Happy Memorial Day!  

I cannot find the words to express my appreciation for all those who have served this great country of ours and paid the ULTIMATE sacrifice..... their lives.  We are all so blessed to have the freedoms that we do in this great country, and it is ALL because of those past and present who protect those freedoms.

We definitely DID NOT forget to THANK those who gave ALL!

I am blessed to be married to one of the greatest MARINE'S around!  Just wish he could've been here with us to celebrate the day. Just NOT the same without him around.  

Proud to be a military wife.  Semper Fi!

I know, I know, it’s been FOR—EVER since I last posted.  Life seems to do that to ya. I cannot believe that we are in MAY already.  Where has 2013 gone????  I don’t know for sure but I feel like I have been crazy busy since New Years.

Life in a military family is ALWAYS busy!  But then you add “normal” everyday stuff on top of that- WOW!  Some days, I am just trying to keep my head ABOVE water!

Well, let me catch up since New Years. “Not that is too long, let me sum up” (name the movie) I am a BAD mom and missed blogging about my 2 oldest girls turning ANOTHER year older!  My oldest daughter turned 15!  And my second daughter turned 13! Seriously, I am NOT ready for these teenage years.  HOLY COW! They are both totally “into” 1 Direction *the music group* Sydney (the 13 yr old) LOVES to draw, paint and read.  

 Haylee (the 15 yr old) loves to listen to music. And that is about it. Of course she IS a teenager! I am REALLY glad they aren't boy crazy.... YET!

Shortly before Spring Break, Sydney was accepted to Endeavor Charter Academy (the charter school Kelsee – my 9 yr old- goes to) so Sydney switched schools.  The transition was a little hard. She felt VERY behind but has done amazing!

Kelsee, has gotten HIGH Honor Roll for 3 quarters so far and it looks like she will be getting it AGAIN for the last quarter J She has worked so hard this year and her teacher is AMAZING!

Haylee has REALLY struggled with HomeSchool this year.  She was actually DROPPED from the 1^st semester due to her grades.  She promised she would do better and bring all her grades up.  So after a lot of heart to heart talks and prayer, I kept her in the K12 program. It isn’t looking too good for her this semester either.  I think the only class she is passing is Spanish (weird)

My “baby girl” was accepted to Young 5’s (it’s basically Kindergarten for the younger 5 year olds)  she will start in the fall.  She is pretty excited about it.

Well, School is just about over… Last day is June 12^th. The girls can’t wait.  (and neither can I….. I am looking forward to NOT waking up at 5:30am)

So my marine left AGAIN to go to ANOTHER course…. Not quite sure what the name of this one is. I just know it’s the last “check in the box” for promotion.  He has been gone since this past Sunday.  He will be in Quantico until almost the end of June. I talked to him today. He said the school is going good.  They are in smalls groups of about 8 1^st Sgts. Funny thing is, in all the class the 1 guy that is also a member of the church, is in his group. He also works at the I and I station in Las Vegas, and is part of the “saints and sinners” battalion from Vegas/ Salt Lake.

So, by the time my marine gets back from Quantico, the girls and I will be out in California for the summer.  We are all so looking forward to getting OUT of Michigan and having a change of scenery.  My marine actually said Saturday before he left, he is afraid we won’t come back. He said he thinks we’ll find a house in Utah when we go out there. Who knows???? Maybe we will. Lol

So now that I have jumped all around….. I think I will end this post. I have said before that I will try to be better at posting and that hasn’t happened. So I won’t say that again.  I will just say, until next time!

WiNtEr VaCaTiOn

Well winter has hit Michigan!  We have SNOW!!! I didn’t think we would actually have a white CHRISTmas this year…. But we did. It snowed Christmas eve and then the day after Christmas. The girls have had so much fun playing outside and sledding in the backyard.

(insert cool winter pictures here, if I had been a good mom and taken some)

 

It has also been nice to have my hubby home on LEAVE for the last 3 days!  I ACTUALLY have enjoyed having him home. For any of my “followers” that are military may know and understand, you get so used to your marine being GONE. Either on workups, deployments or in and I & I duty, they are gone A LOT for meetings and classes.  So in the 17 + years he has been in the Marine Corps, I have really gotten used to him being GONE and doing things on my own.  Taking care of our girls and the home and all that is included in that. This duty has been so different.  This duty has been more of the REAL WORLD than I care to be a part of.  I have always enjoyed living on a base.  Living in a neighborhood of military families. I don’t really like living in the REAL WORLD.  Honestly I would give up living in our OWN home to live on a base again.  This duty has been a little difficult on my hubby too, I think.  It definitely is NOT like a regular unit. 

Anyways, back to my hubby being on LEAVE. He decided to take leave and enjoy some time OFF while our girls were on Christmas break.  He was on duty the week before Christmas and then started leave the day after Christmas. He doesn’t have to go back until the 7^th of January.  He has helped with the girls, cooked meals and we have been able to enjoy some good quality family time together.  I am lucky to have such amazing kids and a wonderful husband.  I hope that I can enjoy ALL of the vacation and not go CRAZY having everyone home ALL THE TIME!  You know how it is with family???

As 2012 comes to a close, I am looking forward to 2013 and excited to see what it holds for our family.  We have BIG plans for 2013 and NO it DOESN’T include a baby. L

Merry CHRISTmas to all!

It is hard to believe that CHRISTmas is here (and almost gone). 2012 has been a year that has FLOWN by!  I felt so unprepared this year for CHRISTmas.  I had BIG plans of this to make and things I wanted to do with my girls.  Not much of the list got accomplished.  I just had to come to grips with the fact it wasn’t going to get done.

As a family 1st this year we went to cut down our CHRISTmas tree.  What a fun event that was. We LOVED it and are looking forward to making that a new tradition.

 We then decorated the tree and took pictures with the tree

This CHRISTmas as in ones past I wanted to focus on the TRUE meaning of CHRISTmas and the reason WHY we celebrate in the 1^st place.  It is important to our family that we give to others that NEED.  We were blessed to be able to give to a few people this year who were in need.  I made BLESSING BAGS with my girls to give out to those on the streets.  We made bags full of hygiene stuff for our full time missionaries in our ward, as well as our senior missionary couple.  We also made plates of yummy stuff to give to our friends.  It  was so fun to spend time in the kitchen with all 4 of my girls --- AND my hubby baking yummy goodies.  Everyone helped. Everyone made their favorite yummy treat (my hubby’s favorite part was TESTING the goodies J)

 This year as like last, we are REALLY missing our family.  I was hoping to be able to spend CHRISTmas with my parents and brother this year. BUT it didn’t work out that way. So again it was just our quiet little family.

CHRISTmas eve was spent baking more yummy goodies, delivering them to friends, spending TIME as a family and enjoying watching the SNOW fall!  As is tradition, the girls watched CHRISTmas movies ALL DAY and colored CHRISTmas pictures.  My hubby read the CHRISTmas story to us by the fireplace, we took traditional new pj pictures..... 

and then we had family prayer, then we put the girls to bed.  YES it was 10pm and that meant a REALLY long night for mama…. Since I hadn’t even wrapped a single present.

Luckily, my hubby stood watch at the stairs (to make sure the girls stayed in bed and didn’t PEEK) so I could wrap and prepare for “santa” to come.  Amazingly enough we were in bed by 1am. And our WONDERFUL girls stayed in bed til 7:45am.  That is sleeping in for us!

 The girls were so excited to see what SANTA had brought them.  Haylee (our oldest) got a guitar and lots of clothes. Sydney (#2) got a tablet, a nice church jacket, and an mp3 player. Kelsee (#3) got a new DSi and a BIG Merida doll, along with an mp3 player.  Delaney (our “baby”) got Little People PRINCESS figures, a baby doll and lots of books! The girls also got 2 PINK BB guns from daddy… which they have already put to the test down in the basement.

We had a great time opening presents and spending the day together. Playing with all the new toys and watching CHRISTmas movies. I felt like I spent the day in the kitchen preparing and cooking our CHRISTmas dinner.  We had ham, mashed potatoes, homemade rolls and homemade apple pies for dessert.  It makes me happy that my family LOVES my cookin’.  I guess I am doing something right.

Well that is our CHRISTmas in a nutshell.  I am so grateful for this time of year that we have to focus on the birth of our Savior.  I am so grateful for HIS sacrifice for each of us.  We have truly been blessed to live in such a time that we may worship as we please. May you all feel the LOVE that our SAVIOR has for you and feel the blessings that our Father in Heaven has given you.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!