Hi

I know I just updated briefly on Friday, but I am feeling more and more like me again, this break was definately needed. I don't know how often I'll be writing, as I feel like it and the desire and need hits. I will not go into exactly why I needed the break, but it was necessary and I do thank you all for your prayers. I will say this, I don't know how anyone gets through a single day of their life without Jesus, much less when life goes upside down or even just off coarse a bit...he's absolutely necessary for each and every one of us and if you do not have a relationship with Christ, please email me anytime and I'd love to share just how easy it is to give your life to him! The Hope, Faith, and Belief of/in Christ is absolutely EVERYTHING. I ache for anyone who does not believe in our Lord and Savior.

So....Chad's gone for the week. He left yesterday for school, a little over an hour away. Of course he went and took a card that I need for Jacob to go to SAS (School Age Services...aka more or less a fun hang out he can go to and we get 5 free hours a month), so he came home tonight to give me the card and had dinner with us. I made us cubed steak and augratin potatoes. Chad said coming home for dinner was worth the two hours of driving! (Here and back total) Of course I had reminded him on Friday to make sure he put the stamp card back in my wallet when he went and picked up Jacob, but he didn't!! ;)

The kids and I walked down to the mailroom today, it was a beautiful day out and the walk is about I'd guess 3/4 of a mile to maybe a full mile away. Of course on the way out of the mailroom I got stopped by a lady I know and we talked for about 15 minutes. We got home, took the kids to the park for 30 minutes and then came in to start dinner. I was hoping to have it done before Chad got home, but that didn't happen. I was still peeling potatoes when we walked in, so he got the steaks ready for me while I finished the potatoes up. Tomorrow I'm planning on making us vegtable soup. Wednesday I have weigh in so I wanted something that is healthy and not too heavy. I'm planning on making home made wheat bread too, if I have everything to make it with. I also have to make a cake for a lady who just had a baby a couple weeks ago. Instead of icing I'll be making pudding to pour on top of it! So good! I have a yellow cake and chocolate pudding, I have no doubt the boys will NOT be happy that they will not be getting any!

Jacob's last week of soccer is here. Last practice is on Wednesday. Chad's the coach but will be missing it. The last game is Thursday at 5:00, Chad's hoping he can get out of class early enough to make it back for the game. I really hope he does. The kids love him and of course Jacob really wants his Dad here for his last soccer game. The realities are Chad will not be here next soccer season so I hate for him to miss his last game. We'll have a party once we get the trophies, they were just ordered last week (@@@) so it'll probably be another week or two before they're in, then we're probably going to do a pizza party. I think we'll buy 3 pizza's and tell the parents kids first and if need be they can buy more or we'll do the Ice cream route again and buy all the players a cone on us. The ice cream would obviously be cheaper...but there was already talk of the pizza so I'm not sure what Chad will decide!

On Saturday I watched a friends 4 kids! Yep...that's right I had 7 kids here in my apartment! Honestly though after 4 you just really don't notice the other ones. The parents are missionaries, they run our local Hospitality House (sponsored by Cadence International) and Mom was running in the Breast Cancer 5 K run/walk and Dad had Drill (he's a reservist). It was for about 1 1/2 hrs they were here. We made breakfast..scrambled eggs and pancakes. They pretty well were in the playroom the whole time other than eating. The oldest is a girl who's 9, she's Jordyn's age. She's such a sweet soul. I just love her to pieces. then there are the boys who are 5 and 6 yrs old and look almost identical and are from the back, and then the youngest a sweet little girl of 3! After Mom got back we all went to the Pumpkin Festival that was being held here on post by a deployed unit's FRG. I'd prepaid for 1 pumpkin and then we bought 2 more while there. Chad had left about 9:30 to go to another post to get us a battery for our van. In case I didn't mention it...last Saturday I got my van back (not just this past, but the previous!!) wahoo! But of course since we didn't start it for 4 months other than a couple times the battery went dead, so we had to jump start it every time we wanted to take it somewhere. Chad got back to post and to the festival by I think it was noon or so. We all ate lunch and then enjoyed the afternoon. They had a jump house, face painting, a new game (to us anyways) which was donut on a string. The kids puts their hands behind their back, someone ties a donut on a string which is attached to a pole/stick and the kid has to eat the donut without using their hands. Trust me it's hilliarious because that donut's swinging all over the place! I was laughing so hard I was crying with Jacob and Jack the girl felt sorry for him and held the string so he could get it! LOL We're definately going to do that game for Jacob's birthday probably! Which isn't until January, but it's always nice to learn new games!!

Emma's growing by leaps and bounds and smiles all the time! She is really responding to us more and more and is awake more and more. Time just goes by too quickly. I can't believe she's already 10 weeks old. Next Monday we will finally get to drop off her paperwork for her passport, social security card, and American Birth Certificate. It should only take 4 weeks to get it back, so once it does...hello traveling!! I'm trying to decide where we should go for our first trip, I'm thinking Austria but haven't decided for sure yet...maybe just a closer trip to Czech Rep. I just read an article on Bruge, Belgium (we don't need a passport to go there) and I'm really wanting to go there. It's absolutely beautiful from the pictures I saw. We may wait until the new year for any big trips. We will wait until Spring to head to Switzerland as I want to put money back since it's an expensive country and want to make sure I can see everything I want to see while there! I'm going to check into Ireland too, thinking of making it Chad's birthday gift from the kids and I. A friend of ours just went there for the 2nd time so they can give us some great tips on places to stay and must see's and we have a couple friends in the states who go to there every year so between all of them we should be able to have a fantastic trip! I'll keep you updated on that, it will of course depend on when Chad can get leave!

Ok...I'm sharing pictures