Sleepover!

Colby went to his first real sleep over last friday!! He has spent the night elsewhere if i needed a sitter or something like that but this was different. This was the real deal......his friend's mom called and invited him and it was a group of about 6 7yr old boys.....brave parents i tell ya!! And even though it was just at Crystal's house it was still so hard for me.....he is growing up and fast! Anyway, his first sleepover was a raging success. The report i got is that it was after midnight before they finally fell asleep and they were up at 6:30 in the morning. CRAZY!!! Colby actually took a nap on Saturday. He hasn't done that since he was 2!! He had such a good time though and it was nice for him to have that fun with his friends before school starts! Here is a picture i took right before leaving......

Sorry it is kind of blurry.....trying to get 4 excited 7 year old boys to stand still is next to impossible so i didn't even try....i just snapped the picture and was set on being happy with whatever i got!! =) Then after taking the pic i got one last hug from Colby and turned to leave and spotted this.......

NO GIRLS ALLOWED!!!! Got that!!! Too stinkin' funny......this sign was on Isaac's bedroom door!! Stuck on w/ duct tape upside down!! I love being the Momma of boys! They are crazy, dirty, energetic, bug catchin', rough and tough little bundles of fun! And i love that so far there may be no girls allowed but there is always room for mommy.......because Mommy is not a girl....she's just momma!

Did you hear......

that Jason is going to be the next Bachelor????? As in Jason M...single dad from Seattle....rejected by Deanna!!!!! I'm soooo excited and totally showing my true nerdy colors here but dang i liked him and want him to find love! Anyway...since i know alot of us were sad about his heart being broken by Deanna i figured i would solicit comments on what all of your thoughts are! On Jason being the next bachelor that is...not on how nerdy i am...mmmkay?? =) So get to commenting!!! Are you as excited as i am???

Whirlwind Weekend!

Last weekend was a very fun and fabulous and busy one!! Friday night me and some girlfriends did a girls night out in honor of my birthday. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time!! We had such a great time and i truly enjoyed the time with them without the yelling and screaming of playing kids as background noise or playing referee between kiddos or drying tears from hurt feelers. It was just us and we were able to talk and just be! And thank you to all of our fabulous hubby's for staying home with previously mentioned kiddos! (don't get me wrong....i love my kids but we all know how nice it is to get out sometimes!!) I even had the cutest little 90 year old lady sing me happy birthday in pig latin....it was hilarious!! Great times!!

My personal pig latin singer!

The Crew and our waitress that put up w/ us for 3 1/2 hrs!!

Saturday we woke up and headed out for a day at the county fair!! It was HOT.....very HOT....at least for us. OK....actually being a Texas girl at heart i can't believe i am even saying this but it was 85 degrees and we were dying! What in the world am i going to do in Florida next summer????? It rarely climbs out of the 70's here so 85 was HOT! But we still had a good time! I forgot my camera but Ashley had hers and was nice enough to snap a few pictures!

Mommy helping Brayden w/ some sand art!

the boys petting a sheep

Colby making a frisbee!

Sometimes life throws us crazy curve balls that we just don't expect and we had one of those thrown our way last week. We got word that our friend Steve would be deploying this week. And slowly it sunk in that we will be gone when he gets back. So just like that we may never see him again. But we just couldn't let that happen so on Sunday we had Steve & Heather and Ashley & Ryan over for one last bbq. We truly enjoyed our last bit of time spent with Steve and will miss him lots.

Steve~ Good luck! We have been so blessed by both you and Heather and couldn't ask for better friends. Rest assured that i will do everything i can to make sure Heather is taken care of while you are away! We will be praying that you are able to successfully complete your mission and return home safely! God Bless!

So like i said....it was a fun, fabulous, and busy weekend!! I wouldn't trade the craziness for anything....as long as it is craziness with this 1 big guy and 2 lil guys that are my world!!

One year older....

Yes i am....one year older! I love taking time to reflect over the last year on my birthday and wow...what a year it has been! There have been challenges, triumphs, and lots of memories made! It was a great day! I woke up to John and Brayden singing me their own version of a happy birthday tune! =) John got off work early and we just enjoyed time together as a family relaxing this afternoon. We went to the farmer's market which i love! I love the small town, laid back environment and all of the fresh produce and the local vendors. Today we got some blueberries (brayden's favorite), some peaches (Colby's favorite), the dreamiest truffles EVER(all of us L.O.V.E. them!), and my best find in a LONG time......some fresh flowers.....for $7....SEVEN DOLLARS for this bouquet of fresh flowers!!! I showed the guy one flower that i liked and he just put together this bouquet!! FOR $7!!!!

Then once we picked up some dinner and got home to eat there was knock at the door and in came Ashley and Ryan and Heather!!! With cake! A cake that shows their wonderful sense of humor! You might remember my speeding ticket that i got on the 4th of july......i was going 24 in a 15mph zone and it has been a running joke ever since! Soooo....here is my cake.....

We all had a good laugh!! I love it!! Thank you Ashley, Ryan, Heather and Steve!! You guys are the best!

It has been a wonderful birthday! My in-laws and grandma sent me money, and my Mom sent me a visa gift card. All of which i have no idea what i want to do with......i really don't know how to spend money on me anymore!! John got me a day at the spa for a manicure, pedicure and hour long massage and i can't wait!!! He took the day off work next tuesday so he can be with the boys and i can have the day to myself! What a man i am so very blessed to call my husband!! The boys got me a new Bible which i LOVE! Very excited to get it nice and broken in!! Above all i realized today how loved i am........how blessed i am. I have an amazing family, wonderful friends and i love this life i am blessed with! A fabulous day and start to what will no doubt be another fabulous year!!

HELP ME!! PLEASE......

Some of you may remember that i have mentioned that Brayden had started potty training. He did this on his own....starting telling us that he wanted to go on the potty. I was thrilled....Colby was difficult to train so i thought maybe i had paid my potty training dues and this time around would be easier. HA....HA....HA.....Did you guys think that last statement was as funny as i found it??? Anyway...everyone has their opinion on pull ups and ours happens to be that there isn't anything wrong with using them. But after him doing so well for a while he just starting peeing in his pull up. It seemed to me that he was just doing it because he knew he could. So last week we decided no more pull ups and started putting him in underwear. We did the potty chart and he gets to put a happy sticker every time he goes on the potty and he gets a sad face when he goes in his pants. We ask him regularly throughout the day if he needs to go. I expected that there would be accidents but this is getting crazy...i feel like i can't leave him in sunday school w/ underwear on or go to his fave lil play gym cause i'm so afraid that he will pee. Now...i'm at a loss....i have no idea what to do. The following scene is becoming all too familiar and i'm quickly losing patience.......

He is still just peeing himself. I DON'T GET IT!!!! Is he just not ready??? But he has shown that he knows how to do it. I just don't know what to do next and while i appreciate that my couch probably hasn't ever been cleaner i don't know how much more of this i can take. We make him "clean" it up every time hoping that it would help him to stop doing it. NOPE. I keep telling myself tomorrow will be the day we start to see improvement but my optimism is fading quickly. HELP! Any ideas, comments or slap upside the head like duh! suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I just don't know what to do! And i know there are alot of mommies reading this so chime in and help a sista out!!

Playdate....kind of.....

Or maybe impromptu playdate would be a better title?? Don't know...either way we had a fun time with friends yesterday! It all started with Crystal and kiddos coming over to visit and play! Then us mommies decided we were starving and a trip to the golden arches was in order! So we loaded up and headed out and on the way i decided to put in a couple of phone calls and see who else might want to join us! Sooo...we ended up invading McDonalds and had a great time! The mommies got time to catch up and play pass the baby and the big kids got to run and play in the play place!

Sarah w/ Elliot and Hal'e

Me with lil RJ

The big kids...Colby, Madilyne, Brayden & Isaac

Lil Elliot-6wks Is he not the cutest thing????

I've said it over and over and i have to say it again...i am beyond blessed with the B.E.S.T. girlfriends ever!! Its funny how when moving across the country away from everything i had ever known i had an unbelievable sense of peace that i couldn't quite understand but was incredibly thankful for! I now recognize where that peace came from......God had a plan and what a marvelous plan it has turned out to be. He has just blessed me and my family beyond our wildest dreams and thanks be to Him for all He has done. There have been trials and tough times and even thru all of that he has provided!

Crystal, Sarah, and Ashley........you have become a HUGE part of my life and i couldn't have made it through the last few years without you. We have been through some of the darkest of days and some of the happiest of days but most importantly we have been through all of it together. You 3 inspire me, make me laugh, are always there and i cannot begin to thank you enough for your friendship. As we all look ahead to the distance that will soon separate us please always remember that there is no distance too great to break the friendship God has blessed us with. You will always be my sistas from another mr!! =)

Me, Crystal, & Sarah (Ashley had already left....)

here's one of me and Ash from a couple months ago =)

"Friendship improves happiness, and abates misery, by doubling our joy, and dividing our grief." -Joseph Addison

Light Bulb Moment

Light bulb moment....you know when the light bulb in your head comes on and you think of a solution to a problem that seems so stinkin' simple that you can't quite grasp how you didn't think of it before??? Surely i'm not the only one who has these moments right?? Actually i have a little secret....i probably have these moments more than most people and i'm ok with it. Atleast i think i am....i tend to learn the hard way and be way too stubborn to listen to simple solutions. So light bulb moments are a great thing for me......almost exciting....yeah i'm weird. But weird in a good way......atleast thats what i tell myself. ANYWAY....on with the show.... here is one of my recent light bulb moments.

On most days i am amazed at how well my lil monkey's get along. There is a 4 year age difference and i really never dreamed that they would play together as well as they do most of the time. I also never dreamed you could go from being the best of friends to not getting along in a split second! And some of the things they end up bickering about are absurd to me!

So John is out of town this week and really the week has gone very well. But there are those times when i just get a little overwhelmed and when the boys start their little arguments it just for whatever reason really pushes my buttons. Patience is a daily struggle for me. D.A.I.L.Y. I have learned to take a deep breath before reacting to situations so that i don't over react. There has been ALOT of deep breaths this week and one day in particular when the boys seemingly woke up not getting along i got this brilliant idea.....

That's right....i made them sit at the end of the hallway facing each other. It started with Colby complaining that it wasn't fair and Brayden crying. Soon followed by silence and then came the giggling. And the silly talk. But most importantly the getting along. So i let them get up and they got along so much better the rest of the day! Why hadn't i thought of this sooner??? It actually worked and i'm all for any type of discipline that doesn't include me raising my voice or spanking and actually works! So, while i still struggle with patience and i still have my moments when i lose that struggle i am so happy to have another method of discipline that for now seems to be very effective!

What are some effective methods of discipline that have worked for you?? I am all for learning from other parents and would love to hear what works in your homes and families so chime in with your two cents on discipline!

We're Home!!!

Let me just start by saying that i L.O.V.E family vacations! And this one was no exception! We had a great time and i feel so refreshed as a wife, mother and friend!

We started at the Great Wolf Lodge....it was fantastic! So great that we are planning on going back with some friends in September!! I didn't get very many pictures and i am wishing that i would have been better about that but i did snap a few in our room! The room was so fun....we stayed in a Wolf Den room so the kids had their own "den" with their own tv and bunk beds. They loved it! And the room was so clean and comfortable....i just can't say enough good things about it!

From there we headed out to my Dad's in Kalispell, MT!! We really enjoy going to my Dad's and we have been so blessed to live so close to them while being stationed here! It is such a joy to watch the relationship between the boys and my Dad grow.....they adore him! And as always my Step Mom went above and beyond as a hostess! We were also blessed to have my brother, Asa, and his son there for a few days too! The last time we were all together was when Brayden was born so it was nice to be together again! Colby and Brayden had a great time with Lil Asa and it was so special to see them grow to be such good buddies! Trips like this one are what memories are made of and we made lots of special memories as a family!

Couldn't resist this one....you gotta do what you gotta do!

The 3 amigos playing on papa's toys

Splish Splash....these 3 had such a great time together!

We did alot of relaxing and letting the boys run around outside! Papa and Grandma got them a slip-n-slide and all kinds of fun toys for outside and they so enjoyed all of them!

a lil slip-n-slide action!

We went to see a local dam one day and had a picnic by the lake and then the boys swam and played in the lake w/ Grandma!

Grandma, lil Asa, Colby, Brayden, Papa

The Miculka's

What cuties!

Swimmin' in the lake

What better way is there to cool off after a swim in the lake?


We went to Libby, MT (about 90 miles north) to meet some extended family as this is the town my Dad grew up in. We stayed in a hotel w/ an indoor pool and the boys did ALOT of swimming! We went to Kootenai Falls which is a nice hike off the highway and so beautiful!! It is a big natural series of waterfalls.......so pretty and serene! Unfortunately we didn't get to meet as much of the family as we would of liked because nature had different plans! A forest fire started across the highway from our hotel and alot of the family lived in the area so they were all warned to be ready to evacuate. Luckily they were able to stop the fire from getting any structures but it did mean we didn't get to visit w/ everyone. We did however get a pretty neat first hand education on the logistics of wild fire fighting! We actually got to watch the retardant planes fly and drop the fire retardant. We got to watch the helicopters go to the river and get water and then fly over to the fire and drop the water! When it got dark we could see all the little spot fires that started up on the mountain ridge. And all while getting a detailed commentary from my Dad who actually is a member of a Type 2 fire team! (meaning he is on a team that works the logistical end of fighting big fires) So, while our little mini trip didn't turn out quite like we planned it was still neat and we enjoyed it!

Swimming AGAIN!

Colby @ Kootenai Falls

The Falls

The whole gang!

All of that haze in the mountains is smoke from the fire!

this was the next day....wish i would of thought to take some when it was really going good!

We took the boat out to one of the many local lakes one day! The boys LOVE going out on the boat and i definitely see a boat/jet ski/lake house in our future at some point! I love all lake recreational things! I'm not a big ocean girl but more of a lake girl! The scenery was gorgeous and the weather perfect!!

Our future lake house.....=)

Us on the lake!

Papa, Grandma and the boys

There just aren't words to truly sum up how special all the memories made are to me! But i can say i am refreshed, relaxed and couldn't have enjoyed my time with my family more. So now it is your turn to share with me......is there any special vacation memories that stand out for you?? I would love to hear your special memories so please do share!

A little R&R!!

This vacation has been soooooo nice!! We are truly enjoying ourselves and loving the time together as a family! I'm not going to be able to upload pictures here like i thought i would. =( I'm spoiled at home with a memory card slot on my computer so i didn't even bring my usb cable with me. So pictures will have to wait until i get home next week!



We went to the Great Wolf Lodge on Monday and played in the water park all afternoon and then went to dinner at one of the on site restaurants. Then we hit the arcade(also on site) and then the bakery for some dessert!!!! It was so nice to not have any kind of schedule or worry about getting anywhere by a certain time....we did what we wanted when we wanted and we had a blast!! It was a GREAT time and i L.O.V.E.D the resort. They had so much to do, the service was great and the staff was fabulous! And we didn't leave the resort from the time we checked in until the next morning when we checked out....the had everything right there!



Now we are at my Dad's house in Kalispell, MT! The drive over here was pretty uneventful....it is a gorgeous drive for the most part and we have all kinds of fun planned for the next week! We've had lots of down time which equals lots of reading and enjoying the boys for me! We had a YUMMY steak dinner last night and are planning on playing in the water this afternoon!! We are planning on taking the boat out to the lake one day, doing a movie night outside, going to Glacier National Park (which is only about 30 minutes away!), and all kinds of fun stuff!

Hope everyone is enjoying their week......not sure if i'll get to post again before we get home but i promise pictures next week!!

How Blessed am I?

Blessed beyond measure! It is weeks like the last one that remind me just how thankful i am to have the Lord in my life.....without the hope of knowing he would provide everything i needed to get through, i would have fallen apart.

Isaiah 40:31

but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.

After my long, hard, stressful and exhausting week i came home from Stamp Camp (10hrs after i left the house!) to a SPOTLESS house and the errands all run by my fabulous hubby and flowers from my amazing friend Ashley! John managed to go to the pharmacy to p/u refills to get us through the trip, got Brayden's haircut, exchanged the dvd player we bought for the car which ended up not working, went to the store and found my FAVE soda that we haven't been able to find up here until now, AND cleaned the house! What a man! I am so blessed....it was such a huge weight off of my shoulders to have all of that done so that i can focus on laundry and packing tomorrow!

John~ I can't begin to thank you enough for all of your love and support the last week! As we face this tough time in our life i rest peacefully in knowing i am married to an amazing, honest, strong man. I love you so very much and i am looking forward to time to spend with you and our lil men....time to just be a family away from all of the worries surrounding us right now.

Ashley~ What would i do without you?? Without your shoulder to cry on, your ear to vent in, or our girls nights out to laugh and relax?? You are amazing and i am so blessed to have you in my life. Thank you so very much for your selfless nature and for thinking of me today when things aren't easy for you right now either! I love the flowers and i love your face!

I am so incredibly blessed....even in times of trial and i can't begin to thank God enough for his never ending love and presence in my life! Just had to share a couple of the many blessings in my life right now!