The Big Apple~Day 1

The day after Thanksgiving we rented a 10 passenger van and headed into the city with our 6 kids in tow. Paul was the perfect taxi driver, he knows how to drive in NYC, he got us right to times square in no time!




Paul, Kerri, Rachel, Spencer, Caitlin & Courtney!

After a few quick pics we went to get a bite to eat at Cosi's...

You can make your own s'mores table side. the kids loved it! (sorry about the out of focus pictures, it's the best I've got!)

After lunch we went on our trek of the city...first stop...Rockefeller Center!

It was so crowded you could hardly walk. We attempted to go into the Lego store for the kids, but had to get out of there before we were trampled!

The boys were so disappointed that Paul volunteered to take them back in to pick something out...what a nice guy! So the rest of us walked over to St. Patrick's Cathedral.

We then just wandered down 5th Ave. looking for FAO Schwarz. The kids loved the biggest toy store! I didn't take any pictures in there...too crazy, it was Black Friday after all!

Kerri and I across from Central park. I'm so glad we have been able to keep in contact for so many years!

Another attempt for a "good" family pic at one of the entrances to Central park. We didn't get to go into the park. By this point the kids were done walking around!

One of my favorite shots with my main squeeze! What a fun day!!!

Thanksgiving 2010

This year for Thanksgiving we got to head up to Pennsylvania to my good friend Kerri's house. We have been close friends since junior high, and without giving my age away...that would be ummm...about 27 years! The last time we got to spend Thanksgiving with them was back when we lived in North Carolina and I was pregnant with Taylor. So, it's been 9 years! (we have seen each other since then)

We were looking forward to getting our kids together, she has a 12 year daughter, an 8 year old son, and twin girls Maddie's age, so it was so fun to get the kids together again.

Don't these 3 look like they could all be sister's?

Kerri is an amazing cook, and had everything ready to go...including her homemade rolls!

Check out Maddie...I think she had at least 3!

Here are the kids at their table...of course the boys would not look at the camera, go figure.

The adults table.

We got a little surprise snow storm that came through and left us some fun stuff to play in for awhile. Dale and Taylor had fun throwing snowballs.

Maddie loved eating it!

We had such a fun day being thankful for being back together as a family and spending it with such great friends!

An afternoon in Colonial Williamsburg.

One of the many benefits of where we live now, is there is SO much to do in a very close proximity to us. We are going to take advantage of as much of it as we can while we live here!

The first weekend after Dale got home we headed over to Colonial Williamsburg, which is only about 30 minutes away. We went ahead and got an annual pass, so we can go back as often as we want.

The weather couldn't of been more perfect, another benefit of living here is the weather...the fall season tends to last all the way into December. The colors of the trees are amazing!


The kids and Dale pose with Thomas Jefferson.

Taylor begged to take the pictures...so I let him, only if he would let me take some of him :p

They have a children's area with little activities and games for the kids.

See what I mean about the colors of the trees?

Off with their heads!!!

If there is a tree...Taylor will climb it!

It was fun to see all the people walking around in their period clothing and acting as if it were 1776.

Loved listening to these young men! They had to be in high school, but they were very good!

I will let him take pictures with my camera whenever he wants if I can get smiles like this all the time!

Stay tuned for our next adventure...NYC!!!

Guess what Maddie wants for Christmas???

Home for Good!!!

Dale finally finished his one year remote assignment to Saudi Arabia! We were so excited to finally have him back home, especially since we moved across the country without him and we have been a bit lonely!

We spent the afternoon before he came home, making a sign to hold up at the airport. Maddie and I did most of the work...Taylor just isn't into the coloring thing anymore.


Maddie was cracking me up while we were waiting for him...she laid the sign on the ground and was wiggling her hips in circles and singing...she sure makes us laugh!

Taylor decided he wanted to hide behind the pole so he could jump out and surprise his Dad...except that didn't work. Dale saw Maddie and went running up to her, and Taylor was still hiding, oblivious to the fact that his Dad was already holding his sister, and I was too busy trying to get pictures and video to notice Taylor was still over behind the door...silly kid!

The lighting was horrible in this airport, and I was just happy to see Dale, so I didn't take many pictures...but the ones I did get, show the joy!

WELCOME HOME DADDY!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

Trick or Treating was a great way to end our time here in Oklahoma! We had PERFECT weather and wonderful friends to spend it with.

We are leaving tomorrow for Virginia, there will be a lot of tears as we pull out of town, but we will be leaving with very fond memories and very dear friends!

SOLD...JUST KIDDING!!!

Don't even ask...

SOLD!

I have such mixed emotions about seeing the Sold sign in our yard...

We have lived here for over 4 years, which is longer then anywhere else we have lived since we started this journey in the Air Force.

This is also the first time we bought a house...a house we have loved!

I'm going to cry at closing, I'm sure...

We are just so relieved and grateful though, that the "right family" came along, just at the right time to buy our home. I have no doubt there was divine intervention in this particular family choosing our house...they even asked for me to leave Maddie's big M on the wall, because their daughter's name starts with an M!

We are leaving such dear friends who we are going to miss so much...I really don't want to think about saying goodbye...it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it...so I'm not going to think about it right now.

We close in a couple weeks, so I only have this week until the packers come. I keep looking around my house taking mental pictures, and again tearing up to think we only have a week left in this house.

It will be a crazy rest of the month, so I'm pretty sure the blog will be neglected for the next month or so. I will come back just as soon as I can with pictures of our new home in Virginia. We also have a date for November 14th for Dale to come home from his 1 year deployment...can I get a HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are so happy we are almost done and we can have our Daddy back!

Here is a little eye candy for ya'll...I'm in love with this picture of my kids...I think I need a ginormous one to hang in my new house!!!!

...and to all our "Okie-hommies" we will MISS you all!!!

"I'm a Cowgirl"

Yes we are still here, just been busy, and lazy...

I haven't pulled out the camera much, and I haven't been motivated to blog much.

I will try to be better.

Couldn't resist these pink boots when I saw them...

Then when Maddie saw herself...she yelled "I'm a cowgirl!"

Taylor is hiding as usual...such a stinker!