Halloween Night

Jake's 1st Halloween:

The kids are out and about in the neighborhood trick-or-treating! Here they are with their friend Cade!

They are on the run from house to house!

We made it home!

It's time to dig in and eat the candy!

Sweet Cheeks Loves Sweets!

So Sweet Cheeks was eating pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes and she was totally digging them! Here's a video of her!

Fall Pics

Hunter is Peter Pan!

At a fall carnival on base!

Chloé Laine is Minnie Mouse!

Sweet Cheeks enjoying some pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes!

A Family Photo Before Mike left!

The kids by their carved pumpkins!

All ready for tomorrow night!

Trick-or-Treating at the BX with Daddy!

Little man almost 3 months old and in Hunter's old car seat!

Watch Over Me

Watch Over Me
by Christa Parrish

At the very beginning of this book, the reader is drawn in to a scene with powerful emotions. A newborn baby has been cast into the field, left abandoned by it's mother and left to die. Fortunately, Deputy Benjamin Patil finds this baby girl in enough time to save her life.


From there, the story unfolds into several directions. Deputy Benjamin Patil and his wife Abbi are struggling with marriage issues since Benjamin returned home from active duty in the military. Abbi, who has fertility issues reluctantly decides to take this newborn girl in upon her husband's begging request. Benjamin has eyes for this newborn girl who he is drawn to from the very beginning.

Meanwhile, the reader is introduced to Matthew, a deaf boy who lives with his aunt. Sadly, Matthew is dying and needs a kidney. He is on the search for his father while his negligent mother who's in prison shows no interest in her son.

Furthermore, these stories blend together in what will bring you emotionally apart of the plot. Having said this, the reader will not want to put this book down. Even more, having never read a book by this author, I have a feeling this will be the beginning of many fantastic stories!

Media Fast Part 1

So I heard about this idea to do a media fast. This is where a person abstains from all sources of media for so many days and instead uses that time to pray, read the Bible, and build relationships. I thought it sounded like a good idea! How much time do I waste in a day with media sources (Facebook, sending emails, watching the news, searching the internet, shopping on the internet, etc.)? I know it's wayyyyyyyy too much!

With this, I'm considering challenging myself with a media fast in the near future so I can re-devote myself to better things. Now, I'm not sure as to when I'll begin this challenge and how much media I'll cut out (some will be necessary such as paying bills online with Mike gone) but I'm up for this challenge. What I'm thinking is this:

30 days without:

• t.v.
• facebook
• most internet

These things will be limited:

• Once a week movie night will continue (We do this on Saturday night with the kids- it's usually only an hour and a half)
• Checking internet every 3-4 days just to pay bills and check notices on email for a brief few minutes from squadron
• Chat on Skype with Mike
• I may blog about the books I'm reading from the book publishers blogger review program I'm doing, only because I'm committed and owe them their reviews. All other blogging with pictures and stories will have to wait.

By eliminating the most obvious sources of media through this fast, I think it will help me re-prioritize my life. Although I'm not doing an entire media fast, I think by cutting out some of the bigger sources over a period of time will make a difference. Plus, I want to be reasonable since deep down I know I can't cut it all out entirely at this time. But this is a start and perhaps down the road, I can do it again and cut it all out. It's just not possible at this time.

Furthermore, as I write this out on here this morning, I'm thinking of beginning this challenge on November 1st. If anything changes or I think of pushing it to a later time, I'll inform you. Otherwise, I'm going to challenge myself during the month of November with this media fast challenge. Meanwhile, if you need to get ahold of me in November, you'll just have to call me. I don't often answer my phone when I'm homeschooling Hunter but I will at all other times, if available. I most likely won't be responding to email during this month either. So challenge be it!

Children as Blessings, Not Burdens!

Genesis 1:28: "God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it."

Often times, actually quite frequently, I'll hear parents complain about their kids. I can understand the daily frustrations that come along with parenting. Although, most of the time, it seems as though opinions are expressed through tiredness, irritation, and/or hormones. It's normal to experience frustrations with your kids. But what feels sour to me is when those opinions are expressed too freely as if children are burdens and not in expression of someone seeking advice from a friend about parenting. Really, I feel sorry for the child who is talked about this negative manner.

Example #1: I can't wait for my kids to be back in school so I can have peace and quiet.
Response: Shouldn't we want to value every moment with our children. Sure we need peace and quiet. But we also wanted these blessings in the first place.

Example #2: Did you see that family of six over there? Who wants all those kids? They can't possibly find time to spend with each one.
Response: God calls children blessings. Perhaps large families aren't your thing but it can really be something for others. Besides, you can make time for each one. It all depends on your priorities. If your priorities are spent watching t.v., overworking, etc. then you probably don't have time for them. Even families with just one or two children can receive no attention. It's what you make of it.

Now I know I've been guilty of an occasional rant about children in the past. I'm not perfect and I won't ever admit that I am. But lately, God has really closed in my heart about the blessings of children. I'd like to call attention to our tongues and what we say to others. Our kids are such great blessings in our lives. Whether we have three or ten, they will all be blessings and the greatest gifts God could give our marriage.

Seaside Letters

Seaside Letters by Denise Hunter

This Nantucket Love Story is very reminiscent of You've Got Mail. With that in mind, the author takes you through this sweetheart romance that is wholesome and clean. This story was written from a Christian standpoint and has much to offer it's reader.

Basically, girl (Sabrina) meets boy (Tucker) at her diner. Boy is her customer who she serves coffee to on a regular basis. Girl falls for boy. She communicates with him over the internet. Boy falls for girl online. He initiates the relationship over the internet via chatroom. However, there are a few drawbacks. Boy wants to meet girl in person. Girl has been betrayed in the past with a previous fiance and has some secrets which keeps her afraid of commitment. Boy asks waitress to help him discover this "girl" online. Will waitress reveal herself? Will she loose this boy she has fallen for forever? I will leave the details of that to you when you read this book.

If you would like to purchase this book, it's available through http://www.amazon.com/. I think you will enjoy it!

Our First Dance

This was the song we had played for our first dance at our wedding!

I'll post pics of our first dance later!
 
Six and a half years later, we are still experiencing a whole new world together! I feel truly blessed to have found the love of my life at such a young age!

Soccer Pics

Hunter is playing soccer this fall at the base! Here he is showing his teammates his dribbling skills as asked by the coach (in his uniform).

He is totally loving it!

Mike plays most of the time with him to help him learn!

Of course, the little misses likes to watch and wishes she could play too!

There goes our #9 with his teammates!

We're so proud of our soccer star!

Mr. Smiley Face

Here's our sweet little baby! Jake is such a happy little guy! His smile brightens up the room!

Mr. Jake is also a wiggler! He's moving all over the place these days! He'll kick his legs around and move his arms! We sure are having fun with him! Check out the video below!

McCoy Monster Mash

Check out our Monster Mash Video at the link below!http://monstermashup.com/69a0ea

Public Speaking Video

Thought this one was funny!

Today Vs. Tomorrow

Proverbs 27:1 “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.”


Being an incredibly anxious person, I find myself constantly thinking about the next day, month, etc. Sometimes I’ll think things will be easier once tomorrow comes. Or perhaps, I’ll be happier when I can finally buy that new dress next week, once payday rolls around. Or maybe even when the baby finally sleeps through the night, everything will be much simpler.

Yet, I often forget that I don’t know what the future holds. The only one who can foresee the future is God. If I’m always waiting for that next day or week, I’m missing out on the present moments of life. The current moments are what I should be focusing on, not the future.

Sometimes as I look back at baby pictures of the kids, I regret that I didn’t hold on to those current moments longer. At times, I was in a hurry for them to get older so I wouldn’t be so tired or that I could get a longer break. But once they started to get older, I wished for those moments again that I could hold them close without them pulling away.

The best things in life can be right in front of us and we can be so eager for tomorrow that we miss out on today. Sadly, the trouble with holding on to hope in the future is that I may not even be here. We don’t know how long we will be living on earth. Therefore, we should put everything in today’s time and make the most of every moment God gives us.

Relative Visits

We've had lots of visitors so far in Idaho! It's been great being closer to family! First, Mom (Carrie's Mom) & Meghan came out. They came just before Jake was born and stayed a little while after. Here's some pics of my belly just a couple days before Jake arrived!

We went out to the lake when they were here. The bumpy boat ride did not start labor! Hehe! But we tried!

Then, Jake arrived! "Auntie Meg" and "Grandma" held him at the hospital!

Then, we came home and the kiddos got held lots more! We had a great time!

The kids baked cookies with Auntie Meg when we were in the hospital! And Grandma sure had fun holding the new baby!

Over Labor Day, James, Jeannine and Jared came out to ID to visit! Hunter had fun going on the little tube with "Uncle Jimmy!"

We had a great time taking them out to the lake! Miss Chloé Laine ended up falling asleep in Jeannine's lap! So cute! And Jared impressed us with his 360 degrees turn-around on the knee-board! Very cool!

Next, Aunt Joan, Uncle George, Papa and Nana came to visit!

Little Jake sure got lots of attention from Aunt Joan and Nana!

                               It was so great to see Papa and Nana! They are the kid's Great Grandparents! What a treat to have them come all the way to Idaho!

Jake would "coo" at them a lot! It was precious!

We had perfect weather and the perfect time with them!

Uncle George and Papa were able to check out the planes! It was great to see those big smiles!

Then, Dad and Mom (Mike's parents) came out last weekend!

The kids were definitely spoiled by Grammie and Grandpa! :)

The kids were able to show them all of what they do each day! And Hunter showed them how he did his school too!

On the last day, the kids had fun playing at the park with their grandparents!

We sure enjoyed everyone's visit! Thank you ALL for coming out!