Tales of the Taylor's

Complete Failure...

2010-10-22T07:03:00.003-10:00

BUT, I am going to try again! My last attempt at getting back on the blogosphere was a complete failure. Life has a way of taking up my "free" time, but I do find blogging to be quite therapeutic for me...SOOOOOO, here we go for another go-round!

So much has happened over the course of the last 9 months or so. I am not even going to attempt to catch up with it all. Here are the highlights:

*my Mema passed away from lung cancer in April. I miss her so!!!

*I started working parttime at our church as one of the administrative assistants. Loving it!

*we went on a family vacation in June to Orlando. we hit SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Arabian Nights Dinner show, Downtown Disney, the condo pool, etc. had a blast!

*Allison spent a week on a mission trip in NC with our church in July, Kailyn and Megan spent a week at Operation Purple Camp (for deployed soldiers kids) in July. Boys stayed at "Grand"camp (g-ma and g-pa's house) for that same week...yes, Jason and I had a week to ourselves...too bad we had crazy works schedules and didn't get to enjoy much of it!

*Jason's step-dad passed away from lung cancer in July. Jason was due to deploy in July, but due to his ste-dad's condition, he was allowed to stay on rear-detachment for a few months.

*Kids started school in August. Allison is in 9th (YIKES! I am a mom to a high-schooler!), Kailyn is in 7th, Megan is in 5th, Jonathan in 3rd, and Austin in 1st.

*after being on pins and needles for 3 months, Jason finally deployed in October to catch up with his unit in Iraq. Yes, this is his 3rd tour in the sandbox.

That about sums it up! The kids and I are adjusting to deployment life again. Jason just arrived safely at his destination in Iraq. We just all hope that it goes by as quickly as possible!!! This should definitely be the last deployment that we have to go through. Once he returns from this one, he will only have 2 years until retirement!!! WOOHOO!!!

Here's a new family pic of us just a couple of weeks ago, just before Jason left. See how everyone has grown????? Life is just crazy...but I love it!

M.I.A.

2010-03-20T04:15:00.002-10:00

Yes, I have been MIA for quite a while. There have been so many things going on, AND I found the World of Facebook to be much more interactive! LOL I will try to get my head on straight and get back on the blog again...I promise!

Christmas Parade

2009-12-05T03:53:00.002-10:00

Last night, we watched the Hinesville Christmas Parade. It was a cold and soggy night, but we all had fun. Megan was at her best friends for a bday sleepover, so she missed it with us. We did, however, have a couple of extra kids with us. Our friends boys, Mason and Harrison, came with us to see the parade. It is neat to see a night parade. Growing up in Warner Robins, the christmas parade was in the morning, so the first time we saw a night parade was when we lived here the first time. Such a cool idea to use christmas lights on the floats! Yep, thats me and my honey waiting for the parade to start. The santa hats served as good rain hats! LOL

And here's my 2 big girls. They are getting so big! We had to hear them acting all cool and teenager-ly during the parade. I am getting so old!

Here are the boys very impatiently waiting for the parade. Austin, Mason, Jonathan, and Harrison.

I LOVE THIS ONE OF AUSTIN! Such a cute smile on his face! He really enjoyed the parade. He waved at everyone! I know his arm must have been tired. My last baby is growing up so fast...

Hinesville Christmas Celebration

2009-12-05T03:44:00.002-10:00

Last week, Hinesville had its Downtown Christmas Celebration. They closed down the downtown area and had activities and crafts for the kids, food and snacks, and vendors from area churches and organizations. The kids had a ball. They made santa hats, decorated cookies, had popcorn, hot chocolate, hotdogs, saw santa AND his reindeer, and it was just a great night! Here are real live, GA reindeer. They came from a reindeer farm in north GA. It was so cool to see them...but i always thoght reindeer were bigger than that! LOL

Here's Megan and Austin sitting in Sants's sleigh with the reindeer ready for take-off!

Megan always ready to pose for the camera! She is so goofy!

2009-11-21T13:30:00.001-10:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

October/November Bdays

2009-11-03T14:14:00.005-10:00

In October, Jonathan had his 7th birthday. We just had a little family party for him and I took cupcakes and cookies to his class to share. I forgot to take the camera to school, but here's a few from home:

he got a cool Transformers pinball machine from grandma and grandpa we got him a new bat and ball to practice for baseball season
and we got him a new Transformers skateboard

here he is with his presents. he also got a Indiana Jones PS2 game (that he LOVES!!!) and some giftcards for WalMart. he used his giftcards for some remote control things (a car and a 4 wheeler, i think)

Megan celebrated her 10th birthday yesterday. We had our little family thing on sunday since Jason was going out to the field this week. we went out to eat after church, her choice...Cici's Pizza. UGH! i need to teach her that there are better places to eat!!! LOL anyway, afterwards, she opened presents from grandma and grandpa, and nana and papa. she wanted to save ours until she has ber slumber party on friday.

here she is being goofy!

she got a pretty blue sweater from gma and gpa

a Hannah Montana game from Nana and Papa

and gowgirl boots from Nana and Papa! YAY! she loves them!

cheesing with her little cake
being goofy AGAIN pretending to blow out the candles!

I LOVE MY SLEEPY BABY PICS!!!!!

2009-11-03T14:03:00.004-10:00

Couldn't resist these! Here are the boys and Allison sleeping in our big chair. I bought the chair from a yard sale and we all love it! It is so BIG!!! And parently, its comfy, too! LOL

And here are the boys knocked out in the truck one day. They are just so cute when they are sleeping! Of course, they are cute all the time, but they lose the innocent look as soon as they wake up!!!

Pumpkins

2009-11-03T13:58:00.002-10:00

At the elementary school, the library had a pumpkin decorating contest. The students were to bring in a pumpkin decorated to be a character in their favorite book. Here are the boys creations:
Jonathan's pumpkin was "Captain Underpants" and Austins was the tiger from "10 Apples Up On Top". They turned out so cute! They both got certificates (as did everyone that participated). The turn out was fantastic! There were over 65 pumpkins decorated in the library! These kids have so much creativity! It was great!

Another blog about generic stuff

2009-10-04T12:48:00.003-10:00

Megan and her BFF Lauren had a big photo shoot day this weekend. I think Kailyn was the photographer for the day. All the kids have really played good outside this weekend. I guess with the weather cooling off so that it is not blazing hot, has really helped with that. Here's a few of Megan and Lauren... They are so cute posing together! LOL
BFF's in the back of Jason's truck...what is it about the bed of a pickup that is so much fun for kids??? They ALL love to play in the back!

Here's my baby...uh, I mean my big boy, Austin! He is sure growing up fast! Here he is on sunday getting ready for church. This was his first time wearing a tie. He was so proud of himself. And if you can see his belt buckle...it was one that Jason's dad actually made for him years ago. Jason has worn it, then put it on a small belt for Jonathan, and now Austin is wearing it. Can you get any more sweet than that?

A few weeks ago, Jason went on a open water fishing tournament. It was a free tournament for soldiers. All the boats, captains, fishing gear, bait, and even food was provided. They just had to be there at the crack of dawn and fish all day! He loved it, although he did get a bit sea sick (HAHAHAHAHAHA). He caught a couple of baracudas and a dolphin (fish, not mammal). Here is his baracuda. He reeled it in while the other guy got it in the boat. I think he really had a good time. It is great that there is so much military support here. Its great to be back in the SOUTH!!!

Monday, September 14th...

2009-09-19T02:51:00.002-10:00

now takes the title of the scariest day of my life. I guess it could even roll over to Tuesday, September 15...those were the days that my baby boy, Austin, lay motionless and unresponsive in an ICU bed in the hospital in Savannah. Before I get started on the story, let me say first that he is home and doing fine now. Praise the Lord! Now, for the story...

We noticed on sunday that Austin was not acting quite the way he usually does. He was acting kindda drunk...slurred speech, slow movements, slow responses, staggered walking, etc. We watched him closely all day and decided to take him tot he doc on monday if he had not changed. We had just stopped giving him one medication the friday prior, so I thought that it might be withdrawals from that medicine. On Monday, he had not changed. Still not exactly sure exactly what to do, I decided to take him to school and see if he would "snap out of it". For those of you who know the issues that he has, you know he is very structure oriented, so I thought maybe that would help a bit if it had to do with a bipolar phase. I did stay at the school, volunteering in the library, so I was closeby if the teacher needed me. After a couple of hourse, his teacher brought him to me. She was very concerned about his actions as well. HE just didn't seem to "be there". He has a runny nose and would just sit there kinnda blank with snot dripping down his face.

So, I called Jason. Told him to call the doctor and see if we needed to take him there or to the ER. They said to take him to the ER. We picked up Jason (whose truck had broken down that morning) and headed to the hospital. We were at the ER at lunchtime. Austin walked in to the ER with us, then climbed in Jason's lap. He went pretty limp from there. I took him so Jason could get a drink. After 45 minutes, we got called into the Triage Room. Austin could barely stand to get weighed at that point. The Triage Nurse immediately took us to a Treatment Room and briefed the docs and nurses about what was going on. After getting checked again by the doc, they started an IV, took blood, and sent us down for a CT Scan. By the time all of that was done, Austin could barely talk anymore. He struggled to open his eyes and nod his head for "yes and no".

All of the bloodwork and CT came back negative. The Pediatrician on call saw him, and decided to send him to Memorial Hospital in Savannah for Neurological treatment. (We were freaking out at this point!) We called friends to arrange care for the other kids, and to start a prayer chain for him. I rode in the ambulance with Austin and Jason drove to the hospital. Austin was admitted into the Pediatric ICU at about 7pm. (We are still freaking out) The PICU doc cam ein do check him out. She was fantastic! She said that she thought it was 1 of 2 things going on...either a freak reaction to his medication or a post infection from when he was sick last week. They did more tests, including a Lumbar Puncture to test his spinal fluid. We waited a while longer for those results to come in. They came back normal as well. They decided to start treating as if it was his medicine causing it, so they gave him something to try to counter the effects. Then we waited...

My mom had already gotten on the road headed for Savannah. She arrived a little after 9pm. Our PICU nurse had arranged a room for us to use to rest, change, etc down the hall from the ICU. Sometime after midnight, Jason and I went to nap while my mom sat with Austin. It was so hard to leave that room, but we knew we needed to get a little rest b/c we didn't know what was still going to happen. I think I napped in and out for about 2 1/2 hours, but I know I was back in his room at 3am. Nothing had changed. Still no signs of anything...except his vitals remained normal. The nurse was starting to get quite upset with it too, so he called the doc again and they decided to try another med to counter the effects. I think they administered it around 5am. Just after then, my mom and I walked out to get something to drink and snacks. When we came back into the room about 6am, he was just starting to show signs of waking up! By 7am, he was eating a popsicle! It took him more than a day to completely return, but he did come back to us!

Tuesday afternoon, they moved him out of PICU and into the regular Peds Ward. He stayed there overnight, and we came home Wednesday afternoon. He is back to my active, talkative, nonstop little boy now! Thank you,God! We have already seen his doc again, and are working with medications again. We are going to start one at the time, and go very slowly. Austin even went to school on friday. You would never be able to tell that he was in the hospital if you didn't know it. It is so mazing how quickly kids recover from things!

Thank you to all my wonderful family and friends for your thoughts, prayers, help during this time! You all mean so much to us! We are truly blessed!

Bad Blogger

2009-09-12T03:17:00.004-10:00

Like I said before, I am turning into a bad blogger. We have all settled into normal life and things just don't seem like they are blog-worthy much anymore. That isn't a bad thing, but I will try to do better! Last weekend, we went to TN to visit the in-laws. It was a last minute trip, but it was a good one. Jason really had a good time working with his dad in the Garage-Mahal. I think it was good for both of them. Got me thinking maybe he needs to make a trip some day by himself to spend some time with his dad, just so they can spend time together doing the "man thing" and not have to worry about the rest of us. Anyway, on saturday, we had supper at Misty's (sis-in-law). She has a beautiful house and lots of land and "toys" for the boys to play with.

Here's our trailer parade. We took 2 boat trailers and a bunch of tool cabinets, etc for Jason's dad. We had quite the load on our Suburban...all that PLUS the seats filled with all of us! LOL

The women visiting around the table. (the back of Charlotte's head, Robin, Allison, and me)Kailyn playing with SawyerJason on the 4 wheeler. Of course, now he wants one!And Jonathan wants one too! LOL Look at those legs trying to reach...my short-legged boy! He had so much fun!Jonathan and Sam had a ball riding the 4 wheelers together. Times like this I really wish we lived closer to family so we could spend more time like this together.

Playing catch-up

2009-08-11T07:45:00.005-10:00

Yes, I have been slacking with the blog...I know, I know! But when you feel like you are "home", I guess things just don't seem to be as blog-worthy as they were in Hawaii! LOL Here is my pitiful attempt to play catch-up on the latest happenings...

Jonathan and Austin have decided that they love to cut the grass with Daddy. Here is Jonathan actually DRIVING the lawnmower! Jason will even take him down the road and let him drive occasionally. He thinks he is so big!

Austin does sort-of like to ride on the tractor, too...BUT he has to have his earmuffs! Despite his stone-face, he has to have his turn riding it too!
Jonathan is getting so big...he likes to mow the grass by himself!

During the summer, we went to Splash in the Boro and had a blast! here are my 3 boys in the lazy river. They loved it!

Megan chilling out in the lazy river, too. I think they could have all just stayed in it all day!

Here is everyone on the bridge over the lazy river. I made them all stop so I could take a picture. It was such a fun day!

Kailyn and Jason rode the double-tube slide together. Here they are coming down!

Megan posing, as always!

Austin taking a break on the lawn chair. He was beat by the end of the day.

LOOK! Our first post-Hawaii rainbow! This was just as we were leaving our house, driving down the dirt road. I got so excited and had to take a picture!

The boys have decided that they really like Allison's electric scooter. Jonathan can drive it pretty good, although he does scare me to death on it. That thing really does go fast! I am waiting for him to crash...but so far, so good! Austin can't drive it, but he loves to hang on to his Bubba and ride with him!

Allison was baptized at church on August 2, 2009! Praise the Lord!

Last week, the kids and I went down to St.Mary's to visit Mary Ann and Kami. Both of them are stationed there in Kings Bay. It was a great visit! Here is a picture of us...first one in MANY MANY years!!! Old friends are the BEST!

And yet another lawn mower day...this time with the boys riding on the trailer. Boys and their toys...big boys AND little boys! They are too funny!

The boys first day of school!!!!! I forgot to get a picture of the girls, but they dont care anymore...they are too big for me to document everything! LOL Jonathan was being a big stud-muffin, not showing any fear of the first day! Austin was a little anxious, but has done very well. He seems to like it and only gets a little weepy in the mornings for drop-off! He wants to keep going, so that is GREAT!

Puppy pics

2009-07-11T05:02:00.002-10:00

With all the pictures of the kids, I can't leave out my canine kids! LOL Here are my pups...

Scooby snoozing on the floor...his favorite thing to do his favorite thing! LOL Buddy chillin' inthe living room. Who could resist that face?
He may look sweet, but he can get into some stuff! He is still a pup and likes to find things to chew!

Best buds!

Yes, Scooby thinks he is a person and needs a pillow to be extra comfortable!

My fishermen

2009-07-11T04:58:00.003-10:00

While I was gone to Cincinatti, Jason took the kids to Bass Pro for a kids workshop. They got to do animal identification, learn about all kinds of animals, etc. They really seemed to enjoy it and had to tell me ALL about it when I got back. Here are the boys with there Magazine cover pics...So cute! They are such boys! LOL

July 4th Celebration

2009-07-11T04:28:00.004-10:00

Ft.Stewart had it July 4th Celebration on the 3rd this year. They had all kids of things going on for the whole weekend, but the most of the activities were on the 3rd. There was a carnival, all the inflatable slides/bounce houses you could think of, arts and crafts for the kids, magic and bmx shows (which the boys loved!), free food, free putt-putt, free water sprayground, free pool, free indoor playhouse, free rollerskating, a concert, and fireworks to end the night! It was great! Here are some highlights:

My crew plus 1 (Megan's friend, Hannah) with an old Dale Sr racecar!Allison was so excited b/c she got a whole-in-one!Daddy trying to help Austin with his putting. Allison is hoping for her Prince, but I say she has many more years to go! LOLAustin wanted to ride the turtleMegan and HannahJonathan playing in the spraygroundAustin is a little waterboy! LOL

Kailyn waiting for the boys to get off a bouncehouse. Allison and Kailyn got to go rollerskatingWaiting for the concert to start

My big girls hangin' outTRACE ADKINS!!!

We had a Honky Tonk Badonkadonk time!!!! I could listen to his voice all day! LOL

My goofy girls' new do's

2009-07-11T04:10:00.002-10:00

On thursday this week, I took the girls out for a girls day out with mom. We went to Beaufort, to Margie's (my step-mom) beauty salon to haircuts for everyone. The girls all went first, but then played with the camera while I was in the chair. Here they are goofing off with their new do's...

Megan and AllisonMegan really cheesing it...she only got a little trim...wants to let her hair grow long.
Allison on the phone as always...teenage years...YIKES!
Kailyn got a cut showing off her curls in the back.
Look at all those curls!

NKOTB in Cincinatti

2009-07-11T03:50:00.004-10:00

I know that I have slacked on the blog lately, but I am gonna try to get it updated this weekend. Here is my first installment of updating...my road trip to Cincinatti to see NKOTB!!! WOOHOO!!! On friday June 27th, Jamie, Tonya, Brenda, and I headed out to Cincinatti. We drove the whole way friday afternoon/evening and laughed the whole way! We made it to Covington, KY and stayed in a wonderful Marriott right on the Ohio River. The view of Cincinatti from our hotel was fabulous, and the beds/pillows were heavenly! Of course, the fact that we didn't have to share the bed, wake up with kids or dogs, and could sleep as late as we wanted added to the wonderful-ness of it! LOL

On saturday, we spent some time riding around the area, checking things out. We walked across the suspension bridge that was beside out hotel and just enjoying being "girls" for a while. It wasn't long before we were on our way to the Riverbend Music Center for our concert!The concert was better than I ever imagined. Although it was hot, hot, hot...we enjoyed every minute of it. The dance group Jabawokee opened the show, then Jesse McCartney was on stage. My girls would have gone nuts to see him, but this was a BIG girls trip and they just were not invited! HA It was getting dark as the time came for the New Kids. They came on, and lit up the stage! I mean, that place was rockin'! It was a fantastic show and I screamed and took pictures as fast as I could! We truly had a blast. During the whole trip, we had 3 cameras snapping pictures (except during the concert we only 2, b/c the guards wouldn't let Tonya bring her's in), so we have over 400 pics from the weekend. I wanted to post so many, and i tried narrowing it down, but still decided to just post a slideshow with some of the good ones.

Here are the 4 of us after the concert...we are STILL glowing! LOL And here is the slideshow!

Mr.Buck and Bubba

2009-06-14T14:46:00.004-10:00

Bubba is "Mr.Fix-It"...LOL He is such a stud muffin!

Mr.Buck hanging in the garage. My mom bought this several years ago and has enjoyed playing with it with the grandkids at her house. She finally decided that he needed a new home, so he is now a member of the Taylor Crew! He can sing and dance, and you can even do karaoke with him! The kids LOVE him!

Blackberry pickin'

2009-06-14T14:22:00.003-10:00

Today we went blackberry picking. We got about 5 lbs of blackberries, and I just took my first blackberry cobbler out of the oven. It smells SOOOO good! The kids really got a kick out of picking them. I think we may try blueberry picking later this week or next. A good wholesome family outing!
Aren't my girls "berry" cute??? LOL

And my berry boys, too

Lots of blackberries, but only pick the black ones!

Our blackberry basket filled up!

Sneaky Snakes

2009-06-14T14:15:00.003-10:00

Here's our first snake in our yard, well...minus his head, of course! Jonathan saw it being attacked my a bird and freaked out. Jason wanted to just let it go back into the woods, but I said "NO WAY!" I do not like snakes at all, and I sure won't let one go alive if I see it! LOL

Flying fish!

2009-06-12T04:38:00.004-10:00

The kids are now finishing up with week 1 of summer break. What a week it has been...there has been doctors appoinments every single day for someone, sometimes 2 of them. Other than that, we really haven't done anything besides just play in the pool and have sleepovers. I tell ya, these kids are gonna turn into fishies before the summer is over! LOL They are loving having the pool in the backyard, andI am too! The girls have been swimming for a while, but Jonathan has always been too scared to really swim. He always played in the water in Hawaii, but not really swimming. That has sure changed since we have had the pool. He is now jumping in, going under the water, and even swimming under the water! Here are some pics of Jonathan and Megan having a ball in the pool yesterday...

ready, set... GO!

And here's Jonathan's turn...Talk about an action pic! LOL SPLASH!!!!

Fishing Derby June 2009

2009-06-06T12:51:00.003-10:00

This morning, Ft.Stewart had a kids fishing derby at one of the ponds on post. Jason has been wanting to take the kids so badly, so we took this opportunity to take them. Allison was gone to a bday party, so she missed out on the fun, but everyone else was there. Rick was even here. He came up to visit this weekend. We had a great time. Here are the highlights...

Getting started...Jonathan got the first catch of the day! He literally caught this catfish about 2 minutes after we got to the pond. He squealed "I got one, I got one!" It was soooo cute!
Austin was next to get one. He caught the biggest one! YAY, Austin!
Kailyn was the real fisherman of the day. She baited her own hooks, fished by herself, and even carried her own fish! She caught the most of the day!

Megan had a slow start, and got frustrated with it, but she ended the day on a good note. She caught the last one of the day!

Here is our cooler full of catfish! They even had a station set up where people were cleaning and fileting the fish for you, so that was great! we just had to stand in line and all the work was done for us!
Aaahhhh, the finished product! YUMMY, fresh, fried catfish!

Jason's fender-bender

2009-06-04T00:23:00.002-10:00

So, Jason called me at lunch yesterday. He has been attending soem kind of class this week and has not had time to come home for lunch every day. he called me from the gast station to say that someone backed into him in the parking lot. Of course, I was thinking "Oh great! When it rains, it pours! They screwed up his pay this month, so this just really tops the cake!" Well, he sent me pics, and it is not bad at all. I always thought women were supposed to be the ones that blew things out of proportion...not true! I guess maybe he is just sensitive when it comes to his truck! LOL Anyway here is the damage...not much at all. Just a busted taillight (not even completely busted) and a little scuffed up paint. Here is the girl's truck that backed into him...dented in and even tail pipe bent. I guess it goes to show that they don't make trucks like they used to! Jason's was really barely scuffed and hers was dented pretty good! Anyway, the girl got ticketed and the police report will be ready on friday. We will get an estimate for repairs and file with her insurance, and let Jason fix it. I am so glad that it isn't too bad!

Visiting Nana and Papa May 2009

2009-05-27T08:39:00.003-10:00

For Memorial Day weekend, we went to Tennesee to visit Jason's family. It was nice to go on a real road trip. But, it was very evident that the kids hadn't been on a road trip in quite a while. Within the first 45 minutes, they started with the "are we there yet?" "how much longer?" questions! Needless to say, it was a LONG trip going up. However, the trip back was very easy and everyone did great! Here a a few pics of our trip...

Here is the awesome swingset that Papa built several years back. It was very popular all weekend! Jason even took some notes on it so he can get started building ours this weekend. Yes, even Scooby loved the swingset! Here he is about to take the plunge and slide down the slide. We thought that it was just a fluke at first, but he did it over and over! Such a crazy dog!There he goes!!!!!!
Austin and his beautiful smile! He was so happy to spend time with Papa...he can't wait to see him again. He is already trying to work a deal so that we will "drop him off at Nana and Papa's house". If only it were that easy.....

Jason and I taking some time in the swing, too!

I think it was Kailyn that caught this sweet moment between Austin and Papa.

Jonathan had some quality time on the tractor with Papa. I think Papa was banned from mowing for the weekend, so I think he was happy to have a reason to fire up the tractor! LOL Jonathan had a blast!

Chuggin' along on the tractor

Unpacking...FINALLY!

2009-05-11T14:18:00.002-10:00

Our household goods have finally arrived! YAY!!! They got picked up from our house in Hawaii on March 25, and they arrived here in GA on friday, May 8. They were actually a few days early from expected, so we were (and still are!) extremely happy! LOL Here is the truck bringing our stuff...

I had to take a picture of the truck b/c this will (hopefully) be our last military move. WOW, that seems so crazy, but it is very possible. Only 4 more years to retirement, so we should be here for the remainder of time. Its hard to believe that Jason has been in the Army for almost 16 yrs. That is a LONG way from the initial 4 year enlistment that it was supposed to be! I am so proud of my soldier and all that he has done in his career. He may not think that he has accomplished much, but he has been in a position to touch so many lives in so many different parts of the world. He is truly my hero!

While I was unpacking and putting things away, I came across my old prom dress and my wedding dress. So far, Allison thinks that she wants to wear both of them when the time comes. I am happy with that...it is much cheaper that way! LOL Anyway, I pulled out my prom dress and let her try it on. OMG...this is INSANE!!!!! She is 12 years old, and she fits it almost perfectly! She needs to grow a couple more inches, but otherwise, it fits like a glove. I wore this when I was 17...she is 12! I feel so old.........

the NEW do!

2009-05-05T07:52:00.003-10:00

I have been wanting to do something different with my hair for a while, and I finally did! I went yesterday and got lucky with FANTASTIC hairdresser! Here is my sassy new look!

A quick update

2009-04-29T09:20:00.003-10:00

So, I figured I would just post a quick update. The kids are all in school, except for Austin. We have a meeting with the SPED Director next week, but I dont anticipate him going to school until next school year. Jason has started his in-processing this week. We still dont know what unit he will be assigned to, but the brigade that he is suppose to be going just got back from Iraq in Dec. They are not loking to deploy again until Fall 2010, so we are pretty sure that we will have a good bit of "home" time for a little while.

Austin's 5th bday was April 20th. We had a little party for him already before we left Hawaii, but we couldn't let the day go without a little something. So, here he is posing with his cake. Jason picked up the cake and candle for him and a couple of presents to open...but he forgot to buy a lighter! LOL We told Austin we woul djust have to pretend that the candle was on fire. He was fine with that. We sang Happy Bday to him and then I told him to "blow out the candle". He looked at me like I was crazy and we all busted out laughing! Jason and I took Austin to Build-A-Bear as a special thing for his bday. He got to make his first bear, and he LOVED it! He wanted to buy Batman clothes (of course) for his bear, and then he named it "BatBear"! Here they are all decked out in Batman clothes! So cute!!!

Here is my crazy dog enjoying the sunshine on the back porch...

Our new pool!!! The kids are loving it! My only complaint is that we waited a week and a half before we bought it! LOL

Lotsa house pictures...

2009-04-18T10:15:00.004-10:00

Here is the front of our house!Jason, Megan, and Jonathan planted our first tree in our yard. Now, we can watch it grow for many years!
The entry way. We put up the backpack/coat hanger, and we plan on having an entry table on the other side.

The living room. Check out the FREE sectional we got from the post yard sale. Not the prettiest, but it works until we either find something else or get our household goods delivered.

Looking from the living room...kitchen on left, dining room on right, our bedroom at the end on the right, and garage at the end of the left.

Kitchen view #1

Kitchen view #2

Dining room

Megan's room. Hers is the only bedroom on the front of the house.

Main bathroom...its a jungle in there!

Allison and Kailyn's room

Boys room(all the toys are in the closet! All the bedrooms have walk in closets!)

Master bedroom

Master closet view #1

Master closet view #2 (there is actually another closet in the master bedroom, but I think we will use it for a linen closet, since this one is big enough for all of our stuff...for now!)

Master bath view #1

Master bathtub
Master shower
garage view #1(yes, Jason is already stocking the tool cabinets! LOL)
garage view #2

Easter 2009 slideshow

2009-04-17T06:43:00.002-10:00

Our last Hawaii pics!

2009-04-17T04:56:00.006-10:00

On our last beach outting with the Kopinski's, we went to Ko Olina. We had a blast on the beach...I say on the beach, b/c the water was COLD so there wasn't much swimming action (at least not for me and Jamie!). The men had a ball running the kids around. I am not sure who had more fun, the kids or the dads! LOL Above is our family pic at sunset. I dont remember why Kailyn didn't make it in the picture...she was with us at the beach. Who knows, pre-teens can be so tempermental! LOL Below is Austin ready to go exploring...he said he was a "fish expert"! So silly!This was out last girls night out before we left the island. Jamie, Jennifer, Jessica, Jess, and I went out to Just Tacos in Mililani. It was delicious. Jamie and I shared this enormous strawberry margharita. We couldn't even finish it! LOL *Oh, how I will miss my girls!!!*Here is Jonathan's first time cutting the grass. We had to make sure everything was clean and ready to pass our inspection to clear out of housing. Jason started cutting the grass and Jonathan quickly told him that HE wanted to do it! He is getting sooooo big! Our last McDonalds trip in Hawaii. The kids were thrilled to use the cheesseburger stools and of course, we had to take a pic of the surfboard!

We had a little bday party for Austin at Jamie's right before we left. Nothing major, just some cupcakes and presents. We just didn't want him to miss out on a little party with his best buds! His bday is April 20. My baby is gonna be 5!!!!!!!!!

Striking a pose with his favorite present...a leaf blower. Kindda ironic that he runs from the lawnmowers, weedeaters, and leafblowers everytime he sees someone using them. He can't stand the sound!

My monkey-man!

The boys kicked back in the hotel. They were both watching something on IPOD's. I think Austin was watching Sesame Street, and Jonathan was watching Trick My Truck. They were so cute! Of course, it didn't last long! LOL Trying to get all of our bags ready to check out of the hotel. Gosh, we had a bunch of stuff! We checked 12 bags, carried one bag each on the plane, AND had Scooby with his giant kennel! I am so glad that it is over now!

Our plane getting ready for us to get on! ALOOOOOOHA!
There is Scooby waiting for his turn to board the plane! LOL We watched him get loaded out the window while we waited for our turn to board.
Here's Austin on the plane. He was the only one that really slept at all. He is watching Sesame Street on my IPOD. It is times like this that I am SOOOOOO thankful for modern technology! LOL

Senor Frogs

2009-03-29T09:06:00.005-10:00

is AWESOME!!! We haad so much fun! Last night was our last PNO in Hawaii. We went down to Waikiki with Jamie, Charlie, and Cindy and had supper at Senor Frogs. Talk about a good time! It was so much fun! We got balloon hats, did a conga line, had a couple of tall fruity drinks, and had a blast! What a great last night out with friends...I will miss our good times and my great friends...:(

On our way back to the truck, we came across the King of Waikiki! LOL There are street performers about every 50 feet all the way down the main strip in Waikiki. This guy was great. We had to take a picture with him!

Family, friends, and fun!

2009-03-29T08:45:00.003-10:00

We have friends visiting right now. Cindy and her daughter Izzie are old friends that we met while we were in Germany. They are currently stationed in Texas. They came to visit Hawaii and us before we PCS next month. Here are some highlights of our fun time with them so far...

Megan and Izzie on the Pineapple ExpressMegan and her blue mouth after eating some shave ice in Haleiwa.Waimea Falls The wacky crew that hiked the falls with us.
Me and CindyPosing with the waterfallJonathanJonathan contemplating going in the water...Me and Jason

Me and my honey

the family minus Allison...she was being a tookey

The family with Allison being a tookey

Twilight Tween Night 09'

2009-03-29T07:49:00.002-10:00

Date: Friday March 20th

Time: 6pm-midnight

Where: Chili's and Borders

What: Kailyn's 11th bday/Twilight DVD release party

OMG...what was I thinking??? Jamie and I took Kailyn and Allison and 2 of Kailyn's girlfriends out to eat and to the Twilight dvd release party. Did I mention it was at midnight??? I am way to old to be doing that! Much less being surrounded by all the tweenagers giggling, chatting, giggling, texting, giggling, eating, giggling, drinking, and did I mention the giggling? LOL It was insane! I definitley ended the night completey apologetic for all the craziness that my mom endured with me and my girlfriends! Here is a pic of Jamie and me trying to ease the night with a daquiry...LOL

And here are the girls all decked out in Twilight apparel...yes, Jamie and I did, too!

Our first beach trip of 2009

2009-03-17T11:29:00.002-10:00

coconut tree-climbing

2009-03-16T21:09:00.003-10:00

Daddy's helpers

2009-03-13T12:02:00.002-10:00

Since we are about to move again, we have started cleaning out the house and going through our belongings. About a week ago, Jason started tearing down the swing set. We bought it from someone on Craigslist, so it was not much money, and it was not going to be sturdy enough to move or take apart to sell. So we decided to work out some aggression and tear it down! Here are some pics of the kids helping in the job...

Jonathan giving the saw a try. He wasn't so sure about it vibrating his hand so much! Here is Kailyn bein daddy's right-hand girl! She loves helping with the power tools, too...that's my girl!!! LOL

J0nathan using the drill to unscrew the top boards on the swingset.

rain, rain, and more rain

2009-03-13T11:59:00.001-10:00

The weather here lately has been terrible! It has rained almost everyday for weeks! I am so tired of it. Today is actually a little better than these pis, so I am hopeful that it is slowly getting better. I want to hit the beach before we leave Hawaii!!! Please Mr.Sunshine, show us your rays!!!

Cast free!!!

2009-03-01T09:14:00.001-10:00

Kailyn is now cast FREE! Here is finished product:

Parrot-heads and Fruitcakes

2009-03-01T08:44:00.006-10:00

Last night Jason and I went to see Jimmy Buffett in concert at the Waikiki Shell. We had a blast! The concert was great, and the people-watching was even better! LOL There were some crazy people there...some drunk, some not. And, although there was a wide range of ages of people, I definitely think we were in the minority! There were some crazy old folks!!! Here are some highlights...
Jason and me in our Buffett attire. We both were wearing Margaritaville shirts (although you can't really tell int he pics). Jason's cool shark hat! He got stopped several times at the concert for pictures!

We claimed our spot on the lawn and waited for it to fill up! We got there 1 1/2 hours early and had no problem getting a good spot. And it filled up to the max before all was said and done.

The view of the Shell from our spot!

It has been quite windy for days here in paradise...last night was no exception. The wind blew like crazy all night...I was freezing!

Some of the crazy crowd...check out the lobster hat. And look real close to see the man lying down with the coconut bra on! Too funny!

More crowd...there's the guy and chic with the coconut bras...they were funny. There were lots of coconut bras and bikini's...but I don't know how they didn't freeze, unless it was b/c of the alcohol! LOL

I liked these hats! Love the cheeseburger one!

OOOHHHH! This chic was dressed like I pirate beer-wench. She was by herself, and she made sure she walked around like 50 times so everyone could see her. She even would stand up and pose so people could take pics...she was weird. Don't think I would have gone anywhere like that BY MYSELF! Not sure if she left with anyone, but with all the alcohol consumed, I bet she did!

Here is the Shell all lit up. They changed the colors with the songs. It was really cool. They even had lights that made it look like it was underwater. Very pretty!

Pics of Jimmy!!!!

MAHALO Jimmy for a great concert!!!

Austin's field trip to the Bishop Museum

2009-02-21T21:04:00.004-10:00

On friday, Jason and I went with Austin on a field trip with his class. We went to the Bishop Museum in Kalihi. We have been there before, but they have one building that brings in different exhibits throughout the year. Right now, they have an exhibit for The Cartoon Network's Cartoon Animation. It was really too "old" for the pre-k kids, but they seemed to enjoy most of it. Austin got a little freaked by parts of it b/c it was a bit dark in some areas.

Here's Austin and Jason playing with a game while we waited for the bius to arrive. Austin was so proud to have his daddy at school with him! Austin grinning while we were waiting to board the bus.

All 3 of us on the bis ride to the museum. We were all squished in one bus seat...somehow I don't remember the seats being that small when I was a kid! LOL

Preston, Zeno, Austin, Maddi, and Ethan ready to check out the museum!

Austin and Daddy posing with Scooby Doo! Definitely one of Austin's favorite!

Posing with Fred Flintstone...but I don't think Austin has ever seen The Flintstones! How sad is that????

Inside the Science Building, there was this cool felt/velcro board. Austin thought it was fun playing with it.

Also in the Science Building, is a volcano! Austin was pretty freaked out about it, too...but it is a way cool thing. You can go inside it and see the "lava tubes" and watch it erupt, too. Here it is starting to bubble...

And there she blows!!!!!
We had to go outside when he got freaked by the volcano, so here we are sitting on a bench while he calmed down.
Jason walked around with him for a while until the rest of his class was finished inside the Science Building. Look at them...they even walk the same! Austin is just like his Daddy!
And here is my little man snoozing on the way home! He was sooo tired, but I couldn't resist snapping this pic of my sweet boy!!!!

Kualoa Ranch Movie Tour

2009-02-19T20:15:00.004-10:00

Today, Jason and I went to the Kualoa Ranch for their Movie Site Tour. It was a lot of fun! The bus ride up and down the mountain was insanely rough, but the sites were cool, and it made me realize (AGAIN) that we really do live in paradise! Here are some pics from our day...

My Birthday

2009-02-19T19:19:00.002-10:00

On sunday, I turned 33years old. WOW! The older I get, the more age doesn't metter! LOL Jason let me sleep in a bit, and he and the kids made me breakfast. Here is my yummy bday breakfast! My man is sooo creative! LOL He says it is a Sagitarius thing...who knows, but I love him for it!In the afternoon, we went downtown to have supper with Jamie and her kids at Buca di Beppo. It was ok italian food, but not the best. Here is our crew waiting for our food.

When we got home, I had a note on the door saying that I had a delivery from Edible Arrangements at my neighbor's house. So, I went to pick it up, and was surprised by this great bday arrangement from Jason! I LOVE IT AND HIM!!!! What a great bday!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T16:31:00.002-10:00

And what a happy day it has been! I woke up this morning surrounded by balloons! Jason got me 4 giant balloons and had them clipped to my side of the bed. LOL He also had me some beautiful peach roses, some Hershey kisses, and a couple of vday cards. I LOVE MY MAN!!! He has really spoiled me this year (I think mainly he is making up for all the missed special days last year)!

my beautiful roses...peach roses have always been special to us my huge balloons!!!!!

For lunch, we ordered pizza. Here is our special heart shaped pizza for Vday!!! LOL

Jimmy Buffett and my new animal

2009-02-11T14:13:00.002-10:00

Right after Jason came home, we heard that Jimmy Buffett was coming back to Hawaii. He LOVES Jimmy Buffett. He got online and found out when tickets went on sale. He ordered than and we got them in the mail yesterday. he was so excited! I guess that will serve as his Valentine's Day present. LOL I am so excited....we have a new animal in the house! A Dyson Animal, that is! LOL I have wanted a Dyson for a while, but haven't been able to justify the cost until now. Since we recently found out that Austin has a severe allergy to dust mites, I figure I can justify it wth his health! LOL Anyway, we have been checking them out and bought one today. It is amazing how much more crap it picks up than the regular one! YAY for Dyson!!!!!!!

An early bday...

2009-02-10T16:17:00.005-10:00

My 33rd birthday is fast approaching. On friday last week, Jason took me out for our "Date Night Bday Dinner". We went to Ruth's Chris Streakhouse downtown in Restuarant Row. It was a very nice place...very romantic, and very expensive! LOL We got all dressed up and went out just the two of us! Here we are:

getting ready to leave the house...don't we look purdy???

Sitting at our table at the restuarant

my free cheesecake for my bday from Ruth's Chris Steakhouse...it was YUMMY!

When we got home from dinner, the kids and Jamie were there waiting to surprise me with an early surprise party! They were all so proud of themselves for surprising me (even though I messed up Jamie's gift for me earlier that day! LOL). I had a cake, decorations, and presents! I am impressed that everyone, including my hubby kept it a secret! That was a first!!! LOL Here are some pics:

me and my yummy cake

opening presents

Status update

2009-01-24T03:02:00.002-10:00

A lot has happened in the past 5 days...let me try to explain. On monday, my stepdad went to the heart doctor for the first time. They did a sonogram and a EKG. They immediately said that they wanted to do a heart cath the next day. On tuesday, he went in for the heart cath where they found one artery that was 90% blocked and one that more than 50% blocked. They decided to do a stint and then the problems started. The stint sheared off some of the calcified blockage and got stuck. They did emergency open heart surgery. He had to do 4 heart bypasses and also fixed an electrical problem that was causing an irregular heartbeat. I was on a plane tuesday night, and landed in GA on wednesday afternoon. He was in ICU until friday. He is now in a regular room, and we hope he will get to come home sunday or monday. He is doing as good as can be expected. I am in GA until friday, the 30th. I am here to help support him and momma with whatever I can. I wouldnt want to be anywhere else at this point. It was hard to leave Jason and the kids at home, but it worked out great that he was home and able to take care of them so I could come. And it just means that we get to have another welcome home when I get back! LOL Please keep us in your prayers! We need them!

More welcome home pics...

2009-01-18T13:24:00.005-10:00

Just trying to get up to date with homecoming pics...

Boys and their toys....

2009-01-18T13:16:00.003-10:00

Jason and Jonathan spent some quality time trying to fix Allison's scooter this weekend. Jonathan has always LOVED fixing things with his daddy, and he has missed that with him gone. Here they are both leaned over the scooter...deep in thought...LOL Of course, Austin has to joinin on the fixing fun too!

Once the got finished with the hard labor, they had to have some good old fashioned playtime! Here is their GeoTrax creation...

And they all 3 enjoyed playing with it for a nice long time! The boys are sure enjoying having their daddy home!

Sympathy pain

2009-01-18T13:12:00.002-10:00

This is Kailyn's post-op spot on the couch. She spent several days propped up on the couch, using the pillows to prop her foot up. This day, Austin scrapped his ankle while playing outside. I walked into the living room and he was in Kailyn's spot all propped up. He said it was making his boo-boo feel better! LOL

Monday surgery

2009-01-13T13:54:00.003-10:00

On monday, Kailyn had orthopedic surgery on her foot. We had to be at the hospital at 8:30am. At 12:09pm, we finally left her being wheeled into the OR. The doc originally sayed that it would only be about 30-45 minutes, so I was on pins and needles when he didnt come out to talk to us until 2 hours later!!! As it turned out, he had to basically do the procedure twice b/c the first time did not get the best results that he was hoping for. I went back to see her in recovery about 30 minutes later. She was still out cold. The nurse said that they had given her a lot of morphine, so we waited for her to wake up. She did wake up and has pretty much been fine since. Her foot is in a splint right now and sheis on strick orders to ot put any weight on it for 2 weeks. Then we will go back to see the doc and he will take the metal pin out of her toe and put on a regular cast for another 4 weeks. She is on pain meds and will probably be home for the rest of the week (they are still on break and dont go back to school until tomorrow anyway). She is currently eating up the tv time on the couch, and the snacks that friends have brought for her. Here's a couple of pics of her:

Pre-op KailynPost-op Kailyn

sunday family outing

2009-01-13T13:46:00.003-10:00

On sunday, we had out first family outing with Jason home. We went for an island drive. We stopped first at Haleiwa and had some yummy shave ice. This is definitely one of the things we will miss when we finally leave the island. The marketplace where we uaully get our shave ice had recently put up a new sign, so here are the kids taking turns in the picture:

Megan and Austin Allison and Austin
Jonathand and Austin

And here is everyone enjoiying their shave ice. YUMMY! Nothing like ice soaked in flavored sugar water! LOL

HE'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-10T20:46:00.002-10:00

Just a quick picture of our newly reunited family!!! More to come later.....

Rockin' 2009

2009-01-02T11:07:00.002-10:00

After days and nights of watching the kids play Rockband, grandma and grandpa finally got in on the action! LOL Here they are rocking out with Megan on drums. I figured they would deny it, so i had to snap a picture as proof! LOL grandpa on bass
grandma on guitar

Ringing in the New Year...welcome 2009!!!!!

2009-01-02T10:59:00.004-10:00

We rang the New Year in at home with my parents. It was an uneventful night, but was a nice one. Here are some pics of my crazy kids...

Megan and ScoobyScooby all decked out
Allison and Kailyn

Megan

all 3 of my girls partying the night away

Jonathan and his 2009 glasses

Mr. New Year!!! LOL

Jonathan enjoying his sparkling apple cider

INK'ed again!

2008-12-31T13:19:00.002-10:00

Yesterday, Jamie and I went downtown to Tattoolicious to get tattooed. We have been planning on getting a "deployment tattoo" for several months. There were several others that were going to get it as well, but they ended up opting out for various reasons. But, Jamie and I stayed true to our pact and got inked together! We both got variations of a butterfly with a yellow ribbon body, in honor of our soldiers. Mine is on my chest, over my heart. I love it!

Christmas Slideshow

2008-12-31T13:14:00.002-10:00

I've been meaning to post christmas pictures, but the days have been rather hectic. So,I decided to just post a slideshow of christmas morning pics. We all had a good time, and the kids got way too much stuff. Enjoy!

Christmas Programs at school

2008-12-20T22:09:00.003-10:00

Megan, Jonathan, and Austin had little Christmas programs at school this week. Here's some shots of them...

Austin and his friends in his class. These are the original 4 boys in his class. The past couple of weeks, they have gotten a new boy and a new girl in class, totalling 6 kids now.Austin and his teacher, Mrs.Santoki

Austin posing in his cool Santa shirt that he made at school. His class sang "Must be Santa", but he freaked and wouldn't go on stage.
Here's Jonathan waiting to go on stage. His class sang the Chipmunk's Christmas Song...hence, the chipmunk headband!

Megan's class gettin ready to sing. I dont remember what they sang (we heard a bunch of songs!), but she was terrified the whole time. Poor girl, has the same nervous anxiety problems that her daddy does! LOL

Grandma and Grandpa

2008-12-20T22:07:00.003-10:00

are finally here!!! YAY!!!

here they are in front of the christmas tree at the Windward Mall

They love the shrimp trucks up on the north shore, so we ate lunch at Macky's before the kids got out of school one day.

Georgia Bound!!!

2008-12-18T06:48:00.002-10:00

We are officially headed to the Peach State next summer! YAY!!! We have to report to Ft.Stewart in June, so we should be leaving Hawaii in May, and will vacation and visit with family for a while before reporting. We are super excited to head back "home". And we still have so many friends still in Hinesville, so we look forward to seeing everyone again!

rain, rain, and more rain

2008-12-12T23:29:00.002-10:00

It has been raining forever...or so it seems! Yesterday, we had a total of over 14 inches of rain in a 12m hour period. It was horrible. When I got up in the morning, I told Allison that she was NOT going to the bus stop in that rain. I told her that I would drive her to school instead. So, at 6:45, we headed out to school. We didn't make it far when we came upon 3 cars stalled in the middle of the road in over a foot of standing water. Luckily, my truck made it just fine through the water, but it was a bit frightening. I decided that we would circle around and just go back home. There was no sense in being out in those kinds of dangerous conditions. As we got home, a neighbor said that school had been canceled. We ended up all inside all day.

Today, the day started out fairly nice, with the sun peeking out a bit. Unfortunately, it didn't last. We had a huge thunderstorm roll in this evening. We never get thunderstorms in Hawaii, so the kids freaked out a bit. We located all the flashlights, got candles ready, and sat down to watch a movie. (The electric system here is terrible, so the power goes off all the time. We have to be ready for it all the time.) So, here is how Austin waited out the thunderstorm...ear protection from the thunder, blanket, and his glowy bear (it lights up) incase the power went out. LOL He was really freaked out...but I couldn't help but to smile at him. As it turned out, the storm passed without a power outage. YAY!

Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

2008-12-05T08:30:00.003-10:00

Last night, we went to the annual Schofield Barracks Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. Here are some pics from the evening:

Here's the tree as the lights were turned on... My gang waiting for the festivities to begin
A family shot

The Christmas decorations

More decorations

Humiliated

2008-12-04T15:16:00.003-10:00

Before I explain the humiliation, I have a confession to make....I have been driving on an expired driver's license for 10 months! *shamefully hanging my head* I completely did not realize that it was expiring until it was too late, then I just never went to get a new one. Anyway, Jamie realized that her license was due to expire next week on her bday, so we both decided to go get a new Hawaii license together. We both had to take the written test since our old ones were out of state. I had to take both the written test AND road test since mine was already expired. I have not had to take ANY driver's test since I originally got my license 16 years ago. I passed the written test with no problems, but did notice the craziness of the 3 that I missed. So, when it was my turn to do the road test, the examiner came out and explained that most people fail b/c of bad habits of driving for years. I knew to be careful and really pay attention to signals, other cars, etc. Apparently Hawaii has some really crappy traffic laws, and I FAILED the road test.

The things that I got points docked were:
1.In Hawaii, when at a stop light waiting to turn left, you are supposed to move up into the middle of the intersection and wait for an opening to turn. (I was involved in an accident in GA b/c I did this and got ticketed for it! I thought you were to NEVER enter an intersection unless you could clear it immediately. This is NOT the case in Hawaii!)
2.When coming to an intersection in which you are making a right hand turn in a right turn only lane, you are supposed to hug the curb as close as possible. Apparently, I was not close enough to the curb, thus did not approach the turn correctly. Mind you, I was in a turn ONLY lane with my blinker on and never crossed out of my lane.
3.Driving down a road with a bike lane on right side...when preparing to make a right turn to a side road, you are to merge into the bike lane to make your right turn. (WHAT?!?!)

So, anyone coming to Hawaii, take heed...you have to drive like a bat out of He** in order to pass the driving test. So much for "better safe than sorry"! My friend said that it is probably b/c I am a white GA girl...2 negatives as far as the locals are concerned! LOL So, I have to wait a week and retest again.

While I wait, give me you opinions...is it better to drive on my expired GA license and play the dumb part if I get pulled over, or to use my valid HI permit (without a licensed driver in the car)???

ENT

2008-12-03T08:28:00.003-10:00

I took Austin to see the ENT yesterday. He had his tonsils and addenoids removed last year, and has continued to have problems with what we have been calling allergies. He is constantly stuffed up or running like crazy in the nasal department. His speech is always nasally sounding. And the poor boy has sneezing spells that drive him (and me) crazy. So, yesterday, the ENT used a scope to look all up in his nasal cavities. I don't know how Austin sat still so good, it was not a pleasant thing to watch...eecckk! Anyway, everything looked good. We are gonna attack it as it being really bad allergies. He has already tried 3 different allergy meds with no luck. This time we are trying Allegra and Nasonex. I am also supposed to do the nasal wash with him twice a day...yeah, that was NOT successful last night! LOL I can't imagine doing it on myself, much less my 4 year old son! So, hopefully the meds will kick in and really help w/out the wash. I also have to take him in for some labwork to test his antibodies to try to find out what exactly he is allergic to. If they come back inconclusive, then we will have to do the skin testing. The good news is that nothing is really wrong, we just have to find the right allergy med that will work for him...this makes 4 medicines that he takes daily!

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-28T20:03:00.005-10:00

So another Thanksgiving has come and gone with my hubby deployed...good news is that it is getting close to him coming home!!! YAY!!! I didn't ever post on our deployment anniversary. It was kindda bitter-sweet. On November 14, he was officially gone for 1 year...365 days...12 months...whichever way you look at it, it is one heck of a long time.

This year, Thanksgiving dinner was at Jamie's house. We split up food responsiblities and had a very enjoyable day. I had several invitations for dinner, and I thank everyone that offered, but last year we did the house-hopping thing and I was wiped out by the end of the day. I decided to graciously decline the other offers and stick to one house. LOL

Here's me and Laura checking on Mr.Tom Turkey and sucking out some of his juices for the gravy. Here is a few of us admiring all of our hard work. Kim, Jamie, Jennifer, Me, Robyn(left to right) The grown-up table.

The kids table.

Another shot of the kids table.

Of course, we had to do something after eating all that food. Here we are having a little band practice...RockBand, that is! LOL Jennifer on guitar, me on drums, Laura on microphone. (Check out that cool tattoo on the drummer...LOL)

Another shot of our Band...it is so much fun! Jennifer on the microphone, Jamie on drums, and me on guitar.
It was such a great day. I am so thankful to all my friends here in Hawaii. Army wives have a bond that a lot of people just dont understand. The things that we have to go through, both good and bad, the way that we rely on each other, understand each other, it is just such an amazing relationship that we have. I am truly thankful to have them in my life.

Orthopedic

2008-11-14T13:11:00.003-10:00

Today, I took Kailyn to the orthopedic surgeon to discuss corrective surgery on her foot. We have decided to do surgery (not scheduled yet). Kailyn was being silly and not letting me take her picture while we were waiting. Her she is being a turkey...And here is her xray of her foot. Check out the toe sticking out!!!

cookies, cookies, cookies!!!

2008-11-13T21:17:00.002-10:00

Today was COOKIE DAY for Jamie, Laura, and me. We had been talking about baking cookies to send to our hubbies in Iraq, and we finally got to it today. After dropping the kids off at school, Jamie and I went to the commisary to buy all of our ingredients. We then went to Jamie's house and got busy! LOL Here is the counter in the midst of the baking morning...

We actually were baking ALL day. We started after our commisary trip and didn't stop until about 6:30pm! I think we ended up with 7 different kinds of cookies, or was it 8??? It was a lot, no doubt about it! Here we are posing with our almost complete cookie stash...

and here are the cutest cookies of the bunch! Our little turkey cookies! They were so much fun to make. We will have to do them with the kids on another day. They turned out sooo cute. I just know that they will love decorating them by themselves.
So, Jason, get ready for a box FULL of cookies! They will be mailed tomorrow, so you will have some yummy goodness from home SOON! I love you!

Good news about Sears

2008-11-07T18:26:00.001-10:00

Hey guys,
Passing on a little good news about Sears...we all need some good news as the holiday season approaches! LOL Read the following goodnews story. Also, you can help our military families this holiday season by donating money for giftcards that Sears will be distributing to military families. You can ask about their Heros at Home Wish Registry. You can donate at any Sears. I already registered for it and hope that we will be included in this wonderful ministry to our military families. Please help to pass the word around!!!
Lori

Subject: Sears - Christmas shopping has already started

I know I needed this reminder since Sears isn't always my first choice. Amazing when you think of how long the war has lasted and they haven't withdrawn from their commitment. Could we each buy at least one thing at Sears this year?

How does Sears treat its employees who are called up for military duty? By law, they are required to hold their jobs open and available, but nothing more. Usually, people take a big pay cut and lose benefits as a result of being called up.

Sears is voluntarily paying the difference in salaries and maintaining all benefits, including medical insurance and bonus programs, for all called up reservist employees for up to two years.
I submit that Sears is an exemplary corporate citizen and should be recognized for its contribution. I suggest we all shop at Sears, and be sure to find a manager to tell them why we are there so the company gets the positive reinforcement it well deserves.
Pass it on.

Decided to check this before I sent it forward. So I sent the following e-mail to the Sears Customer Service Department:

I received this e-mail and I would like to know if it is true. If it is, the Internet may have just become one very good source of advertisement for your company. I know I would go out of my way to buy products from Sears instead of another store for a like item, even if it's cheaper at that store.

This is their answer to my e-mail:

Dear Customer:
Thank you for contacting Sears.The information is factual. We appreciate your positive feedback. Sears regards service to our country as one of greatest sacrifices our young men and women can make. We are happy to do our part to lessen the burden they bear at this time.
Bill Thorn
Sears Customer Care
webcenter@sears.com
1-800-349-4358

Please pass this on to all your friends. Sears needs to be recognized for this outstanding contribution and we need to show them as Americans, we do appreciate what they are doing for our military!!!

It's verified ! By Snopes.com at:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/sears.asp

School pics part 2

2008-11-07T14:27:00.001-10:00

Here's the second edition of school pics...

Austin

4 yrs old

Pre-K Megan

9 yrs old

3rd grade

School pics part 1

2008-11-06T17:55:00.002-10:00

Of course, with 5 kids, we never get all their school pictures on the same day. Heck, they don't even take them on the same day. But, of course, you always have to PAY for them at the same time! LOL Anyway, today we got Jonathan and Kailyn's pictures. Megan and Austin's should follow either tomorrow or the next day. I will post them as they come home.

Jonathan

6 yrs old

1st grade Kailyn

10 yrs old

5th grade

YIKES!!!!!

2008-11-04T09:14:00.003-10:00

The other day, we woke up to find this Giant Centipede in our downstairs bethroom! YIKES! Talk about gross and freaking us out! LOL He was about 6 inches long stretched out. After spraying him with about half a can of raid, I flushed him down the toilet! UUUGGGGHHH!!!

Austin goofing off

2008-11-04T09:10:00.002-10:00

Austin is such a goofball... here he is goofing off during Megan's bday party. HE would make a good yoga instructor one day! LOL Austin playing with Scooby. They are best buddies!!!

Megan's 9th bday

2008-11-04T08:48:00.004-10:00

This week was Megan's bday. On sunday, we went to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua, then went home to do presents, and ended the day with supper at Sizzler. Here's a few pics from sunday...

HEELEYS from Grandma and Grandpa!!!! YAY!!!!

Here;s some pics from Megan's party. It was monday afternoon. She is all into Hannah Montana rightnow, so of course, that is what her party was. She had a few friends from the neighborhood and school, and a few family friends. It was a pretty good party.

Megan in her Hannah wig:

present time!

the kids put on a Hannah show in the theater:

the bday cupcakes:

the bday girl's table:

and the other tables:

Hannah Montana party decorations:

the make-up & tattoo table

Training them right!

2008-11-02T20:11:00.002-10:00

My kids, that is! LOL I have my kids hooked on New Kids on the Block (NKOTB), and I love it! LOL Back a few months ago, i bought the Greatest Hits video/cd, and now they BEG for me to put it in the DVD player every time we get in the truck to go somewhere. They just sing their hearts out...we ALL do! And Jonathan even tries to dance like them. It is so funny! I am hoping that I will be able to catch them in concert somewhere before the tour is over, but it is not looking good. If only I was in GA last week, I would have totally been in Atlanta at the concert! I just think it is hilarious that they love them as much as I did/do. LONG LIVE NKOTB!!!!!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-01T08:16:00.008-10:00

Here's a bunch of pictures from Halloween last night. I am not even gonna try to comment on each one, they can speak for themselves! LOL Enjoy!

The sign says it all

2008-10-30T21:50:00.002-10:00

I tried to get Jonathan (our Bubba), to stand beside the sign, but he wouldn't...still couldn't resist taking a picture! LOL

HALLELUJAH!!!

2008-10-30T21:44:00.002-10:00

Gas prices as of today, October 30, 2008...first time they have dropped below $3 in a LONG time! LOL For the first time in a long time, I filled up the truck for LESS than $100! YAY!!!!

Austin's field trip

2008-10-30T21:29:00.005-10:00

was on Tuesday. His class went to the Children's Discovery Center. We have been there a few times, so it is not new to us, but it was still fun. I went along with him, as did most of the parents. He loved it. Here are some pics of his fun day:

monkey toes

2008-10-27T11:30:00.002-10:00

As most everyone knows, Kailyn was born with 6 toes on her right foot. When she was 10 months old, she had surgery and had the xtra toe removed. I have thought (since they did surgery), that they cut the wrong toe off. At that time, they told us that she may need corrective surgery later to re-position the toe or whatever. Well, the last year, she has had ahuge growth spurt and the toe has become somewhat of an issue. It sticks way out to the side and casues difficulty with shoes. She has a hard time finding sandals, flip-flops, etc becasue that toes sticks out and over the side of the shoe. Wide widths don't always work either, since the other foot doesnt have a problem. So, I finally decided to make her an appointment to start the process of getting it fixed. We went today to our family practice doc, who sent her down for x-rays, and submitted the referral to an orthopedic/podiatrist. It will probably take a couple of weeks to get the referral all the way through Tricare, then I can schedule her with a civilian doc. I took this pic of her feet today as we were waiting for the doctor to come in the office.

Jonathan's 6th bday PART 2

2008-10-26T09:52:00.007-10:00

We just had Jonathan's bday party yesterday. It was at a place called Adventure Alley down at the Pearl Harbor Bowling Alley. It was such a cool place for a party. There was a rock wall, ball pit, basketball throws, and lots of the big soft building block things. It was so much fun! Here's a slideshow of the fun!

Jonathan's 6th bday

2008-10-21T21:09:00.005-10:00

Today was Jonathan's 6th bday. We are having his party on saturday, but we couldn't let the day go by without doing our family thing for him. We ordered pizza for supper, then opened presents, and had cake too. Here is the bday boy posing with his presents!

Here he is with his firemen and construction playsets that Austin picked out for him, and 1 of the puzzles that he got. He got 2 spiderman & friends puzzles. I just thought the expression on his face was just too cute!

Here he is opening the BIG one! Its a Terraniac, a remote controlled thing. He loves remote controlled cars/trucks/etc. This one claims to go on land, water, and snow. Its charging now, so we will give it a try tomorrow.

Showing off his new shirts from Grandma and Grandpa. One shirt is a dinosaur and the other is Bumblebee from Transformers. Great choices!

This was the 2nd BIG one...a pair of Heeley's from Grandma and Grandpa. He has been wanting some for a while, but I had put my foot down and said that I would NOT buy them...lucky for him, I put the bug in g-ma's ear and he got them! LOL He already tried them on and tested them out on the sidewalk....a few wipeouts later, he is starting to get the hang of it!

Here's the bday boy posing with all of his presents! He was a happy boy...and he even got to talk to his daddy before going to bed too. That just made the day complete for him. He went to bed with a HUGE smile on his face!

I did it!

2008-10-20T14:02:00.002-10:00

I made it through day 1 of the "couch to 5K" program! That jogging nearly beat my butt, but I did it! (THX, Jamie!!!) My ankles are a bit sore, but I don't blmae them....there is a lot of me to be bouncing up and down on those ankles! LOL I am determined that I will give this program a real try. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I have dates with the track! They say it gets easier. i am gonna try to have faith in that! LOL

Early bday presents

2008-10-19T21:20:00.002-10:00

On saturday, Jonathan and Megan got giftcards from Nana and Papa for their bdays. So, on sunday we had a little adventure at Toys R Us and Build-A-Bear Workshop. Here is what they bought:

Jonathan with this wrestling set. He bought the playset and an extra pack of wrestlers. He is such a boy! LOL

Here is Megan's Hannah Montana Bear. It is a special one with cute blue eyes, sparkley fur, and of course the Hannah Montana logo on the foot. It also came with a necklace. She opted for the regular clothes instead of the Hannah Montana clothes b/c she liked the purple leggings with this outfit. She is such a girl! LOL

So, THANK YOU, NANA AND PAPA! They both loved shopping for themselves with their own money! Oh my goodness...how my babies are growing up...I am getting old!

Run like the wind!

2008-10-18T06:46:00.001-10:00

So, I got this link from a friend's blog. I am thinking about giving it a try. Anyone else have any experience with starting a jogging plan? Any advice?
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

Fun day

2008-10-10T07:20:00.003-10:00

The week of Fall Break is almost over. We have managed to have a lot of family fun this week. Our quest on thursday was to have a fun day with little money! LOL So, we ended up going to the Zoo, having a picnic lunch there, and then headed over to the Hale Koa for an afternoon of pool fun. Here's some shots of the day:

the zoo crewchecking out the orangutans, Rusty and Violet (I love the butt shots!) stopping for a break on the bench
Jonathan and buddy, Aidanthe rock chair...we have to take a picture here everytime!Me and Jamie Mommy, Allison, and Austinour picnic lunch
the chimps were quite lazy today...check them out! LOL
OMG! Never thought I'd round a corner and be a witness to a rhino-rendezvous!!!
Jonathan swimming

Kailyn has to pose for the camera
Austin,the fish boy
Allison decided to catch some rays...and some zzz'z

These boys were worn out! But it was such a fun day!!!

New season for tv

2008-10-08T21:20:00.002-10:00

I am so excited about the new season on television! I am loving the new Grey's Anatomy. It's likle everyone has there personalities back again...none of tha wishy-washy crap. It looks like it is gonna be a great season!

And then there is Private Practice...I am loving it too! I think a quote from tonight's episode might just be my new motto:

Life is not ass fat.

I LOVE IT! LOL I cracked up when it was said! What an inspiring quote! LOL

And of course, Desperate Housewives has returned with 5 years fast-forwarded. Not quite sure what to think about it yet. Kindda seems a little weak to me so far. I was a die-hard fan, but it doesn't have the same kind of flare as it has had. There is still time, so I am trying to see how it goes for a few weeks. I don't want to give up on it!

MY FIRST FONDANT!

2008-10-08T15:11:00.002-10:00

I have been wanting to try my hand at making a cake with fondant for a while. Since Jonathan and Megan's bdays are right around the corner. I decided to give it a shot today. Here is my first attempt at making my own fondant. It was really easy, only I should have added a little more water. It started to crack on the edges since it was a little too dry. We'll see how it tastes with the cake later this evening. I'll have to try it again and make sure I put a little more water next time.

Childrens Discovery Center (Trip #2)

2008-10-07T18:44:00.005-10:00

Our second day of Fall Break, I took the kids to the Childrens Discovery Center. Beware...there is a lot of pics in this post! LOL

Here's the boys staring in the door as we waitd for them to open this morning. They were very impatient!And here's the whole crew standing under the rainbow just before we started our journey through the center.This is always Jonathan's favorite part...the mechanic shop! He loves fixing the car! Like father, like son! Who says big kids can't have fun too? Allison loved it as much as the little ones did.
And Kailyn found a big comfy chair in the reading room to get some rest!

Here's Austin, Rachel, and Aidan posing in the cutouts.

Next was Jonathan, Megan, and Allison.
Allison., Megan, and Jonathan doing a show in the theater.
Allison's future job...
Grocery shopping in the kids store.
Megan wants to be a pineapple farmer!

Here they are playing on the cargo ship.
Austin wants to be like his daddy (and Grandma) and drive a fork-lift!
Megan was goofing off with one of the many dressup outfits. She was playing full-force today!!!
Allison, Megan, and Jonathan playing the mouth. Allison is well educated on those teeth now! LOL

Megan hamming it up again in China!
Kailyn, Rachel, and Allison being served some sushi from Megan in Japan.
Sushi...yummy! (NOT!)
Austin drving a taxi truck.
When we left, there were about a bazillion birds in the parking lot. The kids loved chasing after them and watching the "wall" of birds fly away. This is only about 1/4 of the whole lot of them that was there when we first got there. *I'd fly away too, if I saw our motley crew running toward me!*

Sunset picnic beach trip

2008-10-06T21:32:00.006-10:00

Another beach trip...this time to Ko Olina for a sunset picnic with Jamie and her kids. Its still such an amazing thing to think that we REALLY live in Hawaii! LOL Check out the slideshow...

It's a walk in the park...

2008-10-06T07:42:00.004-10:00

The DOG PARK, that is! LOL Jamie and I attempted to have a no-money day yesterday, so we visited the local dog park. We took Scooby and her dog, Coco. Here is Scooby in the back of the truck. He LOVES going anywhere and doesn't hesitate to jump in the back of the truck!Here's Scooby and Coco ready to go!Just a nice pic of our Scooby Doo! He's a big boy, but he is such a baby. He loves to be rubbed and hang out with the family. He is just one if us! Soaking up some love from a boy at the dog park.

Here Scooby was making a running pass by the men sitting on the bench. I tell you, he can smell testosterone a mile away! LOL
Getting a drink of water from the water fountain.

Socialization....Scooby was definintely the big dog on campus. He was Mr.Popularity with dogs and owners!

It was so much fun to watch him have fun! We will definitley be going again. I am nt quite sure why we haven't gone there before, but it was a huge hit. Two paws up for the dog park!

Star Wars: The Snore Wars!!!

2008-10-04T22:38:00.002-10:00

So, this afternoon, the movie theater on post was playing Star Wars: The Clone Wars. I took Allison, and the boys to see it. We met Jamie and her son and nephew there to see it together. The boys were all really looking forward to watching it. We got out tickets, then waited in line for our popcorn and cokes, and made our way into the theater. All was good until about half way through the movie when Austin started getting antsy, and Jonathan started asking to go home. I guess sci-fi is just not for them...Here is how they spent the last half of the movie...

Thats Keegan on the left, Aidna in the middle (the only boy to stay awake for the whole movie), and Jonathan on the right.And hbere's a close-up of Jonathan catching some major z's! LOL

And naturally, Austin climbed up in my lap and fell asleep is his favorite spot! LOL I just can't beleieve that they all fell alseep like that! It was so funny!!!

Updated pics

2008-09-25T19:44:00.004-10:00

First, here is Kailyn's new haircut. I had been trying to talk her into getting it cut for a while. I finally just told her to get in the truck and took her to Supercuts! LOL I think it looks SUPER-CUTE! She is liking it too!

Here is the boys when we went to Chuck E Cheese one evening with Jamie and her family. Austin is still deathly afraid of Chuck E, but he did manage to have a little fun playing.
Megan playing one of the games at Chuck E Cheese. She got addicted to this one, where you try to make the tokens fall off the little moving shelves!
Allison and her new braces. They got put on today. I told her that Daddy and I now OWN her mouth! LOL If only we could recycle braces on all the kids....*sigh*

Jonathan playing at the Burger King playground.
Megan posing in the tunnel at the BK playground.
Austin smiling for the camera while waiting for our pizza at Chuck E Cheese.

Another tooth bites the dust!

2008-09-12T09:56:00.001-10:00

Need I say more???? LOL

Daddy Dolls

2008-09-12T09:49:00.002-10:00

So, I haven't been too good at blogging since Jason left from R&R. There was just so much to tell and show while he was home, and now it is just back to the boring, old, normal, daily life. Anyway, I did want to post about the kids' Daddy Dolls. I bought the kits for them on clearance at the BX months ago and just stashed them away until R&R. We ordered them and Jason recorded the voice boxes for each of them, and then he left. I had hoped that the would get delivered before he left, but that didn't happen. But, the did arrive just a few days after he left. The kids didn't know anything about them, so they were really surprised. They each have one, with different fabrics on the back (so they can tell them apart), and they each hav their own special recorded message from daddy inside. At night when i tuck the 3 little ones in bed, I hear them pushing the buttons to hear daddy before they go to bed. It is so sweet. Here is what they look like:

a 1st for the 4th

2008-09-05T20:35:00.003-10:00

First tooth lost by Jonathan! YAY! He lost it last week and I just never took a picture of it. Yeah, I am a bad mom...but I am trying! LOL Here is his snaggle-tooth grin now. The other front tooth is loose too, so it has kinnda moved to the middle of the gap, so it really looks funny. But, it will come ot soon and he will really have a gap in his smile!

New glasses

2008-09-05T20:27:00.007-10:00

Megan got her new glasses today. She has been waiting for them to be ready. She picked out a cute pair of purple frames that are, of course, Hannah Montana brand. Here is the before pic...

And here is her new look! Doesn't she look so cute?!?!?!

Girls night out at the bowling alley

2008-08-30T23:54:00.003-10:00

Tonight was another Parents Night Out. We went bowling and had a blast. Here's a few pics of the fun...
Check out my strikes! First frame was a bust, but then I hit a good streak!!! LOL
It was cosmic bowling, so we were glowing! LOL Here are my socks and shoelaces all lit up! Here's the girls from our bowling night...Jamie, Carissa, Tracy, Kim, and me

New hair cut

2008-08-30T23:51:00.001-10:00

I got a new haircut yesterday. I have had a style like this before, so it isn't all that new, but it is nice to have a change.

Allison's sleepover

2008-08-23T14:27:00.002-10:00

Last night, Allison had a few friends sleepover for her bday. Here they are watching her open a few presents. There's Lizzie, Danielle, Marleigh, Allison and Austin. Austin HAD to be involved with the opening of the presents...

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you...
WOW! Thats a big glow coming off all those candles! LOL
Make a wish!
This morning, we had breakfast and went to the movies. I took the girls to see "The Rocker" before they all went home. It was very cute, and they enjoyed eating all the normal movie snacks! LOL I think it turned out to be a pretty good bday for her!

muscle man

2008-08-21T15:29:00.005-10:00

Here's Jonathan playing last night with Megan. He was showing his muscles and was proud of it!!! He is my "mini muscle man"!!!

wednesday updates

2008-08-20T13:40:00.003-10:00

I heard from Jason today. He is now in Kuwait. He should be back in the sandbox within a day or two. He sounded good, just exhausted. We are both ready for him to get back and settled back in again, so that we can get the next 6 months OVER WITH!!!

On another note, some friends and I had an 80's themed bday party last night. It was a lot of fun. We all dressed up and watched/listened/sang to hits from the 80's. Here's a few pics of the excitement...