The Evans Family

Doctor today.

2012-02-10T10:39:00.000-08:00

I took miss Stella to the doctor today for her year check up..a little late.
Anyway,here are her stats:
weight 23 lbs and 3 oz and she was just shy of 30 inches long. She is doing great! :)

The downside was getting the year old shots. She had to have 5!! She cried and cried. It broke my heart. She is fine now though, thank goodness.

And here is a picture of my beautiful Stella in her birthday dress for Grandma!

24 weeks

2012-02-10T10:21:00.000-08:00

I am 24 weeks pregnant..wow. I feel like this little one has grown a ton the last few days. I feel the movements a lot more it feels like a little roller coaster in my stomach.

New truck

2012-01-24T14:53:00.000-08:00

We got a new truck, well new to us, it is a 2004. I knew that we wouldn't make it the whole year without buying a truck. It all working out perfectly and it seems like it will be a great truck. It is so much fun to drive a truck again, and it sounds fantastic. We are excited :)

20 weeks

2012-01-13T20:15:00.000-08:00

I am twenty weeks pregnant now. I am half way done but it feel like I have been pregnant for awhile. Probably because I am going to have two little ones so close together. On the plus side I have been feeling the little one move which helps me not worry so much.

So just to compare this is my with this new little one.

And this is when I was 20 weeks pregnant with Stella..

I am feeling pretty good actually. I think I am hitting the nesting phase. I keep thinking about all this stuff and all the things I need to get organized. And with three other ones its hard to get to everything done. At least I still have some time.

Also Ben told me he had a dream we had a little girl with lots of dark hair. That would be a first!! We are still thinking about names. I can't really think of a name that I just have to have yet..so still looking. Plus I'm not sure if I should pick a boy or a girl name. So I need to think of two names...

baby!

2011-12-29T13:29:00.000-08:00

Our little baby is 17 weeks and 6 days old and weights about 8 oz. We got to see our little one moving around and hear the heartbeat. It was very good to know that everything looks good and all is well which is good because at this point in my pregnancy with Stella everything changed so much. I am very thankful that this baby is healthy. Right off the bat we told the tech we didn't want to know the gender and the tech seemed to think we were a little crazy, I'm guessing she doesn't get that request very often. She showed us everything and then told us not to look while she looked at the little legs and all of that. Ben and I didn't peek and now the hard part is over. Now it will be Ben that gets to tell me if its a boy or girl!! The doctor said that finding out today would have been finding out your Christmas gift before Christmas and the more I thought about it the more I liked that.
So we get the best gift and it will be a surprise!!

this is how to make a scarf

2011-12-27T16:50:00.001-08:00

I used one of Ben's old work shirts to make this and one of mine that had a huge stain on it. Anyway, The thing that I read said to used a paper plate. Well oddly enough I didn't have a paper plate so I used an ice cream lid.
I cut out the circles and then just cut them into spirals.

I glued two of the cut up circles to make the strips long. You don't have to do this if you don't want. I just found some fabric glue at Walmart that worked great.
And I'm sure you can add more or less to the scarf. I added more than just one shirt. The things I saw just said you needed one XL shirt. It just depends on how you do it and want it to look like. And here it is all done.

http://www.thediydish.com/2011/02/make-an-infinity-scarf-kim-shows-the-how-to-on-studio-5/
This website has more ideas and pictures too.

scarf

2011-12-27T16:42:00.001-08:00

I got this idea to make a scarf I think it turned out pretty good. This is was my first attempt, I need to find some more shirts to cut up.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-27T16:32:00.001-08:00

Most of the time you think Christmas Eve, snow, Christmas parties, hot chocolate, ect..
Well this year we went hiking. This was a first for me and the kids were such troopers. We made it all the way to the top. But by the time we got done it was getting cold. We had a lot of fun and I'm glad we made it to the top!

Christmas

2011-12-27T15:58:00.001-08:00

So here are some pictures of our Christmas. I think that we all got some good stuff and since Ben had some time off of work, we got to spend some good time together.
Ben read us the Christmas story Christmas night. The kids kind of listened.

Ben got this great picture of Kenzie. I love this one!

Then we have Ben and I. <3

Tristan and Kenzie Christmas morning. We actually had to wake the kids up on Christmas. Ben didn't get much sleep he was so excited to give me my presents. He did such a good job, I had no idea he was getting me a camera or a CD player :)

Tristan with new legos.

Stella and I. She will be one on Jan 25th.

And my cute kids eating their Christmas suckers.

Lights!

2011-12-18T21:19:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we were able to go to Garvin Gardens and see the lights. They kids had the best time, they were so excited. Their favorite thing of the night was the trains. We had to circle back so they could see the train again. It was just a great night, and we didn't even freeze :)

15 weeks

2011-12-10T07:54:00.000-08:00

So I have hit the 15 week mark. I don't feel very pregnant anymore. The sickness is pretty much gone. I still am a little tired but with all that goes on around here that shouldn't be a surprise. Plus I don't really feel like I look pregnant yet. It will be nice to get a pregnant bump, I am guessing I will starting showing really well in the next 2-3 week?? Guess I just have to wait and see. We have been talking about names, have decided on names yet.. It is a little different to have two names picked out since we won't know if it is going to be a girl or a boy.

p.s
I know it isn't the greatest picture..I blame the camera.

14 weeks tomorrow!

2011-12-01T15:14:00.000-08:00

Ben and I were able to go to the doctor today. They weighed me. I had only gain a pound. Which didn't surprise me. I don't gain a lot the first trimester anyway. We got to hear the heartbeat and talked to the doctor for a few minutes. He said there was a strong heartbeat and everything seems to be going well.

So at the next appointment we get to do the big ultrasound. This is when we would find out if it is a boy or a girl. I have been thinking about not finding out. Ben has wanted to do this before and I just couldn't do it. Well I am really thinking we will wait.

christmas art project

2011-11-27T16:56:00.001-08:00

So laddies and gentleman this is how I made my Christmas wreath.

First I started off with a white foam ring. I think it is about eight inches or so, I actually wish it had of been bigger, but I just used what I had on hand.

Then I put a little bit of tulle around the ring to help hold the flowers. Next time I think I might try and have more of the tulle showing.

Then I put some Christmas beads around the wreath, like so..

Then I glued on a whole bunch of flowers that I had made. Some I left plain and others I added a little extra.

Then I added some more of the red beads to fill in the empty spaces.

I then made a bow, the best I could. I just need to add a way to hang it up, I haven't decided yet how to do it.

2 rabbits

2011-11-12T12:08:00.000-08:00

There were two rabbits, but we are down to one now. Ben sold penny :(
Penny was such a good car she will be missed, I hope the new owners like her as much as we did. We just didn't need two of the same car...
So we are left with the white rabbit, Casper.

10 1/2 weeks

2011-11-12T12:02:00.000-08:00

Here I am about 10 1/2 weeks pregnant. I still don't look pregnant yet. I haven't gained any weight yet either. I am starting to get more hungry so that is good. I will be into my second trimester soon, so I'm hoping that will help me feel better and less tired. Time will tell...

#4

2011-11-01T16:22:00.000-07:00

Today, after waiting for what seemed like forever, we got to see our new little baby. It was very exciting to see they baby. And yes it made me tear up a bit. I saw the tiny little arms move. It was very great! It did help me feel a little less stressed.

I'm just hoping to get out of this first trimester and into the next and feel a little bit better.
So the details:
I'm due June 1, 2012, guessing it will end up the end of May.
I am 9 weeks 4 days. I thought I was 9 or ten weeks, so I guess I was right.

dress

2011-10-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

My mom made this wonderful little dress for Mackenzie. She loves it so much already. I think she is going to have a hard time taking it off. She also is going to be very pretty for Halloween!!

Pumpkin patch!!

2011-10-07T18:29:00.000-07:00

Today Tristan's class went on a field trip, well we decided to all go with him. We went to a pumpkin patch. We all had a good time. They kids ran and played and there was a big sandbox that Kenzie loved. There was even a few animals for the kids to look at.

There was a hayride that took us to the pumpkin patch and Tristan got himself a great pumpkin. I think it was one of my favorite days here so far!

Driveway

2011-09-25T17:43:00.000-07:00

We have been having some problems with our driveway. The rain has just been running underneath and washing away the dirt. Fun Stuff...
Needless to say they was a pretty big whole underneath.

Hopefully it is fixed now. We had a home warranty for the house, so we didn't have to pay to have it fixed. I'm just hoping the guy did a good job. I'm still a little nervous about it.

STella Is EighT MontHS OLD

2011-09-25T17:39:00.000-07:00

my beautiful girls

2011-09-12T19:17:00.000-07:00

Snake

2011-09-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

Well we now have a snake. Its not the snake that bothers me so much..the cage that he came in is huge i don't know where we are going to put it.

Kenzie and Tristan are so excited about the snake! I'm sure Tristan will be telling everyone at school all about it.
Both of the kids wanted to hold it and see it yesterday. I think they were a little scared at first but it wore off really quickly.

Flowers!

2011-09-08T15:20:00.001-07:00

So this is how I made my flowers. I started with a square piece of paper. It doesn't mater to much what size you use. I tried about three different sizes.

After you get your piece of paper you round the edges of the paper..

After you round the edges then you cut the paper in circles like this..

Then you start rolling up the paper starting at the end and keep rolling till you are done. You can roll it as tight or as loose as you want.

Then put a bit of hot glue on the bottom to keep it together. Sometimes I have to put a little extra glue to hold it together.

And you are done!!!

Art project!

2011-09-08T14:40:00.000-07:00

So this is my first try at this stuff and I think it turned out pretty good. I just hope the glue holds it all together. I am not sure what to try next????

7 months

2011-09-05T11:16:00.000-07:00

My sweet baby girl!!

well i'm 29 now

2011-08-17T19:08:00.001-07:00

It was my birthday on the 9th of August. I am feeling really old, my twenties are almost over. BOO.
For my birthday Ben took me shopping, I'm sure he wishes we would have done something else, but he still took me anyway. I couldn't find very much, i miss shopping at Ross. But I am excited that there is a Ross coming to Little Rock in a couple of months :)

The best part was that Ben and I got to go to dinner, just the two of us. We don't get to do that ofter as I would like. I am very thankful for a wonderful friend that watched all three of my kids for me.

We went to Red lobster. I have never been to Red lobster before. I really really don't like fish. I was needing to go someplace different. I tried some crab and lobster tail, it was actually ok. I could maybe grow to like seafood, I will have to take it one bite at a time. HA HA
Here it is a picture of Ben and I at dinner.

six

2011-07-23T08:05:00.000-07:00

Tristan is now SIX years old! He is getting so big. I think he had a good birthday. We went bowling and swimming with our friends. I think that swimming went better than bowling. Plus it has been so hot and it even rained yesterday. The kids were outside getting soaked. It was 102 and it said that it felt like 109, the rain was wonderful!!
So all in all we had a busy fun day!

More pics..i just had to :)

2011-07-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

What can I say, I love this little girl!!

July 3,2011

2011-07-03T16:49:00.001-07:00

My little girl got blessed today. Both of my girls got to wear the same dress. I can't believe that it fit Stella. She is much bigger and older than Kenzie was when she wore the dress. So I thought I would post a picture of Kenzie and Stella both in the same special dress that Grandma made for them! And a big thanks to Grandpa for blessing both of our sweet girls!!

So Stella is the first picture and Kenzie is the next one.
I thought it would be fun to see them both.

5 MOntHS OLD!

2011-06-27T13:08:00.001-07:00

My little Stella is getting big and older too. She is now FIVE months old. Next month she will be half a year old!! She is almost sitting up by herself and she did roll over once. She is still working and that stuff. I'm sure she will be crawling in no time at all. :)

first tooth gone..

2011-06-27T13:03:00.000-07:00

Little Tristan isn't so little anymore. He lost a tooth! He was so excited!! Ben helped him pull the tooth, Tristan didn't even cry or anything. He handled it great, Ben said he was ready for him to pull out another one. There are a few more loose ones but not any that are ready. He even got a gold dollar under his pillow!

Turtle Turtle

2011-04-26T18:57:00.001-07:00

Last night was a bad night with all the storms and Ben not getting home till 3:00 in the morning. BOO. So this morning I was taking the garbage out and when I came back towards the house I saw this little guy in my flower bed. It made today a little bit better. I thought about trying to keep them. After reading about turtles here it sounded like he would do much better if I just left him alone. I was hoping he would stick around. He did for awhile but he his gone now..
It was fun while it lasted.

My Beautiful Girls

2011-04-20T10:42:00.001-07:00

BBQ fun

2011-04-19T08:51:00.001-07:00

We were able to have a great Saturday. We had a BBQ with great friends and great food. We even were able to have a fire. Which was awesome. It almost felt like camping. It would have been nice if it was a little warmer. But still lots of fun.

Here is Tristan and Wes having by the fire.

This is the first time Mackenzie has done dress up. But she loved it. She stayed in the dress almost the whole night. So CUTE!

Ben, me, Stella and Kenzie, just missing Tristan. Hopefully we will get a good one with all of us soon.

no toys needed

2011-04-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

So who needs toys right! Kenzie and I just played in paper today. It was fun and she laughed and laughed. It took awhile to get all of the paper cleaned up but it was worth it. Oh and Ben helped to make sure I got some paper also.

Diamonds

2011-03-23T14:13:00.001-07:00

There is a place here in Arkansas that you can go and look for diamonds. It was kinda neat. It would have been more fun if was in a neat cave of something. It was just a field. It is really hard to actually find a diamond. So no we didn't find anything. But my dad and the kids did find some neat looking crystals and rock just up above our house. I think my dad found neater things at our house. In the end we can say that we looked for diamonds.

G&G

2011-03-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

Well we are all on our own again. Ben's parents were here and then my parents came to see us. We have had a busy house for almost 2 months now. So it is kind of bittersweet to have the house to ourselves now. I just wish we could have family come to visit us more. Maybe one day, never know.

The first picture is my parents with the kids, but Stella is missing.

Then my mom with Stella!

The last picture is of all of us with Grandma and Grandpa Evans!

FOUR YEARS!!

2011-02-25T20:37:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow Ben and I will have been married for four years. It has been a crazy ride, I am sure there is more to come. Ben has been such a great husband and father. I am so thankful for him and our family.

one month

2011-02-23T18:46:00.000-08:00

My little girl is now a month old and growing more and more! I feel so blessed that she is doing so well. We just pray that she will keep doing great and not have any problems.

ER

2011-02-21T08:29:00.000-08:00

We had a very eventful day on Saturday. We ended up in the ER.

The reason that I felt like I should post this is because I saw one thread about what you are thankful for and I could write all of this in one short sentence.

So here is the story.

My family, including grandma, were all in the car. We decided to get some Micky D's and then grab some fried pies at another place. We were in the drive thru. Grandma was feeding Kenzie french fries. We are just talking and waiting for our food. Grandma looks back and says Ben somethings wrong. I looked back and saw my daughter, I still can't get that image out of my mind. She was all tensed up and he eyes were rolling back in her head. Very scary. My husband jumped in the back and got her out. Turned her over and did the heimlich. He got her in the back or our durango. While he was doing that Grandma and I were calling 911. She dialed and then handed me the phone, I couldn't stop shaking to even call.

My husband got her breathing again just as the ambulance showed up. We went to the hospital. We weren't sure if she has been chocking or she has a seizure. My husband did get some food out of here mouth. They did a whole bunch or tests just to make sure. It took a few hours for her to get back to normal. And all the tests came back fine. We even had some one come and give her a blessing at the hospital.

I just wanted to say how very thankful I am that I still have my little girl here with us. I am thankful for my husband making us take a CPR class about 2 weeks ago. I am also thankful for Ben, the doctor said that he saved our little girls life. I am so thankful for my mother in law, that she looked back and saw that my daughter needed help. I am thankful for the men coming from church to give her a blessing she perked up not long after they left. But most of all I am thankful that God gave us what we needed to help our little girl. And that he let us keep here here with us.

Needless to say there will be no more french fries in the car!

Stella Whitney

2011-02-21T08:13:00.000-08:00

This is our newest addition to our family.

37 weeks

2011-01-17T11:23:00.000-08:00

37 weeks. WOW. I will be 38 here in a couple of days. I am sure that she could come any time. I need my baby clothes and all that good stuff. It is supposed to be here Thursday or Friday. I really hope it doesn't get pushed back till next week. I need to get things ready for my little Stella.

SNOW!!!

2011-01-15T16:18:00.000-08:00

We didn't think we would see snow for a long time but since we made it back to the states, we got the chance to have some snow. It made everything look so pretty and Tristan was so excited. So anyway, i give you snow.

new years eve

2011-01-15T16:09:00.000-08:00

So for New Years we were able to get some fireworks. The kids had so much fun.

Here was our beautiful fireworks!

Tristan even helped light some of the fireworks.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T10:12:00.000-08:00

There is some much that we are up to and still so much to get done. I now have a vacuum, a fridge, and I also got a car seat for the new baby. I know it is weird things to be excited about, but I am. I feel a little more ready and settled. Our house is wonderful. Just a little empty. We are still waiting for our car, which Ben will have to go and pick up in Texas. I am hoping that will be soon. I don't want him going to pick the car up at the end of the month, to close to when baby should be coming. Also we are still waiting for the household items as well. Those have to be to us by the 24th or 25th of the month. I am still hoping it will be earlier so that we can have some things settled before Grandma comes to visit us. Before we know the new little one will be here, one month left.

Doctors Visit

2010-12-16T12:01:00.000-08:00

Today we went to the doctors. We had another ultrasound done.
Also we went to the specialist. The specialist was really nice and everything, but we didn't really get new information.

The only thing that was "new information" was that when I have the baby they are going to take her to a different hospital pretty much as soon as they can. So I will be staying in a different hospital for at least a day without her. Also he said she will probably be in the hospital for at least a week after she is born. It will be the first time I will have to go home without my baby. The thought of being away from her is what is the hardest right now.

We were hoping that he might have a better idea of how bad the Dandy-Walker is, but he couldn't till us. Now we just wait some more more. I guess we should have some answers in about a month and a half???????

33 weeks

2010-12-15T13:32:00.000-08:00

We are drawing closer to end of this pregnancy. I am 33 weeks today. So we have 6 weeks left to go. We are going to get an ultrasound done tomorrow and talking to a specialist as well. I am a little nervous but still hoping for the best!

I am still hoping that we will get all of our stuff in time to get some of it put away and settled before the baby comes. I still need a car seat too! So much to do!!!

Last day of School for Tristan

2010-12-01T05:25:00.000-08:00

The day before Thanksgiving was Tristan's last day at school, for Guam. They actually had a Thanksgiving lunch that we went to and then they all said goodbyes to Tristan. It made me so sad. He loved his teachers so much. He has been doing so good in school. I hope that when we get him back to school he will continue to do really great. They even had all the kids get together for some pictures. The second picture is of Tristan and Mrs. Jan. They got alone so well. I know that Tristan is going to be very missed!

Update.....

2010-11-17T21:49:00.000-08:00

The last few days have been a little rough. We are getting more done and we have some new info. There is still so much to get done in such a short time. The packers should be here the first of new week. I am not sure what will happen after that.

We are supposed to get five days in a hotel before we go. I am thinking that won't even happen. I was looking forward to that as well. Just for a few days to relax a bit.. but we will see what happens.

I don't even want think about the plane ride. It is just so long. I am ready to get it over with.

What has been helping me is to know that we are planing to buy a house once we get there. There are a few I like a lot, I hope they are still going to be around once we get there. We also are going to have to buy a car/truck to get around till we can get our Durango to us.

I already have a doctor's appointment set up for me in Little Rock as well. I was thinking yesterday that i have 2 1/2 - 3 months and then we will have our little baby girl. There isn't much time left. I am just hoping that we will be able to get our household stuff before the baby comes.

There is just so much stuff up in the air, but it is getting better.

fun stuff

2010-11-14T19:59:00.000-08:00

We have been packing and trying to get ready as much as we can. Ben had some of his bags out and getting them ready. Tristan thought it looked like fun. So he climbed in. It gave new meaning to the term "Bed in a Bag."

28 weeks almost 29

2010-11-14T19:50:00.001-08:00

I will be 29 weeks on Wednesday. They baby is getting stronger. She is pushing pretty hard now. It is actually starting to hurt a bit. It helps me a lot to know she is in there moving around so much!
Today we found out some stuff. We do know when and where we are flying. So that is at least something. And the housing lady came today to make sure we didn't have damage to our house. And it sounds like we don't have to clean everything like crazy, just simple stuff. Vacuuming and light dusting. That helped a lot to know that we don't have to clean like crazy before we go. We wouldn't have time anyway, I don't think. Now we just need to figure out when we can get the movers here. And when we get to go to a hotel, and hope there is an empty room at a good hotel.
Maybe tomorrow....

3 weeks till we move

2010-11-09T21:00:00.000-08:00

Today I went to the doctor and Ben came with me. The doctor told me that we get to leave on the 30th of this month. We will all be leaving here together! I am so excited about this. I didn't want to fly by myself. I am still nervous about flying and flying that far, hopefully there will be no problems. Also I found out today that the three hour glucose test that I took came back fine. So one less thing to worry about. :)
So now Ben gets to run around like a chicken with its head cut off and try and get all his paperwork done and get everything lined up. We need to get the house packed up and the car sent, lots and lots to do.
And poor Tristan is so sad about moving, and I don't know how to help other than talk to him. I never went through moving when I was little.
But I keep hoping and praying that all this stuff will work out well!

The wait is over

2010-11-08T22:12:00.000-08:00

So this morning Ben called me and told me that we are going to Little Rock Arkansas. I thought he was pulling my leg to begin with. It was not where I was thinking we were going. It threw me off a lot. The children's hospital is supposed to be REALLY GOOD in Little Rock, so the baby will get the care that she needs. I still really wish that we could have gotten closer to family.

Ben is supposed to head out on the 30th of this month. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. So we will see if the Doc will let me go with the rest of the family or if I need to leave earlier. I am really hoping for us to all go together!

I think the rest of us are going to do ok. I am just worried about Tristan. He doesn't handle change so well. He will have to go to a whole new school with new teachers. He loves his teachers here so much....

There is so much that we will be doing the next few weeks. And even more once we get there.

Beach

2010-11-06T16:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we got to go to the beach. We had a lot of fun. We did get rained on a few times but we also saw two rainbows which was pretty neat. Even with the rain it was still a relaxing day! We don't know how much time we have left so it might have been the last beach trip. I hope not but we will see. We still don't know when or where we are going.

Halloween

2010-10-30T14:30:00.000-07:00

Well today is Halloween but for us it was last night. We went to the church for the trunk-or-treat. They even had games and food. We were there from 5:30 to 8:00. There were a ton of people too. Mackenzie was a little pirate. She really hated the dress when I put it on. But she got a little more used to it. Tristan wanted to be spiderman. He didn't have any problems with wearing his costume. Ben and I went as 70's hippies. It was kinda last minute so it could have been a little better planed out. But it was fun to actually dress up. I haven't really done that for years. But here is a picture of all of us...

ASAP

2010-10-27T19:10:00.000-07:00

Well we found out that we were for sure going back to the states on the 5th of this month. It took the doctor a few days to get the paper work all filled out. We thought that it got sent in on the 8th. Well someone didn't sign where they were supposed to. They were told they didn't need to do anything. Well that was wrong. So by the time it got sent and with everything that it needed it was the 15th. So really I guess that it has only been two weeks.

Ben talked to one person yesterday and she thought we would hear something this week. He then talked to someone else today and he says it will probably be another two weeks. It didn't seem to matter that ASAP was on the paperwork. Under different circumstances I would still be a little frustrated but I am worried about running out of time. I don't want to be huge and pregnant when I have to go on the airplane. If they take to long I might have to fly out first and then have everyone else follow me. Since it isn't recommended pregnant women to fly after 34 weeks. I don't want to go by myself. :(

Plus the doctor wants me to do more tests. He wants me to have them done where ever it is that we are going. It would help to have someone that knows a little more to do the tests and to look at things. I am not sure when they wanted me to do those tests.

I just want to know something anything. No one seems to be very helpful. Who knows maybe we will hear something tomorrow, but i am not holding my breath.....

Queen sized bed

2010-10-24T16:45:00.000-07:00

Mackenzie has been pretty sick the last few days. Last night she actually slept in her bed. But she came and climbed in my bed when Ben went to work out this morning. She fell back asleep. Ben joked that we need to get her a queen sized bed...

Dalmatians

2010-10-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

Today for school Tristan was supposed to dress up like something from a book. So we choose the book 101 dalmatians. He really loves that book and dogs in general. We just painted spots on a white shirt, but I think it turned out pretty good. I hope he has a fun day with it.

The military wife

2010-10-12T14:58:00.000-07:00

I got this off another website but I thought it was pretty good.

The military wife can handle...

-- Lots of moving...
Moving...
Moving...
Moving far from home...
Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course.
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house;
Moving curtains that won't fit;
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends;
Moving toward new friends;
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.

Often waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting for housing.
Waiting for orders.
Waiting for deployments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home,
For dinner...AGAIN!

They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better:
She is fiercely In-Dependent.

She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...

She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes;
Sell a house;
Buy a car;
Or set up a move...
.....all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She reinvents her career with every PCS;
Locates a house in the desert, The Arctic, Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty...
They leap into:
Decorating,
Leadership,
Volunteering,
Career alternatives,
Churches,
And friendships.
They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after
them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other:
They connect over coffee,
Rely on the spouse network,
Accept offers of friendship and favors.
Record addresses in pencil...

Military Wives have a common bond:
The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands; his commitment is
unique.
He doesn't have a 'JOB'
He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!
His language is foreign
TDY
PCS
OPR
SOS
ACC
BDU
ACU
BAR
CIB
TAD
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long- distance link to keep them informed;
the glue that holds them together.

A Military Wife has her moments:
She wants to wring his neck;
Dye his uniform pink;
Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days,
A travel brochure,
A long hot bath,
A pledge to the flag,
A wedding picture,
And she goes.
She packs.
She moves.
She follows.

Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart.
It was stolen from her by a man,
Who puts duty first,
Who longs to deploy,
Who salutes the flag,
And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her
Military Husband,
She will remain his military wife.
And would have it no other way.

--Author Unknown

23 weeks

2010-10-06T16:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was 23 weeks pregnant as well. My tummy is getting bigger and just this last week I have noticed I am getting more uncomfortable. I am hoping they will get us on a plane and out of here soon. I don't want to get to far along and get even more uncomfortable for the plane ride. We still don't know when or where we are going?? Anyway here is my pregnant belly at 23 weeks...

TWO YEARS OLD!

2010-10-06T15:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my miss Mackenzie turned two. We didn't do a whole bunch, we are going to do a little BBQ on the weekend for her. She got some wonderful stuff for her birthday. Mostly thanks to Aunt Amy and Grandmas.

We made some pizza for dinner and Kenzie helped me. She did get a little flour on her.

After we had some pizza we had some cake and ice cream. And of course we sang happy birthday.

Kenzie couldn't wait to blow the candle out!

A little more info

2010-10-04T20:32:00.000-07:00

Ben and I went to the doctor today, I was hoping for a little more information. We did get the ball rolling. We are for sure going back to the states. Utah is looking like a good option. We have family and they have really good hospitals. The Air force will actually look at what we want and see if they can work with it. So we still don't know for sure that we are going to Utah, but I think it is a good chance that we will.

I am hoping within the next 3 weeks or so we will know where we are going. Once we know we will be leaving really fast I think. I am really worried about the plane ride again. We should all be together at least, which makes me feel better. I didn't want to go by myself. There is just so much to do.

Doctor tomorrow

2010-10-03T16:42:00.000-07:00

The nurse called me today. I have an appointment for tomorrow. She brought up PCSing and the EFMP, Moving and the place that will help us move. She also told me to make sure and bring my husband. She asked me where we would want to go and I told her back to Utah and she said well I hope you get it. So just from talking with her it sounds like we will be moving. We are hoping for Utah, and if not I think we might just go back to California. Nothing is for sure yet, but we will find out tomorrow.

baby update

2010-09-28T22:15:00.000-07:00

So
We went and talked to a doctor today. She talked to us about Dandy-Walker. She explained things really well and was very nice. Also we found out that at the very least I will be going to Hawaii to deliver my baby. The doctor said it may be possible to go home to have the baby....

It is possible that we will PCS (AKA move). If that is the case we are going to try and see if they will send us to Hill AFB or to Mountain Home, Utah or Idaho. It would be really nice to be close to family. The decision isn't up to us of course. There is still a chance we will stay here. There are so many what if's and maybes. We just don't know what will happen.

We also won't know how many problems the baby will have until she is born. The doctor said she shouldn't have any problems while she is still in my tummy. After she is born they will do more tests and MRI's. We are still hoping that there won't be anything wrong with her.

I also wanted to thank everyone for their prayers and best wishes. It means a lot to me and my family. Please keep us in your prayers.

:(

2010-09-26T23:42:00.001-07:00

Well,
I am not sure where to start with this. The last few days have been really long. For those that don't know, I went and got my 20 week ultrasound. The doctor there thought I should have an MRI done because she thought the baby might have dandy walker syndrome. She didn't really answer my questions really well, and she made me feel uncomfortable. So I waited till I talked to my normal doctor, he said we should go ahead and do the MRI.

On Friday, I went and did the MRI. I was still hoping for the best. Well all weekend it was pretty much all that I could think about. I couldn't wait any longer and I called the nurse on Monday morning. She called me back a couple of hours later and told me the MRI confirmed that my baby has Dandy-Walker.

So now I am trying to still hope for the best. Some people have this and are fine. However that isn't always the case. So i don't even know what to expect. I am so worried about my little one. This world is hard enough and for her to come into the world and has a problem to start with...it is just so unfair for such a small little baby. I feel like I should be doing something for her. But there really isn't much for me to do. I am praying for her, but besides that there isn't much to do.

I am going to talk to a doctor on Wednesday and see where to go form here. They have mentioned sending me to Japan or Hawaii to have my baby. I don't know what the chances are? It is just kinda scary. I would rather stay here, but of course I will do what I need to for the baby.

I just have no idea what to expect and I hate to plan for the worst, I am not even sure what that means. Hopefully the doctor that I talk to on Wednesday will help with some of the questions that we have....

Here is a website that talks about it. I know there aren't many people that have heard of it. I didn't know anything about it.
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/dandywalker/dandywalker.htm

Its a.....

2010-09-16T23:01:00.000-07:00

Well today has been a long day. You wouldn't think getting an ultrasound would take FOUR hours!!! Well it did here on Guam. I thought it would take an hour or so, well i was very wrong. Well we got there and waited FOREVER. They were having problems with the computers. And of course I was supposed to drink a lot of water before the ultrasound. I waited as long as i could and then went to the bathroom. And of course they called me back right after I did that. We got the ultrasound done. After that there was more waiting. It really wasn't very fun.
So for 4 hours of waiting we found out that we are having a girl! Tristan was sad he wanted a brother. Ben was sure that it was going to be boy. He had me convenience that it would be a boy. So BEN WAS WRONG!
It will be easier since we have a ton of little girl stuff that is left over from Mackenzie. Now we just have to fine tune the name. I am about 82% sure on the name....

New beach

2010-09-13T23:49:00.000-07:00

Ben got to dive this weekend. We met up with him at the beach. It was a different beach than we had gone to before. It was a neat beach. It wasn't the best for the kids to play in the water and there was a ton of rocks. We were able to take the dog and she was pretty fun to watch swimming around in the water. If it weren't for the rocks, and the heat it would have been a little better.

20 weeks

2010-09-13T23:32:00.000-07:00

Well I am now 20 weeks pregnant. I still can't believe it sometimes, and I am HALF WAY DONE!! I think I am starting to feel little pocks but not as much as I would like. I am just starting to get used to the idea that I am pregnant. I think i am starting to look pregnant. I am going to have an ultrasound done on Friday if all the insurance things work out, which is getting really frustrating. I would really like to know if we are having a boy or a girl. I am leaning more toward a boy, just based on feelings. I would love to have another little girl too. So hopefully Friday is the day.

17 weeks

2010-08-24T22:10:00.000-07:00

Well as of today I am not 17 weeks pregnant. There isn't really to much to show but.. I thought I would show how I am progressing as well as the baby. I am hoping that once I look a little more pregnant and feel the baby moving, that I will FEEL more pregant.

28

2010-08-09T00:09:00.000-07:00

Well i am 28 today and I am feeling a bit old. Also being pregnant it is draining my energy, so that isn't helping. Anyway for my birthday Ben took me out to dinner, it was a few days early since he is working today. He got us a baby sitter and we got to get some Italian food. The people that run the place are actually from Italy so it is the closest to the real thing that we are going to find around here. It was really good but again being pregnant I haven't had the best appetite.

Today we didn't get to do much since Ben had to work. We just went and grabbed some lunch and ran to the store. I got some hair color and lightened my hair. I am not sure what to think of it yet. Ben thinks I should try and go even lighter. We will see.....

Birthday From G&G Betts

2010-07-26T22:06:00.000-07:00

So Grandma and Grandpa Betts sent Tristan some stuff for his birthday and it got here today! She made him this cute little book. And he loves it he keeps looking at it. I am excited to try it out at church. I remember that we had one like it when we were little. She also sent us some more books to read at bed time that he seemed very excited about as well. And best of all they sent us a church outfit. I have been trying to find something nice for him but there isn't much i could find. I was probably more excited about it then Tristan was, but i think when he gets to wear it on Sunday he will like it a lot. So mostly i just wanted to let everyone know how great my mom and dad are and that i am thankful for them. I also love them both so very much!!!!!!

sand

2010-07-26T21:50:00.000-07:00

Another day at the beach. This time when Ben buried Z in the sand he got her to smile and be happy. It was pretty cute. She loves to climb into hole in the sand. I think Ben had dug this hole and Kenzie climbed in and he covered her with sand.

5 years old

2010-07-22T19:41:00.001-07:00

Tristan got up and we opened presents. I got him a few shirts and spongebob swimming suit and flip flops. He also got some clothes from grandma and a card that had five dollars in it. He was pretty excited about that. We made some waffles for breakfast. I tried to make them red but they were pink. Then we went bowling. It was a lot of fun. Tristan pushed the ball down and it will take awhile but it got down the lane. Mackenzie even played. Then we came home and had cake and icecream. He wanted his cake to be green, purple, and white. So i did my best. I was just not up for a huge party so i hope that he had a fun and good birthday. We had one more surprise for Tristan we had gotten him a bike. Ben had him help him get it and at first Tristan didn't think that it was for him. But it was very excited about it when he realized that it was for him.

Hiking in the Jungle

2010-07-18T20:49:00.000-07:00

So today we went for a hike. We actually went with a group of people from church which was a lot of fun. It was really an adventure.Tristan did wonderful. He beat the rest of us back up to the top. Z did good for the first part on the way back up she was so tired and worn out. But we all made it. There really wasn't much of a beach. We did get in the water. The only thing was there were sharp rocks to get in the water. The kids did pretty good. I managed to rip a hole in my pants and I ripped some skin off the bottom of my foot as well. We even took the dog with us. She was pretty funny to watch swimming in the water. She just jumped right in. The ocean looked a lot different than were we usually go. So like I said we had an adventure today.

Shells

2010-07-18T20:39:00.001-07:00

Ben always finds some neat shells when he goes diving. This are some neat ones that he has found the last couple times he has gone. The shell in the top picture actually had something still living in it and it smells kinda gross now. I am hoping it will get better, I want to keep that shell. The other one is actually a bit bigger than it looks in the picture. I am just not sure what i will do with all the shells that we have found.

Pre-k Graduation

2010-06-05T16:21:00.000-07:00

On Friday we got to go to Tristan Pre-k graduation. The kids sang song, Tristan didn't really sing but he did do some of the actions. They got a certificate that said they had completed the class. We even got to eat a little lunch. We had a pretty good time. And I am so proud of Tristan and in the fall he will go to kindergarten. A lot will be changing for him and me.

#3

2010-05-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

I have been deciding weather or not to post this. So here it goes. I had one of the best experiences this last Sunday. I was sitting in Relief Society, and someone made the comment that sometimes we need to just be quiet and listen. At that moment a thought came into my mind that I was pregnant. It was so strong. It made me tear up and everything, it was such a powerful feeling. I wasn't sure that I could trust the feeling because I thought maybe I was just wanting it to be true so much that I was making things up. The feeling stayed with me all day. Then on Monday morning i still could shake the feeling. I did go and get a test, and sure enough it was positive. I had a blood test on Tuesday and it was also positive. So we are on our way to BABY #3!

2010-05-13T22:48:00.000-07:00

Ben graduated from ALS last night. It has been a long five weeks. It is all done and now my husband is a STAFF SARGENT. I am so proud of him, he has worked so hard. I loved him so much.

the "big" bed

2010-05-06T19:52:00.000-07:00

The past few nights Kenzie has been sleeping in the toddler bed. It is so cute, but it makes me a little sad. I didn't think she would be sleeping in a bed yet. I just put her on in one night and it worked. I was just seeing what she would do, well she loves it. If i try to put her in the crib then she gets all upset. This morning i checked on her to see if she was still on the bed and sure enough she was...

Yesterday she didn't take a nap, well she tried to fall asleep standing up. No scratch that she did fall asleep standing. Funny stuff.

full circle

2010-05-01T18:12:00.000-07:00

So after being here for three months we made it all the way around the island yesterday. There was a lot of pretty scenery and it was nice to see some new sights. I just wish we could have stopped a few more places. I would really have liked to go to a new beach area but Ben wasn't up for more beach time. On the way back Ben let me stop a Ross, not a good idea for Saturday, but i found a few new dresses. I also got a few new things for the kids too. So it was a good day.

weekend fun

2010-04-24T16:23:00.000-07:00

This was the beautiful sunset on Saturday night. It was the first one that I got a pretty good picture of.

Tristan actually hoped on and Ben took him for a ride. He doesn't look really happy in this one but he did like it, i just took the pictures at the wrong time.

On Friday after school I took the kids to the beach for a little bit to hopefully get a little energy out. We mostly played on the beach, the waves are a bit strong at that beach. But i think it was fun, I hoped the kids liked it.

On Saturday we went snorkeling and it was so much fun. Ben and I actually got to go in the water together, we haven't got to do that before. We saw fish and even a couple of blue starfish. We also saw one eel that was a couple of feet long and white. It looked like a pretty ribbon. So far the weekend has been good. We will see if it still is after today..

snorkeling :)

2010-04-13T23:50:00.000-07:00

I have never been a big fan of lots of water. Guam of course has lots of water. I have been able to try snorkeling. It is so awesome. I love it. What is really neat is that you don't even have to be able to swim that much, which is helpful for me. You just kinda float. At first i got a cheep mask, and it broke after one use. Ben bought me some good stuff at the dive shop. I even got a pink mask. After seeing all of the fish by just snorkeling it is hard not to want to do scuba diving, so i could see more. I really would love to get a camera that i can take underwater. I would love to get some good pictures of the fish!

This is my new expensive gear..hopefully it will last a long time and i will get to use it a ton!

Ben is now certified. He would love for me to be able to go with him

JEeP

2010-03-31T14:25:00.000-07:00

Well this is our new addition. We have been wanting a jeep since we got here. Ben is so excited. We had to wait about a month for the jeep. The guy that we bought it from wanted to drive it till he had to leave. We are glad that we have it. And it is nice that we have two cars again.

2010-03-27T15:57:00.000-07:00

After Ben got done with work yesterday we were able to go to the beach. Ben took us to a beach that he had gone to do his scuba last weekend. And it was pretty awesome. There wasn't hardly anyone there. The kids had a blast. And the water is pretty calm so the kids can play in the water with out me having to worry to much. What was best and the most fun for me was that i was able to do some snorkeling. I saw quite a few fish, nothing that had a ton of color. But it was still really awesome. It was really neat that the fish were so close to the shore. It turned out to be a good day after all.

28th

2010-03-01T00:09:00.000-08:00

On February the 28 it was Ben and I anniversary. We didn't get to do anything just the two of us. But as a family we were able to get a picnic table put together that we got a Home Depot. It was a lot of fun. A lot of the paint stuck to us. Kenzie ruined her dress that she was wearing. It turned out to be an adventure all in its self.

crabs

2010-02-27T04:09:00.001-08:00

While we were at the beach. Ben and the kids were digging for crabs. Ben was able to catch a pretty good size one. The kids just loved it. But after the photos we decided to let the crab go..

Guam

2010-02-27T03:47:00.000-08:00

Well we made it to Guam. The plane ride took forever. The kids did do really well, probably better than I did. It is really beautiful here. We have made it to the beach a few times and we got to go swimming at the hotel. The water here is so beautiful. it is blue with some green mixed in to it. Really awesome. Some of the island is a little more run down than we had expected. We finally got into our house on base. We stayed in a hotel while we were waiting for our house to get cleaned and ready for us. We were in the hotel like 12 days. Way to long for four people to be in a little hotel room. And here we are in our house. We have beds and a couch..not to much. Our stuff is still on a boat on its way here. So we have some loner furniture. So we are alive and kicking. It still doesn't feel like home yet..

Staff Sargent

2010-01-14T14:46:00.000-08:00

Ben took his WAPS test just after we got back from leave. He didn't get in much study time, so we weren't sure how well he would do. Of course he did great. He is now a Staff Sargent. I am just writing to tell you all how proud of him that I am. He is such a great man!

2010

2009-12-26T09:30:00.000-08:00

This year is coming to a close. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a wonderful year. A lot has happened this year for us. Next year will be even crazier. In January alone we need to get ready to move. I have to go to the dentist one more time. We have to get the dog ready so that we can take her with us. I still am waiting for papers to come in the mail so that I can get Tristan a passport. I am not even sure they are in the mail. We have to get taxes submitted. I think that we are starting the packing on the 25th of this month. So all of that to be done in the month of January. And then the first week or so of February we will be headed off. So much to do!

Christmas

2009-12-26T09:00:00.001-08:00

Being so busy with getting stuff ready for our move,trying to get passports, getting and sending Christmas presents, and with kids. Christmas was here before we knew it.
Ben had to work on Christmas Eve. He surprised me by coming home around noon. I was so happy and he knew that he was getting off of work early but didn't tell me. That was great. We had a good dinner of egg rolls that night and read Christmas stories and all watched a movie together. Then we got the kids off to bed and set up some stuff for Christmas. Ben put together a little trike for Kenzie and we filled up stockings. And then it was Christmas. Tristan was more worried about Kenzie's trike than anything. And it was a beautiful day. No snow not even close. That is still a little hard to get used to. We went out side and played fetch with the dog for a bit..with no shoes on. It was great fun.

family

2009-12-09T11:42:00.000-08:00

So I got these pictures today and thought i would post them..
It is all of the Family except for my two brothers. And then of course there is just the girls.

dress pics

2009-11-30T21:07:00.000-08:00

I am so excited about my dress. I hope that things work out and I actually get to used this dress. I didn't get to use my last one. We are hoping to get to the Temple in May. But i am not sure how much it is going to be to get to a temple from Guam. So we might have to save up for a bit. Fingers Crossed!!

leave.3

2009-11-30T20:51:00.001-08:00

We also got to go up to my Grandpa Don's cabin and went down the zip line. There are some pics sorry they are a little fuzzy. We had to ride the 4 wheeler up to the line.

This picture is of Tristan and Ben going down the zip line. Tristan was so excited to do it. And he would have done it more if we would have had more time.
a

We also got to go to Craters of the Moon in Idaho. It was fun but really chilly and windy.

The fun part was that we got to go into some different caves and crawl around. At first Tristan was a little cautious. But then he got really excited about it. These pics are of us in the caves. We turned of our flashlights and got the pictures with just the flash. Kinda neat!

And it might have been very cold and snowy but we got to warm up in the hot tub. The kids had a blast in the water.

LEaVe.2

2009-11-30T20:44:00.000-08:00

While we were at my parents house my brother Mat took lots of good pics for me. Here are some of them...
These are of Kenzie of course.

Here is a cute one of me and Kenzie.

And then there is Kenzie in a hole.

Leave.1

2009-11-30T20:27:00.000-08:00

So November was a crazy month. We got to go on leave in Utah and Idaho. First we went to Utah and I got to see my sisters and all of my family. I hadn't seen my sister Amy in three years. It was the first time that she got to see Ben.

It was so wonderful to see my Parents. It was so hard to leave knowing that it would be at least three years till I get to see them again. So that is Mom and Dad. and then there is one of my Mom and Grandma

Update

2009-10-26T15:25:00.000-07:00

There has been so much going on. Ben came home and we have been getting paper work done to go to Guam. One week and we get to go and visit family in Idaho and Utah. Both of my sisters are going to be in Utah too. It will probably be the last time that we make it home for about 3 years or more... So it is going to be so much fun. Ben is just excited that we get to be home for Thanksgiving. Which is nice for me as well. It is hard to make Thanksgiving dinner for just Ben and I.

We also got to get some pumpkins on Saturday. We had a lot of fun doing that. Ben pulled the kids in a cart. We got three bigger pumpkins and Tristan wanted to little ones. One for him and one for Kenzie. Which was very sweet!

Saturday night was the the trunker treat at the church. Kenzie did good. She was walking around at least. Tristan acted like he didn't know any one. He wouldn't leave my side. They got candy and had some fun. Tristan was a little brown dog and Kenzie was a little cheerleader. I think that they were very cute..but i am their mom.

CampINg

2009-10-12T11:42:00.001-07:00

Ben got a three day weekend. So we decided to go camping. We were going to stay for two nights, but it ended up being a little chilly for me and i was worried that the kids would get to cold too. We had a lot of fun. We couldn't keep the baby clean. She kept putting everything in her mouth. And Tristan just loved the rocks. He kept moving them all over the place. And he even found a walking stick to use too. Which he liked lots. Ben even got his fix and got to ride his quad(four wheeler) around a bit. It will be the last time we go camping in California. I think, but with the air force you never know?!?!?

One year...

2009-10-07T11:03:00.000-07:00

Well my baby girl is a year old. At this time last year i was still in the hospital with her. It is crazy. She just isn't a baby anymore. She is getting so big. I miss her being little and falling asleep in my arms. I am glad that she seems to be learning things so quickly. Well for her birthday we went and got some lunch and then we opened presents. After that we had cake of course. It was a pretty good day, not that she will remember any of it really. I am just so glad that Ben made it back for her first Birthday!

necklace..

2009-10-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

I also went to Michaels today. I found some dog ears for Tristan for Halloween. And a couple of odds and ends.Then I got looking at the bead stuff and found some stuff to make some necklaces. And I think that they came together really well. So anyway here they are

Fun Stuff

2009-10-05T18:16:00.000-07:00

So this is the stuff that Ben got for me while he was away. He got some perfume for me. It is an oil perfume and it smells so wonderful! And he got me a gold flower that will last forever. Also a wonderfully pink robe that has my name on it. He did very good. And he thinks that he has my birthday and Christmas covered we will see...
I was also having a bad day the other day and Ben went to run some errands and he came back with some orange and pink flowers and it made my day!