Happy Thanksgiving

Abby and Ethan on Thanksgiving.
Jacob on the swing on Thanksgiving.

We had a nice Thanksgiving. The Parker's came over and we celebrated our "last" Thanksgiving together (at least in Texas). We had a great time and entirely too much food for the eight of us. I made a delicious ham and Travis and Kara brought a turkey. After dinner we took the kids out to play. Finally we have some cold weather, so it really feels like the holidays are here.

Blake flew up to Arkansas to meet his mom, Dylan, Logan and Patrick. He had a nice time and was happy to see some of his family that he hasn't seen for a while. He came back this morning and has spent the day playing with Abby and Jacob. We had about two minutes of snow and by the time everyone got dressed to go outside it had turned into rain.

We are counting down until we leave... it really is right around the corner. We're all excited to go to Arkansas for Christmas and to see Dylan!

Grandma is from an Island

While Steve and I were in Georgia, my mom came down to take care of the kids. One day my mom went to pick up Jacob and the teacher asked her if she was from an island. My mom said "I am from Rhode Island" and the teacher laughed. Apparently, Jacob told everyone in his class his Grandma was from an island. Cute, huh?


Jacob playing on the slide!
Abby sitting on the bench outside at sunset.

Veteran's Day Program

Abby's class walking into the program. The wall behind her is decorated with stars with the names of Veterans in the students' families. Our star was full with great-grandparents, Grandpa, and of course mom and dad!

"Do you like my haircut?"

Abby had her first school program Wednesday. It was a salute to Veterans and all the kids in the school sang songs. Abby's grade sang "I Am Thankful for the USA." It was too cute. Grandma arrived that day and Abby was so excited to see her that she could hardly contain herself. Grandma was very impressed with how well all of the kids behaved during the program.

Today, Abby and Jacob went for haircuts. Abby goes to my salon and Jacob goes to Steve's barber. They both were happy to get home and see each other's haircut. Steve and I are headed to Georgia today. Grandma and Blake are holding down the fort for us. Blake went to the football game and spent the night with a friend last night. He came home early to help us out so we can leave.

Happy Veteran's Day!

Trick or Treat

A few days before Halloween we carved pumpkins. Blake did the best job and Abby enjoyed watching her big brother. Steve and I went to Abby's school Monday and carved pumpkins with her class. They were able to use them during nap time. We had a lot of fun doing that with Abby and her friends.

Abby, Jacob and I went trick or treating around the neighborhood with Ethan, Nik and Travis Parker. Steve stayed home to pass out candy. Blake and his friend walked around and then Blake ended up coming home and passing out candy with Steve.

Jacob was SO excited. As we left each house, he would run to me and scream "Mom, can we go to another house?" Abby had a good time, too but was not as excited as her brother. Jacob was Pablo from his favorite show "The Backyardigans." He was the only Pablo we saw and everyone (Moms and kids mostly) loved his costume. Abby was a pirate and we passed a lot of those although she was the only girl pirate we saw.

When we got home we sorted through their goodies and a majority of their stuff was rejected due to peanuts. But, I had bought a bunch of "safe" treats and traded them for those. We had lots of fun!

Halloween Weekend

We've had a busy weekend. Friday night, Blake went to the hockey game with friends while Steve and I took Abby and Jacob to the carnival at Abby's school. The carnival was packed and Abby thought it was really neat to see her friends after school while still being at school. They had a great time on the moon bouncer.


Saturday night our Group had a Fall Fest out at the Readiness site. The kids dressed up and played games. I worked there and when Abby and Jacob showed up in their costumes I thought they were the cutest kids there (Abby was a pirate and Jacob "Pablo" from one of his favorite shows The Backyardigans)! Blake went to a Halloween party where he, Michael and Patrick dressed up as "Three Blind Mice." They won second prize for their costumes.



More pictures once Halloween roles around!

Goofy Blake

Blake and the kids on the waterslide (this was in August, we just figured out how to do it).

Day at the Allergist

Well, today was Jacob's allergist appointment. Jacob was such a big boy. The nurse had four "panels" and put them on Jacob's back. He did a really good job and did not cry until it started to "itch and tickle." The bad news is Jacob is highly allergic to peanuts :-( . He has a mild allergy to milk, eggs, and cantaloupe. We have another appointment Thursday where I think we will discuss how to deal with these allergies. I am not in shock since I was expecting this and poor Abby has paved the way for us knowing how to deal with food allergies.

Am I Really Five?

Abby then (one year old)...

and now!
Daddy and Jacob Ryan
Blake helping Jacob off the basketball game
Abby and her special cupcake!
Abby's sweet little hand print on the Jump for Joy wall!

When Abby woke up yesterday she asked us "Am I really five?" It was too cute. It is hard to believe our baby girl is five years old. I spent the day thinking about how quickly the five years have gone by and how lucky we are to have such a sweet (and bratty at times) little girl. I made homemade egg-free muffins for breakfast, which Blake and I liked more than Steve and the kiddos. Abby got to choose her lunch (chicken nuggets, strawberry sauce, and cheese). Blake spent lots of time playing with Abby and Jacob and making sure Abby had a special day. She had her party at Jump for Joy and was thrilled to see all of her friends there. We all had a great time. Steve, Blake and Blake's friend Michael had a good time jumping, too. We finished the party off with pizza (no sauce for the Princess) and cake (egg free for Abby, of course). Today I brought cupcakes to her class for an after-birthday treat!

The rest of the weekend was good. Blake went to the football game Friday night. Saturday was the air show and I had to work that. At the end of the air show Blake came out and helped me clean up. We got to see the Raptor which was incredible. After we finished out there, Abby and I took a drive over to the flight line and watched some of the jets and planes take off into the sunset.

Today is Dylan's birthday and he is 13! His mom and Patrick took him to a nice dinner and he has a party planned for this weekend. Happy Birthday, Dylan... we love you!

Tomorrow Jacob has an allergist appointment (finally). I will update the blog and let you know how that goes.

Checking In

I can't believe I've been so bad about updating the blog. Things here are moving right along. Steve started another class for his Master's this week. I have two finals tomorrow and Thursday and hope to be done with my degree next year. Blake is in Florida on vacation with his mom, Logan and aunts and uncle. Abby and Jacob are growing like weeds and I can't believe Abby is going to be five in a few weeks (and Dylan 13... wow!). Abby loves to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. She really does enjoy school. Jacob amazes us with his imagination. His latest thing is if Steve calls him a horse, Jacob will say "If (except he says "ith") I'm a horse then you are a dog." They go on and on and Jacob gets so excited. It really is cute.


Ethan came over the other night and the kids were painting. They were very creative and had a great time. I made the mistake of telling them the paints were washable and the paint ended up all over them and from one end of the house to the other. It was very funny and shows how quickly kids can move when they have a mission.

Jump for Joy

Abby and Jacob have been fortunate enough to have been invited to two parties at Jump for Joy in the last four days. One was Alison's birthday party and the other was Sarah's back to school party. They had so much fun. Nikki (Sarah's mom) ordered tomato free pizza for Abby, so she was very excited to enjoy pizza with the other kids (Thanks, Nikki). Abby's going to have her party there next month. She can't wait.

Abby bouncing on a ball at Alison's party.
Jacob making his way through the obstacle bouncer.
Princess Abby sliding down the big slide.
Jakey having fun!

Sweet Jacob Ryan

Jacob always does such cute things and by the time I sit down to blog I forget what he did. Tonight the kids were eating and Abby threw a fit because her chicken was spicy. I told her to drink her milk and she did not want to make it spicy. Well, hurriedly Jacob said "Drink mine, drink mine." She took it and as she was drinking he said "Hurry, hurry." It was so sweet.

Abby has invented a new color: English Green. Last night she was telling me a story about a new Super camera that you do not have to hold because it has little wings (such a great imagination) that hold it up to your face for you. Then she said "It comes in lots of colors; blue, red, orange, pink, and English green." I don't know why but that just tickled me and I could not stop laughing.

Both Abby and Jacob have been such a riot lately! Last night, Blake had his music up loud and Jacob was standing outside his door dancing. It was very cute!

Air Force 60th Anniversary Ball

Last night Steve and I went to the AF 60th Anniversary Ball. We had so much fun. The chef from the television show "Dinner Impossible" made the dinner and it was very good (they made steak, chicken, brisket, pork and several yummy desserts, too). A bunch of our friends from work were in the kitchen cooking with the chef. The show will air eventually on the Food Network. Since it was our 60th birthday, some people were dressed in vintage AF uniforms and the music played was from the 40s. After dinner there were some people who entertained us with swing dancing. We had a very nice night out with our friends celebrating the AF's 60th Birthday!

Of course, a big thanks to Blake who watched Abby and Jacob for us. They went to the park, went for a walk and played games. They were very well behaved for Blake and had a great time.
Today, one of Abby and Jacob's friends has a birthday party. The three of us just made an egg-free cake to take with us and then we're off to Jump for Joy. Steve and Blake are heading out to a friend's house to watch the games.

Mom and Dad ready to go... Abby wanted to put on her fancy clothes and go with us.

Mommy and goofy girl Abigail!

Orange Crush and the kiddos

Tonight Blake and his friends are going to their high school football game and it is Orange Crush night. They painted themselves orange and wore orange. When they left Steve was trying to keep the orange body paint from getting all over the car. You don't get the full effect with these pictures but Blake had on orange shorts, flip flops and socks, too! Go Bulldogs!

Abby has been working on coloring in the lines and here she is showing her little "Bubba" how its done. So far Abby can spell (and sign) yellow, brown, blue, red, in and out! Of course, she already spells her name as well as all of the immediate family's. Very smart girl!

Jacob is still on his puppy kick. It is cute, but we're ready for him to stop answering questions with "wuffy-wuffy." Today was pj day at his school and he did NOT want to wear pj's. He said "PJs are for naptime and I just woke up." Too cute!

Georgia Bound

Well, we found out today we will be moving to Robins AFB which is in Warner Robins, Georgia. We are so excited that we will be closer to Dylan. Now we will be able to see him more often (and Blake will be able to see his mom, step-dad, Dylan and baby brother more often, too). I have already started researching places to live, schools, and distances to everyone's houses. We will be there in January and can't wait.

The only downside is we will be leaving all of our good friends here in Texas. Abby is so well adjusted to her new school and Blake is in his freshman year. I hope it won't be too hard for them to get started in a new place.

We will keep everyone posted!

Weekend Pictures

Almost all of the kiddos!
Abby going for a big slide!
Jacob being Jacob! Mommy and Abby making cake (cookies).

Nice Weekend

We had a very nice weekend. Saturday, Abby and I had a Mommy/Daughter shopping day. We went to Stride Rite, Kohls and finished off the day with our weekly grocery shopping. Blake spent the day hanging out with his friends while Daddy and Jacob watched college football.

Sunday, we had the Parker's and the Hughes' over for a cookout. We had the big water slide out and the Parker's brought their rocket ship sprinkler. We had burgers and dogs and our friends brought all of the yummy sides. The kids devoured Nikki's watermelon. I made Meemaw's crescent roll cheesecake and it was a hit, too. Naturally, Kara brought her homemade salsa... always my favorite. We had such a nice time with our great friends... what could be better?
After the kids wore themselves out with the water toys, they decided they should play pirate ship on the Little Tikes slide. Jacob kept screaming "I'm a pirate" and "Get into the shadows." All of the kids were have such a good time playing. Ethan, Nik and Jacob were watching out for a monster and Abby even acted like a one and screamed, "Rooooaaaarrrr!!!" Finally, she said "I don't want to be a monster anymore." It was so cute.

Today we had a nice, quiet day at home. Abby and I tried to bake a cake, but I must have made a mistake on the recipe and ended up making some delicious egg-free cookies. Tonight, as Jacob was coming into the bathroom to brush he teeth, he said to me "Mommy, I have a skateboard and you need one, too." Then, he pointed at me and made a noise as if to grant me a skateboard. It was too cute. Of course, he is still our puppy and now he likes to show me all of his paws (as he shows me his hands and feet). He really is Mr. Imagination and we never know what he will come up with next. We hope everyone had as wonderful a weekend as we did.

Dylan's a Blue belt in Tae Kwon Do

Dylan had a belt ceremony last night at Tae Kwon Do. He tested for high green, but due to his hard work and great attitude he was able to skip a belt and was awarded the blue belt. Steve and I were happy to see this on his mom's blog and are so happy for him. Great work, Dylan.

First Day of School

Blake's first day as a freshman (picture by Abby).
Abby's first day at pre-K.

Today was Blake's first day of high school. He was nervous about his course load. He is taking some pretty tough classes this year. We know he will do well. We can't wait until he gets home to hear all about his first day as a freshman!

Abby had her first day of pre-kindergarten today. She popped out of bed this morning and picked out her clothes (I had gotten her a first day of school outfit, but she wanted to wear her favorite skirt from Nikki). She was so excited to carry her new backpack and lunch box. She was such a big girl and was just a little bit nervous when I left her. I had some drama with the school regarding her peanut allergy, but we are working on that right now. I am anxious for it to be 3:00 so I can pick her up and hear everything she learned today.

Jacob was supposed to start a three year old program today, but the school had some enrollment issues so he will stay at the CDC. I am very happy with their curriculum and know Jacob will continue to learn a lot there.

More Cruise Pictures

Sunset from our balcony.
Amy and Blake snorkeling.
Blake in front of the ships in Cozumel.

All of us with our dining room staff, Laarmie and Allen.

Hurricane Run 2007

Well, we made it back from our cruise. We had a great time with the Parker's. Initially, we were not sure if we were going to end up going to the Bahamas or our schedule itinerary. Hurricane Dean hit more south than expected and we were able to go to Grand Cayman and Cozumel (as well as Key West instead of Jamaica). The first few days at sea were a little rough. At one point I believe the ocean swells were about 10 feet (which compared to our big ship were small) and we rocked back and forth quite a bit. We had a balcony room at the back of the ship so our balcony was really big and it was nice to go outside and watch the waves go by. We really had so much fun taking in the shows, the casino and relaxing.

In Key West, we walked around and had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and then found a place with delicious Key Lime pie and Key Lime-aide. In Grand Cayman, we snorkeled and saw all sorts of beautiful tropical fish. Finally, in Cozumel we walked on the bottom of the ocean with pressurized helmets. It was really awesome and we had so much fun. It was tough to get back to reality yesterday, but we were ready to get back to Abby and Jacob (who had lots of fun with Meemaw, Grandpa, and Uncle Dustin). A big thanks to them for taking such great care of Abby and Jacob. Abby keeps calling me "Meemaw."
Amy in our stateroom prior to our "muster" drill.

Blake on our balcony on the way to Key West.
Travis, Steve and Blake on formal night.
Amy and Steve in Key West.

Amy eating her first bite of Key Lime pie in Key West.