Safe & Sound

Being a parent is TOUGH.

There was a time when my biggest safety concern had to do with covering electrical outlets, making sure car seats were installed correctly and that bath water wasn't too hot.

But as they have grown up, other safety concerns have surfaced.

I find myself wishing to go back to that time. I want life to be easy.

I don't want to be scared for my children. Or my children's friends.

One of my children has been threatened in a way that I have no control over. I have anxiety for them and our family.

 All I can do is pray. Have faith and hope.

I know that this is not the most...specific...but for a variety of reasons, I just can't.

Know that we are being cautious. Know that we have a small handle on the situation. Life is so topsy-turvy.

We are praying, having faith and hoping for the best. We invite all of our family & friends to do the same.

End of the year wrap up

This year has been CAH-RAZY!! We have been super busy...and now it is over.

Summer break has begun. Here is a look back at what the 2013-14 school year brought.

One of the last days of school

1st day of school

 

Harmony:
band, new friends, old friends,  14 years old, band comps, seminary, Rio Mesa zero period classes, AP, freshman, band concerts, band practices, "lettering" in band...everything band!

1st day of school
 

Ethan: 7th grade, Monte Vista, band, writing, baritone, Deacons Quorum president, turned 13, band concerts, bike rides, Scouts, bike crash, broken tooth, swimming, taller than Mom!

One of the last days of school

 

1st day

Connor: 6th grade, middle school, Monte Vista, band, getting glasses, new friends, new schedules, turned 12, swimming, scouts, in mutual, broken toe, good grades

one of the last days

Ivan: 3rd grade, Las Posas, hates writing, loves math, turned 9, broken wrist, red cast, learned to ride his bike, instructional aid, IEP's, highs & lows, new best friend, chess, computer time.

Mason: preschool, United Methodist preschool (UMCDC), 5 days a week, singing songs, playing games, best friends, 4 years old, counting, saying the alphabet, lots of dental work, new bike, big boy!

For me, the school year meant...driving, driving and more driving. Waking up early, making lunches, car pools, helping with homework, meetings, and driving, driving, driving.


Thank heaven for summer...or for the first couple of weeks until all the "I'm boreds" start!

Heather, this one is for you (:

This weekend, my family is getting together. A "mini" family reunion if you will.

My sister and her family were the first to arrive. My neice Heather gets out of the car and says, "Aunt Marie, you really need to update your blog!!"

So Heather, this one is for you!

While a million and a half things have happened since January, I will not even try to update you on all of them! The major things would be:

**Ben is home
**Ben is home
**Ben is home

Somehow I survived an 8 month deployment and am still alive to tell the story.

Summer is in full swing and we have been busy with scripture camp, cub scout day camp, vacations...lots of fun things.

So Heather, as much as I would like to do a great post to get you all caught up (and everyone else as well) there is just too much. I will just start again later ok?

Who's the boss?

You would think that it would be me. If that was your guess, you would be SOOOO wrong. It is this little man.

At  a whopping 18 months old weighing in at 27lbs he is the ruler of the roost.

If you are sitting somewhere, he will come and either get on your lap or drive you so crazy that you just give up the seat.

If you have any food that he wants, he holds out his hand and screams and cries until you give it to him.

If he is crying for any reason, anyone within ear shot has to give lots and lots of loves or he will keep going.

He refuses to share his Mom, and will try to physically remove anyone that is with her.

If he sees a stuffed animal, no matter whose it is (his absolute favorite thing) he grabs it and keeps it. He will also put his hand out and tell the person "no" if they try to get it back.

The other day Harmony told me that, "Mason's stinkiness is starting to cancel out the cuteness."

We really do love our little blue eyed Masor the racer though (:

whew...

(the kids hanging out with a "Who" at Universal Studios. Ivan looks thrilled, doesn't he?!)

(family photo outside)

(the crazy 18 month old)

(I found Ivan sound asleep like this one night. What can I say? The kid was worn out!)

(Harmony's favorite Christmas gift! A box filled with packs of gum. She said she is about half way through it already!!!)

(Christmas Eve, with the required new pj's in front of the tree picture)

(this was the destruction found in the living room on Christmas morning!

(chasing after Santa! The Camarillo airport has a Santa in his sleigh that flies over on Christmas Eve. I think it was the highlight of Ivan's night!)

Has it really been 4 weeks since I blogged? Sorry! I don't know where I used to find the time for this! I used to blog regularly. Now it is quick catch up posts. I guess some is better than none but...still!

Starting at the top, Ben. Oh how we miss him!! I got a call from him in the first few days of Dec. saying he was leaving the main base and headed for a smaller one. There is no internet connection where he is and except for 2 emails and a 5 min. phone call, we haven't heard from him in a month. I can't wait until he is back at the main base and we can hear from him again. I complain a lot about his watching sports, but I wish he was here tonight! He has been a Duck fan...practically since birth. Tonight is their Championship game. I hope wherever he is, he gets to watch his beloved Ducks!

Harmony is still doing well. She gets frustrated with her brothers at the drop of a hat but...what are you going to do right? She still calls them "little bothers" instead of brothers. She is turning into a pretty responsible girl and I love that I can start to rely on her for more things. She is very thankful to her Aunt Darla...because she has a cell phone now! Oiy!

Ethan is so cute. Mason says one word constantly (besides Mom, of course!) and that is E! E! He can get "E" to do whatever he wants. Ethan always tells me he isn't going to let Mason boss him around anymore, but I don't see that happening! His whole life right now is video games, scouts & school.

Connor is my little sweetheart. He really just has the sweetest heart. It doesn't stop him from doing things he isn't supposed to do though! I always find him with candy wrappers, his DS, Legos etc where he is not supposed to have them. He wants to get a cell phone so that he can text. I asked him who he would text and he said, me, Dad and Vale.

Ivan has had a lot of adjusting after his big winter break. He thrives on a scheduled routine and it was a hard week back at kindergarten! He is so excited to be turning 6 next month. We are going to have a party with just his church primary class. I am not up for a big party without Ben being here! He wants an Indiana Jones party so I am going to have to get creative!

Mason is a total pill. He is 18 months old today and drives his Mom crazy. Seriously. I have had to purchase 4 baby gates, 3 handle door locks, and more in baby proofing gear. We also were the recipients of a new toilet. Mason threw a big black Lego wheel in and flushed. Our maintenance people came out and couldn't get it to dislodge. So they had to take the whole thing out and give us a new one. Anyone want to adopt him?!

Seriously, I wonder if my life will ever change. I am not nearly as exciting as the kids are!

My bad

**I have tried to move these pictures around a million times. It's not working so you are going to have to have them as is. Sorry!

I promised Ben that I would keep this blog updated while he is gone. Uhm yeah, he has been gone for 40 days and I haven't updated yet. Soo, no apologies or excuses, here is an update on the Turner fam.

Like I mentioned, Ben has been gone for 40 days. To a normal person, that may sound like a long time. But for a military wife, when you know you have a LOT more to go, 40 doesn't sound like much. We are able to chat with him somewhat frequently, but wish it was easier. His connection will go in and out the whole time. He doesn't share to much about what he is doing because he thinks I would be bored.

Harmony is lovin' band. I can't tease her about being "a band geek" though! She had her first concert the other day. She had a lot of fun. She is playing clarinet but she also plays the keyboard. We went to the ward Christmas party, and she snuck into the primary room and played on the piano.

Ethan is bored now that chess club is over. The "only" thing he does is Scouts. He complains all day about having to go to Scouts and than talks non stop about it for the rest of the week. He has a lot of fun and the program here is really good.

Connor loves Scouts too. He really likes to wear his uniform. I am always finding him with his Scout shirt on. He got a very good report card with very sweet comments from his teacher. One of the things she said is that he is "academically strong." Connor has been walking around saying, "wow, my teacher thinks that I am strong." I don't think he heard (or understood) the academic part.

I was very pleased with Ivan's report card also. He is right on target with his peers. There are still things he struggles with but education wise, he is where he should be. He hasn't been feeling well, he catches anything that goes around, and has had watery eyes. So he keeps telling me that his "eyes are sweating". Precious.

Mason is one word...annoying! I forgot what this age was like! He has discovered markers/crayons/pens/pencils and will write on the walls. Or get into the pantry, use his teeth to get a box open, and then scatters the contents everywhere. He ripped open hot chocolate packets and then licked them off the floor. He is into everything and I can't turn my back on him for a second. Luckily for him, he is cute!

Uhmmm...

I can't believe that I have not updated my blog since August! Holy Cow. It has really been a while. I have been working so hard on my other blog and have just ignored this one. So here is a nice looooong update for you!

Harmony started 6th grade this year. She is now in middle school. She had a rough start but has started to get in a good groove. She has made a group of friends and is enjoying school a lot more. She loves playing the clarinet in band. Not a big fan of p.e. but she is getting used to it.

Ethan is a busy boy with school, scouts and chess club. He has been so excited about chess right now. Apparently the coach is very funny and makes it a lot of fun. He has made some great friends in school and loves riding his bike everyday. Every Thursday he complains about having to go to Scouts, only to talk non stop about it for the rest of the week!

Connor is enjoying school also. He was elected as room rep and is so excited about it. He is a very good student but sooo quiet! On Monday he is headed for an appt. with a specialist. He has never really had a good control of his bladder. So he has an appt. with a urologist to get everything checked out. He has such a good attitude about all of it. He also loves Scouts. He has made a lot of friends and has plenty of play dates.

Ivan is getting used to kindergarten. He has his good days and bad, but he is learning and growing. His teacher is very tough and not very friendly &open. That has been very difficult for all of us. I am not the only parent who is having a hard time with her. Hopefully all of these growing pains will get worked out. Ivan is such a funny boy and keeps me on my toes. He loves riding his bike to school every day!

Mason is a busy, busy boy. Anything that is opened, he closes. If something is full, he empties it. He loves to get all the pots and pans, tupperware etc out of the cupboards. He is walking all over the place and is such a big boy. He has the brightest blue eyes and the sweetest smile you have ever seen.

We have less than 20 days left until we say goodbye to Ben. His battalion is getting ready to deploy. We are trying to fill our last few days with lots of family activities. A trip to Lego land is included in that schedule!!

Me...well there isn't too much to say. Just keeping up with my "tribe" is enough drama for me!

Oops

(Outside the museum)

It's been awhile. Yikes. So what has happened since the 4th of July?

**Mason turned one!! A sad but happy occasion! I can't believe he is so big...

**we had a wonderful day at the Santa Barbara National History Museum. Where I fell and twisted my ankle while trying to take a cute picture!

**celebrated 12 years of marriage to my best friend and sweetheart

**have forgotten what Ben looks like as we hardly ever see him :(

**sent the big boys off to Cub Scout Day camp

**the kids constantly going outside for "a roll" down the grassy hill

**lots of the mundane things: grocery shopping, laundry, meals, cleaning, video games, family bonding time over Wipeout...

I am honestly going to try harder to update but you know, "life moves fast. If you don't stop to look around once in a while, you might miss it!" I don't want to miss anything!

abc's of being home

(entering the Discovery Center)


(Discovery Center)


(happy to be reunited again!)


(lots of rain!)


(cousins eating pizza at Spooky's)



A- airport to pick Ben up!

B- boys! Lots of them! Brothers, Uncles, Grandpa's, cousins...

C- cousins. The kids have had a blast playing with their cousins!

D- Discovery Center in The Dalles

E- entertainment. There is never a dull moment around here

F- family time

G- getting to know Grandparents again

H-hanging out

I- Ice cream from Dairy Queen.

J-jumping on Aunt Amy's trampoline

K-Kennedy relatives

L-lego tables

M- movies before bed

N-naps for Mom!

O- overindulged by Grandparents

P- playing outside without sweating

Q- quiet? Only when the kids are asleep...and sometimes not then!

R- rain, rain and more rain!

S- sweatshirts

T- Turner relatives

U- uniforms are non-existent

V- value meals that are actually cheap

W- waiting to go to California

X- hmmm...sorry I am not that clever (:

Y- yawning

Z-zzz's, and a lot of them as we are still gettng used to the time difference

An update...finally!!

(My nice camera broke :( So the only pictures I get of Mason he has his eyes closed. He is not a fan of the flash!)

(We filled Ben's car with balloons on April Fools Day!)

The other day, as Ben was surfing the internet, he said, " do you realize it has almost been a month since you updated your blog?" Yikes. My only excuse is that we are BUSY. With 32 days left on Guam, there is soooo much to do. But here is a recap of what we have been up too!

Harmony is as cute as ever. She is still absolutely loving piano. I think she is able to play by ear as she has taught herself how to play a couple of songs. She is also currently writing a song. She is winding down with all her activities as we are getting closer and closer to our move.She has been writing and re-writing her list for the things she wants with her on the plane!

Ethan is such a smarty pants. He constantly amazes me with the things that come out of his mouth! We had recieved paperwork to have him tested for gifted and never filled it out. (Bad Mom!) Hopefully we can get it going once we get into his new school. He is a good kid and loves Mason. He is always trying to get him to smile...which is actually pretty easy!

Connor is as sweet as ever. We attended the base Easter egg hunt and he only got a few eggs. Then, he got some stolen out of his basket! Poor kid. He declared that it was the worse Easter ever. However, after Mom loaded him down with candy he was fine. The poor kid though, has been getting food stolen out of his lunch. Ben says to quit making him such fun lunches. Poor Connor!

Ivan is growing every day. Not just in height but in the things he is learning. He is learning so much and is doing a great job at school. His daredevil ways are really starting to scare me though. They even had to let me know at school that he was hanging from one of the highest toys. Oiy! The other day he slipped a note under the bathroom door where he had written his last name. Such a big boy.

Mason , I swear practically lives at the doctor. From well child exams, to physical therapy to opthamology and with his appts. with the specialist...whew. He remains a very happy and content child. His physical therapist feels that he is developing well. He has just learned to do certain things on one side and so prefers it that way. He just has to exercise the other side. We are so happy to hear that he is doing so well. He has two new teeth and is starting to get on all fours. Very exciting times!

Ben and I are busy, busy, busy. Our daily phone calls are starting to consist of who got what done on our to do list!! We are so excited to be going home soon. However, we are starting to feel sad about leaving our friends behind.

That's it for now. Hopefully I will update in a week...not another month!