Brandon's first 'lost' tooth!!

Well, Brandon just excitedly showed me his tooth saying, "Look Mommy! I got my tooth out!!" He's so proud, and I'm a little sad : (

Here comes Christmas!

I love the Holidays, but they sure are stressful! Luckily I actually started Christmas shopping pretty early this year, so we only need a few little things and we are set : ).
We bought Brandon his own Spidey digital camera with computer software, so that will have to do until we get our own. Until then though, I'm going to take advantage of this cool photo booth feature on our new computer. Wes had just eaten a blueberry pancake, so that's why his mouth is all purple!
So, Brandon has his first loose tooth!! He's so excited about the tooth fairy coming to visit him. And Wes, well he is growing waaaay too fast!! I guess that's what happens when you have an older brother that you just have to be just like ; ). I was telling Tom the other day how funny it was, because Wes and I went shopping and we had a full little conversation. First he did not want to sit in the cart, so he started to try to get out and I said, "no" then he asked, "why not mommy?" When he says things like that in his cute little voice I can't help but chuckle out loud! Then he wanted a candy stick thing as we were checking out, so I got it for him, and as he would take a bite he would say, "uh-oh Mommy...I broke it!" Then we walked outside and he says, "ooooh it's cold!" I smiled and said yeah it's cold, then I gave him a kiss and said I love you. He said "I yuv dee." I said give me kisses, and loving to be ornery he smiles and says "no." I said you're mean, and proudly he says, "I'm a meanie!"
Well, today is officially my first day of Winter Break, and I must say it feels nice! Brandon starts break next Saturday, and we're looking forward to going to see him sing in the Christmas program at his school. Luckily Tom will be here to see it too. He's gone again this weekend, but he thinks that he won't have another trip until mid February.
It's starting to get really cold here, especially at night and early morning, so Pa and Tracy......LAYERS! Nancy, I think you'll be just fine ; ). We're really excited about seeing you all though!! Pedersons, you all need to come take a vacation here in sunny CA this summer; we'll be happy to watch the girls!! There really is a lot to do and a lot to see around here--you might have to drive a little, but it's worth it! A couple weeks ago we took a drive up around Mt. Whitney--so gorgeous!!
Well, I'm going to brew some coffee. Caffeine is a definite necessity when I have to keep up with our two wild little men : )

Getting ready for Daddy's return and Turkey Day!!

So me and the boys are still trying to get used to Tom's new schedule. I pick him up at the airport tomorrow night : ). He was gone for a week, came home for a day and a half, then left for another week and a half! I must say I am not too found of taking the trash and the recyclables out by myself, or plunging the over flowing toilet that Brandon decided to fill with waaaaay too much toilet paper! Although those chores are not the funnest, we're surviving just fine. At least I have the boys and the animals ; ) to keep me company (and busy!) school, both mine and Brandon's also does a good job of that. The only difficult thing with an accelerated online school is that you do not have any days off for most holidays. I'm trying to get a little ahead so that I won't have to worry about it for at least the day before Thanksgiving, while we're in the car, and Thanksgiving itself. Brandon's school, however, is a different story! I had a Parent/Teacher conference with his teacher, Mrs. Mc Cain, and she gave me a whole lot of homework! Brandon still needs to catch up a bit, so that means a lot of sit down time with Mommy. The good thing though, Brandon really enjoys this time, even if it means working hard : ).
So, this town is not getting anymore exciting, but we are trying to make the best of it. Westin and I go to a toddler sing/dance play group on Wed. and a simple arts/crafts group on Thurs. and he has a lot of fun! I also just heard about a story group they do for little ones at the library every Tues., so Wes and I are going to be busy little bees! And Wes is talking up a storm now! He loves to mimic brother so he says things like cool : ). He also says please, thank you, base ball, all the basic words. He also loves to yell.... "Peka!!" It's quite humorous! But my favorite is his version of I love you..."I yuv dee." It makes my heart melt every time!! One great thing about this base is that there are tons and tons of parks here! So, Wes also quickly learned the word park. All of them are within a decent walking distance as well, and Bamma got the boys a really cute wagon with built in seats and a sun shade, so we've had plenty of fun trips to the park in their wagon.
Well, I wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving, and I will do my best to get a camera (and keep it away from Wes) so that the next blog will have some fun pictures!

Finally getting settled in : )

So we've been in our permanent home a week tomorrow, and thank goodness things are starting to feel a bit normal again! Brandon is enrolled in Kindergarten and he is really enjoying being around other children his age again. With him missing the first month and a half of school and having speech issues, we were not sure he was ready for Kindergarten, but with a lot of hard work at school and at home, he has made a HUGE improvement just in this last week and a half! As for Tom and I, we are having a bit of a hard time adjusting to the town of Ridgecrest itself. There is not a whole lot to do here during the week, and you better believe we are out of here on the weekends ; ).

Just this last weekend we went to a wine an chocolate festival in Oakhurst, and it was a lot of fun. There was supposed to be a Halloween costume contest, so we decked Brandon out in his caveman costume. He had a real chicken bone necklace and a paper mache' club! I also made faux fur bracelets and shoe covers; it sounds like a lot of work, but it was a lot of fun!! So, I'm glad that I enjoyed putting it together, because they didn't even end up

having the contest : (

This weekend Tom has a three day weekend thanks to the great flex Fridays he has; we might go see Death Valley, which we heard was definitely worth checking out.

There might not be a whole lot going on in good old Ridgecrest, but there is plenty of beauty and wildlife. The sunsets are gorgeous and I have seen plenty of rabbits and roadrunners.

We also got lucky and scored a house that has a beautiful view of the mountains, with a back gate that goes right out to the walking trail and the golf course (convenient for Pa ;)). Which reminds me, even though we ended up with a three bedroom house, we have decent sized rooms so the boys are sharing one of them and the other is a office/guestroom with a bed ready for visitors!

A lot to catch up on!!

Hey everyone :) So, I know there is a whole lot to catch everyone up on! I was waiting for the camera; don't like to blog with out adding cool pics. and honestly time has gone so quickly; I really am sorry for the procrastination!

Anyway, we obviously made it safely to California, and the trip cross country was not as horrible as we had built it up to be in our minds :). The D.V.D player was definitely a life saver as was the frequent stops! It was really nice to get to spend time with Gigi and Pa and Aunt Wilma and Uncle Cotton, who made us a great lunch! Wes even got his first hair cut at Sport Clips :(. Surprisingly enough he was not miserable the whole time, and she did a really good job on his hair, despite all the camera flashes in her face and nervous me stressing the fact that I still wanted him to look like a baby :).

We were able to stop and spend a night in our new home town. Here are pictures of the view from the town in the evening and right after sunrise.

Ridgecrest is actually a lot prettier than we thought it would be. There is actually green grass and trees in the yards, and the people seemed very nice and welcoming. We are all heading there for good on Sunday the 7th, so we're looking forward to starting our daily routine there! Tom spoke to housing and they told him that we will be able to get into our permanent home on the 11th, so we only need to stay in temporary housing for a few days--thank goodness!

Well, since we've been here we had a nice BBQ at Auntie Lina's house and the boys had a blast riding in the wheel barrel and rough housing with Lina's beasts she calls dogs!!

We also had a good time camping this weekend at Bass Lake. This was both the boys first camping trip and they both loved it! Brandon learned how to start a fire-- ha ha I guess we're just asking for trouble! He worked so hard creating the fire that he and daddy fell asleep by it's warmth :). He also found a golf ball that he just had to give to Pa because, "He will love it so much!" Bad thing for the golf ball though--it accidentally fell in the fire! But don't worry Pa, Brandon was determined to get it out with a stick and although slightly charred, it is safe and sound and waiting for you ;). Brandon also discovered frogs on this trip and like any good boy should be, he was set on catching one, but good thing he had no luck! Little Wes discovered stars; the mountain sky was just covered with bright stars, and enamored by them, Wes kept excitedly pointing to the sky and saying, "Woah!"

After our adventurous camping trip and way too many smores we took the boys to the Children's Discovery Museum and again, they had a blast! Brandon got to make a pizza at the pizza shop just like Auntie Tracy :). Wes was so impressed with the floating globe and the ride in the miniature EMS truck. After two and a half hours of fun there, we dragged them out for some good BBQ (bet you can't guess who decided on that :)).

Today we took the boys to the local pumpkin patch and went through the hay stack maze. Brandon picked out a few pumpkins for all of us to carve together. Wes didn't care about the pumpkins much, he just loved being pulled around in the Radio Flyer!

I hope everyone is doing great and I promise to Blog more often now that I got the camera back! I will also tried to send a photo album in the next couple days. Tomorrow we are going to be in the car all day, driving to L.A. to go pick up Tom's truck-- thank goodness Pop-pop volunteered to babysit :)

Procrastination is not your friend!

Well, today we really started the moving process, and to tell you the truth it just made us plain out grouchy!! I guess we realized how much work we have ahead of us, and how bad we have procrastinated! We are planning on having a massive yard sale next weekend, and we are also working on finishing up the painting, flooring instillation, deep cleaning, etc.
Meanwhile, we have been looking at buying a car, which is a challenge all in it's own! We are looking at purchasing a vehicle that would be good for driving cross country with two little kids, a dog and a cat; I'm not sure they make such vehicles!! We need to purchase as soon as possible though, so we can at least get a D.V.D. player installed before we leave, to spare us a little heart ache.
Brandon's birthday is on Saturday, and he wanted to spend the day at the beach and then see a movie at the theatres with daddy :) He also requested strawberry cupcakes with strawberry frosting; I guess the whole femininity of pink comes at a later age ;). He also has the excitement of opening up a birthday gift from Auntie Tracy!
We are all looking forward to a visit from Gigi and Pa next weekend, and also visiting everyone (Uncle Cotton & Aunt Wilma, Gigi & Pa, Misty & Brian, and all our friends and family in California) on our trip cross country!

We enjoyed another trip to Kentucky, and this time we got to see everyone! It was a lot of fun sharing in the baptism of little Maddy and Sarah, and Sarah's first birthday celebration. Brandon and Maddy were inseperable!! We also took the four cousins to get their pictures taken together, and we scored with a pretty cute one! Oh yeah....Pa even taught Brandon how to make his wonderful rolls!

Tennessee Trip :)

What a wonderful vacation we had in beautiful Gatlingurg Tennessee! The weather was great and the company was even better :). The first night we arrived in Gatlinburg we went out for BBQ on Tom's Birthday, and he opened his present from me and the boys. We even got to meet up with his old high school friend, Eric for lunch earlier. We were sneaky, and had all the waiters come sing him a pretty cool version of Happy Birthday, while presenting him with a wonderful scoop of ice cream, whipped cream and chocolate syrup! The next day Bamma, Pop-pop and Auntie Lina arrived. Despite their jet lag and sleep deprivation we managed to throw a pretty fun dual Birthday party for Brandon (5) and Bamma (50). We grilled out and had some yummy chocolate cake for dessert. We spent a lot of time relaxing and enjoying Tennessee's beauty, but we ate out a little too much; darn those yummy pancake houses!! We even got to visit a Salt and Pepper Museum--interesting! I must say we also got our fill of cloggers and the brewery!
We also had a wonderful time pre-Tennessee, at Gigi's and Pa's house. Tom and I had our birthday celebration, complete with our very own birthday cake, and key lime pie--my favorite!! Gigi and Pa braved the boys for a few hours while Tom and I hit the treadmills at their local gym to burn some of that key lime off! Are you up for it again Dove and Nancy!? Ha ha just kidding; we wouldn't do that to you again :)
Well, we're just about all packed up again for another trip to Kentucky (I'm blogging while I wait for the last of many loads of laundry to dry) to spend some time with all the family :). It's been an eventful couple weeks for us. Oh.......and we had photographs taken on the beach today! My friend, who took the pictures, has a website that she will download the pictures on soon: http://www.littlebit.smugmug.com/ I am so excited to see how they turned out!

Boys will be boys!

Brandon and Wes are definitely taking advantage of the long summer days playing in the dirt! It reminds me of my "mud pie making" days :). Brandon often still insists on wearing his super hero costume through out the 90 degree weather! The neighbors caught a shark on their new boat, and thought Brandon (as superman) conquering the shark would make a cute picture :). Our little Wes is getting smarter and more independent by the day! Just yesterday I asked him to go get his shoes; sure enough he turned around and picked up his shoes. Then I said we are going outside, so he walked to the door and started to turn the door knob. His new favorite word is "hello," and he actually knows to say it when he has a phone to his ear!
Well, we are busy preparing for the Tennessee trip on the 8th; we are having a joint birthday party for Brandon (5) and Bamma (50) in a beautiful mountain cabin!! We are also very excited to see everyone in Kentucky at the end of the month. After all of our fun vacation destinations it's time for us to get down to business! We are leaving Beaufort, to make the trip across country, on August 25th. We get to stop and see Gigi in Pa, and a friend of mine in Texas :). I am so anxious about the thought of Wes being strapped in his car seat for 8-10 hrs. a day, and also very sceptical! We will eventually arrive in California, but our goal is to get there on the 30th of August.
Other than that, we are all doing well; trying to enjoy the beautiful beaches before we reside in the desert! A friend of mine is a photographer, and she is going to actually take pictures of the family on Hunington Island-- I'm so excited to see how they turn out! I am also proud to say that I aced my first online class, and I am heading full speed ahead :). We can't wait to see everyone, and we wish you all a very happy (safe) 4th of July!!

The Marine Corps threw us a curve ball!!

So after going over many plans of Tom leaving for Japan, the Marine Corps threw us a major curve ball. Apparently they could not find a qualified Marine to take the position in China Lake, CA that Tom put in for, so they decided to let him to extend long enough to receive them. He received actual orders yesterday, so it's official (again). I can definitely say that the past couple months have been quite eventful and stressful! The joy on Brandon's face when I explained to him that daddy didn't have to go away for a long time, made it all better!! I can literally see the stress disappearing from Tom's face :) So, the Marine Corps gave Tom the date to check into China Lake of Oct.15th. We will be staying in Denair for most of the month of September, and the beginning of October while Tom gets things with our properties squared away. I sort of figured that I really wouldn't be much help with both of the boys. I apologize to everyone that we brought onto this roller coaster ride with us. We love you all and miss you very much!

Another visit to the doctor

I took Wes in to see the doctor late yesterday evening, and he seems to think he had a rash due to a virus. This particular virus is usually harmless in otherwise healthy children. He went ahead and prescribed a different antibiotic and some benadryl for the rash. Wes seems to be doing a lot better today; he has no fever, he's eating okay, and he has a lot more energy :)

Momma called the doctor, and the doctor said...........

Our poor little Wesy has pneumonia :( . We made a trip to the E.R. on Sunday night after Wes' temp. got to 104, he wasn't eating, and he just looked miserable. When he was checked in his temp was up to 105.1. So they gave him a antibiotic shot to start treating the pneumonia and some ibuprofen for his fever. He now has a bad rash that covers his abdomen and head. So, we will be taking another trip to the hospital this evening. I'm sure every mother feels this way, but I can't stand the fact that my baby is sick and I can't make it all better! Brandon and I visited the dentist the other day, and I am happy to report that we are both cavity free :) . But the dentist told us to start saving now, because Brandon is going to need braces.
So, we finally got an official word from the Marine Corps. They only gave Tom a 2 year enlistment, which means no bonus and no transferring. He is slated to go to Japan mid September for 6 months. We are not thrilled about the news, but we are thankful that we know something. I am also thankful that if he has to leave at least I know he will be safe in Japan! It won't make it any easier to say good bye and spend the time apart though. Tom reenlisted today at 12:30, so he is officially still in the Marine Corps. We are going to dinner tonight to discuss the details of our plan.

Wes is in toddler town!

Thanks for the idea of blogging Melissa; it's a great way to keep everyone updated. We visit "The Pedersons" and "Tracy Friedlien" often. Love the sheep Trace!! Oh and tell Maddy we said congratulations on the Student of The Month award!
So Wes is walking now, and has officially entered Toddler Town! As a result, I am suddenly lacking in energy! He is also pretty fussy as a result of some brutal teething. He's in such a hurry to be big, as he tries to copy big brother : ) Speaking of big brother, Brandon's last day of school is this Thursday. I have been baffled as to how I will keep him from getting bored. He is so used to a structured day with lots of stimulation--any ideas Melissa!?
Still, the biggest concern of ours right now is that the Marine Corps has not informed us as to where we will be and when. I have come to the conclusion that we are not going to be staying in one place long enough for me to actually finish my degree at a ground campus, so I enrolled on an online program through South University. I am working on my Bachelor's in Business Administration, using Wes' nap times and a little time after dinner as my school time. It is challenging, but I enjoy the challenge and I will be done in less than 3 years.