New swingset and my birthday

So, we got a new swingset for our backyard here.  I love having a backyard and a swingset.  I just love when my kids play outside and that they can go out there by themselves.  We left our old swingset in Maryland and sold it to the people who were renting the house next. That was a nice deal for sure.  Our friends in Utah that we visited had a great swingset.  We really liked the brand they had. So, we order one for ourselves from Costco.  It came in many many boxes and Kevin had the privilege of putting it all together. He did such an awesome job.  I mean I only helped out a tiny bit...he put it together by himself!  What an awesome daddy!!  Of course, the boys helped as well. :  )  And Abigail hung out.  It was perfect timing now that the weather is getting a tiny bit cooler...I mean its a high of 95 instead of 115.  So, that much a huge difference in playing outside. 

Here is the work in progress.

 And finished!

So, for my birthday, the kids woke me up singing Happy Birthday to me at 8 am. I got to sleep in. : ) And Kevin was home for the day so that was nice. Caleb helped me make whoopie pies for dessert.  Yummy!  Then, I watched a movie during nap time.  It was quite the wonderful birthday.  I received a package from my friend Rachel and had some yummy chocolate to eat during my movie.  We then had pizza for dinner...(no dishes) and whoopie pies.

A week home with Kevin

Kevin needed to take time off because he had days to use up before the end of September.  So, he was off all week.  We were very glad to have him home!  We went hiking at Mount Charleston on Monday.  Kevin carried Abigail in a hiking backpack that we borrowed from our neighbor and the rest of us hiked.  The boys did quite well and we had a nice hike.  It was about a 35 minute drive to the bottom of the mountain.  Then, we hiked straight up for about 45 minutes, then had lunch, and hiked down the mountain.  We didn't make it all the way up to the top of the mountain...I'm not quite sure how far we went, but we had a great hike.  I got to carry the backpack full of our lunch and heavy water bottles.  It was beautiful up there and a whole lot cooler than where we live.  About 20 degrees cooler..we'll have to remember that for next summer as well!

We did school for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and the boys were very glad to have Kevin do school with them! Then, Friday we took the kids to one of the childcare places that the Air Force provides for people who just move.  So, Kevin and I got a few things done at the house and had a lunch date.  After that, I got a massage for an early birthday present from my in laws.  Ahhh....that was awesome! I'm pretty sure we will be in withdrawal on Monday when Kevin goes back to work..especially the kids! They love their daddy! Abigail and TJ had some fun times playing firefighter this week as well. So, I put a few pics and video of them being firefighters. TJ has found a new person to help him fight fires and the two of them are pretty cute playing together.  Abigail loves her brothers and loves to be a part of the gang! She doesn't like to be left behind! We also started potty training Abigail this week. She is doing pretty well.  She's had a few accidents, but is doing well so far. 

The boys joined a soccer class last week...that is on Saturday mornings and they get to do the class together...which is great!  They look forward to it each week!

Fun Friday

We had a very fun energy expended day on Friday. We went to a bounce house.  And on the drive there we got to see the Vegas strip!! There are some pretty cool hotels there..we saw one that was a huge castle and one that was a pyramid! We bounced and bounced and bounced...even the mommies did quite a bit of bouncing.  Abigail needed some help on the big slide ones, but started to get a hang of it at the end.  They all had a great time and were thoroughly wiped out! It was very fun to have a friend to explore our new area and now we have a few new places to go!

Thursday's adventure

We went to the children's museum on Thursday.  Its about 30 minutes away so that's not too bad.  The kids had sooo much fun!  We explored and checked out all that there was to do for an hour or so  then had a snack and then played some more.  The kids really liked the grocery store, being a car mechanic, the water tables, the hurricane simulator, and the pulley levers.  And they had some huge bubble makers which was also pretty cool. I'm sure I'm forgetting some other things. It was a very nice museum and it wasn't very busy since everyone is in school now.  Enjoy the pics!

Our Nevada Friends

When Kevin and I were first married...I mean we got married in N. Carolina, went on our honeymoon in the British Virgin Islands...flew back to N. Carolina, then had a moving company pack and move my stuff to Nevada.  Then, we flew to Fallon, Nevada and lived there for 2 years.  We met our Nevada friends.  Rachel and Nate were not dating when we met them...but started dating soon after.  They got married in November the 2nd year we were there....neither one of us had any children.  Then, both of us got pregnant the next year when Kevin and I lived in Germany.  So, her oldest and Caleb are the same age...well, her oldest daughter is a few weeks older than Caleb actually.

Anyways, our Nevada friends have very much been a sweet friendship we have enjoyed for the last 8 years.  We haven't seen them in 7 years and never met their children in person until this week.  Rachel drove with her 4 children by herself(Nate had to stay and work this week) to visit us!! What an awesome friend.  The drive took her about 7 hours with stops.  A long drive with 4 children 5 and under!! She is sooo awesome! 

So, here's what we did.  I think I'll have to break the posts up cause we have quite a few pictures! 

They arrived on Tuesday afternoon and the kids played at the house inside and out.  They got to play in the playroom, which is now way more organized and put together, and play with the bicycles and tricycles. 

On Wednesday, there was a whole more playing in the house...it was such a great playdate. Our kids got a long quite well and Rachel and I were able to talk and catch up. What a blessing.  In the afternoon, we went to a splash park that is about 15 minutes from our house.  That was a fun adventure for sure!

A little Elmo therapy

The USO had an Elmo show on base on Wednesday afternoon.  It was about a little girl who had just moved to a new base.  They sang and danced and performed on how to meet new people and handle change.  We brought the kids because we thought they would enjoy seeing the Sesame Street characters.  They did greatly enjoy the show.  But, I also enjoyed the show as well!  It was great therapy for me.  :  )  If you know me well, then you know that I don't do the moving season in our life well! I always have a hard time with a new place and I don't really see it as a new great adventure.  I like routine and doing things over and over again! Yet, God had so many other plans for my life! Its a good thing for me to move and meet new people and learn to rely on God for all things! And moving is that opportunity for me. 

So, as the little girl is lamenting that she has to move and is nervous to meet new people..I'm holding back the tears.  I know how the Sesame Street character feels and I'm listening to the songs they are singing so I can be reassured that things will be all right!  :  )  I laugh at myself now cause I know it sounds so childish, but its also how I feel many days! Thankfully, I have God walking right beside me and I know He will provide all that we need!

Apparently, Elmo can be therapy for any age group! Enjoy the pics! 

Our first week of school

I finally feel settled enough and semi ready to start school for Caleb.  Yes, we are homeschooling for his Kindergarten year...so, we'll see how it goes! We were all very excited to start our first day of school today.  Caleb was especially excited...he actually had a hard time falling asleep last night and was up nice and early today.  TJ slept in till 8:30 which is very unlike him...he might not have been as excited! That's okay...he's doing a little school, but not a whole lot.

We got our room ready this past week...ordered a table and some chairs to work on.  Other than that, we just filled up our bookshelves with the books I had bought.  Kevin put up a corkboard to hang some things on...so, we have our Bible verse on it, catechism questions, chore boards, and calendar.

I dropped my dad at the airport on Saturday, worked out, then worked on our curriculum for the week.  We'll be doing Bible study using Explorer's Bible study, still using Five in a Row for some social studies and geography, using Right Start Math for both boys, and I'll be doing some Abeka readers with Caleb for comprehension and practicing reading.  Then, Caleb will be doing Handwriting without Tears to work on his writing.  I also have a book that gives 5-10 minutes ideas for science...we'll add that later.  So, I think that will work for us!

We went to a meeting on Tuesday night that was for a homeschooling group at a church about 10 minutes away.  So, we are going to join that group.  They have a park date every week and once a month parent's meetings.  That will be fun for all of us!  

Here are a few pics of our first week and our school room!