Another Doctor in the House?

Well, I couldn't pass up these super cute pj's for Alex. If they would have had them in Luke's size, I would have gotten them for him too. Very appropriate here, but I wish they would have said "D.O." on the back instead of "M.D." If you don't know, there are two different medical degrees, just as there are two different dentistry degrees. Edward is a D.O., Doctor of Osteopathy, and they can do the same things...even more! They also learn osteopathic medicine, which if they actually practice (Edward does), it's a form of chiropractic medicine of manipulating and moving muscles, etc. It's awesome :)

Edward got to see these a week ago before he left. He left this morning for three weeks at Ft. Bragg-no contact...no phone or Internet :(

Anyways, I had to "settle" for the M.D. shirt, but a doctor is still a doctor :)

New Excitement at the Commissary

Ahh, I'm so bummed this came out blurry, but I couldn't tell on my camera phone. Anyways, I took this a couple of weeks ago.

BIG excitement at the Commissary (grocery store on the base)...they now are the owners of a SPACE SHIP CART. I know, contain the excitement. I'm not fond of these cumbersome carts, BUT they keep my boys happy and make our trips fun.

This day was the first day of the cart's use, and we were the FIRST to use it! My boys were thrilled! We almost missed it, as we walked in, and it wasn't with the other carts. They park it in a different place, and Luke had to drag me back toward the front door, screaming, "Mommy, they have a space ship cart!!!!"

Yes, it was the highlight of the day. I was talking to Cora, the cashier (yes, it's that small here that there are just a couple of cashiers, and they know us without having to even ask for our ID cards), and she said that they get one space ship cart every three years...this is the first. Oh, I'm glad it's here for my boys to use! The only problem will be going and finding the cart in use by someone else, and it would obviously be someone we know, so it could be a brawl at the commissary :)

I must say, this is the nicest cart I've ever pushed! It's got such a smooth ride so far, and it is newly designed with an upper and a lower basket (both big). I'll have to try and get a better picture next time.

You're So Tired...

...that you could sleep anywhere, even on top of every pillow and blanket known to man.

A Funny Site

Besides the Army, what do a Colonel, Major, and Captain have in common?

Well, let's start...Colonel=Post Commander, Major=Post Chaplain, Captain=Edward/Post Doctor.

What do they have in common besides being our neighbors?

They all piled into Edward's Enclave to go to the military ball tonight. It was a funny site.

So, I didn't go to the ball this year because childcare was WAY too expensive. A lot of wives stayed home this year due to the same problem, especially those of us with several kids (childcare was per kid). Anyways, Edward and the chaplain decided to ride together because his wife was staying home for the same reason. As the guys were loading up this afternoon (Madison and I stood in the driveway and watched...boys napping), the Colonel came out of his house ready to go too. The guys asked him if he wanted to ride along, and he hopped in...well, after one of the three carseats was removed.

I don't konw why it was so funny, but it was. It does show you how small this place is that we live on top of each other and how we all definitely know each other. I don't think at too many bases, senior officers would just "hop in" for a ride to town. I love this small base. I told Edward it was nice of him to get the car washed today for his date, haha.

Yeah, I'm sure this crew will have a wild and crazy evening, especially with church bright and early tomorrow.

They all looked super spiffy in their Dress Blues :)

Yuma Makes the Weather Channel: Cantore Stories!

If you didn't see it Saturday night, you can catch it Sunday night. Yuma is named the Hottest City in the U.S., and Jim Cantore from the Weather Channel has done a show about our interesting city.

It aired at 9 PM Saturday evening, and it should be on again at 9PM Sunday night(Eastern time, folks, so it was actually on at 6PM for us). It's a half hour show called Cantore Stories, and he even visits Yuma Proving Ground!

Those of you who have been to Yuma probably remember the sand dunes...they make the show (ahh, if you haven't seen them in person, see picture at top of blog), along with snakes (YUCK!), and "THE FENCE" as in the U.S. Border.

If you are at all interested in our wild, dry, hot terrain, tune in. It was an interesting show, and I've been everywhere he's filming around town (it's not that big of a town here...to call it a city, hmmm)! There's one segment about egg frying where he goes to another town...that's DEFINITELY not us. You'll see what I mean about that place, haha.

So, tune in for Cantore Stories Sunday evening to learn about our "dry heat." Yes, it's on The Weather Channel (Channel 362 if you have Directv).

Yuma, an interesting place the Army has sent us, but DEFINITELY not a place we want to come back and retire! Can't believe we only have another 10 months or so here in "The Sunniest City on the Planet."

MOPS

Many of you know that I help run the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) program here. My friend, Jessica, and I run it together. MOPS is international, and it's a Christian outreach ministry. Because of that, most are located in churches or chapels. Our post chapel has a MOPS group, and we meet two Fridays a month in the Chapel Fellowship Hall. When I moved here, I kind of got thrown into the leadership role after the current leader had to PCS (military lingo for move) very quickly. I didn't think I'd been here long enough to run it, but at the same time, I didn't want it to end. At the time, my friend, Heather, and I started running it together, and we quickly improved our numbers from our normal of seven to around 20. That's a lot for a small post! Heather is starting the process of getting ready to PCS herself, so Jessica has taken over her slot. We started back up in August (most groups run with the school year), and we had 27 moms come! Our second meeting, a week ago, we had 34! This post has 200 houses on base, of which some are not full and others are for singles. That's a lot of moms coming!!! Things are going really well and hope they continue.

One of the things we do as an outreach is help new moms. We always setup a meal schedule when a mom has a baby to take food for a couple of weeks. All of us are in the same boat, away from family and friends, so we band together. Recently, a mom moved here due with her second baby, and our group threw her a baby shower. I am not posting baby shower pictures, but I am putting up some pictures from the chapel because we have been so blessed with a new chaplain (and our new neighbor)! He agreed MOPS and the chapel needed some new kids' items, so we made a MAJOR trip to Wal-Mart and purchased a ton of stuff to include new toys, baby gear, and the like. None of this stuff had been updated in years, and it's so nice now to have stuff that is safe and clean for our kids to use. What a praise!

View from the baby shower. Kristy, the one we were celebrating, doesn't know if she is having a girl or a boy, so we went with the theme of a girl and boy colors. This is the Fellowship Hall where we meet. It's been so packed out lately, this shower seemed like such a small group!

Alex is showing off one of the new toys that was purchased. The kids all love these ride-ons, and while we purchased two (second one is right next to Alex), it might not be enough! We can have up to 25 kids at a MOPS meeting and no, we don't have childcare!

Alex is also showing off one of the new booster seats. The chapel purchased four, and again, we might need more! These are awesome to just strap onto the chair and wipe down. We have the same type of chair at our house. It's a good thing that the new chaplain, Jessica, and I all have kids to know what we needed.

And, this is just to show how kind and generous people here are. Kristy didn't know most of the people who came to the shower due to just moving here. However, people here are so kind and understand the situation. Behind the gifts against the wall, is where we are storing all of our new baby gear from the chapel. We have two pack-n-plays, a high chair, four booster seats, Exersaucer, swing, and Jumperoo. ALL things were used at the shower and at the last MOPS! I think we have a great group of women!

And the World Stopped Turning

It wouldn't be right if I didn't comment on the ending of one of the longest running soap operas in history, As the World Turns. From an early age, even younger than Madison, I remember watching it with my mom. She watched/listened to it (first started on the radio) with her mom when it began 54 years ago. 54 years for a show to run...how amazing. As the World Turns has been part of my whole life. Some make fun of soaps for being cheesy, but hey, they are better than a lot of the stuff on now. Plus, soaps, unlike other shows, never have re-runs, never have a season ending, and never quit with the storylines.

I'll definitely miss all the characters of Oakdale...the Hughes, Snyder, Walsh, Ryan/Stenbeck families. It's amazing to me that some characters/actors from the start were still on at the end...that's a great show. You might say it's silly, but how many get wrapped up in other sitcoms and dramas on tv? Those who love shows such as Friends, Seinfeld, The Office, Grey's Anatomy...yes, everyone is probably guilty of a "don't want it to end" type of show. Imagine one ending that you have watched EVERY weekday since you were old enough to remember.

I know I'll never look at the 2:00 PM timeslot the same way. Even living here in Arizona where it wasn't on at 2:00,I still would catch myself looking at the clock thinking it was on somewhere. Mom and I would even discuss plots and predictions of charcters, and I sometimes got the occassional call from her to "Make sure you watch ATWT today...it was a good one." And, you might ask what is going to fill that timeslot? A talkshow. A talkshow that I can guarantee won't run 54 years.

Nothing has stopped me from watching the show...VCRS were helpful during high school, college, and work. With not having local channels in Arizona (don't ask...too remote here), the Internet has allowed me to watch it daily.

I guess it shows how much my whole family knew of As the World Turns...even my brother, Clay, deployed in Afghanistan, sent me an email with a story link about the ending of the show.

And yes, someone commented that I still had Young and the Restless to watch. True, but not quite the same. I haven't been watching it nearly as long, "only" 15-20 years or so :)

Goodbye As the World Turns. Thanks for being part of my life.

Construction Crew

Alex just keeps growing like crazy, so he broke in his new pj's last night. He looked so cute walking around in his construction set!

Our New Niece/Cousin!

My sister, Meredith, and her husband, Harry, welcomed Alaina Joanne into their family, Friday Sept. 10. Alaina, who is already proving to be stubborn, came over a week late and weighed in at 8 lbs. 5 oz. (same size as Luke who was three weeks early!), and she was 21 inches long. She is already known for her beautiful blonde hair that is apparently really long! As you can see in the picture, there is a lot of it! I get to fly back to NC in a couple of weeks by myself to meet her. I can't wait!

I think it's hilarious that she fills out this newborn outfit while still at the hospital, and at birth, Alex at 5 lbs. 8 oz, was swimming in preemie clothing. Keep growing big and strong, Alaina!

Sporting a very pretty pink dress...okay, it's one that I got her :) I'm not even a pink freak, and I think it's too cute.

Dirt

Dirt...Alex has discovered it.

Adding and Subtracting

Madison LOVES school. She comes home, pulls out her folder, and does her homework right away. She usually has one page of homework and asks for more work as soon as she is done. We work out of a workbook I have here at the house to supplement. Luke has a workbook too, and he loves doing his "homework" when Madison does hers. Recently, Madison has been begging for something harder, so we have started addition and subtraction. She's doing really well! She does pretty large numbers too, not just single digits. She has a workbook for that too, but her favorite thing is this addition and subtraction mat I got out of the Dollar Bin at Target. It's a dry erase sheet full of math problems. She'll sit and work them over and over. The other night, she was so proud to have finished the sheet all by herself (and it was correct!). So, here's her first completed subtraction sheet!

Pennies for Peace

Madison counting out her pennies from one of her piggy banks.

Madison's school is participating in "Pennies for Peace" a program sponsored by The Central Asia Institute. From Wikipedia:
"Pennies for Peace is an international service-learning program sponsored by the Central Asia Institute (CAI) that "helps educate American children about the world to show them they can make a difference one penny at a time."[1] The program focuses on raising cross-cultural awareness through education to promote peace."

Last spring, several of us in our book club here on post read Greg Mortenson's Three Cups of Tea and were inspired by it. Living on a military base, most of us have had family members go to Afghanistan at one point or another. Greg Mortenson, in his book, describes how he has built dozens of schools all across Pakistan and now into Afghanistan. Pennies for Peace allows the kids to get involved by collecting pennies used to buy school supplies for these children. One penny can buy a pencil. Two to three pennies can buy an eraser. It's an amazing program, an amazing book, as is the sequel, Stones into Schools. If you havn't read them, the librarian I am, recommend them!

Madison was very excited to start her penny collection. She emptied her piggy bank when she got home from school. Her school is participating for the next two weeks and will then send off their donation.

The school is getting some social studies lessons out of this too, which is really cool. Madison already knows a little about Afghanistan because my brother, Clay, is there now. I explained to her that these pennies were going to buy school supplies for the kids where Uncle Clay was. She asked if he and the other soldiers were helping all the little kids and keeping them safe...too sweet. She's really into it and very excited to do something for others.

Big Bear

I apologize for not posting sooner. Edward thinks I have some reason for not putting the pictures up. That's not true at all. I've had a backlog of pictures, and this week has been EXTREMELY busy. I, with my friend Jessica, run the Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) program here on post, and we started our meetings for the school year last week. Top that with a new chaplain who is eager to help with the MOPS program (Christian based program, and it's held in the chapel), I've been busy. We did have 28 moms come to the first meeting! That was awesome. The Lord is definitely at work here at YPG.

Back to these pictures...last weekend, Edward took Madison and Luke camping to Big Bear, California. Big Bear is about five and a half hours away, and it sits at over 7,000 feet. Edward said it reminded him much of Flagstaff. Big Bear is a big ski resort outside of San Bernadino, CA. The kids had never been camping before, so it was an experience for all. Alex is too young to get into camping, so he and I hung here and accomplised a lot around the house.

Driving up the mountain to Big Bear

View from the top

The campsite

Their campsite backed up against the ski resort, so they rode the chairlift to the top. Edward said most on the chairlift were taking mountain bikes up to ride down.

View of the lake

After it warmed up a bit, Edward took the kids to this waterslide. With the cooler air temps, none of the kids there wanted to slide much, except for Luke. Edward said he went down six times!

Luke making the lonely walk to the top.

Go carts

Edward, who likes to have a lot of things planned, said he learned that the kids just wanted to hang by the fire quite a bit. They weren't interested in fishing, etc. They just wanted to chill. However, apparently, I need to teach them about how delicious roasted marshmallows are. Edward said they weren't interested in eating them.

Before coming home on Sunday, Edward took them for a ride on the lake. A pirate ship offered tours, and the kids were very excited.

A bit choppy

Just so you know how much the trip wore them out...Luke fell asleep on the pirate ship! First, Luke doesn't just nap much. Second, it's a pirate ship! Luke loves pirate stuff!

The end to a nice weekend. They returned home very tired (and very much in need of a bath!). Alex and I had tacos waiting for them.

When Others are Away...

Alex does play.

Alex is becoming more and more of a toddler each day. That is evident in his frequent fits and the arrival of the "Picky Eater Toddler."

Alex was actually very excited to wear his new shoes. He kept bringing them to me, sitting down, and pointing at his feet this particular morning. He is growing so fast! This one-piece shorts romper is a 2T!

"Who me?"

I put a load of laundry in, Alex was hungry, so he found himself a snack. Seriously, he knows where the food is, and he pulled out Goldfish. It was his first experience with Goldfish, and he finished off the bag. That's not saying much because Madison and Luke love them, but still, Alex just sat in the corner of the kitchen and ate, like he could hide from me!

This morning, while playing in his bedroom, Alex hauled his Little People barn off of his play table and started sliding the animals down the silo shute. He thought it was hilarious. Doesn't he look good in Clemson orange? Another future Tiger...

I asked him to show me their slide, and he did!

Birds...

September 1 opened dove hunting season in Yuma. Go figure, Yuma is the "Dove Hunting Capital." Edward has been looking forward to this day since the middle of last September when the season ended! He and several of the guys here went hunting opening evening. Luke has been excited about this forever as Luke went hunting with Edward last year too. Thanks to my parents, Luke had a hunting outfit. He was absolutely delighted to spend the evening, "Hunting with Daddy getting the birds."

Madison, Alex, and I went to dance lessons. Madison and I are not fans of hunting, and well, Alex, he just got the short end of the straw on that. The three of us ended our evening with dinner at Kung Fu Panda (Panda Express, but try telling my kids that). Edward and Luke came back smiling from ear to ear.

Their kill...of course, the gun isn't loaded.

Luke is happy to show everyone that he kept the birds in his pockets. This just grosses me out, but boys will be boys. Edward thought it was hilarious that Luke wanted to keep the birds in his pockets.

They are going back out together on Saturday. Both are really excited.