wow, I dropped the ball!

I knew I had not posted in a long time, but since last August? Wow. I guess with Kevin's deployment to Iraq, the blog fell off of the radar.

Well, in this time, we tried private school for the kids. They stayed for the first semester, at which time the mutually agreed and begged to come back to homeschooling.

Kyle's mysterious bouts of vomiting have a name now. After multiple tests, surgeries and scans, he has cyclical vomiting disorder. It might be a form of migraine, or might not...it is kind of a mystery and is often outgrown.

Carrie has turned into a beautiful and wonderful girl. She is as tall as me, wears bigger shoes than me, and is the best baby sitter EVER.

Collin is into everything. He loves to play games and watch videos. He told me he needed a video he saw on a computer ad and I decided to buy it. In 2 days he knew all ofhis letters and sounds...guess he knows what he needs!

Cameron is almost 2! I dont know when that happened. I looked at him tonight and realized he is a weed and will probably be as big as Collin this summer...they can share clothes! :)

Kevin and I have had a crazy past few months. He is back, we are so happy to be together again. We are doing projects around the house and taking time to go to the zoo and swimming with the kids. The joy we have now is that Carrie can babysit while we run an errand together. We even had dinner out for Kev's birthday!

I am looking at the next few month with a lot on my mind. Collin is so busy and he may need to start some form of Kindergarten next year. Cam is a crazy man and is ready to potty learn. Carrie is into Saftball. We run around to practices and games 3 days a week. Kyle loves Gymnastics and is showing great promise. He has 2-3 days a week of pracitce.

I dont know where I will find the time or the energy to keep up. I fell off on the running when I started to have some cardiac issues, but have learned I am okay. I have an enzyme deficiency and hypoglycemia...now to get back into the running shoes!

Silly Summer fun

This summer was about survival for me. Kevin being deployed meant a lot of 'mom needs a break' time! In an effort to keep things light, we have traveled, played and been silly. I can only hope the kids have enjoyed some of the summer without daddy. It is defintely less fun, but I am trying!

Summer in Florida

Kevin has been gone for over 2 months. The kids and I managed to finish up school and head to Florida. Four weeks in Florida to help pass the daddy free time. :)
I took the time to go to the University of Florida's Women's Football Camp. It was not all fluff. By the end of the day, several ladies had been seen by the trainers/medics due to the 100+ degree heat and the very serious exercise. All that said, I will be there next year!

Carrie is growing so fast. She is now taller than both of her grandmothers. Her foot is more than a full size bigger than mine. And everyone seems to think she is 15 yrs old. Oh boy! These are pics of her fun summer hair cut. We also added some colored streaks. She had A fun hot pink for a few weeks and now turquise...back to normal soon for school though!




Kyle is so full of energy, that most days I cannot keep up. He is starting a competetive Gymnastics team. Hopefully 4-6 hours a week of heavy gym time will wear him out!

Collin seems to love being a big brother everyday, except on those moments when Cameron wants to share his toys or does not want to share me. Those two little boys are going to be quite mischevious as Cameron grows!

We will be heading back home at the end of July. It will be time to get ready for school. However, unlike other years, we will be getting ready to 'go' to school. Carrie and Kyle are giving private school a try! Cross your fingers for their mama!!! I am sure Cameron and Collin will love more time with me, so I hope to jump into some playgroups and enjoy the little ones!

Catching up, boat races, soft ball and life

Kyle had the Rain-gutter Regata this past week. He took second place. This is a race where the boy scouts build a little wooden boat and race it gown a 'gutter' full of water. The boys use straws to create the wind for the sails. I think it just proves Kyle is full of hot air.


Carrie's soft ball team is currently in first place in her league. The team has come a long way and after losing the first game, has won every one since! Carrie loves it and she better, since their games often last past 9 pm two nights a week. I am always tired!


With Kevin taking some leave before he deployed we spent time doing family things, like the zoo....The kids love the zoo, we go often, but it was a rare treat for Carrie to get an 'up top' ride from dad! I laughed about it, so Kevin threw me up on his shoulders next...not a picture I will share, but we got a LOT of looks from concerned teachers with kids on field trips! :)
The picture of Cameron with the Gorilla made me laugh, I think they were thinking the same thing...if only I knew what that was!
Kyle, Collin and Cameron all loved the Lorakeet feed exhibit (we always spend too much money on nectar)!

Easter, Mountains and fun!

We spent Easter in the Mountains with my friend and her kids. We had a great time. WE found a sweet little church for Easter Mass. We had a big Easter bunny visit. We also adopted 2 puppies ( to help ease the separation of daddy deploying in a few weeks...oh fine, we did it because we are crazy and they were cute)!

While we were coloring eggs, Cam decided to try to grab the blue dye. He is faster than me and the result was Cam Smurf...

Happy Birthday Cameron!

I am enjoying Kevin's last few weeks at home. We had my parents up for some little home projects and a visit...and CAMERON's FIRST BIRTHDAY!
Cameron was a trooper, he even ate his cake with a fork. He is so fun and loves to play games. I cannot believe he is already a year old. That may have been the fastest year on record!
Collin is trying very hard to be a 'big boy.' He dresses himself, goes to bed most nights without a complaint and is generally making my life easier.
Kyle has started Gymnastics. We found a boys' class and he is already loving the high bar, parallel bars and horse!
Carrie is still a book worm and lives in a fantasy world of characters. She is a great big-sis and helps me so much. She is playing soft-ball right now. It is Fast Pitch and she is working hard at making the transition from co-ed baseball!
Kevin is working for another week or so and then he is on leave. We will take a little trip for a week to our friend's family cabin in NC and then just veg out and enjoy each other's company. The kids are all pretty much in the know about his trip now and it is causing some ripples in behavior. Carrie a little more cranky (or it could be pre-teen drama), Kyle a little more likely to burst into tears and Collin just wonders every time Kev goes to work if he is going to come home.
Overall, we are happy and healthy. We are currently together in one place and life is as it should be....
More to come as soon as I load the darn birthday and sports pics! :)

Well, the saying is 'when it rains, it pours,' and this is the case at our house.
This past weekend was a lot of fun seeing my friends. Kevin managed to squeeze in almost 2 days at home because of a weather related flight delay. Christy and Jim stayed for a long weekend. The kids were all pretty good and the weather stunk!
It rained the whole time!
Well, this was all fun, but somehow, my ability to have things go terribly wrong always sneaks in! The main water line to the house busted. It was a weekend and the repair was an emergency $$$ cha-ching!
Then the very nice big screen tv we have decided it no longer liked functioning....cha-ching$$$...Kevin will enjoy getting to pick out a new one though!
The toilet in the kids bathroom seems to have lost it's ability to work properly! I am sure that as soon as I call the plumber another cha-ching$$$!
Then Cameron lost my car keys. We thought maybe Kev packed them by mistake, nope...the search took 2 days, digging through the trash and a lot of swearing under my breath...finally, Christy found them. Good thing, because I could not find a spare and I am pretty sure it would have been a disaster!

So, needless to say, I am trying to cope with no hubby and things keep falling apart. Maybe God is trying to help ease me into the long deployment by making this short seperation so bad! :)
See I AM looking for the silver lining!

Let's call this post 'WHAM!'

Well, life is living me again (insert eye-roll here). The kids are all fairly healthy. Cameron is walking a bit and into EVERYTHING.
Carrie is the only reason I ever get a break. I think I am finally getting the hang of this phase of 4 kids and WHAM!

Kevin is deploying. Sigh...guess I should never actually let my thoughts go to life being 'easy or too good'!!! :)

He will be leaving in May and returning for Christmas (we hope). Not as long as it could be, but plenty of solo mommy time for me.
We have not told the kids yet, so don't spill the news please.

Cameron is a little tyrant and loves to get into everything and get his way about it all.
Collin must be growing because he spends half the time falling down and getting hurt.

Kyle is to wrapped up in his own world that I am beginning to think he needs to take classes in computer programming (he tries to live plugged in to a device and this is seriously getting on my nerves).


Carrie is starting soft ball. Because she is older now, she had to try-out for the teams. She went to get the first grounder that was in her range and the darn ball popped off the tip of the glove and hit her square in the eye. She did not even flinch, but grabbed the ball and threw it to first base. The whole time this is happening the coaches are running out to check on her and trying to get her ice. She would not accept any help and kept right on playing. I hope at least one team noted that she was one tough cookie!

Kevin is gone a lot right now, trying to get ready for being gone.. isn't that ironic? Guess I needed to have more practice on my own. He is in Kentucky this week and Texas next week. Somehow the army knows when to send people away, because these two weeks my best friend's hubby is home for his mid-tour R&R. So, needless to say we are trying to squeeze in one day where they are both in the same country.


So while trying not to whine...I am asking for prayers, as the rest of 2009 is going to be a challenge for us. Keep us in your thoughts, prayers and hearts!

Big Bro Visits!

My big brother, Tim, was in town for business and managed to come eat with us a few times. I hope our 4 rowdy kids didnt scare him too badly! (he has 1)
We sat around, drank some wine and even watched a bit of TV together. It was great to have a visit that was just hanging out. We have not done that since before Japan and Colorado! So 5 yrs or so...Good to know he is still my brother and a great guy!

Snow Finally!

This week we finally had snow. The kids were so excited to see it and play in it! IT did not stick around long because it was warming up, but that made it better for playing outside!


Carrie has been a great helper recently. I have gotten over tired trying to teach Cameron to sleep at night. I have probably not slept for more than an hour at a time in 2 weeks! The circles under my eyes are definitely beginning to look SCARY! Today, I was trying to trek through some school work with Kyle while Carrie played with the little boys. Cameron was fussy and really just a grump, but this is what I found a few minutes later!

Holiday Visitors and Fun

FRIENDS AND FUN!

This weekend was full of friends, family and fun! On Friday night, my bestest forever friend, Christy, came to stay. Her dad and 2 kids too. We made smores, exchanged gifts and visited for hours...

On Saturday morning Chirsty and her family left for Florida. At noon Cameron fell down while standing at the coffee table. I was sitting there and was happy he did not hit his face on the table, only to realize he hit his face on the toy he dropped.... a first black eye is normal for learning to walk, but still breaks my heart.

A few hours later a large black Suburban pulled into my drive with 5 kids and a long missed friend! Becky was a dear friend to me in Japan and we had not seen eachother in over a year. She too is headed to Florida for the holidays, so stopped in to see us. We stayed up late and visited. The kids played hard. Sunday we spent the day playing, visiting and keeping order to 10 kids in my house! Becky has 5, my 4, plus the little girl from next door.

It worked out so well though, because EVERYONE had a playmate and got along perfectly! All day, 10 kids, 2 moms and no fights, not one spill, and a GREAT TIME! The only real mess was when Luke pushed his nose against the fire pit screen which was NOT hot, but VERY messy from smore the night before!!! How cute is that?

It really made me happy to be back in the USA this holiday when I saw my family for Thanksgiving, Kev's family for an early Christmas and then friends for Christmas too....

I am even more thrilled, as the fun continues in the New Year when all of these friends come back by on the way home!!!!

Offically a PRE-TEEN!

Carrie is offically a pre-teen. She turned 11 this month and is making me feel old. We had a little party with a few good friends. I guess she is not too old yet, because she wanted to go to Chuck-E-Cheese.

By the end of the day Cameron was so tired he fell asleep sitting up!

Some time in Florida

We spent Thanksgiving in Florida. The kids got to see the grandparents and great Grandparents on both sides of the family....

It was a lot of fun. On Saturday, the kids all went fishing with my dad. Collin caught the biggest fish...I swear this thing was as big as a frying pan. And Kyle caught the most with 4....

This was the first time that my parents had all 8 of their grandkids together at once. Between us living over seas and other things in life, we kids had not all been together in over 5 years. It was so nice to see everyone and take some fun pics of the kids...

Lastly, a shot I find important. This is Cameron with his Grandma and GREAT-Grandma on Thanksgiving day....

Halloween...through Thanksgiving....

So much Craziness with the holidays that I have been negligent on my blog. I learned at Thanksgiving that many of my family are reading this. I was unaware...so leave me a hey there when you sign in, so I know it is worth my while to write ablout my busy, but simple little life!

Halloween...

My brother and his wife came in with 2 kids. My bestest friend since college came in with her 2 kids...count them up. With my 4...that is 8 little candy monsters on Halloween weekend! It was a BLAST! We all had a fun time. The adaults were significantly outnumbered. witht htat said, nothing was broken, destroyed or even needing a litte duct tape after the long weekend.

The kids all got along famously. Here is a shot of all of the kids with 3 grown ups that also got into the spirit!!!!

Friday afternoon meant decorating pumpkins. We 3 mommies had run to the store for dinner prep and came home to find the 2 dads and kids carving. Us moms were delighted and then a pumpkin gut war exploded. Pumpkin guts everywhere...I am still finding seed in my house and I SWEAR I clean regularly!

The month of November brought cold weather and icy mornings to our home. Kevin and I had to google and learn to weatherize our home. We definitely did not want a pipe to freeze or burst. Then the clothes dryer died. Again Kevin googled it, found the part and fixed it all in one day...then as if the google gods were testing us, the window on my van too a final nose dive and refused to go back up! Hello darn window, it is COLD! So, off to google again to see how to replace the motor. This led to a little plastic piece of the auto lock breaking...a few trips to Auto Zone, some cursing and finally a window and door lock that work...So, if you own stock in GOOGLE, we are helping keep you in the money!

Thanksgiving...

Turkey day was spent in FLorida. It is a family tradition on my side to have a huge family reunion for the holiday. 58 people attended. The youngest was less than 2 months and the oldest almost 90! We had a lot of fun, ate too much and enjoyed catching up.

That evening we took off to Kevin's mom's house, decorated for Chritmas and crashed. We awoke Friday morning to Christmas a few weeks early. The kids had a great time opening gifts from their Great-Grandmother, Great-Aunts and Great- Uncles and of course, Nana...

The only catch was that it did not all fit in the car to come home...hehehhe. So, Kevin's mom took some larger boxes and will be bringing them when she comes to visit near Christmas.

The only hard part of the holiday was the traffic on the way home. I 95 was a parking lot and our 5 1/2 hour trip took over 9 hours...we were tired, cranky and done when we finally got home!

Is it a WORM????

This past weekend Kyle had his Boy Scout rocket race. It is very similar to the car race that is done. They get a block of wood and are supposed to make a rocket that will fly down a line the fastest. Well, Kyle is unconventional. He made a CATERPILLAR out of his. This did not surprise us, with his love of all things buggy...
When he showed up for the race, his was the only one that DID NOT look like a rocket. He did not add fins or anything to make it more aerodynamic...I think the other kids thought it was funny!
That is until he WON!!! He now has a bright shinny 1st place medal on his uniform. I hope he learned that the unconventional can get good results!
He is so very proud of his creation. He is already trying to figure out how to put flapping butterfly wings on next years!!

The Daily Grind

Seems like time is flying for us right now. The kids are all settled into our school routine. Collin is finally accepting it and is fitting in with us.
Today we all went to see High School Musical 3. It was definitely not Collin's movie, but he sat and danced and tried to appreciate it. He is definitely beginnig to show signs of growing up. Right at the end we had a potty break. When we returned to our seats he couldn't get comfy and threw his leg over dumping a nice 1/2 full blue ICEE into my lap...Yikes! Cold, and trying to hold Cameron as the show ended was a challenge, but I managed to keep my sense of humor.
So, for those of you who dont know our daily routine, it goes like this...

All of my kids are late risers.
8 am all up, change Cameron, put on pur morning cartoon
8:30 all fed, getting dressed
9:00 Carrie and Kyle read while mom works out or tries too (Cameron often objects)
9:45 mom grabs a quick breakfast while we start math
then the kids alternate plyaing with Collin and doing lessons with me until 12:00
At noon we grab a moment for lunch and the kids get a recess outside
Usually Kyle can be close to done with school for the day, but Carrie still has about 2 hours to go...
All of this is broken up with nursing, diaper changes, trying to throw in a load of laundy, or catching Collin doing something 'not approved by mom.'

It seems that is is 4:00 before school is really done and I can go tot the bathroom...then I make dinner or take a 10 min break!

At 6 the kids eat. If I did not get to workout, I do this while the 3 big kids eat. Then I feed Cameron, feed my self, put everyone in the bath in rotation...
It is now 8 pm and I stink!
Then bed for the kids, maybe a bath for mom (if i can!)
So now it is 10:45 pm, I am trying to blog! :)

So, why all this boring info? Just my way of appologizing for the lack of blogging going on, the lack of phone calls to those I love and the lack of birthday cards or other correspondence!


Here is a sample of one of Collin's unapproved activities! IT takes about 5 baths, a lot of soap and 5 days to remove Sharpie!