It's Officially Christmas

Yes, it's that time of year...AGAIN! The leg lamp is up and has been up for a few days. This time of year is always exciting because of this lamp...I realize there are others reasons that make Christmas wonderful but just go with me on this... When we first got the lamp in California and put it up it was pretty close to the actual movie. You know when the father puts it in the window and walks outside to see what it looks like while he's yelling to his wife to move it more to the left and his son, Ralphie is rubbing the leg up and down. Well, yes, it was so close to the exact scenario in California...here it is a lot different. Not to many have said much except for a couple of people and they don't even live on our block. Oh well...we love it and I guess we are definitely the crazy people on the block from California. Brady is doing exactly what Ralphie does in the movie...very cute.
A family portrait, of course.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

What a night...Halloween was so much fun. We went trick-or-treating at the mall during the day and then trick-or-treating at night.

Alex and Brady with the neighbor kid. Alex was a cheerleader and Brady was Batman.
Brady could barely see out of the eye holes of the mask. It was really funny because he kept running into things.

Trick-or-treating at the mall.

Carving pumpkins. We also cooked the seeds but they didn't turn out so good. I think I cooked them to long.

It was a great Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE

Joe's birthday was on Friday...the day before Halloween. We had so many Halloween activities to do that day that we celebrated his birthday several different times during this past weekend. I guess that's what you do when your a dad, put your kids first even on the day of your birthday. One of our Halloween activities on dad's day
Yes, I need to figure out how to turn the picture around so just work with me here.
So, the kids gave Joe a Popeye shirt. Popeye was in the coast guard and so is dad so it's kind of funny...anyways, I always make Joe a homemade apple pie, crust and all every year for his birthday and this year was no exception. So with all the Halloween craziness, I managed to make a pie and yes, I forgot candles so I used a tea light candle. So stupid but it worked.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE
CAN ANYONE GUESS HOW OLD HE IS?

Brady's first season of soccer

Brady started his first season of soccer. He is and was so excited. It was really cute to see him out there playing and having fun. There are 7 kids on the team...4 boys and 3 girls. It's a good mix. This was his very first practice with all the gear. He had the cleats (did I spell this right ?) and shin guards

Brady's first day of school

Brady started school today and yes, it was so cute. It was so sweet to see him walking into his classroom, looking back at me and saying good-bye. I was sad until I got home and realized I had a few hours to myself. So it's all good....... Brady in front of his school.
Alex and Brady...he's so excited to be going to school just like his big sis!

Again, Alex and Brady on our deck.

A big day for all.......kids in school and mom gets a few hours to herself

Yesterday was Alex's first day of first grade....she had a great day at a pretty great school. Well, except for the lunch issue, I have already complained on facebook so I won't here).

Anyways.....

This school has their very own music, art, science and PE teacher. Alex's last school wasn't like that and either was the school I taught at many years ago. So, I was impressed with all things this school had to offer. Hopefully it will live up to the expectations that I have.

stay tuned............ Alex in front of the school sign. Alex has her outfits planned out for the next 2 weeks. She is quite the fashion diva. She has done as far as having the hair style picked out with the outfit. I was kind of upset that this school didn't require uniforms because uniforms made my life easier last year in kindergarten. But so far it has been OK.
Alex with mommy and Brady. There was no crying from mom, but I was very sad to see her go.

So, I have no idea how to rotate this picture so, please.....just rotate your head.
All students at Piney Orchard Elementary have a locker. Alex thinks it's pretty cool. There are no locks on the lockers so it's really simple and neat for the kids.

The first of preschool for Brady is next Monday...he is so excited he can barely handle the wait.

Another Year....

Today is our 12th wedding anniversary. My younger brother, Aaron came down from New York to visit, see the house and watch our kids so we could go out. So a big thanks to you, Aaron.

It's been a wonderful 12 years. We have been through so much in life and to see where our lives are now is amazing. I am so lucky to have such a great husband...and when I say WE, I mean HE has been through so much. Putting up with me is difficult....to say the least. But with each year, our lives get better.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY JOE...I LOVE YOU

Not the best picture but you get the idea...

WE FOUND A HOUSE...YIP YIP HURRAY

YES, WE FOUND A HOUSE. WE SIGNED THE LEASE AGREEMENT YESTERDAY AND ARE MOVING IN TUESDAY THE 28TH. IT'S A GREAT HOUSE IN ODENTON, MARYLAND. IT'S ALMOST THE PERFECT HOUSE...PERHAPS THIS IS WHY WE ARE IN A HOTEL FOR SO LONG.
FOR US, FINDING A HOUSE TO LIVE IN IS SO DIFFICULT BECAUSE I CONSIDER SO MANY THINGS BESIDES JUST THE BASIC NECESSITIES. WHEN MOVING TO MONTEREY, WE FIRST MOVED TO PRUNEDALE. BEFORE SIGNING THE LEASE AGREEMENT, I KNEW THAT WE WERE NOT SUPPOSE TO LIVE THERE. SOMETHING WAS SCREAMING NO TO ME BUT I IGNORED IT. OF COURSE, WE HAD MANY ISSUES, SO THAT EXPLAINED THAT. WHEN MOVING TO MARINA, I HAD THE WARM AND FUZZY FEELING WALKING INTO THE HOUSE. IN FACT, I THINK I HAD IT DRIVING DOWN THE STREET FOR THE FIRST TIME.
WELL, IN ALL THE PLACES WE LOOKED I DIDN'T ONCE HAVE THAT FEELING SO I SAID NO TO ALL AND KEPT LOOKING. THEN ABOUT 1 WEEK AGO WE SAW THIS LISTING ON MILITARYBYOWNER.COM AND SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE IT. I WALKED IN THE FRONT DOOR AND IMMEDIATELY HAD THE WARM AND FUZZY FEELING. JOE THINKS IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE HE'LL ASK "ARE YOU FEELIN' IT." EVERY TIME WAS NO UNTIL THIS NIGHT.
THAT IS THE BEST FEELING OF ALL KNOWING THAT YOUR SEARCH HAS COME TO AN END AND THAT YOU KNOW THIS IS THE RIGHT PLACE FOR YOUR FAMILY.

Morgans Cross Country Adventure

We began our cross country travels a little behind schedule. We were suppose to leave early Thursday morning and drive straight to Las Vegas but we didn't leave until 4:00 pm and we made it to Bakersfield, California. We finished loading the 28 foot truck that (thanks to the few guys from church who helped us) we completely filled from top to bottom front to back with no room to spare. We filled both cars with stuff that it was hard to find room for the kids. What a day but we got it done and we were on the road... June 26th we left Bakersfield, CA and headed to Las Vegas, NV. That was a 4 hour drive getting us to Vegas early enough to check into our hotel and hit the pool. What a hotel and pool. We stayed off the strip in the Northwest part of Las Vegas in a new hotel called The Aliante Station. We love Vegas. Most people don't but we do. It was the first place we owned a house, I got my first "real job" as a special education teacher and our daughter was born. Vegas has a lot of meaning to us. But we stayed in Vegas for a day and a half, hung out with grandpa and played in the pool. What fun.

Just a cute picture...

You want or need a challenge in life try driving cross country in two cars with 2 kids and a cat. Oh and add a few hermit crabs. They are easy...so easy that we left them in the car for 2 days in the heat.

They survived

June 28th we drove straight to Burley, Idaho. That drive was 600 miles and took about 10-11 hours. We have friends in Idaho that we were visiting. Plus, Joe and I have fond memories of Idaho. Burley was the first place we lived together as a married couple. This was our first house (duplex). We paid $325.00 a month. What a bargain even though we could barley afford it back then. I bet you could rent the same place today and still pay $325.00 a month. That was 12 years ago and Burley has not changed one bit.

(I know we missed seeing many other friends and we apologize)

This is Shoshone Falls in Twin Falls, Idaho. The Falls are so beautiful. The kids loved seeing this. There's nothing like it.

It was a full capacity flow over the Falls.

On June 30th, we left Idaho traveling to Rawlins, Wyoming. Along the way we stopped in Evanston, Wyoming where my Great grandparents were born, raised and buried. My grandmother was also born there and my uncle was buried there. It was nice to go and visit their resting place.

On July 1 we traveled to North Platte, Nebraska and stayed the night. This was one of the first places that actually had a place to shop...a wal-mart. So much land everywhere and no civilization. I am such a city girl. I love having convience down the street.

On July 2 we went to visit more family in Omaha, Nebraska. We visited Aunt Judy and Uncle Jim and a few cousins. It was a nice visit. We had not seen them in 5 years since Alexandria was 3 months old.

We stayed in Omaha for the night...resting up for a few more days of nothing but driving

July 3 we spent the night in South bend, Indiana

We arrived in Cleveland, Ohio early day July 4. I really liked Cleveland, Ohio. It was very pretty. Actually our hotel was in West lake, Ohio right outside of Cleveland, So, West lake was pretty. We ate dinner at the cheesecake factory and watched fireworks. That was neat. I am sorry to hear that Monterey didn't do fireworks.
My kids missed doing their own fireworks. That was hard.

We did have fun in the pool...

July 5 we took a day off to relax in Cleveland and spend the day celebrating Brady's birthday. I know I said relaxing but believe it or not it was. It was a great day. We went to the Cleveland zoo, looked at all the animals, had a camel ride and touched a snake, swam in the hotel

pool, went to dinner at red robin, had my very own big chocolate sundae, played with my birthday presents and went to a bed. A very long but fun day.

WE FINALLY ARRIVED IN DC ON MONDAY JULY 6 AT 10:00 PM .

WHAT A DAY AND WHAT AN 11 DAYS.

Today is Tuesday July 14, we are still in a hotel looking for a place to live. We have looked at both homes and townhouses. Life pretty much sucks right now. I am trying to have faith that something will come available.

We did find 2 places we liked this past weekend actually Sunday morning. However, not knowing before looking at them they were already rented. THAT SUCKED BIG...

Now, you all are probably thinking that we must be picky. If so, YOU ARE RIGHT! But everything we look at has major issues...

But tomorrow is another day and i am praying that something will turn up.

we miss everyone in Monterey.

Brady's real birthday

I promise these are the last pictures of Brady and his birthday....But his actual birthday was July 5th, just 2 days ago. Yes, we were still driving cross country but that day we decided to stay put and enjoy his special day. These pics are so out of order but you can all figure it out... Brady got a spider-man mask and cape for his birthday. He has been wearing it all around. He especially loves to wear it around the hotels we stay at because people think it's cute...
We went to Red Robin for dinner and after dinner a few waiters and waitresses came over to sing him happy birthday. Oh and he also got a free and all to himself ice cream sundae.
He also got a dinosaur puzzle for his birthday. He loves puzzles. This one was brand new and he completed the puzzle in less than 5 minutes. I think that is pretty impressive.

We went swimming in the hotel pool. The kids love swimming in all the pools of the hotels we've stayed. It's a great way to end the evening. Get them all tired and ready for bed.

Of course this was the first event of the day...the Cleveland, Ohio Zoo. They have a dinosaur exhibit. Brady loved all the dinosaurs....

Brady and Alexandria also got a camel ride at the zoo. That was probably the best part of the zoo for the kids. It was pretty neat. Brady's words were, "this is awesome, so cool." He has grown up so much. I remember when he could barely say mom.

This was my least favorite part about the zoo...if you know me then you know that I hate snakes...I am terrified of them. But my kids are not and they wanted to touch it. I had to take a picture because well it is cool. It's the only time that I would ever want them to touch a snake...at the zoo in the hands of an expert.

One last picture of all of us. We had a great day of fun and exhaustion. At this point we are near the east coast on east coast time with only 400 miles left to go.

I wanted to post a few pictures of Brady at earlier ages because he was so cute but with everything packed I figured it was impossible. So, I will post later.

Happy 4th Birthday Brady!!!!!!

DAD'S BIG DAY...GRADUATION DAY

THIS PICTURE IS HARD TO SEE BUT YES, IT'S JOE. JOE HAD MANY SLEEPLESS NIGHTS STUDYING, MANY LONG WEEKENDS STUDYING AND MANY HOURS PUT INTO A 120 PAGE THESIS...SERIOUSLY, WHAT DEDICATION. I AM SO PROUD OF HIM.
THE FAMILY

THIS IS FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHO CAME TO THE CEREMONY AND THEN LUNCH AT GIANNI'S...JOE'S FAVORITE RESTAURANT IN ALL OF MONTEREY.

JOE'S FRIENDS FROM THE CLASS OF 1996 AT THE CALIFORNIA MARITIME ACADEMY IN VALLEJO, CALIFORNIA.

THIS PICTURE IS FOR YOU JIM...

HERE ARE ALL THE KIDS...BRADY IS THE ONLY BOY, 1 BOY AND 7 GIRLS.


WE THANK EVERYONE WHO CAME FROM SO FAR TO BE HERE IN MONTEREY WITH JOE ON THIS DAY...WE LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

Brady's Birthday Party...computer is working...

We got a new computer so now I can finally post pictures...it was definitely the computer with the problem and not my camera, what a relief.

More party pictures.

Brady had a spider-man pinata at his party...the kids loved getting all the candy.

This is the jumpy house and Cambria. Brady and Cambria's birthdays are only 1 week apart, so we did a double party. What fun, The jumpy house made the party until...

We had problems with the jumpy house. The kids are lined up waiting for it to be fixed so they can jump.

This is Brady with a few of his friends and his sister with the bunny ears.

The jumpy house stopped working with kids on it...a little scary but everyone was fine and it was fixed pretty quick thanks to dad (and Clint)...


It was a great party with great friends...

Too see the volcano cake explode with dry ice watch below...it is only 1 minute or so,

Good-Bye Monterey

Well, I have no picture but if I did it would be of Alex and I with tears in our eyes as we are driving up our street and away from our house for the last time...We left just over 24 hours ago and miss everyone already. I know that I did not say the proper good-byes. I wish I could have visited everyone individually and express my appreciation of them and their friendship but that would be impossible. But please know that my family was blessed to have lived in the Monterey area and be in the Prunedale Ward. We made such great friends. We would love to stay in touch with each of you...through email and blogs, and even Christmas cards. So, please send me your addresses so I can update my phonebook.

Please know that we will and do miss each and every one of you...We love you all.

Brady's Birthday

Here is a picture from Brady's birthday party. I am having computer problems and with moving and Joe finishing his thesis by next week, we have no time to worry about our computer issue. So, my friend, Kim helped me out in seeing if the problem was my camera or my computer and it's definitely my computer, but here's 1 picture of Brady on the slide on the jump house.

He had a great birthday especially in sharing it with his cute little friend, Cambria. I can't really say "little." Brady says he's not little anymore, he's a "big boy." It was an early birthday party for both kids because we are moving and will be on the rode on his real birthday. But thanks to all our friends who came especially Cambria and her family and sharing this day with Brady.

I got some really cute pictures especially the picture of the awesome volcanco cake I made with transformers on top. I even had dry ice coming out the top. It was awesome and turned out great but I will post pictures ASAP.

Am I being too picky????????

I don't have pictures for this post, they are too graphic...

Some of you have already heard my complaining, if so don't read on...

So, many of you know that I am in Washington, DC right now finding a house so when we relocate here mid-July, we have a house to go to instead of a hotel. My search is not going well, actually is really sucks. The first day I was here I looked at 2 houses with my Realtor. Not good. I spent the rest of the day looking for houses on my own (or with my

brother...he met me here to spend a couple of days with me). Seriously, I spent 10 hours that first day driving around and looking at houses. oh and most of that was actually in the car. For those of you who have never been here, the traffic is awful!!!!! This is my first time here. I am staying at the Navy Medical base in Bethesda, Maryland which is the right new to DC. Yesterday, it took me 1 1/2 hours to drive 12 miles. Today, I drove my brother to the airport and it took me 2 hours to go there and back. The airport is only 19 miles away...anyways, day 1 10 hours and day 2 10 hours and nothing.

Every house I look at in my price range is so dirty and ugly. And when I say dirty, I mean tear the house down and start over. So, no I have not found a house and I have even raised the amount we are willing to pay to get a better house and that has not helped.

For 2 brief seconds, I did find my dream house...the owners has been trying to sell it ans couldn't for several months so they were going back and forth about renting it. That's where I come in...fell in love...perfect house. Clean, cute, every wall was painted beautiful colors, the yard was kept up, the price was right, the size was right and then they changed their minds. Good for them...sucks for me.

Best part of the house was THE CLEANLINESS

Well, I feel better now that I have let out some steam.

1 more day here in DC. Who knows what's ahead for tomorrow. Tomorrow could be the day...stay tuned.

So, back to my questions...is it too much to ask for a nice and clean house?

Mother's Day

My Mother's Day was wonderful. The kids and Joe made me breakfast in bed which was an egg, cheese and ham omelet, hash browns and OJ. Alex also cut up strawberries for me and Brady added two powered dounts to the plate. It was yummy. After church I started my day by laying on the couch all day. And I mean all day. I did nothing. Joe and the kids also made me dinner it was a great day.

The kids did these at church and I thought it was too cute to share.Brady says, I am 4 years oldAlex says, I am 40 years old.

When she asks me how old am I, I always say 29. I am sticking to that but she must have forgotten. I need to drill her just a few more times.

I am 29................

My baby is 6 years old

Alexandria turned 6 years old today. Times certainly flies by. Here's a few pictures of Alexandria over the past 6 years.

Starting with the most recent... Alexandria wanted a salon chair for her dolls.

And a horse shaped cake. I think I did a great job, especially for me because I am not too creative.

Alex blowing out her candles tonight.

5 years old

4 years old

3 years old

2 years old

And of course, 1 year old

1 year old again...she was such a chunk :)

Ant Farm

Brady's preschool has been studying bugs and such...so, today they searched outside for different kinds of bugs and insects. They have also talked about the life cycle of butterfly. Of which today it became a butterfly...I don't have a picture but the kids were excited to show their parents. Brady thought that was awesome, his words. But here is Brady's ant farm. He loves it. His teacher also gave them magnifying glasses to look at their ant farms. Pretty cool

They also made binoculars for searching for bugs. Brady painted his blue.

Farmers Market

Yesterday afternoon I took the kids to the Monterey Farmers Market with a friend of mine and her son. I have lived here almost 2 years and have never gone and just recently found out that it existed. It was a lot of fun but I did learn that next time to bring a stroller. My kids have kind of out grown them but Next time, I will bring the double jogger.

Anyways...Alex and Brady wanted their faces painted.
Alex wanted a butterfly on both cheeks.

Brady wanted spider man but that one was the entire face and I knew that would cause problems for me...I already had the small amount of paint on my shirt so, Brady got his spider of his face.

Easter

We dyed Easter eggs earlier in the week. The kids loved it as usual. What a mess...the dye was everywhere. Alex had Hello Kitty Dye and stickers.

Brady had transformer dye and stickers.

On Easter Sunday, we made a bunny cake. This has become a family tradition for Easter. We did it last year and what a cake. I let the kids go crazy and boy did they...sprinkles everywhere.

But this year, We thought we would actually make it look like a bunny and not a mountain of frosting and sprinkles. It was so cute.


We also did a family egg hunt. I did have 2 golden eggs, really one gold and one silver...same difference. this was the bigger prize inside...$5.00. They were excited.



We hope everyone had a great Easter day!!!

Happy Easter