Georgia On My Mind

We are still here...just busy!

2012-02-02T16:56:00.000-06:00

I got on the laptop today that has the blog as the homepage...and noticed I haven't posted since Jan. 1st!! OOPS!! It's just been a busy time, and we haven't been on any trips lately, so I just get bogged down in "normal" life and forget to update the blog...sorry...will try to do better!

Update on us...January has been pretty busy, but pretty uneventful. We survived R's first TDY back to the States, leaving us here alone in Germany for a week. No major issues while he was gone, so that was great!

We have been househunting, and found a new home to move into. We continue to have issues with our current landlord. We move to our "new" home in February...so we have a lot of work in our future. But I think it will be a better home for us, and definitely a better landlord situation.

The girls got semester report cards this week, and they both have all A's & B's. Yay girls!

Little R continues to attend German kindergarten, and continues to refuse to speak any German!! : )

And that's about it..."normal" life for us! But I will leave you with one little tidbit of how my day went today....

Germans like "see thru" stairs in their homes. In ALL their homes! I despise the "see thru" stairs for a number of reasons: the cat fell through them her first day here (still have no idea how she wasn't injured); fear that 4-yr old boy will fall through them at least 20 times a day; dirt and dust collects underneath the stairs in the basement, because it all falls through from the upper floors; and there are others, but that is all I can think of right now. But today an event occurred that caused me to despise the see-thru stairs EVEN MORE!!

Imagine an active 4-yr old boy, who is always busy. Usually too busy to go to the bathroom until the VERY last second! Imagine this 4-yr old boy, pulling down his pants & underwear to his ankles and running for the 1st floor bathroom. Now imagine that 14-yr old sister is in that bathroom with door locked! 4-yr old boy then realizes his only hope is to get to the 2nd floor bathroom in like 10 SECONDS!! Imagine 4-yr old boy walking upstairs (with his pants & underwear still at his ankles, hindering his progress). About halfway up the stairs to the 2nd floor...TOO LATE...peeing EVERYWHERE!! Imagine this would be bad enough if it was normal stairs...it would be puddling and running down the stairs. But NO...in the world of "see thru" stairs it is puddling...then running down between the stairs to next stairway below, all the way down to the basement. As the pee runs through the stairs, it is hitting the basement floor with such force (remember it is coming from almost the 2nd floor) that it is splattering everywhere downstairs!! Have I mentioned we use the space under the stairs for storage??? PEE EVERYWHERE...on the stairs, running through the stairs, and hitting the basement floor and splattering ALL OVER everything!!!! Ummm....yeah....that was fun to clean up...

And there you have it...you are updated! : ) Never a dull moment in the Willis household! : )

Little R's got moves!

2012-01-01T16:04:00.000-06:00

We went bowling for A's birthday. It was our first time EVER bowling as a family! We weren't sure how little R would like it, but he LOVED it! He loved the bowling, he loved looking at the scoreboard, and he LOVED the music! Several times he just started dancing...busting out moves we have never seen before! It was quite entertaining!!

I didn't get video of some of the best moves...but here is a small sample of his skills! Hope you enjoy them half as much we did!!

Happy Birthday A!!!!

2011-12-28T16:56:00.000-06:00

I think everyone remembers what they were doing on Sept. 11, 2001. It is a day we will probably never forget. After watching the news all morning, hearing and seeing terrible things, we went to a doctor's appointment, and learned that we were expecting a baby GIRL in just a few months. Seeing that baby on the ultrasound screen gave us hope and determination. We weren't sure what kind of world she was going to be born into, but we knew we were going to do our best to love and protect her!

Three months later, A was born after only 3 hours of (virtually painless) labor and delivery. She weighed a whopping 9 lbs 5 oz!! She came out screaming, and didn't stop!! There was no doubt her lungs were great!!

We took this big 'ol baby home, thinking we were experienced parents. After a few days we were frazzled, wondering what in the world we were doing! She was fussy ALL the time!! She wouldn't go to anyone but me! And she had a 4-yr old big sister who had been so excited to have a baby sister...and she was sorely disappointed!! We had several diagnoses...colic, reflux, milk allergy...but overall we just had one unhappy baby!

As the months went on, we figured her out a bit more. She loved structure and routine. She thrived with a schedule. She still only wanted Mommy most of the time, but she was happy when I was around. She still stayed sick a lot, and we still didn't know why...

She LOVED her big sister!! I had a hard time finding pictures of A alone...she always had T in the picture with her!!

She is our fashion diva! She LOVES to dress up! Most of the pictures I found of her, she was playing in "dress up" clothes, or in perfectly accessorized outfits!

OH, those curls!! When they first started showing up, we were intrigued! As her hair got curlier and curlier, they became a challenge!! But I wouldn't change them...she's just not A without her curls!!

A was the baby of our family for almost 6 years! But when baby R came along, she stepped up into her role as big sister in a BIG way! She never showed any jealousy toward him, and just loved him from the first time she saw him!

A has always been a "princess". It started out with dress up clothes, a love of Disney princesses, and has evolved into a love of all things girly!! (Much to the dismay of her "not so girly" big sister).

A tried several sports through the years, and enjoyed most of them. But when she started cheer and dance, she found her true talent!! She just glows when she puts that uniform on!! She can learn a dance routine in no time!! And she is willing to work hard to get it right!! She is great at it, and loves doing it!

She has been our little high-maintenace diva from day one! Fast forward 10 years...and while she has changed a lot, she is still very much the same!!

She still loves structure and routine. She wants to know what to expect in her life.

She loves music, and reading, and dancing!!

She is NOT shy! She can go in a room of strangers, and come out with a new friend in no time! She willingly went into the little cafe here in our town ALONE and ordered pizza...in GERMAN!!

She loves keeping her things organized and neat. (I LOVE this trait in her!)

She loves to go shopping!! (I LOVE this trait, also!)

She is a perfectionist in pretty much everything she does. If she is going to do something, she wants to be able to do it right.

She is very good with her little brother. I think she will definitely be a Mommy someday...she has a love for kids that we see everyday in her interaction with little R.

Mommy is still probably number one on her "favorite people" list!

She is still a vegetarian. Doctors told me repeatedly from about the age of 2 on that she would grow out of it...ummm...nope, never grew out of it! : )

She is all DRAMA!! If she is happy, she is REALLY happy! If she is sad, she is REALLY sad! If she is mad, she is REALLY mad...and this one can happen in a flash! It doesn't take much!!

All in all, she is a very special dynamic in our family! There is definitely no one on earth just like our A! We are so grateful to have her in our family, and we can't wait to see the impact she makes in this world!

For her birthday A wanted a cake from the German bakery, and she wanted to spend the day at Sensapolis. When we went to pick up the cake we had ordered from the German bakery, they didn't have it! (STRIKE 1) We went to the commissary and picked up a last minute cake, then drove over to Sensapolis. It was WAY crowded, so we decided to leave and come back another time. (STRIKE 2) We decided we would go bowling on post...drove over there and they were closed for another hour (STRIKE 3). We decided to wait the hour, and finally we were able to go bowling and have pizza. Then we went home and had birthday cake. A likes things to be planned...but she rolled with it this time, and we had a great time celebrating her birthday!

Looke at that form! : )

The "last minute" birthday cake!

A reading her certificate stating that she could order the American Girl doll of her dreams! She was SO excited!!

We had a great time celebrating your birthday, A!! We love you, and we love watching you take on this big 'ol world! We can't wait to see what your future holds...pretty sure you have some amazing things in store!!

Candy Cane Jane

2011-12-25T15:57:00.000-06:00

We have been attending services at the Chapel on post. They were having auditions for a Christmas play, and A auditioned...and got the LEAD!! It took a lot of commitment...she worked very hard! And she did great! She had several solos during the musical, and some lengthy lines...and she didn't miss a single one! Good job, A!!

Our Candy Cane Jane!!

Decorating for Christmas

2011-12-25T10:18:00.000-06:00

It was lots of fun dragging out Christmas decorations this year. I have said before that our house here tends to feel modern and cold to me....but the Christmas decorations definitely gave it a "homey" feel!

Just like our Christmas tree, this is a collection of little items that the kids have either made for me, or given me as gifts over the years,or items we have picked up along the way. One of the little angel figures still has a 50 cent price tag on it! During the time it was out the last few weeks, both girls started to take the price tag off...I told them "NO, that's part of it's charm!"

We actually got several Christmas cards this year! I wasn't sure we would get any...so I was very excited when they started arriving! Receiving Christmas cards is one of my favorite parts of the Christmas season!!

Silly kids!

Attack of the little brother!! No one in this house can have their picture taken alone!! Not when he's around!!

Merry Christmas from the Willis Family!!

2011-12-24T14:29:00.000-06:00

Wishing all of our friends and family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! Whether you are near or far, please know you are in our thoughts this holiday season!

Someone Sampled the Christmas Tree....

2011-12-24T13:58:00.000-06:00

I walked downstairs the other day, and little R was standing in the living room spitting. I asked him what he had in his mouth, and he said, "Ooohh...it's yucky." I asked him again what was in his mouth, and he spit out something brown. I asked him again what it was...he went to the Christmas tree, and took off an ornament that was hanging on the tree. And this is what I saw.

We have had this ornament for YEARS!! It's a gingerbread ornament that one of the girls got so long ago that I don't remember exactly where it came from. It hasn't been broken in the many moves, and has hung proudly on our tree for years. But this year...a curious little boy thought it looked enough like a cookie, that he needed to give it a taste. He took one perfect bite from the corner...and he was sorely disappointed! I wanted to be mad...but all I could do was laugh...and get him something to drink to wash that horrible taste out of his mouth!! And I have to admit, I was even a little bit proud...we have been working on getting him to try new foods lately...and he did TRY it!!

Decorating the Tree

2011-12-24T06:53:00.000-06:00

I LOVE decorating the Christmas tree!! It is literally a walk down memory lane for us each time. Some people have beautiful Christmas trees, all in one theme or color. Ours is a hodgepodge of crafty ornaments made by the kids, ornaments for each of their first Christmases, some sent by friends, and even some that we have had since before R and I were even married! I am thankful for each ornament...and the memories that go along with them!!

This year the kids did most of the ornament hanging themselves! And they loved it! I didn't do much, except some rearranging once they were all finished. Their ornament placement wasn't quite perfect, especially little R...so I had to make a few adjustments! : )

And as usual, R put the angel on top of the tree! That is his only job in the decoration of the tree. And he was made for it...no stools required! : ) This year little R decided the angel needs a name, so he gave her the name Oatmeal...not sure why, but that's now her name!

Little R loved hanging the ornaments on the tree...it took lots of concentration!

The girls did a great job...and T can even reach all the high branches this year!

R putting the angel on the tree...she barely fits! We live in a multi-level home now, so our downstairs ceilings are lower than we are used to!

Let the Baking Begin!!!!

2011-12-19T17:08:00.000-06:00

For several years now, I have done some MAJOR Christmas baking. I usually make goodie bags for all the people that Rai works with, and then to our friends. Last year was my biggest year yet...I made TONS of goodie bags, full of TONS of different goodies!! And I had an amazing kitchen to do it in!

Fast forward to this year...fewer people to bake for (because we don't know very many people), and a MUCH smaller kitchen to work in....and limited resources at the commissary!! It definitely made the process more challenging, and for some reason nothing turned out quite as well...but after about 2 1/2 full days in the kitchen we ended up with lots of goodies!

We even delivered goodie bags to our German neighbors. It was very cute to see their reactions...they were shocked, amazed, and didn't know what to say to almost strangers bringing them a bag full of baked goods for Christmas!! We did discover that a few of them speak VERY good English...so that is good to know!! We know who to go to for translation help now!! : )

Christmas definitely feels different this year. We are missing our families, missing our friends, missing "home", missing Chick-Fil-A (oops, did I put that in writing?).

But one thing remains the same, and just as good as ever...we are celebrating the birth of our savior...whose birth changed our eternity...and we will be forever grateful for that...no matter what our circumstances happen to be!!

Sensapolis=AWESOME!!

2011-12-07T16:54:00.000-06:00

We discovered an awesome indoor adventure!! On Veteran's Day the girls were out of school and R was off work, so we had planned a trip to Heidelberg to see some castles. But the weather was cold and yucky, so we opted for indoor entertainment. We saw this place not long after we got to Germany, and I looked it up online, and it seemed amazing...so we decided to check it out!

It did not disappoint!! I have never seen anything like it! It is HUGE, and has TONS of stuff to do! Since it was an American holiday, all the German kids were in school. So it wasn't crowded at all, and the kids that were there were American kids...so we heard a lot of English...woohoo!!

All 3 of the kids (and Daddy) had a blast! I didn't participate in any of the craziness, but I enjoyed watching all of them!

I think we will definitely be going back here during the long winter!!

Waiting on lunch...they have a cafe, and an espresso bar!!

Still waiting, but happy!!

If you look way up in the rafters...there was a ropes course WAY up there! None of the Willis clan went up there..it was scaring us to see OTHER people up there!

They have a huge castle...with lots of different rooms and activities inside.

They had some CRAZY fast, high, steep slides!!

This is T going down the super steep, super fast slide!

Daddy and R on one of the slides...they loved this one!

R coming out of one of the long, fast, tube slides...completely dark until the end! He was feeling queasy after this!!

T coming out of the dark slide...she did it again!!

Part of the place is like a little science museum. They had all kinds of neat little experiments and optical illusions. This was a little maze with different types of terrain...shows how hard it is to get around in a wheelchair on all different types of surfaces.

A really had to think in order to make the turns!

T kept crashing into walls!

This was a cool room!! Probably the only time in their lives the kids will ever be even close to as tall as Daddy! And look at little R, all tall and handsome! : )

They have a HUGE pirate ship!! Little R is all about pirates and therefore pirate ships...but he thought this one was a little overwhelming...

They had lots of amazing slides! Our kids didn't venture down this one...

This one went to the roof...T tried to do this one...but chickened out about halfway up! You had to climb a ladder inside the tree trunk to get to the top of this one.

A the rock climber!!

And we topped off the fun with a big, blue slushie!!!

And for the more mature set...hot chocolate! : )

Helping Daddy

2011-12-06T06:39:00.000-06:00

Little R loves to "help"!! Whether it's laundry, cooking, or watering plants...he just wants to help! I was told long ago by someone wise to let your little ones help...these are teaching moments for them...even if it makes your task take twice as long!! So I always try to let them help when they want to, and I am pretty much used to things taking MUCH longer than they need to!

But Daddy, on the other hand, has a hard time being patient during these "teaching moments". But he is trying!! This day he did a great job of letting little R water the bushes, even though half the water wasn't even pointed at the bushes...and therefore the job took twice as long as it should have!

You can tell by the look on his face that R is struggling to be patient!!

But look how happy Little R is!! Worth every extra minute!!

Hohenschwangau & Neuschwanstein Castles

2011-12-02T17:40:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we loaded up and took our first overnight trip since coming to Germany. We drove a couple of hours to see Neuschwanstein Castle (this is the castle that Walt Disney designed Cinderella's castle after). We also had two more castles on our itinerary for the weekend trip. Each castle trip is definitely a history lesson! We learned A LOT about King Ludwig II on this trip...very interesting!

The first day we started out at Hohenschwangau Castle and then on to Neuschwanstein Castle. We were the last tour of the evening at Neuschwanstein, and the bus and carriage rides had stopped running...so we had to walk the entire way down to the little town (and our van)!! We were tuckered out and ready to go explore our hotel! We were pleasantly surprised by our hotel...it was very nice!

The next day we had planned to drive a little ways to another castle...but we were "castled" out, and instead decided to drive out to a church that was described as "one of the most beautiful churches in Germany." It did NOT disappoint!! Very beautiful!

Then we took a long route home to stop at the Augsburg Christmas Market....our first visit to a Christmas Market! It was amazing!! But also VERY crowded!! And Germans are not known for being polite in crowds! After about an hour, we had all had our fill of crowds...and we gladly headed home...with a few German goodies in hand!

All in all, it was a fun weekend!! The castles were amazing, the church was beautiful, and the Christmas market was more than I imagined. But, it was a LOT of work, too!! Little R is still a stroller rider most of the time, especially in crowds where he gets intimidated. But the stroller wasn't feasible for most of this trip...so R and I carried him pretty much the whole time. He weighs 38 pounds, and that is over my limit after about 5 minutes!! So poor R took the majority of the load, and he was exhausted!! And little R just isn't impressed with the castles! He thinks they are spooky, and wants to leave as soon as we get inside the rooms! So most of this trip wasn't very exciting for him. Hopefully as he gets a little older he will enjoy all these amazing sights we are seeing over here...

This was our drive to the castles...

A little more of the drive...

We found the mountains!!

Most towns in Germany look the same...you can't really tell one from another...

This was the drive up to the village where the castles are...can you say BRRRRRR???

Hohenschwangau Castle...where Ludwig II spent summers as a child

Neuschwanstein Castle up on the hill. It didn't look too glamorous...they were doing some work on it, and there was scaffolding everywhere!!

Walking the short trip up to Hohenschwangau Castle. Little R was fresh out of the van and having fun at this point!

Neuschwanstein Castle....don't tell Ludwig II, but I think Walt Disney's version is better!

The view from Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein again..

The bridge! I made a command decision, and no Willises ventured near the bridge!

The sunset over the mountains as we were walking down from Neuschwanstein

Our hotel room!!

With a private bath!!

This is Wieskirche. It is literally out in the middle of nowhere!

The inside was AMAZING!! There was so much to see, you didn't know where to look first!

The pipe organ...

The pearly gates??

The woodwork was amazing too! This is for you PaPa...thought this would impress you!

More of the paintings on the ceilings...

The Christmas Market in Augsburg...can you say CROWDED????

Enjoying the Christmas Market...but it was cold!

This is what little R thought of the Christmas market!! : ) He fell asleep holding the tractor we bought for him.

This was the most "blinged out" carousel I had ever seen!! And it went FAST!! It was too much for little R...he decided to forego the carousel ride this time...

Laundry Room & Office...DONE!!

2011-11-27T03:49:00.000-06:00

Two more rooms complete! These aren't the prettiest, most decorative rooms of the house, but I sure do spend a lot of time in BOTH! : )

I don't have any pics of the office nook before...but here is the after!

The opening to the right is a cutout into the living room. Just to the left is our downstairs bathroom.

This is our "coat closet". There was no space for it near the front door, so it ended up here. We bought this wardrobe originally for broom/mop storage...but it was then needed more for coats/gloves, etc. So, guess where my broom/mop storage was moved to? The laundry room!! In the BASEMENT!! So I get plenty of exercise around this house!!

Next is the laundry room! It's not a very pretty room, but it is very functional!! I spend LOTS of time down here!! More than I would like...

This is the laundry room before...

And this is the laundry room after!! We had a sink installed, which makes it MUCH easier!! We have a German washer and dryer, and you have to empy water from a German dryer after every load. So before the sink, I would have to walk upstairs and empty the water in the kitchen after every load of laundry....now I can just empty it in the sink down here!

The washer and dryer have to be across the room from each other...that's great design, right? I am convinced that men are the ones who decide to put laundry rooms in basements AND put the washer & dryer across the room from each other!!

The washer is VERY small!! Which is why I spend so much time down here...I have to do some laundry pretty much everyday or it gets way out of hand! I have to separate our king size sheets into two loads...the two sheets and two pillowcases won't fit in one load! The comforter in the laundry basket has been waiting for weeks for me to take it on post to the laundromat...there is no way I can wash it in my machine! : )

I had R set up this table...I fold all the laundry down here, and a couple of times a week everyone comes in and takes their pile to their own rooms...and THEY put it away themselves!! Works great for me! And the drying rack is a lifesaver also...it takes jeans forever to dry in our little German dryer...so I can hang them up to dry.

Another lifesaver...this hamper that sits at the landing that leads to 3 of our bedrooms...we all put our clothes in there, sorted by color, and when they are getting close to full...I know it is time to take them down to the laundry room! T has her own in her bedroom, which is right next to the laundry room...so I can just go in and grab hers, and it's already sorted and ready to go! Best 20 euros we ever spent!! Gotta love IKEA!!

More House Pictures...still workin' on it!

2011-11-24T03:49:00.000-06:00

This is our room before...

Our room is finally done! We were debating where to put the mantle...really wanted it downstairs, but there was no space in the living room...we only have one true wall...the rest is windows, doors, and a cutout to the office nook! So we decided to hang it in our room...but it couldn't go over the bed this time!

Anyway, here is our room...still a little bare, but complete for now!

Doorway to our room...there is a landing right outside our door...with A's room, R's room, and our room leading off of it.

The view of our room from our door.

Our "closet"! It is crammed full...we really need a bigger one!! But, it took up so much room, we don't have room for any of our dressers!!

It's not "home" until the mantle is hung!

These are our balcony doors that lead to nowhere...

Lantern (Laternen) Festival

2011-11-24T03:32:00.000-06:00

Little R's kindergarten had a "lantern festival" last month. We went in one day after school and made the lanterns, and then the next week we met in the evening, they lit the kids' lanterns, and we went on a "parade" to the fields. There we all gathered in a circle, and they sang songs..it was very cute!

Little R was not impressed at all! It was cold and dark outside, and he was tired; so he spent the entire time crying. We ended up leaving early, just to get him home!

It is neat to see the different traditions and customs they have here. And if little R wasn't in the German kindergarten, we wouldn't even know about most of them!

R coming out of his school with his lantern.

A close-up of R's lantern that "we" made.

Ready for the parade!!!

The parade begins...

We made it to the fields!

The coughing & sputtering you hear in the background? Yep, that's little R...he cried the ENTIRE time!!! After this song, we ended up leaving, while the other kids went on into the fields, singing and having a good 'ol time! : )

Happy Birthday T!!!

2011-11-22T05:18:00.001-06:00

Nov. 19, 1997; 8 lbs 1 oz

I can't believe it has been 14 years since T was born!!! In a way, it seems like a lifetime ago...we were so young and unprepared for parenthood!! But in other ways, I feel like she can't possibly be a teenager, in high school!! She should still be my little girl!!

T was a special child from the beginning. She was totally unexpected, but the best surprise ever! She changed the hearts and lives of so many people.

She turned R from an unmotivated guy with no plans for his future, to a man on a mission to provide for his little family, no matter what it took!!

She brought out the best in my parents. I saw them love her in a way I had never seen!! I know they loved me growing up...but they thoroughly ENJOYED this little girl!! She was the apple of their eyes...and still is in a lot of ways!

T was born on her due date. She arrived after only about 10 hours of labor, healthy and happy! She was such a fun baby...happy, playful, content...and we got comments from strangers everywhere we went with her! She was a great baby, and made parenting fun....most of the time! The every-2-hour-around-the-clock-nursing was a little NOT fun for me! : ) She would go to strangers, stay with family, and was happy at home with us. She just really was happy all the time, as long as she was fed!

Fast forward 14 years...and the T we have today! She has been through a lot in her 14 years, and I definitely think those things have shaped who she is. She has moved to different schools 8 times; she has endured her Daddy being deployed two times; she has had to leave friends and family behind so many times...and it never gets easier!! She has welcomed a brother and sister into her family...and both of those changed our family dynamic in soooo many ways!

T is CRAZY talented!! She is artistic, and can draw things I couldn't even imagine drawing!! She can play the piano like a pro...after less than a year of lessons and lots of hours in her room at the piano! She has taught herself how to play numerous songs, just by listening to them over and over again.

She is super smart, too! She has done so well in school, even with all the changes in her school career. And when she doesn't do well, it is more a lack of desire than intelligence!

She is a collector!! She has numerous items that are very special to her...that she has picked up along this journey; and while I don't like the clutter, these things are important to her!

She loves animals!! The love of her life so far has been a big yellow dog!! She loved her more than anything!! She is also pretty crazy about a certain kitty that lives in her room!! She shows affection to animals that we never see directed at us! : )

She is very shy!! She hates speaking in groups, or to people she doesn't know. Her crazy, outgoing Daddy can't understand this at all...but I do!!

So all that to say, T is turning into a fine young woman. We are so proud to call her our daughter! She isn't your typical teenager...and we like it that way just fine! She amazes us with her creativity and talent...I can't wait to see how she uses them in her future!!

For her birthday, she chose to spend the day at an art museum, and then dinner out. We found a great Art Museum in Stuttgart, and admission was free!! We spent a couple of hours there, and she had a great time! Then on to dinner at the restaurant of her choice...she chose a place callled Casa Del Sol...it is supposed to feel very American...but didn't really to us. She had schnitzel, and LOVED it, so it was a successful dinner! Then we came home and had cake to top off the day!! It was a great day, celebrating a great girl!

The museum in Stuttgart

Dinner!! Schnitzel mit pommes!!

We ALL had plenty to eat! : )

The "disaster"!! The cakes wouldn't come out of the pans...they fell apart...so I had to put them back together (in the pan) and cover them with frosting!! : ( I've never destroyed a birthday cake before, and I have done much more difficult cakes than just a homemade chocolate cake with chocolate frosting! I felt horrible!! But, they tasted GREAT...and T was very forgiving!! : )

We love you, T! We had a wonderful day celebrating YOU!! We can't imagine life without you, and we can't wait to see what the future has in store for you!! We can't promise fewer changes in your life, but we can promise that we will continue to be there with you through them all!!

Fall in Germany

2011-11-13T13:19:00.000-06:00

The fall colors here have been absolutely beautiful!! We have been meaning to take pictures of the drive into our town for weeks, but never seem to have our camera with us! Finally last weekend, we took a walk around town to try and capture some pics for our Christmas card..(which we got, by the way, and you will NOT be seeing on this post)!! After we were done with our walk, R jumped in the car and took a couple of pics of the road out of our town.

Stuttgart, Germany is HUGE! It has over 600,000 people! So while we are stationed at Stuttgart, we don't live there. We live in a small town named Steinenbronn. It has a population of about 5,200 people, and that suits us just fine! We have several cafes, restaurants, hotels and bakeries in the town. There are also pharmacies, gas stations and grocery stores. Basically, anything you need you can get in our town without having to travel into the bigger cities. Of course, you have to get it before about 7:00 in the evening, and NEVER on Sunday...everything shuts down early in the evening...and pretty much NOTHING is open on Sunday! But we like our little town, and we keep discovering new things the more we venture out!

The is the road coming into our town...a very pretty drive!

Same road...

This has become one of our favorite spots...a little cafe in our town, owned and operated by a Turkish family. We love their pizza!!

This is looking up from the center of our town...little R and I walk this path everyday to go to school.

The is the 'rathaus', or city hall of our town.

Pretty tree in front of the rathaus...and some pretty cute kids, too!

This is at the German school...

Pretty fall colors near little R's school...

The kids couldn't resist the leaves! That is R's school in the background!

This is little R's school...a German kindergarten. This is quite the experience for him and for me!

A house along our walk route...this was full of blooming flowers earlier in the year...still pretty without all the blooms!

One of MANY open fields...R took advantage of the open space!

The view of the hillside walking up to our side of town.

The view of the main part of our town...we live up on one side, and the middle of town is kind of in a valley.

More pretty? : )

More open fields..a lot of these were full of corn until just recently!

This was a bit spooky, but the kids wanted to check it out anyway!

I can't say that I love living here yet, and I don't know if I ever will. But I can say that every single day we see something that is just simply beautiful! The houses, the forests, the fields...there is so much here that is so different from home...but beautiful nonetheless! And we are trying to embrace the much more simple lifestyle they have here...taking walks as a family, taking pride in the appearance of your home (not because it's a grand, expensive home, but because it is yours and you are going to make it look it nice), and walking anywhere you need to go in your town. Basically, people here enjoy their families, enjoy getting outside with them, and enjoy their beautiful surroundings! I think I could get used to that!

Pics of the House...

2011-11-08T15:37:00.000-06:00

WARNING: This post may be very boring to most people reading it! MiMi & PaPa have requested pics of the house several times...so this is to appease them! They really aren't that interesting, but they give a peek into our home...

So here we go!

The kids' rooms are always the first rooms I do after the kitchen. The kitchen comes first, because it isn't really home until you can cook your meals in your kitchen!

This time we had our kitchen functioning already when our household goods came, because we had already been living here for 6 weeks! We are allowed to send over a small shipment early, and it arrives much faster than our household goods. So most of our advance shipment was kitchen stuff!!

So as soon as our household goods arrived, we got busy on the kids' rooms! Little R had been crying for his room for quite some time, so he was the first priority!

This is R's room before...

We have decorated doors since I first put these names on their doors in GA, before R was even born! Now they all enjoy decorating thier doors...however they wish!

And this is R's room after!!

Notice the "closet"? Not a single built in closet in this house..which is the norm around here!

R was SO very happy to have his bed back!

And after having only a small suitcase of toys to play with for about 2 months, he was VERY happy to have all his toys back! This time we put his toys in his room...hoping to have a more "toy free" family space in the living room. But it hasn't worked...he just carries his toys down a few at a time, plays with them, and then leaves them in the living room. Then they have to be carried BACK upstairs to his room at the end of the day!!

T's was the next room that we completed. We bought a cheap, European bed for R and me when we first got here, so T got our old king size bed when our household goods arrived. She is as happy as a clam!! She was sleeping on a twin size bed before, so this was a big step up for her!! T's bedroom is in the basement, which she loves! She is down there by herself, and if she has her door closed, she can play her piano just as loud as she wants to, and it doesn't bother us!! The downside is...anytime we need her, we have to walk all the way down there to get her...because she can't hear us calling for her!! : )

This is T's room before...

And T's room after! T is our "collector". She has so many things that she won't let go of...and I have just surrendered to that. Her room is never as neat, tidy and organized as I would like it..but this room is very symbolic of T! She LOVES it, and that is what matters!

T's "closet"...I will never get over the fact that they build houses with no closets...it's a disgrace! : ) If you look closely you will see Anji in the chair at the desk. She spends most of her time down in T's room. I only see her when the kids are gone to school..then she comes up to visit with me!

T is so proud of her "grown up" bed!!

The piano...T spends more time sitting here than anywhere else in the house! That girl LOVES piano...and she's really good at it, too! We should have gotten her started years ago!

The picture above the piano is T's birthday present. She saw it at Ikea when we first got here, and she loved it. It goes along with her black, white and red theme, and the bus even says Victoria on it! R and I went and bought it the other day because I was afraid they wouldn't have them if we waited any longer. But then we were stuck...because we had nowhere to hide it until her birthday!! So she got it a little early...and she made sure R hung it up RIGHT THEN!! : )

And last but not least, A's room....

This is A's room before. It was the only room in the house that had been painted...it was the owner's 2 & 4 yr old daughters' room...and A felt it was too childish. So when the house was painted before we moved in, we had them paint over the pink and purple! On a side note: The Army gives us an allowance for paint before we move in...but they only pay for white paint in the whole house. We got the painter to do an eggshell color, but that's the best we could do for color!

A isn't as much of a collector, so her room stays pretty neat and tidy...and organized!

A was also quite happy to have her bed back after sleeping on an airbed for 6 weeks!

Again, the lovely closet...

A has doors out of her room...but there is no balcony...just metal bars to keep you from falling out! We have the same doors, no balcony...

Yes, Greyson Chance came to Germany with us! : )

A's door...she really got into it here...I think this is the most stuff she has ever had on her door!

And there you have it!! That's it for now! Our room is almost done...gotta hang some stuff on the walls. Kitchen is done, but I have to catch it freshly cleaned and dishes put away to take pictures! Living room is waiting on curtains! So more to come, hopefully soon!

Looking a little more like home...

2011-11-06T13:51:00.000-06:00

We truly started with a blank slate with our house here in Germany. It is a very plain house, without much character. Don't get me wrong..we LOVE it...but very sterile looking with it's white walls, white floors..and outside it just looks like a big box! : )

But while we lived in it for about 6 weeks with it almost empty, now that our household goods have been delivered, we have been working diligently to make it look "homey"...

I have been asked numerous times for pics of the inside...and we do have some of the rooms complete, so I will try to get some pics up later in the week. But some of the rooms are still waiting on curtains, and pictures to be hung...so you will just have to be patient...these are things I need my hubby to help with...and with his new job, we are seeing a lot less of him than we are used to!!

Our front entryway is not very grand...but we tried to spruce it up just a bit...

This is a "before" picture of our backyard...nice, huh? We rented the home after agreeing that the landlord would take care of the weeds, and we would have an actual "yard"...

After months of debate, finally some progress on the back yard. There is supposed to be sod here...but there was some "miscommunication" with the landlord and it didn't get ordered...hopefully we will have full grass sometime this week. And believe it or not, this a decent size yard for our area...especially considering how large our terrace is!

Our "new" wheels...

2011-11-06T13:30:00.000-06:00

More changes brought on by this Germany move...our vehicles. The Army will only ship one vehicle over for us, so we left R's truck behind at my parents' house and shipped my van over. So we knew coming over here that we would have to buy R something to get to and from work. But once we got over here, and saw how narrow the roads are, and how small the parking spaces are...we considered also getting me a smaller vehicle to drive day to day...

Now I have a been a "minivan mom" for many years now...and I have loved it! I rebelled at first...but once child #3 comes along, a minivan becomes so much more appealing! I have even convinced friends that the minivan is the way to go!!

But over here the minivan seems like a beast!! I ran up on a curb the first time I drove here...little R asked from the backseat "Mama did we crash?"...and then I knew what had to be done....

We shopped for weeks, looking for TWO dependable vehicles that fit our budget, which was small, because remember...DEBT FREE...and staying that way!! But we found two little cars, and they are working out perfectly!!

Since the girls are in school all day, most of the time when I go anywhere, it is just me and little R...so the small car works out just fine during the week. And when we all go out on the weekends as a family, we hop into the minivan...just like old times!

This is "Peggy" the VW Polo...she belongs to R...who began the practice of naming our vehicles many years ago...

And this is my (yet unnamed) car..and yes, it is purple!! : ) It is an Opel Astra...they have some weird cars here that we just don't have in the States...and in lots of funky colors! This is actually a very common color over here! : )

R's Stats...a little late!

2011-11-01T18:10:00.001-05:00

R turned 4 in September, and partly because of my delay making an appointment, and mostly because it takes FOREVER to be seen at the medical clinic here...R had his 4-year well child checkup today...finally!

This has been a big year for R...he has seen LOTS of changes in his life in the last 12 months. We moved into a new house about a month after his birthday last year. Then 6 months later, Daddy left for 3 1/2 months. In the meantime, we prepared for the HUGE move in the summer time. He rode in an airplane for the first time (that he can remember anyway), lived in a hotel for a couple of weeks, and lived in an almost empty house for about 6 weeks until our household goods arrived! He also started German kindergarten...where they only speak German...and he has been a real champ about it! This move has turned his life upside down!! He cried numerous times, begging to have his room back. How heartbreaking it is to have your little boy cry for his room, and know that you can't give it to him! Very sad! And he cried, saying "I wanna go home"...and we would have to explain that THIS is our home. Hard enough on the other 4 of us, who could prepare ourselves because we (somewhat) knew what was coming. Even harder on little man...who had no idea what his life was about to become!

But now we have a "home", little R has his room back, and things are settling down. He is still a "Mama's Boy", much to Daddy's dismay! He tells me numerous times each day that he loves me...unprovoked, while he is playing. Melts my heart everytime! He also tells me he loves me anytime he gets in trouble!! His strategy is that I will be so overjoyed that he is expressing his deep love for me, that I will forget whatever it is he just did that was wrong!! Doesn't work, but creative nonetheless! : )

He still loves cars, monster trucks, and tractors! He has a newfound fascination with good guys, bad guys, and superheroes. He is very active, and will play by himself for hours, as long as someone is in sight in the house (preferably Mommy, of course)! He loves to be read to...we read a story every night at bedtime, and it is one of his favorite moments of the day.

His favorite foods are waffles and peanut butter sandwiches! He (finally) gave up baby cereal at breakfast...but not until after his birthday! : )

He says some of the cutest things! Examples:

UPDATE: I forgot a few that deserve noting! He LOVES tractors and trucks...especially DUMP TRUNKS!!

He loves apples, but he doesn't like BEEnanas!

A word he uses often that we love...lasterday. I know he will figure this one out soon...but it is so darn cute when he says "Mama, we went to the zoo lasterday." Or..."I don't need a bath, I took one lasterday!"

He loves playing Disney Jr. games on the computer. Except he leaves off the "com" completely...it is simply "Can I play games on the poo-yer?"

He LOVES the movie Cars 2. He plays with his Cars 2 toys A LOT, and talks about them A LOT. He loves Finn McMissile, and also Holly Shiftwell (except when he says it, there is no F in her name). We finally had to make the girls stop having him repeat it constantly...they thought it was SOOO funny!!

He loves going to the zoo to see the am-nals...and talks about them a lot!

He has tons of cute things he says...but these are the only ones I can think of at the moment!

And finally his stats from his checkup:

He weighed in at 38.8 lbs...65th percentile.
He measured 39.5 inches..30th percentile.
So he continues to be quite short! Daddy has big dreams of him playing basketball...we will have to wait and see how that plays out! : )

All in all, it has been another year of being blessed and challenged by this little boy we call our son. He is active, demanding, charming, sweet, and rotten all rolled up into one loved little guy! We can't imagine our family without him, and we are thankful for every day we have with him. He definitely adds a whole new dynamic to every aspect of our day to day life..and we wouldn't have it any other way!

A few pictures of the last year of his life:

He's usually a pretty happy guy!

A future in modeling maybe? : ) He DID win the Baby Mr. Firecracker pageant, ya know!

4th of July fun...usually he gets very upset when he gets sweaty...but not this night!!

This is one of his new things...this is his "salute"...Daddy will have to work on that one!

And now a video that is just plain funny! It's a little long....sorry! He really doesn't usually have a hard time getting dressed...he can do it by himself except for buttons...but this day with his shirt inside out, he just couldn't quite get it! Maybe if he had turned ONE more circle?? : )

Killesburg Park

2011-10-03T03:08:00.000-05:00

On our hospital tour, the German lady who lead the tour told us of several locations that would be great to visit as a family. One of these was Killesburg Park, and it is free, so it was right up our alley!! : ) They do a fireworks display here in July, and after seeing how beautiful the park is, I definitely want to go to the fireworks!! I think we will be spending many days roaming the grounds of this huge park in the next few years! It was beautiful!!!

Entrance to the park

It's beautiful from the very beginning!

The trees are just starting to change colors here...I loved the red in this one!

Me and my girls!

R loved feeding the goats!! They had chickens, llamas, ponies, and pigs, too!

View of Stuttgart, Germany

This tree formed a neat little archway...perfect for a picture!

LOVED this tree...perfect for climbing!

Huge open field...there were several people down there sunbathing...with very little clothing on! This is something we will have to get used to...especially seeing the men in their Speedos!!

They have a huge tower...this is from the 2nd level...that's as far as I made it before I had to go back down. R and the kids went all the way to the top!

View of Stuttgart from the top of the tower.

The girls made it to the top! A has many, many fears, but I guess heights isn't one of them!!

I made the girls ride the carousel...these are fake smiles for Mommy!

R's smile was real!!!

They had a HUGE playground, with all kinds of things on it that we don't have back home! Here they aren't as overly concerned about kids getting injured when playing...so you see all kinds of things that you would never see on a playground in the states! But R's favorite was this "digger". If you know how much he loves tractors, and already misses riding PaPa's tractor, you would totally understand why!

Our First Castle Visit (MANY more to come)!!

2011-09-26T08:12:00.000-05:00

We ventured out last weekend for our first visit to a castle. We chose Ludwigsburg Castle because it was nearby, and they are having their annual "pumpkin festival". This year the theme was dinosaurs, and they had pumpkin statues representing all different kinds of dinosaurs. I didn't expect little R to be thrilled by the castle (which he wasn't), but I knew that he would enjoy the pumpkins!!

The castle was nothing less than absolutely amazing!! Built in the 1700's, it still has original furniture, artwork, and even curtains & wallpaper!! We chose to do the tour even though we knew that at 90 minutes long, it would be a challenge for little R. But while he wasn't impressed, he was very well behaved for the entire tour!! We even had some German ladies comment to us about how quiet our children were!!

We couldn't take any pictures inside the castle, but the castle grounds are full of flower gardens and beautiful landscaping...so we took lots of pictures outside! The highlight of the day for the girls was that the grounds are sooo beautiful that lots of brides choose to have their wedding pictures taken there. We saw several beautiful girls in beautiful wedding gowns having their pictures done...it was really neat!

It was a great first castle visit...we can't wait for the next one!!

Ludwigsburg Castle

The beginning of the dinosaurs...

Some pretty girls beside some pretty flowers...

The grounds were as pretty as the castle!

T is standing because she had just sat down on the pumpkin, and gotten her booty wet!! We all thought it was very funny...she didn't find the humor in the situation!

The back of the castle...

R thoroughly enjoyed the dinosaurs!!

This is what R does when you tell him to smile for the camera...

More of the castle...

Smilin' for the camera...

A tower on the castle grounds...they even had "Rapunzel" hair hanging down from it! We didn't make it up to see the tower...everyone was tuckered out by the time we saw it.

More dinosaur...more smilin' for the camera!

Not real sure what this face was...but it was CUTE!!

Pizza Night/Family Movie Night

2011-09-26T06:34:00.000-05:00

The tradition continues! This was our first pizza night at our new house. We have decided that we can't do it on Friday nights anymore...the girls didn't make it through the movie this week...too tired from a hard week at school!! So now that we don't have the leisurely schedule of homeschooling, we are going to have to adjust our family nights to Saturday nights! : )

R turns FOUR!!

2011-09-21T06:33:00.000-05:00

With all the craziness of our life, little R's birthday was very low key this year. Fortunately, he didn't mind at all! We spent the day at home, while the rest of the gang was at school and work. That evening, we went to the theater on post and saw Cars 2 (for the 3rd time). After the movie, we came home for some yummy cupcakes! Very low key, but we spent the day focused on this blessing we call our son!! Very grateful to have him as part of our family...he definitely adds a lot of fun to our lives! Happy Birthday, Buddy!! We are so proud of the big boy you are becoming!!

At the movies, with popcorn AND a Sprite...it MUST be a special occasion!

R's very simple, but full of love birthday cupcakes!

Happy Birthday, R!!!

The cupcakes were a hit! He licked off EVERY bit of frosting..and then he was done!

Zoo fun!

2011-09-14T15:34:00.000-05:00

We took advantage of the beautiful weather one weekend, and drove into Stuttgart to the zoo. It is probably one of the coolest zoos we have ever been to! It is also a botanical garden, so there are TONS of beautiful flowers. And the animals were all out where you could see them up close, which makes it much more entertaining for little R. It was a great day, and other than people staring, we felt right at home!

I will miss this when he is all grown up...right now I am his "go to" person...and he loves being with me always! I sure do love this boy!!

Gorilla...up close & personal!

A and R had to pose with this big guy!

If sis can do it, he can to!

Cool baboon...

These guys were amazing...but very restless, which made me a bit nervous!

Beautiful!

Beautiful again!

Elephant...up close & personal

One of my very favorites!

This is the view from the upper portion of the zoo

No paparazzi!!!

Ice cream break..

CHEEESE!!

Pretty girl...pretty background

Pretty girl....pretty background

Some more of the beautiful scenery at the zoo

Beautiful!

Huge pond full of lilypads

This guy was happy!!

And so was this guy! How do you like the pose?

First Day of School

2011-09-14T15:02:00.000-05:00

The girls started school on August 29th. After a year of homeschooling, it was very hard for me to let them go to public school again! I really enjoyed having them at home with me last year, and since I didn't know very much about the schools here, I think I was as nervous as they were!!

Adding to the stress was the fact that we were living in a hotel when they started school. Add to that the fact that school starts at the same time for both of them, but at different posts across town from each other!! We traded off...one got to school really early one day, and the other got to school really early the next day. It worked, but it was hard! We only had to do that for a few days before we moved into our house, and now the girls walk down to the bus stop and ride the bus to school. Much easier!!!

First day of school pic...just outside the hotel this year, instead of our home!

A in front of her school. T wouldn't let the camera be seen in front of her school!

This is A lined up outside the school with her 4th grade class. Do you notice anything?? She is SOOO much taller than ALL the kids in her class...as usual...and she hates it!

Just another pic of her looking a bit out of place among her clasmates!

Livin' the Hotel Life

2011-09-12T13:47:00.000-05:00

Upon our arrival in Germany, we checked into the Kelley Hotel. Our reservation was for up to 90 days, but we were determined to be out of there WAY before then! We wound up living in the hotel for 15 long days. Once we were inprocessed enough to actually look at houses, that's all we did...all day EVERY day!! We saw LOTS of houses...a few that definitely weren't for us, some that COULD have been for us, and ONE that totally WAS for us! We saw houses that were out in the middle of corn fields; houses that had 32 steps up to the house from the street; houses that were beautiful but WAY outside of town; houses that reeked of cigarette smoke; and even one house where our neighbors would have been from Arkansas!! But through it all, we just kept looking for that feeling of being right...maybe not the perfect house, but the house that was perfect for us!

Hotel living was absolutely not for us! Having all 5 of us in about 400 sq feet, 24 hours a day, with no room to move around or escape each other was tiring, to say the least. We had one queen size bed, a full size pullout couch, and a rollaway bed. Every inch of floor space was covered!! Luckily when we got here, the weather was very warm, and there was big playground outside the hotel...so the kids and I spent quite a bit of time out there....everyday! : ) It was truly a lifesaver!!

He's a happy boy!!

Our temporary Germany home!

This is the bedroom...with our bed and little R's rollaway...every inch was covered in beds!

A happy moment together on the couch...

A didn't believe she was a bed hog...proof is in the picture! We had to get a 2nd rollaway bed for poor T...so she slept in the dining room the rest of the time!

We were sooooo happy when we found our house!! And even though we have loaner furniture and we are sleeping on airbeds, it is so much better than the hotel!! We absolutely can't wait to get our household goods and really turn this into our home!!

FUN before we left OKC!!!

2011-09-09T01:57:00.000-05:00

The weeks leading up to our move were crazy hectic!! But we managed to fit some fun in too!!

Wildfire near our house on the day R was coming home from VA. Pretty scary!!

Storm came through one night before we left...extremely high winds...we had numerous trees down.

One of the trees that were blown down in the storm. BTW...none of the above pictures really qualifies as "fun"!

The beginning of a VERY long stretch of eating out constantly....

MiMi & PaPa came and helped with the kids while we handled all the cleaning of the house and final preparations for the move.

Anji had run out of things to lay on...poor kitty had to lay on the floor!

Went for one last trolley (AKA "charlie") ride in Bricktown...although this day they were using buses instead of the normal trolleys...a little disappointing for little R, but fun nonetheless

Oklahoma City Thunder!!!!!

What do you do when you get bored staying in a hotel for 6 days? You play dress-up, of course!! : )

Leaving HOME

2011-09-09T01:37:00.000-05:00

We have moved so many times during R's military career that "home" has been many, many different places. While we have enjoyed some duty stations more than others, we have always been able to create a sense of "home" for our family wherever we were. "Home" was our safe place, when we felt far from family & friends, and new friends didn't come as quickly as we had hoped. "Home" was our safe place, when Daddy was gone and in harm's way. "Home" was where our church was...where we could hear the word of God and be reassured that we were in His hands, no matter what we were going through. Sometimes "home" was a tiny apartment, where we didn't know a single neighbor; sometimes it was military housing with a wonderful community of people just like us. Sometimes home was a great house, full of friends, with great neighbors. Sometimes "home" was a little empty because Daddy was gone, but still full of love and a sense of security.

But in all of our adventures, "home" was in the United States. Sometimes we were far from family, but we always knew that if we wanted to, we could travel to see them. Or if we had a family emergency, or a death in the family, we could be there. That ended for us on August 17th, when we boarded a plane to leave our "home". The country that R is so proud to serve, where all of our children were born, where WE were born! We flew into a new country, full of new languages, new customs, and a whole new way of life. I can't say that we were happy about leaving, but we are excited to see what God has in store for us over here in our new "home".

Little R was a little unsure...

T was a lot unsure!

A tried to hold it together and be strong!

5-hour layover in Newark...

Great views of NYC from the airport!

Very symbolic...Lady Liberty right after takeoff...

GREAT views of NYC from the air..

Getting farther away...

Central Park? Can't wait to visit someday...

"Home" can no longer be seen...after an 8-hr flight we would land in our new "home".

I'm not sure another country will ever feel like "home", but I am determined to make our house feel like home for our family; a safe place for all of us, in this very different world we are now calling HOME! In this "home" our little man will start kindergarten, our A will start middle school and become a teenager, our T will graduate high school, and be preparing for college! All huge milestones for our family, and times we will remember forever! I don't know what the next four years holds for us in Germany, but I do know that we will leave here very different than we came. And I hope that Germany is a bit different when we leave too, so we can leave knowing we left our mark somehow!!

My favorite foods of the summer

2011-07-24T22:48:00.000-05:00

Since Rai is gone all summer, I have done absolutely NO menu-planning or cooking family meals. The kids are content with quick foods, and I practically live on Chocolate Mini-Wheats, turkey sandwiches...and these two AMAZING dishes...I am in LOVE with both...and eat them constantly!

Spinach with grilled chicken, strawberries, and sliced almonds...YUM! And it's pretty, too!

Moroccan couscous with grilled chicken, butternut squash, onion, zucchini and carrots...YUM!! I make this, and eat on it for a week! : )

Washington, DC!!

2011-07-14T23:08:00.000-05:00

R turned 40 in June, and I was able to fly in for the weekend and spend a few days with him to celebrate his birthday! My parents watched the kids for the 3 days that I was gone, and then another 6 days after I got home! Thanks MiMi & PaPa!!

I had never been to DC before, so it was a great experience for me! We spent the whole day Saturday walking to all the monuments...whew!! We were HOT and TIRED when we were done! But it was great to see our nation's capitol and all that goes along with it!

We also got to see old friends from Texas, who have just relocated to the DC area. It was great to see them after 6 years away from each other!!

R and I had a great weekend together, just doing what we wanted to do, when we wanted to do it!

Washington Monument

Some hot guy next to a HUGE column! : )

I was simply amazed by how many people were EVERYWHERE!!

The White House...not as impressive as you would think...but still amazing!

Security everywhere...on the roof, on the balconies, on the grounds...made me feel unsafe being out there! : )

Arlington Cemetary, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier...AMAZING!! Brought tears to my eyes!

The Big 4-0...and proud of it!!

At the airport before I headed home...it was a short visit, but GREAT nonetheless!

The Prowell family, our sweet, dear friends!! We love these guys! If I have my way, these will be A's in-laws someday! This is a plan that has been in the works for many, many years...we just have to get our A and their Jonathan to go along with it! ; )

Pirate & Princess Party!

2011-07-01T22:52:00.000-05:00

We got a new Chick-Fil-A on our side of town last year, and they pretty much know us by name now! R and I went to their premiere night (we felt very special..it was invitation only, and very restricted), and we have been their more regularly than I would like to admit since then. When I saw that they were having a Pirate & Princess Party, I knew we had to go! Little R is VERY into pirates right now, and A is still our little princess, so it was the perfect combination! They had real pirates, and Cinderella was there with a horse-drawn carriage. It was a free event, and we had a blast! Just one more reason we LOVE our Chick-Fil-A!!!

Our pirate and our princess at home before the party. (This was the ONLY time R would wear the pirate hat!)

The cupcakes were a big hit!

A was a happy girl!

Mommy had to try out the pirate patch before R would...

Cutest pirate ever?? Oh yes, I think so!!!!

And I just threw this one in for good measure...she just looked so beautiful!!

The question...

2011-06-28T23:11:00.000-05:00

When you adopt a child, you know there will come a day when that child will know that they were not born from your body. You have no idea how or when that day will come, and what questions will be asked that cause you to reveal that information to your child.

From the beginning of our adoption journey, we knew that we would be open with our child about the story of how he came into our family. And since there is obviously a slight racial difference, we knew it would never be a secret that he was adopted. But as the years passed, and I have been asked probably 100 times if he is adopted by perfect strangers, he has never noticed or cared that he looks different than the rest of us.

We talk about babies, and when he was a baby, and when the girls were babies...and probably 9 months ago he discovered a picture in my bedroom of me VERY pregnant with A. We talked about Mommy's big belly, and that baby A was growing inside Mommy's belly. And for a while he would go to my room, look at the picture, and get this cheesy grin on his face, like he knew a secret. It was very cute!! But he hasn't looked at that picture in months...

Yesterday, R was playing Play-Doh at the kitchen table while I was fixing his dinner. Concentrating on his work, he asked "Mommy, when I was a baby, did I grow in your tummy?" And there it was...the moment I knew would come...and somehow wasn't ready for...

I walked over to the table and explained to him that he didn't grow in my tummy. He grew in another Mommy's tummy, and she loved him so much that she wanted the very best for him, and she wanted him to not only have a Mommy, but a great Daddy that could teach him how to grow into a good man. So she let her baby come to be part of our family. I told him that God brought that Mommy to us, and brought him into our family in a different way than having him grow in my tummy.

He continued playing with his Play-Doh, not even noticing the tears in my eyes. Seeing that he was done with the conversation, and that was enough information for him at that moment, I went back to preparing his dinner. A few minutes later he looked up at me with those big brown eyes and said "I love you, Mommy." And my heart melted!! What a story we have in this little guy!! And so much more story to tell him in the future! It truly is a God story!!

While I was shocked at the moment that he asked his question, I can't wait for more questions from him as he becomes more aware. We have such a story to tell him. He was loved from the beginning...by the woman who carried him for 9 months...and then by us the moment we met him...and he is loved still...by the woman who carried him for 9 months, by us, and pretty much everyone else he meets!!

This is the moment I fell in love with this little guy. This is the first time we met him, after knowing he had been born, but was in the NICU...with no other information...for 24 hours. Having biological children, I had no idea how I would feel holding a baby in my arms for the first time, knowing he was mine, but without that bond of carrying him for 9 months and delivering him. I could not have loved him more at that moment...overwhelming love and wanting to protect and comfort him...it was amazing!

A Day at the Zoo!!

2011-06-20T23:10:00.000-05:00

We LOVE going to the zoo!! If I had known how much we would love it, I definitely would have bought a zoo pass...but we get in for half price because they have a great military discount, so it is still an inexpensive day of fun for us! We ventured out for a day at the zoo not long after R left for the summer...and it was a day of "firsts" in several ways! We saw parts of the zoo that we never saw the times that R navigated us through, little R rode the carousel without Mommy for the first time ever and experienced cotton candy for the first time! He also decided on this day of "firsts" that getting his feet wet in the little creek was fun! He HATES getting his shoes wet any other time, but he splashed in the creek for at least 30 minutes before I had to drag him away, explaining that there was a lot of zoo left to see! It was a lot of fun for little R, and it is an activity that the girls enjoyed, too! When your 3 kids range in age from 13 to 3, it's very difficult to find activities that they ALL enjoy! The zoo is definitely a hit with all of us!!

Getting their feet wet in the creek! First time R has EVER willingly gotten his shoes wet!

First taste of cotton candy...MMMMM

First ride on the carousel without Mommy standing beside him...and yes, I was a little nervous!!

We were watching the sleeping lions behind these rocks. R got bored and started climbing on the rocks. I made a comment as we walked around to the front that the sign probably said "NO CLIMBING"....yep, sure enough!

R's favorite spot...the gorillas! And we just happened to run into one of his favorite friends from Mother's Day Out! They didn't want to part ways! (On a side note, this is pretty typical of R with boys his age...he is still usually several inches shorter...he's our LITTLE guy with a BIG personality).

Mommy and R...and a goose! R decided to "strike a pose"!!

All 4 of us!! It took 3 tries...I kept cutting R's head off in the picture!

We had to wait a while for the train, so T kept us entertained with her train token! Pirate sounds topped off the entertainment!

This is what R thought of her trick! He loved it...couldn't stop giggling!

And this is R's version of the pirate trick...he tried and tried...and finally (somewhat) succeeded!!

Creative Kids!

2011-06-04T23:13:00.000-05:00

My girls LOVE being creative! T has such a passion for art, and she is quite talented...really think she will pursue this passion further in the years to come! A loves art too, but she is so critical of her own creations that it prevents her from having the confidence to create things. R usually has NO interest in art...at his Mother's Day Out, they send home a binder full of art projects a few times a year, and his is usually quite empty because he declines participating in the art projects. He had a meltdown when he was introduced to fingerpainting...he had NO interest in getting THAT stuff all over his hands! So when they all wanted be "artsy" this day, I had to get the camera out...not sure I will ever see all 3 of my kiddoes so intent on an art project at one time!!

T's play-doh creation...not sure what it was, but it was good!

R's play-doh creation...again, not sure what it was, but he was participating so it was photo-worthy!

All 3 of the kiddoes...look at R's focus!!

You have to hold your mouth "just right"...and for some reason, it's easier to be creative when you are shirtless!! : )

What a creation she is...

And A too...what a unique creation!

I just loved this one!! What a creation he is!!

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Psalm 139:13-14

Family time before Daddy said goodbye...

2011-05-15T23:01:00.000-05:00

R had some time off from work before he left for the summer, so we spent some great family time together in one of our favorite local areas...Bricktown!! There is so much to do down there, and our whole family loves to visit. We spent an entire day exploring and visiting our favorite places...I probably won't take the kids down there alone, so it was probably our farewell voyage to Bricktown before we leave for Germany...sniff, sniff...

At Bass Pro

R experiencing gummy worms for the first time...they were a hit!

Waiting on the trolley...

On the trolley (they are free!)...little R always gets very serious when we do things where there are lots of people, but he had so much fun, and talked about the "trolley roger" for days!

Big sisters are a blessing!!

The canal...we didn't ride the boats this time, but they are a lot of fun, and you learn the history of the canal and the Bricktown area...very interesting!

Feeding the ducks

We ate a light lunch specifically so we would have room for some Peach Wave yogurt...YUM!

They have buffalo statues all over the downtown area...this is one of the more colorful ones!

The building under construction in the background is going to be the tallest building in the area. They say when it is completed it will be taller than the the tallest building in this pic with the Devon building (also in this pic) sitting on top of it...pretty tall!! We won't get to see it completed while we are here, but I can't wait to see pics!

New Life...New Family Member

2011-05-04T19:35:00.001-05:00

I love babies!! I think I have always loved babies!! I especially love babies that I can hold and love on and smell and cuddle, but with NO sleep deprivation!! We finally got to meet the newest member of our family, Ryder, over Easter weekend. We offered to watch him for a few hours while new Mommy & Daddy got away for a while...and we were so thankful they accepted! We held and stared at him the entire time!! And while we loved him from the minute he was born, we are head over heels in love with this little guy now that we have met him! We are so happy for Brandie & Rusty and the beginning of their little family, and we are so grateful to have a new nephew to love!!

Ryder Jamison Roush

Little R was very interested! He isn't around babies very much, and we had to keep reminding him to be gentle, but he LOVED baby Ryder!!

This melted my heart!! While R is usually a very busy, rambunctious little boy, he can also be very gentle and loving...in small doses! : )

Uncle R says he's a keeper!

I may have taken more than my fair share of time with the little guy...but he was so sweet, and so tiny, and so cuddly!!

A made sure that Allie got a little extra attention...her world has been turned upside down!

T giving Allie LOTS of extra lovin'...I think Allie felt special again!

Bloom Where You Are Planted!!

2011-04-30T22:33:00.000-05:00

I've been saying this a lot lately...I have always loved the sentiment behind this, but since we found out we are moving to Germany it has become my mission statement!! Anytime I start to panic about moving, I say it to myself...and for a while I was saying it at least daily to one of the girls as they voiced their concerns about leaving the country. We have had several conversations about God having a plan and purpose for us going to Germany. The Army may be sending us, but I know that God is going to use us there. And how happy He will be when he sees our family "blooming" where he has "planted" us! At this point in the conversation, I usually refer to my favorite verse, Jeremiah 29:11, to really drive the point home! : )
Anyway, after several of these conversations with the girls, we were entering our neighborhood one day and noticed they had changed the message on the sign, and this is what we saw!!

Is it a sign from above?? A small confirmation that this move is part of the plan for our family, and that we are handling it in the proper way, with the proper attitude?? I'm not sure, but it sure made us smile!!

Dinnertime Prayers

2011-04-06T23:23:00.000-05:00

Family dinner is very important to me. Every night during the week (and most nights on the weekend) I cook dinner, and we sit down as a family and eat together. We always say a prayer for our food before we eat, and little R has just recently wanted to be the one to say the prayer. He squeezes his eyes soooo tight, and concentrates soooo hard...it is just too cute! You always know what his favorite things of the day are by his prayer at dinnertime...and he very rarely says thank you for the food!

This isn't the best video quality, and please excuse the big Sonic cup....I don't usually have a huge soda at dinnertime...but Happy Hour had called our name that day! : )

Translation:

Thank you for Jesus and everything

Thank you for Mommy, Daddy, Tori and Abbi

Thank you for ???? (even I can't translate this one!)

Thank you for peanuts and everything

And Thank you for Goldfish (yes, he had peanuts AND Goldfish for snack earlier that day)

Amen

Daddy Daughter Dance

2011-04-02T09:57:00.000-05:00

All ready to go!!

Little R HAD to be part of the picture...he didn't understand why we would ever dream of leaving him out!!

Daddy and his girls!

They really do love each other!!

"Big man in a little hat"

Tori is rockin' the hat!!

Our homeschool group had their annual Daddy Daughter dance last weekend. The girls were very excited to have an evening with R. The pictures speak for themselves...they all had a blast!!

14 years...and still going strong!!

2011-03-29T13:25:00.000-05:00

Rai and I celebrated our 14th anniversary on March 22nd. I can't believe it's been 14 years!! My parents came down and watched the kids for a few days so Rai and I could spend some time in Bricktown/Downtown Oklahoma City. We stayed right downtown, parked the truck on Sunday, and didn't get back in it until we left on Tuesday! We walked EVERYWHERE!! It was awesome!! We visited several restaurants, went to the OKC Memorial Museum (which I think everyone should visit if you are ever in OKC), saw 2 movies in one day, went to a Thunder basketball game...we even fit in a workout at the hotel fitness center!! It was great to get away and spend some time together in a city that we have really come to love, before we have to leave it for good! Edmond/OKC has been good to us these last almost 2 years...it is going to be very hard to say goodbye!!

Cattlemen's Steakhouse...R had a Porterhouse, said it was the best steak of his life!!

I had turkey and dressing...go figure! : )

The Chase and Devon buildings...in process is a building that will be taller than these two stacked on top of each other! Wish I could see that completed!!

Oklahoma City.....THUNDER!!!

R has been to several Thunder games, but I am usually at home with the little man! So this was my first game since we've lived here...Thunder lost, but it was LOTS of fun!

OKC Memorial...very touching memorial to the bombing vicitms.

This was amazing...they built this statue of Jesus with his back to the bombing site...each nook in the bricks represents someone killed in the bombing...the statue is titled...And Jesus Wept...brought tears to my eyes!

Another view of the Memorial. If you are ever in the OKC area, I highly recommend visiting the OKC Memorial Museum...we spent at least 2 hours there...it is an amazing tribute to the story of the bombing, the people who were killed in it, and the heroes who were involved in the rescue and treatment of the victims.

Monster Jam!!

2011-03-23T11:26:00.000-05:00

Walking in with cousin Tyler...R loves Tyler a little bit, too!

Big thumbs up with Daddy!!

The big boys aren't too excited about the picture taking, but R can't wipe the smile off his face! He is one happy little boy!

Still smiling!!

Little R LOVES monster trucks! He doesn't like them a lot, he isn't crazy about them...he truly LOVES them! He has a huge collection of monster trucks and when R had a chance to take him to Monster Jam last year, he was so excited! Little R was a little overwhelmed by the noise and "hugeness" of the monster trucks in real life, but he had fun. This year when the Monster Jam event rolled through our area again, we decided it was a must for R and R to go. This year he was NOT overwhelmed...I think he loved every bit of it! It was a great evening of Daddy/son time that neither of them will forget for a long time!!

Another creative creation by the Willis girls!

2011-03-09T11:58:00.000-06:00

We have an extra room that we use for school, but the girls also have their piano, a tv and a couch in there...they have named the room "The Lounge". One day before A's birthday party, they were in cleaning up, and decided to add some artwork for the walls....this was the result! They included some of their favorite things...peanut butter, Braums, Wal-Mart, and I'm not sure how GEICO made it's way on there! : )

Can you tell who this is????

A Little Late...

2011-03-08T09:57:00.000-06:00

Since A's birthday is two days after Christmas, she never gets to have a REAL birthday party. We are usually traveling, and her friends are usually out of town for the holidays. This year we decided to postpone her birthday celebration until Valentine's Day. We had a Valentine's themed party, and the girls got to decorate their own red velvet cupcakes. It worked out well...A got a day all her own to celebrate her birthday, instead of having it mixed in with all the festivities of Christmas. R was a bit overwhelmed with all the preteen girls in the house (it was very noisy)!! But he did enjoy decorating the cupcakes, and he was very happy to help A blow out her birthday candle!

Rock Climbin'

2011-02-06T23:32:00.000-06:00

If you look closely, you can see the look of concentration on his face!

Climbing higher, all by himself! No fear!!

The girls were a little more cautious than little R...

Sittin' pretty at the top!

On our park day, we ventured down to the creek at the edge of the park. There was no water in the creek, but there were these cool rock walls to climb down to the creek bed. The girls enjoyed climbing up and down, but little R LOVED it!! He has found a new passion!! We definitely have to take another trip down there when all our snow goes away!!

Park Day!!

2011-02-02T10:48:00.000-06:00

Little R riding the duck...I think he liked it!

Never too big to ride the horse and the duck...the girls liked it too!

Okay, so maybe you CAN be too big for the duck!!!

We had two wonderful days of weather last week, so we went to the park for lunch one of those days. R even came over to spend his lunch break with us. It was wonderful to soak up the sunshine, and all 3 kids enjoyed getting out of the house!!

Bonding with the babies??

2011-01-26T13:55:00.000-06:00

As most of you know, in the last couple of months we have acquired not one, but two new family members. We started out with one miniature schnauzer puppy, and somehow ended up with another one a few weeks later! R LOVES the puppies, although we are trying to teach him how to be gentle with the "babies". Right now we are working on NOT picking them up and carrying them around by their head! They are so small right now, and I know he would never intentionally hurt them, but it is a full time job watching him as he "plays" with them! This picture is one of the safer games he plays with them...at least we know none of them are getting into trouble this way! : )

What did you do over the holidays? We did Algebra...UGH!!

2011-01-09T23:16:00.000-06:00

We focused on getting some major Algebra lessons done over the holidays. The girls' curriculum is great in that they can do most of it on their own...with me providing some occasional guidance...and it works out great for us. But T's pre-algebra is a different story. She can't simply look at these lessons on the computer screen and figure out the concepts, so we have started going over each lesson together. This works great except that this requires me to read over the lessons and dig way down deep in my brain to that stuff that I learned over 15 years ago (and hated every minute of it) and then teach it to her. Needless to say, we don't get a lesson done every day, so we had a bit of an algebra marathon over the holidays. T feels the same way I do about math, so she wasn't thrilled about our little marathon. She keeps saying "But I am NEVER gonna use this stuff in real life." And I just tell her that's what I thought, too...but God has ways of reminding to never say never!!

Christmas!!

2010-12-30T14:52:00.000-06:00

Daddy and the kids at Bricktown

Mommy & Daddy at Bricktown

Trees at Chesapeake...beautiful!!

This is the cool tent little R got from Grandma & Grandpa

Making Jesus' birthday cake!!

Putting out oats for the reindeer

Putting cookies out for Santa

The finished product! I think Jesus liked it!

The tree overflowing with presents!

The stockings were hung...

Christmas morning, about to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus, and eat some yummy cake!

R got a train table...he LOVES it!!

I LOVE Christmas, and this year did not disappoint! We had a quiet Christmas morning here at home which was great! We got to see LOTS of Christmas lights this year, a visit with Santa, visit from Grandma & Grandpa, dinner with friends, and we even got some quick visits in with family in Arkansas and in Oklahoma. And it was really neat to introduce little R to all our holiday traditions, and he actually participated and enjoyed them all! All in all, a great Christmas for our family!

Artistic kids

2010-12-22T10:27:00.000-06:00

This is R's Spider!

This is R's "catapitter"

And of course he had to draw a Monster Truck!

This is T's Christmas cake made from Play-Doh

T and R working hard!

Little R has never had any interest in art projects at all. At school, he usually declines participating in the craft project each day. He can't stand getting his hands dirty with paint or anything like that. Well, at school he has discovered Play-Doh, and now he is all about doing "artsy" things! He LOVES Play-Doh, loves to draw on his Magna Doodle, and now he even loves to paint with his watercolors! Although, he still has NO desire to finger paint...too messy! : ) I'm not sure why A isn't in any of the pictures...she loves her art projects, too!

Visit With Santa/Neighborhood Sleigh Ride

2010-12-20T11:37:00.000-06:00

We are loving our new neighborhood! The girls have already made a few friends right here in our cul-de-sac, and our neighbors are great! The neighborhood also has quite a few pretty Christmas lights throughout it, and the HOA does a horse-drawn sleigh ride through the neighborhood to look at the lights. They also had Santa here for the kids to talk to. We weren't sure R would have anything to do with Santa...he usually wants to stay as far away from him as possible. But this night he talked to him, told him what he wanted, and even gave him a "high five" when he was done!! I was so proud!! He wouldn't sit on his lap...I had to hold him, but that is still tremendous progress for our little guy!! It was SUPER cold that night, and I don't like cold, but all in all it was fun experience for all of us!

Schnauzers are SMART dogs, right? Right?

2010-12-04T15:28:00.000-06:00

Family Movie Night

2010-11-21T22:53:00.000-06:00

Years ago, when we lived in Virginia, we started "family movie night" with the girls. We started making our own pizza and watching a movie every Friday night. Over the years, we have continued the tradition and very rarely did we miss a Friday night family movie night. As little R has gotten older, it has become more of a challenge to watch a movie together as a family (he's not the quietest little guy during a movie), so R and I haven't been as motivated to continue the tradition, and we have done it less frequently in the last year. I decided since we moved into a new house, it was time for a fresh start, and we need to start making it a priority to do our family night again. We did it on Saturday last week (we had a Sunday School social on Friday) and when I told the girls they were excited, but little did I know HOW excited. R and I went to buy groceries, and when we came home the girls had it all set up to make pizza...it was too cute! So we all made pizza, ate it together, and watched a movie...good FAMILY time!! I am a huge fan of traditions, and I believe it is very important that we have family traditions (especially as much as our lives change from year to year with all our moves), and this is one that we are definitley going to keep!

This is T's sign that she made...very cute, I thought!

They had 3 "pizza stations" set up for making pizzas...again, too cute!

All 3 of them working hard to create a pizza masterpiece!

A's finished pizza

T's finished pizza

Welcome Anja!!!

2010-11-16T23:08:00.000-06:00

The first day...she was a little overwhelmed!

Giving sweet kisses to little R

Such a sweet face!

Chasing her tail is one of her favorite games!!

After almost four months with no dog in our house, we decided it was time to find another furry member for our family. We knew that no dog could ever replace Sable in our hearts, but we wanted another furry friend for our kids to grow up with. While we have such a soft spot in our hearts for labs, we decided it would be too hard to look into labbie eyes that weren't Sable's, so we went with a totally different type of dog this time...a mini schnauzer. Her name is Anja (ON-YA)...we wanted a German sounding name, and it was one of the only one's that little R could pronounce...so Anja it is! She is 12 weeks old, and cute as can be. We are going through the process of training, which is a lot of work...but she is already proving herself to be quite smart AND funny! She has provided many laughs already!!

Leaves!!!

2010-11-02T16:17:00.000-05:00

T and R had a BLAST playing in the leaves in our new back yard the other afternoon. It was little R's first experience raking up, jumping in and throwing leaves...and he LOVED it! It seems everywhere we go, we somehow end up in a house with NO trees, but not this time. One of the things we loved about the house we just moved into was all the trees in the front and back yards. A was inside sick this day, so she didn't get to be a part of the festivities...

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!!!

2010-10-10T23:27:00.000-05:00

T, A and R posing with Daddy...A had him sign/date her foul ball!

Proof that I was there, supporting my hubby!

A few weeks ago, R had the chance to play in a baseball game in a professional ballpark. Our church does an event each year where guys can join teams and play against each other at the Bricktown Ballpark in downtown OKC. R definitely wanted to take part in it, and even though it was a very chilly, windy day we were there to cheer him on! I wasn't sure how little R would do, but he was a trooper...T and A loved it, and A even got a foul ball that went into the bleachers! I'm glad R isn't a baseball player full-time, but as a once-in-a-lifetime thing...it was fun! After the game, the kids were allowed out on the field to run the bases. As you can see from the video, little R thought it was a little too far to run! But Daddy saved the day!

Soccer sensation???

2010-09-24T08:43:00.006-05:00

We decided to put R in soccer! They have a 3-4 yr old league at the Y, and even though he didn't make the cutoff of being 3 by Sept. 1st, they let him play anyway. He LOVES playing soccer at home, and the boy can kick a ball like you wouldn't believe! We weren't sure how it would go playing with other kids though, and actually following rules. He had his first game last Saturday, and R was out of town and had to miss it. Little R did great...at first...then ended up in tears and sitting in Mommy's lap! This week Mommy is going to try to watch from afar without little R knowing where I am...R seems to think he will play much better that way! I have been banned from attending practice, and R says he does great without me there! He definitely is a "Mama's Boy"!!!

Our first "art class" at home!

2010-09-24T08:37:00.003-05:00

One of the things T is really missing about school is Art class. So, we headed to Hobby Lobby and I told the girls they could get an art project...whatever they wanted. They both chose wooden boxes to paint. (Both girls have "special boxes" where they keep little trinkets that are very important to them, but they are overflowing!) They worked on these for two afternoons...art class around here has to be done while little R is napping! Even though they were both very critical of their own work, I think they look great! They both got an A+ on the project!! : )

Happy Birthday Little R!!!!

2010-09-09T11:17:00.002-05:00

It's so hard to believe it has been 3 years since our little R was born! It has been 3 years of all new experiences, and most of them have been enjoyable! We love you buddy, and we can't wait to see what your future holds! You are a blessing to our family, and we love you more than you could ever know!

R LOVES Trucks!!!

2010-09-02T23:23:00.002-05:00

R got this dump truck from his grandparents for Christmas last year, and he loves it! He loves loading it up (with anything) and then hauling and dumping whatever he has it loaded up with. He loves to push it around the island in the kitchen REALLY FAST...it makes lots of noise on the tile floors! He also loves for A to push him around in it REALLY FAST through the living room and crash him into the front door! But this night, he decided to pull it up to the TV and take a break in it...he sat here for quite some time watching TV.

The Bumpit Sisters

2010-08-28T20:49:00.002-05:00

The girls decided to play dress-up in some of my old formals one day a couple of weeks ago. A has wanted to dig into these dresses since I had a few of them out at my yard sale, and I finally gave in. After about 30 minutes of giggling, this is what appeared!

First Day of School 2010

2010-08-22T19:56:00.003-05:00

T looking very grown-up!

A had to make sure she stood out in the crowd at her new school!

R didn't have his first day of school on Tuesday, but he wanted a picture like his sisters!

Little R was very eager to meet T at the bus, and she was absolutely HORRIFIED that Daddy was taking pictures!

A didn't mind Daddy taking pictures at all!

The girls started school on Tuesday, and because of our move across town last November they both started the new school year in a whole new school district. We are hoping it will be a positive move...this school district is MUCH smaller than where they were last year, but to be honest I am almost ready to just keep them at home and school them here! T is in 8th grade this year (her last year of middle school...sigh), and A is in 3rd. They are growing into neat little ladies...I actually enjoy them so much these days...except when they are fighting with each other!

Making Dave Ramsey Proud!!

2010-08-08T21:54:00.002-05:00

On July 1st, R and I started on a new financial journey. After reading Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover, we decided to get on board and take control of our finances. So far, it has been a great month of eliminating debt and living on a pretty strict budget. As part of the plan, we went through and cut up all of our credit cards (Dave Ramsey is NOT a fan of credit cards...go figure). Luckily, most of our credit cards remain in a lockbox unused, but cutting them up was very symbolic of our fresh financial beginning!

4th of July

2010-07-26T13:01:00.003-05:00

At home before the festivities

Ready for the 2-mile walk in the parade!

Despite how it looks, little R DID enjoy the parade...not sure what this look was!

However, he was totally unimpressed with the fireworks!

I know I'm a little late, but since it is almost August I figured I would post our 4th of July activities! It was horribly humid and rainy pretty much all day, but by evening the rain had stopped, so the fireworks were on!

A's cheer group was in the town parade, so we sat through an extremely long parade to see/hear them cheer in the parade. Then that evening we went to Edmond's fireworks show. It was a humid, muddy mess and they didn't start the fireworks until 10:00. I think little R asked at least 100 times to go home before they even started! Then, when they did start he absolutely hated the noise...and ended up falling asleep with my hands over his ears!

I love the 4th of July! I don't know if it is because of R's career or just being grateful to grow up in this wonderful country, but I always get sentimental on the 4th of July, and I can't hear the Star Spangled Banner...ever...without tearing up! So, despite all the mud, rain, humidity-induced bad hair, and the ashes falling all over us at the fireworks display, it was a good day and we were so happy to celebrate together as a family!

She's a bike rider....FINALLY!!!

2010-07-19T11:11:00.003-05:00

A has never had a desire to learn to ride a bike. We have attempted numerous times, and she was terrified! She has a Barbie scooter that she has been perfectly content to ride around the neighborhood. Finally, we decided we were doing our daughter an injustice by not making her learn to ride (she is almost 9 years old!)...so after a couple of crying, slobbering, snotting evenings of Daddy making her do it, she is now a bike rider....AND LOVING IT! I was totally convinced that the neighbors were going to call DHS on us those evenings...A was totally overreacting and causing quite a loud scene, begging Daddy not to make her do it! But no DHS workers have shown up at the door, so I guess we are safe!

This is what happens when you are the only boy...

2010-07-18T18:03:00.003-05:00

The girls love playing dress up, doing each other's makeup and hair. Little R likes to be involved in whatever his big sisters are doing...so this is the result!! I don't think James Dobson (Bringing Up Boys) would approve, but the girls enjoy it, and little R enjoys it...so no harm, right??? And we won't mention Daddy's opinion of the whole thing...we will keep this G rated! : )

Sooo....what does this tell us? Do we need another little boy in the Willis house to even things up????

Cheer 4 Christ

2010-07-07T13:45:00.002-05:00

A continues to LOVE Cheer 4 Christ! They were actually in the 4th of July parade on Saturday, but I didn't get any good pics of it, so I thought I would post a couple of their performance pics. Both pics have one of A's best friends, Reese...they met at school this year, and have become quite close. They won't be going to school together next year (they are both moving to different schools for the new school year), but we are hoping they remain friends...they have LOTS in common, especially their LOVE of cheerleading!

Kris Allen

2010-06-30T09:14:00.002-05:00

While the kids were with MiMi & PaPa for a week, R and I got to spend lots of quality time together. One evening we went to a concert at an amusment park here called Frontier City...they have lots of summer concerts, and Kris Allen was a must-see! We waited in line that afternoon to get meet & greet passes, so we got to meet him that evening before the show. It was fun meeting him, although R and I both felt like giants compared to the little guy! He put on a great show...very talented!!

Bringing Up Boys

2010-06-22T15:31:00.002-05:00

As an afterthought to my previous post...I am currently reading the book Bringing Up Boys by James Dobson. I am only on Chapter 3, but so far it is a great book! And my previous post goes right along with the whole theme of the book...boys are definitely different than girls! As a Psychology major, I used to always say that boys we knew were rowdy and undisciplined because they were allowed to be...and now that God saw to it that we are now raising a boy, my thoughts have changed on that subject completely!! Little R plays with things entirely differently than the girls did...they would have never dreamed of throwing their toys across the room to see how far they would go, of hitting everything EXCEPT the golf ball with their golf club, of climbing up the back of the couch in order to jump off the front, and the list goes on and on! The last 2 1/2 years of raising little R have definitely been quite the learning experience for us...and I'm sure he has MUCH more to teach us! : )

War Paint????

2010-06-19T23:20:00.003-05:00

The girls have always LOVED sidewalk chalk...pretty much everywhere we have lived, our sidewalks and/or driveways have stayed artfully decorated during the warm months. This is little R's first summertime experience with sidewalk chalk...last year he had no interest. Of course, he found much more interesting things to do with the chalk than just draw on the concrete....I'll let the picture speak for itself!!

Sable's Summer 'Do

2010-05-26T12:51:00.003-05:00

BEFORE

AFTER!!!

I have fussed for years about how much Sable sheds...and we jokingly talked about shaving her in the summer, but none of the groomers would do it. Well...R asked our groomer during the winter about shaving her, and he said "No problem"...so Sable now has her summer 'do! She looks like half the dog that she was, and I still can't look at her without laughing, but I do love vacuuming and not coming up with TONS of dog hair. And I know it will feel much better for her this summer! He was supposed to shave her big, fluffy tail, but because of a past incident (which we won't speak of Christie!), she is very antsy with people touching her tail...so she made it clear to the groomer that her tail was just fine the way it is! She kinda reminds us of a large squirrel! : )

A wins 1st Place!!

2010-05-19T09:45:00.003-05:00

A's school had a poster contest to go along with their big book fair at Barnes & Noble. The kids were supposed to draw a poster that went along with a book they had read recently. A has been reading a book about the underground railroad, so she has been talking about that topic a lot lately. It has opened the door for some great "drive time" conversation about an important topic! Needless to say, that is the book she chose to base her poster on, too. And she won 1st place!! Way to go, A!!! We are very proud of you!!!

R's Big Boy Room

2010-05-12T21:05:00.002-05:00

Well, it is finally done!!! We finally got the bed project done, spent the evening putting it together, buying a mattress and decorating the room. He was so excited!! I think the bed turned out pretty well...you can see some white spots in the pics...I have to touch up the screw holes where R screwed the back on the desk piece, but other than that it is done. We went through his normal bedtime routine, except the whole family came into his room to tell him goodnight. He snuggled right in, so hopefully he will sleep well through the night!

80's Glam

2010-05-09T18:53:00.004-05:00

T is taking Chorus as an elective this year at school, and they had an 80's concert last week. It was all 80's music (remember Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, I Think We're Alone Now, and I've Had The Time Of My Life???), and they were supposed to dress in 80's fashion....R was not happy about T's look...didn't like the tight leggings or the makeup, but I thought she really looked the part!!

The project...

2010-04-29T14:09:00.007-05:00

The project...and the story...

We decided a while back that we probably oughtta be thinking about moving little R out of his crib, but I have been so leary about it. He LOVES his crib...he always has! He actually looks forward to going to bed, and sometimes if he gets really upset or just needs a moment to regroup, he will ask if he can go to his bed. So I haven't wanted to do anything to disrupt his love of going to bed. And then add to that fact that I know this is my last baby, and I want to hang onto everything that will keep him little just a while longer, and you have a 2 1/2 year old boy who is still in a crib.

I know that he needs to get a "big boy" bed. I know that as we look at potty training in the next couple of months that he needs to be able to get out of his bed and go potty if he needs to. I know these things. But then I look at his crib, and all the memories come back to me. There's a story there...I remember how friends in GA bought this crib from a friend, and gave it to us. I remember setting this crib up in a room, having no idea when (or if) it would be used. I remember going in that room for months, dreaming about the baby that would (hopefully) someday sleep in that bed. I remember thinking things like "what would he look like", "where would he come from", "what would be his story"....and dreaming of the day I would hold this unknown baby boy from some unknown place in my arms, and call him my own.

The last thing I do before I go to bed each night is go in little R's room, and look down at this precious baby boy (who's not really such a baby anymore) and I tuck him back in, and I thank God for bringing this wonderful little guy into my life. I don't deserve him, I'm not any better qualified than any of the other people who could have raised him. But somehow God moved (and if you know the story, you know He moved in a mighty way) and put things into motion to bring THIS boy to us, and what a blessing it has been! So tonight before I go to bed, I will go to little R's room, tuck him in, and thank God for the blessing of this baby boy.

And then tomorrow, I will go back out in the garage and work on my new project....little R's "big boy" bed!! And I will know that someday very soon we will move that bed into his room, and he will begin to sleep in it (hopefully)! And I hope that as we watch him grow through the years, in this bed, we will have tons of memories to go along with it, too. And I hope those memories are so great and so dear to me that I will be in tears blogging about it, just like today.

And because I like to think that little R has always loved his bed because he feels our love there, I hope that he feels that same love in his "big boy" bed. R and I both have put a lot of time into this project, trying to make it special just for our little guy! We bought this loft bed set used...well used! But we got a great deal on it (from Craigslist, of course), and R sanded it all down, and now I am painting it all black. So soon it will be just like new, ready for our little R to make his mark on it through the years. And I really am excited about it...but also a little sad at the same time!

AFTER sanding, BEFORE painting

AFTER painting...soon it will all look like this!

Coloring Easter Eggs

2010-04-15T22:44:00.004-05:00

This year was the first time that R was really able to enjoy the Easter activities. He helped the girls color Easter eggs, and he had his first Easter Egg Hunt! He enjoyed both A LOT. The video shows the fun coloring eggs, but you can also hear how his speech is developing so much!!

He got a little tuckered out during the egg hunt. Grandma & Grandpa Willis' back yard is HUGE!!

What gives you hope??

2010-04-06T09:34:00.003-05:00

Easter weekend was amazing! We went to a great church service on Saturday evening. We colored eggs with the kids. We spent a great Easter Sunday with family...good times and good food. Memories were made! I spent a lot of time this weekend so grateful for the death and resurrection of Jesus. It was a great Easter!! I felt joy in the fact that we have family and friends and Jesus in our lives.

Then came Monday, and that joy just seemed to be sucked away. Monday I faced orthodontist appts. with the girls. Result: Over $5000 worth of braces needed SOON for T. Since we don't have $5000 laying around unused, that equals $230/month for braces! I am still stressing over where we can possibly make enough cuts in our budget to cover $230/month for braces. Then I had to go to school on Monday evening and face a midterm that I knew I had done poorly on. This is my first semester back in school, and it is tough! And, I was right...I did not do well! So by last night when I got home at 10:00, I was pretty defeated. My joy from just one day before was buried in the worries of my world right now.

But then this morning, I see this:

And I have HOPE!! We have been watching this little tree that sits outside little R's window all winter! He has grown fond of this tree, and we have just been waiting for some sign of life from it. And the pink flowers belong to our neighbor, but they still bring me hope! These are signs of life!! They bring me hope that this long, hard winter is finally coming to end! And that may sound overly dramatic, but it HAS been long and hard!! These small signs of life in the trees and bushes are proof to me that they were watched over through this long winter. And that gives me hope that I am being watched over, too! Even through financial concerns and school concerns and family concerns, I have hope!! Warmer days are coming (literally and figuratively) and we will come out blooming, too!!

So for today, I am not defeated! I have hope! Hope that we will find the money to pay for braces. Hope that I will do better on my final, and my grade will be fine. Hope that little R's tree will grow and thrive. Hope that soon I will be enjoying the sunny days with all my kids at home with me. I have hope!

Look Who's Talking!

2010-04-03T13:33:00.004-05:00

R has really been talking a lot lately, and his speech is so much different than the girls' was at this age! He has so many funny ways of saying certain words and letters, but it doesn't keep him from trying! He and Daddy have really gotten into the NBA team here (the OKC Thunder), so he likes to cheer the Thunder on with Daddy quite often! Anyway, here are a few short clips of some his favorite things to talk about!

R's creativity

2010-03-26T10:58:00.002-05:00

R is always lining his cars up nice and neat and making loads for his tractors, and he is always very proud of his creations. This day he came running in to where I was saying "Mama, come look at this BIG load"! Of course, there is plenty of frustration when the tractor buckets give way to all the weight and drop the load!

This one's for Uncle Kenny!

2010-03-24T20:28:00.003-05:00

We were flipping through the channels one night, and caught some motocross action. R LOVED it!!! Thought this would make you proud, Uncle Kenny!!

A's First Military Ball

2010-03-02T10:27:00.002-06:00

R had an ROTC ball that he had to attend, and since we didn't have a babysitter, he took A instead of me. She enjoyed getting all dressed up, and she got to meet the former Miss USA, who sang the national anthem at the ball. She is a student at the college where R works, and A thought that was just wonderful!!! We had concerns about her getting bored sitting through the speaker, but she did great!! Everyone there was talking about how good she was! It's nice when you can take your children out in public and they know how to act...Lord knows they don't always act that way at home!!

PaPa Turns 60!!!!

2010-03-02T10:24:00.002-06:00

Mom & Dad came down last month to watch the kids so R and I could go to a concert, and it just happened to be Dad's birthday! The girls and I made a cake, and attempted to light 60 candles on the cake. By the time we had them all lit, some of them were melting onto the cake! Moral of the story...60 candles is A LOT of candles for one cake!! Thanks for spending your birthday with us PaPa!!!!

Question: What does R love??

2010-02-04T11:17:00.002-06:00

Answer: Pretty much ANYTHING with wheels! And he LOVES to line them up in a row, so one Sunday morning before church (with Daddy's help) he lined up every vehicle he owns. I have to say I was a little shocked at how many he actually has...when they are spread out all over the house, you can't really tell how many there actually are! He is also pretty darn crazy about the brown-eyed girl in the pic...I think A definitely comes directly behind me in little R's list of "very important people".

Crazy Socks!

2010-01-14T15:52:00.002-06:00

Thanks Uncle Toby & Aunt Robyn!!