So, I've had a lot of people ask me about Dave ramsey...so I am going to post this weekend about it with links and even a fun little excel spreadsheet that has helped us with budgeting. She keep your eyes open and watch for it.
So, right now I should be sleeping but I can't. Tomorrow is a big day. Enough of the traveling from place to place and finally we head to the place that will be our new home. We are planning on taking two days to get there, not because it will take us that long toget there but because we will be pulling a trailer behind us that may be a bit heavier than we should probably be carrying behind us, so we'll be going a bit slow...probably about 50 the whole way. So a 9 hour trip will probably take at least 12 if not more with all the stops that 2 kids and a husband with a pea sized bladder need to take.
So, life is about to get interesting. Housing is a little bit touchy. We decided that we were going to live on post because the housing lists weren't too bad and we could get more for our money that way, the only problem being that there would be a little bit of a gap between getting there and actually having a house. Looks like that gap may be a little longer than we hoped but hopefully not too long so until then we will be living in a camper trailer until then. Glamorous life, I know. But it will sure beat moving twice. So, like I said, I am quite anxious tonight and unable to sleep. Go figure.
Tomorrow we won't be heading out bright and early but instead will be headed out at about noon after we get some new tires on the camper and then we head out for this place called North Carolina. Wish us luck, pray for us, or whatever you do, because we'll need it. I know I'll be doing a lot of praying. Thankfully our kids are young and will love it all and think it is a grand adventure. Tonight Addie was beside herself and wanted to leave tonight. She is ready to go. I'm just ready to get settled. I don't know what N. Carolina will bring us, I know I wanted change and change is what we are getting so I am ready to head on this path to see what it brings and do my best to have open arms...although often times I wonder "What was I thinking?" But I know that with the support of my kids and husband with me and the support of my family from far away everything will be fine and God has led me to where we are supposed to be and is challenging us in so many ways and so many good things can come from this...I just wish it weren't the hottest part of the hottest season to be doing it in, of course. Thankfully we have AC!!
So, this ends my middle of the night ramblings and hopefully I can get some sleep. Goodnight!!
This is our last sitting around time with the genzel's and Ethan in true over-done fashion had to dress up in a 3 year old Pooh outfit and looked like a Winnie the Pooh that hadn't eaten in 4 winters. And here is Gabriel with his new birthday present Nerf gun from Ethan. Just had to make sure Aleta didn't miss us too much.
If ever we were to have had another sister Katie would have been it. I'm the uptight, bossy, mama type. Alisha is the business minded, focused on her future all the time type and Katie is the Silly, Push the rules a little only because it would kinda be fun, you know it would be, but don't push them too much, let's go on an adventure type. Makes for a nice rounded 3-girl set. Don't mess with us cuz we'll kick your butt and if you give us a little time we can plan you the perfect tattoo I'm sure. :)
These two may no longer work at Surface Art together but they still love and adore each other and my mom has always treated her in a daughterish way. So much so that when she gets frustrated with her She yell Kathryn Marie...(her middle name is actually Elizabeth, but my mom throws in my middle name for emphasis). Hopefully miss Katie will visit my Mama often and be super silly so that on those days she misses me lots Katie will make her laugh and not feel so sad.
Oh yes she does, as does Ethan, along with so many other people they are going to miss. It still hasn't really hit me that we are leaving and that we will not me just a few minutes away from everyone. My parents moving closer to us for our last few months here has been truly amazing and I am so blessed on the timing of that. I am so thankful that we have so many people to love and to love us back.
I'm trying to figure out how to blog from Flickr...unfortunately, I think I can only blog one pic at a time. Very sad. This is a picture of Addie and Rick where I told Addie to run over his toes because he was making fun of me and Derek because she has a really cool bike that has no pedals so she can learn balance. We think it is cool but Rick thinks it is lame. Well Rick... :P
Welcome to the Pickles & Ice Cream Blog hop. You have arrived at my page where you can get yourself a frame cluster I created for all of you. I hope you guys like it because I had a great time making it. Daybreak Scraps and Girl Boy Girl Designs made an awesome pregnancy kit and it was amazingly easy to play with. So, click on the images to get linked up to the kit and to get your free download.
Well, we got some big news last week. The news we have been waitinf for but hoping not to get. I guess that is only half trus. I have been hoping for some type of change for awhile this just wasn't quite the way it played out in my head, but I guess it will do. So, last Wednesday I got a call from Derek with the news that we had orders to Ft. Bragg, NC. No offense to anybody from N. Carolina but that is not where we had hoped to live. My first thoughts were of panic and desperation, but I quickly started getting used to the idea and checked out some maps. Here's a map of where it is located on the East Coast. I checked on mapquest and found that it is a 10 hour drive from Cleveland, so we will be able to visit Derek's family much more often. It is 9 hours from Orlando, so we can plan on at least 1 family vacation down there. And if a friend of mine's daughter goes to Florida, like she's considering, for college she'd be pretty darn close to people she knows if she ever misses home and a quick fix will do. We will be 2-3 hours from the beach and are already considering joining a friend of mine on their already planned vacation to Myrtle Beach. I know a lot of people who have been there, are already there, or are going there so we have a wealth of information about the area. that makes me feel much better. So here are a couple of maps:
So, on this map you can see where Ft. Bragg is in N. Carolina. If you look South of Raleigh you'll see fayetteville. Ft. Bragg is the brown area next to it. We've been told to live on the west side of the base. We've been thinking about sending Derek off ahead of time to scope things out. We'll see how that works out. Right now we are still waiting for some of the shock to wear off. the shock has affected him more than it has me. 
My family has been awesome. They have all vowed to visit often even if we were to find nothing to do there. Ethan is not very happy about leaving his friends but we've been talking about it and me and him have voted that we should live in an apartment so that we can have a pool. I thought that was a pretty groovy idea myself. We'll see what we can find. I think right now the most stressful thing is finding someone to rent our house and make sure that we will be okay financially. there is a lower cost of living there which also mean a lower rate of pay. Fortunately I can file for unemployment. That will be a huge help for us.
Another issue we have had is figuring out what to do as far as schools go. I have not yet heard anything great about schools and have been seriously considering homeschooling. This will be a HUGE change for us, but one I think we can handle as long as we can figure out everything else. So, our report date is July 11. Not far off. I have so many emotions about this I never know which one to feel. So, I've been trying to stay positive and find the good aspects of moving. It has been hard since I hear about Ethan being sad and Derek has been fighting it so hard. It has put me in the position to be our family uplifter. My family has been amazing. They are not even a little bit thrilled but they have been amazingly supportive through all of this, especially Alisha. The poor girl found out when she was all doped up on pain killers the day after major foot surgery. Not a good combination. But she's been awesome.
So, if any of you have any great info about Ft. Bragg, please share it with us. I would appreciate it. Oh, and for my family who noticed that the date will throw some plans off...don't worry. We are going to do everything we cann to make the family reunion still. In my head it is still working out. Ih ope it stays that way.
Here are some pics of the kids that are kinda fun. Love you all!!
Addie is watching a UFC fight. I couldn't get over how into it she was. She couldn't take her eyes off the TV!!
Here are the kids making some mashed potatoes and in picture 2 you just know Ethan has to cheese it up!!
Thanks for looking guys!!So, today was a good day. I woke up, even though I didn't get a lot of sleep, due to a big fat nap yesterday, and it was sunny out and I was just happy. I got a new computer at work and a giant monitor. That is awesome. I'm loving that. The scrapbook site I spend a lot of time at is having a birthday party this week, which means lots of free stuff and lots of sales. Yay!! That rocks. Then to top it off I have the greatest pics ever for posting on the blog today. I am going to do my bestest to blog at least on Mondays. So if I don't harass me about it.
This is going to be a short week. Ethan has conferences this week so he only has school for 3 days so my sister scheduled her foot surgery for Tuesday so that I could possibly help out if I could while she is not moving around real well. turns out I could, so Ethan and I will be headed up to her house on Wednesday night and he'll be hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa and I'll be chilling with my sissy poo getting her pain meds and food for a couple of days, and I'm sure watching lots and lots of chick flicks. Good times!! I love it!!
Well, I won't put off the greatest pics ever. Addie has taken to traveling down the hall on the bouncy ball with the handle lately upstairs. Well, last night she was traveling from our room to her room to get ready for bed and for whatever reason she had no clothes on so she was bouncing naked. You can't beat that. So, I had to photograph her little butt bouncing down the hall. Oh, and get this...I have an amazing child. I went into her room earlier that day and she randomly decided she should clean her room. No real reason and nobody told her too. She just decided it should be cleaned. Along with the bathroom. Wow!! Amazing child. So, here are the pics... 
So, I have no exciting pics to share with you this week. I thought I would. Ethan was so excited this weekend to go and help his school plant a garden, but when Derek took out the camera there was no SD card. Now I do think there is a card in the bag, but I haven't looked and so there are no pictures nonetheless.
But I do have something for you that I think is pretty good. I have a story that Ethan wrote at school. When Derek saw the title he got very upset with Ethan and said it was very inappropriate but after reading the story changed his mind. It is actually very cute and funny. Ethan's assignment was to write a funny story. Ethan's teacher wrote this about his story "What a silly story! It is full of great voice, personality + fun words." I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. I am copying everything just as he wrote it without any corrections, except maybe some capital letters.
So, as promised, here is my Monday blogpost. I will be trying very hard to post something every Monday from now on. Hold me to it. If you don't see something from me on Monday send me e-mails saying...where's our blogpost????
To make them we used Cardstock for the bodies, sticks of gum for the arms, life savers for the eyes and starbursts for the feet. The Ethan wrote Happy Valentine's Day! From: Ethan, on the back while I wrote things like Hug Me, U-R-A-*, B-MINE, etc on the fronts.
The next morning Alisha did put this gorgeous unhealthy looking cake together. Don't let her fool you. She has some tricks to make it much less fattening. Isn't it yummy looking??
Niki is the best sport when it comes to playing with Addie. More than anybody she gets down on her hands and knees to play with Addie. Not that nobody else plays with Addie, but I've never seen this before. Addie has an imaginary baby she plays with and likes to pretend that she's the mommy and she is taking care of her baby. Well, here instead Niki got to be the baby and when Addie turned around Niki got up and hid. So Addie decided Niki was in big trouble and put her in time out and was scolding her about staying in bed when it was her bedtime. Then Addie told her that she still loved her and she could get out of the corner. Oh dear!! What have we gotten ourselves into with this little girl?? 
Jack on the other hand thought it was a good idea to stay put and not move with the other babies in bed. 
So, that was our Valentine's Day. Thank you everyone who celebrated Valentine's Day with us and took time out of your day to hang out with us. I know there were 4-5 of you who I said would get an invitation to in the mail and they didn't come...well, I thought I sent them last week, but I came in to work today and guess what...they are still sitting my desk. Oooops!! I did have them for you. They are addressed and ready to go. :) Let me know if you still want them. Ethan decorated them and has a little hand written poem in them that he came up with himself. I was going to mail all of them but ended up seeing some a large portion of the people who came at our "cruise dinner" or just didn't think to give you your invitation because we see you everyday.Yes, I know!! My poor blog has been highly neglected. So, I need to fix that. So I am going to start changing that and post every Monday with a weekly post of what has gone for the past week. Great way to start the week, right? So that is my newest plan. Hold me to it. If I fail to post kick me in the rear and let me know I have failed miserably. I will also try and load pics. I have been a horrible picture taker. I have a beautiful camera with no pictures on it. I am going on a vacation in 14 days so I'll have lots of picture to upload from that very soon. Yay!! Okay, see you all Monday!!
So, for halloween Addie was dead set on being a rock star and Ethan wanted to something scary, so he chose an alien. I had some ideas for Addie's costume running through my head but nothing major. Nothing in her costume except the hair color had to be bought in the Halloween section so I wasn't in a hurry...until I got sick last week. I didn't leave my house until Saturday morning, although I had planned to go last week during lunch. So Saturday morning Addie and I headed off to Target to come up with an outfit for her "Rockstar" costume. Ethan had his several weeks in advance, so that was easy and he had a mask and everything. easy breazy. I was sick as a dog and was counting down the minutes to make a doctors appt. I didn't really think I needed one but my mom was worried and I knew some better cough syrup with a little codeine to calm my cough so I could get some sleep wouldn't hurt. So we went to Target got a mish mash of stuff then headed off to the doctor. The doctor told me I wasn't allowed to go trick'o'treating. Whah!! I love taking the kids out. I was pretty bummed. So we went home and took a nap, well I took a nap while Derek chased Addie around the house not taking a nap. When I woke up I got Addie ready with the help of my friend Paige, my parents and Derek. Ethan's costume was pretty simple although needed a little bit of work to sit the way it was supposed to. After the little bit of work i had to do I thought my head was going to start spinning so I threw the kids out along with Derek and they went to a friends house up north about 10 miles for a kid Halloween party and some t'o't-ing and I had a quiet house. You would think it would be restful but feeling as crappy as I did and missing the kids get to be so cute and fun it wasn't as restful as i'd have liked. Plus I was hungry and having had been sick for the past several days all the easy food was gone so i had to actually think about what food to eat. Lame. I am ready to be healthy. But it sounds like the kids had a great time...although the candy givers were a little chincey with their reese's this year...not that I would know...it's not like I went and got candy or anything. LOL. Here's the pics of the kids getting ready and in their costumes.
Gotta have the rock star crimping going on!!
She's got diva primping under control
Ethan is putting the Earth under his spell
Let's roll and be as difficult as possible for mommy to get pics of us
Ready to rock and roll
She's got down that diva pout, dang it...I had hoped she would miss that part
Addie had to do some practicing to get those little fingers to move right
Addie LOVED her rockin costume
Rock on dudes from outerspace!!
Rock on Nanoo
The silly rocker aliens
Addie has got her bag and is almost ready to go...now she just needs to find some shoes.
Ethan and Gabriel getting ready to do some trick'o'treatin'
Ethan is leading the way
Apparently addie needed some makeup. I wasn't there so I am guessing sunglasses.
Not sure why...but this picture just freaks me out. A little too rocker gone, I don't know what...just not right.
As long as she can still rock I guess we're doing okay.
Here began Ethan's obsession with the corn
Alisha posing on the bridge
A family pic on the bridge
These 3 were hiding in the corn waiting to jump out and scare us. Don't tell them...but we knew we were there.
Always looking adorable
Ethan captured his sis
Punching out a marker at a checkpoint in the maze.
Ethan talking to Addie while walking through the maze
The boys on the bridge
All the corn
Addie hanging out on a bridge looking at all the corn
Ethan was obsessed with the corn through the entire maze. What is it with kids and caring about the least important thing in an event.
No Ethan...Mommy takes the pictures and you stand and look cute!!
Ethan is always so sweet to his sister (well, almost always)
A family pic while we are waiting for the hay ride to the pumpkin patch
We had to take a hayride to the pumpkin patch from the maze area
Derek and Ethan are working together to find the coolest pumpkins
Ethan is on a mission to find the best pumpkin EVER!!!
This one looks waaay toooooo big!!
It looks like it could be a nice pumpkin
Uh oh...it might be too heavy
Addie's last test to see if she could lift it up
Addie made her decision
Ethan was checking out all sorts of pumpkins but this was the one he was pretty sure was the one
Ethan's final pumpkin choice
Ethan decided to hitch a ride to weigh in the pumpkins
