I love this song!

I stopped on the Country Music Channel the other day when flipping through the TV with Owen. He is quite the little dancer these days and LOVES music. The commercial ended and this song started. I had never heard it before so I took the time to watch the video. I am so glad I did. I absolutely love the message in this song. The words have played over and over in my head the past few days and I posted it on Facebook but to my family that I love that don't FB but read here I wanted to share.

I love you!

I think they love eachother or something

What do you think? There are definitely days that there is a strong love/hate relationship going on but when it comes down to it they sure do love eachother. It is going to be so strange when Nathan goes to school next year.

Father /Son Campout

Last night Ian, Jacob and Nathan headed out for their first ever father/son camp out. The boys had been excited all week and the three of them set off around dinner time last night to set up their tent. They stopped and got Carl's Jr for dinner. Ian said that they watched Astro Boy together with the other dads and sons. He thought it was a pretty ingenious way that they set up a screen. They were camping on a ball field so they took a vinyl sign and used bungee cord to put it up on the backstop then they used a projector to display the movie. Both and and the boys liked the movie a lot. For a different treat instead of smores they made "woof'ums". Ian and I were trying to figure out what in the world these things were and we even thought maybe it was someone's weird name for smore? But NO. It is something different, something Ian is now determined to make. From his description to me, you take a metal skewer and put a wood dowel on the end of it sort of like a stick you would roast a marshmallow on. Then you take the little grands biscuits and shape the dough around the wooden dowel and cook the dough as you would a roasted marshmallow. Once the dough is cooked you pull it off the stick and it has a hole and they filled them with apple pie filling, pudding, whipped cream, fruit etc. YUM!! I wish he had a picture of that! Anyways he is determined before we go camping again that we will have our own "woof'em" sticks!

He said the boys did great and slept good. Jacob was up way before six and so he had to try to keep him quiet but other than that a good trip. A funny for me was Ian likes to sleep with gum in his mouth. (YUCK) I have threatened him NUMEROUS times that if I EVER wake up with gum in my hair I am coming after him. So far so good. So I guess last night he fell asleep with gum in his mouth and Jacob noticed when they woke up he had gum and asked him if it was the same piece from the night before or a new piece. Ian told him it was the same piece and Jacob was astounded. He replied with "WOW DAD that must be a world record or something!!" Ian told him no Jacob its not and he said "well almost then!" I cracked up at that one.

It sure was quiet here but it was good for them to be with dad and Owen and I had a great little date night of a Taco Bell pic nic in the living room and I enjoyed a funny romantic comedy movie that I am sure Ian could do without.

I threatened Ian before he left that he better take pictures and there had to be ONE of him and the boys all together. I guess he took the "threat" seriously or maybe he just loves me and wants to make me happy....either way he did!

We all can't wait to go camping again. I think this time with Owen will be SO much more fun. This week though the HUGE excitement is Nana is coming to visit! We have a running countdown and have to say "no not yet" about five times a day.

Summer School!

Yesterday Jacob came out of his class with an envelope and (while smiling) put it behind his back and I asked what it was and he said SUMMER SCHOOL PAPERS! Noooooo don't send me to Summer School AGAIN! I laughed and said okay we can talk about it. He has been recommended to attend. He does not have to do it to pass 1st grade and move on or anything like that but we think it will help him stay strong and gain further help to continue improving. He is up to the standard but still struggles to keep up. The sad part is he is on a year round schedule here. If we were still in Illinois he would be out of school in just a couple more weeks but here they are in session until July 21. Then Summer School will start July 26th, ending August 20th and he will return back to school to start the 2nd grade right after Labor Day. The poor kid is going to get not even three weeks of a summer break. At least he won't be bored right? I called and found out that it is only from 7:40 to 12:05 so when I explained to him it was shorter than his "short day" and that it would be at a different school with more new friends to meet he thought about it for a minute and said "okay mom that sounds good I won't be a baby about going". The things he says makes me laugh. So its decided he is going. I just hope he really has a good time. He deserves it.

Tonight the boys are off on a father/son camp out. Our church is doing it on a big ball field and they are going to watch a movie once the sun goes down. The boys are beyond excited (and I think Ian is too!) Owen and I are going to have some together time and hopefully, fingers crossed he will go to bed on time!

One last little note Nathan is all ready for Kindergarten. He had his iron test, tb test and two shots yesterday and is now all ready to go. Ian got off early enough to take him (Nathan loves having Ian give him a bear hug when he gets his shots) Ian sent me a text picture of Nathan right after all smiles not one tear!

Look for some camping pictures soon. I can't promise how many or how great as "I" won't be there and Ian, well he is not quite as obsessed as I am.

Happy Weekend!

The new FAVORITE treat in this house is.....

A graham cracker sandwich. Yes you heard right. On Monday night we were getting ready to have FHE (Family Home Evening--our church has set aside Monday nights and encouraged families to spend time together whether it be game night, movie night, a lesson etc. Right now every night is family night in our house but we are trying to make it more "official" on Mondays because we know its going to come quick where the kids are going to be older and out doing things....) So, I had a little lesson on "Agency and making choices" ready for the kids and Ian asks me "so what is for desert?" I had not even begun to go there. I have been trying to not buy extra sweets so I started googling and came across graham cracker sandwiches. At Ian's request I made chocolate frosting instead of vanilla and the boys wanted peanut butter too so they had the frosting on one side and peanut butter on the other. Ian is less than enthusiastic about anything peanut butter so he skipped that but added bananas with his chocolate. YUM! So yesterday for breakfast the boys were begging to have them again but this time with chocolate, peanut butter AND bananas like dad. I laughed but promised them they could have one after school. You better believe as soon as Jacob got in the car he "reminded" me of my promise. I tried half of one myself and I have to say they are YUMMY. So for having no plans and having to pull something out in ten minutes it has turned out to be the daily (okay so about 100 times a day) request. Try it, you may like it!

As for our lesson on Agency and making choices and the consequences/rewards for making the right choices. It went great. Ian and I are totally amazed at the ideas and points that both Jacob and Nathan share with us. Owen is quite the distraction to say the least but overall it was a fun way to end our night.

Bringing a little Chicago to us

Ian came home from work today telling me how he wanted pizza for dinner and not just pizza but "flaky crust pizza" deep dish CHICAGO pizza. So we searched for some recipes and I got to work. I have to say it turned out WAY better than I had thought it would. I love making pizza at home because I can use healthy ingredients like grilled veggies and turkey pepperoni and Italian sausage instead of greasy pork. There are plenty of leftovers too to keep Ian happy.

Ian made a yummy strawberry/mango/pineapple smoothie and we had some very happy kidlets (and mommy). The boys enjoyed eating outside on the front patio it was such a beautiful day. Perfect weather not hot and not cold.


A little side note Owen is 18 months TODAY!? I can hardly believe it.

Glenview Preschool

How special Nathan's preschool in Glenview has been to us, even since we have moved. Nathan got one last card from his head teacher Miss Joy yesterday in the mail. In the card was a snapshot of his friends in their caps and gowns from preschool graduation this past week along with a poem that each of the students got.

You are a very special person
And you should really know,
How we loved to be your teachers
How fast the year did go

Please come back to visit us,
As through the grades you grow
Try hard to learn all you can,
There is so much to know.

One thing we tried to teach you,
To last your whole life through,
Is to know that you are special,
Just because you are you.

Good luck in kindergarten!
We are very proud of you!

Miss Joy and Miss Patty

Also enclosed was a short note from Miss Joy to Nathan and our family saying that "we talked and thought about you a lot throughout the school year. Just wanted4d you to know that your friend Brogan got to bring the picture back you made for all your friends at preschool home to his house to keep forever and ever." Nathan still talks about Brogan and tells us how he misses his "best friend".

I can't begin to say how much of an impact our experience with all of his teachers at the Park District have made on Nathan and even Ian and I. Needless to say it set the bar very high and it is a hard thing to live up to. Getting the various cards and notes sure has made Nathan feel a lot better about moving and settling in here. If there is one thing I really really miss about Glenview it definitely is the schools.

Happy Armed Forces Day!

Today is Armed Forces day. The PPV Housing Company that runs our housing does a special salute to the Military and its residents each year by doing a whole race day out at a track in East County. I signed us up for the event (a lottery event) and we got chosen to go. The kids were THRILLED and really looking forward to today. The housing company really went all out. We got free parking and in for free and then got meal vouchers (Carl's Jr did the food) along with dessert vouchers and snack vouchers. They did a craft for the kids (decorating hats), gave free t-shirts, had face painting and there were humvs and a rib boat for the kids to climb on along with other goodies. We had a really great time. It was quite warm and there were a lot of people but all in all it was a blast. Owen did great. He was so good in his stroller and he LOVED driving the humv. So much so that it was quite the fit when it was time to be done. The boys loved their faces being painted and in fact are still all painted up out fishing with dad (what a awesome day for those three!) (Ian gave them the choice of seeing a movie at the movie theater or going fishing. The boys decided they can always rent the movie later and went fishing. Lets just say Ian is a bit proud that two weekends in a row they would rather fish than anything else. Can we say like father like son(s)?

Here are just some of the pictures from today. (a side note I just want to state the guns are NOT loaded. They were there on display and all the kids were taking pictures with them. I think Jacob looks a little too comfortable:)



All painted up ready to go!



Decorating the hats. We had not planned on letting Owen do it but he was quite mad that his brothers were drawing on the hats and he was not sooooo he got into it too.


Watching the drag races. The noise did not bother Owen at all. He was yelling at the cars having a good old time. He refused to leave on the "ears" so we resorted to regular ear plugs which he left alone. Nathan on the other hand is sensitive to the noise and even the sun so he gladly took the "ears" and wore them until we left. I had to laugh at the "ears", sun glasses and hat with the painted face. He looked quite comical.






Above and below are a bunch of playing in the humv. The pictures are a bit out of order as you can see them before/after they had their faces painted. Owen was in heaven. The smile did not leave his face until we had to pry him out of the vehicle. The boys loved being up on top spinning around with the other kids.



Here are the gun pictures. They sure thought they were hot stuff to say the least.


And here is O all happy in the stroller. This was very early on before it got so hot and he was quite irritated. He loved playing in the dirt and running as fast as he could away from Ian when we were trying to watch the races:) A big thank you to Lincoln Management. It was a fun family day!

Growing Up

It is amazing how a little haircut can make my "baby" seem so grown up. I finally am able to pick Owen up today and decided to see if there was a small enough line at the barber to get his hair cut before getting Jacob. We got lucky and he and Nathan were able to get theirs done. It sure does change Owen's face! He was looking like a little sheep dog.

Mother's Day

Besides the fact my back went out Sunday, I felt very special by my "boys" on Mother's Day. Ian let me sleep in and brought me a yummy breakfast in bed of one of my favorites Eggs Benedict. YUM! Even better though was he knows how hard I have been working to lose some weight and be active so he searched and found a recipe that he tweaked to make for me which was SO YUMMY but low in calories. Am I lucky or what? He, as always, got me the most perfect card that made me cry. I swear it is his goal because he always asks "did you cry??" Jacob and Nathan also made me cards while Ian made breakfast.

In school Jacob painted a river rock to look like a lady bug, made me a sweet card that told me he loves me "sooooooooooo much" and decorated the little bag it came in. He was SO proud and insisted I open it as soon as we got home Friday.

Here are a couple pictures of my little men ready for church. They looked so handsome I had to take a picture. Owen was asleep or he would be in it too:)

Patience

Today in a daily email that I get I got the following quote:

"Patience—the ability to put our desires on hold for a time—is a precious and rare virtue. We want what we want, and we want it now. Therefore, the very idea of patience may seem unpleasant and, at times, bitter. Nevertheless, without patience, we cannot please God; we cannot become perfect. Indeed, patience is a purifying process that refines understanding, deepens happiness, focuses action, and offers hope for peace."

--Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Continue in Patience", Ensign, May 2010, 56–59'

For those of you who don't know Dieter F. Uchtdorf is a counselor to our church's prophet President Monson and is such an amazing man!

It is funny how things come to you when you really need them the most. Take this email as an example. Sunday my back went out yet again. Chronic back pain is such a well, PAIN for lack of better words. So today was day three of me laying flat pretty much all day long on either ice or a heating pad. I am so thankful to have such a loving husband who is willing to pick up the slack that I have seriously left behind. The fact that I am able to sit here and type this is a sign it IS getting better. It just is not getting better at the rate I want it to be. For those that know me know patience is NOT a virtue I was blessed with a lot of. I definitely want what I want and want it now. Pain free so I can go back to working out six days a week would be a great start. As I sat crying last night and again this morning to Ian about just how frustrated I am that I can't do what I want at my speed my wise husband told me to just be patient. Easy for him to say I told him. Funny how this little quote reiterates what Ian said. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow for a place that our insurance actually covers! A miracle for me that I won't have to be paying $100 plus a month for chiropractic/orthopedic care. And for now I just have to be more "patient" man I hate that word:)

This Week

This week has been a bit out of whack as Jacob has had minimum days every day due to parent/teacher conferences. It has thrown off our routine but its been nice having him home more. Nathan especially has enjoyed it. They have enjoyed playing in the sprinklers and with squirt guns on the hotter days. Riding their scooters and beating up on each other of course.

Yesterday I got to enjoy a "Mother's Day Tea Party" with Nathan at his preschool. He made me a cute invitation and was so excited to "serve" me. Owen enjoyed his cookie too!

Ian had a two day school but the rest of the days has been at his command. He has learned some new information, namely that the schedule has been pushed back another couple of months and hopefully soon a spot for Commissioning will be decided. A few names of places that have popped up are New Orleans and Key West. Always changing with the Navy. Speaking of the Navy today is Military Spouse Appreciation Day. So Happy Day to me!

Jacob is doing good in school. He seems happy and fairly well adjusted. I was happy to have his teacher say she did not need to talk to me about anything that he was doing much better. He will bring home his report card today so I am interested to see what it says. He has been trying to get up the nerve to run the "Miller Mile" which I guess is a large lap around the school. He kept saying he couldn't do it and I kept telling him to just TRY. It does not matter if you are the best you just have to try. So yesterday he was very excited to tell me he DID IT and got this little foot eraser for doing so. He made me something at school for Mother's Day and is DYING for me to see it. He keeps bringing it up. Just a few moments ago randomly said "what I bring you home for Mother's Day...it's going to be in a bag". He makes me laugh because he is SO like me.

Owen is getting so big. I can't believe he will be 18 months next week. Time is just flying by. He lost his precious Monkey the other day. He put it in the diaper bag when we were getting ready to leave so I let him take it and I thought I was watching it good (he likes to throw it) but I guess not and we got home and it was nowhere to be found. Thanks to good old Facebook though he has a new one! I had posted that he lost it and a friend from HS saw and sent me a message saying her girls had the same one and they had recently put it in their donate box and that she would send it to me. We got it in the mail yesterday and the look on Owen's face when I pulled it out of the box was priceless. He hugged him and walked around the house saying "mine mine mine" too cute! He is ornery as ever and talking more every day. Ian told him "good job!" last night and he promptly turned around and said "good job!!" clear as day as he ran upstairs for his bath. He absolutely LOVES the show America's Funniest Home Videos. I think half the time its more fun to watch him. He will fake laugh when other people laugh, clap his hands and has some sort of jibber or comment for each clip. It is quickly becoming our night routine to watch it for the last half hour.

And then you have me. Busy busy with my "men" and would not change it. This dog is still driving me insane. I woke the other morning to more trash. So for now the trash is going away at night and the kennel seems to be working for if I leave during the day. One day at a time. I am working hard at working out and feeling pretty good. It sure makes a difference.

Here are a few pictures from the week:

Pure love and Owen saying "where have you been mo?"

Me and Nate at the Tea Party and a quick snap of Nathan and his class singing songs.

Owen saying CHEEEEEEESE. He kept doing it and it made me laugh so hard I had to take a picture.


Owen loves playing the drums with my metal bowl. This also turns into peekaboo and a hat

New shoes! Jacob and Nathan picked them out. Perfect summer shoes for Owen to be able to run around outside and still get wet.

My sweet little snotty boy!