A great book

I got a great gift for Christmas. This book is incredible. I am a huge Glenn Beck fan, listen to his daily radio show and once his show on Fox News starts later in Jan. that too. This is his latest book and it is amazing. I've only just started this book and already it is great. It is the story of how a simple Christmas sweater changed his life. When I ended up purchasing it I also bought a copy for my MIL for Christmas and at the time of my purchase a copy was also sent to a soldier serving over in Iraq or Afghanistan. I would highly recommend this book to any one!

Play Time

My parents had bought this big fleece blankets for the kids.  Yesterday Kaden asked me to help him to lay them on the floor so he could play on them.  The kids had a blast.  They chased each other all over the floor.

Annabelle is getting so close to walking and she loves to chase after Kaden.  She was having so much fun chasing him all over the blankets and both of them were laughing hard.

Christmas Day

I'm finally having some time and ability to post about our Chirstmas Day.  We didn't travel this year and that made things so nice.  We just had a simple morning and enjoyed the day.

This is what our tree looked like before the attacking of the presents began.  Most of what is under that tree was for Kaden, my parents had a little too much fun shopping for him.  We got the kids matching pjs for them to wear for Christmas eve and Christmas morning.  They say "What Santa wont bring me Grandma will" (this is because my parents are in the spoil the kids mode)The kids had a blast at opening their gifts, especially Kaden.  Our living room looked like a war zone after we were finished.  Most of what is on the floor was Kaden's.  Some of the toys were Annabelle's.  We bought her a cube that plays music on all sides.  She loves it.  Kaden got more cars than he knows what to do with.  My MIL made aprons for all of the girls in the family.  Annabelle looks way better in hers than I do in mine.  So my total of aprons is now 3.  Jay and I stayed simple for each other, but Jay did manage to give me an amazing gift.  He got me a new watch.  After years of not wearing one since I have an allergy to metal on my skin he found me a nice one with a leather band and I love it.  I got Jay some computer equipment for his laptop for when he goes out on deployments.  Kaden destroyed his thumb drive earlier this summer and so I got him an new one as well as a new wireless mouse and another memory card for his camera for when he is out on deployments.  This Christmas was a much better Christmas for us than last year and for Kaden it was ten times more fun.

Kaden spent most of the day running around the house saying "Santa came down the chimney and brought Christmas Presents." And for Kaden that is a major step in vocabulary.  He still doesn't say a lot, but when he does talk now, it is becoming clearer and more words are attached to what he is saying.  I just hope it will keep up.

Problems fixed

We got out computer fixed!  We had to contact Norton Antivirus and have their techs fix the issue and remove the spyware from our computer.  It took almost an hour and a half.  But it was well worth it.  Our computer had been severly infected by the SpyGuard 2008 virus.  There was no way we could have solved the problem on our own.  But our computer is fixed and working better than ever before, so Christmas post will come tomorrow when I am able to sit down and spend all the time it will take to put the photos on the computer and then post them.  I'm just happy that my computer is now fixed.  I really hope no one else has to ever go through something like this, it was one major headache.

End of the Year

Well I was going to post about our Christmas last night, however we somehow got a nasty trogan virus called SpyGuard 2008 on our computer and now I have to wait until Jay is home today to get it fixed.  Sadly we don't even know how we got it, but it means that I can't put photos on the computer or the blog.  Jay was on duty at the ship when the lovely little beast downloaded itself repediately to our computer.  I'm just really greatful to have the laptop to at least do my basic computer needs.  Hopefully we wont have to do a mass reformat of the computer which would put our system down for a few days.  Sadly we wont know until Jay gets into the system and sees what he can do about it.  Thankfully this happened while he was home and not on a deployment.  That would have been awful.  So our Christmas post is on the way once my computer is up and running again.  At least this gives me some time to work on my new project for this next year, a family cookbook for Jay's side!  Yea deployment project already in the works and his deployment is still many months away!

Books to read

I am in need of some help. I love to read, a lot. However I have read everything I own more than once and I really don't want to read the books Jay has, he loves Dragon Lance books, I am in need of some new books to read. I will read almost anything since I've had to be in that habit from my good old college days of having 2-3 literature classes at the same time. Yes, I love to read that much, plus it was part of my major and will be once I am back in school again. But that wont happen until the kids are a little older or Jay goes on shore duty and is done with his schooling first. SO I need some new reading materials. Please any advice or suggestions are more than welcome.

The best news

After jumping through a ton of hoops and taking a lot of tests Kaden was finally approved for ABA (Applied Behavior Annalisis)!  We got the call, or actually lack there of due to our phone not working, and missed it.  So yesterday I called the regional center back and lo and behold Kaden was accepted for the ABA therapy and we just have to finish the intake process and get his in home appointment schedule set up.  After I got off the phone I jumped up and down in excitement.  I couldn't belive that after all that we've had to do we finally got word.  So hopefully sometime in Janurary we'll be starting his in home therapy and getting some much needed improvement wtih his Autsism.  This is some of the best news we could have recieved at this time in our lives!

Christmas Party

A few weeks ago we went to the Nimitz Children's Christmas Party.  It was so much fun, especially for Kaden.  The FRG (Family Readiness Group) for the ship put it on for the kids and they did such a fantastic job.  They had lunch for us and so much to do.  They had two bounce Houses for the kids and once Kaden discovered them, well we had a very hard time getting him to come out.  The whole afternoon was so much fun.

Annabelle was enjoying the beads more than food.  She didn't really eat much but neither did Kaden.

Here are some of the many shots of Kaden in the Spiderman bounce house.  We got Kaden's face painted with a Snowman and he got a baloon doggie.  He did so well with getting his face painted, especially for him.

They even had a train ride for the kids.  Both kids loved it.

And of course what would a Christmas party be without Santa.  Annabelle was not so fond of Santa but Kaden handle things just fine.Kaden got this very noisy fire truck from Santa and he loves it.  When Jay signed up for us to attend the party they asked for the ages and names of the kids and each kid who sat on Santa's lap got a gift.  Annabelle got playdough.  We wont be opening that up any time in the near future. 

These two adorable girls are the daughters of one of Jay's good friends on the ship.  Lilly and Ivy are the same ages as our kids and so they got along great.  Jay sat on the train with the girls and got some very cute shots of them.  And I ended up making friend with them too which is great since there aren't that many LDS, I should say active LDS, families on the ship.  We now can do play groups with them, after the craziness of the holidays are over with, and are planning on getting together a lot. 

Over all the party was a blast.  And I personally can't wait for the Nimitz winter ball coming up in the next few months.  This time we're making sure to get photos.

Its beginning to feel like Christmas!

It is finally starting to feel like Christmas for me.  The reason, Jay is once again on a mini deployment 2 weeks before Christmas.  Luckily this one is short.  Only 4 days.  He left this morning and we wont see him until sometime wednesday when I go pick him up.  We miss him, but luckily he will be here for Christmas! 

This is a little bit of the decorating I got to do this year.  We bought our very first Christmas tree this year (fake).  My Grandma Cook gave us one when we got married, but it was starting to fall apart so we saved up and got a new one.  We love it!  I got to decorate my house a few weeks earlier this year and it was great!  I don't have too much in the way of decorations, mainly nativitiy sets, but Jay has promised that each year we'll add to our small collection .  We have some presents under the tree, all from my parents and it already looks very full under there.  The rest of the gifts still need to be wrapped then I'll take a photo of how it looks. 

Congrats to Jared!

Apparently Jay's little brother finally decided to finally get serious about a girl.  We met her a few weeks ago and both of us could tell they were going to be engaged a lot sooner than anyone expected.  Well, apparently last night (we found out through his sister Jessica's blog) he got engaged to her.  So come next year they will be getting married.  So Congrats to Jared and Raelene!  And Raelene welcome to the family!

Small Part of me, 3

It has been a very interesting week for us.  Jay and I sure got a eye opening experience based on my true feelings about things that have been going on.  For those who have been wondering why I expressed my feelings in such an open way, well this was called the last resort.  I felt this was the only way to get my view across and be heard.  Well I was, to a point.  Jay and I have learned all that we could from the comments about how I have been feeling the past few years about how particular family members have treated me and the kids.  As a result of what we have learned we felt that the time had come to remove those two posts.  While Jay is upset by some of what we have learned about some of those individuals  who commented we also discovered who truly understood what was being expressed.  Now, for those who think that their demands for removal have anything to do with it happening, they don't.  Ask Jay, I never listen to anyone.  I make my choices and I do them in my own way.

Recipe for a Navy Spouse

I got this from a Nimitz cookbook that we got at the Family Party today, pictures to come later. So fitting for a Navy wife. Go NAVY!

1 1/4 cup Patience
1 tsp Courage
1 lb. Adaptability
3/4 cup Tolerance
Dash of Adventrue
Splash of Humor

With the above ingredients, add 2 Tbsp. of elbow grease. Leave alone for one year. Marinate with salty tears. Pour off excess fat. Sprinkle every so often with money. "Knead" dough until payday. Season with International Spices. Bake for twenty years or until done. Serve with Pride.

Daddy's wallet

This morning Annabelle decided that she was ready to spend money.  She went straight for Jay's wallet while he was snoozing behind her.  She thought it was great.  Oh, and her finger is completely healed, other than a small scar from the stiches.  She pulled her bandages off on Monday while waiting for me to get her out of bed.

San Diego Zoo

Over the weekend Jay's parents came in town with his brother and his fiance.  As part of their visit we went to the Zoo.  It was the first time Jay and I had taken the kids there and we loved our time there.  We let Kaden go with his grandparents and uncle and girlfriend while Annabelle stayed with us.  We wandered around the zoo for the afternoon and really loved our time there.  The zoo is huge!  We didn't see all of it in our first visit, but with it being so close to our place we got season passes and will be going back much more often.

Here is our group.  (left to right) Raleene (Jared's fiance), Jared, Craig, Kaden, Me, Jay and little Annabelle.

One of the must see's about the San Diego Zoo is the panda's.  This zoo is one of the few in the nation that has a contract with China to help the Panda population.  It was so cute to see the baby panda and the parents too.  The interesting thing was that they keep the baby and parents seperated.  Apparently panda's are very solitary creatures.  This was one of my favorite shots of the panda's that we got.  He was asleep up in the tree.

Here is Kaden with his only uncle and soon to be aunt.  And one of my favorite creatures, the Koala.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I thought I would share a few of the things that I am greatful for at this time:

1. Jay. He has a tough job, being in the Navy, and works hard to provide for us and make sure that we are safe and cared for. He does so much to help me out and is there for me most of the time, deployments are the only time he's not, to help out with the kids.

2. The kids. They keep me on my toes, especially when they are both too quiet. They keep me laughing and my days so very interesting.

3. Extended family. Even the ones that drive me more than just a little crazy. Grandpa included since he has always been there to talk to and brighten my day.

4. Jay having a good job that isn't affected by the crapy economy. Though that could change with Obama in office.

5. The good friends I've made while away from all of our family. They truly make the deployments more bearable.

Twilight

Jay and I went on a date last night to see the new movie Twilight.  It was so much fun.  Both Jay and I have read the first book, I've read them all he hasn't, and so we both were able to love the movie and our time away from the kids.  I can't wait to own this one!  Both of us loved this movie.  It was great and I hightly recommend it to others.

Annabelle's trip to the ER

We had a insane day today.  Kaden and Annabelle had been playing in the kitchen when suddenly she started screaming like no tomorrow.  I ran in and saw a mess of pineapple and blood.  Kaden had given her a open can of pineapple with the lid still attached.  She sliced her finger on her right hand.  So a trip to the ER became the afternoon for us today.  She had to get 2 stiches in her right middle finger and is on 3 different antibiotics.  She is doing okay, but no fun for the rest of us.  Especially since Jay couldn't get to us immedately since the ship was detached from the pier for testing.  Luckily the Navy has a good ER and they got us in quickly.

She looks like she is wearing a boxing glove.

The Newest Recrut

The Nimitz has a new sailor joining the crew:  Annabelle!  Jay left his cap at home to be washed and she got a hold of it and just loved playing with it and wearing it. 

Turkey Tacos

The other day Jay and I cooked a Turkey breast in the crock pot for dinner.  Since we had leftovers we made these great tacos using the leftover meat.

Shreded turkey
1 can of corn
1/2 onion finely chopped

Heat on stove until onion is soft and corn is cooked through.  Add shreded cheese and lettus in soft flour tortilla shells and top with salsa.  This turned out great and even Kaden, our very picky eater at the moment, loved them.

Holiday Chex Mix

This is my major baking time and one of the traditional food that I make is a sweet Chex mix. Since it is so good I thought I would share it with everyone.

Holiday Chex Mix
1 large box of Crispix (or two small boxes of different Chex cereals)
1 cup coconut
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup pecans (I usually leave this out but it is good with it too)

Mix all in a large bowl. Place flat on cookie sheets.

Combine:
1/2 cup Karo Syrup
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla

Boil for 2 min. and pour over cereal mixture. Let cool. I usually make it the day before I want to start eating it so that it has about a day to cool and become sticky. After it is ready I place in a large bowl and cover with a lid so that it stays good. My kids love this already and Jay requests it every year.

The Big Girl

We had Annabelle's 12 month check up yesterday, even though it has been almost a month since she turned one, and she didn't have to get shots.  She is in the 75% for height and weight which is way better than Kaden ever has been.  She is growing really well and other than still not feeling the best she is just fine.  The dr didn't give the immunizations since she is still having a fever, as she has since last friday.  So we'll have to go back next week for that part of the standard 12 month check up.  Though we did find out that her only reason for feeling crummy right now is teething.  She has more than 2 coming in at the same time and it is making her miserable, and me stressed.  Jay is unable to help out much since he is working and in school. 

Oh yeah, Jay has gone back to school and is 30 credits away from his bachelors.  We are so excited that he is that close to getting it.  It is due to having 49 good credits from college before the Navy and all of the schooling that he has done from boot camp through now.  And the college he is attending accepts the Navy school stuff (basically all of his schooling for his job) as college credit.  So based on all of the knowledge we have on how things will work out for him he should have his degree by this time next year!

Giving Talks

Jay and I have had a great running streek to not having to give talks in church.  Well that all went away this last week.  After 5 years of not having to give talks we had to yesterday during Sacrament Meeting.  It was quite the adventure to give talks and take care of the kids at the same time.  The nice thing is Jay ended up gaining some contacts with his job afterwards that will help him with his goals in the Navy.  That is always a great thing in my book.

Our little sick one

The last few days have been hard on us.  Little Annabelle has been really sick.  We got back from Sea World and that night she decided to wake up and right as we were about to give her the rest of her bottle, everything from that day came right back up and all over her and me.  We got her cleaned up and she did it again.  Since then she has been miserable.  She has had a fever for the last 3 days and just mainly slept through everything.  I hope she gets feeling better soon. 

Cousin Mike's visit

My cousin Mike was out this last week for a visit.  It was a great time for us to see him.  He has been a big brother to me since we were kids.  For part of his visit we all went to Sea World for the day, Jay included.  We got to do some things that we have never done before since we have small kids.  We even got to see some marine animals that we've missed in the past.

This is a Commerson's Dolphin.  They are incredibly fast.  Kaden was completely fasinated by them, especially when they swam backwards. 

We also went and saw the artic animals this time too.  We could only get some photos of the Beluga whale, since the polar bear was hiding.  And here is a shot of Mike with Annabelle and I as we were waiting for the Shamu show "Believe" to start.  Kaden loves this show so much that for days after we've been he runs around the house shouting "Shamu, Shamu!"

Fun with politics

My father - in - law sent this to us and I thought it was funny and very possibly could happen.

Jay's bling

Last week Jay had a Dress Blues Inspection at work and had to go get all of his new ribbons to add to the two he already had.  After two deployments he now has 6 ribbons.  One is a Battle E ribbon which is the highest honor his ship (or any ship) can get during a deployment.  That one is the first one on the top, blue with white and the star in the middle.  I love his new bling, as I call it.