Letters to my cousin

We fell out of contact with a lot of my dad's side of the family after he passed away my freshman year of high school.  Now my cousin and I are getting reconnected on facebook by answering questions.  I will be posting the questions and my replys.

What are your three favorite books of all time?

I love it!!  It is so fun to hear about your family!  We love to do Disneyland so maybe we should meet up next time we're in the area!:)  I love that your little girl sings.  It is fun to see their personalities develop!  I'm enjoying teaching my kiddo's to harmonize with me now that they are getting older!:) 

I don't know if I'm allowed to say the Book of Mormon, because that would be my actual favorite but it sounds kind of funny mixed in with my other choices.  Aside from so many great church books, it is really hard for me to choose favorite books though I do have a #1 for sure.  I am a huge Jane Austin fan and love her writing though I'm not always in the mood for it.  Meaning that sometimes I am just in the mood for an easier read.  My favorite of hers is "Pride and Prejudice".   I love stories, books and movies from that era!   

 I also have enjoyed the Harry Potter series.  My husband and I started reading them together, a few years after the first one came out and have kind of made it, I guess a strange but fun tradition to read them when each came out then watch the movies together.  He will sadly be in Iraq when this last movie comes out this summer so I'll be waiting till he gets back to see it.:)  We are not like huge, crazy fanatics but we have enjoyed the series. 

We have a tradition of reading books  or listening to books on tape while driving rather than watching movies.  I have found that my kids are much happier and get along a lot better when we do that.  The reason I mention that is that many of the books I have read recently are ones that my kids would enjoy and that, lots of times, have a movie that has been made of the book that my kids have not seen yet.  that way, when we're done reading the books we can watch the movie and compare and contrast the two.  A few of the last ones that we've really liked include:  City of Ember, Ella Enchanted, Fairest, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, No Talking, James and the Giant Peach and Where the Red Fern Grows.  For those that have movies, we've all decided that we like the books much better than the movies in most cases. 

After the kids fall asleep, while driving, Jason and I love a good old Agatha Christy novel to keep us alert on the road.:)

I would love for you to answer the same question and, while we're on favorites;  what are five things you want to accomplish that you have not already done?

Time with Daddy July 2010

Ft. Huachuca

The reunion!

  I didn't know how I would react when I saw him, but when I hugged him, all I could do was cry!

K's was not sure about him at first but she warmed up after about 3 minutes.:)

This is not a very clear pic, but we passed this fella in the road and had to stop.  Notice that the line he is on is one of the 4 inch lines that are in the middle of most streets.  YIKES, he was big!

A day in TOMBSTONE

This man had instruments for the kids to play and they were right on the beat.  He probably made more money when they played with him, then he made all day!

Experiencing an AZ monsoon in Tombstone.

The kids loved the trolley ride.  We could hardly keep them contained!:)

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Back on Base

I never realized how much I like a man in uniform!!:)  He looked so official!

This picture is truly worth 1000 words!!  I love it!

Just venting...

I just want to say how grateful I am for my kids! they are so good and have been such a blessing with Jason away! We are keeping busy with late nights at play practice, outdoor fun, friends, and anything else to enjoy the time as it goes by.

I heard from Jason today, and it looks like he is going to be at his AIT training a few months longer then planned, meaning, we may be moving closer to him this summer, if that is what we feel best about.

It is getting harder having him gone, the longer it goes, though we know we have been extremely blessed. We also know that this is what we need to be doing right now. I am trying my best as a single mom, but I have had to let some things go, that I would not have chosen to do if I weren't in this situation. It truly does help you to appreciate what it means to be lonely. My mom has been alone for so long and I feel that I am getting a very small glimpse of what she has experienced. It is amazing to me to see how the Lord works? I fully believe things happen for a reason and that we are supposed to learn from all the things that come into our paths, it is just eye opening to see what the Lord has in mind for us to learn in different seasons of our lives. A few things I have come up with are to take the chances as they come even if it seems to hard or scary. Another, is that, we can feel lonely and alone on this earth, but we truly are never alone! I have always known that the Lord has been mindful of me, but I can see it even for now. He is our anchor! So many things on my mind regarding this and so many things I am grateful to be learning!

I am grateful to have other, very close friends close by, who are going through the same thing. I am grateful that the Lord saw it fit for me to participate in one of my absolutely favorite things this summer, ( a musical), so I could have a personal release. I am grateful for the help I have had so that I could participate. I am grateful for being lead to the place we are living right now where we have such a wonderful and supportive ward and stake! OHHHH, there are so many more things.

Ready or not...Here we go!!

This morning, while changing Kailey's stinky diaper:

Kailey: Mom...is that yucky?

Mom: Yes Kailey, but when you are ready, you can go to the potty on the toilet so you don't have to have poppies in your pants anymore.

Apparently she took it to heart because a few hours later, she asked the girls to go out of the bathroom so she could go potty. We all just kind of laughed, but, sure enough, she did it. she took off her diaper, put the potty seat on, climbed up by herself, and even wiped. After she was done, she grabbed a clean diaper out of the cupboard and brought it to me. She is so smart! The funny thing was is that she kind of acted like it was no big deal and seemed to wonder why we made such a big deal of it screaming "YEA KAILEY WENT POTTY ON THE TOILET" plus, everyone had to come and see for themselves.

I knew she was getting ready to be potty trained, but I have been holding off so that I could be ready. She is 2 1/2 so I guess she is calling the shots on this and going to get me ready whether I like it or not!:)

Already Preparing for a Career on Stage!!:)

Just o few of the

FABULOUS FACES OF BABY "K"!!
2010

"...and a child shall lead them..."

Mother's day was a hard day this year so I sat down after all the kids went to bed, and turned on a "chick flick". (Let me back up and say that we do not allow the TV on, on Sunday's unless it is a church movie). Anyway, while I was watching my show, Sadie got out of bed and went into the bathroom, then went to hop in my bed, saying nothing. Well, when I got in bed, after my movie, she said to me..."I hope that show was 'Sunday proof' mom." YIKES!!! She was not disrespectful at all with how she said it, it was just that she wanted me to know that she had noticed and was watching out for me. Now I guess you know what my mother's day resolution is!:)

She is such a good girl!! She amazes me!

We Have a Hero Among Us!

Our Family ARMY Party!

This game was planned and carried out by Aubrey.

It was, pin the nose on the ARMY Guy!

This was our, Landmine Game. (the balloons were landmines and you had to retrieve a grenade: (pop-rocks attached a a round balloon, without touching a landmine)

Our last family picture with

all of us together for a while...

Saying goodbyes at the hotel , the night before dad shipped out. We had spent a nice day together as a family!

We thought the pictures above would be our last time to see our army guy but we had a pleasant surprise when he woke me the next morning telling us we could meet him at the M.E.P.S office and see him be sworn in.

After seeing him be sworn in, we followed him over to the airport to spend a few more minutes together.

We Love You Daddy!

We are so proud of him for choosing to serve our country! We know this was the right thing for our family to do at this time, and though there will be challenges ahead, we know we will continue to be led and blessed as we follow where the Lord wants us to go!

"...for He shall, direct of thy paths."

PRESENTING...the amazing, death and gravity defying feats of...The Giles Family!

Drum roll please!....

Presenting...Tiny K's...the Terrific!!!

Obbs...the Outstanding!

Port...the Powerful!!

Sade...The Superb!!

Jenae...the Jubilant!!
Jas...the Jokester!!

and...the Leaping Lovebirds!!