it's the little things...

how will we fit it all in?

2010-11-08T04:53:00.000-08:00

We have been busy! as usual. Jason and I just returned from a quick little trip to Vienna and Budapest! Thanks to Grumps coming to take care of the boys! It was amazing. Vienna was rainy and cold but great! We did a tour of the Hapsburg's Palace. We weren't allowed to take photos inside the Palace, that's why there are only a couple. I snuck this one of her FABULOUS hair! it was down to her ankles! It took her hair dresser 4 hours everyday to do her hair!!! But it looked so cool in these twisty braids and she wore 22 diamond stars in it....how fancy!
This is Jason at Franz Josef's grave and their dinner setting!...They were the rulers of the Austrian/ Hungarian Empire for a long time!!! Jason had just finished reading all about them so we went to see where it all went down! I am by no means a history buff, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! We ate great! and went to classical music concert at the Hapsburg Palace!!! Is was very cool!

Budapest is a lovely and fascinating city. ummmmm, langos.....to die for!!! they are Hungarian fried bread with sour cream and cheese!!!It is like a snapshot into the communist world of the fifties in eastern Europe. The people are nice and everyone speaks English. what a plus! We visited both sides of the city, (didi you know it is actually two cities...Buda and Pest and they are divided by the Danube River!) see this blog is not just for fancy fun, i teach you stuff too! Ha!

Here we are in our Halloween costumes! we had a good time!
Next time more Budapest!...
loves

all i want to do today is...

2010-10-16T10:32:00.001-07:00

2 down...1 to go...

2010-09-17T02:03:00.000-07:00

We arrived here in lovely Spain, two years ago, today.

Times flies when your alive...

We have had an amazing 2 years! We have seen the world! now as our last year is beginning, I am feeling sad to leave our home. Jason is talking to Detailers about where we are going to be headed next, getting our last trips in before it's too late, and thinking about all the good times.
I will miss this place. I will miss Europe.

Change is good, yes? I believe so. Another chance to turn it all around.

loves

what a summer!

2010-09-12T10:01:00.000-07:00

School is back in session and we are starting to wind down for the fall. We all had an amazing tome on our adventures this summer! We spent a few weeks in the states, visiting family and friends. Traveled to exotic locals and made new friends!
It has been a wonderful season, but I am ready to fall into fall.

We are ordering costumes for Halloween and thinking about turkey for Thanksgiving. Wow, how time flies...The boys are excited about starting school and like their teachers! which is always a good thing. James is a fifth grader and Colby is in first and Jonah starts a pre-K program on Monday!

Hopefully, I will have more time to blog....life is full of surprises, so you never know.
Also, a HUGE congrats to my bestest besties in the whole wide world!!! Todd and Craig! their newest venture has just launched and it is amazing! here is a link and another !!!! YOU ARE MY FAVES! if you are in the Las Vegas area, totally CHECK THEM OUT!!!

hope you all had an amazing summer too!

loves

happy happy

2010-07-20T20:19:00.000-07:00

now and then.....

Today marks Colby's 6th year on earth! How time flies... It was just yesterday I was holding him in all his tiny glory, in my arms, or going to baby boot camp at Balboa Park. We had some great times when he was a wee thing. Now, he is big, he has lost 6 teeth, rides a bike/scooter, plays with legos, has tons of friends, swims like a super star, has sleepovers, he is kind and so funny and is starting first grade in less than a month. My goodness. He is a grown up boy, just starting to come into the world. As much as I miss that little baby, I love the boy he has become and can't wait to see where he goes next. Happy Birthday Sweet Bubbs

the sweet summertime...

2010-07-18T08:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to Sea World, per request from the minions! We had a great time! It was a little crowded, but nice. We didn't really see any sea life...We rode the rides and played at the 'Bay of Play'. There is a little water spray park inside and a HUGE jungle gym. They were perfectly happy there. After about an hour there, we went to see the 'Stingray's'. Grumps got the boys sardines to feed the 'rays and they loved it. one actually came out of the water to get it! That Grumps hand and half of Jonah's head. Little did we know that the 'rays mouth is not where you think it is...it's underneath them, like on their belly. Grumps was waving it on it's nose area and it wouldn't take it. The guy next to us told us it was underneath. Who knew?Then it was off to the 'sea stars'. fun fun! Colbs and Jo wanted to ride the 'Shipwreck Rapids' so Nana and Grumps waited in line while I took then to the tide pools. Then we finally go on the ride and got SOAKED!!!! Totally! I'm not joking! We even got Nana on the ride and she got soaked! Then it was lunch and off to 'Atlantis'!! it was awesome! Jonah was terrified the whole time, screaming and crying. then as we got off the ride he jumped out and said " That was FUN!" he is so funny! then Grumps said "let's do it again" and Jonah said "NO, it's too dangerous!" ha! That night he was pooped out! And this boy has lost 4 teeth in the last month!!! HE IS TOOTHLESS! I don't know how he eats! You know, he'll be 6 in 2 days!!!! HOLY MOLY! how time flies...

summer abroad

2010-07-11T21:49:00.000-07:00

Hey All, The boys and I are enjoying lovely sunny San Diego! life is good! Here are a few pics.

These two have become BFF's. There are still the beatings numerous times daily, but they are actually getting along. It's nice..Nana and Grumps on our Sunday walks in Coronado.A trip to San Diego would'nt be complete without a trip to the Dell Mar Fair!!! Lots of pool time! Jonah is turning into a FISH!!! He can swimm so good! He loves jumping off the diving board!!! He likes to play '3 billy goats gruff' when he jumps off the board. I have to hide under the board and pretend to be the mean old troll under the bridge. He is so funny!And a wonderful 4th! The kids participated in our friends annual 4th of July Neighborhood Parade! It was fun. Colby got to see his old friend Maddie! Then I went to Vegas! I got so see my mom and Todd!!! He just opened a studio and it is amazing!!! He did my hair!!! It looks so great!!! After I got home Colby had his first sleep over!!!!With his old friend Caiden!!! His dad and Jason used to have sleep overs when they were their age!!! full circle...how sweet!

Today we saw "Dispicable Me" and the boys loved it! We are going to try to go to LegoLand's new water park next week!! Should be fun!

more later,

loves

Breathtaking Tuscany! lots of pics!!

2010-06-04T09:12:00.000-07:00

finally, a new post. Cyd is really slacking.

So we've started to settle in after getting back from Tuscany, we actually had a great trip. We got to take Nana and Grumps along with us this time and it worked out very well. We flew in from Seville to Pisa, rented cars, and then drove from there to our own Tuscan villa in Buti, Italy. The place was fantastic. Four rooms, three bathrooms, very rustic and charming. Here is the farmhouse we stayed in and pictures of the village. We got to wake up to a view of vineyards and olive groves with mist coming down from the mountains. The location was great too, we never had more than an hour to drive to any of the major sites. Our first journey out the next day was to Lucca, Italy. It's a great walled city with a good medieval feels and narrow streets. Didn't get to do too much adult touring, but we were able to go into the cathedral. Check out Colby's meditation over a 14th century woman's tomb. While in Lucca, Colby found a hat like Micheal Jackson's. He has a weird fascination with MJ...He was singing MJ hits through the streets! From there we took a drive North for some scenery, here we stopped in a little village along the route. This is us on the Devils Bridge then we ended up in a village called Collodi, supposedly the setting for Pinocchio. There's a theme park there, (which we heard was very lame so we didn't go in), but we were able to pick up some Pinocchio merchandise. Then it was back to the house and a little dinner in "the Grotto" a restaurant in Buti. We actually had our best meals there, and ended up going three times, love the place. The next day we decided to make the big haul to Florence. It's a beautiful city, and Cyd and I had a great time when we went there without children, but it was a little to crowded and hot for us to to any major touring with the chidren. We were able to see the "david" reproduction in the Plaza de la Repubblica and get some Gelato. From there we made a jaunt over to San Gimignano, an old Italian village with great towers. We did some shopping and looking around, it's a beautiful place. Here is James on the top of one tower with a gorgeous view of the Tuscan countryside!Then it was back to the villa for some Cyd home cooked pasta. We did make it to Volterra so Cyd could say she went to the vampire village. They had *new moon* flavored gelato! So of course, Cyd had to have some! Again, great old feel to it. Here is Cyd in the Piazza De Volturi....no Vampire bites on this trip...poor Cyd. But, Grumps and I kissed a boar.
Then it was off to Pisa!
I think this might be the only picture of Jonah smiling! He is a little grumpy. To see the leaning tower!!! It was impressive! Much more than we expected. Cyd tried to take the corney *pushing the tower* pics of all of us. They came out pretty good. My back was sore afterward! The last day we took a break and went to Camp Darby. It's an American army base just outside of Pisa that has a pool. I know, we went all the way to Tuscany and ended up back at a military base, but the kids needed a touring time out and some pool action. All and all a great trip with not too much Palmer family disaster! Hope you all enjoyed the pics - next trips will be Cyd going home around the 18th of June, and James and I are going to go to Rome for some father and son bonding with Gladiators and Colosseum action. Stay tuned!

a decade ago....

2010-04-30T07:31:00.001-07:00

james was coming into this world....it's hard to believe that he is 10!

amazing. he's pretty amazing10 things about my 10 year old

he has the most amazing heart and isn't afraid to show it.
he loves people and is friendly, kind and helpful to everyone.
he has a best friend named Matt.
he is kind to his brothers...most of the time ;)
his favorite color is purple.
his favorite foods are borscht and spaghetti and meatballs.
he takes a pottery class and loves it!
he illustrates and writes comics with his friends
he always makes us laugh
he loves legos

so we decided to do a lego themed party! i made *mini figure* cakes! they came out AWESOME!! Jason made the purple one!i will post with party pics! he is having his first sleepover party!
woo hoo! 8 10 year olds!
his actual birthday is tomorrow...but i got a head start!

happy birthday baby boy!

loves

lookie loo!

2010-04-10T11:25:00.001-07:00

creativity.....

i am in a very creative mood, as of late... and here is what i made this week!
first i made some shirts for some peeps here on base! then last night i decided to make silhouettes of the whole fam!!!! I *LOVELOVELOVE* how they turned out! it was super simple! and looks great as our family portraits! HA!

anyhow, what are you up to?

loves

happy hoppin' it's Easter!

2010-04-03T07:38:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the annual Easter egg hunt on the Galley Lawn! it was cute! the Bunny was hoppin' around for pics and there was bouncies galore! The boys had fun! as always! There was egg hunts for each age group and Jonah found the *Golden Egg* for the 2-3 year olds!!!! he won the Easter Basket of goodies!!! it was nice!
Hope you all have a lovely day!We are going to a bday party and then to dye eggs .

loves

old friend.....

2010-03-18T02:25:00.000-07:00

wow. i am a *bad bad bad* blogger. seriously! is anyone still reading this????
well, anyhow, as you may know, via facebook, that we just went to Paris. Here are a few of the highlights! First, Marie Antoinette's prison and cell.

then it was to the Chappella of the King. It was beautiful!

then the musee d'orsay for a fig tart, coffee and some amazing impressionist art!!!! this is the celing in the cafe. so amazing

across the bridge to the Louvre...

ahhh, Mona

We made a trip out to Versailles....lovely.

a trip to the catacombs of Paris!!!

and what would a trip to Paris be without the Eiffel Tower?

loves

sweetness...

2010-02-14T00:57:00.000-08:00

congratulations to our dear, dear friends! Jeni and Ariel had their little bambino yesterday!
he is perfect.
welcome to the world, Leo.
we love you

be mine

2010-02-14T00:07:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentines Day!!!

kisses on all your pink parts...may your day be as sweet as you are!

loves

just smile and wave boys, just smile and wave....

2010-02-07T08:03:00.000-08:00

that's our new moto.

we are begining to feel like this region of Spain is losing it's luster. We love Europe. But Andalucia......the people are not the most considerate of folks. So, instead of getting all agro when they cut us off, or cut us in line at the store, or give us the *gas face* as we drive by, we are simply going to *smile and wave*. We tried it today, and boy, the reactions were remarkable. Jason and I got a good laugh! it made us feel better. for sure!

Anyhow, we've just been hanging around the casa and settleing in after a busy year of traveling. Here a few pics from the last few days!

lots of trampoline time!

and learning to ride a bike.....without training wheels!!! sorta....and family hikes at the *Reserve Natura* fun times had by all.

what's up with you?

loves

new addition....

2010-01-14T23:39:00.000-08:00

we've finally done it! We have added a new member to our ever growing family! ......since we are staying put for a while we decided to get a dog! She is a yellow lab, about 2 years old and soooooo sweet! Her name is Lola. We have had her for 5 days and she hasn't barked once! she is very well behaved! We love her. especially Colby! he has been wanting a dog for a long time. Jason is pretty happy , too. ;) Here are a few pics....this is the first day as we were bringing her home.

We hope she will be a perfect fit for this family! Kitty......she's not to thrilled.

Here are a few more pics from San Diego.

The annual Family Pic! On the deck at Grumps and Nana's.
While at Knott's we got Nana on a ride!!!

I was getting flak for not putting any pics of GRANDPA on the blog, so here it is!

loves

merry merry and happy happy new year!

2010-01-12T02:42:00.000-08:00

HOLY HOLIDAYS AND TRAVEL! As you all know, we were in the States for a month and on a cruise before that! We are home now, after almost 2 months. It has been a whirlwind year and a half. We are taking a short hiatus...At least until March....we hope. We all have the travel bug around here, so it may be difficult for us to stay put for 3 months. but we will try.

Anyway, the first leg our *tour de states* took us to Virginia on a

C-5!

It was crazy! . I traveled with Grumps and the boys. Jason had to stay behind for a week because he had to work. We met up with a friend from right here in Rota and she was gracious enough to let us all stay at her place for the night! She is a saint.

While in VA we went to a children's museum

and a Winter Wonderland!

The next day we flew out to San Diego!!!! We arrived and were exhausted. it took us a few days to aclimate. After we rested we

went to all the SoCal HOT SPOTS!! Sea World, Knott's Berry Farm, Lego Land,

The Children's Museum!!!

we had a blast and spent time with fam and friends! We drove to Vegas on Christmas Day to see my Momma

and Todd and Craig and Jeni and Ariel!

Back In San Diego we met up with my dear BFC and some other San Diego Friends!

we all spent quality time together. It was a lovely visit! I miss them all. It was great to be there with all our family. Hope your Hiolidays were grand and you all are having a great new year.

more soon.

loves

ho ho ho!

2009-12-04T03:27:00.000-08:00

holy moly! it's already christmas! wow i need to get my cards out!

we have returned safe from our easten med vacation! wow! cruising is awesome! 6 countries in 12 days!!!!! awesome. this was Jason's sanctuary....the spa! he was here everyday.....nice.

this will be a picture heavy post...be prepared.here we are at the Pyrimids! Yes, i am covered....it was.....interesting there..... the boys got to ride on a camel!!! Colby was terrified! so he did'nt ride it. he got right down after the picture! but James had a great time. He ended up riding with his friend Ethan.

here are Jason and Jonah on the steps of the Acropolis in Athens!!!!
Jonah and I making a wish in the Trevi FountianJo being crazy in the PantheonDad and Jo at the Coloseum Here is the Arch de Triomph in Barcelona. not to offend anyone, but...i think its prettier than the one in France... ;)The boys on the roof of the Mila House. Gaudi's dreamy house....it was beautifuli will tell you all about the trip in person! way to much to write! we will be in SD in a week!! i can hardly wait! and to spend some quality time in Vegas con mi madre and amigos! i am ready to come home for a bit. I love Europe, but...it's time to come home for the holidays!

can't wait to see all of you.

loves

boooo-tastic!

2009-10-30T04:21:00.000-07:00

so we went to the first of our Halloween shindigs last night! it was the hospital party! We all dressed up and i was incharge of the face painting booth and making the signs. i made this one and Jason and James made this one!it was a blast! here are a few pics...Colbs in all his mummy makeup with *Buddy* the Elf {aka Jason} Jonah as George Monkey, that lasted all of 10 minutes and James with the *nerd herd* all ghoulish skeletons then me as the wood sprite!

you all know i take a million pics...and i had to take pics of my makeup! i did gold shimmer all over my face and a rust eye. with fancy feather lashes!!! love it! then i made my head piece! it came out cool.

hope you all have a bootastic halloween!

i wanna see pics!!!

loves

2009-10-25T10:50:00.000-07:00

We have been busy here at the Palmer household! sorry. i am a terrrible bolgger....On Friday it was the Navy's 234th birthday and we celebrated by going to the Navy Ball!!!! {our first} :) I orderd an amazing 1930's vintage champaigne gown from a website called uniquevintage.com......let me tell you, it was a DISASTER!!!! I orderd the dress a month ago...i got one email from the woman that it was mailed out. 2 days before ball, the woman emails me to tell me the dress is NO LONGER AVAILABLE!!! after she said she mailed the dress!!!! can you believe it??? 2 days before the ball....ugh. i was pissed! TO SAY THE LEAST! but i made do with dress that i already had...here is the result.....i still went with the 1930's theme...i did my hair by doing pin curls all over and then added feather clips...I did a brown/gold smokey eye for makeup with a pale lip. then for extra spice, i put on some awesome falsies!!! oh i love makeup!

we started decorating for halloween! ooohhhh i love halloween!!!
our halloween black kitty! and the grim reaper!!! this thig is awesome!
here are our costumes, as of late....they may change ......the mummyanikin skywalkergeorge monkey....and the piece de resistance....ELF!!!!
yes, Jason agreed to be ELF, from the movie ELF!!! i love it! i am going to be a faery. surprise, surprise.

more soon.

loves

memories....like coners of my mind....

2009-10-11T12:34:00.000-07:00

ahhhh, Malaga. We are here for the long weekend, reliving our time here 7 years ago. It's as beautiful as it was then. We got a 3 bedroom condo with a jucuzzi on the roof!!!! how amazing is that! The boys have been loving it!!! Today we went to the wild animal park in Estepona then took the boys to Mc Donalds {as a treat}then went to the Nerja caves, the older boys loved it, Jonah on the other hand was tired and was ready to go home. But not before i had James snap this pic of us. Jason and i have the exact same pic of us in the same spot 7 years ago!!! minus the kiddos, but they wanted to be in the pic!aslo, this little boyhas reached another milestone. Our little man, the hope of hopes has lost his first tooth. It really made our hearts flutter. Here's our little guy, entering the big leagues. Things like this make you stop and think. He's snaggle tooth, like lots of kids, but he's not baby any more. Tell me this doesn't make you think about time passing. I love the bubba, and We're all sad that he's aging so quick. Oh the bubba! it happened on the drive back home from the caves. He had been flicking it with his tounge all day! aawweee.

Here is another mural...in Colby's room. Lego Knights in battle! i love how his armor shines! just got to finish the rocker pirate dude!

more later, i have tooth faery duties.

loves

day to day....

2009-09-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

Hola!

things have been going along here. Soccer starts this week and the boys are still loving Karate. We are anxiously awaiting Halloween! (it's my fave)... I'm not sure of our costumes yet, but i'm sure they will be cool!

I painted a new mural in James' room....i know it was supposed to be the Simpsons, but we decided that lego star wars was cooler!

here are a few pics of us at the park and in the backyard for some trampoline shennanighans!!!

loves

fall is here, hear the yell. Back to school, ring the bell....

2009-09-16T12:50:00.000-07:00

school is going great and we are taking a break from traveling until November so we can get into a good routine. The boys started karate!!!! its adorable! here is the story about this pic. The Sensai had them on thier knees, eyes closed, for meditation and he was telling them to visualize an ice cream cone in thier hand. Colby immedietly smiles. Then he says to them, "visualize it begining to melt"...Colby frowns. all the while his eyes are closed. Then he says to them now visualize yourself eating the ice cream before it melts all over your hands and Colby starts licking the air!!! it was so hilarious! i wish i would of been filming at that moment. it was priceless and so precious.
here's Jo, watching his *brodders* with his best buddie, George.

here is a video

its 2 days a week and they are liking it so far.

I've been creating again....i painted a *curious george* mural in Jonah's room nd made a *Colby lego guy* in Colby's room. I am working on a *simpsons* mural for James.

I have also been scrapping . here is a card for our dear friends who are expecting!!!and i made some fun *halloween* cuties for our home!!! they are made from Sculpy clay! i *love* how they they came out! boooo*licious!

loves

the face of a kindergartener...

2009-09-05T12:04:00.001-07:00

and 4th grader!

WOW. the first week of school just finished up and we all survived! Colby and James both like thier teachers and they are adjusting to the new class rules.

hope you all have a great first day!

loves

Adventures through Central and Eastern Europe

2009-09-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

So we had the extreme pleasure of having the Grumps in house these past three weeks and Cyd and I (yes it's Jason posting), decided to take advantage of the free babysitting by going on a road trip. We flew into Frankfurt Hahn airport via Ryan air (it really is the Greyhound of the European skies), rented a car and headed east.

Our first stop was Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber (I'm sure I spelled that wrong, but hey they should speak english right!?) It's a great little mideaval (how do you spell that?) town that's been pretty much intact since the 30 years war in the 1600's. Our Gasthaus was in a beautiful little square, you can see some of the pictures.

Here's Cyd having a "sparkling beer", German beer with Sprite. I mean really, what's the point. I guess if it's the only way i can make her drink beer, so be it. The next shot is of the main fountain in the square. Apparently this was the only source of water for the folks in the town. I hope that 's not the case now because there were a lot of pigeons. The next shot is of me at the town wall. I think at this point we were so tired from the first day's trip that we just walked around and tried to soak in what we could. There was a wine festival going on that night, and there were a lot of drunken Germans floating around. Drunk Germans, really gave us the "Real Experience" of Germany.

I would have to say that Rothenburg was probably one of the top five highlights of the trip. If we do get back to Germany it would be nice to go there again.

This is the square, immediately to the left was our guest house. It's like Disneyland isn't it? I kept expecting Snow White and Goofy to pop out of the alleys and start singing "It's a Small World".

Time for an espresso in the European style. They also had something called "snowballs" (of course it was in German). They were like fried doughnuts in a ball. The Germans really know how to fry things.

Here's big lova at the fountain. She wanted me to delete this, but hey, I write the blog this time I get to pick what photos are on.

Here's some picture of a "Christmas town". Cyd and I split up and while I was learning about the long and illustrious history of Rothenburg, Cyd was getting her "shop" on by going in some of the crafty stores. Christmas stuff is a big sell there in Germany, Cyd made quite a few purchases. I didn't get a picture, but my big find was the oldest kitchen in Germany that was in a nearby Abbey; I don't know, which is best, crafty stuff or history?

Here's a view down the road to our guest house, we were really lucky with the weather the whole trip. It got a little cold at the end, but the first few days were amazing.

Now onward, to the Czech Republic! Somehow it would sound so much more romantic to say that we headed into Czechoslovakia, but alas, those days are over. It's amazing that just a few years ago it wouldn't even have been possible. Besides the transition from uptight Germany to the more g0-go captialism of the Czech Republic, it's not really that big of a deal to cross the border. We weren't even stopped. We had to get some Czech Crown money vs. the Euro and the language was indecipherable, but otherwise smooth sailing!

Ah Prague. What a beautiful city, and in it's day a political powerhouse. Communism really dimmed it's lights, but for us tourists, really kept it as a snapshot of time. Lots of gothic architecture and buidings stuck in time from the 1700's. Some fun communist block buildings too just to mix it up. I was surprised at the amount of art nouveau buidlings. I guess nothing was torn down from the 50's until the Velvet revolution in the 90's. Good for them. I'm standing in the middle of Vene lausch square in Prague. It felt like a real city with real bums and pollution. So much for clean Europe right?

Part of Prague Castle. Seat of power for the Czech royalty for over 800 years, for what it's worth.

Astronomical clock in the main square. When it chimes, a little skeleton rings a bell and characters from the 1500's (the first animitronics, screw Disney) come out and do a jig. Tourists love it (and so did I of course).

Charles bridge. Layed down in the 1500's. Great statues. Beautiful and romantic at night.

Here's a beautiful art nouveah town hall in Prague. It's really something with the stained glass and great turn of the century decor. They still put on Mozart and Dvorak operas there. It's a wonderful piece out of time

Finally, a shot at a true Czech wonder of cuisine. The roasted pig leg (or knuckle as Cyd likes to call it). It's all the rage in traditional Czech pub cuisine. They give you a whole pig leg on a spike for around 10 bucks. It's actually really good, but suspiciously, the next day i had a really bad case of the Czech revenge (ala Montezumas revenge, I'll let you figure it out).

O.K., that's enough for now. I'll give you more Czech tomorrow, finish up our trip with a tour of Pilzen, Munich, Heidelberg, and our hillarious passport adventures next time along with a great post of Colby and James first days at school, a must see. Stay tuned!!!!

...is anybody out there?

2009-08-18T04:35:00.000-07:00

hi everyone....sorry i have been so out of touch lately. We are gearing up for a trip to Prague on the 24th and school starts the day after we return.

here is a little recap of the last few weeks!

So, we went to Amsterdam, there is Jonah next to the *a*here is James in front of a statue of Anne Frank, in front of her house. The line was unbelievable so we did'nt get a chance to go in.beautiful canals...Shelby our babysitter from San Diego came for a visit and she stayed for almost a month. It was nice having her here. Jason and i took off on a nice weekend getaway to Mallorca. We spent 3 days there. It was nice to just hangout on the beach together doing....nothing! we read and ate and relaxed. One day we went into the city to site see, like in the cathedral in Palma, Gaudi re did the altar. it was cooland as we walked throught the city we came across a mansion that you could tour. this was outside in the entryway.....peculiar and interesting.but mostly we just hung on the beach. I never realized how tiring it is to be LAZY! wow. we were exhausted.
We also celebrated 2 birthdays in the month of July!!!! look at how cute they are! We had it at the housing pool and it was great!the grand finale was a balloon fight!

and James got his cast off!!! her was alittle scared when the tech came at him with the buzz saw! But it healed fine.

soccer starts next week and James is auditioning for the childrens theatre production of *the Prince and the Pea* we'll see!

loves

2009-07-31T07:18:00.000-07:00

happy birthday. to my life long friend......i hope today is as wonderful as you are.

enjoy it baby!

okay, maybe not tomorrow.....

2009-07-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

PART 2

so we drove for about 2 hours through the german and holland counrtyside...it was beautiful. We made it to our hotel around 930pm and it was a total flashback from the 70's! it was awesome and the veiw from our room was amazing! it was so fancy! so we headed downstairs for some dinner {Colbs brought his lego loot} since it was still light outside at 10pm!and Colby discovered an age old fave of the Netherlanders.......Fries and mayo! holy moly! he is in love! and as the sun was setting we setteled into our beds for another day!the next morning we awoke to ducks quacking outside our balcony! so of course the boys had to go down to feed them!
after the duck feeding we went to a little seaside town. it was beautiful and quaint, right on the water.
all the houses looked like this.here are the boys at a gift shop. in the big ole clogs!

then we went to a cheese and clog factory!!!! it was neat to see how it's all done. the smells....were interesting...Colby did'nt like it AT ALL! this guy totally looked like Dwight Shrute from * the office* total beet farmer in his clogs! here he is holding his nose!!! HA! HAA! with Jason and I behind the silly people!

next we were off to the Windmills...by this time the boys were tired {jason included}. so here are the only pics from that trip. look at the two grumps! wow...those faces!after we got some food and rested we found a park. check this out!TO BE CONTINUED....

Amsterdam :)

loves

what a beautiful place i have found in this space, that is circling all around the sun...

2009-07-18T00:23:00.000-07:00

we have returned from Amsterdam....i am in *lovelovelove* wow. Holland is a beautiful country. I would love to go back and expiereince it without my wonderful boys, but it was great, nonethelesss.

of course, it would'nt be a *Palmer Family Vacation* with out some sort of shenanigans....

first things first, we arrived in Germany and it was raining. We got our rental car and began our journey to our hotel, which was supposed to be a relaxing first day in Germany, hang by the indoor pool and prepare for the next days activities....Let me tell you what really went down, we start driving and re start to hear a thumping sound...we think *oh, a flat tire, great* so we decide to pull over, let me first say this is a BRAND NEW CAR. only 12 kilometers driven. We finally get to an exit and the car looses compression and we kind of drift to the shoulder, praying that we are not going to crash! I get out of the car, check all the tires and they all look good, so i go around to the back of the car and place my hand on the hatchback and it is covered in OIL, OIL is SPEWING out of the back of the car!!!! we freak out! We NO SPREKENSI DEUTSCH!!!!! how are we gonna fix this! i have like 20 euros on my cell and don't have free roaming! We try calling the AVIS people and there is no answer!!! WHAT, NO ANSWER AT THE EMERGENCY ROADSIDE LINE!!!! SERIOUSLY? we try like 10 times, nothing. i use almost all my minutes and we are stuck, in the middle of BFGermany, with the boys.

oh, and it's pouring rain. So Jason decides to get out and walks like 500 meters to the emergency call box and there is NO PHONE, only a bar that you pull and hope someone will come. so we wait. I keep trying and leaving messages for the AVIS people and Jason keeps trying the call box. nothing....FINALLY we get ahold of someone at AVIS {an hour and a half later} and they say they will send someone in an hour. So, the tow truck shows up and they don't speak ANY english, so they motion for us to stay in the car and begin to attatch the car to the tow. It lifts us up on the flatbed and we keep trying to ask if we should get out of the car, but they say no. so we are literally o the back of the tow truck driving down the freeway to the shop. WHAT!!! NEVER IN THE STATES WOULD THAT HAPPEN!!!

here is our reflection in the window of the car shop. just CRAZY! we got a cab and it took us to a random gas station where anther car was waiting for us....so we then begin our drive to the hotel...we were supposed to get there around 2 in the afternoon...we did'nt actually arrive there until 10:30pm! so we get there, exhausted and we get our rooms. HOT. the AC is busted! we ask for another room, the pretty much say *go to he** and we are in a hot box all night. misery. could this trip get any worse? and that was only the beginning.

the next day we head out into Klon for some sight seeing and kid zoo action. It was a MUCH better day. the boys and I had a great time at the zoo and Jason went to the Museum. We met up for some schintzel and Jason took the boys, minus James on the Sky tram over the Rhein and James and i went into the city and saw the cathedral and walked along the shopping streets.we found a Starbuck's and James got a *spaghetti and meatball* ice cream!

and it just so happened to be *GAY PRIDE* in the city of Klon that day! i took this pic of these chics hair. it was cool.

we found a lego store and Jason and the other boys met us there and that is how we finished our day in Klon. We got back to the car and

drove to Holland...

part 2 tomorrow...

loves

happy 4th! {early}

2009-07-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

because.....we are off to Holland and Germany!!!!! WWOHOOO WEEEE! im so excited! can you tell??

anyhow, here is a little Partiotic cheer!

loves

back to the land of the living! ~ huge update!

2009-06-29T05:57:00.001-07:00

whooo! we have survived another move!!!! we love our new house on base! lots of room and lots of kiddos!! here are few pics of the new digs! we painted each room a different color and the backyard is big and over looks the ocean!!! we have a lovely breeze and can smell the ocean...it's heaven! and so convienient!

this is our front porch...living room {with boxes} now there is a flatscreen above the fireplace on the green wall, eventhough you can't see the fireplace...it's there, behind the boxes. dining roomthe kitchen {duh} it's kinda small....backyard...can you see the ocean?????more backyard the outdoor playroomthe back patiohere are the boys rooms...this is James' he has a loftbed in there and a deskand Colby's, he has a white trundel bed and a deskand Jonah's! he has a small loft bed in his, but in ths pic the paint is'nt finished... but his favorite color is Orangie! and we let them pic the colors! hey! why not?here on base they have a great pool! we are there almost everyday! if not for swim lessons, for fun! Colby is a super swimmer! he is the ONLY 4 year old that is allowed to go down the slide or jump off the diving board!!!! check out this pic! it cracks me up! he's so little compaired to all the teenagers! but he loves it and they all cheer him on! {he's at the end of the line}

sad news, we have our first broken bone....Mr Jamsers! he got his hand smashed in the car door!!!! the day after school got out and he has to wear a cast the whole summer!!!! what a BUMMER!!! But, the cool thing is, it's a waterproof cast!!! imagine that! so it's not to bad. He has a boxers fracture, on his right hand.never a straight face! Bubs playing b-ball out back with Daddy

and Jo Jo, too. We also inherited a cat! She kind of started hanging around us at our old house in Puerto, and Jason did'nt have the heart to leave her there so we adopted her. The boys are doing good with her and Jonah and I's allergies are doing great! The night before we moved out she brought us a mouse...all chewed up and disgusting! but Jason said it was a plea not to leave her behind. so we just had to take her. The boys decided to name her *lightning Jack* {don't ask}, but mostly she just goes by *kitty*.

loves

an ode to summer by Jason

2009-06-06T10:31:00.000-07:00

We'll its getting into summer here in Spain and we're already starting to spend every day at the pool. Colby is getting brown and Cyd's pink sunburn is becoming a fixture. James is as white as ever, and I often have to wear my sunglasses when i'm with him at the pool. Colby has been going off the diving board and they have a nice waterslide. He's the only one under the age of 6 that is allowed to go, i'm quite proud.

We're looking forward to a summer of fun, sun, and trying to keep the boys from killing eachother. Our next big evolution is the move back on base to the fishbowl. I think it's going to be a good thing and i know that he boys are going to love being able to walk out the front door and play with other kids. It might be nice to not have to entertain them for a while. Our next big trip isn't until Germany in August, but we're in the works for trying to see if we'll go to holland or Italy for the fourth of July. because our Itakly trip next week has been canceled... Stay tuned. last weekend we went to Madrid. here are few pics from the trip. We went to Retiro Park and decided to take a paddle boat around the Park. It was the best thing we did the whole trip! the boys loved it and so did we . Each boy got to row the boat and then Cyd and i switched kids mid stream! it was halarious! we had the best time!

Miss you all and we'll try to post some more stuff soon.

we are back!

2009-05-28T22:29:00.000-07:00

we had a nice time in Madrid! we had tapas and the boys played! it was awesome! Margerita has an amazing home that she so gracefully allowed us to stay in!! it was great! we went to Retiro Park and Palacio de Real .

as promised, here are a few videos from Colby and Jonah at Feria...

as you can see, Jonah was not having the costume or the dancing. His teacher said he started crying as soon as they changed his clothes. so there was no dancing for Jonah, until Colby got up to dance and after i changed his clothes back into his shorts. he is very stubborn.

But Colby did amazing! look at his sweet little face. He did good! and his big finish....aaawwee. He was all dressed in his outfit ready to go and as soon as he got up on stage, he pulled his shirt out, so he looks alittle slobby....but he still did great!

we were going to Italy next week, bnut now plans have changed. The place we were going to stay called and cancelled our reservation due to tree service in the area and it's to dangerous for us to be in the cabin. lame. and the childrens center is also closed! THAT WAS THE SELLING POINT OF THIS TRIP! the kids get to go to a kids camp while the parents go on tours of the italian countryside and castles....you know they could of told us this months ago, beforewe booked the room. not A WEEK BEFORE we are supposed to be there. ugh.

so now we are staying home and preparing for the move on base. we will paint the new house and go through the old stuff and purge the junk! moving is good for somethings....

well, we are off to school!

loves

eeeekkkkk!!!!

2009-05-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

is all i have to say...

the travelers...

2009-05-21T08:36:00.000-07:00

hey! this weekend we are off on another whirlwind adventure!!! to Madrid!!!! woo hoo! to visit our friend Margerita and her 3 boys!!! it should be a nice visit. then in 2 weeks we are off to Italy!!!! wow! for 7 days! then when we get home we are......moving!
what a busy month we have coming.

we have been offered a house on base and i think we are going to take it. it fits better with our family to live on base. Just the amount of kiddos playing around the neighborhood, at all times, is the selling point for us. not to mention that i make at least 4 trips to the base everyday...it's much more convienient, for ALL of us! We are going to be moving nextdoor to one of Colby's good friends from school and the family has an older boy for James to play with and a little girl Jonah's age! so it's perfect.

i will update with lots 'o pics from Madrid and Italy! promise.
tomorrow Colby and Jonah are performing a dance at school for Feria! i will put up some pics and a video!

loves

stormin' the beaches of Normandy

2009-05-12T12:05:00.000-07:00

a history lesson...prepare yourself...so last week when jeni was here, Jason went on a *guys* trip to France. He took a camera, but did not take ONE SINGLE PICTURE!!!! could you believe it???? but one of his buddies took a bunch, so here are a few...this first one is of the Church of St. Mere Eglaise where a soldier got stuck up on the roof during the "longest day" on D-day. That is a manequin. but it's supposed to be the soldier.here are the guys on Utah Beach.
here is Jason at the Sailors Memorial at Utah beachthis is the provisional headquarters of the 81st airborn when they first landed. here is the Normandy Church where the medics set up there camp.and this is the actual blood left from the paratroopers that were taken care of by the medics.and this is Caretan, one of the first major objectives of the first few days after arriving.

hope you enjoyed this presentation of the History Channel....

Jason had a wonderful time on this *guys* trip.....maybe i need a ladies trip.....to Greece??? hhhmmmm, any takers?

loves

happy mothers day

2009-05-10T08:24:00.000-07:00

to all the mommies out there.

especially ours.

we love you so much and miss you. thanks for all you do for us and how amazingly you love us, through it all.

thank you.

there's no crying in baseball!

2009-05-09T06:44:00.001-07:00

today was *Opening Day* of the season for baseball! we have 2 boys playing ball this year! Jonah is very sad that he cannot play yet. He got all dressed in the batting gear and tried to walk out on the field. poor guy.we had to stop him. he was not happy about that.

here is our New York Yankee! Mr. Bubb, he looks great in the uniform and he's so excited! look at him hit that ball! GO BUBBS!here is good ol' Jamsers! He's a New York Met! woo hoo! he's showing some real promise this year! practices are going well!

we had a wonderful time with Jeni!! we got some real quality girl time! we went to a bodega for a sherry tour and to Sevilla and to Ronda! it was amazing. she's the best house guest! she even cleaned!!! we love Aunt Jeni! i miss her already! on Saturday Jason was storming the beaches of Normandy on a guys trip so Jeni and i got brave and took the boys to Gibralter!!! it was a good time! we were not attacked, well, atleast they did'nt steal our food this time! Colby was still a little aprehensive...he stayed in the van. i love his expression.with the hand pressed up to the glass...then on the way down, the monkey jumped in the window! we got a little nervous, but it was ok.then we went to the tunnels and to St. Micheals Cave.the boys are on a cannon in front of the tunnels.

it was soooo super windy, James almost blew away!we had a great time. the boys were really good.

tonight we have a baby sitter and we are going to Sushi!!! yummmmm.

loves

feliz cumpleanos!!!

2009-05-01T10:29:00.001-07:00

today is Jamsers birthday! the big *9*!!! holy crow! it's amazing how fast time flies. when we return to the states he will be 11. amazing...

he's doing great! school is coming along and he just finished taking the Tera Nova test (standardized testing) for school. He is a great big brother! Jonah loves him! Colby and James are still working on their realationship....sharing LEGOS is a BIG DEAL!!!!

We just had a small family gathering at the house and the neighborhood kids came over to help James open his presents. He was so happy! he got just what he wanted!!

Jeni helped make a lego cake! he was soooo excited! here are Jeni and James feeding eachother cake!!! it ended with cake all over them and then Colby and Jonah wanted to do it too...as you can imagine, the hijinks ensued...and we cooked his favorite meal! chicken enchilada casorole! it was a nice night!

Last week he did a performace for Feria!! here is the video of his *Sevillana* dance. enjoy! He did awesome! He remembered all his steps and he had the best *ole* of all! he's so cool! the only boy and he was so confident. what an awesome kiddo!

happy birthday, sweet James. we love you.

loves

with the clicking clack of high heel shoes...

2009-04-24T10:58:00.000-07:00

hello all!

the weather is beautiful here in Southern Spain and we are awaiting a very special guest!!!!she arrives on Tuesday!!!! i am sooo excited i could pee! it's going to be awesome!like i said, the weather is warming up and Feria starts this week! it's the Flamenco Festivals! they are all over this region! we are sure to hit up some of the festivities!!

the boys are starting baseball this week and some pics are soon to follow! here is a pic of Colby coming home from practice, with his head out the window of the BMW. he cacks me up!so we went to Isla Magica last weekend and here is a recap in some photos! first....has anyone seen an albino peacock??? amazing! i mean the colored ones are amazing but this snow white one is so beautiful! wow! it was just hanging out! how cool.

this is a huge sculpture in the entryway! they all climbed in! here are the boys on some rides!

they love the *saltar de rana* wich translates into *the frogg hopper* and the dragon cruise. it's a nice place. the kids enjoy it! here are James and Jo on the bumper cars! and Daddy and Colbs on the llama ride!

loves

videos, oh my!

2009-04-18T23:53:00.000-07:00

hey!

i promised a couple more vids so here they are!

this is Colbs at his basketball awards pizza party! look at his face! he is oh so happy with himself!!! it's so sweet!

here is one of the boys on Easter morning going through their baskets!

yeah! it's off to the NEX for legos!!! woo hoo!

yesterday we went to Isla Magica i will post a vid and some pics later! it really takes a long time to upload videos.

loves

happy easter!!!

2009-04-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

from the palmers! ha ha ! we had an *Easter Eggstravaganza*! on base yesterday!!! it was a good time! the boys had egg hunts and bouncy's galore! it was fun! here are a few videos!
this is Jonah at the hunt.
he was cute. then Colbs at his. Here is a pic of Jamers at his. They were at the same time, across the field from eachother. I took the vid then ran over to James just as it was ending....but i did snap a pic.
look at Mr. JP.... he's so handsome and grown up! he insisted on wearing his brown cordoroy blazer to the festivities...he was the best dressed there! what a little GQ model! that's my boy! Last night we had some friends over for a *Bunny BBQ* it was nice! lots of kiddos, of all ages so all the boys had a blast!
today will be a family thing! we will dye eggs and do a little hunt here at the house! maybe ride our bikes to the beach....

loves

a birthday recap and a video or 3

2009-04-09T00:12:00.000-07:00

Hello all! and happy birthday, toddy!!!

well, i had a nice birthday! thanks for all the well wishes! on Sunday we got a cake from Baskin Robbins and had a little family bday! I made cali rolls!!! yummm.Jason had to work on Monday so we had it on Sunday. Here is what my boys got for me! yeah!

Monday our friends, The Epperlys came over and surprised me witha yummy pink strawberry cake! how sweet! it's beautiful !!!she is 9 months pregnant and was due yesterday! i can't believe she baked me a cake! awesome!

COLBY HAS LEARNED TO RIDE A BIKE!!!! {with training wheels} but it's a start! he was struggeling a bit with the whole peddeling thing but now he's got it! yeah! here is a pic and a video.Also, we got a little pool for the yard! here is a sweet cheeks pic! ha ha! it looks like they are having a full on conversation!!! how funny!

here is Jamesers after a long overdue haircut!!! he looks supa cute! he sure is growing up! i can't believe he's going to be 9 in less than a month!!! wowsers! more later...

loves

from the far side of the ocean....

2009-04-04T08:17:00.000-07:00

Hola!

long time no post! i have to thank Jason, once again! he is an awesome blogger and hubby! i'm so lucky!

Well, as some of you know my bday is monday!! woo hoo! 33....ugh.

but, when i got to the mailbox this morning i was happily surprised to find not 1 but 2 BIRTHDAY BOXES!!!! one from by dear BFC, thank you soooo much!!! oh my goodness! you are soo thoughtful and amazing! i love all the scrappy stuff and the owlies!!! AAHHHH i totally love it! thank you. i owe you, BIG TIME! Colby says thank you for the Spidey stuff and he loved the pic Maddie drew for him. aweee so sweet. i will make you a shirt!

the pother was from my lovely inlaws!!! i have'nt opened them yet because i want to wait until Monday so i have something to open on that day. but thanks soooo much. it's nice to know people care...i'm loved.

Today we had 2 basketball games and tonight we are going to some friends for a BBQ, since it does'nt get dark here until 930pm, (seriously) we will have a late night, but it will be fun!

here is a video from the bball game, for your viewing pleasure!

more later, thanks for all my lovely packages!

loves

Never mind the Bollocks

2009-03-24T13:11:00.000-07:00

Yes more London for your viewing pleasure, and Jason's got the helm. Here is the view from outside of our hotel! I snapped this pic of Cyd and Jo looking at the Thames... First more talk about the science and Natural History Museum. Definately good times for the boys. They're always happy when they've got entertainment and things that are hands on. I wish they were just a little bit older so we could do more historic stuff, but you've got to do what you can, right? Here's a picture of us at the entrance of the Science museum. It's a great entryway, we're all looking pretty happy here.
The kids got to play with all sorts of hands on exhibits, very entertaining and accessable. And it was all for free! Which is a good thing because London is very expensive. Even with the pound coming down a little in value, it's still hard to swallow that one pound was worth 1.45 dollars. So for example, a lunch at 7 pounds sounds great until you figure in the conversion. Still, an english speaking country to tour around in was wonderful. We understood all the signs, language, and there's lots of American culture infused (think american fast food that is very kid friendly) to dive into

Here's a picture of us in an exhibit that re-created the earthquake in Kobe, Japan. The room was set up like a mini-mart in Kobe and there was a video showing CCTV of a market in Kobe during their earthquake. The boys loved standing on the platform as it shook back and forth. Hey, anything for a thrill right?

More hands on stuff. Jo and Colby loved it, and James loved the opportunity to talk to people, in English, and make friends. Watertables, toys, games...oh the Joy!Finally, we decided to break the group up. Cyd, ever the Masochist, stayed with James and Colby to watch an Imax version of some silly cartoon called *Fly Me to the Moon* at the Science museum while Granpa, Nana, and I went to the Westminster area to explore the war cabinet. During WWII this particular bunker was used by Churchill and his crew to run the war and the resistance. It was definately an interesting historic side bar and I really appreciate Cyd for taking one for the team and watching the older boys while we went to the museum. A long day, lots of things that were seen. By this point the boys were still game, but there were definately fraying at the edges of their behavior.

we broke off from the parents for an hour and jotted over to Westminster Abby, but the line was emense, so here Cyd snapped a pic.

then we went to *The Tower of London* it was good for about 2 hours...then the boys started to melt down , it was late and they were tired...to much walking.
this is a cool pic of the king, it's in his room....a ghostly image...ooohh

on our last day in London we rented a car and drove 2 and a half hours to Drayton Manor !!! 'it was soo worth it! to see little Jonah's face when we walked in and he saw Thomasland!!! the other boys had a blast too! James got to ride the big boy rides!! he went off with Grumps and Colby and Jonah stayed in Thomasland! Jo rode everything and was so overwhelmed that he passed out in my arms on the Balstrode tugboat ride. what a sweetie.

thanks for letting me fill in. Cyd should be back soon!

-j

London Calling

2009-03-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

Hello London,

Well, we made it back, three kids, we didn't lose them. It was great to see the granparents, and, well, it was great to tour around a great city. It was definately a struggle with the kids to do some of the events, but you know what, if we don't do it, we'll never see Europe. So here's the first post of probably two or so of London. We did things on the cheap at first; a great Ryan air deal, the whole family round trip to London for only $600. The grandparents got there first, and we reserved a vacation apartment near the Thames at 09 Albert Embankment just across the river from Parliment and Westminster. It really was something to walk out of the apartment everyday and see Big Ben. For the boys it was reality of the "flushed away" movie that they love, for us it was history in the making.

So here's the crew, first day out after our flight back. We're headed to the Natural History Museum, of course totally free (yes Jason is a tight wad), but the kids really liked it and got a lot out of it. Just a short tube ride away, but when you calculate time and trouble, you've got to calculate how hard it is to roust 4 crazy boys anywhere, it is not easy! Trouble, trouble, and more trouble. And of course, Grandpa is the fourth troublesome child!

Here's Jo and I outsid ethe Natural History Museum

I was really impressed with how interactive all their exhibits are. I know that in the states the museums have been moving toward more interactive stuff, but England has it nailed! They had an elavated walkway over the dinosaurs that let you look at the bones eye to eye, not just on the ground looking up. The kids loved the animitronic dinos that they had there, and the cool exhibits. They even had real taxidermied animals ( a relic of the 1800's, all the animals were strangely yellowed, but hey, who kills animlas now a days anyway?). The Naturalhistory museum had great interactive displays with bugs, and other things, they loved it! I'll post more of the Science museum tomorrow, but as will be described later, museum that are interactive, or anything for that matter that involves hands on is a must with the kids. I think the grandparents had a good time, but very tiring. More posts later, Sorry that i've had to take over the posting, but Cyd just rented the Twlight movie and she's out of action. Just as a personal critique, I really think the movie Twlight is crap. Am I wrong? It's kind of a buffy the vampire slayer meets a really bad after school movie, I just don't get it. Edward dosen't sparkle that well either!!! -Jason

with childlike visions leaping into view...

2009-03-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

we are off to London in about 4 hours! i am so excited!

any last minute requests for goods? we will be there until Sunday...so if you want anything, i will be checking in!

We decided to paint our guest room!! i love the colors! a soft blue and a mocha brown...yummy! look at Jasy....doulble yumm...he did a great job on the paint! love him...

here are a few pics of the boys in thier natural habitat! Colbs in costume...as always, it's nice to see that things have'nt changes to much! and Jonah and James on the 'pooter, as Jo Jo calls it! totally cute!

i made something super cute...wanna see 'em?

totally cute, huh?

i have been teaching classes here on base and i taught this one last weekend!! i love how they turned out! i made a few for the girls at Colby and Jonah's school!

ALSO look what comes out in just 3 short days!!! i can't wait to get my copy!!! woo hoo!and...uummm...HOLY CUTE!!! wow he is a stunner....ooh, Edward....this is a pic from the new issue of GQ mag!!! unbelievable...

catch ya all in a few days!

loves

and i will drive my chariot down your street....

2009-03-10T09:36:00.000-07:00

Hey! we are back in business! we are getting ready for our trip to london on the 18th and i'm so excited! woo hoo!!

i am also loving our new laptop! it's pretty fancy!

and in the mail today i got an early bday package from my dear, dear bff Erika. i love you more that you will ever know. thank you sooo so much. you made my day! seriously.

lookie....along with so much scrappy stuff!!! i am dazzled!

the boys are loving basketball and they had a game on Saturday! it was cute.
swimming just started again today! we are busy!

on sunday the weather was so nice that we went to the beach! her are a few pics! James and Colby made friends quickly and proceeded to bury eachother up to thier necks! good times.

Jonah was content to sit on the beach blanket with me and listen to some tunes....he's a good kiddo.

we had a great time, Jason was working in the ER, so we spent like 4 hours on the beach! it's going to be an amazing summer!

loves

i'm not dead...

2009-03-06T06:23:00.000-08:00

and i'm not a vampire...either, but the computer died, though. so we were out of commission for a few days. I lost all of our pictures that i have taken since wqe;ve been here in Espana....i'm pretty bummed out about that. we are still trying to recover them....keep your fingers crossed. So this is a pictureless post. boo.

we just got a new laptop! i still do'nt have my pics from the old one, but, you all know i take a gazillion pics all the time so, i will have pics up soon. this is just an update. i will post a picture heavy post asap!

loves

i love boys who sparkle...

2009-02-20T12:10:00.000-08:00

ok, i am done with the saga.....i think i will start over....i loved it so. aahhhh....edward....

ok, back to reality!

first a big shout out to my amazingly wonderful hubs, Jason for guest blogging for me!!! he's awesome and will never admit to it, but liked the *twilight saga* as much as i did. :)

Anyway, yes we've been traveling quite a bit and it has been both exhausting and fun. The boys are really warming up to this whole touring thing. Hopefully they will carry it with them throughout life. we can only hope, right?

here are a few pics from Portugal.

the first is a pic from Evora, about an hour outside of Lisbon. They have a bone chapel!!! it is made of the bones of the people burried in the city.....spooky. we stopped and toured the bones and let kids play in the park. We also let Jason and Jonah recover from a bit of a debackle in Merida...see we stopped for lunch at a park and decided to take a walk on the road by the river....well, Colby James and I started walking ahead of Jonah and Jason....Jonah decided to walk on the edge of the embankment and within a few seconds he was sliding down the embankment in to the stagnant, funk, murky swampy river!!! So, without hesitaton, my superhero hubs jumps right in the said river and saves the day!!! but not before his blackberry and wedding ring went flying into the abyss!!!! sad times...here he is all injured. he hurt his elbow and knee...

here is an amazing ruin in the park. it was amazing, peacocks EVERYWHERE!

Jonah on the playset...and this pic of James is so funny! I told him to step up on the pedastal and pose like the staues we saw in the museum and he did this! all the statues had no heads...get it? ha!on the second day we went to the Oceanario in Lisbon. It was cool.ok, i will do a *Portugal Part 2* tomorrow.

but first, i got my hair did!!! it's not as great as * the hair whisperer* , {who i am missing sooo much right now}, but it will do! love the color! woo hoo!

loves

2009-02-19T12:23:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. Yes it has been ages since the Palmer family has found the time to post. Since Cyd is gone beyond any hope of redemption in her "Twlight" books I have put it upon myself to post our most recent blog. Please forgive any missteps or inadequacies that you might find and realize that I'm trying my best. So hear goes the first real posting from Jason.

So we'll begin with our brief visit to Italica just north of Seville which happened late January. The trip itself was quite short, and I was glad to get some history in. earlier in the day we did a quick stop into the archetectural museum in Seville and another cultural museum. It was a typical flial with the rain and trying to park, but we made it. Italica is facinating; wonderful history, beautiful mosaics. It's an incredible focus of history and I'm glad we were able to spend some time there. I tricked Cyd into going there by telling her it's where the guy from Gladiator was born.

Here's a picture of James looking into the ampitheter, bring in the Gladiators! It was a windy day, and I'm glad the boys were able to tough it out. They're getting better at touring.

After this trip, the next weekend we all went up to Madrid. I think Cyd blogged about that earlier so I won't add anything more, it was a great trip and I hope that we go up there frequently to see Margarita and her family. We did stop in Toledo on the way up. It's a magical city, we'll probably go up there again in the future. The cathedral there is one of the best. It's pretty touristy, but we had a good time.

So now back to our regular life. Day to day stuff is pretty normal, but we're trying to integrate the boys into regular activities. They were great swimmers back in San Diego so we put them into classes here in Rota. Here's a picture of Colby hamming it up on his way to his swim lessons. Here's a secret, the girl in the picture has a crush on him, lord knows why. I guess he's cute.

Here's another shot of swimming from a different perspective. I'm being cruel though, he's really enjoying his swimming. It gives him a chance to do something he's good at (swim) and to talk to other kids. James is growin up and maturing, I have to give him that.

Now back to touring. These are shots from our trip to Madina Sidona. It's an Andalusian white town, the boys had a good time running around and we got some history touring.

This a picture of the boys looking out over the valleys of southern Spain. I hope something rubs out on them on all these trips.

Jo and I on the march. Before this we had just headed up a church tower, he's pretty fatigued at this point.Jo on a pause.

A typical map check.

Now back to real life. A fun thing that we started to do during the swimming lessons of the kids is to take Jo bowling. He's really taken to it and loves it. The other kid love bowling to. I think they just like the colors of the balls Here's some shots of them getting down:

I'm looking back at such bowling skills! Check out Colby in action! I see a future kingpin!

Here's a sweet shot of Jo in the interum. He's waiting for his "Bop", milk and strawberry syrup in a sippy cup. It's his manna, the only thing he's looking for to start his day. We love him but it's becoming kind of tiresome.

I promise I'll get Portugal in tomorrow. It's a lot to catch up on. I guess this blogging business is more than I though, I owe Cyd some props.

awful, i know....

2009-02-18T11:01:00.000-08:00

i know i need to post....ugh. i'm exhausted from our Portugal trip. i will post soon, promise...maybe later tonight.

loves

2009-02-12T12:09:00.000-08:00

It's Jason hijackin Cyd's blog. I threw in a picture of me in Singapore, I know, shameless. But don't I look happy in the rain? I was thinking of old friends and really would like to hear from Julian. I don't know if he's monitoring this blog, but if he could give me an e-mail with his number that would be cool. I owe him some Primus CD's anyway.

uummmm....

2009-02-06T11:00:00.000-08:00

i have been lost in twilight for two weeks...sorry. oh my gosh, it's sad and pitifull i know, but oh my goodness, these books are amazing! WOWSERS!!!! i am addicted.

seriously.

read them.

hi...

2009-01-23T22:58:00.000-08:00

WOW time gets away from me...

anyhoo, we are doing great! i am getting some complaints that there are not enough pics of the kids, so this will be a kid heavy post! ;)~

First, on a whim last saturday we decided to pack up the kids and make the 6 hour haul to Madrid!!! yes, crazy. i know. but the boys did remarlably well until....we got into the city. Jonah got car sick and threw up all over the back seat and himself. yuck! but we survived and made it to the hotel! The next day we wanted to see the Prado Museum, the boys lasted about an hour...we played i -spy. that helped, but they got board pretty quick, so we took the boys to the Madrid Zoo/Aquarium! it was worth the pain of the museum and of the night before in the hotel. (they did'nt sleep very well, niether did Jason). The zoo was no San Diego Zoo, but it did have it's highlights! First, there are not real baracades between you and the animals. I mean if a brown bear got mad enough, i'm sure he could jump over the tiny {maybe a foot high} log enclosure and EAT YOU!!!! seriously! people were FEEDING the animals!!! tossing bread at the BIG BROWN BEARS!!! and the BIG GORILLAS!!! they we CrAzY!!! Jason and i just looked at eachother in amazment! Here are a few shots of the zoo.

James made a special bond with the Baboon...i took this as James was walking away...here is the bear encloseure...i did'nt use the zoom AT ALL. Someone just threw a hunk of bread at it! WOW~!Colby and James got called up onstage at the bird show!!! its not the greatest pic, but the bird is eating out of Colbys hand! he was thrilled!always meeting new friendsso much for a language barrier...

all over Madrid there were these cool bulls. it was the parade of cows {they look like bulls to me} and here Jo decided to milk one! how he knew that, is beyond me! After the Zoo, we went to an old friends house in the suburbs of Madrid! Margerita! we knew eachother back in San Diego from a mommy group called Baby Bootcamp! it was great to see her. Her babies are adorable! And Colby and David, have known eachother since they were 5 months old! they were like long lost buds! it was great! It had snowed there a week earlier and the boys were sooooo excited about the snow! they have been asking to go see snow for weeks!!! it was nice! they built a snow man! and they had a snowball fight! such fun!Jonah did not like to get bundeled....

here are the boys! power rangers!!!

and the whole brood!

Also, back at home, the boys started swimming!!!! YEAH! if you look closely you can see our knucklehead...behind the boy infront.and here is James. I could only get a few shots before my camera got all fogged up!{i got a new one for christmas!}it's very humid at the indoor pool.

loves

part 2...

2009-01-14T03:48:00.000-08:00

hello

here's part two! i'm so behind on this blog thing...sorry.

where to start....this vintage money from all over the world. it looks so amazing....

i guess i will continue with *les puces* and go from there. Here are a few more pics from the flea market. we really had a great time. it was cold but so great just thumbing through all the old stuff...it was exciting. i only wish i would have bought more....there were so many cool vintage dress forms, i wanted all of them. After we stopped in a cafe to warm up with french onion soup and cafe a lait, we made the trip to the famous cemetary where Jim Morrison is buried. Jason had been there before, so we did not get the map (for 1 euro)....needless to say we got lost many times and never did see jims grave, BUT, we still had a good time. i got a lot of great shots in the graveyard...it was beautifulwe think it was right in this area but we just could'nt find it...i'm sure i have a pic of it and do'nt even know it. this is an interesting pic. Someone made a bird sculpture out of bubble gum and set it on one of the crypts...i just thought it was interestingthis is a pic of the louvre at sunset. we were on our way over to the Notre Dame. we stopped for our first french delicious crepes at a street kiosk. OOOOH MY GOLLY!!! i guess i had never actually eaten a real crepe before that day, because now i understand the love of the crepe...they are sold with apples inside, or cherry, or suzette style,wich is grand marnier and suger, but the most delicious way is nutella with banana!!!! Jason got just nutella. wow. amazing...here is the Hotel De Ville(yeah) and then the Notre Dame...amazing then a few inside, i took about 10 pics of these candles...there were so many and they just looked so pretty.

and a pic of Jason and i walking across the bridge over the sienewith the Notre Dame in the background...this was a self portrait of us. i have more....

tomorrow, I PROMISE

loves

happy new year, le puces, and Paris!!!! oh my....

2009-01-03T23:34:00.000-08:00

warning~ prepare to be inspired

*photo heavy post *

hello! it's 2009!!! yeah! we survived another year!

we just got home from Paris and it was amazing! this was our metro stop by the hotel. we stayed at the Rive Gauche on St. Jacques. it was so nice to get away for a few days. We saw all the sites and went on an evening Seine River cruise, so romantic! saw the Eiffel Tower in all it's glory, dressed in blue with yellow stars for the european flag and spent New Years on the Champs Elysses!!! who could ask for anything more? i seriously have the husband of the year!in the metro waiting areathe first day after we arrived we went to Le Puces it was a treasure trove of inspiration and eye candy! VERY expensive, but absolutely worth going to, even in 2 degree celcius weather!!!! it was freezing!!! our feet were numb at the end of the day! we spent 5 hours there and got through about half! i was in love! i could of spent 2 days there. If i was with my super BFC there would have been no stopping us! seriously! here is a little eye candy...oh my goodness, there were so many different chandeliers, i was nuts!!! i decided i wanted to do a coffe table book of chandeliers...

incredible...

jason found some amazing old books and i found some great old photos and paper lovlies from like the 1800's. so amazing.

ahhhh, so dreamy...vintage doll parts....a little creepy....but still supa cool! there were some great stauarythis one reminds me of my boys, fighting, yet loving...then i stumbled upon a vintage letter press booth.....oh, so heavenly.....being the font junkie that i am, i was in this booth for at least an hour....i did end up purchasing my last name and our first initials...so cute.while i was in the letter booth, Jason found old medical stuff. even cooler....

holy moly!!!! this post is getting really long i have so much more to share.....it will have to be a two parter...

loves

merry christmas

2008-12-23T00:47:00.000-08:00

hey all!

today is our christmas eve!!! Jason has to work in the ER on Christmas so we are doing it all a day early. The kids are thrilled! we told them that Santa comes early beacuse we are in Spain. of couse they thought that was cool.

we have some visitors! our first here in Spain! we are glad they are here. the boys are so happy to have them here. Jason and i are chopped liver...

On Saturday we took the family and a caravan of friends to Arcos to see *the Living Nativity*

and here is the *baby Jesus*...it was a mad house! to say the least. people were pushing and it was so crowded!! Arcos is small as it is, the streets were so packed!!!! it was an experience. i do'nt know if we need to go back next year, unless Jason is dying to see it. but....it was something.
more later!
loves

charlie brown christmas

2008-12-14T01:38:00.000-08:00

hey all!!

we got our christmas tree this week, and needless to say, the trees here in Europe are a little different than those in the states...totally reminds me of charlie brown christmas...it's cute...right? we realized that when we went out to the shed to get our christmas decorations that we had not sent them in the pack out!!!!! i was sad, but it gave me an excuse to craft!!! YEAH!!! (like i need one) so on a limited amount of supplies, here is what i came up!!!

i made the stockings and hats, and glittered pine cones, i made the garland and my wonderful inlaws sent the boingy santa hanging on th wall! i also bought a couple of nick-knacks at the base and out in town! it's good. it will do for our first christmas here. here are a few more things i made. first i made this cute tree. wich Jonah loved because it spins around! i saw it here and Saturday was our anniversary so i made Jason this little card...guess what he gave us for our anniversary??? OH MY GOSH!!!! we are going to PARIS FOR NEW YEARS!!!!! wow! i am the luckiest girl!!! he is wonderful...

***christy email me if you want me to pick you up anything....

that night we went to the hospital chrismas party and danced and ate and drank...it was nice.

James had another football game and here are a few pics

it was FREEZING!!!! jason is wearing my scarf.

and here Jason is playing toss with Jonah!!! wow!!! look at how high he is!then on sunday we went to the exchange and as we pulled up, so did Santa!!! we watched him pull in on the firetruck! and we were first in line to get our photo with the man in red!

loves

dear blog....it's been soooo long

2008-12-09T06:10:00.000-08:00

yes, i am blogging..... wow! i know!
my class just ended and have been super busy with the holidays and making christmas cards. remind me next year to stick with the photo cards....not that i don't LOVE to create cards, but wow, 50+ hand made cards is tough.

i have also been stitching....lookie loo!!!i'm so i love with it!!! i drew it on my jeans and just stitched it!!! the reason i decided to do it on my jeans is because after we took pics on Penny, i slid off and my pant leg got caught on the broken antenna!!! i got a bad cut and a hole in my pants!!! but i made it beautiful!!! here is the before...we went to Malaga (2 1/2) hours away to take the boys to the science museum!!! it was definetly worth trip!!! the boys loved it! we had the place to ourselves and there were three different interactive rooms and a planetarium!!!! totally cool!!! all for 2 euro a piece!!! wow.after the museum we took the boys to the mall because they had a Mc Donalds and it had been a long time since they had had Mc Donalds! they were stoked!!! out in the mall they had a christmas village set up with horse rides through the village! it was cute. so of course we did it!

AND happy birthday to my sweet Jasiona!!! aaawwweee.... how cute are my boys!

its begining to look alot like christmas around here!!! here we are at the tree lighting ceremony last friday!!! The boys got to ride the Polar Express!! Jonah was soooo excited. we almost could'nt get him off the train.

after that was a kid party at the hospital and the boys had a blast. arts and crafts and santa!!!

Jo was so good with Santa this year.

here they are making cookies then with Santa. James left right before Santa came, he had his first football game!!!! he's really liking it! he's never played football before, but he's doing good.

yes, that is Jonah hugging Santa!!!!colby made the tree ornament!!!and mommy kissing santa claus!!!

merry merry

loves

gobble gobble!

2008-11-28T00:27:00.001-08:00

happy turkey day!

*more pics to follow....tomorrow.

loves

introducing.....

2008-11-22T11:33:00.000-08:00

Penelope....Penny for short!!!! she is the newest addition to the Palmer clan! we finally have a girly!!!

just look at her.....she's chubby and oh so cute!!! just look at the proud Papa! he's ready to tackle the Spanish roads....hey, Whitesnake called....they want Tawny Katain back!!!! ha hahaaaa!as Simon and Garfunkle play, he heads to a peace rally.....this pic is so retro! love it!

and then theres Jonah, so dramatic! this is all because James would'nt share the paints.his life is over. poor baby. then we did a family shot. the lighting was nice.and a lovey shot....:)So, last weeekend we went to Sevilla and we walked out of the underground parking structure and what did my bleary eyes behold.....aaahhhh.....salvation. it's been 2 months since my last *bucky's* it was so lovely. the boys got hot cocoas and i did all the ordering....IN SPANISH!!!!

my classes out in town are really paying off! There are no *bucky's* here in Rota, the closest is in Sevilla wich is about an hour and twenty minutes away....sadness. i have to say, the cafe con leche that we get in town is unbelievable....yuuummmm.it was a little piece of home...

yes we did see other things in Sevilla. Here we are at the famous *Plaza de Toros* (bullring). Colbs was alittle disappointed because he wanted to see a real live bull. and Jonah had had enough of the guided tour, so we moved on.and went to a cathedral and walked to the top of of the Girlada, (the bell tower). it was 42 flights up. the boys did it! it was fun! no stairs, just ramps. then they ran around the *Plaza de naranjas* ( orange plaza) and found a fountian. there are many here...then went to Christopher Columbus' grave...he's supposedly in that case that the statues are carrying.....oooohwhat a nice day! the boys are getting the hang of being tourists!

and, lastly...here are some of the chrismas cards i'm making. i will be mailing them out on the 1st of December....so keep a look out for them!

miss you all,

loves

hola amigos and amigas!!!

2008-11-08T01:58:00.000-08:00

Wow! time sure flys!!! here are the boys in a parador, wich is an old castle that has been turned into a hotel!!! only in Europe. Well, we've been here about six weeks now....it sure seems longer than that. I really love it here. i do believe i am european in my soul...it just feels right, here. I do'nt feel any of that terrible agony of not being in the states. I do'nt miss Mc Donalds, altough, i'm almost pretty sure that the boys do. ;) I will say i miss target...hee hee. and there are no scrapbooking stores here, so i do miss that, but i'm good with it. The fashion here is unbelieveable!!! i'm loving the mall! Boots are all the rage here. every style imagineable! it's good because i have been wanting boots...any reason to get new shoes is good enough for me!
I do really miss my family and friends...really. that part does suck. i wish you could all be here with us. that would be the best!!!

yesterday i was waiting for James to come home from school and decided to do an impromptu photo shoot in our yard....yes, i am the biggest dork that ever lived....don't judge me....
here is the result...

i set the timer on my camera and voila!! i think they look very victorian....i like them.

Here are a few picks of Halloween. Here James was playing the operation game...you stick your hands in thes guts and dig around until you find a ball, if it had a 2 on it you won!!! he tried 4 times and never got the 2...poor Jamser. Colby was terrified of it. so he did'nt play.

here is the gang!

and the Colbs! Mr. Batman!!!Jonah was 3 things this year. First Thomas, then baby batman and lastly, an astronaut. at least he wore one. we were'nt sure if he would. he's a little stubborn. hee hee.and to close, here are the boys in our living room, down by the fire.

loves

2008-11-02T00:21:00.000-07:00

Hey!!!

yesterday we went on an adventure to Carmona and Cordoba!! it was fun. Carmona was on the way to Cordoba, we did'nt actually mean to go there but the boys were getting tired of sitting in the car. It's a nice little town about an hour and a half away from Rota. We spent about 2 hours there and had lunch. again, the boys were not impressed with the food....but they are coming around. After we ate we walked up this VERY narrow cobblestone street, where cars drive as your walking! CRAZY! and found a courtyard with benches. There were some kids playing soccer and (of course) our boys joined right in! James was asking how to say stuff in Spanish. it was great! One good thing about our boys is that they have no quams about walking up to kids and joining in the fun!!! even if they don't speak the language! awesome!

Traveling with them is getting better. They were VERY good! when we finally made it to Cordoba, the mosque had already closed so we just strolled the streets and had ice cream. the boys love the fact that they can run around! it's very safe here. The spainish really value children. its wonderful.

Here are a few more pics!

here in Spain there are a million dragonflys all over!!! seriously, they are everywhere! Colby found one on the ground outside our house....it was injured. this is Jo in Sevilla. great shot of him in the plaza. He just wanted to sit and people watch...here are Jo and James in our Salon (living room) before we moved our stuff in.the boys at the Alcazar. and at the kids day on base!

here is a video!!!!

enjoy!

loves

happy halloween!!!

2008-10-30T14:35:00.000-07:00

what do you call a hotdog with no guts?....... a HOLLOW~WEENIE!!!Hey!!! we are back in the real world!!! we have phone and internet!! yeah! i will start doing regular blog posts!!!!

as promised here are a few pics of the last month!

this is a pic of our front yard! before we moved our stuff in.here it is filled with our new friends at one of our weekend dinner parties! (check out all the kiddos!) the boys are loving it!Colby with his *special lady friend* ;)the view from our front door.Here is Jason putting up the trampoline....what a hottie!here we are at Gibralter with the infamous monkey attack! the monkey has the popcorn!

who? me........

riding the cable car up the rock! before the debacle!

Colby chatting with the monkeys...look at the monkeys expression...CrAzY!!!!

here we are in St. Micheals Cave. the boys loved it!

the boys on the beach in Chipiona.

Josie in the yard. he found this garden stake that looked like a crown. totally cute!here we are in Sevilla. 3 days after we arrived!

Jamser at a birthday halloween party...so handsome.

thats all for now! more tomorrow!

loves

2008-10-20T03:44:00.001-07:00

hey!!

we are officially living in Spain!!! our house is unpacked and we are setteling into our new digs! the boys *LOVE* the place! we got them a trampoline!!! who knew it would be so much fun!

we bought a Rota *beater*... a used car from the *lemon~lot*. It's a VW Bug!!!! totally old school! i love it! i wish we could take it back to the states with us when we come home!!! but who knows how long it will last. It's a 1983...i thought that they stopped making them in the 70's but apparently only in the states. we are loving it!

I am taking spanish classes in the city and i can almost conversate!!! i actually know more than i thought! so thats a plus.

the boys are doing great! they like the new house. they are much better than when we first got here.
still no pics....still no internet...i'm at the base now blogging. it will probably be another month or so....SUCK! i will try to get a pic on here next time.

love and miss you!

loves

hola!!!

2008-10-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

we are at an internet cafe here and i am going to blog~

boy, have i missed this!

i miss you all! Spain is great, but i sure do miss home and those simple luxuries...like internet access whenever you want, and the market being open all day, everyday. it's closed here on Mondays and at 6pm. crazy.

we are moving in to our house tomorrow!!!! our household goods are being delivered so we will be in our new home, hopefully tomorrow night!!!

loves

we are moving house....

2008-10-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

we found a wonderful spanish chalet with 5 bedrooms! we are so excited to move!! i can't wait to get settled! I will do a full post of pics very soon!
love and miss everyone!

loves

Hola from Espana!

2008-10-06T01:17:00.000-07:00

hey everyone, we're still alive but without good internet access. Stay tuned for a big download of pictures and stories. We love and miss you all. Adios!

Loves

goodbye San Diego......

2008-09-07T07:13:00.000-07:00

these pics are form our night beach walk in OB. The boys were so excited to be there at night!
look at this piece of seaweed Colby found!! HOLY! {and yes, he's in his undies}! he wanted to be naked....

today we are officially vagabonds! we had our last packout on Friday and have been living with Nana and Grumps. We head to Vegas today! it's going to be good. final closure on this chapter of our lives. i don't really know how i feel. I guess it just has'nt hit me yet.

We have been super busy getting in all of our last minute San Diego things. Seeing friends and spending time with Family. it's been exhausting. but great! My BFC and I went to the Scrapbook Expo last week!!! it was awesome! i will miss her soooo. she has been such an amazing friend to me these lase 4 years....our kids are the same age and have been such good friends. We will all miss them.

our last night in our house we had a little visitor.....are'nt they soooo cute? i just want to squeeze him! to bad they are sooo mean!

look who got hair cuts!!!

before: crash bandicootAfter: respectable young manand Mr. Colbs....

looks all growed up....

we're off!!

loves

the count down to Rota..

2008-09-02T22:12:00.000-07:00

school is back in session. we are getting in the last few things of San Diego that we want to see, like the museums at Balboa Park, the Birch Aquarium, the Zoo. Last minute adventures with the boys. it's bitter sweet. friday the last of our stuff goes.

no pics today. I'm blogging from the laptop.
more later.

loves

2 weeks...

2008-08-26T21:13:00.000-07:00

it's amazing that our entire life was packed into these boxes.school has started and we are just hangin' out until the 5th. That's when the the movers come for our final packout. then we are off to Vegas to see my mom and Todd and Craig. it's going to be great! i can't wait! we are taking the kids and the grandparents! our last hoooorah, before we head out...

over the weekend we hit the Santee Spray grounds and the beach. here are a few pics!

the boys are loving boogie boarding! i am amazed that Colby has absolutely no fear of the ocean and the waves. He lets the undertoe take him out and he actually swims in the waves! underwater! geez, he just turned 4!!! he's going to be our extreme sports guy! i love it! he's really not afraid of anything.Jonah tried. it was cute. he was scared at first, but soon got the hang of it. Iron Man joined us at the beach...

and soon met his fate....

look at my studly hubby!!! yeah, he's hot!

loves

sooo cute!!!

2008-08-24T17:44:00.001-07:00

look at these!!! aaaahhhh!!! i want them! you can get them here. do you think i could get them before we leave? oh they are soooo adorable!

loves

ins and outs

2008-08-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

things around here are moving right along. some days are frustrating. like when you go into the kitchen to cook a meal for your family, then realize that you have nothing to cook the pasta in, or that you can't make enchiladas because you don't have a baking dish, or measuring cups to measure rice....ugh. But there is definitely something to be said about this minimalist lifestyle...let go of the clutter and you are free....

less than a month to go....how scary. and exciting.

today we are off to the beach! yeah!

loves

bare bones

2008-08-12T07:35:00.000-07:00

we are down to the wire. only 34 days and a wake up until we are off to Spain. The movers came on Wednesday and Thursday for the *pack out* now we are living on bare bones. We stocked the rooms with lovely air mattresses and our clothes are in our suitcases. We took one of our outdoor furniture sets and moved it into the dining room for our table and got this cutie little futon from Target! as you can see, Jonah found it very comfortable. The kids are having a rough time with this transition. They are bonkers! they do'nt know what to do. but we are adjusting. We are heading to Vegas on the 7th of September for a week, then to the Navy Lodge for 2 nights before we embark on our 15 hour flight! woo hooo! it's going to be quite and adventure.

On Saturday my dear friends little boy turned 2 so we drove down to the OC to celebrate! it was a good time. lots of kids to play with!

more soon.
loves

yeah!

2008-07-30T11:57:00.000-07:00

here are a few pics from Jonah's special day! It was just the family. Aunt Shelby is here visiting from North Carolina. It's been nice.

First thing we did was go swimming! {per usual}. Then we went for a hike at Mission Trails!it was good. the little guys tired out quickly, but James and Dad went on a short hike alone while i stayed back at the dam with the little guys. I got some good pics. check out this dragonfly!wow! then it was back home for the BIRTHDAY BBQ~

good times!

you do'nt suppose this little boy likes trains...do you?

birthdays!

2008-07-27T16:49:00.000-07:00

today is Jonah's 2nd Birthday! he was born at 2:16 am. Yeah!

Yesterday we had a birthday party for both of our July B-day boys!! I'm a terrible mom. I forgot to dedicate a post to our *golden boy* Colby on his special day. His birthday was last Sunday, the 20th. He' 4!!! holy moly, how time flies.

the party was a rager! we had 18 kids, ranging in age between 8years and 1 week! it was cool! there were 2 wading pools, a bouncy pool, squirt guns, a face painter, superhero and princess costumes and a pinata! totally AWESOME!!

and Erika came down with her kiddos and husband Max!! i was so excited! what a great day!

tonight we are doing a small family party for Jonah. I will post pics tomorrow.

loves

scrappy goodness!

2008-07-16T19:11:00.001-07:00

here is a layout i just did! i totally love it! The pic is from when Jason got home from this last deployment!!! cute!

i like the butterflies the best...i think, i also like the chipboard flourish, you can't really make it out in the pic but i painted it and added glitter. The butterflies are punched from vellum and glued one completely down on the card stock then took another one that i embellished with stickles and folded it in half to make it look *in flight* and glued it down on the fold. i really like how it came out. :)

anyway, that's all for now.

loves

2 months...

2008-07-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

wow! i just realized that we are shipping out to Spain in exactly 2 months! i can't believe it. i've been packing my scrap-room. slowly but surely...the movers come on the 6th of August to move our household goods. the Van gets shipped the next day and it will take 52 days to get to Spain!! i hope it's there when we get there.

Anyway, we have been enjoying the summer and Jason being home! we are BBQing at least 3 times a week and have been having dinner outside in our lovely backyard.there is always a nice cool breeze back there...even on the hottest day. i sure will miss this place....We just got ROCKBAND for the Wii!!! CRAZY FUN!!! we are all addicted! the boys love to bang away on the drums and the guitar while Daddy or I sing. great family fun!

we went to the art street fair in El Cajon and the boys got their faces painted! i think we'll hire them for Colby's birthday party! that would be fun! they were pretty reasonable. and did a good job! James always chooses something scary. Colby is supposed to be IRON MAN, but he started to wipe it off and it got all smeared. And, it always amazes me when Jonah actually lets people touch him, other than the family. he sat right down in the chair and got a *toot toot* on his cheek. totally cute! but would not sit still for a pic. oh well.

so thats what we've been up to...how about you?

loves

happy!

2008-07-04T08:06:00.000-07:00

happy anniversary to two very special people who have been married 37 years today. Two people who are so generous and loving. Two people who love their family and friends, and it shows in the way we all look at them, especially their grandkids! Two people that i would have been lost without these last two years...thank you both for loving this family with all yourselves.
you two truly are the footprints... ;)

we love you.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!