Summer Visits

 To start off our summer fun, my mom came down for a visit in June. The kids were so excited and so was I. We kept the visit pretty simple, we went to the zoo but for the majority of the visit we just stayed home and played.  I made dinner every day and she cleaned and helped organize our house.  It was heavenly. 

My sisters came to visit us in July and did we play hard.

 We did baptisms for the dead at the San Antonio Temple.  It was amazing.  It was the first time that I had been in the Temple with my sisters.  The spirit was so strong and I am blessed to have shared such a wonderful experience with them.

 We went to the San Antonio Zoo!!! So fun. We found out that my children have a great fear of butterfiles.  Megann taught Jane that butterflies are our firends, and you will hear her say that anytime she sees a butterfly now. 

We hit up the splash pad at the YMCA. It is Andrews personal drinking fountain.

 Jane is showing Amber that she is three. This takes much concentration. 

 Thier trip wouldn't be complete if we didn't visit Seaworld!!  The highlight of the day was feeding the dolphins. A tradition we now do every time we go.  My children seriously live a very spoiled life.

 Jane was so excited to meet Abby until she actually saw her. Then she went into her shell. That girl. 

Our final visitors of the summer was Derek's brother Bryan and his family.  They were driving through on their way to Vegas.  It was so fun to see them and have the kids play together.

Needless to say we wore our kids out this summer.  We have adjusted and now love our new life in Texas. Derek still has a year left of school here and we are just going to play and have fun.

Swim Time

 

This year we did swim lessons on the base, now I know never to do that again.  Last summer we did a survival safety course and this year it was basically splash in the water...oh well now I know. 

 Andrew had a hard time watching Jane, he kept trying to jump in.

 Jane has so much fun though, she was always so sad to get out of the water.

 

Andrew and I did a Mommy and Me class...his favorite part though was playing in the splash pad afterward. 

 

Down by the Seashore

 One of our favorite trips we have done in Texas was Padre Island on Chorpus Christi. Derek has a week break inbeween semesters so we packed up the kids and headed out.  It was only for three days, but that was all that we could handle.  First day we spent time at the base beach. Second day we went to Padre Island and out to eat at a fun local resturaunt. The last day we packed it up and headed to Texas State Aquarium.  It was such a fun trip and we cannot wait to go back.

 These dock pictures were taken on the Naval Base we stayed at.

 Jane seriously did not get out of this water.  It was the perfect temperature and she loved playing in the waves.

 I love this picture of Andrew.

 This poor little guy did not love the water too much.  He preferred to be on dry land.

 Most of the day was spend chasing the poor birds around. He would start yelling at them and take off as fast as he could.

Jane like her Daddy loves to eat lemons.

What a great way to end our summer. Derek is back hard at school and we are counting down the days until his next break.

Why every little girl still needs her Daddy

 In a little girl's life she always looks up to her Dad.  I always knew that I could count on my Dad for letting me stay up late and watch tv with him, drive on his lap, and get sips of mountain dew; as long as my mom wasn't around.  When we realized we were moving to Texas my Dad volunteered to take take a week off of work and help me with the move.  Huge relief especially when Derek left for Texas a week before we did.  I have realized that no matter how old you are, there are certain things that a girl just needs her Daddy for.

Here is my list:

1. My Dad spent a two day trip in the car with my kids, staying the night with us in a hotel, and taking care of them while I drove most of the way from Arizona to Texas.  When the trip was over he thought it was fun and the kids were good.  He meant every word.  I thought the trip went the complete opposite.

2. The night we got to our new home he went straight to work unpacking.  Derek missed the kids so we let him watch them and my Dad and flew through boxes the next few days.

3. To help me feel more at home he helped me plant my flower beds in my front yard.  He wanted me to have something pretty to look at everyday.

 4. Everyone needs a garden so he put one in for me.  He actually has been trying to get me to plant one for years, but I never did.  This was his chance to get me to succeed. Now lets see if I don't kill it.

 

 5. My dad said that Andrew's dresser looked too girly so I picked out the paint and handles and he sanded and painted it for me.  I think it looks much better and adds a good color to his room. 

6. I asked my dad to put together a simple toy box for kids and he went all out and built me this beautiful one. It matches the bed he made for Jane.  When we got to Texas he finished the lid, painted it, and added a special gadget so that the lid wouldn't slam down on the kids.

 7. I have always been looking for a cute head board for Jane's room and never found one.  I was on the Anna Whites website and I saw this bed and fell in love with it.  Once again my Dad came to my rescue and built this bed frame for Jane.  He painted it along with her night stand.

8. He watched the kids for us so we could go out on a date and he could have some alone time with them.

9. While we were at Seaworld he took care of the kids so Derek and I could go on the rides.  I am done with roller coasters for the rest of my life by the way.

10. The most important.  The day he left he gave Derek and I father's blessings.  It has always been a huge strength in my home growing up that my Dad honored his priesthood, and it is still blessing our lives today.

What can I say...my Dad is amazing. I have also decided that anytime we have to move he is going to to be there.  It was so fun to have this time with my Dad.

So A New Chapter Begins...

So much has changed in our lives in the last two months, it is hard to even know where to begin.  Derek and I decided a few years ago that the P.A. route was the way we wanted to go for his career.  We debated Doctor or P.A., but we confidently fell like a physicians assistant will be best for our family.  He began taking classes and we applied for the Army's  IPAP program in October 2011.  Unfortunately at the end of October we found out there wasn't a slot for him, but he did become an alternate in case someone decided to drop out. We didn't have much hope of getting in as an alternate so we amped up his packet and tried again.  Surprise to us he was selected as an alternate to the program two months before classes started.  After we were done freaking we talked to our realtor, started a serious deep cleaning, and looked for a house in San Antonio.  

Miracles started happening after that point.   Our friends who were renting our neighbors house came to us and said they wanted to buy our house.  We never even had to put it on the market.  With very little notice we were able to get a house on base. This was extremely important to me; I needed to feel safe with Derek being gone and I wanted to experience a military community.  In a matter of two months, very stressful months, we were in Texas starting our new lives.  

There have been so many tears shed (mostly by me) since we have moved here, both happy and sad.  I can't begin to explain how much I miss my family, I think my kids miss my sisters more than I do. I am excited to focus on our little family and rely more on each other.

Here is to our new life.  Derek in school full time, and studying the rest of the day.  Hopefully Jane and I can handle this much of each other, and once Andrew's six teeth come in he too will be happier.