July Update

Since it's been so long I will go back to July.
Justin arrived home on July 28th. We were so very excited to finally have him home. Our wonderful neighborhood wanted to help welcome him home.
This is the entrance to our community.


The sign on our house.


We lined the street with flags. When we were arrived home Justin was greeted by about 50+ people lining the street and clapping their hands for him. This was such an emotional homecoming. I started to cry when I saw all the people there(that is why there is no picture of that.) I think his eyes filled up with tears as well.
We are so very lucky to live in such a wonderful place surrounded by wonderful people. If it wasn't for the kindness of the people around me I don't know how the kids and I would have survived. It was very hard to leave Washington and all the support we had there. I was naive about how difficult it was going to be the second time around. I have never been one to ask anybody for anything, and if I do ask then that means I really do need help. Living here, I have not had to ask. My friends really stepped up and helped us out. Sometime the smallest gestures mean the most when your going through such a difficult time. Just having someone call or ask how we're doing, or dropping by to chat for a few minutes helped tremendously.
I was dreading summer vacation...Big Time! All I could think about was how I was going to keep these guys entertained and their minds off the fact that daddy was gone. In June Justin asked his Aunt Nancy if one of the boys could come stay a week or so with her. He called me one afternoon and he was so incredibly touched by her response. She said, "I don't want just one of them, I want 2, and I want them for 2 weeks." I don't think the she knows how much that meant to us. At the time I was barely able to keep my head above water and she was offering to take 2 boys and keep them busy for 2 weeks. That meant I only had to worry about 3. No, problem. Three is a piece of cake compared to five. So, Brayden and Kyle went down to Florida and had the time of their life. They still talk about their trip and are looking forward to going back. We were so incredibly thankful for her. We will never forget her and Uncle Hank's kindness and support during Justin's deployment.

Way overdue update!!!

I cannot believe it has been so long since I've updated this blog. I promise that I will post some pictures and an update soon. We have been very busy with school, sports, surgeries and work. I will update soon!!!

Summer Dayz....

Graham and Logan spend much of their day on the Ripstick. I have tried and tried but I am afraid that I will break a leg if I get on one of these. Apparently you have to balance yourself and wiggle you legs back and forth to make it move. It looks easy enough but it really isn't. These kids can zip up and down the street, go up hills and even have RipStick wars. I am not a fan of the war. They try to knock each other off, using only the ripstick. I have seen kids Grahams size knock kids the size of Justin to the ground. I had to put a quick end to that game. I can watch them do just about anything but this game makes me cringe.


This is my favorite way to spend the summer. Sitting back watching Logan or Kyle do some yard work. I keep saying that having 4 boys is going to pay off someday. I am starting them young and they way I see it, Justin and I should not have to mow a lawn again for another 10 years at least!!




Mia's favorite way to spend her summer days is to swim or ride her bike. She loves to go to the pool in our neighborhood. She swims around on her belly, plays with her toys or just she just sits back and watches the kids play. He second favorite summer activity is riding her bicycle. She loves to peddle up and down the street. She rides around the cul-de-sac and she is very good about watching for cars. She parks her bike at the end of her friends driveways when she wants to see if they can play. She fills her basket with treasures she finds along the way

What to do???

So Mia was supposed to be in her room taking a nap. I was in the garage getting Graham and Logan to clean it before JT gets home. When they were done Logan went in to put his swim trunks on and this is what he found:





Yes, this is my makeup all over her. I went to check out the damage and it was everywhere. Then she tried to clean it up and made the mess even bigger. When Logan caught her she said "I want to lay down!"

Wedding Pictures

We had a wonderful time at our dear friends wedding. Graham was so excited to wear his tux. I think he would have slept in it if I would have let him. He counted down the hours to the wedding and made sure he did his best job walking down the aisle. Mia was a beautiful little flower girl. Although, I'm not so sure she was down with leaving the flower pedals on the ground. During the rehearsal she was picking them up and trying to put them in her basket. Logan rolled out the aisle and he was so cute.

Playing with my camera

Logan's 5th Grade Graduation

Well, Logan is moving up to Middle School next year. I honestly started to cry at his graduation. I'm pretty sure it was because they kept saying that they were the class of 2015. I just can't comprehend him staying in the house until 2015. He starts football camp on Saturday and he is very pumped up about it. I just see more visits to the ER and broken bones. He is very much a drama king. Everytime he falls he acts like it is the end of the world. Yeah, he has had a few broken bones in the past. He should be able to handle a little splinter. He has become very aware of mom's 48 hour rule. If your still in pain in 48 hours I will take you in. Unless, of course, there is an obvious injury. Otherwise your going to have to tough it out or pay the $25 co-pay for urgent care. He also broke up with his girlfriend. They had been together since Feb. Her and her posse of girls would come down the road looking for Logan. She was a very cute girl. Blonde and blue eyes. He said he broke it off for the summer. You know he wants to keep his options open. He is such his fathers son.

Mia's Birthday