Catching Up is Hard to Do....

Well, I am trying to get back into doing our blog again.  It has been a very very long time.  We moved recently to Florida, by the way, we are still getting settled.  I have wanted to post things about our new home and things here, but first I want to do some catching up.  So if anyone is interested in reading our blog, I kindly ask for your patience, and tolerance. = )   I like things in order.  So I am going to start trying to do more posts when I can, as soon as I can.....this is going to be some work.  I'm kind of a perfectionist at times...hmmm, maybe you should check back later, a lot later.... 

Getting into AFIT (Air Force Institute of Technology)

Well, for this post I need to start from the "beginning".  Dave had applied in the summer of his deployment for an "Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) Faculty Pipeline" program that would allow him to get his master's degree (paid for by the AF) and then to follow on to teach at AFIT for 3 years.  He had actually applied the year before but then was tasked with the deployment and had to rescind his application because he would be in Afghanistan when he would need to start school.  While he was in Afghanistan he tried again to apply for the program.  He soon found out that he made it to the next level in the application process and was requested to fly to AFIT to give a presentation.  Obviously he couldn't do that from Afghanistan so he made a video presentation and sent that electronically to them.  He said it was a little weird because he had to film himself giving a presentation to...nobody.  Later he found he had made it past that level and would need to have a conference call with several of the higher-ups at AFIT.  It turned out that the phone call would be only a day or two after he got home from his deployment.  On the morning of the expected phone call we had to take our car in to be fixed and Dave really wanted to be with us (since he hadn't been home long) so he hoped the call would come before with plenty of time to still go.  The phone call came as we were leaving!  So...he decided to take this very important conference call (with Colonels and very important civilians) in the car with our children and I!  There he was, IN THE CAR, on a conference call with all of these important AFIT personnel!  They made a comment about knowing that Dave was recently home from deployment, and that they could hear little ones in the background at the end of the call.  (Oh well....what could we do?  Hahaha!)  Dave did an amazing job, from my perspective of driving while talking to them on the phone and answering their questions.  That is definitely a memorable moment for me!  It must have gone well enough because he was accepted into the program!  AFIT contacted Dave a few weeks later to tell him he was in! 

Independence Day with the Gibbons!

We spent Independence Day with Dave's sister's family, the Gibbons!  After the breakfast in the morning we headed up to Denver to spend time with them.  We had seen them in Logan, but for living so close to them we hadn't seen them as much as we would have liked!  We would be moving soon, so this would be the last time we would get to see them before moving to Florida.  Kayla really enjoyed hanging out with her cousins.  Makenna really enjoyed all the extra attention she was getting. : )  We made yummy food and brought a picnic dinner and blankets to a nearby park.  Rachel had a park in mind where we could see some awesome fireworks.  (She was right!)  We got to the park early enough to secure a spot on the grass.  The lawn soon was filled with a lot of people!  What was really cool, is that a helicopter flew into a marked off field and then in groups people got to see it up close!  I also got a pretty picture of "sunbeams" shining down.  I love sunbeams...so heavenly, it was almost as if it was a reminder from God that He was the one whose hand established America.  We ate dinner, the kids played frisbee, and Carl treated the kids to tickets for some bounce houses and games that had been set up at the park.  Later on Jessie and Carl left so they could collect flags from ward member's houses the set up for scouts.  I had a lot of fun hanging out and talking!  Makenna was restless, so I had her in the stroller tipped up on the wheels and made circles around our blankets to keep her happy and me able to talk, haha.  : )  The fireworks were awesome!  They were pretty close to us, just over in a nearby baseball field.  Rachel liked this spot especially because you could also see 2 other firework shows on either side of us!  Happy Independence Day!!!!  God bless America!  That was a lot of fun, and a cherished memory.  Thank you Gibbons Family! : )

Independence Day Ward Breakfast

Our ward had a 4th of July breakfast at the church and then a parade with the kids.  We invited Michael, Ruth, and Jacob too.  (They actually knew a ton of people from other wards they have been in...they are so popular!)  Our ward started off with a flag presentation and a talk from a member of our ward who is military, which was really good.  Then we sang some patriotic songs.  Breakfast was super yummy.  I loved cooked breakfast!  And then the kids got to show off their decorated bikes, trikes, strollers, and scooters in a parade!  A guy in our ward brought a homemade electric ....car (?) he build from scratch.  He allowed Kayla and several other kids to ride it.  He had a joystick remote that he controlled.  I guess it was like a grown up version of an RC car, but you get to ride it!  I'm glad we got to hang out with Michael, Ruth and Jacob!!!

Striped Berries, Dinner, & Games with the W's

My family in town tried to get together as often as we could.  These times together are precious to me, and the thought that we would soon be moving was always in the front of our minds.  Ruth and Michael were living with us for a little bit while they were looking for a new place to live.  I know it was a challenging time trying to find a place, and we had a small house, but secretly Dave and I were thankful for the chance for all of us to "have" to be together. : )  (It was fun having additional judges while we watched American Idol.)  I'm truly am grateful for that time with them. : )

Soon Michael and Ruth found a new place to live, and once they got settled in, they invited us and Grandma Carol over for dinner and games.  We all made 4th of July strawberries.  You melt alomond bark and then dip strawberries in the white almond bark, leaving a stripe of white, and then dip it in blue sprinkles.  (Thanks Family Fun magazine.)  It was fun and yummy!  Ruth and my mom were so helpful with the kids.  Makenna was happy to get to play on her "jungle gym" a.k.a., Uncle Michael.  After dinner we played games.  Good times, great memories. 

Summer Girl Fun

The girls and I kept busy during the summer and we had  a lot of opportunities to have fun.  Kayla kept pretty busy because she had a "boot camp" of sorts with her therapy sessions.  She was in an internal metronome program.  She went a few times a week for a few hours, and then she attended her regular speech session.  The place we went to was very close to grandma Carol, so after a session we would usually go have lunch with her and hang out.  My mom was also trying to help teach me how to crochet Christmas stockings, with a pattern from her mom.  She is a very patient teacher.....it took me awhile.  My mom and I worked for a few months on this, mostly working on me getting down knitting and pearling.  We would get together usually once a week.  We never got to finish it before we moved. : (  We'll have to finish it the next time we get together. : )

The girls and I also took advantage of getting together with our friends at playgroups.  We went to our church's weekly playgroup, that were at different parks, and also got together with some military friends for weekly playgroups, a favorite was the Focus on the Family play area.  We had a lot of fun!  I guess I enjoyed myself enough I didn't get as many pictures of our friends.  : ( I'm glad we got to play and enjoy ourselves.  We also did the library reading program, made trips to get ice cream at our favorite ice cream shop, worked on some school stuff, went to Chuck E. Cheese, went to the zoo, (for the last time...since we didn't want to renew our membership because we would be moving!) and were getting ready....to move.

Happy Father's Day Davey!

Happy Father's Day Dave!!!!  We love you sooooo much!  I feel very fortunate to have married such a wonderful husband, who is also a wonderful father to our girls.  We all adore you!  You do so much to help out, to have fun with our girls and play with them.  You are so patient, and loving.  What a strength and a wonderful righteous example you are to our girls and to me.  You serve us and love us.  Thank you for being so wonderful!!!

We made Dave breakfast before we went to church and had him open his presents.  

 Dave's reaction to the card Kayla got him for Father's Day.  Dave is so funny....

Soo & Eric's Sealing

We had a lot of fun visiting Logan for Soo's sealing to Eric!!!  Yay!!!!  We are very happy for her and Eric, they are wonderful people, and they make the cutest couple!  We got to meet Eric, and his boys Andrew and Brandon.  Eric is a super nice guy and his boys are very sweet too.  Eric and Soo seem so happy and in love, and it was an awesome thing to see that and to hear their sweet story.  It was so wonderful that they were able to be sealed in the temple!!!!!!  It was beautiful, and we were grateful to be able to go!  Soo, you are so beautiful!  It made my heart happy to see you so happy, with Eric!  And Eric, you are a great guy, and we are so happy you are now married to Soo, and you're family!  We can't wait to get to know you more.  Congratulations!!!

Aren't they cute?

I didn't get too many pictures of the reception in action.  We were busy, and enjoying ourselves!  It was a lot of fun!  My mother-in-law was very busy organizing everything for the reception after the sealing.  She had all the daughters make all kinds of salads, and then Soo's son Jason grilled some kabobs, and there were punches and cake.  Everyone did a lot to help, and it turned out great!  These pictures are from after the party mostly.  Dave and I also made some cd love mixes of songs that played during the reception, thanks to Ralph, who is known for his sound system and dj skills.  We had fun celebrating!!!!  Wahoo, Soo and Eric!

Wedding Week in Logan

Soo and Eric's sealing was awesome and it was so good to be there!  Since a lot of family members were there we also got to "play".  Most everyone made it, (we missed Lynnette and her fam, they had a previously scheduled trip to California.) and it was really fun to be together with the Thomander clan.  They are A LOT of fun.

Dave's dad organized a special Family Home Evening and it was a wonderful time to feel the Spirit, and of the love the Thomanders have for each other.  Hopefully soon we can have that chance again to be all together like that. Then the nieces and nephews did a talent show, which was pretty awesome.  Dave and Eli actually showed everyone their crazy eyes trick.  Everyone was surprised that Eli can now do it!
A few things we did, and that I remember....
*We prepared for Soo's wedding and got everything organized and clean and ready to have a backyard wedding party!  Everyone pitched in and helped.  Meeting Eric, and hearing their story.  Wendy did a very cute slideshow for them.
*Wendy and Meg organized a "newly wed" game with all the couples.  And she had planned some games with prizes too.
*Justin made us all a huge bowl of homemade hummus, and in his excitement to bring it over, he lost hold of it, and the bowl shattered and the hummus went everywhere.  He was so sad!  But we got it all cleaned up and he made more for us.  It was very very delicious! Thanks for sharing Justin. : ) (It made a memory.)
*We all stayed up way late (totally worth it) and enjoyed each other's company, and of course played lots of games.
*My mother-in-law, making mass quantities of food for her family, and taking care of us all.
*Then there was Ralph vs. everyone else in tug-o-war, along with Leg Wrestling, and Arm wrestling.  (Dave's mom almost beat Ralph...)
*Dave and I went on a double date with Ben and Wendy too, to see X-Men.
*Dave's family had a huge clothing swap!  There were tons of clothes and things we all went through to take home, and the rest went to D.I.  Dave and Ben grabbed a large pair of pants and had a "2 legged race".
*Dan and his kids brought their new puppies and the kids loved taking care of them, holding and petting them, especially Kayla!!!  (She wishes she could have a pet.)
*All the cousins playing and having fun together!  (Dan was usually in the thick of them all.)
*We went ice blocking on some pretty awesome hills on the Utah State campus.  That was so fun.
*We enjoyed feeding the ducks in the canyon at some of the ponds and going up into the Canyon and having lunch.
*Poor Soo's boys getting sick with the measles, and then Soo getting sick with them herself after her wedding, and then having to be quarantined, and then poor Eric got sick too after we left.  : (  Then all of us having been exposed, getting an immuzation just in case.
*Playing charades with Soo and the cousins while she was quarantined, through her front living room window.
*Going to the cheese factory to stock up on shelf stable flavored milks (Kayla's favorite is Root Beer) and shelf stable whipping cream. : )

Lots of memories for sure in this trip!  We were so glad to be able to come!!!!!!!

I actually was a little bit sick and not feeling well, so I didn't do the hike when we went up in the canyon.  This is kind of an interesting story.....  I had dropped Dave and the girls off with everyone else and gone home to take some medicine and get tissues and things I needed (for allergies).  When I came back to the spot where I dropped everyone off, all of the cars were gone!  They had gone to another location down the canyon to hike I guess.  I  tried calling Dave on my cell phone to find out where to meet up with him.  But I had no signal!  I called over and over again and couldn't get a hold of him.  (Dave had tried calling me too lots of times, but no signal!)  It was very frustrating.  I didn't know what to do.  I  thought about just going back to the house, Dave could maybe get a ride in someone's car.  But I was worried, because I had the car seats for our girls in the car, and if I left, how would Dave get them home?  (legally and safely)  I prayed, that Heavenly Father would help me know where they were.  I went up and down the road, and tried looking around a few trails with no luck.  They could be anywhere.  I finally spotted a parking lot up the canyon and pulled the car down into it.  Heavenly Father helped me find them!  I was a little cranky though, until I  realized later Dave HAD been trying to call me. : )  Oops, sorry Dave.  I was so relieved that we found each other.  That was a learning experience for me.  I am so reliant on my cell phone, but when I couldn't use it, I really had to rely on Heavenly Father.  God is the one I should be so reliant on, no matter what.  A good lesson for me in relying on the Lord, and that He answers prayers!

While we were there poor Soo had some sick kids.  Right before we were leaving for Utah Soo called and let us know that her kids had been sick.  She warned us that her boys had possible signs of measles, and we decided to come still because we had all been immunized.  As the week progressed all her boys got sick with the measles, they were miserable!  (Except for  Jason)  Poor guys!!!  They were missed because they had to be quarantined, which was a major bummer since Soo was getting married and all the family had traveled in to be there.  When we had the FHE night Dan and Soo set up Skype so her boys could be involved at least, and later in the week they were able to come over.  It was a very unexpected turn of events.  Soo had a lot going on, on top of taking care of all her sick boys.  And then, even though Soo had been immunized she ended up catching the measles, right after her honeymoon, and she had to be quarantined. : (   We were all bummed.  We did go visit her, and the kids played charades with her through her glass living room window.  While we were in Logan we all had to go to the Health Dept to be immunized since we had contact with Soo, and everyone who had been at the wedding and reception were contacted so they could go get immunized if they needed to.  Then later on, poor Eric got very very sick with the measles too.  Our family didn't get sick thankfully, especially since we had to travel back to Colorado!  A new marriage and right away, some new trials.  They had planned on moving too, so plans got complicated a little.  They went through a lot during that time, I wish we could have been there to help them. But the time in Logan was so good, just to be with everyone when we could.  Dave and I were so happy we got to be there at least for Soo and Eric's sealing!

Well, I got sick, but not with the measles, not like anything poor Soo's family had to go through.  I just had a very bad allergic reaction while I was in Logan.  I had a lot of fun, but just didn't feel great.  I felt pretty awful actually.  I  broke out in hives all up and down my arms (something in the air?)  and I was so stuffed up I couldn't taste or smell, which was interesting.  Food is no fun to eat when you can't taste it.  When we were traveling back through Fort Collins I couldn't even smell all the cow manure, or whatever awful smell that is through there, no offense if you live there....  After getting home I finally went to the urgent care.  Sometimes I worry that I am over reacting and debate if I should see a doctor or not, because I always feel dumb if there's nothing wrong or they can't do anything for me.  But this time, it was good I went in.  They were shocked to see my arms, so they gave me an allergy shot right then and there, and I ended up having an ear infection, bronchitis, and a sinus infection.  Not fun, but thank goodness for modern medicine! : )

Wedding Decor Prep

 

When we found out Dave's sister Soo would be getting sealed, we were ecstatic!  Sooooo excited!  Before the wedding I asked Soo if she wanted to borrow some things I had, for the reception.  Then Soo asked if I wouldn't mind doing the decorating.  (!)  I was flattered, and willing, although I felt very inadequate.  I have many friends who are very, very, very crafty and creative.  Um.....I'm not really like that, you sure?  She gave me some guidelines of what she wanted and what she didn't want and I was off.  Soo wanted it low key, but beautiful.  It was fun, actually, and I surprised myself, although I know my inspiration was really heaven sent.  It might sound, hmm, silly?, but my prayers were answered in trying to know what to do, because I didn't know what to do, but it worked out!  : )  This was really out of my comfort zone.

My mother-in-law borrowed the tables, some chairs, tablecloths, and the canopies from a friend.  I had some sheer curtain fabric, ribbon and sashes to decorate, lights, and rose garlands.  Wendy also brought some fresh lilac branches with beautiful and fragrant blossoms.  We set out 2 of my new 3 gallon drink dispensers too.  (I got them on sale, plus a coupon, at CostCo!)  I made all the table decorations with supplies from the Dollar Tree!  I felt good, and was happy with myself that it looked pretty and wasn't that expensive at all.  President Uchtdorf is right, there is happiness in being creative.  I loved his talk in the General Relief Society Meeting held in October of 2008.  The part I refer to is under the heading, The Work of Creation.  To read this article I put a link from www.lds.org....Happiness, Your Heritage


I found some beautiful flowers that came in bunches at the Dollar Tree.  I did a lot of window shopping and price comparison, and I still preferred the flowers they had at the Dollar Tree.  I got some good finds when I went.  I also found a pack of favor boxes, ribbon, glass vases, and pretty marbles for the bottoms of the vases.  I assembled the boxes and put a round smooth river rock in the bottom from my yard, so the box wouldn't blow away.  Then I cut the flowers down to size and stuck them into the opening of the box top.  Then I measured the ribbon and used double sided tape on the ribbon and wrapped it around the box and tucked in the edges.  I made small bouquets with the leftover flowers and wrapped them with wire.  Then I put the marbles in the vases and stuck in the flower bouquets.  I made a small bouquet in a vase and enough of the boxes to put 3 on each table.  Pretty easy, fun, and not expensive!  Thanks Soo, truly, for the opportunity and letting me do that!   It really was a pleasure. : )

Disney on Ice Date with Kayla

Kayla and I went to see Disney on Ice at the World Arena.  It was really nice to do something together, that was really special, with just the two of us.  Kayla wore her very beautiful Sleeping Beauty dress and shoes.  She really wanted to wear them, so I let her.  When we got to our parking spot it was quite the walk from the car to the arena, so I ended up giving Kayla a piggy back ride because those princess shoes are just not made for comfort.  I'm so glad we went and took advantage of the opportunity to do something like this.  At one point I looked over at Kayla, eating her popcorn and intently watching Aurora, and realized, again, that she is growing up way too fast!  I want her to stay my "little girl", which I know won't happen, but in my mind and in my eyes she will always be my little princess and my little girl.  (Even if she is growing at a rapid rate and will probably be taller than me!)  

Kayla and I had a blast and we were mesmerized by all the ice skaters.  How do they skate like that?!  We oooooed and awwwed and sighed at all the right places.  It was so girly, entertaining, and fun to watch!  Thanks for the date Kayla!  Let's be sure to do something like this again. : )

Kayla's Last Day of School, in Colorado

Kayla had a great year and she really enjoyed 1st grade!  She had a great teacher and loved her a lot.  Mrs. Minnette did a lot of fun things and did a lot of creative things to help teach her students, which helped motivate Kayla to want to learn.  How I appreciate good teachers and the help I can get as a mom!  Hats off to Kayla's teacher and all awesome teachers everywhere! 

The last day of school was a lot of fun and I got to come in and help for a bit with their "camping party".  They got to have a smorgasbord of tasty food, watch movies, play games, and read in tents.

We'll miss you Colorado!

                           Kayla with Mrs. Minnette and Kayla with one of her good friends Kennedy.

Kayla's 1st Grade Field Day

Kayla's field day was a lot of fun to  watch.  I loved field day when I  was in elementary school.  It was one of my favorite days!  Kayla's field day was pretty windy.  Grandma Carol came too to watch Kayla and help me with Makenna.  Kayla's class all did tie-dyed shirts to match each other.  Their 2nd grade class' colors were pink, black, and white.  Although, Kayla is a pink purist, so she just wanted pink and white on her t-shirt.  Kayla's teacher told me that, and thought it was cute and funny. : )

Kayla did a really good job!  Especially once she got use to doing the three legged race.

Kayla looses 1st Front Tooth

Kayla lost her first front tooth!  Oh my goodness, she is getting bigger!