Shutterfly ROCKS!!!

Okay, so as all of you know I LOVE pictures. I love to take them..I love to see them, I love to scrapbook them. I also love companies that continually make me want to be a return customer. That, my friends, is shutterfly. I have had the opportunity of creating several gifts for good friends via their website (http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars) and I was beyond pleased with the quality I received. I am excited to be creating my newest project through them...CHRISTMAS CARDS!!! They have some of the most adorable designs...it is really hard to chose "just one", so I need all of you to chose other designs and use them on your cards..a win win for me because then I get to see the cutest designs showcases the families and friends I love!!! Here is their link:
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationary/christmas-cards
Christmas cards are always a labor of love for me. I dwell on the tiniest detail, the color palet, the design and layout. My favorites in years past have shown a flair for who our family is..unique and fun. I have been browsing the card aisles to incorporate our newest family scenario: being an ARMY family. I have found the simplicity is key, and shutterfly has helped me find a design that I know I will be excited to send on to all of you!They also have holiday cards to incorporate a New Years wish as well: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationary .

PLUS...the greatest promotion: "Bloggers get 50 free Christmas Cards!!!!" sign up now..http://bit.ly/sfly2010

Playing catch up

Yes, it has been months...
Yes, a lot has happened...
Yes, I REALLY have neglected my blog.


Okay, with that out of the way. LOL. We aren't going to bore you to tears with the last months of life here at Ft. Lee. In a nutshell...we LOVE it here. I will update with lots of pics so you can see the changes in my little ones...and there are LOTS. Here is a TOP 10 of our favorite things that have happened to our family since moving to Ft. Lee, Virginia in June.

1o. We were able to move into a BRAND NEW home on post. (literally the keys were handed over from the contractor to the housing office the day we got the call to come get them!)

9. Virginia is BEAUTIFUL. We have enjoyed the amazing trees and colors that this part of the country has to offer.

8. Virginia Beach!!! We were able to put our toes in the water ...the ATLANTIC OCEAN water that is!!!!

7. Washington D.C. It has been a dream for Allan and I to one day take our kids to see our nations capital. On our trip there this summer we did that and LOTS more. My favorite highlight..the Vietnam Wall. Very Surreal and mind boggling seeing all the names.

6. Friends!! We have made some amazing friends since coming here. Caitlyn has a group of fellow Army Brats here on post that she goes to school with, Calleya has many BFF's and Colby has a BFF across the street. Allan and I are grateful for the "Army AND LDS" families we have grown to love here...really has been wonderful having so manythings in common.

5. Colby learned to ride a bike without training wheels!

4. Calleya started PRE SCHOOL on post!

3. THREE WORDS..FALL IN VIRGINIA= gorgeous!

2. Colby and Calleya played soccer and Caitlyn is in "Beauty and the Beast" at school.

1. WE ARE TOGETHER AS A FAMILY, and after all is said and done..THAT is the most important thing of all!

OCS

Officer Candidate Hartung. Hmmm..has a nice ring to it. Allan started Officer Candidate School on March 1st. He is now in week 5, and going a mile a minute. He loves it! I love the fact that I get calls (if at times VERY brief), text messages, and webcam IM time almost daily. His days are full, and very fast paced. Between the classes (running to and from), chow (literally 5 minutes to eat as much as you can), Ruck Marches (he just completed a 7 mile one last week), 0500 PT (release runs..a 5 mile coming up this week), combatives, and the weekend service projects...he has been a bit busy, to say the least. I am so very proud of my soldier and the hard work he is putting in for his career and our family!

A new "Do"

Calleya is our "active one. She is a whirlwind and never stops going. She went to a birthday party with Colby for one of his classmates, Kya. She loves her, and Kya..has short hair! Fast forward a week later. I walk into my room to find a pile of hair, Colby's scissors he uses to do his kindergarten homework, and my little 3 year old with a HUGE grin on her face. She had given herself a haircut (complete with bangs). Why? She wanted to have short hair...just like Kya. AHHH! Here are the before and after (thanks Great Clips!) pics of her new "do"!!

Full Battle Rattle

Allan's latest picture sent from Ft. Sill. He is in his full "Battle Rattle". And of course it would not be complete without the M-16 in his hands!!(SHE is named Jessica) He has four weeks left as of today! I cannot believe that in just a few short weeks I will be boarding a plane to go see him graduate, what an amazing feeling that is! After he is off to OCS (Officer Candidate School) a 12-week program that will be in Ft. Benning, Georgia. We will all make the trek out for that graduation..as he will have a commisioning ceremony as well. The time is moving, somedays it goes at a snails pace..and I have to remember that it isn't forever. It is that fact that keeps me going. We will make it through and endure to the end... :0)

Family Pictures

The week before Allan left to go back out to BCT, we headed to Guajome Park and took family pictures. They really turned out great. It was a nice day, and cooperative kiddos!! Ilove our family picture, it turned out beautiful. It is a nice memory to have while Allan is away!

Off to Basic Combat Training: Red Phase

The week of reception is officially over. Allan crosses the tracks tomarrow and heads over to Basic Combat Training, or BCT. What does this mean? No more daily phone calls, and a drill Sergeant in his face 24/7. I talked to him tonight, and he was getting everything ready to go. He says he just wants to start..the waiting was driving him insane (reception lasts a week). I am happy we are finally on to Red phase (the 9 weeks are seperated by 3-3week phases, red, white and blue.) but I know this is the hardest of the phases..and where they break you down. Praying for my sweet husband that he stays strong and knows we lovehim. Letters of support would be great, I will have his address soon and will get it to whoever would like to write!!

Becoming ARMY STRONG!!

This is what saying goodbye to a soldier feels like. I didn't think the day would ever come as we prepared for Allan to leave for basic training. Now, it is here. Watching him leave left me with so many emotions. I was proud, I wear my title of "ARMY Wife" with great pride! I was sad. The emptiness of not having him here is magnified when I see how much my little ones miss him. There are so many little things I realized I took for granted. Bathing the kids, taking turns getting up with a nightmare, holding the baby while I break up a fight, they all seem so much more amplified doing them on my own.

Yet, what it really breaks down to is I am so very happy with the decision we have made. He is doing something honorable, not only for his country...but for his family. We will be so much better off for it. The seperation is just minimal in the grand scheme of things. This too shall pass, and one day we will look back at all this crazines and think, "I worried over THAT!". For now, I cherish every phone call I receive from him and I pray for his strength and safety.

We are not just ARMY strong, we are FAMILY strong!

Kindergarten Colby

It amazes me just how much they seem to change overnight when they start school. It has happened again. Colby has become such a big boy, in what seems like overnight. I love seeing him embrace life and loves asking questions...about EVERYTHING!

My Girls!!

Caits and Calleya..my two beautiful, silly, wonderful girls! They are growing up before my eyes. Calleya LOVES Caits, and the feeling is definately mutual. What a cute pair they are. Caitlyn is becoming such the big sister, she is a great helper..and I truly am gonna need it in the coming months. I am such a lucky Mom to get to have two very awesome girls in my life!!

Baby Mine..3 months old!

I cannot believe that he is already three months old. Time is not suppose to fly this fast, especially when he is my last baby. I love this stage. Cwynn is so alert, he'll even turn his head to track where you are. His little smiles warm my heart. He has truly completed our family. I love waking up and hearing his "conversations". He will just start cooing like crazy, trying to let us know his opinion. We are so very blessed by you Cwynn, you make my heart smile! He loves to hear people talk, and calms when you sing to him. Especially Calleya's singing, he loves it. "Baby Mine" from Dumbo is one of his very favorites. ..."rest your head, close to my heart, never to part, baby of mine".

The need for speed...

It has been years since Allan and I ventured to the Air Show. We used to go every year, and now that we are back in California..here we are!! The MCAS Miramar Airshow is awesome. Colby and Calleya loved it (although Colby freaked out at first!!), it was worth going though. The Blue Angel fly-by's , Harrier exhibition flight, and all of the endless rows of planes to look at and walk through made for a great day!

Saying Goodbye..never an easy thing.

And so it begins. The Goodbyes have started. First up, Nancy Lawrence, Allan's advisor and absolute favorite proffesor from Embry Riddle. She has not only been a great influence on Allan, but has become a member of our family. We love her! She calls our kids "her babies', and spoils them rotten whenever she see's them. We met her at Freedom Station on Wednesday night. She hadn't seen Cwynn yet, and she was making sure we didn't leave before she saw all of her "babies". We will miss her soooo much. She is one of the reasons leaving here is going to be so hard to do!

Turning 36!

Every year we make a big deal out of birthdays..or try to. This year Allan and I were not blessed with an abundance on our birthdays..needless to say we were FLAT BROKE. Not a matter to stop the power of three (my great kiddos Caitlyn, Colby and Calleya). While Allan and I ran from OB appointments to grocery shopping (exciting stuff, I know!). Caitlyn spearheaded a campaign to surprise Daddy. What they lacked in decorations..they made up for in creativity. They cut 36 pendant style flags out and numbered them 1-36, adding cute saying and designs to each. They then hung them from the front door to the living room, ADORABLE!! The best part of course..their cake. They frosted a german chocolate cake and put 36 marischinocherries around it, a nascar (Tony Stewart, of course) on top. Along with a big plastic bug (the ones he is always hiding to scare them with), and a little green army man. My favorite part..grey candles that spelled out "LOVE" I didn't realize these were the only letters they found from the "Over the Hill" set I had used one year. EXCELLENT choice of words..Daddy LOVED every single bit of his birthday surprises!

The wheels on the bus...

Riding the bus, for some is a tedious task. Not so for my California kids. This is an experience they look forward to every morning. Colby couldn't wait to go to kindergarten, why? "I get to ride the bus with Sissy, Mom!" Classic!

Blue eyes..hmm, maybe!

Since Caitlyn was born, Allan has secretly wished for a baby with his blue eyes. I have not argued (Hello..his gorgeous baby blues were one of the first things I noticed about him). Fast forward 12 years to our 4th and final little one. Cwynn seems to have..so far,been blessed with his Daddy's eyes. They are a beautiful blue, and have shown no signs of changing to brown, as of yet. At this point with all of the rest, the brown had won, and the color was evident. Either Cwynn is being a stinker and playing games ... or Allan's hope for a baby with blues eyes is going to happen. Only time will tell.