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!

my baby's 1st haircut

So I figured since BIG sisters all got their haircut.... and we were there anyways.... why not get my babies 1st haircut.  She desperately needed it.  (you can only do so many ponytails :)

This is Delaney before her haircut

Isn't she cute?  She blew me a kiss when I took the picture

and this is my baby girl during

She has bangs now.  She grew up in 1 snip of the scissors :)

she was checking out the comb and the scissors

then she of course, had to check herself out in the mirror!

I was SHOCKED at how still she sat for it.  She was excited to be BIG like sisters.

The finished product... doesn't she look like an angel?

I also took video of her while getting her haircut... yes I know I am a crazy mommy!  Please excuse the background noise/ conversation... LOL

 

I love my girls

We sure have had some fun times this summer. I am a lucky mommy.  I know I have said it before but I really do LOVE my girls.  With as much as they drive me NUTSO sometimes.  They are the best!  I am so glad that we could share some amazing memories together this summer.  Here are just a few of my favorite pictures of them

Kelsee was in a bad mood that day... can you tell?

With the summer winding down and the girls getting ready to go back to school I am sad.  I have really enjoyed the TIME we've been able to spend together.  They truly are a blessing in my life.  They have made this deployment easier and go by MUCH quicker by keeping me busy and on my toes!

1 week left to enjoy them and then it's back to the crazy school life :(

Time to get back to the Real World!

what an Awesome summer we have had!  It sure has gone by FAST!!!!  It seems like just yesterday school was ending, Haylee graduated from 6th grade and we began our summer fun.  

We spent the 1st month and a half in Simi Valley with my parents and brother.  Then me and the girls made ANOTHER trip to Utah to visit with 2 of my sisters, 1 brother in law and 8 cousins.  YUP!  12 kids and 4 adults in (basically) 1 house.  (I say basically because my 2 sisters live in a house that is an upstairs 3 bedroom house, with a downstairs 3 bedroom house)

What a blast that was!  The trip was originally supposed to be 5 days and ended up being 10 days.  We had many adventures while in Utah (I will be posting pictures soon)  We went swimming, went to Salt Lake City and went to visit cousins.... (we have LOTS of cousins in Utah) While I was there I even "schooled" my sister Jeanne on coupon shopping.  We had a few chances to put my teachings to the test and she did AWESOME!  We even went grocery shopping the night before I left.  We hit 3 stores.  We left at about 10pm and finally returned home at around 215am.  LUCKILY Wally World is open 24 hours.  It was so much fun hanging out with my sister.  She is my buddy and I already miss her tons :(

Also while in Utah I found my DREAM HOME!  I know many of my "fans" aka double coupon day followers where SHOCKED to find out that I was NOT coming home for this past Double coupon day.  BUT there was a GOOD reason for it

this house is AWESOME!  I know I shouldn't get my hopes up but I would LOVE to have it for my own.....  here are a few other pictures of Inside :)

the HUGE pantry in the kitchen!

the view in the backyard

the HUGE walk in closet in the master bedroom

the master bathroom... yup!  Its HUGE

this is the 2nd bath upstairs for the kids

oh! and this is the master bedroom.... well part of it.  I couldnt fit in the whole thing... Its HUGE!!!

This house has 5 bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths.  It is over 2900 sqft and a beautiful view from the backyard.  

We all fell in love with it the 1st time we saw it.  I even went so far as to put in an offer!  Now its the waiting game.....

So that is why we haven't been home.  Too many other FUN things to do.... but now it's time to get back to reality!  School starts in 10 days YIKES

Sometimes its just takes a kid.....

to remember that we have to take the time to STOP and SMELL the ROSES!

The other day I decided to get my girls outta the house and from in from of the TV and go for a walk.  I have desperately needed to get moving and TRY to lose a little (ok more like 15 lbs) weight.  I figured why not involve my girlies and make it a family affair.  So we walked for over an hour.  We walked and walked and walked!  Which is fun when you've got kids who wanna stop constantly to look at all the flowers, bug and pick up the sticks on the ground.  At first I was getting really frustrated.... but then I stopped and realized.... LIFE IS WAY TO SHORT! to NOT stop and Smell the roses!  

My girls are growing up too quick.  I already feel like I have missed out on so much.  I have been so bad at writing in my journal.  Sharing those sweet stories of my girls as they've grown.  I am so afraid that I won't remember them to tell "their" kids.

Anyways back to the walk, so we stopped... and stopped and stopped some more.

The next night, just after dinner was done daughter #3 looks at me and says   Hey when are we going on our walk tonite?  Well alrighty then... I guess if they want to I gotta right? So we walked again.  This time... I took my Camera.  Here are some of the beautiful sites along our way.

daughter #2 "posing"

daughter #3 following big sister

at one point daughter #3  said to me.... mommy I wish we could have a beautiful garden like these ones.... why cant we where we live?

my only answer for that is.... you can't grow anything in the desert!

this is our favorite... we always stop and look at it.  This is in someone yard down the street from grandmas house.

baby girl loves her walks... as long as she has her pony, cup and her ki- ki (blanket)

the colors of all the flowers are amazing!  We couldnt even pick our favorite.  The girls all kept saying This one is my favorite... no this is my favorite!

**just a sidenote.... this is the same neighborhood that I grew up in.  My parents have lived in the same house for over 30 years. so I got to show my girls where my childhood friends lived.  Where I used to babysit.  Where I went to elementary school.  And where we used to play with our friends.  It has been so much fun!**

This is what I wish I had in 29 palms...

yes... its green grass but its GREEEEEEN!  Not brown :)

we walked so long we even got to see the sunset

what an amazing site!

my girls loved to ride the scooters down the hills

this is daughter #3's COME ON MOM... STOP TAKING SO MANY PICTURES face

so I hope that by this little "lesson" from my girls I will take the time to STOP TO SMELL THE ROSES more often!

**just as another sidenote... we have now taken a walk for the last 4 nites... I think it's a habit now!**

This place really is.... beautiful!

I was driving around the other day with the girls... killing some time and came upon this street.  This took my breath away.  I LOVE these trees.  So beautiful.  On a summer day in 29 Palms you certainly would NEVER see something like this.

My commentary

Ok so I am NOT a movie critic BUT.....

I went to the FREE movies with my Mom (aka Gramma) and my girls and Mom's Daycare kids today.  Every week during the summer they have FREE movies.  They are the movies that are already out on video, but it is always better to watch them on the BIG SCREEN! 

There is always a choice of 2 movies, each movie showing in 2 theaters.  This weeks choices...

and

 So we (more like my mom) chose Where the wild things are... her daycare kids have watched Madagascar alot and never have seen the other.  Smart choice, Right?  NOT

Word to the wise.... THAT HAS GOT TO BE ONE OF THE DUMBEST MOVIES EVER

 from the beginning I was not understanding the "plot".  The camera movement was ridiculous (it was all over the place)  It made me dizzy even watching it.  As the movies progressed I was NOT impressed.... I actually thought on a number of occasions "WHY ARE WE SITTING THROUGH THIS??"  There were other families that got up and walked out.  On the Dumb meter it  ranks right up there with

 This is one movie the my Marine and I walked out of... we went on a date to see it!  

So all in all we sat through the whole DUMB movie today, well up until the movie just ended all of a sudden (no credits, no nothing)  I walked out and turned to my mom and said I think I lost some brain cells in there....WOW!  

**If you haven't watched Where the Wild Things Are, DON'T!!**