

Emily had her first concert last night. She did so well,I'm very proud of her. She was in the first row.So we has a good view of her. She said the teacher put her in the front because she has great bow grip. I tried to explain to her about first chair and how that being in the front is a good thing. Sorry the video is so shaky. Mason was sitting in my lap and was not still. That made it hard to take a decent video.If you listen really closely you can hear Mason saying "Sissy".A couple of times he shouted "Hi Sissy" when everyone was quiet. It was cute and embarrassing at the same time. I hope she continues with the violin for years to come.

Violin Virtuoso

Jacob is 9

Happy Birthday to my first born son,who turned 9 years old this past Sunday. Time has gone by so fast. I Love You Jacob!

Birthday wishes

December 1 ,the day I became a mother. I was so excited and afraid at the same time. I never had thoughts of "would I be a good mother" I knew it would come naturally to me.Of course we made some mistakes like letting Emily sleep with us. She didn't sleep in her own bed until she was about 2. So for all you new parents,don't do that.But I wouldn't change a minute of it. I remember crying every time I heard a Christmas song on the radio,knowing I was a mother on Christmas. Today Emily turns 11 years old. And I want to shout for every one to hear. I Love You and I'm so thankful you are my baby girl. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

More leaves

Ah, the leaves of fall. The big kids and I raked up leaves for jumping in. Mason thought it was the best. The pile was only a quarter of all the leaves we raked. The other ones we bagged for pick up. It was fun.

FALL

Halloween

Emily is absent from the Trick or Treat pictures because she went with a friend to Trunk or Treat. Mason had a great time getting his candy. He would say Trick or Treat at the end of peoples drive ways and thank you after receiving his candy. He was not afraid. I had the most fun handing out candy,seeing all the great costumes.

Costumes

Emily the pirate,Me as Poison Ivy,Jacob as Batman and Mason as a spider.

Pumpkin Carving

Dancing

This is Mason's Halloween dance. He is wearing a mismatch of costumes.

The Pumpkin Patch

Last weekend I took the kids to one of the local farms to get some pumpkins. We had a nice time.We went on a hay ride and there was a petting zoo.And of course got our pumpkins.

Cranky Kid

Mason has taken to throwing temper tantrums lately,when he doesn't get his way.I don't know if it terrible twos or new teeth or what. He throws himself on the ground and throws things that are within his reach. Which makes things worse when he ends up hitting himself. I try my best to talk calmly to him or ignore it completely. But I usually give in and give him what he wants. There is only so much fit throwing I can take in one day.

Clever kid

Mason found his own way to get up to the craft table.

discovery

I have discovered a new pet peeve of mine. After visiting the zoo the other day. It drives me nuts when people identify the wrong animals.We were gazing at the porcupine and a lady walks by telling her child"look at the Ocelot" Now remember we are at the porcupine enclosure.For those of you who don't know an ocelot is a cat. I don't know why this bugs me so much. I noticed a lot of people doing this at the zoo.Or when people call apes ,monkeys. I also see it day to day with dog breeds. Sometimes it's an honest mistake other times I just want to shake the person.Do some research people or at least read the plaque on the cage.

Being Green

Here is a good book on living green. I'm currently reading it and finding it very informative. All those questions you had about recycling are in this book. It has everything from electric cars to cleaning products.There's also a list throught the book on ways to save energy and money at the same time. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to take care of earth.Or at least do their small part.

Wow

Have you ever seen such a huge caterpillar?

Zoo

We went to the zoo this morning. It was military appreciation day. We got in for free.I enjoy taking the kids to the zoo. Emily didn't have such a good time. She had a sleepover the night before and was tired and a little cranky. Mason loves to see the monkeys,elephants and giraffes. Those are his favorites.Jacob's favorite is the rino.

Oct.5

Today is my birthday!
Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. You all know who you are.

DIY update

I fixed the leaky gap,but now I have another one. UGG!

Maggie

Boys

My boys and a friend rough housing in the yard.

DIY 2

So, I decided against replacing the shower doors. If I'm handy enough to recaulk the thing. I can fix a leaky gap. I'll let you know how it goes.

DIY

Now that I've finished recaulking my shower,I've discovered that the old caulk was not the cause of the leak.It's the shower doors. UGG! I'm not about to try and replace those things by myself. So next week I'll be calling around for some estimates. If Pete were here I'm sure we could do it by ourselves but me alone,it's not happening.

Parenting

The last post was me just letting off some steam. Being a parent is not easy and sometimes not fun.

Sticky Situation

Anyone have advice on how to deal with troublesome neighbors? I don't even know where to begin. We have a neighbor who has kids around my kids ages. One is 10 and one is 5. The 10 year old is a girl and the 5 year old is a boy. The boy just started to play with Jacob. The girl does not like to play with another neighbor girl and Emily is friends with both. Which makes for jealousy. Emily does her best not to offend either of the girls. And tries to include both girls in play. Three is a crowd as they say. We have already had issues with the parents with the above mentioned kids.
Now this afternoon I get a call from the mother telling me Jacob was not being very nice to her son at the bus stop. She says "it's apparent Jacob no longer wants to be friends with my son" and that"He was good enough to play with a month a go" It all stems from yesterday,her son asked Jacob to play,Jacob was already playing with other kids and said he didn't want to play with her son. Jacob didn't say it in a nice way and I told Jacob not to speak to friends that way. All I can say is kids will be kids and you correct them when they get out of line. But some people think their kids should get their way. As seems to be the case here. I understand kids sometimes do and say things they don't mean. But I don't think they do.

Congrats!

Congratulations Chad and Julie on the birth of your little one.

Brusha Brusha Brusha!

New Neighbor

Look who moved in on our porch.

First day of School

Another school year has begun. The kids didn't give me any trouble waking up. They were excited to get going. They both like their teachers which will make for a smooth year.

The Marine Wife

Give me greatness of heart to see, the difference between duty and his love for me.Give me understanding so that I may know,when duty calls him, he must go.Give me a task to do each day,to fill the time when he’s away.When he’s in a foreign land,keep him safe in your loving hand.And when duty is in the field,please protect him and be his shield.And Lord, when his deployment seems so long,please stay with me and keep me strong.

A Marine Wife has so much to bear, She's everything at once, no one could compare,When God made her, he had perfection in mind, For nowhere on Earth is another of her kind. She leads a life not many would choose, For her job is the hardest in the military to do, She is courageous and strong, one would say made of steel, But way deep down is a heart that can feel. She stands by her husband, so proud and so tall, And waits many night by the phone for a call, She's Mommy and Daddy all rolled into one, She'll never rest easy until her job's done. She sits all alone and in silence she cries, Did I do a good job, is my family alright? But deep in her heart she knows that it's true, God is right beside her helping her through.
Marine Wife


M any would not choose it

A lways faithful

R ight by her husband's side

I n moments of sadness she stands strong

N ever an easy job

E verything at home rests on her shoulders


W aits by the phone for a call

I pray for my husband's safe return

F ears for her husband's safety

E ndures long separations

See you later Alligator

This morning Pete left for deployment. We dropped him off last night and said our goodbyes.Very emotional for us all. Well except for Mason, he is too young. We are all sad but doing well. Please keep us and Pete in your thoughts and prayers.

CONGRATS!

Congratulations to my cousin Lucas and his wife Jen,on the birth of their little bundle of joy.

In the dog house

Mason found Ginger's kennel to be very cozy!

Fast Friends

Mason and Nicholas having fun together.

Smores with the Headleys

Yummy!

The Marine Corp Museum

The Headley's were gracious enough to take us to the Marine Corp Museum, even though they have been there about 100 times. It's a phenomenal museum. We really enjoyed it. Pete said it was like going to a revival. There were defiantly times were we were in awe of all the history.

The Nelson's went a visiting

We are home after a great weekend trip to see the Headley crew. We roasted marshmallows and had smores. The kids played great together, even Maggie got along with their two dogs. I have a lot of pictures to share but I haven't got them from the camera to the computer yet. We have been having computer trouble. As soon as it's straightened out I'll post pictures.

kids riding bikes

Emily is wearing flip flops to ride her bike. Where's the safety patrol?

Spirit Cruise

We celebrated our anniversary by going on a dinner cruise, on the Spirit of Norfolk.It was a beautiful day for it. We cruised down the Elizabeth River for 3 hours. There was dinner and dancing. Although we didn't dance. There was a half dozen roses and champagne on the table for us. We ventured out to the observation deck to see the pod of dolphins swimming by. It was the first time we have celebrated our anniversary, the right way,without the kids.