Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

So, everyone I have talked to from NJ has told me that it doesn't snow very much here. Well, we had a snow storm yesterday and got so much snow it set records. Philadelphia got 22 inches and parts of NJ got 24 inches. This morning, we measured ours and we had 18 inches. Now being a Utah girl, I have driven in lots of snow. It doesn't really phase me much. But people from NJ were freaking out. I swear no one knew how to drive yesterday! I am also use to life continuing like normal even when there is a foot of snow on the ground. Not here! Yesterday, (before there was a lot of snow) our ward party was canceled. And today, church was canceled. We were pretty snowed in, but having everything canceled it not something I am use to. Brett and I were pretty unprepared for the snow storm. We kept thinking that we wouldn't have much snow, so we kept forgetting to buy a snow shovel. Well, we really needed it today! Our neighbors were nice enough to let us borrow theirs. Guess we need to go buy one!! I am attaching some pictures so you can see how much snow we got, a couple of the kids because my mom is going through withdrawals because she doesn't get to see them everyday anymore, and one of our Christmas tree. I hope everyone is having a warm and happy night as they are scurrying to get ready for Christmas. I know I am scurrying!! Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Tree

So we went and got our Christmas tree today. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to post!! Read on and you will soon see why. This was a new experience for me. I have been spoiled and have never had to buy a Christmas tree. My dad has always gotten one for me and brought it to me. Well, this year, we live too far away for my daddy to bring me a tree. We went to a you cut tree lot and found us a tree. However, the day we decided to go was cold, rainy, and muddy. It was probably good it was bad weather because I couldn't be too picky on the tree. If any of you know my dad and Christmas trees, you know he is super picky about what trees he puts in his house. I am afraid that his blood runs through me, and I picked out 3 trees before I found the one I wanted cut!! I could have spent all day walking around the lot trying to find the best tree, if the weather would have been better. We have a cute tree that is, at the moment, trying to dry off in the garage because it is so wet. It is a different tree than I am use to, but I am excited to get it in the house and decorated! I will have to post pictures of our tree when it is up. I hope everyone else has happy tree hunting!!

Inspiration

Lately I have been inspired into sewing and crafting and just making things. It has been a lot of fun. There are some blogs that I completely love because the women are amazing and have some of the best ideas ever. I have had a couple of people tell me I should list them on my blog, so I have finally done it. There are links to the blogs underneath my blog list. I hope these blogs are as inspiring to you as they are to me!

Warning!!! Looking at these blogs could be hazardous to your health, because you will get addicted and have to have more!!! I anxiously await everyday to see if they posted something new!!

Family Pictures

With the help of my friend Melissa, I was finally able to get some pictures taken of my cute little family. The fall colors here have been amazing; unfortunately, they are almost gone. The weather has been rainy lately, so when we had a good day, we jumped at the chance to take pictures. Here are a few:



I decided it is hard to pay someone to take your pictures when you know how to do it and you have a good friend to help. That is the hard thing about being the photographer in the family!

Halloween
Last year, I got into a really good sale at the Disney store and was able to get some costumes for Micole. This year she was Minnie Mouse. She looked so cute in her costume. As per our family tradition, I guess, Ty was a pumpkin. (Micole was a pumpkin her first Halloween too). I must say he was stinkin cute.

Books, Books, Books

For those of you who really know me, you know that I love books!! Well, my sweet little daughter loves books too. All of a sudden, it seemed, she has wanted us to read her books, lots of books. I was putting my books away, because we finally got a bookcase (which I completely filled! I really didn't think I had that many books!) and came across my childhood copy of Charlotte's Web. Micole wanted me to read it to her, so the last couple of days, we have been reading Charlotte's Web. She will just sit there and let me read to her. I love it!! I have to say, I was surprised that she would sit so still and read a book that has very few pictures and keep wanting to read more. In fact, I am getting ready to read it to her right now! Happy reading!

Should I be Concerned??

I am starting to wonder if I should be concerned. I have a 3 year old that can say things makes her sound like she is 10, who also can't wait until her 4 month old brother is finished with his rice cereal so she can have the rest. To top it off, I am starting to wonder if my 4 month old is going to have anger issues because he looks at his toys and screams and yells at them as he is biting the heck out of them. Should I be concerned?!?!?!?

On a more positive note, things are going well with us. We ventured on our first touristy thing last weekend. We went to Cape May to the beach. It was awesome and also pretty cold and windy. It was so nice to be at the beach and have the beach feel that I love. By the way, the Jersey shore is really nice and pretty. Ty rolled over on Monday and has been scarfing down rice cereal since he realized he likes it. We just have to keep Micole at bay until Ty is done eating because she really does love rice cereal. Micole is loving preschool and will now wave at me when I leave, which is quite an improvement from a couple of weeks ago. Brett is doing some training right now and likes it because he isn't really in training all that much. Sometimes I think he is home more than in training! I have found a friend who is a major workout buff and have been following her to a couple of classes at the gym that have totally kicked my butt. All in all, things are going pretty good.

New Pictures

So, for all you whiners out there that want pictures, here you go!! Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of NJ. I know that is what you all really wanted to see. I do, however, have some more recent pictures of my children....want to see??


Micole as a flower girl, Brett and Ty,



first dinner in our new house

Caitlin, Kage, Micole, and Ty

Life on the East Coast

So, we have been in good ol NJ for a couple of weeks now. Our house is still a mess as we are still trying to go through boxes. There is only so much one person can do when they have two kids to deal with in the process. Brett has been good to help, but when he comes home, it feels like we have a ton of errands to run and things to get figured out. I will be glad when things get settled and we can have a normal routine going on. Micole started preschool this last week. She goes 2 days a week for 3 hours, and can I say I love having a little time just me and Ty. I end up running to the base about 4 times in 4 hours, but it is nice to have a little free time. Next year, Micole will go to preschool 5 days a week and ride a school bus. That is how it is done here. Where we are is kind of nice because it is more country. I have decided that when I have a little bit of free time, with no kids, I am going to start driving around with my camera. I see so many picturesque fences, silos, and houses. It is even going to get better when the leaves really start changing colors. So because we are in the country, we have to drive about 30 minutes to get anywhere. That anywhere could be 15 miles away, it still takes you about 30 minutes to get there. We have ventured out because we have had some shopping we just couldn't do where we are at. Mapquest is quickly becoming our friend, but I think we are going to break down and buy us a GPS system. I never thought I would be one of those people, but around here, you really don't have much of a choice. One thing that Brett and I have decided we really don't like are jughandles. Jughandles are on the right hand side of the street and in some places, if you want to make a left hand turn or a U-turn, you have to take a jughandle on the right side. These jughandles can either be before you need to turn, or after. Let me tell you, they really make life complicated, especially if you don't know where you are going and you miss it!! Things are going good, and we are getting use to living on the East Coast. I think we just may survive!!

First Look at NJ

So, I am officially in New Jersey. I can't say I am really impressed at the moment! It was a long flight with two little kids by myself, but they really did do pretty well. The frustrating stuff came after we got off the plane. The people we had asked to pick us up ended up not having room for all of us in their little tiny car, so we ended up having to rent a car in the middle of Labor Day weekend. The agent at the car rental place was very nice and super helpful. I was really thankful for all of her help. The first thing that happened when we crossed the NJ border was get passed by someone who was flipping us off. What hospitality!! Especially when I hadn't done anything but drive the speed limit. I didn't even cut them off! We also were rudely honked at by someone passing us. Really people!! We ended up taking the back way to the base and needless to say, it has been quite the long day!

It's Official!!!

It is official. We finally have a moving date. Our lives have been so up in the air that I can hardly believe we are almost ready to move to Jersey. I bought our plane tickets for the kids and me to fly out on the 5th of September and the moving van leaves on the 2nd (my parents graciously volunteered to drive it). Brett is already there and starting his processing and holding down the fort. We have a house on base and I am so excited. We are just waiting for the construction to be finished. Yes!!! We are moving into a brand new house!!! I am so excited. The last couple of days I have been trying to get things packed and this morning Micole asked me if we were done packing!! I only wish!!! I am excited to start our adventure and to live with my husband again, but I am sad to be leaving all our family and friends behind.

New Pictures

I know, I know, I am so bad about posting to my blog. In my defense, I am spending my time chasing after a 3 year old and trying to figure out my newborn. Anyways, Houston and Audrey (brother and sister-in-law) were here with my cute little nephew, Kage, so I finally downloaded my pictures. Here are some new ones of Ty and some of Kage. Here they are for your enjoyment!!

My nephew Kage

I took Ty to the doctor yesterday for his 8 week check up. He weighed in at 11 lbs 7 oz and 22 inches long. He is growing like a weed and is super sweet. He just started smiling and laughing. Micole and I are having fun trying to figure out what makes him smile. It is awesome!!

God Bless America!

With the approach of the 4th of July, I have found myself thinking more and more about our country and patriotism. I was talking to my mother-in-law and both of us agreed that we are more aware of patriotism in our nation since Brett joined the Air Force. It is amazing to me how the experiences in our lives make such an impact on our patriotism. I am so thankful for those men and women who are sacrificing and fighting for our country. THANK YOU!!

Our Little Man

I know I have taken forever to post these pictures of our little man, but what can I say, it is harder with 2 kids than one. I definitely don't get much sleep!! So, here are some pictures for you all to enjoy!!

Our Little Family


Proud Big Sister

Micole is so cute with Ty. There are definitely times when I think she loves him too much. She loves to hold him, kiss him, and hug him. She is such a big help when I am changing his diaper and picking out clothes for him to wear. She loves to just watch him. If anyone asks if they can take him home with them, she quickly replies, "No! He can't go home with you!" We are so thankful for our little man and the sweet spirit he has brought into our home.

Our New Addition

The newest member of our family, Ty William, was born at 7:03 this morning, weighing in at 8 lbs 7 oz. He is super cute with dark hair, and Micole is so excited to be a big sister. She had fun holding him and giving him kisses. I will put some pictures up in a couple of days when I can get home and download them from my camera. I was so glad that Brett could be here and my parents and Brett's mom. It has been a good day!!!

Exciting Stuff for Our Family

So, I am so excited because I get to pick Brett up from the airport tomorrow morning!!!! Yeah!! His Commander and First Sargent were nice enough to let him come home for the birth of our little boy. Micole is so excited to see him. She hasn't seen him since February. I am excited to have them play together and just spend some quality time together. It is also a little strange to think that I am going to have a baby again in 4 days. I am so ready, but at the same time a little nervous. I am use to handling a 3 year old not a newborn. I am a little sad that it isn't just going to be Micole and me anymore. We have bonded a lot in the last 5 months with Brett gone. She definitely knows how to try my patience and at the same time melt my heart with by doing something super sweet. I know it will be good to have a new little member of our family, but it is just going to be different. So much fun stuff happening this weekend!!

Happy Mother's Day

I just wanted to give a shout out to all the mothers out there. I am so thankful for my mother, mother-in-law, and grandmothers. I am so thankful for all the love and sacrifice mothers make for their children. I know I didn't understand how much my mother did for me until I had a child of my own. Even now, my mom is still doing little things for me. I don't know what I would do with out her. I have been fortunate to live somewhat close to my mom and know that if I ever needed anything, she would be right there for me. Here in a couple of months, it isn't going to be that easy. I love you mom for all that you have done and the person you are. I am so thankful for the things you have taught me and the things I continue to learn from you on a daily basis. Thank you!!! And Happy Mother's Day!!!

And our final destination is . . . .

I know we have a lot of friends wondering where we are going to end up after Brett is done with is tech school training. Well, I finally have an answer. But first, an update. Brett will be done with his training around Aug. 19th, probably a few days later than that. He is currently taking classes from 11:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. every night. It has been hard for him, but he is doing well in his classes. Well I know that everyone reading this just really wants to know where we are going to be stationed for the next couple of years, so I will get to the point. We will be stationed at . . . . . . McGuire AFB. McGuire is located in Wrightstown, NJ. Yes that is right, we are going to be moving to New Jersey, you did not read that wrong. It came with some mixed emotions, especially from Brett, but he has resigned himself to live in the Northeast with the Yankees for a couple of years. We are getting excited, and I am already planning on the places we can go. It is a huge step for both of us. I have never lived outside of Utah or Idaho. Brett and I both come from such small towns, we are really going to have to get use to living in a more populated area. So, all we can say is bring on the adventure!

My New Fav

So, my new favorite website is tipnut.com. I stumbled across this site, and I have to say, I absolutely love it. I was looking for free patterns (because I am now starting to be obsessed with making things) and this site popped up. It is full of different ideas and tons of free craft/sewing patterns. I have spent hours looking up things on it. Like I said, it is an awesome site!

Craziness!!

As I was looking at everyone else's blogs, I really decided that I need to update mine. Life has been absolutely crazy lately. Last week, Micole and I started our long trip. I took Micole up to Wyoming to spend some time with Brett's mom and stepdad. She had so much fun, even though they were snowed in most of the time. I proceeded to fly to Louisana, and then drove to Biloxi to see Brett. It was so good to see him. Time has really gone by pretty quickly, but it still goes by slowly some times. Biloxi was really fun to go and see. I missed a pretty big storm, so I was glad about that. There are still a lot of places in Biloxi that are being fixed still from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Brett and I went to the air show on base. It was so much fun to see those F-16's flying around doing all their crazy stunts. I am sure glad that we had earplugs though. I don't know if I would still be able to hear things if not for the plugs!! An update on Brett: He is currently on a bus headed for Wichita Falls to begin the 2nd stage of his training. We are hoping that his training will be shorter than we are expecting, but aren't getting our hopes up. We should know in about 2-3 weeks where we will be stationed. I am looking forward to that. I really want to know where we are going to be. It has been hard not knowing what our future holds, but I guess that is the way life works sometimes.

Micole's 3rd Birthday

I know I am a couple of days late posting this, but Micole turned 3 on the 2nd. I can't believe she is 3 years old already. She is getting so tall and has such a cute personality. She has some of the funniest sayings.

Here are a couple for your enjoyment:
You're too heavy for me.
I can't want to
Bye gator later
Copcorn (popcorn)
Bye croc-a-later
It to big for me (when she really means it is too small for her)

Here are also some of her favorite things:
ABC Song
Twinkle, Twinkle little star
I am a Child of God
Hush little baby
Cheese
Tortillas
Cake and Cookies
Her baby dolls
Curious George
Imagination Movers
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Places Micole has been:
Texas 5 times (3 times flying, 2 times driving)
California 2 times
Idaho
Wyoming numerous times

I thought I would post some pictures so you could see how much she has changed in the last 3 years. I am also going to post some of her birthday pictures.

Then:Now:
Birthday Fun!!
Micole has decided that her bike and her babies are her favorite things right now. It is too cold for her to ride her bike outside, so she has learned how to ride around the kitchen. She is a character!! We love you, little one!!!

Air Force Graduation

I am a little slow posting this, but when am I not slow at posting!!! Last Friday, Brett graduated from Basic Training at Lackland AFB. Micole and I flew down to San Antonio to see Brett. It was so good to see him!!!! Everything that happened at the graduation stuff was so awesome and amazing to see. It is really neat the presentation that happens when someone graduates from military basic training. Brett probably doesn't think it is really that neat, having lived it for 8 weeks. Right now, Brett is in Mississippi working on his tech school. We just found out that his training is really not as long as we originally thought. We thought he would be in Mississippi for 14 weeks, but it will probably only be 10 weeks. We are super excited about this. It is a month less than we originally planned on. The best thing about Brett being in tech school is I get to talk to him every night. It reminds me of when we were dating and he was in Texas and I in Utah. I will be glad when all this training is over with. All with due time I am sure. Here are some pictures from San Antonio. We had a ton of fun. I only wish the wind wouldn't have been blowing what seemed like a 100 miles an hour and that Sea World would have been open! We had a lot of fun seeing the Alamo and going on a boat ride on the River. Micole was just excited to see her daddy. It took her a moment or two to warm up to him, but after that, she wouldn't let him out of her sight! He either had to hold her or push her in the stroller. We LOVE our husband and daddy and are so proud of him!!!

Boring Life

I am so bad about updating my blog, but I tell you all, I have nothing fun to share. We lead a very boring life. Seriously, the thing we are looking forward to tomorrow is play group. We are kind of slow on the whole making new friends thing. It is too easy to just stay around the house or go up to my grandma's for a while. I have lots of projects to keep me busy, but you have to be motivated to do them!!! I am way excited because we are flying to San Antonio next week for Brett's graduation. I am so excited, but I am starting to get really nervous about being in a strange city, in Texas, that I have never been too before and Brett isn't much help because all he has seen of San Antonio was the airport and Lackland AFB!! For those of you who don't know, probably most of you, I get so turned around in Texas. I have no idea which way is north, south, east, or west. I never know where I am going. Now, give me any town in Utah with and address and I can take you right there!! I love how Utah towns are laid out on a grid!! I think we will be in for an adventure, but we get to spend 4 days with Brett. Everything will be worth it when I get to see him Thursday morning!! I know, I am getting sappy, but it really has been difficult to not see or even talk to Brett for the last 7 weeks. I got to talk to him at Christmas and that was really it. Just think about how hard it would be to be away from your best friend and the one you love and you can't even call and chat. But on the bright side, I get to see him and while he is in tech school, I can talk to him on the phone. Life will be a little bit better. Now, we just have to get through the next 6-7 months. Two down, a whole lot more left!!

Good News!!

I know it has been another long time since I updated our blog. I like to put pictures on our blog and when I don't have any pictures downloaded, I don't update. Lame, huh. Just so you all know, Brett is doing well, I guess as well as can be expected. We are in the home stretch and I am so excited to see him in less than a month. I have our plane tickets and February 4th just can't get here soon enough. I did get to talk to Brett a lot on Christmas day, way more than I expected. It was so good to hear his voice for more than 2 minutes and to know that he really is okay. One thing that is really exciting for us is we found out what we are having. Brett probably hasn't gotten the letter yet, so you all may know before him. We are having a little boy. We are so excited and I know that Brett will be super excited. He has been waiting for a boy. I have even started getting Micole excited. She likes to point to my belly and tell me that is where Ty is. Just so you know, that is what we are going to name our new little tyke. So, just a small little update. Micole's vocabulary is astonishing me. She says things that totally take me off guard. The other day she told a friend that she was 2 and will be 3 in March. I thought it was pretty cute. She is starting to tell me maybe and that she will be right back when she leaves a room. They grow up so fast!!