It's the toughest job in the Navy!!!

Growing Older Sucks!

2011-01-19T13:12:00.002-06:00

So we got an XBox back in the fall and the kids love it. I really wasnt tempted to play with it because the games they play werent for me. When XBox announced that they would be coming out with a device that allowed you to be the controller, I was intrigued. Chris and I discussed it and thought we should wait to see if there would be any "bugs" in the new device. When Christmas rolled around and friends and neighbors started to get these devices we waited patiently for feedback and everything that was said to us was Postive. So Chris surprised the Kids and I this last weekend by going to Best Buy and purchasing this wonderful device. Sunday night was spent dancing with Emily to Lady Gaga and PitBull. I was quite impressed that I could keep up with my daughter and even more impressed that I beat her (Once) at the game. I think it was my big momma hips that could "dip" better than her little frame LOL! The next morning was spent playing bubble pop and obstacle course with Casey and that was fun too. I felt great! So much energy and I had a super workout. Things changed quickly when I went to bend down and WHAM-O! My back gave out! Are you kidding me?! Now I am sitting here like an old lady with a heating pad on my back and hobbling around the house. I dont want to feel like this! I want to dance and play with the Kinnect and I cant. Growing Old Sucks!

A New Year....A New Post!

2011-01-17T20:45:00.002-06:00

2011...This year has been in the back of my mind for over a decade. When I first got engaged to Chris, 2011 was in the back of my mind. When I first held Emily and Casey in my arms for the first time, 2011 was in the back of my mind. When I drove cross country, up and down the East Coast and all over the gulf coast, 2011 was on my mind. Why? you ask. Because this is the year that my dear husband can FINALLY retire from the United States Navy. It feel so weird now that it is finally here. I had always imagined us getting ready to get out. I never imagined us living in Utah or not being able to decide where we want to retire. We have always thought that we would be back in Maine but times have changed and so has the economy. Unless something amazing happens, we wont be moving back to Maine and I am ok with that, which is the strange part. Over these 20 years traveling this amazing country, I have learned that our little family will thrive wherever.
So here's to 2011. May this year be AMAZING for us and hopefully all we ever dreamed of!

I JUST WANT TO GO HOME....

2010-02-07T16:33:00.003-06:00

This week has been a strange one. I have seen so much negativity here and I am craving some nice Southern hospitality and manners. I stood by this week and let people walk all over me. I stood by and watched people walk all over many friends and I am tired. People dont hold doors around here or move when you say "excuse me". What happened to courtesy? Sometimes I think I am invisible and that I just get "the raw end of the stick" because people are having a bad day. But do I really deserve it? I try to be nice wherever I go but it is so HARD to be when you get nothing back in return. We have tried to "fit in" out here but so many obstacles keep it from happening. For those of you reading this and thinking that I am just wanting sympathy, I am not. This blog is like a journal of sorts and I am finally putting words down for things that have been bothering me for months now. I am just so TIRED of trying to be nice when all I get in return is CRAP! God taught us to love one another so why cant we? Instead it seems like we hurt one another until one of us breaks. What good is this doing? Are we accomplishing anything other than causing pain. I just wish some people would stand back and look at themselves yelling. I told someone this week that I truly believe that people have an out of body experience when they are yelling. It is after the fact, when I wonder if they even know how bad they have hurt that other person or if they even care that they hurt that person at all.
Enough of my venting. I guess I will put on a smile and continue on my way. All I can try to do is to keep being nice to everyone I encounter and HOPE that things might change someday soon.

Emily's friend gifts

2009-12-17T12:54:00.003-06:00

So I have been busy making neighbor gifts, family gifts and friend gifts. Emily wanted something small to give to a couple of girls and I happened to get a great idea from a girl that used to work at my store. She came into the store with these cute "books" with chapstick in them. I thought I could do that for Emily's little friends and I did. The major problem I had was finding chapstick with clips on them. I finally found these colorful bonnebell ones at Target. They matched the MME Christmas line so well! I covered each chapstick with paper that coordinated with the "book". Its not an expensive gift but I am sure her friends will love it.

My third child

2009-12-07T11:29:00.003-06:00

I have come to the conclusion that I am the only adult that lives in this household. Chris is the enforcer when it comes to discipline but he is also the dad that will play with the kids on their level. Case in point, yesterday the kids decided to make a play house inside the closet that houses our scrapbooks and books in the family room. I was working at my desk down there when Chris yelled for help. It seems that he tried to get into their play house and got himself stuck. It was hard for me not to laugh at my dear hubby when I was pulling him out of the closet. I couldnt resist taking a photo and he said "whatcha ya gonna do, put it on facebook?" No, I decided to put it on this blog instead and we will see if he ever finds out LOL!

He's BACK!!

2009-12-04T15:40:00.002-06:00

That is Timmy the elf is back in the Kimball household. This jolly little guy normally flies down from the North Pole around this time of year to keep his eye on Casey and report back to Santa. Every morning Casey runs around the house looking to find out where Timmy has "landed". This morning he was upside down hanging in the stairwell to the basement. That Timmy is quite the funny little elf. I really dont think that Casey is paying too much attention to the fact that Timmy is suppose to be reporting back to Santa because Casey hasnt been the best of boys lately. This might lead to Timmy hand delivering a note from the big guy in red like he did last year. I will keep yall posted on the lastest developments with Casey and Timmy.

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas

2009-11-30T12:52:00.004-06:00

Years past, we have not decorated the outside of our house with lights. This is mainly because Chris was not home to do it. Well this year is different. We live in a little area called the "berry patch" (all the road names have berry in them). It consists of a circle of houses and my guess is that there are about 40 houses in our "patch". We didnt want to stand out like a sore thumb so we decided to decorate (modestly). Chris purchases the icycle light and clips weeks ago but hadnt gotten around to doing it yet. Yesterday was the day! He and Casey went outside when Emily ran to the grocery store. These lights went up quick and they look so good. I also purchased some little snowman lanterns that are solar powered. I love them! They glow three different colors and add just the right touch to the front path way. The lights might not look like alot to some but it is more than we have ever had. Maybe next year we will add a lawn ornament or two LOL!

Our little Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T13:21:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving finally arrived. I was not looking forward to it this year since we would be away from our friends and family. I have been spoiled for the last 8 years. We would travel to my mother's house when we were stationed in Alabama and before that we went to my Aunt PoPo's for a huge family Thanksgiving. Needless to say, I havent cooked a whole Thanksgiving meal in a LONG TIME!
It was a very quiet and relaxful day here in Utah. I cooked a turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls and a salad. We ate early and didnt over stuff ourselves. Casey hated the Turkey as usual. We tried to pass it off as a big chicken but he was too smart for that. Emily told me that the meal was awesome and ate alot. Chris seemed to be content too. We did get to have some of Chris's peanut butter pie. That was the one thing that Casey liked. He actually licked his plate clean.
After dinner Emily and I decided to go shopping at Old Navy and Michaels. Overall it was a nice day with my little family that I will treasure for years to come.

Some crafty goodness

2009-11-22T21:58:00.002-06:00

Since I have moved to Utah, I have been crafting quite a bit. Utah is filled with wonderful craft stores and very inspirational women. It is hard for me to choose just one type of craft to do too. I love scrapbooking but I also love quilting, card making, cross stiching, wood working....The list could go on and on. I tell you this state truly inspires my creativity. And being surrounded by such creative people at home and at work doesnt hurt either LOL!
A couple of weeks ago I attended a crafting event here in my neighborhood. It was actually put on by the church here and the neighborhood women were kind enough to invite me because they know I love to craft. You could sign up for different kits and work on them there during the event. I signed up for 3 different classes. Here are photos of two of them. The family yahtzee has to be my favorite. It is a darling way to incorporate your family right into the game. I love this set and I am afraid to use it. Thanks to my friend Brooke for teaching me how to make this.
THe second is a large metal star that I covered with Graphic 45 Christmas paper and Mod Podge. I actually didnt make this there but later at home and it is bigger than the one that they made at the event. I am going to hang it in our upstair living room. I have wooden trees that I am going to cover with the same paper and embellish too. I will post some photos when I get those finished. I hoping to do this either Thanksgiving day or Friday since I have those days off.

Winter Wonderland

2009-11-16T10:52:00.003-06:00

I still cant believe that we have snow out here and it is only November. Growing up in Maine, I dont recall getting snow this early. Sure we had snow in April but I just dont remember it in October and early November.
My kids LOVE the white stuff. Emily grew up in Maine and knows what it is like to play in the snow and get cold but Casey, thats a whole different thing. He loves it until he gets cold and that is real fast. He stood outside on Saturday and cried because he was too cold. Emily and I tried to cheer him up by running around and throwing snowballs at each other but that didnt work.
What finally did work was....Shoveling! I think I now have my snow removal crew for the winter. Casey and Emily both wanted to clear the driveway and the sidewalk. I let them have at it and they did a really good job. Lets just see how they feel when we get more than a couple of inches. Casey did have trouble lifting the snow out of the way but he used those muscles of his and dumped it on the lawn. I think he is taking right after his daddy. I know that Chris loves to shovel and mow the lawn so why not his son.
So now I am still looking at snow. It didnt melt from two days ago so that tells you that it is pretty darn cold out here. I hope your weather is nice and warm!

Hey Stranger!

2009-11-14T09:12:00.002-06:00

Well it has been quite awhile since I have updated this blog of mine. Facebook has taken over my posts on here but I am going to make a conscious effort to be better at updating here.
Alot has happened since the last time I posted. Both kiddos have now turned a year older. It is hard to believe that I now have a daughter who is double digits! And whoever said it was the terrible twos, does not know Casey Kimball!
Our summer was pretty uneventful and very LONG! My mom, brother and his girlfriend did visit us for a week in July which was a blast. We got to go to alot of neat places and sight see around this beautiful area. We went to the great salt lake, a copper mine, and the Olympic Park in Park City. We love having visitors so if you are in the mood to see some snow head out our way where the door is always open.
School has started up again for both kids too. Emily is now in 5th grade. She is trying to adjust to life out here still and I think she is the one that is having the hardest time. She has found a few friends at school. She has a new job at school too this year. She is a hall monitor with one of her good friends. She loves it!
Casey has started preschool in our neighborhood. He goes three times a week with all the neighbor kids. His best friend and his girlfriend attend with him. He loves it! He has made some new friends too and loves living in Utah. He is the one that adjusted the best. I knew he would do just fine out here.
Chris is doing just fine at work. He spent most of the summer "molding" new chiefs for their initiation in September. He also put in his paperwork to retire. It is hard to believe that it is almost time for us to retire. It seems like we were just in Rhode Island on our first tour. Chris spends alot of time out in the garage make speakers. He is really good at it and we have some rocking speaker in our family room and he has a pair in his office.
I am busy at work. I love my job. I really dont feel like it is a job since I am surrounded by scrapbook supplies all day and people who love to scrapbook. I have made some good friends in co workers and customers. This fall I got to fly back East to attend a scrapbook retreat with my friends. It was so nice! I miss my girlfriends every day. THey "get" me and love my family. I had a blast while I was there and it was like I had never left. I was nervous that it would be different but it wasnt at all.
So that is the quick review of the last few months. I am watching the snow here ......

I'm so excited!!!

2009-06-07T13:41:00.004-05:00

For those of you that dont know who these women are then this post might not mean anything to you. For those of you that do know who Theresa Collins, Layle Koncar and Jenni Bowlin are then you can relate to my excitement. As of this morning I am flying home to Alabama to go to a scrapbook event with some of my girlfriends. These three women are going to be teaching me and I am so excited!!! I have been following Layle Koncar's blog for ages and love her style. Then there is Jenni Bowlin whose products totally rock! And Theresa Collins who amazes me with her products (she even shops at the store I work at).
I am just as excited to spend time with my best friends in the whole wide world, my sistahs. They dont know how much they mean to me and how there constant friendship keeps me going when I am so far away. I also get to spend time with my mom, stepdad and brother. What more can a girl ask for! So I am starting the count down today...130 days to euphoria!

All Aboard!

2009-05-24T19:57:00.003-05:00

Toady we went to the Heber Valley Railroad to visit with Thomas the train. He was here just for the weekend and we were lucky enough to get tickets to ride him. The ride to Heber City was gorgeous right through Provo Canyon (thank goodness Chris was driving because the roads were winding). When we arrived in town, we saw Thomas chugging down the tracks with other riders and this is when Casey started to get excited. It was a nice little affair. They had different activities for the children (tatoos, magician, playing with thomas train sets, bubbles and food). The highlight of the day was the train ride which lasted for about 20 minutes. We sat outside on an open train car but on the way back we decided to head inside to one of the passenger cars. It was a nice relaxing day. I think Casey and I enjoyed it more than Chris and Emily. Emily was a good sport and didnt complain but I knew she felt out of place with all the little kids. We did get her a train whistle so I think that made it a little better for her LOL.

Our first attempt at gardening

2009-05-17T20:35:00.002-05:00

Since we dont own our house and cant have a real garden, we decided to grow some crops in planters in our backyard. We all went to Lowe's last weekend and purchased some grape tomato plants and a strawberry plant. We had gotten some planters a while back when they were on sale so we were ready to do some planting. I have never had any luck with growing anything. Maybe it was the weather down south or maybe it was that I dont have a "green thumb".
The kids have been taking turns watering the "crop" and tonight we actually tried some of our strawberries. Emily and I tasted these beauties and they were F.I.N.E. Actually, Emily wants us to go get two more strawberry plants because she thinks one plant wont fulfill her appetite for those scrumptious berries! I just hope they continue to grow and that they dont shrivel up and die like everything else I try to grow LOL!

My best Mother's day!

2009-05-10T22:56:00.002-05:00

I had a fantastic Mother's day this year. I got to sleep in late and was woken up with presents and cards. I recieved a willow tree angel, a memory card for my camera and a book that Emily made at school. After reading the Sunday newspaper and eating my cinnamon rolls that hubby made, we piled into the car for an adventure. We decided to go up into American Fork Canyon. I had seen some photos on a neighbor friend's blog and decided to find out where that was. She told me that it was quite close to home so I thought it might be a nice trip to take. It only took us about 20 to 30 minutes to get there and it was so beautiful. We drove along the road not quite knowing where we wanted to go but the scenery was just gorgeous. We tried to go to the summit but the road was closed so we turned around and headed for the reservoir. There were alot of people fishing and walking around the lake. We decided to hike up a little path and see the lake from a different view. Well that was the wrong thing to do. The kids totally freaked out when we were walking the path because they would lose their footing whenever we went down a hill. I took these photos of Emily and Casey trying to get down from the path. I was laughing to kill myself ( I couldnt help it) Our little family went on a 50 yard hike..that was all we could handle. LOL! We did manage to find a nice paved path to walk on and it even had a walking bridge that went over the stream. We were doing fine until Chris and I saw the "Please stay on path because this is a rattlesnake area" sign. We decided it was time to turn around and go home.
I got lots of photos of the trip and downloaded them to Walmart. Our new Walmart photo center is awesome. Well back to the rest of the story. We got to go to dinner for Mother's day. We went to Tepanyaki which is very much like Shogun for you Alabama folks (it wasnt as good as Sho gun!) Casey did great this time. He only flinched a little when they started the fire on the grill. It was yummy and the people brought me a free piece of cheesecake for mother's day. I finished the day off by painting and planting out in the garage while the kids scootered. I was a relaxful, wonderful day that I will always remember. Thanks to my three loves, Chris, Emily and Casey. I love you guys lots!

School project time!

2009-05-05T14:46:00.002-05:00

Emily has a school project due later this month and she has been working on it diligently. She had to read a book about quilts and then do a book summary. Next she had to visit a quilt shop or quilt show. Finally she had to design a quilt on paper and then make a real quilt. She has finished everything except the sewing of the "real" quilt. We went to Joanns a couple of weeks ago and she picked out some cat fabric. She decided she should make a quilt for the cats.
A couple of summers ago, EMily took a sewing class in Alabama and made a quilt. At the same time we purchased a new Janome machine which is the one she learned on. She loved sewing for a while and then, like everything else she tries, it fell to the wayside.
She started sewing Sunday and hopefully she will finish before the project is done. All those sewing skills she learned are coming back slowly.

Childs Play and the rest of our weekend with Auntie

2009-04-30T22:46:00.003-05:00

To continue on from my last post, we took the trax into SLC so we could go to the Gateway and the Discovery Museum. It was quite a neat little place. The first floor was geared toward Casey. He got to play with construction equipment, ride in a truck and play in the water. The second floor was more Emily's thing. She got to be an anchorwoman for the news and also a meterologist. Unfortunately, this is the floor when Casey became sick and wanted to go home. I feel bad that Emily didnt get to enjoy her floor more but we made it up to her later that night. Jen, Emily and myself went to Texas ROadhouse while Chris and Casey stayed home. Us girls, had a great time and came home with full bellies. We had to say goodbye to Auntie Jen on Sunday afternoon when we took her to the airport. She made it out of here just in time for Casey to vomit all over the place. The poor boy was riding home from the airport with a mailing envelope over his mouth because I couldnt find a plastic bag in the car. He did manage to make it home before he "tossed his cookies".

All Aboard!

2009-04-29T13:54:00.003-05:00

I promised you some infor about our adventures while Auntie Jen was here. We decided to bring the kids to the Children's Museum in downtown Salt Lake City. The museum and planeterium are located in an outside mall. This complex is called the Gateway. I was very impressed with it! I thought it would be cool for Casey and Emily to ride the TRAX into the city instead of driving and trying to find a parking space. We got on the train at the first stop and rode it for about 30 minutes. Casey was amazed at the train and the sights he was seeing out the window. It really isnt a train, more like a couple of trolley cars hooked together. Emily thought it was cool too but didnt like riding backwards.

A visitor!

2009-04-27T23:08:00.002-05:00

Yes, you heard me right, we had our first out of state visitor. Chris's sister, Jen came for a little visit. Jen used to live in Portland when we were stationed there about 5 or more years ago. She would come over to the house alot and we would eat Sunday dinner together. Emily was just 4 then but she and her Auntie Jen had a special little bond. Emily is the spitting image of Jen. I can look at Jen and know that I am looking at what Emily will be like when she gets older. Jen calls her "Mini Me"LOL! The last time we had seen Jen was back in Mobile when she delivered JoJo the cat to us. She was living in Seattle (which she still is)and flew across country so we could be reunited with our cat. That was the weekend that I found out I was pregnant with Casey. So you see, we havent seen Auntie Jen in a LONG time. She flew in on Thursday afternoon and the kids were very excited to see their auntie. Casey had never met her but took to her very quickly. He and Jen played at the park and in our garage for quite a while on Thursday. Emily was very happy to see her too. We had a lot of fun adventures while she was here. I will tell you about them in upcoming posts. Let me just say that when Auntie left, I had a 9 year old that was heart broken and cried for hours straight yesterday. We hope that Auntie will come back soon and spend some more time with us.

This is for my SISTAHS

2009-04-26T17:05:00.002-05:00

So yall know that Iwent to the Bobunny warehouse sale on Friday. A few of you asked what I got. First of all, I spent 31.00 before I saw the green tote which was 10.00. My favorite find other than the tote, were these red and black containers that have magnetic backs. They were 50 cents a piece and I plan on mounting them on a big silver board. I also got a class kit that is a address book for 7.00 that included the chipboard book. All the paper shown was 5.00. All the stickers shown were 2.30. The flowers were 50 cents along with the clips,brads and charms. The rubon and ribbons were in a kit that had paper in it for a couple of bucks.

My little Entrepreneur

2009-04-26T12:55:00.002-05:00

Emily has been begging me for years to have a lemonade stand. When I was at work last Tuesday, it seems that the whole neighborhood had competing food stands. This broght back the begging and this time I gave in and said " Sure, why not!" I had to go to Walmart and get cups and supplies. When I drove back into the neighborhood there was already a popcicle stand and the kids werent even home from school yet. I knew that Emily would be mad to have to compete. When she came home from school she wasnt mad but determined to make more money than the popcicle stand. I had popped some popcorn and made the lemonade. She had two employees, her friends Abbie and Kylie. They set up right in front of the neighborhood and got some business quickly. This neighborhood is perfect for lemonade stands because of all the kids. The kids would go inside and get their money and race back to the stand. Some cars even stopped to get drinks. In the end, we had no more popcorn left and the lemonade was pretty much gone too. The girls made 12.44. Not bad for an hours work!

This one is for Debby!

2009-04-24T22:10:00.002-05:00

Casey and I got to go on his first field trip with his pre-school this week. We went to the Alpine school district's Transportation office, in layman's terms that is the school bus lot. We toured the facility with our host, Busdriver Bob! He was quite a hoot. He wore his hawaiian shirt and sand songs to the kids when we were driving. They got to see the garage where the buses are worked on, the bus wash (just like a car wash) and they got to take a little ride. Casey thought it was AWESOME! His favorite part was the bus wash. It was loud when the water hit all those windows. The whole time I was there, I was thinking of one person and couldnt think of anything else....Debby! My friend Debby back in Alabama drives the school bus and we miss her so much and the rest of my sistahs. The stories that friend of mine would share would make you laugh and be disgusted all at the same time. It takes a special kind of person to drive our kids around and she is certainly one special lady. I only wish that it was Debby giving us the tour of the Mobile county transportation office.

The baby bird has flown from the nest

2009-04-23T00:17:00.002-05:00

So I knew it was just a matter of months before Casey would start preschool but we were pleasantly surprised when the months turned into days. We received a call from the preschool right before spring break and it seemed that they had an opening for Casey. He would finish out the year (1.5 months) with the three year old class. We didnt even hesitate and agreed to start the week after school break.
His first day was Monday. The nice thing is that the preschool is in our neighborhood and within walking distance. To be quite honest it is only about 5 houses down from us. LOL! The lady that runs it is named Wendy just like me. She is super nice and Casey really liked it there. He has about 10 kids in his class. Chris had to pick him up since I was working and I got the whole run down when I got home. He learned about the letter "Q" and made a queen puppet. He told me, "Mom you the queen and dad is the King."
I said "Well then what are you?"
Casey: "I a King too."
I said: "Then what is sissy?"
Casey: "She the Prince."
Emily "I dont want to be a stinkin boy Prince!"

I guess we need to work on explaining gender somemore. He did have a great day and wanted to go back (thats a good thing). The only photo I managed to get was this one that Chris snapped of us walking to Teacher Wendy's school. Not the most flattering photo of me but it will have to go into the scrapbook : (

Easter Best

2009-04-13T14:22:00.003-05:00

Here are my two cuties in their Easter outfits. Chris put up a stink about the green shirt I purchased him. He said he stood out like a beacon in church. I thought it looked nice and springy. So much for trying to dress him. He would rather be in a t-shirt and black jeans. Forever living in the 1980's.

We are all Egg Hunted out!

2009-04-12T20:26:00.003-05:00

First and foremost, Happy Easter Everyone!
Yesterday we got to go to two different egg hunts. It started in the morning at our house. The neighborhood has a hunt and it was fun to meet some of our neighbors. We had to fill our own eggs and mark some of them as "prize" eggs. The prize eggs were hidden at a house other than your own. Then the kids with your prize eggs would come to your house to collect their prize. And we would go to the houses that were marked on Emily and Casey's eggs. It was great until it started to rain. The kids were very happy with their prizes. They consisted of books, candy, body splash, toys and lots of Chocolate! The egg hunt in the neighborhood ended at around 9:45 and at 10:15 we left for our next hunt.
This hunt was held at THanksgiving Point which is an awesome place that has an IMAX theater, a musuem, gardens and a farm. We went with the Silvers. Doug works with Chris and he and Jolene have two kids. One who is Emily's age (Lily) and one Casey's age (Violet). The two youngest kids got to hunt for eggs first. They were already to go. We waited until the announcer said go and off Casey and Violet ran. That was until Casey wiped out on the grass and began to cry. I had to pick him up and try to grab eggs with Violet at the same time. He didnt have much fun. By the time the older girls were ready to hunt, Casey was ready to hunt again too. Emily and Lily were on the lookout for the golden egg. We had watched the workers spread the eggs out on the field and the girls thought they knew where it was. They had their plan of attack and when they yelled "go!" they were off like lightening. When it was over they didnt get the golden egg but it was within reach of them and a little girl grabbed it before they could get to it.
After the egg hunt we enjoyed sack races, horse rides, face painting and train rides. Right before we decided to go, we tried to spin the prize wheel from the local radio station. You had to pick a number and then spin the wheel, if it landed on your number you won a prize. Well, Emily went and didnt win. Lily went and didnt win. Violet went and didnt win. Jolene went twice and didnt win. Casey stepped up and picked number 11 and spun that wheel with such confidence and WON! That little stinker! He picked out a DVD as his prize since everything else was a little old for him.
We had a wonderful day with the Silvers. We even got to try out the deli at Thanksgiving point. It was AWESOME! The food was so fresh and the prices were very reasonable. After filling our bellies, it was home to warm up because it was so stinkin COLD!

Where did my little girl go?

2009-04-06T12:14:00.002-05:00

Yesterday before we went to church, Emily wanted a photo of her new hair doo we tried out. I didnt realize until I looked at these photos, how much she has changed in such a few short months. She is turning into a little lady. She is paying attention to what she wears and how her hair looks. She wants to wear lip gloss and has asked to wear makeup but that is a big fat "NO" on our behalf. She is growing up before my eyes. She and I have really reconnected since Chris has been home. We get to go out and run errands, just the two of us. I like talking to her and finding out how her life is treating her. I really feel bad that the last 4 years have been rough on us as a family and she and I havent really connected much. I think that we are making up for lost time now though. She and I went to church together yesterday while Chris and Casey stayed at home. It was so nice to share a Sunday morning with my girl. I know I need to treasure these moments because before long she wont want her dear old mom going anywhere with her. LOL!

Fight club

2009-03-30T21:27:00.002-06:00

I swear I am not Michael Vick who went to prison for dog fighting. I am not running a cat fighting ring in my home but it might seem that way. Ever since the arrival of Allie, our household has been alot louder and more adventerous. It seems she likes to cause trouble. I was used to JoJo and his relaxed demeanor. He would just lay around all day and rub against you when he was hungry. Now the poor boy will cry his brains out for food. Mostly because Allie has eaten her share and his and he is starving. She also likes to jump on him and fight. I think he likes it too but it makes quite a racket and it gets quite comical. I have never seen cats jump so high and run so fast. LOL! The funny thing is that when I try to get the camera they stop. It is as if they know I am trying to catch them on film. I have even gotten into chanting "fight..fight...fight" because we can tell when it is about to happen. Neither one of them get hurt and I know it is just for fun between the two of them.

Card Making

2009-03-29T17:59:00.003-06:00

Another thing that I have been seeing alot of is people who make cards. My dear friend Brooke makes some beautiful cards using her stampin up stuff. The store I work at had a card making class the other night and I think that is when I decided to give it a try. Those ladies checking out with me had some cute stuff and I said to myself, "I can do this!" So with a little help from a photo of a card I liked and an occasion to send a card I was in business. My great Aunt passed away the week before last and I need to send some sympathy cards to my cousins. I made these. I am not totally in love with them but it is hard to be that way about a sympathy card anyways.

Where did I get this child????

2009-03-25T13:40:00.002-06:00

Casey is turning into quite a little rascal of a boy. He is into everything lately and does some of the strangest things. The one thing I do enjoy is that our conversations are now making sense. He is obsessed with whether he is asking a question or making a statement!? He will say "I am tooting, excuse me. Is that a question or a statement Mommy?" What a typical boy! He also does some gross things to get his sister and me to say "Gross!" and turn our noses up! Like for instance his new thing with putting these cones in his ears. For those of you that are worried about him hurting his ears, don't because they are rounded and dont go in that far. When he gets the cones in his ears, he pretends that he is on the phone and is Daddy. "hello, chief Kimball here!" LOL!
Oh let me tell you about the phone and casey....
Last week I took Casey into Chris's work to decorate his new office. I left Casey with Chris so I could go to work. When I got in the parking lot at work, I called Chris on his cell phone to tell him that I had made it there safely. Well, when the phone was answered I heard this little voice say "Chief Kimball is not here..Bye!" And then I had silence and a dial tone! I preceeded to call back and got the same things over and over while I tried to interject myself and tell Casey that it was Mommy on the phone. I finally got Chris and told him what had happened. It seems he stepped out of his office to see the CO and Casey was answering his cell phone for him. What a little devil, but I still love that boy of mine LOTS!

I Love these shoes!

2009-03-24T11:45:00.002-06:00

So since we have been here in Utah I must say that the way they dress is much different from Alabama. It is very laid back out here and no as much dressy stuff on kids and adults. It is kinda hard to find clothes that fit my conservative taste but are in style. I have noticed that the 80's are in full force out here when it comes to dress. One thing Emily and I did like is the abundance of Rocket Dog sneakers and Converse. Emily got her first pair on Saturday and she hasnt taken them off except to sleep. I will have to post a photo of them when she gets home. I on the other hand purchased some too. Mine are basic white (to go with my conservative style)and I love them. I will see how they are once I work in them tonight. Emily's are plaid and dont tie.
Also on another note, these are some of my first photos with my new camera. I am still trying to learn the basics of it. I purchased it yesterday for my birthday with my mom's money and my first paycheck and the rest my dear hubby donated : )

Gotta Love that Woman....

2009-03-20T14:15:00.002-06:00

My mother, as some of you know, has a purse and sewing business. I have never really carried one of her purses because they werent really my style. I am more of the vera bradley style and kavoo. Well for my Birthday she sent me this amazing purse that she made. She also sent me a matching apron. I have to wear an apron at work so I asked her is she would make me a cute one and did she ever. My manager even made a comment on how cute it was when I was at work last night. My mom is one talented lady who can do just about anything she puts her mind to. I love you Mom and thanks so much for my new purse. I am going to carry it at the Scrapbook Expo today and maybe I can strike up some business. I just need some business cards.

Fry Sauce and other little tid-bits from Utah

2009-03-17T12:19:00.002-06:00

So inquiring minds want to know about fry sauce. I dont pretend to be an expert on this but this is what I have learned. When you go to a drive-thru here they will ask you if you want fry sauce. Of course we are ones to try new things so we tried this concoction. It seems to be ketchup and mayo mixed together. Some restaurants give the sauce out in what looks like little creamer containers. I have realized that not all fry sauces are the same. I tend to be partial to the fry sauce from Artic Circle. They claim to have the original. So that is what fry sauce is. Now I will close with a saying that I hear alot out here...."Holy Heck!"

Another strange sight from Utah

2009-03-16T17:10:00.002-06:00

When we moved out here we were amazed at how different the houses were out here. We have been used to slab houses with no basements. Now all the houses around here have basements. Alot of them are finished too. So this leads to my photo of these weird things that surround our basement windows. I guess it is for safety purposes that they surround the basement windows with a shell like thing. It also has a ladder in case we need to escape the basement. I dont remember seeing these in Maine when we lived there. As a matter of fact, our house in Veazie had a finished basement and there was nothing like this. Just another thing that is different about Utah. I will post some more interesting things that are different when I have time like..fry sauce (got ya wondering dont I?)

Some of my newest creations

2009-03-10T13:23:00.002-06:00

I have really been into making wooden creations since we have moved to Utah. My dear neighbor Maryanne, introduced me to this great store where I get all the wood to finish. The first project I made was for my mother's birthday. They sell these things all over the place for about 40.00 but I made mine for about 20.00. The second one is a clock that I made for our new room downstairs. We have a black and red motif going on so this fit in perfectly. The clock is from Kaiser craft and I got it at Heartland paper when I first moved here. I loved how it turned out. Thanks for looking and I will have more to share soon!

Little Man in Motion

2009-03-05T15:12:00.003-06:00

Yesterday we had a wind advisory around here. It was like being out in a hurricane down south. The winds were close to 60 mph where we live. With the winds came a front that dropped a little over 2 inches of snow last night. This is really the most snow we have seen since moving here. Casey and I decided that we better get out there and enjoy it before it melts. Our plan was to make a snowman for our good friend Kelly because she wants a photo of one (no such luck). It seems that the snow out here doesnt stick together well. I did try awfully hard to make it work but it just wouldnt come together. So I taught Casey how to make snowangels in the snow which he loved doing until he discovered some neighbors with a sled. Needless to say, the angels were put on the back burner and the sledding took front and center. We dont have much of a hill beside out house but it is enough to give the little guy a thrill. He loved sledding so much that we had to borrow the sled after the neighbors went in. He will really love it next winter when we can go to a bigger hill and really take off!

Their new morning ritual

2009-03-04T12:47:00.002-06:00

My kids are crazy! They are into blowing bubbles with their milk. We got these cute little cups from IKEA when we got here and the kids love drinking out of them. Every morning they sit down to eat together at the table and blow bubbles in their milk until it overflows on the table. I bet my mother is cringing right now because she gave us our table and probably doesnt want it messed up. Not to worry I am right there with my cloth and cleaner. At least they will drink milk if I let them do this.

Casey's new room

2009-03-03T18:28:00.002-06:00

It was hard for me to take photos of Casey's room since it is so small. These photos really dont do it justice. He seems to play anywhere else but his room so it really doesnt matter how big it is. All he does is sleep and get dressed in there LOL! I will have more photos of the new room downstairs when I am finished decorating it and picking it up.

It's Snowing!

2009-02-27T11:43:00.002-06:00

Well my wish has come true. It is snowing. I know it probably wont amount to much but it sure is pretty to watch. Even Jo-Jo and Allie are enjoying watching the white flakes float to the ground. We just want enough to make a snowman but I dont think this storm will do that for us. It snows like crazy for about 5 minutes and then it stops and then it starts again. Maybe I will be pleasantly surprised and it will snow enough to shovel and build a snowman. I got my fingers crossed LOL!

Change of Scenery

2009-02-26T10:51:00.002-06:00

Having lived on the east coast and the gulf coast, I havent been around a mountain. I am used to looking at the ocean or the pine trees in Maine and Alabama. Since being here, I am in awe of the scenery. I can never get enough of looking at the mountains. They are so close! When I ride down through a little town by us I feel like I am in a little mountain town out of a movie. I want to stop and take a photo sometime but I think I might hold up traffic LOL! These photos are from my front yard and one from my back yard. I have a better view from the front yard but I can sit on my sofa in my living room and still look at the mountains from the backyard. It is amazing what God has created!

The Napping House

2009-02-22T15:24:00.002-06:00

Well sickness has hit our house once again. Casey has had a high fever since Midnight on Friday and he started vomitting last night at midnight. He is pretty sick and just wants to lay around the house. He is taking a nap right now. And his big sister has been worn out from her day yesterday. Our new neighborhood has a playground in our back yard and she played outside from 10am until 4pm. Then she went to her new friend's house for a sleepover. Needless to say, she is exhausted. So my house is nice and quiet for the moment. No husband either since it is reserve weekend. What's a girl to do? Scrapbook maybe!

The funniest photo

2009-02-20T16:18:00.001-06:00

Chris grabbed my camera the other morning and said "You have got to see what the cats are doing!" It seems that Allie and JoJo like Emily's room because of all the sun and the bed. In this photo it looks like Allie is covering up JoJo's butt because it stinks or something! LOL!

My Living Room

2009-02-20T16:15:00.002-06:00

So this is my favorite room so far except for the kitchen. I love the sun shining through my window and my willow tree figurines. I am going for a country feel. Do you think it is working?

Em's new digs

2009-02-18T16:12:00.002-06:00

Here is Emily's new room. She doesnt have everything hung up yet. We have an aqua thing that will hold all her webkinz and a few more posters for the walls. I like that it is bright and sunny. The cats love sleeping on her bed during the day. More photos to come soon.

Photos of our new kitchen

2009-02-17T22:53:00.002-06:00

So here are a few photos of the new house. This is our little "country kitchen". My Longaberger baskets have finally found a place to rest, on the tops of the cabinets. I also got some new braided rugs at a store here in town. More photos to follow...

Oklahoma!

2009-02-16T09:38:00.002-06:00

Back to our adventure out west part two. We left my mother's house after staying with her for two days. Our plan for day one was to meet my aunt and uncle in Little Rock, AK for lunch and then drive to Oklahoma. The first part of the day went smoothly except for Allergy pooping on Chris' coat and him having to pull off the highway to clean it. LOL! We met Uncle Cliff and Aunt Donna at Cheeburger Cheeburger and had a nice lunch. I wish we could have stayed longer and visited more. Next stop Oklahoma. Keep in mind that OK had just received an ice storm two days before we passed through. Once we hit OK the driving was crazy. It seems that they dont plow their interstates. So with that being said, you can be driving along in the left lane when all of a sudden you are ontop of snow and ice. Then they would just close the left hand lane down because it wasnt plowed (at least you knew it was closed because of the orange cones). Casey was so excited to see his first snow plow truck. He wanted to call his cousin Quinn to tell him all about it since he drives a plow truck up in MAine. We finally got to the hotel which was nice. Casey started to walk outside and slipped. He didnt realize he was walking on ice and snow. Once he realized he was so excited. I captured these photos of him in the hotel parking lot. The night was filled with yummy breakfast from Denny's and swimming in the indoor pool at the hotel. Our next stop....New Mexico!

This one is for Kim

2009-02-16T09:34:00.003-06:00

Since yall want to know what the new house looks like here are a few photos of the front. I will have more from the inside later today since I am cleaning and picking up today. It is kinda hard to take a photo of the house so this is the best I could do without standing in my neighbors driveway.

Our Move part 1

2009-02-13T20:33:00.002-06:00

So it has been a while since I have updated the blog since we have been in the process of moving across country. I will start way back in Jan when we left my beloved Mobile. The packers were extremely slow. It took them over 12 hours to pack our stuff up. The funny thing was that it only took less than 6 hours for the movers to pack it on their 18 wheeler. It was sad to see all our stuff in boxes and our house bare. I still have a hard time writing about it. You can tell that Chris was ready to leave since he was actually CLEANING!! LOL! We left on a Tuesday and our stuff arrived in Utah the following Wednesday(NOT BAD!!) Our movers had stops in Jacksonville Florida and Dallas Texas before they got to drop our stuff off in Utah. They were then off to Washington State!

I am BACK

2009-02-12T22:12:00.002-06:00

Well we finally have internet at our new house. It isnt perfect since the computer is on the dining room table because our basement is not finished yet. I am now the new owner of a green dell laptop thanks to my honey. He told me he was going to get me one when we got here so we wouldnt be competing for time on the computer. Well it should be here tomorrow or Tuesday. The last week has been a complete blur. We are in the house and I am about 90 percent done with the upstairs. Our basement is turning into a large room that will store my scrapbook stuff, computer and toys. So with that said, we have alot to do once the room is done.
Emily started school on Friday last week. She is doing relatively well. I think she is like me, it hasnt quite set it that we are here and all of you are there. Oh and we finally got a home phone hooked up today. We were going to use just cell phones but opted against that. I am still looking for camera cord to upload some photos for yall.
I have visited four scrapbook stores since my arrival but I havent been in the mood to really buy stuff. I have seen the new American Crafts thickers FINE FINE FINE!! The new MME Penny Lane is also FINE FINE FINE. But I am waiting for a week or two because that is what the store owners are telling me for arrival times on new CHA products. I cant even begin to explain the quanity of products out here! If you need something tell me and I will definately be able to find it for you. Gotta go since the hubby is waiting for computer time.

I am still here but...

2009-02-09T17:33:00.002-06:00

I dont have a computer until Friday...long story so just know that I will be better with keeping up with yall when I get my computer up and running. Until then all is well and it is SNOWING!!!

She needs a SHOT!!

2009-02-04T11:04:00.001-06:00

So we went to try to enroll Emily in school yesterday and found out she cant be enrolled until she gets another vaccination. Utah requires a HEP A shot and she doesnt have that. I thought maybe she did since she was born in Virginia but no such luck. SHe is not looking forward to getting one either. I think she would rather stay at home instead of getting a shot and going to school. Luckily, Lynne is going to take us to the HEalth Department in Sandy. Then it will be off to school for my girlie : )

THis one is for Annie

2009-02-02T19:14:00.002-06:00

Here is a photo of your sister's wall. I LOVE IT!!!

Lynne's cool sign

2009-02-02T19:07:00.002-06:00

I have told a few of you about this cool sign that Lynne has made in her house. I loved this sign the minute I walked through the door of her house. You take a piece of wood, paint it and then add vinyl letters. THese letters are cut from your cricut. She has some cool photos of each of her children under the sign. Ok SIstahs you know you want to make one of these.

Arches National Park UT

2009-02-02T18:55:00.002-06:00

So we are finally in Utah. Yesterday we stopped at the Arches National Park in Moab, Utah. We didnt get to spend as much time as we would have liked but it was fun and beautiful. Once we are settled we will have to travel back about 3 hours to see this magical place again.

SO This is it for awhile...

2009-01-25T08:59:00.002-06:00

I am signing off my little blog here until I can update again. I had a wonderful time yesterday with all my girlfriends scrapbooking. I am going to miss them so much. And yes, the tears began to fall last night. I came home and cried in my husbands arms and told him "I dont think I can take this." I know I still have alot of "goodbyeing" to do so it is going to be hard. We leave Tuesday for my mothers house and hopefull I can update the blog then. If any of you need me call my cell or my home number will have the cell number on it. Wish us luck in our travels and see ya on the flip side.
Wendi : )

Yes I am still here

2009-01-21T09:21:00.002-06:00

I am trying to tie up some loose ends before the big move date. I will be signing off from the blog for awhile since I wont have a computer after Monday the 26th. It still seems unreal to me that we are moving. I know it will hit me when I am driving down Snow Rd headed for my mothers house in Mississippi. Everything seems to be going as planned. I took JoJo to the vets yesterday for his shots. He vomitted on the ride to the vets and pooped on the ride home. Chris has decided that he will be driving with the two cats while I am driving with the two kids (I dont know which one is worse LOL!). We have our route mapped out and it will take us about 4 days to drive. We are stopping at my mothers house for two nights since our stuff wont arrive in Utah until after the 5th. I will post at least one more time. So until then, have a happy week : )

The Nerves are setting in

2009-01-16T13:59:00.003-06:00

I always have worried but I tend to worry more when it comes to something like moving. It is getting closer and my nerves are a wreck. I worry about the drive and I worry about wheather we will like Utah. I worry about wheather Utah will like us. I hate feeling this way and I know that it will pass but it is going to take some time to adjust to life out there. I just want my kids to be happy and our family to be together. Heck if we made it throught the last 4 years then we can make it through just about anything. LOL!
Sorry you had to listen to me ramble and worry. I will be better soon. I promise : )

Our prayers have been answered

2009-01-13T16:30:00.002-06:00

We got approval on our rental home in Utah today. Everything seems to be falling into place (FINALLY). It has been a rough couple of weeks around here with this move taking over most of our lives. Our new home is going to be bigger than the one we have now and will have room for all my scrapbook stuff. Now the countdown begins 15 days and counting (YIKES)!

Hide and Seek

2009-01-12T08:50:00.002-06:00

Hide and Seek seems to be Casey's new game. Last week he put on his LL Bean headlight and sat in the linen closet. When Emily got off the bus I told her that I left Casey at Walmart and that I hadnt seen him since. She got a little panicky and told me that I wouldnt do that would I?! He finally appear from the linen closet. She thought it was a great hiding place and he was proud of himself for pulling one over his sister.
Well this weekend he has found a new place to hide. He has inheritated a red toy chest that used to be mine when I was a child. It sits at the end of his bed full of his trucks. He figured out that he could empty the chest and fit in it perfectly. And again he pulled one over on his sister this morning by hiding in it and popping up.
I am just waiting to see where his new hiding place will be.

Housing Update

2009-01-11T20:01:00.003-06:00

Chris finally came home last night from his trip out west. He was somewhat sucessful in that he found us a place but we really dont know if it is ours yet or not. We have filled out the applications and will fax them tomorrow so say a little prayer that everything will work out. The house is in Saratoga Springs which is south of SLC. Chris loves the neighborhood and my friend Annie's sister lives there too. Emily will be able to walk to school since the school is in the middle of the subdivision. The house is going to be a little bigger than what we have now since the basement will be finished. I dont want to say too much in that I dont want to jinx the process.
Getting ready for another week here and Chris is on the road again. He is headed towards J'ville. He flys out to California on Tuesday for a conference. He is going to be sick from all of this traveling. I will keep yall informed on what is going on with our move. Until then have a great week!

Nerf Wars

2009-01-10T10:41:00.003-06:00

I decided to give Chris and Casey nerf guns for Christmas. I thought they would have fun together using them. I was not wrong. Before Chris left for SLC last weekend, he and Casey got the nert dart stuck up on our ceiling which is vaulted. Chris had to hold Casey above his head to try to knock it down. Now we have advanced to glow in the dark darts. I should have gotten guns for Emily and I because we are having fun with them too. Isnt it crazy the little things that make you happy!

I need to do this now instead of later

2009-01-08T21:14:00.002-06:00

The one part I hate about being in the military is moving away from friends. We have been stationed in 4 other places before this one (VA Beach, Maine, VA Beach and Maine again. I am not just "saying", what I am about to write, it comes from the heart and I dont think that I could say this to each one of you without crying so I am taking the time to do it by writing in my blog.
I am not going to name names but you know who you are (SISTAHS!). I was left in a not so good situation here in Mobile with my husband living in Florida or being out to sea for the last 4 years. You accepted me into your lives and treated me like family. I was afraid when I moved down here that you would tell this "Yankee" to go home but you didnt. Your friendship has meant the world to me and will mean the world to me once I move. I cherish each one of you in a special way. I dont want you to think that because I am half way across the country that I dont care about what goes on back here. I want phone calls and emails! This is just as hard on me as it is on you and I have my own way of dealing with it. So when I say that I dont want to talk about it, that is my way of dealing with it. You all have been my life for the last 4 years and I love you all! Your families have become close to mine and I want you to know that there is always a door open in the Kimball home for any of you.
I have already talked Cheif into a webcam and laptop so Kelly you better get me connected at the Feb or March crop. LOL!
And Kim you need to find that six figure job that will bring me back to my second home state.
I cant write anymore through these tears that are streaming down my face. Just keep me in your heart like I will you.

We are getting there...

2009-01-08T00:15:00.002-06:00

I think we are finally making headway in the housing department. I am hoping by tomorrow evening to have an answer and to share it with yall. Just talked to Chief on the phone and he was exhausted and heading to bed. I am so proud of that man of mine.
He did get to visit the reserve center today and meet his new co-workers. I think he is going to like it. Not much else to report going to catch some z's myself.

Santa didnt forget her...

2009-01-07T08:42:00.003-06:00

I know that I have posted alot of photos of Casey and his gifts. Emily didnt do too bad either. She has been bugging us for over a year to have a cell phone and we have been telling her "NO", "Who are you going to call with it?", "You know it costs money to have those phones." Well Chris and I finally decided with our move that a phone would be nice for her to keep in touch with her peeps back here in Mobile.
With that said, we got her good on Christmas morning. To start, her phone looks just like her daddy's phone except it is teal. We programmed her phone a couple of days before Christmas and made the banner read "Emily's New Phone." Then on Christmas morning we set the phone on the counter in the kitchen. Chris went to the restroom and called Emily's new phone. It rang and I said "what is that sound?" (everyone at my mom's house was in on it) She went to the phone and said "whose little blue phone is this?" Later she told me that she thought daddy got a new blue cover for his phone. I told her to open it up and when she read the banner she nearly fainted. She yelled "are you serious?!" It was priceless and my mom nearly had to pick her up off the phone. I wish I had photos or a video of it but this is the best I could do.

Day 2 of the Utah Adventure

2009-01-06T19:32:00.003-06:00

I know that all you inquiring minds want to know how chief is doing in the great west. Well not much to report today except that it snowed AGAIN! I am really missing the white stuff but if it snows everyday out there then I might be sick of it before the end of Feb! LOL!
He has two interesting houses that happen to be right in the Benham's back yard. I am hoping one of these will be "THE ONE".
Now to the homefront news. Emily started back to school today! Yipee! I find it so funny that she and her brother fight constantly when they are together but when they are apart they are looking for the other. Casey was having a rough day without his big sis to push around. He wanted momma to play with him constantly which was a little hard to do today. I was trying to help chief out on this end but couldnt with my little friend wanting to play matchbox cars. So when Emily came home you would think he would be happy. NO! He fought with her like normal. Dont kids ever get along?!

Day 1 of Chris excellent Adventure

2009-01-05T21:25:00.002-06:00

Well not a good day today for my hubby. He has been driving around in the snow. He said that they got 4 inches of the white stuff today. He also said that the people out there dont know how to drive in the snow. I guess he thinks that since we are from Maine that we know how to drive in it!? He saw 5 properties today and nothing worked out. He is a bit discouraged but he is still hopeful that something will come up for us. So please pray for him. He was headed back to the Benham's house to regroup and get some Z's.

He Left on a Jet Plane

2009-01-04T10:21:00.003-06:00

Thats right, Chris left this morning for Salt Lake City, Utah. He is going to be looking for a new place for our little family to live. The countdown is on and we should be on the road to our new home at the end of this month. I wish that I could go with him and see where we are going to live. Emily has school and the Navy doesnt pay for us to fly out there so it is coming out of our own pocket.
Chris is very lucky in that our friends, The Emmertson's have family in SLC. They are allowing Chris to stay in their basement apartment and have even offered to help him find a place. All I can say is that I am truly touched by their generousity. Hopefully by the end of this week, we will have a new home. Keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer.

***UPDATE****
He has arrived and is in awe of the landscape. It was 75 degrees when he left here and it is 5 degrees there with snow on the ground. He sent us a photo and it is truly breathtaking. Lynn and her family are amazing and he truly feels right at home.

Happy 2009!!

2009-01-01T18:27:00.003-06:00

Hope you have a healthy and prosperous New Year! As for this family, we are going to have an eventful new year with many new places to see. Stay tuned to this blog to see our advetures.

All I want for Christmas is a Garbage Man!

2008-12-30T15:41:00.002-06:00

If you know my Casey then you know that he is OBSESSED with trash trucks and garbage men. He saw a huge trash truck from Tonka at Sams Club back in Novemeber and ever since then that is all he talks about. The number one thing on his Christmas list was the garbage truck. He would tell me that if he could only have one thing it would be the garbage truck. Well good ole Santa came through! He was so excited to see it there under the fireplace. You see Grandmas house has two fireplaces and Santa left his gifts by the fireplace in the kitchen. The other gifts were in the living room by the other fireplace. When I asked Casey if he was happy, the only thing he said was "Where is the airplane I asked for?" Man I thought Santa had done good...Thank goodness Mommy and Daddy had the airplane covered. LOL!

New Christmas PJ's

2008-12-29T07:25:00.002-06:00

Well we have survived yet another Christmas. This year we traveled to my mother's house in Mississippi. It is harder to be away at Christmas, especially when it comes to packing up the car and trying to fit everything in. The kids had a great Christmas. Every year my mother makes them pajamas to wear on Christmas Eve. This years batch were my favorite yet.
After attending Christmas Eve mass (where we were literally sitting on top of one another in the pew)LOL! We came home and had a great dinner with one of my parents friends. The kiddos didnt get to bed until after 10pm Christmas eve. Needless to say, Santa didnt get to bed before midnight. I have more stories to tell and photos so I will leave you with this story today and more for tomorrow.

Oh it never stops in this household

2008-12-21T16:18:00.002-06:00

that is the bickering and fighting between Emily and Casey. Casey even got a note from Santa (via Timmy the elf on the shelf)telling him that he was being a bad boy. It seems like Casey and his sister are just in that "week before Christmas lets bug the crap out of Mommy and Daddy" mood. I never had a sibling when I was growing up so this is all new to me. Chris tells me that it is normal but I cant see how the tormenting and fighting is normal between these two. Hopefully once Christmas is over and the holidays have come and gone, then things will get better. Until then, my hair is getting grey just listening to these two. LOL!

This time of year I miss this alot...

2008-12-16T10:20:00.003-06:00

SNOW! Even though I am hesitant about moving to Utah, I am very excited about seeing snow again. I never thought when I was walking across the mall at UMO, freezing my butt off, trying to get to an 8am class that I would say that I miss Snow and the cold weather. LOL! I just hope that we havent been in the south for so long that our blood has thinned. I can only imagine what Casey will think of the white stuff.
Emily and I were talking on the way to school and she said that she has come up with some important rules for Snow and that she will teach them to Casey. The number one rules was NEVER EAT YELLOW SNOW! LOL!! She is such a funny kid and comes up with some great things on her own.
I will leave you with these amazing photos that my Aunt Paula's friend, Pat took last New Years in Maine. I have these framed and hung in our home so we have a little piece of home with us.

His Favorite new thing

2008-12-15T09:44:00.002-06:00

A few Christmas things have started to arrive at our house already. The kids opened some boxes from my dad. I was thinking they were going to be wrapped so I let them open the boxes. The gifts werent wrapped so they got there gifts right then and there. As you can see they both got "headlights" from LLBean. Casey Loves this thing. He marched around the living room telling me that this is just what I wanted for Christmas and that it was PERFECT! The light is harmless and doesnt make any noise but the one draw back is that it is BRIGHT!! It has LED lights in it and when Casey shines it at you, Watch out! You could go blind looking at that darn thing. Last night, (by chance) we realized that it can blink too. He looks like a little coal miner with this contraption on his head. So thanks Grampy Bryce for not sending a loud toy but we all may go blind before New Years. LOL!!

We have a visitor

2008-12-11T10:01:00.002-06:00

IT seems that we have a visitor from the northpole in our house. He arrived in the mail the day before Thanksgiving and has been here since. He is an elf on the shelf. If you havent heard of this before, it is quite a cute idea. It is a little elf and a book. It seems that the elf was sent here from Santa to watch Casey. Everynight he flies back to the North Pole to tell Santa how good or how bad Casey was that day. The next morning he returns in a different place in the house. He has rules too. He cant be touched and he doesnt talk. You can talk to him and tell him things to tell Santa. When he first arrived we had to name him so Casey chose the name Timmy. For some of you that already know, Timmy is the name of his buddy who happens to be one of my friend's husband. They have quite a bond and he loves him to pieces.
Well back to the elf Timmy. He has shown up in some unusual places. The kids love trying to find him every morning before Emily leaves for school. Of course, Emily knows that it is me that is moving him and always tries to get out of me where he is but I dont budge. One morning he was hanging upside down from the ceiling fan in the living room. Another morning he was on a shelf in Casey's room. Yesterday he was in the bathroom. Which Casey didnt like because he didnt want Timmy watching him when he did his business. LOL! This morning he is in our Christmas tree.
This is such a cute little tradition to start with your kids if you havent already. I thank my aunt Popo who sent this to Casey and Emily.

I Have been a busy little bee....

2008-12-08T21:47:00.002-06:00

I have been crafting lately. I think it take my mind off of all that I have to do with the move and the holidays. Today I finished my cookie sheet calendar. I have been wanting to do one of these for a couple of years now and had never gotten around to making one. I found a really cute one on pink paislee's blog and pretty much followed the directions but I chose to do mine in Making Memories Fa La La line. I wont say that it was a quick project because I have been working on it a little bit here and a little bit there. I finally pushed myself to finish it today. I am happy with how it turned out and now I can mark that off of my things to do list. I guess I better scrap some of my photos for the mini sketch course I am taking right now.

Boy has he grown

2008-12-07T19:17:00.002-06:00

My brother was just two weeks old when Chris and I were married so there is quite an age difference between us two. As he has grown I have enjoyed our time together more and more. Just this Thanksgiving, Chris and I got to double date with him and his girlfriend. It was quite amazing to me to see what a nice young man he has turned into. He is such a great uncle to my kids. Emily loves to go into his room and rock out to the music on Uncle Ryan's computer. Casey just loves hanging out with him. I think Ryan is concerned that Casey wont learn sports because Chris is more of a fix it guy, car lover than a jock type. I will have to instill a love of sports.
So back to the photo. This was taken last night at his friends house. The girl in the photo is his good friend Kate who took him under her wing when they moved up to Mississippi. His girlfriend met him later at the dance. Doesnt he look so CUTE!!

These are ones that didnt make the cut...

2008-12-06T21:57:00.003-06:00

It is that time a year...Christmas card photo time. My friend Kim and I decided to go to Moss Point MS for a little photo shoot. This is the same place that I went with Casey during Halloween. They had the park decorated so nice with loads of pumpkins. Well we werent disappointed with the Christmas decorations either. They were preparing for their boat parade and the park was filled with gingerbread men, candy canes and gifts. We arrived just before sunset so we had to speed along to take photos. It was very cold out there and I had two kids that would not cooperate. Do you think that you can get two kids to look good in one photo? No! I tried so hard but that little Casey will not look at the camera and when he does his eyes are squinting so tight that they look closed. After arriving back home, I downloaded my photos and realized that there wasnt one good one among them. I was so upset. I ended up putting the kiddos in their pajamas and taking a photo under our Christmas tree. It wasnt perfect and it took me a good 30 minutes for Casey to look at the camera and not act goofy. The photo isnt my favorite but it will have to do for this year. I wont post that one since alot of you should receive it in the mail soon but here are some of my other photos from Moss Point. Promise me that you wont laugh : )

A Trip to the Firestation

2008-12-03T14:32:00.002-06:00

When we went to my mother's house for Thanksgiving, Casey got to go to the Fire Station. His Papa had promised him that he would take him down to the local station so he could meet some real firemen and see a real firetruck. Casey was so excited. He wore his hat from his Halloween costume along with his boots. Grandma had made some candy to give the firemen for Thanksgiving. It was an all men event so I couldnt go along and take pictures (that would just embarass them). So Papa, Uncle Ryan, Uncle Adam, Daddy and Casey went off in Papa's truck for their adventure. Daddy came back with some good pictures but not too many (if I had been there we would have gotten at least 10 LOL!) I guess they showed up when the men were eating their Thanksgiving meal. There were firemen, policemen and paramedics. Chris told me that Casey's eyes got as big as saucers when they took him to the truck. He was very scared and shaking but overcame it with coaxing from Daddy and the firemen. What a treat it was to be able to sit in a firetruck and meet all the firefighters!

Fully Bellies!!

2008-12-01T18:36:00.002-06:00

We got back from visiting my parents on Saturday night. It was a quick little trip, going up on Thursday morning and returning Saturday evening. When we got to their house, we were greated by all kinds of good things to eat and lots of work to do in the kitchen. Emily loves to help in the kitchen lately. She chopped squash, basted the turkey with grandma's help. Casey even helped too by setting the table. We had a wonderful, relaxing day. The next day we headed to Oxford to do some Christmas shopping. It wasnt the best of times with Casey complaining about wanting to go home and Emily begging to find a Starbucks (she has a new thing for their peppermint hot chocolate). I was very tired once we returned home but I got to go on a date with Hubby. It was our 16th anniversary and we went out to eat and to see a movie. It was nice to have some grown up time for once. LOL! Then it was out shopping again Saturday morning before our trip home. My mother wanted help with decorating her tree so we went to get some ornaments and decorations. Overall, we had a good weekend away. I am going to miss being able to just get in the car and visit my mom in less than 5 hours : (

Ha Ha Ha

2008-11-26T14:53:00.002-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Got this idea from my friend Lisa's blog and thought I would use it too. Go down to the bottom of this page and turn my music off before you start the DANCE OF THE KIMBALLS.

The info you have all been waiting for....

2008-11-24T22:30:00.001-06:00

All I am saying is....Salt Lake City Utah....Feb 2009. For those of you that dont understand what I am talking about then disreguard. Most of you will understand. More to follow when I am not so tired and stressed out (hopefully that will be soon!)

The man in red

2008-11-23T11:18:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I thought it would be a great idea if we visited Santa when we went to the mall. We had to get Emily a coat and Limited Too was having an unbelievable sale (I'll get back to that in a minute). Last year when Casey visited Santa, he was very scared and literally shaking in his shoes. What is it with kids and santa?! Well we talked about seeing Santa before we got to the mall and Casey told me, "I dont like laps, I need a chair to sit by santa." What a little ham! I told him it would be alright and that it would only be for a minute so he could tell him what he wanted and remind him that we will be at Grandma's house and not ours on Christmas. We lucked out since their was no line and we walked right up to the front of the line. Well the shaking began immediately and he wanted Emily to join him on Santa's lap. Emily didnt want to since she had been to the International Festival and had an Indian Bedie(Sp?)in the middle of her forehead that she refused to take off for the photo. So Casey managed all by himself. I was so proud of him! He sat on Santa's lap and told him about the things he wanted (firetrucks, trashtrucks and bikes). Then came the photo...he wouldnt smile for nothing. We made faces at him and acted like fools but all we got was a fake smile without teeth showing. But we did get the picture!!
So now onto Emily's coat. We went to Limited Too which was having a buy one get one free plus 30 percent off sale. It was unreal! But we didnt find anything since they were all down lined and she is allergic. We did manage to find a great coat at Justice and they were having the same sale there. She got a coat, sweater, shirt and socks and it only came to 55.00! I think these stores are in bad shape financially if they are running sales like this. I must go back to Justice this week and get some stocking stuffers and filler gifts for my girl. SHH dont tell her! LOL

Still Waiting....

2008-11-22T08:46:00.002-06:00

Things are happening behind the scenes but no real news to report to yall. I think I can say now that we wont be going to Kentucky so now the balls up in the air. Here are a few places that have been mentioned...New Mexico, Utah, Mississippi, and Vermont. I have my favorites but I will not share because I dont want to jinx the process. I will keep yall posted.

Waiting on Pins and Needles

2008-11-20T12:57:00.002-06:00

Well this might be it. I am really feeling like it is this time. I believe that Chris finally has orders for us to move. That means no kicking him out, no more seperation of our family and a new state to reside in. I dont want to jinx it but something in my gut is telling me that this is it. We will be having to move quick too. We should have a new place to call our own as of 2009. As for where we are going I cant tell yet because I might jinx it. I am planning on going to a state that begins with K but may end up in a state that starts with N. I will keep yall posted.

I'm Back!

2008-11-18T08:27:00.002-06:00

What a fun weekend I had with my sistahs! It was nice to be around my friends and do something I love, SCRAPBOOKING. We were at Orange Beach and it was beautiful. We never did get to the beach and take the photos we wanted to. I got to eat out a few times, run around in comfy clothes to wee hours of the night and act like a fool. I managed to get 19 pages done, about 7 hours of sleep and won a page contest. I will post the page in a later entry. Now I am trying to pick up a messy house, stock the fridge with food,get some Christmas shopping done for the kiddos and put away all my scrapbooking stuff. I think I am finally back to normal with two good nights worth of sleep. Oh and Debby, Kim and Carolyn, please send me whatever photos of the weekend you can share. Thanks!

See Ya!

2008-11-14T06:46:00.001-06:00

Well I am packed and ready to leave for my girls weekend. I will be scrapping all weekend long with my sistahs in Orange Beach, AL. We do this twice a year and it is really fun. When I get back on Sunday I will be sleep deprived and my house will be a mess from Chris and the kids. But this is so worth it. Talk to yall on the flip side.

Thank You Vets!

2008-11-11T10:53:00.003-06:00

Today is Veteran's day and I just want to take a moment to reflect and thank all those men and women who have served and are serving this country. I remember when September 11th happened and how I couldnt sleep at night. I was so worried that we were going to be attacked again. The military has given me peace at night because I know that we are being protected by the best military in the world. It isnt the easiest job for these people but they do it without question. After 17+ years of being a military wife, I dont take these people for granted anymore. So many of them have lost their lives in battle or have been wounded. So today I thank each and everyone of those amazing people.
The two photos are of my husband coming aboard the USS Constitution and my maternal grandfather( one without the mustache) during his stint in the US Marines. He has now passed away but I have many memories of war stories he would tell me.

Honor Roll Ceremony

2008-11-07T08:26:00.004-06:00

Last week was the honor roll ceremony at school for Emily. They honor children that have made AB honor roll, A honor roll and perfect attendence. Emily received A honor roll. She missed out on perfect attendence because we left during Hurricane Gustaf and they had one day of school before we came home. This little ceremony is quite a "mess" for lack of a better word. All parents of 3,4 and 5th graders sit in the gym while all the kids are lead in and sit on the gym floor. Needless to say, there are too many people in such a small space and not enough seating for all the parents. Casey complained half way through 3rd grade honors and we still had 4th and 5th to go. It was getting hot and he wanted out. Thank goodness for my friend Kim who has children at the same school. She saved us a seat and brought her camera to take pictures. Emily would not smile for us at all. She later told me that she doesnt like to smile in front of so many people. So the photo isnt a great one but I am thankful that Kim took one of her. To top it all off, it was spirit week and she was wearing her sports jersey (Maine Hockey). She didnt want an Alabama or Auburn shirt, she wanted good ole Maine Black Bears GO BLUE!!

****IHAD A PHOTO BUT IT WONT UPLOAD SORRY****

Run Like the Wind

2008-11-02T18:59:00.002-06:00

Emily has been talking to us alot about wanting to run track in middle school. We walk around the neighborhood and she tends to run and get tired. Well she ran her first race this weekend. It was charity race that included a 10k, 5k and a 1 mile fun run. We thought a mile would be a good starting point for her. She and Chris would run while Casey and I watched from the sidelines. What a beautiful day for a race. The temps were in the 60's at race time and the two of them were pumped up from the music the dj was playing. Once the race started they walked past me and I thought "ok, they will walk the whole race, no big deal." Casey and I ran over to the next block so we could get a photo of them coming down to the finish line. We waited and watched and finally they jogged by waving for the camera. Chris later told me that she saw the finish line and took off on him, leaving him in the dust. LOL! Maybe she is going to be a sprinter and not a long distance runner. I was so proud of them and we are looking forward to the next race in January.

Got Candy?

2008-11-01T14:18:00.003-06:00

We sure do! Last night was the big night for my two kiddos. We went trick-or-treating with some of our neighbors and got loads of candy. We had a couple of mishaps.

1. Emily's candy bucket broke in the middle of trick-or-treating so we were trying to pick up candy in the dark. She didnt want to go with a plain walmart bag and put up a stink. Candy is candy and it shouldnt matter what you are using for a trick-or-treat bag. LOL!
2. Casey was so excited that he was running way ahead of us and almost got hit by a car. Thank goodness for one of my neighbors grabbing him from the street.

Other than that, they had a blast. We ended the evening sorting out our candy into catergories. This seems to be a tradition of sorts. We put all the twix together, hershey bars, reeses and so on. Then I split it evenly between the two kids and anything left over goes to the chapel on base. Hope you had a Happy Halloween too!

Not Guts..No Glory...

2008-10-30T16:44:00.002-06:00

We have had our pumpkin now for two weeks. I finally decided it was time to carve the big "ball" (as Casey would call it). It was such a beautiful day yesterday and the kids loved being outside so we spent the afternoon carving, or should I say, I spent the afternoon carving and scooping GUTS. The kids thought it was fun at first but they got bored quickly and started playing with all the pieces of pumpkin I was cutting out. Neither one of them liked the Guts and Casey wouldnt touch them for anything. I think this years Jack-o-lantern turned out quite well.

Baby It's COLD outside!

2008-10-29T07:37:00.002-06:00

This morning we woke up to temps in the 30's and 40's. Back when we were living in Maine that would be MILD for us and I would have no problem walking outside in just a long sleeved shirt. I guess my blood is thinning or I am getting old because this morning I was bundled up and still freezing! Emily is definately not able to handle the cold. She went with gloves, sweatshirt and fleece jacket. She is in a portable class room so I dont think it is as warm as being inside the school building. The bad thing is, by the end of the day she wont need any of it because it will be in the 70's. Dont be surprised when I blog that we are all sick from these drastic changes in weather. LOL! Just made muffins for Casey so I will open the oven to let it cool down and maybe heat the house a little. LOL! Stay warm my friends!!

Fun Fall Day

2008-10-27T08:11:00.002-06:00

Before I start let me tell you that I had a problem with blogger this morning and could only get it to take one photo at a time so I have several posts today withjust one photo.
Friday Casey and I got to do one of my favorite things...Hang out with the girls. I have some wonderful friends and we like to go shopping and do lunch when we can. Friday was one of those days when we got to go to Mississippi to visit our friend Jennifer at her scrapbook store and do lunch. Kim, Janie, Casey and I drove over to MS and stopped in Moss Point to run an errand for Kim. Kim had told me about the town's park and how they decorate it for fall and Christmas. They havent done it the last couple of years because of Hurricane damage. The park is right on the water and flooded during Katrina. Well we didnt know if it would be decorated or not but we were pleasantly surprised. Both sides of the street were decorated with pumpkins, wagons, scarecrows and all kinds or fall decorations. Dumb me didnt have a camera but Kim saved the day with hers. Casey had an impromptu photo session. Kim took some wonderful shots of him while Janie and I tried to get Casey to smile and look at the camera. I have included a few of the photos. I have many more but simply couldnt load all these onto blogger. Kim doesnt realize how much I appreciate these photos. When you give a scrapbooker photos it is like giving her a winning lottery ticket. The one thing that disappoints me is that Emily wasnt there but I will have to go and take some of her when the Christmas stuff is up. Needless to say, we are now in the fall mood!

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Halloween Decorating 101

2008-10-23T21:48:00.002-05:00

I love to decorate for the holidays especially Halloween. The kids love seeing all the spooky, funny and colorful things I have made and collected through the years. This year I have made some little ghost spoons thanks to my friend Lisa's blog. I have also painted some "fake" pumpkins. It has been fun to do these things. I guess it is the crafty side of me that comes out this time of year. The outside of the house has been a little tougher but Mr. Bones and our ghost tree have made another appearance this year. Also my Cats Meow houses and the pumpkins that I made last year are out on display. Hope you are having fun decorating for the big BOO day!

Edward Scissorhands

2008-10-21T09:00:00.002-05:00

I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. I had caught him in the act before but had stopped him before he could do any harm but yesterday he went through with the act. Casey cut a big chunk of hair from his bangs. He has been playing with my scrapbook punches and his kid proof scissors lately. Well after being on the phone with my friend he came running to me and told me he cut his hair. He said he was trying to cut the sides because they were too long?!?? He must have missed because he got a big chunk out of the front instead. Thank goodness he is a boy and that I can kinda brush the rest of his bangs over that spot and call it good. Chris says I should just shave it all off. I think one shaved head in the family is enough. LOL!

What a Beautiful Day!

2008-10-19T10:13:00.002-05:00

The weather here has finally cooled down. It was a gorgeous day with bright blue sky and sparkling sunshine. I decided to take the kids to the pumpkin patch at the local church here in town. I am used to going to a farm and taking a hayride out to a patch and seeing the pumpkins in the field. Well it isnt that way down here in the south. We have churches that have pumpkins delivered and they place them on their lawns and that is considered a pumpkin patch. I am usually disappointed and so is Emily. She got a taste of the real pumpkin patches when we lived in Virginia and Maine. Casey doesnt know the difference so he thinks it is great. The amount of pumpkins this year was definately down from last year and we never get our big pumpkin at the patch, we always purchase it somewhere else. Once we arrived, Casey thought that the pumpkins were balls and that he could throw them in the air and let them drop to the ground. He is such a typical BOY!! We got four little pumpkin for our dining room table and then Casey got to jump in the inflatable for a while. Then when we were down, it was off to the fruit stand to get our big pumpkin. Needless to say we are surrounded by lots of orange "balls" now!