Valerie 的个人资料Thinking Out Loud照片日志列表更多  |  工具 帮助 |
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3月16日 Safe and Sound...Dave FINALLY was able to phone yesterday. It was soooooo good to talk to him. He’s fine! Things are going good. He was only given about 5 minutes on the phone because apparently it is extremely expensive to phone from Jordan. I was selfish and didn’t even tell the kids he had called until we were done talking! Aren’t I horrible? Anyway, he had been able to tour a lot and had seen a lot of really neat sites. He was able to see where Jesus Christ is believed to have been baptized. I asked him if it was strange to have people who are not even Christians showing him places where Christ walked. He said that most of the way people over there live is rooted on tradition, not on religion. He sounded excited to tell us more about everything when he gets home. I was just so relieved to hear his voice. My mom and I have had a lot of conversations that draw a correlation between Dave being overseas and my Daddy being dead. It sounds so strange, but there are so many. She has always wanted to have a “beyond the grave” experience. Through me wanting a phone call from Dave, I’ve realized how much she wants her phone call. Just an “I got here safe and sound. I really am where I planned on going, and things are what I expected them to be, and better.” Even when my dad was hospitalized, right before he died, my mom listened to the audio from her mother’s funeral when my Daddy gave the closing prayer. He pretty much bares his testimony of the plan of salvation and life after death. That has gotten mom through soooo much. Anyway, last night Boston and I were talking. I told her that I am sorry that she didn’t get to talk to Dad and that it was probably selfish of me. She said that it was okay and that she felt like she had talked to him because I had talked to him. I told her I could see her point, that what she had really wanted was to know that he was okay and now we did. She said, “Mom, I think we BOTH knew he was okay BEFORE he called. We just wanted to hear his voice and hear him say it. AND we had expected it.” I guess that’s the bottom line for my mom. She already knows my Daddy is safe and sound. She already KNOWS he got where he was going and that things are what he expected them to be, and better. I know that Mom still longs to hear his voice and hear him say it all outloud. But in her heart of hearts, she already knows what he would say to her. I don't know if she "expected it," but you don't go from being such a huge part of each other's lives to nothing without it hurting. I know that the Comforter has helped it not to hurt so much. But I am also glad to know that one day they will be in each other's arms again and can have eternity together. And this lifetime will feel like,"but a small moment," to quote my Daddy's prayer at Grandma's funeral and many prophets. 3月14日 Phone Call Please??? So Dave left for Jordan Tuesday morning. Actually that is when he left for Texas and then Wednesday he left Texas for New Hampshire and New Hampshire for Jordan. I am going berzoncerzoid waiting for him to phone me and tell me he is there and safe and sound! I HATE this waiting and worrying game. Goodness. It reminds me of Iraq all over again. We knew he would have no internet access in Jordan, so it is very likely that there is very limited phone access as well. He swore to me that he would phone at the first given opportunity. But last night I kept having horrible dreams that this "training" in Jordan was really something more. That it was a cover-up for sending him back into Iraq on some mission that nobody wants to do or something. Goodness- my imagination REALLY needs him to phone soon. The kids all had a melt-down last night as well. It was an "I miss Daddy," meltdown that brought back all too many memories. Except my younger kids are old enough to be melty now too and I don't know if I can handle 4 melties at once! Last night Kamden kept saying, "but I'm his little son!" goodness. IT IS ONLY GOING TO BE EIGHT FREAKING MORE DAYS! WHAT ON EARTH IS OUR PROBLEM? But I think it has done for my children a bit of what it has done for me. It has brought it all back. And I knew it would- I think we need a healthy reminder now and then. But come on! No more meltdowns and I will be very much needing a phone call before the day is over, alright? I hope that this trip will be good for Dave. He didn't get to interact with the people of Iraq as much as I think he would have liked to. Maybe this will help him understand culture a little more and appreciate the conveniences of home even more than he already does. I don't know what on earth my problem is. He's not GONE, GONE again. This is just a little trip! Oh- you have to see the sweet pictures at (http://roper4840.spaces.live.com/) of Jim meeting his new baby for the first time! Ryan came a few days before his daddy arrive home on leave. So sweet! I'll stop whining. In other news... Boston's school took second place for Jazz Reading. They had KYLE KORVER come and read to them to celebrate! He signed the backboard at their school. I'll post photos of that. Boston read well over 4000 minutes herself! Kamden has changed preschool teachers. His other teacher was good, but I am so glad that we have made the change. There was a boy in Kamden's class that was CONSTANTLY bullying him. Anyway, now he has MISS TRISHA! Trish was Boston's preschool teacher back when she did her own private preschool. Now she is working at the ELC. Anyway, we moved Kamden to afternoon and to Trisha's class and I am so happy that we did. He LOVES school now. He feels like SHE loves him, and that matters. He never had that with his other teacher. And we won't have to worry about Joseph anymore and maybe school can be good for him now! Also- he has QUIT needing pull-ups at night and is waking up dry every morning! HALLEFREAKINLEUIJIAH! Holden has not been up to much. He is still a Thomas the tank engine freak, but doesn't ask for a Thomas shirt everyday like he used to. Now his request every morning is for a short-sleeved striped shirt. He doesn't care what color the stripes are, but there has to be stripes. Giggling. My mom is going to shorten the sleeves on his Thomas shirts and see if that makes them his favorites again. Either way, it is nice to have a little more variety! Giggling. Kenzington has learned to fold her arms when we are having the prayer. She just started doing it all on her own! It is so stinking cute! She is so much fun! I very much needed that little girl! I just love being her momma. I've been doing a new chore system with the 3 older kids and it has made things run more smoothly at our house. I need to figure out a way for Boston to have more freetime, though, because by the time she is done with her one chore, her homework, and practicing the piano there is no time left for anything else! We'll have to figure out a way to find more balance. I better get going on my vinyl orders. I've got a banner and a car decal for a lady back east who's hubby is coming home from Iraq soon, and some 11 inch polka-dots for a lady close-by. 2月17日 Bla-Bla-Blogging again...Okay, so it has been eons... and I guess a new blog entry is long past due...
So here goes. A brief catch-up on the Anderson family...
Dave has been working on his Master's degree. He should be done in June. He's got two classes left. It will be nice to have that done and out of the way. I don't know how he manages to do everything he does! He'll be going to Jordan with National Guard next month for about 10 days. Soon after he gets home, he'll be having surgery on his nose that will hopefully fix his sleep apnea problems.
I've been staying busy with daycare and my vinyl business. It seems that from the time we got back from Hawaii until Christmas, vinyl was a constant. It has been a little slower since Christmas, but it still keeps me busy. I have been working on my licensure for daycare recently too and I am finally done and have my packet turned in. There are just sooo many hoops to jump through with the city and state in order to get that!
Boston has been reading like a mad woman lately for Jazz Reading. She and I have been reading "The Work and the Glory" together and that has been fun. She recently got contact lenses and she sure looks different without her glasses! She has been involved with choir and omnibus at school and recently started taking piano lessons. She's growing up on me! She is working on a science fair project right now that has to do with helping Saydee climb onto her bed. She wrote a song for the Reflections contest and got first place in her school! She also placed in 3-d art for reflections! She proves to us every day that she can do anything she sets her mind to.
Kamden is a reader! He can sound out most simple words with a little help from mom or dad. He's got kindergarten registration in a few weeks and it is a little strange to think about him being old enough for Kindergarten. I think he will really like being at the same school as Boston and Daddy though. We are so proud of him for his reading and I think he is pretty proud of himself, too! He's a smartie! We recently got the boys a v-smile game system and Kamden enjoys playing that. He's pretty good, too!
Holden is learning to stand his own with Kamden more! The two of them are actually starting to be better friends. Holden is in a stage where he is picking up large words and using them often. The other day his favorite word was appropriate. Yet he still says his rs with a w sound, so it was appwopwiate! Giggling. What a goofball! The funniest things make that boy giggle and his laugh is very contagious. It reminds me of Boston when she was little. Today's words of the day are "Thomas S. Monson!" Our children felt very connected to President Hinckley and were affected by his passing. It has been neat to watch them learn about the new prophet and become attached to him as well.
Kenzington is getting so big! She has been crawling for a few months now and is pulling up to things. Today she stood by herself for about 30 seconds. She has been saying Dad for awhile now, but her newest word is uh-oh, and she KNOWS just what it means. Boston played a dropping game with her earlier and she caught on quickly! She's going to be walking before we know it and then she'll really keep me on my toes! She has been such a fun baby. I have thouroughly enjoyed her.
So that's what's going on with us right now! I'm going to make an effort to blog more often. I'm no good at keeping a journal or a scrapbook, so I'm going to have to make a better effort at this or one day we'll all be old and have no form of family history to show our lives! I'll do my best to be better at this! 8月6日 Our Trip To Hawaii! Wow! I can't even believe that it's over, but our trip to Hawaii was FABULOUS! We took our little family, my momma, and a sitter and it was all just so much fun!
We started off our trip by driving to Las Vegas. I am a cheapo! We saved about $1000 by flying out of Vegas. I guess by the time you figure up what we spent to get there and back and stay there etc. it didn't save us THAT much- but it was still worth it, I think. We visited with my uncle and his wife in Las Vegas and went to Sacrament Meeting with them. They were gracious enough to feed us lunch and drive us to the airport so we wouldn't have to pay to park! After 6 hours on the plane, we were happy to arrive ino Maui.
We went to WalMart to get groceries- wow! The prices on food! Milk was $5.18 a gallon! Yikes! The grocery part of WalMart in Maui was a bit small and limited! We visited a local grocery store a bit too, and found that food was about 2 times what it is here!
Maui was fabulous! We stayed in WorldMark by Windham condos in Kihei, right across the street from the beach. We were there for 6 days and we spent our time going to the beach EVERY morning, playing in the pool all day, relaxing and just having fun. We attended a luau on the beach in Kanapalli and did a snorkel tour of Molokini and Turtle Town. I think that snorkeling was my favorite thing we did! It was soooo neat to see all the fish and the turtles! I hope our photos from that will turn out well.
There were some "beach bums" that were camped across the street from our resort that we passed each morning on the way to the beach. They had a little black puppy (Gracie) that we visited with each time we passed. These guys were always drunk, always smoking, usually fighting, but always friendly with us. The last day in Maui we took all the food we had leftover and gave it to them. They graciously accepted and the one goofy old drunk asked us where we were from. We told him Utah and he mentioned that he'd gone to BYU! That kinda made us giggle, but who knows if he meant he attended or just walked in one door and out the other. And who knows what sorta life he's had in between. Anyway, we told him we were heading to Oahu and he told us to head straight for the North Shore. I sorta wish I'd listened!
Oahu was fabulous too, but it was very different from Maui! Our hotel was in Waikiki. Um. There is just such a juxtaposition between Kihei and Waikiki! Our first reaction to Maui was "let's move here!" and our first reaction to Oahu was, "I want to go home!" I was scared to death to drive in Waikiki, and we were CONSTANTLY lost. Not only that, but everything was extremely expensive and our initial hotel was a DUMP! We traded hotels as soon as we could and were much more comfortable after that. Can you believe that it cost $15 a day to park at our hotel? Actually at the first hotel it was $18. Yikers! It made us all want to go back to Maui!
We took a day trip to the North Shore and saw the LDS Temple and enjoyed the Polynesian Cultural Center. Those 2 things made Oahu worthwhile. Oh, and didja know that pineapples do NOT grow on trees, but on the ground? I didn't! I'm a dork though, so that doesn't mean much!
If everything weren't so expensive, I'd get back on a plane right now! All in all, the vacation was amazing. I think we will go back one day. After all, we JUST figured it all out! Of course, by the time we recover financially, it will be a completely different place! Giggling. I guess we'll visit often through our photos.
5月29日 She's Getting Big!Kenzington is getting so big! I can't believe she is just about 7 weeks old! She sure is fun! She FINALLY decided that a binky might be an okay thing. HALELUJAH! Giggling. Check out the new pics.
Valerie 4月23日 Kenzington Nicole Anderson! I am finally getting around to blogging again! I have a good excuse- on April 11th our daughter was born. Kenzington Nicole Anderson came into this world at 3:59 p.m. on Wednesday April 11th, 2007. BOY IS SHE A CUTIE POT! She weighed 7 lbs 2 oz. and was 19.5 inches long. She has lots of dark curly hair. She looks a lot like Boston and Holden did when they were born. If her eyes are open, her tongue is poking out looking for food!
I had a c-section and I'm recovering well, all except for THE ITCHIES! I had an allergic reaction to the steri-strips and my skin has been freaking out BIG TIME! I guess the itchies are the only thing STILL bothering me. I don't look so very happy in the photos at the hospital because I was constantly throwing up for the first 15 hours after surgery and also because I had a very itchy face from the anesthesia. The things we go through to get these cute kiddos here!
But she's beautiful and she is WORTH IT ALL and then some! I am soooooo grateful she is here, safe and sound and that she is HEALTHY! It is nice to not be sitting around the NICU wondering if she will be okay the way we did with Holden. We are truly blessed and watched over.
I'll add more photos soon! 2月21日 All That JazzSo, today Andre Korilinko of the Utah Jazz paid a visit to Middle Canyon Elementary School where Dave teaches and Boston attends second grade. The kids earned a visit from a Utah Jazz player by reading their little hearts out over the last month. They read nearly a million minutes total! I was so proud of Boston. She PERSONALLY read more than 3200 minutes! (I don't remember her total!) Middle Canyon Elementary took 3rd place of all the schools in the state which was not an easy feat!
I uploaded photos that Dave took today as well as some photos that were still on my camera. You know, pulling them off my camera has NOT been a priority nearly as often since I acquired a 1gb card! There were still photos from Christmas. Dave's and Boston's cameras need a clean out too, and I KNOW there are a few cards floating around here that I am unsure what they might hold. Anyway, I guess I am just as bad as the neighbors that haven't put their Christmas decorations in their yard away, right? (why does that bug me?)
So- enjoy the pics! Included are Christmas, a little of our move (very little, we were busy!) a little of life since then, and then recently- the Monster Truck Show that Dave took the kids to Saturday (I got to go with my mom to a Women's Conference instead! yeah!) and Mom's 56th birthday.
By the way- only 56 days until the baby is scheduled to arrive. I am panicing a bit, but Dave has been SUPERMAN lately and has got much of the framing done for the 2 rooms we need to finish downstairs. I'm so proud of him! He's done such a good job and learned a lot doing it. Now if there weren't so much still to go til they are done! And if it all didn't cost so much $$$!
2月5日 It's Been Too Long! Sooooo much has happened since I last blogged. I barely know where to start! I guess I'll just aim for somewhere in the middle! We did sell our home and move about 3 blocks away from where we were before. We didn't move to the house I mentioned in my last entry, but the home we ended up with will be better for us long term. We are FINALLY starting to feel settled a bit, although we still have a LONG way to go before we are all unpacked, put away, etc.
We have had lots of work to do and still have much ahead! The people who lived here previously were smokers and had 3 stinky cats here. We've had to strip out carpets and paint every room, and it has all taken longer and been harder work than we thought it might be. We've got 2 bedrooms to finish in the basement VERY SOON because I'm scheduled to have the baby on April 18th! That is less than 2.5 months away!
Speaking of which, our baby is A GIRL! Her name will be Kenzington Nicole. Boston is thrilled to know that it will be a sister. I'm pretty excited about it being a girl, too.
I'm going to TRY to get some photos posted soon, to catch you up on all that has gone on. Check out my albums!
Valerie
9月30日 La Vida LocaLife is crazy sometimes! We've decided to sell our home and if all goes well, move to a home that is about 2 blocks west of here. Dave joked with people that he works with that his commute (a block and a half) is just too far and that is what makes a move necessary. Goodness! If our offer continues to stand on the home we are hoping for he'll only have a block to walk to work! Giggling!
I'm about 10 weeks along now and doing well! I have headaches and a bit of nausea here and there, but for the most part things are pretty melow so far this pregnancy (knocking on wood!) I have an appointment in about a week and a half and hopefully I'll get to see the little gummy bear on ultrasound again. Last time it was looking rather blobbish.
The kids are growing like weeds and it is a million miles an hour like always! Boston has a play today. I've been doing sort of an openhouse for our house today and Dave has the boys over at the school so our house will stay clean. It is very QUIET around here right now!
My baby girl is going to be 8 years old on the 4th. Can you believe it? Kamden will turn 4 10 days later and before you know it Holden will be 3.
We were able to go to the temple yesterday and see our friends Kimberly and Brent have their adopted daughter Kendra sealed to their family. It was beautiful! I bawled all the way through it. It is soooo neat seeing things come full circle.
Then we decided at the last minute to go to the circus with my mom. The circus sure has changed a lot! The kids loved it and my mom did too. She is such a kid at heart! It was fun.
Life is good! It is still just soooo nice having Dave home and sometimes I wonder how we got through the 18 month deployment! I praise Heavenly Father every day for the gifts and blessings, as well as the trials past and lessons learned that I've had in my life. Life is good! 8月20日 Schooool Daze...Tomorrow begins the 2006-2007 school year for my husband, who teaches elementary school, and for our daughter Boston, who will be starting 2nd grade. Both had a bit of a switcheroo of plans this last week. Dave was planning to teach 6th grade. Boston was planning on a specific teacher. Enrollment #s changed both plans. Dave will now be teaching 3rd grade. Enrollment #s also made it so that our school will require a 2nd-3rd split. Boston will be in the split class with a different teacher than we had in mind. The opportunity will be good for her because she will have an opportunity to learn 3rd grade curriculum as well. Yet we have all spent the week "changing gears" in preparation for the big day tomorrow. We ALL spent many long hours helping Dave prepare for what tomorrow will bring.
My little girl has grown up on me a LOT lately. 2nd grade! Wow. I imagine the upcoming year will produce yet more change. I am proud of who she is becomming. I love that girl.
Here's to the new school year and some NORMALCY (whatever that is) in our lives. 8月1日 Family ReunionThis Friday I picked Dave up from the airport after 2 weeks in Oklahoma at a Captain's course and we headed to North Fork camp grounds up Ogden Canyon for his annual family reunion. His plane was originally scheduled to get in after 8 p.m., so we booked a night at our time share that is close by rather than plan to pitch a tent at midnight. Well he arranged to have his flight changed, but we decided to keep the condo and I am very glad we did, although we didn't really get a chance to enjoy it much!
We checked into our time share and then headed up to be with family for a bit before bed. By the time we found the campground and got parked it was just starting to get dark. We'd gotten jackets onto all the kiddos and were just starting to visit with family a bit. I was sitting with Kamden at the fire helping him with a marshmallow when I noticed Holden walking on the opposite side of the fire with his back to me. Dave's Aunt Tammy stopped and was talking to him and then he suddenly was face down on the ground! His arms were at his sides- he hadn't tried to catch himself or anything! I ran around the fire and in the mean time Tammy scooped him up and turned him over. Oh no my poor boy!
Holden had Pulmonary Hypertension at birth. He was a VERY sick baby for about 3 weeks and we had some close calls in the first 3 days. He has been quite healthy actually, ever since, considering what he went through, but one lasting effect he seems to have is that when he is really upset about something and crying, he will hold his breath for UNBELIEVABLE amounts of time! Well apparently he was upset about something and was doing that and I didn't even know it as his back was turned to me! I have ALWAYS worried about him doing it long enough to pass out and he has gotten close before, but this is the first time he has actually done it! Anyway, this was a rough place to have it be his first.
There was blood everywhere and it was hard to tell at first where it was coming from or if there were multiple places. He also had dirt and small rocks everywhere, up his nose, in his mouth, EVERYWHERE. The blood was coming from a huge gash in his forehead that was clear to his skull. Lovely. What a fun family reunion this was starting off to be! We quickly cleaned him off a bit and then Dave and some uncles gave him a quick Priesthood Blessing before we headed for the hospital. It was soooo nice that Dave was home and could give him a blessing! I have missed the Priesthood in our home so much! We quickly got in the truck and headed down the mountain. I sat by Holden's car seat and held the wound shut as well as I could on the bumpy curvy ride down Ogden canyon. We took him to McKayDee Hospital where he got 5 stitches and a CT scan to make sure his skull was not fractured. The ct did show superficial damage to his skull, but nothing the drs. were worried about. Thank God! It was about 2:30 am before we left the ER and headed back up the mountain. We had left our other children and our dog with NOTHING other than a jackets and a kennel! Thank goodness Dave's sister Tammy was such a good little momma to them and took care of them!
We got the kiddos out of bed and headed to the condo. We were ready for some real sleep, I'll tell you. On the way to the condo I told Boston that I was proud of her for being so good while we were at the hospital and for handling everything so well. She told me that when we first left she was quite upset and crying a little, but that she went off by Saydee's kennel and said a prayer to Heavenly Father that her brother would be okay and that she would be comforted. She said after that, she didn't worry anymore and everything was fine. I am so proud of her!
By the next morning, Holden was up and running around and acting like NOTHING happened. Oh- and I was FOLLOWING him around trying to get him to hold still and be careful! Giggling! The rest of the reunion was fun and uneventful. And I remembered, once again, why I would have been a horrid pioneer...
NO BABY WIPES! Giggling. Among other things. 7月20日 a gigantic leap for mankind!So I am not sure when or how it happened, but it did. I wonder if it was one of those things that happened in an instant and then there was no going back, or if it took place a little at a time with a bit of, “which do I like better???” going through my boy’s mind. But it truly has happened and to most it means nothing, but to me, it is a very big miracle that brings me to my knees. It is the simplest of things! But for my boy who looks fairly normal and will be expected to be fairly normal by all of those who don’t love him and expect him just to be the best him, it is a great accomplishment. Kamden can now alternate which foot takes the up-step in going up the stairs! There is no more shuffling and step together step together. He walks up them like a very big kid. Like an adult! With confidence! Several tiny up-steps for Kamden, a gigantic leap for mankind! Well, in my mind anyway. Giggling. He’s turning into such a little man. Valerie 7月18日 Tonsils, Adnoids, Wedding, and Oklahoma...OOOOoooooookeydokey. Kamden had his tonsils and adnoids removed last Wednesday. Things have gone SOOOO much easier for him than they did for Holden! He has been really good about all of it. Don't overlook the photo album of him at the hospital. Many of the photos he took himself. Funny kiddo!
My Brother Brian married his sweetheart Friday. I have a few photos from that as well. I was sad that we didn't get ANY good ones of them, but I am sure he'll share his soon. Congrats Brian and LaShelle. It was beautiful.
We had a busy runaround of a weekend and on Sunday morning I dropped Dave off at the ariport for him to go to a Captain's course in Oklahoma. It is so strange being without him again! He JUST BARELY made his flight. Yikers. He is doing well there and phones often, but DANG we miss him. It is nothing like having him gone for 17.5 months though. We KNOW for sure he'll be home in about 10 days. This is piece of cake so far, but we still miss him.
I've been busy cutting vinyl! Lots of orders these days, which I will NOT complain about. I am currently working on some logo decals for a local tennis team to use as a fundraiser.
It has been HOT HOT HOT here. Thank goodness for nice AC. I am glad Dave is NOT in the heat of Iraq right now. Yikes!
Val 7月10日 Catching up!Goodness! It has been quite a while since I posted anything. MY HANDSOME HUSBAND IS HOME! I want to hurry and jot down some of what has gone on in the last couple of weeks.
Dave flew into Cedar City on the 22nd of June. His parents, sisters, granmother, Aunt Chloe, Aunt Diana and 2 of her grandchildren were all there.
Aunt Diana locked her keys in the car and nearly worried herself to shambles about it. Someone went to have a key made for her and it didn't work and I really thought she might have a nervous breakdown! Thank goodness that a key that worked finally arrived.
It was a VERY warm day. Holden kept begging people for a drink! Kamden and Boston stayed in one spot with their signs and flags for a LONG TIME watching for Daddy's plane. General Tarbett came looking for our family and several people asked if they could take photos of him with our children!
It was SOOOO NICE to have Daddy in our arms at last! None of us wanted to let go.
My friend Heather who is a photographer came and took pictures for us that day, and Dave's sister Tammy took many as well. Most of the photos posted were taken by the two of them. These photos are priceless to me! It was SOOOO NICE to have Daddy in our arms at last!
We went to IHOP in Cedar City afterwards to eat. Boston and Holden blew bubbles in their water! We all enjoyed just visiting. The kids did something they had wanted to do for awhile, right there in the middle of the resteraunt: give Daddy "knock-me-over hugs!" Of course I had the camera rolling!
We stayed in Richfield that night because Dave had meetings and SRP there the next day. After SRPs there was a family dinner, a parade, and a small program. The kids loved the parade because they were in it! Richfield Fire Dept. took all the soldiers and their families on the fire trucks to welcome them home.
We came home the next day, Saturday, and were greeted on the outskirts of town with our own fire truck! Tooele Fire Department put Dave up on top and the kiddos all inside and gave Dave a hero's welcome all the way to our house. Holden fell asleep! Following them in the truck and seeing many pull over and wave and honor my husband brought tears to my eyes!
Christine and Bethany had put up all of our banners and bows and flags and the house looked so nice! It felt really good for ME to be home, so I am sure it was ten times as nice for Dave.
We had friends over that night for rootbeer floats and then family and friends over Sunday evening for a BBQ. It was so much fun to have everyone here!
We've just been enjoying life as a family since! It has been so nice having Dave home! I can't even describe it! It is like I was stuck in my own little "Groundhog's Day" and could't break out of it until now! I think I was caught up so much in just surviving able to really enjoy anything as much as I should.
We went to Stadium of Fire at BYU on July 1st. We had free tickets ON THE FIELD! The night was amazing. The entertainers were great, seeing other 222 wives and families TOGETHER was great, and just enjoying each other was great!
Our niece's blessing was in Fairview the next day. It's really funny, actually, but we just planned on getting a hotel between Provo and Nephi. Well EVERYTHING was booked solid! We ended up getting a hotel in Ephraim at about 1 am. It was nothing special, just 2 queens, but cost $90! Holy China!
Tooele City asked us to ride on their float on the 4th of July. Dave was so honored that they asked! Then we had friends and neighbors over for a "BBQ"- well, for dinner anyway! It rained all evening and we did all the cooking indoors. The rain broke long enough for our fireworks and I think the rain is part of what kept most of the neighborhood home. We had so much fun visiting and goofing together that night!
I have never never ever had more of a feeling of patriotism than I did this year for the 4th of July! There were times when It caught me offguard! I am so overwhelmed by the blessings we share in this country! I hope that one day the people of Iraq will also be overwhelmed by the blessings of freedom upon them!
Dave has been a HUGE help around the house! I'll go to load the dishwasher only to discover that he's already done it. It is so nice having an extra set of hands to help with the kiddos, too! The kids adore him and it has been fun watching them all get reaquainted again.
We took the kids to Hollywood Connection on Saturday because Kamden had been begging to go there since Dave was home on leave. We hoped he would have his fix for awhile! Well we weren't even on the freeway again when Kamden asked if we could go to Hollywood Connection again! Giggling! What a nut!
Holden has been talking more and more and I think Dave being home has a lot to do with it. Some of the things he says lately are "how are you doing?" and "I want some chock-lot (chocolate)!" and "scuuuzme! (excuse me!)"
Boston has been enjoying her and Daddy's nightly race to her bedroom when it is time for tucking in. She has also enjoyed more time with Mommy alone and teasing with Daddy. Dave and I both commented the other day that she is really growing up on us.
So Dave leaves on Sunday for 2 weeks in Oklahoma for a Captain's course. I don't want to send him off again, but 2 weeks will be a piece of cake. Then he'll be getting ready for school to start and doing summer camp with the 1-145. The busies are going to set in!
Life is good!
6月26日 Priceless!The last 5-6 days have been absolutely priceless! Dave is HOME! A picture says a thousand words! Enjoy all 170 of them! Life is good!
Valerie 6月14日 HE'S IN THE USA!
wahooie! Dave is in the United States!!! At 3:39 I started getting text messages.- they were obviously all written earlier and just didn’t send until then. 1. I am in Germany 2. I am in Iceland 3. I am in USA! I was thinking- boy, you are traveling fast! Giggling. They are in New Hampshire. Dave says they have been puddle jumping basically cuz their plane is little. I can’t believe THEY ARE ON US SOIL! Woohoooie! I guess Clayton (a friend of Dave’s) started singing “We’re coming to America!” as their plane got in. HE’S REALLY COMING HOME!
LOVE- Valerie
6月9日 The next leg of the journeyDave is safe now in Kuwait and on his way home soon, although it will be a while yet. The next leg of his journey is a rights of passage, so to speak. I hope he will take the time on his flight to reflect on the last year and to look forward to what the future holds.
Life is a journey...
While we are both unsure of what the next leg of the journey entails, here are some things that I have had on my mind...
I fully anticipate a little "honeymoon" phase after Dave gets here. Now I am NOT talking about the bedroom folks- I am just thinking that we will just not be able to get enough of just being next to each other, holding each other's hands and happy to be together. We will OBVIOUSLY have some readjusting to do. Just like when ANYTHING in life changes, we will need to find the new norm...
The new norm for us will include a few things more than previous times Dave has been away. For one thing, Dave has lost a LOT of his hearing in the last year and a half. I will need to readjust to that because I swear the man had selective hearing problems before! Giggling. I am going to need to learn to speak more loudly and clearly and NOT get upset if I have to repeat myself 3 or 4 times. He is going to need to learn to say WHAT? and not pretend like he heard if he didn't! We'll figure it all out.
It will be sooooooo nice to have the parent/child ratio be a little better around here. The kiddos have missed their Daddy so much and the anticipation of his arrival has been tough on them a bit. I am sure it will become even moreso as the time draws nearer. I think we will sit down together and evaluate what the kiddos each need from us right now and what we can work on with them. I think we will take time to spend one on one time with each of them seperately.
And I am thinking a bit about going back to school... In what? I am not sure! I have always wanted to teach Special Ed. I am still thinking about that one, but also thinking about regular ed a bit and other options too. I actually think that maybe I'll look into real estate a bit. I don't know. I am just thinking that now might be the right time for me to get some more education.
What else does the future hold? I don't know! There is bound to be some ups and downs and fun times and not so fun times. I am positive that many challenges lie ahead. To quote Woody off of Toy Story #2 (does that tell you how cultured I am?), although life's challenges lie ahead, "I wouldn't miss it for the world!" I am ready to take Dave's hand in mine and tackle them each head on, TOGETHER! 6月7日 Can't put it in writing-I cannot fully sum up my emotions right now. It all seems too hard to believe. This deployment is coming to an end.
It has been a journey for our little family. One that I am glad to be coming to the end of. But what journeys lie ahead of us? I do not know. I am sure it will also have it's fair share of ups and downs and holes and ruts and cliffs and water. But I truly know that no matter what it holds, we will face it together and the Lord will help us through whatever it entails.
Because life is always a journey.
I have tried really hard to not be the kid in the back of the car saying, "are we there yet?" the minute we started. Although- ask Dave- I have asked, "can you come home now?" more times than I should have. What I mean is, I have really tried to enjoy my children and life in general along the way.
Yes, it is always a journey and I wonder where the next one will lead us. And I am happy that my traveling companion can be close enough to hold my hand through whatever lies ahead.
Val
- The thing that matters most in the persuit of happiness is choosing the right traveling companions.-
6月4日 "Not that potty!" and other stuff!So- Kamden needed to use the potty yesterday while we were in Home Depot. I knew we'd be passing the display toilets on our way to the restroom so I watched him closely as we went past. Well, not closely enough, I guess, because I thought we were past them and there was actually one more. I had let my guard down and, sure enough, the boy downed both pair of pants and was preparing to take aim! SOMEHOW I prevented too many others from noticing and the floor from getting wet! Giggling! Goodness!
After a week or 2 of Dave and I shopping online together to decide what we wanted, we picked up Dave's new truck the other day! It is a 2001 Dodge Dakota and it seats 6. If you ask Kamden what color it is, he'll tell you "silverware!" but it is in fact, silver of course! It is very nice! I'll post pics of it soon. The kiddos all really enjoy riding in "Daddy's truck!" I can't wait to pick him up in it!
We are getting soooo close! I have a bazillion things I need to do, yet none of them are getting done! I guess Dave's going to have a long honey-do list when he gets home!
Boston had a little play the last day of school that she was the narrator in. Also- her teacher gave awards to all the children that read 100 books this year. The kids that could read chapter books could count each chapter as a book. Boston had the most of anyone in her class with 477 books (or chapters) and I know there are plenty we did not turn in! What a little woman!
Enjoy the pics!
Valerie |
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