SPRING BREAK

• it's a big surprise!
• I HATE surprises. So many things can go wrong.
• I have a few hints to make things interesting
• Braden Mathews, has a tendency to google his name @ school, and that is how he found out I keep a blog? Hope he thinks to do it again so he can find a HINT or two along with his siblings, Savannah, Colton, and Olivia....
• I am really ticked that Lybia is having problems (shallow I know) and is making gas prices jump through the roof? I can't even change plans around now cuz....
• I put money down on the bleep bleep so that we wouldn't have to cram into a bleep bleep and so we could enjoy it down in bleep bleep de bleep bleep.
• hoping that the bleep bleeps won't end up in this blog to conceal my actual feelings about planning spring break in bleep bleep de bleep bleep.

Celebrate the LUUURVE!

...also known as Valentines Day, Braden calls it 'singles awareness' day (pretty sure I did when I was single too). He is just feeling down because this is the FIRST Valentines day since he was like three that he hasn't had someone to give a little trinket to and call his Valentine.

Savannah had a guy at school ask her to be his Valentine. She looked at him and asked him to define Valentine before she would answer. Apparently that shocked him and he walked off. Silly girl? Smart girl? I would say smart, but she did say he was really tall and is on the basketball team AND the football team (insert Savannah's swoon weakness for white pants).

Tonight with the dh gone, I made sugar cookies, and in his honor did NOT frost them, just sprinkled them with sugah. I also have some of his fav chocolates hidden under his pillow (hope he doesn't bang his head when he goes to sleep tonight).

Colton had his school party last Friday so his stuff is over, and so tommorrow is all up to us how it plays out...

EXCEPT as I sat here tonight checking ebay and other things I am researching for a BIG surprise for the family later the doorbell rang.

Can I say I was sitting here in my pink fuzzy yoga workout looking things and not all together ready to answer the door? Braden was in bed snoring and the other kids were in bed, but not asleep and I must admit it freaked me out a LITTLE to go to the door flip the light on...and there is a little note that says "Happy Valentines Day!"

So I woke Braden up and made him go check cars (cuz teenagers are known to do stupid stuff to cars) and Savannah went with him. I dead bolted the door behind them. They're on their own in the world of LURVE. Turns out somebody sweet decorated my house with gel clings and gave us a "HEART ATTACK"... I hope the marker comes off.

It kinda made my day/night anyway, after I let the kids back in and they went to bed anyway. Be still my old lady, afraid of the boogy man (who rings doorbells?)heart.

LOVE YOU!

Olivia is FIVE. really...she is five...sniff

So we had a big week! Olivia turned five, and made two announcements that morning.

Announcement number one:

"I am now big enough, and I get to start school tommorrow!"

Announcement number two:

"I am five now, I am too big for my clohtes. I need to get rid of all the old ones and we need to go buy me all new clothes."

We got a giggle out of it, although Livvy didn't think it was funny that she doesn't get to start school til fall.

Yeah, I laughed til the next two days when we tried to dress her for the morning her clothes WERE too small...sheesh.

forgot to say goodbye!

Goodbye 2010 ...

the BEST of plans...

So as of February 1, the Colonel has informed us that at any time we will be seeing Chris' first set of orders. (Yikes/Yay!) So starts the daily wondering if today will be the day if we will be able to start planning the next phase of life, all while trying to somewhat manage today.

There will be little hints that will let us know orders will be coming down the line soon. Other Cadets around the nation that Chris served with at LDAC will start seeing orders and of course announcing on their social media sites where they are going and when they are to begin. I have managed to this point to just kind of stick it in the back of my head.

However...

One reality has hit. Chris, being up to his eyeballs with his Masters work, and ROTC responsibilities doesn't really even have time to sleep right now, let alone have a family or manage being a Young Men's leader at church for the 16 year - 18 year old boys. That being said, right now he is gearing up for the Military Ball (March 4th), and in March he will be gearing up for FTX ( field training excercizes, in April), and in April he will be finishing up his capstone and other classes and we should be ramping up for graduation (which he is refusing to march in...pick my battles) and the following Commissioning Ceremony on May 14th.

After that... who knows. I do know however from experience that as soon as Chris DOES get orders, life will turn up side down. The following months will be filled for him with training, schools, more training, and more schools, until we reach his first duty station. At THAT time, he will be at the bottom of the totem pole, literally and will be running ragged constantly. As they usually put new Leutenants in groups that are fixing to deploy, they will be extra busy, followed by a deployment.

I am not feeling sorry for myself. Just being real and getting a grip on the outlook for the year. THUS... I have been throwing ideas around for spring break for a while. We want to make a memory with the kids (Braden is't gonna be a kid much longer) while we are all together and have the chance.

We looked at a lot of things. Disney World FL? Uh...we're students. Soooo not gonna fly six of us to the other side of the country and then stay for a week. Lake Havasu NV? Spend some time on the lake? Erghhh. Lots of half naked co-eds and drunk jet skiiers. Nope. Seattle? Rainy, and buuurrr, we wanted some sun shine! Disney LAND? Chris couldn't bring himself to settle, but I started digging and we came up with a fun (I hope) spring break.

We have the plans made, and now it is just a matter of telling the kids. We are going to tell them at the end of the month...

I think I am going to make it a loooonnng....drawwwwwwn...ouuuuut...hinnnnting process. The suspense may kill them! Or me. ;)

A twist in the plot...

I gave into the idea a long time ago that my plans will NOT go as I expect, regardless of the amount of effort or planning I put into those plans.

Now is not exeption. Up until this week, the "PLAN" was for Chris to get his Masters here at B.S.U, and commission in the US Army probably the same day and then off we were going to the great unknown to his first duty station after his training during the summer. Well.... here comes the twist to the plot.

Part one of the plan is working. So far. Chris has been chosen for active duty. Check. He has also sent in his application for approval for him to apply for graduation in May (yeah, don't ask, but that is what I mean). Check.

From there the plans have taken a turn. Not really a bad one, just one that has left me scratching my head a little and trying to rethink things.

Friday morning my husband got to take a phone call to find out what branch of the Army he is being assigned to. It was extra great because he is in Washington D.C. , preparing to run the Army 10 miler in the morning, and when the phone call came in from the colonel he was standing in Gettysburg and was taking a tour with close friends from his National Guard Unit he just left.

The verdict? He is going Armor. And here is where the curve ball comes in and changes things up~ you see every commissioned officer has to attend a school called BOLC (basic officer leadership course?). The BOLC for Armor is held twice a year.

March... which is out of the question because he will still be a student, and thus not commissioned, nor free to just leave for four months for training.

and there's November... NOVEMBER 2011!!!

Oh my goodness Oh my goodness, I am going to be living in this house, in this town for another year! That is NOT bad news my friends, just something that made me sit down and ponder the ramifications.

Braden will have his Jr. year, Savannah her Fresh., Colton sixth grade, and Olivia will go through KINDERGARDEN here! WILD!

I have a shelf I wanted put up in the dining room that I decided not to bother with because after all we will be moving soon right? WRONG! Crazy.

I think the change of thought won't kill me :) .... but I still wish I knew where our first duty station will be, it is going to drive me crazy and I certainly hope I don't have to wait til 2013 to find out!

Jr. Cat Herder...er I mean Jr. Cheer Coach

Coach Sarah has my undying gratitude.

She is willing to do what I might shoot myself in the foot if I had to do, if I knew what to do.

No, I understand that didn't make sense.

Savannah has been helping Sarah, since she is the worlds most competitive spectator of BSU football and possibly the only spectator induced injury I have ever heard of.

Love you Savannah, thanks for trying to help Coach Sarah remind really little girls that the game is THAT WAY....

She likes it.

Really, she does.

She thinks they're cute.

Cuz they are!

So is she.

mwa!