Take a look at Ian...

I just wanted to let everyone know they could see a picture of Ian at work on his ship's website. Here is the website:

http://www.cvn72.navy.mil

Then click on Photo Gallery on the left side. He is picture 8 right now. It looks like he is talking into something, and wearing a camouflage vest. Picture 7 is of a CIWS mount. That is the system he works on. It is an anti missile defense system. So he has to make sure that it is up an working.

It was exciting, this morning, I got an email from a friend telling me to check out the picture of him. So I though I would share with all you.

Hopefully I will post more soon, there is always something going on around here.

Congratulations FC1 Ian Warner!

So, we found out this week that Ian has advanced to a First Class Petty Officer. It was very exciting, and we are so proud of him. It took a lot of work, but thanks to a good friend on his ship that he is currently on, they found a mistake in his service record, that showed he had earned it last year. But of course the military cant make things simple, so after months of waiting. We finally were told that it is official and he advanced. I am so excited for Ian, he has been trying to not get his hopes up too much, but it has been really hard to know that he had earned it, but there is always the unknown. I love you Ian, and appreciate all the hard work you do for our family!

Cupboard Boy!

Tilden has officially found the cupboard. He even pulled out a pan so he could fit inside. He though he was pretty hot stuff. It didn't help that his big sister Lydia was cheering him on the whole way. Either way, I love this picture, you really get to see a lot of his personality in it. He is such a happy little guy. I guess he has to be, it is too crazy around our house to have a cranky baby. He is just pretty content to go with the flow.

My little trouble maker...

After Lydia's nap we were making grilled cheese sandwiches. And suddenly she disappeared. Then it sounded like a circus upstairs, where Tilden had been taking his nap. Lids had climbed in his crib and was showing him how to jump. They were having so much fun. I guess tonight I will be lowering his crib. Isn't Tilden lucky to have a big sister to show him how to get into all kinds of trouble?

This is for you, Ian... We miss you!

A summary of life...

So a lot of things have happened since I was last able to post. March was almost one big blur, and I am glad that it is gone and April is here.

It started off busy. trying to get Ian ready for his long deployment with the military. Plus it was the end of Garrett's basketball season. And of course Girl Scout Cookie season. To say the least we had a busy time. We were managing fine, like we always do in life. Then of course, that's not how God works.

Two days before Ian's ship was scheduled to deploy, while Ian was getting Aspen ready for school. She started complaining about a pain, and was having a hard time walking. Within a couple hours, it was getting really bad with new symptoms. So I rushed her to the Hospital ER and after much examination and pain on Aspen's part, it was clear something was wrong. They called a surgeon in, and sent her to the operating room. They found a large growth on her Urethral that had hemorrhaged and was bleeding uncontrollably. It was removed and that night she was feeling much better. Though we were told, we needed to wait for the pathology test to come back before we could stop worrying. I am happy to say now, that everything is fine, and she is doing great.

Ian left as planned on March 14th. He should be gone for about 7 months. So that makes it mid October when we get to have him back again. One month has already passed thankfully, it is definetly harder than I remember it being. I miss him dearly. I hate praying that the days will pass quickly, because I don't want to wish life away. But I do want it to not feel like SO long. If anyone would like to email him, or mail him. I am sure he would love to hear from you. Just let me know and I can get you his contact information.

Anyways, about a week after Ian left, I realized that I needed a break. My kids had a week of half days at school coming up and then the following week was spring break. So we quickly loaded up our Expedition and headed east to Soda Springs, Idaho. (ie...Grandpa and Grandma's house!) We had a great time visiting though I am still unsure if it was Spring Break or Winter Break, there was so much snow there. The Easter Bunny came, so I guess it was Spring!

Garrett and Aspen both worked on a lot of scout projects and got a number of patches or things signed off. That is what we focused on a lot of the time to entertain ourselves. Lydia and Tilden were sick most of the time. Along with myself for the first week. Lydia got so bad that the Dr. had her getting breathing treatments every few hours through a nebulizer. That was an experience, trying to get a two year old to keep a mask on her face for that long. But she got more used to it, and started even holding it herself.

We ended up staying for just over two and a half weeks. It was really nice to be able to see our family and relax a little bit too.

We have been home now for almost a week now and today I would say we are finally getting settled in. The suitcases are almost all unpacked. As for the house I am not sure what normal is, but I guess this is it. Lets just say there will always be something to keep me busy.

Garrett today had a special experience. He was able, with 30 other kids from his school go to Key Arena and hear the Dalia Lama speak on planting the "Seeds of Compassion." Seattle has been planning this for a long time. They also saw musical performances, dances, and storytellers. All focusing on one goal, "The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes." I have had the opportunity to talk to him a lot about this, and I hope that it is something he can always remember and take with him in life.

Today, I also got a call from Jennifer, the owner of Lasting Memories, a local scrapbook store. The teacher for one of their monthly classes has decided to stop teaching, and she wanted to know if I would take that over. I am really excited, it should be fun. And with only being once a month, not too much that I cant handle it right now. It is a Scrapbook Club, so mostly it will be leading a discussion, and teaching a few techniques. I have been a member of the book club for over a year now, like the challenge of trying something new. I am also still a member of Lasing Memories design team. It is a lot of fun. I love sharing my talent of scrapbooking.

I think that is about it for now.
Kim

Okay, I need to get better at this...

So I had higher goals then I could probably accomplish. What else is new? But I can still try right! Everyday, I think I should at least post something new for everyone to read. But then the day gets too busy and I forget. Then the other day I was able to talk to Ian, (he has been gone for about 3 weeks) and he said that he looks at the site a few times a day just to look at the pictures. So then the guilt set in... and now I am recommitting to posting more.

We all have been keeping busy around here. Here is a little about what each of us have been up to...

Like I said Ian has been gone for about 3 weeks, but will be coming home on Monday. YEAH! Unfortunately he will not be home long enough, his ship will be deploying for the Persian Gulf mid March for Seven months. When Ian is around, besides working, and spending time with us, he has been enjoying fishing. Though I think he is crazy in this cold of weather.

Garrett is playing basketball for the first time this year. He loves it. Today he had a game and made his first basket during a game. He was so excited after it went through the net, he literally screamed in excitement! It was very thrilling.

Garrett is in the 2nd grade this year and doing really good. He was given an award last week in school for making the world a better place. Which he really does! He is a great helper and sensitive kid. If only he could just listen a little better. Maybe with time.









Aspen is a Girl Scout. And you know what that means...COOKIES! I don't think that needs much other explanation, but it is that time of year. So we have been keeping busy with pre sales. Today she was able to attend a cookie rally to make signs and get more excited about the coming weeks. It was a 'red carpet' event so she got to dress like a star for the day. My friend, Janelle came over and did her hair and make up. She felt very special.

Aspen is in the 1st grade this year, and getting really good at reading. She has always been quite a bit behind her peers, but over the past couple months, she has really doing very well in school.






Lydia is a sweet, mischievous trouble maker. She has always been a very good kid, and she still is for the most part, but with turning 2 this last month, she is starting to push the limits and test what she can and cannot get away with.

Lydia has never really been much of a talker. She has very few words in her vocabulary, so I guess that is why it is so cute to see her say cheese whenever she sees a camera close by. You can tell in all the pictures of her this last few weeks.










Tilden has been sick this week. He finally got what the rest of us have been dealing with. But, he is still just as sweet as ever. He is 7 1/2 months now, and gets around great. He is just starting to pull himself up on things, and for the first time (and only time) I caught him standing up to his toy basket. He had gotten there all by himself. Of course by the time I got the camera, he had fallen, But that's okay, I propped him back up, and snapped a few cute pictures.











I feel like I spend most of my days just running is circles, doing everything and nothing all at the same time. Most of the time things run pretty smoothly, but having Ian gone so much, it can be draining taking care of all the things a family our size demands. I have gotten to be really good friends with one of my neighbors, Janelle her husband and Ian actually work together. When our husbands are gone it has been nice to have another adult around to talk to and cook dinners together. She has a son about a month older than Tilden, so it is fun watching them grow up together. I try to scrapbook a little every week, but it is hard to get in that creative zone when there are so many other things to worry about. But I will never stop trying. What's wrong with a frozen pizza for dinner once a week? Okay maybe twice a week sometimes? Soon I will start posting projects that I have completed, and some things that I am working on. I always have a few in the works.

Okay so maybe this post makes up for the last week, but hopefully I can do better this coming week!