How is it 2013 already!?

So while  I should be doing homework since there are NO kids in the house right now, I wrote a paragraph and became distracted by the internet.  Maybe this is why everything I turn in is at the last minute......This blog post is a little run on and all over the place, but I have a lot of catching up to do!  It is also not letting me post pictures so I will work on that problem tomorrow after I finish my homework.

December was a great month, right up until the end!  We didn't watch as many movies or read as many books as I wanted to but we averaged about one a week, and quite frankly we just did not have the time with every one of us being in school. I have been trying to give the boys more attention and both Brandon and I have been trying to spend more time with them actually doing something. We went to a marriage care weekend at the beginning of the month that was awesome, and we learned that even though our marriage is great, our relationship with our kids needs work. We want them to feel loved and appreciated and we don't think we truly show them that enough. So we have started playing more board games and card games and doing craft projects with them, and Brandon has started letting Cody play Xbox games and Wii with both of the boys.  It might sound small and trivial, but we have come to realize that spending 30 minutes of one on one time with them works wonders, and we are finally becoming the parents we want to be.

3 days before Christmas I was rear ended, no damage to me or the kids I had in the car, and only minor damage to the van, but what great timing.  I went to my midwife and they did an ultrasound, everything looked great, but then I had to go to the hospital and get a more complete checkup.  Luckily we have amazing friends that let the boys stay the night with them!  I was in the hospital for 3 hours before going home and everything there looked perfect too!  I was sore for a couple of days but that went away.  I never want to feel that exhaustion of the adrenaline rush leaving my body again.  I was fine for about an hour but then I completely broke down and I slept like a log. 

Christmas was amazing, our family loves to spoil us, especially the boys. We spent the morning opening presents and then went to Kari's house for dinner and Catchphrase. Cody and Brice were pretty sick over the whole 2 week break, and last week Brandon and I caught it.  I think they are finally getting better but I have been getting worse.  If I follow their timeline I should be good by the end of the week. 

And now it's January.  I can't believe it!  I also can't believe we will have another little boy in less than 2 months.  There are 8 people here that I know of that are pregnant, and we are all due back to back except one or two. I was told I would leave Volkel with a divorce, a baby, or a Polish pottery collection, and I was really hoping for that pottery, but I am so excited we are having a baby instead.  I love the name we picked out, I love that he will actually have his own room and a crib (Brice never did until we moved here) and I absolutely love that he does not have to go to daycare for at least a year and a half. I also can't wait for my baby shower :)  3 of my best friends are planning it and I know it is going to be awesome!! 

Most of the people I know are not making resolutions this year, and I am the same. I have a few goals I need to accomplish but that is about it.  The first one is to graduate college. I have 7 classes left and planned them out to be done in September. It will be 7 years in May that I started working on this degree, and  I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I can't just skate through classes anymore either, so wish me luck!  I also just realized I need to update this more so the family without Facebook knows what's going on. I have tried being on there less, so maybe I can just swap them and be on here more!  We will see.  I say all the time that I will and then I don't, but maybe the baby will help me :)  I know there are numerous ways I can work on bettering myself this year, but I will take them as they come. Being a better mom is on the top of the list, and that will always be a work in progress.

I think that is it for now, Cody will home in about 30 minutes so I need to get back to work. I wanted my homework done this morning but I still have an hour before I have to pick up Brice so there is time!  I will definitely work on the picture thing tomorrow. 

The Bucket List

Brandon calls it the dump truck list because I am always saying I want to go here, do this, do that, so this summer I made a list of what must happen in my life before I die.  Let's hope I have at least 50 years left to accomplish these things.

1. Go to Russia.  THIS WILL HAPPEN in 2014. Holland America has multiple cruises to St. Petersburg and my plan is to use our tax return to book one. Whether all 3 kids will be going has yet to be decided, but I am getting on a giant boat with delicious food and will be standing in palace square. I have always wanted to go to Russia and it always seemed like such a far away fantasy but not anymore! 

2. Catch a halibut in Alaska.  You would think after living there for 18 years I would have gone deep sea fishing, but I did not.  So now when we go back that will be on the Alaska trip things to do. Who knows when that will happen, but I have seen everywhere Brandon grew up so now it's his turn.

3. Catch a marlin and mount it on the wall.  This will happen in Florida or Cabo.  Both possibilities when we live in Florida in 8-10 years.

4. Visit all 7 continents. This goal came about when I made it to Africa, so now I have three left. Antarctica, South America and Australia.  All great cruising possibilities.

5. Go to Ireland. Because it's beautiful and we are already in Europe.  It can't be that much harder to go a little bit further. People do it all the time.

6. Visit all 50 states. I only have Vermont left.

7. Go on a cruise every other year. This started in 2009. We won't be able to go next year but waiting one more year is fine. In my opinion cruising is the best way to spend a vacation and I want to do it as much as possible.

8. Live on the beach.  Hopefully in 8-10 years.

9. Finish my Bachelor's degree.  This should be done 14 months. I have exactly the right amount of money in my GI Bill as I have classes to pay for so it should work out perfect.

10. Learn Spanish.  For when we move to Florida. And because I want to work for the Federal government and it can't hurt.

11. Go to Greece. Maybe before we leave, maybe after we retire. There's plenty of time for this especially since we can hop from the states for the rest of our lives as long as Brandon survives the next 8 years.

12. Go to Egypt. Let's let things settle down over there first.

Skydiving used to be a top priority, but I turned into a big wuss when Brice was born and I don't know if I could handle it anymore. I think I could do a tandem jump but I just don't know. My Grandpa flew skydiving planes and I rode with him one, even had to wear a chute, so we will see.

It's a short list, not so much a dump truck, but those are the things I really want to do!

December to Remember

I am already over Halloween and Thanksgiving.  We can even skip Christmas and move straight into baby shower season and I wouldn't mind, but this year I want to start some new December traditions.

First: Daily Christmas movie watching. My friend Shauntai does this every year starting on the first. I think she stole it from ABC Family but that's fine, I want to do it!  So now I need to find 25 Christmas movies, and I am including Charlie Brown and Prep and Landing in this list that DOES NOT INCLUDE The Christmas Story.  I despise that movie, and if I can help it my kids will NEVER see it!

Second: Reading a children's book every day and MAYBE doing a coordinated craft along with it.  That idea came from Pinterest of course, so I hope I saved the link. The kids love doing any kind of project and I am hoping this will make them love reading more than they already do.  (Well Brice does, but Cody is getting there!)

Third: And probably what I am most looking forward to. HOT CHOCOLATE!  I LOVE hot chocolate. It's warm, it's chocolate, and it's warm. I have a ton of K-cups for the Keurig but I have also been looking for different recipes to make my own. While it would be ideal to have a new kind every day, that might be more frusterating than fun, so we will try as many as I can find.  Some are cooked in the crock pot so they will (I hope) last more than just one day!  And of course if anyone wants to send us the flavor box of HoCho they sell at Target and probably Wal-Mart I will not object. :) 


I am really looking forward to this so I hope it works. And I hope I remember to take a lot of pictures!

Happy Birthday Cody!

Cody is 9 years old today!  I can't believe how fast time flies.

Age 5. McCalls Pumpkin Patch in Albuquerque

Age 6.  Taking family photos on Kirtland AFB

Age 7. Just moved to The Netherlands!

Age 8. Not such a chubby little kid anymore :( 

Age 9. Today!!  Cody has been living in The Netherlands for 2 years, traveled to 11 (!!) countries and spent the summer in the states for 2 months!  He learned how to swim, enrolled in actual swimming lessons. He is in 3rd grade studying American history and becoming a math whiz. We are so proud of you Cody and can't wait for many more years!!

Baby in the Making

If you're reading this you probably already know we have a baby one the way! Tomorrow is 19 weeks, almost half way there, and we cannot WAIT to find out what it is. In the meantime, people have already started asking me what we need, and since it's pretty much everything I went ahead and started a registry.  Another reason I want to know what it is! 

I figured the easiest site would be Amazon.com since they usually have free shipping and sell pretty much everything. We are also goign to try out flushable diapers and see how they work out and if we like them.  If they don't oh well, but it's worth a shot.

So, here's the link to the registry, and stay tuned for the gender reveal!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/registry.html?ie=UTF8&id=2TDCZQGT4M646&type=baby

Disneyland Paris! April-May 2012

This was Brandon's first trip to Paris and I pretty much ruined it :(  I was throwing up the whole night before with an upset stomach and got no sleep.  I felt like crap the whole day trying to walk around Paris so we didn't get to see very much or everything we wanted to.  That just means we will be going back, and hopefully more than once! Luckily the next day I was 100% and Disneyland was so much fun. I think my favorite part was the parade, and I hope we can go back to Disney too!

I have been putting off this post because I am trying to add more and more pictures but there are just too many, so enjoy!

 
 
 
 

Zwemmen Lessen!

Cody had his first swimming lesson last night!  He is much further along than everyone else in his class (they start when they are 4) so next week he will be moved into a class that is about 8 more weeks ahead.  The instuctro said after a couple of weeks he will probably be moved ahead again. It normally takes a year to complete the first diploma but the instructor thinks it will take Cody much less time!  Being at the pool all summer paid off, so thank you Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Vickie! 

This picture makes him look super small, but this is the swim uniform that everyone wears. He wasn't so sure about changing in the room with everyone but that's how it goes here so I told to just get used to it. He's definitetly not a nudist like me :)