Whew!!

I almost didn't go to Time Out For Women. When I first heard when it was going to be, I thought I shouldn't because of how close it was to us leaving. But I have some very convincing friends, and Ben was sure that he could get the day off. He also added that..." you can't get mad about anything I pack while you are gone." His one stipulation! :) We had so much fun. I can't even begin to describe. And not only was it fun, and a nice break, but inspirational. Someone described it as " filling your bucket up". It just felt like a rejuvenation. We headed out on Friday morning. We decided for lunch that we would ABSOLUTELY NOT STOP AT MCDONALDS! No play places or happy meals. Nothing of the sort! So we stopped at Cracker Barrel. Very yum. Made it to Raleigh(not sure of the sp). Checked in and headed to a scrapbook store where I bought absolutely nothing! Amazing. Basically I wanted to save my $$ for Deseret Book! LOL! Which by the way, if anyone is thinking of getting me a gift, a gift card would be great! There is so much that I would have loved to buy and didn't! Anyway, we made it to the convention center, after getting our picture taken with R2D2. We listened to the first speaker, Chieko Okazaki. Hillarious! And then when my friend and I went to do a little shopping, at Deseret book she was there. So we met her and got our picture taken with her. We explained that we were both military wives and it was mentioned that I was moving to Guam. She said she had been there and it was very hot. But she sat and talked to us for a while. Fun. Then a musical presentation that was AWESOME. Went to dinner and then to the hotel and played games.

Sat. was fun. Listened to speakers, bought more books and cd's, all had lunch together. Pictures taken and just good times. We left at around 4( it was about 3.5 hours away) and we had stopped for some dinner and had been on the road only a few minutes when my friend got a flat tire. But she had just had a flat tire the week before. And the spare wasn't fixed yet! Luckily, the other van that we were caravaning with was behind us. So some stayed with her and her car until a tow truck came, and I and another lady hopped in the other van. The tow truck was an experience of it's own!

Anyway, I had such an awesome time. I am so glad I went. The next two weeks are going to be BUSY!. Getting everything done. It is just hard to believe it is going soooo fast!!( BTW: not pregnant, just fat!)

5 senses Saturday

Taste:
**continental breakfast that wasn't that great
**a yummy turkey sandwich at a deli
** oreo blizzard
** subway ( yes two subs in one day!)
** a brownie
Sights:
** excellent speakers
** friends
** books & cd's at Deseret Book
** Emily Watts!!
**my family
Sounds:
** conversations in the car
** " Is that a flat tire?"
** motivational messages
** " I missed you Mommy!"
** Hillary Weeks singing
Touch:
** my luggage
**my camera
** my family for great big hugs
** the quilt that my Mom sent me
** the books that I bought
Smell:
** subway
**pasta as it got dumped out in the back of Deborah's car
** some nasty dead animal on the side of the road
** my favorite lotion
** the smell of my own sheets instead of a hotels

gone fishin'

Waiting for my ride. Headed to Time Out for Women. Can not wait for a girls weekend. My friend is calling it "the last hurrah". I'll blog later. Have a great weekend, I know I will!!!!

the first "last"

I didn't think it was going to be that hard. Honestly, I didn't. Today was Connor's last day of school. I thought it was going to be hard to say goodbye to his teachers. Because they haven't just been his teachers. They have been so much more. I wasn't prepared for the hugs and tears. For the director to hug me and start crying saying how much she has enjoyed having our family attend preschool. For Connor's teachers to tell me what wonderful children I have and to keep up the good work. There are friends there, who I am not THAT close with, but who I have seen M-F, Sept.-May twice a dayfor 4 years now. Who I have talked in the hallway with. Who I have arranged play dates with. Who I have seen at the grocery store and Target. And it is all over. We are done at LUMPS. When I told Connor that this was his last ride, he asked me " forever?" And I said yes. In 2003, I dropped a very tiny Harmony off at the door, holding Connor in my arms. And 4 years later, I walked out with a 5 year old Connor. Time flies. This is the first thing that is "ending". I am not sure if I am emotionally ready to handle all the goodbyes that are coming our way.

uhm....hmmm

OK, when I blog about something, I usually try to think of what I am going to say before hand...so that it doesn't come out in random thoughts. However, after re-reading my last post, I am not sure what happened there. Random thoughts everywhere and I am not sure how much of it is even cohesive. But I don't want to re-write it. So long story short, Connor went on a field trip today.To the Norfolk Botanical Gardens.

I will try to pay more attention next time. :)

Norfolk Botanical Gardens

Ah...another field trip. Harmony had one on Monday that I was unable to make it too. And believe me, I heard about it all morning!! However, this one was for Connor. Tomorrow is his last day!! So many of the Mom's were telling me how they sad they were that Connor was leaving, and also quite a few offers for playdates. I said to be careful what you offer because I might just take you up on it!! Today was really warm and so I had to break out the sunscreen! We walked around and it is a beautiful place. I will say though that kids lose interest pretty quickly. All Connor really wanted to do was ride the tram! After awhile he got really hot and really didn't feel well. The class stayed and ate lunch but Connor was really hot and sweaty ( not to mention Ivan had a dirty diaper!) so we left. It was kind of a good thing to because once we got home, he was really sick.I think he is feeling better now but he just got a little bit of heat stroke or something. He better get used to it because that is what the weather is going to be like for him for 2 years! Anyway, he told me that the best part of the trip was the tram ride. My friend is going to use her family pass to get us in and we are going to go and play in the water park. So that will be fun. Anyway, I have to get to work so....

pins and needles...

I know, I know I have left some of you on pins and needles about my Mothers Day gift. So here it is...Not the greatest of pictures because it is put away. But Ben got me a TREADMILL!! It even folds up and fits into our closet! I love it. I have so missed going to the Y. And this just makes up for it. Loove it! Isn't he sooo sweet?!

Five Senses Saturday

It is very late,but Saturday was nuts!!!! So lets get started...

Sight:
**old friends
**sunrise
**Ben coming to bed at 3am (!!!) after playing video games
**dirty boys after playing with friends
**a messy house

Touch:
** new clothes from Old Navy
**Harmony's long hair
**boring mail
**the phone to check on playdates
** Ben's hand as we walked to the van

Taste:
**cheesecake
**lasagna
** tortellini
**diet coke
**cheese sticks

Smell:
** Italian foods
** sweaty kids after playing outside
** chocolate
** Ben :) ( don't worry it was a good smell!)
**bbq ( not ours but in the neighborhood)

Hear:
** "this wetting down was hosted by.... Lt. Turner"
** " It is soo good to see you again!"
** " Your kids are always so well behaved"
** " please Mom, can I please stay the night at Sophi's"
** " But 9:30 isn't going to bed too late!"

oops...forgot

In the midst of all my negativity, I have neglected to post a few things! Last week, we were able to go out to dinner with our sponsor. When you are pcs'ing (ie moving to a new duty station) you get what is called a sponsor. Someone who you can get info about your new area. Well we were very excited to find out that our sponsor is a Mormon. He is married with 5 kids. And last week, he just happened to be in town. So we all headed out to Ruby Tuesdays. At first I told Ben to just go by himself, as dining with 4 kids can be about as fun as a root canal, but our sponsor insisted, saying he has 5 kids so he understands what it is like. I still have some questions and so I am going to email his wife,but here is some of the information we got:

**mail can take as little as a week, and as long as a month to get to you. During the busy times ( like Christmas) we are looking at more like a month

**( if you are not Mormon, feel free to skip this one) there are 3 branches that meet on the island, and they have around 40-60 active members. Which is like our primary!

**some things are really hard to find there. Because most likely, if you are looking for something, so is someone else. The NEX ( Navy exchange store) can be completely sold out of things which kind of forces you to go to K-Mart which is more expensive

**we need to figure out a place to stay when we get there and he gave us a great idea. We are going to be staying at a nice resort hotel with a water park.I am excited because there is a kids club for kids over 4, and they are entertained from 9:30-4!! Perfect timing for naps and everything else. It will be a lot easier to take Ivan swimming by myself than all 4 of them. Plus it will be easier for Ivan to take a nap during the day!

**we got a postcard today saying that our approx. wait for Navy housing is 12 months. So it looks like we will be renting somewhere off base.

** there is a Sunday paper, however there is not a coupon section. So I am counting on everybody "state side". We can use coupons that are expired up to 6 months so that will be awesome

** ordering online sounds like a necessity. However, from what he said certain sites will ship no problem, some will ship to Guam but you pay shipping out the wazoo, and others just absolutely won't. That is one of the questions I will be asking his wife

** also, we got an email and it is looking like our express shipment will be there about 10 days after we arrive.

Whew! Bored yet? It is getting so close to time to go. It is going by sooo fast. 25 days until we leave! :)

unwelcome

2 negative posts in a row. A new record. Yippie. Last week, it was kind of "officially announced", ok more than just our close friends, found out that we were leaving very soon. So last week I had so many people come up to me giving me hugs and telling me how much I would be missed. Made me feel good. Today however, felt completely opposite. If you are not Mormon, this might get a little confusing so I apologize...I currently teach a class in the primary. The kids are all 4 &5 year olds. Well, when you move you have to be "released" from whatever you are doing and someone else takes over that spot. Well I have been waiting and waiting to be released and it hasn't happened yet. We are down to 3 weeks left and it has yet to happen. So someone came up to me and asked if I was going to be released that day. I said not that I knew. A little bit later they came up to me again and said, " well do you know when they are? Have they said anything about when?" Once again, I said no I don't know. Finally later, they told me, that they had called the Primary president ( that is the person who is "in charge" of it) earlier that week to remind them that I needed to be released. Just to remind the Pres. How thoughtful right? I am like ok I didn't realize how bad you wanted me to leave. All afternoon they were letting me know how anxious they were for me to be released. Not oh it's too bad that you are leaving or I am excited for you that you are moving just I can't wait until you are released. Made me just feel lower than dirt. I guess it is time to move on. I don't want to be a baby it's just that it hurt. :(

Irritated

How can a morning, that started out with such promise, turn into blech by the afternoon? The day started out well. We were dressed and ready to go 10 whole minutes before we had to be in the car. Dropped kids off. My friend watched Ivan so that we could go and do our FINAL overseas screening stuff. So nice to not have to entertain him while doing that. Then we did just a little shopping and Ben bought me something very cool for Mothers Day. I am going to make him put it up even though it will just be taken down in a month. And just to leave everyone on edge...I am not going to tell you what it is until I get a picture! Hee Hee! We got to go out to lunch, and just had a nice time together.

Then... I got Harmony's report card. Straight A's. Except pe where she got an F. Yes an F in ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PE. Harmony insists that she has been participating. Her teacher says she hasn't. I don't know what to do. Then I get home and get the mail. I hate my bank. I use Navy Federal Credit Union and the only reason I do is because " we serve where you serve." That is their slogan. Well I got sooo tired of them that I decided to open up a checking account, with Chase whom I also have a credit card with. I did that a couple of days ago and then today recieved a letter saying that my account was being closed and that it might go on my credit report. What? I opened it 2 days ago. What possible damage could I have done. So I called customer service and the guy was an IDIOT. Why was it closed? Because they couldn't verify my social security number. You have got to be kidding me. May I remind you that...I ALREADY HAVE AN ACCOUNT WITH YOU! So many little annoyances. I try to bring the milk in and as soon as I am not looking, Ivan takes off into the street. Go and grab him and get kicked ( by accident) while putting him down for a nap. Find Harmony's homework on the floor. Grrr! Not a good afternoon...and then...

" Mommy, I made a card for Ms. Skees will you give it to her tomorrow?"
" Yes Ethan I will." And this is what it says....

" I miss you mis skees veree nuch. From Ethan.tak good cer uv connor."

Started crying. So sweet. Need to get up and do something. I need a better day. Maybe doing something will lift my mood.I hate feeling this way! :(

Welcome to the world...

My newest nephew. Born on Sunday. Congrats Tom & Nicole & Khalil!

So sweet! Happy Birthday Wyatt!

It is Wednesday. Which means I haven't posted on here since Sunday! Sorry, for the bad blogging. Life is so busy. Ecspecially this week. We have one month left. Exactly. Once little Mr. Ivan is down for his nap, I will be calling all the utility companies. I can't believe how time is flying so fast. Why is that when Ben was deployed, time seemed to stand still? But when we have 8 million things to do, you blink and it is dinner time? That's what it feels like anyway...

Nothing really exciting to report. It's funny b/c I have been so insanely busy, but there is nothing to say. Let me just sum up my weekends though...this week we are busy with all sorts of things, including Ben's "wetting down". I hate this Navy tradition. ( I will explain later). So the kids are all being sent off to different houses to go and play. Next Saturday I will be out of town. Going to Time Out For Women and I can not wait! The next weekend we will be having Ethan's birthday and the next Friday, the movers come. It is going so fast.

Anyway, that is about all I have time for right now. I will try to do an update a little later. We will see how that pans out! For now, I leave you with a picture of Connor being a pirate. Isn't he scary? Argh!

Icee

Ivan and I frequent BJ's alot. I have been there so often with the kids, that when Ben came home, the first time that I went back, by myself, the door man said " where are your boys?!" Yeah, we are there alot. Ben was in charge of a lot of different fundraisers for Seabee ball, and so many times our "family night" consisted of going to BJ's to get all the stuff that he needed. And that is when the kids discovered the Icee's at the snack counter. Now it is a must have every time we all go together as a family. I only bought one for the big kids but Ivan pitched such a fit...that he eventually got his own!

Jungle Village

Like I mentioned before, after some serious cabin fever, we headed out to go miniature golfing. Unfortunatley, Ivan had been up at 3 am the night before and then slept until 10:30. So when it came to his nap time at 12, he wasn't ready. Basically, he didn't take a nap. So he was a little tired! We figured he would probably just grab a club and follow after the other kids. Not quite. He tried to climb in waterfalls, take the balls out of the hole, stand in the way of the person who was shooting etc...But it was fun. The older kids loved it! They struggled at first but once they got the hang of it, they loved it. We went around once, but before we got through, Ivan was crying and throwing a fit. So I took him while Ben finished with the rest of the kids. The older ones wanted to go around one more time, so Ivan and I headed back for the van.He watched Scooby Doo and I read a book. Worked for me! On their last round...Ethan made a hole in one! Nice. We are anxiously awaiting the time when it becomes easier to take Ivan places. We are so used to the big kids, and how easy it is to do things with them. All in time I guess. Then we headed to BJ's and got pizza for dinner. I bought Harmony the movie "Indian in the Cupboard". She has been reading that at school. So she and I laid on my bed and watched that. Ben watched sports center in the living room, and the boys were watching Star Wars on yet another tv. We had a nice, relaxed evening. Now it is back to school tomorrow! Thank heaven! 33 days and counting....

5 Senses Saturday

Hear:
** Dora the Explorer
** birds chirping
** the crazy guy at Wal Mart who sits on a bench and talks to himself
**" I was the first one up today Mommy!" said by Ethan
** Ben up before 8 am
See:
**the sun coming up
** a little boy in his Superman jammies
**kids with tired eyes
**a messy house
** groceries I still haven't put away
Touch:
** Connor with his nice clean blanket cuddled on my lap
** Ivan all warm after just waking up
** grocery bags
** a water bottle
**hugging Ben
Smell:
** Trix yogurt
** Tide
**garbage that needs to be taken out
**doughnuts baking
**crystal light packets
Taste:
**banana
**shredded wheat
**1% milk
** crystal light
** 1/2 a piece of leftover pizza

Is it over yet?

Spring break that is. All of this togetherness this week, has led me to one conclusion...I will never be a homeschooling Mom. Seriously.We started out the week really well, and they have progressively become more whiney, fighting more, not listening etc. And instead of just one at a time, it is all 4 at once. I have been trying to get major work done in the house, so I know that they are getting a bit of cabin fever. However, their attitudes are driving me nuts. Ready to give them to the next person who comes to the door!

Instead, we are going to wait until Ben comes home, and all go miniature golfing. Get some fresh air and some family time having fun. The kids are excited.

The other day Harmony got some huge "ouchies". When we moved here from California, the movers took the screw out of my scrapbook desk chair...and never gave it back to us. So we have been just using it backless. So imagine how much fun the kids have spinning around in it. The other night I was reading to the boys on my bed, and Harmony was spinning. She kept saying, " I am getting really dizzy!" To which I replied, " stop spinning then". She kept going though and the next thing we know...she fell off and hit my dresser. She has cuts and scrapes all over her legs and arms AND a huge red mark that goes around the whole front of her neck! Like we strangled her or something! I told her we can't take her out of the house like that or someone might call Protective Services or something.

I would post a picture but my camera battery is dead and I can't find the other one. I will find it before we take the kids golfing though! So I will keep you posted!

on the rise...

What? What is on the rise? Is it...

A)my weight as I have not been dieting and/or exercising since I found out we are moving?

B)gas prices

C) my temper

D) all of the above...and then some!

Ok honestly, all of them are true. But that is not what I am talking about. It is my stress level! Through the roof people!

If you are looking for a way to test your marriage, the quickest way would be to get orders to go overseas, and then get everything done in a little over a month!!Tempers are high...stress levels are high. If it was a drug, I am not sure when we would come down. Tired, stressed and worn out. It has been hard to get along lately! We both have so much on our plates. It is a good thing we love each other so much! Medical is all done. Dental is all done. Waiting for paperwork. And Ivan's birth certificate. With a to do list a mile long... I am headed to take a nap. Ethan told me, " if you want to take a nap for real, it's ok." Glad I have your permisson little dude!

busy weekend

Yikes. We have had such a busy weekend! It started out with a trip, for the big kids, to Kangaroo Jacks, with some friends of ours. They loved it. They ran around like crazy and had a total blast. We got there around lunch time and the smell of pizza was getting to them! So after about an hour and a half we headed to McDonalds. After lunch, the kids were so tired! The older ones laid around and watched a movie while Ivan crashed hard. Connor and I went grocery shopping and then we had a pretty relaxing evening. Ben and I laid around and watched Sound of Music. Ok, Ben fell asleep but I enjoyed watching it! It always brings back memories!

Saturday we woke up to snow! I could not believe it! Crazy weather. We woke up kind of late and then headed over to the church for the annual Easter Egg hunt and pancake breakfast. Because of the snow, they had to do it inside. Ivan's favorite part of any church function, is playing on the stage. So he wasn't too thrilled to be pulled off and handed a basket. But once he got the first peak at what was inside...he was off! He loved it. After that we couldn't get him to let go of it!

Ben took the kids to see "Meet the Robinsons". Daddy spoils them rotten! :) He actually did it so that the EB could come. The kids came home and opened the baskets. We actually celebrate the "bunny" aspect of Easter on Sunday, so that we can focus on Jesus on Sunday. So far it has worked out well that way.

Today we headed to the clinic to get all the immunizations. Ethan is the man and didn't cry once. He had to get 3. Harmony was a huge drama queen and bawled. When it was still Ethan's turn, she started getting nervous and I had to take her out for a drink when she decided that she wanted Daddy instead. So he brought her in, and was surprised that I couldn't hear how loud she screamed. Connor, poor little guy, has no fat on him whatsoever, so he has a rough time. And the poor dude had to get 6!!!! When it was Ivan's turn, the lady told me that it was a little scary how well Ethan had done! Ivan did great, and is now taking a nap. Daddy bought the kids Burger King and that was that. They are done.

OK sorry for such a long post. I am now headed to mine and Ben's room. Going to pack, clean, wash walls & windows and all that fun stuff. 40 days and counting!

5 senses Saturday (just a little late!)

See:
**snow
**eager kids
** plastic eggs
** purple peeps
** friends

Touch:
**sticky hands
**purple peeps
** basket fillings
**baskets with sticky handles
**easter eggs

Taste:
**pancakes
**strawberries
** oj
**purple peeps
**teriyaki chicken

Heard:
** the Legend of Bagger Vance
** " the Easter bunny came while we were at the movies?"
** " The EB brought me some cool stuff!"
**shouting
** giggling

Smell:
**pancakes
**syrup
**spaghetti
**stinky kids who needed baths
**carmex

Childrens Museum

The madness this morning, or at least part of it, was due to me going on a field trip with Ethan. The kindergarten classes headed to Portsmouth to the Childrens Museum. It is a really cool place! Ethan enjoyed it! His favorite part was the store, the dentist office and the bubbles. It was nice to spend time with just Ethan. Now that he is in school all day, that just doesn't happen often enough. After that we went to Pizza Hut and had the lunch buffet. We didn't get charged for him because, "he looks like he is under three. wink wink". So free lunch for Ethan. I told him I had fun going on a date with him and he said, " do we have to get married now?" Cute boy!

T.G.I.T.

Yes...thank goodness it is Thursday. Because we have officially started our spring break. And not a moment too soon. We have 43 days left and life just keeps getting busier. This morning was crazy. It went a little something like this...

"crap, it is almost 7:30! Hurry and come downstairs for breakfast!"

"Where are your shoes?"
"Did you get your backpack?"
"Where is Harmony's science fair paper?"
" If you don't leave each other alone..."
"I have 15 minutes to get my hair done, brush my teeth, change Ivan's diaper, get his clothes changed, and gather everything up. So you need to find a way to entertain yourselves that doesn't include hitting!"
" It is 8:07, so no dawdling!"
"Dang it, it is already 8:17 and you boys (Connor & Ivan) have to be at Miss Becca's by 8:30!"
"Phew, here they are. Not sure if I have...where is Ivan's cup?!"
" I will be back to get them as soon as I can."

Why didn't I prepare more last night? Oy! So, tomorrow we were going to get up and be at the clinic by 7:30 am.so that we could get our shots. But instead...we are going to put it off until Monday. I need a break. I am sleeping in tomorrow. Bliss!

Ivan's hiding spot

When the kitchen is not gated off from him, Ivan's favorite thing to do is clear out all my bakeware, and lay on the shelf and hang out. Luckily the shelf is pretty strong and holds him up just fine. Too bad I have to reshelve everything over and over and....

my new rule

I try and try to teach my children that it is not ok to hit. Or pinch. Or kick. That we need to leave our " hands, feet and harsh words to ourselves". This is not an easy task. So this morning, as we are driving to school, Connor starts crying because Ethan hit him. Ethan has been testing me a lot lately, and so because I was fed up...I let Connor decide Ethan's punishment. No legos, Batmans, video games or computer for the rest of the day. Done deal. A little bit ago, Connor again, came in crying. This time because Harmony hit him. So Connor got to pick her punishment...couldn't go outside and can't play on the computer for the rest of the day. As you can tell, Connor has had a rough day!! While he gets to pick their punishment, it only gets to be for the rest of the day. No longer. So the "victim" gets to pick the punishment, that is the new rule. And no matter what happens, I am going to go with it....well to a point. Maybe they will finally learn to leave each other alone. Who knows. All I know is that I am frustrated dealing with it!

Easter Eggs

Last night, for FHE, I bought some cheap egg kits from Target. I had gone to BJ's for eggs and they hardly had any left. So we did 18 eggs. However, when I say cheap kits I mean cheap kits. Some of the eggs are still sitting in the dye! So don't get the kits out of the dollar section if you had planned too! I did have a few kits from last year where you decorate plastic eggs with faces. So the kids were busy doing that. It was just nice to spend some time with each other. Which after all, is what family home evening is all about!