Crockett Family

Thanksgiving

2010-02-04T04:19:00.006+01:00

Thanksgiving, you ask. I know that it is February, but I just got ahold of some really cute Thanksgiving pictures, and I would like to post them. Brad's mom and dad and his sister's family all came here for Thanksgiving. Well, actually, his mom and dad went to Houston, and Heidi and her family came here. However, we all went over to Houston to Ryan and Jayme's for Thanksgiving.

It was so great having all the cousins together! The last time we were all together was 4 years ago and 7 kids ago. It was chaos to say the least!

Here are all the grandkids with Candi and Duane:

From left to right: Duane, Candi, Brad, Ryan and Heidi

Lincoln enjoying being an older cousin:

The Sine and our Crockett kids at the San Antonio zoo:

There are still more pictures that I would like to post, but that will just have to wait for another time. I am tired. I hope that all is well out in cyberland.

Heavenly Goodness

2010-01-13T02:53:00.003+01:00

As I promised, here is the recipe for Molten Marshmallow Chocolate Cakes:

This recipe is made in 6 ramekins. However, I have made it in 7-8 muffin tins, and it works just as well.

1 1/3 c. chocolate chips
1/4 c. butter
1/3 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. flour
6-8 big marshmallows

In a saucepan, over very low heat, melt chips and butter. Whisk in sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Stir in flour. Fill 6 floured, buttered ramekins, 1/2 way full. Press a marshmallow into the center and cover with remaining batter, completely covering. Bake until tops are puffed up and crackly at 350 degrees, 12-15 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm.

These are just wonderful. A perfect treat for any dessert lover like me! Enjoy!

The Happiest Place on Earth

2009-11-18T21:15:00.004+01:00

Too Many Changes!

2009-08-25T20:44:00.011+02:00

Zoe all ready for her first day of school:

Clayton outside his 2nd grade classroom:

All the kids the first day of school:

Awesome pictures done by Amy Waddington while we were in Spokane:

Well, so much has happened since my last post, which was Easter!

We basically wrapped up our lives in Germany, because the Army said that it was time to move. T-ball ended, Clayton finished first grade, we shipped all our household goods, and we said goodbye to a bunch of good friends. That is the worst part of the Army. I hate saying goodbye! The only good thing is that most of them were moving also, so we are not left there without them.

We flew for what seemed like a million hours, and finally we arrived in Spokane, WA. Brad took leave for the month of June, we went home to see all our family. It was so relaxing! The first week all of my family was there. We were finally able to meet Devin and Lauren's baby, Ellie. What a doll! Ashley and her boyfriend, Glen, came from San Diego, and of course, we saw Nate and Amanda also. It was so nice having everyone there. I love my family! The last three weeks went by in a blur! The highlights include an Indian's game, stitches at the ER, pictures done by Amy Waddington, a few trips to Silverwood, VBS with the cousins, trips to the pool, and just overall fun with everyone. It was so great! It makes us all want to move back to Spokane!

We headed from Spokane, WA, to San Antonio, TX, at the end of the month. This trip turned into a fiasco. We did fine until we got to Dallas/Fort Worth. We ran to our flight, and they had already sent it on. The airline person at the desk said that they sent it on because there was another flight that night. They tried to get us all on the flight, but only 3 of us made it. The other 3 were standby. Bummer! Not that big of a deal, but we had scheduled our household goods to be delivered the next morning at 8am! The sum of it is, after waiting around for 2+ hours, we ended up renting a car and driving overnight to San Antonio. We got here around 6am, and the movers were here by 8am. It ended up working out, but talk about stress!

We headed over to Houston to visit with Ryan and Jayme for the 4th of July. It was so nice seeing everyone. My kids love all the cousins!

Since then, the kids have started school, and Zoe has started cheer. Clayton should be starting football, and Georgia should be starting soccer both in the next couple of weeks. Georgia and Lincoln both start preschool next week.

That is about it for us. We would love visitors, and y'all are more than welcome!

Easter

2009-04-18T21:15:00.004+02:00

Easter this year was pretty laid back around the Crockett household. We started the day off with a little hunt for each of the Easter baskets. After that, we went to church and heard a great sermon. Lincoln was sick, so actually I heard a great sermon. Brad spent the morning out in the foyer with Lincoln. Bummer for him!

After church, we had a wonderful brunch. The kids were dying to have their egg hunt, but we waited until after we ate. The egg hunt was a success. Overall, the day was really nice. I think that everyone would agree that we would have liked to be with the family, but since that was not possible, we had the best time we could.

China Hutch

2009-04-12T21:11:00.005+02:00

We ended up buying a china hutch from my favorite store here, European County Living. It is beautiful! Here are some pictures for the family:

The pictures don't do it justice. You will just have to come visit us in San Antonio if you want to see it!

Luxembourg

2009-04-12T20:47:00.004+02:00

We started spring break off with some visitors from the states. Peter and Christina came into town on Thursday night. We saw Trier on Friday, Luxembourg on Saturday, and we stuck them on a train to Paris on Sunday. It was a quick visit, but we had a great time! Here are some pictures of us in Luxembourg.

My New Love

2009-03-14T21:04:00.009+01:00

Some friends of ours, the Bollenbachs, invited us to go to an auction with them today. It was at Ramstein Air Force Base, which is half way between where each of us live. We decided to give it a try, and it was great! Brad and I took all the kids and had a quick, I mean quick, look around. We talked about a few pieces, and then my wonderful husband took the kids to the park for the afternoon while I stayed at the auction. He told me to get what I wanted, and before I knew it, I was on my own.

If you have not been to a live auction, you are missing out! It is really fun and super addicting! I decided beforehand what I was interested in and how high I was willing to go. I saw a few small tables that I liked, and there was a 1930's pewter coffee set that I liked, also. The tables that I was interested in, the Bollenbachs liked also. I guess we both have good taste. I let them bid on the first one that we both liked, and they let me bid on the second one that we both liked. I ended up getting a small Danish table that is from the 1830's. The next one that I was interested in, I was not sure about because it was bigger than I thought I wanted. I completely forgot that the tabletop folded in half to make a smaller table. It is a really pretty table! I will take some pictures of it. I ended up being the only one that bid on it, so I got it for the reserve! Finally, I bought the pewter coffee set. I decided that my limit was $50. Well, I got a little caught up in the excitement of it all, and I went a little over. The person who was bidding against me sounded a little hesitant, so I thought that I could outbid them. In the end, I only went up to $56, but I can see how a person can get caught up in the moment. It is really fun!

Here are some pictures of the purchases:

Danish 1830's table:

Game table from around 1900; view from the top:

Game table open:

Game table closed:

1930's coffee set:

All in all, I think that it was a very successful day. I think that I have found my new love. If you have not tried it, go out and give it a try.

Picture Frames

2009-03-08T22:01:00.005+01:00

This Christmas, the girls both got picture frames. Here are some pictures of the finished project.

Hoops

2009-03-08T21:49:00.003+01:00

As previously mentioned, here are some pictures of Clayton playing basketball. Not to be biased, but Clayton was awesome this year! He is a great little defender, shooter, dribbler and passer. I am pretty impressed! Now, we just need him to grow (good thing he has such tall parents!).

Slip Sliding Away

2009-02-05T09:27:00.004+01:00

It started out as a normal morning. We were pushing it on time, but nothing new. I should have known that things were bad when the girls stepped out of the house and both fell flat on their backs. No big deal, I thought. I will just help everyone to the car. The girls stood on the grass, and I carried them one by one to the car. Now, you may be thinking, if it is that bad, why would you get in the car? Looking back now, I am thinking the same thing. However, at the time, I pressed forward. I thought, it may be slick here, but usually it is not that bad once I get to the main road in my village.

I started down the hill and we basically just slid the first half of it. I knew that once we hit the bottom part, where it is driven on more, we would be ok. Sliding down the first half made me nervous, so I decided that we were just going to head home. So, I went to the bottom of the hill, turned around, got a good start, and made my way up the hill. We did fine until the last little leg of the hill, where we just stopped and started sliding backwards. Luckily, the van decided to do a 180degree turn, so I was facing down the hill. I slide all over the place again, but I was able to stop before the main crossroad. I turned around again, and we made it most of the way up the hill, and we just parked the car.

Here is where things got tricky. I had Zoe, Georgia and Lincoln with me. Lincoln needs to be carried, but the girls needed a lot of help, too. There was another guy who parked next to us, and he told me to follow him because he had salt, but he was so fast, we were only able to follow him for about 5 feet. I stood looking at the mountain (it is probably only 50 feet, but it felt like miles) and said a little prayer. I really was wondering how we were going to conquer it, but some German neighbors saved us. This little elderly couple loves us, and they came out to help. The man grabbed Zoe's hand, but I still was holding Georgia's hand and carrying Lincoln. What a nightmare! Georgia fell on her own about 10 times. At one point, Georgia and I were standing still on the hill, and we just started sliding backwards. We slid for about 5 feet and both fell down. I was holding Lincoln, so I went down hard, so as not to injure him! It was horrible. We ended up getting high enough on the hill to move into someone's grass, and then it was smooth sailing from there. Sort of.....We still had to cross some driveways, and once we made it to the top of the hill, we had to walk down the street for a little bit to get to our house. If it had not been for our German neighbors, I don't know what I would have done!

Well, we are now home, and I am not planning on going anywhere today. Hopefully it is better by the time Clayton gets off the bus!

December Fun

2009-01-15T14:07:00.019+01:00

Alright, I have not been so good about putting things on here since Brad has gotten home, so I am just going to put pictures of all the fun things that have been going on. Brad got home at the beginning of December, which was great! Clayton, Zoe and Georgia all had Christmas parties at school. We went down to Garmisch right after Christmas, and we stayed there for a week. With all that, basketball has started up, and Brad is coaching Clayton's team. Also, Zoe is now doing cheer! I am not sure if I have basketball pictures, but I will post those later.

As a side note, Brad just got his orders, and it looks like it is official! We are headed to San Antonio, TX this summer! Yeah for warmth and sunshine and spending a whole lot of time outdoors!

He's home!

2008-12-11T19:52:00.007+01:00

Enough said!

Let the Countdown Begin!

2008-12-02T13:53:00.002+01:00

Well, it looks like it is actually going to happen. We have been hearing for months that Brad might be able to split the deployment with another attorney, but it looks like it is really going to happen! He is packing up his stuff and beginning to out-process. Yeah for us! It seems surreal. We should have him here in less than a week! I don't even remember what life is like with him around. I think that it is going to be an adjustment, but it is one that I am more than willing to make.

Life has been hard without him around, but we did much better than I had originally thought. We are all much stronger than we imagined. The kids were grumbling this morning because their dad had to deploy, but we are really very fortunate! Brad only had to go for 8 months instead of 15 months. That is basically unheard of in the Army. Also, this was his 1st deployment, and most people I know are on their 2nd, 3rd or 4th deployment!

Please be praying for the kids that the adjustment goes well. I will post pictures once he gets here.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Georgia bean!

2008-11-22T21:57:00.008+01:00

This week our little Georgia turned 3 years old! I asked Georgia what she wanted to do, and she opted for the bowling alley because that is what we did for Zoe's birthday.

Everyone who meets Georgia, loves her! She is full of life and super spunky! She loves people and being the center of attention. At her birthday party, when she opened each present, she said "awesome", but she made it long and drawn out. It was so funny!

We love our Georgia bean and would not trade her for anything!

Bye, Erin and Beckett!

2008-11-22T21:34:00.002+01:00

Today was a sad, but good day. Some good friends of ours, Erin Babb and her son Beckett, got on a plane to move back to the states. It was bittersweet. Erin's husband, Nate, is now downrange to replace Brad for the rest of the deployment. It is wonderful, because it means that Brad will be here really soon. However, they will be sorely missed. Erin and Nate have been a huge help to me during the deployment, but really, I am going to miss playing Rook with them! Hopefully we can plan a trip up to the New York (West Point) area to meet up with them in the next few years!

Texas, Here we come!

2008-11-04T14:52:00.002+01:00

Warmth. Sun. Shopping. Family time. These are all the things that I am looking forward to. We had heard that we might be headed to Texas come summer, but now it has been confirmed! San Antonio, here we come. Yeah!!! That was our first choice on our wish list, and it looks like we got it! Although, I have to give this disclaimer: we are dealing with the Army, so it is not a sure thing until we actually live there!

During lunch today, with country music playing in the background (to get us in the mood) the girls and I were discussing Texas and our upcoming move. Zoe and I had a funny conversation. It went something like this:

Zoe: Mom, do they have cats in Texas?
Mom: Yes
Zoe: Mom, do they have horses in Texas?
Mom: Yes, they have lots of horses in Texas. There are ranches and cowboys and lots of horses.
Zoe: I think I will get a horse when we get there.
Mom: Sorry sweetie, we are not getting a horse. We do not have enough room for a horse.
Zoe: We can get a horse. It can stay in my room; I will make room for it.

What a funny girl! I guess she can dream.

Halloween

2008-11-03T21:31:00.013+01:00

Halloween Evening. The weather forecast said snow. I prepped the kids because there was no way that I was going out there in snow. They were upset, but calmed down with promises of unending candy and movies. There was no need to worry, we did not even have rain! Amazing!

We ended up heading over to a friend's house for dinner, and we trick or treated from there. It was perfect! Afterwards, the kids had ice cream and watched The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Clayton was Optimus Prime from the transformers. Zoe was Jasmine from Aladdin. Georgia was tinkerbell, and Lincoln was Roo from Winnie the Pooh. Although, we did a little costume swap for the actual trick or treating; it was cold out, so I made the girls wear warmer costumes because they were both opposed to wearing coats! That night, Zoe was actually Violet from the Incredibles, and Georgia was Jojo from Jojo's Circus. Here are some pictures of the night.

All the kids ready to go:

Princess Tea Party

2008-10-28T12:45:00.004+01:00

Last week we celebrated Zoe's birthday with a royal tea party. Three little girls from her class came over for tea (chocolate milk and apple juice), sandwiches, cookies and cupcakes. They dressed up in their princess costumes, danced and had a good time.

Lincoln's new hideout

2008-10-21T20:36:00.004+02:00

Lincoln's new favorite place is the cupboard that holds all of our food. If one of the kids leaves it open, he heads right over. He screams like crazy if we shut it before he gets to it. He loves to climb into the bottom and eat all the cereal or dump it out. Here he is:

One of the last beautiful days of the year

2008-10-21T19:58:00.009+02:00

Last weekend the weather here was beautiful! The pessimist in me says that it is probably the last nice weather that we will have until spring. We do live in Baumholder, after all. We took advantage of the weather by heading to one of the new parks on post. The kids had a great time. Here are some of the highlights:

Gone With the Wind.....and the pumpkin patch

2008-10-13T21:21:00.008+02:00

I have spent the last few days neglecting the kids and the house because I just could not put down the book Gone With the Wind. I decided that I needed to be a good mom and get the book done. Thus, I powered through yesterday. I need to vent a little bit about the book. If you have not read it and are going to, don't read on, because I will spoil the ending. I am completely upset by the ending. Now that I think about it, the ending makes sense and is probably true to how the characters would act in real life. I just live in my own little dream world where I love for things to work out in the end. I was really upset by the fact that Scarlett realized that Rhett was the one for her, and it was too late. Rhett was just tired of waiting and was done. It was disturbing to me. This a definitely not a book to read while your husband is deployed!

On a happier note, last week we went to the pumpkin patch with some good friends of ours. We let the kids pick out pumpkins, play on the rocks and play in the corn maze. It is not the same as picking a pumpkin out at the pumpkin patch back home, but it was a lot of fun. The kids really enjoyed it.

It is definitely fall here. We woke up this morning, and the windows on the car were frozen. I know that the cold weather is coming, and I am just not sure if I am ready for it!

Happy 5th Birthday Zoe!

2008-10-08T21:20:00.004+02:00

My how time flies! It seems like only yesterday that Brad and I were rushing to the hospital to have Zoe. Our little Zoe, who is not so little anymore, is fun, spunky and lovable. She keep us all on our toes. Her favorite joke right now goes like this:
Someone else: "Watcha doing?"
Zoe: "Eating Chocolate."
Someone else: "Where'd ya get it?"
Zoe: "The doggie dropped it."
The funny part is, she did not get it. She had no idea why it was so funny; she just knew that it made people laugh.

Here are some shots of the big day:

Lincoln's First Birthday

2008-09-30T20:12:00.005+02:00

Time really flies! Lincoln is now one year old. He has moved from a helpless baby into an independent, determined, somewhat naughty little boy. I think he knows way more than he lets on, which is why he gets away with more than he probably should. I guess that is the way it goes with number four.

Here are some shots of the birthday boy:

Brad In Iraq

2008-09-10T21:25:00.005+02:00

Here are a few pictures of Brad in Iraq. He says that it is hot; imagine that!

Brad and Sgt. Mines before heading out on a mission.

Brad's view on a helicopter ride.

Here is Brad in front of his office.

Brad seems to be doing well. It looks like he should be coming home in November/December for good. All of us here are praying that everything goes through for this to happen. If not, he should not be back until next spring/summer. Please pray for all of the soldiers with Brad: for their safety, for their health, and for endurance.

Back to School

2008-09-06T21:29:00.004+02:00

We got back from the states last Thursday, and the kids started back to school the next day. Clayton started 1st grade this year, and he loves it. His teacher from last year ended up moving up to 1st grade, which was a huge blessing.

The girls also started school last week. They are both in the same classes that they were in last year. Even though they started school a few days late, they both seemed to jump right in.

My mom flew back here with us, and she is here to stay for another 2 weeks. It is so nice having her here; the kids love all of the extra attention, and I love having someone to visit with. As an added bonus, we are getting a lot of cleaning/organizing done!

Summer Fun!

2008-09-04T20:23:00.007+02:00

This summer was amazing! The kids and I went to Spokane on Memorial Day, and we came back to Germany on August 27th. We had three months of great fun. There was a Swan family reunion (my mom's side of the family), Brad's sister had a baby, and my brother got married. In between all of that, we went to the pool, we went to Silverwood theme park, and we had a great time with family and cousins. Here are some of the highlights:

The kids and I at our Welcome Home ice cream party at Auntie Heidi's house

Uncle Nate and Clayton at Yellowstone during our family reunion

The kids on the 4th of July out at the lake.

What adorable flower girls! Zoe and Georgia are now expert flower girls with Auntie Lauren's wedding last December and Uncle Nate's wedding in August. I was a little nervous because they had to cross over a stream, but we made it to the end of the night without anyone falling in.

Clayton upholding his ring bearer duties.

Overall, this summer was great. It was really hard to come back to Germany because of all of the wonderful family that we have in Spokane.

Safely in Iraq?

2008-05-21T22:59:00.006+02:00

I call this photo "Last chance to run"

The steady hum of the twin rotors calms my nerves as we fly through the desert night on our way to the place that will become our home for the next several months. As I look out towards the back of the CH-47 Chinook, I suddenly see flares shoot off and the silence is shattered by the .50 Cal machine gun as it rips off rounds at the ground below….my heart races and I look out of the ship-like porthole straining to see if we are taking fire. I think to myself “great, my first day in Iraq and I’m already getting shot at.” I feel completely helpless sitting there not knowing what is happening so I began to pray.

Turns out we weren’t under attack. Apparently, the base that I live at is in the middle of nowhere and the gunners on the helicopter use the open space to target practice every once in awhile. I’m sure it was no coincidence that they decided to do it on our flight since they knew that we were just arriving in theater.

It has been over a month since I left Germany and a lot has happened since then. We started this adventure like any Army mission…waiting. Waiting for hours to get on a bus, driving somewhere, waiting several more hours to get on a different bus and then waiting even longer to get on a plane. We board a chartered commercial plane and start the trip to Kuwait. When we land in Kuwait, we get on another bus and wait. Then we drive for about an hour and get off the bus. At this point we endure another Army ritual- briefings. We sit through safety briefings, information briefings, Rules of Engagement briefings and so on. After that we unload all of our gear from the trucks and we finally make our way to our tents. Its been over 36 hours since we left and it is about 0430.

We spent several weeks in Kuwait doing training before moving north. Because of my job I know all of the company and battalion commanders in the brigade, so I was able to have a little fun while we were there. One day, I went out to the tank range and the commander let me hop on an M1-A1 and ride around with half my body sticking out of the loader’s hatch. I learned that you have to keep your mouth closed, which, as most of you know, is very hard for me and other members of the legal profession.

While we were cruising around the tank range we saw several camel herders walking with their camels as they graze. The camels don’t even seem to be phased by the tanks rolling by them. I have to admit, I was a little excited to see camels. What is a trip to the Middle East without camels.

While I was on the camp, I also ran into a snake. Now, I’m not crazy about snakes but having lived in Alabama for 5 years while I was growing up I had my fair share of experiences with them. Back in the U.S. I can tell the difference between poisonous and non-poisonous snakes. But here I just assume they are all deadly. I ran into this one while I was walking back from dinner one night. I was alone and I was wearing my PT uniform with running shoes and ankle socks. It was only about a foot and a half long, but I didn’t mess around with it. I decided I would take the long way around it.

The movement to Iraq is similar to the first leg of the trip, we ride on a bus and then wait around. We get on another bus that takes us to the plane. As we drive to the airfield I see numerous concrete bunkers that look like they had been hit with artillery. We reach the airfield and wait to get onto the plane. This time it is an Airforce plane. The crew has a US flag hung on the inside of the plane. We fly for less than an hour before we start our decent into Baghdad. Now a combat landing has a much different feel than a commercial landing. Instead of making a gradual descent the pilot waits until he is much closer to the landing strip and then makes what feels like a nose dive toward the ground. I knew about the combat landing before the trip, so I was prepared and it really wasn’t as bad as people said it would be. From there, after waiting for a couple of hours, we got onto a helicopter and flew to our FOB (Forward Operating Base). After unloading our bags again we shuffled to our tents to sleep our first night in Iraq.

This is a picture of me at the Camp in Kuwait

Baby Paste

2008-05-19T22:23:00.004+02:00

Lincoln had one of his first biter biscuits the other day. I think that they are one of the most disgusting foods a baby can eat, but he sure loved it! Lincoln was not so sure at first, but after a few minutes, he was really into it. By the time he was done, he had it in his ears, in his nose, in his hair, and basically everywhere he could get it.

Summer Fun!

2008-05-12T22:23:00.002+02:00

The weather here has been amazing! We have been soaking up the rays every chance that we get. I think that it has put all of us in a good mood. I took some pictures of the kids while we were on a walk the other day; they were playing tag out in a field that is nearby.

Baseball

2008-05-05T15:32:00.004+02:00

Clayton just started baseball recently. This is his first encounter with it, but, overall, I think that he likes it. The games are a little slow, but I think that is what is to be expected when the kids are 5/6 years old. He is doing great! He has been playing 1st base most of the time because he is pretty good at catching. Here is a picture of Clayton and his buddy Gabriel before their big game.

A Day at the Park

2008-05-01T20:08:00.005+02:00

This afternoon, the kids and I went to one of the parks on post. When we got there, it was fairly nice out. Midway through our time, it was a little cold and breezy. By the time we left, it was pouring down rain. Such is life in Baumholder! The weather here changes all day long.

Roller Skating

2008-04-20T13:51:00.004+02:00

Clayton and Zoe went to a birthday party on Saturday and tried out roller skating for the first time. It was hard for them at first, but by the end, they both seemed to get the hang of it. I have to admit that my roller skating skills were not all that they used to be! It took me a little while to get back with it.

Soldier Zoe

2008-04-13T23:53:00.003+02:00

Here is our little Zoe with some big shoes to fill. This was taken a day or two before Brad left. She thought that she was so funny clomping around the house in Brad's boots!

We Love You Daddy!

2008-04-07T22:21:00.009+02:00

Bye, Daddy

2008-04-07T09:10:00.009+02:00

Sadly, this past weekend, Brad headed out. He is such a great dad and husband; he will be sorely missed. Please pray that his time goes quickly and that he stays safe while he is there.

Going Away Festivities

2008-03-27T09:34:00.008+01:00

We are starting to gear up for Brad leaving, and with that, there have been quite a few activities planned for the families. We had a going away party at the bowling alley the other night. It was nice to be able to get together with friends.

Last night, at Zoe and Georgia's school, they had a dinner for the families. They read the book, A Paper Hug. Then, the kids made paper hugs for the daddies to take with them to Iraq. The kids had a great time!

This morning, Clayton's school had a pancake breakfast for the families. Clayton's class got up and sang It's a Grand Ol' Flag. It was pretty cute to see; Clayton was so excited!

When You Wish Upon A Star......

2008-02-19T13:10:00.009+01:00

This past week we were able to take the kids to EuroDisney for a couple of days, and it was a blast. The weather ended up being really nice for this time of year. It was cold, but clear almost everyday. The kids were able to see Mickey, Goofy, and a bunch of other characters.

Our hotel had a great pool with slides and a pirate ship to play on. At one point, Clayton just wanted to stay there for the day! Clayton's favorite ride was the Buzz light year ride in which you got to shoot Zurg and the other bad guys. Zoe liked the princesses and It's a Small World. Georgia was in love with the carousel and her sucker. Lincoln seemed to be happy as long as he was warm and fed!

Brad and Clayton on "Crockett Rd"

Georgia "Minnie" is ready for anything with her lollipop.

The kids loved everything! I think that Clayton said it best when he said that he wanted to live at Disneyland forever!

Goodbye Grandma Marge

2008-01-08T13:01:00.001+01:00

On a sad note, this past Tuesday, Brad's grandma Marge passed away. We were very close with her, so this was hard for all of us. She has had cancer for the past year and was in a lot of pain. We take comfort in knowing that she is in heaven and no longer suffering. We are grateful that we were able to see her while we were in Spokane this past month. She was able to meet Lincoln, and we were all able to see her one more time. She will be sorely missed, as she was an influence on all of our lives.

Christmas 2007

2008-01-02T14:37:00.001+01:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Work was slow for Brad because most of the soldiers were on leave, so we just relaxed and enjoyed the kids. Christmas Eve we spent the day baking, and in the evening, we headed to church for a Christmas Eve service. When we got home, we opened all of our gifts from out of town and, of course, our pajamas.

Lincoln was not very involved in Christmas this year, but we did catch him awake here.

We started Christmas off at about 8:30 in the morning. We opened presents for about an hour, then we had cinnamon rolls. In the afternoon, the Babbs and the Holcombs came over for a Mexican dinner. We finished the evening by playing games and watching new movies. Here are the kids with all of their goodies.

I hope that you had a great Christmas this year. We miss you all!

Georgia's 2nd Birthday

2007-11-20T21:26:00.000+01:00

Georgia is ready to open her presents and eat her cake.

Tonight we celebrated Georgia's 2nd birthday. We had a Dora party, and she loved it! She loves her new Little People house and all of the Dora things that she got. She is such a fun little girl. She is full of life and energy.

On to other things, Brad just got home, and we all love having him here. Today Clayton had a Thanksgiving feast at school, and he was so excited that daddy was able to be there. Tomorrow Brad is going to be able to make an appearance at Zoe's feast. It is so nice to have him home.

2 Month Old Lincoln

2007-11-11T15:48:00.001+01:00

I can not believe that Lincoln is 2 months old! It seems like he is getting older faster than the other kids did. I do not remember the time going so fast with them. He is finally starting to wake up for a few hours at a time. I was wondering if we were ever going to see his eyes! He slept for 7 hours last night before he woke up to eat. It was amazing! I am hoping that this is something that he continues. He is a great baby, and I hope that you get to meet him soon.

Trick-or-Treat

2007-11-05T12:57:00.000+01:00

The kids had a great time on Halloween this year. Brad was not here, so things were hectic, but some good friends of ours, the Babbs, helped out. I could not have done it without them!

They came over on the Saturday before Halloween and carved pumpkins with the kids. Clayton's pumpkin is smiling, and Zoe's pumpkin has the cat on it. Georgia's pumpkin was too small to carve, but she has been carrying it around for the past couple of weeks saying "Georgia's pumpkin". She is pretty funny.

On Halloween, we went on post to trick-or-treat. We started from the Babb's house and made the rounds from there.

Clayton was an Army soldier-Captain Crockett.

Zoe was Violet from the Incredibles.

Georgia was a Chicken.

Overall, we had a great time. We miss all of you and wish that we could have been at the infamous "Sine Halloween party".

Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-24T10:34:00.000+02:00

Georgia is so funny in her little pumpkin hat. She wants to wear it everywhere.

Zoe is quite the big girl. She picked out a huge pumpkin to take home with us.

Clayton looking for a pumpkin of his own.

I have been meaning to do this for the last couple of weeks, but better late than never. While Candi was here, we took a trip up to a pumpkin patch about 45 minutes away from us. They have the most beautiful pumpkins and gourds that I have ever seen. There was also a corn maze for the kids and a blumen patch where you can pick flowers. It was a beautiful fall day, and we had a great time.

1 month old

2007-10-20T16:17:00.000+02:00

I can not believe that Lincoln is now 1 month old. The time has just flown by. We went to the doctor's office last week, and he weighed 7lbs 14oz. He is much smaller than the other kids, but he is definitely growing.

Life with 4 kids is taking some getting used to, but we seem to be adjusting pretty well. Clayton, Zoe and Georgia love having Lincoln around, and they have all been a huge help to me.

Zoe's 4th Birthday

2007-10-17T21:25:00.000+02:00

Can you believe it? Zoe is now 4 years old! But she acts like a six year old. For her birthday, we went to Sternenland, which is a giant indoor playground. It is like the McDonald's playground but much bigger and the tubes are big enough for parents to crawl through. Brad loved having an excuse to chase Georgia all over the playground. It also has giant slides and trampolines. The kids especially loved the mini go karts that they could drive on their own.

Later we had a family party here at home with Nana Candi. It was a My Little Pony theme party. Zoe was very excited about all of her presents. She got a My Little Pony Teacup toyhouse, a pony outfit and a bunch of other girly treats.

Burg Eltz

2007-10-06T23:22:00.000+02:00

It's always good when visitors come to see us because it gets us out to new places. We decided to take Brad's mom to a nearby castle, Burg Eltz. The castle was established in 1157. It is located in a river valley on the Mosel River, in Southwest Germany. It was built up over several years, but it has remained virtually unchanged since its completion. Unlike other German castles, it was never destroyed by war. The Eltz family has owned the castle for overy 800 years, and still owns it today. Apparently, no one lives there on a regular basis, but they do stay from time to time.

We arrived at the castle around 3:00 p.m. and decided to take the "shuttle" down the hill to the castle. It was a good decision, if for no other reason than to avoid getting ran over by the crazy shuttle driver. We were fortunate enough to get an English speaking tour despite the fact that castle does not have scheduled English tours. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any photos inside the castle rooms.

It was one of the best castle tours we have been on. The castle is still decorated with a lot of the original furniture, paintings and tapestries. It was interesting but not too long, which is important when you have four kids five and under on the tour.

The Final Edition

2007-09-17T21:19:00.000+02:00

Lincoln Duane was born at 8:01 am (Central European Time) at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. He weighed 6 lbs 15 oz and measured 20 inches long.

Jessica felt her first "real" contractions at 6:00 a.m. on the 14th. Based on our previous experiences we decided to head to the hospital at approximately 10:30 to avoid delivering the baby in the car! When we arrived, Jess was afraid we wouldn't be admitted so we walked around the post to try to increase her labor. Fortunately, it was a beautiful day in Western Germany, a rare occurrence. Then we went back to the van where Jess sat in the passenger seat and slept on and off for 1 1/2 hours. At this point, the contractions were strong enough that Jess could barely walk. We were first checked at around 4:00 pm, and the nurse noted that Jess had a temperature, but after an hour we were sent to get something to eat and walk around some more. After two hours we were admitted, not because she had progressed but because she still had a temperature. The doctor decided to give Jess petocin to speed the process along. Needless to say, she was less than thrilled about that option. Fortunately, she did get an epidural around 2 am, which allowed her to get some sleep before the final stretch.

At approximately 7:30, the nurse checked Jess and declared her ready to go. They called the doctor in who told Jess to push during the next contraction. Shortly thereafter the contraction began and Jess pushed. In all, she pushed only four times for less than 2 minutes and Lincoln was born!

Brad went home to get the kids, who were very excited about their new little brother. Jess and Lincoln came home Sunday morning. Clayton and Zoe fight over who gets to hold the new baby. Georgia wants to give Lincoln kisses and is very concerned if he begins to cry. If we don't respond right away, Georgia starts to scream "crying!" over and over until we go tend to Lincoln's needs. I guess she figures it worked for her to scream so it should work for Lincoln too.

We are all very excited. Especially Jess, since we aren't planning to have her go through this ordeal again. At this point, we feel that our family is complete. God has blessed us with four great children.

Thank you for all your prayers and support.

Clayton's 1st Soccer Game

2007-09-11T20:50:00.000+02:00

We signed Clayton up for pee-wee soccer this year. Jess and I were both very excited about the season. Oh yeah, Clayton was looking forward to it as well.

After just a few practices, they had their first game. Clayton started out playing defense, but unfortunately there wasn't much action. Then the coach put him at forward. It was just a pee wee game...and we're not supposed to keep score...but Clayton scored something like 6 goals during the game. At one point it almost became embarrassing because he kept breaking away from the other kids and scoring. I was very proud, not just because he did so well, but because he was always hustling.