Saturday, January 31, 2009
Happy 11th Birthday Neil!
Happy Birthday our sweet boy! We are so blessed to have you in our lives. You bring a new vision to the world and a unique perspective. Happy Birthday, we love you!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The One-Uppers
Ever met those people? No matter what is going on in your life, theirs is worse on so many levels? It makes me crazy! Our deployment is not as hard as others for various reasons (in their opinion) and our separation is minimized by others who are caught up in their own cocoon of misery. I get it, it sucks for you too but why minimize what my boys and I are going through. It certainly isn't the way to get me to feel sorry for you, it just pisses me off.
But it's not just in regards to deployment, it's also in regards to kids and the issues we have to deal with. I've never met so many people who want to one up you on their kids diagnosis of whatever. I want to scream, YOU WIN. This isn't something I want to be the worse at so go on and take the lead on this one. People I don't even know will go on and on about things like this...most of the time I roll my eyes and walk away.
I've learned to not even say much because no one is listening anyway and most of that reason is simply because they are collecting their thoughts and preparing to tell me how much easier I have it then they do.
But it's not just in regards to deployment, it's also in regards to kids and the issues we have to deal with. I've never met so many people who want to one up you on their kids diagnosis of whatever. I want to scream, YOU WIN. This isn't something I want to be the worse at so go on and take the lead on this one. People I don't even know will go on and on about things like this...most of the time I roll my eyes and walk away.
I've learned to not even say much because no one is listening anyway and most of that reason is simply because they are collecting their thoughts and preparing to tell me how much easier I have it then they do.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Forgotten
That's how I feel. Not me alone but our brigade in the Army. We are the red-headed step-children of 1st Cavalry Division. Really, we are. I was so sad to get reflagged from 4th Infantry Division. We all wondered what it would mean for us. A lot of people said it wasn't a big deal, it wouldn't make a big difference. We were promised by 4th ID that we'd still be looked after by them. We heard a grand speech from the 1st Cavalry Command Team about how the "First Team" would take care of us.
Really what has happened is we've been forgotten. We deployed apart from the rest of 1st Cavalry Division. We are out there hanging out. Sometimes I think I just take it personal and make a bigger thing out of it then it is. The other day I attended a Purple Heart/Volunteer of the Month Ceremony for the 1st Cavalry Division. In the closing remarks the Rear D commander went on about how we had to pray for the Soldiers of the First Team. He listed each brigade, talking about where they were or what stage of deployment they were in. He didn't mention 4th Brigade at all. It stung a bit. We've been over there 7 months and we still don't get recognized. To add more insult to injury, I went to the 1st Cavalry museum after that and the only thing with our Brigade on it was a small lapel pin. When I asked if they would receive anything else with our Brigade on it, I was told "probably not".
Maybe most of those who read this will not care or thing what's the big deal. It's disheartening to me that our Soldiers wear a patch of a Division who more often then not forgets about them.
"First Team" (well only the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Brigades"
Really what has happened is we've been forgotten. We deployed apart from the rest of 1st Cavalry Division. We are out there hanging out. Sometimes I think I just take it personal and make a bigger thing out of it then it is. The other day I attended a Purple Heart/Volunteer of the Month Ceremony for the 1st Cavalry Division. In the closing remarks the Rear D commander went on about how we had to pray for the Soldiers of the First Team. He listed each brigade, talking about where they were or what stage of deployment they were in. He didn't mention 4th Brigade at all. It stung a bit. We've been over there 7 months and we still don't get recognized. To add more insult to injury, I went to the 1st Cavalry museum after that and the only thing with our Brigade on it was a small lapel pin. When I asked if they would receive anything else with our Brigade on it, I was told "probably not".
Maybe most of those who read this will not care or thing what's the big deal. It's disheartening to me that our Soldiers wear a patch of a Division who more often then not forgets about them.
"First Team" (well only the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Brigades"
Sunday, January 25, 2009
My Shaggy Kids
You all may have noticed how shaggy my kids are in their recent pics. They all want to grow their hair out. Many have scoffed and laughed at me saying I'd never let them do it. I've taken that as a challenge and so now the boys look scruffy but it will all be okay.
Over the summer I failed at letting them exercise their sense of independence and I may fail again but I'm trying.
And for the record, yes it drives me insane, I want to rush them to the barber shop and have their hair cut so badly but I just smile at them and send them into the bathroom to do something with the craziness.
Over the summer I failed at letting them exercise their sense of independence and I may fail again but I'm trying.
And for the record, yes it drives me insane, I want to rush them to the barber shop and have their hair cut so badly but I just smile at them and send them into the bathroom to do something with the craziness.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
My Chess Kings
Today Neil & Daniel participated in the City Chess Tournament. Both did very well. Neil finished 3rd and Daniel finished 6th respectively. We are very proud of them, Kevin and I chatted through the tourney (though I think he fell asleep before I let him know how they placed, lol). Chess tournaments are usually Kevin's thing, I like to support my kids but I get so stressed watching them play. It's pretty funny. I'm not one who interferes with them, in fact I stay far away from them and just wait it out each round. Both the boys are gentlemen when they play (I wish I could say the same for some of the other kids there). Daniel won 2, had a draw on 2 and lost 1. He was happy with his performance. Neil won 4 and lost one. On the one he lost, they were put on the clock and that made him very nervous so he lost focus. I was so proud of how he handled the situation because he finished and admitted defeat and didn't pout about his loss. He refocused and went on to win his next round. Neil had a lot of pressure going in because he was the defending champ. He was put up against some middle schoolers and he's still young-minded enough to be intimidated by that. Overall I'm proud of the team as a whole in how they played and the respect and class they showed. Our team came home with a lot of trophy's and pride.
Michael was kind enough to play photographer for me.
Daniel & Neil with their trophy's.
On the clock, very intense for everyone!
Concentrating
I made him take off his MP3 player after the first round, didn't catch him at first.
This pic cracks me up, Daniel looks like he is staring down his opponent.
This is how I feel inside while waiting for them to finish playing, lol
Michael was kind enough to play photographer for me.
Daniel & Neil with their trophy's.
On the clock, very intense for everyone!
Concentrating
I made him take off his MP3 player after the first round, didn't catch him at first.
This pic cracks me up, Daniel looks like he is staring down his opponent.
This is how I feel inside while waiting for them to finish playing, lolHeart Attack
The other night we had the missionaries over for dinner. As I was finishing up getting everything ready they asked to use the bathroom. I wasn't paying attention but I do remember one of the boys telling me "uhm, mom they went in TOGETHER!". I really didn't pay attention and we went on with our dinner.
We had Boy Scouts that night so after cleaning up dinner we headed out. It wasn't until we got home and the boys went to brush their teeth did they notice things were a little different in their bathroom.
Neil walked in and I see him walk back out backwards and he says with disgust in his voice, "mooommmm, there are hearts all over our bathroom!" The other two boys immediately rushed into the bathroom and they come out..."hearts, mom". Boys are so funny when it comes to things like pastel hearts.
I go check it out and see that we've been heart attacked. It came at a good time for me and was very nice. We have been heart attacked one other time, it was by two Sister Missionaries back in 2005.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Iraqi Children Receive School Supplies
Iraqi Children Receive School Supplies
I'm disappointed in the article because there are things that are very important to Kevin and I about this whole project and it wasn't articulated well at all. I'm just going to leave it at that.
God Bless Our Fallen Heroes, SFC Bryant Herlem & SGT Jose Gomez
I'm disappointed in the article because there are things that are very important to Kevin and I about this whole project and it wasn't articulated well at all. I'm just going to leave it at that.
God Bless Our Fallen Heroes, SFC Bryant Herlem & SGT Jose Gomez
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Beanie Baby Exhibit
Michael cracked me up today. He calls me upstairs and tells me to bring the camera. Neil and Daniel are giggling with him. I get to the stop of the stairs and I am told to stand outside the "gate". They had put two empty DVD stands as their "entrance" with signs about admission. Both his brothers paid to go in. It's actually pretty smart, maybe I should let him invite some of his friends and put the money towards shipping, lol. It was pretty cute. All over his door were signs and notes that people have sent to him about his Beanie Baby project. Neil is his partner and escorts me to the "gate". Michael comes out of his room and you have to watch the video of the rest. Pretty cute. Excuse Neil's hair, I'm trying to let him grow it out. The kids were seriously cracking me up. Below the video is a slideshow of pics of Michael's signs.
I apologize, I just cannot get the video to turn, I don't know what the problem is. I have it turned until it loads and then it reverts back to being sideways. If anyone knows how to fix this please let me know! It's still a good video, sorry in advance for the neckache!
I apologize, I just cannot get the video to turn, I don't know what the problem is. I have it turned until it loads and then it reverts back to being sideways. If anyone knows how to fix this please let me know! It's still a good video, sorry in advance for the neckache!
Daniel and Politics
Today we watched the inauguration on TV. I didn't interject any comments. I wanted the boys to watch and respect the process and form their own thoughts. When I did ask their thoughts about what they heard, they each had interesting opinions. Neil wanted to hear more about what was going to happen with our military. Michael was wondering what was up with the benediction, he said it wasn't like any prayer he had ever heard. When I went to check on Michael's Beanie Baby exhibit, this is what I found on Neil and Daniel's door. Apparently this is Daniel's thought on today's events.
I just have to say that I will be putting my trust in Obama's promise about our schools and not leaving anyone behind. Daniel obviously needs to work on his spelling.
In all seriousness, it's time for change and today was historical in it's own right. I didn't vote for Obama but I can respect his position and pray for him and the hope he promises to bring.
I just have to say that I will be putting my trust in Obama's promise about our schools and not leaving anyone behind. Daniel obviously needs to work on his spelling.In all seriousness, it's time for change and today was historical in it's own right. I didn't vote for Obama but I can respect his position and pray for him and the hope he promises to bring.
Monday, January 19, 2009
A Couple More Funnies!
This morning Daniel comes down and says "I didn't know I had this t-shirt"
Me: "well that's Neil's"
He goes in the kitchen where Neil is and says "is this your shirt?"
Neil puts his arms around his shoulders lovingly and says" yes, but you can wear it ok?"
Daniel grins and says "ok"....
and then the moment ended
After a long pause Neil said...."for today" to which Daniel replied loudly "IT DOESN'T EVEN FIT YOU!"
Gotta love kids.
My husband and I were chatting online earlier and part of our conversation went like this.
Me: ok so u know we are watching the chase's fish?
My Sexy Soldier: yes the fish is dead now huh
Me: thanks baby
Me: no it's not dead, LOL
My Sexy Soldier: i didn't mean it that way baby
Me: lol
Hmmm, just how did he mean it????
And the last bit of randomness for this entry. Neil has taken to calling Chinese food, Asian food. Apparently it bothers his classmates and his brothers that he refers to it as such. Very amusing to me.
Me: "well that's Neil's"
He goes in the kitchen where Neil is and says "is this your shirt?"
Neil puts his arms around his shoulders lovingly and says" yes, but you can wear it ok?"
Daniel grins and says "ok"....
and then the moment ended
After a long pause Neil said...."for today" to which Daniel replied loudly "IT DOESN'T EVEN FIT YOU!"
Gotta love kids.
My husband and I were chatting online earlier and part of our conversation went like this.
Me: ok so u know we are watching the chase's fish?
My Sexy Soldier: yes the fish is dead now huh
Me: thanks baby
Me: no it's not dead, LOL
My Sexy Soldier: i didn't mean it that way baby
Me: lol
Hmmm, just how did he mean it????
And the last bit of randomness for this entry. Neil has taken to calling Chinese food, Asian food. Apparently it bothers his classmates and his brothers that he refers to it as such. Very amusing to me.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
RaNdOm FuNnIeS
Friday I went and got my hair done. The boys wanted to go with me so they chilled in the salon while I was getting beautified. On Saturday Neil says to me, "Mom your red is brighter, did you get your hair done?" I think to myself, wow my future daughter-in-laws are gonna love me, I am teaching my kids to notice these important things like noticing new hair and all that. Then I stopped and thought...WHAT!?!?! You were there when I got my hair done! To my future daughter-in-laws...I'm sorry!
Earlier tonight I was making Macaroni and Cheese for dinner. I was shaking the packet back and forth to get the powder down. I guess I was shaking it too hard because suddenly the top tore off and the packet went flying across the kitchen. There was cheese powder all over the stove and three boys cracking up on the floor.
I was playing a card game with the two younger boys while Michael was at a meeting at church. At first I would remind Daniel to pick up his card at the beginning of each turn and after a while I gave him his warning that if he didn't remember on his own, I would not remind him. After a couple times of missing his turn, he says to me, "your my mom!!! You're supposed to love me enough to remind me to pick up my card!" I replied, "yes, I'm your mom but right now we're playing a game and it's every man for himself". He poked me in the knee and said, "well you're not a man, you're my mom, so help!!"
We obviously need to work on Neil's math skills. At dinner he was arguing with Daniel that he was 11 and 1/2. Daniel would say no you're not, you're 10 1/2. Neil would say, no I'm closer to 11 so that makes me 11 1/2 (his birthday is at the end of this month). Finally I tell Neil, how can you be 11 1/2 when you haven't even reached 11 yet? He looks at me and says, "oh yeah". He looks at Daniel and says, "well just say I'm 11, it's close enough anyway!"
Wanna giggle, come eavesdrop on some of our conversations!
Earlier tonight I was making Macaroni and Cheese for dinner. I was shaking the packet back and forth to get the powder down. I guess I was shaking it too hard because suddenly the top tore off and the packet went flying across the kitchen. There was cheese powder all over the stove and three boys cracking up on the floor.
I was playing a card game with the two younger boys while Michael was at a meeting at church. At first I would remind Daniel to pick up his card at the beginning of each turn and after a while I gave him his warning that if he didn't remember on his own, I would not remind him. After a couple times of missing his turn, he says to me, "your my mom!!! You're supposed to love me enough to remind me to pick up my card!" I replied, "yes, I'm your mom but right now we're playing a game and it's every man for himself". He poked me in the knee and said, "well you're not a man, you're my mom, so help!!"
We obviously need to work on Neil's math skills. At dinner he was arguing with Daniel that he was 11 and 1/2. Daniel would say no you're not, you're 10 1/2. Neil would say, no I'm closer to 11 so that makes me 11 1/2 (his birthday is at the end of this month). Finally I tell Neil, how can you be 11 1/2 when you haven't even reached 11 yet? He looks at me and says, "oh yeah". He looks at Daniel and says, "well just say I'm 11, it's close enough anyway!"
Wanna giggle, come eavesdrop on some of our conversations!
Neil in the News
Following in his daddy's footsteps of being in the news...
Clear Creek robotics team shines at competition
Clear Creek robotics team shines at competition
rAnDoM pIcS January 18
Neil and my friend, Sister M...well you know, I don't know what they were doing, making something for Webelos, LOL
Michael teaching the Wolf Den how to play Chess (Daniel was interjecting his knowledge as well)
The boys chilling while I was getting my highlights touched up and my hair cut. They were cracking me up under those dryers.
The results of the waiting.
Michael opening a box from a friend in TN who sent him beanie babies to help with his Service Project
Daniel playing the Wii from the kitchen, he was cracking us up.
My love handing out school supplies in memory of our friends Bryant & Jose. We won't ever forget ♥SFC Bryant Herlem & SGT Jose Gomez♥
Friday, January 16, 2009
The Library
Today the boys and I headed over the public library to finish up one of the requirements Neil needs for his Webelos badge. I admit I don't visit the library as often as I could because I'm lazy. I'd rather just buy the book instead of worrying about turning books back in. But I'm glad we went and did this, the boys are excited about going back and checking out books, DVDs and CDs. I had a good time walking through the library and showing the boys all the books I enjoyed at their ages. We are a family of readers so the library should (and after today will) be a place we visit often.
I will say this though, the employees were not as friendly as I remember mine being as a kid. Neil was very courteous when he approached them and said "Hi, my name is Neil and I am working on my Webelos Badge for Cub Scouts. Can you please explain to me how you catalog your books?" The lady seriously just looked at him like he had asked her the craziest question. I thought maybe she didn't hear him, so I repeated what he said and she looked at me the same way. Finally another lady came over and asked if we needed help. Neil repeated his question and she was very helpful. We had a good time venturing around the library. Michael wants to participate in the Teens After Hours (I am in denial that he will be an official teen in a couple short months!).
So yeah...we are living large, we have a library card, are you cool like us?
I will say this though, the employees were not as friendly as I remember mine being as a kid. Neil was very courteous when he approached them and said "Hi, my name is Neil and I am working on my Webelos Badge for Cub Scouts. Can you please explain to me how you catalog your books?" The lady seriously just looked at him like he had asked her the craziest question. I thought maybe she didn't hear him, so I repeated what he said and she looked at me the same way. Finally another lady came over and asked if we needed help. Neil repeated his question and she was very helpful. We had a good time venturing around the library. Michael wants to participate in the Teens After Hours (I am in denial that he will be an official teen in a couple short months!).
So yeah...we are living large, we have a library card, are you cool like us?
Weird Dream
Last night I had a weird dream. In my dream, someone broke into our house and stole a bunch of our furniture. They didn't steal the TV, computers, Wii or anything like that, just the furniture. It was weird.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
11:29 p.m.
My back is killing me. I'm sucking it up as best I can but I'm failing. I miss my husband, I want to be babied and loved by him. He can make it all better or at least make me feel better about it all. Michael came home sick, poor kid. Yeah, my back hurts and I can't really take anything because I have the kids and can't stand being on meds that make me sleep or relax that much with them around.
Tomorrow is a new day and I know my back will still hurt and I will suck it up. Dang Army injuries, lol.
Tomorrow is a new day and I know my back will still hurt and I will suck it up. Dang Army injuries, lol.
Bragging Mommy Moment
I am so proud of Neil. He scored the highest in his class on the Reading CBA. This is really awesome because Neil struggles with school. He has been working really hard this year. To keep up with his studies and the Robotics team, well all I have to say is GO NEIL!!!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Robotics Pics
Here are pics from the competition, some didn't turn out well, hoping one of the others has some better ones.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
TODAY!!!
So I was over visiting a friend's blog and she had a post titled TODAY where she listed things about today. That was her topic of the day and so she went on to tell us little things about her "TODAY" and then challenged those who read her blog to do the same. Sometimes I come across things like that and sneak away from the blog pretending I didn't see it, lol, but I decided I'm game for the "TODAY" challenge.
TODAY I went to church and heard some uplifting talks about strengthening myself in the gospel.
TODAY I got to speak to my husband online after not being able to talk to him for a couple days because they had no power.
TODAY I got to comfort my son who has had a couple overstimulating days.
TODAY I got to feed the Sister Missionaries and really feel the spirit in my home.
TODAY my wrists are killing me (I probably shouldn't be typing, lol)
TODAY all three of my boys have showered me with hugs and kisses.
TODAY I got to sleep in
TODAY is one more day closer to my love coming home.
TODAY like every other day I know my Savior loves me and my Heavenly Father loves me
TODAY I can feel my blessings
TODAY I went to church and heard some uplifting talks about strengthening myself in the gospel.
TODAY I got to speak to my husband online after not being able to talk to him for a couple days because they had no power.
TODAY I got to comfort my son who has had a couple overstimulating days.
TODAY I got to feed the Sister Missionaries and really feel the spirit in my home.
TODAY my wrists are killing me (I probably shouldn't be typing, lol)
TODAY all three of my boys have showered me with hugs and kisses.
TODAY I got to sleep in
TODAY is one more day closer to my love coming home.
TODAY like every other day I know my Savior loves me and my Heavenly Father loves me
TODAY I can feel my blessings
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Legos, Chicken Hats and French Fries
What a day! I have had few looooooooong days since being in the Army. But today surely was one of them. We were out the door at 0530 and didn't get back home until quarter to 10 tonight. Neil's team did really well at the competition. I admire all these kids and their dedication to the Robotics team. They didn't place in the top six so we don't know where they fell overall but they got a lot of great comments from the presentation and technical judges. All of their marks were either good or excellent. They placed 26th out of 56 teams on the table runs which is pretty good.
I can't even describe the intensity of it all, I was so nervous for the kids, silently praying that everything would go smoothly and then cheering as loudly as I could to keep them motivated. Neil was one of two programmers at the table. They could only have two people at the table at any given time. Some teams switched out, but our team kept the same two. They would take turns putting in the codes. I am so impressed at how well Neil stay composed, he was very focused. I just don't know if I can truly convey how proud I am of him and his accomplishments. He worked a good portion of his Christmas break reworking the entire robot. Three of the five teammates went out of town and Neil and another kid worked through the break. That's not me trying to give Neil all the credit but he certainly deserves props for that.
We had a really good time. Driving up we had some interesting conversations going, a lot of giggles. We stopped at a Starbucks on our way out (one of the coaches has a slight addiction) and not being a coffee drinker and never having ordered anything thing from Starbucks before, I will say that my first experience was not a good one. I think I had the worst hot chocolate EVER. Based on that experience I'd have to say that Starbucks is seriously overrated. For the price I paid for a hot chocolate, it had better be good! As we continued on our journey, we followed the car that knew where it was going, or so we thought. I'm not a big fan of following people (and I've learned my lesson to just mapquest directions) but we did get a good laugh at the 50 mph "slight" right turns, I had to pray that the person following ME in our little caravan would understand that it wasn't ME driving crazy. The funniest part was when we pulled up to a light in the furthest left turn lane. The light turned green and there we waited, and waited. Those of us in my car were trying to come up with reasons as to why we weren't moving. We concluded that the person we thought knew where they were going, certainly did not. He finally decides to make his move and would you know that just as he illegally moves over to the right lane to go through the light (and we all follow) a cop shows up at the light. Thankfully he didn't care or notice (I'm sure he did) because we didn't see any flashing lights. We did have a backup plan though just in case he did, we were going to throw the children in as part of our mercy plan!
We got to the school in plenty of time and went and got settled. The school we were at was brand new, it was very pretty. Their bleachers were very hard. My back is still upset at the torture I put it through on Saturday! It was cool watching all the teams come in. Apparently lime was the color of the year and we did not get that memo. There were a lot of teams with lime team shirts, bright orange was the runner-up. Our shirts of course was the coolest, black with silver. (Biased? Who me?) The team had their presentation and their technical first thing. We were not able to go see them as it was closed off from spectators so we were pretty nervous waiting for one of the coaches to come let us know how things went. Like I said earlier they did really well. They had three runs at the table where they had to program their robots to do so many missions on the table, then they were given points on how well that happened. Every robot had to do the same mission. I think the kids did really well. Obviously they weren't the best but they did really well with what they had and 26 out of 56 is nothing to feel ashamed about. Their highest score was 110, and during the pre-competion in November their highest was 45, so I would say this was a vast improvement. I just really enjoyed watching Neil, his confidence. He talked to those referees and fought for every single point. That's not a side of Neil we get to see often so it was a real treat.
After the competition ended and we were a little disappointed that the kids didn't receive any type of award (we were sure they'd get something in presentation) but such is life. We just kept boosting the kids up (well some of us, I really do love our coaches but I will say that two of them really disappointed me that day, they were all about focusing on what went wrong instead of giving the positive about the experience). Each of the kids got a participants medal which is really cool. When I think about the amount of kids in Central Texas and then see how many participated, you know these kids have a lot to be proud of. These are our future engineers and scientists. They are doing awesome things. At 10 years old, these kids have nothing to be ashamed of, I can't say enough about the dedication of these kids, I certainly didn't have it at 10.
After the meet, we headed off to find some dinner in Austin. That was an adventure in itself since we really didn't know where we were going, lol. Again (because apparently I didn't learn my lesson going up there) I followed someone. He tried to kill us! He was trying to figure out where he had to turn and suddenly realized that we needed to get into a right lane but we really couldn't so he was kind of swerving and I couldn't figure out where the heck we were going and I was trying not to get hit by cars streaming by me. We ended up on a toll road, but got off on the one free exit and were safe. It took us about an hour to find a place to eat that would accomodate 9 of us. When we got to the parking lot one of the kids set off the alarm to the car they parked next to. Then she ran into someone mirror. Goodness, if we made it home without being arrested, it would be a miracle. We wanted to eat at Cheddar's but the wait was almost 2 hours. We walked over to Red Robin and still waited 45 minutes. When we finally got to our table we had a plan to order and eat and leave.
Oh my, I'm sure by the time we left, the employees and the customers at the surrounding tables were breathing a sigh of relief. You know the adrenalin was pumping in those kids for sure! Ok, maybe in the adults too. We had a really good dinner and a few of the kids were enjoying their bottomless french fries. We had a decent waitress. As we were leaving two of the adults decided they wanted a milk shake to go. The manager came out and told them that their machine was broken and would they like a smoothie instead since their card had already been charged. So after some debate they said ok sure. So there we are waiting like 10 minutes and the manager comes out and says, ok the machine is working now so we'll get that going . Mind you, the kids have sat long enough, they are bouncing off the walls and we are surely drawing attention. One of the girls realizes she can order more fries and does so. Another 10 minutes or so goes by and still no shake. We decide to stand up and maybe draw a hint. The manager sees us and asks if we got the shakes. We say no and we continue walking to the front door. The waitress meets us there with the shakes and a couple minutes later another manager gives them two envelopes. We leave and coin a new term, "don't let anyone Red Robin you". They open the envelopes and they have received $5 off their next meal. Great, sadly it would cost more gas to drive up for that then it's really worth.
Our adventure home wasn't so adventurous driving wise. But we were all laughing pretty hard, almost to the point of tears with some of the stories being told. I accidently spilt my nasty hot chocolate on one of the kids, so we got to smell chocolate all the way home (it wasn't so bad really). It's quite adventure when you get some of us together but overall we have a lot of fun.
In case I didn't mention it already, I'm so proud of our Cyber Tigers and their hard work! I am off to upload the pics in a slideshow!
I can't even describe the intensity of it all, I was so nervous for the kids, silently praying that everything would go smoothly and then cheering as loudly as I could to keep them motivated. Neil was one of two programmers at the table. They could only have two people at the table at any given time. Some teams switched out, but our team kept the same two. They would take turns putting in the codes. I am so impressed at how well Neil stay composed, he was very focused. I just don't know if I can truly convey how proud I am of him and his accomplishments. He worked a good portion of his Christmas break reworking the entire robot. Three of the five teammates went out of town and Neil and another kid worked through the break. That's not me trying to give Neil all the credit but he certainly deserves props for that.
We had a really good time. Driving up we had some interesting conversations going, a lot of giggles. We stopped at a Starbucks on our way out (one of the coaches has a slight addiction) and not being a coffee drinker and never having ordered anything thing from Starbucks before, I will say that my first experience was not a good one. I think I had the worst hot chocolate EVER. Based on that experience I'd have to say that Starbucks is seriously overrated. For the price I paid for a hot chocolate, it had better be good! As we continued on our journey, we followed the car that knew where it was going, or so we thought. I'm not a big fan of following people (and I've learned my lesson to just mapquest directions) but we did get a good laugh at the 50 mph "slight" right turns, I had to pray that the person following ME in our little caravan would understand that it wasn't ME driving crazy. The funniest part was when we pulled up to a light in the furthest left turn lane. The light turned green and there we waited, and waited. Those of us in my car were trying to come up with reasons as to why we weren't moving. We concluded that the person we thought knew where they were going, certainly did not. He finally decides to make his move and would you know that just as he illegally moves over to the right lane to go through the light (and we all follow) a cop shows up at the light. Thankfully he didn't care or notice (I'm sure he did) because we didn't see any flashing lights. We did have a backup plan though just in case he did, we were going to throw the children in as part of our mercy plan!
We got to the school in plenty of time and went and got settled. The school we were at was brand new, it was very pretty. Their bleachers were very hard. My back is still upset at the torture I put it through on Saturday! It was cool watching all the teams come in. Apparently lime was the color of the year and we did not get that memo. There were a lot of teams with lime team shirts, bright orange was the runner-up. Our shirts of course was the coolest, black with silver. (Biased? Who me?) The team had their presentation and their technical first thing. We were not able to go see them as it was closed off from spectators so we were pretty nervous waiting for one of the coaches to come let us know how things went. Like I said earlier they did really well. They had three runs at the table where they had to program their robots to do so many missions on the table, then they were given points on how well that happened. Every robot had to do the same mission. I think the kids did really well. Obviously they weren't the best but they did really well with what they had and 26 out of 56 is nothing to feel ashamed about. Their highest score was 110, and during the pre-competion in November their highest was 45, so I would say this was a vast improvement. I just really enjoyed watching Neil, his confidence. He talked to those referees and fought for every single point. That's not a side of Neil we get to see often so it was a real treat.
After the competition ended and we were a little disappointed that the kids didn't receive any type of award (we were sure they'd get something in presentation) but such is life. We just kept boosting the kids up (well some of us, I really do love our coaches but I will say that two of them really disappointed me that day, they were all about focusing on what went wrong instead of giving the positive about the experience). Each of the kids got a participants medal which is really cool. When I think about the amount of kids in Central Texas and then see how many participated, you know these kids have a lot to be proud of. These are our future engineers and scientists. They are doing awesome things. At 10 years old, these kids have nothing to be ashamed of, I can't say enough about the dedication of these kids, I certainly didn't have it at 10.
After the meet, we headed off to find some dinner in Austin. That was an adventure in itself since we really didn't know where we were going, lol. Again (because apparently I didn't learn my lesson going up there) I followed someone. He tried to kill us! He was trying to figure out where he had to turn and suddenly realized that we needed to get into a right lane but we really couldn't so he was kind of swerving and I couldn't figure out where the heck we were going and I was trying not to get hit by cars streaming by me. We ended up on a toll road, but got off on the one free exit and were safe. It took us about an hour to find a place to eat that would accomodate 9 of us. When we got to the parking lot one of the kids set off the alarm to the car they parked next to. Then she ran into someone mirror. Goodness, if we made it home without being arrested, it would be a miracle. We wanted to eat at Cheddar's but the wait was almost 2 hours. We walked over to Red Robin and still waited 45 minutes. When we finally got to our table we had a plan to order and eat and leave.
Oh my, I'm sure by the time we left, the employees and the customers at the surrounding tables were breathing a sigh of relief. You know the adrenalin was pumping in those kids for sure! Ok, maybe in the adults too. We had a really good dinner and a few of the kids were enjoying their bottomless french fries. We had a decent waitress. As we were leaving two of the adults decided they wanted a milk shake to go. The manager came out and told them that their machine was broken and would they like a smoothie instead since their card had already been charged. So after some debate they said ok sure. So there we are waiting like 10 minutes and the manager comes out and says, ok the machine is working now so we'll get that going . Mind you, the kids have sat long enough, they are bouncing off the walls and we are surely drawing attention. One of the girls realizes she can order more fries and does so. Another 10 minutes or so goes by and still no shake. We decide to stand up and maybe draw a hint. The manager sees us and asks if we got the shakes. We say no and we continue walking to the front door. The waitress meets us there with the shakes and a couple minutes later another manager gives them two envelopes. We leave and coin a new term, "don't let anyone Red Robin you". They open the envelopes and they have received $5 off their next meal. Great, sadly it would cost more gas to drive up for that then it's really worth.
Our adventure home wasn't so adventurous driving wise. But we were all laughing pretty hard, almost to the point of tears with some of the stories being told. I accidently spilt my nasty hot chocolate on one of the kids, so we got to smell chocolate all the way home (it wasn't so bad really). It's quite adventure when you get some of us together but overall we have a lot of fun.
In case I didn't mention it already, I'm so proud of our Cyber Tigers and their hard work! I am off to upload the pics in a slideshow!
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Garbage Scoungers
Last night we put out our old entertainment stand by the curb. Over the holiday we upgraded to a different one. This shelf serves us well. It was the first piece of furniture Kevin and I ever bought together. We had it 13 years. It was still pretty sturdy, just didn't serve our needs anymore. I was kind of sad to take out. Well anyway, as the boys were getting all the recycling out, someone stopped by and took a look at it. First Daniel comes rushing in to tell me that "someone is looking at our old entertainment stand!" giggle, giggle. I just told him, "that's nice, put out the rest of the recycling". A few minutes later, Neil came in and says to me, "some lady was asking me questions about our entertainment shelf. She wanted to know if it was broken. Mom, I just told her no, it might need some cleaning up but it was good, we just don't need it anymore." How grown is he? About 10 minutes later, Michael takes the final trash out and comes in giggling, "Mom! Someone took our entertainment stand!!" All three boys got a good giggle out of that. I'm not really sure why this struck them so funny but it was amusing to see how tickled they were. I hope that entertainment stand serves whomever picked it up well. I will probably see it on the curb somewhere in the neighborhood next week, unless someone likes having my kid's signatures on their furniture, LOL.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Soldier's Angels
I don't even know where to begin when it comes to this organization. They truly are Angels, every single person who has taken the time to be a part of the Soldier's Angels program. Kevin came across their site one evening while passing time (apparently I was not around and he decided to burn time surfing the net). He decided to sign up for Soldier's Angels and has received so much support. It's amazing to me. Care packages and letters.
I recently signed up to adopt a few Soldiers to take care of. I know from when I was a Soldier myself, how important mail can be. I get asked a lot by our friends "how can I help?" Well here is a way. Now, I know times are tough and many are on a tight budget. There are so many different ways you can help Soldier's Angels.
Can you bake? Can you sew? Can you write a letter? The United States Postal Service has helped out so much by coming up with Flat Rate boxes that can be sent overseas for about $10. No matter how much it weighs, you pay one flat rate. CLICK HERE and you can see the boxes and even order them for FREE!
So there are so many ways that you, my faithful blog readers, can help Support Our Troops. Go to their site and check it out and maybe even sign up to help in some way.
Because this is a cause that Kevin and I believe so strongly in we want to put out a little incentive to get people helping. We have decided to have a drawing for TWO Support Our Troops Packages that we have put together. Each package will include the following:
Until our drawing on 2 February, I will change the settings of our blog so you don't have to be registered to leave a comment, so make sure you let me know you signed up and emailed us and we'll put your name in the steel pot TWICE!! Comments will stay on moderation but you can leave a comment without being a registered user.
So what are you waiting for?
I recently signed up to adopt a few Soldiers to take care of. I know from when I was a Soldier myself, how important mail can be. I get asked a lot by our friends "how can I help?" Well here is a way. Now, I know times are tough and many are on a tight budget. There are so many different ways you can help Soldier's Angels.
Can you bake? Can you sew? Can you write a letter? The United States Postal Service has helped out so much by coming up with Flat Rate boxes that can be sent overseas for about $10. No matter how much it weighs, you pay one flat rate. CLICK HERE and you can see the boxes and even order them for FREE!
So there are so many ways that you, my faithful blog readers, can help Support Our Troops. Go to their site and check it out and maybe even sign up to help in some way.
Because this is a cause that Kevin and I believe so strongly in we want to put out a little incentive to get people helping. We have decided to have a drawing for TWO Support Our Troops Packages that we have put together. Each package will include the following:
- 1 - U. S. Army T-shirt (we live on an Army post, what can I say, lol)
- 1 - U.S. Army or Support Our Troops Challenge Coin
- 1 - Support Our Troops Magnet
- 1 - Patriotic Stationary Set
- 1 - Book of Stamps
Until our drawing on 2 February, I will change the settings of our blog so you don't have to be registered to leave a comment, so make sure you let me know you signed up and emailed us and we'll put your name in the steel pot TWICE!! Comments will stay on moderation but you can leave a comment without being a registered user.
So what are you waiting for?
Kevin in the News
What a treat to wake up to an email from my love. He sent me a link to an article, check it out Airman joins Soldiers in aiding camps in Iraq.
I love you baby, we are so proud of you!
I love you baby, we are so proud of you!
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
The Airport
Today we headed to the airport to send off my mother-in-law after her visit with us over the holidays. We bid our farewells and then Daniel and I went on our way. As we were heading towards the exit we saw Soldiers in uniform. It's amazing how quickly emotions creep up on you, I found myself suddenly holding back tears. I watched as one family welcomed their Soldier home for his R&R leave. The emotions are indescribable. I know because I have felt them. Such elation you feel in those first few moments. As we continued to walk we came upon another Soldier who was leaving. I was really fighting back the tears then. That second goodbye is so much harder then the first. As we were walking back to our truck, I really thought about the emotions I was feeling. I know I'm a big sap when it comes to Soldiers anyway but what was it about those scenes?
I started thinking about the whole deployment process. Here at Fort Hood, we bid farewell to our Soldiers in their unit area. We don't get to see the plane take off. We say goodbye and they load up on ugly white buses and that is the last time we have a chance to touch them, kiss them, hug them until that reunion at the airport. I know for me many of the emotions I feel when Kevin comes home for R&R have to do with the fact that I know he is leaving in a few short days. No matter what you have planned for those 15-18 days, you have the fact that they are leaving again looming over you. So immediately upon their arrival, the countdown is on. When it's time for them to leave, it's so hard. You lay awake in bed looking at them, trying to memorize every feature of their face. I touch Kevin, his hair, his arm, his cheek. I close my eyes and try to take a mental picture to tuck away into my heart, hoping it will last the duration of deployment.
I know for me part of the overwhelming emotions has to do with the peace you feel when you have your Soldier physically with you. For 15-18 days you don't worry so much about them. You're not waiting for the knock on your IM signaling that your Soldier has signed on. You're not checking your watch to see that it's time for him to be signed on and wondering why and then looking to see if anyone in his unit is signed in on MySpace or messenger. You know the clues for bad things. For those glorious 15-18 days you don't worry about ringing phones or doorbells, Class A's don't fill you with fear.
When you take your Soldier back to the airport, when you pull into the lane that identifies the parking lot, that peace ends and the worry comes back. I think that's why it's so much harder to say that second goodbye. You have a lapse from worry only to have it smack you in the face again.
As I got in the truck and buckled up, all those memories rushed me. Kevin hasn't been home yet on R&R this go round and I look forward to being together again for that short time. I'm ready for all those emotions, the good and the bad because it will mean my Soldier was home.
It's amazing the emotions an airport can spark.
I started thinking about the whole deployment process. Here at Fort Hood, we bid farewell to our Soldiers in their unit area. We don't get to see the plane take off. We say goodbye and they load up on ugly white buses and that is the last time we have a chance to touch them, kiss them, hug them until that reunion at the airport. I know for me many of the emotions I feel when Kevin comes home for R&R have to do with the fact that I know he is leaving in a few short days. No matter what you have planned for those 15-18 days, you have the fact that they are leaving again looming over you. So immediately upon their arrival, the countdown is on. When it's time for them to leave, it's so hard. You lay awake in bed looking at them, trying to memorize every feature of their face. I touch Kevin, his hair, his arm, his cheek. I close my eyes and try to take a mental picture to tuck away into my heart, hoping it will last the duration of deployment.
I know for me part of the overwhelming emotions has to do with the peace you feel when you have your Soldier physically with you. For 15-18 days you don't worry so much about them. You're not waiting for the knock on your IM signaling that your Soldier has signed on. You're not checking your watch to see that it's time for him to be signed on and wondering why and then looking to see if anyone in his unit is signed in on MySpace or messenger. You know the clues for bad things. For those glorious 15-18 days you don't worry about ringing phones or doorbells, Class A's don't fill you with fear.
When you take your Soldier back to the airport, when you pull into the lane that identifies the parking lot, that peace ends and the worry comes back. I think that's why it's so much harder to say that second goodbye. You have a lapse from worry only to have it smack you in the face again.
As I got in the truck and buckled up, all those memories rushed me. Kevin hasn't been home yet on R&R this go round and I look forward to being together again for that short time. I'm ready for all those emotions, the good and the bad because it will mean my Soldier was home.
It's amazing the emotions an airport can spark.
Nay's Goals for 2009
I'm not a resolutions type girl but I have pondered what I want to achieve this year. I have some lofty goals but after pondering them for a couple weeks I know I have the passion and motivation to do MOST of them (I might need a gentle push for some of them, lol).
In no particular order.
In no particular order.
- Run/Walk (more focus on the run) at least 2 5K's this year
- Work on 4 service projects, at least two being something in regards to Supporting Our Troops
- Write 100 letters to Soldiers who are deployed (this does not include any Soldier in Kevin's unit or friends of ours, though I will write them anyway)
- Read a minimum of 6 chapter books with my boys (recommendations welcome!)
- Sing a solo in front of a group of people (I used to be able to and have somewhere lost that confidence)
- Do gospel study with Kevin on a regular basis utilizing the great technology we have access to (you on board with this honey?)
- Write at least two handwritten letters a month to friends.
- Focus more on my personal scripture study and family scripture study
Icy in Texas
It's crazy how accustomed we can get to our weather. I lived in Nebraska and Idaho amidst some of the coldest winters and yet when the temperature drops below 40 degrees here, I whine, lol. Yesterday things were iced over. It was quite pretty. Daniel thought it was cool and picked all the ice off the tree (not sure what his intent was, perhaps the ice was offending him). It's raining again today and the temps are supposed to still be cold so we should have some pretty views from the window today as well.
Monday, January 05, 2009
Bedtime Stories (the movie)
Tonight we went and saw the movie "Bedtime Stories" with Adam Sandler. I'm not a huge Adam Sandler fan but the boys wanted to go see this movie. It was a cute movie. I don't enjoy going to movies much, I have a hard time sitting still and then I don't like that many people around me. I go because my kids enjoy them. I love watching my kids watch movies, especially those that make them laugh. I love it when they do the silly smirks, the giggles and then the loud, deep in the belly laughs. I get more out of watching them then I do the movie. I love feeling Daniel's head leaning on my shoulder and grabbing his little hand into mine. I love the little winks that Michael and I share with one another and how I catch him watching for my reactions. Neil likes to sit next to me and share popcorn with me. He's so stoic but occasionally I'll see a small smile form or feel him shift as he leans forward to focus more on the screen. The movies are even better when Kevin is with us and him and I sneak glances at the boys together and then finding our eyes meeting and sharing a smile and love for our boys.
I rate "Bedtime Stories" with three stars but I rate a night at the movies with my boys five stars for sure!
I rate "Bedtime Stories" with three stars but I rate a night at the movies with my boys five stars for sure!
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Wii Video
Here are the kids playing the Wii.
And here is Luke and Daniel playing some game on Luke's DS, they were cracking us up.
And here is Luke and Daniel playing some game on Luke's DS, they were cracking us up.
Homemade Pizza and Wii Fun!
We had so much fun last night making our own pizzas with friends. Polly, Christan and Luke joined us for an evening of yummy food and Wii fun! We did our our own pizzas with lots of great toppings. We had chicken wings (thanks Betty for the awesome wing recipe), 7 layer dip (ok, 6 layer) and chocolate pie for dessert. We were stuffed from all the great food. Afterwards the kids had so much fun playing the Wii. I'm working on uploading the videos because the kids were hilarious. We are blessed with great friends, thanks for coming over Harvey Family!!! Enjoy the slideshow...try not to drool on the screen! And Kev...we sure missed you and your creations but the kids said when you get home it's a movie and pizza night for sure!!!
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Blessed Friendships Part 2
As I mentioned in the previous entry (Blessed Friendships Part 1) we have recently been overwhelmed by the kindness extended by some of our dear friends. As those who have been reading our blog for a while may be aware of, Michael is currently conductng a Beanie Baby Drive as a service project for Boy Scouts. (You can read about it here and here.) The Steinke Family decided to help us in a very big way! Brad and Kelly have been friends with Kevin since high school. Brad and Kevin both served in the North Dakota Army National Guard together right out of high school (just 2 years Brad, just 2 years). From the beginning of my marriage to Kevin, I have known about this great couple. They are the proud parents of two great kids Hunter and Danielle. Together as a family they took on our service project as their own. The presented the project to Hunter's Student Council at their school and it was accepted. The school held a beanie baby drive where almost 1200 beanie babies were collected! They sorted and boxed up all the stuffed animals and shipped them directly to Kevin. Even today, two days after the final numbers, I am humbled at their support of this project. It's friends like this that make the separation from Kevin bearable. Knowing that so many of you care about our family and are willing to do a small part (or in this case a very big part) in helping us support Kevin, well again, words are not enough! To date, Michael has collected almost 1800 Beanie Babies and many of you who read our blog have contributed to that. Thank you so much!
To the Steinke Family, thank you so much for your support and your love. What an amazing family you are. You guys are our heroes for stepping up to help us provide a smile and a memory for the children of Iraq.
With their permission here are some pics from their Beanie Baby drive.
My favorite pic of Danielle & Hunter!
No matter the weather, true friends come through for you.
Holy cow!! That's just awesome!
To the Steinke Family, thank you so much for your support and your love. What an amazing family you are. You guys are our heroes for stepping up to help us provide a smile and a memory for the children of Iraq.
With their permission here are some pics from their Beanie Baby drive.
My favorite pic of Danielle & Hunter!
No matter the weather, true friends come through for you.
Holy cow!! That's just awesome!Blessed Friendships Part 1
When the Lord was handing out blessings, we lucked out in the department of friends. I cannot even begin to express into words how much our friends mean to us. With Kevin gone so much, we have relied heavily on the support and love of our family and friends. They have come through in many forms. I want to address two specific acts of love and support we have received recently (hence the Part 1 at the end of the entry title).
First, our friend Lisa and the couple of awesome people she recruited. Oh and we can't forget Marlon (Lisa's husband) because I know that along with Lisa they would do anything for us if we asked. We were blessed to meet them while we were all stationed in Korea. We had many adventures of chicken on a stick and shopping excursions in the Korea markets. We also have behaved badly in front of each other (hmmm books and backpacks flying ring a bell guys?). Well anyway, moving on. Only with true friends can you have those moments and 10 years later still have strong friendships.
I was talking to Lisa one day about a project I had in mind. I wanted to make blankets to send the Soldiers (specifically the single Soldiers) in Kev's unit. Nothing overly fancy just the tie-knot blankets. She immediately jumped on board and offered to help and even recruited her mother and a friend of hers from work. The project grew as far as who became involved. She ran into a Command Sergeant Major (is that right Lela?) who asked her what all the fleece was for and after she told him, he donated money to the cause right then and there. Her boss at her vet clinic also jumped in on the support bandwagon and paid for more fleece and shipping.
I feel so blessed to have such a good friend who is willing to help me in these projects. She's always there for me no matter what. Our road trip this past summer to NC and the stay at their house was probably one of the most relaxing if not THE most relaxing trip I've ever had. No expectations, just love and lots of fun (oh and plenty of game systems to keep the boys occupied).
So Lisa, we love you and Marlon and are so blessed with your friendship. Thank you for your love and support. I love your tenderness when I need it but also your honestly and the kick in the butt you provide when I need that too!
I love you girl and I know the Soldiers appreciated the blankets you helped us make.
First, our friend Lisa and the couple of awesome people she recruited. Oh and we can't forget Marlon (Lisa's husband) because I know that along with Lisa they would do anything for us if we asked. We were blessed to meet them while we were all stationed in Korea. We had many adventures of chicken on a stick and shopping excursions in the Korea markets. We also have behaved badly in front of each other (hmmm books and backpacks flying ring a bell guys?). Well anyway, moving on. Only with true friends can you have those moments and 10 years later still have strong friendships.
I was talking to Lisa one day about a project I had in mind. I wanted to make blankets to send the Soldiers (specifically the single Soldiers) in Kev's unit. Nothing overly fancy just the tie-knot blankets. She immediately jumped on board and offered to help and even recruited her mother and a friend of hers from work. The project grew as far as who became involved. She ran into a Command Sergeant Major (is that right Lela?) who asked her what all the fleece was for and after she told him, he donated money to the cause right then and there. Her boss at her vet clinic also jumped in on the support bandwagon and paid for more fleece and shipping.
I feel so blessed to have such a good friend who is willing to help me in these projects. She's always there for me no matter what. Our road trip this past summer to NC and the stay at their house was probably one of the most relaxing if not THE most relaxing trip I've ever had. No expectations, just love and lots of fun (oh and plenty of game systems to keep the boys occupied).
So Lisa, we love you and Marlon and are so blessed with your friendship. Thank you for your love and support. I love your tenderness when I need it but also your honestly and the kick in the butt you provide when I need that too!
I love you girl and I know the Soldiers appreciated the blankets you helped us make.
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