27NOV08

It's Thanksgiving and I just have to post all that I'm thankful for because, well, it's Thanksgiving and I have a lot to be thankful for. I will just post the biggest ones (although also the most obvious) and then get to the pics!!!! I am so thankful for my husband. I am grateful I married such a wonderful man. I am thankful for what he does and I'm so proud of him. I am thankful for my 2 beautiful and healthy children! I am thankful I get to stay home with them and be their mom! I am thankful for living in Europe. We have gotten to go to some of the coolest places. I am thankful for the church and the wonderful promises we have. I am thankful for my wondeful family in AZ. I am thankful for the best in-laws EVER. I am thankful for my "family" here in Germany that keep me sane. I am truly so blessed!

This year we decided to have dinner at the D FAC (Dining Facility for all you non-military folk.) Alexis was so excited to be eating where daddy eats when he is at work. Was it a traditional thing to do? No. Was it Thanksgiving? Yes. Why? Because I was surrouned by the people I love. Afterwards we went to the Heidelberg Christmas Market and I realized this will be my last year to do this and I've really taken it for granted. I really enjoy the Christmas Markets and I will miss them when I'm back stateside. I hope you all have/had a wondeful Thanksgiving!!!

Waiting in line outside the D FAC.

The turkeys that were right outside. Alexis got a kick out of this.
Eating our delicious meal. The food wasn't the best Thanksgiving food I've ever had but it was pretty dang good. We had fun. Ryan and Alexis both ate a TON!!! Ryan would literally cry if I ddin't get the food into her mouth quick enough after she swallowed the last bite. It was a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

19NOV08

So we're ABOUT halfway through this deployment YAY!! I say ABOUT b/c you just never know with the army but if it's 15 months from the day Trav left we're about halfway through. I figured I would re-post my goals and keep myself accountable! I think I've been doing pretty well (alhtough not perfect!!) I copied them from my post back in April.

- Read my scriptures every night
Okay I'm really slacking here. I'll remember for a week and then I'll forget for a few days... I'm really not doing terrible I'm ALMOST done with Second Nephi BUT my real goal is to read the whole Book of Mormon before Trav gets home... I know this is terrible but I have NEVER read the entire book so I hope to be able to say that I did...

- Start "school" with Alexis. I found this great website to help me and I'm super excited! I think we will both benefit from it. If you're interested the website is http://www.letteroftheweek.com/ check it out!
We're up to the letter Nn and it's REALLY working! She is learning her letters and is even starting to write them including her name! She LOVES school with mommy and now that she's in preschool too she's really picking stuff up FAST!

- Scrapbook, scrapbook, scrapbook! I'm only about 6 months behind with Alexis but now with 2 kids I really have to try to stay caught up! I love doing it but sometimes I get distracted with other things.

Thanks to having so many wonderful friends to scrapbook with I have really caught up! I am completely caught up with the girls till last month and have actually gotten more going on our travel album. My friend, Ester and I have monthly "scrapbooking weekends" where we just scrapbook for 2 days straight and I just stay the night over there. We have so much fun! Plus lately, Erica, Cristine, Britteny, and I have started having days, here and there, where we will keep everything out on my table and do it all day. I LOVE these times and seriously think I should scrapbook scrapbooking days so I don't ever forget how fun they are!! I know I sound cheesy but with Trav gone and all my family in the states these girls ARE my family and they are FABULOUS!! So I guess this is also a huge shoutout to my girls Britteny, Erica, Cristine, and Ester! Love you guy!

- Organize a few things in my house that have been driving me crazy. You know when you move and you put things away and then as you're living there you realize it's just not a good place for that stuff? Maybe not but I'm realizing I want to change some things around.

I got this done fairly quickly after Travis left and last month I did a "fall cleaning." I just love being cleaned and organized! I know what you're thinking DORK and yes, yes I am!

-Lose this baby weight! I want to lose about 40 pounds! I've started getting up about 6 to get my work out in before the girls get up and that seems to be working out well!!!There's more but those are my big ones.

Okay I'm not sure if I was trying to not sound like I had as much to lose or what but I actually am aiming for 50 pounds lost. I've gotten a great start I think... So far I've lost 26 pounds which means I'm over halfway to my goal. Working out is such an important thing for me but ESPECIALLY when Trav is gone it's the perfect way to have ME time AND do something good for myself!

So I guess that is my update... I am hoping to be posting about WO very soon since the board was Monday we should know something soon!!! Lexie has been sick the last few days but is finally feeling better so we are looking forward to actually LEAVING the house tomorrow. Ryan is really moving around. I now have to keep things REALLY picked up and I swear I sweep 3-4 times a DAY!! I will get some pictures up soon too!!

06NOV08

We had a GREAT Halloween!! We did trunk or treat with the branch the Saturday before and then on Halloween we met up with our "gang" for pictures and then some trick or treating. The girls were great although it was FREEZING so we weren't out for long.

The girls and I at the church for trunk or treat!

Lexie feeling the "brains"

The whole gang (Ryan, Lexie, Annika, Lexi, Eric, and Anya CUTEST bugs and animals EVER!)

Ryan chilling her in her stroller (yes she IS a thumb sucker. She'll get her blankie, or any silky blankie in her hand and her thumb IMMEDIATELY goes to her mouth!)

Lexie and her loot!

The cutest bunnies you've ever seen (candy? what candy? Poor girls were trying their HARDEST to get some of that candy out!)

06NOV08

Alexis LOVES to cook! If you're in the kitchen she wants to be in there. She'll help do anything you'll let her. I remember even when she was Ryan's age if you were holding her near a pot of something she wanted to stir it! I try to have as little going on Saturdays as possible and it's reserved for just hanging out with me and the girls. So a couple weeks ago (I planned on posting these BEFORE Halloween...) we had a cooking/baking day. We made Chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake bars (long name and they were SOO good head over to Cristine's cooking blog for the recipe!) We also made these cute mummy hotdogs in honor of Halloween. They were SOOO easy. Lex and Anya had a lot of fun making these and we all had fun eating them! We had a great day!

Mixing the cookie dough. So much fun!

The finished product!Lexie working on her mummy hot dog.Playing with the leftover dough.

Aren't they cute! :)

05NOV08

We finally made it to the pumpkin patch this year. I've been wanting to go every year since I HAD Alexis. It was a perfect day for the kids to be outside and Alexis thought it was FABULOUS running around picking up pumpkins. So much fun!


All ready to go. Sweet sisters!


Ryan loved the pumpkins!

All the kids. (Anya, Annika, Lex, Ryan, and Alexia) It's not the greatest picture b/c I took it and it was really bright!

It's so fantastic having a photographer with you all the time! Thanks Erica!

04NOV08

My monitor came in!!!! I'm sooo happy!!! It's actually a really nice monitor so I'm really excited about it. So I FINALLY have all my pictures back! I have SOO many things I wanted to post about so I'm going to have a bunch of posts coming up! Right now we're going to start with another round of guess who is who! I got this picture of Ryan and remembered I had something with Alexis in the EXACT outfit and EXACT position! So here are our girls both around 8 months. Lexie was so much more bald than Ryan either that or Ryan's much redder hair makes it LOOK like more! Aren't they both adorable! :)

The top one is Ryan and the bottom one is Lex!

One last thing... It's election day!!! I am so nervous/excited to see who our next President is!! I can't believe what a close race I think this is going to be!