Landon's First Tat

Check out Landon's ink! What can I say? He loves his Mom!!!

Daddy/Daughter Dance

Last night Whitney's school had a Daddy/Daughter Dance. The theme was Pretty in Pink. Whitney has been in an anti-pink stage for awhile now. She also is opposed to over the top girlie stuff. Chris had been teasing her about getting a really fluffy pink dress for the dance. I made the comment that if she got a pink dress then Daddy would have to get a pink tie. Whitney suddenly decided she must have a pink dress.

They started off the night with dinner out at Whitney's favorite restaurant Olive Garden. Then it was off to the dance where they had a fabulous time. Already looking forward to next years dance!
Pretty in Pink

Chris showing off his new favorite tie. Real men wear pink, right?

When we lived in Colorado they went to several Daddy/Daughter Dances put on by a local company. Whitney was 4 for this dance back in March 2003. They went to this one right before Chris deployed the first time.

April 2004

April 2006

City Running

You know how people always say running is hard on your joints? Well I have found better reasons to justify not running. Since moving to Tucson Chris has been hit by a car. He walked away from this encounter without a scratch (I swear he is like a cat and has 9 lives!). Though the guy that hit him about had a heart attack. And he has been chased by two homeless men. He said they were yelling crazy talk but he didn't really pay attention just picked up his speed a bit. Keep your fingers crossed for him that his entry will be picked in his newest fitness goal. He wants to run the Wasatch 100. Yeah, that would be 100 miles of running through the Wasatch mountains. Sounds fun, right?

Landon's First Haircut

Chris had been insisting that Landon needed a haircut. He did need a bit of a trim. His hair was growing over his ears and looking a little unruly. On Monday I had told Ashlyn we were going to get Landon's hair cut and she was so excited about it! When it didn't happen that day she was very disappointed so the next day she was insistent that we go and get Landon's haircut. The girl at the salon looked terrified when I said I wanted to get his hair cut. She asked me if he had ever had his hair cut before. When I said, no she looked even more terrified. She proceeded to tell me some war stories of cutting little ones hair. Landon did great though! It helped that he was sleepy. Overall he was just really curious and fascinated by the whole thing.
Particularly by the whole mirror aspect of being able to watch in the mirror too. She was a big Landon fan by the end of his haircut though! His hair ended up shorter than I was wanting and I have been regretting getting it done. He just looks so much older now.

Then Ashlyn wanted her hair cut. She has been obsessed with scissors and hair salons lately so we got her a trim too. I have been a little paranoid that she is going to try to cut her own hair so hopefully a haircut will fill that need.

after shot

before shot

Eat Your Fruits and Veggies!!!

His pain face.

His pitiful face.

Do you have a child that refuses to eat their fruits and veggies? If so, you might be able to use this story as a cautionary tale. When I picked Chris and the kids up from their hiking trip Chris was carrying Gavin. Chris said he was just worn out but upon arriving home it quickly became clear that it was more than that. He could not stand up and was sobbing because his stomach hurt so bad. Of course it was a Saturday night. We hadn't been to the ER in some time and our number was up. As usual Chris and I fought over who would take him. Since I cannot carry him Chris won. After many tests and pain meds they transferred him to another hospital with a Peds ward for observation. Chris said he did perk up a little at the mention of an ambulance ride. Though he was a little disappointed that they did not floor it and turn on the lights and siren. =) They suspected appendicitis but it is policy to observe them for 24 hours before operating because many times the kids are just extremely constipated. Which was the case with Gavin. He came home Sunday afternoon on doctor's orders to eat more fruits and veggies. In the pictures above I asked him to show me his pain face and his pitiful face. I have to say that pitiful face is spot on! Ashlyn told him she really liked his tiger dress. He immediately removed his tiger dress after fruitlessly explaining that it was not a dress. haha One thing I thought was really cute was that he was worried to death about Ashlyn and Landon the whole time he was at the hospital. He just knew they missed him horribly and that Ashlyn would not be able to sleep with worry. Something weird is that he has developed something of a phobia about shots but was just fine with them starting an IV on him. This makes no sense to me at all. Give me a shot over an IV or blood draw any day! Despite this trip he is still very reluctant to eat his fruits and veggies. No pain meds for him next time!

Hiking and Backpacking in the Catalinas

Last Friday I dropped Chris, Whitney and Gavin off at Sabino Canyon for the kids first hiking/backpacking trip. Chris had been beyond excited to take them! They stayed overnight and hiked a total of 16 miles.
Here they are looking very outdoorsy at a waterfall.

I was a little worried about my babies overall safety.

Here they are standing on the edge of a cliff.

Scaling treacherous and rocky cliff sides.

They asked Chris to take a picture of this sign about some of the over friendly wildlife. After looking at the photos Chris took, hearing their accounts of fording a raging river among other things turns out I was not completely off base with my worries. They had a grand time though and can't wait for the next trip.

Quail Time

On Friday Gavin received a Quail Time Award at school for "being a new proud, prepared, polite and productive member or our class". We are so proud of Gavin!