Preparations

Backpack: check (she chose to use one she has)
Lunchbox: check
Supplies: check
Clothes: check
Shoes: check
Excitement: check

Emily starts second grade Monday and we are as ready as we can be! She has everything that she needs (and then some!), and we are all so excited, especially her! She loves school and is an enthusiastic learner!

We received the letter from her teacher this past weekend and we are so happy with the placement! It is what we had hoped for and what we, along with her first grade teacher, decided would work best for Emily! We also found out that her closest friends are in class with her as well, and Em can't stop talking about it!

We will have our annual "camp-in" this weekend. Our tradition is to have a camp-like dinner (hot dogs, beans, chips) and "camp" in the living room the Saturday before school starts. We also make s'mores over the firepit in the back yard (a propane flame works just as well!). It's a tradition that we someday plan to move to a real campsite in the mountains, but we have a blast and we are especially appreciative of the air conditioning!

In other news: Zach is finally home from the hospital and is doing well. They are still in need of prayer, and Zach isn't eating very well, but they are working on it and are thankful to be home.

Supplies, minus a few

These are NOT all new, but we're definitely stocked up!
Side note: Those are not empty hangers, they have tank tops on them
(empty hangers in between clothes is one of my biggest pet peeves)

She really wants to wear her new shoes (and I want a pair of those little Esprits!)

Happy Wednesday!
A

Sneaky guy

Ethan was napping earlier, or at least we thought he was... I was standing in the living room and looked into the front room and saw him standing there, looking quite guilty. I thought he looked guilty because he was supposed to be in bed and he had snuck out. I should have known better.

Nick took Ethan back upstairs and put him in bed. A couple of minutes later I walk in the front room and just happen to look in the corner where I see a pile of paper, and after closer investigation realize that it is gum wrappers. I count them... 1, 2, 3... NINE gum wrappers. That little bugger ate nine pieces of chewing gum. Luckily it was tropical Trident and the pieces aren't too big.

Do you think that counts as one of his five fruits for the day!? Silly boy!

Happy Saturday!
A

"Wordless" Thursday

Some people blog "Wordless Wednesday"... I'm using it a day late.

My favorite picture from last summer

Happy Thursday!
A

I'm not ready for this...

Driving in the truck on the way home tonight:

Em: "Mommy, for my eighteenth, or maybe my fifteenth birthday, can I get a phone?"
Me: "A cell phone?"
Em: "Yes."
Me: "I'm sure that you can." (Thinking to myself that she's going to change her mind
in about six months, and she's going to want a cell phone for her eighth birthday.)
Em: "You know, so that I can call you from parties when I need to."
Me: (Thinking about how I'm going to respond to this one, and trying not to run the
truck off the side of the road.)
Em: "Slumber parties."

Whew.

Happy Thursday!
A

Back in time...

We all have those certain moments when something we see, smell, taste or hear takes us back to another place in time.

Lately, I've been having this happen to me quite a bit. I think that it may be that it's summer, and that a lot of the memories that I have from my childhood seem to be from the summer. Most of them center around the pool, which is where I spent pretty much the majority of my time... year-round even, but I relate it to summer. To this day, whenever I smell sunscreen, I'm immediately transported to the pool deck at Fremont, where I was proud to be a "Flying Fish".

Pop Tarts take me to a sunrise over the mountains, sitting shore side on the Barnes' pontoon boat at Canyon Lake.

Jeopardy has me sitting in Mrs. Ricketts living room, usually playing cards.

The other night I was sewing... yes, I was sewing. Nick wasn't home from school yet and the kids were in bed. I was "listening" to the D-Backs play and there was a floor fan blowing. All of those put together also take me back to my childhood. My mom was/ isn't a TV fan (but still loves Angela Lansbury and Perry Mason!), and listening to baseball was common in our house... usually with some element of static because sports are always broadcast on the AM talk show station. The fan, well, we live in AZ... they're necessity.

To today... Emily has swimmers ear (also something that I'm very familiar with). After her ears get wet, I know to put equal parts rubbing alcohol and white vinegar in her ears to dry them out and kill the bacteria. The second the vinegar hit the alcohol and the fumes made their way to my nose, I remember lying with my head on the kitchen table and having this concoction put in my ears... constantly. My mom always kept it in a small brown bottle with a screw on dropper lid and I can still remember the sound that the lid would make hitting the bottle as she was closing it up.

It's amazing to me that my memories are so vivid and it always makes me smile a bit. Those were some really great times. I wonder if it's happening more now because Emily is about the age I was when some of these things happened, or if it's that I've slowed my pace a bit and am taking in more and being in the "now" (which ironically ends up taking me to "then"). Whatever the reason, I'm thankful for the bits of nostalgia, as once again, I'm reminded that time goes by so very quickly. It helps me to slow down and just be "here".

Happy Wednesday!
A

Enough to go around

Ethan just did the cutest thing and I want to be sure to write it down so that I remember, and I'm sharing it because it's adorable!

I'm at the computer for a couple of minutes and Ethan was in here talking with me for a minute and Em was playing in her room. Ethan went downstairs saying something about his baby cars (Nick's Micro Machines from when he was little).

Ethan must have forgotten about the cars because after a few minutes he was back up here standing by my chair with three little boxes of raisins. He handed me one and said "You open it me" traslation: Will you open it for me? After I opened that box he handed me another one "You open it Em", then the other "You open it you". Such a proud moment... he thought of sharing and he even got the right number of snacks! Oh, he is so cute these days. The things he does and says are so precious and I'm loving it! I love all stages, but this one with him really starting to talk a lot and putting things together (like 3 of us, 3 boxes of raisins), it's priceless to see.

Thanks for the raisins, buddy!

Happy Tuesday!
A

Wonderful Weekend!

We have had such a fantastic weekend!!

Friday evening, Emily and I went and did some shopping by ourselves... more fabric, I'm addicted to sewing now! I love to spend time with her alone, she is so awesome and we don't get alone time often.

Nick signed the kids up for craft Saturday at Lowes and they made dune buggies, totally cute! We went out to brunch, then went to see Wall-E. It was cute, but I'm surprised that it held Ethan's attention for more than twenty minutes, and Emily expected more laughs. We went to church last night and were able to see a Pastor that moved away a couple of years ago! It was great to see he and his wife since we miss having them around so much. As always, his message was great!

This morning we all woke up early and headed out to the desert to ride quads. Around here, we call any land that isn't developed "desert", even though we live IN the desert, we don't like to think of it like that. Some of us do have grass, you know. Which brings me to the next activity... Ethan and Nick cut the grass, together. I think Ethan did a better job, but maybe I graded him on a curve. Also, Emily kicked my tail in Monopoly Jr.

Enjoy the pictures...

Happy Sunday! A

They are so proud of their cars!

Ethan climbed the ramps half the time we were out there!

'Riding' Daddy's quad (and making the quad noise)

Em had her best riding day today!

7 going on 16

The last ride of the morning"Hey, wait for me."

Please pray for Zachary **UPDATED**

UPDATE: It has been determined that sweet Zach's fever is being caused by an infection. Please pray specifically for the healing of this infection. Thank you.

Sweet Zach has developed a 102* fever and is struggling a bit to clear the thick mucous from his lungs since they removed the ventilator, and also to release the extra fluid from his body, and he is quite uncomfortable.
Please pray for healing in Zach, for peace for Ray and Amy, and for wisdom in the doctors and nurses that are constantly in contact with Zach.
Thank you, my friends. A

Tuesday

The kids and I have had a relaxing day at home, doing pretty much nothing, and now Em is at cheer for an hour.

I've been practicing cute hairdos on Em, types that I don’t typically see, (I know why, some of them take forever). I was given the link to a site all about cute hair by a friend and I'm addicted! It's a great site and I've added a link on the side bar under "faves". It's Hair Today, and if you have girls, you'll love it!

I spent some time at the hospital yesterday visiting with Zach and family. It was great to get to see them and to talk with Amy for a couple of hours. I haven't spent much time with them at all since Zach was born, just because I've been so worried about passing germs from my kids on to him, which would be so dangerous for him. I'm a freak about that... I don't like kids around my babies when they're little and I don't take my kids around other babies. You never know what type of germs are waiting to be passed on. Even though I haven't held him much, it was so difficult to be so close to him and not be able to touch and love on him... he's so darling. He was resting the entire time and looked as handsome as ever. He is still in need of prayer.

That's about it... I have to go pick Em up and then get back and throw dinner in the oven! Sorry it's a bit boring today, but enjoy the pictures!

Oh, oh, oh... Ethan has mastered potty training and has been accident free for six days... he's a rockstar!

Happy Tuesday!
A

There are two braids on the top that cross over to the top ones on the back

Pictures from the Fourth

We had a great weekend! Nick took Emily to the movies Friday morning, then we packed up and headed west... and I mean it when I say 'packed up'. Our friends (we met them in the Army in CO, but they're from here also. They moved a bit, then moved back here!) live in the opposite side of the valley from us and we rarely just spend a couple of hours at each others houses. It's an overnight deal, which ends up working out really well! We swam and ate and the kids played like crazy! We watched some fireworks, what we could see from their front yard since it was a little stormy.

Ethan was the only boy our of six kids, poor guy. The other girls are 3, 5, 6, 7 & 9. So Saturday morning the kids are playing upstairs in the loft and we see that they have set up a table with and afghan for a tablecloth, a lei necklace shoved in a tall silver cup as a bouquet of flowers for the centerpiece, books for the menus, play plates and silverware, and play food. We see that Ethan and little miss E are sitting at the table looking at their "menus" that are really books and the whole setting is hilarious. We were told by the older girls that this is Ethan and little miss E's wedding dinner... they're getting married... I don't think I'm ready for this, he's my baby. We were lucky enough to get a few pictures of the ceremony. Seriously people, when you have four older girls pushing you towards one another, there's no turning back, there's going to be a wedding, and it's going to be good... veil, flowers and all!

Later Saturday, we all went together and saw some other friends that we met in the Army that we haven't seen in almost four years... nice to see them and meet their kids! Nick and the kids napped until 7:40pm Saturday, then the kids were still in bed by 9, they were so worn out!

Enjoy the pictures, and enjoy your Monday! I love Mondays, they always seem to have a "fresh start" feel to them, don't you think?

Happy Monday!
A

Ethan and his Uncle Sam finger puppet

Em and K

Ethan and Little Miss E watching fireworks

Ethan and Daddy watching fireworks

Me and B

Ethan and little miss E after the "wedding".

She'll figure out someday that she got the raw end of the deal in the ring department.

Independence Day

Happy 4th of July!
Have a great weekend celebrating the freedom that we are so blessed with!

The Kahler Family

Zach's surgery - prayer request **UPDATE**

Thursday morning at 7:30 sweet Zachary will undergo open heart surgery, then will be in the hospital for about 10 days. Will you please pray for Zach, Ray and Amy, and the doctors during this time? This is such an incredible family and they are dear friends of ours. Zach is such a huge blessing to all of his family and friends.
Thanks for your prayers.
A

Zach is doing well! The surgery went really well, Praise God! Please continue to pray, the first couple of days are critical. Thank you!

Sliding through summer

July... Seriously? Months have a tricky way of flying by, don't they? I was filling out a form the other day put May for the date... I really feel like we skipped right over June. It makes me a little more aware that summer is speeding by and that there's just a month left until school starts again... then time really flies by. Now I'm looking at these summer days as more of a blessing than the drag that they can sometimes turn into when the kids are saying "I'm bored" and fighting, and wanting to eat every five minutes. Some of you are parents and you know exactly what I'm talking about... sometimes it's hard to get up off of the couch and do something (at least it is for me). Everytime I find that I'm at this point I remind myself that these days are so precious, and they go by in the blink of an eye.

We spent several hours at the pool with friends the other day, then two more hours at McDonalds. The moms got to enjoy some conversation and the kids burned off some extra steam! I don't usually let my kids play in play areas at restaurants or malls, but sometimes you just have to give when it's 112 outside and any playgrounds are out of the question. I'd rather brave the germs than risk 3rd degree burns to the kiddos bums.

We played on the slip and slide the other day, and by saying "we", yes, I mean me too! Ethan came over to me and said "You try it." How can I say no to that? Let me tell you... if you want to feel like you worked your abs for hours with minimal work... just slip and slide... once. I'm still hurting, but I think it might have something to do with the "belly flop" that I did into the solid ground!

Enjoy the pictures! Notice how you can see the water drops in the air... I love my camera and lenses and am so happy that we made the investment. It has made such a huge difference in the way that we take pictures. The quality in comparison with our small digital is so great, I highly recommend it! Nick is really pleased also, I have to give him the credit for these pictures... nice job, honey!

Happy July!
A

Who's there?

I'm sitting in my scrapbook room and hear someone coming down the hallway...
Me: "Who's there?"
Ethan: "Me (hiccups) and my heepups"

Happy Saturday!
A

Already causing some trouble...

This morning Ethan was on the toilet and had finished peeing... he then shakes his bottom side to side and I kind of giggle a bit, trying not to laugh too hard because this is going so well, I don't want to ruin anything. He looks up at me with this face that he makes, eyes squinted a little, cheeks squinched up, lips together, head tilted to one side... "Ya, Gaga said me shake it, shake it."

After composing myself I had to go call Gaga (my mom, Em made up the name long, long ago). Her response... "I did not tell him to shake it, he's trying to get me into trouble already."

After a phone call to Nick because I figure he's the culprit... yes, he fesses up.
Love my guys!
A

Around here...

Summer is in full force and we are doing what we can to stay cool and busy! Nick and I have enjoyed several date nights, and are planning on another this weekend!

We are in the midst of potty training. Ethan's been awesome and it's going really, really well! He likes his "airwears" (underwear), and is making a TON of progress! There is nothing that we have to leave the house for this week, so we're focused!

Ethan has also made the switch to a "big boy" bed. We milked the crib for as long as we could. Seriously, he had no interest in getting out of it and he LOVED to sleep in the crib. That was, up until a couple of weeks ago when he started showing up in our room five times a night and trying to get into bed with us. After one night of this, we converted his crib to the toddler version. He still came into our room, he just would go straight to the big comfy chair that we have in the corner and sleep there until we found him in the morning. Next came the gate on his door... that will stay, but he now has a toddler bed that will hopefully do the trick. We're trying this one until we go "full size". Although, last night he slept all night in his bed without making a peep or trying to escape. Maybe we did this a little late?

We chose a bedding set for Em's room and will be re-decorating soon, thanks to my mom who snatched up the last set they had for us while at the mall! Em and I have spent hours in her room going through and getting rid of things. She likes to keep everything. Everything. She forms an emotional attachment to every doll, stuffed animal, toy, paper, marker, etc. She has been awesome and we have two laundry baskets overflowing with things that she has decided to get rid of and we're not even finished yet. I am so proud of her! I'll post pictures when we're finished.

I started a sewing "class" today with a group of friends from MOPS. Not really a class, but just a group of us getting together with our mentor mom that can sew really well... kind of a tutorial. I can sew, but not well. My mom can sew anything and everything with perfection... I just never had an interest in learning how to sew something more detailed than a straight line until now. We're going to attempt to make aprons. I'll also post a picture when I'm finished... maybe.

Happy Wednesday!
A

How cute am I!?

Thanks to Hollie, I now have a super cute blog that is the perfect fit to me! I love the world of blogging and how it connects us. Without it, I never would have come to "know" Hollie, and I am so thankful to have "met" her!

In other news... there really isn't any. We're trying to stay cool and occupied, which is quite a challenge, but we're still having fun!

The library is a bit of a challenge with Ethan. He doesn't understand that he has to be quite, and loudly exclaims the name of whatever character he recognizes on the books.

The kids are loving playing Wii Fit and trying all of the new things. Ethan can even do some of the things and it is so cute! Emily helps him dodge soccer balls and it's really quite funny to watch her move his body left, right and center! He's trying to get the hang of jumping without taking his feet of the board, otherwise it shows a caution message and he gets a little upset. We're getting there!

Happy Birthday to Karla in Chile! We miss you! Love you!

Happy Thursday!
A

Happy Father's Day!

We are blessed by many "Dads" and each one of them is very special to us!
And to this guy... there aren't enough words to express what a wonderful Dad he is! The kids and I are truly blessed by him!
We love you!
Happy Father's Day!

A great summer kick-off...

What a way to start the summer!!! We spent all of last week in San Diego, and we had the most amazing time ever! It was the perfect way to start off the summer, just the four of us, and just what we needed! This year has been especially busy for us... adjusting to Nick's school schedule and the time demands that come with it, me not feeling well for so long, then having surgery and recovery time, all of the school and family/ friend commitments that we have had... we needed a vacation!
I think the best part about our vacation was that the kids had a blast and they got along so well. They usually do, but they are siblings, you know... it was just so relaxing and I'm sure that they felt a sense of relief also! Most of the time, we didn't even know what time it was... Nick and I would say "What time is it?" to each other, to be answered with "Don't know, don't care."
Our resort was amazing (thank you, dear friends for the advice... we finally listened!), right in the bay with a private beach, amazing grounds, and the pool was awesome for the kids! We took the kids scooters and bikes and they rode around the resort for hours, while we walked behind them, just enjoying being there! When we ate at the bayside restaurant at the resort, the kids would ride their scooters and park them right by the entrance, then we would load up and ride some more! Most mornings Nick and I would sit in the grass and drink our coffee and the kids would ride around, usually in their pajamas, it was so great! We were less than a mile from Sea World... yes, we ended up going to Sea World... even though we didn't plan on it! We spent Tuesday at the San Diego Zoo and we had so much fun there, the kids loved it! Tuesday evening was special to us (see post below)! Wednesday afternoon we went to Sea World, and then we picked up Nick's mom from the airport and she went to Sea World with us on Thursday! She had never been and it was easy for her to fly over, and we are so happy that she did! We had breakfast with Elmo, Big Bird, Ernie, Zoe, Telly and Cookie Monster!
I couldn't even begin to tell you all of the great things that we did and all of the fun that we had, so I'll let some pictures do the talking! We took so many great pictures, I'll add a slideshow later.
The kids and I had breakfast with my dad today... always fun! We both talked about our trips, he and a friend were in North Carolina for the Nascar race last weekend, and we had a great breakfast! The kids were especially excited to see him after a couple of weeks!
Happy Birthday to me today!

Happy Monday!
A

Something to celebrate...

Tuesday marked eight years since Nick's graduation from West Point, and along with that came his final release from his commitment to the Army... and we celebrated! He had a five year active duty commitment and then a three year inactive commitment, but they could have called him back anytime during those three years... needless to say, I have been waiting for this day for three years!
Our resort had fire places on the beach, so after we left the zoo, Emily and I did some shopping so that we could make s'mores by the fire on the beach!
We also had some fun taking pictures with the kids and the sun!


Goodbye Army!
A