Mermaid in Training

Ashlyn recently completed his first course of swim lessons. She loved going to her swim class! Mom loved it too! Mostly because she would take a nap afterwards and I could use it to bribe/threaten her to my advantage. =D It is always interesting to see your child interact with others. At first, she kept trying to sneak off and do as she pleased but Ms. Martha is not one to stand for any monkey business and soon had Ashlyn in hand. She would do the cutest little shake/wiggle when exiting the pool. Ms. Martha said it reminded her of a wet dog shaking water off which was a perfect description. Since most of the shaking was coming from her behind. This little girl really knows how to shake her booty! I'm still debating whether or not to sign her up for October, since the pool water was really aggravating her eczema.

My Gavin

My Gavin is the sweetest and best boy ever! (Yes, I might be just a tad prejudiced on this matter.) He woke up this morning complaining of a sore throat and running a temperature. Naturally, I was thinking a possible case of step throat. We got him in to the Doctor where it was confirmed that this was the case. The doctor said he could either get an injection or take oral antibiotics for 10 days. Of course all children hate shots and they never want to get one! The advantage to the injection is that they are only contagious for 24 as opposed to 3 days and they feel better much more quickly. The doctor explained to him that this would lessen the chances of Landon, Ashlyn and the rest of us contracting strep throat. I left the decision up to him and he picked the shot while bravely trying to hold back tears. I knew he would. He is so good at thinking about others and usually will put others wants and needs ahead of his own. Then I was a little peeved because they took forever to come in and give him what turned out to be two injections (one in each thigh). After the fact, the nurse said that they were painful shots because they are so thick and big but that she wished all the kids were as good as him about it. Funny side note, Ashlyn felt pretty bad for him but not so bad she was willing to hold his hand. She said, "Poor Gavin has to get a shot." I asked her if she wanted to come hold his hand to which she replied, "no, I don't want to get sick!"

Christmas in September

Introducing the newest addition to the Weaver Family. . . Aladdin!

July 11, 2009
Aladdin & his proud Mommy.

Aladdin with his second new Mommy.

Night-night time!

Chris found a lady who breeds ragdolls in Newton. She was nice enough to bump us up to the top of a her very long waiting list. Whitney was crying tears of joy as we picked up her new baby. There is just one small problem - Ashlyn. =) As I predicted she is obsessed with the kitten and has not willingly left his side since we brought him home. Whitney is hoping she loses interest in him as he gets older.

Fun Family Night

Gavin swaggering with pride.

Daddy's-Not-So-Little-Girl


I'm not sure what this green thing is called but I'd like to thank the inventor of it! It was AWESOME!!! Ashlyn was able to join in the fun. After bowling each frame she had to give Daddy a big hug. Gavin also received hugs after each of his turns bowling. All Whitney got was evil looks and elbows as they fought over who would sit on Daddy's lap.



This is the look Whitney gave me after I called her Ashlyn. It was like a knife straight to her heart. Landon still loves me even when I call him Gavin.

Ashlyn pondering which bowling bowl to use.

Whitney had some free bowling passes so we headed down to Rucker Lanes Monday for family night. Chris told Whitney and Gavin that if one of them got a strike we would go get some ice cream. Gavin finally got one on his very last frame! Ashlyn also got a strike using her little green dino slide. Despite a very funky bowling style Gavin was the night's winner. Whitney was second and Chris was only able to beat Ashlyn. This was almost more than his fragile little male ego could take. We all had a lot of fun!

Wit's Hopping on the Blogging Bandwagon. . .

Just yesterday Whitney asked if she could start her own blog. We are setting it to private so if you would like to be invited to read her blog just leave me a comment and your email address and we will consider your application thoughtfully. =D Much contemplation and brainstorming was given to the address. She did not want just her name. She said that was too boring. She wanted it to be The Wonderful World of Whitney but it was already taken along with Whitney's Wonderful World and several other slight variations. She sometimes go by Wit (without the H) she finds it very clever and feels it suits her perfectly. And we have a winner. . . witswonderfulworld.blogspot.com!!! And yes, she is a big fan of alliteration.

Free Vacation at the Beach!

They insisted they swim in all three of the hotels pools. Here they are lounging around the pool.

Landon & Chris taking a little nap poolside.


Whitney and Gavin loved going up to the 15th floor to look out the windows.

Gavin found a real live Marco to play Marco Polo with at the pool! He and Marco became good little buddies during our stay.

I am really annal about sun exposure so Landon spent most of his time indoors with one of us. After 5 pm we brought him down for a little bit. Here he is dipping his toes in the surf for the first time. Every time the waves would come he would pull up his feet.

This past weekend we enjoyed a pretty much free vacation at the Destin Hilton which is located right on the beach. The Army was holding a marriage retreat for couples where they paid for our hotel stay, food and provided child care while we were in class. You can't beat that! I was a little skeptical about the quality of our free food but it was really good! Whitney said it was the nicest hotel she has ever stayed at. She was quite impressed with the Hilton! The childcare providers were right across the hall from where our classes were held. We opted to keep Landon with us since we were worried about illness and he is still content to be held all the time. Though the Chaplain kept "encouraging" us to take advantage of the free childcare. =) What I found really interesting though not surprising was that the classes were largely based on Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People series of books. I have not read these books but I know he is LDS. Basically they were telling us to have date night, FHE, family councils, sets goals and think generational. I can't say the classes were all that enlightening for us but we did enjoy our free time. The chaplain also seemed to consider himself quite the Romeo and dispensed lots of romantic tips for the husbands. We have gone on several free vacations during our time in the Army. Definitely one of the perks! Scroll down to check out my beach collages.

Beach Collages

Big sigh...Gavin never wants to pose for me. I have to settle for action shots and funny faces like the one in the left hand corner up above.

I can always count on Whitney to model and pose for me. She delivers every time with nary a complaint! (Poor Wit is literally as blind as a bat and can't see a thing without her glasses. She wears her old pair when we go to the beach.)

I love Ashlyn's little polka dot bikini! If only it was yellow it would be perfect!

Whitney, Gavin and Ashlyn have always been water lovers! There is nothing better than a day at the beach. This was probably our last trip to the white sand beaches of Florida's panhandle. One of the things I'm really going to miss about living here at Fort Rucker is our close proximity to gorgeous beaches.

Our Trip to Tucson

Our trip was a whirlwind and very short lived but I think I am going to love Tucson! We left Wednesday morning and came home Friday night. Can cacti be described as lush? If so, that was the case. I love the light out west! The area seemed really nice and our house is really close to the kids school and shopping. One interesting thing about Tucson is that there are hardly any street lights. Our realtor said they have an ordinance that prohibits it because they have an observatory on one of the peaks. It was a little creepy after night fell to be in a city with hardly any lights. Whitney, Gavin and Ashlyn each stayed with three separate and wonderful families while we were gone. Words cannot describe how grateful I am to each of these wonderful women. I was really nervous about Chris and I being so far away from them. In fact, I did not want to go but Chris pushed me into going. He really wanted me to pick the house I wanted. He was also able to go to his new workplace and meet his co-workers. He came back even more excited about his new job. We are both realizing that this is going to be a real lifestyle change for us. It is exciting but also a little scary. Army life is all we have known since we said I do and the unknown is always a little unsettling. There have even been moments when I've thought maybe we should just stay in. Life is truly an adventure, isn't it?

Chris working his Vanna act. Whitney has told me on several occasions lately that her favorite cars are 1.) Toyota Precis and 2.) Nissan Altima so we took this picture just for her. The clerk at the rental car counter got really excited when Chris showed up. He thought he was the host of a TV show called Future Weapons. (He has been getting that a lot lately.) He wanted to give him a free car upgrade to a Camaro. Chris had to turn down this sweet offer since there was no room for Landon's car seat and other baby paraphernalia. He took this blow manfully and settled for being green instead of sporty. =)

Some hot construction workers hard at work on our new home sweet home.

Let me just say that house buying is STRESSFUL but then just about everything is stressful for me. If money was no object I'm sure it would be a much better experience but such is not the case. If one had lots of time it would probably be more enjoyable but we are in a time crunch. There is nothing I hate more than feeling rushed! Not living across the country would also be helpful. Add in the fact that I am completely indecisive when it comes to making big decisions and it is not good. In order to live in one of the best school districts we had to go with less house for our money. Those darn kids are always cramping my style. I just hope they appreciate us someday! =D

This one is entitled "Almost No Room at the Inn". haha In case you can't tell that is a dresser drawer Landon is sleeping in. The Wingate was all out of cribs so we had to improvise. =)
We did have a giant king size bed but Chris is such a heavy sleeper he was worried he might smash/smother him during the night.

Landon flyin' the friendly skies for the first time.

I was a little worried about flying with a baby (it had been a long time) but this little guy was a traveling champ! Anyone who has flown with a baby knows the looks of horror people give you when you sit down next to them with a baby. By the end of each flight people were singin' his praises! Comments were made such as, "That is the best baby I've ever flown with" and "What a trooper! I didn't hear one peep out of him the whole way."

Landon's Photo Shoot

Mr. September

Landon: Mom, I feel violated. Please stop!

A dream died today. I had to face the facts. Landon is not naked baby picture material. He looks pathetically undernourished and scrawny despite my best efforts to fatten him up. He was my last hope of having a chubby baby. I had been telling myself he was getting downright chubby. Yes, I think I must be delusional. Nonetheless, he is still adorable even if he has no bum, doesn't have a double chin, nor chipmunk cheeks or even triple rolls on his thighs!

Sure Signs of Age

More and more frequently I am becoming aware that I am, to use the politically correct term, aging or in other words getting OLD! Here are a few clear indicators:

1. I can no longer keep my children's names straight. I can't even confine my mistakes to the same sex!

2. I have a bad back. This alone makes me sound like a Grandpa.

3. I hide things away and then forget I have them only to find them at a later date. This one is actually kind of pleasant.

4. I am starting to see fads I knew as a youth make a comeback.

5. I have gray hairs.

6. I prefer to eat dinner around 5:00 p.m.

7. When asked my age, I have to think about it before responding. Then I am mildly depressed by my conclusion.

8. I drive a mini-van.

9. I am somewhat baffled by new fashions and how they should be worn.

10. I am shocked by song lyrics I hear on the radio.