good job honey!

Shane sent me an email yesterday with a couple of pictures in it that he said he had to take for his RP of the Year packet. His school is sending in his biography for this. He also told me that he got Sailor of the Year for NTTC (the school he teaches for)! Yeah honey, you rock!!! I love you!!!

Here are those pictures!



This one's my fav...

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful step-mom Kimberly! You have such talent and grace with things, in a way that I can only hope to pick up in our many years to come together! You are patient and kind, with the cutest sense of humor. I love you and I'm glad that you are the person that completes my Dad. I've never seen him happier!


Wedding day!

At the reception!

Missing the daddy

Since Shane left, I have to admit, I've been in pretty good spirits. Thanksgiving came and went, not a tear. Today however, I started feeling really down. As much as I have thought about how the kids and I were going to be without Shane, I didn't think that putting up Christmas decorations without him would make me so sad. The kids aren't quite old enough to help put up the ornaments on the tree, so doing everything myself really hit me hard.

I'm sure that even if Shane were here and sat on the couch the whole time while I put up the decorations, I wouldn't be sad, but I am. I just keep thinking how our son is going to turn 4, our daughter 2, and our 5 year wedding anniversary are all going to come and go without him. I know this is what happens when you marry someone in the military, but it doesn't make it any easier to handle. I'm just going to take things one day at a time and rely on my friends here to support me on my down days and giggle with me on my happy ones.

The next 6 1/2 months will go by sooner than I know it and I will be that much stronger. Bring it on!!! :) I miss you honey!


I miss seeing this!

Caught me!

So, my plan was to get some good pictures taken of my children for Christmas to send out...what my friend caught was me yelling at my son...well, not yelling, but talking sternly to. Oddly enough, I suppose that I never realized how the tone of my voice effected Christian's reaction. Not that I would change the tone of voice I use when I get onto him for something that I didn't want him to do. Anyway, here are some of the funny pictures (or mean), whichever is preferred...

Here we start out...Christian WILL NOT look at Sheila...so, I push him away and tell him that he can't be in the picture thinking that it would have a reverse psychological effect and that he would actually WANT to take a good picture with Brooklyn and I.


Boy, was I wrong...he wouldn't come back into the picture. So, me being even meaner, I continue to tell him to stay out of the picture.


He starts being a little brat, so my tone becomes a little harsher.


Now, Sheila is my savior and tells him that if he comes back that he can have a sucker once we're done. He decides to come back into the picture, but continues to cry...and me being the mean mommy that I am, I tell him that he can't be in the picture if he doesn't stop crying and he doesn't get his lollipop.


Somehow, Sheila worked her charm, so we ended up with this lovely picture...thank goodness for my "She She!"


Gosh, I'm really mean!!! My poor children!

Happy late Halloween!

We had a fun Halloween yesterday! It started out with play group where we painted our own little pillowcases. Christian's was beautiful...so very colorful with a lot of green (I'll have to post pictures of it later). Brooklyn's turned out to where you could actually tell what was on her shirt, mostly because I painted it. She was just a little too young to understand what to do.

As for costumes...Christian was the handsome and strong Superman and Brooklyn was the most beautiful little green fairy princess! They looked so adorable, I loved taking them around. There was one house that she decided to go to after all the other kids had gone to, so we walked up there by ourselves and knocked on the door. The man that answered was so surprised to see her there, he gave her an extra little treat. She even wore her little crown all night too! I was quite surprised.

We carved some pumpkins yesterday afternoon. A silly face and a skull. They turned out pretty well. Christian and Justin did the cutting on the silly face. A little clean up was done by Sheila (he kinda needed it). They turned out well though. Now for pictures!!!






Oh, Shane left on Sunday and made it to Virginia safe and sound. Today when I talked with him he said that he was sore from exercising, but other than that, he was doing well. Saturday he leaves to go to South Carolina for a couple weeks. I'll keep you posted.

Some funny pictures to lighten it back up!!


A rare moment with Shane!

Being silly for the camera.

This just happens to be our first family portrait ever!