Strawberry Picking

Mackenzie picking strawberries but I think she ate more then she put in the basket. She loved that she could eat and pick at the same time.

Bethannie enjoying a strawberry. She was very picky about what strawberries she would pick so she took quite the time picking a basket full. It was a good morning though.

James was a busy bee. I think he picked the most. he went straight to work and kept on picking. He enjoyed some as well while picking and needless to say we had had our strawberry fill when we left.

Bethannie and Mackenzie with their baskets full of strawberries.

James and Bethannie picking away. We wound up with 6 or 7 lbs of strawberries. they were so good and in our freezer so we can continue to eat them. They did not last long once we picked them. But no big deal to us. We love strawberries in all sorts of stuff.

James and his Little League team

James played baseball this spring and really enjoyed it. We lucked into it when we got here because practice started 2 days after we got here. Talk about perfect timing. James got better as the season went on. it was a struggle for me to watch because the things he was really good at last year he could not do this year, but he learned a lot more skills this year. he had a great time so that is all that matters.

James was a playing a kid pitch team and so that was one of the things he really had to learn and practice. The team had a great coach and he was very good at letting the kids all play different areas and let every kid pitch even if they were not very good.

The team ended up winning the tournament and they were the champions. James cried when they won the game and he got his trophy. It was very comical and he was not the only one. The boys all had a great year and I am so glad James got to have the chance to win that trophy. it is a prized possession now!!!

Camping trip over Memorial day

We took the kids camping over memorial day and had a blast. It was still so cool then which was so weird to us. I do not think it ever hit 70 degrees that weekend. The kids and James took all their fishing stuff. So they spent the whole weekend do lots of fishing and bike riding. It was a lot of fun and we hope to do a lot more camping up here.

James fishing. I think he caught 3 fish

Little James was all about fishing. that was all he wanted to do. he caught a lot though.

Mackenzie did not last long fishing but it was so cute watching her try her hardest to fish like everyone else. I think she caught 2 fish still and she was so proud of herself.

Bethannie. Well this picture should explain it all. She never went fishing long enough to catch anything. we laughed that she always had her helmet on and she would so rather be bike riding then fishing.

It was a great weekend.

Mackenzies day at the lake

When James got here and before he went back to work it was fun to just go do fun things with Mackenzie. She had been so used to going to school in VA and then we get here and there was nothing for her to do. So we headed out to the beach a lot and here are some cute pics of Mackenzie enjoying herself there. I love seeing her be herself and how crazy she is. She makes us all laugh and she really is a gem.

We moved....

So we moved back in April and we love it here. I love that the summer still gets hot. I was worried about that. I do not know what to expect for this winter since lets be honest we have only lived by beaches for the last 12 years. the kids are so excited about having snow. We have already bought 2 kids ice skates because there are lots of lakes around here that freeze over thick enough to go ice skating on. Bethannie is still waiting on a pair. There is a ski resort 20 min away and James is excited about that. Hopefully our kids can learn to ski fast and love it. James and I do so they better. The kids have all been in sports and activities here and they are all doing well. I can not believe that we have been in the navy for 12 years and that we have lived in all the different places we have, But it is fun looking back at everywhere we have been and all the awesome people we have met and still consider friends.

Happy Birthday James

Happy Birthday to you! James blowing out the candle on his cake.

The Lego man cake finished and ready for a little boy to eat.

James loves puzzles and so Mackenzie gave him 3 different Toy Story ones.


My kids loved this movie and so when I saw it was going to be released right before his birthday it was a perfect present.

So November 6, my dear sweet boy turned 7. Where in the world did the time go. So his one request for a cake was a Lego man. I kept thinking how in the world am I going to pull that one off. When I told big James about my idea he laughed. So while his cake was not perfect I had a ton of fun making it and proving the cake James LOVED. I am glad we were able to have Chrissy and Jacob come join us as well as our family friends. Thanks Stephanie. Any how I am so blessed to have a sweet caring boy who loves his mom and family. He is a true blessing to our lives. We love you James.

Here is what we have been up to.

I went back to school this semester and so it has been very challenging. Trying to figure out how to get the time I need to study and then helping kids with their homework. I also still have to find time to cook, clean, and all other house hold duties. I love being a mom and a wife but sometimes I feel very unappreciated. But not the purpose of this post. I have been very slacking in the blogging department and so maybe I will be a little better about it. But don't hold your breath.

The kids all picked their Halloween costumes and so I had to bust out the ideas in a week. I think they all turned out cute and one day hopefully I will take a picture of James and I in ours. We went as Mr. and Mrs. potato head. It was a lot of fun and I think they turned out pretty cute. But the kids went as a ballerina, Spaghetti and Meatballs, and a bubble bath. What a bunch of cutie pies. I really do love my kids and life and look forward to the end of classes in 2 weeks. At least till they start again. Ugh.