Old friend/New friends

We got to meet Brooke, Mark, and Hope for lunch on Saturday. It was so fun to see them and see how much precious little Hope is growing. Even more fun to realize that Brooke and I met when we were just a little bit older the Hope and Caleb. How fun after 25 years of friendship to see your little ones playing together! So fun!

California Pictures

Beach brothers checking out the ocean
Kaden liked the kelp almost as much as the ocean
Caleb loved being buried in the  sand

Papa Van and his beach boys


My sweet husband, plugged our computer in so we could download pictures and feel a little more at "home" while on the road. Looking back I realized that I haven't posted any pictures since Caleb's birthday almost a month ago! Seems like a lifetime ago...at least a thousand miles ago!  There are so many pictures to catch up on but for now we'll just show you some beach pictures from last week...pictures of Texas are still a little to painful to post. 

  As you can see, we had a great time that day. They're quite the little beach boys.

  Hope you all had a good 3 day weekend! We spent Saturday visiting friends (Brooke and one of Matt's friends from high school whose little girl was turning 1). Sunday we spent visiting with family, we haven't seen in a long time, and we're headed out to meet with more family today. I'm so glad that Matt is getting all this special time with his family, it's been a long time for him. 

  Have a great day. Jesus loves you.

Info...

So being the computer savy person I am...ok not at all...I never put any of your all's blogger address attached to my page, and I'm without our personal computer and I dont' have any of the addresses memorized therefore I can't check anybody's page and I'm feeling very out of the loop! So if you all have a minute please leave me your blog site in the comments so I can check up on you! Thanks!

New Car

Well, it's official, we're a mini-van family! I didn't think that Matt would ever take the step, but he's more excited then I am! :) We are the proud new owners of a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan with the swivel seats and table! :) Let me tell you how God provided...Matt's step dad is a Dodge dealer here in California. We were able to get the van at invoice plus a bunch of rebates! Praise the Lord! We didn't get all the bells and whistles i.e. the my gig system where you can down load your entire ipod and all your photos (really who's going to look at their pictures while driving!) and two seperate t.v.'s but we did get one t.v. installed at the dealership so that will be nice. We are really excited and it will be nice for when family comes to visit and we can all go around together. Oh, and most important...it's blue. If you seem them around, it's not the bright blue but a real dark almost grey, black, blue. Come visit and we'll give you a ride!

California Update

Well, we are back down in So. Ca after only 2 days in Monterey. God went before us in an amazing way and we are just so blessed and excited. We left early Thursday morning to head up to Monterey to find a home. We got about 2 min. down the freeway and Kaden threw up ....all over...fortunatly he said his tummy hurt so we had a bag ready...but still...really really gross. This continued for the next 4-5 hours! Not a fun way to start off house hunting, but the praise being we were in the truck where I can get to Kaden quickly and not in our brand new van...that would have been very sad! About half way there Matt got sick, which meant that we were stopping every 15-20 min. Makes for a very long drive! We got to Monterey 30 min. before the housing office on the base closed. Before we left, we prayed that if God wanted us to live on base they would have a home availabe by the 15th, which up until this point had not been the case. So we get there and they offer us a newly built duplex available on ....the 15th! We were so excited and signed the paper for it right away. We were a bit dissapointed it was a duplex and not a single family home, but we knew that this was God trying to bless us and we needed to take His gift. So since we didn't have to spend the next week rental hunting, we spent Friday going to the beach, the park, the Aquarium (where we now have membership passes and can bring friends for free, so please come see us!) and going down memory lane for me. Man, it's weird to go back to where you were a teen once you're grown up (whatever that is) and with kiddos of your own. We really enjoyed the day and are super excited to live in Monterey. Pluses: There's 2 Target's wtihin 5 min. of the house, 5-6 Starabucks within 10 min., and the beach wtihin 5 min. VERY EXCITING! Minuses: It's really, really COLD. The boys and I had to go buy pants and jackets and sweat shirts cause we don't really own clothes for cold weather. It's not horrible but 60 feels really cold when you've lived in 90 plus for 3 years!
We drove back down to So. Ca yesterday and now should be staying put for a while. I'm so so glad not to be traveling for a couple of weeks, but am looking forward to getting settled. If you know me at all you know I thrive on routine so I'm a little of kilter! :) I'll try to update again soon. Thanks for your prayers.

CALIFORNIA Here we are

Hey Just a quick update for everyone. Praise the Lord, we arrived in California this morning at 3:45 after 17 plus hours of driving! A long and very sad day but God is so faithful and we are excited to be here and to see what the next steps are going to be...The first step will be driving 7 more hours to Monterey, CA tomorrow in order to figure out the housing situation. We'll either live on base or have to rent so we'll have to see what God has open. Best case scnerio, we'll find a house availabe and get our stuff moved in and then we'll leave immediatly for So. Ca again to spend vacation time with Matt's family and then we'll go back to Monterey to unpack and settle. Pray for us as we live out of a suitcase for the next month and do lots and lots of traveling. Also, for my heart as it was so hard to leave mom and dad and the boys. We've been so grateful for the time we had in Del Rio and know that God has a plan for us here too.
Sorry for the short update, hope everyone is doing well. I'll update agian soon!
Jesus loves you

Moving Day

Well, this is it...for now. Matt is waiting to take down the computer for tomorrow the movers come! I'm not sure when I'll be blogging again, but until then please keep us in your prayers as we pack up to move across the country and leave family and friends behind.  We are excited to see what God will do in this next chapter of our lives...but if you know me at all, I'm not a big fan of change so God has to really hold me through this! You will all be in our thoughts and prayers as well! Jody, I can't wait to hear how the half marathon went! I was praying for you! 

  Someday, I'll catch everyone up on the pictures from the last couple of weeks, but until then....Jesus loves you!

  See you in California!

Bethany Update

I talked to Bethany today and since her basement was flooded in the storm and she lost her computer she is unable to blog, but she wanted all of you to know that the court date went well and she will blog more about it later when everything gets put back together. 

VENTING

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAHHHHHHHHAHHHHHHHHH!!!! Ok, much better. With the move fast approaching (the movers come on Monday), family visitors, family birthdays, and pre-move stess...the internet decides to go out! Well, to be quite honest, the internet did not go out, the company decided it was ok to turn off our internet without permission and start the new owners account, also without their permission. So after several days  and many, many phone calls to the cable company we have the internet back again! Praise the Lord. Sad how much we've come to depend on the internet but I really felt cut off from the rest of the world! I've decided I do not at all like being a grown up and having to deal with things like: calling the cable company several time to politely and forcefully ask for our internet to be turned back on, tell them we're not paying for the service, and where, for the love of Pete, is the cable guy you told me was on his way an hour ago ...in a town that it only takes 10 mins. to drive through! , calling the electric company and the new owner to coordinate when their electric takes over and ours ends, working on getting vehicles registered in the correct state, coordinating with the movers on dates and walking with them through the house to figure out what we need to do and what they will cover, getting Matt's pickup truck listed in the paper so it can be sold, and I can't remember what else I've been doing over the last several days...but I don't like it! :) What happened to being 12 years old and without a care in the world! On the up side, I do like having children and being married so I guess you can't have one without the responsibility of it...but man that would be a sweet deal if you could! :) 

  On top of all the fun stuff listed above, we have Jeremy's 18th birthday tomorrow, Dad birthday dinner tonight and birthday on Friday. Matt's fini flight on Friday, parties on Saturday and swimming lessons...and goodbyes. I think that's what is the hardest ...the goodbyes...and I can't even yet mentally prepare for saying goodbye to mom and dad . 

  Eventually here I'll get pictures posted of our Six Flag trip with the youth last Monday and all the other things that have been going on, but right now my floors need to be mopped...yes, I'm still cleaning, it's a bit of a stress reliever for me and I have a fetish for clean floors, and the boys will soon be up from their naps....so until next time~ Jesus loves you~

Caleb's 2!!!

One amazing Rocket Birthday cake!
All set up for the party
The best part of the party...the bouncy castle!
Caleb enjoying the bouncy castle
King of the table
The King wouldn't sit down to eat
Present time
Heather, Jennie, Rebecca, and Chris
Great Grandma Wood was here to celebrate Caleb's birthday! So special!
Everyone hanging out at the party
Almost time for candles!
I'm 2!!!
Caleb watching himself open presents on Papa's camcorder
Showing off his Little Einstein guys
It's official, I no longer have a baby! My baby turned 2 on Saturday, and how proud he is to be a big boy! We had a big birthday day from the moment he woke up until he crashed late that night! As soon as Caleb woke up, he was greeted by mommy, daddy, and Kaden singing "Happy Birthday" and then he was rushed into the living room by big brother to see all the decorations. He was so excited to see the house all made up and especially to see the big birthday banner with his favorite Little Einstein's on it! He was so excited to run into the dining room and see the table all set up with his napkins, forks, and spoons! We let Caleb open a few presents before breakfast, so he could wear his Rocket shirt for his party and so that he wouldn't be totally overwelmed later. We had a picnic breakfast in the kitchen and then we worked fast and furiously to get ready for the party. We had to pick up the barbque, set up all the tables outside, set up the shade, put of the bouncy castle, get the rest of the food out, etc. Good thing the teens were over until midnight the night before helping us decorate! Also, as a very important side note, Jennie (one of our teens) spent 4 + hours making Caleb's FABULOUS Rocket cake! It was the hit of the party and absolutely amazing! Anyways, the party started at 11 and we had a great time every minute. All the kids and the adults seemed to have a great time, and I  picked really great friends cause every time I turned around someone was helping to clean up! Very nice. We were also really tacky and used the men at the party to help us move our swing set down to it's new owners down the street! :) 

  After the party, it was NAP TIME! for two very tired boys, but as soon as they woke up it was more birthday fun. We gave the boys some time to play with the new toys and then we headed over to Papa and Grandma's house for family time and presents. Caleb loved his Little Einstein guys and a toddler Karaoke machine! I'll have to get video of them singing with that soon, they are just to cute. We stayed late at Papa's house cooking hot dogs over the fire pit and just enjoying time together. By the time we came home we had two very tired but very happy boys....only 4 months to go until Kaden's birthday! :)

  

Caleb in hats

Caleb is displaying his cuteness and his hats! :) 

Master Kaden

Kaden waiting for his turn to high kick and hi-yah down the aisle. 
I got this little bit of Kaden's kick
Kaden is the little blur right in front of the teacher. They're doing their high blocks here.
Waiting in line with his buddies Alizhia and Eli before breaking their boards
Bowing to the audience before breaking his board
Proud Kaden sitting with Papa and Grandma watching the other kids...Dad is examining Kaden's board to figure out how it broke so easily...It's cause he's a Master!
I love this picture of Kaden standing in his Ta Kwon Do outfit and his army rain boots!
Breaking the board!

Kaden had his first Ta Kwon Do demonstration last night and I had my first teary eyed, proud mama moment...hence the excited and loud cheering in the video! :) I'm not sure why I got so emotional over watching him do high kicks and blocks and breaking boards, except that it was like watching my baby boy grow up into a little man. It's really true what they say about having children, it's like watching your heart walk around outside your body. Master Kaden did a great job doing his high kicks (the child is EXTREMELY flexible...he kicks higher then most dancers!) and "hi-yah's!" down the isle and was so cute to watch doing his blocks and kicks up on stage. My favorite was when all the kiddos were echoing the instructor and yelling things like, "I will be respectful", "I will be a good listener", and "I will do my VERRRRRRRRRY best"! :) Let's hope those lessons stick! Then it was time for the most anticipated moment of the night...breaking the boards! They took the kids up three at a time and they bowed to the audience, their instructor, and then smashed the boards...with their bare hands! And yes it is a real board and not one easily broken. Kaden was so proud and each of the kids got to keep their boards. Ours is now proudly displayed on our mantel! 

  The camp was run by a really neat Christian church that just has a heart for the community and uses Ta Kwon Do as a way to reach out. If we were staying it's something we would keep Kaden in...we may just have to see what we can find in California. It's just so neat to see that God can use all kinds of things to bring Himself glory. 

What we're up to

Kaden getting ready for Ta Kwon Do camp...I think he's just so cute! I love the focus in his eyes in these pictures

Caleb passing the time while we wait for Kaden to get done swimming. The last picture is my favorite :)

Just an update on our week...since I know so many of you anxiously await our blog! :) We have been filling our days with Ta Kwon Do camp and swimming lessons. Kaden is loving both and Caleb and mommy are enjoying some one on one time in the mornings. Kaden is at camp from 9-11:30 and the camp is run by a Christian church in town. It is so  neat how they are incorporating Christ into Ta Kwon Do. Kaden has his performance tomorrow night...the same time that we have scheduled to take the teens out to a ranch and do Bible study. So I'll be taking Kaden and video taping/taking pictures, while Matt is out with the kids and then we'll join them. Anyways, Kaden has been doing kicks, punches, and even breaking boards (although I did find out that the board is made of foam and painted to look like a board. He is loving it though and this is something we may look at getting into once were settled in California. The Caleb story for this week is one morning after we dropped of Kaden we went to Walmart to grab a few things. Caleb saw some Disney princess Kleenexes so we let him get them (no, I'm not at all worried that he loves the princesses...the way I see it he just loves beautiful women!) He kept asking to open the box but we told him he had to wait until we got in the car. So once we finally got in the car Caleb opened the box...and started pulling out Kleenexes and then got very very upset when he couldn't find the princesses inside! Matt and I were laughing so hard, but poor baby just didn't understand why if there were princesses on the outside of the box why they weren't inside too! :) Sweet boy. 

  Swimming is going well too this week. We just decided that even though Kaden is still struggling a bit whatever he can gain from this class will be a benefit so we're still plugging away and every day we see improvement. 

  That's about it for this week, I got my hair highlighted, which is fun but expensive and I"m still getting used to being so blond! Next week we're headed to Six Flags with the teens and doctor's appointments the rest of the week...and then Caleb's birthday...and then moving the next week! AHHHHHHH! It's coming fast! I'm still in a bit of denial and cleaning every day and keeping a "normal" routine...for those of you who know me, I don't do well without my routine! :) Oh, and for Jody...I ran a 9.27 min pace for about 4.6 miles today! I was so stoked! I feel like maybe I'm finally getting my pace back...but I was sure tired at the end! Ok enough rambling. Hope everyone has a great rest of their week and weekend!

 Jesus loves you

Girl's Weekend

Mom and I are back from our FABULOUS girl's weekend...sorry no pictures I left the camera with Matt so he could take cute pictures of the boys...but apparently they didn't do anything cute, so no pictures at all from the weekend! :) Mom and I got away early Saturday morning and made our first purchase a block from her house! We came across a yard sale and found a chest of drawers for Chris...since he's moved out and all his clothes live on the floor. We were very excited by that first purchase and then we were off to San Antonio. Who knew outlet malls were so fun!!! I got to go into all these name brand stores, head strait to the back and find all kinds of things on clearance. It was a great way to spend my birthday money. I also got all of Caleb's birthday shopping done so that was very nice. Saturday night, we had dinner at Olive Garden and then had a room on Randolph AFB. We took a walk that night, watched some TV and went to bed...I didn't know I could get so tired just from shopping! Sunday morning we woke up and went to the base chapel for church. We checked out and headed to another, closer shopping center. It was there that I had one of those perfect moments...I was in Target, with my mom, at the clearance racks, holding a Starbucks! All my favorite things! :) We did a bit more shopping and headed out of San Antonio around 1 which got us home (3 hours later) in time for some time with all the boys. 

  I'm so grateful for the memories and the blessings of this weekend! Thanks to husbands that let us go, and God for all the safety on the road and little blessings that added up in big ways!

Boy Toys

Getting ready to ride
Motorcycle men
Caleb's turn
Here comes Papa and Caleb
And here he's thinking...this would be much more fun if the helmet didn't weight as much as I do! 
In the interest of saving money on gas, my dad bought a scooter/motorcycle to ride around town and on short trips. He just got it yesterday and we are having so much fun with his new toy! Kaden was pretty scared at first but as soon as they started driving he was hooked. And of  course Caleb jumped right up and when Papa brought him back he said, "more!" I got to ride on it too and it is very fun...and the bike's my favorite color, bonus! Maybe we'll have to look into getting one of those in California! 

Birthday's coming

I just wanted to share this story about Caleb cause it was just so cute. His package of birthday party goodies came in the mail yesterday. We opened up the box and the little boy was in Heaven. He was so so excited to see a whole box full of Little Einstein stuff. He very carefully and very precisily took each item out, looked at it, and then lined them up on the living room floor. He would then pick up an item tell you what it was and put it back...this went on for a very long time and he was very very upset when we put it back in the box. He was pretty sure his party was going to happen right then...sweet thing, he only has to wait two more weeks!

VBS

Sorry I haven't been on here much to blog lately. We have been busy with VBS and loving every minute of it. It has been HOT HOT and I've been outside with the kiddos doing games but I wouldn't trade a minute of it...ok maybe some minuets of it. :) Today we got to explode Diet Coke but putting mentos into it...yeah, I would never recommend eating mentos and drinking Diet Coke together, you may just explode! This geyser literally shot like 10 feet in the air! So fun...and I'm getting really good at North, South, Central...and I win...but it could be cause I'm 3 times the size of the little kids! :) Ok, just a quick update in case you were all wondering where we were...and I would have pictures but it's really hard to take pictures and monitor 25 plus kids at the same time. 

  This weekend my sweet husband is letting my mom and I get away for a girls weekend we've been hoping for, for literally 3 1/2 years! I'm so excited. 

  Hope you all are having a good week.  Jesus loves you.

 

Yard Sale

Not for sale....although we did have several people ask!
Our favorite and very proud customer showing off his new treasures.
random customers...yes it was very hot
mom sitting pretty!
Matt is an amazing salesman and worked hard all morning in charge of the money and  making most of the sales! Way to go, Sweetheart! 
Two for one sale
Kaden displaying some of the Christmas items that didn't sell

So I may have been exaggerating a bit when I said that yard sales in Del Rio were an experience like no other...then again we did sell over $100 worth of stuff on Friday while my mom and I were just sitting in the garage pricing things! And we advertised that we would be open at 7 but had at least 8 customers between 6:15 and 7 a.m.!!! People down here love their garage sales! Mom and I are both really happy with how well it went. We just have a few boxes to take to Hospice and one to the consignment shop so not bad considering how much we started with! Our big sale of the day was our antique piano that we bought while we were in North Dakota. We really loved the piano but decided not to put the money into restringing and restoring it. We sold it to a man on the spot and the scrambled to find men to help lift it! (the thing literally weighed like 1,000 lbs.) We got my dad (who has a sore elbow) Matt (who has a torn rotator cuff in his shoulder, my brother J, my neighbor who answered the door in his boxers, and some random man shopping at the yard sale (we gave him a free ladder for helping!) We got it loaded and off it went. 

  Our favorite customer of the day by far was our very own Kaden. Daddy was finally parting with some of his collectibles (x-men figures still in the box! :) and Kaden was keeping a very close eye on them afraid that someone was going to buy them up. We told them that he could not have them and we at least needed to wait until lunch time to see if someone bought them before we would think about letting him have them...this was to long and to uncertain for Kaden so next thing I know the child has gone in the house, found the stool, got up on his dresser, found his money and comes to me with all his dollars so he can buy his x-men! It was the sweetest thing I'd seen in a long time, so we sold him the x-men (for a discount) and the boy has literally been playing with them every chance he gets since! He's a happy customer! In fact, he's playing with them right now! :)

  All in all a very successful day, Praise the Lord...and I'm very glad it's over!