Home Rules

Thank you Lesa for this -er, fun, yeah that's it! Fun tag! I don't know when, and I don't know how, but I'll get you back.

The rules are to grab your camera and take pictures of the following with NO CLEANING UP!

The kitchen sink... not too shabby, eh?

The toilet... you pee blue too, don't you

The laundry room...ok, so this room needs some work! I'm not quite sure what shaving cream is doing on the dryer.

The Refrigerator ... yikes! What's sad about this picture is that half this food wasn't there an hour before I took the picture. We have some friends who just moved and they gave us all their cold food on their way outta dodge.

The closet... I love my shoe cubbies!





































Favorite shoes... any flip flop..

For exercising...

and for church...

What the kids are doing now... well, at least this is what they were doing when I took the picture. Monica dresses herself every morning. And she loves to "share" her cartoons with Leah.

Favorite Room...

Dream vacation...
any place with an island and a beach!

Self Portrait

I tag Emily, Pam J, Kristen, Jodi...Have Fun!!!

two month checkup...late

We were in California when Leah turned 2 months and I spaced getting her two-month checkup til she was 10 weeks. And by the time I called in, the earliest appointment was for when she was 11 weeks old. So here are her 11 week stats:

11 lbs 13 oz (50th percentile)
24 3/4 inches (95th percentile) She's TALL!

Leah is growing great and our doctor says she is very strong for her age and to look out because she will be rolling more purposefully now. Leah loves to stand up. She's never really fussy, but when she gets bored we can easily distract her by pulling her up to her feet and she gets super excited aobut standing up! Here are a few pics of how happy she gets.


And here she is in action!

FUNNY!!

I thought this was funny!

This is the second election I have followed and actually paid attention to. I know we all hope for a change and both sides are promising big changes. But honestly, let's get real. Presidents don't have all the power to fulfill all the campaign promises these men are making. To be honest, there isn't much I really understand about it all, but I am still excited to cast my vote come Nov. 4th.

So what am I looking for? Well, my future will be with the military. When Ryan completes his degree, he will commission and we will be an active duty military family again. I feel a little bit of trepidation at the thought, and it's that fear that motivates my vote. Who will understand the troops and their families? Who has the experience to understand what families of war veterans need? Who will fight to insure that they get the benefits they need? Who understands the nature of war and believes that our men and women can finish what they start?

I know that I fall in the minority of our nation's people by not opposing the war. Yes, there are a few soldiers too thirsty for blood. But I believe the vast majority of them believe in their cause...if not to take out vicious dictators, but to take the war to the terrorists and keep it off American soil. That is a cause worth fighting for. That is a cause worth sacrificing for. And when you have put your heart on the line for God and country, you can't turn your back on the soldiers and their reasons to fight. It is a hard life. The money is not worth it. Not even for officers. But it's the deeper reasons why they do it. They are aware of the risks when they enlist. That's why they enlist and sign up. Because they believe our nation is worth fighting, and yes, dying for.

As a wife of a vet, I have seen the effects of war firsthand- how a man can change and be changed. Some changes were for the better, and some not so much better. But my soldier knew the reasons he was fighting. And it was a deep love and belief in him that kept me by his side. And I won't stand by and let anyone take that reason away from him or any other soldier without letting my voice be heard.

Dancing With the Star (Monica)

Ever since she was about 18 months, Monica has shown an aptitude for rhythm. When she was 2, it was clear she had a very natural sense of rhythm. And now at 3, with better coordination and stamina, she is showing herself to be a great little dancer. She sings in time pretty well too. Here she is doing some salsa dancing. We do not listen to a lot of salsa, just every so often when I get in the mood to dance as I clean. When we dance I tell her to just move to the music. I don't know any real salsa steps, but she has a natural feel for it. I was impressed! At the end of movies, Monica insists on dancing to the music in the credits. Here she is at the end of "Ariel's Beginning", which was very cute by the way! Thanks for the recommendation Emily!

Later that day, we watched it again, and she showed another side I hadn't seen...ballet/modern! I'm thinking we are starting to see a real talent!

9/11

So I was giving a lesson today when 9/11 came up with one of my students. I asked her if she remembers what she was doing the day it all happened, and she couldn't remember. So we figured out that she was only 4 when the Trade Towers fell and the Pentagon attacked. I was 19.

I remember dropping Emily and Tasha off at work at Jiffy Lube and on the way home, the regular programming was interrupted to report on the first tower having been hit. I rushed home and Mom and I watched in horror as the second one fell. I remember wondering if it had been taped and then felt like someone had punched me in the stomach when I realized I was witnessing it in real time. And then, time stood still.

Nothing else seemed to matter and we were glued to the TV. I remember Peter Jennings getting choked up on the air, and telling us, "If you are at home with your loved ones, reach out and give them a hug." It seemed kind of surreal, since it was just me and Mom, but she got out of her seat and I out of mine and we hugged! I remember being so glad that she was there with me. I realized at that moment how much she meant to me.

Then came the news of the attack on the Pentagon, and it was like a scene from a movie, watching the evacuation. I remember the fear I had for my aunt, a flight attendant based in Newark. Was she supposed to be flying that day? She didn't, and I think our family breathed a collective sigh of relief. I wanted to call in to work, but knew I had to go in. I was a server at Marie Callendar's and I think I had 4 tables all night. We brought a TV from the office into the server's station to keep up on what was happening. I remember closing out, going home and crying myself to sleep that night, wondering what had just happened, and how could it have played out so awfully?

I will never forget the emotions I felt for the people of New York. For the people of America. Time stood still as this tragedy happened. My heart goes out to the families who lost loved ones. And to the ones who have loved ones now, voluntarily standing in harm's way to make sure that another attack does not happen on US soil. Ryan recently lost a buddy he had helped train. And another good friend lost his legs. These were "his guys". I love this country with all my heart. I believe in our soldiers and their capabilities to do what is right. To make a difference in the world. I loved living overseas like no other, but having that experience made me realize just how proud I am to be an American. To have the rights and priveleges that come with my citizenship of this wondrous nation, blessed by God so that His gospel could roll forth. To the events of this day, 7 years ago --

I will not forget.

W O W !!!

I decided today, that if I am to go back to school for a music degree, then I had better get my fingers back in shape. No more slacking off. The only way this is truly going to happen for me is if I get my tush in gear and start practicing. After all, I would be a hypocrite if I required my students to practice while I, myself, sit on the sidelines and not do anything. So I pulled out my "Greatest Classics" book and decided Chopin's Minute Waltz would be a good start. I never studied this when I was taking lessons.

I worked for about 2 hours today and got to half the normal tempo before my fingers decided they were done. Finshed. Kaput. Couldn't do a scale if I wanted to, let alone with 5 flats! Even if it is my favorite key. (So fun...all black keys except C and F!) Anyways, as I was searching for a good rendition for inspiration, I came across a couple videos. One gave the history of the piece as the man played. Apparently Chopin was watching his dog run around in circles chasing its own tail with a friend when he decided to capture the image in music. So it was originally called "The Little Dog Waltz" and then later changed. The next video I found blew me away! It's a Minute Waltz DUET! I just had to share...



Watch it. I dare you. Live on the wild side. 3 minutes of your life you won't regret.

Making Lemonade

I guess I knew it would happen.

Every kid does it, right?

Right?

I remember when Ashley did it.
I saw the pictures of Isaac.
*sigh*
Monica chopped her hair.

So I tried making some lemonade out of the lemons in her hair. I had to add bangs again, which I think make her look little again.

Tagged Again

4 Things I like about my hubby!
*He's a studmuffin
*He gives me backrubs almost every night
*We can talk for hours...until his head hits the pillow and then it's lights out!
*He understands Anna-speak

4 Movies I can watch more than once
* Pride and Prejudice
* While You Were Sleeping
* "Friends" DVD Set
* Bring It On

4 Tv Shows
* Ugly Betty!!
* HEROES!!!
* Biggest Loser--SO Motivating!
* Wheel of Fortune

4 Places I have visited
*Florence, Italy
*cities all over Germany
*London, England
*Boleslavic, Poland

4 people who email me regularly
*My mom's friend, Andrea. She sends some funny jokes!
*I talk to Emily almost everyday, if not 2 or 3 times a day.
*I talk to Lesa the next most often.
*Life is busy! That's why I have a blog!

4 Favorite Foods
*Ice Cream
*Rahm Schniztel - SERIOUSLY the Best Food EVER!!
*Doner kebap
*Ice Cream Bars

4 Places I want to Visit
*Washington -- Unless Lesa gets to ABQ first.
*Washington D.C.
*Idaho
*Back to Germany.

4 Things that I am looking forward to in the next year
*Getting out of credit card debt
*Growing my hair out some more
*Leah finding her voice
*Ryan being halfway done with college!

4 People to tag
*Christina Taylor
*Sam Moody -gotcha back!
*Sara Whetten
*Alysha Smith

2 months, Bathtime, Candid Camera

Leah was 2 months old a week and a half ago, and I took a couple photo ops to capture her beauty. Here she is in Daddy's arms.

And here she is as Daddy plays with her! Surprisingly enough, she really didn't mind him making faces with her. She would even give him a grin when he was done.
And here's a lovely pic of our beautiful Leah. At WIC she measured 11 lbs. 2 oz at 9 1/2 weeks.

Monica loves taking baths with Leah. We have a cute tub with a sling that we normally use when they aren't needing baths at the same time. But every once in a while she likes to share her bathtime.

Cute girlies!

When we went to Paris, Monica stayed with our friends, the Randalls, and Rynn did this to her hair. Well, 2 years later we decided to try it again and Ryan got to stand on end!

Smile, princess!

Hi-ya! Monica likes to practice her Ka-ra-tay.

I teach her some moves from time to time because I'm such an expert! NOT!

Dream Blog

So yeah, I'm a dreamer, and lately I've been hearing and reading that it's good to keep a dream diary. So I decided to create a dream blog since I can type a heckuva lot faster than I can write. I'm adding my link to my sidebar, so if anyone is interested in reading my wacky slumber experiences, check it out. If you have any insights you can give, I consider them all!

TAG

I've never been tagged before...this oughtta be fun!

8 Facts....

1. If a clean home and happy children didn't require work, I could lay still pretty much all day. I love to just relax!

2. I am blessed to have a husband who, in spite of my roundness, finds me irresistably attractive, and helps me out without having to ask for it. He is as romantic today, if not more, as he was when he was winning me over --he cooks me breakfast in bed for no reason, lets me sleep in when he's the one who has to wake up at or before 6 every morning of the week, and surprises me with chores I intended to do and are already done.

3. I believe I have the two cutest daughters and the best husband that ever lived -- if I were to lose any of them my heart would shatter.

4. I love my God and my Savior. I want to do all I can to make them pleased with me.

5. I love teaching piano lessons in spite of the fact that my students don't always practice. It is rewarding to see them "get it" when they learn a new concept.

6. I believe in taking breaks...many of them, throughout the day. I'm mildly obsessive in having a clean house, but gladly accept interruptions.

7. I am smarter than I sound. I jumble words all the time because I start to say one thing, and think another word would express the thought better and end what was I saying with the change, making me look a bit like a dolt.

8. My vanity motivates me to be healthy. When I am eating right and exercising, I feel better about myself, but I am unwilling to give up certain treats (ice cream). I would rather work twice as hard and enjoy my food than do the minimum and eat bland food.

The Lucky 8 I tag next are:
1. Lesa Miller
2. Emily Abbott
3. Monica McBride
4. Kuliana Cash
5. Jodi Blake
6. Pam Jorgensen
7. Jordan Dixon
8. Jessica Conforti