pics of our trip across.....

last hurrah at the horse farm with friends before we left

silly faces in the snow in WY

the ice on our van that didn't melt for 4 daysGrayson , KY

 first day of school for LM

I know, I know, I know

There are no excuses....laziness...or I wish it could be laziness.  Maybe no sleep running around like a chicken w/ my head cut off, living in a trailer for 5 weeks, going through a noreaster and being stuck in said trailer for 2 days, unpacking a home, Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, family visits, snow , lots of rain and freezing temps and......okay, so all those don't qualify so no, I just was so lazy I didn't do it.  Everytime I sat down to write I just didn't have the energy or heart.  I've lost weight in this stressful process is the good thing about all of this and the two story house up and down about a zillion times a day has something to do with it too.  So I'll sum it up later........or a little now....kids are sleeping.
~Trip across the country:
A wonderful , first of the season snowstorm with record breaking low temps and snowfall followed us clear across the country.  Kids had fun in snow, dogs had fun in snow, mommy didn't have fun cleaning up but had fun watching all have fun in snow....daddy and mommy COLD, so cold in fact that our septic tank in our camper froze for 3 days.  To quote daddy : "Good news, (in freezing Montana) got septic hooked up, bad news , the poop is frozen" . So we trekked on, through WA, ID, MT, WY (for second time I loved MT and WY) (oh and in MT we stopped in a little place called deer lodge, which apparently is a nice quaint little town w/ a huge meth problem.  All over the town the buildings and signs said "don't do meth" it was scary!! And in WY everything was frozen but we had a nice dinner out , played in the snow some and kept our little heater pumping in the camper.  Then on to SD (which let me add is the most boring, windy state ever) Two nights in SD b/c it's so stinkin vast and to boot it was so cloudy , rainy , snowy I missed Mt Rushmore right before it got dark....Daddy and LM saw it but I didn't so I literally drove right past Mt. Rushmore.  Then on to Nebraska where we stopped and spent a day at the Children's museum and snow finally stopped for a little while.  Then we went through ST. Louis, MO, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana all of which I have not much to say about b/c we were plowing through at that point.  Stopped in Kentucky (lexington) and stayed at the Kentucky Horse park campground and it was absolutely beautiful..loved seeing all the horses, etc.  Then thru WV, VA and here we are in VBeach..... Daddy and I did have a three day conversation/ argument that spanned several states on wheteher Lady Gaga or Britney Spears sang the sond papparazzi....I won that one!
Pics to follow of the trip......they are on daddy's pc. 

the trek begins......

Oh, where do I begin?  After a really long three days of packing out , pick up and change of command activities we got on the road.  It was with much anticipation after such a long time coming that we headed out...but not without first saying goodbye to many friends whom have made our Whidbey time bearable, fun and memorable.  To all of you and you know who you are --thanks for the laughs , sharing in tears and picking me up off the ground when I needed it most.  Alright, enough of the sappy stuff...
First day we made it to Spokane where we stayed at Fairchild AFB...it was familiar to us as it was the home of one torturous week for J.at one time years ago...and that night a front decided to move through ..record breaking temps.  COLD--we weren't prepared for winte coats, gloves and hats but luckily the mama bear in me knew I should pack all those things for the kids but didn't for me and daddy.  So we stayed there and found out quickly that our heat works in our lovely little camper--and works well. 
Day two we made it through scenic Idaho and p.s. Lake Couer d'Alene is BEAUTIFUL...but as soon as we passed it we began seeing snow andmore snow and ice and there wer were in a little place called Deer Lodge , MT.  When we called to inquire if the KOA was still open we were greeted warmly by the owner who quickly invited us over the the local fairgrounds for the pig roast...we had chili instead but were appreciative.  It started to snow in MT.....and didn't stop.  (sidenote: as we pulled into what appeared to be a lovely little mountain town we began to see signs all over that were from children begging their parents not to do meth--uh oh, we're not in KS anymore are we??--I gt a little worried )
Day three: Through MT in the snow and ice, swerving, freezing temps in the 10-15 degree range.  We hadn't seen temps in two days over 23 or so....we made it to Sheridan , WY and stayed at our KOA there where we had a great time playing in the snow, watching wild turkeys wanderthrough and deer and rabbits too.  Dogs loved it, kids played finally b/c it was cold but different cold and fun with the inches of snow on the ground.
And that brings us to day four: LM and Miss g doing well..swapping out with mommy and daddy but mostly there is a girl car (Mommy, G and Mattie) anda boy car (daddy, LM, Beau and BT).  We are trying to walk the dogs severa times a day when we stop...we hop out make lunch in our camper , get back in and go.  We went through Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse monuments today in SD after going through the snow all day in WY and SD and suffice to say the WY DOT is much better than the MT DOT about road clearing.  Anyway, we saw crazy horse and drove past Mt. Rushmore which I did not see as I was tryikng to keep my eyes on icy , snowy road and as per usual for us there was clouds covering some of it...icky day here and not much playing outside for the kdis but we are managing. LM was excited today to get to what he calls "Rabbit City" aka Rapid City. Seems we'll never get out of SD and will travel here tomorrow as well....wish us luck in our trek to VA--can't wait to get there , see old friends and find a home.

Just blossoming...

My little G is just turning into quite a talker.  She is just talking up a storm....trying new things and adores her brother to no end.  Her latest words are "poop" which is just hilarious when she follows you into the bathroom (there's no privacy here people) and points every time you go whether it's that time or not. 

Lime popsicle faces

Now we have "peepee" added to our arsenal......but the most important she has learned is "no, no , no" If she doesnt' want to do something she runs from you shaking her head, "no, no , no".  Learning the no, no has helped in the screaming we used to hear so often when brother took something from her but still is not the best word to add to vocabulary.  She can identify all our dogs by name now and can effectively give them a stern "go" from the kitchen when they try to get her food...but she also laughs hysterically at them when she feeds them when we aren't looking.  I think she loves Beau the best..he's her buddy. Here's a few pics and I know, I know, working on video..haven't had much time to upload videos they take a while but I'll try tonight if daddy will stop hogging the computer.  LM is so funny here's our latest exchange during our late night before bedtime talks and cuddles :
Mommy: what are you doing baby boy?  (as he was stroking my hair)
LM: There is a boogie in your hair
M: what??? how'd that get there?
LM: very matter of factly : I put it there....
then he says in a sinister little way: "is it tickling yoouuuuu?" 
Thank goodness daddy witnessed all this or no one would believe that I promise...what a stinker...definitely all boy except when it comes to bugs--not so fond of the bugs but I gotta tell you neither am I.

the green icing LM and I made to go w/ our cupcakes

the toilet G clogged up by putting en entire roll of tp in it

first time w/ yogurt feeding herself

watching the clothes go round and round and round and.....

G with her puppies......LM was in his room having a hissy fit thus not participating in the photo session

Photography class

I along with a friend am taking this online photography course.....I just needed to learn the basics, the nitty gritty, logistics, etc. of this beast of a camera and photography 101.  It's helping.....but as many of you know math is not my strong suit.  Can't stand it, would prefer never to do it again and wnat to forget about it all together.  Why is it needed for all the things I like to do??? .....sewing , embroidery, photography.  Stinking math , cramping my style.  Anyway, I am trying desperately to learn this stuff but my brain isn't keeping the information so each night I am reviewing and figuring things on my camera, understanding the settings, aperture, shutter speed, etc.  Tonight some of it finally kicked in...finally getting it and hope tomorrow is a bright wonderful day where I can try out my new discovery of f/stops and ISO combinations. Not looking to be a pro just want to know more about what I am doing and how to get the best out of what I have.  I already knew some of the stuff just not in the fancy dancy terms it's actually called....I make up names for it which I won't indulge you with for fear of being made fun of forever.  Anyway, it's going okay and glad I can do something like this from home where I can take out my frustration on my notepad or something else instead of losing my cool in front of a class of people.  And pretty sure there is no way I could talk daddy into keeping the kids while I flit off to some big falutin' city for a "photography class" and do a girls weekend sometime in the near future on the East Coast......I'll take the girls weekend, my internet class and my camera to take pics of the girls weekend~  ha

As I tried on a few dresses for a mini fashion show to ask the opinion of my three yr old LM this is what happened.  Mind you they were eating dinner as I disrobed and changed in the hallway after finishing my dinner....why do it then do you ask? Simple ......Miss G was strapped into her chair and eating which usually means she isn't screaming too....also meaning she wasn't in either toilet, dog bowl or one of the kitchen drawers......
                                      

So...as I tried on the dresses I came out in the first one and he says to me: "Awww, You're a cuuute mommy".  How did that sweet little man know I needed that so badly that day?  How did he know that my heart would melt as he said those words and tears would well up in my eyes?  Yes, all of that happened and I was overwhelmed with the notion to scoop him up and hold him and stop time right then and there.  Make him all my little boy for a few years longer.  What he doesn't know is that he still is and always will be my little boy...just like I tell him he can crawl in my lap as long as I am here for as many years as he wants.  He's never to old to kiss his mama and to quote a famous book many of us know by heart :  ."as long as I'm living my baby you'll be.."

My favorite canine faces