The Tree Has Shrunk!

Part of tonights conversations....

Vicki: Our tree shrunk...

Ed: No, it's the same size.

Vicki: Nope, it has shrunk! It was taller...

Ty: Yes, it used to be a LOT taller

Me: Nope, same size as the last 11 years, I still need a chair to put lights on it. YOU guys have grown!!!!

Vicki and Ty: Ohhhhh

In the garage Ty picks up a baseball and is going on and on about how small it is.....I tell him it's the same size just his hand has grown. He doesn't believe me and goes in the house to check with his Dad. Ed tells him it's league size, just his hand has gotten bigger! Ty says, "Ohhhh"

I'm like ohhhhh no!!! They are all growing up too fast!!!!

Egg Nog French Toast

One of my favorite breakfasts this morning!!! Egg Nog French Toast!

Plank Faces

I plank.... I don't like to plank....I think my expressions relay that....

 

Groomed & Ready!

Jasper is ready for his Daddy to come home!!!! 

Finally Got a Smile!

It's Cold Again...

Ty is 14

Guess who is 14?!!! Wow!!! Ty is!!! All he wanted was a Chocolate Cream Pie and this gun with an awesome scope.  He was a very happy Birthday Boy!!! He chose IHOP for his Birthday dinner and than we saw his choice of the movie Thor, and than we came home for his Birthday Pie! It has been a fantabulous day!!!

Thor

Waiting to see Thor.....Ty wanted to see this for his birthday today!!! Sounds good to me!!!

Thor did not disappoint!!! It was great! There will be another one!!! Yay!!!

Not Needed Anymore

The Dude in Cammies started unpacking his gear.....he handed me this and said, "I won't be needing to carry this on me at all times anymore." I joked and said, "You might want to hang on to that with the way our country is headed....."

Marine to Lumber Jack

The Dude in Cammies dropped me off at work this morning......7 1/2 hours later a Lumber Jack arrives to pick me up from work!  Love this guy!

Carpooling a year Later

I got to carpool with The Dude in Cammies this morning!!!  Of course i had to leave like 40 minutes earlier than normal as HE like to be at everything an hour early and i slide in with about 8 seconds to spare!!! I didn't talk too much and i bit my tongue even though i wanted to tell him what lane to be in and such.....I do drive this every day and know the best spot to be in......but i let him do his own way and Vicki gave a few backseat tips.  Vicki came with us so she can go with Ed. He likes having someone with him when he first gets back so he doesn't snap and go off on someone that happens to be being stupid!  Since we got on base early enough because we left soooo early The Dude in Cammies stopped at the Shoppette and Vicki and i got Hot Chocolates. YUM! I got one for him too with vanilla caramel. It was actually sad to say goodbye to him when he dropped me off in front of Lejeune High School. I took a picture of him and he only grumbled a little.  Vicki moved up to the front seat and i told her to take good care of him for me. She said no.  Ed and i both laughed. Now i am going to count down the hours until he picks me up.....    

He was really sad to drop me off. You can see it in his face....yep, he's gonna be counting down every moment 

Skip-Bo!

For activity tonight for FHE we decided to play Skip-Bo.  It is a family favorite and of course the dogs think they should play too!  Soo annoying as they think the object of the game is to walk thru the middle and knocking cards everywhere! We finally had to put Jasper and Leah out.  Leah was fine being outside, but Jasper gave us periodic barks to let us know he would like back in and to make sure we didn't forget about him! Bella enjoyed cuddling with Papa and making her rounds to all of us with a chunk of stinky fur to play tug-a-war with.  Ty won a VERY competitive game.  Well, everyone was competitive except Ed and i. Our kids get their competitiveness from their Grandma Mik i think......

Tourniquets and Family Home Evening

Tonight for Family Home Evening Ed thought we should all learn how to apply a tourniquet. He pulled the type of one that he uses when on the battlefields. Vicki cries out, "Is there blood on it?!"  Ed laughs while telling her that it is a brand new one he just took out of the wrapper and i am laughing telling her that those are NOT taken off until the injured person arrives at the medical facility, that Dad would never have a used one on him.  She let out a huge sigh of relief and than laughed at how dumb that would be to take it before they loaded up the wounded on the med evac.  The kids had fun practicing on each other. Ryan was scared Vicki was going to hurt him and was begging to not have Vicki eb the one to practice on him.  These kids are sooo funny.  But, Ed would tell them the injury and than they would apply the tourniquet where it needed to go.  He also showed them how they could use other things for a tourniquet. It was a fun FHE with lots of laughter and some learning involved.....

Silly Waiting Photos

While waiting for The Dude in Cammies the kids were being silly.  Here are just a few of the kids while waiting....

Last Night On The Bed

I told Jasper to enjoy tonight, as it will be his last night on the bed.  He looks to be a little sad....but i told him he will be sleeping with me again in about 9 weeks.....

Boots, Nails, & Dog Tags

Got my boots on, nails done, and The Dude in Cammies original dog tags! I am ready for the Deployed Spouses Ball

363rd Goodnight Picture!

I send The Dude in Cammies a good night picture every night before I go to bed.....this is the 363rd one!

23* To 72* In Three Days

Beautiful Fall day today!!! It was 72 degrees! It is hard to believe we were 23* and snow on the ground just a few days ago!

The Dude in Cammies is 40!!!

The Dude in Cammies has had some Birthdays with us and some without us.....this one is without us but in a new place he has never turned a year older at before!!!

Still in his SUPER early 20's

He turned 30 on Okinawa.......

While we were in Okinawa he had his 32nd Birthday in Iraq.

He had a Birthday in Afghanistan

He's had a Birthday at 29 Palms during training...

And the big 40 was in Kyrgystan leaving Afghanistan!!!

After Ball Breakfast

We stopped at Dunkin Doughnuts and picked breakfast up for our kids.....yep, they will be happy campers in the morning! We had quite the looks at us when we went in in nice dresses and boots!!!  Good thing it is a Marine Base and these kind of things are just kinda the norm!

The kids will be thrilled to find breakfast tomorrow is doughnuts!

Deployed Souses Ball 2013

Tonight was the Deployed Spouses Ball.  AND!!!  It is The Dude in Cammies BIRTHDAY!!!  This was my first one to ever go to.  I have seen lots of posts from friends who have gone to these and seen many fun pictures but had never had the opportunity to attend one as The Dude in Cammies has either left right after one or arrived home before one or when he was an augment the Battalion always made sure to invite the Wives of their deployed Marines and since they bought the tickets and offered transportation and child care I didn’t say no, so I have never had the opportunity to go until this year! My friend Kim who lives down the road from me asked if I was going.  I was originally not planning on it as The Dude in Cammies arrival was going to be somewhere in that window and so I wasn’t sure if I should risk buying a ticket and that ends up being the night he comes home or he comes home the day before and I leave him his first night home or something like that! Amy definitely wanted to go. Her Marine is in Afghanistan and is retiring this summer.  She has yet to go to one of these either and she wanted to go as this was her last chance.  I told her I would buy a ticket and go as long as I wasn’t picking up my guy during the Ball! Ha! I figured this way I could check this off my Marine Wife Bucket List and go with a fun friend!!! We had a total blast! The decorations were sooo fun! I was going to sit on one of the sand bags and right when I was sitting I realized they weren’t filled with sand but with air!  That was close!!! I almost fell but thank goodness my brain began thinking ‘sand’ bags would be really heavy to bring in in this quantity!!! Caught myself just in time!  Now, that would have been a classic Julia Moment if I hadn’t had that sudden brain power happen!!! The food was delicious, the desserts were every girls dream, and the speakers were hilarious and know the Marine Wife Life!!! It was a fantabulous evening with some super fun wives!     

The entrance going in

Had to lay down on the cot

With my friends

The tent to go thru to sign in and find out your table number

Loved this sign!

Had to make this for The Dude in Cammies....we all know I am always waiting on him!!!

Our super cute table centerpiece

Yes, those are the coolest M&M's EVER!!!!

Yes, i tried almost everything!!!

A try once dessert, good, but don't want again!