Cookies

It was time for Valentine's Day cookies again...

The decorating begins:

It's a good thing we aren't sharing these cookies, because Justee just licked frosting off of her knife the entire time.


They are all done!

Justee was VERY upset that I took her cookie from her to get a pic. So she did what she does best...screamed until she got what she wanted.

She is a little happier in this pic cause she has her cookie and her sprinkles, but you can still see the pout in her eyes.

When I told Charlee at the beginning of our day that we would be making Vday cookies, she asked if we could make one for daddy...I told her of course, and she said, "I REALLY want daddy to come home." I told her I did too. Then she said, "Daddy is going to be gone so long, that I will be all growed up when he comes back." Then she started telling me some story that didn't make any sense at all...

As we were getting ready to decorate the cookies I told the girls they had to help me wipe off the table and pick up the scrapes from the valentines they had made. They were very good helpers and doing a great job...I was mixing the frosting while Sydnee was sweeping and Chuck was wiping the table, when Sydnee says, "It is like you are the queen and we are your servants!"

It seems to feel like it is the other way around most of the time. :)

Sydnee brought her valentines to school to pass out today...she came home and was concerned that someone didn't get a balloon that was attached to her cards, cause she had an extra balloon in the bottom of her bag. She looked at me and said, "I just hope it's not one of the guys I like."

and who might those "guys" be? She just looked sheepishly at me and smiled.

Sydnee was very proud of how big she blew up her balloon...Char was very worried that it was going to pop.

Just Stuff

We had a beautiful snowfall last night...

The snow didn't stay on the roads, but it covered every branch on the trees...the best kind of snow.

Today was Sydnee's 100th day of school party...She has been so excited for it. They had lots of fun activities all related to the number 100.

Sydnee has been growing up so fast it seems. She loves listening to music and is always listening to her MP3 player. Her favorite song right now is Mr. Vain by Culture Beat. She is always begging me to turn it on, if my ipod is in the car.

Apparently Justee doesn't appreciate the room in her own bed...This is how I found the girls tonight:

All squished into a twin bed.

Happy Birthday Ashlee!

I was getting ready to do a post for my sister Ashlee's bday when I noticed Vicki beat me to it...She has some great pics of Ash growing up (click here for her tribute.)

Ashlee is a great sister, she is always giving me great advice (I call her for tips about everything from cooking to what to do for a sick child.) She is a very generous person and would do whatever she could to help someone out. Her kids have it made with a mom like her...I know she might not always feel that way, but it's true. She knows when to let kids be kids and when to wrangle them in. They are always doing fun things as a family and they have some really great holiday traditions that take more time and effort to prepare than the time spent enjoying the work...but the memories will last forever.

I always looked up to Ash when I was growing up. I remember once when she came into my 3rd grade class for (I think it was called Target) the say no to drugs thing back then. All the boys in my class kept telling me how pretty my sister was. She was very patient with me and even took me places with her and her friends (on occasion. :) A big thing I remember about Ash is music...She always was down in her room with the 80's rock blaring. (maybe if she had turned her music down she would have heard me screaming as Vicki and Rob tortured me when my parents were gone. ;) I went through a period where I had heard Sweet Child of Mine so much that it made me want to scream. Ashlee used to let me sleep in her room and color with her. I remember laying on the floor and sharing her cool twistable crayons.

I hope you have a great birthday Ash, you deserve it. I love ya!

Better Late Than Never

On Thursday, some friends and I got together to make some chocolates. I wanted to send some to Justin for Valentine's Day, and they wanted to learn the trade. We made 3 batches of carmels and two batches of fondant (the filling for the chocolates) and dipped a lot of chocolates. It was a busy day with 8 kids running around, but it was fun too.

While we were busy in the kitchen, a couple of monsters were cooking up some trouble of their own...in my fire pit.

kisses from Christian

We made a few kinds I haven't made before...like coconut...which is going to be a regular for me every time I make them from now on, and rum, which will never make another appearance.
Here they are in all their glory.


Not everyone could stay until the end, so they missed out on the photo op.

Here is Cherelle and Trisha.I joined them and Sydnee took the pic. She did a pretty good job.

Everyone got to take some home and there were still lots to send to Justin...I hope they make it there in good shape. If not...at least you can see what they should look like Justin. ;)

I took the girls to pick out a few things to send to their dad for V-Day and to get a few new fish for our tank...we lost a couple during the holidays. On the way to the store, Charlee blew her first bubble gum bubble. She was so excited, but I think Sydnee was even more excited. She had been trying to teach Char the whole drive. It was fun to listen to them.

The bad news of the day is that we didn't get Justin's package shipped as planned. I already knew that Justin's V-day package was going to get to him late, but after getting to the UPS Store just mins after closing time, it is now going to be really late...so sad.

25 Random Things About Me

I did this on Facebook, but I decided to put it on here too...why not...nothing better to do with my time...oh wait, yes there is, I just don't want to do any of it.

1. I am very opinionated...I have an opinion about almost everything...If you ask, I will give it to you.
2. Having children has definitely softened me...a lot.
3. I hate things between my toes...I CANNOT wear sandals with straps between the toes.
4. I cut my hair really short in the 4th grade...My dad called me butch and a stranger told me that I was the cutest little boy she had ever seen...umm I'm a girl...at least I'd make an attractive male.
5. I have a horrible sense of direction...I get lost all the time. I feel very anxious when I'm going somewhere I haven't been before...and when I'm going somewhere I have been.
6. Along with #5, I HATE driving in big cities. Busy roads are very scary...and confusing.
7. If I say I am going to do something, I do everything in my power to do it...I dislike flaky people.
8. I love apple flavored candies...they are my fav.
9. I chipped my left front tooth in 1st grade by running up a slide...metal slide versus tooth...slide won...it didn't really hurt and I didn't cry until I showed my teacher and she started laughing...Then in high school the filling (an almost perfect square out of the corner) fell out while eating a big hunk...a teacher (yes his name would be Tony Mullins) asked to see...I said no, you will laugh...he promised not to...I showed him...he laughed...hard...mean teachers. :)
10. I Love to travel and I have been to a few different countries (Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand) and I hope to go to many more. We didn't get to go to Phuket like we had planned because the hotel we booked no longer existed, thanks to the tsunami that hit a week prior to our visit.
11.Justin and I have about 6 states left on our "visit every state together" goal.
12. I hate crying and I avoid doing it...especially in front of people.
13. I really wanted to be a barrel racer when I was young...I saw myself growing up to be a rodeo star.
14. I had scarlet fever when I was 5...I had to be restrained so they could get my IV in.
15. I was one of 5 valedictorians in my class...but I was by far the smartest...sorry Kevin, Nicc, Dana, and Cyrena. ;) jk
16. I am not great at anything, but I can do a lot of things mediocre. Hooray for mediocrity!
17. I love to drink water, and I drink a lot of it, but I am pretty particular about how it tastes.
18. I have always wanted a six pack, but my love of food and general laziness has kept me from obtaining chiseled abs.
19. I'm an animal lover...I have been accused of caring more about animals than people...could be true in a lot of cases.
20. I used to rotate which stuffed animal I slept with because I didn't want the other ones to feel bad.
21. I am not a very good speller, but I don't think that is a reflection of one's intelligence...unless you mix up words like your and you're, to and too, and there and their...then you are an idiot.
22. I am afraid of the water...I can't swim well, and I almost drowned in the Snake River when I was 10...ok maybe I didn't almost drown, but while rafting down it, we stopped to cliff jump...my dad sees that my bro and sis are scared to jump so he says, "Teri will do it. She isn't scared." of course I had to do it...I jumped too far out and into the rapids...I wasn't a good enough swimmer to get back...my parents jumped into the raft to come save their daughter who was screaming for help.
23. I watch entirely too much tv, and I love reality shows...the list of my favorite shows is too long to list.
24. I've never had a sip of alcohol in my entire life.
25. I like to think I'm pretty tough...I didn't have an epidural or any such meds with my first two babies...I chose to have one with my third so that I could have a comparison.

Update

Justin sent some pics that were taken during the sked hoist mission he flew. (the one I posted our instant message conversation about... click here to read it.) These pics were taken by Jonanthan Saruk...wanted to give credit where credit is due.

MEDICS MAKING SURE SKED IS SECURE:

US MOVING INTO POSITION:US IN POSITION: (you can see the Chase bird above) SSG CORNELL HOLDING TAG LINE TO KEEP SKED STEADY:

The sked has to be kept steady with a tag line so is doesn't spin because of the rotor winds.SGT ROBERTS RIDING UP WITH THE PATIENT:DAVE, AS WE MOVE INTO POSITIONGOING UP:AND UP:AND UP:

ALMOST THERE:Even though you can't see Justin in any of these pics, I think it is pretty cool knowing that he is the guy holding the chopper steady. ...That is coming from a wife who is pretty proud of him though. ;)

Justin told me about a baby girl he picked up on a mission; she is a nine month old who fell (or was thrown, not sure) into a fire/oven of some kind. She was burned pretty badly, but after medical care, she is fine and is now back with her mother. There is a picture of her and some other fun pictures HERE, on the blog of a friend going through the same trials as I am. Niccole has 3 young boys (just like our family only opposite sex ;) and her husband is a medic in Justin's unit. It is nice to be able to read her blog and find comfort in knowing that I'm not the only one missing my husband.

Sweet Sydnee

I just found this:

...sitting outside of Sydnee's bedroom door. She left it where she knew I would see it. How sweet is that? I'm a little sad that she is asleep...I would love to tell her THANK YOU! and give her a big hug.

...Maybe I'll switch the two names and leave it for her to find... :)

No Exceptions

This may not be the right time to be blogging...while I'm still fuming from tonight's event.

When I showed up for volleyball tonight I was a little surprised to see a 10 year old boy in the gym...surely he isn't planning on playing with us, right? WRONG, as we started to divide the teams he jumped right in. I, being the soft-spoken person I am, took it upon myself to let the boy know that the rules of the gym are "must be 16 to play." He then informed me that his mother was a manager and that she said it was ok.
Ummm...nope...not going to work for me. I know that the rules clearly state that you have to be 16 to play, I don't care who your mother is.
I have expressed my feelings about how serious I take my volleyball nights in a post a few months back. I may not sound like the nicest person in the world when I make things like this an issue, but a rule is a rule. I am a black & white type of person...I don't see a lot of grays.

The boy left and the other players were thanking me for speaking up because they were thinking the same thing. We started our 5 on 6 game and the boy returned with reinforcements...his mom (who by the way isn't a manager as he claimed, but just an employee. She said that he is a big kid and she thinks it is ok if he plays. I stand there, a little irritated that all the people who were just thanking me, are now suddenly quiet. I discussed the rule with her but she didn't seem to care, and walked him into a position on the team with 5 players (yeah that was my team.) I'm not happy to say the least, but for now, I'll let it go.

So, I let it go and I'm still getting comments here and there from people on both sides of the net who are saying that he shouldn't be playing. -So where the heck were your opinions 5 mins ago when his mom was in the room?

After a game (in which my team lost) a few more people showed up to play. Now there are paying adults who are sitting out while this kid gets to play...I couldn't bite my tongue any longer (I think this is in my genetic makeup; and therefore, I'm not to blame.) I go to the front desk and confront mommy. I was very respectful and not at all rude...I promise
I just said that: I really don't think that it is ok for a rule to be violated because of who this kid is. There are lots of people in the gym who come every week to play and they are having to sit out so that someone who shouldn't be playing can play. It just isn't right. I told her that there are lots of other people who feel the same way (cause she asked) but that shouldn't matter; it should only matter that one person has a problem and the rule is clearly being broken, and that should be respected. She had a million excuses as to why he should be playing from "He's been here since 2:30 and he needs to let out some energy." to "He will only get better if he practices."
...Not going to cut it, you need to come get your son out of the gym.
She did, but I don't think I really got through to her. I'm pretty sure this boy will be back.

I just have to add that after the kid was gone, my team won. ;)

I guess I just needed to get this off my chest, and since my husband isn't here to vent to, I let loose here.

Syd and Char's Room

I have been asked what Sydnee and Charlee's room looks like, and if it is as cute as Justee's....Nope, it is not...but here it is:

Charlee did a great job of decorating her dresser with stickers:

Syd and Chuck share a room. Sydnee will be getting her own room when we finish the basement (when Justin gets home.) She is already very excited about it. Charlee, on the other hand, is not excited. Sydnee was going on and on about how she wanted her room decorated and everything the other night just before bed. The idea of not having Syd in her room must have stuck in Char's head...she kept waking up crying, and when I'd ask her what was wrong, she would say, "Ninny is gone. Ninny isn't in here." After showing her that Syd was sleeping in her bed for the 3rd time, I finally laid Charlee right next to her. She didn't wake up again, so I think that worked. Poor girl, hopefully by the time the move happens, she will be better adjusted to the idea.

-different topic

I love German pancakes; even more importantly, the girls love them. I make them at least once a week for breakfast. After eating a very delicious Apple Pancake at The Pancake House, I realized there may be more I could do with my German pancake recipe. So I decided to try adding a can of apple pie filling to them. All I have to say is that I have a new favorite breakfast. Mmmm......

Trust me, it tastes much better than it looks.

Here is the recipe:
6 eggs
1C flour
1C milk
5T butter

Heat 9x13 pan in 450 oven. While heating, mix milk and flour and a dash of salt. Mix in WELL beaten eggs. When pan is hot add the butter to pan (helps to cut butter into small pieces.) When melted, pour batter in and bake at 425 for 20 min.
If you want to add apples...I just spread the apples from a can of pie filling on top of the batter and then baked for about 25 mins. Top with syrup.

New Look for Justee

On Saturday night I decided that Justee needed a haircut. Her hair is always in her face, plus I thought she would look cute with bangs.
A few snips later:

She had fun admiring herself in the mirror:

She loves playing in the sink.

She must have decided that her bath minutes before, didn't get her face clean enough.

By the time this last picture took place, Justee decided she had had enough. I told her to say cheese...and this is what she did instead.