October 2012

These are some of my favorite photos of our trip to NYC. Brad and I had a wonderful time. I just knew we would be 2 country bumpkins in the city fumbling around, but we did quite well. We stayed at the Sofitel on 44th, visited Times Square, took a carriage ride through Central Park, ate a nice dinner at Carmine's, saw the Statue of Liberty, visited the World Trade Center area, had a dinner party at a wonderful steakhouse followed by Fraunces Tavern, first subway ride (for me),first taxi cab ride (for me), first train ride (for me), Toys R Us, Apple, coffee at Tim Horton's and the list goes on. We were very impressed with NYC! There's so much to see and do. We love the energy of the city!

September 2012

It was back to school for Jayce. He started the 4th grade. He learned early on that it will be a challenging year, but he is ready! He will also be participating in the gifted and talented program this year, too. LAKYN started kindergarten this year. It was hard to let her go, but she was more than ready. She was even more excited because her best friend, Briella would be in her class, too. Conley started his preschool program. He is s big kid now. He will go 4 mornings a week. Moma has made friends of her own in the neighborhood, too. I think we are starting to really adjust to living here in Jersey.

August 2012

Lots of fun packed into this month! Jayce turned the big 10! He had a few friends over for Oreo pie! Jayce and LAKYN both scored parts in the Missoula's Children's Theatre's, Jack and the Beanstalk. Jayce played the ring leader which was great! He was the star of the show! LAKYN was a very cute and sweet, magic bean. We spent a few days at the beach about an hour away and playing in the neighborhood with our friends!

July 2012

July brought on even warmer weather with lots of time playing in the backyard. We celebrated Conley's 3rd birthday here at the house. A monster truck party was a fun theme. I made the cake myself which was really fun! We spent more time at 6 flags which is only about 20 minutes from our house.

June 2012

June was a busy month. The weather here in Jersey was perfect. Jayce wrapped up baseball, and Lakyn wrapped up tball. We visited 6 flags many times. We had lots of fun in the little pool, playing with friends and playing with Jesse. LAKYN had her first dance recital. It was a great start to a fab summer!

MVP

Jayce was voted team MVP for his performance in Saturday's game. Marlins were down 2-0 in the bottom of the 3rd with 1 on and 1 out when Jayce ripped a line drive for a base hit. Later that inning, he slid around the catcher's tag to score the Marlin's first run, sparking a 3 run rally with 2 outs. In the bottom of the 6th with the Yankees at bat, runner on 3rd and no outs, Jayce caught a line drive at 3rd robbing the Yankees of a base hit and saving a run which he helped preserve a 3-2 Marlins WIN! We are so proud! Way to go, Jayce!

April 2012

April showers: Wherever Conley goes, his rain boots go, too. He loves the mud!

Easter: I was recovering from surgery, so we didn't get dressed up and attend church this year. We had a Bible lesson at home and the kids dressed themselves. Can you tell? Their squeals of delight were sweet as they searched for eggs. I thought they would have wanted to hide and find eggs more than once. One time was plenty since it was so chilly!

Brad's birthday: 38 this year! We had a fish fry, homemade yellow cake, Ice cream, and played pin the tail on the donkey. It was simple, but just the way Brad likes things.

Baseball: This is Lakyn's first year to play tball. She is so cute as she slightly jogs to the bases! She is a good hitter. Each time she hits, she looks to Moma and daddy for praise! Jayce is playing the minors this year. He is pretty darn good at it, too! Conley thinks he is on Lakyn's team! He sits with her in on the bench and tries to get on the field!

Camping: Brad took this kids camping at Raystown lake in Pennsylvania. They drove for 5 hours to find a lake big enough for our little boat. The lakes here are tiny! The kids had a blast fishing, playing at the park, sleeping in the tent and making s'mores. Jayce caught the only fish over the weekend!

Take Your Child to Work Day: Jayce left for work with his Daddy this morning. He was pretty sleepy, but he was super excited! I am anxious to hear all about his Day as a Jag officer!

April's not over, yet. We are hoping May will be warmer with even more fun!

Finally...5!

I am finally getting a picture of Lakyn at her 5th birthday party at Great Wolf Lodge! It seems like not long ago that she was being so brave in the nicu, swinging in her baby swing, clapping for herself as she took her first steps, trick or treating with her purple cast, running out the door after her daddy with her pink tackle box....time flies! We love our precious butterfly who is so helpful, kind, tender hearted but tough, loving, creative, beautiful, witty and happy!

Happy 5th Birthday, Lakyn!

We surprised Lakyn with a trip to the Pocono Mountains to the Great Wolf Lodge for her birthday! She has been missing the lake and the warmth of south Texas, so we thought being able to enjoy the water would be a perfect gift. At 2pm, we handed her a gift box with a bathing suit, flip flops and a brochure to the lodge! The bags were already packed, so we got on the road. By about 630pm, we were playing at the water park. Lakyn was so excited and rode all the rides for her height. Her favorite slide was the one we called "toilet bowl!" We later enjoyed cupcakes in the room by the fire! It started snowing which was only fitting since it snowed the day she was born!

Lakyn is 42 inches tall and weighs 42 pounds. She loves: Strawberry Shortcake, unicorns, her fuzzy bear named Curley, ballet, Word World, crafts, painting, riding her bicycle, games, candy, spaghetti, comfy clothes, cowgirl boots, her earrings,barbies, and her Daddy! She loves us all, but her Daddy is very special. Lakyn is very kind and giving. She thinks Conley is her little baby! She is pretty bossy with Jayce just like any other little sister. She is very witty and quite funny! She just told me today that she is a doctor for ladybugs! How sweet!

Bass Pro Shops January 2012

What a weekend! We went to Bass Pro Shops in Harrisburg, PA where we met Gene Ellison, a professional fisherman. The kids also enjoyed climbing in and out of boats, looking at the fish, doing a fish craft, and shopping. We enjoyed driving through Amish country which is so pretty. The city of Philadelphia was really pretty that night as we drove home, too!

After we got home, Jayce and I sent Mike Iaconelli, Jayce's favorite professional fisherman a message on FB. Mike responded by telling Jayce "hello" and will send Jayce a list of his favorite fishing spots in New Jersey! Jayce is pretty excited!

It is super cold here in New Jersey, but no snow, yet. I can do without the snow, but the kids are waiting patiently for it. I think it is on its way! We are trying to learn how to live here happily in this very different part of the country. I think we are finding our niche.

What's up with the kids?

Jayce: working hard at school, reading A Dolphin's Tale, playing football on the playstation, having sleepovers with his new best friend and neighbor, talking to professional fisherman, watching football, giving his brother and sister a hard time for getting into his room and his stuff, just grown out of the jeans he got for Christmas, and waiting on the snow.

Lakyn: chose a lime green color for her latest pedicure and manicure, got her ears pierced and didn't cry, loves to tie knots, waiting on the snow, helping us cook, and pestering her little brother and big brother just a little!

Conley: still in his cast, found himself a "cane" the other day, talks up a storm, counts, can just about sit through an entire movie at the theater, wears a size 4T, LOVES candy, enjoys washing dishes, loves to play with his new Mickey Mouse fishing rod, likes to cook, and help with laundry.

Wrap UP!

Wow, I am so far behind with updating this blog! Before Christmas, my computer crashed. I am learning Brad's mac and my new iPad. I am just getting around to kind of figuring out how to upload photos. December was super busy but so much fun!

-took at trip to Arkansas and Texas
-Conley rode on an airplane for the first time. He didn't like it. He cried and screamed the entire time.
-The first plane ride Lakyn remembers. She loved it. Jayce enjoyed flying, too.
-Kids spend an entire weekend with the Grandparents while Brad and I traveled to Killeen, TX.
-Brad was a groomsman in Joseph's wedding at Fort Hood.
-Brad and I had a fun time hanging out in Killeen and at the wedding.
-Spent several more days in Arkansas celebrating Christmas by hanging out with family! The kids loved playing with their cousins!
-Conley fractured his tibia on the left leg. As far as we know, he stepped on a toy while walking through the living room. This part was not so fun!
-Celebrated our first Christmas in New Jersey.
-Lakyn and Conley got a jeep for Christmas!
-Jayce got a PS3 for Christmas!
-Brad and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary by getting iPhones and eating Mexican food!

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It is December!

Wow, where did Novemeber go? It is hard to believe December is already here. What have we been up to?

Jayce: He finished up football. He enjoyed it, but we were getting tired of running back and forth. He received all As on his report card (except for a B in PE...I know!). He was honored at an honor roll breakfast at his school. He is reading several books at one time. He is reading Moby Dick and the Fudge series by Judy Blume. He believes in Santa, and has asked Santa for an XBox. Santa feels like he might do better with a PS3, but we will see come Christmas.

Lakyn: She has been sick for a few weeks. She got ahold of a nasty bug. She is just about over it except for the lingering cough. She enjoys playing with Conley all day. She makes up little plays for them. It is so cute! She is enjoying dance so much. For now, she is showing up with 2 holes in her tights. That is just Lakyn! She has always been a little wild!

Conley: OMGoodness, he is growing so fast. The child wears a 4T! He is a thick, stocky child! He reminds me of a lovable teddy bear! He likes to play with trains, motorcycles and trucks. Yes, he still has the pacifier, but we are working on it. He is a happy child with LOTS of questions!

Brad: He is super busy with work. It is really something our family is trying to learn to adjust to. His work is interesting but very time consuming.

Me: Oh, it is cold! I find plenty to do in the house all day for the fear of getting out and being cold. I get out when it warms up to at least the 50s. On some days, we get lucky and see 60s! I cut down some on my running due to the weather but mostly because my ankle started hurting. Right now, I'm gearing up for Christmas and our trip to see family.

As you can see here in the picture, the kids love to cozy up on the coach in the evenings and watch Christmas movies!

Veterans Day

Life has been a whirlwind since Brad got back from Afghanistan. It is hard to believe he has been back almost 5 months. We are sure glad to have him home. He works even longer hours now with this new position. He rarely makes it home for dinner. He is out of town more than he is here. I really do appreciate each and every day he is able to come home to us. I stop to say Thanks to my wonderful husband who serves his God, his Country and his Family! I appreciate the Veterans of the PAST, the PRESENT, and those who will decide to step up to serve their country in the FUTURE.

Trick or Treat!

We had a hard time deciding what to be for Halloween this year. At first, the kids wanted to go as the Flintstones. Well, once we found out snow was on the way, that idea was OUT! I thought of ordering costumes, but I waited too long. I was looking at costumes just 4 days before Halloween. We live so far out that I didn't really have the time to shop for costumes. What to do? Well, I can make costumes, right? What can I do with jogging suits since it will be cold. I found some DIY costumes, and decided on the mummy. I tea dyed everything! I sewed and hot glued the strips on. I hot glued plastic spiders on the boys' costumes. I found a striped dress for Lakyn. I glued on sequences and tulle. She wore a tiara with glitter spray on her hair. I covered their tennis shoes with socks. The makeup was pretty easy, too. I painted their faces white. The boys had black rings around their eyes with black lips. Lakyn had silver around her eyes with black lips. We also put a few sticker sequences on her eyes. I'm really proud at how the costumes turned out. Most of all, the kids loved how they looked. It was a fun night with a neighborhood hayride and trick or treating. Jayce ran through the neighborhood with his pals, Lakyn ran around with her new friend, and Brad and I took turns taking Conley to the doors. He mostly walked himself. He loved getting candy! It was a good night!

Rainy Day Fun!

It is raining here today, so we decided to get the pop-up playhouse out. The kids are having a blast. It hasn't rained for a week, so we had a break from it. Winter is just around the corner, so we will be entertaining ourselves indoors more and more. We will make the most of it!

Go Bulldogs!

 

Jayce started playing tackle football with the Bulldogs just a few weeks after we moved here. The team took him in even though they have been practicing since July! Jayce jumped right in. During the first practice, I was a little shocked at how much is expected from these 9-10 year olds. The coaches show those boys some tough love. I must say, Jayce has really matured in the past month. He knows what is expected of him, and he tries hard to do his part. I'm really proud of him for trying so hard. He loves going to practice even though it is 6-8 hours a week. He has walked in pretty dirty and beat up on some nights. He LOVES the game! He has has played in 3 games. He usually plays 3-4 plays since he is new, but he loves every second. Go #35!!!

A Little Late...Jayce's 9th Birthday

Jayce turned 9 years old this summer! We took cookies and his gifts out to Hookers at Lake Amistad. It is our favorite place for burgers out by the lake. Later during the week, Jayce had a party at the house with the Hedman family and the McConnell family. We had a fun time eating cake, playing Charades, playing Wii, playing Monopoly and just hanging out.

Jayce LOVES fishing and football. He can fish all day, or he could run around the yard and play football all day. He recently started playing tackle football over in a town close to where we live now in New Jersey. He loves it! The team has been practicing for months, but they were kind enough to take on Jayce. Jayce is improving by leaps and bounds according to his daddy.

Jayce just had a physical for school. He is is about 53 inches tall and weighs 71 pounds. That puts him in the 50th percentile for height and the 70th percentile for weight. He wears a size 8 or 9 in jeans, a M in shirts, and a 4.5 in shoes.

Jayce finally started 3rd grade on Sept 19. The school here in New Jersey was under construction, so they got a late start. So far, he seems to really like it. He says, "My teacher is way nicer than I thought she would be!" Ha! He says the school day is pretty long even though they start an hour later than his old school in Texas. It sure is a long day for his brother and sister because they miss him! We all miss him!

I am unpacking the photo albums now. One of the first pictures I stumbled upon was a newborn picture of Jayce. I had him propped upon my shoulder. He was so little! I have enjoyed my boy so much these past 9 years. Thank you God for letting me take care of him and love him. I pray Jayce has a great 9th year! We love you, Jayce!

Daddy's Little Ballerina

So, what are we up to? We have been in our house for about a week and a half. We are about 80% unpacked. Brad has started his new job and all is going well. This is a picture of Lakyn at work with her daddy. We took him lunch yesterday. We can do that since his work is only a couple of minutes from the house. Jayce had his first football practice last night. They allowed him to join the team although they have been practicing since July. He had a tough practice for 2 hours. He loved it, but he is pretty tired this morning. His first game will be Saturday. School doesn't start until next week! Conley is enjoying this big house. He runs around and around, up and down, all day long. As for me, I'm trying to find a balance and a routine. After 2 months of taking off from a good jogging routine, I am getting back into the swing of things. This house alone keeps me really busy with cleaning, mowing and keeping up the kids. Lakyn started ballet this past Saturday. So far, she loves it! She was fitted for her slippers just the day before. All she could talk about was going to ballet. I was nervous for her because I know how shy she can be with folks she doesn't know. However, she jumped right in there with the other little girls and followed her teacher. I think she is going to really enjoy ballet.

So, that is what we have been up to. We are just diving into this new life here in New Jersey. More pictures of the kids to come. For now, I'm using Brad's computer since I haven't unpacked mine yet!!

Moving

The moving company showed up on August 16 and loaded the truck on August 18. We stayed in a hotel in town for 2 nights and 1 night on base. We headed out on the following Saturday after spending our last night hanging out with our dear friends and neighbors, the Hedmans. We stayed in Arkansas for 3 nights. We enjoyed this short but sweet visit with our family. We stayed 2 nights in Tennessee on Douglas Lake at Dandridge, TN. We enjoyed the small town with the nice lake. We arrived in New Jersey on August 26 just before the hurricane Irene was to make landfall. After about 33 total hours in the vehicles, we are settled here in the TLF (Temporary Lodging Facility) on McGuire AFB.

We bought groceries to prepare for the storm. Jayce has been watching the Weather channel. So far, the folks are predicting high winds and heavy rains. Only God knows!

Our attitude about moving here was pretty negative. Oh, we are excited about the change, but we were also very comfortable in Del Rio. Now that we are here, we are looking forward to learning more about the area, getting into our new house, and meeting new people. This next week will be busy with registering for school, finding a ballet class for Lakyn, getting all our utilities switched, and gearing up for our household goods to arrive.

So far, the kids are doing great! They didn't complain once about all the traveling. They have really been troopers! I'm really impressed with their attitudes and their ability to endure this long trip with all the changes.

Look Who's 2!

 

Conley turned 2 years old on July 17, 2011. We kept telling him "Happy Birthday" and calling him "Birthday Boy" all day. We aren't sure he really understood what was going on, but he would give us a big smile everytime. What a blessing to have all 5 of us under one roof for his birthday. We invited a couple of neighbors over to help us celebrate. Those who attended the "Lightening McQueen" party were: Moma, Daddy, Jayce, Lakyn, Mia, Adam, Julie Hedman, Laura, Madi, Joey, Joe Zujus, Christiana, Brady, Eli, Faith, and Avah McConnel. Conley was a little shy during the birthday song, but he didn't seem to mind sitting at his chair and eating cake! He especially liked the "ice ceem!"

Conley is talking up a storm!! He repeats EVERYTHING we say! He asks quite a few questions, too. "What you doing, Moma? Where's Moma?, Where's Jayce, Where's aiken? Where's Daddy?, What?" He loves to look at books, play with fishing poles (b-boles), wear his flip flops (bip bops), wear hats, wear helmets, look at and talk about bikes, eat gum, drink out of a cup, use his fork, play outside, ride his motorcycle, push the barstool up to the counter and climb up, be chased, tackle daddy and Jayce, swim, and walk without holding your hand. This little fellow can swim! With a his life jacket one, he can kick continuously for a good 2 hours!! He is so comfortable in the water. A scuba instructor noticed him in the pool and couldn't believe how comfortable he is in the water at such a young age.

We all adore our "Boo Boos!" We love you, Conley!!!