April Instagram

Oh my trusty iPhone!! How thankful I am that you can capture some of my favorite moments!!

~Wyatt wearing Daddy's hat at the firepit.~ Lego Pet Shop~Swinging at the base park~

~Water gun fight!~I scored some .97 deals for Grant~Imaginext Cross Country~

~Sleepy Grant driving to KS~Wyatt hammering at Leos~Wyatt chillin at Grant's OT~ 

~Wyatt in Daddy's cover~Wyatt collecting sticks for firepit~Wyatt shirtless, eating whip cream~

~Spaceship! Park~Grant made a sign when he was mad at Wyatt~Park with our besties~

~Lunch date with Daddy~GWL snugglebugs~Trex restaurant!~

Great Wolf Lodge, Part 2

On our first morning at the Great Wolf Lodge, we found out that most of the things don't open til 9 or 10:00. Since we have kids who wake up at 7:00, we had to do something with those few extra hours! So we headed out to breakfast at Chick Fil A, made a quick spin around Target and got back and changed just in time for the waterpark Opening Ceremony! The boys were so excited to swim and swim and swim!

We met Brinley the Bear at the opening ceremony! For someone who has a strong affection for teddy bears, Grant wanted nothing to do with him! But Wyatt loved him!

 Going on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday in late April was probably the BEST time to go to GWL. There were hardly any other people there- no waiting in lines, no crowds to swim around. It was awesome!!!!! The boys loved everything there was to do! Wyatt really liked the little kiddie pool and slides. He was a little scared of them after he went down the blue slide and went so fast he went under water super fast. It took some time but it turned out to be one of his favorite activities!! He even got super brave and went down the tube slides with Levi a few times! Grant loved the treehouse thing, all the water slides, the lazy river, pretty much everything!! I didn't get pictures of much since I was pretty much in the water with them the whole time! 

And when we weren't swimming in the waterpark, they were still having a wonderful time! Their other favorite place was the arcade!

 Grant won the 100 ticket jackpot 3 times!! They had fun playing all the fun games! If only they weren't so darn expensive, we would've spent alot more time in there! But they earned enough tickets to buy some candy, a stuffed ladybug, and a water weenie. Yes, money well spent ;-)

We also played the MagiQuest scavenger hunt game with the magic wand. I somehow did not take any pictures of this, but its basically a scavenger hunt between a few of the hallways in the hotel. It was a fun activity to play in between swimming and meals. We made it to Master Magi level when we had to leave! They can't wait to go back and continue our quest!!!

It was a perfect little family getaway before all the moving madness began! Nowhere to be, no chores to take care of, just living carefree as a family for a few days!!!  It sure was fun while it lasted!!!

Great Wolf Lodge, Part 1

We closed on our house on Monday, April 28th, but we weren't able to take possession til April 30th, so we did the only logical thing- take a surprise mini-vacation at Great Wolf Lodge!! We didn't tell the boys (well, until I spilled the beans on the phone the morning of, so its a good thing I'm good at tricking them and that they are extremely gullible) so once we pulled into the parking lot, they went crazy with excitement! We didn't get there til almost 6pm, so after exploring the lobby for a bit, we headed to our room to check it out and they were sooooooo amazed by the awesome room we got!

Crazy picture of Grant, but he loved the fact there was a tiny mouse on the "shelf" above his bed!

After a quick change it was time to head down to the pool!

Tooth Fairy Visit #1

This smile is forever changed. And this mama can't get over it!

Grant lost his first tooth while we were staying at the Great Wolf Lodge! We knew it was coming but how it came about was unexpected. 

Rewind a few weeks prior when Grant was complaining of his tooth hurting. I freaked out thinking it was a cavity, but once I looked at what he was talking about, I noticed his permanent tooth was poking through right behind his baby tooth. His baby tooth wasn't the least bit wiggly, so I made an appointment at the dentist. They took an Xray and told us that it should fall out by itself any day since it had no root left. I thought they were crazy because it wasn't the least bit wiggly and since Grant wasn't going to wiggle it (it totally disgusts him) I thought for sure we'd have to make a return trip to the dentist to get it pulled. Well, sure enough within a short time it started to get very wiggly. And before we knew it, it fell out. 

We were eating dinner at the T-Rex Cafe. Grant enjoyed some dino nuggets and french fries and wanted a Chocolate Tarpit (chocolate pudding with crushed Oreos and gummy dinos on top). He gobbled up his gummies, and crunched up the Oreos and was halfway through his pudding, when he pulls something out of his mouth. I thought, great something nasty is in his food and he will never again eat chocolate pudding. It was his tooth! It came out while he was eating chocolate pudding!!!!! Of all things!! 

So we wrapped the tooth in a sugar packet wrapper so we wouldn't lost it! 

 We got back to our hotel room and Grant couldn't wait to put his tooth under his pillow. But since we were staying at the hotel and he was sleeping on the top bunk bed there, I was a little worried about the tooth (and the Tooth Fairy surprises) falling out from under his pillow to an unreachable place. Grant is kind of a crazy sleeper afterall! So on the little window ledge on his bed, he left this note with his teeny tiny tooth...

 And when he woke up in the morning, he found his surprises- 4 dollar bills, 4 quarters, and one Great Wolf Lodge coin! I guess the Tooth Fairy was feeling extra generous because it was such a special occasion!!

I just can't believe Grant's sweet smile is changing! I'm not ready for the big tooth grin on my little baby boy!! But it was an exciting day and I'm so happy that such a special moment in his life happened when we were all together!!!

SOLD!!!

We are officially homeowners again!!! We closed on our new house on April 28th! We can't wait to begin the next part of our journey here and see how it all unfolds! 

My Farewell

Life at Vance Air Force Base definitely was not what I had imagined. Sure, Levi was a student there back in 2006 and I thought I knew what the instructor side of life would be like. As a student, Levi worked 12 hour days, studied for 4-5 hours a night, and slept the rest. That was our life. But I imagined instructor life would be so much easier- much more laid back and less time consuming. I couldn't have been more wrong-as an instructor Levi worked 12-14 hours a day for two straight years- definitely just as stressful and just as time consuming. But what I never imagined was how AMAZING our community would be! And really, amazing might be an understatement.
It's hard to even describe the community to someone on the outside. You see, Enid is a small town. There is a handful of restaurants, shopping, and definitely not very many activity places. So chances are, if you're out in town you're going to see someone you know. And also chances are, if your husband is at work, so is everyone else's. And also chances are, if you want someone to hang out with, there are probably a dozen other wives wanting the same thing.
The majority of our squadron wives are stay-at-home moms with young kids. There is always someone to meet at the park, or Chick-Fil-A (when it finally opened), or Leonardo's, or just to play at someone's house. There is always someone who needed another wife to vent to, or get encouragement from. There is always someone who feels exactly the same as me.
So leaving behind this amazing group of women was going to be much harder than I had ever imagined. Thanks to our incredible CO and his family, the 33d FTS became a family. A Dragon family. I have met people I will be friends with forever. They may be across the globe, but we will always be connected by our time at Vance.
When the time came for my farewell, and a few other ladies' as well, we knew it was going to be an emotional night. An evening at the country club, surrounded by the dragon ladies was an awesome way to say goodbye! Thanks for the memories!!!

 A selfie, because seriously- I never look this nice!

 And my farewell gift I will treasure forever!

And some of our Dragon Family!

Happy Easter!!

Hallelujah! He is risen!! Happy Easter!!!!

After checking out their baskets, and each finding 13 eggs, we got ready and headed to church. The boys sat with us and enjoyed worship time, as well as the sermon. Grant really listened intently, which I liked to see! Now we're home enjoying a family day. 

"This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it" Psalm 118:24

Easter Fun!!!!

I really feel like I dropped the ball this year on the Easter activities! I was especially excited too, knowing that I had a whole month between their birthday and Easter this year, since I normally have maybe two weeks or so. I thought for sure we'd get in a bunch of fun crafts and activities....but then moving got in the way. While I didn't even do a fraction of what I was hoping to, we still did lots of fun activities! We had our fun Easter Party with our friends, Easter Party at school, and coloring eggs, but we did lots more things as well...

The boys are doing great with their reading with lots of CVC practice. Grant likes to do some "big play" in between turns! Ha!!! They had fun with this Easter game!!

 Wyatt asked me to make him this bunny, with dots and words inside so he could read them and dot them as he went! He was quite proud, as was I!!

 We made Jello eggs- the first year they've tried them...and LOVED them! Always a favorite of mine!!

 Grant made the Easter story out of Legos. In his words, he said, "That's Pontius Pilate, John, Mary and Peter at the foot of the cross." He has really been into the Easter story this year and has really been asking some crucial questions, which makes me so happy to see him grasping for knowledge and understanding. This year, I feel like he truly "gets" it!

And Saturday, we had our squadron Easter party at the base park! We've become such a family with all these people!! It's so wonderful to see the kids all excited to see each other and play together!! The had a great time playing and hunting for eggs!

All these fun activities lead us to Easter Sunday...

Mommy Moment

On Saturdays, we are trying to get the boys to get up on their own without coming in and waking us up first. They've done it a few times. The first time, Wyatt came up next to my side of the bed at 6:45 and said, "I'm just so excited to get up by ourselves!" Totally defeated the purpose, but it obviously was special to them! They usual weekend morning routine is to come in our room right at 7:00, when their clock turns green, and tells us that they're awake and they want to watch a show and have breakfast. Not that Levi and I can sleep in past 7:00 anyway, but it would be nice to not have to get up and start working right away!! 

So last night, we told the boys they were going to get up without us and that Grant was going to fix breakfast and turn on a show for them. So I set out some powdered donuts (totally awful, I know!) and some grapes, I had cups of juice already made in the fridge and the TV set to Disney Jr. Levi and I were awake about 7:00 and laid in bed talking about moving, packing, and our weekend plans. And just about the time we were going to get up, I heard our door knob turn and creak open. It was Grant, who had a special treat for us....

He made us breakfast in bed!! He said, "Well, after I made my plate and Wyatt's plate, I had two extra donuts left, so I thought, 'Huh, maybe mom and dad would like these for breakfast.' So then I made two waffles and couldn't find two plates, so I just used this tray. And I wrote this note for you."  My heart melted at that very moment. My sweet little guy, not only taking care of his little brother, but taking care of us too!! It was the sweetest moment and made my heart so proud!!!

Spring Pictures

I love taking my boys' pictures. I get so excited to pick out outfits, find the perfect place to sit them, at the right time of day. And then I start clicking away....and....nothing. Eyes closed, goofy faces, forced smiles. 

Case in point....

But then as things get moving and we start to venture around different spots (luckily, we have a lot of places to choose from around our house!), things start to get better!! And then I finally capture my boys' sweet faces, their precious smiles, their boyish charm.

 My sweet boys. The loves of my life!! How lucky I am to be their mom! They are the greatest gift I could ever imagine!!

My Birthday

While I don't really like the fact that I'm getting older, celebrating my birthday each year still makes me smile!! My birthday fell on a Friday this year, on a day when the boys and I had nothing on our calendar. No school, no appointments, no where to be!! It was great!! Too bad Levi still had to be at work at 6:30am!!

My plan was to relax all morning and enjoy my DVRed Thursday night TV. And while I eventually did that, it didn't go without interruption. But I guess that's to be expected!! After some morning relaxation, it was time to play!! We had to go out and get some cake mix to make my cake, because apparently when you're a mom you have to make your own birthday cake! On our way to the store, we drove past Meadowlake Park and noticed they redid the playground there, so we decided that was going on our to-do list for the afternoon. We picked up Sonic for lunch, thanks to a GB from Summer. Then we came home and made my cake, took some spring pictures of the boys, decorated my cake, and then headed to the new park!! After some playtime there, we came home to play with Sidney and Logan, then went to Chili's as a family, then back home for a neighborhood firepit! It was a wonderful day to celebrate my birthday! 

Cuties in Canola

One of the most beautiful sights in Oklahoma in the spring time is the canola fields! Last year I never made an official stop to take pictures, but we did a quick roadside stop on the way home from school one day. So this year, I wanted to make sure I did an official photo shoot! I was happy to see that one of the fields we pass every morning on the way to school was not only un-gated, it also had an old chair out there, which basically was an open invitation for pictures, right?!? At least I thought so!

So one beautiful non-windy day after school, I took the boys for some beautiful photos! Although the field was beautiful, I would've loved to see the fields after a few days of rain! It was so dry out there and those poor canola flowers just weren't as vibrant as they were last year. But it still made for a pretty backdrop. It helps to have two cuties posing out there too! Any background looks good with them in front of it!

Oh my precious babies!!! How I love them so!