I Heart Faces "Tooshies"

What a fun theme they are having at I Heart Faces this week. I have not entered a contest in a few weeks. One reason is because I have been keeping myself very busy and another reason is that I haven't had any good photos for the week. This week I was able to find this photo that I took of this sweet little boy. He is being held tight in his mama's arms. That little tooshie is so cute and so are those little feet.

If you want to see other tooshies or want to enter the contest, head over to I Heart Faces. It is sure to be a good time!

FINALLY!

After 15 months and a few days I am proud to say that our baby girl is finally officially walking. She has been taking little steps here and there with much encouragement but just over the past few days she has started roaming about on her own. I knew that she was a lazy girl but I never thought it would take her 15 months to walk. Oh well, I guess now she will be harder to catch because before I know it she will be running. I guess I should cherish these moments of her being a little unsteady on her feet. Here is a video from Thanksgiving Day! I love my baby girl.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a wonderful day it was! We woke up and I started cooking the casseroles for the day. Since we were going to a friends house today I made all the fixins and they made the turkey and dessert. Have I mentioned recently just how much I love a fried turkey? It was so good I could hardly stop eating. My belly had to put an end to all the madness! I would've taken some photos of the yummy food I devoured but it was in my belly before I had a chance to think about anything else. Thanksgiving is the one meal a year that I absolutely eat all I can handle. I don't think about all the calories I am consuming, I just enjoy every.single.bite! We spent the day with some wonderful friends and had many good laughs. The kids had a great time being kids. Here are just a couple of photos from the day. I hope everyone had a great day as well.


Did I mention that we were all big Cowboys fans and we were all dressed and ready to root for our team. Go Cowboys!

Getting Ready

We have been slowly working on getting ready for the holidays. We aren't going anywhere this year so we haven't been in too much of a hurry to get things done. I haven't even started my Christmas shopping not to mention shopping for food to fix on Thanksgiving. I guess I will head to the grocery store tomorrow. We are excited about enjoying our days off being lazy. Of course I will have to work this weekend but I don't anticipate it being too busy. I have been browsing the Internet wishing for things I know I can't get this year. Most of it has to do with photography equipment. I am just going to add to my small collection a little at a time. I have been wanting to get out and take more pictures but when the weather is all dreary and the kids are driving me nuts, it makes it hard to load up and go somewhere. I can't wait to take some Christmas photos and get in the spirit. Just because I can't do a post without photos, here are some of the girls. They make me so happy!

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble!

Today McKenna had her Thanksgiving program at school. This was her very first one since she is in kindergarten and this is her first year in school. The whole family was in attendance. All the children made their way out on stage dressed as Indians, pilgrims, turkeys, corn cobs, and ministers. They all looked so cute. Here is just a very short little video today.

Air Show Photos

It was so much fun taking pictures at the Blue Angels Air Show on Saturday. Of course it was a little difficult with three little ones to look after at the same time. Here are a few of my favorites.









This is a truck that was painted inside and out. It was really neat!

I Have Been Busy!

Life happens so fast. Work, kids, the husband, and chores keep me so busy. This is what I have been up to the past few days.

-Playing outside with the family.




-Watching the last soccer game of the season.


-Going to the Blue Angels Air Show on Saturday...all day!




-Shopping.
Okay, so I don't have a photo for that, but it was fun. Especially since the only people who really spent money were the girls. They each took $5 out of their piggy banks and we let them pick out a toy at Toys R Us. Then we let them get a cookie too. Wow, were we generous!
What have you been up to latley??

Fix It Friday #36

What fun it is to fix photos on Fridays at I Heart Faces. Here is the photo for this week:

Here are my fixes done in Picnik:


If you want to try too, just go to I Heart Faces, download the photo from their Flickr site and play along!

Picnic Time

The other day the girls were playing so nicely with each other. Each had their place at the table and they enjoyed a wonderful meal of chicken, fruit, waffles, ice cream sandwiches, and carrots. It's so cute to watch them play picnic! If only they got along all the time like this....

Marine Corps Birthday Ball

Saturday night was the Marine Corps Birthday Ball at the National Museum of Naval Aviation. We started off by going to dinner at Jackson's Steakhouse. The food was amazing and I would love to go back sometime. After dinner we headed over to the Naval Air Museum. When we arrived the party was already in full force. I always love looking at all the ball gowns and can't wait to go shopping for next year. The one thing that was not fun about the Ball is that the fire alarm went off and the staff at the museum made us all evacuate and stand outside for what seemed like forever before letting us all in. Of course it was a false alarm but it was so annoying and ruined the mood. Everything had to shut down. Once it was all back in gear we went it, got a couple of drinks, had our picture taken, danced a little and then it was time to go pick up the girls. I would say it was a good night overall. The best part was that it was just us two and we could enjoy the evening together. Sorry I don't have more photos but I didn't take a camera(gasp) and didn't have anyone at home to get a photo of us before we left together. Here are a couple of us individually.

Stellan and Ida

What a day it is! Not in a good way though. Today, Stellan is in Boston awaiting surgery to ablate his heart. This morning he started having very high SVT and is not doing well. Please keep him and his family in your prayers. To see his story go to Mckmama's blog.

As he is in Boston, we are in Pensacola awaiting Hurricane Ida. She is making her way to us. We are hoping that the cold air will take her down to nothing. I will most likely be stuck at work for possibly tonight and tomorrow. That's what comes with being a nurse.

What a day. Oh, what a day.

I love BARGAIN Shopping

Even though we all know that I don't NEED any more candy, especially chocolate, who can resist it when it's on sale really cheap? Not me. I just have to have it. So, I guess I will take most of it to work. This is what I bought this morning:
-three kids t shirts
-one kids zip up hoodie jacket
-one adult costume
-three kids costumes
-seven, yes seven, bags of candy
-two packs of stickers
-two cards
-two really nice candles
-one pack of mini cupcake wrappers

What do you think I paid for all this stuff??
Well, if I paid full price it would have been $211.30. But since I am bargain shopper and got all of this at a whopping 90% off I only paid $21.13!! Who doesn't love a great deal. Now the girls are all set for next year.

Questions Answered Part 2

Alright ladies and maybe some gentlemen...are you ready for part 2? I had to break these up because otherwise I would bit sitting here for days trying to get everything answered and the post would be a million words long. Okay, so I was exaggerating a bit but you get the point.

This question comes from Jamie again at The Beach Bunch. She asks, "What has been your favorite duty station and what was the worst?"
That is a wonderful question. Since we got married in 2002 we have lived at four different bases. My least favorite is probably Whidbey Island, WA. While it was the most beautiful, I am not a cold weather person. It never got warmer than 75 degrees, even in the summer. It was rainy alot of the time, and we had to drive a ways to do any good shopping. Not that shopping is a top priority, I just like it to be a little more convenient. But, like I mentioned earlier it was beautiful. Here are a couple of pics from the area.




My favorite duty station would be a tie between here in Pensacola, FL and Quantico, VA(we lived in Fredericksburg). I loved the area in Virginia. I liked the house we lived in. It was nice to be so close to Washington D.C. and be able to see so much history. Of course, we didn't take full advantage of all that because I was busy working and on our days off together we relaxed. As far as Pensacola goes, I love the warm weather and the beautiful beaches. Plus, the best thing about it is that we are the closest to Texas here and I really, really miss Texas. If we ever get the chance to go to Texas you can bet that I will be gunning for it.

Here is a question from Sonya at Ladybugs, Butterflies, and Boxing. What is your favorite activity to do with the girls?
Any time spent with them is time well spent. They keep me very very busy that's for sure. I guess one thing I really enjoy is just playing with them in the backyard. Sometimes we run around and play tag, or kick the ball to each other. They love for me to push them on the swing and slide down the slide though I am a little big for that. They also really enjoy playing sports and are involved in soccer right now. I love to watch them play and love to play with them. We don't do a lot of indoor activities because the weather is so nice that we try to get outside as much as we can.

Sonya also asks, "Do you miss staying at home?"
Even though I have started back to work, I wouldn't say it's full time by any means. So, at times I feel as if I am still staying at home many days. Right now I am working two to three days a week and it works perfectly for me. I love being with my girls but at the same time I like having a job that I get fulfillment out of. I like being able to have some adult conversation and meet other people. I never was one to imagine my life as staying at home all the time. I also didn't want to work so much that I was never home. I think I found the perfect career where I can have the best of both worlds. Some days I work 7am to 3pm and other days I work 3pm to 11pm. It great and I wouldn't have it any other way. I still get to spend most of my days with the girls, it just leaves a little less time for housework and I guess I am okay with that.

Jamie asks, "How do you feel about deployments and taking care of the kids all on my own?"
I don't think anyone likes deployments, it's something we get used to. You start getting ready for it months ahead of time and then once the time is here, it sneaks up on you and before you know it your spouse is gone. The once "routine" is no longer. You must find a way to do it all alone. That being said, I have only gone through one deployment where I didn't move back home. That was when McKenna was still a baby and I was in nursing school. I kept very busy so the time went by fairly quickly. I think the hardest part is when they return and the new routine that worked while he was away is now a thing of the past and you change the way you do things once again. It's also hard when the young children don't recognize him as well. I always tried keeping pictures around and having him talk on the phone to them but it's just not the same as daddy being around. I can manage the house and kids on my own but I don't have much time for myself. It is not something I like but it's something I do when need be. Thanks for the question Jamie. I think that is something many people wonder about that aren't in the military. Like they say, the toughest job in the military is being a military wife. I will agree that it's the toughest job I have ever had.

My last question comes from Sonya again. "What is your favorite hobby or pastime?"
Anyone that knows me well, knows how much I love photography. I was interested in it as far back as middle and high school. I remember taking a photography class in high school where we had a darkroom and everything. I thought it was so neat to develop our own photos. Now I love digital photography. I love being able to see my images right away and take as many as I want and not worry about running out of film. My children probably wonder what my face looks like at time because I have a camera in front of it so often. I bought my first DSLR in May and have been learning and practicing all the time since then. I would love to have a business one day, maybe I can do that sooner than later. I enjoy being able to capture the innocence of a child or the light coming from the sun. I love looking back and seeing the past and how we have changed over the years. To some people pictures are something they don't like to be in or take. But one day you will look back and realize that if you don't have any pictures to jog your memory then sometimes those memories fade away. It's so easy to store photos these days, there is no excuse not to have a family picture taken at least once a year. I think I just got off on a tangent. Oops! Anyways, I love photography and probably will be taking pictures for a really long time.

I guess that wraps up my question and answer series for now. I am going to try to do this every once in while. Jamie gave me this great idea so thank you for that!! I encourage everyone reading this to do the same.

Fix It Friday #35

What fun it is to fix up photos. Every Friday at I Heart Faces I get a chance to do that. This weeks photo is this pretty little girl.
Here is the original:

Here are my fixes:


As usual, I used Picnik to do all my editing. Have a great weekend! I have the Marine Corps Ball on Saturday so hopefully the dress will fit!!

Questions Answered Part 1

Thanks for the questions ladies, I think I have some answering to do now.

The first question is from Melissa at IVF Infertility. She asks if I plan on having any more children.
Ever since I was young I knew I didn't want to have just one child. I was an only child and would have loved to have a sibling to play with. When it was time for my husband and I to start our family, we talked about it and agreed that 3-4 would be a great number for us. We are already so blessed with our three daughters but to answer your question, YES, I would love to have another baby. I don't when that is going to happen but I am hoping that it will happen.

The second question I am going to answer is from Jamie at the Beach Bunch. How do I like having three girls?
If you asked me before I had children if I ever saw myself with three girls I would probably say no. Now, I couldn't imagine having anything but a girl. Girls are all I know. When I was pregnant with McKenna we were sure we were going to have a boy. Then with Kambry we didn't find out and when she was born we were surprised it was another girl. Then we found out with Aislynn that she was a girl and though we were wanting to add a brother to our family I am happy she was girl. I don't think I would know what to do with a boy. My hubby would love to have a son and we are going to try for a boy but we will be overly joyed with whatever child we are blessed with. So, to answer your question Jamie, I love having my three girls. They are great friends and I can't wait to see how they grow up together. I just need to make sure that my next house has a lot of bathrooms!!

This next question comes from Sonya at Ladybugs, Butterflies, and Boxing. She asks, "Do you like being a military wife?"
Thank you for that question, Sonya. Being a military wife is a lot more difficult than I had imagined it would be. I grew up in Austin, Texas. I lived in the same house my whole life. Moving was not something I was used to. Now, it is a way of life. I like it in the fact that I can always start fresh in a new place and go to places I have never been. I don't like it in the fact that someone else is telling us where my family is going to be whether we want it or not. Another aspect of military life is deployments. Luckily I have only gone through three deployments that were approximately 6 months each. The first one was when McKenna was three months old. Dadda came back when she was ten months. He missed many of her milestones. Then, when I was pregnant with Kambry he left again to go to Iraq. I moved home so I would have help with McKenna and so I wasn't all alone. It went by pretty quickly. Then, when Kambry was a year and a half old he deployed once again to Iraq. I moved home again and things went pretty smoothly. I don't like it but I deal with it, it's what we do. Any military wife can tell you the ups and downs of the military but in the end what really matters is that we are married to the person we love, we didn't marry them for the military, it just is something that is a part of our lives. I don't know if I fully answered that question but I hope you get an idea of what I am trying to say.

I will answer more questions in my next post. I enjoying reading about all of you too! Please keep the questions coming and I will keep asking as well.

Bring It!

I feel like I haven't really done a good post lately where I talk about myself. So, now is the time. Ask away. No really, this is when you get to ask me whatever you want to know and I will try my best to answer your questions. It's so fun to read about other bloggers and learn a little about them too. I will do another post where I answer the questions you have.

By the way, we went back to the Fair on Sunday. We had a great time. The weather was absolutely gorgeous so we had to make good use of it! Here are a few photos from that and a few from Halloween evening.