Johnson's

Breakfast

2012-02-15T08:42:00.001-08:00

I have been really wanting to buy a juicer but then I remembered about my awesome vita mix my mother-in-law have me. It works great! I freeze grapes and use them as ice and mix them with carrots, grapefruit, oranges and strawberries. I don't add sugar but I know if I did it would taste a little better, I just want pure fruit and vegetables. Since I started juicing I can tell a huge difference in my energy levels and I have also lost a little weight!

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2012-02-12T11:26:00.001-08:00

We bought car yesterday, I'm super excited to have my own car. We still have our little nissan, that will be joe's car for school and future job.

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Bunk mates

2012-02-07T12:21:00.001-08:00

We bought bunk beds. So far brady loves his top bunk, he lovess to read books up there. Connor doesn't like the new change, he just needs time to adjust to the bigger bed. I am loving the extra space the kids have to play. It doesn't seem as small as it did before.

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Good looking little boys

2012-01-30T07:58:00.001-08:00

I just love them to pieces, even when they wake up at two am screaming for an hour just because they think it's morning. Little stinks.

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Hurt and Anger

2012-01-22T10:25:00.001-08:00

I'm probably gong to regret posting this later but for right now I'm full of hurt and I need to get some things on my chest. I am just sitting here thinking to myself how happy I am that my family and I can participate in al-anon meetings. Right now I feel totally defeated and broken down. I didn't think things could get any worse and they have. I don't understand it and I'm extremely angry right now. I hate what addiction turns people into. I just need to keep focusing on my boys and try to get through this day by day (today minute by minute). This week I am actually looking forward to my 90 minute cry fest on tuesday nights. I just need to keep telling myself this great al-anon saying

Let go and let God

The serenity prayer

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

My goals are to forgive the people that hurt me and let them go, as hard as that will be I need to find the strength to do it.

2012-01-18T22:56:00.001-08:00

We have been having lots of fun lately. last weekend we went to the family fun center and the kids had so much fun! After all that we got a blast of snow. Joe has yet to go to school this week and tomorrow is thursday! We actually just found out that school is in fact canceled tomorrow, yay! I'm a fan of one day school weeks, more help with the kids and of course more naps for me. It's nice living close to my parents when we are snowed in because I would go crazy staying at our place all week. My mom and I got brave and went to get our nails done. I decided on sparkley pink. Yes I know 12 year olds pick that but I thought it was cute at the time!

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Thanksgiving, Brady's Birthday, and Christmas

2012-01-07T16:32:00.000-08:00

I am finally posting pictures of Thanksgiving, Brady's Birthay, and Christmas. I don't have much time to post this so here is just pictures, sorry!

Thanksgiving pictures:

Brady's third birthday!

Christmas!

looking forward to 2012!

2012-01-03T10:23:00.000-08:00

2011 was overall a great year for us. Here are some highlights of 2011:

Joe went oh a short deployment and returned after five weeks.

Connor started out as a 6 month old baby to a big 18 month old! lots of "firsts" for him this year!

We moved from Oak Harbor to Auburn Wa. I was really happy for us to get out of the Navy but I was sad to see our good friends Josh, Samantha, and baby Addy go. We miss them!

Almost all of Joe's entire family came to visit us last Summer. It was so fun for the kids to play with their cousins.

Connor turned one and had a cute "little red wagon" party.

We gave away our dog Max. One of the hardest decisions we have had to make. I still catch myself crying over him. We really loved that pup.

We drove to Idaho twice, for a reunion and a funeral for my grandma.

Joe and I celebrated our fifth anniversary.

Went on some great hikes with family and friends.

I did a "gladiator fun run" with a friend. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done, but I felt so good that I actually finished it!

I went from a brunette to a Blondie.

I lost 50 pounds.

I took a quick trip to Utah to visit my friend Brooke. I had so much fun! I wish we lived closer!

I turned 25.

We got a new puggle puppy, Brady named him Thor.

Brady turned three!

There were quite a few down points of last year but I wont talk about them. This year my goals are to stay positive and live healthy. I think I am done losing weight so I just need to keep doing what I'm doing enjoy life. I have a feeling 2012 will be a big year for us! :)

2011-12-21T23:32:00.000-08:00

Things have been kinda crazy lately. We had a fun family baby shower for my sis-in-law Ashley and her husband Morgan. That was really fun! My mom watched the kids and we got to stay up late with everyone. I was so glad to get to see Joe's brother Randy and his family. It was really great to hang out with them! On Sunday we celebrated Brady's third birthday. Brady was so happy to have most of his cousins there to play with. He thinks it's his birthday everyday now. Monday night we spent the night at Joe's parents house so we could stay up late with Randy, Alicia, Morgan, and Ashley. I woke up the next morning with the worst flu symptoms ever! It's now Wednesday night and I still can't eat much or walk but I am doing much better than before. I forgot how sucky the flu is. I really felt like I was dying! I just hope it doesn't spread to too many family members! Here is a picture of Brady with some of his gifts from his party. Thank you to all of you who came and helped out! Thank you for all the great gifts! I really can't believe I have a three year old.

Naughty Thor

2011-12-02T09:48:00.001-08:00

That's Thor eating part of our Christmas tree.

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Funny Brady

2011-12-02T09:45:00.001-08:00

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I love December!

2011-12-02T08:58:00.000-08:00

I am sitting here thinking about how much I love Decembers and this December is going to be a special one! Here is why:

We are thinking of going to Snoqualmie and playing in the snow. I have great memories going with my parents and sliding down huge hills in a tube. I don't know when we will do this but I hope it's soon.

Joe has finals next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday then he is done for a month! yay!

I might be going to Yakima next weekend. Not for anything fun, it will be quite draining actually (emotionally) but I will be getting free food and I will get a much needed break from the kids and the puppy.

Brady boy is turning 3 on the 15th! I can't believe I have an almost three year old!

Randy and Alicia will be coming into town on the 16th! I really miss them and their cute boys!

Morgan and Ashley are also coming! They come on the 17th. I'm exited to see her big belly full of little girl sweetness. I am also excited to have some adult party time with the family that night too!

On the 18th I am throwing Brady a spiderman birthday party. I am excited for this. Especially because we are making Cafe Rio. yum.

participating in our annual tradition of making Christmas sugar cookies and funny decorated shirts!

And of course I am excited for x-mas eve and Christmas!

Another one of Thor pup

2011-11-28T12:54:00.001-08:00

My friend took this picture today. Isn't he cute?

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Thor

2011-11-28T07:28:00.001-08:00

We have been wanting to get a puppy for a couple months now. We really wanted to make sure we found a good and nice dog because it was so hard to have to give away our last dog Max for being aggressive. Joe and I both really like beagles but we don't like how most bark all the time. We heard about puggles, They are a mix of beagle and pugs. They are mostly tan with a black face (like a pug) or black. We saw an add and went to check out some puppies. They had 3 tan ones and 6 black. We wanted a male because they are cheaper and I guess the black puppies were $100.00 cheaper than the tan ones so that's what we got! We chose him out of 3 other males. He was the one not jumping all over my kids and biting them. His mom is an akc beagle and his dad is a akc champion black pug. overall he has been a blast to be around and is doing very well with potty training. We asked Brady what we should name him and he said "Thor!" so now we have a puppy named Thor.

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Thanksgiving Dessert

2011-11-23T10:09:00.000-08:00

I am in charge of doing the thanksgiving desserts with my family. I couldn't decide one one so I am making all of these:

These cookie oreo brownie bars just got out of the oven and they smell heavenly!

Right after this post I am going to make this four-layer pumpkin cake with pumpkin cream cheese frosting topped with pecans and caramel. I hope it tastes as good as it looks!

Last I will be making a couple pumpkin pies.

What are you making for your thanksgiving dessert?
Happy cooking everyone!

Funny Brady

2011-11-13T18:15:00.000-08:00

Brady is starting to say the funniest things and I never remember to write them down. Here are a couple funnies that I can remember.

Brady: "I'm so proud of Joe, Dale, Doc, and Uncle Matt for building our new home."
Me: "You're proud of them for building our tiny apartment? Bud, I don't think they built it.'
Brady: "Ya, they did."

Brady: "I don't like Santa, he needs to go away. Santa too scary."

Joe: "Brady how old is your cousin William?"
Brady: "um fourteen" (Brady can't even count to fourteen)

Brady: " Mommy I want to play with cousin Ethan so bad"
Me: "I know bud but he lives in Utah"
Brady: "Why!?" (in a very very sad voice)

pumpkin patch pt 2

2011-11-13T16:05:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post these pictures I took with my moms camera. Aren't these little monkeys the cutest?

I'm 25

2011-11-12T10:23:00.000-08:00

This is me at a whopping twenty-five years old:

I went to Utah for a couple days to celebrate my birthday with my best friend Brooke. It was also her birthday the same day! It was a fun short trip. I miss Utah, I want to go back for longer so I can visit my family that live there (sorry I couldn't come visit family).

We are already making plans to go to Hawaii for our 30Th. I better start saving now!

This deserves its own blog post

2011-10-31T18:33:00.001-07:00

My father-in-law sleeping in the middle of a loud halloween party. He's the guy from the movie ” Up”. I might have peed my pants after I took this picture. I can't get over how funny this is.

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I visted Hell on Saturday.

2011-10-31T07:43:00.000-07:00

So my friend Beth signed me up for this gladiator rock'n run. She bought me a ticket for my birthday and I though a little fun run would be great to do. This wasn't just a fun run. This was a nice trip to Hell and back, no joke I had to jump over fire. This "fun run" was 5 miles and 14 obstacles. Here are some obstacles I can think of that we did:

Up and down stadium bleachers..never ending bleachers. My legs were shaking and I really thought I was going to fall down them from the lack of strength keeping me from falling. This was one of the first obstacles and It was a doosie!!

We had to crawl through mud tunnels that had mud and water probably a foot high...I think I may have swallowed some mud..

Jumped over giant spools

Almost died on a tire mountain...I started to fall off face first, I had no strength to keep me from falling but at the last second I did a spin and landed on my feet. I saw my life flash before my eyes.

Huge mud slide. I was going at a good speed until this really big girl came and took me out. I was flying down the slide and landed in a huge mud pool.

"Polar bear plundge"..people were shoveling ice into the water we had to run through. This didn't help my already tight muscles.

"Hells Hills" lots of hills with mud. not fun.

There was this mud mountain that you had to use a rope to get up it.

There was a 8 feet wall of fame and a 4 feet wall of shame..I walked between the walls. I was so done at this point.

We dodged wrecking balls

Carried 40 pds sand bags to this huge buddha

Jumped over fire.

I tripped over a sticker bush and landed on some rocks. My knees are bruised and scarred.

it's been two days and I still can't walk. I have never in my life been this sore and that is crazy to me because I was an athlete for 16 years. I am going to start really working out so when I am forced to do this next year I will be a little more ready for it. walking an hour a day and eating healthy isn't good enough for this "fun run"..It was a great work out at least. I probably lost 7 pounds.

2011-10-24T20:49:00.001-07:00

I love these kids..

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"Grandma Bell"

2011-10-15T07:34:00.001-07:00

My Grandma passed away yesterday. I guess she fell and broke her leg, her kidneys shut down, and half her heart stopped pumping. She was in the ICU for a couple weeks and they sent her back to the nursing home when nothing could be done. I pray that she went peacefully and I am praying for comfort for my grandpa. She was my grandpa's whole world. She is my moms step-mom. I don't see her as a "step" grandma. I have only met my moms "real" mom once. She has never been present in my life and I don't consider her my grandma. MaryLou (my step-grandma) has always been my grandma, She was the one I would run to every year on our Idaho trips and say "hi grandma", and "I love you Grandma". I have lots of fun memories of my cousins and I playing at my grandparents down stairs and we seemed to get into trouble constantly but it was fun. The last time I saw her was in July of this year and she wasn't doing well at all. I honestly didn't think that would be the last time I was going to see her and really wish I could have given her one more hug and kiss and told her that I love her.

Today my Dad, Mom, sister, and I are driving to Moscow to spend the night and help my cousin Mindi and her two cute girls drive to Rexburg, Id. The funeral is on Tuesday, which is good because I can't bring my boys because there isn't room in the car and I don't want to be away from them for too long. Joe has school and I feel bad when people have to watch my kids (Connor is quite the screamer these days) Anyways, it will be nice to see my family again and to give love and support to my grieving Grandpa.

I'm really glad we got some pictures with my grandma and Grandpa. These are from summer of 2010. Connor was only 5 weeks old. Brady was 19 months.

We all got to see her in July of this year and got some pictures done. This is the Bell family. I am glad we got to see her one last time.

Rest in peace Grandma.

Our bedroom is unpacked!

2011-10-12T19:32:00.001-07:00

Got the bedroom done today. I took pictures because I know by the time I wake up the house will be trashed. I'm so done unpacking...tomorrow my project is the kids room. Its a tiny room full of lots and lots of toys and clothes.

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One last pic of the house

2011-10-12T14:29:00.001-07:00

More pics of our bedroom and kids room coming soon..

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Home in lakeland hills Auburn

2011-10-12T14:25:00.001-07:00

We are still unpacking the master room and bathroom and also the kids room. Its a two bed two full bath. Tiny but its ok for now...we like it!

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Halloween crafts with me madre.

2011-10-12T10:14:00.001-07:00

I love crafts. I wish I was more creative like my mom so I could make cuter stuff. my mom painted the haunted house and spiderman pumpkin. I made the black mesh wreath and painted the wood spider, bat, and ghost. I love halloween and I love that I finally have a kid big enough to love it too!

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New hair...again.

2011-10-10T09:15:00.001-07:00

I'm a hair dressers daughter, that means I'm constantly changing my hair. I realized that I wear my hair in a pony tail everyday. I never have time to do it and I just can't handle long hair. So I put more highlights in it and chopped my hair. I think its cute, unlike a certain mean husband that I have. Its better than a pony right?

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Live Healthy

2011-10-08T22:13:00.000-07:00

I have lost a little over 40 pounds. That's after I lost my baby weight so I guess you can say I have lost 80 pounds in the last 15 and a half months (When I had Connor).
I was sick of not feeling good and I hated the way I looked.
I have been overweight pretty much since I got married 5 years ago
(I blame you, Joe! no just kidding).
When Joe went on deployment for the last time (9 months ago)I told myself I didn't want him to come back and still have his fat ugly wife.
So I started a life change.
I started slow by walking 30 to 45 minutes a day
eating healthy things like fruit..

and veggies...

After we got out of the navy I really picked up my weight loss.
Some ways were healthy.
and some were not.
I was stressed out and extremely depressed...
so I kinda stopped eating for a good month or so, and I know that's not ok.
but now I'm back, and I am working on my issues.
I walk/jog/run for an hour a day.
I only put healthy foods in my body and I actually feel great.
I eat a lot of veggie sandwiches.
I love them.

It's taken me years to figure this one out...

But I think I finally get it.
You can't crash diet.
you just simply can't.
I would urge any of you out there that might be overweight or maybe you just don't feel "good" because of what you are putting in your body and your lack of exercise to just do it.
make a lifestyle change and just do it!
the first two weeks are the hardest.
after that it becomes a habit.
You wont regret it, I don't.
I wont lie, It was hard.
Really hard.
Because It was so hard makes me even more proud of what I have done.

I still want to lose 10-15 pounds so I am going to hold off on posting an "after" picture until I get to my goal weight, hopefully I can get to that soon!

Pumpkin patch 2011

2011-10-08T21:20:00.001-07:00

Today I took the kids to a pumpkin patch in buckley with my parents. Joe was stuck at home doing homework so he couldn't come. We had a lot of fun though! Brady and Connor loved the wheelbarrows and pumpkins. Maybe we will take daddy to the pumpkin patch next weekend...

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Silly

2011-10-05T09:32:00.001-07:00

Brady's personality gets better and better the older he gets. He makes us laugh everyday! Here is what he did today to make me laugh.

Brady: ” 1,2,3, W,M,N,9,T,10, GOO!
Me: ”don't you mean 1,2,3 go!”
Brady: ”no, mom. W, goooo!”

He really loves his ” school time” to learn numbers and letters. He usually knows how to count to ten but apparently we need to review on how to count.

Today is moving day. It's going to be a long day! Thanks to everyone that can help! We are excited to live in lakeland hills, auburn. It's a cute and safe community. I'm excited to move in and decorate our small place, is it wrong of me to want to start decorating for christmas? I know it's early but I really love christmas! Especially christmas music!

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Chicken Artichoke Pasta Alfredo

2011-09-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

I made Chicken Artichoke Pasta Alfredo for dinner tonight and it turned out really well! I am a big fan of artichoke, so when I saw the recipe I knew I had to make it. It was fairly easy to make, I substituted the half andhalf and bacon with fat-free milk and turkey bacon. Here is the recipe, you should try it sometime!

Spiderman

2011-09-16T13:41:00.001-07:00

Brady's latest obsession.

Grandma Johnson and Howell are spoiling this little boy so much!

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Brady Johnson; A Model Idiot

2011-09-12T21:28:00.000-07:00

I was looking through some old pictures of the kids and saw this picture. I'm very upset I didn't make the connection sooner. All the money we've lost from him not modeling. Too bad.

Personal Post...need to get things off my chest.

2011-09-08T21:13:00.000-07:00

The past 5 years have been really hard on my family, close family and friends know why. I don't feel like posting the reasons why things have been hard on my blog mostly because it would honestly take me forever. I will just say that my pain and fear comes from my twin sister. She has chosen to live on the streets and its tearing me up. my whole family is totally broken. We didn't know where she was or what she was doing. Today has been a really hard day for me so Joe forced me out of the house to go to the mall to get my mind off of her. We walked into target and there she was, returning stolen items to receive store credit. My heart broke when I saw her. Part of me was relieved that she wasn't dead but the other part wanted to explode. She was covered in dirt and didn't look well at all. Do you have any idea how it feels like to see your homeless twin sister? It took every ounce of strength to not break down and cry in front of her. I wanted her to think I was fine even though I'm not. I'm not fine at all. I can't eat, sleep, or even think right now. The only reason I get out of bed every day is because of my two boys and husband. Joe is trying his hardest to comfort me but it's hard because he just doesn't get what I'm going through. I guess there is nothing I can really do but pray that she will be safe and protected, and that she will some day want the help she needs. I hope I can try and get through this with out having a mental breakdown (which is soon coming). I am thankful for my wonderful family and friends to help me through this really sucky time. I just really miss my sister.

Mal on the left and I'm on the right

Just play

2011-09-08T15:41:00.001-07:00

We have been playing around a lot lately. We have been playing at the beach, parks, wild waves, and malls. Grandma johnson got Brady a really fun spiderman costume to play in. brady has been totally obsessed with spiderman lately. Actually he's obsessed with any old cartoon. His favorites are spiderman, superman, teenage turtles, and godzilla. He's funny, he wants nothing to do with the new technology cartoons they have now.

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Coolest nail polish ever

2011-09-01T13:45:00.001-07:00

Joe's mom went to the oregon coast and brought me home the coolest nail polish! When inside its clear with sparkles, once in sunlight it turns pink then red. I love this stuff. I guess at Del Sol they have clothing and accessories that turn color in the sun also. I want to visit this place!

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2011-08-31T21:20:00.001-07:00

I started to write a post the other night but I fell asleep writing it and I was going to delete it but now I am thinking I will post it. Think of it as an update...ok here it is:

It's 1:30 am and I am wide awake. WTP (what the poop)..I never have this problem.
Of course it has to happen on a night before I have to wake up with the kids.
Grr.
Maybe I will just write about what has been on my mind lately.
Or maybe I will make it into a list.

*today was a fun day. Joe, the kids, and I went shopping at the south center mall and then had my family and friend Beth over to watch the Seahawks play.
We ate so much food but it all tasted amazing.

*every night Joe and I watch psych. Psych is one of our favorites...

Connor has been sober for about a week now, it was hard to wean him but I had to do it, he bites. It was so very important to me that I successfully nurse Connor, I didn't have such luck with Brady and it was devastating to me. When I was pregnant with Connor I was so worried I wouldn't be able to nurse him. Well he was a natural, thank goodness! So when it came time to stop nursing I was really sad, I thought once you stop he is a big boy and not my little baby. I have given a lot of thought about it, and lots of crying from the pain of "losing" my baby and not to mention the pain of those little stinks teeth, I have made the decision to stop. Its been a week and he is still my little baby and he still loves me. I say that 14 months of nursing was a success, a whole lot better than the three days I did with Brady. I am ok with Connor getting older. I realize that he will (hopefully) not be my last baby. There will be a larger age gap between Connor and my next baby. I am ok with waiting a couple years to have another baby. I think I will appreciate the little one even more. So for now, I am going to focus on helping my two boys grow and get out of diapers, I want a year or two of no diapers in my house. Let's see if we can do it!

ok now I am writing this is "real time"

Some other things on my mind:

Lately Joe and I have been looking for a house to rent. We just started this process so I have no idea if we will have any luck finding a place. I also have no idea when we will move out but what I do know is we want to find a place in the Auburn area or in any of the surrounding cities.

Joe starts school on the 19th. Time needs to speed up. The faster he starts the faster he gets his degree and hopefully hired. We want a lot of things (like a dog, car, dream house, no biggie) and we kinda need a good paying job to get them. So time please fly by!

Joe's sister Joy came to the house today with her two cute boys, Sam and Issac. Sam showed Brady how to go potty like a "big boy". Sam asked Brady to sit on the potty so Sam could see if Brady was a "big boy" too. Brady tried his hardest and went pee in the potty! We were so proud and he was sure proud of himself. I think I need to borrow Sam for a couple months so I can potty train Brady!

I am trying to find an activity or a craft to do to keep myself busy. With not having our own place and being surrounded by my sweet husband all day everudayI have found myself going insane from time to time. If anyone knows of any ideas please send me pictures of your cute crafts so I can copy you haha!

New look

2011-08-31T11:59:00.001-07:00

I needed a change so I asked my mom to put highlights in my hair. I think I will put more in about a week or so. What do you think? Go a little lighter or does dark look better?

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Tent play

2011-08-30T22:04:00.001-07:00

Joe got the tent out to play in the back yard. The kids thought it was fun. We have been wanting to go camping lately, once the kids get a little older we will go. Maybe next year, back yard is better than nothing.

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Green hat and red balloon.

2011-08-30T22:00:00.001-07:00

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Sand sculptures

2011-08-30T21:58:00.001-07:00

Joe, the kids, and I met up with beth in federal way to see some really cool sand sculptures. My fav is the owl lady.

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first of many

2011-08-30T21:44:00.001-07:00

I am behind on my blog posts. I was looking at all the pictures on my phone and I realized I have alot that I want to blog about. Here is the first of many.

Grandma Johnson gave Brady and Connor a little motorcycle. They thought it was so fun! Thanks grandma!

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5 years married

2011-08-19T16:18:00.001-07:00

And still as immature as the day we tied the knot. Happy 5 years!

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Family Photos July 2011

2011-08-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

We had family photos done when we went to Idaho in July.

I think they turned out cute.

I like the rustic look.

Now all I need is some money so I can print these out and frame them. Hurry and get done with school hun! ;)

The Bell Family

My family with mom Mom, Mallory, and my Dad.

Oh and another cute one of Brady. I have the cutest little boys!

Rattlesnake Ridge with my Cuz

2011-08-17T10:58:00.001-07:00

My cousin Audrey and I went on a beautiful hike up in North Bend. It was a nice challenging hike!

I have been trying to be super active this summer. I really am trying to lose weight and it's nice to get out of the house and get a break from the kids. Hopefully the 30 pounds I'm planning on losing comes off fast, I won't be able to be so active once joe starts school. Wish me luck!

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More pictures of Cousins.

2011-08-11T15:34:00.000-07:00

It has been so fun having family around the past two weeks. Lance and Mandi came with their four kids, Karl and Karen came with their 3 kids, Randy and Alicia came with their two kids, Joy and Matt and their two kids, and Ben and Casey and their four kids have all come from different areas and states to come visit. Brady and Connor have been having so much fun with cousins. We don't want the fun to end! Everyone went to their homes except Karl, Karen, and their three cute girls. I'm sure they would rather play with some of their girl cousins but Brady is having a blast playing with them. Brady will be one sad little boy when the house is empty again.

Connor and Audrey

2011-08-11T15:12:00.001-07:00

Connor loves his 5 year old cousin Audrey. Connor thinks she is especially fun when she picks him up and runs. They are so cute!

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Hunting crabs

2011-08-11T15:08:00.001-07:00

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Ferry

2011-08-11T15:03:00.001-07:00

We took a ferry to Seattle with joes brothers lance and karl and their families. It was fun, the boys loved it.

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2011-08-08T16:10:00.001-07:00

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More cousin fun

2011-08-08T12:20:00.001-07:00

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Playing with Cousins

2011-08-07T13:48:00.001-07:00

This week Brady and Connor have been playing with cousins from Utah and Renton, Wa. non stop this week. Today some more cousins from Oregon and Virginia are here. That's 17 little cousins running around, not including my two. Today we will have 14 adults and 19 kids (i think, my math might be off by a kid or two haha). Anyways, busy house this week. I will take lots more pictures!

Here are the kids at the M's game.

Sydney, Sam, Anna, and Brady

Connor, Syd, and Anna.

Connor and Grandma

Anna, Eathan, Sydney, Connor, and Brady at the park.

Anna, Syd, and Connor.

Connor and Elizabeth. I got to meet my cute little niece for the first time last week. She might just be the cutest little thing in this world.

Space museum.

Yes he did hit her right after I took the picture. Sorry Elizabeth.

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Tie and pajamas kind of a day.

2011-08-01T08:38:00.001-07:00

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Meet "Sponge" and "Bob"

2011-07-31T13:45:00.001-07:00

Our new family pet fish. Brady has been really missing max lately so we thought 30 cent fish are just as good as a puppy, at least to a two year old.

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Yum

2011-07-31T09:15:00.001-07:00

I have become obsessed with fat free greek yogurt, mixed in with aguave, low fat granola, and fresh fruit. Makes for a yummy breakfast..

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Idaho 2011

2011-07-26T15:50:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of our idaho trip. We stayed for a week, it was nice to see my family. Some of the highlights of last week are...

Drove to boise, made it at 2 am. Connor cried til 4am.

Had family pictures done. Super excited to get those, my kids actually smiled!

We went to a huge water park in Rexburg. Brady had fun in the water!

We ate cupcakes. Yum.

We got to visit the rexburg temple. I wish I could have taken a picture of the temple at night, it's amazing.

Went to ashton to visit my grandma howell. We went to mesa falls to see the waterfalls, very beautiful. On our way out we stopped at the city drug store to drink some malts. Found out we are related to the girl making the drinks. Everytime we visit ashton we find out we find someone new we are related to.

Thursday we went to Max inn to float a 5mile river on tubes. It was fun when the sun was out. Most of the time we were freezing but we all got sun burnt. Joe and I got to meet a moose up close, I almost peed my pants out of fear, those things are mean. Joe jumped off his tube and quickly moved us away from the moose. That was crazy! 4 hours later I was able to defrost my bones in the car. It took me two days to recover from the river, 4 hours of pattling and running in the river took a toll on my body.

A dog that looked just like max kept following us all week. I wanted to take him home. He was a nice verson of max. We miss max.

We drove to joe's sisters house in spokane and stayed there for a night. Brady loves her house, he keeps asking if he can go back.

It was really great to see my family from wisconsin and nevada. I am sad that we had to leave but I am glad to be home.

Joe starts school in a couple months and I'm so exited for him to become an air traffic controller. I can't wait for this next phase in our lives to begin!

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we did it!

2011-07-10T08:48:00.001-07:00

We moved to federal way! This is hopefully a temporary home, when joe starts school in a couple months we should be moving out. The kids did great yesterday. Brady got to ride in the big uhaul with dad, he was so exited! Connor went with me, he was a happy guy as usual.

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Let the moving begin!

2011-07-08T13:37:00.001-07:00

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Naughty

2011-07-08T13:35:00.001-07:00

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NOOO!!

2011-07-06T18:24:00.001-07:00

I am have been packing and cleaning and I often think to myself "this place is in good shape, I dobt we will have to pay forest city when we move". Tonight that all changed. Our bbq caught on fire and melted the side of our house. I wonder how much this is going to cost us! Last time I grill hotdogs. Grr.

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Back to school.

2011-07-05T21:42:00.000-07:00

Joe is now an official college student again. He is going to Green River Community College this fall. He is taking four classes at 5 credits each. A 20 credit class load will keep him busy. He is doing the Associates in applied science Air Traffic Control program. You usually would need a four year degree to get hired as an air traffic controller but he will just need to finish this 98 credit program and hopefully get hired soon after. We are thinking the school will only take him a year or a year and a half at the longest. He will also have his associated degree. We have some friends that work at the auburn airport so hopefully we can get some help from them. I feel good about all of the changes happening to our family. We are thankful for everything the navy has given us and we are excited for joe to become a veteran and get the benefits of a vet. The G.I. Bill is going to be really nice, free schooling is awesome. So wish us luck!

What we are doing in July..

2011-07-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting for you july. I am totally excited for a bundle of fun things to come this month.

4th of July was super fun. My mom, dad, and sister drove up to see us. We watched a parade and went to a carnival. I was really fun. I thought it was really cool when my dad went on a "scary" ride that I wouldn't even go on. The next day my family helped us pack up our house.

9th of July is the day we move out of our townhouse. Lots of cleaning and moving that day. Hopefully we can find some help or its going to be a long day.

14th of July is Joe's 26th birthday! Joe has to stay in oak harbor on the 14th be because he needs to be on base on the 15th so he can check out of the navy, I feel bad he will be by himself on his birthday, sorry Joe.

15th of July is Joe's last day of being an airman in the united states navy. Yes!

16th of July we are driving to idaho. I'm super excited to visit my family!

30th of July my cousin Audrey gets married! I'm excited to bake and frost cupcakes, visit family, and eat some good BBQ!

Yay for july!

Connor is a sad baby...

2011-07-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

Little Addyson, his girlfriend, left today to live in Idaho. I always knew that when your in the navy you make friends and then there comes a time where you have to leave them. I didn't realize how hard it is to become so close to a family and then to watch them leave. Joe and Josh joined the navy at the same time. They went to boot camp together in Chicago. I remember Joe telling me about Josh, he said that "you would approve of me being friends with Josh, he is a good guy" Joe told me that he had a girlfriend that was in high school and they were soon going to be married. Josh married Samantha and moved to Oak Harbor. I met Samantha the day we moved in to our first house over here. I was so jealous of her cute tan little body and blonde hair. We started to become best friends after that day. We went to drive-inn movies almost every week. Samantha found out she was pregnant and I was so excited for her. Josh called me and wanted me to come over just to tell him the test was positive. I was making fun of them, telling them to kiss sleeping goodbye. About two weeks later I found out I was pregnant-total shock to all of us. Maybe it was karma for making fun of Josh, I don't know. That night after I was done crying we went to a drive-inn movie and I was excited to be pregnant at the same time as Samantha. We were pregnancy buddies. Samantha had Addyson Sage 3 weeks early and I was so mad! I just figured that since she had her baby I would get mine. A month later I had Connor. Connor, Brady, and Addyson became best biddies. They have played together most days of this last year. I have watched Addy from minutes after her birth to playing at her first birthday party. It's kinda crazy to think that we all entered the navy at the same time, had our babies a month apart, and now they are done with the navy and in two weeks we will be. I think that we all met for a reason and I am so blessed that we have had the Stuarts in our lives. I hope we keep in touch and see them again. It makes me sad that I won't get to see baby Addy grow up, but I'm glad that her family will get to see them.

I will miss you guys, I already to, I'm bored on my computer and I can't text you and ask if you want to go on a walk.
I hope you have a safe drive to Idaho,
I hope to see you soon!
Bye Stuart family!

Here are some random pictures of the past year:

One

2011-06-25T21:45:00.000-07:00

One Day

One Week

One Month

One Year Turned out pretty cute, don't you think?

Last Drive-Inn with the Stuarts.

2011-06-25T21:34:00.001-07:00

We went to the drive-inn movies last night with the Stuarts. I have a lot of memories of all of us at the Blue Fox Drive-inn. We have been watching movies here for years. The day I found out I was pregnant with Connor we went to the drive-inn. We were at the drive-inn when my friend Samantha went into labor. We go almost every other week. We went last night to see Cars 2. It was a cute movie. The kids were tired and hard to handle but it was fun to get out. last night was the last time we got to go with the Stuarts. They are moving back to Idaho next week. We are really sad about this. Who is Brady going to kiss and who is going to fight Connor over a blankie? We are going to miss those crazy Stuart folks.

Little Red Wagon

2011-06-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

We love our new wagon from Papa and Grandma Howell!
Thanks again parents!

Today we threw Connor a "little red wagon" birthday party.
It was fun to have some family and friends over.
Thanks for all of you that came!
We ate hot dogs, cheeseburgers, assortment of salads, and cupcakes.
I was proud of my chocolate cupcakes with red wagon oreos. They were fun to make.
Here are some pictures of today:

ABC's of ME

2011-06-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

It's a boring morning so here is a random post!

ABC's of ME

Age:24

Bed Size: king

Chore you hate: dishes

Dogs: none.. I miss my puppy Max :(

Essential start of your day: Wash my face and brush teeth!

Favorite Color: probably green

Gold or silver: I like both but I defiantly wear more silver!

Height: 5'8"

Instruments I play (or have played):I played the piano twice, yes twice.

Job Title: mom

Kids: Brady two and a half and Connor is one TODAY!

Live: Oak Harbor

Mom's Name: Trista

Nickname: used to be howeller..now it's just mom

Overnight hospital stays: when I had my babies.

Pet Peeve: using my nails to scratch backs.

Quote from a movie: "Jeepers mister, you're strong!" -Hercules

Right or left handed: right

Siblings: twin sister

Time you wake up: 6-7:30

Ultracool: yes.

Vegetables you dislike: eggplant

What makes you run late: in the mornings - kids

X-rays you've had done: teeth, leg, and lungs.

Yummy food you make: Um.. I love to bake.

Zoo animal: I like the monkeys

Walks by the ocean

2011-06-23T20:16:00.003-07:00

Today I decided to take some pictures of me walking. I have been walking everyday by the ocean. I love this place, I'm going to really miss my daily walks to the water. These pictures are what I see everday. Today I saw a bald eagle sitting on a log in the water, you can't see it very well it was a little far away but still cool to see!

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Brady

2011-06-22T14:29:00.001-07:00

Just felt like posting a cute picture!

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First steps!

2011-06-21T15:59:00.001-07:00

This little turtle took three steps today!

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Little Red Wagon-

2011-06-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

My Mom and Dad gave Connor this cute red wagon for his birthday. He loves it! Brady might love it more but that's OK! It can be Brady's too! Thanks Mom and Dad!

Connor Turns one on the 24Th so he's not one until Friday but we thought we would celebrate a little early with some family. We are planning a little red wagon BBQ for Connor this Saturday the 25Th. It's mostly a little get together with some friends and family to celebrate Joe getting out of the navy and us leaving Oak Harbor. I haven't officially invited anyone just if you think you might be in the area or you would love to come visit us in Oak harbor let me know and I will give you some info on our little BBQ. We love when friends and family come and visit!

2011-06-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

We threw Connor a little B-day Party. It was fun to see im eat cake. He loved it! Thanks Johnson Family!

Maxie Bear

2011-06-14T19:32:00.000-07:00

Today was our last day with Max. Today was really hard for all of us. We know letting Max go is for the best. We don't have to worry about him biting anyone and we can finally have friends over. Today was a very sad and painful day for me. I had to go to the dentist and get four fillings. I have eight total, yes eight. I snuggled with Max and cried for the rest of the day. We took Max to the dog part to let him sprint around and go on his last walk with us. It was really hard to look back at those eyes and say goodbye. I will miss him so much. Today sucked and I'm hoping things get easier soon.

Our Mini Vacation

2011-06-11T17:17:00.000-07:00

Joe and I had a lot of fun at the tulalip casino. We went shopping at the outlet mall, walked around wal-mart, ate at the big buffet, and even had some room service of Asian chicken lettuce wraps. Yum! Thanks again Darlene and Ashley for watching our kids, I'm sure it was really fun hearing Connor scream at 3 in the morning! Sorry for that!

Once I got home I knew I needed to walk off all the fatty foods I had the night before. I have been walking a lot lately. Losing weight and being in the sun has been good to me. I feel a lot better about myself when I get out. I am going to really miss walking along the water. I am starting to get really sad about moving away from Oak Harbor. I will miss this place.

Random cute pictures

2011-06-07T21:32:00.000-07:00

Dad and Brady about to go down the slide.
Connor hates the grass.
Beth came to visit us! I miss her already!
My favorite 3 boys in this world.

Future baseball stud
yummy
This is what Connor looks like when he first wakes up. Joe also looks like this when he wakes up.
More baseball..
We love Connor smiles

My sweet sabotaging husband.

2011-06-07T13:09:00.001-07:00

Joe knows that I'm a sucker for cupcakes. Everytime I'm sad he gets me a cupcake to cheer me up. Today he brought me home two cupcakes, normally I am totally excited but today I wasn't. We recently started a weight loss challenge, whoever loses the most weight by july 15 (the day joe gets out of the navy and the day before we go to Id. for a family reunion and pictures) and whoever wins gets to sleep in for a week. My husband is out to sabotage me and he even admitted it! Shame on you Joe!

And yes, I ate them. Dang it!

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goodbye kids, hello tulalip resort...

2011-06-06T07:52:00.000-07:00

Lately things have been kinda stressful, well maybe more than kinda stressful and I think I had my breaking point the other night. Joe and I finally decided we need a getaway day trip. Joe called his mom to see if there was any way she could watch the kids for us just for a night. Of course she said yes and she is going to bring along my little sis-in-law Ashley. I am so happy they are willing to drive two hours just to give Joe and I a little break from our stressful lives. Joe's family are the most caring and giving people I know. I am so lucky to have them as my in-laws! So this Friday Joe hopefully wont have to work (If there is no DUI's for 60 days the sailors get a day off, so lets hope nobody gets a DUI now til Friday) and we will be going to the Tulalip resort. Joe and I don't gamble but we love how nice the resort is and we usually just walk around and look at all the lights, maybe we will do a little shopping at the outlet mall. Hopefully I can relax and forget about all the drama in my life. I can't wait until Friday!

Joe got the word that July 15th the day he will get discharged honorably from the navy. We have a family reunion that starts the 16th in Idaho so we will be driving to Idaho the day after he gets out. I'm excited to see my family. My cousin just had a baby girl and I am dying to go hold her and my grandpa recently was diagnosed with stage 4 bladder cancer, it will be nice to go visit him and let him see his cute great-grand babies. Joe gets 10 days of free leave before he gets discharged so I guess his last day will be July 5th. We are moving into Joe's parents house probably the 12th or 13th and Joe will just have to come back to base on the 15th to check out. I am going to look around for apartments or a house to rent but for now we are planning on staying at Joe's parents. We can't bring Max with us because he will bite anyone that comes in the house that isn't family, Darlene has students coming in and out all the time so there is just no way we can have him. I have been calling shelters and nobody will take him because he is aggressive, they said if they did take him they would just put him down. I think our only option is to put him down. We would rather have Joe hold him and put him down than him be terrified and have some stranger put him down. If we cant find a place for him to go then I think Joe will take him to the vet and put him down. We have until around July 10th to find a place for him. Max is a very sweet dog to those he knows. He has been there for Joe and I in our most darkest times. I think the day we have to let him go will be a very sad day, especially for Joe. Max is Joe's third son. We will be in bed crying all day. But it has to be done. We don't have social lives because we don't want to deal with max trying to kill everybody. It will be nice to be able to invite friends over and not worry about him. I will miss my Maxie Bear.
Here is a picture of my cousins little girl Sophia, she is the cutest little thing! She was blessed by my grandpa yesterday, I wish I could have been there!

2011-05-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

The kids are all packed up! Time to ship them off to Grandmas!

Time to Start Packing!

2011-05-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

Joe got the word that we will be moving in a month! He also found out that they will be paying him for his two-weeks of vacation he has saved up and they are giving him 10 days of paid "finding a home/job time". I'm really glad I get a solid 10 days of help from Joe. The Navy is also paying us to move home! I'm super excited about that! Time to start packing!

11 months old

2011-05-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

Connor turned 11 months yesterday. I can't believe he is almost one! Connor is such a happy little guy. He is super attached to his mommy. Connor loves to play patty cake, sing songs, and his all time favorite is to climb up the stars. The baby gate is his biggest enemy. Connor can say mama, dada, uh oh, ahchoo (pretends to sneeze), baba, and he usually tries to mimic any word we are saying. He is always watching his older brother and following him all over the place. Connor and Brady are starting to play together and also fight with one another. We love our little con man.

Thinking..

2011-05-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

I am a little stressed out right now. This is what I am constantly thinking...

This one is a biggie, when are we moving? They said 30-90 days but nobody will give any answers! I guess the navy is famous for that. I like to think the official motto of the navy is "hurry up and wait".

What G.I. bill should we use? chapter 30 (Montgomery) or chapter 33 (post 9\11)?
That's one of my problems with all the paperwork of the navy, everything has numbers and its extremely confusing to me! Yesterday I called the Green River Veterans office and they told me to apply for the g.i. bill now because it takes 10-12 weeks to just apply for it. Joe did that last night and he also applied to be a student at Green River. I'm glad we at least got two of the million steps done of this whole moving process. Our plan is to have Joe start this fall semester and he will be doing the Air Traffic Control (associate in applied science) program. Usually to be hired as an ATC you have to have a four-year degree but we are lucky and Green River has a two-year program and he will be able to get hired hopefully soon after.We are also lucky because there are only two schools for this program and the other one is on the east coast and the closest one is in Auburn! We just so happen to be moving to Auburn! We have some good friends that are also ATC and hopefully they will help us along this process.

I need to start packing up my house. I am having a hard time writing this post because a baby and a little boy keep yelling at me and jumping on me. I think getting boxes out (play toys in their eyes) and packing them would be hard. I wish I could just hire a bunch of people to come pack up everything but that might be pretty pricey and we need all the money we can get right now.

My house needs to be deep-cleaned. The company that owns the military housing we live in is known to find every single little flaw with the houses and makes you pay. Like if you have a tiny stain on the carpet they make you replace the carpet, or if your garage is dirty they make you pay for it to be pressure washed, there are lots of stories and it scares me. We already have a lot to pay for, like the moving truck and storage units, we can't afford to pay 900 dollars to replace the carpets. I hired my sister for a day a couple weeks ago to come help me clean and I am thinking I might do that again, I feel like every time I clean something it gets dirty 20 minutes later by my two little mess makers.

I need to make a bridal shower cake in the shape of a pink dress. I hope I don't mess it up. I think that this will be fun, we will see how it turns out.

I need to lose weight, but this is always on my mind. I wish it wasn't but it is.

Connor turns one in exactly one month. I'm excited for his little party but I get sad that he is growing up so fast. I want him to just stay my little baby for a little bit longer.

Overall I am excited to get out of the navy and move on with our lives.
I just need to relax and take it one day at a time!

Week at my parents..

2011-05-18T10:51:00.001-07:00

Connor had his first hair cut. I trimmed the hawk and cut the mullet (Joe wasn't happy about this)

We had our community garage sale. Joe and I sold hot dogs, we did pretty well!

Joe's mom and sister helped bake for our little bake sale. Thank you so much! I was glad to see my friend Sam and her little girl come for the weekend!

I am really happy top be back in Oak Harbor. Connor doesn't sleep at my parents house so it was a rough week. The weekend was even more stressful with the garage sale and some other things. One trip to the Doctor and a day of my husband spoiling me with cupcakes and back rubs I am back to normal. Thanks Joe!

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Navy Life Coming to An End

2011-05-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

Today is Military Spouse Appreciation Day. I have been a Navy wife for a about 3 years now and I do have a lot of respect for our armed forces, a lot more than I did before we embarked in this adventure. The Navy has been good to us. It helped us feed and clothes our kids. I think I had to pay twenty dollars to have my babies, for that I am grateful. Our time in the navy is coming to an end, in 30-90 days we will no longer be a navy family. Joe was able to get an "early out" and get out of the navy two years early. We chose to get out because Joe knows that the navy isn't in his future and why waste the next two years when he would be done with school by the time he gets out. I do realize that our pay will end and our free health care, housing, and perks will end. But we will be stuck in this same situation in two years. It will be really hard but we have great support from our parents. Joe qualifies for 100% of his G.I. benefits so he will be using the G.I. bill to go to school to become an Air Traffic Controller. The school is a year and a half to two years. The next two years will be hard but I think its the right thing to do for the future of our family.

Thanks Navy, I wont miss you!

In honor of Military appreciation day I am posting a talk from Master Chief Petty officer West.

WASHINGTON (NNS) — Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON)(SS/SW) Rick D. West and his wife, Bobbi, Ombudsman-at-Large, released the following Military Spouse Appreciation Day message to the Fleet May 6.

“Shipmates and families,

Bobbi and I would like to say thank you to all Navy spouses and families for your steadfast support of your Sailor, our great Navy and our nation.

We know that the lives of a Navy spouse and Navy family are unlike any other. The Navy asks for you to give us your husbands, wives, sons and daughters for months at a time. The Navy asks for your support and understanding of weekend duty, deployments, missed holidays and birthdays, and we owe you a huge debt for the sacrifices you make.

Your role in your Sailor’s life and the Navy is vitally important to family readiness and has a direct impact on your Sailor, their job satisfaction, performance and retention. A strong family support structure enables your Sailor to excel both personally and professionally. Our Navy simply would not be the Global Force for Good it is without your contributions.

Communication is key. It’s important that you stay engaged with your Sailor and your Sailor’s command through your ombudsman and family readiness groups, as well as each other. We encourage you to take advantage of the numerous command, and fleet and family support center Web sites available, as well as Facebook pages and other media to stay up-to-date on the issues. Through these channels, you will be better connected to the programs and policies that affect your lives as Navy spouses.

Thank you, spouses and families, for what you do every day and for your continued service and dedication to your Sailor, our Navy and the United States of America.

Very Respectfully,
MCPON and Bobbi”

Potty Training

2011-05-06T10:14:00.001-07:00

Brady never wants to sit on the potty. I will try to bribe him with treats but he doesn't care. He doesn't care that all of his older cousins use the "big boy potty". What do I do? I really can't stand his diapers anymore and I need to get him potty trained asap. I have decided to only give him treats if he uses the potty. I will have snack time full of healthy snacks but the candy and cookies are for him if he sits and at least tries to potty. Do you think it will work? Any advise would be great!

Brady loves baseball

2011-05-03T19:15:00.001-07:00

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2011-05-03T08:07:00.000-07:00

I have been attempting to go on a dairy and gluten free diet for the last week or so, I'm thinking I can't do it. I have gained weight and I have way less energy. I have two small little boys, I need the energy to get me through the day. So anyways, I'm going back to my diet of wheat pasta and low-fat healthy foods. Maybe if my RA gets worse I will have to change my diet but for right now I will not be following my Doctors orders. It's just too expensive and I miss good tasting food. I kinda took a break from loosing weight for a little bit but I am jumping back on the wagon today. I need to take advantage of our wonderful gym right by my house. I am wanting to lose 20 more pounds. Every ten pounds I lose I will blog about (it helps me lose weight if I can blog). Wish me luck!

Gluten free cupcakes

2011-05-02T10:06:00.001-07:00

I made some gluten free cupcakes today. They turned out really well! I love cupcakes!

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Connor Birthday photo shoot

2011-05-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

I wanted to get a couple pictures of Connor so I can put them on his first birthday invites.

It went really well...

That was a lie, It was horrible.

I finally gave up and went home..He did a little better.

I will be trying this again on the next sunny day.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2011-05-02T07:43:00.000-07:00

We celebrated my moms birthday on Saturday because her birthday is next Sunday (mothers day) and Joe has to work so we can't come see her. She was very happy to get her much wanted Ipad. Happy Birthday Mom!

Holland Happening 2011

2011-05-02T07:34:00.000-07:00

Oak Harbor throws a Holland Happening celebration every year. It is a fun time with a parade, carnival, and a street fair. My family came and stayed with us for a couple days. We met up with the Stuarts, it was a fun!

Question

2011-04-27T11:27:00.001-07:00

Is it time to cut the hawk?

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2011-04-26T17:06:00.000-07:00

Today was a bad day. I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis. Great...

On the bright side. We found out that Joe will not deploy for 8 months. This makes me happy.

Easter Weekend!

2011-04-25T07:49:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was so fun! Brady went to his first Easter egg hunt at my moms community. It was really fun for him!

Many cute faces of Connor. He thought it was fun to watch brother find eggs.

After the egg hunt I went to my moms house and made a bunny cake.
Then got the kids ready for the Mariner game!
Brady was so excited to watch the game!

Honoring military appreciation night.
Sam Sam
William
Henry
Addy. So I kinda took a lot of pictures of Addy, that's because she is so stinking cute and because she was sitting right in front of me.
Many faces of Brady

Brady and Sam kissing haha.

We had to leave a little early from the game because our kids were starting to have some major meltdowns. It was a super fun night! Thanks Mom and Dad!

Sunday morning Brady woke up and found his basket. It took him a little bit to come upstairs because when I told him the Easter bunny came last night he said, "No way!" Brady is deathly afraid of the Easter Bunny, along with Santa, The Red Robin bird, or any person wearing a big fluffy costume.

After Church we had a big Easter dinner. It was fun to be surrounded by family and tons and tons of yummy food.
After dinner the kids played some games and had their last Easter egg hunt.
Hope you all had a great Easter!

2011-04-23T08:27:00.001-07:00

Joe- man that guy is giving you the cutie eye.
Me-no he's not, he's looking at you.
Joe-why would he be looking at me? I'm a guy.
Me-why would he be looking at me, I'm not wearing any makeup.
Joe- uhhh, ya that's true

Rude.

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Photo shoot with mom

2011-04-22T09:52:00.000-07:00

Brady is getting so big. I can't believe he is almost two and a half. Brady say's the funniest things. Right now he is obsessed with "Go, Go, Go!" (Go Diego Go) and "Hop Hop's" (Easter bunnies) but his obsessions change every month. Brady especially is obsessed with his Daddy. Every morning he wakes up and asks me where Dad is. Whenever Joe is gone Brady assumes his daddy is on a boat somewhere. Brady desperately wants to ride on Dada's boat. Brady calls himself "you's" and he still calls Connor "hi" and Max "buzz". He's a funny little boy. We love him.

Yesterday I told in a post that Connor was almost crawling, well he is now crawling. Connor likes to play with toys and to be held by mommy-all day long.

Connor is so cute. I just can't get enough of this little monkey!

Almost 10 months old.

2011-04-21T12:33:00.001-07:00

My sweet little baby Connor is 10 months old in three days, He is growing up way too fast! In two months he will be a year and I have a problem with this. He is now army crawling and almost full on crawling. I want him to stay my cute little blue eyed blonde baby forever.

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More tulip pictures

2011-04-17T00:08:00.001-07:00

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Tulip festival

2011-04-16T21:51:00.001-07:00

Today we went to the tulip festival. It was really neat seeing all the the pretty tulips and other flowers. It was cold today but this years weather turned out better than last years, I was very very pregnant and it was raining last time. We bought some popcorn and tulips. It was a good day.

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Brady

2011-04-12T14:30:00.001-07:00

Loves to get his hair cut from Gamma.

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2011-04-07T11:36:00.001-07:00

We spent a couple days at joes parents last weekend and Brady got to play with his cousin Sam a lot. Brady loves playing with Sam, even if they fight half the time they are around eachother!

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