Quick Update

Things are going just fine here. We are up for another adventure! We will be going to visit my family for about 2 weeks. I have high hopes to get to the temple while I am away. It has been a long time since I have been able to go (It takes a lot around here to be able to get to the temple). I am VERY excited about going. I will miss my class for the next two weeks but I know they will be fine without me.
Tara and I toughed out the free bread program that the ASYMCA does for the military yesterday. It was a lot of waiting, but I think we did fairly well in getting bread for our families that will last a bit. Overall, it was a success I think. I had plans to go to the gym afterwards, but, yeah - it took WAY too long. SO, I will be there today and tomorrow. I have a lot of cleaning to do (I am obsessed with making my house JUST RIGHT before I leave so life is so much easier when I get home). I'll still be updating my blog - and the new blog I joined (Made by my sister - I'll tell you more about it later). I don't have to get anyone ready for school this year, but I do have to make sure one of them will be ready for some school NEXT year! Wish us luck on our trip and I will see you all in a few weeks!

Last Half of the OBX!

Thursday we went Parasailing. It was a ton of fun. If you check out my shutterfly pictures you can see them all. I will attach one so you can see. I just take so many pictures when I am on vacation. Most of them are bad pictures, but hey, I try! Jeremiah and I rode together and the 1st mate (one that hooks you up and makes sure you are safe) took a picture of him holding a knife up to our rope and pretending to cut it! He was a pretty funny guy. We saw tons of crabs floating around in the water and were hoping to see some dolphins (the group before us had claimed to see some). Then, at the end of the "flight" they dragged us through the water. We went up 600 feet. Friday was another day where we just wanted to get out of the house a bit and keep the girls busy. I wanted to go to the beach but we didn't get the chance to take the girls this year. So, no beach pictures. =0( Uncle Tom arrived Friday night. He and Nana went shopping Saturday morning, we went looking at some last minute things we wanted to see, then we all went out to eat at Jimmy's buffet. It was TERRIBLE!! (never go there!) It was definitely an "experience". Then Sunday, we packed up all of our things and made sure the house was cleaned out and traveled home. I tried taking some pictures on the way home of different things. That's what all the pictures at the end are about. There's a picture of Grave Digger (monster truck) I think a place called Burton (my maiden name) I tried to get the street name Cameron (name of my brother-in-law) and a few other odds and ends. So, all of those were taken from a moving car. That just about sums up the vacation though! We are back to the "regular life" and happy to be home.

Shutterfly

Ok, so I have uploaded almost 400 pictures to shutterfly. A lot of them are duplicates (I just kept taking pictures in hopes that a great one would show itself). You are now forewarned. Go ahead and check out my shutterfly album if you want. I hope to put explainations and labels on them in the next few days. Well, I hope that you enjoy the pictures! Just copy and paste it in your browser.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AYuXDlu4YtGLl4

So...

My attempt to break it down a little so I could upload photos hasn't worked with the wifi we are using. So, I will have to add pics later when I get home I guess. So, the rest of the week (so far) in a nutshell... Tue - went shopping and looking around. Wed - Went to Manteo to see the Aquarium and Christmas shop (VERY disappointed with what they had to offer. They had closed a couple years ago and have now reopened - I'm not sure if it is under new management or not). The girls like the fish and Julia loved trying to touch the animals in the marine area. We've gone swimming or hung out in the hot tub pretty much every night. The girls are getting the hang of floating with their lifevests on! Oh, we also got a lifevest for free the other night. Pretty fun story. Then, Thursday - we're still just hanging out and checking out the stores in the area. But, this morning on my way home from the gym (I've gone every day except for Wed. so far) I filled up the car and ended up getting $10 of free gas! Apparently someone had pre-paid and then left. So, I was the lucky recipient of an unknowingly abandoned pre-pay!! Good things have been happening to us this week. We've been blessed.

Monday

Monday we headed up to Duck to sightsee and shop. We will be going back tomorrow to do some parasailing. I am hoping to get some really fun pictures - we'll see how it goes! We found me some crocs (on sale) to replace my pair that is wearing thin! The girls did pretty good and we were happy to have some time together to look at what we wanted.

First Half of the OBX!!!

So, Monday we decided to travel up to Duck to see what they had to offer. We stopped at a lot of the shops (Scarborough Faire and walked to the neighboring stores). I found some crocs (on sale too!) and got them - I am really wearing out my pair. I just love them, very comfy. Tuesday we decided we would go window shopping and ended up finding some fun things for the girls. Melanie just loves to touch on all the pretty things (very breakable) and all the toys she can put her eyes on!! Keeping her from touching them has been a great feat this week. Wednesday we went across the bridge to Manteo to check out the stores there. We hit traffic on the way and then found out that they had the art fair going on!! Go figure! I guess next time we'll have to check the events calendar! We went to the Aquarium and then of course went by the Christmas shop (it closed a few years ago and has re-opened, we were VERY disappointed). I got a nativity by Willow Tree last year with plans to add on a set each year. I have the basic set with Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, a Shepherd, a few sheep and a donkey. So, I still need the wisemen, more shepherds and some more animals. I found the wisemen at the Christmas Mouse and I bought them this year. All that is left now is more shepherds and animals if I want! Like my mom, I love nativities and I also love Willow Tree.

Sunday's rainy trip

Our trip down here on Sunday was quite the rainy one. I thought that most of the week would be wet, we have lucked out so far. (only rain Sun and today (Wed)) It has been beautiful weather since - allowing us to get lots of time outdoors (not neccessarily tans though)! It looks like the rest of the week from here on out (starting Thurs) will be wonderful! I will post more later and hopefully be adding some pictures if this free wifi will allow me too! I also found out on Sunday that our ward will be splitting and we'll be losing quite a few families I really enjoy being around! I guess that means we'll have get togethers at my house now so we can keep in touch!

Olympics

I am so excited about the Olympics. I was eager to watch them on Saturday. I think there is a special spirit that comes with the Olympic games. Dreams come true, Miracles happen, etc. So, I am just so excited about them! My favorite sports to watch are swimming, gymnastics, and track events. What sports do you enjoy watching in the Olympics?

Our Trial before the Fun

I wanted to wait to post this so that I didn't jinx myself. So, on Thursday, our battery died. I found out by packing the girls in the car and having to go pick up Jeremiah only to find out that my car wouldn't do anything when the key was turned! I frantically tried to reach Jeremiah (I finally got him on his cell) to let him know. Of course I was crying because I felt I might not get the chance to go on vacation. So, the boys came to save me! YAY!! Thankfully it was only the battery and it was promptly replaced. We seem to not have much luck around the time that vacation happens. Last year, the day Jeremiah returned to work - he was in a car accident. Oh, then I thought the car completely "reset" the odometer to 50- some thousand miles. Only to find that it was probably fine. I just prepare for the worst I guess!! Imagine the relief when I find out it isn't that bad. Sorry, I'm rambling. I need to fill you in on what's going on here!

He's Back

Jeremiah is back! Yay! Now it is just a matter of days before we leave for vaction. If anyone wants to check out the house we'll be staying at this year, here's the link. http://www.kittydunes.com/rental/house.html?ID=81
It's really nice. For those of you who haven't been to the Outer Banks, this is a great example of what they have to offer as far as homes to rent for the week. They all aren't as expensive as this one, you can get what suits for your family's needs. I hope to catch some internet somehow while we are gone to share some fun things.

We Lost a Member of our Family Yesterday

This is a picture of my Aunt and our late family member, Suzy. She has always technically belonged to our Aunt. However, Our family took care of Suzy for a few years of her life and she always took care of us. She passed away yesterday living to be almost 17 years old!! She always had spunk and love for those around her - even in her last years. She suffered from blindness, and hearing loss before she passed away. I won't forget how she would run into the bathroom during thunderstorms and jump in the tub and shake because she was so scared, or how she would scratch up grass all over the yard after she went potty. Jeremiah knew her while he was on his mission and I'm sure will think, "Well, she smelled anyway." We love her though and she has made our lives a little more cheerful by being in it. I know she is watching over those who loved her now in Heaven with Our Heavenly Father. Since we stopped taking care of her, I have missed having her curled up at the foot of my bed keeping me company at night.

Here's to Susan - 10/2/1991 - 08/04/2008!

I got them!!!!

Yay! I finally received this month and next month's books in the mail today!! I was hoping to get them in time for vacation so I can read them. I am so excited to read next month's book (sort of because it's the book I picked) because I have heard so many good things about the author. The other thing we got today was Jeremiah's computer screen. I learned a few things and switched out the cracked one with the new. Sorry my posts haven't been as exciting as most of yours, I am trying to keep a journal and remind myself what I have been through and measure my growth. I hope you all are doing well!!

Ft. Monroe's Kid's Day

We traveled over to Ft. Monroe today to participate in the Kid's Day festivities. I brought my camera, only to realize once we got there that I had forgotten to put the memory card back in! So, I unfortunately do not have any pictures. The girls had fun and we have LOTS of information from different organizations in the area. Melanie and Julia jumped around in one of those inflatable jumping pits. After a little bit, Julia got a little spooked out. Melanie wanted to try everything, but due to the heat, was unable to bear the hot plastic on her feet. She ended her day by playing in the tent that the gymnastics program put together for children to "tumble" in. She had a blast! Maybe we have a gymnast in the family?! We got some snow cones and free lunch too! It was great fun!

Isn't he handsome? I'm sure you all feel that way about your husbands. He really does have some pretty cool powers though. A few of them are: making me mad in less than a nanosecond, making me melt in just as much time, making me feel safer than a bank vault, and getting me to laugh. It's been awhile since I wrote something for my dear husband. I love military life because we are never together long enough to get too terribly comfortable before they have to leave for a bit (be it a week or months). I hate military life for the same reason. However, I do find blessings in the times we are apart. I find that the longer they are gone, the more time I have to think about what he really does do for me. Well, for those of you who are wondering, he does quite a lot for our family. I like to feel as though he doesn't do anything because I have to deal with the girls all day or have to do most of the housework. The song I have on my playlist called "The Way I am" is a pretty good interpretation of us. Jeremiah shrugs it off when I get frustrated and mean because my house isn't clean and I have company coming. He is a wonderful father and they definitely know he's the patriarch! One look from him and they go running to their beds!! I wish I had that talent! He works hard each and everyday (sometimes even the weekends) for us. The boy has awesome work ethic!! I complain because I don't necessarily see that at home - but I suppose he should get a break sometimes. No one wants to work hard ALL the time!! (even though I would argue till I was blue in face that I work hard all the time) Everyone here that is married knows that there a million little things that can bother us and make us all too eager to punish them in some way. I'm just amazed how little those things are sometimes! He likes to let me go out and shop or be with some friends if I get the opportunity to give me a break when he can. But, the adversary is truly good at what they do - if a messy house will really turn my world upside down and ruin anyone's chances at seeing a smile on my face, that is usually what I get to come home to! Thus killing the good mood I might have been in from having a chance to go somewhere without my children. Time allows for perspective. I am grateful that I get that perspective often so that I don't continue to let the "little things" blind me.

Blessings

I have started this post probably three times already, maybe this one will be the "final draft". I've had chances for service this week and I've struggled with the load or hardship that comes along with brining my children with me. To keep this post short, I found out why one of these people needed my help. I felt so blessed to be available to help her and serve her today. I hope that I am not alone in thinking that sometimes doing the service is near to impossible with my children in tow! I find great joy in helping others, I've just realized that I am not supermom. I'm not like my church friends that seem to be able to do it all without the slightest bit of difficulty. I had to post this because I feel like it was something that helped to strengthen me and make me a better person. Does anyone out there understand what I am trying to say?

This week has gone by so fast!

I can't believe that it is already Friday! (well, almost) This week started out like most others, just minus the husband. Now, I know that that isn't something new for me, but it usually brings out bad behavior from my children. Kind of like how the full moon brings out the crazy people. On Tuesday, Julia decided to decorate my couch (and her face and clothes of course) with sour cream!! She managed to push over the gate that we use to block the kitchen and got right into that sour cream. Then, she did it again on WEDNESDAY!! For those of you that are thinking, "wow, she must really be a terrible mom" it's true. I was distracted with Melanie while the second crime took place - thankfully the damage wasn't as extensive as Tuesday's. Momma was pretty upset though and definitely tired of scrubbing her couch! I am very relieved and happy to say that today went pretty wonderfully. I didn't have any major problems with my children, and even was able to get some cleaning done!! (imagine that!) Plus take care of a few matters of family business (book order, ordering the screen for Jeremiah's broken laptop). I feel as though I have accomplished things, and that is usually half the battle when you're a mom (or at least I think so). I finally got the book Three Cups of Tea from the library (I've had it on my hold list forever it seems), I am excited to read it. I apologize that my posts are always a jumble of thoughts and lots of parentheses. It kind of gives you an idea of how my brain functions these days! I definitely need more adult interaction and visit time!!

In Honor of The Cheesecake Factory's 30th

While at playgroup on Wednesday, I heard about the Cheesecake Factory's $1.50 piece of cheesecake. I was unable to attend (military life) but decided I would go ahead and make my own!! Thank heavens for the Jello Cheesecakes! My heart was with you for those of you who took advantage of the birthday treat. This picture doesn't look like much, but it was still a treat for me.

Wyatt and Melanie's Birthday Celebration!!

Sunday July 13th was the day we celebrated both Wyatt's (July 12th) and Melanie's (July 17th) birthdays! So, I of course felt terrible that I was feeling sick. I took the pictures and tried to stay away from the fun. I didn't even eat the dinner! All I had was rice and mashed potatoes. Anyway... all we had was Christmas wrapping paper, so we had a bit of "Christmas in July". Here are a few photos of them throughout the day.

Wyatt's gift from us

Melanie's Dora sprinkler

New Clothes!!

Twirling with her new dress. She loves to twirl!

Gifts from Nana

Nana even got a gift for Julia so she wouldn't feel left out!

She loves dora! Excuse daddy's blink, it's the only pic I had!

The big present

Wyatt's cake - the candle fell off as soon as we put it on the table and blew itself out! So, Wyatt had no chance to blow it out on his own.

Melanie's cake - I bought it this year. I can't make really small cakes and I tried to find a small one. Plus, I can't make the words look all pretty either. Jenn is great with decorating cakes though - I should take lessons!

Melanie blew out the candle before we could finish singing! She loves "happy days".

Already the seasoned pro (he had a birthday party the day before too) digging in.

Catching up on the past few weeks....

Well, to usher in my sickness a few weeks back I had an unexpected thing happen to me. I was asked to talk at one of my Primary "students" baptism. (July 12th)I'm the kind of person that gets very nervous about these things and of course worried about what to say, let alone why this person chose me to speak! So, I think the reason will remain unknown for the rest of my life, but I hope that I was able to share some things that touched both she and her sister. (They were baptized on the same day). I also feel very blessed to have been a witness to their very special day. Here is a picture of them.

Sonja and Amore

Under the Weather

So, our family has been under the weather for quite a bit. The girls have had "digestion" problems during last week. Then I got sick Saturday evening and have been sick since! I'm slowly getting my strength back and getting back into things I normally do. By the way, thanks to Heidi for taking over my class (I didn't call the Primary Presidency in time to let them know I was sick and unable to be there). Heidi - you're so great for helping out, thank you so much!! I thought I would just send out a quick note, so you all know why I haven't been updating my blog. Hopefully more will come later, but for now I am taking it easy! Hopefully I might even get the chance to scrapbook (Oh, I really hope so!).