Stewart Mania

Christmas Newsletter! 2010

2010-12-18T18:04:00.000-08:00

Just click on the image and it should enlarge so you can read it!

Scott's Homecoming!!

2010-02-07T23:17:00.000-08:00

I know it's been forever since I last blogged, so I'm just now finally getting around to posting this! My girlfriend Crystal did this awesome montage of a bunch of pictures she took when Scott came home, and she just sent it to me so I thought I'd share it with everyone. I'll post more updates soon, promise! :) Thanks again Crystal!!!

Stewart Homecoming from Crystal on Vimeo.

Trip to Utah

2009-08-18T15:33:00.001-07:00

So, I know it's been almost a month since the kids and I went to Utah, but, like always, I'm playing catch-up. It was such a fun trip and I'm so glad I had a GREAT excuse to go up there. A really cute young Marine family in my ward had just gotten the green light to get their endowments and to be sealed together in the temple. Since they had just gotten out of the Marine Corps and moved up to Utah, that's where they decided to get these ordinances done. Thankfully, they let be apart of thess special days and gave me a wonderful excuse to make a trip up to Utah, visit a big chuck of my extended family, and revisit a very special temple.

On our way up to Utah, we stopped in Las Vegas for the night and stayed at the BEA-U-TI-FUL Mandalay Bay Hotel. I LOVE this hotel. Ok, so I've always wanted to stay there, but it's always been too pricey for Scott and I (reminder that Scott is more of the penny pincher in this equation then I...). Welp, I found a great deal and booked the room! It was a total treat! It was 110 degrees outside, so we spent over 3 hours playing in their AWESOME "beach" pool. It was sooo relaxing, even with my two little monsters splashing all over the place! A great way to start this road trip.

For the first few days we were in Utah we stayed with my Aunt Susan up in Kaysville. We had so much fun hanging out with the whole Wiser clan (minus two sons, one on a mission and one busy with work). This is where the kids fell in love with Lego's (saved from when Susan's 4 boys were much younger) and since then I have succumbed to buying a basic set for the kids to play with. Thanks Aunt Susan and Uncle Jerry for letting us stay with you!!

Our busiest day of the whole trip was on Sunday when after packing the car back up and saying good-bye to my aunt & uncle, we went to church with my Uncle Quin's family (thankfully also in Kaysville!) and I was blessed with sitting in on my Aunt Heidi's lesson for her Mia Maid class and then my Uncle Quin's Gospel Doctrine Class, where I learned a bunch of cool stories about my ancestor's that I've never heard before! Such a treat! After church we drove down to Sandy and had a huge (& delicious!) meal with my Uncle Mark's family. They caught me up on all of my 7 cousins and their 6 grand-children, crazy! We even got to see my cousin Paul and his wife and baby, who were visiting from Pennsylvania. We finally made our way down to Orem, where we stayed for the rest of our trip with my Aunt Judy and Uncle Vern. So, in one day I saw all my Aunt's and Uncle's on my father's side and none of them saw each other. It was a really good day, long, but good! ;)

While in Utah I took the kids to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. It was so awesome to walk through! I really wish I could've enjoyed it more, but having Lindie in a stroller that didn't want to cooperate and then having her break down into hysterics because I wouldn't let her run around, was a little bit of a distraction to say the least. I'm just extremely grateful for the cookies they provided to everyone after the tour- the quickest way to silence my kids!!

And the high-light of the trip was attending my friends endowment session and then their sealing the following day (which also happened to be my birthday!!). They had both ordinances done at the Mount Timpanogas Temple in American Fork. The same temple that Scott and I got sealed in 6 years ago, which was also the only time I've even been to this temple. I was so excited to be there for Natasha and Josh, but I felt really bad because I was an emotional wreck! Being there made me miss Scott so much and I know the people around me thought I was crazy or something cause I'd start crying (ok, mini-bawling, I was trying reallllllly hard to not make any noise!) every 10-15 mins! Even though I was totally worrying about and missing Scott, the opportunity to be there in the temple was exactly what my soul needed and I was so excited to be there for Natasha and Josh. The next day, when they were sealed, was even better! I think the whole room was proud of themselves for not breaking down during their sealing ceremony, but the second they brought in their 1 year old son to be sealed to his mom and dad, you could hear all the women start sniffling and reaching for the tissues! It was such a special moment! I'm so happy and excited for Natasha and Josh! Way to go you guys!

You can kinda see my baby bump...

When Scott left on deployment I really didn't give much thought to my birthday this year. I turned the big 3-0 last year, so it's not like this year was going to be anything special. I've always been excited for my birthday (I'm one of those people who believe your birthday is a week long celebration!), but didn't want to get all excited and have it be totally anti-climatic and get depressed about it (which I'm totally guilty for on past birthdays...). This year, even without Scott, I was pleasantly surprised on what a good birthday I had. The kids and I had a wonderful morning going to a museum and then to the Creamery for lunch (YUM!) on the BYU campus, I got to go to my friend's sealing, my Aunt & Uncle toke us all out for dinner at Red Robin's (I LOVE their steak fries- one of my big preggo cravings!), and I got to talk to my WONDERFUL husband for a full 30 minutes! I love him so much!! Thanks baby for calling me!

The next day we left to come back home and the kids were so sad to leave! They had a blast hanging out with cousins and playing with all the fun toys my Aunt Judy had in her basement! Brennen is still asking to go back and play! Thanks Aunt Judy and Uncle Vern for letting us stay with you and especially, thank you Aunt Judy for watching my kids so I could attend the temple! We had such a great time. I can't wait till we can go back and visit!

News from Scott!!

2009-07-09T21:35:00.000-07:00

Great News!! I got a call from Scott today! I was so excited to see the number on my caller ID cause I knew right away it was Scott. It took about three tries before the call actually went through, but third times a charm and we were able to talk for about ten minutes. :) Happy Day!!!

He's doing good, which is the best news I can report! Such a relief!! He was able to tell me a few things and some other things that I won't post for security reasons. He was under fire for the first few days of the operation that started last week, but since then things have been really quiet and calm for him and his guys.
No, he still has not showered (last time being on June 30th- make sure you thank God for running water and showers!!) but said he was looking forward to rinsing off with a couple of bottles of water after getting off the phone with me. He said it was extremely hot and some of his guys have suffered from heat issues, but all-in-all they're all doing well and his guys are getting the water they need. He was excited to tell me about the IED they found and their disposal of it. And also about how his CO was called away for something which left him in charge for awhile. During that time Scott (and his guys) had to detain an Afghani man and later, after being able to talk to the village elders, he was able to release the man. He said it's a cool experience to communicate with the village elders (and the people in the area), and that he's learning tons everyday. He said it's really weird because they never see any women ever. Whenever the Marines are around the women won't come out of their homes. Scott also said they found a AK-47, he seemed pretty excited about that, too, but I'm not really sure why (other then it's a cool weapon).
I wish I had had more time to talk to him and I wish I could have found out more (stupid security!! ;) ) but I'm sooo grateful I was able to hear Scott's voice. It's amazing what a simple thing can do to your spirits! After saying 'I love you' and 'I miss you' over a hundred times between the two of us during that 10 minutes, he did mention that he should be able to call once every couple of weeks to let me know how he's doing. HUGE blessing!! Oh, I should explain, the reason he's able to call is because his company has a satellite phone, so all the guys in his company should be able to make a 5-10 min morale call home every couple of weeks which is seriously the best thing ever! When Scott had last called me (June 30th I think) we pretty much thought he wouldn't have use of a phone till November, so anything we get now is just icing on the cake. :)

Welp, I found this video online and thought I'd share it with you. It seems to give a really good idea of life for the Marines in Helmand Province right now (minus all the actual fighting). It's a little boring, but still interesting to see. Enjoy.
P.S. Scott is currently sporting a mustache and there's a 3 second bit in this video (somehow I managed to still frame it below!!) that I swear looks like Scott, but it's hard for me to say cause I really have no idea what Scott looks like with a mustache!! Although, it most likely is not him, dang. ;)
~OK, so after staring at this photo for hours, it's totally Scott. Even with the mustache there are two things that seal the deal with this photo- his nose (it's a Stewart nose!) and his dimples. I love his dimples, and even though he's biting his lip, I know that dimple. I didn't want to get my hopes up the first few times I looked at this, but the more I look at it the more I see Scott. It's totally him.

Watch CBS Videos Online

A Fallen Hero

2009-07-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

We all know war is not to be taken lightly and sadly our country has lost many military servicemen and women while in combat. It is a huge worry for me, and always has been (especially now that Scott is there in the thick of it), but no matter what Marine (or any militray member) is killed it's a loss for our whole Marine (military) family. When I first heard we had lost a Marine only after a day into Operation Khanjar, I cried and prayed for that Marine and his family, not knowing who he was or with what unit he belonged. Whenever you heard of a death you automatically worry if it's your loved one or if it's someone you know. As a Family Readiness Assistant, I help "take care" of all the spouses and families here at home and I'm constantly praying that I never have to help one of my families go through this. It still hurts my heart knowing we have lost Marines and allied troops during this operation that are fighting alongside Scott. I came across this information about the Marine that was killed and felt I should share so we can remember him and his family in our prayers. I know society is more concerned about Michael Jackson's death, but there are others out there that deserve more of our respect and attention for what they have sacrificed.

2/8 Marine dies in Afghanistan
Staff report Marine Corps Times
Posted : Monday Jul 6, 2009 12:45:25 EDT

A North Carolina-based Marine was killed July 2 while serving in Afghanistan, his family has said.
Lance Cpl. Seth Sharp, 20, of Adairsville, Ga., died just six weeks after arriving in theater, his uncle, Shane Rogers, told the Rome News-Tribune. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, from Camp Lejeune.
Sharp was killed during Operation Khanjar, a massive operation launched last week to banish Taliban fighters from villages and towns in Helmand province. His remains arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on July 4.
Sharp played football at Adairsville High School but left early to join the Corps, his uncle said.
No other information was immediately available.

WAR NEWS UPDATE
I wanted to share this link to a blog that I found that has AMAZING coverage of all news world-wide. I have found more information about the war in Afghanistan on this site then anywhere else. If anyone else is interested in learning more about the world around them (and not just Afghanistan) or wants to have everything about Afghanistan right in the same place, check this site out.

Baby #3

2009-07-01T22:32:00.000-07:00

Here's a sonogram of our newest baby at 10 weeks. I can already tell it's going to be as cute as it's siblings! ;)

Scott on the move

2009-07-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

A month has gone by since Scott left and I'm finally getting out of my "Depression/auto-pilot" phase, meaning I better get on here and share what's going on. If any of you have been watching the news you might have heard that the Marines are on the move in the Helmand Province in Afghanistan. Scott is one of those Marines. I got my last phone call from him last night. We've been really blessed while he's been at Camp Leatherneck that he had the occasional opportunity to call home over the past couple of weeks. For the past couple of days Scott has been warning me that things were happening and he'd only be calling one or two more times. Thankfully I have a husband who loves me so much that he made the 30 min walk to the nearest phone to call me 4 times in his last 4 days at Camp Leatherneck.

I thought I'd share this link to the 1/5 Family Newsletter. It's from Scott's CO of the Battalion and it has a bunch of pictures showing the process of getting the Marines to Afghanistan and what life is like for him and the Marines. It was a little difficult for all the Marines because this camp had a massive influx of over 5,000 Marines in the space of two months and they've had to set up random tents everywhere to accommodate all of the Marines, Soldiers, Brits, Docs, etc. Now that a majority of the Marines are leaving (or have already left, like Scott) it's getting back to "normal". Unfortunately, for Scott and the Marines who've left, they no longer have basic luxuries like showers and a chow hall. Scott was excited that he was eating three FULL meals a day (and ice cream every night!) and now I'm worried how much weight he's going to drop since he's only getting one or two MRE's to eat a day. And yes, he will no longer get to shower. So if you would like to send baby wipes in your care packages, that would be great.

Otherwise, he's doing well. He's really excited to do his job and put to use 11 years of training. From what Scott tells me we'll be hearing a lot on the news about his Marines and that they're going to be doing some "serious damage" trying to get to the Taliban. So, if you're watching the news and hear anything about the Helmand Province, just pray that Scott and his Marines are ok. I'll try and keep everyone posted on how he's doing and what's going on with him. Thank you also for all your kind thoughts and prayers. We're so blessed to have good friends and family who are so willing to help us out while Scott's deployed. It really means a lot and is so greatly appreciated. Seriously, more than words can say.

Off to Afghanistan

2009-05-25T21:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, I've been sitting here trying to figure out how to write this and honestly, just thinking about makes my eyes water up and gets my brain all disarrayed. Scott left for his 7+ month deployment on Friday and it sucks. Scott got up around 1am that morning to finish packing and Brennen somehow woke up, too. The saddest part, when Scott asked B what he was doing up and B said, "I want to spend time wif you, Daddy". How do you tell your kid to go back to bed after that? So B stayed up and helped Scott till we had to drive him up to San Mateo on Camp Pendleton. He had to be there at 6am and thankfully he kept finding excuses for us to hang around a little longer. We stayed till about 7:15 and finally got around to saying our good-byes. Which is good, because if I had stayed around to wait for them to load the buses at 11am I would've been a total mess. Scott had called me right when they started loading the buses and made a comment about how the waterworks were starting and I replied, "They started when everyone woke up this morning." Then he said, "Well, I guess this is the grand finale." Glad I wasn't there for that.

I know the family has been waiting for me to post Scott's address, and if anyone else wants to send letters or care packages (let me know if you want to send packages cause there's some guidelines and other things to know before mailing things) please feel free to!

Lt. Stewart S.A.

1/5 A Co

Unit 40325

FPO AP 96427-0325

Can you tell how much I had been crying?

Mini Va-K

2009-05-24T22:05:00.000-07:00

Ahhh! Our trip to Virginia was everything we had hoped it would be and more! Not only did the kids and I have a great time while we were out there, but we got to spend soooo much time with Scott! Seriously, every little penny spent on airfare (yes, I came to my senses and decided not to drive) was TOTALLY worth it! It was amazing that Scott was done with classes by 4pm at the latest (most days even earlier!!) every day! I was shocked. I didn't know what to do with myself. It was crazy to see Scott while the sun was still up on a weekday! In fact, every night felt like a Saturday night. We went out to dinner, went to Target (hehe), or other fun places, and just thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Funny and true story: we went out one night and on our way home I commented to Scott about how the week had flown by and that when we got back to the hotel I needed to find out what time church was in the morning. Scott gave me a funny look and said, "Chris, it's only Tuesday!". See how unused I am to spending time with him during the week?!?

The kids had a blast while we were there. Every morning while Scott was in class I would take the kids somewhere fun. We went to museums, to parks, to the beach, went bowling, and to several malls! Scott's joke was that I was on a full shopping tour and I was having more fun spending his money then anything else. I spent a little and might have spent more if I had more luggage space! ;) I took tons of pics so here's a few of the fun ones:

So, some additional good news (my favorite thing to do: brag about my awesome husband). The course Scott attended was great. Scott learned a lot and loved everything he did. It's even made him more excited about his deployment to Afghanistan and all the "fun" things he's going to be able to do while there. So, when his class first started the instructors warned Scott and the 3 other guys (who are infantry and not pilots, which are who made up the rest of the class) that they would have a harder time with the class and should be really happy if they passed with an 80%. The pilots would obviously have the advantage because the have been working with planes for years and have a better understanding of the fundamentals, etc. Not only did Scott beat that 80%, he made Honor Grad! (Graduated #1!) Yes, he out-scored and out-preformed all the rest of the pilots. Amazing! The reason I'm really amazed: I was with him for a little over two weeks of his class and saw how much (little) he studied and that none of the other guys in his course had the HUGE distraction of having their wives or kids around! I mean seriously, how does Scott do it? This course is the 6th (out of the 7 since we've been married) that he's got Honor Grad. Way to go, Scott!!

And, there's more good news. I know I might have shared a little TMI with everyone about how clomid works in my last post, hehe, but it does. It really works and it only works one way and that one way worked and we're having baby number 3. Yay! So, we brought home a little souvenir from our trip to Virginia. Don't have an official due date yet, but it should be arriving the middle of January. And since both of my kids have come two weeks early, it might even arrive on Brennen's birthday!

More Mania!!

2009-04-08T14:19:00.000-07:00

OH MY WORD!! Our family is getting dealt some more crazy twists and turns!! (thankfully nothing life threatening or critical, just crazy) ;)

So, most of you know (especially if you read my earlier pathetic post) that Scott has been gone for the past 5 weeks. Well, Scott called me last Thursday night (the day before he came home) to give me Good News and News.

The Good News- he's not going with the Advanced Deployment Group. Meaning he's not leaving May 1st, but more towards the end of the month (20th-28th). Yay! I get a whole extra month with him!!
Hahaha, at least that's what I thought until he gave me the News (notice there's no Good or Bad if front of it??). Scott has been blessed with the opportunity to go to this awesome school called JTAC (Joint Terminal Attack Controller). He's super excited about this course because he gets to coordinate (and call the shots) dropping bombs from flying things (fixed wing and roto wing) to bad guys on the ground. Plus a bunch of other cool reasons that are a little more complicated to explain on here. The reason it's not Good News, the school is 4 weeks long, and on the other side of the country in Virginia Beach, VA.

I mean, seriously, am I going to see my husband at all this year???

So, Scott is here all this week (still working crazy hours) and then leaves on Easter (gone 4/12-5/9). Now, the other part to this story that has been in the works for the past couple of months: we're trying for #3. (Yep, crazy Marine couple is trying to have a third child when the husband is never home and he's deploying for 6-12 months.) Annoyingly, I've got some medical things that are totally working against us in this department so I just went into the Doc's on Monday and we are (read: I am) starting the wonderful process of Clomid. Yes, fertility drugs. But, they only work if I have sex. With my husband. Hard to believe, I know. So, what are we to do?

Uproot the whole family for a month and follow Scott to Virginia.

So while I'm typing this, I'm also stressing out about how to get myself and chitlins across country. To drive or to fly, that is the question. Yeah, I know a bunch of you saw the drive part and thought "WHAT is she thinking?!?", but since we're planning on being there for almost three weeks, and the kids require so much extra gear (i.e., two car seats, pack-n-play, stroller, clothes, etc), it's seriously cheaper to drive then to fly. And for those who really know me know I love road trips! I really do love driving all over the USA, but I'm not exactly thrilled about the thought of being by myself with 2 little ones. Is it doable, totally. Am I crazy, probably. Still undecided, so jury is out.

I really just want to be with my husband. I want to spend as much time as possible with him before he leaves for who knows how long. I also want the kids to spend as much time with him, too. They miss him and don't understand why Daddy isn't around to tuck them in at night. And, poor Scott hates that he's missing so much of their lives. So, we're going to try and do whatever we can to be together as much as possible. Even if it means only seeing him at night and on the weekends in Virginia rather then not seeing him at all in California. Oh-rah.

My Brother and his Starbursts

2009-03-24T22:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, I just read my brother's blog and couldn't stop laughing. The poor guy was really upset and you just have to read about what he did! Click here to find out...

OOPS! Forgot that their blog is set to private. So, I just copied it and pasted it below. Thanks Eirian for sharing it! :)

I wanted to share this email that Johnny wrote the manufacturer of Starbursts a while back because I truly laughed for days about it and I think it could be a great SNL monologue.

From: johnnyXXXXXX@hotmail.com
To: askus@masterfoodsusa.com

Subject: Starburst Severely Disappoints

To whom it may concern:

I recently purchased a bag of Starburst original fruit chews and after reaching into the bag blindly for the first 8-10 times and pulling out nothing but lemon or orange chews, I grew suspicious and decided to empty out the contents and tally up exactly how many pieces of each flavor there were remaining. To start, as I just said, I pulled out and ate about 8-10 pieces of either lemon or orange Starburst, no other flavor. I emptied the bag and there were 31 remaining pieces of candy. Here is what was in the bag: 13 pieces of Lemon Starburst, 12 pieces of Orange Starburst, 3 pieces of Cherry Starburst, and 1 (yes, only one) piece of Strawberry Starburst. Meaning in the ENTIRE BAG of Starburst I purchased, there was 4 pieces of Starburst that WERE NOT LEMON OR ORANGE.... Sorry but that is just plain unacceptable. ONE PIECE OF STRAWBERRY? Are you kidding me? I couldn't believe it. I thought it was a joke, so I seriously asked my wife if she planted the bag. She is adamant she didn't and of course I believe her. Three pieces of cherry? Wow, I can't even tell you how dissappointed I was, especially since Cherry and Strawberry are my favorite flavors. What does your "STARBURST research" show as the most popular flavor? I doubt it is lemon or orange. I'm not saying I don't like those flavors, but I am saying if I could pick between those or cherry/strawberry, 10/10 times I'd pick the latter. Maybe there's economics behind it, maybe it wasn't a mistake, maybe Strawberry/Cherry artificial flavoring are more expensive than lemon or orange. My favorite thing is that you don't even show a lemon piece of candy on the package. It's 1 strawberry, 2 Cherry, and 1 Orange. Trying to sell cherry? Good ol' bait and switch. Nice work. You fooled me. The thing is, although I've never counted before, my memory tells me that this isn't a one time thing. I should know better since I eat more Starburst than I care to admit. Although that might change. Mamba's aren't bad, and they give me a proper ratio of all flavors... Please fix this.

Starburst lover on hold, Johnny J

Please feel free to email me back and ask any questions you want. I'd send you the Best Before Date and the other number below it, but it's smeared and fairly unreadable. Maybe while you're at it you should fix that machine also. It looks like it say 08/2009 (but like I said I can't really tell),the other number is 8182AWA??3, but the only ones I know 100% is the 81 at the beginning...I will save the bag, I can mail it to you if you want and you can see if you can read what it says. I've got it right here in my drawer.

Another trip to the Lonely Marines Wives Club

2009-03-11T21:49:00.000-07:00

So, I know, I've been a really bad blogger and it's been awhile since I've posted. I've got tons of good excuses, which I know all of you can relate to. Well, there's one excuse that maybe only a few of you will really get, my fellow military wives, whose husbands are always gone.
Scott's gotten to that point where deployment is getting closer and closer and there are more things for him to take care of, to fix, to plan for, marines to train, to discipline, etc., which means more time at work and less at home. He's been putting in 14 to 16 hour work days (Monday thru Friday) giving him enough time to come home and sleep- barely. And those are the weeks that he's in garrison (in the office and not in the field). When he's in the field he's gone for days at a time. Most recently he left for 29 Palms, a vast desert of dirt and mountains, to train for a full five weeks.
I'm not writing all of this to complain, believe me, I had full knowledge of what I was getting into when I married Scott, even though I swore I was done with long-distance relationships!! Ha, God really does have a sense of humor. When I was younger I was in a serious relationship where a majority of it was all long distance. I remember praying about that relationship and if it was something I should stay in and if I should wait for this guy to come home, and I always got the answer to wait. I've always wondered why I kept getting that answer, especially since in the end the relationship didn't work out. So, besides the fact that I did met the man of my dreams and things all worked out for the best (Yay!), I think the Lord had another lesson for me to learn through all that. During this previous relationship, the guy I was waiting for was serving a mission for our church and the only way we could communicate was through letters because it was against the mission rules for him to call home (except for Christmas and Mother's Day). I was a good girlfriend and wrote him letters several times a week, sent packages, and tried to keep him in the loop of my life while he was gone. This covered a space of two full years.
Recently I've been trying to mentally prepare for Scott's deployment to Afghanistan. He's going to be part of the "Spring Surge" going into an area that hasn't been occupied by UN troops. Meaning: he will have no internet access, no phone access, and the only time letters will be delivered/picked up is when they are in need of food/ammo (due to the high threat of IED's on any vehicle transport). Scott is my best friend, my other half, and as many military wives who have survived a deployment know, having that link of communication is what keeps you going. It's what you live for, what you wake up in the morning for, what keeps life some what sane. Hearing Scott's voice is the one thing that is guaranteed to make everything instantly ok. I never thought (especially with all the high tech advances) that my only form of communication with my husband would be through letters. It's funny that I'm now actually thankful that I was in that previous relationship where all I did was write letters. It kinda makes this deployment easier to face cause I know I already "survived" this before (well, except for now it's my Husband, not a boyfriend, and he's going to be in a full on war zone with real ammo being shot at him, and not in a friendly, non-threatening country like Finland- Haha, gotta love reality.)
I'm grateful to know that the Lord is watching over me and always has. I'm so humbled to have this knowledge that He has given me previous guidance and experiences to help when I am faced with harder challenges. I know the challenges haven't really started yet. Scott's training schedule at 29 Palms has been brutal and there's little cell reception, but over the past week and half he's been gone we've been able to talk a couple of minutes here and there. It'll be interesting to see how the kids and I (and Scott!) survive this upcoming deployment. I'm just so thankful to have the gospel in my life and the knowledge that I can and will always be able to turn to the Lord whenever I need to. In the meantime, I'll be another member of the Lonely Marines Wives Club.

The Next Super Star of Dance

2009-02-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

This was just way too funny not to share! Enjoy!

It's all about Layers, baby!

2009-02-05T15:57:00.000-08:00

So, the other morning while I was getting ready for the day, Brennen comes running into my room with all of these clothes on that he had totally put on by himself! Which is truly amazing because I've rarely seen him put anything on that I haven't told, begged, or yelled at him to put on. So, when I saw his style-savvy dressing skills, I just had to get it on film!

It all started with two shirts and a pair of shorts...

After he ran into my bathroom to show me his dressing abilities, he ran straight back to his room and proceeded to add another shirt to his ensemble...

And another pair of shorts...

And another shirt... (notice the very proud smile he's sporting!)

Now here's the funny part- we've been working on potty training all week and before he had gotten dressed, he had used the potty (when he woke up). Well, he was so excited about his outfit that he forgot he didn't have a diaper on, so he leaked a little and needed me to help him take his shorts off. As I was peeling off the two pairs of shorts I discovered two more layers!!! I had no idea he had a pair of boxers and underwear on, too! Four layers on bottom and four layers on top! And I forgot to mention that he even put on a couple of baseball caps on, too! My silly, silly boy.

P.S. After four full days of NO diapers and only two small accidents (including the fore mentioned one), and multiple trips to the bathroom for both purposes, I think I can say he's potty trained!!! YEAH!!!

161st Mormon Battalion Festival

2009-02-05T15:37:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday we all went down to Old Town to enjoy and celebrate 161 years since the Mormon Battalion came into San Diego and helped settle it. We had so much fun going around to all of the different booths to see how the people lived way back when. We even ran into a few old friends!

Trying out some stilts that were way too short!

Much better!

Making the most delicious rolls I've ever had!

Ran into "our boys" from our old ward. We love these guys (and their awesome dance skills!).

We've got PIGTAILS!!

2009-02-05T15:29:00.000-08:00

Happy day is here at last! Now that church starts a little later for us, I had a little more free time to play with Lindie's hair, and to my amazement she let me play with it long enough to get two totally cute pigtails on her! Proof her hair is growing! Well, at least in the back. We're still wondering how long she's going to have this mullet, it's just not growing on top... Even though, I still think she's the cutest thing ever. :)

You know it's gonna be a bad day when...

2009-02-05T14:47:00.000-08:00

...it's only 8:30 in the morning, you're running late, you finally get your son dressed (after 15 minutes convincing him why it's important to wear pants), and then you smell something bad and you see this...
I mean, really?? I had JUST put these pants on the boy. Agh.

Summer in the Winter

2009-01-12T23:24:00.000-08:00

Ok, for those of you who are stuck in multiple inches of snow and haven't seen the sun in awhile, I'm forewarning you that this post might create some feelings of jealousy and annoyance. The past couple of days are the reason I never want to leave San Diego. I love San Diego and the number one reason is the weather! No where else in this great country (except for south Florida and Hawaii) can you get weather like this in the middle of winter! Today Oceanside hit a record high of 85 degrees! It has been so absolutely gorgeous outside for the past couple of days that the kids and I have taken several opportunities to enjoy it. On Saturday evening I took the kids to the beach for a sunset picnic and to play in the sand. We had so much fun! (Scott has been in the field for the past 6 days so he's been enjoying the heat with a ton of gear on in the middle of Camp Pendleton with a bunch of dirty stinky Marines! So, poor Scott missed out. :( ) Anyways, thought I'd share some pics of us on the beach in the middle of January! :)

A little slice of heaven!

The best pic I could get of the three of us.The Oceanside PierThere were these awesome old-school "pirate" ships (according to Brennen) that were sailing back and forth. We got to watch them drop their sails and even fire quite a few cannons!

The stupid seagull that kept trying to steal our food (at one point right out of Lindie's hand- scared the poor girl crazy!) and eventually took off with the whole McD's bag!

My little princess

Even though the pictures don't show a lot of people around, you can see all the people and animal prints that were left behind...

Happy Birthday Brennen!!

2009-01-04T23:42:00.000-08:00

Welp, our little baby boy turned THREE today. Which, doesn't really make him a baby anymore, huh? It even barely makes him a toddler, which really makes him a -gasp!- PRESCHOOLER!?!? WHAT?!? How did that happen? Where did the time go? Didn't I just bring him home from the hospital? (Ok, so if we hadn't moved so much since he was born, I think it really wouldn't have seemed like a long time ago. For some reason I keep thinking he's turning 4. Goes to show all these moves are messing with my head!) Seriously though, he just grew before our eyes and he's a real little boy now. And when I say boy, I mean genuine-thrill-seeking-action-figure-jumping-crazy-non-stop-moving little boy. It amazes Scott and I how active he is and that he hasn't had a cast applied to some part of his body yet! I'm going to keep my fingers crossed and keep praying that I didn't just jinx him. Ha! We're just so thankful and feel so blessed to have Brennen in our family. He has the sweetest little spirit, and he's already proven what an awesome big brother he is with how protective and caring he is towards Lindie. He has been so much fun (even though his stubbornness has been trying) and is so loving and cute that we can't help but feel so lucky to be his parents.

To celebrate Brennen's big 3rd birthday we threw him a party at a fun place called PLAYWERX. Wow! We've been there a couple of times, but it was the best idea for a bunch of active 2-3 yr old boys and Lindie! They had such a great time. Not only did my little boy have a blast, my big boy had just as much fun! I think Scott spent as much time playing (if not a little longer) then Brennen! It got a little crazy during the party because Playwerx hit capacity (I'm sure due to the rain outside) and there were kids and parents everywhere!! But even with all the people there we all had a great time!

And on today's menu: A Survey!

2008-12-20T15:15:00.000-08:00

One of the longest survey's I've ever done...Enjoy!

***********FOODOLOGY***************
What is your salad dressing of choice? Umm, when I actually eat a salad? Ranch
What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? haha, Red Robin's, Ruby Tuesdays, and Olive Garden
What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? At one point it was poptarts, now it's pasta. I can eat pasta for every meal and be totally happy.
What are your pizza toppings of choice? Cheese and Italian sauage- YUM!!
What do you like to put on your toast? Um, margarine or butter.
***********TECHNOLOGY***************
How many televisions are in your house? 4, one is on the fritz and another one is just sitting on the floor in our bedroom.
How many radios are in your house? 3, but only one is plugged in.
How many computers are in your house? 1 desktop that is always in use and 2 lap tops that never get used.
How many DVD players are in your house? 4, to go with every tv, even one that's on the fritz and another sitting on our dresser in out bedroom. Man, we need ot get rid of things!!
***************BIOLOGY******************
Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? a rib, a bunch of cartlidge from inbetween my vertabrae, some hip bone, and wisdom teeth
What is the last heavy item you lifted? My son, the couch, and a BIG pile of scrapbooking paper.
Have you ever been knocked unconscious? Yes, too many times. A couple of times with a bat and once by a softball.
************BULLCRAPOLOGY**************
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? No. Then that would be all I thought about.
If you could change your name, what would you change it to? When I was younger I tired going by Tina for a little while, and realized I didn't like it at all, so I switched to Chris and it suits me just fine. Just wish it wasn't so common (especially with the male gender...)
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? HECK NO!! I hate things that are too spicy!
************DUMBOLOGY******************
How many pairs of flip flops do you own? Um, more then I can count... but there is only one pair that I wear ALL the time. I live in San Diego, what do you expect??
Last time you had a run-in with the COPS? Haha, when Scott hit a Limo in Vegas last month! Me personally, it's been awhile, I think when I was living in Washington State, so over seven years ago.
Last person you talked to? Scott
Last person you hugged? Scott, Brennen, and Lindie Jane
*************FAVORITOLOGY****************
Season? Spring
Holiday? Halloween!!! I LOVE dressing up!!
Day of the week? Saturday
Month? November- it's the one month that Scott has the least work days and the most time off!
***********CURRENTOLOGY*****************
Missing someone? Hmm, I wish I could hang out with my brother, and my two sister-in-laws more often. I miss not being closer to them.
Mood? Alittle bored and I have a mild case of cabin fever. It's a BEAUTIFUL day outside and I've been inside all day. I hate staying home all day. I need to go to the beach.
What are you listening to? the clock ticking as nap time comes closer to the end- agghhh!
***************RANDOMOLOGY*****************
First place you went this morning? To my daughter's room to give her her binkie and convince her to sleep alittle longer...
What's the last movie you saw? Twlight (love the book, but the movie was just okay)
Do you smile often? I like to think I do!
Do you always answer your phone? No, but a majority of the time I do.
What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? Only been to Sonics once and that was, like, 8 years ago.
Do you own a digital camera? Yes, I do and I am addicted to it.
Have you ever had a pet fish? No, my dad had all the pet fish and I just looked at them and fed them ever once and awhile. I'm not a big pet person, funny since I have a dog.
Favorite Christmas song? Angels We Have Heard on High
What's on your wish list for your birthday? Since Scott won't be home, I hope I'll get to talk to him on my birthday and even see him on webcam!
Can you do push ups? Heck, yeah.
Can you do a chin up? Did a couple the other day at Sports Authority and impressed Scott! ;)
Does the future make you more nervous or excited? Both. It's hard when your husband is an Infantry Marine and he's going to be deploying.
Ever been in a car wreck? Yeah, one that gave me my big scar down my forehead. Boy, was that fun.
Do you have an accent? No.
What is the last song to make you cry? Play any song that's patriotic and talks about our military and you're guaranteed to make my eyes leak.
Plans tonight? Hopefully, anything that can get me out of the house.
Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? In a relationship, yes. Life, no.
Name 3 things you did yesterday. Played with my kids, went shopping at IKEA, and lead an awesome workout circut for my class!
Have you ever been given roses? Yes
Current worry? That Scott might guess what his Christmas present is.
Current hate right now? That it gets dark so early.
Met someone who changed your life? Everyone I meet changes my life in some way.
How did you bring in the New Year? I sat at home and watched tv while my kids slept. I cried and missed my husband, who was deployed.
Name three people who might complete this? Um, no idea. I'm wondering if anyone will even read the whole thing and make it this far!
Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? Yes, just to settle some disagreements about what "really" happened!
Have you ever dated someone longer than a year? Yes.
Do you have any tattoo/piercing? Piercings- Just my ears. No tattoos.
Does anyone love you? My husband tells me he does all the time, my son has tols me a couple of times he does, and my daughter gives me lots of kisses, which I'm sure is her way of telling me the same thing. :)
Would you be a pirate? If I got to wear a cute outfit. :)
What songs do you sing in the shower? I'm the King of Wishful Thinking. Wierd, I know.
Ever had someone sing to you? Yes. Most recently, my cute little man!
When did you last cry? Really cry? Probably when Scott got home.
Do you like to cuddle? Yep
Have you held hands with anyone today? Yes
Who was the last person you took a picture of? Baby Girl
What kind of music did you listen to in elementary school? The top songs of the '80's on Z104!
Do you believe in staying close with your ex's/prospects? Staying close, um, no, friendly, yes. If they wanted to hang out and play board games, sure, why not.
Are most of the friends in your life new or old? I'm always making new friends cause I move so much, and all of my friends are at some degree of "old"! ;) No matter when we met and how long we hung out, I'll always consider you one of my friends.

Happy (late) Thanksgiving!

2008-12-04T20:51:00.000-08:00

On Thanksgiving Scott, the kids, and I went up to Newport Beach to spend the day with the Stewart side of the family. We had a really good time and it was so nice to just hang out and catch up with the fam. Scott's newly married cousin, Gina, and her husband, Brian, just had a baby boy two months ago, and since they live in Phoenix, AZ, this was the first time most of us got to see the little guy. It was so cool to see Lindie and Brennen fawn over him and get so excited over this adorable little baby. I really hope they're like that with their next sibling! ;) Aunt Laurie cooked an amazing meal, we watched lots of football, played some Bocce, and even a little Carcassonne, and Brennen got to watch Wall-E. Which I'm sure was his favorite part of the day. I'm just thankful that we were able to spend Thanksgiving with family and as a family and that Scott was here to spend it with us.

The Stewart Clan: Aunt Donna,Uncle Wayne, Aunt Beth & Uncle John, Brian & Gina, Dylan, Aunt Laurie, Me, Scott & kids.

Scott and I made it to the final two in the Bocce Tournament! But lost to Dylan and Aunt Donna. ;)The kids fawning over Baby Owen. (B's middle name is Owen and they're both named after great-grandpa Owen Stewart)Serious game play going on.

Our Trip to Disneyland!

2008-12-04T15:51:00.000-08:00

Okay, so our trip was two weeks ago, but with Thanksgiving and everything else I haven't had time to get on here to post! So, now that I finally have some time let me share with you our fun little trip to the happiest place on Earth!
This trip had been in the works for almost a year and we went with this awesome group of five families. Back when Scott and I were first married we became really good friends with a bunch of other young married couples who were in the same ward as us at church (La Mesa 2nd). These were the amazing people who helped me get through that whole first year Scott and I were married while Scott was deployed overseas. They always included me in everything and didn't mind that I was always the 5th, 7th, 9th, and sometimes the 11th wheel! Man, was it nice when Scott came home and I could prove to them I really did have a husband! ;) What worked out even better was how Scott fit right in to the group like he had always been there and after only a couple of months you would've never known they had just met him. Now, after 5 years (and all of us moving away from La Mesa and then back to other parts of SoCal) we try and get together as often as we can. We are so blessed to have such a great group of friends that we still keep in touch with! Thanks guys for making it such a fun and totally worth-while trip! I just wish it could've lasted a little longer!
I went up on Wednesday (Nov. 19) with B and LJ (Scott had to work ALL day- he didn't get off till 10pm!) and we spent the day at California Adventure. Our Friends, the Nebeker's, joined us around noon and we just had a great time hanging out and going on all the rides we could!

On the second day, Scott, our friends the Hunter's, and the Velasco's, joined us and we spent the whole day at Disneyland! Warning I took a lot of pictures and the slide show is pretty long! :)

And Finally on day three our friends the Woidka's joined the group! (The only two families unable to make it: The Dene's and Neal's. We missed you guys!) We had a blast catching up and watching our kids become best friends all over again! Brennen still can't stop talking about going to Disneyland with his friends! There aren't as many pics because I forgot to recharge the battery so I was trying to conserve. :)

To Grandma Karen

2008-11-15T11:23:00.000-08:00

Something to remember...

2008-11-14T12:28:00.000-08:00

This was sent to me through my mom and it made think of another young man at the age of 14 who talked to God and shared his message. Too bad the 14 year old I'm thinking about didn't have quite the reaction that this young man had...Still, the insight this boy has is amazing and inspiring, no matter what your religion.

US Marine Corps Ball!

2008-11-12T23:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Marines! Hope all of our Marine buddies out there enjoyed the festivities and another year with the Corps!

Since the Marine Corps birthday is Nov. 10th, every year units, battalions, air wings, squadrons, etc. (all Marines everywhere) celebrate sometime around this date. Usually they celebrate by throwing a huge ball. 5th Marines is no exception (Scott is part of 1st Battalion 5th Marines). This year they threw the ball on Nov. 1st and they threw it big in Las Vegas! Crazy. It was an interesting ball because many of the Marines in attendence had never been to a ball due to being deployed for the past three Novembers. So, the Marines and their dates had no idea of the protocol and proper behavior, which made it interesting. Especially when it came to some of the Marines dates. I know this might come as a shock to some of you, but yes a few Marines brought prostitutes to the Marine Corps Ball as their dates. And there were a few dates that Scott and I thought were pros, but turned out to be a steady girlfriend and a wife!!! (that should indicate what kind of "dresses" they were wearing!) The funny part was how quickly the ball ended. Usually they go till well past midnight, but not in Vegas. Everyone took off so fast that by 9pm only two people were left on the dance floor and the catering staff was already packing everything up! Why did everyone leave so early? To go hit the clubs, the casinos, and the, umm, gentalmen clubs... Well, we ended up going out to an awesome club with Scott's former Capt & wife, and his new Capt & wife. We even got the FULL VIP treatment by skipping the line, going up the private elevator, having security personally escort us, and having a whole section roped off for us. It was pretty cool. We danced and had a total blast till about 2am! Scott had to literally carry me out of the club cause my back and feet were shot! It was a really good time, even though we were the only sober people the whole night! :)

Who was at our table for the ball: Gunny Selby and his wife (standing next to us) and Scott's new CO, Capt. Day and his wife, Marta.

This is a pic of 1/3 of the ballroom even though you can't seem much of it. There was over a thousand people at the ball.

When the real fun began! At the VooDoo Lounge at the top of the Rio. It had the most amazing view and the best live band I've ever heard!!

Scott and his buddies, Lt. Bennet & Lt. Mahoney. Killing the dance floor with Fabiola (Scott's old CO's wife) and Marta (Scott's new CO's wife). We had WAY too much fun!One of the best night Scott & I have ever had!

Ghosts and Goblins Beware!

2008-11-12T22:59:00.000-08:00

I know I'm running behind and Halloween was almost two weeks ago, but I'm finally getting these posted! Hope eveyone got all the candy their little hearts desired and none of the cavities or extremely hyper-crazy children! Suffice to say we got more candy then we desired and Brennen definitely has a "normal" reaction to lots of sugar. Thank goodness Halloween only comes around once a year, but try telling that to Brennen. ;)

Scott & I went as Drew Carey & Mimi for an adult Halloween party. The theme was "Meant for each other" and we won 2nd place for our costumes! We had so much fun! (Thanks Asay's & Pinon's!!)Halloween Party for the kids! Lindie was the cutest little Tulip Fairy!Brennen was Capt Hook. Sadly I have no pics of him with his entire costume on! He was just so dang cute with his little eye patch and hook!On the actual Halloween night, we were in Las Vegas and due to a minor car accident (Scott hit a limo!) we didn't get to trick-or-treating till 9pm. Yet Brennen still managed to score all this candy and I only scored this one pic.

Why we NEED to vote YES on Prop 8!!

2008-10-29T12:15:00.000-07:00

Disney Overload

2008-10-27T21:58:00.000-07:00

I love Disneyland. I. LOVE. DISNEYLAND. Seriously, any excuse I can make to go I will. I even took Lindie when she was only 4 weeks old! Have you ever tried to spend a whole day (we spent two!) at an amusement park with a brand-new newborn? Not alot of fun, but still totally worth it.

Well, we already have made plans to spend a couple of days at Disneyland with a bunch of really good friends and their kids in Novemeber. Plus, I wanted to take Lindie for her birthday, and then again in October to see all the Halloween decorations, and then again in December when they have all the Christmas decorations up, and then for Brennen's birthday... well, you get the idea, I want to make several trips! So, I conviced Scott to let me buy annual passes. And, for anyone who knows Scott, he wants to make sure we get our moneys worth! So, I thought this was a great idea and we ended up going three times in one month. Pretty much every weekend in October. Can life get any better? Three weekends at the happiest place on earth! Even dealing with the kids crankiness, a few meltdowns, some exploding diapers, and way too many "NO!!"'s, we still left the parks with smiles on our faces.

Trip 1: Disneyland for LJ's Bday

You can kinda see LJ's Bday pin on her back. I put it on the front, but she kept trying to yank it off and eat it!

Trip 2: California Adventure Park (just for fun)

Brennen showing he's not just a flirt, he's Mr. GQ.

Trip 3: Back to Disneyland for everything we missed the first time.

So proud to have his picture taken with Pluto!

Taking Mom out for a spin.

Nope, no King Arthur in our family. Dang!

AMAZING RACE 13

2008-09-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

Scott and I are SO excited! We've been waiting and waiting and waiting and finally the season premiere of Amazing Race 13 aired last night! We've been a little addicted to this show since its first season and if you've read our little bio, you'll already know that we so seriously want to compete in this race. But, until then we live vicariously through the players and spend the whole show commenting on how we would've done it, or how we would've figured out the task so much faster, or what task we would choose and who would do what, etc. We'll fully admit we're geeks, but seriously (for those of you have watched us play Settlers of Cattan or Carcassonne), wouldn't we been a totally entertaining couple to watch, a Marine and a Personal Trainer who are both totally stubborn and totally competitive?! ;)

So, after watching the first episode a few of the teams we're rooting for at this point:

Nick and Starr- The Brother & Sister Team. They're already off to a great start by coming in #1! But, like all brothers and sisters, when is the fighting going to start?Aja and Ty- The Long Distance Couple. They just seem really nice and fun, just hope all this time together makes their relationship instead of breaks it!

Kelly and Christy- Best Friends. So, I'm not sure how Scott feels about them, but I love a good all girls team! Plus, they seem really smart!

Ken and Tina- Estranged Couple. He cheated on her and they separated and are now on the show to try and save their marriage. Not sure how I feel about this team. I like the both of them so far, but you can tell she still has some major issues to work out and it should be pretty interesting to see what happens!

Terrance and Sarah- Dating Couple. This is the one team Scott and I are NOT fans of. Sarah is a totally sweet girl, but she's being blind sided by her over-controlling boyfriend who gets butthurt if she doesn't show her 100% devotion to him every second of the day. This will be another couple to watch what happens as the show continues...

And to the first team to be sent home: Anita and Arthur- the Hippie Couple. They were a very interesting team to watch! Not really surprised they came in last, but a little sad to not see more of them. :)

Status Report

2008-09-26T21:14:00.000-07:00

Since Lindie had her one year check-up today I thought I'd share her growth status. She is now 31 inches tall (21 inches @ birth) and 22 pounds (7 lbs @ birth). After looking her all over the Doc said she's perfect and sent us on our way to get shots and blood work, fun stuff. She's a trooper though, cried for a second or two and then just gave me dirty looks. Just in case anyone was wondering about Brennen, he's 38 inches and 33lbs. ;) Thought I'd include some randoms pics from the past week or two. Enjoy!

This is my favorite skirt on her! I just wish this pic was as cute as real-life!

Camo Twins

Having too much fun in our messy office!Brennen's "new" bike that's still alittle too big for him, but that didn't keep him from riding it up and down the sidewalk!Scott just loves to get creative with the stroller, he's done some interesting stuff in the past, but this one takes the cake...(Scott put the front of the stroller over the back steps of the trike and B dragged her for a good 200 feet!) Boy, did we get some amused looks!My Sweet Captain Heartbreaker!

Happy Birthday Lindie!!

2008-09-23T22:29:00.000-07:00

Our little princess turned one today!! I'm still in denial and can't believe it's been a year! Lindie is the sweetest little thing and we are so happy that she is part of our little family! What a joy and blessing she has been this past year (even through the 5 months of colic and thrush! Ha!). We celebrated her birthday on Saturday with some family and a few friends and Lindie had a great time digging into her cake, opening presents, and playing with some of her little friends. Unfortunately, today, her actual birthday, she got sick and spent most of the day sleeping. Poor thing. Daddy also had to spend all day at work and all night in the field, so we went up and had dinner with him so he could see her on her birthday (especially important since he will be missing the next one). One of the other exciting moments of the weekend: turning her carseat around! Lindie was so happy to finally stretch and kick her little legs freely (as they have gotten quite long) and she didn't stop giggling the whole car trip (about 15 mins!). I really wish I could've recorded her squeals cause it was just too cute!

Great-Grandma Lucy (aka Meme) during LJ's party.

"What do you want me to do again?"

"Umm. Yumm."

"Ok, this is really good and I need a bigger mouth..."

I know she's my daughter cause she went to the Vicky C's bag first! ;)

Dinner with Daddy. Tried to get a cute pic of LJ all day, but this seriously was the best one.

Memory Lane Game

2008-09-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

Here's how it works:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Thanks for playing! ;)

Translation Please?

2008-09-03T22:38:00.000-07:00

Raising children is definitely a fun experience. They make you laugh, and they make you cry, they make you want more children, and they make you want to get your tubes tied. Right now I go back and forth about every few minutes with these thoughts. For example, Lindie will crawl over to me and wrap her little chubby arms around my neck and snuggle right into my shoulder making my heart just melt and I get all excited about the thought of having another cute little snuggle bug just like her. Then Brennen will run over and ask over and over again for a snack and then have the HUGEST melt down because he decided he didn't want a snack, but he does want a snack, but Daddy has to give it to him, and only Mommy can pull it out of the pantry, and it can't be in that cup it has to be in this one, and only Brennen can touch the cup, and after all that he feeds it to the dog cause he doesn't want it anymore, but asks again in another 5 minutes. AGGHHH!!! Then Lindie starts crying because she realized (after she is thoroughly entertained and distracted by Brennen) that she has been temporarily forgotten and she needs Mommy to pick her up right away or else the whole world will end as she knows it and she'll never ever see Mommy again! And once Mommy has her up off the ground the floor becomes a sea of scary fur that will attack if she is put back down. Which is usually the moment that I wonder what Scott and I are thinking for even entertaining the thought of having more children. Seriously, are we crazy? And then, soon after that thought process goes through my mind Brennen will sneak up on me and try and scare me, busting into a huge fit of laughter because he thinks he is just that funny, and then try tackling me with tickles, hugs, and kisses and yet again make my heart melt, starting the vicious cycle all over again. How can two little people so small drive me so completely insane and make me love them so much the very next second? Amazing.

Well, one of the other fun things Scott and I have been pulling our hair out over is trying to understand Brennen. He's talking up a storm now and he's getting easier to understand each day, but he's still not completely there. Which gets very frustrating on both ends. This evening he kept yelling at Lindie to stay away from his toys and he kept saying "Bay-gel". If Lindie started munching on one of his toy cars he would go grab it, yell "NO! Bay-gel!" then give it to Scott or myself and tell us "Bay-gel no play!". We had no clue what he meant. At first Scott thought he was saying Bagel and asked Brennen if he was hungry. Brennen looked at him weird and got all annoyed. I'm not sure how Scott figured out, but he realized Brennen was saying Baby Girl!! A term Scott and I use all the time to refer to Lindie. Too cute! Now, if we could just figure out the rest...

Thought I'd share some pics from the past week...

The only pic all three were looking at the camera and smiling!Lindie's first time eating grass.Too cool to smile."Mommy promised me food if I smile for the camera!"

Making a Change!

2008-08-22T21:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know my header has been messed up for awhile and I tried to fix it but nothing I did worked. So, I gave up and decided to go with a whole new look! Thankfully my cousin, Shelly, does these AWESOME backgrounds and I just had to snag this one. I had a hard time picking just one, though! She also does some great headers, too, (which I'm going to see about getting!) and thought I'd share with all my friends. If you like my background and want to check out more visit Shel's Scraps. Thanks Shelly for helping me out with this totally cute background and the easy directions!

Happy USMC Anniversary!!

2008-08-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

On Monday, August 18th, Scott "celebrated" his 10 year mark with the United States Marine Corps! I say "celebrated" because in traditional Marine Corps (Infantry) style he was at work all day long (6am to 7:30pm). So, I thought I'd share his commitment and accomplishment with family and friends to help him "celebrate"! I know I'm extremely proud of him and all that he has done and everything he is doing to make the USMC better (I know I'm biased, but he really is a Marine Corps stud! If you ever get to read his military bio, it's really impressive!). I get to see on a first hand basis what he sacrifices and how passionate he is about his Marines and their training. Believe me, the kids and I don't always come before his Marines, but I get it and understand, even if I don't always like it! But, that's what comes with being a military family, especially being married to a Marine like Scott. There's a reason the Marine Corps motto is "The Few. The Proud. The Marines." and Scott is a perfect example of the few and the proud! Way to go, Scott!

The Month of July...

2008-08-11T14:56:00.000-07:00

Welp, my mother-in-law has been giving me a hard time about updating the blog so I finally am getting my butt around to it. What can I say other then it's been a crazy month. It started off on a sad note, but life still goes on and so must we. Scott finally got his post-deployment leave (three weeks worth!) and we tried to cram as much in as we could! We went to the San Diego County Fair and Brennen & I rode an elephant for the first time! I will admit I was pretty scared to be up there, but Brennen had a blast so it was worth it.

Then we celebrated the Fourth of July by staying at home and relaxing with the kids! Scott BBQed some yummy steak and Brennen couldn't get enough of it!

See Grandma Karen! I'm wearing my pretty hat! :)

We then had a wonderful visit from my brother and his wife (just wish it had been under better circumstances, they had come down for my Uncle's funeral). This was the second time they've seen Brennen and the first time they saw Lindie! The kids were really excited to hang out with them and it wasn't too long before Brennen was screaming "Johnny!! Johnny!!" every 5 seconds! (Which was a nice break from hearing "Mommy! Mommy!"!! :) Thanks Uncle Johnny for being a human jungle gym!
And then we were off to Las Vegas!! We stayed at the Las Vegas Hilton, which is where the IDEA Health & Fitness Convention was held. I went to so many classes and was put through so many grueling workouts that by day 3 I could barely walk! Scott took care of the kids while I was in class and he did a great job! Well, except for the first day. I was leaving for class and I had told Scott the kids schedule and when to feed them, put them down for naps, etc. He didn't really listen and the kids made his head spin, so the next day he was grilling me about their schedule and even took notes! Needless to say, the rest of the week went alot smoother. :) After a week of re-energizing my brain (and thrashing my body!) we got to spend a whole day enjoying Vegas. We went to the Harley Davidson Cafe for lunch-

Visited the M&M Factory- Saw the Lions at MGM Grand...

And finished the evening with dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe- YUM!

After Vegas our number one goal was to get Brennen potty trained!! So we set up his new potty and let him run around the house in his new "big boy" underware. Can I just say how much fun it is to potty train a two year old boy? He's so much more interested in his family jewels then actually going potty. It's gotten to the point that the only reason he'll go potty now is because it's the only time I don't yell at him to leave his junk alone! Not to mention how excited he was when he found out what he could do with the little opening on the front of his underware!! Agh, boys.

Now to the end of the month. Scott threw me a fabulous 30th birthday party! We decorated the house like a dance club, hired a DJ, set-up a dessert buffet, and had a bar with fun drinks. My favourite was the Dirty Christini. ;) I had so much fun and was so happy that all my good friends were able to make it and even my sister-in-law, Steph, who came in from Chicago!! I figured if I'm going to turn 30, I really want to have a good time doing it! My big wish of the night was to dance with my hubbie and thankfully Scott totally indulged me! Thanks Scott for spoiling me rotten!! :)

How we decorated the Family Room-

And last but not least, we also celebrated Scott's 28th birthday!! He's not as into birthdays as I am, so we celebrated by eating my leftover birthday cake. Oh, wow that makes me sound like a horrible wife! Don't worry, he thoroughly enjoyed his birthday presents and I'm pretty sure he had a great day. :)

So, the real reason I've been the biggest slacker about updating the blog this month... My girlfriend, Naomi, suggested this book that she thought I would like, so I went out and bought it, but finally got around to reading it after my birthday. I read it in less then three days (it's over 600 pages), and then read the second and third books (also 600+ pages), and then waited a couple of days for book #4 (over 750 pages), all of which I read in the space of a week. For those of you who have never heard of the Twilight Saga Series, I'm telling you now, I am as obsessed with this series as Harry Potter Fans are to Harry Potter. My poor husband and children were sadly neglected and left to fend for themselves (of course not really, but I think Scott would make you think that...) while I was totally consumed with the story of Bella and her true-love, a vampire, named Edward. It's probably a little pathetic how emotionally involved I am with this series and it's probably also a little sad that I've already got a count down to the movie coming out in December... 12.12.08 , oh well, what can I say? I'm a sucker for a good story.

My Uncle Dom

2008-07-01T22:38:00.001-07:00

Words cannot express the sadness I feel, not only for my loss, but for the loss my Aunt Melanie and my cousins Rob and Chris are feeling right now. My Uncle Dom passed away shortly after 12:30pm today after a courageous fight with cancer. Family surrounded him during his last moments and the love felt in the room was undeniable. He fought till the end and waited long enough to meet his granddaughter (only 6 weeks old) for the first time, before letting go. I am so thankful for the opportunity Scott and I had to be there with my family at his bedside. That we were able to see him and say our good-byes. He was one of the hardest working men I have ever known and also had the biggest heart. His smile was always warm and welcoming and I will greatly miss his big bear hugs and the way he rolled his eyes at something dumb. It's moments like these that make me so thankful for my testimony of the gospel and of my Saviour, Jesus Christ. To know that life doesn't end and that my Uncle is better now, free from his cancer and his pain. Please keep my family in your prayers, that we all might have our Saviours peace and comfort during this difficult time.

Happy Birthday Terry

2008-06-29T23:05:00.000-07:00

Today was Scott's Dad's birthday. Most of you know that Terry passed back on Dec. 8th, 2004 and is no longer with us, but Scott & I still felt like we should celebrate it in some way. Terry, or as Brennen likes to call him, "Pop-pop", lived an amazing life that was cut a little too short. He lived a majority of his life here in Southern California, split between Los Angeles and San Diego. Some of the best times of his life was spent while attending UCLA in the '60's. We have heard many stories from Terry, family, and friends, of his college days and everything he was involved in over the 9 years he was there. He was the captain for the JV football team, the president of his fraternity, the president of the Interfraternity Council, the Head Yell Leader, the captain of the rugby team, and the president of a secret fraternity, The Kelps. One of my favorite stories of Terry was when he was the Head Yell Leader at UCLA. It was during one of the football games (I'm sure I'm going to find out from Uncle Wayne or Uncle John soon after I post this which one! ;) ) the Quarterback for the opposing team had the last name of Little. Terry came up with the chant "Pluck Chicken Little!", knowing what it would turn into...so in a stadium (the Rose Bowl?) full of thousands of fans, you could hear, "#@*! Chicken Little!!". Terry always knew how to liven things up!

Terry with us at our Sealing

We decided to celebrate Terry's birthday by driving up to UCLA and hanging out on the Intermural Field next to the John Wooden Fitness Center on campus. It use to be the UCLA Rugby Field, where Terry felt the most alive and experienced some of his fondest memories. This is also where Scott spread his ashes after he passed. It was a beautiful day and we felt so blessed to spend some time remembering Dad. He was a wonderful man with the kindest heart. We miss him dearly and look forward to seeing him again someday.

Brennen just had to push the stroller all by himself across the whole field.

The Boys and The Bruin

Terry's Fraternity House

And life returns to normal?

2008-06-27T22:06:00.000-07:00

Normal. I've decided that our household will never be normal. Especially as long as Scott is active duty. It's been so great having Scott back home! The kids love playing with him and I love getting my hugs and kisses whenever I want, but it comes with considerable readjustment! Poor Scott has to deal with me, who has been making all the decisions, calling all the shots, handling all the finances, running the kids on a tight schedule, and being the sole parent. I want to give up some of this load (believe me I do!!) but I've learned that my Marine husband needs a SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) manual and for me to do a thorough brief on it with him. And, if it's not accompanied with an Order written in LOI format or on a PowerPoint presentation, he won't get it anyway! Darn Marine Corps. It's been kinda hard to "train" him since he had to go straight back to work once he got home and they've kept him busy. He was made the XO (Executive Officer) for his company (1/5 Alpha) and he's been running around for the past three weeks working 70+ hours, which means I've barely seen him and when I do he's usually crashed out on the couch! I'm just thankful that he's at least home on our couch instead of on a coffin rack out at sea. :) So, now is when the fun starts...Scott started his three week leave today (if you count 4pm as "starting" leave)! I have already scheduled a bunch of things for us to go do, including the usual things like Sea World, Legoland, The San Diego County Fair, and hitting the beach. We're also heading out to Las Vegas for a week so I can attend IDEA World Fitness Conference! I'm soooo excited! It's a full week of classes and workout sessions and fitness demos and everything related to fitness and exercise! Now, while I'm in class all day re-engaging my brain, Scott is going to have both kids all to himself! I don't think Scott has ever even had to take care of Brennen longer then a couple of hours, and that was back when he was 10 months old. So it should be interesting to see how he does with a 9 mo old and a 2 yr old. ;) We're also planning on getting Brennen potty trained after we get back from Vegas. I've already stocked up on paper towels, rubber gloves, and sanitizer. It should be a very interesting month for us...

Since it's been awhile since I've gotten on here I thought I'd post a couple of pics from the past couple of weeks:

Scott's first time giving both kids a bath!

Playing with Daddy before bed.

Brennen loves to swordfight and makes Scott wear the whole getup to play.

Lindie wanted in on the action, too.

A beautiful (HOT) day at the beach.

Lindie walking (with help) for the first time!

Cheesy girl totally enjoyed Panera's.

SCOTT'S HOME!!!

2008-06-03T23:02:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? Scott is finally home and I'm still floating on cloud nine! Monday was a long day for the both of us. Scott was up at 2am to start the loading and transport process and had only gotten about an hour of shut-eye because he was so excited. The kids and I drove up to get Scott and we made it there by 8:30am. We had to wait around for an hour before we finally got to see him, but the wait was totally forgotten the second we saw Scott! Brennen was so excited to see his dad that he ran full speed to Scott and wouldn't let Scott put him down. Brennen just wanted to be with daddy everywhere he went. Even Lindie was super excited to see daddy and greeted him with a big toothy smile and giggles! I really think she did instantly recognize him and was happy to see him, too. Scott's mom and step-dad were also there to welcome Scott home (and help me out with the kids! Thanks!!). The amazing thing was that normally when a schedule is given out in the Marine Corps about how/when things are going to happen, it never really works that way, and everything is delayed by two hours. So, I was totally prepared to spend all day on base, standing around waiting for Scott to show up, thinking around 5-6pm Scott would be able to leave. But, for once, things actually went better then planned and Scott was off by 12:30pm!!! We were able to go home and relax and just be a family again. Scott was able to check out his new home and I made this sign to welcome him:Scott with his very happy children!
I finally got my hug & kiss!!
I love my Marine.
Brennen's pure happiness as expressed on his face!

We've Moved!!

2008-05-22T22:07:00.001-07:00

It's official! May 17th was the big move and we now live in our new place. This is me opening the door for the first time. I have to admit I was pretty excited! I just wish Scott could've been here to share in the fun (and the work!!). The move itself went well. Hmm, except for the curse of Murphy's Law. It just so happened that it was the hottest day of the hottest weekend of the year so far and we were all sweating buckets! It didn't help that Brennen woke me up at 5am that morning with a 101.6 temp and a croupy cough (we took him to urgent care later that day and found out he had bronchitis and an ear infection- fun stuff!). Thankfully a good friend from church took Brennen for the day so I could focus on the move. We also ended up being short on moving trailers. Which made the move last a little longer then what all the guys (AWESOME guys from church!!) thought it would. I really didn't think we had that much stuff...

Anyways, they rocked it out and spent a good six hours going back and forth between houses getting everything moved. Thank goodness the new house is only a couple of miles from the old house which made that aspect of the move easier. I really can't thank the Elder's Quorum and Young Men (& Sonrisa & the Humphery's!!) from my ward enough! They worked so hard and were so willing to help me out! I have been so blessed and humbled to have so much service rendered to me, not only with this move, but the over the last seven months that Scott has been deployed. I have truly felt the Lord's hand in answering my prayers and helping me through. It's amazing how the Lord works and how He knows exactly what I need even when I didn't know it. I'm just so excited to have Scott home soon. It's getting closer and closer and we're finally down to the single digits!! I just can't wait to have my best friend (and my shopping buddy) ;) back home with me and our babies.

Other news about the kids- the night before we moved was the last night Brennen slept in his crib. I took a picture of him right before bed and I almost started crying. I had been so worried about how he was going to handle the transition from crib to twin bed that I didn't realize it was really me having the issue. I'm just having a hard time believing my baby boy is growing up and is no longer my baby. Now the crib is sitting in pieces in his new room and every time I look at it I get a little sad. Brennen doesn't seem to care much. He has had no problems in his big boy bed and has discovered how much fun it is to jump on and off of. I'm just waiting for that one day I hear a big thud...

Lindie has also had a little bit of a traumatic week. More teeth have popped up! Yes, my baby girl now has 6 teeth, with 2 more cutting through any day, and one more coming soon! The poor thing has been in so much pain, but has been such a trooper. I've been amazed at well she has adjusted to the new house, her new room, and her new teeth! She's just been the happiest little thing and showing off those new pearly whites every chance she gets. Unfortunately, she hasn't shown them to the camera yet, but I'll keep working on getting that shot! :)

A Week in Review

2008-05-09T22:40:00.000-07:00

What a week! So much has happened that I haven't had time to get on here and post like I wanted to so I'm going to do a "quick" recap. Starting with last Saturday, we had a bunch of young men and women come over and they washed Burwell (our dog), took him for a walk, and totally washed & cleaned our Explorer!! Brennen just had to help and he grabbed a sponge and towel and followed the older boys lead! He was so proud of himself!

Later that day I decided that I had had enough of Brennen's shaggy look and finally broke out the new clippers I bought. The new clippers worked so well that I ended up cutting more off then I had planned, I just wasn't use to such sharp clippers! It also didn't help that Brennen kept moving all over the place and I accidently cut alittle more on one side and then on the other side and alittle in the back... so, B ended up with one motivated haircut and is back to being our little Marine! :)

One of the ways I got Brennen to sit still long enough for me to cut his hair was by the promise of a lolipop. He was so excited to get a lolipop that he ran around the house like a little crazy man! He ran up the stairs and gave me this huge roar (a new favorite pasttime) and this is him gearing up for the great big roar and then unleashing it for all to hear! He is just too funny!

While I was getting ready one morning this week, I wasn't paying close attention to Brennen. I had Disney on the TV in my room and hoped that it would keep Brennen entertained till I was done. Silly me!! I looked out around the corner from my bathroom to see what all the noise was about and there's Brennen in his old exersaucer! I was shocked to see how big Brennen was in it. I know he's gotten bigger and that he's older and all, but it really does seem like a month ago he was just my little baby boy...

This post seems to be all about Brennen, so I thought I'd throw in a cute pic of Lindie! All smiles with three teeth in and two more cutting through! Poor thing has been in so much pain with three of her teeth coming in in just the past couple of days.

Many of you are probably wondering how the move is going and for many of you who I have talked to, you know that I've been having a really hard time trying to get things packed. I've tried to pack when the kids were up, but that didn't work because Brennen wanted to pull everything out or do all the packing himself and Lindie wanted me to hold her the whole time. So, I tried waiting till their afternoon nap or bedtime, thinking I should get a ton done- nope, packing seems to be alittle too loud to get much done and I have only been able to pack one or two boxes in that 2 hour slot in the afternoon. And at bedtime, I'm just so drained from taking care of the kids that I end up vegging in front of the TV eating cookies. Since I wasn't getting much accomplished I tried to distract Brennen with some of my hair accesories so I could pack Scott's stuff in our closet. Brennen was ok at first but kept getting into my make-up, so I gave in and let him play with some old stuff that I know I'll never use, and this is what happened:Once he got himself all painted up, he ran around like he was a Maori Warrior and roared at himself in the mirror! I wish I had gotten it on video! Check out his facial expressions in the mirror!

Ahh, the wonderful gift of a child's curiosity. I stuck a small shiny sticker on Lindie's hand and she was totally entertained for a solid 15 mins! I was able to unload laundry, fix dinner, change Brennen's diaper, and load some dishes all in that small amount of time!! And I doubt she even noticed how many times I left the room! :)

Oh, and did I mention that Brennen also swallowed a nickel? Yeah, Sunday afternoon, right before his nap. He was up out of bed, playing around. I charged into his room to yell at him to get back in bed and startled him. He started choking so I ran over and hit him on his back alittle and he swallowed! I asked him what he swallowed and he said "Eh-kal". I couldn't believe it, but he just smiled super big and started running around chanting "Eh-kal, Eh-kal". Yet again, something he was just so proud of himself for doing. I took him in on Thursday to get an x-ray and thankfully he was all clear with no sign of the nickel! So, we now have another fun story to tell of our little crazy man.

Baby Roars!

2008-05-01T19:34:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd share a funny video of my cute kids and some other random photos from this week. They're more for Scott since his ship won't let me send large files (They deem everything other then text as a large file), but I hope everyone will enjoy! :)

Brennen was having a full blown conversation with me and a couple of seconds later (literaly) I look over and saw this:

It was sooo hot the other day I stripped both kids down to their matching diapers and the giggle war began! These two just kept cracking each other up and laughing like crazy!

Ok, so this isn't Lindie's best picture ever, but it's just too funny and she looks just like....

The past couple of nights I've actually made dinner and we have all ate at the table together!! Brennen has even been staying in his chair!! It is so amazing that I had to take a picture cause I'm still in unbelief!

Lindie has figured out her legs and that they are good for something other then kicking- Rocking! It so much fun to see this since Brennen entirely skipped this stage! Go Lindie!

My sweet little angels (at least during the time these pics were taken!) right before bed.

We love you Daddy! Good Night!

How I met Scott...

2008-04-28T15:12:00.000-07:00

How did you meet your significant other? Answer all the questions HONESTLY and repost as "How I met ____"

1. Where did you meet? NAVSTA Bremerton, The Concourse Gym

2. What was the first thought that went through your head when you met? "Ok, seriously. Why won't this guy talk to me and why is he looking at me funny? Do I have something stuck in my teeth?"

3. Do you remember what he/she was wearing? Navy Football Uniform and a Cal Beanie

4. Where was the first time you kissed this person? Holyoak "Hotel" family room

5. How did he/she ask you out? I was tricked by my co-workers into asking Scott out. This was the only time I've ever asked a guy out on the first date.

6. Where did you go for your first date? A Taylor Daine Concert at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, WA

7.How long did you know this person before you became a couple? We became joined at the hip two days after our first date, so I'd say Dec. 9th 2001. :)

8. Has this person ever proposed to you? He totally surprised me on Valentine's 2002- the best surprise ever!

9. Do you and this person have kids together? So far, two beautiful munchkins

10. Have you ever broken the law with this person? We (Scott) have run a couple of stop lights and stop signs...

11. When was the first time you realized that you liked this person? On our first date, but didn't think it would go anywhere so I decided the same night not to pursue a relationship with him. But, I ended up falling in love with him two days later.

12. Do you get along with any of the ex's of your partner? Never met any of them. Scott has met a couple of mine though...interesting.

13. Do you trust this person? With all my heart. He's the most trustworthy person I've ever met. Seriously.

14. Do you see your partner in your future? I better, we're together for eternity!! ;)

15. Whats the most expensive thing this person has given you? My AWESOME engagement ring!!

16. What is one thing he/she does that gets on ur nerves? One thing? Hmm...If I had to narrow it down...;) He's sooo picky but plays it off that I'm the picky one, and he even had me tricked into thinking that, too, up until a couple months ago!

17. What is the thing you do that gets on his/her nerves? I spend HIS money!! (I love you baby!)

18. Where do you see each other in 15 years from now? Hahaha, we're a Marine Corps family, so we'll probably still be in the Corps, with hopefully two more kids, who knows where, doing who knows what!! I would like to be back working and have earned a Master's Degree. Scott'll probably have his Master's by then, too. I just hope we're happy and healthy!

Look Alike

2008-04-27T23:12:00.000-07:00

As I have been busy packing this week, I came across some baby pictures of myself and Scott. Now, Scott and I have had a really hard time trying to tell who Brennen and Lindie look like more. Do they take more after Scott and the Stewart side? The Delaye side (Scott's Moms family)? The Sepe's (My Moms family- which we both agree we don't see any resemblance- sorry!)? Or the Johnson side? I swear I see more of the Johnson side and I thought for awhile Brennen looked just like my brother, Johnny. And then, of course, we've had all of our friends input on who they think the kids look like, but lately everyone has been saying how Lindie looks more like Scott, and a few have said the same about Brennen. Not that I mind that my kids look more like Scott, cause I love the guy and I think he's the hottest guy on the planet, but I found these pictures and thought I'd post them to see what everyone else thinks...

This is me when I was around 4 yrs old

Scott around the age of 2

Our two beautiful babies

Scott around 10 months

The one thing I can say for sure- Scott, Lindie totally has your blue eyes! I wish I could find a pic of me when I was smaller, like the picture of Scott at 10 months. Oh, well. Now that you've seen these, what do you think?

We Got The House!!

2008-04-21T22:30:00.000-07:00

YEAH!! I found a home and I got it!! I'm sooo excited!! I went to tour the house this evening and after walking though it and asking about everything I could think of, I felt really good about handing over the rather large security deposit and claiming it for our family! And here is the lucky home we will be living in for the next two years:
It's a 4 bedroom + loft/3 bath house that has a great layout and is in a great neighborhood. I'm so excited because we get to live so close to good friends who are in our ward at church, we have access to a neighborhood pool and tot lots, and it won't increase Scott's commute time by even one minute! :) And the other major relief- the move-in date is exactly what I was hoping for! So, the official date is: Sat. May 17th. Can I tell you what a relief it is to have a date to plan for? Plus, now that I've seen the house I have a better idea of what I need to get rid of and what I don't anymore. Hallelujah! Now that means I really need to start packing! And that is one thing I'm not looking forward to...

OK, so I'm going to share my BONEHEAD moment of the year. I can NOT believe I did this and what a COMPLETE BONEHEAD I was earlier today. So, today was pretty stressful trying to get a lot of things done in preparation of securing the house and moving in a short amount of time. One of the errands I had to run was returning some things, including a pair of shoes I got for Brennen that ended up being too small. As I left the house I grabbed Lindie (in her car seat), all the bags that had items to return, and a bag of plastic hangers to throw in the recycling bin. So, I get Lindie in the car, throw my purse and bags in the front seat and then tossed the bag with the plastic hangers into the recycling bin out on my curb. I dropped the kids off at my friends and race around Oceanside trying to get everything done. I go to Mervyn's to return Brennen's shoes and I can't find the bag. What I do find is the bag of plastic hangers. Yep, that's right. I tossed a pair of BRAND NEW shoes into the recycle bin. I even called my neighbor to see if she could grab them, but it was too late. The shoes were gone and I'm an idiot. I sat in the car swearing at myself for like ten minutes I was so mad. Aggh, even right now I just want to go hit my head against the wall a few hundred times. How in the world I could do something that stupid is beyond me, but I did it. So, if anyone has had one of those BONEHEAD moments and would like to share so I can feel a little better about myself, please do!

March for Babies!

2008-04-19T22:17:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful opportunity this morning to march for the March of Dimes. A couple of my girlfriends from church have had preterm babies and because of the March of Dimes, they were able to have their children cared for while they were still in the hospital. I know how much raising money for the March of Dimes was to them (and because one of the asked me) I joined the team. We had a really good time and got a workout in, too ! :) They said it was only a 3 mile walk, but some of us highly doubt that after walking it. I think they forgot a mile in there when they were measuring it... Here are some pics from the event. We started/ended at a park right next to the beach in Carlsbad. It was a great route to walk since the whole thing was along the beach. Which made the whole walk so enjoyable! Just wish the sun was out a little more so I could work on my tan! ;)

Waiting for the March to start!

Our team at the halfway point
Us mommies
Baby Girl at the end of the march chompin' away on her ellie!

Battered Knees n' Things

2008-04-14T14:55:00.000-07:00

A little update: still looking for a house, but the search is going really well. I'm feeling really good about finding something that Scott & I will both be totally happy with. I'm even feeling optimistic about the move in general. My ward (church) family has been so great offering their help with everything from babysitting to packing to moving that I'm not as anxious about it as I was last week and everyday gets better. Plus, knowing that Scott will be home soon makes everything better! ;)

You know it's summer when your child's knees are totally scabbed over! Brennen, being the normal crazy child that he is, has fallen so many times in the past two days that I'm really worried about the next 6 months! Now that the weather has heated up and the shorts are out, I don't think his poor little knees will survive the season. Note to self: stock up on Neosporin!!

It was cute how excited he was to get band-aids put on his knees. He even asked me to take a picture! So here he is showing off his cool band-aids and his cheesy smile. :) And yes, that is his version of a smile, thankfully only for the camera!

Beautiful baby Lindie. Just had to take a pic of her after church on Sunday. "Hi Daddy!"

More Stress...

2008-04-10T23:31:00.000-07:00

So, for those who have not heard, our landlord is filing for bankruptcy and the house we are living in will be foreclosed on. Which means I need to find somewhere new to live. In the next four weeks. Our lease is up the end of May, so we're good till then, but after that anything goes, so Scott and I decided just to get out of here. That way we won't have to worry about having them give us one weeks notice to move or something crazy like that. We also decided that it would be better for us to do the move before Scott gets home rather then after. I know that sounds insane for me to tackle a move by myself with two kids, but it really is for the best. So, if for some reason Scott doesn't come home on time, I think I might have a real, full-blown panic/anxiety attack and they might just have to take me away in a pretty white jacket (lets pray that doesn't happen!). I mentioned to Scott that I felt really bad that he will be coming home to a totally different house, and he said it's fine as long as he's not coming home to a totally different family! :) Poor guy is in for a shock when he sees Lindie and Brennen!

So the hunt is on for a new home. My goal is to find something that will let us stay in our current ward, that will not increase Scott's commute by even one minute, and that meets all of our picky requirements! (I want a tot lot or park and access to a pool!!!!) I've been checking a bunch of different sites online and I've already had friends give me some leads of homes for rent. I'm so grateful for everyone who has already been so eager to help me out. And if I haven't asked for your help yet, you can be guaranteed I'll be asking now! ;)

Seriously, can life get any crazier right now?

Totally 80's!

2008-04-06T13:29:00.000-07:00

Last night my sister-in-law's best friend (making her almost another sister to Scott and practically part of the family), Danielle, had her 30th birthday party and it was a totally rad night of all things 80's! I think the last time I ever felt or looked so 80's-ish, was actually back in the 80's! We all had a really good time rockin' out to the music and checkin' out how people pulled their outfits together! It was soo cool how everyone that came to the party was totally decked out! Here's some pics to enjoy!

My Sister-in-law, Steph, Me, and Danielle!

Danielle and her husband, Dustin

Totally Rad Valley Girls

Instead of cake: Pac-Man Cupcakes!

Dustin sending his love to Scott!

Dustin did an awesome job decorating their whole house for the party!

Just for you baby! I love you and wish you could have been here!

Cookie Monster

2008-04-01T23:19:00.000-07:00

Lindie was looking too cute in her little sweat outfit so I grabbed my camera to try and get a really cute photo to send to her daddy. Unfortunately, she only wanted to smile with the binky in her mouth...

So I enlisted the help of her big brother, who tried to tell her to smile and show her how it was done..."Cheeeeeeezzzzeeeee"

"Seriously, Mom?"

"Baby, CHEEEEEEZZEEEE!!!!"

Now if you notice Lindie's eyes are totally fixed on something else while Brennen is showing his pearly whites...

And with amazing accuracy, Lindie snatched that bag of Teddy Grahams and shoved it into her little mouth before Brennen (or I!) even had a clue what she was doing! I'm really surprised I got any of it on camera!

My cute little cookie monster!

Lindie Jane- looking innocent and sweet! Who knew she would turn into a cookie thef? :)

Beach Time!

2008-03-29T23:31:00.000-07:00

The weather has been so wonderful lately that the kiddies and I have made several trips to the beach to walk along the boardwalk and the pier and watch the sunset. Brennen and I had fun playing in the sand and looking for shells while Lindie took her naps in the stroller. These are some pics from earlier this week. Dude, I love living in SoCal!

Fitness Fanatic

2008-03-28T23:24:00.000-07:00

I am so exhausted! I have worked out every day this week! Am I crazy? Maybe alittle. I've been leading a workout group every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and this week one of my friends got me to add on Tuesday and Thursday! And the class tripled in size this week, too, making me alittle nervous.

Since I stopped working over two years ago (and have barely worked out since then, too) I have been feeling really rusty. We are all moms who are either trying to increase our energy to keep up with our kids or trying to drop all that extra unwanted baby weight. I have totally enjoyed leading the class and helping these wonderful women work towards their goals (even with all the suburban mom turf war drama!). I just hope in my attempt to "impress" them with a good workout I haven't sent them limping for the hills!

Accident!

2008-02-25T21:25:00.000-08:00

So the day started off great with Lindie cutting her first tooth and having playgroup at my house. Plus, the rain clouds had moved on and the sun was out and it was a gorgeous day! So, after all our little friends left and I had fed Lindie I decided that we should go take a walk around the neighborhood. I got Lindie all ready to go and put her in her car seat and then went to wrestle Brennen out of his pj's and into some normal clothes. While wrestling with him I heard a loud crash and turned around to see the car seat upside down on the hard, tile, kitchen floor! I FREAKED out! I have never in my life been so freaked out. I started crying as I ran to pick Lindie up and she was screaming and then Brennen joined in. I had NO idea what to do. Her little forehead started to swell up and thankfully after a couple of minutes of holding her she calmed down but I was still freaking out thinking I had just killed my daughter or permanently brain damaged her or ruined her for life. I have never had that feeling of COMPLETE dread and fear come over me. I just kept praying to Heavenly Father that she be ok. Thankfully my friend, Jenny, was home when I called (she has two boys and a daughter the same age as Lindie and her husband is a doctor) thinking she would know what to do, since I really wasn't able to think straight, and thankfully, her husband was also home. So I ran over to their house so he could check her out and let me know what I needed to do. After he checked her over he said she was ok and gave me a list of things to watch for. I felt so relieved that she was alright. I just wish I knew how she managed to knock the car seat off the table! Needless to say my nerves are shot and I'm an emotional mess. This was definitely one of those days I really needed Scott, just for his emotional strength and support.

Getting Started

2008-02-22T14:58:00.000-08:00

Wow. Blogging. So this is what it's like. Never really thought I'd be doing this but since it seems all of my friends are doing it, I guess I'm just going to follow the crowd. Now I just need to post some pics, find a better layout that represents our family better (ok, represents me better), and post what's going on in our lives. Let's just start with the obvious going ons: Scott is deployed, still. He just got extended, which makes it a 7 month deployment instead of a 6 month and won't be back until early summer, sucks to be us. Lindie, our BEAUTIFUL baby girl, is growing like a weed and is now 5 months old!! I'm still having a hard time believing I even have a daughter, let alone a 5 month old! And finally, Brennen, the crazy 2 year old that terrorizes the house, is my lovable little monster that can drive me INSANE one minute and melt my heart the next. Who knew I'd be so in love with two little kids and a US Marine?! Semper Fi!