all tuckered out

Mason pretty much sums it up for all of us. A busy and tiring week! Lots going on! And sometimes, you just need a nap!

poem by Harmony

A Christmas Acroustic by Harmony Turner

Members of family flocking the house
Evergreen scent fills the air
Roast beef in the oven
Remember the true meaning
Yum, yum figgy pudding

Candy canes, delicious!
Holiday spirit in the air.
Remember your manners.
In happiness we greet the
Singing Christmas carolers
Toys sitting 'round the tree
Mistletoe hanging
Amazing gifts for everyone.
Share the experience far and wide!

Didn't she do a great job?!

Happy to be Home

( My kids are all so tall that they get put in the back row. So I always get pictures of just their heads! Annoying. This is before it began!)


(Ethan's teacher told them a story about a boy messing up during a concert, and his Mom posted the video on You Tube. Ethan made me promise I wouldn't do that!)

(after he was done)

Just looking at my calender for next week makes me want to cry!! It is jam packed. This season is such a busy & full time. We have gift exchanges, Christmas parties, field trips, Christmas concerts, GS, and more.

Yesterday I...
dropped Ivan off at school
Went to the commissary for a few things (it's never just a few is it?).
Recieved a phone call from the school nurse.
Scheduled a hearing/eye exam for Ivan.
Dropped Ethan's homework agenda off to him ( he left it on the couch)
Made it in time to watch his concert.
Meet with his teacher to get some paperwork.
Pick up Ivan
meet with his teacher about IEP's & assesments for him
dole out snacks
get home
walk Astro
get Mason down for a nap
bring in groceries
get Ivan some lunch
plant him in front of Tom & Jerry's Christmas Capers
breathe...

All before noon! Yep it was a long one. But as I was running around, I was hit by a wave of gratitude. I am so grateful that I can be an at home Mom. I can't imagine doing all that and trying to hold down a job also!

avoiding housework

(the water buffalo shared by our neighborhood. Nothing like having a "block party" while filling buckets of water!)

( just so you know, the boys LOVED the porta potty.They thought it was great to not have to come all the way inside! Ivan used it and said, "Mommy, we have a potty OUTSIDE!)

There are piles of neatly folded laundry sitting on the dining room table...being completely ignored! I will get to them...eventually!

Remember when Guam was on all of those typhoon/tropical storm warnings? Well I made a vow then that I would get my food storage/emergency preparedness up and going so that I wouldn't be one of those crazy people in huge long lines getting last minute supplies?

Well the storms passed with nothing but some rain and wind. So I...well...put off getting anything. I figured I had prepared for the storm (candles, batteries, flashlights etc)and so would be fine. We are near the end of the typhoon season and so I felt that I could relax.

I had set out a plan to get items, and Ben reminded me of our upcoming move. I didn't really want to go all out buying stuff, but then again, what if there was another storm?

The weekend before Thanksgiving we were given a notice that we would be having a 9 hr. water outtage the following Tuesday. I groaned but honestly, this wasn't our first one. However, I forgot about it. So Tuesday when Ivan was trying to wash his hands and no water came out...well I remembered. We have a water cooler, but the jugs are rrrrreally heavy so Ben has to change it. I had forgot to have him change it and ours was empty. I realized that I had no way to make Mason a bottle!

I had a few errands to do, so I hopped in the car and went and bought a gallon jug of water. Crisis diverted right?

Well that 9 hour outtage...turned into 36 hours of no water. I had only bought one gallon jug. And using it to make mac & cheese, used up over half. The water did come on for about 5 minutes, so I filled some pots and boiled them. I sent Ben to get more water.

Wednesday, they let us know that they weren't sure when the water would be back on, and they brought us...A PORTA POTTY. Yuck. And our whole cul de sac got to share. They also brought in a water buffalo so we could fill jugs & buckets.

Can I just say, that it was the dirtiest, nastiest 36 hours? Yuck. We all stunk (except Ben who went to the gym to take a shower!!)Harmony & my hair was greasy. The kids had to use wipes and sanitizer everytime they went to the bathroom. And the toilets were not flushed.

I can tell you that this was the first Thanksgiving that I had been so grateful for water!!

So what did I learn from this? Be prepared. No matter what. I found some awesome food storage/emergency preparedness sites and have begun to get some food storage. I have decided every time I go grocery shopping, to use $20 to buy essentials. I have a notebook where I keep all of my menus/shopping lists. That way I can keep track of what I bought the previous trip.

Yesterday I bought flour, sugar, water, tuna fish and top ramen. Not much, but it is a start.

So are you prepared? Do you have any ideas or suggestions? I would love to hear 'em!

Growing pains

With the 3 older kids gone all day, I feel like I mostly facebook/blog about Ivan and Mason. They are the ones that I hang out with the most. But the other kids are alive and well. (:

I was laughing at my sister's Halloween post, as she described her son's "costume" as a "moody pre-teen". But it's not so fun when you are the one dealing with it!

Harmony has always been a *tad* dramatic. Enter puberty and you better watch out!

She is constantly mad/grumpy with everyone in our house. Her teachers are all mean and picking on her. She has no friends. She is not good in school...etc. etc. Life isn't fair right now. (All of this is according to her)

Every night between 7-7:30 she tells us " I am tired I am going to bed." Growth spurt maybe?

Lots of changes including BO, and buying her first...well I promised not to tell about that, and yesterday she woke up with a zit on her forehead.

She was washing her face and I told her that unfortunatley, that was just a part of growing up. She said, " I am just not ready to grow up."

I am not ready for her to grow up either...

sleep deprived

(This picture is actually kind of an old one. I just didn't want to go grab my memory card!)

Our sweet little Mason. So cute. So smiley. So stinky!! I am not sure what to do with that kid. Please do not get out the pitch forks but...Mason sleeps on his tummy. All my kids did.I know, I know, "back to sleep". But I can never get my kids to sleep on their backs. Anyway, Mason is now rolling from his tummy to his back. How fun right? Not so much. He keeps rolling over in the middle of the night and waking up. He won't sleep on his back so he just cries and cries.

I tried rolling up blankets and "wedging" him in...didn't work. I have tried letting him cry it out...hasn't worked. He just refuses to sleep on his back. Meanwhile we are having to make sure he is SOUND asleep before putting him down. Where just a few weeks ago, he was going to sleep on his own, and sleeping all night. It feels like I am back at the newborn stage. I do not know what to do with him. I spend all day rocking him. I know I should enjoy it, but I have other things that have to be done too.

3am is the new 7am for him...and this Mom is tired!

update

(anyone want a recorder?!)


(this is actually an old picture from Halloween. We told Ivan to go get his jammies on after trick or treating. We found him on a blanket on the floor with just his shirt on sound asleep!)


I swear, I don't mean to go a week between updates. Hmmm, I guess it just happens that way. So let's see, where shall I begin.

Ms. Harmony got to go visit the eye doctor yesterday. We knew that her glasses were no longer the correct perscription but was SHOCKED to find out that hers were worse than both mine and Ben's!! At the rate she is going, she is going to be legally blind by age 12. We went to a GS activity on Tuesday where she spent half her time goofing off with our neighbor. She explained that in the two hours they hadn't seen each other, they were having seperation anxiety! What? I showed her the pictures I took of her and her friend, and she replied, " oooh I really like my outfit". Can we say tween?

Thursday was parent teacher conference day. Before I left, Ethan said, "Mom, when you get home, will you tell me if it was good or bad?" I looked him in the eye and said, "trust me Ethan, if it is bad you will hear about it!!" Lucky for him, he has been a very good boy. Ethan is an ice cream fanatic. Seriously. But yesterday, he got to try pumpkin pie. He looked at me wide eyed and said, " I think I might like this more than ice cream!!"

Connor was caught with his DS in his bed, on a school night, at 9pm. He lost it. For a long time. He just barely got it back. He has barely blinked since. Connor is still adamant about joining the military. His favorite song is Danger Zone and his new favorite movie is Iron Eagle. Let me tell you, you don't realize how many swear words are in a movie until you let your kids watch it!!

Ivan is doing very well. He has surpassed all IEP goals and may be saying goodbye to special ed. We are not sure as he still needs to be tested by our pediatrician and a developmental ped. Once they look at him we will see where he is placed. It is exciting to see how far he has come. He keeps me on my toes but I just love that little man!

Mason is the happiest, smiliest baby you have ever seen. He has figured out how to go from his tummy to his back. He doesn't go the other way yet! He was just about 17lbs at his 4 mo. well child. He has chubby little thighs and just gets bigger every day. Just a precious little boy.

Ben and I are busy. Always. We are gearing up for Thanksgiving next weekend. We have 7 people coming over (so far) and I find myself getting a little nervous about cooking for that many people!! I am sure it will be fine...right?

math problems

( I found this picture on my camera the other day)

How come I haven't updated for a while? Let's tell it in story problem form shall we? If you take...

1 Mom +
5 kids +
a 4 month old who is teething +
same child who won't sleep for longer than 2 hours +
a Mom who doesn't get more than 2 hours of sleep +
1 10 yr old who has Achievement days & Girl Scouts +
2 cute boys who are doing Scouts +
1 cute little 4 yr old who is struggling in school right now +
3 kids and a Dad who have sore throats, coughs and runny noses +
a Dad who is busy with work +
church +
cooking +
mountains of laundry +
homework +
a dog that is not potty trained +
meetings +
social obligations =

No blog updates. Life is busy. We are worn out. Mason and I have slept a grand total of 9.5 hours the past two nights. Yes that is our accumulative for TWO nights. Tonight we are staying in. Here is one more math problem...

ordering Dominos + renting movies + popcorn + blankets + pillows= family movie night!

heart sick

A few weeks ago, Mason and I hurried to the BX on the Air Force base to get some formula. We got out of the car and I noticed 3 security vehicles pull into the front. Lights flashing. Guards were carrying huge guns and not letting anyone into the building. Everyone who left the store, was stopped, taken their ID card away,and not allowed to leave. We all sat in the heat wondering what was going on. Finally, we were given the all clear. Apparently, an alarm had gone off and they couldn't let anyone leave until it was cleared.

Only a few days later, as I was driving home from picking up Ivan, we were stopped by security cars. On the side of the road, there were 4-5 soldiers with a man face down on the ground. His vehicle pulled over to the side. I looked and realized that the man being handcuffed, was in uniform. Later a friend told us not to worry, it was just security doing an exercise.

We also drove by as a car was pulled over and searched. It was said that there was a suspcious package.

I have always felt so safe living on a military base. But with the events in Fort Hood today, my sense of security is a little shattered.

I am grateful for those who are here to protect us. Thankful to those guards that stand outside and check id's, search cars, and makes sure that we are safe. I often complain about having to show my id to come into my own home. Or annoyed when they let me know that I need a new sticker. But I know that they are to there to keep us safe.

My heart breaks for those in Fort Hood. The military is like a big family. Despite being in different branches we all have one thing in common, we are all united in our desire to protect the freedoms of this country. So sad today...

motor mouth

There was a time, not so long ago, that we were very concerned about Ivan's speech. At two he really didn't talk. By three he wouldn't engage in conversation and did most of his communicating by grunting/pointing/screaming.

Well, believe me, we are not worried anymore!

The other night, I decided to go to the store to grab some pizza. Ivan told me "I can go with you because I have my shoes on." So I let him come.

In the half an hour that we were gone, he didn't stop talking. Not once. Question after question. It went kind of like this...

" What store are we going to?"
"Why are we going to that one?"
"Why does Daddy's car have a cd player?
"Why can't I watch a movie in here?"
"What is that bird doing?"
"What do dragonflies eat?"
"Did you know that I love to have pizza?

We get to the store...
"Why is that ice cream up there?"
"Why are there posters on the ceiling?"
"Did you get that one?"
"If you run around in the store like a crazy boy you will have to sit in the cart."
"I don't like the cart Mommy."
"What do bugs eat?"
"Why is that hanging from there?"
"Can we buy this Mommy?"
"How much is this? Do we have that many dollars?"

On the way home...
"Why don't we have stairs at our house?"
" I really like stairs Mom."
" I wan to live in that house because they have stairs."
"I live on the down from Shawn and he lives on the up. (Meaning he lives up the hill and we live down it.

It was a long trip to the store, believe me.

But the cutest happened the other day. He was watching Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. At the end ( hope you all have seen it) Indy and Marian get married. So I said, "Ivan did Indy get married?"
Ivan "yucky, no"
me- "What getting married isn't yucky! Are you going to get married?"
Ivan "no"
Me- "So are you just going to live with me forever?"
Ivan " No, I just want to live with Ethan forever!"

Our first last

(The graveyard cake...what do you think?

(Ivan won the cupcake walk, and chose one that he and I made! Awww)

(as soon as Ben heard "family picture" he was out of there! Stinker. He said he didn't hear me say it, and just went out to get the trunk ready. Hmmmm...)

( Harmony went as Marie Arnold. Don't know who that is? It is the main character in the book she is writing!!)

( the older kids hamming it up)

(Expecto Patronum!!)

(One of our Indy's. Connor was also Indiana Jones)


(arrrgh! Hanging out in the carrier. I bought this for $1 at a yard sale and I have to say it was worth every penny!)

( me with some friends at the trunk or treat)

With just a little over six months left on our sentence...I mean time left on Guam, we are starting to experience some lasts.

As we walked around housing for 2 hours last night, dripping sweat in the 80+ degree weather, trick or treating, we thought about the fact that this is our last Halloween on Guam! It was the first of many lasts that we will be experiencing. It is amazing how fast time really does fly!

Friday night was a busy day. I sent the kids off to school with an orange & black lunch (mac & cheese, oranges, orange juice, purple grapes and oreos) with Halloween stickers and jokes. I also placed a spider ring in their mac & cheese. They told me that their friends were fooled...but not them!

After picking up Ivan,I spent the day baking. I made a graveyard cake as a treat for the trunk or treat. I wasn't very happy with how it turned out but Ben told me to "let it go, it's not important". I am not sure if I agree or not. But, it doesn't matter anyway because it was devoured 48 hours ago!! I will try again next year and see what happens!

The kids had fun doing their usual thing. Playing games, making crafts, eating way too much sugar etc.

Saturday we went around housing and filled buckets. Mason was in his carrier and so we forgot the stroller! By the end of the night, I was carrying Mason, 2 Indiana Jones hats, 1 "leather" jacket, and 3 treat bags. Ben was carrying Ivan.

As the kids complained about the heat, and how far they had to walk, I just laughed! Our kids have it made. In White Salmon, homes were not that close! We had to walk a lot farther than up and down a few streets! I told them they would not have cut it as trick or treaters "way back then".

And of course, they were all up at the crack of dawn, counting, sorting and trading their candy. Let the teeth rotting begin!

Let the Haunting begin...

( his class all lined up)

(with his teachers)

(Holding a "bubble" in his mouth. The teachers do this when they want the class to be quiet. Ivan held his bubble the ENTIRE time!)

(walking in the parade)

I have quite a few friends who are big Halloween fans. Me...not so much. But the kids, of course, love it. How can we not share in their enthusiasm right? So far, the Halloween costumes have been sitting on top of the freezer just calling to them. But I haven't let them play with them. We paid a pretty penny for a couple of them and I do not want them getting ruined!!

The older kids have been having Red Ribbon week. They have enjoyed wearing their clothes inside out, wearing ties and today they are sporting their pj's. I swear they have never been ready for school so fast! I wish every day was pj day!

Ivan however got to have a character parade. My original idea was for him to dress up as a pirate and be from the book, "Pirates Don't Change Diapers". Mason is going to be a pirate this year so I thought it would be cute. Ivan said, "no pirrrrrrrrrrrrates!" to that idea. So he wore Ethan's Harry Potter costume.

With Ivan, change is never easy. Even if it is something fun. Our morning went like this...
" Why do I have to wear a costume?"
"What is a parade? Where do I walk to it?"
"Why does Harry have a scar?
"Why is it shaped like that?"
"Do you have to wear your rain coat on a costume?" (He just got his new rain coat on Saturday and has been wearing it every day since then)
"Ms. Adams said there is no snack in the parade."
"How come we are doing this?"
"Can you wash this scar off? I don't like this."

On and on it went. By the time we got to school, his frustration level had risen. He wasn't happy. He hid his scar, hid behind me. No eye contact. Finally after a little convincing he put his costume on and was a happy little wizard. I love the pictures, he looks so cute.

Honestly, if he didn't want to wear it, I wouldn't have pushed him. But I am glad that he decided to just go with the flow! Fun times. He is now eating a ghost shaped sandwich. (:

Tomorrow he has snack so we are making fun Halloween snack bags. We also have our trunk or treat tomorrow. I will be busy baking and decorating but looking forward to it!

To do List

Found these today and laughed until I cried! (: Enjoy!

a sick day

( my favorite 4 year old!!)

( I have rotated this picture about a million times and it just doesn't want to go the way it is supposed too. Sorry! Ivan has decided that he doesn't want to get pictures taken anymore!)

(avoiding the mamarozzi)

(big brother kisses)

( Cute little boys in red)
Yesterday, Ivan started coughing. He was grumpy. This morning his little body was all warm, he still had a cough and very dramatically kept pointing to his throat saying, " that hurts". So it is official...he has his first cold of the season.

Mason came home from church yesterday and went to bed at 5pm. We have that lovely 1-4 church schedule right now! Anyway, he went down and I decided to just let him sleep. Unfortunatley, he didn't sleep as long as I hoped. Isn't that the way it always works? We were up at midnight, back to bed at two and than up at six. This Mama is a little tired!!

So we are taking a sick day. The house is so quiet and peaceful. So I thought I would take the chance to update my blog. Unfortunatley...there is not much to update! We have just had our normal busy-ness! But here you go anyway!

Harmony is a busy girl enjoying Girl Scouts and Achievement Days with church. Unfortunatley they both fall on the same night. So every other week she is missing Girl Scouts. But it works right? She is struggling a little in school with her lack of organization. We are working on it. She is growing up so fast.

Ethan is turning into such a BOY! He was watching Raiders of the Lost Ark and felt the need to watch the "melting face part" over and over. He has been playing outside a lot lately! He even used his own money to buy a jump rope from the PTO. He is also becoming a really good reader.

Connor is our sneaky little boy! He lost his DS, 4 out of 5 (seriously!!) lego bins and more. Hopefully his behavior will improve soon and he can have some things to play with! He is a sweetheart though. He loves to make Mason smile and laugh. He is drawing constantly and is doing such a good job on his art.

Ivan has been driving his Mom crazy with just three words..."why?" and "how come?" He is constantly asking me why! He has been doing well in school lately. He is so proud when he comes home with a green bear in his folder. He really likes his teachers. Primary is still a work in progress though!

Mason got off his schedule...and I really hope we can make it back!But in the meantime he loves to delight us all with his sweet smiles and laughs. He is actually playing with his gym so it is nice to have a few minutes to get things done.

Ben and I are busy. Always busy. It seems like that is just the way it goes! Ben was just called to be in Cub Scouts and so he and I will be working on that together. Otherwise I am trying to get some ideas flowing for the holidays.

So like I said...not much going on. But at least you know we didn't fall off the planet! (:

oh for the cute

(Do you love those chubby legs? What you can't see are his rolls!)

(he likes that monkey!)

(love, love, love baby feet)

( Don't you just want to pinch those little cheeks?!)

( His cute little "island" shirt that he got from Grandma Turner)

Although it is hard to believe, Mason is already 3 months old!! Where did the time go?

We are feeling very frustrated, because thanks to the wonderful people who work at Guam Naval hospital, Mason is still not on our inusrance. Otherwise known as Tri-Care. They had him entered as "Baby Boy" instead of Mason. So we had to show them something with his actual name on it. I went and got his Guam birth certificate but we still have to go back.

So unfortunatley, he is STILL not on our insurance and STILL has not gone to the doctor. However, he is such a little chunky monkey that we know he is feeding just fine!

We had him blessed last weekend. Mason was the first baby to be blessed in the Dededo Branch. How cool is that?

He is able to roll over from tummy to back...if he gets mad enough! He has also been blessing us with sweet, gummy baby smiles...of course not for the camera though! I wish he would but I have yet to capture it.

He is a fabulous sleeper and has been sleeping through the night since he was about six weeks old. He spends his time, sleeping, playing on his baby gym, being entertained by his siblings or eating. He is staying up for longer periods of time. All we can say is he is the cutest little thing and we love him to death! (:

my rambling thoughts

So I am not sure this is where I want to post this. Sometimes, no offense loved ones, you just "don't want to hear it". You have your excuses and you don't want anybody else to bug you about it. LOL But once again, I have to remind myself that this is MY blog. MY place to write down MY thoughts. Whether you agree or not.

Now with that opening you all think I am going off the deep end right? Not quite...

Once again it is about my "weighty issue"

I KNOW that I need to take care of myself.
I KNOW that I need to be a good example to my family.
I KNOW that if I don't take care of myself, I will not be able to take care of my fam
I KNOW that I am at risk for like a zillion illnesses & health problems if I don't
I KNOW that I am not happy with the way that I look

For one month, I made very small (is giving up caffiene cold turkey small? Hmmm) changes. In one month I lost 4 lbs and 8 inches. Go me right?

Well this month, I think we may have sat down for a family meal twice. Seriously. The house has/is a disaster area. I am tired constantly (no caffeine = naps). I am grouchy. My grocery budget went through the roof. I am crazed. Life is...not necessarily better.

Right now, I am at a point when my kids still need me. My husband needs me. I want/need to be there for them 100%. I want my home to be warm and inviting. I want home cooked meals sitting on the table when Ben comes home from work. Am I old fashioned? Probably. But I am honestly good with that.

I am already thinking ahead to the fact that I do not want to look awful when I go to Ben's Christmas party or to our ball later in March.

I feel frustrated. I don't want to give up on myself BUT I don't want to do it to my family either.

Deep thoughts at 8:43 in the morning...

C is for...

Connor! The other night, we had a Communication problem. (: He thought we were having pizza for dinner and was bummed when he found out that he wasn't. So, since I thought we were leaving the kids with a babysitter last night, I told Connor he Could pick whatever he wanted for dinner. He Chose one of his favorite C's...Corn dogs! So while I was at the Commissary, I also noticed Cheetos were on sale. An idea formed in my mind and we had a "C" themed dinner. It was so fun! On the menu was..

Corn dogs
Cheetos
Cucumbers
Carrots
Chocolate milk and
Candy Corn for a treat.

Then we all watched Fred Claus.

The kids had so much fun using "C" words and eating our "C" food. (Get it, see food?!lol)
It turned a normal family movie night into something even more special.It really is the little things isn't it?

Ethan told me later, since we are doing it in alphabetical order I get to go next right? I honestly hadn't planned to do all of them but it will be fun! I think I will do them once a month and just go around and around. Fun times. So I will be racking my brain for Ethan...eggs and egg nog? eggplant? We'll think of something!

However it turns out the best "C" Came this morning...CANCELLED! The storm watch over Guam has been lifted. We are so grateful that our little island has been spared. Thanks for all the prayers on our behalf!

Not done yet...

( Housing did this, I don't know about you but I am not sure duct tape is going to stop winds at 30+ mph...)

(Grey sky in the morning, sailor take warning)

( Our "backyard" in the first storm)

The last storm blew by us without any problems. I felt like I had panicked for nothing.

However, we knew that two more storms were coming.

While at the commissary, I got a call from Ben letting me know that the base was going to go to TCOR 2. This is how they measure how high the winds are and how far away the storm is. I can't remember exactly what it stands for though. The last storm, the Gov. of Guam went to TCOR 1, while the military stayed at 3.

Now the military is going to 2 by three o'clock and 1 by midnight.

The typhoon is( according to local news) will be reaching Super Typhoon status. Also according to local news, the storm is starting to move to the south west. It WAS moving up North and out of our way.

We are bracing to get hit, and hoping to get lucky like we did last time. There is one more storm coming up right after this one.

Keep praying for us as we face this.

Also, many of our Guam friends have lost loved ones in the storm that hit Samoa. Others are still looking for their families, both in the Phillipines and Samoa. Keep them in your prayers also. I can't imagine what they are going through.

I'll keep updating as long as we have power.

Sept. 17, 2003

**************UPDATE*******************UPDATE***********
According to our local news, we are now on a tsunami watch also. They are already opening up shelters across the island. As all of you as my witnesses, I will never again ignore the prophet's counsel to get a food supply and 72 hour kits. As soon as this passes, you better believe that I am getting my emergency preparedness kit READY!

Step back in time with me for a moment...

The weather was bright and sunny. The humidity was relatively low.Not a cloud in the sky. Nice beautiful day in Norfolk, VA. My sister Susan and her family were visiting. It was also Harmony's first week of pre-school.

Sept. 18, 2003...Hurricane Isabel hit. Power lines were down. Trees were knocked down and floating down the street. Rain and strong winds. Our family sat in a 100 yr old home, and watched as the water poured from the sky.The wind gusts were so strong that our gate was knocked over. Huge limbs were literally floating down the street. We were one of the lucky ones that didn't even lose power. It was a crazy storm.

The weather yesterday (our Tuesday) was bright and sunny. White puffy clouds in the blue sky. By afternoon, it had started to turn a little grey and windy.

The storm has now changed direction and we are expecting to get hit early tomorrow morning. There are also two storms coming up right behind this one.

I spent Monday fighting the crowds at the commissary and gas station. But I feel that I have everything I need. We have batteries, candles, canned food, water,paper products, clothes etc.

Our home is made of solid concrete. Ben describes it as " a concrete bunker". We honestly don't believe that we will suffer any damage. We figure we will lose power and that is about it.

As for now, our kids have a half day today. We will find out today if school will be in session for the rest of the week.

Although we don't feel like anything will happen, we ask you to please keep us and our family and friends in your prayers. Guam hasn't seen a typhoon in a long time and it looks like we are going to get hit.

Not to alarm anyone but, with the loss of power, we also lose our phones and internet. So if that happens, we will not have a way to get a hold of you. We will keep you posted as much as we can. We appreciate all your thoughts and prayers!

the long awaited blog update

(Oh for the cute!!)
( Connor in his classroom)
(Ethan's teacher's last name is Byrd. So this is him with his "byrd nest".
( by her all about me poster outside of her classroom)
("Ethan if you want a new shelf, you have to sand it yourself!" )

(Mommy's sweet pea)
(pre-k wears Ivan out!)
( Lots of love for Mason)
(Ivan waiting not so patiently for cookies)
(Why we like having Daddy home early!)
I hope you are sitting in a comfy chair, cause there is a lot going on around here!

Harmony has become a major bike rider. We always worry about her because she is not into sports AT ALL. She likes to spend a lot of time playing video games. However, one day she went out and decided to try again. The next thing we knew...she was all over the neighborhood. Now every day she hurries out to ride. Harmony will be starting Girl Scouts again. Her leader is our neighbor...very convenient! She is a junior GS and is looking forward to it. 5th grade has been good so far. We had open house last night. Her teacher let me know that she is very disorganized. Tell me something I don't know!(: She is supposed to be bringing a folder home every day and I haven't seen it once. We set up a reward chart and I hope that will help her!

Since it is my blog, and he is my child, I can brag a little right? Last night his teacher told us that he is ahead of every child in his class!!! He has to do seperate math problems so that he is challenged. He also is the highest reader. Go Ethan! Ethan hates wearing his tie to church every Sunday. I get new excuses every week. Last week I sat him down and asked him if he knew why we think it is important. He said no. I said well when you are twelve what happens? Exasperated he said, "I know I know! I have to go on a mission!" I started laughing, I told him unfortunatley they don't let us send boys out that early!

Connor also got a glowing report yesterday! His teacher let us know that he is consistenly finishing first. So she has him correct other people's work. He seems to have the most homework of all the kids. He and Ivan are now sharing a room. Connor and Ivan are both very messy. Ethan CAN be, but when it comes time to clean up...Ethan was all in his own. So I moved Ethan out. We are trying to teach Connor a little more responsibility...we'll see how it goes! I feel bad for Connor because he is such a night owl. But they have to be up at 6am every morning.Sometimes we are literally dragging him out of the bed. He is drinking instant breakfast in the car every morning since he is not awake enough to eat breakfast!

Ivan...well that is a whole post in itself. Ivan is so special to me. I know he is not my baby but the whole mother hen thing is...Ivan had a really bad day at school. If you follow me on facebook, you probably read about it. It was rough. On him. On me. The next day was better and every day just gets better and better. He started speech today and he said it was fun. He was so excited to show me the bear that he made in his class today! Ivan got to bring the snack in on Wed. He was soooo excited. He showed the bucket to everyone. Just Ivan and I went to the store to pick it out. I was worried because he wanted "black bears" aka chocolate teddy grahams. I was couldn't find just "black". But he took it well. Phew, crisis diverted. I worry about Ivan but we are taking one day at a time.

Mason is still known as "newborn or babyboy Turner" in all of the military programs. Like our insurance. One person tells us to go here, that person tells us to go to another. One big loop. Unfortunatley he hasn't been in for his 2 month appt. because of all this. Ben got on the scale with him a while ago and he weighed in at about 13 lbs. A nice big growing boy! He is sleeping through the night and has been for awhile now. I am grateful for all the sleep! He has a fussy period between about 4:30 to bedtime. It makes it difficult but I try to remind myself to enjoy it! Instead of reminding myself of all the other things I have to do!

Ben is now working about 5 minutes away from home. I love his short commute! We have been able to play at the park, go for walks and just enjoy having him home more. His job down here is not as difficult as his old one. So he has been studying for the next series in his tests so that he can get his architects license. He also is my own personal furniture maker. I keep him busy! He recieved his unofficial orders and is looking forward to being in a battalion.

I just got called back to the primary. I have been in a primary calling since I started going to a married ward. I figure I still have lots to learn because they keep putting me back in! This week I will be teaching sunbeams but I was actually called as the 2nd counselor. I also have been going walking and making healthier choices. I decided to go caffiene/pop free and have been since Sept.15th. Every time I get a headache or feel tired I miss it, but otherwise no. It has been a good choice for me. Other than that...well the kids keep me busy. I love the afternoons when we get to be a touch lazy.

So that is it. Whew...is anyone still awake? I will try to do better with posting it has just been kind of crazy. Plus I couldn't get my memory card to work. But that has been fixed now so no worries!