Just chilling

Here are a few pictures of my boys...

This kid loves to paint

See the paint on his hands?
Waking up from his 1 hour nap... sigh...
Maybe we can snuggle for a minute...
NOPE. See Mom come out and play
Hinks at teeball practice
Coming in from hitting a ball

School or BE schooled

Okay so this beautiful, handsome little boys is going to start kindergarden like in 5 short months. UGH. Can we say mixed emotions?! YES!

I never really understood why parents cried at the first day of school until I had my OWN child headed off to bully land. I always thought to myself what a wonderful opportunity for a child to grow and learn why would you hold them back? But my thoughts now turn to the fact that my sweet precious little naive boy will be going to school with 12 year olds! I am worried that he will get bullied. I am worried that he wont have friends! I worried he will have nobody to sit next to at lunch! I worried his teacher wont like him. NOW to add to my worries....

So the zoning here in New Mexico is like stupid. Why do they have a single wide trailers right next to $400,000 houses? I dont know. So Even though 75% of our area goes to the RIGHT school KGE (Katherine Galagos Elementary), the actual NICE homes go to the dumpy school (RGE) Raymond Gabaldon) that is further away that DIDN'T PASS the state standards! URGH! So since kindergarden registration is NEXT week I have been on the quest to get a school transfer. I have been to just about every building at the district and talked to a dozen people. Been to 3 different schools, filled out paperwork and blah blah blah. And we will not know if he is accepted to another school until right before school starts! I would love for him to go to KGE or better yet SUNDANCE. You know when you walk into an elementary school and it smells of sweaty kids? Well NOT at Sundance. Its beautiful and new.

PLUS I had a little run in with the secretary at RGE the school he is suppose to go to. What is it with people who are unpatriotic and rude?! Anyway... HERE is to hoping he gets into a better school!

Kissing my babes

One of my favorite things in the world is kissing my boys after they have gone to sleep. The only thing I would want more is to kiss my 3 boys after they have gone to sleep. OH I have sweet boys!

Just wanted to let you know

This post is going to be a bit of a vent. SO BEWARE! It is not intended to hurt anybodies feelings but this is an opportunity for me to share my heart about something dear to me. And you as somebody who knows me should know this about me.

(this was 4th of July a few years back with our friends doing sparklers)

I LOVE AMERICA! I love it. I LOVE AMERICA. I may not agree with all the policies, wars, leaders, etc. BUT I love America. Now do I think America is the only great country? NO! I just feel so much pride and happiness LIVING in America. I feel blessed to have the privilege of walking on sovereign ground. To worship how I please. To have clean water, a good sturdy roof over my head, paved streets, the use of technology, the ability to get from one point of the country all the way across the continent in 4 or 5 hours if I need to, to be able to pray or speak the way I want to. I love that I am able to walk hand in hand with my children down the street and my husband too! I love that my husband can walk side by side with me and not in front of me. I love that my children have a chance to go to public school and college. I love that we have job opportunities (even if they are scarce right now). I love that I have gas to drive my car on the road... Okay you get the idea right?

(Hinks looks so young in this picture, but it is one of my favorites!)

I love that we have men and women who are willing to sacrifice SO MUCH to be in harms way so we can live a relatively peaceful and happy life. I have a new found respect and love for those who have served in the past and present and those who will continue to serve in the future. I have met men and women who have lost body parts, eye sight, hearing, the ability to love all in the name sake of war. I have been humbled by these meetings. I thank my Father in Heaven for my blessings. I recently read an article on PTSD (if you dont know what it is look it up). My eyes were soared open to this horrible tragedy that people go through. IT IS REAL! These men and women who go over to the sandbox SEE HORRIBLE things. Some get to the point that their "natural" high can only be obtained in a war zone. Can you imagine going from getting a natural high by going out with your family to the movies VS getting your high shooting and killing somebody? Some can't even leave their own apartments out of FEAR! It is a horrible disease that is affecting our soldiers!

(this was when Troy came home from basic and AIT!)

We haven't even mentioned how hard it is on when a soldier deploys! Do we even need to go there? Have I ever told you that no matter how tired I am I can not go to bed until after 10pm? You would probably be surprised to know the answer. If your soldier is killed in action they can not knock on your door to tell you after 10pm. NOW I KNOW TROY IS COMING HOME. NO DOUBT IN MY MIND. But it is psychological thing. My 4 year old wakes up in the middle of the night crying for his daddy. He asks me usually about once a day if his daddy is coming home safe. Even though I reassure him about ten times a day. Can you imagine the stress and anxiety this 4 year old has been through? Do I even need to say that my almost 18 month will not even know his daddy when he comes home? So much he has missed out on. Hinckleys first day of SCHOOL, Chandlers first words... Okay enough!

Why am I venting about this? Well, because I want you to know I AM PROUD TO BE AMERICAN. If you aren't then get the heck out of America. Don't criticize or ridicule people who love America. Majority of them have a reason to be proud. If somebody wants to color their house like the flag WHO CARES! If somebody wants to name their daughter Liberty because they feel it is an important part of who they are WHO CARES!

(Troy and the daddy bear the Hinckley has to sleep with EVERY NIGHT!)

I have 3 friends who have lost their loved ones to war. 1 a finance, 1 a spouse, and 1 a son. These are dear and good friends who I LOVE. So what if they plaster all of their mini-van in remembrance of so and so. Or have a big sign in their front yard that reads, "Are you thankful for your freedom? THANK YOUR MILITARY!" Don't you think we should have enough respect to not be judgmental of people who love America? You never know what trials or things they have been through. Maybe they are a refuge from Colombia who lived through drug wars, or a 63 year old man who lost his wife in the Vietnam war, or maybe just an average joe thankful to be American.

(A goodbye that would last 8 months!)

We are alive

So like I said in a previous post I have some pictures I want to share but cant because my dang droid is stupid.

But a few weeks ago we had the privilege to go see the play OKLAHOMA. We got in free through the hearts apart program. Hinckley LOVED IT! It wasn't really age appropriate but man he LOVED IT! We are so doing more plays in the future!

We've done a lot of babysitting lately for people who are in our ward who are struggling. It has truly been a blessing to do this service. You would think watching 6 extra kids would be great birth control but it was anything but!

We have all been sick. Like I have been dead dog sick. You know the aches, sinus, cough, BLAH kind of sick. So have both of my boys! We stayed in all last week.

I had an MRI on my knee this week, I am very anxious to hear the results. I MISS MY RUNNING. Like its a missing piece of me.

I am no longer going to girls camp for our ward because I will not have a babysitter for the boys. I am a bit sad about it. BUT I really think it was a blessing. I can't share much about it on here but I am still thankful I am in YW's.

I LOVE MY GIRLS! I have been able to do some one on one time with some of the girls and it has been a treasure for me. We had a fashion show last week too and the girls had SO MUCH FUN! I am truly blessed to be apart of this organization.

SO how are you guys doing? Are you all surviving? I can't even remember the last time I checked my blogs I like to read. Hmmm.... I kind of miss that!

will you marry me?

So I know I have like a million updates but tonight I have to tell you the sweetest thing. We had our neighbor over tonight Sam she is 12 and her niece Lexie who is the same exact age as Chandler. Hinckley goes up to Sam and says, "Sam when I get to be a big, strong man, will you marry me?" Oh it warmed my heart. Oh man I needed that tender mercy today. Love my boys! I LOVE MY BOYS!

Speaking of boys.... we have an official release date for R&R, ITS GOING TO EPIC! I TELL YOU EPIC!

A much needed visit

My brother Rob and his wife Julia and their 5 kids came for a visit this past weekend. We had a lot of fun. I love their kick back attitude and easy going style. Hinckley LOVED playing with all his cousins. He thought it was just great to play all day with play mates. My nieces retaught me how to make key chains with gimp. We really enjoyed the weekend and I guess that is why I do not have a ton of pictures.

This is at our favorite place Explora!

We built the St. Louis arch, literally a second after I snapped this picture it fell.

I have other pictures on my phone but I can't upload them on here. GRRR!!!!! I HATE ANYTHING NOT APPLE. Like HATE my droid with a every fiber of my being!