Monday, January 28, 2008

Happy Monday!

It is one of those times when I am so happy it's Monday! Truly the only thing I hate about Monday's is realizing I don't get to sleep in! It's usually my laundry day and I just really enjoy having a little bit of quiet after the weekend. While my laudry's going I usually take the time to catch up on email, etc. that I didn't have a chance to do over the weekend. And, occasionally, I'll treat myself to a "chic" flick while doing the laundry. This Monday is especially welcomed since Ian only had two days of school last week! (You home schooling moms really are amazing!!! {smile}) It's nice to not have him underfoot being bored.

The weekend really did fly by, but it was filled with fun things. Friday night was a quiet night which was nice after having stuff going on every other night last week. Saturday morning Josh had his acting class and we had a relaxing morning - really wanted to crawl back into bed because it was raining and chilly, perfect napping weather! We had a yummy calorie filled breakfast (did I mention that Brian is trying to lose 30 pounds and he's been really good about how many calories he eats). We had fried eggs, cinnamon rolls, home-made hash browns, and bacon. WOW! Since we were going to some friends house that evening for dinner we decided we probably wouldn't be eating a lunch - just a snack to tide us over. Ian had his basketball game at 1:15pm then after that we came home and let him get a shower before we headed to our friend's house. It's kinda neat because these friends moved here from Singapore and since we lived there a few years back we're able to talk about all the stuff we loved (and miss) about it. We had a nice dinner and evening. They have four boys so Ian was in hog heaven - loving having some boys to play with!

Sunday we went to church and Brian and I have been struggling with where to go for Sunday School. Well, yesterday we ended up running into some friends from Brian's old flight and talked with them for a little bit. They hadn't been planning to stay for sunday school but since we had mentioned we were they said, "Maybe we'll just try your class!" We said, "Okay, but you'll have to pick one for us because we don't know where we want to go!" So, Eric ended up picking one off the list. It's what we're used to as far as what the material is (they are going verse by verse through Ephesians and just discussing as they go). It's a young group so we're probably the oldest ones in there but we really enjoyed it and it's where we plan to continue going so YAY! No more feeling like we didn't even want to go! (You know how that can be when you haven't gotten really plugged in - you start to somewhat lose your motivation to go). So, that was definitely an answer to prayer.

That afternoon Brian and Josh went to have some guy time together and Brian took Josh to shoot skeet. Josh hadn't ever done it before but ended up getting 10 out of 20 so that's not bad for his first time! (Brian says Josh is a great shot!) Then, Brian dropped Josh off for his first rehearsal for a ballet he's going to be in. I think I just heard you say "What? Josh is in ballet?" The answer is he's in a production but he won't be doing ballet. It's with the Alabama Dance Theater and they're doing a production called "Cinderella and More" and I saw a blurb saying they were having auditions for guys to be in it. I mentioned it to Josh and then it turns out his friend, Laura, is in it and was excited to hear he was thinking about doing it. We went a little over a week ago for him to "audition" and they are now starting rehearsals. He's in the ball room scene and his partner just happens to be Laura!

Last night we had our friends from Ohio/Virginia over for dinner. It was so nice to spend some time with them while they're here. We ended up grilling pork chops, I made a "fancy" mac-n-cheese (which the kids all loved), salad and they brought an apple pie. What a great way to end the weekend!

Wow - 1000 visits

My blog has passed 1000 visits. Thanks, everyone, for checking in and seeing how things are going in our neck of the woods! It's nice to know that others are thinking about us. We think about you guys a lot, too, and enjoy being updated on your happenings. Hope you have a happy Monday! Oh, and don't forget to leave your comments once in a while! {smile}

Friday, January 25, 2008

Teenagers

Well, I haven't been as pleased with my teenager lately as I would like to be. Perhaps we haven't been as hard on him lately? He seems to think he's able to make his own rules - knowing full well what our expecations are. Last night for instance I was upstairs putting Ian to bed when I heard Josh on the phone - yes, he was actually TALKING on the phone, not texting!!!! (it was 9:40pm - Ian and I had just gotten home from our date). He is supposed to be in bed with the lights out at 10pm so with him on the phone and still not showered I knew he was running behind. SO, I told him he needed to be getting off the phone and heading to the shower. Well, at 9:59pm I had to tell him again!! Then, he finally got in the shower a little after 10pm which means he probably wasn't lights out until 10:30pm or so. Now, I know he's a Junior in high school and I also know I was up late on school nights but this boy just won't get up if he isn't in bed at a decent hour!! To be honest he takes after me in that respect but I'm the MOM!! {smile} Plus, he knows the rules and he chooses to break them. So, now we are thinking about having him bring his phone downstairs at 9:30pm so he'll be in bed on time.

Then, there's the whole money issue. We've told Josh for years that in order for him to have a car, he will buy Brian's car for the cost of Brian's replacement car's first car payment so, roughly, around $400. Well, here we are only a couple of months away from the time he'll be able to get his license and the boy has NO MONEY!! We've been trying to get the boy to get a job for months and he's put in a couple of applications only because we made him and he's had one application for a couple of weeks now that he continues to not ask his teacher for his number as a reference for. ARGH! The last few mornings on the way to school I've done nothing but nag the boy and I hate it! It's not like he has a ton of homework filling up his afternoons so he could really use a job to fill up some time and pay for all of his "extra-curricular" activities.

Oh, one more thing. We've told him for a while that he is unable to "date" until he finishes a series that he and Brian started going through years ago in Ohio that establishes him as "man" with Christian values and integrity - sort of a rite of passage thing. Well, he and Brian have started back at it but we just found out last weekend that Josh is "in a relationship" (as his myspace says). When we questioned Josh about it he said - you didn't say I couldn't have a girlfriend, just that I couldn't go on dates!!!! Tell me if I'm wrong but did I miss something? Teenagers!

Another Date Night with Ian

Ian has been wanting to go on another date with me and he's been wanting to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. Since he hasn't had school yesterday or today (for a teacher something) I had told him that we would go on our date last night. So, we did.

Yesterday morning he woke up saying, "We go on our date tonight!" Then at 5pm he said, "Only 2 more hours until our date!" I think he was excited and I'm so glad he was. He had basketball from 4-5pm then we got home, got dinner together then had to quickly get ready to go.


While I was getting dinner together he took the time to make me a cute sign/card. On one side it says "I Love You" and on the other it was a picture of Alvin and the Chipmunks. He opened the doors for me and was quite the gentleman. We enjoyed deep conversation on the way to the theater and talked about the stuff we liked most about the movie on the way home. To top it all off we had our own private viewing of the movie as it turned out we were the only people there to see it!! We had a good time and he's already looking forward to our next one (so am I! {smile}).

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Our Trip to the World of Coke!

Monday since the boys were off for the holiday, we took the day to go to Atlanta and visit the World of Coke. Here's all of our pictures in a nice slide show format for you!! Enjoy!

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Visit with Suzan (and Mark)!

Yesterday my friend, Suzan, and her husband, Mark, came to visit us. Suzan and I have been friends since I lived in Columbus starting in 1993!! WoW - I can't believe it's been 15 years already....(sigh)... let's move on!

They arrived Saturday in time to go watch Ian's basketball game. Then, after Ian's game we went to Jim-N-Nicks for a mid-afternoon meal. Ellie really enjoyed sucking on the rib bones!!! We all ate so much that none of us were hungry that evening.


After that we came home and had a relaxing afternoon hanging out. Then, much to my dismay (smile) we played Trivia Pursuit! I love games but let me just be honest in saying that I STINK at Trivia Pursuit! Scrabble, Boggle, word games I can play and do fairly well at but Trivia, well... it ain't pretty! FINALLY, Mark put us all out of our misery by winning after hours of playing! It was fun to just hang around - especially because we had the fire going in the fireplace and I was right next to it and nice and warm. We did have snow here yesterday, can you believe it?! It actually covered the grass and road for a moment and I really wanted to get a picture but by the time I was ready to do it, it was raining and the snow was disappearing. It was pretty while it lasted, though. Ian kept saying how he wanted it to snow some more. We kept telling him that in a few months he'll have more snow then he'll know what to do with!



Once the game was over we sat and chatted for a while, got a picture of us girls then called it a night. This morning we got up and had a little breakfast then they got on the road. It was a quick trip but it was good to see them. I realized Suzan hadn't ever been to my house since I've been married! ('Course I haven't been to hers either since she got married - 2 years ago!) I so enjoy catching up with friends - I wonder if we'll have any visitors when we move to North Dakota????!!!!!

It's Been a While...

It's been a while since I've posted - I just haven't been inspired to write about anything lately. This last week was pretty busy. Wednesday night I made dinner for a guy (and his family) in Brian's flight who just had baby number 8!! WOW!! Busy house. It was a little last minute so I had to really double what I had planned for our dinner that night. I ended up making low-fat bbq chicken (homemade sauce) pretty yummy, sweet-potato souffle, mixed veggies and yeast rolls. One challenge was they are avoiding dairy right now so I had to substitute milk for coconut milk and butter for a butter substitute in the sweet potatoes but I was pleased with how it turned out.
Thursday morning I got to meet a friend I've known since our Ohio days but also lived not far from us in Virginia. We met for coffee at a little place that also has an indoor play area for the kids - what a GREAT idea!! We are having her and her husband over for dinner next week while they are in town, I'm looking forward to that.
That night a guy who was Brian's first sponsor in Florida was here on temporary duty (TDY) so we had him over for dinner. I tried a new recipe called "seafood enchiladas" and, thankfully, they turned out really well. Definitely something I will make again. Not a typical enchilada but yummy - Josh hasn't tried them yet (he was out that night) but I keep telling him I think he will actually like them (he doesn't like real enchiladas).

So, come Friday I was ready for a quiet night with frozen pizza! :) I rotate and occasionally make my own pizzas on Fridays but this was definitely one of those days I was glad to not have to! I enjoy making dinner for others but after a couple of nights in a row I'm ready for a break! I guess I better get used to it, though, with Brian's new job that he'll start this summer!!

Anyway, that was my week at a glance. This coming week will be interesting because all the boys will be off tomorrow for the holiday and then Ian will be off Thursday and Friday for some teacher conference his school is having. I will have to come up with something for us to do or he will drive me crazy! We are planning on going on another date night Thursday night to see a movie - either "Pirates who don't do anything" or "Alvin and the Chipmunks" we'll have to see what's playing when.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Josh's Happenings

Josh keeps a pretty busy social life as of late and I thought I would share a couple of pictures of him. One is from a formal he attended with his friend, Jeri. It happened the 27th of December and it was similar to a "debutante" ball but for guys and gals. Jeri had been invited by a friend of hers and since her boyfriend (Josh's good friend, Jason) was going to be out of town, she asked Josh to be her escort. I got to see her dress before hand so I was able to find something to go with it. I think they look pretty nice.
He was kind of nervous about going but, overall, I think he had a good time.

I don't always get a picture of just Josh and I, so the other day when we were looking around with Brian's mom I asked her to take a picture of us.

Other than an active social life, he likes to watch movies, play Guitar Hero, sleep and read.

This last picture was taken yesterday. He was dressed for spirit week and it was school colors day (their school colors are black and white). Pretty cool, huh?!

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Visit with Granna

Well, Brian's mom came to visit last weekend. We had a really good time. She arrived Friday afternoon and all of us but Josh went to pick her up at the airport. We got home and immediately got started on dinner. We did semi home made pizzas. Josh's friend Jason was staying the night so I had all the boys put together their own pizzas and I made the ones for Brian, me and his mom. We had a pretty relaxing evening - played a round of jackpot yahtzee then both Ian and Brian's mom went to bed.

Saturday morning Josh had his first acting class for this semester and Ian had his first Upwards basketball game. Ian did a great job - especially on defense. It's pretty cute because even when he's on offense he's still guarding his guy instead of trying to get the ball. It was a good first game.

After the game we went to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and fed the ducks while we waited for Josh's class to get out so we could pick him up. It was a nice day to be out and the ducks came right up and even took the bread from our hands!

We got Josh and headed downtown to get some lunch. Well, unfortunately, it turns out that almost all the places downtown are closed on Saturdays so we ended up going somewhere else to eat but the place we went we hadn't been before and it was actually quite good. Then, we headed to base and walked around and showed her Brian's school. One thing to note is that Brian's dad was here for the same school when Brian was Ian's age so she'd been here before and recalled some of the places. They'd even come once when Brian was a baby for 3 months and stayed in their camper on the base and she said it hadn't changed a whole lot.

We then ended up driving to where they'd lived back in 1979. She couldn't remember the address and what's truly amazing is Brian is the one who actually remembered the area and ended up driving right to the house! Again I'll note that he was 7 when they lived here!! After that we came home and had another relaxing evening at home.


Sunday we went to church and then lunch at Ruby Tuesday's. I took Josh to get a haircut - don't freak he just got a trim. Then Brian's mom and I played Scrabble. We then had another quiet night at home since everyone was starting back to school the next day BUT we did do a bonfire and roast marshmallows and have 'smores. Brian's mom couldn't remember the last time she'd done that so it was a fitting way to end the weekend.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Happy New Year - a little late - end of year review.

Well, I guess I should take a moment to look over last year and review the highlights. A lot of them were in my Christmas letter that was sent out but some were not - didn't want to bore anyone too badly! :) So, if you're reading this and you get bored it's your own fault! :)

January 2007 - Started with Brian being in Michigan helping with President Ford's funeral/burial. It was a very last minute trip but he enjoyed the experience and opportunity.
Later that month Brian had a unit inspection so after his return from Michigan he was hard at work preparing for that with long hours. We did take MLK day to travel to Winchester, VA, where Brian's grandparents had lived in a nursing home until their passing. It's a quaint little town. On the last day of the month, Josh finally got his cast off after 10 weeks of being in it!

February 2007 - I had the opportunity to visit my friend, Amy, in Texas and meet her then 3 month old, Evan. It was a great trip. For Valentine's Day Brian took me to a dinner theatre to see an Agatha Christie murder mystery. It was wonderful - I enjoy a good mystery. We were also a host family this month for our Church's "Journey" weekend. We hosted the 10th grade girls (Josh's friends most of them) and really enjoyed getting to know them better. Oh, can't forget our annual Fat Tuesday pancake dinner! We decided at the very last minute to go ahead and have it and it was a great success.

March 2007 - Brian turned 35 and we enjoyed the day by going to the Archives and having dinner at Phillip's Seafood. Ian had his AWANA grand prix and won 2nd place for his age group! We traveled to Charleston, SC, for Brian's airman (CC's) wedding. My parents were able to meet us there that weekend so it was nice to spend some time with them, too. We enjoyed going to the market, the Citadel, and an old mansion while we were there.

April 2007 - Spring break we headed to Jamestown and Williamsburg. The weather was beautiful and we really enjoyed our time. Josh had his first high school performance in "High School Musical." He had the role of the lead's understudy but never got to play the part... he did, however, have various other bit parts throughout and it turns out the boy can dance! :) I had the opportunity to attend Stampin' Up! (R)'s regional seminar in Virginia Beach with my friend and downline, Dana. The next day she had put together a baby shower for me at our church so my mom (and dad) had come to town for that (and Josh's performance). Both Josh and Ian also started their baseball games this month.

May 2007 - Josh got his learner's permit!! Scary stuff! Brian went on a fishing trip with a guy from our Sunday school class. They caught LOTS of fish!!

June 2007 - My parents came so that my mom could stay with us while we awaited the birth of our little girl! Eliana Noel finally made her appearance on June 12th - 4 days late. Three days later we were at Brian's boss' change of command ceremony! Josh was gone from the 17th until the 22nd on a Mission trip/Choir trip to Virginia Beach. I celebrated my birthday by staying home and in my pj's all day. Then, for dinner someone had signed up to bring us a meal that night so we had what she brought. We finally had someone come look at and want our house!!

July 2007 - The packers came and our friend's the Diccus' had graciously offered their house to us while the packers were there (they were on vacation). It was such a blessing during that time of upheavel to have somewhere to go away from it. One bad thing did happen during our move - our car was broken into while parked at our friend's house. The only things stolen were the boy's bags they had packed for the road which included game boys, cd players, cd's, games, etc - plus a Bible!! Let's hope that Bible was put to use! We left for Alabama via a stop at Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg. We all really enjoyed it and would recommend it highly! Then, we drove to my brother's house in Atlanta and stayed with them a couple of days. We went to Six Flags one day. The next we drove all 3 of our cars to Montgomery and dropped two of them off so we didn't have to keep driving all three of them everywhere. From Atlanta we went down to Savannah and stayed there about a week.

August 2007 - Arrived in Alabama! Our stuff was delivered. Before our stuff was delivered, Brian ended up hurting his back and was out of commission which meant Josh and I had to do a lot of the "heavy" stuff we don't normally do. We celebrated our 9th anniversary the same day Brian started school. The boys started school on the 13th - Josh's 16th birthday. He didn't think it was a great 16th birthday present. He did, however, like the PSP he got to make up for having his game boy and cd player stolen! Ian turned 7 and we celebrated by having our neighbors over for dessert. I got to go to the Spouse Orientation and learn all about the things Brian was going to be doing over his year in school.

September 2007 - Went to FWB and stayed with our friend's the Fordhams. It was great to just "escape" for the weekend. My parents brought a dining room set that had belonged to my grandmother but had been in storage since she passed away when I was 13! We finally have a dining room set! Brian went to DC for a conference. Ian plays on a soccer team for the first time. Josh starts an acting class at Alabama Shakespeare Festival.

October 2007 - Went to MSU's homecoming game. It was great to be back in the town where Brian and I met and got married plus to see some friends we hadn't seen in a while. We had our annual Open House. We ended up with a house full and had a good time. Got Ellie's ear's pierced!

November 2007 - My friend, Amy, was able to come visit! It was a lot of fun but went by way too fast!! We went to Savannah for Thanksgiving.

December 2007 - Josh wrapped up his acting class with a production of the Crucible. They did a great job. Brian's winter "ball." My cousin, Kristin's, wedding. Brian on Christmas break. Parents here for Christmas and my brother and his family here the day after Christmas.

What a year!! They really do go too fast! Now we are making memories for 2008 - some big things are going to happen this year! Hold on to your seat belts!

Friday, January 4, 2008

Bowl Games

Okay, I'm not a football fanatic and I'm typically one of those who could care less about how my alumni is doing. HOWEVER now that I'm in the neck of the woods where my school plays, it has become important to know how the SEC is doing AND even more importantly to know who we (Mississippi State) beat. This year - thank the Lord! - we beat both Alabama and Auburn and even if that had been all we'd won that would've been enough for me. However, we did well enough to go to a bowl - the Liberty Bowl - so that's pretty good. I was also glad to see that Brian's alma mater made it to a bowl - the Armed Forces Bowl. So, for two days in a row we were all about the bowl games. MSU was able to pull out a win for the lowest scoring Liberty Bowl in history! Unfortunately, though, Brian's team lost. :( I didn't get any pictures during my game but got a couple of Brian and Ian during his - they did push-ups for every point scored.


Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Time to Catch Up!



Well, the Christmas holidays are quickly coming to a close as Brian heads back to work tomorrow after almost 3 weeks off (can you tell by the picture?). The time together has been so nice it will be hard to see him go back. He made the comment that this may be the only time in his career that he's been able to just relax during his time off and not worry about things piling up while he's gone. Truthfully, the rest of this week should be decent hours so it shouldn't be too bad.


The boys go back to school Monday so I still have a couple more days with them. Friday Brian's mom will be arriving and spending the weekend with us. This will be the first time she'll meet/see Ellie. Brian is an only child so I'm sure she's pretty surprised to now find herself a grandmother of THREE!

The three weeks have gone quickly and restfully (is that a word? :)). It started with a quick trip to Savannah for my cousin Kristin's wedding on the 15th of December. We came back and had time without the boys underfoot - sort of. Josh had finals that week so it turned out he only had to be at school for two hours each day Monday through Wednesday. Thankfully he got a ride home with a friend a couple of those days so Brian and I were able to get some things done without having to go pick him up. Ian, on the other hand, had school through that Friday so we were still having to maintain his schedule which kind of stunk since that meant we were having to get up at our "normal" time. Brian was so sweet, though, because he let me sleep in a couple of those mornings and even took Ellie with him a couple of times to take Ian to school so I truly had some "down" time. It was wonderful - I am married to a truly wonderful man!

Saturday the 22nd my parents arrived and stayed with us until the day after Christmas. The day after Christmas my brother arrived with his family. They left that Friday so we've had a quiet house since. Didn't even do anything exciting for New Year's this year. Just a quiet night at home. We even cheated and watched the ball drop in New York at midnight - 11pm our time then went to bed. Hey, with having a baby who wakes up inconsistently, you would too! :)

So, that's an overview of our 3 weeks but I'll do some stories of actual events. Couple of pictures I want to share! I do hope that all of you had a wonderful holiday season and your 2008 will be filled with nothing but blessings!

Nerf Gun War!


For Christmas this year we gave my 3 nephews nerf guns. We thought it would be fun for all the boys to be able to have a "war" while they were together. So, as soon as they unwrapped them, they loaded up and went outside for the Great Nerf War. Even the Big Boys (Brian and Mike) got into it. I had to get some pictures and ended up with some pretty good ones. We were still finding darts in the front yard a couple of days later! :)
Our rules for nerf war:
Must wear eye protection.
No shooting at an un-armed person.
No shooting at really close range.
Don't aim for the face.

The boys had a great time and talked about it for the rest of their visit - so, mission accomplished!