The Taylor Family

What We've Been Up To!

2011-06-22T21:17:00.000-07:00

Here is a recap of what has been going on in the last few months:

Ben played his first season of T-ball. He loved it! And he was so good!! I am bummed that Brian missed it but I am hoping that Ben will play next year and Brian will get a chance to see him in action. Ben mostly played 1st base. Which for a T-ball game is where most of the action takes place. I was so impressed with how Ben and his teammates improved throughout the season! I am so proud of him.

Matt has kept up in the Scouting Program. He just recently crossed over from a Tiger to a Wolf Scout. We also attended our first Family Camp over Father's Day weekend. Brian's parents also came out for the weekend and Grandpa went camping with Matthew and I. We had a really great time but were happy to come home when it was over.

In April we took a trip out to Florida for Spring Break. We had such a great time. We headed to Pensacola first and visited with my Dad and Stepmom, Karen. Then we all headed down to Orlando where we had all kinds of fun at Disney's Animal Kingdom, Gatorland, and Universal Studios. I also got a chance to see an old childhood friend and her family while there. And me and the boys met Brian's Grandma Dorothy for the first time who is from a town near Orlando. All in all we had such a great time and we can't wait to do it again......with Dad!

So that pretty much sums it up! We are looking forward to summer break and Brian's return home from the Gulf!

It's Been a While!

2011-06-21T22:28:00.001-07:00

Wow! It has been quite sometime since the last blog post here. I am not sure why, other than perhaps my mood. I am just growing more and more anxious for Brian to return. He has been gone 5 months now and we still have several weeks ahead of us.

You know it was very interesting to see how each of the boys reacted to Brian's absence. I suppose it was expected how they each dealt with it, but it was a good reminder to me that they are so different and must be treated so.

Matthew, my emotional thinker, took it hard right off the bat. The first night was difficult as were the following few weeks . He cried for long time and told me how much he missed him already. As a mother it is hard to see your child so hurt. I told myself at the beginning of deployment that I would not cry in front of them. That I would be the definition of STRENGTH! But only a few nights into it Matt came out of his room almost hyperventilating and sobbing. He was pleading with me to bring his daddy back. Begging me to let him come home and why couldn't he, where was he. Is he safe? Does he miss me? Is he fighting bad guys? I felt so bad that I could not fulfill his request and it pained me to look at him and see how upset he was. So I broke down too, no longer the definition of strength. That night we just held each other, crying for quite a while. We went through a ton of Kleenex and Matt eventually fell asleep on my lap. It has gotten much better for him since then. He does still get teary eyed some nights and will say to me at random times that he misses his Dad. He makes sure that I always know how many more months are left til he comes home. He is my sentimental brother-in-arms so to speak and we each have a partner in each other if we ever need a shoulder to cry on.

Ben, on the other hand, has stuck true to his fun-loving, easy-going personality regarding the whole thing. At first, I think that he was a little alarmed at how hard his brother took it. I think that Ben had a difficult time understanding the idea of "Deployment" and what 8 months truly feels like. I would ask him in the beginning if he missed daddy. He would reply with a cool, "no." When he would hear or see Matthew crying about it he would roll his eyes and say, "NOT AGAIN!" All I can speculate about it is, that for whatever reason he did not want to be looked at as a "Crybaby". I was a little concerned with how well he seemed to be taking it but sometime around April, 3 months since Brian had left, he started to let it show. First he would just casually mention Brian to me, like "When is Daddy coming home? Is he going to be home tonight for dinner?" Then the casual mention turned into entire conversations about his Dad. He would talk about how good Brian was at building Legos, his favorite sports teams, fun little inside jokes that the two of them have together. While we were in Florida, Ben and my step-mom were the only two up for about a half an hour. When I finally came out of the the room Karen told me that Ben and her talked about nothing but Brian for those 30 minutes. That's when I realized just how alike Ben and his Dad were. While Matthew and I tend to dwell on the sadness of it all Ben and Brian see the cup half full. Ben reminds us all about the fun side of Brian and all that is great about his Dad. He will now admit to missing his Dad when asked and even says it freely. I am so thankful to have the perspective of my wise, fun-loving 5 year old to remind me of the good stuff.

The deployment hasn't been that bad. The three of us went on vacation to Orlando. Ben played T-ball and had swimming lessons. Matt is still involved with scouts and is gearing up to start a summer basketball league. I have made new friends along with growing closer to others. It is amazing to me what wonderful support is out there among Military Spouses! And mostly I have just tried to spend a lot of my time hugging, kissing, and loving my boys enough for two parents.

The kids anxiously opening a package that Brian sent for them.

Derby 2011

2011-02-21T21:24:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday Matthew competed in his first Pinewood Derby Race with the Cub Scouts. My dad was so kind and really helped us out with the design and cut of the car. We all had such a great time watching the cars and the other kids. The only thing that would have made it any better would have been Brian being there. But there is always next year! And Matt is already looking forward to it!

Ben is 5!

2011-02-01T21:19:00.002-08:00

Wowzers!! Five years old, ALREADY! I am still astonished that I have a 5 & 6 year old. That means I officially the mother of kids, not babies, not toddlers....KIDS! And you know what comes after that? Teenagers. Yikes.

Anyway, since Brian deployed in January we held a birthday party last month. My mom and grandma drove in from AZ. My aunt and uncle came down from Ramona and we had a house full of friends here as well. It was quite the celebration!

Ben is sooo full of humor and spunk. He loves animals (especially puppies) and babies. He loves to cuddle with his momma and still carries his baby blanket with him everywhere. His smile is heart warming and his big brown eyes with gorgeous long eyelashes make all the women jealous. He loves wrestling, movies, legos, and his big brother. He can be as stubborn as a mule and I know that God gave him to me to teach me a thing or two about patience and individuality. The second he was born our family was complete.

Happy Birthday Benjamin Jack Taylor!!

Fair Winds and Following Seas

2011-01-20T23:55:00.005-08:00

Brian left today for his deployment to the Persian Gulf. He will take some time getting there and will be making several port calls on the journey over and back. I would be lying if I said I wasn't impressed with the parts of the world that he will see. Of course we are sad to see him go, but we know that this is what is required of the lifestyle that we live. I had not been crying nearly as much as I expected to these past few days and I was rather confused about it. Anyone that knows me knows that I am a CRIER! I cry at any given opportunity...commercials, movies, books, songs. But no tears for my husband that is going to be gone through the summer and into the fall?!?! That didn't make any sense.
As I lay awake in bed last night before he left I figured it out. In 2007 I had to deploy with the aircraft carrier, Nimitz. Matthew was only 2 and half years old at the time and Ben had just turned one. My marriage back then was somewhat on weak ground. I was so upset that I had to leave and that Brian got to stay home with the kids. I needed someone to blame it on. And so I blamed him. I spent 6 months away from my little boys. Brian would tell me that Matthew cried for me almost every night in bed. He sent me pictures and videos of them playing together, singing to me on my birthday, and reading books. I was heartbroken. I was so upset and stressed that I argued with Brian at almost every opportunity given to me. And if I wasn't arguing with him I was closing myself off to him. Those were some hard times. The hardest of my life.
I wish I could say the ship pulled in and everything went back to normal. It got a lot worse before it got any better. I felt like a stranger in my own home. In my mind I had expected their lives to stop while I was gone. In my mind they couldn't live without me....I am the mother and wife for God's sake!! But life didn't stop. Matthew was potty trained now. Ben learned how to talk. Brian did the laundry, cooked the meals, and went to work every day. I was no longer a part of the routine. I had no idea what Ben liked to eat. He had only a couple of teeth when I left, but when I returned home he had a ton of them and ate foods I had never fed him before. When Matt told me he had to go to the bathroom for the first time I helplessly looked at my mom and said..."He has to go to the bathroom. What do I do?" I felt worthless, stupid, guilty. I felt like the world's worst mother. Me, of all people shouldn't have to ask my mom, my husband, my sitter how to be their mother but I did. I ran everything by them as if asking for permission. And if the boys needed or wanted anything they went to straight to their daddy.
Brian had done such an amazing job being Mr. Mom to 2 small, little boys. He was everyone's hero. "Brian, how did you do it"; "Brian, what an amazing job you have done!"; "Wow, Dana you are so lucky!". These comments, though true, made me even more resentful and guilty.
Life in the last 3 years has worked itself out. It took a lot of patience, love, understanding, and time. But I realized that with this 2011 deployment I am at PEACE. Where as, last time the word was TURMOIL.
In the early morning hours today, before the sun came up, I did cry. It happened when Brian went to hug and kiss the boys in their beds one last time before he left. The embrace he shared with them was so tender and quiet and perfect. I think it would have made anyone cry. And before he walked away he said to me, "I love you. And this time it is exactly how it should be."

The New Year

2011-01-08T20:09:00.003-08:00

Wow, 2011! I am constantly amazed how fast time goes by. I know, very cliche. But once you do have children there really is no turning back. I remember I started a 100 day countdown before I turned 21. Man, that took FOREVER! But once I joined the navy, met my husband, had some babies, and traveled the world time just slipped from my fingers.

2011 will bring many new challenges and adventures to our family......
Ben will turn 5 in February and will start kindergarten in the fall.
Matthew will become a Wolf Cub Scout and start Pop Warner football.
Brian will sail around the world and visit Thailand, The Maldives, Malaysia (just to name a few).
And me? Well I will try to keep it all moving smoothly along with my own commitments.

Here is to an exciting year and looking forward to the joy it brings!

Time to get serious!

2010-12-29T23:38:00.002-08:00

Ok, ok, I know I am TERRIBLE at updating this blog! I am not sure if it is because I am too busy, I forget, or I am so boring. But whatever the case Brian is preparing to deploy in 3 weeks for the Gulf and this whole thing was originally started so that he could check us out on here while overseas. So my New Year's Resolution (one of many) will be to update this thing on a regular basis. With that being said I suppose I should update you on what has been happening in our lives since October...

Halloween was fun. Brian, unfortunately had duty and missed out on the festivities. We were invited to the Griffith's Halloween party and the kids had such a good time. The food was AMAZING! Everything from lasagna, BBQ pork, breadsticks, I could go on and on. Then the whole lot of of us split up and hit up the neighborhood. I have to say that their neighborhood is prime real estate as far as trick-or-treating goes! The kids absolutely made out. We had so much candy left over that before Christmas I took bags full to work for everyone. Let them have the cavities, right?

November brought Matthew's 6th birthday. I can't believe how fast time goes! He is such an amazing friend, brother, and son! I am proud to be his mother every day. He had a rather low key birthday. Brian and I decided years ago that the kids would only have "parties" on their 5th, 10th, 13th, 16th, and 18th years. Otherwise, it gets to be too much. Especially with Matt's birthday 6 weeks before Christmas and Ben's 6 weeks after. Anyway, he got to pick out where he wanted to go for dinner on his actual birthday and wouldn't you know he picked Seau's?!? We gave him his present there....the much desired Nintendo DS. He has been asking for it for such a long time and we finally felt like he was ready. The next day we had our friends over for cake and he had some little buddies spend the night. I think he had a great time.

November also brings Thanksgiving, of course! We had a big gathering here at the house. Along with some "family" that we have here in town, my in-laws flew in from Nebraska for the week. My dad and step-mom came in from Florida and picked up my step-brother, niece and nephew from Tucson. It was such a great holiday! I wish I would've gotten a group picture, but I was too busy thinking about not burning anything and of course those great Black Friday deals I went after the next morning! While my dad and Karen were here we went and saw "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" at the Old Globe theatre in Balboa Park. We all loved it! I really enjoyed taking the kids to see something other than a movie. Live theatre has a whole different feel to it. We also headed to the San Diego Zoo while they were here. We were so blessed to be surrounded by friends and family on Thanksgiving.

December I think is just a crazy month for everyone and it is no different around here. Brian's birthday is on the 3rd and we went out to his favorite Mongolian Grill restaurant. Yummy! And of course we had 2 different kid's Christmas Performances. Wouldn't you know my battery died during Ben's! Grrr! Brian was out to sea for a majority of the time prior to Christmas so that meant lots of shopping, wrapping, and decorating for me. Santa came early to our house so that we didn't have to pack up so much to take on the trip up to AZ where we spent Christmas. The boys of course were spoiled rotten and so were Brian and I.

So 2011 will bring us Brian's Deployment, Ben's Little League T-Ball, my 30th birthday, Matt's continuing football and Cub Scouts. I hope that 2011 brings you all health, wealth, and love!

UPDATE!!!

2010-10-17T09:27:00.004-07:00

So I suppose a quick update is in order since it has been nearly 3 months since the last post......

Not too much new is really going on. Brian is still hard at work and preparing to deploy for 8 months in January. He will be gone from January until September sometime. It is going to be a challenging year but I do have such a wonderful support system of family and friends that know how deployments are and know when to step in and help a girl out. It has been quite sometime since our family has been through a deployment. Three years to be exact. The boys were just 2 and 3 back then and were young enough to know that something wasn't right but not old enough to understand what. Now they are nearly 5 and 6 and have a better grasp of time and are able to verbalize their emotions. Matthew will definitely be the most affected and I pray that God gives me the strength and the words to help him understand and cope. We feel VERY lucky to have Brian here during Matt's bday this year, the holidays, and we will be throwing Ben a big 5th birthday party 2 weeks early so that Brian will be here for that as well.

Matthew has just recently started Cub Scouts and he really likes it. He is very excited about the prospect of camping, hiking, and the great outdoors. He also just started his new season of flag football. He is so motivated and understands the game so well for a 1st grader. We really enjoy watching him out there. Matt is excelling in school and really likes the 1st grade. I think he feels like a big kid on campus now that he is no longer a kindergartner.

Ben is also doing really well in his little preschool class. He goes 3 days a week and each week he learns more and tells me more. He can now write Ben T. legibly. He also knows almost all his letter sounds and can count to 30. I know he is looking forward to kindergarten next fall and going to school with his big bro. He loves tagging along with Matt to Scouts and is excited to be a Tiger Cub someday too. He hasn't really expressed a major interest in sports but does love music. I think he will be my little rockstar! (or stand-up comic)

I am doing well also. I volunteer in Matt's classroom during the week. I am also involved with the Family Readiness Group at Brian's command. It is a group of spouses that support and help each other through deployments. That may include anything from cooking dinner for a family, giving a ride to the doctor's office, or being at the hospital with a young mother who is delivering her baby all alone while her husband is deployed. I am also still bartending 3 or 4 times a month to get out of the house and make a few easy bucks!

So that is about it..We are still hanging here in SD and I am looking forward to the holiday season. Even though it is the most stressful time of year it is still my favorite!

Another Year Older (and Wiser?)

2010-07-18T06:11:00.001-07:00

So here I am 29. I am having a little of trouble "embracing" the idea. I guess I don't really look at it as 29, but instead "almost 30". And for some reason that 30 pill is a hard one to swallow. So in an effort to appreciate where I am at now I have decided to share some things that I have learned over the course of my twenties:

-You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
-Envy is a waste of time. You already have everything that you need.
-Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
-However good or bad the situation is, it will change....
-Don't compare yourself to others. You have no idea what their journey is about.
-No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
-Play more games.
-Forgive.
-Do the right thing.
-The best is yet to come....

So yes, I suppose a little wiser than 10 years ago.

Spring Break 2010!!

2010-06-13T21:22:00.001-07:00

I know that Spring Break was quite some time ago, but I have been waiting for the photos from our trip to come from my dad. We had so much fun and I was quite surprised to see how many things there really were to do in East Tennessee. I mean let's face it, East Tennessee isn't where one expects to necessarily vacation. Well, at least I didn't. My dad and step-mom rented a cabin for the family to stay in. It was me, Brian, and the boys. My dad and step-mom. And my niece and nephew. Lori, 8 and Liam, 6. We didn't take any pics of the cabin which I regret. It was gorgeous....3 stories, 3 decks, hot tub, a game room, ceiling to floor windows. The view of the Smokey Mountains was beautiful! So needless to say I would have been happy to just lounge around there for the week, but we also got to do some pretty cool stuff.

The first official day of our vacation was Easter Sunday. We went to the BEST flapjack house for breakfast. I am not even that big of a pancake eater at all and boy did I regret not ordering some. I had a few bites of my dad's blueberry pancakes and they were awesome. I secretly kept hoping that we would go back and have breakfast there one more time. Bummer, it didn't happen. After breakfast my dad took us to a little family fun park. Complete with rides, arcade games, and GO-KARTS! My kids had never ridden a go-kart before but both seemed pretty excited about it. Of course an adult had to ride with each one of the kids so we didn't get any pics of that either but we all loved it. We spent a couple hours there before heading over to my Aunt and Uncle's house for Easter Sunday dinner. It was so good to see my Aunt, Uncle, Grandad, and Grandma. As you get older you never get to spend as much time with people as you would like to. Also, my cousin Scott was there which was a great surprise. We were so close growing up, but hadn't seen each other since 2003. The kids had such a good time there. My Aunt and Uncle have a beautiful home on some land. Not to mention a 4 wheeler, a General Store, and all kinds of other things that just kept their imaginations going. We had dinner, a Easter Egg Hunt, and played some T-ball. It was a great way to spend Easter.

Day two my Grandad joined us for some fishing and a trip to the Aquarium. My step-mom, Karen, found a little Catch and Release lake to take the kids. My boys have been begging their dad to take them fishing for a while now so they were pretty happy to go do this. My nephew caught a fish right away. The kids were so stoked, but Matt, Ben, and Lori's nibbles took a little while longer. In the end, each kid got their fish and a picture to prove it.

After some fishing we went to Gallatin for some lunch and then a visit to Ripley's Aquarium. The Aquarium was really great. Probably the best one I had ever been to. It was a hit with the kids.

On Day 3 we took a cool train ride through Tennessee and North Carolina. My dad rented the caboose of the train which was great so the kids could run around and act crazy without driving the rest of the passengers crazy. This was also my first train ride and it was so calm and relaxing. The scenery of East Tennessee is so pretty and green. There are tall trees and little creeks, streams, and rivers everywhere. We all had such a good time snacking and watching nature pass us by.

The next day we took the opportunity to enjoy a day in the cabin. We had some family over for a BBQ late in the afternoon. Earlier in the day though we took the kids down to a stream where they could wade in the water and swim. The water was FREEZING! The kids had fun with it though and braved the cold. It was nice to have an easy day with the family and catch up on old times.

On Day 4, our last day, we went White River Rafting down the Little Pigeon River. This was by far my favorite activity of the week. I was surprised at how well Lori, Liam, and Matt handled it too. This day of course was the ONLY day of our tripped that it rained. Rained is actually an understatement...it POURED. Lori, Liam, and Matt were such troopers. They put on all their gear and were ready to hit those rapids. Unfortunately, Ben was not so tolerant. He was excited to go, but not so happy to put on the WET gear that they were giving us. Which, for him was about 4 times too big for his little body. But I got him into it with some coaxing. Then when it came time to put is helmet on him he had had enough. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Sadly, he didn't want to go so my step-mom kindly opted to stay back in the car with him and wait for our group to return. Afterall it was dry and warm in the car.....I don't think she minded. So finally we were off. It was Brian's first time doing anything like this, but I had been river rafting once before in Colorado. The rapids were really tame because we had such young children with us, but we all loved it anyway. Me, Brian, Matthew, and my cousin Scott all hopped into one raft with my Dad, Lori, and Liam in another. All 3 kids really enjoyed it and loved the rapids. I was so happy we got to do this even if we were being rained on and freezing. It was such a great experience for the kids.

We had such an amazing vacation and I am infinitely grateful to my Dad and Karen for putting this whole thing together. It gave our family a little sense of adventure that we were missing. I loved spending time with my niece and nephew. My kids had so much fun with them and it was great to see them all get to know each other a little more. I know that my dad and step-mom had such a blast having all four of them together...because it doesn't happen nearly enough. Boy, after that what do we do for our next family vacation that could top this one?

Patriot's Day

2010-05-17T08:10:00.004-07:00

We had so much fun this weekend. We had such beautiful weather that there was no way we could just hang inside the house. On Saturday morning we walked across the street and set up for the Tierraasanta Patriot's Day Parade. My kids absolutely love parades. And this one was pretty good. Matt saw his principal in the parade and thought that was pretty cool. Ben saw some if the teachers from his Pre-School walking in the parade as well. Our cutie pie cousin, Emily, walked with her Daisy Troop and the kids grabbed tons of candy and little prizes. I am convinced that we don't even need to go trick-or-treating this year. That evening we had a little BBQ here at the house and then a big group of us headed over to the park where they had a fireworks show. I was expecting it to be a rather rinky dink show but it surprised us all. It was so nice to be lying on the blankets under the clear night sky surrounded by family and friends watching the fireworks and munching on peanuts. We closed the evening by having S'mores back here at our place. We just bought a fire pit and I have been itching to use it. The boys absolutely loved it! They thought the fire pit was pretty awesome and they thought the S'mores were even more so. The kids were covered in marshmallow stickiness and melted chocolate by nights end. We all slept pretty good that night and before I went to bed I thanked God for all the blessings....my family, my friends, my country, and my life.

My Lunch Date

2010-03-26T16:40:00.000-07:00

Today I got the chance to spend some one on one time with my oldest son, Matthew. I spend most of my time with Ben during the days since he only goes to Pre-School 3 days a week. It was such a treat to have Matt on his own for nearly 3 hours today. We went out to lunch at Jack In The Box, he REALLY wanted a cheeseburger and curly fries. He had so much to talk about from school to his friends to our upcoming vacation. Matt is my more reserved child and sometimes gets overrun by his baby brother who loves to be the center of attention. After our lunch we had to make a run to the grocery store and he helped push the cart. It was so nice not to have the two of them bickering over who gets to do what. Then when we got home we took the dog for a walk and chatted some more. It is so nice to have them alone sometimes and I think Brian and I should make it a point to do so more often. I relished in getting to know my oldest son all over again today.

The Leprechaun Incident

2010-03-17T19:12:00.010-07:00

I never, ever had a leprechaun come to visit me when I was a kid, but for those of you who don't know it is all the rage these days. The kids are even writing letters to the little buggers at school. So, finding myself somewhat backed into a corner I embraced the whole idea of St. Patrick's Day mischeif. And so, here is the silliness that Liam (apparently that is our leprechauns name) was up to last night.

Liam left these magical Rainbow cupcakes for the family and left a gallon of GREEN milk to help wash them down.

Liam also ransacked the boys room. He turned pictures upside down, rummaged through the clothes drawers, took books and toys out of their places and hung underwear from the ceiling fan!

The boys LOVED every part of it! It was so neat to see the expressions on their faces. They were such good sports about helping mom clean up Liam's mess. One last surprise....Liam filled their shoes with lots of coins! It was a fun St. Patrick's Day at the Taylor house and a fun new tradition was started today.

The Husband Tag

2010-03-07T18:39:00.016-08:00

What’s your husband's name? Brian Scott Taylor

How long have you guys been married? 6 years

How long did you date? 10 months

How old is he? 31-old man! :)

Who eats more sweets? Me for sure. I have an unhealthy addiction to ice cream.

Who is the better singer? Brian. That is how he sealed the deal. Some liquor, a microphone, and George Strait was all it took!

Who is smarter? You know I am going to HAVE to say....ME!

Who does the laundry? I wash and dry. We fold together and he and the kids put it all away.

Who pays the bills? Brian....unless he is out to sea.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me. But this is a new thing. I have slept on the left our entire relationship until we
moved into this house. I have to be on the side closest to the bedroom door.

Who mows the lawn? Brian...unless he is out to sea.

Who cooks dinner? I do most of the time, but he does all of the grilling.

Who drives? Me.

Who is the first to say they are wrong? Him.

Who kissed who first? He kissed me, I had to hint at it, so in a way I initiated it

Who asked who out first? He asked me out. To a freaking AWFUL restaurant. we haven't been back there since but we laugh about it all of the time.

Who wears the pants? We each have one leg in.

Now, let's see......I tag Whitney, Kelley, Dawn, Jessica, and Alyssa

Mac & Me

2010-03-04T14:23:00.009-08:00

I have to admit I was more than a little upset with Brian last year when he went out the the electronics store to purchase a computer and returned home with an Apple Computer. My thoughts were somewhere along the lines of, "A Mac, are you serious?!? No WAY! What happened to the reasonably priced PC with Windows and Microsoft Office. I mean, sure the screen looks cool and I like the thin keyboard......but no right click on the mouse!?! WTF!?! And it cost how much?!?" Anyway, a year later and ALOT of tutorial video from the Apple website I am happy to say Mac & Me are getting along rather well these days. We have been Virus Free (knock on wood) ever since and we are still learning something new about each other every day. :)

Thoughtful Lynn

2010-02-08T19:46:00.012-08:00

I hear stories all of the time from my girlfriends about how AWFUL their mother-in-laws are to them. And during those conversations I happily keep quiet. You see, I do not suffer from an insufferable mother-in-law. I love my Lynn. She has been such a kind, loving woman to me. I can look all around my home and see little tidbits of her thoughtfulness and her love.

Like the one time she knew that I needed a spoon rest for my stove.......she sent me one.

Also, when she heard I wanted to read that book.....she bought it for me.

And, when she found out how much the kids and I loved hot chocolate she sent Christmas themed mugs and hot chocolate for us to enjoy together as a family on a chilly night.

So thank you Lynn for being a WONDERFUL example for me to aspire to be when my own two boys find a wife of their own. For showing me how to accept the new role with kindness, respect, and love.

(I know that this photo is way out of date...but my scanner is on the outs and this was about all I had to work with.)

Ben's Birthday!

2010-02-01T10:27:00.001-08:00

This year instead of throwing a party and wasting time and money on food, Brian and I decided to head up to Anaheim for Ben's 4th birthday celebration. We traveled up there with our usual crowd and had such a great time. During the afternoon we walked around Downtown Disney, had lunch at The Rainforest Cafe (which was ridiculously over-priced), and swam at the hotel's indoor pool. At night we went to Medieval Times and cheered on the Blue Knight. Brian and I had both previously been to Medieval Times and knew that the kids would love it and they did. They next day we had friends and family over for cake and ice cream.

I can't believe how fast the last 4 years has flown by! Ben is such a spirited, funny, and often quite stubborn little boy. He has grown 3 inches this year and that is a big milestone due to the fact that he has CGD (Constitutional Growth Delay) which is just a fancy term for "late bloomer". He has been and will be for a little while a short kid. Eventually, in his late teens probably, he will play catch up and be just as tall as his daddy at 6'2". We believe that Brian suffered the same thing growing up. Either way, Ben is a happy healthy boy. Happy Birthday Ben!

PS-I am also QUITE relieved that birthday season in our home has come to an end! :)

Bath Time!

2010-01-16T21:01:00.010-08:00

Oh, the joys of little boys and their dogs! This evening after the boys got into the bathtub, Brian and I decided that we would give World 5 in Super Mario Bros. for Wii another try. Just a few minutes into the game we heard HYSTERICAL laughter coming from the bathroom. The next question out of our mouths simultaneously was..."Where is Harley?" And sure enough, there she was in the tub with the kids! I thought it was too funny not to catch it on film. Crazy kids, crazy dog!

PS-We still didn't get past World 5 ! :)

Hurry Up 2009!

2010-01-04T21:10:00.003-08:00

Alright, I have to tell you that I totally ripped off this idea from my friend, Kelley, whose blog I am an avid reader. I thought it was such a cute idea, so thank you Kelley for the inspiration! :)

I spend a lot of my time wishing time would just hurry up. "Hurry up, kids." "Hurry up, Christmas." "Hurry up bedtime." "Hurry up life." So one of my goals this year is not to hurry my life away, to not hurry my boys growing into young men, to not hurry my marriage into it's golden years.
I suppose the expression is, "Take the time to smell the roses." So in the spirit of this idea I took some time to look back on the year that I hurried away.........

JANUARY
This photo was taken at SeaWorld, where once a year our family can enjoy a fun filled FREE day thanks to their 'Salute to Heroes' promotion. So thank you SeaWorld and thank you to our service members.

FEBRUARY
Oh, my little baby grows up too fast. This picture was taken at Ben's 3rd birthday party, which was also SuperBowl Sunday! (Go Cards) Ben is such a funny, imaginative, spirited little boy. I look forward to seeing what is in store for him as he grows.

MARCH
This picture was taken on a Spring trip to Legoland when my mom and grandma came up for a visit. I chose this picture because it reminds me how lucky I am to have such strong roots. Roots, knowing where you came from and what you stand for, are so important. Also how fortunate I am to have a supportive, loving, and good looking family! :)

APRIL
We took this picture while we were coloring eggs over with The Griffiths at their home. I love this picture because it shows how crazy my boys are and how much more fun they bring to the most ordinary things.

MAY
Family vacation time! This past May our family and The Griffith family were able to spend a week at the "Happiest Place on Earth." We all had such a great time together. Most importantly, we were able to schedule the trip around Jason's R&R from Afghanistan. I know it is not the best picture, but it has all the best things about our time at Disneyland in it.

JUNE
Brian joined the Navy when he was just 18 in 1997. Boy, has he come a long way since! In June, he re-enlisted for another 3 years. I cannot accurately express how proud I am of him and the sacrifices he and I have made during this journey together. Anchors Away!

JULY
I was able to come out to Arizona for a week long visit in July. While there I turned 28 and got together for a celebration dinner with some of my best friends. And although I came to the DIFFICULT realization that some of our friendships have suffered and grown apart through these years, the fact remains that we will always hold a place in each others hearts and memories forever. So here is to the weddings, the babies, the break-ups, the heartache, and the joy that we experienced together.

AUGUST
This is hands down my favorite picture of the boys. I just love the look of pure adoration that Ben is giving Matthew. And how it seems that Matthew is silently saying...."yeah, I got you bro." I love it! We were vacationing in Florida for my dad's surprise 50th birthday party. We had such a great time while we were there and I am happy to have this photo as a memory.

SEPTEMBER
Matthew started kindergarten this past fall. I still find it a little bizarre that I have a child that goes to elementary school! He absolutely loves it and loves his teacher. He says he favorite subjects are reading, lunch, and recess! Go figure!

September also marks the month that our family grew by one more. We brought home our first family pet, Harley. Her presence has brought some of its own unique challenges, but she has also brought so much joy into our lives. My hope is that she lives a long, full, happy life with our family.

OCTOBER
My mom turned 50 in 2009! But no worries, she doesn't look one bit of it. We had such a great "Girls Weekend" in AZ to celebrate the occasion. It's funny how you need your mom more as you grow older, so mom here is to another 50 years.

NOVEMBER
We have ALOT of birthdays toward the end of the year so here comes Matt's big day. Matt turned 5 this year and chose to have his party at a neighborhood park with pizza and ice cream cake. I can't believe what a mature, kind, sweet boy that he has become. I hope he never loses touch with his tender heart. I really am proud of what a great kid he is.

DECEMBER
Again, another BIRTHDAY! This time Brian's. We went out to his favorite place, Benihana's. We were joined by some great friends that really do make San Diego feel like home. Actually I would say, they are more like family to us. Between deployed spouses, new babies, sick kids, emergency room visits, baby sitting, dog sitting, family moves, and bitch-fests there isn't much we haven't seen each other through. So a big, fat, heart felt thank you to.....Jason and Jennifer Griffith, DeWayne and Jamie Cabel, and Tim and Sharisse Hoisington.

Have a Happy, Safe, Blessed 2010!

GO BIG RED!

2009-12-31T08:50:00.001-08:00

One of Brian's dreams has come true! This year as we were able to attend the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl here at Qualcomm stadium, which featured University of Arizona and Nebraska. For any of you that know Brian, he is a Cornhusker through and through! He was never able to see the team play at their stadium in Lincoln before he joined the service. When we found out that the Huskers were selected to be in the Holiday Bowl we were so stoked to go! And even though it was cold, wet and rainy we had such a great time. We had decent seats and we were surrounded by Nebraska fans. Not to mention, Nebraska creamed U of A 33-0!!

Brian's Benihana Birthday

2009-12-06T21:55:00.001-08:00

For Brian's 31st birthday this year we decided to really treat ourselves and enjoy an evening without the kids. And to make it even better we had some of our best friends join us for dinner...without their kids too! All 8 of us have never gotten together for an "adult only" event so it was such a treat. We had a great time with good food and wonderful company.
Brian is aging gracefully (which is more than I can say for myself) and looks just as young as he did when I first met him. He even still gets carded. I can't remember the last time someone asked me for my ID!!! Oh well, when I am an old crusty woman at least I will have me a young looking man. I love you Brian. Happy Birthday!

Matt turns 5!

2009-11-07T21:48:00.008-08:00

Happy Birthday Matthew! These last 5 years have gone by too fast. On Thursday, he had a little party in his class. And I have to say he thought he was a pretty cool kid bringing in cupcakes and goodie bags for his class. Then on Saturday we celebrated at the park with some of our family and friends. We had pizza and cake and Matt scored a whole bunch of great gifts. My mom and grandma made it out and made the day that much more special. We love ya, kiddo.

Trick or Treat

2009-11-01T18:31:00.003-08:00

Another Halloween has come and gone and the boys have ALREADY started to think about what they want to be next year! For the kids costumes this year I tackled the job of a home made Mario and Waluigi of Super Mario Brothers Fame and Mario Kart. I was a little nervous taking it on, although it required no sewing (thankfully), it required time. This was our first year not buying the store bought costumes and I enjoyed it so much more. The kids had such a great time and looked great too. We had our usual posse over for trick-or-treating, a pot luck dinner, a little drinking, and a fun night of board games. Looking forward to it again next year!

Mom turns 50!

2009-10-29T15:19:00.011-08:00

Aunt Anita
Olive Garden
Table for 12
DQ Ice Cream Cake
Slumber Party
Chick Flick
Swedish Massage
Pedicures All Around
Girl Talk
Family

Happy Birthday, Momma! I hope that it was a memorable one. I love you.

The Miramar Airshow

2009-10-04T08:48:00.004-07:00

Well first let me start off by saying the traffic was horrendous! Jamie, Jenn, and myself were all just about ready to throw in the towel and say to hell with it all when by some miracle we found parking after a total of 3 hours of traffic and driving to go only about 10 miles from our house. It was a mess! However, once we got settled in to the show and ate, everyone ended up having a great time. We saw the Blue Angles but mostly by foot as we were walking towards the show. The kids enjoyed seeing the Parachuters and Fat Albert. We were filthy and exhausted by the time the night was over, but we all had such a great time. And to end the night we stopped off at Starbucks to warm up where the Matt and Ben had their first Starbucks hot chocolate and boy did they think they were all grown up!