The Read Scoop

2011-06-06T01:26:00.002-05:00

Where does the time go? It's been over a year since I have posted anything.

Darn Facebook!!!

Well for anybody who is following this...which I am sure is nobody...

It is June and summer has just started for the kids. They are excited to swim and

stay up late all summer long.

Sierra finished 3rd grade, Sydney finished Kindergarten, and Billy and Sophia finished a year

of preschool.

Their aunt, who moved by us this year, just got 2 kittens and they love going over their to play.

I have forbidden anymore animals in the house. Guinea Pigs and fish are enough for now:)

I just recently finished my first Half Marathon in May...but anybody who is anybody with me knows that from my FB page. Go look at that.

Jason is working hard as usual, and is not looking forward to deploying...hopefully he won't have to. He would be much happier. We are celebrating our 10th anniversary this month!

Yeah for us...he has hit the gym in anticipation for the beach. He's lookin' good!

Cousin Marli

2010-05-25T09:15:00.003-05:00

The kids got to spend 2 weeks with their cousin Marli. She came out with grandma for a visit.

We Say Goodbye

2010-02-22T20:38:00.003-06:00

We knew this time would come...we said goodbye to our friends, the Aylstock's. With one last hurrah at Miyori's, our favorite sushi bar that we frequented close to Fort Rucker.

They head home to California and we still have 4 more months. The ironic part is that

we started flight school at the same time. Unfortunately Jason had to choose the manlier and more high tech aircraft to fly, so his training is longer, plus apaches have guns, which means gunnery training.

So long Aylstocks, enjoy your In'n'Out and living with your parents!

At Miyori's celebrating Chris's graduation

I (heart) Miyori's

Us with Holly & Chris in Enterprise, AL

Christmas Morning

2010-01-30T11:49:00.003-06:00

The kids learned that Santa Claus loves Sprite, just like them!

Sprite is the new milk!

My little super heroes.

Not to brag or anything, but I made all my kids these super hero capes for Christmas.

Our nativity cast. We were excited to have a big enough family this year plus extra friends and family to perform the nativity. It was quite the spectacle.

My boy, The Klingon

2010-01-26T15:27:00.002-06:00

Billy was supposed to be sleeping, but like every night, was messing around instead and smacked into something on his bed. We are now thinking he is part of the Star Trek cast.

If I new Klingon I would make a funny joke, but I'm not that dorky so...

It's hard to tell how swollen his head is, but it was soooo big.

Poor Billy! Go to sleep!

Trisha's Marvelous Birthday!

2009-09-11T14:41:00.002-05:00

We ate at our favorite sushi place out here, Miyori's. Thanks to my mom's gift!

They sang Happy Birthday in Japanese and banged on the big drum and brought us a pineapple boat with a candle.

This is the awesome cake that my friend Holly made for me.

Me and my buddy Mindy, and Jaxon

Happy 5th Birthday Sydney!

2009-09-07T21:35:00.002-05:00

I was so excited to have a party for Sydney this year. We have never had a nice party for

her and since she is in school this year and actually has her own friends, I had been planning this for the past month. She wanted a BUTTERFLY party and there was so much to buy and do.

We had a blast and has been counting down the days since the 1st of September.

Being 5 seems to be a rite of passage for her. She can do anything now because she is 5.

I came home with her gifts the other day and I made her go hide in her room. I put the gifts in my room and went to the kitchen. She had come out and I noticed she was gone and a couple minutes later she comes running out of my room and screams that she knows what she is getting for her birthday. So I had to return what I got her and and get her something different so she would be surprised.

She has been asking me to call her birthday girl for the past 3 days. "Mom, say goodnight birthday girl." "Don't call me Sydney, call me Birthday Girl!"

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Happy 2nd Birthday Sophie!

2009-08-18T09:25:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was Sophie's 2nd birthday and I can't believe she's all grown up!

Happy Birthday Pilot Stud!

2009-08-12T13:36:00.003-05:00

Jason had a good mellow birthday, which is what he wanted. He doesn't like getting old, and he doesn't take it very well. He and I went out to eat at a great sushi place we found here and then on Sunday we had cupcakes and some friends over to play games. Sierra made him a present of these little bottlecaps that she likes to decorate and she wrapped it in a pink toy bag, but didn't want him to have pink so she wrapped a baby doll's blue shirt around it. I wish I had taken a picture. It was so funny.

One thing I do notice about Jason getting older is his ability to loosen up more as you will notice in these pictures, he is actually smiling. He normally makes a funny face, but these have his natural smile! I love it!

First Day of School

2009-08-09T14:15:00.003-05:00

Here are some tidbits of what the girls told me about their first day of school.

Sydney started Pre-K (since she missed the kindergarten cutoff by a week) and Sierra started 2nd grade.

Sydney's First Day:

*Did you sit by Layla on the bus?

No, I sat by this girl who fell asleep and then when we turned left she fell on me.

*You are only supposed to bring one snack and I’m glad you only put one snack in my backpack because I didn’t break the rule.

*You can’t have juice box because it gets sticky and all the flies come in.

*We getted to play and I was trying to do on the monkey bars.

*I wasn’t shy and I like my teacher. I was being quiet because she was writing something at my school. And we learned about no hopping in school, hop outside and scream outside.

*Layla got a bug in her hair and it dropped down and it was dead and she didn’t want me to tell the teacher. It was black and dead. It climbed up on her and stuck there and then was dead cuz it’s legs got all twist. Only I saw it every minute so I said, “Layla there’s a bug on your hair”, the teacher was teaching about NO SCREAMING.

Sierra's First Day:

*When we went to PE I was running around the cones and I went really, really fast because my shoes were like these type of things that make your feet more stronger and it tightens your feet and makes you go fast. And when I was done I wasn’t hot, my arms felt good, my legs felt really wiggly and I felt really good.

*I made up a new friend named…Aleena. She is really nice, and she’s in my class and she sits at a different table. She sits across my table.

*When I went to school, it’s like a really big school and it has 2 big buildings that belong to itself.

*I went on a tour and saw all the rooms in the whole school and the school is really big. When we went on the playground, one part was closed cuz there was 4 huge piles of wood chips. The swings felt more good than the swings at my other school, because it had a bar for a seat. But we only had one minute for recess and all I did was start swinging and then it was over.

*At rug time we sat in a big circle and played a game to get to know everybody and we had to answer questions like what is something exciting that happened to you. I told them I like to go to Atticus’s house and play the Wii and the Xbox360.

*I like my teacher because she teaches me a lot of stuff and she’s really nice and if you raise your hand she’ll pick on you.

Things in Common

2009-08-06T20:41:00.002-05:00

What do all these things have in common?

A Jar of Spaghetti Sauce

A bottle of shampoo

A poopy diaper

Make-up

Mashed potatoes

A cup of apple juice

Give UP?

They are all things that Sophia has dumped out and played in today!

Welcome to my life!

Sierra's 7th Birthday!!

2009-07-04T11:43:00.006-05:00

We celebrated Sierra's 7th birthday last Saturday on the 27th. Our friends Holly and Chris and their 1 year old Madalyn spent the whole day following us around to all our festive activities. We all went out to breakfast in the late morning, then took Sierra to Barnes and Noble to pick out her favorite thing there. She came home with a Capsters book to decorate bottle caps and a book about horses!

We then headed home and took naps, woke up and took the kids bowling for the first time ever! It was a lot of fun. Sydney beat Sierra by 2 points and I beat everyone by a long shot. Ha!

For dinner we headed to a mexican restaurant and by the time we were done it was even too late to have cake so we saved it for the next day and spread her birthday out over 2 days!

Mommy's Wall of Love

2009-06-30T00:35:00.003-05:00

I came home from a girls night out, and the kids were in the office doing something sneaky! They finally told me to come in and this is what they made for me. A Wall of Love!

They colored pictures, wrote letters, made things out of paper and taped it all on the wall to show me how much they love me. I love my kids!

Sierra Receives an Award

2009-06-13T17:37:00.003-05:00

Sierra was selected out of her whole class to be awarded The Citizenship Award! Way to go Sierra!

MY LIFE

2009-06-06T21:26:00.006-05:00

My life with Sophie...consists of cleaning up a gallon of grape juice which she spilled all over the kitchen because SHE enjoys climbing on the counter. It consists of chasing her little bare butt around the house trying to put a diaper on her, only to end up watching her climb on the toilet herself and go tinkles! It consists of me tiptoeing around a big, muddy puddle and then turning around to see her drudge right through the middle of it, shoes and all. It consists of walking into my room to see her with my hot pink nail polish painted all around her mouth and eyes:) It also consists of finding her in my purse for the 100th time eating all my gum. Needless to say I am always on my toes and constantly laughing at the cute way she reacts to each adventure she pursues! If Sophie could be a topping on ice-cream, she would be messy chocolate sauce!
My life with Billy...consists of hugs, snails and puppy dog tails! He is a hugging machine and can be so sweet, and then the next minute he is walking around the house with a strange pet that looks like a type of Beetle, calling him Tommy. It consists of watching him pick up any bug, snail, ant, or spider. And it also consists of the word STOP, stop hurting the dog, stop pulling the dogs tail, stop laying on the dog, stop wrestling the dog. It consists of the easiest potty training endeavor known to man (way to go Billy), along with hearing all day long, "Your stupid, your poopoo!" Needless to say I laugh my head off watching what he will do next and wondering what goes through his mind! If Billy could be a topping on ice-cream, he would be gummy bears!
My life with Sydney...is never dull or mundane. She keeps me in line and protects our family from anything bad; spiders, dogs, other people. With her, my life is patterned. She helps with the dishes, but hates picking up her room. She helps with the dog, but hates picking up her room. She helps with bringing the toys in when it rains, but hates picking up her room. I hear a lot of whining and complaining all day long mixed with a lot of bossy undertones and intensified wants! My life with her feels as if I am the daughter and she is the mother. With the way she gently and forcefully tells everyone what to do and her constant love of family. She carries those dolls around and gives them all names like they are real to her. No daughter has ever been so dutiful! If Sydney could be a topping on ice-cream, she would be rainbow sprinkles.
My life with Sierra...consists of DRAMA! It consists of unconditional love and a constant willingness to help others. I can see myself through her eyes. With the way she talks back and yells at everyone (do I do that? Never!) to how forgiving she can be. In my life with Sierra I am constantly reminded of how soon I am going to make Jason buy a shot gun to ward off all the guys. My life consists of hearing about who is marriage material and who is secretly flirting with her and listening to why Missy Prissy on the bus just stares at her weird. And lately I have grown to love all the meaningless conversation she gives to me since she is now on summer break. I forgot how wonderful it is to have her home all day long to listen to her explain how things work and why things happen and wondering how many minutes she can talk to me without taking a breath of air! Then there's the drama of what she should wear for the day, and me explaining ten times why she should wear shorts and not pants in 93 degree, 100% humidity:0 If Sierra could be a topping on ice-cream, she would be bananas, chocolate sauce, whip cream, and don't forget the cherry!
My life with a pilot/flight student...amazing, stressful, roller coaster ride. It consists of more love every day, learning patience, and much helicopter vocabulary: collective, throttle, auto rotation, mast bumping, torque, engine failutre, etc.
WELCOME TO MY WORLD!

2009-05-31T17:37:00.004-05:00

For Memorial Day Weekend we took a trip to Atlanta. It started off miserable, but ended up being a lot of fun. Like 20 minutes before we were to leave, something bad happened to Jason's servers and he couldn't fix it. So I had to drive to Atlanta (4 hours) by myself with the kids. It was pouring down rain. Luckily, our friends the Aylstocks, were going with us and they followed behind me. Jason met us up there on Saturday night, which meant I had to take all 4 kids to the really crowded aquarium without him. It was hard to push the stroller around with all the people. It's amazing I didn't lose anybody!

Jason made it just in time for the best part, which was Six Flags over Georgia. Of course, he made us get there the second the park opened, but we were a little late, and he was rushing through ahead of everybody, including his family and friends! We saw a good portion of his "behind" the whole day. He's like a little kid at a theme park. Me, I am like an old lady. My hips hurt, my back hurt and my head hurt after going on one roller coaster. We got thunder and lightning and lots of rain toward the end of the day, so we missed a lot of the rides.

Needless to say, it was a great family trip!

I can now cross Georgia off of my 50 states to visit before I am 50!

Sierra and Madalyn

Jason and the girls on a ride

Sweet Sophia

Our friends Holly & Madaly, Daffy Duck, Bugs, and Sierra

So cute...watching the kids look at the fish

Sweet Trisha, with a view of Holly's baby

Sierra in front of the Georgia Aquarium

Family Day

2009-05-18T18:22:00.002-05:00

This is Jason flying!

The Pilot

2009-05-18T12:46:00.003-05:00

Jason has finally finished his 8 weeks of Primaries. He is officially known by the army as a pilot.

He received good scores on his check ride with a few bumps along the way, but he did better than he thought he would. Now he's onto instruments until July.

We are very proud of him.

We were able to go to one of the airfields for family day and watch him fly. I haven't gotten the pics yet off my camera, but it was amazing and the kids loved watching him.

Our Little Plumber

2009-04-21T22:47:00.003-05:00

Sprite or Not Sprite

2009-04-19T22:11:00.002-05:00

I brought Billy a sippy cup of water tonight for bed. He started telling me all the drinks he likes.

Water, Milk, Orange Juice, Apple Juice, and Sprite.

Then he told me about the water in his cup. I told him it wasn't water it was Sprite.

He says, "No mommy, it's water, there aren't any bubbles. Sprite has bubbles."

What a smarty pants!

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T21:03:00.003-05:00

Our New Family Member

2009-04-05T14:29:00.004-05:00

We have a new addition to our family; he is a 4 month old Sheltie named Shilo.

The kids are ecstatic! Instead of watching tv they chase the dog and take turns being the boss of the dog. We got her from our neighbors who are moving out this week and couldn't take him with them. He is really sweet and loves to jump in our laps and chew on care bears.

I guess we aren't having another baby anytime soon; he's our new baby!

The Inner Workings of Sophie's Mind

2009-03-29T23:04:00.002-05:00

Sophia likes to get into the dishwasher.

Sophia likes to take all the dishes out.

Sophia likes to close the dishwasher door.

Sophia likes to get the dishwasher detergent out.

Sophia likes to turn the dishwasher dial.

Each one of these things she has learned by itself and on different days.

Well today I was doing the dishes, I turn around and lo and behold she has filled

dishwasher with soap (the best she knows how) and is putting the lid back on the bottle.

I wish you could see my memory of it, so you would know how cute and funny it was.

She now knows how to load, empty, and start the dishwasher.

She learned each task, and then finally put it all together.

Happy Birthday Clay!

2009-03-24T19:56:00.004-05:00

We Miss You!

4 Little Birds Sat on My Window

2009-03-17T13:39:00.004-05:00

I woke up one morning and there were all these cardinals on our lawn. I showed the kids and they were so excited. We looked up lots of wild birds on the internet and the sounds that they make. We decided to go and buy a bird feeder. These are our visitors.

The kids sitting on the counter, looking out the window at the birds.

Our first visitor, then she went and told all her friends.

Our second visitor, Cameron the squirrel. She visits our yard all the time.

Cameron hanging by her tail to get the birdseed.

Uh...oh! Cameron the squirrel dropped on to the feeder and is swinging.

Helicopters!

2009-03-13T00:28:00.002-05:00

Sophia's favorite things to point out are helicopters and doggies. She can hear both a mile away.

The cutest thing is how she just learned to say helicopter.

It goes something like this...hede-cotter. I am amazed she can even say that:)

I might also add...that she has now learned to climb out of her crib. This is a hard one for me. She is only 18 months and my other kids never learned to climb out. I knew she would do it, just not so soon. Miss independent!

Crazy kids!

2009-03-04T15:47:00.002-06:00

Sophia's new hiding spot!

Wacky day at Sierra's school!

She loved it. She got to wear whatever

she wanted and mom couldn't say no.

"Can you handle this?"

An Equestrian Prodigy

2009-02-25T21:38:00.006-06:00

Sierra's trainer tells us she is a natural. Sierra told her trainer today that she has been dreaming of doing this her whole life and that she smiles when Majik's main blows in the wind when he trots because it means he is going fast.

I think Sierra is in love with the movie Flicka and she is embracing her inner horse whisperer.

She is doing an awesome job and is a fast learner and it amazes me how she can control such a huge animal at the age of 6!

She's a bad BamaJama from down in Alabama!

~We have an artist in the Family~

2009-02-23T20:15:00.003-06:00

I guess we have an artist in the family. Whether it's Billy or Sophia...I'm not quite sure. Only the future will tell.

President's Day Weekend

2009-02-20T16:24:00.007-06:00

Hey friends and family!

We had a fun weekend down in Florida. My little brother came to visit and he actually is starting to look like a man. He is 27! Sierra had school off and this was Jason's last holiday before he starts flying, so we took a little vacation. How relaxing, you may think to yourself...well actually it was anything but that. At least for me, it was a lot of work. Fitting 7 people into an RV (which is probably one of the larger one's out there) is very claustrophobic! But the more the merrier so we had some friends come down and stay with us. So we actually fit 10 people in the RV! It was fun!

The weather stunk...it was cold and windy, but that didn't stop the kids from playing at the beach and even going in the water. They are crazies!

The kids had fun having slumber parties with my brother, and my brother loved receiving free meals!

Now it's back to school, and cleaning, and trying to figure out what to make for dinner.

So I guess in a way, it was a vacation!

I do have to say...Yeah!!! for Florida, it's the one thing that probably keeps me sane around here, along with my husband who has been validating my feelings a lot lately, and making comments about how hard it is with the kids. He makes me feel really good when he does that.

It's not me...it's our crazy life with 4 young kids!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2009-02-14T12:17:00.004-06:00

I had this awesome idea to dress the kids in Valentine's colors and

make the letters of LOVE for them to hold. This feat was much

more difficult than I imagined. It took me 50 shots and an hour to get

them all aligned. It was mostly Sophia...she ripped her letter, freaked out when

we took it away, etc. We finally gave her a doll to hold, but then

she felt left out. So I tried a piece of candy and that finally worked!

The 2 older girls got all dressed up and went to

a Valentine's Day Dance at the school with their daddy!

Birthday Heaven

2009-02-10T20:19:00.004-06:00

Billy turned 3 in January. He and I went out on a little date, so dad could set up his birthday present. I asked Billy what he wanted for his birthday and he told me Sprite and ice cream.

I was expecting a toy, but all right I can do those things.

So I took him to Wendy's. He got a chocolate frosty and a Sprite.

Let me tell you....HE was in heaven. He didn't even touch the chicken nuggets. He went from the sprite to the frosty, to the sprite to the frosty.

Those are his two favorite things in the world!

Eat your heart out Monkey!

Shopping with Billy

2009-02-09T20:31:00.002-06:00

I LOVE shopping with Billy! When I get to the check out counter and load all my groceries onto the conveyer belt, I always find little surprises that I know I didn't put in the basket.

Some of these things consist of:

Jelly Belly's

Gum

Candy Bars

Hangers

Silly Putty

Toys

Birthday Cards

It all depends on where I go throughout the store, but I will always get a little feeling of joy when I am emptying my basket, wondering what treasures I might find.

My New Maid

2009-02-02T23:17:00.000-06:00

Soooo.....I decided to hire a maid!

I mean, it's really hard keeping the house clean with 4 kids... there's a mess every time I turn around.

I mainly hired him because he's so good lookin' and I love looking at his muscles flex when he vacuums the

rug!

Ode to Sophie

2009-01-28T12:08:00.000-06:00

S-O-P-H-I-A

S: SWEET IN EVERY WAY

O: ON TOP OF EVERYTHING

P: POOPY IS HER FAVORITE WORD

H: HUNGRY, HUNGRY, HUNGRY

I: IRRESISTIBLE

A: ALWAYS MOVING, ALWAYS GOING

Sacrament Moment

2009-01-25T20:53:00.000-06:00

We were late to church today as usual, but today, we were late enough to miss the sacrament.

When we sat down, all the kids wanted some of the fruit snacks that Sydney brought to share with everyone. She told them all that they couldn't have any until after the bread and water.

I thought it was so cute, because that is what I tell them when I bring a snack.

I leaned over and told her it was okay because we were late and we had missed the sacrament.

She proceeded to tell me that it's very bad for us to miss the sacrament.

I got all choked up because she was understanding the importance of taking the sacrament, but then she said, "because now we don't get a drink of water!"

I just started laughing.

Ok, back to the drawing board for mom!

LOST

2009-01-21T21:54:00.000-06:00

Finally, the season premier of LOST is on tonight. For all of you LosT lovers, you know what I am talking about. You know the show that goes nowhere and you don't know what it's about, but it keeps you hooked year after year.

I was trying to narrow my tv shows down to 2 a week, but I just couldn't do it. So I am left with:

LOST

The Office

American Idol

The Bachelor (which I have to watch cuz it's a continuation from the Bachelorette last year, and I mean the guy really does deserve to find love!)

All Aboard The Billy Express

2009-01-19T16:12:00.000-06:00

Billy's Mommy made this cake for him!

Happy 3rd Birthday Morning Monkey

Billy loves trains!

This is what he got for his birthday, which his parents are now starting to

regret as they find pieces

all over the floor.

The Fish's and the Read's

Billy turned 3 and he had a Thomas birthday gathering. I can't believe my little boy is already 3. He'll be going to preschool soon and won't want to cuddle anymore. Here are a few pictures from his birthday. I made this awesome cake for him. All the kids loved it. It took me about 5 hours to make and them 3 minutes to destroy and eat. Sophia even got to it before we sang Happy Birthday. She felt it was her duty to taste before I served it to everyone to make sure it was ok to eat. Sweet Sophia.

I also need to note on this blog that Sierra has betrayed her mother by befriending a cockroach!

I walked into her room last night and she was talking to a cockroach and describing her life to it and explaining how to do things. For 30 min. she talked to the gross thing and wouldn't let me get rid of it. When it moved she chased it all over the room and told it not to leave.

The roaches are getting smarter in their war craft. They are making friends with my children so I won't be able to kill them. I have to admit it's quite smart!

But in the end mommy's one true alliance, the dad, grabbed it and flushed it and Sierra freaked out and cried like it was the end of life as she knows it. But that was easily ratified by looking at pictures of puppy's on google and talking about one day having a dog!

Our little, quaint Christmas

2008-12-30T21:26:00.001-06:00

We returned home from Orlando on the 23rd, which gave me the 24th to get everything ready for Christmas day. Our main gift was Disney World, and we knew the kids would be getting gifts from friends and grandparents, so we decided to buy them each one thing. We hadn't even gotten a Christmas tree yet.

Rewinding a day, the day before we left Orlando, J and I wanted to do something to help the kids feel the Christmas spirit of giving, since we were only playing the whole week before it was Christmas, and believe me there was so much to see and do, we didn't have time to stop for 5 minutes, as soon as we got home we were in bed and asleep.

So the last day we were there we told the kids we would take them to Target and they got to pick out one toy that they wanted, and then we would take it to a child who wasn't getting anything for Christmas. At first I thought it might be hard for them to do and was kind of mean because they are too little to understand, but when we got to the store, I was more hopeful that they could understand the purpose.

Sierra had the hardest time. I knew what she really wanted, so I knew her weakness. I didn't know what toy the other kids were as passionate about as Sierra is about an iDog. Plus there is previous history about one she had and traded at school, a lesson of choice and accountability she learned the hard way.

She got excited about the iDog at Target thinking she would keep it, but then realized she couldn't give it away so she told us all she had to do was pick out something she didn't really want and it would be easy to give away. Then we had to explain if she didn't really want it, then why would another 6 year old girl want it. We wanted her to give another child something that she really wanted for Christmas. We made her get the iDog and Billy picked out a Buzz Lightyear (which he is really into these days) and he was excited about sharing his toy with another little boy. He kept telling me he wanted to share. Sydney was the same way.

Sierra cried and whined and played with the toy all the way to the shelter. But at the last 5 minutes, I think she finally got it and her whole attitude changed and she realized it was something she could be happy and excited about and feel that spirit of. I was so proud of all 4 of my kids who walked in with new toys and laid them by the Christmas tree, to then walk away from them so another child would be blessed with them.

Sydney was a little sad when we left because she thought we were going to the children's homes and she wanted to meet and play with them.

While in Target I followed behind with a separate basket and grabbed each of the toys that they picked out for the shelter. A trick I learned from my mom:)

So come Christmas morning they all though they had given away the one thing they really wanted so they weren't expecting to receive it. Sierra was so excited to learn that she was blessed with something she wanted because she had sacrificed something she had wanted to give a blessing to someone else.

We picked up a Christmas tree on the way home from Orlando and did all our touch up shopping on the 24th and had a simple, fun Christmas. Minus the snow:)

Sierra's News

2008-12-30T21:21:00.000-06:00

Sierra has lost her 4 front teeth. She needs dentures! And the Tooth Fairy is going broke.

She has also finally learned to ride her bike without training wheels. She was tired of being the only kid on the street who had training wheels. We had worked with her for a while so she could ride alone, but something just wasn't right. Before we left for Florida she decided it was time. I found her in the garage taking the training wheels off with a wrench because she was tired of waiting for dad to do it. I didn't think she would accomplish this task. Before I knew it she had them off and was in the street trying to ride. I let her go a couple of times, but she couldn't quite get it. It looked like her seat was a little too high, so I lowered her seat and she took off riding alone. I couldn't believe it! It was amazing.

Our Disney World Chrismtas

2008-12-30T21:10:00.000-06:00

I am really behind in updating our life events.

So much has happened in the last month. Since we now live only 6 hours from Orlando and we get a military discount, we decided to take advantage of a trip to Disney World. We heard it was amazing at Christmas with all the decorations and lights.

So we drove our 5th wheel down there and camped for 7 days. It was an amazing trip.

J and I learned a few lessons:

1. With kids this young, we will never have a vacation, even when we are on a vacation. It was a lot of hard work.

2. We really do have a great little family. As much work as it was, the kids were actually well behaved and enjoyed each other so much.

3. When driving on several buses over 30 minutes, don't ever forget the tickets!

4. Christmas is definitely so commercialized. We heard one person talk about the birth of Jesus.

5. Ariel, The Little Mermaid, is really not worth waiting 2 hours in line to see, I don't care how real the kids think she is!

There were lots of falls, bumps, tired legs, happy faces, laughing giggles, and rocking out in our trailer on our trip. Even Sophie enjoyed it more than we thought she would.

There are too many pictures to post on here, so I will have to send them in an email.

A Nice Lookin' Bird

2008-11-30T23:02:00.001-06:00

This is the wonderful looking turkey that I am so proud of.

It tasted so good!

On Thanksgiving, I was thankful that my husband took the day off from the computer to help me with the kids so I could cook, and that he spend over an hour cleaning up after we enjoyed our dinner!

Sierra pulled out one of her front teeth on Thanksgiving Day.

She wanted to tell the world. She is excited to go back to school to

show everyone.

I feel like an invisible Mom

2008-11-21T08:27:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine sent me this email, and I had an emotional breakdown

as I was reading it. I thought I would share it with you, just in case you feel the same way. It will help you feel better about the tremendous job we do as mothers.

As I sit here posting this blog, no one will see the mess Sophia has made, which I clean up. And the 50 other messes she will make today.

No one will see the many times I am on my knees talking to Heavenly Father about my children and family, and how much pleading and sacrifice will go into building this family of mine.

But to all those who feel this way, as the author of this story says, God sees. And that in itself is

enough comfort for me to quite moping and be proud of what I am accomplishing.

Invisible Mothers

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store.

Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'

Obviously, not.

No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude- but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England... Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'

It was a book on the great cathedrals in Europe...

I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:

'To My Dear Friend, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.

These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.

They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No on will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place.

It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.

The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right.

And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, MOM!

Share this with all the Invisible Moms you know...I just did.

Hope this encourages you when the going gets tough as it sometimes does.

We never know what our finished products will turn out to be because of our perseverance.

Sierra and The Election

2008-11-04T10:41:00.000-06:00

As you know we live on a military installation and with the election today, the mood is more patriotic than most days, but it's always more patriotic than at home.

Sierra's teacher sent a note home last week telling the parents that the first graders would be holding a mock election, and to wear red, white, and blue. Sierra has never once talked about the election or who is running, etc.

So yesterday when she came home from school I thought I'd ask her who she is voting for to see what she would say. Immediately, without hesitation, she yells out Barack Obama!

I just started laughing because I had no idea she knew who the candidates were.

(Shows you how much we talk about it around the kids)

I asked her why she was voting for him...now hold onto your hats...she's voting for him because he promised to get his girls a dog once they reach the White House!!

I was busting up laughing. We then went out for pizza and they had a tv in the restaurant with news about the election and the whole time she was telling me when Obama and McCain were on the tv.

Then for the rest of the night she made up a song which goes:

"Baracka, Baracka, Baracka, Obama"

In all Honesty, I think she just likes saying his name!

Ft. Rucker Chili Cook Off

2008-11-03T09:27:00.000-06:00

On Saturday we went to a fun event on post. They had aircraft to look at and sit in.

There was a chili cookoff and music and bounce houses for the kids.

They had a good time and loved pretending they were flying.

Billy taking a test flight

The kids sitting in a Blackhawk

Apache

Trick or Treat

2008-11-03T09:17:00.000-06:00

Our Halloween consisted of millions of kids and everybody out of candy. The kids got more candy at the Trunk or Treat we went to than on actual Halloween night. But they loved dressing up.

I remember Halloween being so different when I was a kid with makeshift costumes and staying out late. It seems like everyone is done by 7:30pm these days.

Oh...and I couldn't get Billy to keep his Superman costume on. He hit about 5 houses and then realized he could eat his candy, so every time we turned around he was on the ground searching through his bag.

It's Over

2008-10-27T11:35:00.000-05:00

At noon yesterday we heard a "knock, knock" on the door. I was in the back room and then I heard, "daddy, daddy, daddy". The kids were all over him, he couldn't even come in passed the hall. It was a super day. Sophie didn't really understand what was going on. Maybe because her dad was in all his gear, but after a minute she realized who he was.

The Squirrel

2008-10-24T19:30:00.000-05:00

Billy came in and asked me today if I could go get what sounded like the pillow. I had him tell me a million times what he was trying to say but I just didn't understand him.

I asked him if it was in the back yard and he said yes. So I named every toy back there.

Then I told him to go get it so I could see what he was talking about.

So I let him out back in the rain with no shoes and he carefully tip toed up to the squirrel

that lives in our back yard. Then he came running back when it scampered away.

I realized he was saying "squirrel" not "pillow"!

I had to explain that I couldn't catch the squirrel and put him in the house because he was an animal.

He didn't like my answer and started crying and whining because I wouldn't go catch the squirrel

for him. It was quite cute.

One More Week

2008-10-20T15:47:00.001-05:00

While I am enjoying this...

Jason is enjoying this...

Jason loves Taco Bell. Too bad he's stuck eating crickets and grasshoppers for 5 days!

Photos taken courtesy of Sydney Read.

The Cockroaches vs. Me

2008-10-15T20:02:00.000-05:00

So last night I walked into use the bathroom before bed and I freaked when I saw a

gigantinormous cockroach lurking on the toilet seat. I looked at him and said, "You little devil!"

I told him it was war and I was sure I would win with the roach spray. I told him I was going to go

get it. When I tried to spray him he booked it behind the seat to where I couldn't see him unless I got down on my knees and he was hiding in the back of the toilet, but I could see those long antennas moving around just taunting me. I tried to spray him again and I heard him drop making a sound that makes me shiver every time I think about it. He scurried along the wall and granted he's got the speed, but I had the spray! So I sprayed him again and then he started straight for me so I ran out, shut the door and decided not to use the bathroom all night.

So the war continues; Me vs. Them!

The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-11T22:15:00.000-05:00

We found a pumpkin patch here and it was so beautiful. We went with our neighbors to pick pumpkins and sunflowers. The kids (especially Billy) enjoyed the tractor ride to the fields. We missed daddy.

Sierra kept asking me if we could carve the pumpkins when we got home and I told her we were going to wait for daddy to come home to help us. So she asks me if I know how to carve a pumpkin and I said yes.

She then asked me if I like to help people. I told her that I loved helping people. Then she asks me why I don't want to help her carve the pumpkin when we got home.

Billy's Many Faces

2008-10-11T22:09:00.001-05:00

Billy is the clown of the family. Usually our dinner lasts all night because he is making these kinds of faces and the girls are just cracking up at him. He has made up his own language and when you try to ask him a question and he's in this clown around mood he just starts talking jibberish. Army Strong!

Sierra's Dream Comes True

2008-10-11T21:58:00.000-05:00

Sierra is always telling us that she wants us to build a ranch so she can get a horse.

We found a teacher to give her riding lessons and Sierra is in heaven.

The horse that she rides is named Majik and Sierra calls him a "lovely horse".

Special Talents

2008-10-11T21:03:00.000-05:00

Billy likes to line up all his cars and then count them,

"1, 2, 3, 6, 4, 5, 3, 3, 3, 3"

"How many do you have?"

"All of them!"

Sophia's special talent is climbing up on everything.

I found her chillin' drinking her cup.

Welcome to Ft. Rucker

2008-10-11T20:49:00.000-05:00

Just a few things we see here everyday at Ft. Rucker.

1. The main gate where we have to stop and show ID every time we come in.

2. Just passed the main gate is this helicopter on a post. I think it's a Huey.

3. Ted E. Bear, who fashions the latest outerwear. Every so often he'll be wearing something new. This week was "Fire Prevention Week" so he's dressed like a fireman.

4. The speed limit sign. It doesn't seem natural to drive for so long only going 20mph. Jason is always reminding me to slow down. There are some places where it's 25 and 30 and 40mph. But from the gate to our house we mostly can only travel 25mph.

5. The radar! As you can see it's flashing police colors. If it clocks you going over 20mph these red and blue lights go off to let you know you are being unsafe.

These 5 things are in order as we see them driving to our home. So we pass them once or twice a day.

2008-10-08T23:21:00.000-05:00

Dear Dad, while you were out...

Sophia turned 1! We had a little party for her at home. She enjoyed making a mess with her cake.

The Garden Grew

2008-10-08T12:39:00.000-05:00

Dear Dad, while you were out...

your garden grew. One day this watermelon just appeared.

It was hiding outside of the garden fence under a tree.

It looked ripe so we picked it. The kids were amazed.

But it wasn't completely ripe.

The zucchini were bigger than the kids. I heard somewhere

those things grow like half an inch a day.

Good job on the garden dad!

Day 5

2008-10-08T12:27:00.000-05:00

Dear Dad, while you were out...

Billy made a train track with the toy buckets.

Billy really, and honestly fell asleep on his bed like this.

The Swim Lessons

2008-10-08T12:03:00.000-05:00

Dear dad, while you were out...

the girls swam and swam, and swam. We are amazed that Sydney even got into the water, and Sierra's feat was jumping into the pool.

You go girls!

The Writing on the Wall

2008-10-08T11:56:00.001-05:00

Dear Dad, while you were out...your son took a green marker and drew all over the wall. Now I know what you are thinking...why weren't you watching him? But in my defense, he was under the care of Tutu for this one. So ha, ha. Our kids still get into trouble even when I am supposedly "not supervising them enough". I think he was trying to write, "Dad, why have you left me, come back!"

Here's The Scoop

2008-10-08T10:58:00.000-05:00

There is so much to catch you up on. But first may I pat myself on the back

for figuring out this blogging thing. Nevermind that it took days on end.

Thanks to my friend Candace for giving me a push. I've wanted to do it for a while

and since Jason is gone for training for 3 weeks I thought it would be a good time to

figure it out.

Some of you know that Jason was gone for 6 weeks for officer training. There are a few things I need to post that happened while he was gone. This is mostly for him, but I know you will find them amusing also. I made each one into a separate post.