The Ringmans

A new look

2012-02-11T20:41:00.001-09:00

Somebody has a new look. Can you find the difference?

More snow pictures!

2012-01-15T10:13:00.003-09:00

The spot where Austin lost his boot in the snow!

Austin wanted me to take a picture of him on the snow pile next to the dumpster to show how high the snow was!

Ninja Austin

Lots of snow!

2012-01-11T11:36:00.001-09:00

We've been getting a lot of snow again lately! We're predicted to get another 6-18 inches tonight! We better get the snow shovels ready!

Random iPhone pictures!

2011-12-30T18:20:00.001-09:00

More pictures from my phone! (I'm blogging from my phone while cooking dinner!)

Are you getting a cute thank you?

2011-12-28T11:58:00.001-09:00

I just ordered thank you cards from Shutterfly! They're so cute!

3x5 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Notice the difference?

2011-12-27T09:36:00.002-09:00

Do you notice anything different about Abigail?

Everyone in our house got a hair cut yesterday! I got a bunch of my hair cut off too!

My shortest layer is shoulder length!

Abigail before (a few weeks ago)

And after her hair cut yesterday! It looks so healthy now!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T12:19:00.002-09:00

While I'm busy making dinner, here's the link to our Christmas photos so far! Enjoy! (I'll do a real post later!)

Christmas 2011

Our first gingerbread house!

2011-12-24T13:58:00.001-09:00

We just decorated our very first gingerbread house!

Overnight snow

2011-12-23T10:13:00.001-09:00

We got a lot of snow throughout the night. We went out and shoveled the driveway last night and this is what we woke up to this morning.

Pajama pants

2011-12-12T18:25:00.001-09:00

I made some new pajama pants for the kids yesterday. Austin got a new pair of Charlie Brown Christmas pajamas and Abigail (and her baby) got matching argyle ones!

Santa 2011

2011-12-11T11:23:00.003-09:00

They've come a long way since this picture,

to this picture!

Santa 2011

Where did my babies go?

Our Elf on the Shelf

2011-11-27T19:29:00.003-09:00

We adopted an elf this year! If you haven't heard about The Elf on the Shelf before click here for the story.

On Thanksgiving we read the book that came with our elf. At the end of the book we had to pick a name for our elf and decide if it was going to be a boy or a girl. We named our elf "Ernie" after the great Ernie Harwell! The morning after Thanksgiving, the kids woke up to a letter from Santa and the elf sitting on the potpourri in the living room.

Day 1

On day 2 Ernie was sitting on the window sill. After he flies to the North Pole every night to give Santa his report on Austin and Abigail he comes back and positions himself in a different spot.

Day 3, Ernie found his way onto the Christmas tree after returning from the North Pole.

And a bonus picture of the whole Christmas tree and stockings!

One of these days I'll get around to posting pictures of the whole house!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T14:34:00.003-09:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here are some pictures from Austin's turkey lunch yesterday at school.

Abigail and I pulled our chairs up to Austin's desk to eat our lunch.

After lunch, the kids read their "Angry Turkey" stories aloud. They all wrote their own stories.

It was fun to hear all the different stories they came up with! They all put their pictures up on the projector so the whole class could see them.

On to our Thanksgiving feast! It was just us again this year, but that didn't stop us from making a big dinner! I love cooking my turkey in a bag, it's so good!

All the goodies to go with it!

Yummmm, my favorite! You can't have Thanksgiving without sweet potatoes!

The turkey without the bag.

Carving the turkey!

We've had lunch and we're ready for a nap!

-------

This is a picture of Austin's place mat from school. I love what he's thankful for!

- My family

-Grandparents

-Frinds (friends)

- I am thankful for my pet Lexi

Love him!

And a finished picture of the napkins! I love how they turned out, I might have to make some for myself!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey day at school

2011-11-23T08:41:00.001-09:00

Abigail and I are going to lunch at Austin's school so I made some matching shirts for them to wear! This is obviously before Abigail got her hair done for the day!

Personalized napkins

2011-11-22T10:13:00.001-09:00

A picture of the personalized napkins for my favorite mother in law!

Feeling negative

2011-11-16T08:43:00.002-09:00

The wind has been blowing all night. And this morning we got our first feel of what negative weather is going to feel like! While it was only 11 degrees, notice what the "real feel" temperature was! I bundled Austin up and sent him to the bus stop a little later than normal!

Fun in the snow!

2011-11-12T16:34:00.003-09:00

The snow continues to come down here in Alaska! This afternoon the kids piled on their snow gear and headed out to play! They started out in the backyard while I finished preparing our dinner.

Then we headed out to the front yard. I did a little shoveling, of the driveway and of the yard!

Austin did some "extreme" sledding

What a white picture!

While Austin was sledding, Abigail was trying to find something to do. She thought she could play soccer in the snow! Um...I don't think so!

There he goes!

Abigail did a little pouting too!

She was mad that I got her picture in the fort because Austin wasn't in the picture.

So, Austin took a picture with her and she was happy again.

Until I wouldn't take her picture. So I started to take her picture again.

And again.

And some more. We had a mini photo shoot!

Of course we had to get some snow angels into the yard. Austin had to show Abigail how to do it.

And then she did it all by herself!

When we were all done playing (and shoveling) we came in for a little warm treat. Hot cocoa with snowman marshmallows! Yum!

Actually getting along. So cute!

Now we're getting ready to enjoy some dinner! Yummm!

2nd grade school picture

2011-11-10T16:45:00.003-09:00

He's so handsome!

You may live in Alaska...

2011-11-09T08:41:00.004-09:00

Someone posted this in the wives group I'm in on facebook and thought I would share.

Forget Rednecks, here is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about Alaskans:

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you may live in Alaska.

If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you may live in Alaska.

If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you may live in Alaska.

If you measure distance in hours, you may live in Alaska.

If you know several people who have hit a moose more than once, you may live in Alaska.

If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you may live in Alaska.

If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked, you may live in Alaska.

If you carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you may live in Alaska.

If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you may live in Alaska.

If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80 and everybody is passing you, you may live in Alaska.

If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you may live in Alaska.

If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction, you may live in Alaska.

If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you may live in Alaska.

If you find 10 degrees 'a little chilly', you may live in Alaska.

If you actually understand these jokes, and forward them to your entire Alaskan friends & others, you definitely live in Alaska.

The big snow plow!

2011-11-08T08:22:00.003-09:00

I got some good pictures of how they pick up the snow yesterday. They stopped right in front of our house! Here's a big truck full of snow!

You can see the tip of the snow plow truck throwing the snow into the trailer.

See that big blade on the front in between the trailer tires?

And here's the truck with the big snow blower on it! They filled up the trailer and than sat in front of the house waiting on the next trailer. The guy driving the truck probably thought I was the weirdest lady, standing in my doorway taking a picture!

Here's our maize and blue snowman! He walked through the middle of the yard when he got off the bus yesterday!

The pictures of Austin were taken at 4 pm, it's starting to get darker around that time with the time change on Sunday.

No sign of slowing down!

2011-11-07T05:43:00.002-09:00

So it's 5:30 {AM} and I just came inside from shoveling the driveway again! Michael and I shoveled it last night around 8:30 so it wouldn't be too bad this morning.

This was 8:30 last night

This is at 5:30 this morning

I cleaned this table off yesterday morning when we shoveled the driveway. I had to shovel a path for Lexi in the back yard. So in less than 24 hours, we've gotten a good amount of snow!

........

I am so fascinated by how they remove snow here in Alaska. First, everyone shovels their snow into the street {before the plow comes}. For the life of me I didn't understand why people would do that until I witnessed the snow removal process in the neighborhood! The grader then drives around and puts all of the snow into the middle of the road in a straight path.

Then the coolest thing happens! I haven't gotten a picture yet because we went out and did a little shopping before they cleared our road yesterday. But then, they bring in big semi trucks with empty buckets on the end. The semi drives along next to the straight path of snow while another truck with a big huge snow blower on the front shoots the snow up into the truck. Once the truck is full, they haul it off and dump it somewhere. Yesterday there were 3 trucks lined up at the entrance of the neighborhood.

There goes the grader! It's awesome! Then you don't have to deal with the plow throwing snow up into your yard and driveway. They take this snow removal pretty serious around here!

This cracks me up! This is a picture of Lexi this morning. The snow goes up half way up her legs! She is loving the snow!

It's suppose to snow until about 1:00 this afternoon. We're headed to the other side of Anchorage so Austin can get his teeth cleaned at 8:00 before going to school! Good thing I grew up in Michigan and know how to drive in the snow!

More snow!

2011-11-06T08:13:00.002-09:00

We woke up this morning to about 5 inches of new snow! It's still snowing and we're predicted to get another 1-2 inches today and another 1-2 inches tonight!

{This is our house!}

I think it's a good day to stay inside (with the occasional driveway shoveling)!

The camera kept picking up the snowflakes in the pictures!

So with all the snow in the pictures, it looks like our weather prediction just might be coming true!

Where's Grandpa Ringman's tractor with the snowplow when you need it?

Full snow gear

2011-11-03T08:38:00.001-08:00

Because of the snow, Austin has to suit up in snow gear every morning for school! Here he is the morning after Halloween!

And there he goes, running for the bus stop! You can barely see him, but you can sure see the reflective tape he put on his back pack!

It's hard to believe that he goes to the bus stop at 8:35 every morning. It's pretty much dark until mid morning. So far we're all adjusting well to the darkness, we'll see how we do once we start to see less and less of the sun during the day!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T20:57:00.005-08:00

Our first Halloween in Alaska! The most unusual part of a Halloween costume, snow boots!

What a look! This little girl was a trick or treating fool tonight!

Ready with her horse and her trick or treat bag!

Look out Abigail!

First stop, home! Daddy hooked them up with some candy before they even got started!

Thanks Daddy!

Trick or treating with snow on the ground!

Brrrrrr! Check out those rosy noses! We started out with snow on the ground, and returned home with it actually snowing.

Look at all that loot! Abigail outlasted her brother while trick or treating. Austin had to go to the bathroom (not once, but twice) and decided to stay home after the second time. Abigail wanted to go some more so off we went!

By the time we got home Austin was already out of his costume and on the computer playing a game.

I didn't get hardly any pictures of Austin, but Abigail was more than willing to participate!

I made her shirt to match her costume! At least it's cute and she can wear it again! I also made their Halloween bags and they were a big hit at the houses they visited!

Shoveling the first snow

2011-10-31T09:55:00.004-08:00

We woke up to snow yesterday! Because we're living on post, we must have our driveway and walkways shoveled within 24 hours of the snow falling. The kids were excited to help (not complaining here) so we got busy!

Austin was getting instructions on how to shovel the sidewalk

Abigail didn't want to wear a hat because she had a bow in her hair. Luckily it wasn't too cold out.

I helped, a little. I was a little busy taking pictures while they shoveled!

It's already snowing again this morning so it looks like we'll be trick or treating with our snow boots on!

Surprise!

2011-10-30T08:05:00.002-08:00

Look what we woke up to this morning!

Camping

2011-10-29T08:23:00.003-08:00

The kids decided last night that they were going to go camping and sleep in the tent last night. They gathered their pillow pets and their blankets and did just that!

I didn't mind because I knew that would mean a good nights sleep for us with a kid less bed. It went well until about 4:00 am when Abigail came in our room, tapped on my shoulder and asked, "Mommy, where's Austin?" After giving instructions for her to go look again and to look in his bed, she came back again and replied that she still couldn't find him. I got out of bed, looked in the tent and there he was! She crawled back in and went back to sleep! So much for our uninterrupted night of sleep! Maybe one of these days!

Random pictures

2011-10-26T20:06:00.003-08:00

Our house if full of static! Check out this crazy girls hair!

Check out this cute little guy wearing the turkey shirt I made him! He'll be ready for Turkey Day next month!

Thank you, Grandpa Ringman

2011-10-20T15:41:00.003-08:00

After the kids stayed at your house over the summer, we had to start buying Yoo-hoo in bulk!

New glasses

2011-10-17T18:25:00.001-08:00

We picked up Austin's glasses today after school. He can see now!

The two of us modeling our glasses. I got mine a few months ago.

And a close up of Spongebob!

I can't wait to hear how much better he can see at school. His eye sight was terrible, I'm surprised he could see the board at all!

Random iPhone Pics

2011-10-17T09:14:00.001-08:00

Here are some random cell phone pictures. It seems like I take more pictures with my cell phone than I do with my camera!

Riding the pony at Meijers while in Michigan.

Riding in Daddy's jeep with the top off.

Playing with an old Halloween costume. What a mean face!

A routine check up at the dentist.

Taking his pill.

Superman & Supergirl

Mohawk in the bathtub.

Trying on hats at Target.

The first days of school

2011-10-16T15:19:00.000-08:00

Here are the pictures of the kids first days of school while we were still in Missouri.

August 2011

And Austin's first day of school in Alaska! Quite the difference in clothing!

October 2011

Somebody needed glasses

2011-10-15T18:24:00.000-08:00

Austin got a letter sent home from school that indicated that he "failed" his eye exam and needed to see an optometrist. We went for his appointment this morning and he definitely needs to wear glasses all the time. He picked this frame out (Spongebob) and we'll pick his up either tomorrow or Monday.

And here's a little Halloween costume preview. We picked up their costumes at Target yesterday and they had to try them on once we got home! They're going to have a hard time waiting until Halloween to wear them again!

Let's go Tigers!!!!

2011-10-14T07:09:00.000-08:00

We're so excited that the Tigers won their baseball game yesterday!

Our Alaska Adventure

2011-10-13T07:30:00.000-08:00

Well, we've moved to Alaska. And it is cold! Here are some pictures of our adventure so far. (Click on From: Our Alaska Adventure to see them all) We are in the middle of unpacking and will post more pictures as we take them!

From Our Alaska Adventure

I think we're going to the Reindeer Farm on Saturday!

While the kids are away...

2011-06-20T17:53:00.004-08:00

Mom is free to do some fun things! Like repainting a bread box! Fun! I've been looking for a bread box for awhile. I found this beauty at the local thrift shop for $2.50! With a little paint and a new knob, it's got a bright new future on my kitchen counter!

Backyard fun

2011-06-06T15:54:00.003-08:00

The kids are having so much fun playing outside in the backyard. One of their favorites is baseball!

We got Abigail a left handed baseball glove so she can throw with her dominate hand.

I made them pose for a picture together.

Awww, I had to get them to show some love to each other too!

Even Lexi is loving her big back yard. She goes out there every time the kids do and can spend hours out there just by herself!

Baseball practice

2011-05-20T14:44:00.004-08:00

Austin is playing baseball this summer. His practices are currently 2 days a week and the games should start after Memorial Day. Here are some pictures I took at his practice earlier in the week.

Dancing in the outfield!

Batting practice

Got it!

And pouting because he got tagged out at second base and didn't get a home run!

Let's hope the games go better! The league he's playing in is coach pitch. It sounds like it's going to be pretty relaxed when it comes to the rules so I hope he has fun!

Mother's Day Strawberries

2011-05-07T15:57:00.003-08:00

A package was on the front step when we returned from a little shopping and lunch today.

Michael and the kids got me some covered strawberries...YUMMY!

They're huge!

My husband even upgraded while making his purchase, because what's a few extra bucks when you get get two dozen instead of only a dozen?

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T05:25:00.003-08:00

Happy Easter! We kicked off our Easter weekend by dyeing eggs and making cupcakes on Saturday.

The kids got up this morning to discover what the Easter Bunny brought. That's Abigail behind her new pillow pet! She has wanted a pillow pet for a long time!

Austin looks like he was picking his nose, but I don't think he was! He was excited to see everything in his basket.

Lego Star Wars III - just what he wanted!

The Easter Bunny did a great job getting the kids something they each wanted!

Happy Easter!

Winter school picture

2011-03-04T02:36:00.000-09:00

Happy 7th Birthday, Austin

2011-01-26T15:35:00.002-09:00

Well, hello there! A lot has happened in the last couple of months! Working 30 miles from home is a little time consuming!

Austin celebrated his 7th birthday yesterday! I can't believe he's 7 years old already! He's lost another tooth, evident by the picture below!

Here are some pictures from his birthday. We just celebrated at home by having his favorite thing for dinner, spaghetti.

Then he got to blow out the candles on his John Deere birthday cake.

He and Daddy were licking the frosting off the wheels.

We'll be celebrating Abigail's birthday in a couple weeks. I can't believe how fast they're growing up!

First lost tooth for Austin

2010-11-09T17:10:00.003-09:00

11/9/10

With a little assistance from Daddy, Austin lost his first tooth tonight!

Happy Halloween

2010-11-01T06:40:00.002-08:00

Happy Halloween (yesterday!)

The kids got dressed up in their costumes and we headed to the park.

They had all sorts of activities for the kids along with candy for trick or treating.

The weather turned cold really fast, so we headed home and did some trick or treating in our neighborhood after getting more layers on! The kids had a blast running from house to house, it was so fun to watch.

A visit and more projects

2010-10-17T16:59:00.003-08:00

My Mom and Grandma were here for the weekend. We pretty much hung out the whole weekend. However, we did work on a couple of projects yesterday.

My Mom has never sewn before, so we got her started on helping with a bag for herself.

She did an awesome job, and an even better job modeling her bag for pictures!

I saw a tutorial on how to make a lego bag and knew I needed to make one for Austin. He L.O.V.E.S legos and we're quickly running out of space to store them all.

This is so cool! I love it!

It's basically a huge circle that spreads out on the floor.

When you're all done playing and ready to clean up, you just pull the strings on the side and tie the bag up!

After they left this morning, I got busy on the sewing machine again. First up was a crayon and coloring book bag for Abigail.

I used left over material from the bags my Grandma and I made here.

Abigail loves to color, so this is going to come in handy.

Next up was a crayon roll for Austin.

This size was for his Crayola twistables. I'll have to try a smaller size for crayons.

Just for Grandma Ringman

2010-10-15T14:12:00.001-08:00

Some of your favorite people!

Oh sew Abby

2010-09-24T16:43:00.002-08:00

Since I'm still unemployed, I've had a lot of time to work on sewing! Here's something else I whipped up for Abigail. I got the shirt brand new (with the tag still on it) at Goodwill for $2.99 and I already had the fabric!

First Grade school picture

2010-09-20T15:05:00.005-08:00

It's that time again...school picture time. We're still not sure why he smiles this way, but here it is!

And for comparison purposes, Kindergarten is here.

Pre-K is here.

** Edited **

I made a picture collage over at Picnik of the last three school pictures!

Fun baby shower gifts

2010-09-18T17:18:00.005-08:00

I sewed up some sweet little baby shower gifts for one of my friends. I used several sizes so that he'll be able to enjoy them for months!

The baby's name starts with a "C"

I also whipped up some adorable burp cloths. I love how they came out!

I must give credit where credit is due, the rocket and octopus patterns came from this website.

House tour

2010-09-12T10:57:00.003-08:00

Well, we're all moved in and pretty much settled. The only thing we (I) still need to do is finish organizing the storage room/craft area/toy area. Instead of the movers just simply moving my totes with holiday decorations, they unpacked everything and put it into boxes. So, needless to say, it's all still in boxes in the storage room in the basement.

We have 3 levels in our new house, a basement, a main level and an upstairs. Here's a peek!

Upstairs = Abigail's room

Austin's room

The laundry room

The kids bathroom

Mom & Dad's bedroom

Mom & Dad's bathroom (with a curtain that needs to be shortened!)

An awesome jacuzzi tub

And a shower

Moving downstairs to the main level, the front door and living room are at the bottom of the staircase

I love the high ceiling, it doesn't make our huge TV look as big!

Moving on into the dining area, which has a built in desk (which I love!)

The door to the left leads out onto the deck and the backyard

My majorly upgraded kitchen!

A half bath is located off the kitchen

Bathroom to the left, door leading into the garage in the center and the stairway to the basement to the right

Heading downstairs to the basement, which is a walk out.

Family room located in the basement, better known as "The Man Cave" by the guys in the house.

The storage area/craft area/toy area (which still needs some work!)

The area I'm looking forward to the most, the craft area!!!

Can you tell which child was home when I took the pictures?

And just so I don't leave the other kids out, here they are too!

Austin riding a two wheel bike at my parents house

And our third child, the puppy dog who is loving the HUGE fenced in back yard

Isn't she cute with her bandanna! She got it at the groomers the other day after her bath!

We're still working on decorating some parts of the house. And I'll have to take some pictures of our huge backyard. So far, we are loving Missouri. It's such a different atmosphere than Fort Hood. I'm hoping to find a job in the really near future so that Austin can start going to SAS (after school program) again. He's been bugging me to find a job so that he can go back. I guess that's a good indication that he loved it at Fort Hood! Abigail really needs to get back into daycare too, she's starting to be a stinker!

First Grade

2010-08-25T10:57:00.003-08:00

Austin started school on Monday. Because we went on vacation to Michigan, he started a week and a couple of days late. So far he's jumped right back into it and this week is going well.

Again, we've transferred Austin on post to go to school. Once I get a job, he'll be attending the SAS program again after school, and possibly before school also. He's really excited about going to SAS again and he keeps bugging me about getting a job!

Making the move

2010-07-27T06:24:00.004-08:00

The kids, the dog and I will be heading to Missouri next week to settle into our new house. Michael will meet us the following week when he can sign out of Fort Hood. I'll be sure to update the blog with pictures of the house once we get all settled in.

We'll also be making a trip to Michigan for a short vacation before heading back to Missouri to get Austin started in school. I can't believe he's going to be in first grade!

Here are some pictures of Abigail at her swimming class to hold you over!

Where is she?

Golfing with Austin

2010-07-23T07:56:00.003-08:00

Austin got to golf an actual hole at his golf class yesterday afternoon. Here are some pictures!

Getting ready to tee off

Practice swings first

Watching the ball once he hit it

Waiting his turn. There were four kids in the class and they played the hole correctly, furthest from the pin.

Next hit

Another turn, this time I got pictures on the other side!

There was a visitor near the green, a deer

Chipping to get on the green

Time to putt

It was hot, Abigail had sweat dripping from her forehead!

Austin did great on golfing his first hole, it just took forever! It took the four kids about 45 minutes to complete the hole. Austin definitely has golfing in his genes, he does awesome. I was so impressed by him!

I hope we'll be able to find something similar once we get to Missouri.

A roller-skating birthday party

2010-06-27T17:16:00.004-08:00

We attended the birthday party of a friends daughter a couple weekends ago. They hosted the party at the roller skating rink. We all gave it a try, but Austin and I were the only ones to stay on skates the entire time! It took Austin a minute to get them on, but once he had them on he didn't want to take them off!

Enjoy the pictures!

Michael made sure to get some really flattering pictures of me from behind!

Abigail gave it a try for about 5 minutes then decided to hang out with Daddy.

What she really wanted was some cake.

We told her no, and we got "the look" from her.

So while she waited for cake, she danced for Daddy.

Another flattering picture of myself! NOT!

Austin had so much fun!

I had to give Abigail a ride. It was not as easy as it looks!

What a sweet baby girl!

Finally, cake time!

Our little lefty.

And yes, Austin was still wearing his roller skates while eating cake!

After cake, we talked Daddy into getting skates on. Of course once he did that, Abigail had to get hers on again too.

Abigail's pre-school swim class

2010-06-15T18:09:00.004-08:00

Abigail started a swimming class yesterday. The class is for 3 & 4 year olds and goes for two weeks. The kids actually get into the pool by themselves with the instructor. There is a platform in the bottom of the pool that the kids stand on and hold on to. I thought she would get right in and be fearless, but it's taken here a couple days to get use to the water. It also helps that we know all the other kids in the class! Here are some pictures!

Monday

A little freaked out from being dunked!

Tuesday

She was excited about wearing "boat jackets" today.

Our little swimmer! She's so excited about swimming like a dolphin!

After Austin's swim experience last year, he didn't want to take swim lessons again. Instead, he's continued on to the advanced golf class. He now gets to use his own golf clubs at class, so I'll have to get more pictures of that! This week and next they both have a class on Thursday night, so I'm glad Michael's home. We can get them both to where they need to be at the same time!

Homecoming pictures

2010-06-09T17:58:00.002-08:00

We welcomed Michael home around noon on Saturday from his year long tour to Iraq. We arrived at the battalion classroom around 9:30 that morning and waited (im)patiently for his arrival!

They finally arrived!

Finally together again!

Homecoming

2010-06-05T02:59:00.003-08:00

Today is the day we'll welcome Michael back from deployment. The kids and I are so excited we can hardly stand it! My next update we'll be a family of four again, with pictures to prove it! What a great day!

Michael's new car

2010-05-16T10:20:00.004-08:00

With the end of Michael's deployment nearing, it was time to get him a new car. We ordered his car at the end of March and I was able to pick it up yesterday. Here are the pictures:

I only stalled it twice on the way home and didn't get a speeding ticket! Now we're ready for Michael to come home so he can drive it!

This picture is perfect!

2010-04-23T10:58:00.001-08:00

This picture shows the kids personalities just how they are right now. Austin's cheesy grin and Abigail showing off her sassy little attitude. I love it!

The First Tee

2010-04-13T19:16:00.000-08:00

Austin has been going to a golf class every Tuesday night for the past few weeks. He's loving it and learning so much more than the game of golf. Check out The First Tee's website if you get a chance: The First Tee.

Now for your viewing pleasure (because I'm sure that's what you come here for!)

I'm sure his Daddy and both Grandpa's are grinning ear to ear looking at these pictures!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2010-03-29T03:02:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to the coolest Daddy in the world! We can't wait to see you in a couple months!!!

Love, Austin & Abigail

(And Mommy too!)

Bag mania

2010-03-20T17:13:00.003-08:00

More sewing projects!

A lunch bag!

My newest sewing project

2010-03-20T07:20:00.002-08:00

My Grandma and I have been busy bees with my sewing machine. I made this baby blanket for a girl at work who is due to have a baby in May.

We've been busy!

2010-03-13T15:55:00.003-09:00

Grandma Great arrived last night and we've already been busy today! We went to ballet, had donuts for breakfast, gone grocery shopping and finished two sewing projects!

First was a dress for Abigail.

This:

From Junauary-March 2010

Turned into this:

From Junauary-March 2010

Isn't she a cute little model!

From Junauary-March 2010

I got a great picture of her and her best friend!

From Junauary-March 2010

Huh?

From Junauary-March 2010

Who wants to go for a choo choo ride? Apparently Lexi doesn't!

From Junauary-March 2010

I added a little spice to one of Austin's t-shirts too! He wouldn't give me the time of day to take his picture.

From Junauary-March 2010

Hopefully we'll have more pictures and projects to show off while Grandma Great is here! We've got a lot to catch up on anyways for my lack of blogging!

Have no fear...

2010-03-10T17:21:00.002-09:00

My new computer is here!! Updates coming soon!

Santa 2009

2009-12-17T06:50:00.003-09:00

Abigail said she was going to sit on Santa's lap all day before we actually went to see the big guy. It wasn't the same story when we actually got there, as evident in the picture above!

Kindergarten school picture

2009-11-15T14:54:00.001-09:00

Austin's school picture turned out better this year!

Knock, knock

2009-11-04T10:22:00.000-09:00

Anybody out there reading still?

Labor Day

2009-09-21T09:46:00.003-08:00

The kids and I decided to get out of the house on Labor Day. We headed to Cameron Park Zoo in Waco with some friends and enjoyed a hot sunny day at the zoo.

It actually turned out to be a family affair, as Abigail couldn't leave her Daddy behind.

I guess Austin needed a little closer view of the turtles!

Luckily they had some indoor exhibits so we could cool off.

Austin crawled into a little cave to get a closer look at the alligators.

We saw coyote's just like the ones I saw in the backyard!

And cheetah's up close and personal

Look at that snake!

I could barely get them to pose for a picture all day. Until now...

We had a great day at the zoo! I even came out of the gift shop without spending more than $5.00. I wonder how Daddy enjoyed his day at the zoo??? :)

Flashback ~ Austin

2009-09-09T08:02:00.000-08:00

Oh, I can't stand the cuteness!

Austin ~ 14 months

Tumbling

2009-09-08T19:32:00.002-08:00

Last Thursday Abigail started her tumbling class. She had a blast, even though her big brother thought he needed to be right by her for everything she did!

This week Austin will be accompanying a friend to the playground so Abigail and I can concentrate on her class more. He was a little bit of a distraction to her, and I'm looking forward to doing something with just her.

Coach Norma has the mats set up in a square and the kids can go around to which ever activity they would like. The pencil in the pictures above is a mini balance beam, and I'm trying to get Abigail to walk on it with her hands out to her side. She had her hands out at last weeks class, but would only walk on it with one foot!

The bar was one of her favorites. She's just tall enough that she can stand on her tippy toes and reach the bar. Once she gets a hold of it, she starts swinging her feet!

Oh, I love her!

Abigail's version of a handstand! They're suppose to turn the other way, but I was a little too preoccupied with the camera to help her!

We're both looking forward to going back this week!

The talker

2009-09-02T16:20:00.002-08:00

So, I've kind of fallen off the face of the blog world. My days are filled with waking up early, dropping kids off, putting in 8 hours of work, picking kids up, making dinner, bathing children and putting them to bed. I soon follow them to bed and then we get up the next day and do it all over again. To say I'm exhausted would be an understatement! Needless to say, the blog has fallen to the back burner.

Tomorrow this little girl has her first class of tumbling! It's a parent and child class so we'll be participating together. (Just in case I wasn't tired enough!)

She's quite the talker lately too. I simply can not have a phone conversation without her wanting to talk to the other person on the line.

Every time Michael sees Abigail on the webcam he wants to know when was the last time I brushed her hair! It's wild and crazy all the time!

Since her hair cut it's been growing at a nice steady, even pace.

Since Abigail's signed up for tumbling, Austin is going to play soccer. He'll actually be on a team and I'm interested to see how he reacts to it. He really likes school and is even more excited about SAS. When he's at SAS he gets to choose between the arts & crafts room, the computer lab or the game room. I always like to guess what room he'll be in when I pick him up. He likes to split his time between the computer lab and the game room.

We're all looking forward to this weekend. We'll have three whole days to do nothing.

I hope this satisfied those readers who look for blog posts! Is there anything you'd like to know about what's going on with us? Leave it in the comments, it would definitely give me more to blog about!!!!

1st day of Kindergarten

2009-08-24T18:36:00.002-08:00

Today was Austin's first day of Kindergarten! He got up at his normal time this morning, 5:30 am, and started with breakfast. Cinnamon sugar toast, yum!

And yes, he's wearing his Christmas jammies from 2 years ago! They are also two sizes too small, but he refuses to give them up!

After getting dressed, we headed outside to take some pictures.

This would have been a cute picture if he actually had his eyes open!

Since Austin was taking his Daddy to school in his backpack, Abigail had to take her Daddy to Miss Sole's house. She also had to pose for a picture, just like Austin.

We dropped Abigail off then headed to school. Because you can accompany your child into school the first day, we had to park in the housing area across the street from the school.

So off we went!

One of Austin's friend from the CDC was in his class. I made them pose for a picture together!

Once they got into their room, they were told to place their bags on their chairs and have a seat to wait for directions.

What a good listener! Ha!

I held it together, even while walking away from the school.

Thumbs up Mom! No tears on the first day, for either of us! :)

From the sounds of it, he had a great day. He was very excited that he doesn't have to take a nap in Kindergarten or at SAS (after school program). However, it all caught up to him on the ride home. It didn't take him long to fall asleep in the car!

I can't wait to see all that he accomplishes this year in Kindergarten!

The catch up

2009-08-16T19:10:00.006-08:00

So, what's been happening? Or rather, what hasn't been happening?!?! I don't even know where to begin!

The kids and I have been busy adjusting to life without Daddy here. Things have been going rather smoothly, however, we've hit a couple bumps along the road lately. The kids are starting to miss Daddy like crazy and Austin has been choosing to show it by acting out. We had some heart to heart talks about it this weekend, and in all we had a great weekend.

Austin starts school next Monday so we're starting to get into our routine by practicing this week. Austin has to be to school by 7:30 so we're going to be practicing getting up early. Although, since they've been going to bed by 8:00/8:30, they're getting up around the normal time. Great for during the week, but not so great for over the weekends. He got up at 4:30 am yesterday and wouldn't go back to sleep! We chose to make the best of it and headed out to do some school shopping at Kohl's! I always find comfort in retail shopping when Michael's gone, so that helped me too! :)

Abigail is doing awesome. Of course I can never get the girl to shut up now that she's talking in full sentences. We've been slowly working on the potty training.

Some days she's all about wearing panties. Other days she doesn't want anything to do with them.

I roll with it when she wants and she does a great job!

Seriously? Who crosses their legs when waiting to potty?

I love these crazy kids!

I got Abigail to kiss me, but Austin wasn't having it!

The dog is getting huge. I had her spayed last month and she weighed 52 pounds. She is completely house trained with the occasional exception. I caught the brunt of the protection she's going to provide for the kids the other day. I had Abigail on the floor wrestling and tickling her and Lexi jumped on top of me and started nipping at me. I love that she's going to be that way!

How am I doing? Single parenting stinks! It's very hard, but in the end it will all be worth it. I'm really having to stick to my guns and it's hard! Work has been ridiculously busy, so that helps tremendously with making the time go by faster. My evenings are filled with making dinner, bathing children and getting them into bed. I have decided that there is one thing that will get me through this deployment: SLEEP! I've been trying to go to bed shortly after the kids do because it makes us all happier!

I have more pictures to share, but I better save them for the next couple of posts! The kids both have things coming up that are sure to be camera moments, so stay tuned for that. The first being the first day of Kindergarten for my oldest baby. I can not believe that he is going to be 6 years old in another 6 months, let alone going to Kindergarten. It absolutely blows my mind that he's that old already. Where in the world does the time go? I'm going to blink my eyes and he'll be graduating, yikes!

It's something...

2009-08-14T04:00:00.001-08:00

A little old (maybe May), but at least it's something. I'll have more time this weekend!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

School Supplies

2009-07-30T19:37:00.003-08:00

1 box of Crayola markers ~ $2.50

1 pair of scissors ~ $1.50

1 set of watercolor paints ~ $2.00

2 pink erasers ~ $1.00

2 spiral notebooks ~ $0.30

4 boxes of tissue ~ $3.47

2 bottles of white glue ~ $0.50

4 boxes of Crayola crayons ~ $1.00

5 plastic folders ~ $0.75

30 glue sticks ~ $3.75

24 #2 pencils ~ $1.00

1 supply box ~ $0.62

2 packages of 3 x 5 index cards ~ $1.28

Sending our kid to Kindergarten ~ PRICELESS

Austin's school supply shopping is complete. We got everything he needs at the store tonight to beat the rush as it gets closer to the first day of school. I can not believe he's going to be in Kindergarten! He returns to school on August 24th!

How do they do it?

2009-07-24T16:26:00.003-08:00

For the first week after Michael left, I let the kids sleep with me. Let's face it, we all needed to get some sleep and I wasn't going to fight them to sleep in their own beds. It didn't last for long because I was the only one not getting a good nights sleep.

I've now got them on a strict routine. They've been going to bed in their own beds, usually between 8 and 8:30. Granted, I have to sit in the hallway between their rooms so they'll stay in bed, but at least I've got them going to sleep in their own beds. Plus, this gives me a little time to wind down by reading my book or doing a Sudoku puzzle (or three). Eventually I'll work on them going to sleep without me having to be in the hallway.

Keeping them in bed all night is the only thing we still need to work on. Austin will pretty much stay in his bed and asleep all night. Abigail on the other hand, generally makes her way into my room about midnight or shortly there after. At this point I haven't faithfully taken her back to her room to get back into her bed, because again, I need my sleep to survive!

They've gotten pretty good at sneaking in, I usually don't notice them until I get up in the morning. The other morning I woke up and discovered that they'd both come into my room.

This is what I found:

You would think they were twins by the way they drape all over each other when they're sleeping!

We love Jimmy!

2009-07-14T03:27:00.002-08:00

~ Pictures Added ~

Just wanted to show Chris & Christine how much of an impression the "real" Jimmy left on the kids.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The real Jimmy!

We might have to find Abigail her own Jimmy. Neither one likes to share him with the other!

Who needs a hair cut?

2009-07-08T21:48:00.003-08:00

They both did! Austin went first so Abigail could see how it's done since this was her first time.

We wanted to get Abigail's hair trimmed before Michael left so he could be there, but our favorite stylist was on vacation. We decided to have Abigail's hair trimmed in hopes that it would help the growing process along. Carol's been cutting Austin's hair for well over 3 years now, so we knew we wanted her to be the first one (and probably the only one while we live in Texas) to cut her hair.

I tried to get some before shots, but this is the best I could do.

I tried to put her in the chair first, but she wasn't having it. After she saw Austin get his hair cut she was all about it!

She was perfect!

Let's hope this encourages the growing process!

After haircuts we treated ourselves to Chick-Fil-A for dinner. The kids must have been hungry because Austin ate 7 chicken nuggets plus his fruit and Abigail ate all three of her chicken nuggets and her fries.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's an alien???

2009-07-08T20:56:00.002-08:00

Austin has been going to the library on post every Wednesday with his daycare. The library is hosting a summer reading program and they have a different theme each week. So every Wednesday Austin wears his library shirt and brings home a bag full of goodies. This weeks theme was outer space. When I picked Austin up he had made an alien hat. I absolutely love it!

What a look!

I love him to pieces. I look forward to picking him up on the days he's gone on a field trip. He always has so much to tell me!

The 4th of July

2009-07-08T20:34:00.003-08:00

This 4th of July held extra special meaning to our family this year. The kids and I were here celebrating our freedom while Michael is in Iraq serving our country.

The kids and I hung out at home all morning then headed to a friends house for a barbecue in the afternoon.

Little Miss wouldn't let me take her picture like her brother

But I was really proud of her hair-do and hair bow I made her! Her hair was sectioned off and accessorized with red, white & blue hair ties!

We attempted to get on post to see Dierks Bentley in concert, but decided to return home to watch the fireworks on post from our porch.

We stopped for snacks since we couldn't find a parking spot at the fest on post.

While waiting for the fireworks to start we had a mini photo session!

My Mom made these awesome cards for the kids and I

Inside was a special note along with some star confetti

So that's what we did

Great idea Mom, the kids loved it! (And I hope you don't mind that I shared!)

The pictures of the fireworks aren't great, but I just wanted to show you how close our house was to the show!

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July!

Noodles

2009-07-08T20:12:00.000-08:00

It has been very hot here lately. Temperatures have been reaching the hundreds almost daily. The kids really wanted noodles to use in their pool when we were at the store last week, so they each got one. We came right home and set up the swimming pool. I think the pictures explain themselves!

Have I mentioned how much I love my camera lately?

Sea World

2009-07-08T03:36:00.000-08:00

The weekend after Michael left the kids and I headed down to San Antonio to meet Les & Reagan for our 2nd Annual trip to Sea World. I didn't take many pictures as I was trying to wrangle two kids, but this is what I got!

Austin couldn't wait to get there and feed the dolphins just like he and Daddy had done the last time we were at Sea World.

And of course we attended the Shamu show

The last time we were at Sea World the trainers didn't get in the water. Probably because it was raining. I couldn't believe some of the stuff they did with them!

Oh, is that more attitude from Miss Abby????

Swimming lessons

2009-07-08T03:25:00.000-08:00

Immediately after returning from vacation, Austin started swimming lessons. Because he is 5 years old this year, he was able to take the Level I learn to swim class. He could get into the pool by himself without a parent. I thought it was a great idea and that he would love it...

He apparently did not

He and the wall were best friends

That is until Coach Norma got a hold of him

Of course once she took him under water, he was glued to her

He eventually warmed up to the idea

The class ran for two weeks. Daddy got to go to the first week of classes, but was gone during the last week. On the last day of class Abigail & I got to get into the pool with him. Abigail had a blast swimming.

Michigan ~ Part VII

2009-07-07T19:43:00.005-08:00

I know what you're thinking... geez, how many pictures did you take while you were in Michigan? Roughly 500. Here's the last of them, and then I'll get the blog up to speed.

My parents wanted to take the kids to see Lake Michigan, so we headed over to South Haven for a day at the beach. We didn't go swimming, but we had a lot of fun just seeing the lake and walking on the beach.

The water was a bit cold!

I showed Austin how to climb up the big hill

He preferred the crawling method

Michael and I decided to climb all the way to the top

And took a self portrait

We attempted to take a family picture

Such a Daddy's girl

Abigail thought the sand was pretty cool

Especially when she threw it

Austin liked throwing rocks in the lake

Daddy skipping a rock

And since I took a picture of him skipping a rock, he had to take a picture of me. I was thrilled with the idea!

We walked a little further down the beach

Don't let her fool you. She's not only a Daddy's girl, but a Grandpa's girl too!

Our attempt of Grandpa and the kids

Austin found a hole and wanted Grandma to bury his feet

She ended up burying him from his knees down!

We also attempted a picture of Grandma, Grandpa, Austin & Abigail. You see how that one turned out! The kids were really cooperative for pictures! HA!

We headed into town for some lunch, shopping and the pier. We saw some really cool boats.

We even saw a little bit of an attitude out of little Miss Abby.

We walked the pier

Some of us ran out of energy

Daddy needed some extra loving to get her back to the beach safely

Once again, I attempted to get another cute picture of the kids

It just wasn't happening

We went to a couple shops, but the kids were tired.

On Saturday we went to my cousins baby shower and later that night Michael and I attended my 10 year class reunion. It was interesting, to say the least, but it was great to see everyone after 10 years.

Sunday we flew home and began preparing for Michael's deployment. We had a great time in Michigan. We did so many fun things and it was nice to be able to relax!

Michigan ~ Part VI

2009-07-05T09:12:00.003-08:00

Next we headed to Grandma & Grandpa Richards house. The first thing Austin wanted to do was check on Grandma & Grandpa's fish. Good thing Lucky was still in the pond!

The kids loved being outside

And enjoyed helping Grandma clean out the pond

We also went to a Tiger's game while we were visiting Grandma & Grandpa Richards. Chris & Christine invited us to their house for a bbq before the game. Chris grilled some awesome food and then we were off to the game.

Thanks to Chris, the kids got to ride the carousel for free!

Good self portrait Mom!

The cotton candy kept Abigail occupied for a while

Group shot before Chris & Christine got there

Game temperature 61 degrees. Brrrrr!

There's Chris!

Eating popcorn

What a cutie!

After the game we stayed the night at Chris & Christine's. The kids loved their dog Jimmy. In fact Austin named one of his stuffed dogs Jimmy, because he's a pug just like the real Jimmy.

Michigan ~ Part V

2009-07-05T08:28:00.003-08:00

On to Cedar Point! I absolutely love Cedar Point. A trip to Michigan just wouldn't be complete without visiting "America's Roller Coast"!

The kids loved the kiddie rides. We were a little worried about Abigail, but our girl is fearless!

First stop ~ the merry go round

Abigail and Grandpa were watching Austin prepare for his first ride.

Getting ready to ride the motorcycles

Abigail wanted in on the action

Next Daddy and I were chauffeured around town by the kids

This picture makes me laugh out loud every time I look at it!

Austin went up in the helicopters

See him in the red one?

Uh oh, it's the Cedar Point Police

Who's driving that police car?

It's Abigail!

Sport's car time

Awww! Keeping sister safe!

They rode just about every kiddie ride Cedar Point had to offer

I think Daddy was more scared of Abigail riding this ride than she was. He was worried that she would freak out when it went up in the air, but it didn't bother her one bit.

Bumper cars!

Austin wanted to go on this ride, so I took him. Once the ride started he wanted to get off! I couldn't help but to laugh at him!

Next stop, Snoopy Land. The kids rode the Snoopy train with Grandma.

While the kids rode the Snoopy train, Grandpa got himself some french fries! He couldn't have been happier!

The kids even got to meet Snoopy!

Grandpa & grandson

Grandma & granddaughter

More rides

Mommy got a little dizzy on this ride!

Austin was too little to do the driving, so Grandpa took over

Riding the Jr. Gemini

Front row seats

We had a great time at Cedar Point. The kids were fast asleep before we even left the park. (After we ran to the car through the rain!) And of course I won't be forgetting the fact that Grandpa pulled the lady's hair in front of us when he and I rode the Gemini!

Daddy Dolls

2009-06-27T04:38:00.003-08:00

~~ We interrupt the vacation posts for the introduction of Austin & Abigail's Daddy Dolls! ~~

Before Michael left for Iraq, I knew I wanted to get the kids Daddy Dolls. Had I better planned, they would have arrived before Michael left so he could give them each their "Daddy". But, vacation and preparation for deployment got in the way. I ordered the Daddy Dolls the day before Michael left and they arrived in the mail yesterday. I could have kissed the mail man when he delivered them to the house while I was home for lunch. I couldn't wait to get back home and see the kids faces when they pulled them out of the box.

They didn't disappoint me, THEY LOVED THEM!

Waiting for their surprise!

Austin took one look at his and exclaimed, "Daddy!"

Getting Daddy out of the plastic

Abigail ~ "That's my Daddy"

They wouldn't even look at me so I could take their picture. They couldn't keep their eyes off of Daddy

I told the kids that they could hug and kiss their Daddy Doll whenever they were missing Daddy.

Austin started right away, with a hug first.

And then a kiss

Abigail got her kisses in too

Austin wanted to wrestle with Daddy, just like they do when he's here!

Then Austin wanted me to take a picture of just Daddy.

Abigail again ~ "That's my Daddy"

And more kisses

Daddy even got to go for a ride in the police car

And shopping with Abigail

Of course they slept with Daddy last night when they went to bed. I have a feeling that Daddy is going to be going a lot of places with us over the next year!

Michigan ~ Part IV

2009-06-25T09:43:00.004-08:00

When we headed back to the campground for some more camping the weather was pretty gloomy. Instead of being cooped up in the camper we decided to head to a near by town for some bowling!

The bowling alley only had 12 lanes!

The kids bowled on the lane with the bumpers up and Grandma, Grandpa, Daddy & I bowled on the other lane.

Here goes Austin

Such form for a 5 year old!

Then it was Abigail's turn, after she got the hair out of her eyes

Go Abby!

I think Daddy was saying, "What the heck!"

There goes Grandpa & Abby

It must have been a good one!

We had so much fun bowling, and it was a great way to get out of the gloomy weather!

I have so many Cedar Point pictures that I have to save them for the next post!

Michigan ~ Part III

2009-06-24T03:29:00.003-08:00

Mowing the grass ~~with~~ for Grandpa! Grandpa let Austin steer the tractor while they were mowing.

Of course Abigail had to get a turn too! She was waiting very patiently for Grandpa to pick her up.

And of course Daddy had to have a kiss before she could get on the tractor with Grandpa.

Look what Grandma & Grandpa had in their yard

There were a ton of them

It wasn't long before Grandpa got out his trailer for behind the tractor. Daddy had the honor of giving the kids their first ride.

They went all over the back yard

What a look!

Then Austin & I drove Grandpa & Abigail around

Look at that cute family!

Grandpa got behind the camera lens! (I don't think Grandma was too thrilled about it!)

Grandpa picked up one of the bunnies so the kids could see it up close

After spending a couple days mowing the grass and catching up on dirty laundry, we headed back to the campground for some more fun activities...bowling & Cedar Point. Those pictures are up next!

Michigan ~ Part II

2009-06-22T09:08:00.004-08:00

Once we got off the plane we picked up our rental car, stopped for a bite to eat and headed to Grandma & Grandpa Ringman's campsite. Of course we had to stop at Wal-Mart first so the kids could pick out their very own fishing poles!

It wasn't long after they put them together that Austin caught his first fish.

Even Abigail tried fishing with her fishing pole.

She even caught a fish!

Even Daddy caught a fish!

Just a sample of their fish bait : bread & hot dogs! They also used corn!

Austin fell in love with fishing.

Fishing with Chris

Austin got so comfortable with fishing that he learned how to take his own fish off the hook!

Chris & Christine stole Abigail's heart with the bubbles they brought her. I don't think she put them down the entire time we were in Michigan!

And Austin loved his bat and ball... until Grandpa swung so hard he threw the bat in the lake!!!

We decided to head to Grandma & Grandpa's house for a couple days to get a break from camping and so Grandpa could mow the lawn. Those pictures are coming next, stay tuned!

Michigan ~ Part I

2009-06-09T18:39:00.003-08:00

We're finally home after a jam packed 16 day trip to Michigan. We had a lay over in Chicago so Austin got to enjoy playing in their children's play area.

The play area was a mini airport. There was an airplane, a helicopter, a gas vehicle, a check in area and an air traffic control tower.

There was a slide on the back of the airplane. Austin liked to throw the "luggage" down the back of it.

Austin had a blast while Abigail took a nap. We tried everything possible to keep her awake so she would sleep on the next flight. As you can see, we lost the battle.

Stay tuned for Part II, camping with Grandma & Grandpa Ringman.

Wow! Wow! Wow!

2009-05-17T03:40:00.004-08:00

There was a special visitor at the PX yesterday. Austin and I headed up there to meet Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!

There he is!

There's that goofy grin we've all come to love!

Nice to meet you Wubbzy!

Abigail stayed home while we went to see Wubbzy. I knew that she would have freaked out, so just Austin and I went.

"My puppy"

2009-05-17T03:25:00.003-08:00

Abigail sure has changed her mind about Lexi. When we first got the dog she wouldn't even let us put her down near the dog. Now she goes around hugging and kissing on the dog while calling her "My puppy".

Mother's Day weekend

2009-05-16T16:19:00.003-08:00

Last Saturday started out with a trip to Lowe's to gather stuff for the yard. Abigail and I headed to Lowe's while the boys headed to do some other errands.

When Abigail and I got home, I was surprised with some flowers that the boys had picked up.

They even picked out a balloon!

The girls stayed home to work in the yard while the boys went to our friends house to help with a fence. Once we got the yard work done, Abigail and I headed over to our friends house with the pool in the back of the car.

I love Austin's face in this picture!

Good one of Abigail

Not too bad for Austin

And I've lost their attention

The boys were playing with rollie pollie bugs

And the little girl was kissing her Daddy

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day weekend!

Mother's Day :: by Austin

2009-05-09T04:52:00.004-08:00

I had lots of fun stuff waiting for me yesterday when I picked Austin up from daycare.

The first was this tea pot with "Tea for Two"

"A cup of tea for Mommy and me"

The tea pot was in this cute little envelope decorated by Austin

This cute little thing was in his back pack from school

The saying reads:

"My dirty little fingerprints I've left on every wall"
"And on the drawers and tabletops, I've really marked them all"
"But here are some that won't rub off; I'm giving them to you"
"Because I'm thankful to have a mom that's just like you!"

"Happy Mother's Day"

"I love you!"

This is one of my favorite things about being a Mom. I love sweet little hand made things like this!

Alright, alright!

2009-05-07T05:56:00.000-08:00

So, we've been a little busy lately! And of course I can't remember everything that's happened since the last time I blogged. I guess I need to update more often!

Last Thursday Austin had surgery to have his third set of tubes placed in his ears. A few weeks back he had a hearing test done at his ENT. He had some mild hearing loss in his right ear and his ear drum was falling back into his ear. (Probably not the best way to describe it, but that's all I can come up with at the moment) His ENT wanted to place the tubes again so his ear drum could get some air behind it and to improve his hearing. Of course he did great and was back to bouncing on the bed by mid afternoon.

For the days he was at school during the month of April, he received all blue smiley faces! Blue smiley faces mean excellent behavior! Woo hooo! Way to go Austin!

So, what's new with Abigail? Where do I start with the little bossy bugger? She's now talking in full sentences and I can tell it won't be long before she talks all the time. She still loves shoes!

Abigail happens to be home today because of a possible ear infection. She's headed to the doctor later this morning to be looked at.

Now on to my third child, the dog! Lexi is growing at the speed of lightning. I just took her to the vet yesterday for her booster shots. She weighed in at 30.2 lbs. She officially weighs more than Abigail and has about 5 more pounds before she catches up to Austin!

We're getting ready for our big trip to Michigan before Michael leaves. I'm sure all the grandparents are just as excited as we are about seeing everyone.

Just curious?

2009-05-05T18:20:00.001-08:00

Does anyone want to see a new blog post?

Our weekend retreat

2009-04-21T09:15:00.004-08:00

We had the opportunity to go on a weekend retreat with Michael's unit. We left bright and early Friday morning and headed to Sea World in San Antonio. The weather was not the greatest, but we made the best out of it.

Our first stop once inside Sea World was to visit the dolphins. Austin & Michael fed the dolphins while Abigail was content just to look at them.

Look at the cute little grump!

More dolphin observing.

Heading inside to see the fish and dodging the rain!

Checking out some deadly frogs.

They were really cool looking.

Who's ready to see Shamu? Really we were just trying to get out of the rain, look at how wet Michael was!

The pictures I took didn't turn out the greatest because it was so overcast, but I got a couple good ones.

After giving up on Sea World, we headed back north to the Horseshoe Bay Resort where we would spend the rest of the weekend. The kids were fascinated with the sliding closet doors and the telephones. We only have our cell phones and not a house phone, so they thought the phones were the coolest thing ever! They kept pretending to call their grandparents each time they picked up the phones.

The view from our 6th floor window.

An outside view of the resort.

I took several pictures at the resort, here are some of my favorites. The grounds were amazing!

As you can tell, they weren't exactly cooperating for me. I was really trying to take advantage of all the photo opportunities I had. Showing my their booties!

That's a little better.

Abigail was slightly annoyed with her brother trying to put his arm around her all the time!

Checking out the "milky water" as Austin called it!

Another failed attempt to get them both to look at the camera at the same time!

They were more concerned with exploring than with me taking their pictures!

"Can I get at least one picture of you both looking at the camera?"

"I take that as a no."

They were really fascinated with this turtle.

Especially when it hopped in the water.

Of course we had to take the opportunity of a family picture! Don't they all look thrilled that I made them pose for a picture?

They had an amazing putt-putt course on the grounds.

Again, he was thrilled that I wanted to take his picture!

While at the resort Michael and I attended classes about enriching our marriage. They were great classes, especially with a deployment coming up. While we were attending the classes, the kids were taken care of in the child care room. (That's also why you've seen them with stickers on their backs...name tags.)

Saturday afternoon we took the kids to the pool to go swimming. Then that evening we had some free time while the kids were in the child care room. We had some drinks (really rare for me) and walked around the grounds with another couple enjoying ourselves and taking pictures. Well, I took the pictures.

After picking up the kids we did some more hanging out with the other couples before calling it a night. The kids and I headed back to the room because they were absolutely exhausted. Before I finished getting their jammies around they had both crashed...

Aren't they sweet?

We headed home Sunday morning after another session. We were all exhausted but we had a fabulous time. We'd go back again if we could afford the room rates at $600 a night. Good thing we didn't have to pay for it!

Pictures are coming...

2009-04-16T19:08:00.003-08:00

We're going here on Friday during the day and then we're moving onto here until Sunday morning.

I have a feeling that I might be taking a lot of pictures over the weekend!

Stay tuned...