Oklahoma Bound-Day 6

Monday, January 18th

We enjoyed checking out the city...looks like the girls have made themselves quite comfortable in the car.

Our day was a little more relaxing today! John went to the base to check in and the girls and I hung out at the hotel this morning. Brecken loved running up and down the halls and even found a flight of stairs that she couldn't resist trying out...three times. After John got back we got in the car and headed for our soon to be new home! It was great to see it again, but also a little teaser. We drove around the town of McLoud where our house is located and Shawnee, a town about 5 minutes away. McLoud is very, very, very small with near to nothing, but Shawnee was good size and we found both a Chili's to eat lunch at and a mall to explore. It is a nice town and we will be doing most of our shopping there. We came back to the hotel and Brecken and her daddy went swimming, while Baylen and I hung out in the room. We then headed to some really good friends' house for dinner. We met them in Colorado and they were also stationed in Florida the same time we were. It was great to see them again and of course it was a treat to have some real food in a real home. We look forward to spending more time with them while we are here in Oklahoma! The girls made themselves at home and enjoyed running around and exploring new territory! Baylen was asleep before we pulled out of the driveway. Tomorrow is the BIG day and we will be officially getting the keys to our new home at 3:00. The movers will be delivering our furniture sometime in the early afternoon, we hope! If things stay on schedule, we will be sleeping in our new home tomorrow night! The countdown is on! We will not have internet access tomorrow night, but I will update you all as soon as I can...YA-HOO!

We spent some time at the mall and Brecken loved scoping out her new stomping ground.

Baylen had a little afternoon snack and looks like she was saving some for dinner too!

Brecken doing her water aerobics with her daddy.

Baylen made a new friend tonight, Mark.

Brecken and her daddy are always inventing new games...

Oklahoma Bound-Day 5

Sunday, January 17th

Up and at'em early this morning. Baylen was checking out the weather for us today...forecast says clear skies.

Brecken thought she would check out the difficulty level of climbing the air conditioner. Her report...way too easy!

Well, we are in OKLAHOMA! Yes, yes, yes we are home! It was an amazing day today and everything went very smooth. Baylen was the first one up, which is no surprise. She was up by 7:00 so we planned on getting an early start. Brecken however, decided she would sleep until 9:15, so we took it easy and got on the road about 10:00. We drove for a little over three hours and stopped at the biggest Cabella's store that I have ever seen. By then, the girls were ready to get out of the car as were John and myself too. We saw a ton of fish, elk, deer, and a whole bunch of wild game from Africa. Brecken absolutely loved running around and seeing all the animals. Baylen just chilled in the shopping cart and watched all the action. We ate lunch and got back in the car and the girls were ready for their naps. Since they were sleeping so sound and the truck was pulling nicely we decided to drive all the way to Moore, OK, which is just 20 minutes from our new home. We are close to the base and where we will be signing our new house papers! We unpacked and got settled into the hotel for the last time...sure wont' miss that! The girls both went swimming and explored their new territory. One of the highlights from our trip today was that we stopped by a Love's gas station to fill up and they had a Godfather's Pizza Express...whoo hoo!! The truck is now officially off of my car and I must say that will not be missed. John went outside to unhook them tonight and I could here my car say, "Ahhhh" from in our room. We are going to check out our new stomping grounds tomorrow. Thanks for all the prayers for our safe travels...they were answered!

Just a little horse play before we hit the road...

It looked like so much fun that Baylen and I joined in.

Brecken checks out the fish at Cabella's today. You may notice she has her knuckles ready to send them a little greeting.

Baylen enjoyed looking at all the African animals from the comfort of a shopping cart...what a life!

Brecken and her daddy had fun playing under the waterfall in the pool tonight. It was a nice massage for John with all of the tense driving he did!

Baylen also enjoyed the pool...who needs a suit when you got perfectly good onesie?

This reminds me of one of those trust games that you used to play at camp...

Oklahoma Bound-Day 4

Saturday, January 16th

John's motto for the day: "If you always follow the manufactures recommendation, you may never find out what is possible."

Well folks, the picture above pretty much says it all. We woke up this morning and started to pack up all of the odds and ends. John went to base to check out and pick up the dolly. The girls and I said good-bye to a really good friend, which was hard to do. That is the part of moving that really never gets easier! John then hooked the truck up to my car and I peeked out the window and said, "Which is pulling which?" Funny thing was that I was serious. John quickly loaded the cars, probably to make sure I didn't have time to book us all plane tickets...ha! We left Corpus Christi at 1 o'clock and where planning on driving half way to OK and stopping in Waco, TX. Once we got on the road the wind was a little stronger then we hoped and we began to sway if we went too fast. We kept our speed at about 60 mph the whole way. We got quite a few interesting looks from other cars, but it made for a few good laughs. John did amazing keeping all of his girls safe and we decided to call it a night just past Austin. We have until Monday to get to OK, so we thought we would take our time and use all three days if we need too. So we are about a third of the way there! We unpacked the necessities, which was my whole car, and spent the evening in the hotel. Brecken got to go swimming, which she loves and Baylen got a warm bath. Both girls were out by 8:30 and John and I were enjoying some ice cream together before bed. This is considered vacation, right? Well, we have said good-bye to Corpus Christi, but still gracing Texas with our presence...man this is BIG state!

Miss Baylen making a few more phone calls before saying good-bye to Corpus Christi.

Almost anything goes on the road and Brecken enjoys a chocolate treat while watching her new movie, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs."

Baylen just enjoys a couple good licks of her toes...and yes she got a treat too, some peach puffs.

By the looks of it, I would say that everyone was excited to be out of the car!

Brecken got to enjoy some swimming time with daddy before she hit the hay.

Now this is what I call "Bath Time"!

Oklahoma Bound-Day 3

Friday, January 15th

Just enjoying a little snuggle time on our make shift bed...

Today was another extremely successful day! The movers were here first thing this morning and ready to haul out the rest of our belongings. We got some rain on and off all day, but that didn't slow them down! The girls and I had breakfast here at the house again before we headed off to yet another wonderful friends house. We had a great time and the girls are getting really good at taking naps wherever they can find a soft place to lay their head. We came home back home and began to clean the house. The girls ran around and I attempted to cook some pasta in the microwave and I must say it was successful...not super yummy, but we ate it, so therefore it was successful! Absolutely all of our furniture is gone, so the sleeping arrangements are interested. John and I are sleeping on a foam mat with a single bed comforter as a blanket. Brecken is in the pack-n-play, which she has become very familiar with over the last month with all the traveling. Baylen is on a sleeping bag, surrounded by suitcases and has her video monitor propped up on a laundry basket. To many it would be very uncomfortable, but to the four of us it feels like home! It is amazing how very little seems to change and how easy transitions can be when you do them as a family. I kinda got teary eyed today when I saw John in his work clothes sweeping the floor with one hand and holding his little Brecken in the other. Her head was on his shoulder and she was giving him one of her famous "velcro" hugs. Things have flowed so smoothly and it is hard to believe we will be all packed up in the car and on our was to Oklahoma tomorrow. We plan on going only half way tomorrow and stopping somewhere in Texas. We have all the time we need so we will take it easy and just enjoy the journey! Good night day 3...

Beautiful girls so happy and don't seem to even notice that their world has changed, even the slightest bit!

This picture is worth a thousand words! Baylen loves to eat whatever she can get her mouth on and Brecken loves to share everything...well except for her banana!!!

Brecken found the rod that open and shuts our hurricane shutters. She liked using it as a cane, a hammer, and of course bar bell...1 and 2 and 1 and 2.

When I brought the girls home today, John was so excited to show off his new drills. Thanks to him all of the screws in this house are tight...what would I do without him?

Baylen loves to play peek-a-boo, but boy does she have a strong little grip...ouch!

Okay, I spoke too soon...the strong little grip on my eyes felt much better then the strong little grip on my hair!

Putting the girls down for bed was a little different tonight, but as always our girls were amazing!

Little Baylen never fails to make us smile...what a sweet girl!

Oklahoma Bound-Day 2

Thursday, January 14th

Today must be the day of two's...we have 2 cribs, 2 chairs, 2 beds, and 2 televisions left in our house. The rest of our stuff as they say is history. The movers wiped us out today and will be back bright and early tomorrow morning to finish the rest of the job. It was a very smooth day and we even sold the refrigerator that we were trying to get rid of before the move! The girls and I hung out here at the house with daddy during the morning then decided to head over to a friends house so that we had some space to run and actual toys to play with. Brecken found a cat to harass for most of the day and Baylen just enjoyed watching her sister and crawling all over the place. We came back to the house tonight and let the girls run around and play together. It is amazing how they seem to find things to play with and eat, yes eat in such an empty house. Brecken found some moving bands and boxes that she absolutely loved and Baylen found one piece of paper, one piece of cardboard, and one piece of chicken to eat! Well, at least the chicken was fresh. So needless to say our day was busy and we are one step closer to our new home. Tomorrow all of our stuff will be packed up and we will starting cleaning the house and loading the car. Both babies are in bed and I am half way there too. Night ya'll and can't wait to report what day 3 has in store for us!!

Sisters Make the Best Friends!

It is times like these that just seem to make the stress melt away!

Lets' play beauty parlor...

Taking a little time to enjoy nature...well in some form.

Baylen doesn't care what kind of attention she gets from her sister...any is good!

Brecken managed to find a brush in her room and immediately Baylen became her best friend.

Baylen didn't want to miss out on anything while Brecken took a break to eat her dinner. I believe it was Brecken who gave her sister the yummy chicken. Hey how can you get mad at a little girl who loves to share with her sister?

Oklahoma Bound-Day 1

Wednesday, January 13th

Well, it is the first day of our whirlwind of a week we have ahead of us. We were up bright and early to welcome the movers. The girls and I lasted about 20 minutes here before we were locked in our bedroom with Baylen tearing all my shoes off of my shoe rack and Brecken continually shutting Baylen and I in the closet while she would sneak over to her daddy's draw and take out his cologn bottles. All the while I am trying to pack some clothes...yeah not really working. The girls and I decided to head over to a friends house and hang out for the day. Baylen had fun exploring a new space and Brecken found a pair of princess high heeled shoes she didn't want to take off. We had a lot of fun and when we returned our house was full of boxes. The movers are ahead of schedule and will be bringing the moving truck tomorrow to start loading. YEAH! We are scheduled to close on our house on Tuesday so we are getting excited. It is 9 pm and both girls are in bed and I am headed there shortly. We also purchased a new stainless steel refrigerator of our new house so that is very exciting too. What a great first day! Only 6 more days til we are home owners again!

I am glad to see that the movers have a sense of humor too...no matter how many times we have moved, I have never gotten used to the sight of all the boxes!

Baylen is not quite sure what is going on, but absolutely loves the adventure of it all!

Brecken too loves the motto, "What happens during moving day, stays with the movers."

Here Baylen is enjoying her breakfast that is fit for a queen...ha well the height of her seat is anyway.

Brecken has been limited to the amount of space that she can play in. If you look closer her toys are the following: daddy's running shoes, a roll of tape, and an empty bottle of medicine. Wow! She has quite the imagination!

Baylen says well if sis thinks its fun, then I am in too!

January Update

Welcome 2010, a year without limits!

It is such a joy to see these two interact with each other...it's the laughter and the smiles that make the chaos seem worthwhile.

Well, this picture about sums up our lives this past month....need I say more?

Well, I almost don't know where to begin to share all that has gone on with our family over the last couple of months. We spend 27 days away from our home, drove 3945 miles, and visited 8 states. The holidays were amazing and it was great getting to spend so much time with family, but of course we were so excited to return home and be back in our own beds. The girls were absolutely incredible! They were such good troopers and I must say we had a lot of laughs on our road trip. I sat in the back with the girls and we played, read, ate, and watch movies. John did a great job chauffeuring us around the country and getting us back here safe. And I must say that our 60 degree days don't feel too bad after some pretty chilly weather. Schedules are returning to normal and bags are unpacked...at least for a week!

Marv and Barb came down to Texas to attend John's winging ceremony, where he earned his pilots wings on December 4th. It was a wonderful ceremony and as honor to be part of such a big day in his Naval career. He also became a Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) at the end of December. Now that his schooling is completed here, he has had the opportunity to spend some time with his ladies and of course do a little bit of wild pig hunting. He will begin his new schooling in Oklahoma in the middle of February where he will train to fly the E-6 Mercury. He has 6 months of training before he will get to his fleet squadron. He is excited to work on our new home in Oklahoma in his spare time and I already have a "honey do" list for him. His favorite outfit will soon be blue jeans, steel toed boots, and work gloves.

As for me, I feel like I have been on a whirlwind these past few months. We were lucky to have Barb and Julie down to watch the girls while John and I went house hunting in Oklahoma. John drove there and I joined him a day later...spending only 18 hours there and yes finding a beautiful home that we will be closing on in a couple of weeks. I learned a couple of days ago that the movers will be here in a week to pack us up...WHAT???? We have only been home four days and here we are getting ready to move. So as you can see I am learning how to be flexible. No newborn baby in tow this time, so that will be a change. John keeps telling me to keep my eyes on the prize...what an awesome man he is. I will miss my friends that I have made here, but I know that there is great purpose for us in Oklahoma!

Miss Brecken is always keeping us on our toes and has really grown up. She is still very curious and is alway looking for an adventure. She just celebrated her 2nd birthday while we were home in Iowa and loved having her family there to celebrate. She has now begun her 3rd year of life and we are looking towards it with expectation of all the wonderful things in store for that beautiful little girl. She is taking more of an interest in her sister Baylen and is learning how to share with her...still working on not taking it right back, but hey we are taking baby steps. She loves doing puzzles and when a stick is not available a spatula is a close second. Her new favorite word is "good girl" and she says it after almost all her words. Juice-good girl, more-good girl, please-good girl. It is just too cute.

As for Baylen she literally grew up over the two weeks that we were in Iowa. She started crawling while we were there and has not stopped. I love the sound of little pitter pat noises on our tile floor as she follows me around the house. She is pulling herself up and can be quite the little jabber box. She is 7 months old and such a happy little girl. She hardly ever takes her eyes off of her big sister and loves to play in our toy room now that she can moves around so well. Baylen has learned to pick everything up off the ground and eat it just like her sister. We are trying to encourage her to focus on Brecken's finer qualities. She is always making us laugh and she loves to play peek-a-boo. She is such a good eater and is really interested in table food...if she can reach it, it is fair game!

We are so excited for this upcoming year with all of the changes and excitement that it will bring. We thank YHWH for all of the many blessings we have had in 2009 and look forward to all that he has in store for us! My next post will be from our new home in Oklahoma...whoo-hoo! We love you all and have a wonderful New Year!

John was surprised with a Tag Heuer watch from Marv, Barb, Jack, Sue and his three girls for receiving his pilot wings.

Baylen attended the winging with us and stole the show for all those sitting behind us, which was everyone...after all we were in the second row! Notice the watch?

This is a picture that I captured at John's winging ceremony. Nothing accompanies a great accomplishment like your little girl.

Brecken didn't attend the ceremony with us, but is one of daddies greatest successes! She had nothing but hugs and kisses for her daddy when he got home.

Baylen has learned how the pull herself up in her crib. When we walk into her room to pick her up, she is all smiles and halfway in our arms before we can get the rail down.

Brecken is testing out one of her sister's Christmas gifts...the rody pony. The name says it all!

Baylen is such a happy girl and she has two reasons to smiles...a wonderful daddy and a funny grandpa. What a pair...no not Baylen!!!!

Daddy and Brecken take a break from a long car ride to play in the creek. As you can tell by the hoods, we are not in Texas anymore.

Baylen's idea of taking a break from a car ride is hammin' it up for the camera.

Brecken's first time playing in the snow. She absolutely loved it, but couldn't quite figure out how the gloves worked.

Colorado makes us smile! I think we both had that "Rocky Mountain High" and how could you not?

Brecken loves to feel Baylen's soft skin and Baylen loves to let her!

Miss Brecken opening one of her birthday gifts...tiaras and wands fit for a princess.

Miss Baylen dressed up for her sisters big day and was just as happy with the gifts knowing that "what is sisters' is mine!"

Christmas morning was a hit for both of our girls. They loved spending the day with wonderful family and of course the boxes, ribbons, and bows.

"Sophia" was Baylen favorite gift. I step on that toy more then any other toy and everytime I put it away, it manages to sneak back out and end up in the middle of the floor.

Brecken is always looking for an adventure and discovering new things. Here she discovered that if someone leaves a diaper bag on the floor it is up for grabs along with everything in it...even baby formula!

Miss Baylen showing off her bow that mommy made for her.

Miss Brecken on Christmas Day...even snapping a picture of her on the run makes for a beautiful photo!

Brecken makes her "mark" in her closet at our new home in OK. Completely empty, she manages to find a little screw on the ground to write with.

WATCH OUT, HERE COMES......Baylen?

Just a little fun game of chase on Christmas night. The girls enjoyed seeing all of their cousins and playing with them...and John did too!