Summer 2011- Part 2

My parents so graciously excepted the offer of taking our kids for the weekend so Kev and I could run away.  This was totally last minute so we are so grateful that it all worked out.  The kids were so excited to hang out with their Grandparents!  We escaped to Sedona (we spent the first two days of our honeymoon there 10 1/2 years ago) and had a couple relaxing days just spending time with each other.  Kev and I had planned to drive to Flagstaff and take the chair lift up the Peaks but it was closed.  So instead we headed to my Grandma Miller's and went to dinner.  I sure love visiting with my Grandmas, they are such amazing women who I greatly admire.  After a few days away we headed back to CV to collect our sweet kids (they were sad to see us return because they weren't done having fun) so we could head south for a wedding.  We couldn't leave though without taking the four wheelers out for a spin...

Ryley went first and by the time I made it back outside with the camera she was done riding, I promise I do try to take pictures of her.

Ben's turn

Olivia's turn

She couldn't decide which way to ride, she was a little worried she'd fall off.

Ethan's turn

Ethan was also a little scared, if you look close enough you can see him grabbing onto Kev's shorts for dear life!

My sweet Ryley

Summer 2011 -Part 1

Yes, I do realize that it is the beginning of Fall but I'm going to make an attempt to fill you all in on our crazy summer. Kev went on block leave and had two weeks off so we decided to head for AZ the beginning of July. After going back and forth we decided it would be best for us to drive instead of fly. So we found a sitter for the dog, packed up and headed out. We originally planned to leave by noon on a Friday but Kev's battery on his Jeep died on his way home from work. By the time we got that squared away and on the road it was 9pm. We also went back and forth on whether to leave late at night or get up earlier and make a go of it. Since I had already had a liter of Mt. Dew and Ethan took a late nap we headed out. It was not long before all the kids fell asleep (Kev was out before we even pulled through town). I drove until 4:30 in the morning, I had made it to Jackson, Mississippi then decided it was time I got some sleep. We traded out and I tried to catch some sleep, I couldn't seem to get comfortable or fall asleep so 45 minutes later Kev and I switched out again. I then drove until we got just out side of Shreveport, LA and then we stopped for breakfast. We had been in the car for 12+ hours so we ate, went to Wal-mart for coloring books and crayons,stretched out our legs and then got back on the road. We then stopped in Abilene, TX and stayed the night there. We were dog tired at this point (and I had just been pulled over and given a warning for speeding) so we decided it was time to stop for the night. We headed out somewhat early the next morning, stopped in Wilcox, AZ for dinner and to see Kev's sister and family and then rolled into good ol' Sierra Vista around 9pm Sunday night. It was a long drive but the kids did surprising well. I think it made a big difference driving through the night the first night we started out. Well we only managed to stay put for about 24 hours before we headed back out on the road. With all the fires in Southern AZ and the fireworks being cancelled we headed to San Diego with Dave, Lacy and their girls, along with Uncle Scott for the following four days. We had a blast and it was such a fun week. It was a little crazy to have left the east coast on Friday and be playing in the waters of the West Coast by Tuesday! Our kids love the beach and spending our time with their cousins was even better. Sorry for the novel, now enjoy some pictures...

After driving for 7 hours we let the kids stretch their feet with a walk on the beach

I couldn't get Ryley to hold still long enough to get a good picture!

Uncle Scott was such a good sport with all the nieces and nephews, his one last howrah(sp?) before getting married

Ryley spent most of her time in the water, it wasn't that bad but the air was about the same temperature so it got chilly at times.

Ben and Uncle Scott trying skim boarding, I even tried it and ate it a couple of times, so fun though!

 Fun in the sand!  What is a trip to the beach without someone getting buried.

Livi and Ethan trying to make a pool for when the tide came in.

It was so neat to see all the sale boats out once the wind picked up.

We pretty much just hung out at the beach in this adorable little cottage(I can't beleive I forgot to take pictures of it). It was so nice to just relax and hang with family. We made it to Sea World on Thursday and then headed back for AZ by Friday evening. We stayed with Nate, Lori and Reese till Sunday and just enjoyed being together. It hadn't been to long since Reese was with us for a week so the kids settled right in and just played. Kev and I got to have dinner with Aaron while Nate and Lori put all the kids to bed, thanks we sure enjoyed a night out! After church we headed north to Camp Verde, more on that in the next post.

It's part of the job...

One of the fun aspects of Kev's job is the fact that he gets to jump out of an airplane. The kids and I have been eager to watch him jump ever since he got back from jump school in February. This last Thursday was that day. We got to watch from the perfect spot and the kids loved it. Honestly though, it makes me nervous as heck that he is jumping out of a perfectly good airplane (knowing of all the serious injuries that have happened doesn't help either). So here are a slew of pictures so you can see what Kev's day job is like. This jump was just practice for their night jump, which was today. I'll keep my fingers crossed that all goes well.

This was the first of 12 planes

Kev was the 5th one out on the right of the plane

If you look close you can see 3 planes dropping all at once

They had just got to the ground when the next 3 planes of soldiers starting coming to the ground

The kids kept yelling, "Look at all the jellyfish!"

They only jumped 6 of the 12 planes because the winds got really bad and soldiers were landing in the trees.  We didn't get to meet up with Kev after (the kids really wanted to see him in all his get-up) because they weren't letting civilians in to watch the jump.  So I just pulled off the road, stopped on top of the drop zone, under the trees and let the kids watch.  Don't worry there were four other wives right there with me.  It really was fun to know Kev was up there jumping and I'm sure he was loving every minute of it.

Memorial Day *2011*

This has become a family tradition that I look forward to.  Every year we take the kids to a military cemetery, where ever we may be, and we let the kids put flowers on the graves of those that have served our Nation.  The only down side was that it was sooo hot (96 degrees with 88% humidity), one of these years we will get going early and not go in the middle of the day.  Afterward we enjoyed a little picnic in the shade and spent some time remembering those that served and what we have gained because of that sacrifice.  It was a lovely, hot day.

Our fifth child for the week was cousin Reese (Nate & Lori's little one)

Ryley

Ben

Olivia

Ethan

Reese (Niece)

Kev & Olivia

What a great day to be 8!

Our sweet Ryley turned 8 on May 19th.  She is such a fun girl to have in our family.  She is too smart for her own good and should be a politician when she grows up.  She is magic at getting what she wants, very persuasive.  She's a great big sister and is turning into a young lady more and more with every passing day.  Ryley made the decision to be baptized and what a special day that was, May 21st, 2011.  We were able to have some family in town, friends who attended and plenty others there in spirit.  I'm so grateful for the blessings of the gospel and to see Ryley take this step in her life was so precious and very rewarding as her mother.  I'm looking forward to school this next year with her and getting to know her better.  Enjoy some pictures...

Right before, she was so worried about how big her jumpsuit was

Ryley with her Dad

Gpa & Gma Miller

Uncle Nate, Aunt Lori and Reese

Our sweet 8 year old!

11.25.2010 A day of thanks and giving

I know I say the same thing every year but it is the truth... my most favorite holiday is Thanksgiving.  And not just because it is the same time as my birthday either.  It is my favorite because it is a time to just reflect and rejoice on all that I have been given and the things I've been blessed with. Plus it gives me the opportunity to see how I can do the same for others.  I love that it is not a time I have to worry about what I'm going to buy for someone else.  To top it all off this also happens to be my favorite time of year as well, and I so enjoy being somewhere that I can see all the amazing leaves and feel the seasons change.

I happened to turn the big 30 on Thanksgiving day this year and the best thing about it is that Kev was able to come home and we spent it together as a family.  We had a yummy dinner with friends, pumpkin pie for my b-day cake, and then I did some early bird (11:30pm Thursday night) Black Friday shopping. We then finished the short weekend off with family pictures and picking out a Christmas tree. It sure was a busy weekend and went way to fast but it was one more weekend closer to Kev coming home. Here is a preview of the Christmas tree and some of our family pictures.